Chapter 6: Strange

As Diana drove them through the city, she said "The one who sent those two after me is Circe, a legendary immortal witch. She has killed gods in the past, and stands as one of the most powerful witches in our world. She sealed a major part of my power, and transformed and enslaved one of my friends."

Edward asked "Was it that feline woman?" Diana nodded and said "Barbara is one of my co-workers, she was human at first, but Circe turned her into a hybrid between a Cheetah and a human, granting her incredible power, but also enslaving her will."

Edward blinked and asked "Isn't she way out of our league then? If she could create someone like that Cheetah girl then she surely is able of creating many others. One was enough to trouble you, and I know I stand no chance against her. Moreover, if she was able to seal your powers, then do we even stand a chance?"

Diana bit her lips as she said in frustration "With my full power I alone am enough to defeat her with difficulty, but I fell in one of her traps. And Barbara is special, she is stronger than other hybrids for some reason I can't decipher."

After a moment though, she sighed and said "However, you are right, she is out of our league. This is why we will be asking for some help. Speaking of which, we are here."

Diana parked her car while Edward looked around. They were in Greenwich Village, a neighbourhood in New-York, and they had just stopped in front of what seemed to be an ancient building, probably a library.

They got out of the car and entered the building together. As soon as they did, a man clothed in dark robes welcomed them "Greetings."

Diana nodded and replied "Greetings, Sorcerer. I am Diana of Themyscira, Princess of the Amazons and I request an audience with the Sorcerer Supreme."

The man nodded and turned his eyes toward Edward, who awkwardly said "I'm Edward Bell, and I seek an audience too?"

The Sorcerer looked surprised and probably doubtful at the introduction, but Diana quickly said "He is with me." The Sorcerer nodded and said "The Sorcerer Supreme will receive you, if you would follow me."

Edward leaned in on Diana and asked "Are we meeting Dumbledore?" Diana let out a laugh, which prompted the Sorcerer to turn around, but she waved her hand saying it was nothing.

When he looked away from them, she elbowed his sides and said, between laughter and anger "Be respectful!"

Edward shrugged and said "Right, he died in the Hogwarts battle. So we are meeting THE Harry Potter? 50 points for Gryffindor."

Diana replied "Harry Potter is fiction, alright? We are meeting real sorcerers here." Edward shrugged and said "As long as they don't have wands…"

Before long, the two of them reached a room, in the middle of which was a small table. An old man sat next to it, filling three cups. Diana bowed a little as she said "Ancient One."

Edward didn't really know what to do so he did the exact same thing. However, he couldn't help but look at the Ancient One. He was an old man, Asian, probably Chinese. His looks screamed WISE OLD CHINESE MAN, so he decided to treat him as such.

The Ancient One looked at the two and asked "Care for some tea?" Diana nodded, and since he decided to copy her, the two sat down in front of the old man.

The Ancient One then asked "I can feel a powerful seal on you, Diana." Diana nodded and said "Circe is the one who did this to me, using an old artefact."

The old man shook his head and said "Unfortunately, Circe is a very powerful witch, and I am afraid the only way of destroying this seal would be to destroy the medium she used to seal you, which, considering your power, she must keep on her at all time. You may need help."

He looked at Edward and said "You Chi is powerful, young man. Have you learned to harness it's powers yet?"

Edward was surprised by his words, but he shook his head and said "Unfortunately, I do not have any special ability or mystical artefacts."

The old man made a small smile though and said "I see, no martial artist has managed to go over this hurdle, but I can feel an astonishing potential in you. Would you mind if I checked by myself?"

Edward tilted his head and asked "How? Will it hurt me in any way?" The Ancient One shook his head and said "No, of course no. I can feel you are curious about my powers, it will be the occasion for you to witness them."

Edward nodded in the hand, and the Ancient One began moving his hands weirdly. The necklace he had been wearing began shining with a green light that quickly enveloped Edward. He felt his Chi become active, as if he was in the middle of meditation, but apart from that, he felt nothing.

After a few seconds, the light disappeared, and the Ancient One said "How surprising, your body holds tremendous potential, I must say. I hope you will one day find a way to control your own Chi, and get past the limit."

Edward bowed a little and said "Thank you." The Ancient One smiled and said "Back to your matters, Diana, I guess getting your powers back isn't the only reason you want to defeat Circe?"

Edward couldn't help but tilt his head a little. Wasn't that a good enough reason already? However, it seemed the old man was right as Diana shook her head and said "Indeed, it is not. Circe has the Darkhold in her possession. Fortunately it is still sealed, but if she manages to unseal it then…"

The Ancient One frowned for the first time as he said "Indeed, this could become a problem…" As he said that, he moved his hand slightly as a portal appeared on his side. On the other side, a man appeared, sitting in a chair and reading a book.

He looked at the portal in surprise, and put down the book he was reading as he stepped through the portal.

The Ancient One then said "Strange, you have been training in Kamar-Taj for several months now, and I heard you have been pestering Mordo for some action. Here is the chance to prove yourself. You will be helping Diana and Edward in stopping the witch Circe from unsealing the Darkhold and bring it back here. Do you feel up for the task?"

Strange, a strange name by the way, pun intended, nodded and said with excitement "Of course, master. I won't disappoint you." The Ancient One shook his head at his words and said "You won't disappoint me unless you die. The one you shouldn't disappoint is yourself. Now, before the three of you go, I would like to give my young friend Edward a gift."

As he said that, another portal opened, out of which a bundle of clothes appeared. The Ancient One said "This is the Armor of the Ancients, honestly we didn't know what it was originally called so we gave it a cool sounding name… Anyway, something to know about magical artefacts is that they choose their users most of the time."

Edward's eyes shone as he thought about something, but the Ancient One was quick to dismiss his his hopes as he said "Yes, like the wands in Harry Potter, but it is nothing more than fiction. Sorry. Anyway, since you arrived this armor has gotten agitated."

Edward nodded with disappointment and thanked the old man as he took it. As if to confirm what the old man just said, the moment it touched his hands, it suddenly warped around his hands, before turning into a white glove.

The moment it did, Edward felt a bunch of information appear in his mind. In an instant, he understood what the cloth was able to do. It could shift into any cloth he could think of, it couldn't be torn or dirtied, and it was highly resistant to both magical and physical attacks. Overall, it was a great armor.

With but a thought, Edward had the Armor of the Ancients transform into the clothes he was currently wearing, discarding them at the same time. He was prepared to carry them back to the car when a fire ball lit them on fire, quickly turning them into ashes.

Edward turned his head to look at Strange, who blew on his finger before extending his hand "No need to thank me. I'm Stephen Strange, ex best surgeon in New York and future Sorcerer Supreme."

However, Edward didn't take his hand and said "I wanted to donate them to people who needed them." Behind Stephen, the Ancient One facepalmed while Diana hid her smile using her hand.

As for Stephen, he froze for a moment before saying "I see… Well, we should be going now, shouldn't we?"

Edward rolled his eyes and turned to Diana "Is there any use in masking my face?"

Diana tilted her head and asked "Why?" Edward replied "Well, you may not fear her since you are more powerful than her, but I sure don't want to be chased around by a vindictive old witch for the rest of my life, nor do I want her to hurt my family, so I would like to keep my identity a secret. However, I know nothing about magic, will she be able to discover my identity through magic and make wearing a mask useless, or not?"

It was the Ancient One who answered his question "Wise move. Would you be interested in learning magic?" Edward replied "Of course I would, but I don't really have the time, I have a job, my training and… Well you know, life."

The Ancient One let out a chuckle and said "Yes, of course… Don't worry about Circe, she will not be able of discovering your identity, the Armor of the Ancient not only protects against direct magic, it also protects you from more… arcane magic, such as curses or scrying magic."

Seeing Edward tilt his head though, the Ancient One added "Yes, wearing a mask is useful and advised."

Stephen lightly cleared his throat and said "We will be heading there using a portal. I just need Lady Diana to tell me where we are going, and we can go." Diana said "Yes, I will put on my armor first."

As she said that, she walked off, leaving Edward alone with Stephen and the Ancient One. The old man sent a look at Stephen, who coughed and said "I also have something to do… right."

He walked off the room, and the Ancient One said "You have many trials awaiting you, Edward."

Edward grinned and said "Then it means I will definitely survive this fight?" The Ancient One was stumped, but after a second he smiled and said "While optimism is a quality, I cannot read the future. It is simply… a theory. Based on the potential I see in you, and the kind of person you seem to be."

Edward rolled his eyes and said "I got it, don't be overconfident or you will get fired from your surgeon job."

The Ancient One chuckled and said "Arrogance can indeed be quite terrible, it led Stephen Strange into a ravine… both literally and figuratively. But he is still learning, and the trial you will soon be faced with should help curb his arrogance. Don't hold it against him, he will grow in the years to come."

Edward shrugged and said "It's not my place to judge him, he is who he is, good for him if he can become a better person. But you seemed to have something to tell me?"

The Ancient One nodded, and said "Apart from your potential with Chi, I can also feel you have a strong mind, capable of great growth. This would be of immense help to you, were you to one day want to master magic. However, I know that many martial artists dislike magic, and they especially dislike Sorcerers."

Edward tilted his head and asked "How come I never heard of that?"