Chapter 117: The World of Magic

"Mr. Stephen Strange," the Ancient One called out.

"Doctor Stephen Strange," he corrected.

"But you’re no longer a doctor, are you? Isn’t that why you came to see me? You’ve already undergone quite a few surgeries to treat your hands—seven times, is that right?" The Ancient One stated plainly, revealing both his purpose and the number of surgeries he had undergone.

Stephen Strange was stunned. How could she know about his situation? Could it be...

"This tea tastes quite good," Strange said, trying to divert the conversation.

"Thank you," the Ancient One replied.

"Did you cure a man named Pangborn? The paralyzed patient?" Strange finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

"In a manner of speaking," she answered casually.

"You helped him walk again?" Strange pressed.

"Yes," she said.

"How did you heal a spine that was completely damaged in two places?" Strange asked.

"I didn’t heal it. He couldn’t walk. I helped him believe he could," the Ancient One explained.

"You don’t mean this is some kind of psychological therapy, do you?" Strange was confused.

"When you reconnect damaged nerves, is it you or your body that heals them?" she asked in return.

"The cells," Strange answered confidently.

"Cells can only repair themselves in their own unique way," the Ancient One said.

"That’s correct," Strange acknowledged.

"What if I told you your body can be persuaded to heal itself in various ways?" she asked again.

"Do you mean cells can regenerate? That’s incredibly advanced medical technology. That’s why you're researching here, outside the oversight of the medical board. How far along is your method?" Strange’s excitement grew, though he misunderstood her meaning.

"It’s going well," the Ancient One replied with a hint of resignation.

"So you’ve found a way to reprogram cells for self-repair?" Strange asked eagerly.

"No, Mr. Strange, what I know is how to harness spiritual energy to better heal the body," she said, sipping her tea.

"Healing through spiritual energy?" Strange asked, disappointed.

"Exactly," she confirmed.

"Alright, alright! What do we do next?" Strange, now convinced this so-called master named the Ancient One was a fraud, believed this spiritual healing had no scientific basis.

The Ancient One took out a Sanskrit book, showing a diagram of a meditating figure, with descriptions of the body and spirit. "Don’t like this image?" she asked.

"No, I mean, it’s fine, but I’ve seen it before—in a souvenir shop," Strange replied helplessly.

"And this one?" She turned the page to a diagram of the body’s meridians.

"That’s acupuncture. Not bad," Strange said reluctantly, though he never believed in acupuncture.

"And this?" She flipped to another page, showing a skeletal X-ray.

"You’re showing me MRI images? I can’t believe it," Strange said, ready to turn away.

"These diagrams were drawn by people who have seen only the trees, never the forest," the Ancient One said.

"I spent everything I had to buy a one-way ticket here! And you tell me healing is done through faith?" Strange was on the verge of collapse. This was his last chance, and yet this was the result.

"You are someone who only knows the world through a hole in the wall! Your whole life you’ve tried to make that hole bigger to see and understand more. Now you know the hole can be expanded beyond your wildest imagination, yet you refuse to accept that possibility," the Ancient One said, looking at him with disdain.

"I refuse because I don’t believe in these bizarre myths about spiritual power or faith’s strength. There’s no such thing as a soul! We are made of matter, nothing more! You’re just a tiny, fleeting speck in this vast universe," Strange said, growing angrier and more agitated.

"You greatly underestimate yourself," the Ancient One said calmly.

"You think you’ve seen through me? You haven’t. But I have seen through you!" Strange said, pointing a finger at her chest with passion.

The Ancient One grabbed his pointing hand, then suddenly struck his chest with a palm, sending his soul flying out of his body.

Strange saw the Ancient One’s palm hit his body—yes, he saw his own body.

He was now translucent, floating in midair, feeling light and powerless. Looking at his semi-transparent hands, he was dumbfounded.

But in an instant, his soul returned to his body, and he immediately felt his "body" again. The sensation was unsettling.

"What did you do to me?" Strange asked.

"My dear, I pushed your soul out of your body," the Ancient One answered.

"What did you put in that tea? A neurotoxin? A hallucinogen?" Strange thought he was hallucinating. Surely, someone had tampered with the tea he just drank!

"It was just ordinary tea, with a little honey added," the Ancient One replied.

"What just happened?" Strange looked behind him at the tunnel where he had just been floating.

"You entered the spiritual dimension, the place where the soul exists apart from the body," she explained.

"Why did you do that to me?" Strange asked.

"To show you how ignorant you are. Open your eyes," she said, placing her hand on his head.

Strange's consciousness suddenly burst through the roof, soaring into the sky. In an instant, he flew beyond the atmosphere, heading out of Earth.

"No, God! No!" Strange screamed, unable to control his body, spinning uncontrollably in the air.

"No, no, no! What’s going on? This isn’t real!" Strange found himself in space, looking back at Earth. Suddenly, he stopped, noticing a butterfly fluttering in space. He reached out to touch it.

Suddenly, a force pulled him back to where he was. When he came to, he found himself seated, with the Ancient One and Mordo standing beside him.

"His heartbeat is far beyond normal," Mordo said.

The Ancient One looked at Strange. "He seems fine."

In an instant, Strange was pulled again into the cosmic energy conduit, flying through countless multiverses.

He witnessed many wondrous sights, observed various cosmic forms—both beautiful and terrifying.

He even entered the microscopic world, seeing cellular structures, then plunged into a dark dimension, witnessing endless darkness devouring worlds, and even glimpsed Dormammu, the Dark Lord.

He floated in space, with countless multiverses overlapping, their vibrant cosmic energies both magical and real.

Finally, he descended from the heavens, back to the real world, collapsing from the chair to the ground.

"Have you seen anything like this in a souvenir shop?" the Ancient One asked contemptuously.

"I surrender!" Strange knelt on the ground, looking at her.

"No," the Ancient One replied.

Then two attendants dragged Strange out of the Kamar-Taj’s gates, throwing him onto the street. One even tossed his bag out before slamming the door shut.

"No! No! Please! Open the door!" Strange pounded on the wooden door desperately, but no one opened it for him.

...

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