THE APPRENTICE (DOCTOR STRANGE STORY)

3

"Stay with you?" I asked "you're saying that I should stay with you?"

"Well do you have anywhere else to go to?" He raised his eyebrow and made me silent "exactly. You wouldn't make it out there, not even for a second. You would've been dead if it wasn't for me, you won't survive; not here, and not in New York"

"Fine" I looked down at my shoes, then back to him "thank you, by the way. For helping me out there..." I muttered sheepishly

"It's a tough and big world out there, kid, and there's so much you don't even know" he scoffed wisely and removed his cloak that flew away, making me step back

"Okay..." I brushed it off, and shook my head "what do I have to do?"

"What?"

"To stay?" I asked "there's always a price, right? So what do I have to do?"

He crossed his arms and let out a deep breath, exhaling loudly

"This place is to heal the body and the mind. To learn about the vast multiverse and to open your eye" he sat down in the middle of the room, and gestured to me "sit"

"So..." I sat down in front of him, copying his position "like the whole chakra and mantra thing? With the things like: "life is a beautiful journey" or "the worries and hardships of our past make us bloom into beautiful flowers" " I said out loud with a tone, making him smirk

"You remind me of myself when I first started" he recalled "I was a douchebag. I was arrogant and too close minded. Before we get started, I wanna tell you one thing: everything you think you know? Scratch it all away. Open your mind to everything, and don't be ignorant."

"Okay..."I muttered "but started on what? My cleansing?" I held back a laugh, and he narrowed his eyes at me "sorry, okay, I'll shut up."

"We gain power by collecting it from the different realities and then transferring it into our souls" he lectured as he made golden intricate patterns appear with his hand. I jumped back in fear, my hands supporting me.

"W-what?" I simply breathed and inches my face closer to it, the light reflecting from my face "can I touch it?"

"If you want your finger sliced off, then yes" he replied, making me show my hands in surrender "anyways, in order to do this, you'll have to open your eye"

"How do I do that?" I inquired, which made him smirk.

"I'm glad you asked" He inched forward, making me slowly walk backwards "it'll be quick, and it won't hurt a bit. I promise."

"O-okay..." I muttered, and he put his thumb on my forehead, and pushed me back.

As soon as I knew it, I was flying off to space, screaming my lungs out. I stopped mid air, the view breathtaking; the stars were so close I could just grab one, and I had a bird's eye view on Earth. I didn't think it would still be green, to be honest.

A small, Brown, butterfly fluttered in front of me, flying to my nose, causing a force to pull me into some kind of vortex. I was travelling at the speed of light; my surroundings were multicoloured in different shapes and sizes.

"The universe is vast and complex, holding secrets, knowledge, more than you can imagine. I see it inside you; trust in the universe and in yourself. It takes courage to explore the depths of this multiverse, but it takes more and humility to explore yourself" Strange's voice ran in my ears as I was being dragged by grey, dirty hands, that were slowly warping into my face.

The rushing stopped, and I wasn't being thrown around anymore. I was unable to open my eyes, but I knew I was floating

"So I'm asking you now, Hazel, what role will you play in this one?"

My eyes shot open, as I panted for air. I quickly stood up from the chair I suddenly found myself in and pointed a finger at him

"Did you drug me or something?" I asked, extremely befuddled as his lips curled up into a smile

"That's the same thing I asked when I found out" he chuckled and cleared his throat "I told you it wouldn't hurt"

"Yeah, thank god" I said sarcastically "what was that?! I can't tell if it was horrible or fascinating!"

"It's both." He answered "and for your information, you just explored the multiverse."

I furrowed my eyebrows and processed the situation, placing my fingers on my temples and looking up at him.

"Is it too late to ask if this is a cult?" I suddenly inquired

"No. And yes."

"Which order?" I inquired, as he fought back a smile and turned around, walking further into the building "w-wait but which order?"

He opened the door to a room that was quite small; it had a bed, some candles, a bathroom- it was very simple and cosy.

"You can take a bath and rest, meditate if you can. Training starts tomorrow." He said as he handed me a piece of paper that said: shamballa "I'll see you at 7 am. That's the WiFi password."

"WiFi password?" I muttered and scoffed as he shut the door, which I immediately opened again "But you never told me which order!" I yelled

He never responded, which I took as a sign that it probably was. Whatever, I muttered, and got myself settled in