In just a few seconds, a complex yet profound magic circle appeared out of thin air before Strange.
Seeing the stunned look on his face, the Ancient One knew the effect had been achieved.
"Thank you, Master Camille."
Camille nodded and left the courtyard.
Karl leaned against a pillar, watching the scene between teacher and student. It felt completely different from what he had seen in the movies—proof that films were, after all, just films.
"Mr. Strange, you must learn to go with the flow. Power has always existed within you. What you need to do is find order within chaos—and then control it."
The Ancient One spoke earnestly. She understood the issue with Strange's hands, but to her, it was no real obstacle. Magic could compensate, even enhance one's control over the body.
"If I go with the flow, how can I control anything? Those two ideas contradict each other."
Strange replied helplessly. To him, "going with the flow" meant not interfering—completely opposite to control.
"You must understand that everything in this world has its own logic. You've achieved success through your intelligence, but that is not your true self. What you need is to find your true self—only then can you control everything."
As she spoke, the Ancient One traced a circle with her hands. A man-sized portal immediately appeared before them.
"Come with me."
She stepped through first. Though confused, Strange followed.
On the other side was a frozen wasteland—towering peaks, blanketed in snow, the sky a dull gray. A raging blizzard swept across the land, the only movement in an otherwise still world.
The portal remained open. Curious, Karl stepped through as well.
"This is… Mount Everest?!"
Though Strange had never been here, he recognized it instantly.
"It's… breathtaking~~"
He gazed into the distance. Below the peaks lay a sea of clouds and endless mountain ranges. Even under the dim sky, Everest's grandeur was undeniable—like a colossal beast sprawled across the horizon.
"In this temperature, without proper protection, a human can survive for about thirty minutes. Beyond that, organ failure and irreversible damage will occur."
The Ancient One seemed unaffected by the cold, even reaching out to catch snowflakes in the storm.
"Great. I'm a doctor—I know that~~"
Strange hugged himself tightly. He wore only a thin short-sleeved shirt, his arms fully exposed to the freezing air.
Karl immediately saw what was coming and quietly moved closer to the portal, ready to leave at any moment.
"In these conditions, you might not even last five minutes before losing consciousness."
As soon as she said that, the Ancient One stepped back through the portal. Karl quickly followed.
"Whether you overcome yourself or succumb to yourself—that choice is yours."
The portal snapped shut.
Only then did Strange react. He lunged forward—but too late. The portal vanished before his eyes, and he collapsed face-first into the snow.
—
Back in Kamar-Taj's courtyard, the Ancient One and Karl stood side by side in silence, both staring ahead—waiting.
Waiting for that familiar spark of orange light.
"How long do you think it will take him?"
The Ancient One asked, her gaze unwavering as she idly fanned herself behind her back.
"Not long. When people are pushed to their limits, they unleash incredible potential. And he's a natural at magic."
Karl wasn't worried. He knew Strange would succeed—he'd seen it before.
Hearing this, the Ancient One relaxed slightly. She trusted her judgment.
"If Strange fails… then the position of Sorcerer Supreme will have to be yours~~"
She said it casually—but she meant it.
Karl froze. "I… choose to believe in Strange. And in your judgment."
The Ancient One smiled faintly. She knew he was deflecting. If Karl agreed, there would be no need for Strange at all.
The two stood there for nearly five minutes.
Still no portal.
"Five minutes…"
Karl glanced at his wristband—a Stark Industries device with holographic projection, a substitute for a phone. Tony had given one to each member of his family, all custom-made.
Just as he finished speaking—
A burst of sparks suddenly appeared.
A circular portal slowly opened.
With a thud, Strange tumbled out, collapsing onto the ground, shivering uncontrollably. His hair and beard were coated in frost, his skin pale and frozen.
Suddenly—
A bright golden flame erupted from his body.
Warmth flooded through him, as if he had been submerged in a hot spring. The cold vanished instantly, replaced by waves of heat from within.
Karl waved his hand, extinguishing the flame.
It was his first time using the Phoenix's Flame of Rebirth to heal someone. Before acquiring Ifrit, he had used it primarily for combat—but its true nature was restoration and healing.
"Your frostbite is gone. You can stand now."
Strange realized the pain was gone, replaced by warmth.
"This… this is…!"
He quickly stood, staring at where his skin had once been red and darkened—it was now completely normal.
"This is magic too?"
He looked at Karl. He had never seen Kamar-Taj's magic used for healing—most spells he had read about were for combat.
"Of course. But it's not Kamar-Taj's magic—and you can't learn it."
Karl himself couldn't learn Kamar-Taj's magic either. His abilities were fixed—everything came from summoned beings.
Strange looked briefly disappointed, but quickly let it go.
Being able to learn Kamar-Taj's magic was already more than enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~