☆

BOTH HAD SHARED WHAT THE other  had missed since the separation. Though, for Stephen, Talia mostly knew everything other than his conversation with the Ancient One before she died.

Talia had been a coward while she told Stephen, not wanting to see his reaction to the reality that he had married — and shared a child — with someone who was most likely not from this universe. There was so much to process that they did not have enough time to cover everything; Talia herself all these months later was still trying to understand.

Creating a portal, the two had travelled back to Kamra-Taj with the news that the Ancient One was dead. Only Mordo remained to greet them with the loss heavy, but Talia had a feeling there would be more deaths to come.

"She's dead," Stephen announced.

"You were right," said Mordo, grieving in more ways than one. "She wasn't who I thought she was."

"She was complicated," Stephen stated.

"The Dark Dimension is volatile," Mordo told them. "Dangerous. What if it overtook her? She taught us it was forbidden while she drew on its power to steal centuries of life."

"She had her reasons," added Talia. "Reasons that she thought were right."

Karl Mordo's eyes fell on Talia, where he studied her. "Is that coming from you or Strange?"

"Does it matter?" Talia questioned. "Either way, the Ancient One is still dead and Kaecilius is still out there."

"The bill comes due," Mordo said. "Don't you see? Her transgressions led the Zealots to Dormammu. Kaecilius was her fault! And here we are in the consequences of her deception. A world on fire."

"Mordo, the London Sanctum has fallen," Stephen reminded him. "The New York Sanctum has been attacked twice. You know where they're going next. Hong Kong. You told me once to fight like my life depended on it because one day it might. Well, today is that day."

"Karl, you told me that our purpose depends on what we choose to do with our powers," said Talia, stepping closer to him. "The Ancient One chose hers, but... Karl, I want to do what I can to save the world. We need you."

Mordo knew what was the right thing to do. With that, Stephen summoned another portal to take them to Hong Kong. Though, as they ran through, they came to the realisation that they were too late.

There were innocent people screaming around them as they were caught in the chaos. Sirens wailed as fires had broken out with buildings destroyed.

"The Sanctum's already fallen," Stephen said.

Talia's eyes were stuck on where the Sanctum should have been. A bluish-purple hue of a cloud had erupted around the destruction, crackling with strange energy as it did not seem to be of this world.

"The Dark Dimension," Mordo realised. "Dormammu is coming."

Through the smoke and chaos, Talia spotted Kaecilius with the Zealots.

"Talia, you must go," Stephen advised.

But two purple blades had been conjured in Talia's hands. "I'm not running or hiding, Stephen."

"It's too late," Mordo warned. "Nothing can stop him."

"Not necessarily," Stephen said, coming to a realisation.

His eyes scrunched shut as Talia turned to him, watching his hands cross as the eye around his neck opened, glowing a bright green. Whatever it was terrified Kaecilius as he charged at the three.

But the green magic from Stephen's hand slowed the attack down. For a second, Talia was frozen in a snapshot of time. Then, seconds later, Stephen freed Talia from the still moment as her eyes were wide, adjusting to the reality around herself of the rewind of time around them.

"The spells working," Stephen told them, starting to run towards the Hong Kong Sanctum. "We've got a second chance."

Avoiding the people trapped in the rewind, Talia kept close to the two. Though, as Stephen's life was threatened, Talia's head turned, seeing that Kaecilius had broken through the spell. His feet had collided with Stephen's chest, knocking him to the ground.

The spell had held as Kaecillius advanced on Stephen, but Talia had glitched, blocking the next blow with her purple crystalised sword pointed at their enemy.

"You are on the wrong side, Natalia," Kaecilius told her.

"I was on no side until you attacked the New York Sanctum," Talia said.

The building around them fixed itself together like a puzzle, where the debris had pushed Talia towards the wall, causing her to stumble. Kaecilius had grabbed Talia, but she had glitched away, ending up in the road as her eyes became wide, stuck on an advancing vehicle. In a flash of purple again, Talia was across the street.

A Zealot had spotted Talia, tackling her to the ground as Talia's forehead struck the pavement, causing her to groan. The two wrestled as Talia twisted her body, heart pounding as hands wrapped around her neck. With a spark of purple, the Zealot woman had been flung from Talia. As Talia stood, her eyes remained on the woman, falling into shock as she did not move.

"Your power is what you make of it."

Both Mordo and the Ancient One had shared the same words to Talia, but now she had killed someone with a simple flare of magic — it had been too easy. All Talia had wanted was to control her powers enough to not hurt anyone and now she had killed someone.

But there was no time to react, not as Talia dodged a man, who had risen from the dead again. Around them, Hong Kong was patching itself back together again, and the fog of the Dark Dimension was clearing.

Then, a second Zealot had joined them, fist coming down to strike Talia, catching her cheek as her tooth cut into the gum of her cheek. Talia frowned, ducking in time for the next strike before she used her power to create a purple whip that struck the enemy, wrapping around the man's ankle before Talia pulled and he fell to the ground with a thud. This time, the Zealot was knocked out, but breathing.

Though, her eyes roamed around the city, searching for Stephen.

Through the dust, Stephen and Mordo were fighting Kaecilius. As Talia glitched to join them, Kaecilius had been thrown into a brick wall, where the pieces were being put together like a puzzle. The man screamed until the bricks silenced him.

"Talia, your face," Stephen's eyes were on her in concern.

Fingertips touched her head, where she was surprised to see the crimson colour as she pulled them away. "Oh, it's nothing."

There was no time to reply as a fallen building had been caught in the spell, revealing a dead Wong within the wreckage. Metal was sticking out of his chest, where his lips were parted with his final seconds having been in pain.

"Wong!" Stephen cried out.

Yet, the man did not remain dead as his body became upright, eyes opening with light and his posture tense, ready for battle with his chosen weapon. Stephen's hands rose, freeing the fellow sorcerer from the spell to join them.

Wong panted, eyes wide as he took in everything around him. Then, his eyes remained on Stephen, too in shock to say anything.

"Breaking the laws of nature," said Stephen. "I know."

Wong looked back to where he had died before he stood with them. "Well, don't stop now."

Above them, the descending cloud of the Dark Dimension had not broken quite yet, but the Sanctum was starting to piece itself back together. Slowly but surely, they were winning.

"When the Sectum's restored," Stephen said. "They'll attack again. We've got to defend it."

Preparing herself, Talia had made another weapon for herself, finding the crystal blades oddly comforting now.

"Ms Strange," said Wong, surprised. "What magic is that you possess?"

"Mrs Strange," Stephen murmured.

"It's Talia, Wong," Talia simply smiled, ignoring Stephen next to her, who could not accept their divorce (even in the middle of a battle). "And I'll leave it to you to figure out."

"Come on!" Stephen encouraged.

The four raced forward with Talia resisting the urge to glitch, knowing that they needed the time to fix the Sanctum — plus, it was better to fight as a united four, than alone.

A sound caught their attention as the four turned, spotting that Kaecilius was free again as a shockwave had rippled within the ground. They had fallen with the spell shattering, where everything had paused.

Talia sat upwards, eyes falling on Stephen in concern.

"Get up, Strange," Mordo had groaned, standing himself. "Get up and fight."

Talia too had stood, creating a new weapon for herself as the last had smashed during her fall.

"We can finish this," Mordo insisted.

"You can't fight the inevitable," Kaecilius said as Stephen started to stand, but Talia could see that he was struggling. His face was cut, body trembling, as Talia understood his pain. "Isn't it beautiful? A world beyond time. Beyond death."

Talia's eyes fell on the sky above them, finding the purple striking. With everything still, it felt like they were in the eye of the storm, simply waiting for the destruction that would come next.

"Beyond time..."

"Strange!"

But Stephen used his cloak to fly upwards into the Dark Dimension.

"Stephen!" Talia shouted.

"He's gone," said Kaecilius behind them after a moment. "Even Strange had left you and surrendered to his power."

Talia was silent as her heart pounded, knowing Stephen would not just give in like that. Whatever it was, Stephen had a plan, and Talia hoped that it was enough. Talia was refusing to accept anything else.

Yet, for Talia, the moment of panic did not exist as time had been rewritten. Once again, she was on the ground, groaning from the impact as her weapon had shattered.

"Get up, Strange," Mordo had groaned, standing himself. "Get up and fight."

Not giving in, Talia had stood with her teeth gritting together. A new weapon had been created, the blade crystalising and sparkling, ready to fight.

"We can finish this."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Kaecilius approached them. "A world beyond time. Beyond death."

And then, Stephen's body floated downwards behind Kaecilius. Seeing him there confused Talia as he had been with them perhaps seconds ago.

Their reaction caused Kaecilius to turn, where his eyes fell on Stephen. "What have you done?"

"I made a bargain," Stephen answered.

There was a sizzling sound as Kaecilius looked down at his hand; his fingers had become like ash, dark and crisp as they started to crumble away.

"What is this?" Kaecilius questioned.

"Well, it's everything you've ever wanted," Stephen told him, stepping closer, unbothered now as if they had won. "Eternal life as part of the One." Then, Talia, Wong, and Mordo moved to stand with Stephen, eyes falling on Kaecilius. "You're not gonna like it."

The symbol on Kaecilius' forehead became ruby red as his body shook. Then, so quickly, his body crumbled to the darkness with his body being pulled back and up to the Dark Dimension. The Zealots joined him, grunting in pain as they followed their leader towards their dark fate.

"You know, you really should have stolen the whole book," said Stephen next to them after. "Because the warnings...the warnings come after the spells."

That caused Wong to laugh, which truly surprised Talia. While she had come to know Wong through her visits to the library, she had never heard the sorcerer laugh before. But, maybe after everything that had happened that day, the small things were funny.

Even Stephen was shocked as his head turned to look at Wong.

"Oh, that's funny," said Wong.

Stephen let out a small sigh in response before he returned to his magic, needing to correct the devastation that had occurred. As the green symbols shined from his hands in a circle, the Sanctum in front of them rumbled as time started to rewind again. Piece by piece, the Hong Kong Sanctum was restored with all death erased.

Around them, the streets came to life again, completely oblivious to what had happened. As Talia had turned, her eyes had fallen on a family, hating to think what could have happened to them if they did not have the magic to rewind time.

"We did it," Wong said.

Despite everything, Talia smiled. "We really did."

While the night was a lot to process, Talia could not believe the power she had to save the world. Yet, as her eyes fell on where the Zealot had fallen, she recalled how easy it had been to take a life. Was that Zealot now alive or had her fate been sealed in a bargain with Dormammu?

"Yes, we did it," said Mordo, sounding unhappy as the three turned back to face him. "By also violating the natural law."

"Look around you," Stephen advised. "It's over."

"You still think there will be no consequences, Strange?" Mordo questioned. "No price to pay? We broke our rules, just like her. The bill comes due. Always! A reckoning. I will follow this path no longer." Then, his eyes fell on Talia. "And you, Talia?"

"What about me?" Talia questioned, confused.

"Will you stay to follow down the same path as your ex-husband?" Mordo challenged. "After all, the two of you are destined to be apart more than together, but those were the words of the Ancient One, and her words were more lies than truths. I will give you the choice: stay and face that possible fate or I will help you train to go back to your normal life with your daughter."

Talia's eyes briefly fell on Stephen, seeing the tension in his jaw, but the decision was down to Talia. If she stayed with Stephen, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts, then Talia would be sucked into this life. If she left, then Mordo could continue to train Talia until she could hide, pretending to have a normal life with Sienna.

As she stared down at her hands, Talia thought of what she had done that day: the death and pain she had caused with her power; the good in saving those around them right now; and finally, Sienna's joyful face to have a mom with magic. Even if they ran — even if they hid — this life was something that Talia could not escape from.

And she still needed answers, so Kamar-Taj was her best hope.

"Karl, it's like you said: my place is here," Talia reminded him, opening her hand as an orb of purple magic appeared. "And this power is what I make of it, so I won't run or hide. What I want is to understand it."

Mordo pressed his lips together, having hoped for another answer. "Then, I wish you all the best, Talia."

Not quite looking at Talia again, his eyes briefly slid to Stephen. Talia frowned, biting back her sigh, forcing herself to remain quiet. If Mordo wanted to leave, then Talia would not stop him. Though, it was a shame to see him leave.

"This power," said Wong after a moment. "How top secret is it?"

☆

Back at Kamar-Taj, Talia had only one person on her mind: Sienna. While Talia's wounds had been tended to, word had been spread to Nicole and Sienna's protectors that it was safe for them to return again. The only thing that had stopped Talia from her going herself had been the fact that she did not want to terrify her daughter with her ruined robes and bloodstained face, so Wong had offered to go for them.

"Talia," said Stephen as she turned, eyes falling on her ex-husband in a fresh pair of robes as he joined her in the side room she was sitting in with her leg jiggled, anxiously waiting. "Do you want me to go?"

"Go?" Talia questioned.

"I guess I lost the right to assume I could be back in Sienna's life," Stephen admitted, where Talia could see the pain in his irises.

Seeing it felt bittersweet; Talia was heartbroken that their family had fallen to pieces like this, but because of that, she was relieved to see that Stephen was torn up over his actions. Still, right now, what was best for their daughter?

"Stephen, it's a conversation for another day," Talia told him. "Right now, you vanishing on her again will only traumatise her after today. But, I swear to God, if you make any false promises to Sienna, then I will kill you myself. Understood?"

"Oh, we're very clear on that," Stephen replied. "You're terrifying now, Talia."

"Now?" Talia questioned, tilting her head, eyebrows raising.

Stephen's upper lips twitched with a hidden smile. But, behind them, an amber portal had appeared as Wong stood with Nicole and Sienna. Talia's daughter was holding onto Nicole's hand, but her eyes grew wide as she spotted her mom.

"Mommy!" Sienna cried out.

Talia was quick as she raced towards her daughter, falling to her knees as she pulled the small child into her body. Closing her eyes, Talia tried to stop the tears from spilling, but she had feared all day that she would not get to see her daughter again.

When they pulled away, Talia had a watery smile for her daughter.

Sienna's small fingers gently touched Talia's face. "Mommy, you're hurt?"

"I'm okay, baby," Talia reassured her, reaching up to tuck a dark strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Mommy had to save the world."

"You did?" Sienna questioned, shocked.

Talia nodded. "It's all over now."

For a second time, Sienna wrapped her arms around Talia's neck. Then, as her head rose, Sienna's eyes fell on her dad. "Did you save the world too, daddy?"

"I might have helped your mom a bit," Stephen confessed. "The real hero is your mom, Sienna."

"Real like an Avenger?" Sienna asked, hopeful.

Talia laughed at that. "I'm not quite Supernova, Sienna."

Though, Sienna giggled at that before she ran into her father's embrace. Talia's heart jolted, watching as he picked Sienna up, unbothered if his hands touched her now. Even Sienna looked happier, already opening herself up again to her dad.

"Talia..."

Turning, Talia's eyes fell on Nicole, instantly feeling guilty. "Nicole, I'm so sorry."

But, Nicole was hugging Talia, a bubble of emotions bursting from her friend. For a second, Talia was shocked before she was hugging her friend back too. After, as Nicole pulled herself away, Talia prepared herself for the scolding.

"Oh, you and I have a lot to talk about," said Nicole, eyes wide and frantic with everything. "Your sorcerers had a lot to tell me about their world, but ironically, they were clueless about you."

"I will tell you everything," Talia promised.

"Please do," Nicole pressed her lips together, shaking her head. "I have no idea what's going on. You charging through portals, magicians are real, and you and Stephen have magic. Oh, let's not forget Sienna's purple eyes!"

Talia's heart came to an instant stop at the words. Everything suddenly felt heavy as her eyes fell on her daughter, who had missed Nicole's words. Stephen, though, had heard as his irises looked up from Sienna, meeting Talia's gaze.

Two parents coming together in fear.

And this was all Talia's fault.

"Sienna had purple eyes?" Talia questioned quietly.

"You didn't know?" Nicole realised, keeping her voice hushed too. "It was just the one time I had her today. Sienna's eyes flashed purple and she just froze for a moment like in a trance."

"Then what?" Talia found her body trembling.

"She told me about a dream with a girl who liked stars."

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Who saw that end coming! One more chapter for Doctor Strange left and then we'll be starting Infinity War/Endgame! I'm honestly so excited as Talia's powers will have developed so much and she's so protective of Peter and Davina!