Morning Mayhem
Stephen Strange woke up determined.
Today, he thought, I will master a spell.
He found Mark and Wong already in the courtyard, calmly practicing complex incantations. Mark was weaving shimmering energy constructs; Wong was silently reading from an ancient scroll.
Strange marched up, fist clenched, ready to impress.
"Alright, teach me a basic spell that doesn't explode, please."
Wong looked up, unamused. "Try the energy shield."
Mark grinned. "Step one: don't panic."
Strange nodded. "Got it. No panic."
He raised his hands and muttered the words.
For a moment, nothing.
Then a loud pop—and a burst of glitter exploded all over Wong.
Wong raised an eyebrow. "Sparkles aren't part of the shield, Stephen."
The Floating Disaster
Next up was levitation practice. Mark explained the subtle flow of energy needed to defy gravity.
Strange attempted the levitation disk again. This time he got on.
The disk spun wildly, faster and faster.
"Whoa! I'm flying!" Strange shouted.
Mark and Wong exchanged glances.
The disk suddenly shot straight up… and dropped Stephen like a stone into a pile of leaves.
Mark chuckled. "Welcome to the air force."
Potion Problems
Later, Strange tried brewing a simple healing potion. Wong warned him, "It's about precision, not speed."
Stephen, ignoring advice, dumped in extra eye of newt.
The potion fumed, hissed, and exploded in a cloud of purple smoke.
Strange sneezed violently.
Mark coughed. "Next time, maybe less newt?"
The Great Spellbook Incident
In a quiet moment, Strange tried a teleportation spell again. He aimed for Kamar-Taj's training grounds.
Instead, he appeared inside the temple's sacred library — on top of a stack of priceless scrolls.
The scrolls fell like dominoes, creating a loud crash.
Ancient One appeared, expression unreadable.
Strange froze.
Mark peeked from behind a pillar, whispering, "Yup. Definitely not ready."
Wong's "Helpful" Advice
Wong found Strange sulking near the tea pavilion.
"Magic is like a dance," Wong said softly. "If you try to lead too hard, you'll step on toes."
Strange sighed. "I feel like I'm stepping on the whole dance floor."
Mark walked by with a smirk. "Don't worry. We've all tripped over our own feet. Including me."
Evening Reflection
That night, Mark and Wong shared a quiet moment in the courtyard.
Wong said, "Stephen is stubborn."
Mark grinned. "But he's trying. And he's entertaining."
Wong chuckled. "That's one way to keep the magic lively."
Mark nodded. "One spell at a time."