Chapter 120: Finally Embarking on the Path of Magic

The Ancient One brought a sorcerer before the group and announced, "I wish to speak with Mr. Strange alone."

Everyone else cleared the courtyard. Arthur and Mordo exchanged glances, both guessing what the Ancient One intended to do.

"My hands cannot do this," Stephen Strange said to the Ancient One.

"This is not about your hands!" the Ancient One replied.

"How can you say it has nothing to do with my hands?" Strange retorted.

"Master Hamir, please demonstrate for Mr. Strange," the Ancient One commanded.

The sorcerer behind her stepped forward. He drew back his left sleeve to reveal that his hand was missing; he had no palm. Strange was moved by the sight. He watched as Master Hamir fluently summoned a massive magical shield, his movements incredibly fluid. His missing hand was no barrier to his mastery of magic.

"Thank you, Master Hamir," the Ancient One said, and the sorcerer departed after the demonstration.

Strange fell into deep thought. Was his inability to cast magic truly his own fault, and not because of his hands?

"You cannot fight the current; you must yield to the river and let its power work for you," the Ancient One said, offering a profound lesson.

"I master it by yielding to it? That makes no sense," Strange argued.

"Not everything makes sense, nor does it have to. Your intellect has brought you to a certain height in life, but it will not carry you further. Yield, Stephen!" the Ancient One insisted. "Suppress your ego, and your power will surely increase. Follow me!"

As she spoke, she opened a portal and stepped through. Strange followed her into the gateway and they arrived on a snow-covered mountain peak. Wearing only his thin apprentice robes, Strange was immediately struck by the biting cold.

"Where is this?" Strange asked.

"The summit of Mount Everest. Beautiful, isn't it?" The Ancient One looked out at the clouds and the Himalayan range below.

"Yes, it is... it's beautiful! Cold, but beautiful!" It was the first time Strange had seen such a view, and though his teeth were chattering, he endured the cold to walk toward the edge and gaze into the distance.

"At this temperature, a human can only survive for thirty minutes before permanent bodily failure sets in, though you will likely go into shock in about two," the Ancient One said, before stepping back into a portal.

"What?" Strange realized too late.

"Yield, Stephen!" With those words, the Ancient One stepped through, and the portal vanished.

"No! No, no!" Strange was a moment too late; he lunged and collapsed onto the snow. The wind and snow grew fiercer. Looking at the mountain beneath his feet, he realized he had no choice but to open a portal himself if he wanted to return.

Arthur and Mordo stood before the Ancient One. "Was this truly necessary?" Mordo asked.

"This is the only way he will activate his potential," the Ancient One said with her hands behind her back.

Five minutes passed, and Strange had not returned. Mordo reached for his waist, ready to draw his sling ring and rescue him. The Ancient One caught Mordo’s hand. "Trust him. He can do it."

"I also believe he can do it," Arthur added from the side.

Strange had been trying to open a portal, but he could only summon tiny, flickering sparks of magical energy. His anxiety grew; if he continued this way, he would freeze to death. He didn't want to become an ice sculpture. He took a deep breath, recalled the method the Ancient One had taught him, stilled his heart, recited the incantation, and visualized his destination.

A small portal flickered into existence before him. Strange felt a surge of hope—it was working! He calmed his mind, focused on the destination, and traced circles in the air. His body was stiffening, his extremities going numb, but he gritted his teeth and kept drawing the circles.

Finally, the portal grew large enough to step through. With his remaining strength, Strange lunged into the portal and collapsed before Arthur, the Ancient One, and Mordo.

The three of them smiled at him. Arthur spoke up, "Stephen, congratulations on officially beginning your path in magic."

Strange was too frozen to speak, his skin flushed red. Arthur stepped forward to help him up and said to the Ancient One and Mordo, "I’ll take Stephen back for a hot bath and some rest. His training for today ends here." With that, Arthur helped Strange away.

After his bath and a trim for his hair and beard, Strange felt as though he had been reborn. From this day forward, he would dedicate himself to learning the secrets of magic and finding a way to heal his hands.

Arthur went to Wanda's room and knocked, but there was no response. Wanda had reached a critical moment in her comprehension of Chaos Magic and had been in seclusion for several days. Arthur worried about whether she was eating or drinking, but he soon dismissed the thought as unnecessary; with the immense power of Chaos Magic, she was perfectly safe.

Arthur decided to continue his own training. He had visited many multiverses, seeing strange and bizarre things—some Earths were still in the primitive age. He wanted to find his original universe, the one without superheroes, where life was simple and ordinary. He didn't know how many universes existed, but in the year he had spent searching, he hadn't found it.

However, he did arrive in a wondrous universe composed entirely of water energy. It was truly a "Water Universe," and Arthur felt incredibly comfortable there. He discovered that after such a long time, his body had begun to absorb energy again, meaning he could grow stronger once more. Previously, after absorbing the energy of Asgard, his growth had stagnated.

Arthur was excited by this water-based universe. He felt as if he had returned home, and his power was far more effective here than anywhere else. He could slowly absorb the energy of this universe, much like Dormammu was invincible within the Dark Dimension. While not invincible, Arthur found his abilities greatly enhanced, along with an incredible regenerative capacity.

Unfortunately, after exploring for a long time, he couldn't find a single planet with civilization like Earth. Most were covered in endless oceans, teeming with incredible creatures, some of immense size. Arthur felt as if he had arrived in paradise. He could control these creatures; if he ever had to fight, he could summon an army of giant sea beasts.

As he thought of this, he couldn't help but grin. He decided he wouldn't call himself Aquaman anymore; he would take the title "Lord of the Waters." Wait—did that sound less impressive than Aquaman?