No matter how hard he tried, Stephen couldn't bring himself to write another email to Christine. He did leave her, yes, but Stephen thought about how she could've moved on in the months he's been at Kamar-Taj.

He also thought about Amber.

Shutting his laptop, he rubbed his eyes frustratingly. Grabbing his bundle of books, Stephen left. As he passed the kitchen, he decided to grab an apple as a snack.

When Stephen realized that Wong was gone and the library was empty, he took this opportunity to head to the Ancient One's collection. Taking the book of Cagliostro, Stephen sat down with it, flipping to the missing page while snacking on his red fruit.

Stopping his page flipping, he saw a picture of the Eye Of Agamotto. Looking up, the Eye Of Agamotto was held in front of him on display. Turning in his chair, he looked around. "Wong?"

His voice echoed back to him which was a good sign. Putting the apple down, he rushed over, taking the amulet right off its place.

"Okay," Stephen spoke to himself, standing over the book with the necklace on. "First...open the Eye Of Agamotto..."

Doing as the scripture said, the amulet glowed a luminous green. Stephen huffed quickly before continuing.

Soon enough, time was in his possession as he stared at his half-eaten apple. Slowly moving his arm, the apple slimmed down to the core, and fattened up again, all by the movement of Stephen's hand.

Moving the whole apple away, Stephen slid the book up, a task in mind. Curling his fingers stiffly, the two absent pages reappeared again.

"Dormammu...The Dark Dimension..." Stephen read to himself. "Eternal life?"

As his fingers twitched, a sudden crystal wall appeared in front of him. It built itself around Stephen, shining brightly.

"Stop!"

Stephen turned on his heel, the wall disappearing. He turned back to the table, to see nothing as Mordo, Wong, and Amber rushed in.

"Tampering with these spells are forbidden!" Mordo barked, stopping at Stephen's side.

"I-I was just doing what exactly what it said in the book!" he defended with heavy stutter, tapping the book to show them.

"What did the book say about the dangers of performing that ritual?" asked Wong.

"No, no, I'm not on that part yet." Stephen muttered, leaning closer to the book to read over a random part of the page.

"Temporal manipulation can create branches in time. Unstable dimension openings. Spacial paradoxes! Time loops! You want to relive the same moment over and over forever, or never have existed at all?!" Mordo yelled at Stephen.

Stephen tilted his head and shut the book. "Well, they should've put the warnings before, then."

"Your curiosity could've gotten you killed," Amber added with clear perturbation.

"You weren't manipulating time continuum, you were breaking it." Wong took the book from him, walking over to the wall. "You do not tamper with natural law. We defend it."

"How did you even do that?" Amber asked, standing in front of Stephen, holding the amulet in her fingertips. Stephen placed a hand on her waist as she studied the amulet closely.

"Where did you even learn the litany spells to even understand it?" Mordo asked, taking a small step closer to Stephen.

"I have photographic memory, it's how I got my MD and PhD at the same time."

"What you just did, takes more than a good memory." Mordo commented in a sharp tone.

"You were born with the mystic arts." Wong seemed astonished.

"Yet my hands still shake." Stephen denied.

"For now, yes."

"Not forever?" Stephen scoffed with disbelief and Amber looked up at him.

"We're not prophets."

"When are you going to start tell me what we are?" He snapped at Mordo. Amber put a hand on his chest as a silent warning. Stephen looked down at her then off in another direction, letting out a sigh.

"While heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers, we sorcerers have guarded against more mystical threats," Wong said, walking up to the globe in the adjacent room.

The three followed him. Turning the dials, the globe lit up, slowly spinning in the air.

"The Ancient One is the latest in a long line of Sorcerers Supreme, going back thousands of years, to the father of the mystic arts. The mighty Agamotto. Same sorcerer created the eye you so recklessly borrowed. Agamotto built three sanctums of power where great cities now stand."

Wong's hand reached out towards one of the three doors. "That door leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum. That door to the New York Sanctum. That one to the London Sanctum. Together, Sanctums generate a protective shield around our world."

"The Sanctums protect the world and we sorcerers protect the Sanctums." Mordo finished.

"From...what?" Stephen hesitantly asked, a bit paranoid of the answer.

"Other dimensional beings that threaten our universe." Amber replied, her hand intertwined with Stephens.

"Like Dormammu?"

Everyone remained silent for a moment, each looking at one another waiting for one to speak.

"Where did you learn that name?" Mordo asked.

"I...just read it in the book, why?"

Wong switched the dials, the Agamotto signs disappearing from the globe.

"Dormammu dwells in the Dark Dimension. Beyond time. He is the cosmic conqueror, the destroyer of worlds. A being of infinite power and endless hunger. A quest to invade every universe and bring all worlds into his Dark Dimension. And he hungers for Earth most of all."

"Pages that Kaecilius stole," Stephen muttered to himself, putting the pieces together.

"A ritual to contact Dormammu is power from the Dark Dimension."

Stephen laughed, glancing at Amber. "Uh, okay. Okay...um, I-I'm out. I came here to heal my hands. Not to fight in some mystical war."

Bells in the distance rang as Wong, Mordo, and Amber looked up in alarm. 

"London," Amber muttered, slipping her hand from Stephen's. The doors to London opened, and a young sorcerer sprinted through, only to fall to his knees with a transparent spear impaled in his back.

"Kaecilius!" Wong called out, as Kaecilius raised his hands, a ball of energy appearing.

"No!" Mordo shouted as the ball of energy exploded, sending everyone flying back. Stephen and Amber got thrown into another door, pushing it open with their bodies and falling to the floor of the New York sanctum. The doorway closed up by a wall.

Both groaned in pain, large fresh cuts on their faces. Stephen had a large cut down his right cheek and forehead as Amber had a cut above her eyebrow and a split lip.

"No!" Stephen shouted, jumping to his feet and rushing to the door, pounding his fist against the wall. "Wong! Mordo!"

Amber got up with a wobble, pulling him away into the next room.

They quickly studied the place, stumbling towards the entrance doors with a throb in their heads. Amber nearly fell as she suddenly became lightheaded. Stephen caught her in time, keeping a tight grip on her waist.

The honks of cars filled their ears as they descended the stairs, taking in their sightings. Citizens walking by pointed and stared at their garb. Stephen and Amber turned to the building, looking at the address.

177A BLEECKER ST

"We're in New York." Amber breathed, close enough for her to run her fingers over the sign.

"Come on," Stephen tugged her side, looking up at the building to see the Agamotto symbol on the top. They both entered the building again, shutting the doors noisily.

Both of their staggering breaths filled the air as Amber raked her hand through her matted hair, pushing it out of the way. "We're on our own."