"The arrogance, tenacity… and that ambition in Strange's eyes—I witnessed all of that long ago," the Ancient One said softly, looking up at the ceiling covered in totems.
Through the Ancient One's indescribable expression, Wanda couldn't help but feel that she wasn't just talking about Strange, but someone else entirely.
And it wasn't just Wanda who had that feeling—Gwen felt the same. After all, the Ancient One had said something that hinted at familiarity.
It wasn't until Alan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, casually uttering a name, that both women covered their mouths in surprise.
"You mean Kaecilius?" Alan stated the unfamiliar name without hesitation.
The Ancient One was silent for a moment before sighing softly. "Yes. I won't let someone as talented as Strange lose himself to darkness after stepping through the door, letting it consume him."
Wanda looked up in shock. "Wait, you mean this Kaecilius… he's dabbled in dark magic?"
As a sorceress herself, Wanda understood all too well—once someone touches dark magic, they begin to spiral into madness. The only way they can satisfy their lust for power is by making others submit through killing and conquest.
They have no higher goal. That kind of thing... is truly terrifying.
Suddenly, Wanda understood why Alan had been so focused on Strange lately—Kaecilius must have become a serious problem!
"Exactly..." The Ancient One's expression toward Wanda was quite different from the one she had shown to Strange earlier.
The chaos magic within Wanda's body could easily destroy an entire nation. Fortunately, she was by Emperor's side. With him watching over her, there was no way she would be consumed by the darkness.
"Kaecilius has been exposed to too much dark magic. He's gained considerable power from it. Any sorcerer who refused to follow him has already been killed."
"That's bad news... Dark sorcerers... they're seriously hard to deal with," Gwen muttered. She had witnessed Wanda's powers firsthand and had to admit—against ordinary fighters, a dark sorcerer would be nearly unstoppable.
Meanwhile, Strange was walking down a corridor with Karl Mordo, on the way to his assigned room. He quickly noticed how dim and shadowy everything was.
"Master Mordo, is there some kind of power shortage here? It's really dark," Strange said, suddenly realizing he was uncomfortable with the low lighting.
Karl Mordo chuckled. "Mr. Strange..."
"You can call me Stephen," Strange interrupted. He no longer insisted on being called 'Doctor.' Here, he was nothing more than a baby taking his first steps.
"Stephen, this place reflects your own inner world. It changes according to what's within. The Ancient One told you to rest for a few days—she has her reasons."
Karl Mordo stopped in front of a door and opened it. Inside, there was only a small table lamp.
"This will be your room. You can try meditating for a while or... maybe take a bath first?"
Strange let out an awkward laugh. "If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me where the bath is? And... I didn't bring any clothes."
He had just now noticed the smell of sweat on himself and suddenly felt a little guilty toward Alan. Before they came here, the place he'd been living in really wasn't much better than a trash heap.
"There are clothes prepared for you—don't worry about that. I'll go get them now. Just sit and rest for a bit," Karl Mordo said warmly, clearly welcoming Strange's arrival.
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