"Listen, Stephen." Christine wiped away a hint of dampness from the corner of her eye, "No matter what reason brought you here, and no matter what happened in that Universe, since you've come here now, you must abide by the rules here."
"I agree." Strange looked straight into Christine's eyes and smiled, "As long as I can stay by your side, make whatever rules you want."
Christine avoided Strange's gaze and continued.
"The Baxter Foundation and the Illuminati will not allow an uncontrolled Multiverse variant to walk around freely in our World."
"This means that if you truly stay, you will be stripped of all extraordinary privileges. You can no longer touch any occult objects, nor can you enter any Sanctum. You may only live as an ordinary person from now on. No magic, no privileges, and no Superhero halo."
She paused for a moment, seemingly wanting to catch even a trace of hesitation or anger on Strange's face.
"You will become a complete ordinary person, Stephen. Just like those nine-to-five office workers on the street."
After hearing this, not only did the corners of Strange's mouth not droop, but he chuckled instead. He leaned back against the back of the chair, as if unburdened by a heavy load.
"Christine, you might not believe it. This is exactly what I've been dreaming of!"
Christine was slightly taken aback, clearly not anticipating Strange's reaction.
"To spend an ordinary person's lifetime together with you." Strange continued, with not a hint of joking in his tone, "Find a house with a yard, raise a dog, and go to Long Island to watch the sea on weekends."
"In my Universe, I possess all magic powers, but the only thing I don't have is you. Every night when I sit in that huge leather chair in the New York Sanctum, looking at the bustling traffic outside the window, I always think, if I could trade this damn magic power for an ordinary morning..."
Strange wore a look of yearning.
"...you frying eggs in the kitchen wearing my shirt, or us arguing over which movie to watch on the weekend, I would definitely give up everything without hesitation."
Christine could see the sincerity in Strange's eyes, just like a boy who had just bared his heart.
This man was not lying.
He had experienced loss and despair, and now he had laid down all his pride and ambition, just to grasp this sliver of faint hope before him.
Once upon a time, day and night she had expected the man obsessed with saving the World to say these words to her, until eventually all dreams shattered.
"You..." Christine opened her mouth, preparing to say something.
With a soft "hiss," the metal door of the interrogation room slid open to both sides, cutting off what she was about to say.
Master Mordo walked in with a few ultron robots.
"Stephen!" Mordo spread his arms, his face beaming with a warm smile, as if genuinely welcoming an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time, "So glad to see you."
"Mordo." Strange raised an eyebrow. He noticed Mordo's attire was of a very high specification. "Looks like in this Universe, you're doing well and became the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"Not bad. At least no one casually breaks natural laws and messes things up."
Mordo smiled and walked over to the table, reaching out to untie a pair of metal bracelets from his belt.
"The time for reminiscing is over, Stephen. We have to go through the procedure."
Mordo placed the bracelets on the table in front of Strange, his tone relaxed.
"You know, just like when the New York police arrest a suspect, they have to put on handcuffs and read the Miranda rights. Just a formality. After all, you crossed the Universe, and we have to do things by the rules."
Strange looked at the handcuffs-like metal bracelets and said nothing.
Christine frowned.
She didn't like this kind of hypocritical deception.
Especially since she had already developed favorable feelings for the honest Strange before her, she didn't want to see him kept in the dark.
She hesitated for a moment, and finally stood up, breaking the relaxed atmosphere Mordo had deliberately created.
"Don't listen to him, Stephen."
"I don't want to lie to you, those are the Foundation's anti-magic handcuffs. Once put on, they will seal off the magic circuits within your body."
Christine said bluntly.
"I'm telling you the truth, hoping you can understand. In this Universe, the name 'Doctor Strange' is synonymous with extreme danger. The Illuminati will not take you lightly."
Strange saw the care in Christine's eyes, which gave him a wave of warmth.
"Thank you for your honesty, Christine." Strange smiled slightly, not caring at all, "But as I said just now, I'm willing to stay here, even if I give up all my magic and become an ordinary person. If these handcuffs can make you feel safe, I have no objections."
Mordo raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat surprised by Strange's submissiveness.
However, not resisting was a good thing; he was just about to pick up the handcuffs.
"Wait a minute." Strange suddenly spoke up.
Mordo immediately stepped back half a step with vigilance, and the lights in the hands of several ultron robots behind him lit up simultaneously.
"Don't be nervous, Mordo. I'm not resisting." Strange raised his hands to indicate he posed no threat.
He turned to look at Christine and said, "Before I completely lose magic, please allow me to do one last thing. Just one."
Christine gently nodded.
Mordo frowned, but did not stop him.
Then Strange fluently gestured a few times with both hands.
Golden sparks of the Images of Ikonn burst at his fingertips.
Following that, the sorcerer robes on his body gradually dissipated.
Replaced by a set of custom black tailcoat formal wear, with a neat bow tie tied at the collar.
In his left hand, a large bunch of vibrant, delicate red roses appeared out of thin air.
And in his right hand, a black velvet jewelry box lay quietly.
Strange walked step by step toward Christine, his eyes filled with overflowing tenderness.
He stopped in front of Christine and knelt on one knee.
"Stephen..." Christine covered her mouth, unable to conceal her excitement.
"In my Universe, I missed you... but fate has given me a second chance." Strange raised his head, his gaze sincere. "I don't care about any Superhero titles, nor do I want any honors of saving the World, I only want you."
He opened the velvet box, inside which lay a dazzling diamond ring.
"Will you marry me, Christine? Accompany me through this ordinary person's lifetime."
This scene had appeared countless times in her dreams.
She had fantasized about Stephen proposing to her in some upscale restaurant or on some snowy street.
Day and night in the past, she had been expecting that arrogant guy to lower his head for her and put a ring on her finger.
But she never thought that this scene would happen in a cold interrogation room, with several dangerous killing robots standing nearby.
Now all of this had truly appeared.
*******************************
Enjoyed the action? Drop a review, fire off a comment, and send those Power Stones rolling! Your support keeps the updates coming fast—let's keep the momentum going! 🔥