"But what you just did—that wasn't something intelligence alone could accomplish. Strange, you were born to be a sorcerer."
Mordo looked at him in astonishment.
"But my hands still don't obey me."
Strange stared at his trembling fingers.
"When are you going to tell me the truth?"
he asked, looking directly at Mordo.
Mordo exchanged a glance with Wong.
"Come with me."
He turned and walked out. Strange and Wong followed.
—
The three arrived at the stone chamber. Mordo personally placed the Eye of Agamotto back onto its pedestal.
"This world is full of dangers—and it needs protection. Heroes like the Avengers defend it from physical threats. But we, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, defend it from magic and other dimensions."
Mordo slowly rotated the circular base beneath the Eye. A projection of Earth made entirely of magic appeared before them.
"The title of Sorcerer Supreme is passed down through generations. The Ancient One is the current holder. And before her—Agamotto, the Sorcerer Supreme who created the Eye you just used."
Wong added, looking at the artifact.
"Agamotto also established three powerful Sanctums across the world. Together, they form the core nodes of a protective barrier against interdimensional invasion."
He pointed to one of the doors.
"This leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum."
Then to the others.
"One leads to New York. The other—to London."
As Mordo turned the disk, the projection of Earth became encircled by an immense and intricate magical formation.
"The three Sanctums form a protective network for Earth," Wong continued. "They are the anchors. The Sanctums protect the planet—and the duty of sorcerers is to protect the Sanctums and eliminate interdimensional threats."
"Does anyone actually come to attack?"
Strange asked immediately. Until now, he had thought of Kamar-Taj as merely a place for scholars of magic.
"That's hard to say. Creatures from other realms, for instance."
"Like Dormammu?"
The name dropped like a bomb.
Mordo and Wong both froze.
"…How do you know that name?"
Mordo demanded, frowning deeply.
Strange was caught off guard by the reaction.
"I saw it in that book just now… What's wrong?"
Wong stepped in to explain.
"Dormammu is the ruler of the Dark Dimension. He exists beyond time. His greatest desire is to consume worlds. He possesses limitless power and ambition—he refuses to remain confined to his own dimension. He seeks to invade all universes… and plunge everything into darkness."
As the projection shifted, the Dark Dimension appeared—a vast abyss filled with dim, lifeless planets, all swallowed by shadow.
"And the pages Kaecilius stole…"
Strange began, already piecing it together.
"…are part of a ritual to summon Dormammu—and draw power from him," Wong confirmed.
Before they could say more—
One of the glowing nodes on the Earth projection suddenly dimmed.
"The London Sanctum!"
Mordo exclaimed.
At the same time, the stone door leading to London burst open. A guardian stepped through—
—and was instantly impaled through the back by an invisible blade.
He collapsed, dead.
"KAECILIUS!!"
Mordo shouted.
At the far end of the corridor beyond the door stood a figure—
Kaecilius, now infused with dark power.
For the first time, Strange saw the man everyone had been talking about.
Kaecilius raised both hands, forming a massive sphere of magical energy.
"Stop!!"
Mordo shouted.
Too late.
Kaecilius slammed his hands down.
BOOM—!!
A violent explosion erupted. The shockwave blasted Mordo backward, tearing through the chamber. The door to the London Sanctum collapsed completely, leaving only a ruined stone wall behind it.
Strange was thrown off his feet.
Dazed, he staggered upright—
—and realized something had changed.
He was no longer in the stone chamber.
Instead, he stood inside a grand, classical-style building.
The explosion had hurled him straight into a Sanctum.
But he didn't yet know which one.
Stumbling forward, he entered a large hall with a wide staircase and antique furnishings.
Still disoriented, he pushed open a door and stepped outside.
The sight froze him in place.
The towering skyscrapers… the familiar skyline…
And in the distance—a massive letter "A."
New York.
He was back in New York.
Looking up at the building he had just exited, he spotted the mystical sigil at its highest point.
This… was the New York Sanctum.
He turned and stepped back inside, curiosity overtaking him as he began to explore.
—
Meanwhile, back at Kamar-Taj—
The attack had thrown everything into chaos.
The stone chamber had collapsed, and rebuilding it would take time.
Karl was the first to arrive. The entrance was blocked by rubble—but a few wind blades reduced it to fragments.
With a snap of his fingers, a fireball appeared, illuminating the interior.
The damage inside wasn't too severe—but the three doors leading to the Sanctums had all been destroyed.
At the center, however, the pedestal holding the Eye of Agamotto remained intact.
Mordo and Wong lay unconscious on either side.
A gust of wind lifted them gently.
Karl carried both of them—and the Eye—out of the chamber.
By then, the Ancient One, Wanda, and a group of sorcerers had arrived.
"How are they?"
the Ancient One asked immediately. To her, lives mattered far more than structures.
"They should be fine."
Karl shrugged. They were still breathing—likely just knocked unconscious.
Other sorcerers quickly took Mordo and Wong away for treatment.
Karl then handed the Eye of Agamotto to the Ancient One.
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