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A shower of golden, sparking energy appeared in the air before Hawk, rapidly expanding into a circular portal.
Hawk looked through the portal, absorbing the familiar, archaic, Eastern-inspired decor of the room on the other side. His eyebrow lifted. Without a word, he stepped through.
When he emerged, he was standing in the New York Sanctum of Kamar-Taj—the same place he had visited once before with Gwen.
"Hawk Phoenix."
"I am Dr. Stephen Strange."
Standing at the foot of the grand staircase leading to the Sanctum's second floor was a man with defined features, dark hair, and a precisely groomed goatee. He wore the blue, layered robes of a Kamar-Taj sorcerer, and the bright red Cloak of Levitation billowed dramatically from his shoulders. He stared at Hawk, his posture tense. "You may call me Doctor Strange."
Hawk glanced at him. Strange's hands were lowered, but his entire body was tensed like a spring, radiating caution and alertness for a fight.
"Can I help you?"
"That's not how we do things here." Doctor Strange's voice sounded like a low baritone, his perceptive eyes fixed on Hawk with deep, unwavering suspicion.
"Is that right?" Hawk laughed quietly, looking at the newly minted Sorcerer Supreme.
"And?"
"You cannot be allowed to do this again."
"Heh!" Hawk actually laughed.
He looked at Doctor Strange, a genuinely pleased smile on his face. "I'm curious. When the Ancient One retired... did she happen to mention me?"
Doctor Strange was silent for a moment, meeting Hawk's gaze without flinching.
"She did."
"Excellent." Hawk nodded, his smile brightening. He took a step toward Strange. "Then I only have one question for you, Stephen. Tell me... do you feel sorry for them?"
Strange's pupils contracted.
Hawk continued to smile, but his eyes were dead. "Think carefully before you answer. Because your answer will determine whether or not you walk out of this room alive."
Doctor Strange met Hawk's predatory gaze.
"My only concern is the safety of our world."
"Don't change the subject." Hawk opened his right hand. The terrifying energy of his Cosmo gathered within his palm at a visible rate, rapidly forming into a sphere of brilliant, blinding gold. It looked beautiful, but it contained enough destructive force to wipe a major city off the map. "Look me in the eye, Stephen, and tell me. Do you feel sorry for them?"
Doctor Strange's eyes glanced at the beautiful, lethal sphere of light resting in Hawk's hand, then back to Hawk's face.
"I do not feel sorry for them."
It was the truth.
Before he had found Kamar-Taj, back when he was a world-renowned, arrogant neurosurgeon, he had been exactly the kind of man those people courted.
They had thrown money, luxury penthouses, and sports cars at him, desperate to secure his peerless skills.
But after his car accident...
His cars, his penthouses, his bank accounts—they were all seized immediately. He was left drowning in medical debt and forced into bankruptcy.
If he hadn't discovered Kamar-Taj, he would currently be just another unknown face among the thousands of homeless people wandering the streets of New York City.
So...
"I don't like them."
"But..."
Doctor Strange delivered his honest answer, then leveled his gaze at Hawk. "But acting like this... slaughtering with such impunity... it only breeds fear and terror. You're pushing the world into a much more dangerous position."
Hawk arched an eyebrow, his look shifting to the Eye of Agamotto resting on Strange's chest.
"Have you looked into the future?"
"What?"
Strange blinked, surprised. He followed Hawk's gaze to the relic, then quickly shook his head. "No. The Ancient One explicitly forbade—"
Hawk cut him off.
"If you haven't looked into the future, then how do you know the world is in danger?"
"Actions like yours will inevitably trigger a—"
"You don't actually think this is the first time, do you?"
"..."
Doctor Strange froze, completely blindsided by the nonchalant admission.
The corner of Hawk's mouth lifted upward. With a mere thought, the sparkling, spectral projection of his River of Time appeared above his head. He looked at Doctor Strange. "I'll give you a one-time offer. Take a look at my past."
Doctor Strange didn't speak. His eyes were drawn upward, fixing on Hawk's River of Time.
And he saw it.
The slaughter of the Hulk on the banks of Culver Lake.
The brutal, apocalyptic duel with the Demon Hulk on the African savanna.
The Phoenix's Winged Ascent reduces Wakanda to scorched Earth.
The complete and utter eradication of Hydra following their clumsy attempt to test him.
The annihilation of the Dark Elves at Stonehenge.
His firm defiance in the face of Mephisto forced the Lord of Hell to surrender the souls of Earth.
The sinking of an entire civilization into the depths of the Atlantic.
And the climax!
The absolute destruction of the Heaven Dimension.
Flashes of Hawk's past—a past where his minimum response to a threat was wiping out a bloodline, and his standard response was outright genocide—flooded Doctor Strange's mind.
As he watched the rapid-fire montage of Hawk's history, a cold sweat broke out across Strange's forehead.
Even the Cloak of Levitation draped over his shoulders appeared to tremble slightly.
When the montage ended, Hawk dismissed his River of Time.
Hiss!
As his consciousness detached from the temporal projection, Doctor Strange sucked in a sharp breath. He looked at Hawk.
The watchfulness and righteous indignation that had been in his eyes just moments ago were completely gone.
Replaced by fear—
"When I kill one man, you can call me a criminal."
"When I kill ten thousand, you should fear me."
"When I kill enough... the only thing left for you to do is pray my look never falls upon you."
"I do not exist to be respected or revered."
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"I exist to be feared." With his River of Time concealed once more, Hawk looked at Doctor Strange. "Because of the... productive relationship I had with Kamar-Taj and the previous Sorcerer Supreme, I will overlook your arrogance today. But remember this. I only owe Kamar-Taj one favor. You just used it. If there is a next time, I have no problem helping the Vishanti find a new earthly avatar."
As he spoke...
He glanced over at Wong—the librarian—who had just stepped through a newly opened portal from Kamar-Taj. Hawk grinned warmly. "I think Wong would make an excellent Sorcerer Supreme."
Wong... a stocky, powerfully built man wearing a dark vest, collared shirt, and slacks, stepped out of the portal. He heard Hawk's comment but didn't completely grasp the context. Still, maintaining his usual stoic demeanor, he stepped to Strange's side and offered Hawk a respectful bow.
"Mr. Phoenix."
"Wong." Unlike his cold interaction with Doctor Strange, Hawk greeted Wong with a genuine smile. "I see you're not guarding the sacred texts anymore?"
Wong's solid, unsmiling face cracked into a slight, respectful smile. "I am currently overseeing the training of the new initiates."
Hawk lifted an eyebrow.
"A promotion. Congratulations."
"Thank you." Wong replied politely. Then, noticing the cold sweat beading on Doctor Strange's forehead, he looked back at Hawk, concern sculpting his features.
"Mr. Phoenix..."
"Don't look at me. It was Doctor Strange here who insisted on inviting me over for a chat."
Hiss!
Hearing this, Wong whipped his head around to stare at Strange, drawing in a sharp breath. He looked at the new Sorcerer Supreme as if he were looking at a dead man walking.
'Are you insane?'
'Do you have a death wish? Do you not know who he is?'
Doctor Strange noticed Wong's look of incredulity and rolled his eyes internally.
'Is it my fault?'
'I was just doing my job as the Guardian of Earth!'
'How was I supposed to know...'
Whatever.
Doctor Strange shook his head, raised his right hand, and began tracing a circle in the air, opening a portal that led directly to the backyard of 521A Palm Street. He looked at Hawk.
"My apologies for the interruption, Mr. Phoenix."
"About this portal..." Hawk glanced at the sparkling gateway, then back at Strange.
"Change the destination."
"What?"
"Open a portal to wherever Odin is."
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