With the Ancient One gone, Sam turned to the broken doctor.
"Follow me, Stephen,"
Sam said, walking past the training mats and opening a large wooden door at the back of the building.
They stepped out into Sam's private garden.
Stephen Strange completely stopped walking.
He stared at the garden, his tired eyes wide in absolute disbelief.
He had just seen a bald woman open a glowing orange portal, but this place was somehow even weirder.
The garden did not look like it belonged on Earth.
Because Sam had traded his valuable Cleansing Mind Pills with Queen Frigga of Asgard, he had brought back many strange, beautiful things from across the Nine Realms.
There were trees with silver leaves that softly chimed like glass in the wind.
There were bright, glowing blue flowers floating slightly above the dirt.
Tiny, colorful birds with double wings flew around a crystal-clear pond.
The air smelled incredibly sweet, heavy with pure, magical life energy.
It looked exactly like a heavenly realm.
Peter, MJ, and Ned walked in right behind Stephen.
Even though they had been here many times before, they still looked around with pure awe.
It was impossible not to be impressed.
"What... What is this place?"
Stephen stammered, looking at a golden butterfly that landed gently on his shaking hand.
"This is your new classroom,"
Sam answered calmly.
Sam looked over at the young teenager standing next to him.
"Peter,"
Sam said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You have been training hard. You are a senior disciple here. I want you to teach Stephen the basics of breathing and gathering Qi."
Peter stood up a little taller. He felt incredibly proud to be called the senior disciple.
"Yes, Uncle Sam!"
Peter smiled brightly. He walked over to the tall, bearded man.
"Alright, Mr. Strange, if you just sit down right here on the grass, I can show you how to start—"
"No,"
Stephen snapped, stepping away from Peter.
The magical wonder of the garden faded, and his old, bitter arrogance quickly rushed back.
Stephen glared at Sam, crossing his shaking, bandaged arms over his chest.
"I did not travel this far to be taught by a child,"
Stephen demanded, his voice sharp and angry.
"I am Dr. Stephen Strange. I was the greatest neurosurgeon in the world. My mind is brilliant. If you are the master here, I demand that you teach me directly."
Peter took a step back, looking a little hurt. MJ frowned, tightly gripping her silver bow.
Sam did not get angry. He just looked at Stephen with deep, calm eyes.
He knew exactly how to deal with a man whose pride was blinding him.
"You think your brilliant mind makes you big, Stephen,"
Sam said quietly, his voice carrying a heavy, ancient weight.
"Let me show you how small you really are."
Before Stephen could even blink, Sam stepped right in front of him.
Sam raised his hand and struck his palm gently against Stephen's stomach.
*BOOM.*
Stephen did not fall backwards.
Instead, his physical body dropped straight to the soft grass, completely asleep.
But his glowing, transparent soul was knocked right out of his body.
Stephen screamed, but there was no sound.
Suddenly, his soul was pulled up into the sky at impossible speeds.
He shot past the clouds, past the stars, and straight out into the deep, endless cosmos.
Sam had used a peak-level Golden Core Stage technique.
It was called the Nine Circle Reincarnation.
In the real world, only a few seconds passed.
But inside Stephen's soul, he lived through nine lifetimes.
He was pulled across the Nine Realms.
He saw burning planets of fire, massive oceans of ice, and ancient gods warring in the dark.
He watched stars be born and die in a blink.
He saw civilizations rise from the dust and crumble back into nothing.
He felt the terrifying, endless, crushing weight of the entire universe pressing down on his soul.
*Thud.*
With a sharp gasp, Stephen's soul slammed back into his physical body.
He woke up instantly.
He fell to his hands and knees on the glowing grass, gasping loudly for air.
Tears streamed down his face, and his whole body was shaking—not from his nerve damage, but from absolute, overwhelming awe and terror.
His entire worldview was completely shattered into a million pieces.
He had always thought he was the center of the world.
He thought his talent as a surgeon made him a god among men.
But after seeing the endless realms and the ancient magic of the universe, he finally understood the truth.
He was just a tiny, insignificant grain of dust.
Sam looked down at the weeping man.
"Do you still think you are too grand to learn from a child?"
Sam asked, his voice soft but incredibly firm.
Stephen slowly lifted his head. He looked at Peter, who was watching him with wide, worried eyes.
Then he looked up at Sam.
The proud, arrogant doctor was completely gone.
"No,"
Stephen whispered, his voice broken and incredibly humble. He bowed his head low to the ground.
"Please... let him teach me."
The days in the heavenly garden passed peacefully.
Peter sat cross-legged on the soft grass, directly across from the former neurosurgeon.
He was very patient and very kind.
"Breathe in slowly, Mr. Strange,"
Peter instructed gently, demonstrating the breathing technique.
"Imagine a warm, golden light resting right in the center of your chest. Do not try to force it or control it with your mind. Just invite it in."
Stephen closed his eyes. His hands were still trembling, but his face was completely relaxed.
"I understand,"
Stephen said softly, following the young boy's instructions without a single complaint.
A short distance away, Sam stood with MJ and Ned.
He watched Peter and Stephen out of the corner of his eye while he corrected MJ's archery stance and taught Ned how to anchor his heavy shield to the earth using his Qi.
Time slowly but surely passed.
Weeks turned into months.
The pure, magical energy of the garden and the steady flow of Cultivation slowly did their work.
Day by day, the terrible shaking in Stephen's hands began to fade.
The ancient Qi repaired his shattered nerves from the inside out.
One bright afternoon, Stephen opened his eyes. He lifted his hands and stared at them.
His fingers were completely still.
They did not shake at all. He was perfectly healed.
Sam walked over and handed Stephen a small brass object. It was a magical sling ring.
"Try it,"
Sam smiled peacefully.
Stephen slipped the ring onto his steady fingers.
He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and moved his arm in a smooth, circular motion.
*Spark. Fizz.*
A bright, glowing orange portal spun to life right in the middle of the garden.
Through the portal, they could see the quiet, wooden halls of Kamar-Taj.
"You did it,"
Sam nodded.
"Are you ready to go back?"
Stephen stood up and bowed deeply to Peter, and then to Sam.
"Yes,"
Stephen answered humbly.
"Thank you, both of you. For everything."
Sam and Stephen stepped through the sparkling portal together.
Inside Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One was already waiting for them.
She was sitting peacefully at a low wooden table, pouring hot, steaming tea into three small clay cups.
She expected them to arrive at this exact moment.
"Welcome back, Stephen. Hello, Sam,"
The Ancient One greeted them warmly.
"Please, sit."
They sat down on the floor cushions.
The Ancient One handed Stephen a cup of tea.
She looked at his perfectly steady hands, and then she looked deeply into his eyes.
She saw no arrogance. She saw no selfish ambition. She saw a calm, grounded, and deeply humble man.
She was absolutely satisfied. He was finally ready to inherit her position.
"You have changed a great deal, Stephen,"
The Ancient One said, her voice filled with quiet pride.
"I have learned exactly how little I actually know,"
Stephen answered honestly, holding his teacup with steady hands.
"Thank you for sending me to him. I am ready to learn the mystic arts. I am ready to do my duty to protect this world."
The Ancient One smiled.
She took a slow sip of her tea, then turned her wise eyes toward Sam.
"In the future I originally saw,"
The Ancient One said quietly, her words carrying a heavy, serious depth.
"I had to die."
Stephen looked up, completely shocked.
"Die?"
Stephen asked.
"Why?"
"Because you were too stubborn,"
The Ancient One explained gently.
"My death was the only thing tragic enough to push you to stop being selfish. It was the only way to force you to step up and become the Sorcerer Supreme."
Stephen stared at her, feeling a heavy weight in his chest.
He realized how close he had come to causing her death just because of his own bad attitude.
"But that dark future is gone now,"
The Ancient One smiled, looking back at Sam with deep gratitude.
"Because Sam is here, everything has changed. He gave you the heavy push you needed without the tragedy. He shattered your pride and gave you raw power instead. Because of him... I do not have to die."
The Ancient One poured herself a little more tea, looking completely at peace.
"I can stay,"
She told Stephen softly.
"I will live, and I will be here to guide you properly until you are truly ready to take my place."
Sam picked up his teacup and offered a polite toast.
"The world is a much safer place with you in it, Ancient One,"
Sam smiled warmly.
"We are going to need all the help we can get."
Time flew by very quickly.
Earth changed. Normal people could feel the shift in the air.
The world was no longer a quiet place.
Heroes walked openly on the streets.
They used their superpowers to help those in need, and the public cheered for them.
But where there were heroes, there were also villains.
The mutants also came out into the light.
Erik's Brotherhood and Charles Xavier's X-Men fought many times in the open.
The human government grew incredibly scared of this new power.
Politicians wanted to pass strict laws to capture, control, and contain anyone with special abilities.
But every time a bad law was proposed, someone very powerful stopped it before it could even reach a vote.
How did Sam have so much power to stop the United States government?
The answer was actually very simple, and a little bit funny.
Sam was not just a Cultivator anymore.
He was a Congressman.
Sam sat in a large, fancy office in Washington D.C.
He was staring at a massive, boring pile of paperwork on his desk.
He let out a long, heavy sigh and rubbed his temples.
He remembered exactly how this happened.
It started at a private drinking party.
Pepper had just given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.
Tony Stark was the happiest man alive.
Tony had poured Sam a glass of very expensive drink and smiled proudly.
"I want you to be her godfather, Sam,"
Tony had said, raising his glass.
"I would be completely honored, Tony,"
Sam had smiled, clinking his glass against Tony's.
But then, Tony's face turned serious.
"You are the leader of the Avengers, Sam. But that is not enough anymore,"
Tony explained, leaning across the table.
"The government is getting scared of mutants and heroes. They want to control us. You need real, legal power. You need to be in the room where the rules are made."
"I don't like politics, Tony,"
Sam had laughed, shaking his head.
"I am a warrior, not a politician."
"You don't have to like it. You just have to win,"
Tony grinned his classic, confident Stark grin.
"I have all the money to fund the campaign. Nick Fury and Peggy have all the secret connections. And the people already love you. You have saved thousands of lives. They will choose you in a heartbeat."
And Tony was absolutely right. It was the easiest election in history.
The public completely trusted him, and he won by a massive landslide.
Now, sitting in his fancy office, Sam really regretted listening to Tony.
The heavy oak door opened. Natasha walked in.
She was wearing a sharp, professional business suit. She was acting as his chief of staff.
"You have a meeting with the defense committee in ten minutes, Congressman,"
Natasha smirked, dropping another thick folder onto his desk.
Sam groaned out loud. He rested his forehead right on the pile of papers.
"I really, really regret drinking with Tony that night,"
Sam complained, his voice muffled by the desk.
Natasha laughed softly.
She walked behind his chair and began to gently massage his tense shoulders.
"I can control one hundred thousand flying swords with my mind,"
Sam sighed, lifting his head.
"I can fight alien gods. But this paperwork? This paperwork is actually going to destroy my soul."
"You are doing a great job, Sam,"
Natasha said kindly, leaning down to kiss his cheek.
"You stopped the mutant containment bill yesterday. You protected Erik's people and Charles's students. You are saving the world with a pen instead of a sword."
"I miss the sword,"
Sam grumbled, leaning back in his chair.
"At least when I fight monsters, they don't ask me to read a five-hundred-page tax report."
Natasha smiled and patted his chest.
"Get up, hero,"
Natasha teased him.
"The country needs you. And if you finish your work early, Hela and May promised to make you a very special dinner tonight."
Sam let out one last sigh, but a small smile finally appeared on his face.
"Alright,"
Sam nodded, standing up and grabbing his jacket.
"Let's go fight the politicians."
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