Marvel: Cultured Reader System

Of all the Marvel villains, Dr. Doom was probably one of the worst to encounter. In the Ultimate saga, he created natural disasters and even completely modified the earth to create Battleworld. My body was shaking as I listened to the questions the various sorcerers were asking the old woman.

I had no desire or interest in dying so soon. Victor Von Doom is a mixture of Iron Man and Doctor Strange, a genius with magical powers and a gigantic ability with technology.

"That's a bad sign..." I said to myself.

Illyana held my hand, then she gave me a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be with you," she began to stroke my hand, noticing that I was a little nervous. "As always," she added.

This gesture of affection brought a small smile to my face. Illyana hadn't trained with Storm yet, but her skills were already much more developed due to her years at Kamar-Taj.

In the comics, Illyana was only stopped by the Legacy Virus. What's more, she can control the realm of limbo, she's very strong. I'm at the side of a hot, strong russian blondie with a mystical sword and teleportation powers... I shouldn't be feeling so anxious.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the situation that was now unfolding. The old woman was about to finish her questions, so I raised my hand.

"Dante..." the Ancient One was surprised, she hadn't expected me to ask a question.

Raising my voice, I began to speak.

"Victor Von Doom is the Commander-in-Chief of the Latverian Armed Forces. If we inform the London authorities that an Eastern European terrorist group was behind the attacks, we might be able to push for sanctions on the country. He wouldn't be too happy about that."

The old woman's face was surprised by my suggestion, and nodding, she began to move her arms. Two green magic circles appeared around the old woman, which created a projection of the country of Latveria. 

"Attacking Latveria would be bad for maintaining our relations with China and Russia. Because of that, we're going to stick with a plan to protect ourselves from attacks. The Shield and the Avengers must already take care of protecting New York City"

Then the projection changed position, becoming a globe with the location of the three Sanctum Sanctorum. "Even so, we're going to reinforce the protection of all the entrances to Kamar-Taj. Victor Von Doom won't attack from Nepal, he knows we can trap his soul in an infinite loop, so we can only worry about the shrines"

Among Kamar-Taj's protective measures, there was one that was the most frightening. One of the monastery's forbidden relics was a book that led to a limbo region where time was not continuous. Ancient One's plan was probably to use this artifact to trap Dr. Doom in the event of an unexpected breakthrough. Thus putting him in an infinite loop between aging, rejuvenating and remaining stationary for eternity.

However, this measure could be more dangerous. Illyana raised her hand. "Elder, Von Doom wants Agamotto's eye. Doesn't that mean he's looking for time-related magic? Maybe that's exactly what he's looking for" 

The old woman nodded, "It's impossible to get out of the Labyrinthine Lexicon Temporal Loop"

[Glossary - Labyrinthine Lexicon]

| One of the Several Prohibited Books. The Labyrinthine Lexicon is a high-level magical artifact capable of placing the target of its conjuration in an infinite time loop. Original artifact from the land 573344600|

The glossary notification popped up in front of my eyes, adding information about the book. However, something new was there, a series of numbers. Original earth artifact 573344600, so that was the name of the universe I was in.

Knowing that I wasn't in a reality like Earth-1610 or Earth-2149 made me feel better. At least I wasn't doomed to fight zombies and dimensional monsters, well, at least I wasn't sure that would happen.

Even so, living on an Earth with so many changes from the classic Earth-616 and Earth-199999 of the MCU was still making me a little uncomfortable.

Over the last three years, I've heard very little about the outside world. I lived like a monk, my only contact with the outside world being the news that Wong and the rest of the wizards passed on to me.

But knowing that the Avengers and the Shield already existed gave me a certain sense of security. The Shield was created in Strange Tales, but Doctor Strange hadn't yet become Sorcerer Supreme... Maybe I'm in one of the early stages of that world, like the beginning of the MCU.

...

At the end of the meeting, the sorcerers were divided between the four regions we were to protect. A larger contingent was sent to Nepal, where the Eye of Agamotto was located. The others were assigned to their respective areas. Illyana and I were waiting for our assignment, until Wong approached with a discreet smile.

"I've just spoken to the old lady. You two are free to explore... and maybe try the most authentic pizza in Harlem."

"New York?!" I said, hardly believing what I had just heard.

Illyana's eyes immediately lit up like a child on the last day of school. Without containing her excitement, she took a small leap, running towards me. Before I could react, she wrapped me in a tight hug, her feet barely touching the ground as she held me tightly. The enthusiasm in her voice was contagious.

"Dante, this is incredible!" She exclaimed, still hanging onto me. "I can't believe we're going to New York! We're finally getting out of Kamar-Taj!"

Running my hands down the blonde's back, I hugged her back. "We did it! We did it Lya!"

After years of living trapped in a hospital, and another three years living in Kamar-Taj without the possibility of leaving. Receiving the news that I could go to the largest metropolis in the Marvel universe made my heart fill with determination.

There were some things that I had waited years to do, goals that I had.

...

[ To be Continued in MCRS #08 ]

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