Stephen Strange was curled up outside the wooden gate of Kamar-Taj, his back stiff and his pride in tatters. He hadn't left. He couldn't. This was his last chance.
If he failed here, he wouldn't just lose surgery. He'd lose everything his identity, dignity, and humanity.
The creaking of the old wooden door stirred him awake.
Mordo stood at the threshold, arms crossed.
"He's willing to see you now."
Strange scrambled to his feet. "Right. Thank you!"
This time, when he stepped into the sanctum, he didn't look around with judgment or arrogance. The awe-inspiring mystical space he'd previously dismissed now felt sacred. His posture was low. His tone was humble.
He couldn't afford to lose this opportunity.
"Good morning, Sorcerer Supreme," Strange said respectfully.
Nolan looked up from his book. "Don't call me that. Repeat it and Mordo might actually hit you."
He smirked. "Come on, let's go meet the real Sorcerer Supreme."
But beneath that smile, Nolan wasn't focused on Strange. He had just realized something something critical.
A parasitic species Nolan had once studied one mind split into many bodies. He didn't need to replicate that completely. He just needed to split into two.
Two souls. Two imprints. One for each dimension.
But he had already failed at the moment of forging his psionic imprint. He had done it as a single soul.
If he wanted to fix that, he needed to go back. Use the Time Stone to return to that moment and split his being. Two versions of himself. Each simultaneously brands a dimension.
He glanced down at the Eye of Agamotto. It pulsed faintly.
The path was dangerous. But now, finally, he had an answer.
Strange followed Nolan through a wide hallway.
They passed students and practitioners deep in study. No computers. No tech. Just scrolls, books, chalk glyphs, and incense burners.
Each sorcerer who passed them stopped what they were doing, placed a hand on their chest, and bowed slightly.
Strange swallowed hard.
This man who looked like a scientist in a robe commanded respect. Not through fear or rank, but through sheer presence.
Finally, Nolan stopped in front of a small wooden hut.
Strange blinked. "…Another shack?"
From behind the door came a familiar voice wise, cool, feminine.
Nolan grinned. "Bringing Strange to you."
There was a beat of silence.
"You're his mentor. Not me. I'm retired."
"I want to try something."
"You get him to master the portal spell first. Then I'll help."
Nolan chuckled. "Fine."
He turned back toward Strange. "Looks like she's still annoyed at you."
Strange blinked. "Have I… met her before?"
"In a way, yes. You pissed her off. Let's leave it at that."
Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"You are—unbelievable. Ten days, and you still can't open a portal?"
"I'm trying—" he muttered.
"You had sparks in your hand yesterday. You lost it again because your hands aren't stable?"
Nolan snapped his fingers. A one-handed sorcerer stepped forward and, using only a gesture with his stump and sheer willpower, conjured a swirling portal with perfect precision.
"Explain," Nolan said, turning to the man.
The sorcerer answered humbly, "The pain helped me understand the essence of magic. I learned more by losing than I ever did with hands."
Nolan nodded. "Fair enough."
He turned back to Strange. "You have no excuse."
"I'll keep trying," Strange said, voice low.
"You'd better. I've got an experiment to run. I'll be gone for five days. If you haven't mastered it by then... I might get creative with my teaching."
He disappeared into a portal.
Mordo approached Strange, offering a rare moment of encouragement.
"Don't let it get to you. You've already manifested magical energy. That's a good sign. Even Kaecilius, the most gifted of us all, took months to get that far."
"Kaecilius?" Strange asked.
"A former master. He gave in to darkness. We don't talk about him anymore."
Strange nodded slowly. "What about Nolan? How long did it take him?"
Mordo hesitated, then sighed.
"Three days to sense magic?"
"No. Three days to master the portal spell."
Strange's jaw dropped. "What?!"
He had barely conjured a spark. Nolan had already opened gates to other realms in three days?
"Don't compare yourself to him," Mordo said flatly. "There are others even more gifted. But Nolan… his potential is the reason he holds the Eye of Agamotto."
Strange stared off into the training yard, the weight of his own mediocrity pressing down.
But the fire hadn't left his eyes.
He wasn't going to quit.
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