"Two more to go." Sean said, gazing at the four gems embedded in the metallic gauntlet, their dazzling radiance blending into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colors.
Though the Ancient One had been reluctant, the Time Stone within the Eye of Agamotto had ultimately fallen into his hands.
With this, all the Infinity Stones on Earth had been gathered by Sean. Only the Power Stone, lost somewhere in the cosmos, and the Soul Stone, obtainable only at a great cost, remained beyond his reach.
He couldn't help but wonder; now that Thanos had effectively lost this high-stakes game of collecting the Infinity Stones, would the cataclysmic disaster the Ancient One had spoken of, the one that would bring wails of despair across the universe, still come to pass?
Sitting in his office at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, an amusing thought crossed Sean's mind. With the butterfly's wings flapping ever more violently, what kind of hurricane would it eventually stir up?
With four Infinity Stones and fifty percent of the Sentry's power, he no longer feared facing Thanos again.
Yet, when he had used the Time Stone to peer into the future, he had glimpsed a blurred vision, one of a colossal shadow of the Mad Titan looming over the entire universe.
This meant that in the unpredictable tapestry of fate, Thanos remained the final boss who would bring boundless suffering.
"The most interesting stories are the ones you can't predict." Sean chuckled self-deprecatingly.
After erasing his past and severing his future, it felt as though he had shed an invisible shackle.
To this reality, he was now a unique existence. In the infinite parallel universes born from different choices, there would no longer be any other version of him.
No past, no future... He existed solely in the present.
"A perfect conclusion." Thinking of the ongoing war between the Ancient One and Dormammu, as well as Kamar-Taj and the Three Sanctums, Sean smiled with satisfaction.
The former Sorcerer Supreme, now sustained by the Mind Stone and drawing upon the vast energies of the Dark Dimension, had become a new dimensional entity. She was now a being on par with Dormammu himself.
The thousand-year war of the Dark Dimension's invasion of Earth had reached its end, but the battle between these two had only just begun.
On one side stood the supreme ruler who had dominated the Dark Dimension for eons; on the other, the seasoned Sorcerer Supreme, a master of dimensional and soul magic. Who would ultimately consume the other remained to be seen.
As for Kamar-Taj and the Three Sanctums, Stephen Strange, now the newly appointed Sorcerer Supreme, was grappling with the daunting task of rebuilding the material world's defenses.
After the massive invasion by hellish creatures and the true descent of the Dark Dimension, the once-impenetrable barrier that had stood for a millennium was now riddled with holes, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Strange not only had to reconstruct the Three Sanctums, but he also had to hunt down the supernatural entities that had infiltrated the material world during the chaos, expand the ranks of the Sanctum knights, recruit more sorcerers, and compensate the families of the fallen…
The sheer volume of responsibilities nearly sent him fleeing in panic. Fortunately, Mordo, the Ancient One's foremost disciple, stepped up.
Though the sorcerer was rigidly dogmatic and lacked flexibility, he was far from incompetent. On the contrary, he handled these tedious matters with remarkable efficiency, significantly alleviating Strange's burden and preventing him from descending into utter chaos.
Sean, too, had contributed substantially. As compensation for taking Kamar-Taj's most sacred relic, he single-handedly covered the astronomical costs of rebuilding the Three Sanctums and oversaw the entire process.
Moreover, under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name, he submitted a proposal to the World Security Council outlining plans for recruiting and training sorcerers within Kamar-Taj.
In the wake of the Dark Dimension's invasion, Sean gradually declassified some of the top-secret information regarding Kamar-Taj and the sorcerer system, allowing the world's elite to learn that, even in this age of materialism and scientific advancement, the mystical arts (products of idealism) were very much real.
This piqued the interest of two world-class geniuses: Tony Stark, who was dedicated to perfecting artificial intelligence, and Reed Richards, who had joined the Earth-Moon Barrier Project.
The former even went so far as to ask Sean about the enrollment criteria for Kamar-Taj. As a MIT graduate with multiple degrees, Tony believed he could easily transition from scientist to accomplished sorcerer.
The Iron Man's enthusiasm for novel pursuits, especially those shrouded in mystique, knew no bounds.
As for Mr. Fantastic, Reed was more intrigued by the underlying principles of magic and the structural framework of the entire system. For now, he had no intention of becoming a spell-slinging, staff-wielding battlemage.
Nearly a month had passed since the crisis of the Dark Dimension's invasion. S.H.I.E.L.D. had initiated cooperation with Kamar-Taj, and the Three Sanctums, along with various hidden enclaves, were officially recognized by the World Security Council as legitimate institutions.
This collaboration had sparked fierce debates within Kamar-Taj...
As an ancient organization spanning millennia, it naturally harbored a significant number of conservative factions among its ranks. These sorcerers maintained a detached, almost condescending attitude toward the modern world, as if holing up in Kamar-Taj's towers and poring over ancient tomes were some grand achievement.
Their refusal to embrace the new, coupled with their blind reverence for tradition, amused Strange. He couldn't help but wish they'd apply the same principles when using the internet or enjoying the conveniences of technology.
These conservative factions had already been displeased with Strange, a nobody who had ascended to the title of Sorcerer Supreme after barely a few months at Kamar-Taj.
Even though this was the Ancient One's decision and had Mordo's endorsement, they remained resentful. Some even schemed in the shadows, attempting to rally support for Mordo to usurp the title, hoping to split Kamar-Taj into two factions and ultimately oust Strange, whom they viewed as an unworthy usurper.
This proved that no matter where one went, the murky undercurrents of political intrigue were inescapable. It was a deeply ingrained flaw in human nature.
Mordo, however, firmly rejected the tempting proposal. He genuinely respected the Ancient One's decision, and Strange was undeniably a prodigy, a natural sorcerer who had effortlessly gained the approval of the Book of the Vishanti and progressed rapidly in his studies.
Thus, the ideological clash was temporarily suppressed.
Regardless, under the strong advocacy of Strange and Mordo, Kamar-Taj had taken its first step toward engaging with the outside world.
In their view, the devastation wrought by the forces of Hell and Dormammu's near-descent had left the Three Sanctums severely weakened. They needed fresh blood to prepare for potential future crises.
The reality was, the Sanctums were now so short-handed, that they couldn't even spare enough knights to hunt down supernatural threats. The shortage of personnel and outdated systems had led Strange to consider collaboration with governmental organizations.
Truth be told, when Sean first heard of this plan, he was genuinely surprised. He had entertained the idea of assimilating Kamar-Taj into his own structure but had held back, wary of provoking Strange's resistance.
Who would have thought that Strange, once a New York doctor, now the Sorcerer Supreme, would propose it himself?
"S.H.I.E.L.D., superheroes, Kamar-Taj…" Sean rose to his feet, watching as the world's territories gradually fell into the palm of his hand.
What would his next move be?
The young man standing at the pinnacle of the power pyramid gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, his eyes fixed on the vast blue sky where clouds swirled restlessly...