Doctor Stephen Strange looked out the window of his Sanctum Sanctorum. Looking the destroyed world. The one he destroyed. All because he was lonely. He couldn’t help, but have a self disgusted chuckle at himself at that. He had no idea what real lonely… was the fool.
He turned away angry from the sight. The darkhold fueling his self hate, and loathing. Urging him to use it more, that his own hope of salvation would be with it. At a minimum he could at least be merciful to his variants, and end their suffering.
He had lost the concept of time, it like everything in this reality was broken, he had lost count of how long it had been, and how many Stephens he had done a favor. No matter what he did, it could not find joy, although he was not sure he would even know what it felt like. He long since forgot what joy, and happiness felt like.
Happiness… he scoffed that word, as he looked out the window of the Sanctum that day, or night, or whatever it was. “Are you happy Stephen.” That line taunting him as he looked out. Those 4 simple words that were the catalyst to all of this. Who knew such innocent words could cause this must destruction.
After the pain of thinking of those words, then came the anger. At everything, and nothing specific. Himself, everyone, love, the list was too small, and long at the same time. Him growling a bit from it, as his fists clinched. This the darkhold could easily work with, and manipulate. Humans had a great weakness to anger. It easily amplifying it.
The sky flashed if a different sort of light, the sky opening up even further, and something flying out of the newly formed rip. Something falling from the hole into the earth. It closing up after. It left him caught off guard then when he saw it. He wasn’t quiet sure what he saw. He had looked out this window so many times, and never saw something like it. Was it a sign of the end? That his suffering was finally going to come to a end.
He went down to the entry of the Sanctum opening the door. Something he had not done in a long time. Why would he? What was there to really venture out for. Everyone was dead, he was alone, he stopped searching, a long time ago.
He stepped out, it almost pained him. As he walked in the direction of the crash. He tried his best not to look down. The blackened earth covered in bones of the dead. A harsh reminder of the consequences of his actions.
He felt the Darkhold pulling him. Urging him to go back to the Sanctum. While it had a tight hold on him, the one thing that always won out over everything else was his intense curiosity. That tended to give him into trouble, not just in this universe, but so many others. Maybe that is why he was destine to be alone, he could never learn.
Maybe the Darkhold was trying to protect him, or itself. Still, it needed to understand that he was the one in control in this relationship. So he didn’t go back instead continuing to the spot. Something definitely fell, him seeing something in the distance. Stephen speeding up his step. He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes could make out what it was. “This can’t be right” he says to himself, in a slower step walking closer. His stance at the ready to defend himself.
Stephen can’t believe his eyes. The Sorcerer, and soul survivor of this universe… at least he thought that. Yet he was looking at the heap on the ground, the heap of what looked to be a human.
