"Divine Enlightenment?" Gilderoy Lockhart murmured, turning the unfamiliar phrase over in his mind.
The name alone was enough to send a chill down his spine. David and his followers had apparently begun their journey toward godhood while Lockhart himself was still grappling with the aftermath of the King of Goblin demise, uncertain of his next steps. The disparity in their ambitions was unsettling.
Perhaps I should consider blocking their path to divinity? The thought flashed through Lockhart's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The entire Kamar-Taj, especially the Sorcerer Supreme, held deep taboos about mortals ascending to godhood.
After all, would Agamotto or any other dimensional deity willingly allow their followers—their very fuel source—to become competitors? The Sorcerer Supreme's stance on godhood was evident in the telling fact that no Master of Kamar-Taj had ascended to divinity in thousands of years. This wasn't coincidence but deliberate rejection and suppression.
Lockhart recalled the tome the Sorcerer Supreme had once shared with him—a grimoire detailing the various methods dimensional gods employed to shepherd sentient beings, using sorcerers as fuel for their own power. Kamar-Taj was no exception to this cosmic food chain.
The magical system in the Marvel universe offered many advantages, true. One could quickly gain power by pledging allegiance to the gods and absorbing their energies. But such paths came with dire consequences: not only was advancement to higher realms nearly impossible, but the sorcerer's very soul would likely become fuel for the dimensional gods after death. The deities of Kamar-Taj, like Agamotto, were perhaps more benevolent in their consumption—waiting until their followers died naturally before claiming them—but the end result remained the same.
Lockhart understood the Sorcerer Supreme's attitude toward these dimensional entities all too well: revulsion and disgust, tempered by reluctant compromise. If the Sorcerer Supreme truly desired to become a dimensional god herself, cultivating dimensional life wouldn't pose much difficulty for someone of her power. After all, they had recently defeated seven enemies, with dimensional gods slaying four and plundering the realms of two evil deities. With these resources alone, the Sorcerer Supreme could nurture two or three dimensional gods.
This explained why David and the others chose betrayal. History spoke clearly: no wizard of Kamar-Taj had ever become a god. Remaining within the fold meant forever abandoning that possibility.
As for Lockhart himself, he harbored a quiet confidence. With knowledge of two worlds, two magical systems, plus the wizarding realm—all integrated into his understanding—he felt equipped to forge a new path, one that wouldn't require the sacrifice of his soul.
"Any other discoveries?" Lockhart asked Gellert Grindelwald, his eyes sharp with interest.
"One more thing," Grindelwald replied, his voice grave.
With a fluid wave of his wand, wisps of white mist filled the air between them. A gentle breeze seemed to trigger some alchemical reaction, causing the mist to shift and coalesce into a series of floating images.
The vision revealed David standing at the center of the Divine Enlightenment inside the abandoned factory. Dark yellow energy, streaked with traces of deep crimson, poured into David's form. But this wasn't what drew Lockhart's attention. In a distant corner of the ceremony, barely visible in the periphery, stood a humanoid shadow.
The figure was watching silently, observing the ritual with an unnerving stillness. Nothing about the shadow was distinct except its pitch-black silhouette, vaguely human in shape. Grindelwald had done his best to capture the aura surrounding this entity in his magical projection.
Dark. Profound. Enigmatic.
Mephisto? Dormammu? These two enemies immediately sprang to Lockhart's mind. Despite Grindelwald's skillful rendering, the aura remained impossible to identify with certainty.
When Lockhart glanced toward Kaecilius and Baron Mordo, he noticed confusion flickering in their eyes as well. Clearly, they had no definitive answers either.
"Grindelwald, is there anything else?" Lockhart pressed.
This time, the dark wizard shook his head, indicating he had shared all valuable intelligence. Though privately, Grindelwald remained curious about the Divine Enlightenment, frustrated that he had glimpsed only fragments of the ritual. Complete understanding might require further study of the memories, but he kept this thought to himself. Lockhart hadn't asked for his opinion, after all.
Meanwhile, Baron Mordo walked carefully around the corner of the factory floor, investigating the exact spot where the mysterious shadow had stood in Grindelwald's vision. The Sling Ring on his finger emitted scattered sparks as he cast detection spell after detection spell, his eyes half-closed as he interpreted the magical feedback.
"The magical signature has been wiped clean," Mordo announced with certainty. "I doubt David and his cohorts even realized they were being watched."
Internally, Mordo felt deeply troubled. They had finally discovered traces of David and the fallen sorcerers, only to come away empty-handed. Worse still, they now knew that unknown entities were manipulating events from the shadows. The situation was growing more complex by the moment.
"Lockhart," Kaecilius began, his tone lighter than Mordo's grave assessment. Unlike Mordo, capturing David wasn't his primary responsibility—though he would certainly assist if needed. With no immediate leads to pursue, he seemed content to shift the conversation. "You've been in seclusion these past days. Some interesting developments have occurred at Kamar-Taj in your absence."
"Oh?" Lockhart inquired, even as he extended his consciousness into the Dream Dimension, searching for any lingering traces of magic in their surroundings.
"The Sorcerer Supreme has taken on a new disciple," Kaecilius revealed. "Brought to us by Master Mordo himself."
"This new apprentice possesses extraordinary talent," Kaecilius continued, undisguised enthusiasm in his voice. "I daresay he's the most gifted magical newbie I've ever encountered."
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, his attention partially diverted from his magical sensing.
"He mastered our meditation techniques upon first introduction," Kaecilius elaborated. "Within two or three attempts, he achieved deep meditative states that take most students months to reach. His connection to the energies of Watoomb is so natural, one might think he was born to channel such power. He absorbs and refines magical energy as easily as breathing."
Kaecilius shook his head in amazement. "In mere days, he managed to manifest an energy whip. While still unstable and prone to dissipation—" A note of envious complaint crept into Kaecilius's voice. His talent was simply extraordinary, bordering on the supernatural.
Hearing this, Lockhart paused his exploration of the Dream Dimension. "Indeed? Such a prodigy is rare. What's his name? What's his temperament like? How did he find his way to Kamar-Taj? I should meet him when opportunity allows."
"Yes, he truly is remarkable," Kaecilius confirmed, unable to fully mask his envy. "When he becomes a full-fledged sorcerer and is permitted independent practice, I intend to recruit him to the New York Sanctum. His presence would lighten my burdens considerably."
Lockhart listened attentively, not interrupting as Kaecilius continued.
"His name is Stephen Strange," Kaecilius revealed. "I understand he was a neurosurgeon before finding his way to Kamar-Taj. Beyond that, I know little of his motivations for seeking us out."
"As for his character," Kaecilius shrugged, "I have limited insight. I've been stationed at the New York Sanctum, returning to Kamar-Taj only occasionally. From what I gather, his personality is somewhat... peculiar. Aloof, even. But that's hardly surprising—genius often comes with eccentricity."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
New Fanfic
Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~