"Uh... It must be because I didn't focus again!" Stephen Strange took another deep breath with his eyes closed.
He carefully recalled how Karl Mordo had just manipulated the Staff of the Living Tribunal. This time, Stephen didn't complain. If he failed, the problem had to lie with his own hands.
Ever since he had seen Master Mihal's deformed hands still being able to wield magic effortlessly, he couldn't help but ask himself—what excuse did he have?
"Then give it another shot," Karl Mordo said, arms folded and letting out a soft sigh. It seemed it would still take some time before the artifact recognized Stephen.
After trying three more times, Stephen finally had to accept that the Staff of the Living Tribunal was completely unresponsive to him.
An artifact that couldn't be controlled felt no different than a regular wooden stick in his hands. If he tried facing an enemy with it, they'd probably burst out laughing.
Dejected, Stephen returned the staff to Master Mordo and lowered his head, muttering helplessly, "It hasn't accepted me..."
From the corner of his eye, Stephen scanned the courtyard and noticed that the dark silhouette had already vanished. "By the way, Master Mordo—how old is the Sorcerer Supreme?"
Stephen had long been curious about Ancient One's real age. She seemed like she had lived for centuries, yet moved with the agility of someone far younger.
To her, magic spells were like second nature—effortless. If she was so powerful, why didn't she just capture Kaecilius herself?
Stephen had tried to get answers out of the librarian Wong and even from Mordo, but only gathered fragments. Some sorcerers sent to capture Kaecilius were either turned against them or ruthlessly slain by him.
"No one knows the Sorcerer Supreme's age. Besides, that's not something we should be discussing during training," Mordo replied strictly, upholding the code of a true sorcerer.
He himself had never speculated about Ancient One's true age.
"But if she's that powerful, wouldn't it be easier if she personally brought Kaecilius back?"
Karl Mordo simply shook his head at that, turning to return the Staff of the Living Tribunal to its rightful place. It was time for Stephen Strange to rest.
"The duty of the Sorcerer Supreme is to protect the sanctum. She cannot leave the Sanctum Sanctorum so easily. If the sanctum is destroyed and the dark elves invade, it would bring mass destruction."
Stephen Strange silently pondered Mordo's explanation. It was something he had never seriously thought about.
Given Ancient One's strength, capturing Kaecilius should've been a simple task. But what troubled Stephen even more—was Alan.
If the Sorcerer Supreme couldn't leave the sanctum, yet Alan seemed to have a good relationship with her, then why hadn't he helped?
"Take a break, Stephen. We'll resume training later. Next time, I won't go easy on you like I did just now," Karl Mordo said with a raised eyebrow and a sly smile.
"Well, I guess I should thank you for holding back, then," Stephen replied with a grin, while inwardly beginning to formulate a plan: what if he caught Kaecilius himself?
If he could eliminate this problem for the Sorcerer Supreme, would that mean she'd owe him a favor?
And if so—would she perhaps heal his hands to repay that debt?
Stephen Strange's heart remained conflicted. Deep down, he still wasn't sure if he truly wanted to be a sorcerer. The idea of leaving behind his former life as a surgeon still clung to him tightly.