Chapter 815

The Ancient One already knew that Kaecilius had gained power from Dormammu and would likely attack one of the Sanctums before long. Evenson and Kreea had even worked out how they intended to settle their personal score with him.

And yet, for the moment, Kamar-Taj remained perfectly peaceful.

They couldn’t exactly announce their plans to the entire order, after all. So everyone carried on as though nothing had happened.

That suited Strange just fine.

His progress had accelerated dramatically. There was an old truth about learning: sometimes the greatest breakthrough wasn’t gaining more ability, but realizing something had been possible all along.

For weeks, Strange had been convinced that his damaged hands were the reason he couldn’t master sorcery. That assumption had poisoned everything he attempted. But after the Ancient One had forced him to open a portal under extreme conditions, something inside him had finally clicked.

His confidence returned.

And once the mental barrier was gone, Strange’s considerable intelligence finally had room to work.

The talent the Ancient One had seen in him began to show itself.

He even started taking better care of his appearance. The unkempt beard was trimmed, his hair was brought back under control, and the disgraced surgeon once again looked like the successful professional he had once been.

That morning, Strange stood in the courtyard opposite Mordo, dressed in light training clothes.

They had just finished a sparring session.

Hand-to-hand combat in Kamar-Taj involved considerably more than either of them had expected when they first arrived. Striking, grappling, throws, joint locks—the whole unpleasant package.

Now it was time for weapons training.

Mordo had naturally become Strange’s closest acquaintance at Kamar-Taj. He had been the one to bring Strange inside in the first place, and he couldn’t help admiring how quickly the newcomer was improving.

While they selected their weapons, Mordo smiled.

"You didn’t expect being a sorcerer to involve this much physical training, did you?"

Strange shook his head.

"I did. Someone told me that if you want to master advanced magic, you have to build a body strong enough to handle it."

Mordo raised an eyebrow.

"Who told you that?"

Strange thought for a moment.

"A female sorcerer I met in the library a few days ago. I think her name was..."

He paused.

He had completely forgotten.

"Lily Grant?" Mordo offered.

"That’s it."

Strange nodded.

"She was surprisingly friendly. She even offered to train with me sometime. If you hadn’t come looking for me today, I might have taken her up on it."

He said it with the faintly playful tone of a man who still assumed attractive women enjoyed spending time with him.

Mordo gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Then I may have saved your life."

Strange blinked.

"What?"

"You have no idea how hard that woman hits. Aside from the Ancient One, I’m not sure there’s anyone here who can beat her."

Mordo grimaced.

"And she doesn’t pull her punches. I made the mistake of sparring with her once. I ended up coughing blood."

Strange’s expression slowly changed.

"So that’s what that was."

"Don’t assume she invited you because she likes you," Mordo added. "She just gets bored and wants someone to hit."

Strange had always possessed a somewhat unreasonable amount of confidence in his charm. He had been successful, wealthy, handsome, and very good at getting people to laugh.

He’d assumed Lily had been interested in him.

Apparently, he had been spectacularly wrong.

No wonder Walter Wong had looked so alarmed that day.

Strange made a mental note to thank him later.

Mordo selected his weapon.

A magical staff that could transform into a flexible whip rested in his hand, while enchanted boots covered his feet—boots capable of carrying their wearer through the air.

"A sorcerer must master magic," Mordo said, "but that isn’t enough. We must also know how to use magical artifacts properly."

Strange nodded.

He had a very different question on his mind.

Do you people play League of Legends here?

Those boots looked suspiciously like something out of a game.

Elsewhere in Kamar-Taj, Lily Grant was sitting properly in a secluded chamber.

Evenson sat across from her, stroking his beard with the solemn expression of a master about to reveal some profound secret.

"Disciple," he said gravely, "how long has it been since you became my student?"

Lily leaned forward respectfully.

"How should I know?"

Evenson nearly choked.

That wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting.

He coughed, recovered himself, and continued.

"The exact duration isn’t important. The point is that you’ve been my disciple for quite some time. Yet despite that, I haven’t actually taught you anything."

He paused dramatically.

"So today, I’ve decided—"

"You’re finally passing all your power on to me?"

Evenson’s face twitched.

"In your dreams!"

He shot to his feet.

"What am I, dying? You just casually asked for my entire life’s worth of power."

Lily tilted her head.

"Then you’re kicking me out?"

She waved dismissively.

"Go ahead. Make it quick."

"No, no. Sit down and listen."

Evenson rubbed his forehead.

No wonder she’s managed to argue with Kreea for more than a decade.

She had never won those arguments, but she had certainly developed the talent for making them exhausting.

"The reason I never taught you before is because I’ve been trying to figure out how," Evenson said. "Our approaches to magic and combat are completely different. But I think I’ve finally worked it out."

Lily’s interest immediately returned.

"Oh? What are you going to teach me?"

"You’ve already reached a fairly advanced level with your martial arts. But you’ve never quite reached the level of William Grant."

Lily frowned.

"That’s because I’m missing..."

Evenson paused for effect.

"Energy."

Lily stared at him.

"Energy?"

"You’re already extremely skilled physically. Your body’s been trained for years. But what if we gave that body another source of power?"

She looked increasingly skeptical.

"You’re talking about some kind of internal energy?"

"Exactly."

"Do you actually know what you’re talking about?"

Evenson smiled.

"Maybe."

He raised both hands.

Green, viscous energy began gathering between his palms.

Fel.

"You’ve spent years training your body," he said. "Your channels are already conditioned to withstand tremendous stress. If I introduce a controlled source of energy into your body, you should be able to circulate it through your natural pathways and greatly increase your physical abilities."

Lily stared at the green energy.

She had spent her entire life trying to push her martial abilities further, only to repeatedly run into a wall.

If this worked...

It was worth trying.

"All right."

She slapped both hands against the floor and turned around, presenting her back to him.

"I’m ready, Master. Give me everything you’ve got. If there’s anything you still need to accomplish, I’ll take care of it for you."

Evenson’s eyebrow twitched.

"Why are you facing away?"

Lily glanced over her shoulder.

"Isn’t that where you’re supposed to do it?"

"Your energy core isn’t in your back."

"Oh."

"And before we start, drink this."

Evenson handed her a small glass vial sealed with a cork. A thick crimson liquid sloshed inside.

Lily eyed it suspiciously.

"What is that?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was an ancient alchemical elixir made from the distilled essence of several forbidden ingredients?"

"No."

"Good. Because that’s too complicated."

He sighed.

"It’s a restorative preparation refined through high-level alchemy. It should keep your body from rejecting the energy."

Lily eyed the liquid again.

"It’s red."

"Yes."

"Very red."

"Yes."

"Is that blood?"

Evenson nodded.

"I never said the cauldron had to be a normal cauldron."

Lily stared at him.

Then, with the resigned expression of someone who had already committed to the terrible decision, she pulled the cork and swallowed the contents.

Her face immediately twisted.

"That is blood!"

"I never said it wasn’t."

"You could have mentioned that!"

"You’re alive, aren’t you?"

She sighed.

"Fine."

Lily removed her outer robe and lifted the hem of her undershirt, exposing her abdomen.

"All right. Do it."

Evenson gave her an encouraging smile.

"Don’t worry. This is my first time too."

Lily’s expression froze.

Evenson looked down.

Then he noticed the eight sharply defined abdominal muscles beneath her skin.

He looked at his own less impressive physique.

There was a brief, painful moment of self-reflection.

"Is this the right spot?"

He placed his hand against her abdomen.

Lily flinched.

But Evenson didn’t begin immediately.

He knew enough to know that the energy center wasn’t literally located wherever he happened to place his hand. He needed her guidance.

"That... that’s my navel."

"Oh."

"Lower."

Evenson’s hand shifted downward.

"Not that far!"

Lily’s face turned bright red.

Evenson immediately stopped.

"Right. Got it."

He cleared his mind and focused.

Then the Fel entered her body.

Green threads spread outward from the point of contact, branching across Lily’s body like a web of glowing veins.

The energy flowed through her muscles and along the pathways of her body.

Lily’s entire frame began to tremble.

It hurt.

She clenched her teeth and refused to make a sound.

She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.

Not even once.

Evenson watched the flow of energy carefully.

"The results are better than I expected."

When it was over, Lily immediately pulled her clothes back into place.

Only after she had recovered did she remember to test the new power inside her.

Evenson nodded.

"That should do it."

He looked toward the window.

"These are dangerous times. Kamar-Taj needs every capable fighter it can get. Kreea also needs your help."

Lily’s expression softened.

"Kreea?"

"She returned to the New York Sanctum last night. I want you to go back to the Hong Kong Sanctum immediately."

Lily tilted her head.

"So this is for Kreea."

"Exactly."

Lily considered that for a moment.

Then she casually threw a punch.

The air exploded.

A sharp crack echoed through the chamber.

Her eyes widened.

That had been a casual strike.

Yet compared with her strongest attacks before receiving the Fel, it was—

At least ten times stronger.

Lily slowly lowered her fist.

Then she grinned.

"Well. That worked."

Evenson looked equally pleased.

Then he slapped his forehead.

"Ah. There’s one more thing."

Lily looked at him.

"Since you’ve gained this new power, your fighting style needs a new name."

He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Let’s see..."

He paused.

"Military Combat Technique is already taken."

Lily waited.

"Fel Subduing Fist?"

Silence.

Lily smiled.

"Emerald Eight Extremes."

Evenson’s smile vanished.

"That isn’t what I said."

"You’re right."

Lily nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for naming it, Master."

"I said—"

"Emerald Eight Extremes."

"If you keep calling it that, I’m going to leave your school."

Lily’s smile widened.

"Then I’ll call it that forever."

Evenson stared at her.

He had created a monster.

...