Third Person P.O.V.

"This kind of thing should be said with a month of antecedence, minimum." Hector is a little annoyed with the Ancient One.

"That doesn't concern you." The Ancient One casually waves him off with an infuriating calm smile.

The Old Magic User casually dropped the bomb that the events of the Dr Strange Movie are about to happen, or at least roughly similar. Hector was expecting it to happen at least next year, and after he pushed forward the timeline by a lot.

He noticed that the great increase of characters existing "tightened the schedule" of the world, so obviously he is not even hoping for a lot of "breaks" between "arcs". The MCU now only serves as a little north, but as things progress and more and more characters appear, he knows things will get crazier and crazier.

He is almost expecting Thanos to drop by on Earth next year.

One of the reasons he wants to increase the quantity of his summons it's so that he can put them on Earth while he goes to explore the universe for the Infinity Stones. He wants to have at least one on his hands.

It would be disastrous if Thanos got his hands on them without Hector having the chance to do anything about it. 

The reason he is still somewhat calm about this particular potential danger is the fact that the Ancient One is keeping the Soul Stone, and he is sure that the Space Stone is in the vaults of Asgard, and Odin is still awake.

Those two old, and incredibly strong, men are buying him time.

"Obviously, it concerns me." Hector's brows furrowed. "I'm a hero in charge of protecting this planet, so how does an interdimensional attack not concern me?"

"You don't need to get involved. Things will go better if Eidolon stays out of this." The Ancient One says "Trust me on this."

"..." Hector can trust him on this, the Ancient One should know better than him the best route to solve this crisis, but… "What about you?" He finally asks, his voice gaining a softer tone.

The Ancient One smiles wistfully "I will repeat… It will be for the better if no life is saved by Eidolon during this crisis. Death is part of life, and despite causing great pain momentarily, it's those scars that mold a better future in the long run."

"..." Hector thought that they would be ready for it. It's something he knew from day one. An irrevocable fact is that the Ancient One needs to die to give space to Stephen Strange.

It's not a bad thing either, the Ancient One lived long enough, and he is ready. But still… this is not a moment where rationality prevails.

Hector sighs heavily and runs a hand through his face.

"Just when I was starting to like you." The hero says in a joking tone, hiding his face "I didn't even slap your bald head yet."

It's not about the fact that is happening, he was ready for that… It's the fact that is happening too soon.

And when he thinks about it, that is how death generally treats people, it's always too soon. Not even the Great Eidolon can escape that.

Most of the time, people are simply not ready for death.

The Ancient One also laughs and lightens the mood. Raven looks a little unsure of how to react, but she was able to deduce what was going on with the tidbits of conversation.

"Now, promise me… Eidolon can't interfere, not even to save a life." The Ancient One says seriously.

After looking at the old sorcerer for some time, hector finally nods "Alright. It will be good to relax while other people do some work for a change." He jokes

...….

Raven

'As if…' It's what Raven thinks while sneaking a peek at Hector.

The guy said that he would relax but she was not seeing it.

After the two left the Kamar-Taj, Hector took Raven to her home, but seeing how she did not go to school and had no friends, he also dragged her to go with him almost every day to the Space Station.

She was already waiting for the barrage of forcefully clumsy and cheesy flirting, but none of that happened. Since the talk with the Ancient One, Hector has been… quiet.

Other people would not be able to notice. He would still be able to fake it pretty well and act normally, but the ones that are around him constantly obviously are aware of the change.

'It's weighing on his mind…' Raven knows. 

It has been only a day since the reveal, and the crisis is scheduled to happen in the span of two or three days starting tomorrow, and Hector is worried.

She can understand that, anyone would be… But it's bothering her for some reason. She is not liking seeing him like that.

She looks at her book, her eyes going through some paragraphs, but without reading anything before she looks at Hector again.

He is in front of his supercomputer, his eyes focused on the screen while his chin rests in the back of his right hand. His other hand is absentmindedly moving while he conjures magic circles, each change of a handsign making a different circle, in a different color and shape, appear.

She recognizes only a third of those magic circles, some look very dark. If Raven had to guess, he looks like someone reviewing for a test or something.

He is still preparing for the worst, even though he promised not to get involved.

"Hey…" He suddenly calling her makes Raven take her eyes off his hand with a jump. Looking at his eyes now, she knows he saw what she was thinking written in her face.

With a low chuckle, he shakes his head and says in a calm tone "Don't worry about me, I'm just keeping myself sharp and on high alert."

"I'm not worried about you." She rolls her eyes.

This time, instead of teasing her, he simply smiles lightly. And for some reason, that annoyed her a little.

When she caught with her own thoughts, Raven gets startled 'No… Nononono. Azarath Metrion Zithos…"

...…

Third Person P.O.V.

Kamar-Taj

Despite walking to where he is walking, aware of what awaits him, the Ancient One keeps a calm face all the way. Few things in existence can make him change expressions nowadays.

And he learned long ago that a calm face is the first shield that you can have.

He crosses the courtyard, looking up at the night sky and at the moon. Now, at this stage of his life, he thinks he should have looked to those ever-present existences around him that so many take for granted.

He watched countless dawns, countless setting suns, countless night skies… All so mundane, nothing more than a background to the more interesting occurrences of his turbulent life.

When he can see the past, present, and the future. When he can observe other universes, watch incredibly cosmic events that normal people can't even imagine… When he can see so much, what are those small everyday events to him?

But now, after countless normal night skies, so many that they all blur together, he thinks he didn't watch them enough. It's about the small things.

He keeps a small smile while watching the sky, only stopping when the stars are covered by the roof of the front porch of a big building.

He looks at the double doors in front of him and pushes them with his own old hands instead of using any magic. It's about the small things.

"You came back and didn't even greet your old master, Kaecilius?" He asks in a light tone while watching his former student and his followers "I thought I taught you better than that." Despite his joking tone, the double doors close behind him menacingly.

It's obvious that all the acolytes of Kaecilius are scared shitless of the old sorcerer.

"That's where our discordance starts… I don't think you did a good job teaching me." Kaecilius steps forward, much calmer than his followers.

He is wearing tight martial robes in dark brown tones, his hair slicked backward in a low ponytail, and his face is completely shaved. All of this gives a humble and modest tone, but the eyes are anything but modest. Cold calculating eyes stare at the Sorcerer Supreme.

"I taught you the best I could… It's not my fault that you are lacking as a student." The Ancient One laughs heartily.

"..."

"..."

But even his grandpa-like laugh is not enough to disperse the tension in the precinct. 

The two parties stare at each other. An entire group of young men and women staring at a single old man, but everyone knows who is in the superior position here.

Kaecilius is the first to make a move. He extends his arm, the pages in his hand disappear, and he… runs.

He and all of his acolytes use magic telekinesis to create a chaotic environment in the library, like they planned it beforehand, and ran in the opposite direction of the Ancient One.

"..." The Ancient One stays rooted in place. The books are flying around, but none touch him. "I guess that as the older and mature one, I should play along." He sighs almost fondly before starting to walk.

The books go completely still, frozen in space, and a single step of the Ancient One takes him farther than any step should take a man.

Space stretches to Kaecilius and his acolytes while it shrinks to the Ancient One. They run with everything they have while he walks leisurely with his hands clasped behind his back, and he is gaining on them.

Kaecilius and his Acolytes struggle and give their all to stabilize the path ahead, to escape… But one by one, their groups were taken down by the Ancient One chasing them.

They enter the Mirror Dimension, trying to escape from the Ancient One, but that only makes matters worse. His control and understanding of the Mirror Dimension are greater than all of them combined.

The acolytes start falling fast while their surroundings change, the temple of Kamar-Taj disappearing beneath the earth while the mountains and rivers rise, enclosing them.

Sense of up and down slowly disappears, front and back too… The Acolytes start running in different directions, separating from the group without even noticing.

The Ancient One draws a line in the air, and a mountain is perfectly cut, and with his finger, he brings the mountain down on a small group of acolytes.

The rivers are changing, tracing magic circles that spawn eruptions of magic from the ground. The clouds and stars do the same, raining magic on them like raindrops.

It's an apocalyptic scene… And the Ancient One continues to leisurely walk in the middle of it, his steps causing ripples in the air.

Kaecilius keeps a stony face while ignoring everything around him, even the possible death of his people. He is focused on his mission, and his mission is not to fight the Sorcerer Supreme.

He continues to run with all his might, acting like a scared animal, all part of his big plan…

"There!" He suddenly shouts and, together with the remaining acolytes, he raises his hand and opens a hole in space to escape.

"..." The Ancient One smiles slightly and does not hesitate to follow.

On the other side, it is a lifeless rocky region. The Ancient One ignored the arrangement of rocks and just stepped forward.

"Gave up on running?" He asks Kaecilius, who turned to face him.

"There's no more need to run. You are exactly where I want you." Kaecilius comments

"If you are talking about this trap formation, I would be very disappointed." 

Kaecilius ignores his mocking words, and together with his followers, he makes a couple of handsigns, making the rocks around him shine. With each change of his hand, more and more rocks glow.

The Ancient One doesn't panic seeing that, he raises his hand and when he brings it down, the space and the formation start to crack, making a lot of the acolytes fall unconscious too because of the backlash.

But then it happened… from the crack opened in space, an object appeared.

It's a golden staff with three gems on the top. The moment the staff appeared, the space is immediately solidified, the rocks were restored, and they shone much more brightly than before in a golden starlight.

Each grain of sand is brimming with power, the whole space spins, forming a vortex.

"Oh, the Staff of the Living Tribunal…" The Ancient One shows some surprise "Hello, Mordo." He doesn't even turn around to greet the other sorcerer who appears behind his back.

Mordo is wearing green and yellow fancy sorcerer robes, with pointy shoulder pads. He is a caucasian man with a goatee and a widow's peak, his short black hair slicked backwards. He is showing a big, smug smile because his plan worked. The Ancient One's confidence in his own abilities was his downfall.

"You and Kaecilius, two of my former students, appearing at the same time…" The Ancient One sighs in the center of the spatial storm, the vortex pinning him in place. "Is your guys' strategy to kill me with disappointment? It's almost working…"

Mordo smiles falters at the Sorcerer Supreme's words, but he still confidently says "At this point, you can only keep your facade of calmness. Your time is due, and you are not leaving this place. Ever!"

"Sealing me, huh? So ingenious… You are getting better, I admit." The Ancient One compliments Mordo "In the past, you would never have had the courage to pull something like that. I told you that Magic was molded by imagination, the fact that you can't see yourself beating me, despite desiring to do that, always limited your growth."

"..."

"And asking for external help will not fix it… The path that you are walking will leave your mind and heart full of shadows and darkness forever." The Ancient One continues

"Don't act like you are still my master!!" Mordo shouts "You that uphold so many secrets from me!"

"Oh Mordo…" The Ancient One shakes his head. Space solidifies and clings to his body like cement, it's like he is becoming part of the scenery. "Your accomplishments are your own, and so are your failures…Don't blame me for your own shortcomings. I think the youngsters nowadays have an expression to that… Skill Issue." He laughs despite having his body covered by the world, like Atlas having to hold down all creation. 

"..." Despite being a trained and accomplished Mystic Arts user, Mordo can't help but get angry.

But the Sorcerer Supreme doesn't care about his feelings. "You asked for shortcuts to make up for your lack of talent when you are not ready to pay the price. You should have been patient instead of envious of the gifted ones. Let me warn you that the price didn't disappear, it will only come later."

"That is none of your concern anymore. You are gonna die of old age here." Mordo says with a malevolent voice.

The Sorcerer Supreme remains incredibly calm despite the dire situation. "You are still being blinded by my light, living in my shadow instead of forging your own path… You are bound to fail, Mordo. You acquire no satisfaction for winning… Anyway, you already lost." With those words, the Ancient One is finally sealed.

"..." Mordo can't say anything more.

He would be arguing with the nothing, he can't show that he cares, but anyway, it would allow the Ancient One to have the final say.

And true to his words, in this small exchange… Mordo lost

.....

Mary Jane

"I didn't even know that there's a place like this around here." Mary Jane says with some surprise while running the paintbrush in her hand through the screen.

Hector is in front of her, doing something similar.

"Me too." He says "I had this idea of a painting date when you commented about liking art, and drawing when you are young… Initially, I thought of doing it at my home, but… Well, after a quick search, I found this place."

Mary Jane understands why he would not take her to his home.

It's for her own good… because they can't take their hands off each other! They have a talk about taking things slow, a talk that is easily forgotten by her in the heat of the moment…

But Hector, as the gentleman and level-headed individual he is, was always able to pull the brakes. Even so, they are avoiding getting really alone for now.

"It is also a good way to show off my skills that you would otherwise not be aware of…" He brags playfully while giving her a look, then looking back at his screen.

The two are painting each other. It's the whole schtick of this studio on Fridays, couples can come here to paint each other. Mary Jane can see the other four couples around her doing the same.

There are also other people doing other things, probably art students, or aspiring art students, but she can't tell the difference, and she is not gonna ask.

"That was a very nice thing to do… And very creative too." Mary Jane complimented, happy that he was listening while she was talking about her old hobby of drawing and painting. "It has been so long, I'm rusty." She breathes out, seeing the cartoonish version of Hector slowly appearing on the screen.

She is not gonna try to make it realistic, she knows her limits.

"Do you know who likes drawing too? Captain America." Hector reveals

"Really?" Mary Jane looks at him, surprised. "How did you know that… Wait, your grandpa?" She remembers Hector saying the cool fact that his grandpa was part of the Howling Commandos, Captain America's own group!

"Yep." He says popping the 'p.' "He told me this story when he saw me drawing as a kid."

"That's cool. And surprising… You would not expect a six-foot-tall wall of muscle to have such… eh, delicate(?) hobby."

"I guess he is more famous for punching nazis." He laughs "But a good man always has a hidden talent to impress the ladies~" He wiggles his eyebrows

"Oh yeah? And what is yours?" She wiggles her eyebrows back.

"Oh, I couldn't even count." He sighs exasperated "I have so many talents! How can other people compete against me??" He shows a sad and empathetic expression to the less fortunate that has to compete with him.

"Oh, shut up!" She laughs

"I'm serious." He looks offended that she doesn't believe in him. "I will start by showing you my painting skills, even Michelangelo would weep."

"Pfft, you braggart! You are digging up your own grave by setting my expectation so high." She laughs, already imagining him showing something pretty simple or downright ugly. The breach of expectancy will be fun!

"Your lack of faith is disturbing…" He says in a deep voice. Mary Jane's brain is telling her that he is quoting someone, but she can't say who… She heard that before… Must be famous.

He continues "What about a bet then?" He gives her a half-smirk

"A bet?" She raises her eyebrows. The word "bet" makes her go on high alert. Hector is a sly bastard despite his calm and gentle exterior. He never would bet on something that he is not sure to win, she already knows this much about him.

 So obviously her guard went up.

"What kind of bet?" She asks, she is not unwilling, only cautious.

"If I make a good painting, enough that you cannot say that it is bad, not even if you want..." He starts and then leans forward a little before whispering with a smirk "You are gonna let me paint you like Rose let Jack paint her in the movie Titanic."

"!!!" Hearing his words, her eyes widen, and a blush spreads through her face, trying to compete with her hair. She looks around to see if anyone heard it, but everyone appears to be in their own worlds "Hector..." She whispers back, half-admonishing and half-whining

"What?" He asks, acting casual.

"Don't say those things in public!" She shouts in a lower voice

"I didn't say anything wrong. It's art!" He shrugs his shoulders

"..." The blush remains in her flecked cheeks. Mary Jane's first instinct is to deny the bet proposal, but after thinking for an extra second, she noticed that all the power is in her hands.

She can simply say that the painting did not reach her standards and bam bet won. She thinks that is his way of allowing her to simply say no to the proposal of painting her naked.

So there's nothing wrong with accepting it, and she can't deny that the thought of posing naked to him is a little... exciting.

"Alright..." She says slowly "And what if I win?"

"I don't know... You can ask for anything from me. I'm sure that I will not lose." He answers without a care in the world.

A very roundabout way to say that he trusted her not to ask for anything outrageous. She would never do it, obviously.

"Hmm~" She makes a show of thinking hard, like it's some difficult decision, even though she already decided to accept.

Maybe… Maybe she can ask him to leave the other… 

She shakes her head slightly at the thought. They agreed to never touch this subject again. It was her condition. She can't bring this up, she does not even want to bring this up. She wants to think that he and the other have already broken up and he is only hers, but the thought still gnaws at the back of her mind from time to time.

'It would be a wasted opportunity if he had already broken up with the other…' She rationalizes in her mind.

"Okay, I accept." She finally says, not thinking about any other woman. 

"Deal?" He extends his hand, a smile on his lips

"Deal." She takes it, already thinking about what she is gonna make him do.

In truth, nothing comes to mind. Hector is already a great boyfriend… She can't ask for any sexual fantasy because they are not on that stage yet, and she is not gonna ask for anything of monetary value either.

"By the way, no time limit for the thing I ask of you, right?"

"Of course." He agrees easily

Now she can wait to use it for something sexy, or maybe embarrassing in the far future… She laughs while thinking about binding him or making him wear a fantasy in bed. Maybe wear an Eidolon cosplay…

They fall into a comfortable silence when Hector gets serious about painting. It seems he really wants to win this bet, to see her naked body… The thought causes some heat to appear in her lower abdomen.

She can't help herself from think that a nude painting session would end like Jack and Rose in that car. Maybe she can let him win… 

Her thoughts wander in a more hot direction while she needs to look at him constantly to paint.

'My boyfriend is so hot~' She admires him again. Luckily, she is only painting his face, she would not have time to paint all his muscles.

She paints, giving special attention to the sharp jaw and blue eyes, leaving to put the glasses last, if she's even gonna paint them. Despite liking his nerdy style, she still thinks he would look much better if he took care of his appearance.

While they are concentrating, a worker at the place passes behind Hector, and her eyes widen.

"Oh my, are you a pro? Wait, you are too young…" The woman says while looking between Mary Jane, the painting, and Hector.

"It's easy when you are painting something you love…" Hector says casually while continuing to paint.

The woman practically swoons at him, giving Mary Jane a look and then a thumbs up and a big smile from behind his back, the universal language of "Nice job, gurl".

"..." Now she is SUPER curious to see the painting.

The female worker goes away, but comes back with a colleague, and the two seem to be admiring Hector's art.

It reached a point where there's more than half a dozen people behind him, some coming and going… This is killing Mary Jane, she should be the one seeing it first.

"I'm using a lot of red." Hector says to the laughs of the group behind him. A lot of female artists, to Mary Jane's annoyance.

The one-hour time limit to paint finally ends, and it's time to reveal their works.

For some reason, the audience continued to hang around, making Mary Jane nervous and self-conscious about showing her painting. But she does it first anyway…

It's a cartoonish piece of work, not focusing on any detail, and the similarities with Hector are obvious. The curly hair, the eyes,and the moles close to the eye and mouth. It's minimalistic but good.

"Oh, am I that handsome? Such deep blue eyes…" He acts smug and narcissistically while looking at the painting. She is happy that he seems to genuinely like it.

Now it's time for him to do the same.

"I think mine is passable…" He says while presenting her the painting…

'Okay, let's see what all this fuss is about…' Mary Jane was thinking that before her mind went blank and her mouth slowly opened.

It's not any ultra-realistic piece, displaying her with incredible details, but it is still a realist painting. It probably doesn't have more details because of the short time.

The painting only shows her from the shoulders upwards. It is different from what she expected, it is not showing her with a calm smile or anything like that. It's showing her laughing… No, it's showing her exactly after a good laugh.

The painting is so good that she knows exactly what it is expressing. The exact moment, perfectly captured and frozen in time. She can almost see and hear the good laugh that the Mary Jane in the painting had before she was captured on this screen. That is how expressive and alive this painting looks.

Her head is tilted backward a little, her mouth open in a big and natural smile, and the eyes… Oh, the narrowed eyes look so alive. They are shining and brimming with life, seeming wet with tears that the good laugh caused.

The way her shoulders and neck tense expresses that, too. It looks like the Mary Jane in the painting is just recovering from that laugh. She can almost hear her sighing, recovering the breath lost during the laughter. It's so spontaneous, like a picture captured at the right moment.

Her hair, despite being such an eye-catching characteristic, still pales to her features and expression. Her bright red hair is now simply there to frame her face.

"I hope you like it. I painted how I think you look the most beautiful… genuinely happy." Hector's voice takes her off her thoughts.

"That… That…" Mary Jane is not any art critic, but she can see how good this painting is, and if a critic says otherwise, she would fight him. She doesn't know what to say, so…

She ignored the wolf whistles and laughs from the people nearby and kissed him.

...….

"You really liked it, huh?" Now in his car, hector comments while taking her to some place to eat.

"I loved it!" She says, with a big smile on her face, she can't stop looking at the painting. Her smile was only matched by her painting.

"I'm glad… I did not forget about our bet." he says with a sly smile. "Tell me when you are ready to pay it."

"Pervert." She gives him a slap on his arm, but she is not that against it. "If you promise never to show it to anyone… No, better that you destroy it afterwards."

Before, she was in it for the experience, but knowing Hector's talent now… The painting will really be a nude of her! She can't let something like that exist!

"No one would even lay their eyes on it." Hector says strongly and possessively. She likes that. "And if you want it destroyed, so be it." He agrees easily "My memory will keep the image burned in my brain anyway." He concluded with another sly smirk.

She decides not to engage with him this time, because she knows it will only give him fuel for more teasing, so she only rolls her eyes at him.

He continues to drive on the horrible traffic of New York, when Mary Jane decides to broach the subject that she was not so sure to touch…

"Hector, are you okay?" She doesn't want to ruin the mood, but she noticed that he is normal. There's a certain… edge on him today, a smidge of forcefulness on his actions.

"..." Hector turns to her slowly, he falls into silence, and then sighs "I'm just a little tired. College, the hospitals, everything…"

"Don't force yourself. If you told me, we could have rescheduled our date. I would have understood." She says while grabbing his forearm.

"Thank you, but relax… It's just one of those weeks, you know? A lot of deadlines coinciding, so I need to work a little harder… it will get better next week." he explains.

"I see…" She nods "But don't burn yourself out."

After a kiss on his cheek, she jokes "You are already adulting, poor you~"

"Spoiler Alert: It sucks." And the two laugh. "By the way, I'm glad you noticed… I have a very good poker face, you know?"

"I noticed." She rolls her eyes

"So if you noticed that I'm not at my 100%, it means that I'm unknowingly letting my guard down around you." Stopping at a red light, Hector grabs her hand. "That's a good thing to know. Love you." Brings her hand to his lips, and he kisses the back of her hand.

"I love you too." She answers softly

...….

Third Person P.O.V.

Without the Sorcerer Supreme, Mordo and Kaecilius' plan can proceed. The three Sanctum Sanctorums are without their great defender. Each one of them will attack one of the Sanctums, but even with the two, they will be one person short.

And they can't leave this job to just anyone, but this detail will not be a problem because they will have the help of someone whose interests align with them… The Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension, Clea.

"Are you sure that he is sealed?" The said woman asks again. Clea is a beautiful woman with noble looks, high cheekbones, short white hair, and purple eyes, which can be a side effect of the magic she uses. Her clothes, which seem a little too tight to a sorcerer, are covered by two capes, one on her shoulders and the other, a smaller one, around her waist.

"We used Atlas Punishment, there's no way he can escape." Kaecilius says

"You certainty give me no assurance. In truth, this cockiness only causes me worry." Clea comments, not impressed 

"What? Are you so afraid of him?" Mordo mocks

"Only a fool would underestimate him. The Ancient One survived dozens of Sorcerer Supremes from the Dark Dimension, each thinking they would be getting the best of him, and each one failed." She says with a hint of respect appearing in her voice.

Yao is not called the Ancient One for nothing. He kept the post longer than anyone else, he is the only other one said in the same breath as Agamotto.

"You don't need to worry. Even if he can eventually escape, it will be too late. Till there, this universe will be part of the Dark Dimension." Mordo says

At this point, any discussion will be meaningless, so Clea says nothing more.

"Let's proceed then…" Mordo continues "We will destroy the Sanctums and rebuild them as gateways to the Dark Dimension."

"The next step is obvious…" Kaecilius adds coldly "...we need to clear the path."

"Can you two kill your former friends?"

"I have no friends." Mordo replies

...

"You know… The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." Hector deadpans to Juri Han while typing on a console.

Right now, the two are in the Space Station. 

"You don't know that. This time I'm gonna kick your ass! If you don't cheat, of course." Juri says in a snarky tone "And hurry up with that." She continues, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"Patience. A completely normal body is very deep in the vault." Hector rolls his eyes before pressing a button "GLaDOS, I unlocked it. Take it for me, please."

"At once, Master." The AI says and a robotic armor moves deep in the room.

"While we are waiting, why don't we talk about the reason I called you here?" Hector turns to Juri and crosses his arms while leaning on the panel. "Why the heck did you beat up those cops?"

"What? It's their fault! I was doing a good deed, like you told me, destroying some gangs… Then they appeared, pointed their guns at me, and I said that I was with you, they didn't listen. Then I said 'Fuck you, I'm off', then they shoot me and then I beat them up." She explains with a shrug

Hector massages his forehead. "Stop with your malicious incompetence, Juri. You purposely explained very little and acted belligerent. You wanted an excuse to beat them…"

"Bullshit, I was being myself…" She scoffs and pouts

"You also didn't debut as a hero and don't even plan to have a hero persona, or hide your identity. Obviously they would not believe in you."

"I don't need to hide myself."

"Be ready for the legal persecution then. I gave you a house and everything to your identity, and now they have it. You need to fix your image before it is tarnished forever." Hector says seriously

"Whatever, dude. Who cares about my image?"

"You will. When the Korean government starts harassing you to work for them. You had one shot and you blew it already…" Hector is annoyed, he will probably need to do some damage control. "Or you join them as my spy. Good luck dealing with those rich Korean people and government officials who think they are gods."

"I bet they will find it difficult giving me orders with my foot in their jaw."

"..." Hector is reconsidering a lot of things. 'Change of plans… I'm gonna tame this troublemaker now'. "Whatever, just let your pride aside and ask for help if things get complicated."

She doesn't answer, only turning her head away childishly.

After a last shake of his head, the chamber with his clone finally arrived.

"Alright, that is what? The fourth time you asked for a spar? And I'm even indulging you by using a very weak body, so… Why don't we make things interesting?" Hector suddenly says. When Juri discovered that he could hop on bodies, she had this idea to finally win against him and prove that her technique is superior.

His initial plan of not breaking her initially, filling her with defiance like air in a balloon before popping it, worked very well. He always held back during their spars, giving her the impression that she was very close to winning, somehow.

He also teased her a lot, treating Chun Li considerably better than her, downright spoiling the Chinese rival. Not that it is that difficult, different from Juri, Chun Li is much more well-mannered and behaves splendidly. Hector never had anything to complain about her.

'She is like Shego, but this time I don't have the time to stay with her most of the time.. I bet Shego would be like this too if I let her to her own devices." he remembers almost fondly from the time Shego was basically on "House arrest" with him, always annoyed for not having freedom. Their relationship has come a long way.

But Juri is not Shego. Hector has a policy of letting the summons to their own devices, especially the female ones that have a high chance of falling into a harem situation if he stays too close.

A last chance to let things take a more natural course.

The only exception was Harley, that who used to experiment with a little method that it was bound to be repeated in the future with the equally problematic women.

And Juri is proving herself one of them.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

"Interesting?" Juri looks at him suspiciously. She can feel this guy is up to no good.

"A bet." This always works. She would never back down.

"A bet?"

"Yes, a bet. Do you know how annoying it is to be challenged every time by someone so much weaker than you?" Hector sighs heavily. "Imagine if you are challenged by a baby that still uses diapers, would you take it seriously? Waste your time on it?" He is purposefully saying those things to annoy her.

And it's working. Some veins have already appeared on her temple.

"Say nothing more, you bastard." Juri says through gritted teeth "It's fucking on! Say the rules and what we are betting."

"Simple. Like you asked, I'm gonna use that very normal body to fight you, and the one that wins can ask anything of the victor." He says casually

"Anything?"

"Anything." He confirms

"..." 

A trick so old and so simple that it is not even a trick anymore. She can see his plan from a mile away, but it's not like he plans to cheat or anything.

"And what if I ask you to be my dog?" She asks

"I will do it."

"Tie Chun Li for me?"

"I will do it."

"Kill people?"

"I will do it."

He is answering without even batting an eye.

She is pushing boundaries, and he is answering eerily calmly. In truth, it's scaring her a little, not that she will ever admit it.

He is not even making ground rules! Saying that he would not do things against his morals and everything! The message is clear: he is absolutely confident that he will defeat her. No, he plans to completely demolish her!

"What would you ask?" She pries

"Probably some sexual favor." He syas shamelessly "You are running your mouth for so long, so I will shut you up with my dick." His eyes are as serious as they can be.

She believes that he really is gonna ask for it if he wins.

"..." But Juri can't back away. "Alright, but let's make that we don't use any type of energy." She suddenly adds some rules

"Oh…" He says with a straight face

"You taught me a lot, but let's fight with only technique and our bodies. To prove who is the better martial artist."

"No Haki or Nen?"

"No."

"This body that I'm bringing is weaker and less trained than yours…" He says while giving a look to the chamber where his lifeless clone sleeps.

"Gonna chicken out now?" She smirks widely, regaining some confidence.

"No, just saying to make you defeat even more… unpalatable." He says confidently, "So let's review… No use of any type of inner energy and the varieties of techniques… No Observation Haki, no chi blocking, not even Ten." He says while walking to a chair.

"Yes." She confirmed already bouncing on the balls of her feet to warm up, watching him sit and close his eyes.

"Alright then. It's on." He says and seemingly falls asleep.

"It's on!" 

Tsss The door of the sleeping chamber opens and another Hector steps up, wearing only a white full-body suit that hugs his body tightly.

Juri judges his muscles and can see that this clone is very fit, but Hector said before that this clone is so "normal" that it does not even have the Super Soldier Serum.

It's a clone to use as a civilian identity.

Hector stretches to feel the limits of his body, his face impassive and unworried despite being in a very unfavorable situation.

"So weak and heavy… but I can do it." He cracks his neck and turns to her.

Juri puts a stance, ready to kick his ass finally.

The fight is long and short at the same time. They spent a lot of time staring at each other. The stakes are higher, so they need to be careful. In a fight on the "normal" level, any mistake can be fatal.

Hector also knows the limits of this body so he can't risk an early injury that can lower his fight prowess. In the end, Hector is much more patient than Juri, so she attacked first.

Hector keeps his eyes open and focused as Juri predictably starts with a high kick.

In this situation, maybe his only advantage is that he kept his knowledge… His knowledge of Juri's fighting style. The fact that she asked for so many spars backfired.

He raised his fists close to his chin, put his face down, and stepped forward. Ducking under her leg, he uses his shoulder to deflect the attacks, hurting some bones, before punching her leg in three places.

'Now that I'm on the normal level I'm is not gonna use any 'fancy shit' and simply have the job done with straightforward attacks that would be effective in a street fight. Heh, pun intended' He thinks while advancing even more while Juri is off balance.

He sneaks around her, his arms going beneath her armpits and his leg swiping her support foot.

"Argh!" It ends with him putting her on a submission.

An otherwise difficult move to pull on the super-human levels will be effective now.

"Well, that is how things end…" He says in her ear while she struggles.

She grits her teeth while trying everything, but she lacks leverage to attack him, and Hector is not taking it easy, really strangling her… She will pass out for lack of air at any minute.

And because he did it so early in the fight, he has a lot of energy left.

Juri Han struggled and struggled, but to no avail… But suddenly she releases herself! using a burst of purple ki.

Hector was hurt gravely while she jumped away from him and spun in the air before landing on her foot, her face an ugly grimace.

"You lost." Despite being gravely hurt, Hector says in a calm tone before falling unconscious.

And then waking up in the next second on his real body.

"Well, well… Proven once again that I'm superior." He mocks

"..." Juri can't say anything without losing face.

This strategy was taught by Hector by none other than All For One, his villainous teacher. The villain once said that sometimes those defiant figures appear, so you should give them the chance to confront you directly(better directly than plotting behind your back) while employing them.

This would make them slowly develop loyalty for you while getting used to being under you, while pretending that "I'm sticking around just till I defeat/kill you".

All For One turned a lot of first-time enemies this way. Many people who wanted his position ended up becoming his loyal supporters. Unless they really have a big grudge against you, it works very well.

"Fine! Don't need to act so smug about it!" She huffs "I lost."

"I'm just returning your energy. Don't lie and say that you would not act smug." He smiles

"Ugh, just get over it… What do you want?" She crosses her arms and pouts. It's a little cute. "Wanna that blowjob? A footjob? Your pervert…"

"Hm, tempting, but no."

"But you said…"

"I said that it would be a good idea to shut you up, but I don't need you for that. I have more beautiful women who would do it willingly, which would make it even more enjoyable, like Chun Li." He says the last part to twist a psychological knife in her mind.

"That fat-assed slut is nothing!"

"Such childish rivalry- Hm?" Hector is suddenly assaulted with an idea. He looks at Juri Han, and a smile blossoms on his face. "I know what I'm gonna ask you now.

"..." She looks confused at first, but then she remembers the topic of the conversation and freezes. "No… You wouldn't do that… No…"She shakes her head while his smile only widens till Cheshire Cat-like proportions

...….

New York Sanctum Sanctorum

"And it's Dr. Strange. You better remember that." Stephen Strange says, his voice haggard, while looking down on the imprisoned and unconscious enemy.

He just had a difficult battle with Kaecillius. He is not nearly as experienced as the other sorcerer, but utilizing Kaecilius' carelessness and some out-of-the-box thinking, he was able to triumph, but not without the loss of the life of Master Daniel, the protector of the New York Sanctum.

But Stephen was still unsure of what to do now…

"Balthor's Battering Ram." BOOM With this spell, the portal door that connects the New York Sanctum with the London Sanctum was destroyed, and a female figure walks out amidst the dust and debris. "Why is it taking so long?" Clea starts asking, but pauses, seeing the scene in front of her.

"Eh… Can I guess that the dark clothes and the goth makeup are not only a style choice, and you are indeed evil?" Dr. Strange raises an eyebrow at her.

"Flames of the Faltine."

"Yep, I guess I have an answer…" Strange says sarcastically behind a protective shield that he conjured.

Clea frowns. "It's that… the Eye of Agamotto?" She asks, bewildered after seeing Strange blocking her attack, "Give it to me!" She changes hand gestures and summons the Demon-Claws of Denak to grab Strange and the artifact.

"Barely knows me and already wants my stuff… women, am I right? Oof!" Joking to try to keep himself hyped and his mind away from the pain, Stephen was quickly overwhelmed by Clea's extensive mastery.

The sorcerer of Earth is good, but relatively new to the Mystic Arts world. His growth rate is astounding, of course, he keeps up with her, utilizing the Eye of the Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation.

He also utilizes his home advantage well, transforming the Sanctum into a weapon to attack Clea. He did a better job than the master of the London Sanctum that she just killed.

But Clea seems to be better, and not tired from fighting her last opponent, different from Strange.

Finally, she grabs his ankle with a black tendril, she petrifies the Cloak of Levitation with the Stone Prison of Umar, and imprisons Strange with even more tendrils. Even stabbing him with one, the tendril going through his torso, just an inch away from his heart.

She didn't spare him, he was just lucky that he struggled at the right moment.

"I don't know why someone like you has this, but I'm glad that it was not in the Ancient One's hands, maybe Mordo was right." Clea says with a rare greedy smile and slowly reaches with her hand to the artifact.

Her words make Strange feel a little guilty. He stole the eyes to practise, curious about it powers, maybe if he hadn't done so, they would not be in this much trouble.

"I know that is precious… Haah, that's why I put a trap." Stephen says while breathing heavily and the eye opens.

"!!" Clea doesn't have time to react when the eye releases a spell that Stephen kept stored beforehand. The artifact opens, and the Ribbons of Nihility bombard Clea, the power of the spell amplified by the artifact.

Countless semi-transparent rays attack her and the space around her, trapping her in place and slowly chipping off her hastily raised defenses.

Dr. Strange doesn't waste time, he quickly releases the Cloak and opens a portal. Saving the Sanctum is good, but he can't die for nothing, and let her put her hands on the Eye of Agamotto as a bonus.

...….

Christine Palmer works long hours in the hospital, enough that she doesn't have much of a life outside it. It's what she loves to do, but sometimes she feels a little trapped, that why she declined Hector's offer of becoming the Director.

If she is gonna be trapped here, she at least should be doing what she loves, saving people.

She also doesn't envy Hector's job. It must be a heavy burden on his young shoulders, having to mature so early. She is watching the proof of that right now.

In his office, she could not do more than stay at the side, while he chewed off three new interns.

"What incomprehensible lack of maturity to someone in this profession…" He says with his elbows on the table, his hands interlaced while covering his chin. "People come here at their most vulnerable. To be treated and not to be laughed at…" His voice is dangerous low that even she feels that she is the one being reprimanded.

She can't blame him in any way. Those three interns, for some reason beyond her, felt in a fit of giggles in front of a patient with Treacher Collins Syndrome… Hector saw that, called them and her here, and now is reprimanding them.

The three interns were frozen in shock when they discovered that this teenager was their boss.

"I can understand having some dark humor. People in this type of profession use it to cope with morbidity. I personally cracked some jokes about a patient in a coma being lucky that he can now rest away from his nagging wife."

Despite the serious situation, Christine almost laughed. She remembered that. That woman was a nightmare. Hector even said to poke the patient in the balls to make sure he was not faking it to get away from her.

She even joked back, commenting that he would probably grit his teeth and swallow the pain just to avoid returning to his wife.

"Police officers, paramedics, the ones working in the morgue… It's okay to find something to laugh in those depressing jobs." he continues "But never to disrespect a patient in front of them! You three are not doctors, but bullies!"

The interns flinch, and Hector lets the silence stretch till it becomes uncomfortable.

"Said that, a first mistake is not enough to cut your heads. I will see it more as a foil of youth instead of malice… Even if I'm younger than you all." He scoffs "I will remember your names, so it will not look good if something like this happens again. Now you will all apologize to the patient… yes, he noticed the snickers. Everyone noticed, none of you are subtle." 

Hector starts typing on his computer without looking at the interns anymore "Don't do it now and together, it will look cheap, insincere and cowardly. Find a time to talk with him before he leaves. That said, he can refuse to talk with any of you, and he will be on his right… If you fail, then you are fired." Hector says with finally "Now go." 

They don't need to be told twice, leaving the office immediately

After they leave, Hector talks with her "Make sure to soften things between them and the patient." His words surprise her

"So that's what it is? A bad cop, good cop thing?" She smiles

"Well, you refused the position of director that I offered you, so I need to be the villain." He shrugs with a helpless smile "And you are too kind and soft for the job anyway."

"Yeah, I don't envy your job." She shakes her head. "And you are a softie too, Hector." She smiles at him. He obviously gave them a scare that they will never forget, but it was essentially a slap on the wrist.

"Go to work already, Dr. Palmer. I don't pay you to stand there." He acts like a hard boss, even deepening his voice.

"Yes, sir." She mockingly salutes before leaving, too.

Now, alone with his thoughts, Hector sighs. He is a little annoyed these days, but he doesn't think that is the reason he was harsh with those interns. He is not petty enough to relieve his frustrations on other people.

But he needed to control himself a little, not to overreact and fire them on the spot.

He relaxes, letting his control over his senses slip a little… A bad idea, because he hears…

"Eidolon! Please, Eidolon!" People in this same hospital were falling on their knees and begging for him to appear. To save them, their babies, their loved ones…

He hears the doctors giving the bad news, the crying, the despair… He can almost hear the gears turning on their head when the idea suddenly appears: Call Eidolon.

He sighs… a little tired. It is never-ending, but still hard to ignore when it is at arm's reach. The problem is that his arms reach everywhere.

When he was ready to send another body to save the unborn baby, he noticed something… A portal opened at his hospital.

"Strange…" He opens his eyes. 

The future Sorcerer Supreme is hurt, calling for Christine, struggling to stand up. But Christine is busy, far away…

"I see…" Hector smiles lightly and stands up. "It's not for Eidolon to save any life, huh? It's for Hector."

While he leaves his office and walks to the fallen Dr. Strange, Hector shakes his head "Damn Baldy… Always acting mysterious."

...

A.N.:Hello there. 

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