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While Agatha had been able to heal his hands easily, lungs are a bit of a different matter. More things to screw up internally so Stephen is resigned to resting in Agatha’s cottage. The effects creep up on him after a day compared to the burns that were healing at twice the speed due to a special poultice. It is a daze of nausea, coughing, and dozing in and out but the older woman is always there if he needs it.
Whether it’s Agatha explaining a spell or telling a tale of when she met some famous historical figure, she’s a kind face in a dizzying recovery. Nowhere near the pain as after his accident, but still horrible nonetheless.
He is a week into his stay when Agatha announced that she was going to check in with the sorcerers for him so he can rest in peace. She returned about five hours later with some fresh pastries as a softening blow and a frown on her face.
“What do you mean they kicked me out?!” Stephen growled from his bed and Agatha sighed in response.
“The entire town died, Stephen.” She explained calmly, “Your magic lashed out after you went unconscious and it wiped out the entire town and after those Masters, pretentious title if you ask me, went to investigate, well they thought you were far too dangerous to continue the mystic arts.”
Stephen stared down blankly at his lap as Agatha held one of his hands and rubbed in comfortingly.
“It wasn’t your fault. I know that and hopefully you know that. Those stupid sorcerers don’t know how good of a catch you are. You don’t need to learn any more sorcery from them. You can get creative. Hell, we can even recreate one of those fancy rings you usually wear. We can focus on your new life as a free and independent man who don’t need no order in his life.”
He just lifted his head and tried not to crack a smile. Agatha was getting too good at pulling him out of his moods. The smile in her eyes seemed well aware he was less solemn than he let on.
So Stephen moved past the hurt and betrayal at the way the Order so easily tossed him aside. Well, he didn’t move past it but rather used the hurt by condensing it into a tiny ball and using it to fuel his new passion fully out of spite.
Probably not good for his psyche but he had been through too many life threatening situations for that to remain intact anyways.
There was one hiccup in studying witchcraft and that would be that Stephen would have had to be born with it. Since witches used their own natural magic versus converting it, he was at a disadvantage.
“Don’t worry, darling. I have just the thing to help you. It might take some magical adoption, a few extra steps but I’ve always wanted a son!”
All it took for Stephen to blossom in this new and alluring type of magic was for Agatha to formally adopt him through magic on a full moon, and the blessing of an abstract entity known as Witchcraft followed up by an energy transfusion. It takes a bit for the man to get used to, but Stephen has seen weirder things and if this magic was able to heal his hands without putting others at risk, he was willing to give it a try. It’s not like he had somewhere else to return to.
“Listen sweetums, I will say that witchcraft is typically passed down through the female or female presenting chain through family bloodlines but you’re a special case.” Agatha explained as she gathered the necessary ingredients for the ritual. He watched her like a hawk and she was more amused than anything at his need for more knowledge. “I am a bit of a special case myself as I typically am the one to deal with the witches who are undeserving of their magic and take it from them so they are left harmless. I have a lot of ambient magic that I can transfer to you, my new son, by blood pact.” Agatha sounded exceptionally pleased but Stephen mused that she had been around for apparently hundreds of years but never had a student or other family.
“What does that mean for me?” He asked and Agatha came over and placed a stained hand on his shoulder.
“It means that you will have a lot to work with, that’s for sure. You may pick up some special talents that were passed along bloodlines that I haven’t been able to manifest due to my own magical signature being so strong. You will be the first Warlock in a number of years. It will also likely prolong your lifespan, but don’t worry toots. Mama Agatha will be here to help. This isn’t my first rodeo.” She patted him on the side of his face and continued her preparations.
The ritual itself was rather…intense.
Laying in the center of the runes, it felt as if he was being baked in an oven for way too long. Foreign energy surged through his skin and almost tried to find a way out, proving and testing him. After an agony filled minute, it finally deemed him worthy and allowed itself to settle and connect to his soul. As the light faded, Stephen pulled himself up from the floor only to find he had been tattooed with various runes up and down his arms and torso. Stephen didn’t think Agatha could look more pleased than she had before, but one look at the runes had her eyes glowing purple in delight.
“Oh look! You’re marked with some of the different coven’s powers you have taken on. Now do a little twirl- oh yes like that. Damn, you’re even more powerful than I thought, darling.” Stephen couldn’t help but watch as she brought a finger to each rune as she explained them. “We have shapeshifting, that’s a fun one from the Goths! Absorption of magical power. That’s a Harkness specialty! Oh, and it looks like you also have shadow walking from the Winchesters. You lucky duck! All the rest of these seem to be blessings from Witchcraft herself.” She hummed to herself as she looked at one directly on his sternum which looked less like a rune from what he’d seen, and more of a familiar symbol. “A new one, I’ve never seen this baby before. Any ideas, apprentice?” She looked up at him and as Stephen brought a hand to the tattooed version of the eye, it filled him with comfort and warmth.
“It’s…mine. It’s got to be time manipulation. I used to be the master of the time stone before Thanos destroyed the stones. I used it hundreds of thousands of times against Dormammu in order for him to yield.”
If anything, Agatha was even more impressed.
“No wonder they’re scared of you if you can survive the ruler of the dark dimension. I will say that I love the name Harkness, but I’m biased. The beginnings of the Strange bloodline stemming from the Harkness’s is too tempting. And time manipulation! We are going to have fun!” She winked and for the first time in a while, Stephen felt good about his future.
So Stephen spent months learning, training, studying and it couldn’t have been more different than the months he spent at Kamar-Taj. Agatha had fun poking fun at him but never maliciously. She would bring him with her when she had to go on missions of her own. Once he figured out how to shapeshift, she would bring him on more. It seemed that he was able to have one or two forms and between the crow and cat forms he found himself in, Agatha loved to tease him about how he was the perfect companion for a witch.
Still, it was almost a year later and he felt something was missing.
“What’s up sugar? You’ve been mopey all week and I can’t seem to get that frown upside down.” Agatha asked as she plopped down next to him on the cottage porch. Stephen had never seen himself returning to a rural lifestyle but it seemed to suit him now. He turned to his teacher and sighed.
“Honestly, I know it’s a relic but I had found a friend in the Cloak of Levitation. It saved my life so many times and helped me out so much. We went through so much together and it’s likely been stuck back in a case since I’m not around anymore.”
Agatha stared at him for a moment.
“Well why don’t you go get it back?”
“What?!”
Agatha frowned at him like he was missing the point entirely.
“What’s stopping you? The Cloak chose you from what you’ve told me. You’ve got a mastery over sorcery and they are absolutely not expecting you to be trained as a warlock. You still have a number of years of training of course, but the element of surprise is a wonderful thing. Might as well embrace your growth as a magic user.”
That…made sense. It was cruel to keep him from the Cloak despite everything. Even Mordo got to keep his relic when he left the order. Why did Stephen have to abandon one of his few friends because his magic tried to protect him?!
“I’m going tonight then. If they try to stop me, I’m saving the cloak by force. They turned their backs on me, I don’t need to hold back.”
“Don’t worry darling, I’ll help you prepare. We’ll get your Cloak back.” Agatha cooed and Stephen felt a dark wave of satisfaction roll over him. He’ll show them what they deserved for abandoning him.
Wong was training apprentices in the main courtyard of Kamar-Taj when a portal began to form. This itself was not unusual, however he paled in shock as he realized exactly who was on the other side.
“Go, leave now.” The elder sorcerer demanded and the novices around him scattered. A few recognized the man stepping through the portal and rushed to inform the other masters.
“Wong, what a pleasant surprise.” Stephen Strange drawled as the portal closed behind him. He looked utterly different than that last time he saw him alive. His hair was longer, pulled back into a short ponytail while his clothes were a set of royal purple robes. A sleeveless top revealed illuminated runes decorating his skin and his eyes were filled with an eerie blue glow that were filled with hurt and malice. He seemed gaunt but walked confidently forward, waiting for Wong’s move.
“I would say it’s a surprise.” Wong responded, carefully watching the man who was once his friend cross the courtyard. “What happened to you? Who did this?”
Stephen, or what seemed to be left of him, cackled in response.
“Who did this?!” He sneered, “After you abandoned me along with the rest of the Order I was found by my new teacher. I was reborn. You may not think I deserve to be here but I’m here to take back what was mine.”
Oh, this was absolutely not good. Someone had brought back Strange against the natural order of magic and it had warped his mind. It was hard enough for Wong to deal with his death the first time but for him to be the one to put him down a second?
Unfortunately, he would have to for the safety of the world. If Stephen- if Strange made it out into the world there was no telling what the man would do in this state.
“I can’t let you leave here.” Wong declared and regretfully shifted into a battle stance as the other masters began to appear around him, ready to stop this unfortunately familiar threat.
“I had a feeling you’d say that.” Strange said with a smirk and he launched forward with his unnatural blue magic.
The battle had begun.
As Agatha floated invisibly above the grounds of Kamar-Taj, she wished she had remembered to bring popcorn. What a show this was turning out to be!
It had been worth the years of work at this point. Luring Kamar-Taj’s best sorcerer to ‘die’ and earn his trust while convincing the Order he was dead? Tricky, but doable. Popping out for a few hours for a spa day while convincing her new apprentice that the people he trusted betrayed him for something beyond his control? Those chocolate strawberries that night had never tasted better that night.
Creating the most powerful and vengeful magic user in the world with an allegiance only to her and a sentient relic? Just perfect!
Agatha let out a laugh as her pupil slaughtered another one of the masters down below. His former friend was one of the few left standing but she figured that Stephen might have mercy on one of his former best friends. It had been hard to warp him enough to where he was willing to break his code but some mental nudges here and there slowly broke down his walls.
Perhaps as a treat she would introduce him to the Darkhold. They had a future Scarlet Witch to deal with.