Chapter 195: The Side Effects of the Infinity Stones
After some contemplation, Syd decided against using the Tesseract to traverse to a so-called parallel universe. The Tesseract was incredibly powerful and could theoretically reach almost any place, including different dimensions.
For example, it could potentially transport someone to the Dark Dimension where Dormammu resides, or even to realms like Heaven and Hell! However, just because it could take him there didn't guarantee he'd return alive.
Dimensional entities, like the Dimensional Demon, are immensely powerful within their own realms, and their abilities far exceed what can be exerted outside their dimensions. If Syd were to travel to such a realm, encountering the ruler of that dimension could be fatal.
As for traveling to a parallel universe, Syd was skeptical even if the Tesseract could accomplish it. He feared it might be a one-way trip. For instance, if the Tesseract malfunctioned after reaching a parallel universe, there might be no way back.
Syd leaned towards the idea that the Infinity Stones might work in parallel universes. The reason they couldn't be used in the Time Variance Authority (TVA) could be due to the TVA's unique space. However, there was still a chance that the Infinity Stones might not work in other parallel universes, though the likelihood was relatively low.
Since everything remained uncertain until tested, Syd was not willing to risk using the Tesseract for this journey.
Compared to using the Tesseract, there was another method to reach parallel worlds. Syd recalled that the Kama-Taj's portals could achieve this.
The Kama-Taj portals were much more convenient and less prone to malfunction.
Syd considered obtaining a Sling Ring, the device used to create these portals, and experimenting with it to see if it worked.
For now, however, he decided against it.
After examining the Tesseract, Syd's attention shifted to the Mind Stone.
Gazing at the gem atop the scepter, Syd pondered deeply.
Each Infinity Stone comes with its own set of side effects. The Power Stone was straightforward: it caused injury upon contact and could be deadly if the user couldn't handle its power.
The side effects of the Time Stone were less clear, but it likely caused some disturbance in the flow of time with each use. When Doctor Strange first used the Time Stone, he tested it on an apple, which symbolically represented the forbidden fruit from the Bible, hinting at Strange's own transgressions.
Even the Ancient One warned Doctor Strange not to use the Time Stone recklessly. Clearly, frequent use of the Time Stone could lead to temporal confusion and, in severe cases, result in the collapse of the timeline.
In one universe, Doctor Strange encountered a tragic fate. Despite suffering an accident similar to the one in the main universe, he survived unscathed, while his girlfriend Christine died. To resurrect her, he delved into magic and ultimately became the Sorcerer Supreme.
Believing that the Ancient One's death meant no one could stop him, he decided to use the Time Stone to reverse time and save Christine. However, no matter how hard he tried, Christine's death remained inevitable, occurring through various accidents.
The Ancient One eventually appeared to explain that Christine's death was a crucial absolute point in time. Her death was necessary for Strange to become the Sorcerer Supreme, and without becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, he could not save her. Thus, Christine's death was an absolute time point that closed the logical loop.
Had the Ancient One not intervened, Strange might have eventually accepted the reality, but her explanation gave him renewed hope.
Strange, guided by his belief in the possibility of anything, sought a way to alter the absolute time point. He discovered that the Lost Library of Magic contained a method to achieve this, provided one had sufficient power.
To gain this power, Strange employed dark magic to absorb mystical entities. As his power grew, he became increasingly less human and more monstrous. Despite the energy boost, he ultimately used the Time Stone to revive Christine.
Unfortunately, manipulating time often leads to being manipulated by it. Christine was revived, but the universe fell into chaos and began to collapse. Even with his near-invincible power, Strange couldn't prevent the universe's destruction.
Strange also sensed the Watcher, a being who silently observed the universe's demise without intervening. Despite Strange's pleas for intervention, the Watcher remained passive, merely observing the universe's end.
The Watcher warned Strange that disturbing the time flow only led to more destruction. Consequently, Strange could only watch as the universe was destroyed, unable to do anything.
This was similar to how Tony Stark sacrificed himself to snap his fingers, and Strange couldn't use the Time Stone to revive him. If Strange reversed time to bring Stark back, the logic of the snap that eradicated Thanos and his army would be undone, causing them to be revived and restarting everything.
Thus, while the Time Stone's side effects might seem subtle, they could be devastating.
Of course, there are powers that defy logic.
Syd thought of Chaos Magic.
Unlike the Time Stone, Chaos Magic's reality-altering ability genuinely ignores logic, forcibly changing everything without causing the collapse of reality, as its logic integrates seamlessly.
This indicates the extraordinary nature of Chaos Magic's power. For Chaos Magic, temporal logic issues are trivial and don't result in breakdowns.
Unfortunately…
"It's a pity that the current Chaos Magic's reality alteration is still passive. Who knows when it might manifest…"
Syd lamented.
Of course, it's not that Chaos Magic's reality alteration lacks patterns. The more unstable one's mental state becomes, sinking into despair and collapse, the higher the probability of Chaos Magic going berserk. The more unstable the emotions, the stronger the Chaos Magic.
For instance, the previous incident of turning Sentinel robots into butterflies was just a normal trigger, far from reaching the berserk level...
(End of Chapter)