"Does Dormammu still bring me up? Hasn't he always talked only about you?"
Malrick let out a small laugh.
"Almost every Strange in every universe ends up negotiating with him at least once."
"That's true. Some succeed, some fail."
Doctor Strange smiled faintly, then his expression turned serious.
"In fact… I have something I need to discuss with you."
After the polite small talk, Strange dropped all pretense.
"Not long ago, Clea and I went to the Dark Dimension to stop a dimensional collision."
He spoke calmly, but the heaviness in his tone deepened.
"On the way, we ran into a Hell Lord and a few demon gods attempting to invade the Dark Dimension."
"But they weren't the problem."
"It's like what you're seeing now. I failed."
"Because… it wasn't one universe colliding. It was many. Possibly countless."
"Countless?"
Malrick's eyes narrowed.
"This is only my speculation. I stopped several universes from collapsing into one another, but it changed nothing."
"There may be more universes crashing toward ours soon."
"So I hope…"
Strange paused.
His lips tightened.
Asking for help was something he had never been comfortable with.
A man as proud as Doctor Strange rarely allowed himself to show vulnerability.
But after everything he had been through—the Infinity War, Wanda's pursuit, meeting Clea—he finally had something worth protecting.
At last, he forced the words out.
"I want to ask for your help, Malrick."
His emerald eyes flickered.
"I used to be Sorcerer Supreme. I was trained by the Ancient One. We are both protectors of Earth."
"So… when the next collision begins… could you help us?"
Even after he finished speaking, Strange's breath felt tight.
His hands trembled behind his back.
These were words the old Stephen Strange would never have spoken.
Fortunately, this was exactly what Malrick wanted.
"Very well. Sorcerer Supremes should communicate more anyway,"
Malrick replied.
"I'll leave an astral duplicate stationed in your world permanently. If the next collision becomes unmanageable, I'll intervene."
"A… duplicate?"
Strange blinked.
He hadn't heard the term in this context before.
"It's a clone,"
Malrick said simply as he walked past him.
"Come on. Looks like Iron Man is planning a dinner party for everyone."
Time passed during the lively dinner.
When night came, Holland's Spider-Man opened a portal, sending everyone home.
The visitors from the S Universe first arrived in the Main Universe, then opened another portal back to their own world.
But at the moment they departed, Malrick suddenly froze.
As if sensing something, he looked upward.
A massive spacecraft appeared in the Main Universe's orbit, heading straight for Earth.
He focused his senses, and his confusion deepened.
Inside were the Fantastic Four—and Reed Richards' children.
"Reed? Great… the troublemaker himself is back."
Malrick pushed Tony forward reflexively.
Ever since B15 mentioned Mister Fantastic's return to the Main Universe, Malrick had been preparing.
He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
But he wasn't worried about the Main Universe's Reed.
As soon as he stepped through the portal to return to his own universe, Malrick cast his perception outward, searching.
The universe around him remained quiet.
No incoming ships.
"So our universe still follows the Main Universe's general timeline. Our Reed shouldn't return until around 2025. That's still far off."
He exhaled in relief.
He had been ready to send the heroes of his world into other universes before the Fantastic Four arrived, but now it seemed there was still time.
"You seemed anxious just now,"
Tony said, raising a brow.
"Did I? Ah, right… there is something urgent."
Malrick suddenly remembered an item on his list.
"Something urgent? Don't tell me you're going to—oh. I see. Go on,"
Tony smirked and tried pushing him toward Kara and Diana.
Malrick didn't move an inch.
"Tony, I think your marriage and personal life have given you a very limited definition of the word 'urgent.'"
He sighed.
"But that's not what I meant."
"My urgent matter… is actually a surprise for you."
"A surprise? For me?"
Tony straightened immediately.
"A surprise is a surprise,"
Malrick answered, then turned to the others.
"Captain, Banner, you two can head home. Tony and I have something to handle."
"Wanda, Pietro, stay for a moment."
The others departed quickly.
Even after saving a universe, they still had responsibilities.
Banner had classes to teach at the academy in the morning.
Soon, only Malrick, Wanda, Pietro, and Tony remained.
"Is there really something for me here?"
Pietro asked, confused.
He scratched his head.
"I mean… you two usually pretend I don't exist."
"Pietro!"
Wanda's hand glowed red.
"Alright! You're my little sister, you win! I'll shut up!"
He squeaked, shielding his head.
"I usually ignore you, yes,"
Malrick said, amused.
"But not today."
He opened a portal.
On the other side were rows of small wooden houses in Sokovia.
Snow fell gently as he stepped through, motioning for the three to follow.
He walked to one of the houses, unlocked the door, and waved them inside.
"Come in."
The moment Wanda and Pietro entered, they froze.
"This… this is our home… from when we were kids…"
Everything inside—the furniture, the layout—was exactly as they remembered.
"Is this the surprise you prepared for us?"
Wanda whispered, eyes filling with tears.
"Not yet. The real surprise comes now."
Malrick raised his hand.
"It begins."
The scene around them started to rewind in time.
The house disassembled itself—not violently, but naturally—as if time were running backward.
The building faded into flat ground.
Sokovia reverted into its war-torn past.
Old buildings returned.
Bombing resumed.
The city fell into chaos.
Time spun backward until they reached a familiar night.
"Stop."
The world froze at his command.
They now stood inside a ruined apartment.
Wanda's parents sat on the old sofa, watching television.
Two small children—Wanda and Pietro—sat with them.
Wanda stared at her family, at her younger self, trembling.
She knew what night this was.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You… you're not going to…"
"This is your surprise, Wanda."
Malrick lowered his head and kissed Wanda's forehead gently.
Then he raised his gaze toward the frozen scene.
"Time reversal."
His voice echoed softly but powerfully.
____
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