Sebastian did not go to Kamar-Taj immediately. He gave refresher courses to the school teachers and Kaito and his team at Hogwarts, and assigned them enough extra homework to last them a month. Amidst the fake smiles of everyone who dared not speak out, Sebastian left Hogwarts happily and came to Kamar-Taj.
Kamar-Taj was the same as always. Looking at the oncoming Wong, Sebastian smiled and said to him, "Wong, how have you been recently?"
After shaking hands with Sebastian, Wong replied, "It is still the same, but recently there is a very energetic person. He does not like to stick to the rules. In your words, that is called being very innovative. That is what you should say, right? Anyway, he is a person who cannot sit still."
"So... then your Master Ancient One should like him very much, right?"
Nodding, Wong said, "Yes, Master Ancient One likes Strange very much. Basically, all of Strange's magic was taught by Master Ancient One. Master Ancient One is really optimistic about him."
"Wong, are you interested in being a teacher for a while recently?"
Hearing Sebastian's words, Wong asked with some confusion, "You should not be short of teachers there, right? Hogwarts is now famous in the magical world on Earth."
Hogwarts' fame originally owed its origins to Sebastian, the legendary superhero dark wizard who founded the school to teach his unique magic, rivaling the Sorcerer Supreme. However, as Hogwarts grew, its students and faculty matured, and some wizards near New York gradually realized the formidable power of Hogwarts. Even without Sebastian as Headmaster, no one dared to underestimate the school.
Perhaps Sebastian did not care. During the school's weekends, when Hogwarts students went out to New York City for sightseeing and shopping, some malicious individuals attempted to kidnap Hogwarts students or steal their wands and potions. Some students with outstanding strength and good attitudes immediately fought back, while others, less capable, were defeated and even forced to reveal their origins. However, there were always those with considerable strength who could suppress the students, or those with weaker attitudes and abilities were defeated by those with ulterior motives.
This was when the Hogwarts teachers, who had been secretly following them, took action. After all, they were already skilled in magic, and after Sebastian's instruction, their strengths significantly improved. Hogwarts' magic was particularly effective against humans, and even powerful invaders were defeated by the teachers. If it were not for Sebastian's insistence—to protect Hogwarts' image, minimize bloodshed, and set an example for the students—over half of the invaders would have perished.
Sebastian's decision was driven by the desire to maintain Hogwarts's reputation. A school with blood on the hands of both teachers and students, regardless of the cause, would undoubtedly affect enrollment and the spread of magic. Therefore, Sebastian made this decision after careful consideration.
Of course, Sebastian understood those who sought to spy on Hogwarts' magic, and he allowed them some less-than-appropriate and aggressive behavior, but only once. If an organization repeatedly engaged in aggressive behavior against Hogwarts students, Sebastian and other school officials would personally visit them and convince them of their mistakes.
"The school is definitely short on teachers right now. According to my calculations, Hogwarts needs at least thirty experienced teachers to handle the next several grades. Furthermore, many teachers are multitasking and need to improve their own magical skills, so there will always be a shortage of teachers. Even a temporary one would help alleviate the pressure on Hogwarts' faculty."
After hearing Sebastian's words, Wong pondered for a moment and nodded. "Well, then, I will call Daniel, and we will go over to Hogwarts to teach for a month. That would provide some relief for the teachers."
Although Sebastian wanted Wong and Daniel to teach at Hogwarts permanently, Kamar-Taj was not short of staff. While Kamar-Taj had a significant number of wizards, distributing them around the world would not be enough. Especially for wizards like Wong and Daniel, both considered exceptional within Kamar-Taj, loaning them to Hogwarts for a month was the limit. There was no way the Ancient One would agree to allow them to stay at Hogwarts permanently.
As the two chatted, Wong led Sebastian to a grand hall within Kamar-Taj. The Ancient One was teaching magic to a white man in his thirties. His hands were covered in scars and trembling slightly. Sebastian knew from the man's characteristic features that he was the future Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange. After bringing Sebastian here, Wong bowed briefly to the Ancient One and departed.
The Ancient One returned the greeting, motioning for Strange to continue his magical practice while he approached Sebastian.
"Master Sebastian, it has been a while, has it not?"
Sebastian nodded slightly, saying, "It has certainly been a while. I have been quite busy with some Hogwarts matters lately."
The two exchanged polite words, then glanced at each other. Each saw the hidden meaning in the other's gaze. Some things did not need to be spelled out so clearly. They had already reached a resolution at Hogwarts, so there was no need to elaborate further.
"Master Sebastian, let me introduce you. This is Strange. He has just been in Kamar-Taj for about a month. He is a wizard with good talent."
After hearing what the Ancient One said, Strange continued to practice magic and said, "Good talent? Then your requirements for me are really not high."
Sebastian looked at the self-deprecating Strange. When he saw him for the first time, Sebastian felt that this man's personality had a lot in common with Tony Stark. The most important point was that they were both very arrogant and had a high opinion of themselves. Of course, they were also very talented in their respective fields.
Seeing the Ancient One making a gesture of invitation, Sebastian shook his head and laughed, then came to Strange and looked at Strange with trembling hands dragging out strands of magic fire intermittently. He shook his head and said to him, "No, you cannot do this. If you continue like this, I am afraid that even if you practice for ten or eight years, you will not be able to achieve anything in the way of magic."
Strange listened to Sebastian's words but did not stop his practice. Instead, he said to Sebastian directly, "I thought you were here to encourage me, but you turned out to be here to hit me?"
Listening to Strange's half-self-deprecating words, Sebastian smiled and said, "Maybe you always think that your magic practice is not going well because of your hands. But in fact, it is not the case at all. Your understanding of magic is still too shallow, and this is your biggest problem."
This time, Strange finally stopped. He looked at Sebastian and said, "If you are as powerful as your mouth suggests, I think you should be able to help me solve this problem?"
Without answering Strange immediately, Sebastian leaned forward. Seeing that the Ancient One had gestured to him, indicating that he could act freely, Sebastian no longer hesitated and said to Strange, "Magic is different from science. Do not use the thinking of all those years of scientific education to understand magic. That is completely wrong.
Magic is self-centered and idealistic, while science is broad and materialistic. They are completely different things. So do not think that your hands are unstable and cannot be competent for writing or operating on the table. The same cannot be said for magic. Again, your hands may not be able to perform some scientific tasks, but that does not hinder magic."
As the words fell, Sebastian raised his hand. There was no hand seal, no sign of anything. He simply raised his hand, and immediately, strands of fire appeared in front of him, forming a magic circle that slowly rotated in front of Strange, emitting a faint flame.
This was what Strange had just been practicing, and it was also the basic magic circle he wanted to construct. He had originally thought he would need to use hand seals and some gestures to cast this magic circle like other wizards. But when he saw Sebastian's movements, he immediately realized that even just a slight raise of the hand could create this magic circle. The stability of the hands really did not matter.
"This... How did you construct this? If hand gestures are not required, then why do other wizards need to use hand gestures to cast magic?"
"As I said before, magic is subjective and self-centered. Gestures are not necessary, but they are the most effective way to allow you to fully immerse yourself in magic. Of course, those movements can also promote the use of the corresponding magic. But as you can see, the movements of the hands are not the only thing. The reason why you cannot cast magic is entirely because your heart is not on magic. You need to truly immerse yourself in magic, and you cannot always be impatient to learn magic and then heal your hands and return to the outside world.
As long as you hold this idea in your mind, you will never be able to fully master magic."
Listening to Sebastian's words, Strange's expression was a little confused. He took a deep breath and said to Sebastian, "Help me, please help me. I should truly integrate into magic. What should I do?"
Looking at Strange, Sebastian knew that due to his changes, without Kaecilius invading Kamar-Taj and seizing the magic related to summoning Dormammu and the power of the dark dimension, the Ancient One was not so eager to teach Strange. So even after a month, he was only letting Strange get in touch with magic, understand magic, and integrate into magic little by little. Now that Sebastian had arrived, the Ancient One thought it was time to truly introduce Strange to the world of magic.
"Do you want a quicker way, or a slower way?"
"Of course, the quicker way. Is that even necessary?"
After receiving Strange's response, Sebastian nodded and said, "So, I understand... you should have learned the basic full-body defense magic of Kamar-Taj, right?"
"Of course, I have learned all the magic, but I cannot perform it yet."
"That is good. Then our quick magic tutorial can officially begin."
With that, Sebastian grabbed Strange's shoulders, and the two of them instantly transformed into a twisting vortex, vanishing on the spot. With the power of the Space Stone, Kamar-Taj's ban on teleportation magic could no longer interfere with Sebastian.
Sebastian and Strange appeared together on a pitch-black rock, feeling the almost scorching heat around them. The world was shrouded in black and red. It was so hot that even a breath of air seemed to sear their lungs.
"This... what is this place? What is it?"
"Muspelheim, the Land of Fire, or perhaps you could loosely think of it as Hell. While you may not be able to cast magic, you still have magical power within you, so you can survive here for a while. However, this period is brief. If you cannot cast defensive spells, you will soon die. So, force yourself to embrace magic as quickly as possible. It is your only chance of survival!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sebastian vanished from view.
Strange cried out, but all that awaited him was a searing pain in his lungs.
At this time, Sebastian, who was floating in the air, looked at the Ancient One who appeared beside him and said with a smile, "Master Ancient One, am I a little too radical?"
The Ancient One smiled and looked at the somewhat collapsed Strange below, and said, "Sometimes, it is understandable to be a little radical. Besides, for Strange, he needs someone to push him so that he can truly take the first step into magic. Just like when a young eagle learns to fly, it must fall from a high altitude to learn. Otherwise, it will never be able to walk out of the comfortable and safe nest."
Sebastian expected the Ancient One's answer. After all, the person next to him was the one who threw Strange onto the snowy mountain in the original history. His approach was the same as Sebastian's own. Of course, he would not think that Sebastian's approach was excessive.
While Sebastian and the Ancient One were talking, Strange below finally began to force himself to immerse himself in magic and cast spells over and over again in increasingly painful conditions. Finally, when the scorching heat was about to kill him, Strange, whose body was covered in dirt from evaporated sweat, successfully cast the first spell in his life, protecting himself in magic. The high temperature of Muspelheim could no longer threaten him.
He finally took his first real step toward magic.
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