"So in the end… you still took that step." Karl sighed softly. "There's nothing wrong with craving power—but your mistake was accepting a power you can't control, only to be controlled by it instead."
He gestured to Wanda, signaling her to release Kaecilius.
At the same time, Strange slowly descended to Karl's side, the red and blue cloaks contrasting sharply against each other.
"All things live and die by fate. Look at this world—look at the Earth we depend on. What has it become?" Kaecilius said, almost fervently. "Only in the Dark Dimension can time be eternal. Only there will Earth stop being destroyed. I'm protecting this planet."
Whether he had been brainwashed or truly believed it himself—it was hard to tell.
"I think I should just shut him up," Strange muttered, stepping forward, clearly fed up. "Listen to what he's saying—does that even sound human?"
"Only by embracing the darkness can Earth, like countless other worlds, achieve eternity. And we… will embrace life."
Kaecilius continued, unwavering in his conviction.
"Is that so?" Karl asked calmly. "Then what do you actually gain from this so-called utopia?"
"Eternity," Kaecilius replied without hesitation. "Eternal life. Eternal time. Eternal everything."
His face was filled with longing, and as he spoke, the Dormammu sigil on his forehead glowed faintly red.
"Look at this world, Karl. Nearly everyone longs for immortality. Everyone fears death. But now—by embracing the darkness, by embracing Dormammu—they can have eternal life. Humanity will no longer fear time, no longer grieve loss. Death… will become the greatest disgrace."
He turned to Karl. "I don't want to rule the world. I want to save it. Our world should be protected by the Lord of Darkness—Dormammu. Only he can lead us to eternity."
Karl remained expressionless.
He had seen enough—Kaecilius was completely gone. Like a cultist whose mind had been reshaped, his thoughts now belonged entirely to Dormammu.
"I don't understand what you're saying," Karl said flatly. "I only know this—Earth, the world we live in, isn't for some outsider to rule. Earth belongs to itself."
He exhaled lightly before continuing:
"Come back to Kamar-Taj with me. The Ancient One will decide your punishment."
He motioned for Wanda to restrain Kaecilius again and prepare a portal.
Crimson Chaos Magic surged out, wrapping around Kaecilius once more. The suffocating pressure returned—
But suddenly, a surge of dark energy burst from within him, clashing head-on with Wanda's power. The two forces locked in a tense stalemate.
Seizing the moment, Kaecilius pulled out his Sling Ring and opened a portal before anyone could react.
"Karl, we'll meet again. Next time… I think you'll agree with me."
At the same time, he flicked his hand—sending a transparent blade straight at Strange.
Karl's eyes narrowed. Two wind blades instantly shot out from behind him.
Clang!
The wind blades shattered Kaecilius's attack—but a fragment still slipped through and lodged deep into Strange's chest.
Strange collapsed instantly, gasping for breath as his body trembled.
Kaecilius, meanwhile, vanished through the portal.
"Damn it!!"
Karl rushed to Strange's side, lifting him up.
"Can you move? If you can, open a portal to a hospital—now!"
Karl could clearly feel Strange's life slipping away. All he could do was freeze the wound with ice to slow the bleeding.
The fragment had pierced dangerously close to the heart. Blood had been pouring out—if not for the ice sealing it, Strange would have already bled out.
Strange weakly raised his arm. A portal flickered open.
Karl and Wanda each supported him as they stepped through.
On the other side was a storage room. Karl didn't bother looking around—he kicked the door open and dragged Strange into the hallway.
"Dr. Palmer! Dr. Palmer!!"
Strange was growing weaker by the second. His breathing turned ragged, almost gurgling.
Christine Palmer rounded the corner, holding a chart—and froze when she saw him.
"Stephen! Oh my God—what happened to you?!"
She rushed over, catching him as he sagged.
"Dr. Palmer, we need an operating room—now. Any delay and he's dead," Karl said urgently.
"Right—okay, follow me!"
Christine immediately led them toward surgery, pulling out her phone to call for help—
"Don't call anyone," Karl stopped her.
She stared at him, confused. Strange clearly needed immediate surgery—if she didn't call for a team, who would operate?
"Quick… Christine… I don't have time…" Strange rasped, his voice barely audible.
They reached the operating room. Karl laid Strange on the table without hesitation—sterilization didn't matter anymore.
He had already lost consciousness.
"What happened to him?!" Christine demanded, already pulling on gloves, not even bothering with a surgical gown as she tore open his shirt.
"He was stabbed in the chest—close to the heart. I don't know the exact details. He'll tell you himself," Karl replied.
"He'll tell me himself? He's unconscious! How is he supposed to tell me anything? And what is he even wearing? Who are you people?!"
Her questions came rapid-fire as she attached a heart monitor. The numbers were dropping fast.
"You should focus on saving him," Karl cut in, glancing at the declining vitals. "At this rate, he's not going to make it."
Christine quickly began examining the wound, tapping lightly around it while listening with a stethoscope.
"His chest cavity seems normal… I—I don't see—"
Beep… beep… beeeeeeeep—
The monitor flatlined.
Strange's hand fell limp off the table.
"No… no—NO!"
Tears welled in Christine's eyes, but she forced herself to stay steady. Grabbing the defibrillator, she began resuscitation immediately.
At that exact moment—
Strange suddenly slipped out of his body.
He turned back, staring at himself lying on the table.
He knew this wasn't death—
—but he was right on its edge.
Because passive astral projection only happens when the body can no longer sustain the soul.
In other words—
he was dying.
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