Chapter 827

With Dormammu and the Dark Dimension’s threat finally driven back, the New York Sanctum’s defensive core had been restored, and the Hong Kong Sanctum had been returned to its original state through Strange’s time magic.

For all intents and purposes, the crisis was over.

Evenson wasted no time. He reached out and casually tore Kaecilius’s soul from his body.

Kaecilius had been abandoned by Dormammu, leaving him dramatically weakened. Add to that the spectacular collapse of both his ambitions and his love life, and there wasn’t much fight left in him. He didn’t even resist.

As for what Evenson would eventually do with the man’s soul...

He hadn’t decided yet.

There was plenty of time. He and Clea could always sit down later and figure out the most unpleasant possible use for it.

Unfortunately, the crisis wasn’t quite over for everyone.

The moment the immediate threat disappeared, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj began turning on one another.

Mordo had always been stubborn, but learning the truth that the Ancient One had concealed from them had shaken him deeply. He had already begun questioning everything he had devoted his life to.

He had merely kept those doubts buried while Dormammu remained the greater threat.

Now there was nothing left to suppress them.

He had seen Lily Grant use her life-draining power. He had watched Clea wield even darker forces. And once the battle was over, Mordo finally snapped.

Worse, he began openly condemning the Ancient One—even though she had died defending their world.

The reaction was immediate.

Most of the sorcerers present were from the Hong Kong Sanctum. They hadn’t necessarily been close to the Ancient One, but they understood one basic principle:

You didn’t spit on the reputation of the woman who had just died saving the world.

Especially when you had been one of her students.

Lily Grant let out an awkward laugh.

"Master Mordo, I think you must have hit your head during the battle. Whatever you just said, I’m sure you didn’t mean it. Why don’t you go wash your face, clear your head, and then think carefully about what should and shouldn’t be said?"

It was an olive branch.

Lily had no desire to watch Kamar-Taj tear itself apart immediately after surviving Dormammu. More importantly, Evenson was still standing right there.

Family arguments were one thing.

Having them in front of outsiders was another.

If Mordo had enough sense to take the offered escape route, perhaps everyone could pretend this had never happened.

Unfortunately, Mordo had never been particularly good at taking hints.

"Be quiet. What exactly did I say that was wrong?"

His gaze hardened as it settled on Lily.

He already despised the powers she wielded. Her attempt to smooth things over only made him angrier.

"She told us what we shouldn’t do, yet she herself drew power from the Dark Dimension and used it to extend her life for centuries. Now she’s paid the price."

"Did none of you see what happened? Her forbidden actions created countless fanatics for Dormammu. Kaecilius was one of the disasters she created. And in the end, we all became pieces on her board. She was the reason our world was brought to the brink!"

Lily’s expression darkened.

Her fists clenched.

Then she glanced sideways.

Evenson was standing nearby, looking very interested in the ceiling.

He was pretending he hadn’t heard a word.

Lily slowly relaxed her hands.

Evenson caught her look.

"Well," he said, smiling pleasantly at the assembled sorcerers, "you seem to have a lot to sort out. I’m an outsider, and I suspect my continued presence would make things awkward. I’ll leave you to it."

He gave Clea a brief farewell, then disappeared through a portal.

He hadn’t needed to say anything else.

Even an outsider understood the importance of saving someone’s dignity.

How did Mordo, after everything Kamar-Taj had given him, fail to understand something so basic?

Strange was clearly struggling with the situation as well.

Of everyone present, he had served the Ancient One closest to the end. He understood why she had made the choices she did.

"There’s no point arguing about this now," Strange said quietly. "It’s over."

"Yes," Mordo replied with a bitter laugh. "It’s over."

He looked directly at Strange.

"You saved the Sanctums. And in doing so, you violated the natural order. You still think that doesn’t matter, don’t you?"

His voice rose.

"You all think it doesn’t matter!"

"You break the rules like she did, and eventually you’ll pay the price. That’s how this works. Actions have consequences."

"Enough."

Clea slammed the butt of the Holy Lance against the floor.

The crack echoed through the Sanctum.

If Strange understood the Ancient One’s sacrifice, Clea understood it even more intimately. She had inherited the same power and, in many ways, had become the Ancient One’s true successor.

"Strange is the newest sorcerer here," Clea said coldly. "He has spent less time at Kamar-Taj than anyone else in this room. And yet when this world was threatened, he risked his life to defend it. He gave up his old life for that."

"You accuse him of breaking the rules."

She stepped forward.

"So answer me this, Mordo. When you aren’t even certain you’ll survive today, how useful is it to worry about what tomorrow’s consequences might be?"

"That’s not wisdom. That’s cowardice."

"You knew Strange’s actions were dangerous. You could have spoken before he acted."

She narrowed her eyes.

"You waited until afterward and then attacked him for it. That’s the behavior of a coward."

Then her voice hardened.

"And your accusations against the Ancient One..."

Clea clenched her jaw.

"She spent her entire life protecting this world while paying the smallest price she could. She sacrificed everything."

She stared directly at Mordo.

"What did you sacrifice?"

Silence.

"What have you ever sacrificed that gives you the right to judge her?"

Mordo lowered his eyes.

"I don’t."

He looked around at the others.

"But I don’t want to continue like this."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Lily watched him leave.

"He really just walked out?"

"Good."

Clea stretched, and the black armor covering her body dissolved away, leaving her in her familiar sorcerer’s robes.

"After what he just said, Kamar-Taj isn’t his home anymore."

"I meant you let him leave too easily."

Lily clicked her tongue.

"That’s only because the Ancient One was too kind to establish proper rules for this sort of thing. If this were my organization, nobody would walk away without paying a price."

Clea gave her a strange look.

"We’re not criminals. If our principles no longer align, he’s free to leave."

She patted Lily’s shoulder.

Then, after a moment, she leaned closer and whispered:

"Still... people who nurse grudges tend to eventually act on them. If Mordo keeps his complaints to himself, fine."

Her eyes narrowed.

"But if he turns those complaints into action..."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"Then we’ll see what our senior sister is capable of."

Lily’s mouth curved into a wicked grin.

"He’d better not give me an excuse."

Unfortunately, Clea’s prediction proved accurate almost immediately.

Mordo was an action-oriented man.

He didn’t merely complain.

He acted.

In his eyes, Kamar-Taj had become a den of corruption.

Strange had already begun violating the natural order despite being a newcomer. Lily Grant wielded powers that consumed the lives of others. Clea had embraced tremendous amounts of dark power, just as the Ancient One had.

And Evenson?

Evenson was a cruel, evil warlock who toyed with souls.

None of it was acceptable.

So Mordo left Kamar-Taj and immediately traveled to New York.

He found Jonathan Pangborn—the man who had once pointed Strange toward Kamar-Taj—and without wasting a word, stripped him of his magic.

Pangborn was left paralyzed once again.

There are too many sorcerers in this world.

That’s why everything has become so chaotic.

Today, I’ll start with you.

As for the others... I’ll deal with them later.

Mordo walked away with his purpose renewed.

He would preserve his strength.

He would master his magic.

And when he was ready, he would settle the rest.

Kamar-Taj, however, barely reacted to what had happened.

After all, Pangborn’s fate wasn’t particularly different from what Kamar-Taj itself had originally intended.

They weren’t running a charity.

Pangborn had arrived desperate and helpless. Kamar-Taj had fed him, treated him, taught him magic, and restored his ability to walk.

All they had asked in return was that he guide Strange to them.

Once his usefulness was exhausted, the debt was due.

Give back what you had received.

That was only fair.

So Kamar-Taj collectively ignored the incident.

There were far more important matters to deal with.

Back at Kamar-Taj’s main compound, Strange returned the Eye of Agamotto to its place.

Wong immediately summoned the senior representatives of all three Sanctums.

"The news of the Ancient One’s death will spread throughout the multiverse soon," Wong said. "And with Dormammu gone, there will be forces that previously feared him and therefore kept their distance from Earth. They will begin testing our defenses."

His expression was grim.

"This world is about to become even more dangerous."

He paused.

"Which means we need a new Sorcerer Supreme."

That was the immediate priority.

And there were really only two candidates.

Clea.

And Stephen Strange.

Both had played critical roles in the battle against the Dark Dimension. Both had earned enormous prestige. Anyone hoping to put forward another candidate would first have to consider whether they actually had the influence to compete.

The senior sorcerers gathered in a dark chamber.

The representatives of the three Sanctums sat around their respective tables.

Clea and Strange were absent. As the candidates themselves, they obviously couldn’t participate in the selection.

Everyone seemed unusually energized.

After all, this was history.

Their generation had actually outlived the Ancient One.

Now they had the privilege of choosing her successor.

It was the sort of thing people could boast about for the rest of their lives.

"Everyone," Master Hamir said, knocking his knuckles against the table. "We’re here to choose a new Sorcerer Supreme. If we’re going to do that, someone has to actually speak."

That broke the silence.

"I’ll go first."

Master Marduk of the London Sanctum rose.

"We intend to support Stephen Strange."

"Why Strange?"

Victor Sterling slammed his palm against the table and stood.

The Hong Kong Sanctum’s representative glared across the room.

"The Sorcerer Supreme is the greatest among sorcerers. Naturally, the strongest candidate should take the position."

He pointed toward the empty chair where Clea would have been sitting.

"Clea fought Dormammu in the Dark Dimension and stood against him directly. Her strength was obvious to everyone."

"Strange has only been with us for a short time. Clea has grown up within the Sanctums. We know her. We know her abilities."

He folded his arms.

"Experience and strength both favor her. If London wants Strange, Hong Kong does not agree."

Victor dropped back into his seat with a satisfied grunt.

His gaze briefly met Lily’s.

She gave him a small nod.

Victor relaxed.

Marduk sighed.

"That’s not the whole picture."

"The Ancient One personally took Strange as her student. She never explained exactly why, but we all understood what that meant."

He looked around the table.

"She intended for him to succeed her."

"We can’t simply ignore the Ancient One’s wishes."

"And there’s another matter. The Eye of Agamotto has belonged to the Sorcerer Supreme for generations. Among the current sorcerers, Strange is the only one capable of wielding it."

"That power matters."

Victor snorted.

"Is that what we’re calling it?"

Marduk continued without acknowledging the interruption.

"Yes, Clea fought Dormammu directly. But Strange was the one who restored the Hong Kong Sanctum using time magic. Without him, Dormammu would not have been forced out."

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

"Ah. I see."

His smile turned sarcastic.

"So London wants Strange because your Sanctum was destroyed and you want him to rewind time and rebuild it for you?"

Marduk shot to his feet.

"That’s absurd! When have I ever said anything like that?"

"You didn’t have to."

"I won’t let you accuse me of something so ridiculous!"

"Then come outside and prove it."

"With pleasure."

"Cough."

A single quiet cough interrupted them.

Master Oliban had spoken.

The argument died instantly.

Clea’s reputation had skyrocketed after the battle, and as her adoptive father, Oliban’s standing had risen alongside hers.

He slowly stood.

"You’ve all made your positions known. Now it’s my turn."

He paused.

"The New York Sanctum supports Stephen Strange."

Silence.

"What?!"

Victor stared at him.

Even Marduk looked stunned.

Everyone knew Oliban treated Clea like his own daughter.

For him to support Strange was almost shocking enough to be considered an act of saintly selflessness.

"This was Clea’s decision," Strange said.

The others turned toward him.

"She doesn’t want us to violate the Ancient One’s wishes."

Victor nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Master Oliban, surely you’re going to stop her?"

He glanced around desperately.

"The girl doesn’t know any better. And this business about honoring the Ancient One’s wishes—does she have an actual will? A written succession order?"

"Let me finish."

Oliban raised one hand.

"Clea also said she has a great deal of work ahead of her. Work that would be considerably more difficult if she were carrying the title of Sorcerer Supreme."

He looked around the chamber.

"Don’t forget what happened when Dormammu retreated."

The room went quiet.

Everyone remembered.

A brilliant, multicolored beam had descended from the heavens and smashed into Dormammu’s head.

The Rainbow Bridge.

Asgard had intervened.

"The reason the Asgardians helped Earth..." Oliban paused, choosing his words carefully.

"Evenson informed them of Dormammu’s arrival. They acted to prevent the Dark Dimension from expanding further and, naturally, to fulfill their responsibilities toward one of their realms under their protection."

Several sorcerers exchanged uneasy glances.

"But everyone here understands that such obligations go both ways."

"The Asgardians may have acted without us formally requesting their intervention, but they could still use this incident as grounds to demand something from Earth."

"And Evenson has a close relationship with Asgard."

Oliban’s expression became serious.

"Clea will need to use that connection. She must serve as Earth’s representative and negotiate with Asgard over what comes next."

He spread his hands.

"That is already an enormous responsibility."

"She simply cannot afford to take on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme at the same time."

"The matter is critical. If Asgard decides to exert pressure on Earth without warning, our current defenses would never withstand another Rainbow Bridge assault."

He looked around the table.

"I hope everyone here can understand."