Chapter Seventy-Six: Strange: "Another Uneventful Day in New York..."

For Roald and Sindragosa, both possessing foreign souls, there was a sense of estrangement from this world.
This was something rooted in time itself, unchangeable at its core.

In theory, the Time Stone within Agamotto carried by Strange, the Mind Stone with Sindragosa, and the Space Stone in Roald’s possession were all able to resonate with one another.

Thus, after Sindragosa emerged, it was the current Sorcerer Supreme, Strange, who first sensed this unfamiliar power and the presence of an intruder.

In truth, as Sorcerer Supreme, one was not required to intervene in every intrusion—unless the Earth faced destruction or certain beings from specific dimensions appeared.
This was an unspoken rule among the guardians of the arcane, passed down since the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto.

Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One, had always adhered to this principle: she would only intervene if the Earth was truly threatened by an extinction-level catastrophe.
But now, after finding her most gifted disciple, she had used Agamotto’s Eye to peer into fragments of the true timeline, warned Strange of certain things, and finally found her own release.

She had gone to converse with Dormammu.

In the original timeline, Strange had not believed in magic at all; as a doctor, his skepticism toward the mystical was deeply ingrained. When the Ancient One forcibly thrust his consciousness into countless, vividly real illusions, his worldview was utterly reshaped, leading him onto the path of the Sorcerer Supreme. Now, the Ancient One had entrusted him with the mantle of guardian.

Sensing two powerful stone energies emerging, Strange, seated in the sanctum and idly stroking the Eye of Agamotto, considered tracing the timeline. But recalling the Ancient One’s admonition upon her departure, he abandoned the thought.

Safeguarding Agamotto was the most important task.

“Nothing unusual in New York today—it’s another beautiful day...”
Murmuring to himself, Strange picked up his spellbook again, biting into the endless apple, and delved deeper into his studies of the arcane.

He strove to master more of the Time Stone’s abilities as quickly as possible—perhaps they would be needed in the future.

After his initiation, Strange had surpassed all his fellow disciples within a short time, even mastering the Mirror Dimension spell that many sorcerers could not learn in a lifetime.

Yet the Ancient One’s warnings made him acutely aware of his own inadequacy; he needed to learn still greater spells. The more he knew, the more awe he felt toward this world.

After all, magic was inherently idealistic. The mystical was unlikely to become mainstream; many found it mysterious, but overlooked its dangers.

Only magic could combat magic—this was a fundamental tenet of the arcane.

Strange was already aware of the presence of two stones; with the Time Stone in his hand, there were now three on Earth.

“As the Ancient One said, if the stones draw too close, they will produce a special energy reaction and signal to one another. With the other two stones now located, the Eye of Agamotto becomes increasingly easier to detect. If I do not conceal it well, sooner or later, enemies will come knocking.”

This was the main reason Strange had always kept his movements hidden.

So long as he remained within the sanctum, he had the home-field advantage and could utilize the Mirror Dimension.

But if an enemy broke through the sanctum’s defenses, the importance of guarding the Stone would become moot.

Strange’s logic was very clear, and he was contemplating how best to hide the Time Stone at a certain point in time.

...

Meanwhile, after S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ground base was destroyed, Nick Fury had even more reason to accelerate the construction of the Helicarrier. Standing on the bridge of the central control room, he watched as a Quinjet slowly touched down on the deck.

Thor had found Captain America, and also discovered Barton; yet Fury remained uneasy, because Hill had been released once again. Pierce’s review had declared her completely normal.

But this very normality was what made Fury most suspicious.

He had received no intelligence about Hill’s true identity, nor about Alexander’s.

On the contrary, Hill had now been promoted, was in full charge of the Helicarrier’s daily operations, and had even been appointed by the Security Council. Fury felt he was being mocked.

But since S.H.I.E.L.D. was subordinate to the Security Council, and with Pierce’s involvement, he was powerless to act.

Withdrawing his gaze from Hill, Fury looked toward the Helicarrier’s flight deck.

Once the Quinjet came to a halt, the rear hatch opened; Rogers was the first to step out, followed by Thor, then Barton in custody, and Coulson’s tactical team.

As Coulson and his team exited, they were followed by Matt, Jessica, and the rest of the Defenders.

Fury’s eyebrows rose—he recognized a few familiar faces.

Matt and Jessica had always been under his observation as reserves; he was curious why Coulson had brought them along.

At the cabin door, Hill happened to run into Rogers, with Coulson following behind.

“Captain, the Director is waiting for you on the bridge.”

“All right; I’ll head there at once,” Rogers replied.

“Very well.” Hill gathered her documents and turned to Coulson.

“Coulson, and these are?”
“Uh, Agent Hill, these are my friends—heroes who stood out during the Manhattan incident.”
Coulson told a small lie.

“Coulson, you should address her as Director now.”
Nick Fury approached.

He looked at Hill.
“Director Hill, what business do you have with my agents?”

Coulson and those behind him, Matt among them, stood there as the engines’ gale whipped their hair about, leaving them tousled like a field freshly harvested.

“I merely ran into Coulson by chance,” Hill said, glancing at the approaching Fury before walking away with her files in hand.

She had already memorized the faces of the Defenders.

If these people were worthy of being brought aboard the Helicarrier, there had to be a reason.

“We meet again, Attorney Matt. How has Mr. Castle been lately?”
Fury walked directly up to Matt, cane in hand, and spoke.

“Yes, we meet again, Director Fury. I’m afraid I don’t know who you mean by Mr. Castle?”
Matt, of course, understood Fury’s intention.

This was more than a simple probe.

Fury’s eyes glimmered.
He knew full well of the Defenders’ connections to the Punisher; though he addressed Matt, he was closely watching Jessica and the others for their reactions.

Because in Fury’s mind,
the so-called Defenders together were worth less than the Punisher alone.

“Welcome aboard the Helicarrier. I’m sure we’ll have much to discuss.”

“Coulson, I think we shouldn’t neglect these champions of justice.”

“Of course, Director.”