Chapter 195

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However, after thinking for a while, Syd still didn't dare to use the Cosmic Cube to travel to a so-called parallel world.

The Cosmic Cube was powerful, capable of traveling to nearly any location. Syd knew that with it, he could even reach different dimensions.

For example, the Dark Dimension where Dormammu resided, or even realms like Heaven and Hell!

Of course, traveling there was possible, but whether one could come back alive was another question entirely.

It was important to understand that dimensional deities were extremely powerful within their respective dimensions, much more so than they were outside of them. If one were unlucky enough to encounter one of these beings, there would be little chance of survival.

As for traversing parallel worlds, Syd wasn't sure if the Cosmic Cube could do that. Even if it could, he suspected it might be a one-way trip.

For instance, if he reached a parallel world and then the Cosmic Cube suddenly stopped working...

That said, Syd leaned towards believing that the Infinity Stones could still be used in parallel universes. The reason why they didn't work in the Time Variance Authority's domain was likely due to the unique nature of that space.

However, there was still a possibility, though small, that the Infinity Stones might not function in a parallel world. It wasn't impossible.

Until everything was tested, it remained an unknown. Syd wasn't willing to take that kind of risk by using the Cosmic Cube.

There were other, safer ways to travel to parallel worlds. Syd recalled that the portals of Kamar-Taj could achieve the same thing.

Compared to the Cosmic Cube, those portals were far more convenient and didn't carry the risk of failure.

Syd mused that, at some point, he should acquire a Sling Ring—the tool used to open these portals—and try it out.

For now, though, he decided to let it go.

After testing the Cosmic Cube, he turned his attention to the Mind Scepter on the other side.

As he gazed at the gem on the scepter's tip, Syd found himself lost in thought.

Each Infinity Stone carried its own side effects when used. The Power Stone's side effect was quite clear: just touching it could cause injury, and if one couldn't withstand its energy, they'd explode and die. Ordinary people couldn't use it.

The side effects of the Time Stone were unclear, though it was likely that each use impacted the flow of time to some degree.

When Doctor Strange first used the Time Stone, he tested it on an apple, which symbolized the forbidden fruit from the Bible—a metaphor for Strange's act of defiance.

Even the Ancient One warned Strange not to use the Time Stone recklessly.

It was clear that overusing the Time Stone could cause time-related logic to become chaotic, and in extreme cases, could lead to the collapse of the timeline.

Take, for example, a certain universe's version of Doctor Strange. Unlike the main universe's Doctor Strange, this one survived his car accident unharmed, but his girlfriend Christine died.

Desperate to bring her back, this Doctor Strange studied magic across the world and eventually became the Sorcerer Supreme.

With the Ancient One gone and no one left to stop him, he decided to use the Time Stone to reverse time and save Christine.

But no matter how many times he tried, Christine's death couldn't be avoided. She would always die in different ways—whether it was a car crash or being shot, various accidents would claim her life.

In his despair, the Ancient One, who had not yet died in that timeline, sensed his actions and appeared before him.

She explained that Christine's death was a fixed point in time, a crucial event that had to happen for Doctor Strange to become the Sorcerer Supreme.

Without becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange would not have been able to save her in the first place. Thus, Christine had to die, and the timeline's logic closed in on itself.

Originally, if the Ancient One hadn't intervened, Doctor Strange might have accepted reality after a few days of grieving. But her explanation gave him renewed hope.

After all, the Ancient One had taught him that "anything is possible."

Doctor Strange thought that if a fixed point in time was the issue, there must be a way to overcome it. Nothing was truly absolute in the eyes of a sorcerer.

To this end, Doctor Strange traveled through time to an ancient, lost library, where he indeed found a method to alter fixed points in time. The solution was simple: immense power.

For a sorcerer, obtaining power was easy, whether by borrowing from dimensional deities or other means.

The easiest method was to absorb mystical creatures using dark magic.

So, Doctor Strange created a summoning circle, calling forth and absorbing mystical creatures one after another. His power grew rapidly, but as he absorbed more, he gradually lost his humanity.

With enough power, everything became simple. Doctor Strange forcibly used the Time Stone to bring Christine back to life.

Unfortunately, those who tamper with time often find themselves at the mercy of it. Christine was resurrected, but the universe began to unravel, entering a state of collapse!

Not even the near-omnipotent Doctor Strange could stop the destruction of the universe.

In his immense power, Doctor Strange even became aware of the Watcher—a being who silently observed the universe's development but never intervened.

Sadly, despite Doctor Strange's pleas for the Watcher to save his universe, the Watcher, true to his nature, simply watched in silence as the universe headed towards its destruction.

During this time, the Watcher warned Doctor Strange that disrupting the flow of time would only lead to greater ruin.

In the end, Doctor Strange could only watch helplessly as his universe was destroyed, powerless to do anything…

Just like how, in the future, Tony Stark sacrificed himself with a snap of his fingers, and Doctor Strange couldn't use the Time Stone to bring him back.

If Tony were resurrected by reversing time, the logic of his snap, which erased Thanos and his army, would be undone. Thanos and his forces would return, resetting everything to the way it was before...

In a way, the Time Stone's side effects might seem subtle, but when they occur, they can be the most terrifying of all.

Of course, this doesn't mean there is no power that can defy logic.

Syd thought about it and couldn't help but recall Chaos Magic.

Unlike the Time Stone, Chaos Magic's reality-altering power truly defied logic, forcefully changing everything without causing reality to collapse. It could bend logic to its will.

This demonstrated that the essence of Chaos Magic was of a far higher level.

At least, the problems of time logic weren't an issue for Chaos Magic, and it wouldn't cause a breakdown in reality.

Unfortunately…

"Unfortunately, my ability to alter reality with Chaos Magic is still passive. Who knows when it will appear…"

Syd thought with a hint of regret.

Of course, it's not that Chaos Magic's reality-altering ability had no pattern. The more unstable one's mental state was, the more likely Chaos Magic would run rampant.

The more unstable the emotions, the stronger Chaos Magic became…

For instance, when he turned the Sentinel robots into butterflies, that was merely a normal trigger, far from a true rampage...

(End of Chapter)