Sean stepped into the central hall of Kamar-Taj, where the Ancient One, clad in white robes, had been waiting for some time...
She gazed up at the massive celestial body suspended overhead. Over Eastern Europe, dense clusters of light points spread outward like a slow creeping tide.
That was Kaecilius's dark invasion. More and more people had fallen under Dormammu's control, becoming fanatical zealots. They had already begun to threaten the Sanctums' influence.
As the dark minions multiplied, the various secret orders and holy legions under the three Sanctums suffered heavy losses. Under Kamar-Taj's command, they began consolidating their defenses and gathering strength.
"The Sanctum sorcerers can't track their movements. With Dormammu's protection, Kaecilius can slip into the Dark Dimension at any time, evading my sight." The Ancient One sighed helplessly.
Kaecilius had once trained at Kamar-Taj. His talent was extraordinary, his progress far surpassing ordinary students. Moreover, he understood the Sanctums' operations. After gaining Dormammu's gaze from the Darkhold, he had slipped entirely from her control.
"The dark minions grow bolder by the day, and my life is nearing its end. Sean, what do you plan to do?"
She spun a metal disc between her fingers, and the massive celestial body which glowed like molten lava shifted slowly.
The three Sanctums served as nodes, their intersecting trajectories forming the sturdy defensive line the sorcerers had built over centuries. It was the barrier that kept countless extradimensional entities at bay.
"What about your chosen successor? The future Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange." Sean asked.
He stepped forward, examining the three great doors in the central hall. Each led to New York, London, and Hong Kong. These were the material world's critical junctions. If destroyed, Kamar-Taj's defenses would collapse instantly.
The Ancient One shook her head, replying, "He's only just begun to shed his preconceptions, to see beyond the illusions of the physical eye and perceive the world through mind and spirit."
Though Strange was destined to become the Sorcerer Supreme, right now, he was barely past the threshold of the mystic arts.
She added, "He isn't ready to face Kaecilius and Dormammu yet."
The Sorcerer Supreme walked out of the central hall. At this moment, Kamar-Taj was serene. Its temples and spires stretched into the distance like an ancient slumbering city.
"Why not choose Mordo? His loyalty to Kamar-Taj and his reverence for you are beyond question." Sean asked, following the Ancient One while glancing up at the star-studded night sky.
"Mordo is a devout follower of the Vishanti. He adheres strictly to the Sanctum's doctrines and Kamar-Taj's rules, the polar opposite of Kaecilius's heresy." The Ancient One's expression remained placid as she toyed with a sandalwood folding fan "Had Kaecilius not turned to darkness, had Dormammu not lurked in the shadows, Mordo might have been a worthy successor. But in the fractured fragments of the future I've seen, Kaecilius succeeds in destroying the material world's defenses. Dormammu descends from the Dark Dimension, and Mordo is not the one who can turn the tide."
Sean pondered. The current Sorcerer Supreme was a paradox. She adhered to the future fragments glimpsed through the Eye of Agamotto, yet yearned desperately to alter fate's course.
"I'll go to Eastern Europe myself. Hopefully, I can deal with Kaecilius. As for Dormammu, as long as the three Sanctums remain intact, there won't be a problem."
Sean glanced toward the library, where a man in crimson robes buried himself in ancient tomes. The man's eyes burned with fervor, as if he was searching for the secret to rebirth within those endless texts.
"Your chosen successor only wants his hands back so he can return to New York and resume his career," he said as he chuckled, "He'd rather be called 'Doctor Strange' than a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj."
"He'll awaken. Not everyone willingly shoulders such burdens from the start. I didn't. Neither will he." A flicker of sorrow passed through the Ancient One's eyes before vanishing. She turned to Sean and said, "Strange and I are different. When the time comes, you may not find him as... accommodating."
"I'd love to experience the Eye of Agamotto's power firsthand. Hopefully, Strange can fulfill that wish for me." Sean said, smiling faintly as cerulean ripples expanded into a spatial gateway.
He gave the Ancient One a meaningful look before stepping through. He already possessed three Infinity Stones.
The Time Stone, which was embedded in the Eye of Agamotto, was Kamar-Taj's most sacred relic. It was the Sorcerer Supreme's sigil. The Ancient One would never hand it over. She knew all too well the cataclysmic power of gathering all six Infinity Stones.
From the moment they first met, Sean and the Ancient One had maintained a delicate partnership. He had no desire to force a confrontation to tear the Eye from her by force.
Rather than burn that bridge, he'd let nature take its course. After all, the Ancient One's time was nearly up. She had long been ready for death, with no attachments left in this world. Why else would she embrace oblivion the moment she chose Strange as her successor?
...
"I wonder whose side time is really on." Muttering to himself, Sean stepped out of the spatial gateway and into a transformed Latveria.
He stood at the center of Victory Square, his gaze immediately drawn to the towering bronze statue before him. Cast in solid metal, it exuded an imposing weight.
The figure wore a billowing cloak, its face obscured by a grim mask. One hand crackled with serpentine lightning, the other cradled a planet that symbolized life itself.
Victor von Doom...
The uncrowned king of Latveria. The sole pope of the Doom Cult. To his followers, he was the avatar of destruction, a god walking among men.
«DOOM COMES. NONE SHALL LIVE.» Sean read the inscription at the statue's base.
Doom had forged Latveria into a theocratic state. The corrupt bureaucrats, the political factions, the old nobility, the conservatives, the radicals, the civil rights leaders... all had been purged in the ever-escalating civil uprising.
Doctor Doom lived up to his name. He had brought chaos and bloodshed to his homeland. Countless had perished, and from the ashes, a new regime rose. Now, all bowed at the feet of Victor von Doom.
Beyond the statue, a majestic palace loomed. Its architecture embodied Doom's signature gravitas, a fusion of classical grandeur and unyielding authority.
"Veni, Vidi, Vici." Standing in Latveria's Victory Square, Sean couldn't help but recall Caesar's famous words, "I came, I saw, I conquered..."