Enchanting Sparks | (Doctor Strange x Female!Reader)

Chapter 27 - Wise Choice

- Third POV -

"Get up Strange. Get up and fight!" Mordo spoke, collecting himself, "We will finish this." he finished, readying in a defensive stance just as the other two did.

The streets were frozen in time as the sorcerers struggled to stand up.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Kaecilius remarked as he and his two followers started moving in, "A world beyond time. Beyond death."

A figure lowered themself behind him, cape billowing to a stop as their feet were now planted onto the ground. The three sorcerers looked confused. Stephen was on the floor? They had just been knocked over? 

He hadn't. 

The triumphant look on Stephen's face sent a small shiver down (Y/n)'s spine, and she couldn't help but grin back at him despite her utter confusion.

Kaecilius had now turned, seeing Strange surprised him, and slightly terrified him since he had no idea what had happened.

"What have you done?"

"I made a bargain."

Kaecilius turned to the slight sizzling noise now coming from his hand.

"What is this?" 

He was slowly disintegrating.

"Well, it's everything you've ever wanted." Stephen started as he made his way towards the Zealots, "Eternal life as part of the One." The three other sorcerers moved to stand behind him, now witnessing the Zealots' demise, "You're not gonna like it." Stephen chuckled.

Their arms started to dissolve and get replaced by what looked like ash & concrete. They wriggled in discomfort and no doubt pain. The symbol that lay upon their forehead started to glow and burn. And their eyes, which bored those horrendous purple cracks around their sockets, merged and formed a strip that glowed bright red.

As they were lifted up into the air and taken through the opening in the sky, (Y/n) froze. She had seen these images before. The night she had arrived at the New York Sanctum. The night she was saved by The Ancient One. The night her parents were killed.

Kaecilius and his fellow Zealots had just been turned into Mindless Ones. 

Images of that night rushed through (Y/n)'s head, and her hands, her chest, her whole body started to shake - her breathing picked up, and her pulse became loud again.

Stephen had noticed this, and while he wasn't exactly aware of why at that moment, he reached down to his sides and found (Y/n)'s hand. As he curled his shaky and tired fingers around hers, he spoke to where the Zealots were just moments ago, "Yeah, you know you really should have stolen the whole book, because the warnings... The warnings come after the spells."

Stephen gently squeezed (Y/n)'s hand, clearly satisfied with his statement as a grin formed across his lips. As he moved his gaze to his side, he saw (Y/n) shaking her head to the floor, trying her best to hold back the stupid smile that so desperately wanted to plaster itself to her face. He had expected this. But what Stephen didn't expect was the fit of laughter he heard coming from Wong. The three sorcerers turned to him in surprise, well, Stephen was surprised, (Y/n) & Mordo were more confused. 

It wasn't that funny, was it?

"Oh, that's funny." Wong giggled.

Stephen & (Y/n) met each other's gaze. 

She was proud of him, as evident by the smile she was flashing him. She didn't know what he had done, but he had stepped up and fulfilled the role that The Ancient One had wanted him to. He looked confident. But all he wanted to do was kiss her. All that time in the Dark Dimension, he had hoped his plan would work, but he grew nervous that he would never see her again in his attempt to stop Dormammu. As he moved, leaning in towards her and starting to let his eyelids fall shut, she cleared her throat. As he opened his eyes, he saw the amused expression on her face.