Doctor Strange still stood three to five meters away from Peter, their positions unchanged.
Beneath their feet remained the same ground as before.
However, the towering mountain that had once stretched a thousand meters high had completely vanished, leaving only a thin layer of floor tiles less than 30 centimeters thick beneath them.
The Wind God Wyvern had also disappeared entirely.
Probably left outside, Peter guessed.
Beyond the ground they stood on, chaotic spatial currents swirled in every direction, creating an eerie, surreal vista.
It felt as though time, space, and even reality itself held no meaning here.
Doctor Strange spoke calmly, "This is the Soul Stone Dimension of this universe."
"The Soul Stone?" Peter exclaimed in surprise. "So the artifact of this universe's Sorcerer Supreme… is the Soul Stone?"
Doctor Strange nodded. "Yes."
His gaze shifted to the Eye of Agamotto hanging around Peter's neck. "It seems that in your universe, I don't use the Soul Stone."
Peter nodded but didn't elaborate.
Having seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he knew not every version of Doctor Strange was a force for good. Some had even destroyed their own worlds or dabbled with dark magic, threatening the entire multiverse.
Marvel's multiverse sure is dangerous, Peter thought. One wrong step and you're toast—sometimes without even knowing how you died.
Doctor Strange noticed Peter's guarded demeanor but didn't seem bothered. Instead, he did something that left Peter stunned.
His form flickered—and suddenly turned transparent.
"You—"
Doctor Strange spoke softly, "As you can see, I'm already dead."
"Dead?!" Peter was shocked. That meant the Doctor Strange standing before him was nothing more than a soul!
"That's right. I exist now in a spiritual form," Strange replied without a trace of emotion.
Peter finally understood.
No wonder he's been so expressionless this whole time. He's literally a soul—having no facial expressions makes total sense.
"But… why? What happened to this universe?" Peter asked, still reeling.
The magical prowess of this Doctor Strange surpassed even that of the one from Earth-616. What could've possibly caused his death, leaving him trapped here in the Soul Stone Dimension?
From the events of The Amazing Spider-Man films, there had been no signs of a cataclysmic event in this universe.
Doctor Strange shook his head. "The disaster… didn't originate from this universe."
"A multiverse problem again?" Peter asked.
Strange nodded solemnly. "Since the other me entrusted the symbol of the Sorcerer Supreme to you, it means you've proven your character and earned his trust.
"But what I'm about to tell you now—keep it in your heart. Never, ever share it with a third person."
Peter's expression grew solemn as he nodded earnestly and said, "I promise!"
After that, the Extraordinary Doctor Strange began to share his story with Peter.
Stephen Strange of the Extraordinary Universe had experiences remarkably similar to those of his counterpart in the 616 movie universe.
He was once an exceptionally skilled neurosurgeon, but a tragic car accident left his hands irreparably damaged, costing him both his career and stability.
Desperate to heal his hands, he sought out renowned doctors across the world, but to no avail.
At the brink of despair, he overheard someone mention a Supreme Sorcerer named the Ancient One, who resided in the Himalayas and might possess the power to cure him.
The Ancient One saw potential in Strange, took him in as a disciple, and taught him the mystical arts.
Doctor Strange excelled in magic, quickly surpassing expectations, and after the Ancient One's death, he inherited the mantle of the new Sorcerer Supreme.
Along with this title, he came into possession of the Sorcerer Supreme's artifact— the Eye of Agamotto, which in this universe housed the Soul Stone.
Though the Soul Stone's version of the Eye of Agamotto didn't grant the infinite resurrection abilities of the Time Stone variant, it significantly amplified Strange's soul strength.
A stronger soul enhances mental fortitude, and for a sorcerer, the mind is the most critical attribute.
With the Soul Stone's power, Doctor Strange defeated his fallen senior, Mordo, and even repelled the malevolent extradimensional deity, Dormammu!
Although he didn't defeat Dormammu outright, being able to drive him back in direct confrontation was an extraordinary feat—one that stood out among countless Doctor Stranges across the multiverse.
It's worth noting that at the time, Strange had only recently assumed the role of Sorcerer Supreme.
Thereafter, he dutifully fulfilled his responsibilities, using his magic to protect this universe from the shadows.
Unlike the 616 movie universe or the comic universe, this universe lacked a plethora of superheroes and supervillains.
There was no Thanos scheming to collect the six Infinity Stones to snap his fingers.
Perhaps in this universe, Thanos was never born, or maybe he perished prematurely—there could be countless reasons.
Stillness often breeds curiosity.
It seems that all Doctor Stranges share a spirit of adventure.
The Extraordinary Doctor Strange was no exception.
With his soul strength continuously enhanced by the Soul Stone, his consciousness easily reached into parallel universes during his astral travels.
However, as the Sorcerer Supreme, he deeply understood the grave consequences of interfering with the multiverse's laws. So, despite sensing these universes, he never dared to touch them.
He didn't even cross the line once.
Instead, he drifted between the gaps of parallel universes, trying to gain deeper insights into magic.
Until one day, he suddenly sensed that one of the parallel universes he had once detected had vanished!
Alarmed, he rushed to investigate, but found nothing.
That universe had disappeared without a trace—silent and absolute, leaving behind no clues.
Undeterred, Doctor Strange continued his investigation.
His perseverance paid off. One day, he once again sensed the collapse of a universe.
This time, he arrived just in time to catch a glimpse of the culprits!
It was a remarkably strong man, sitting in a bizarrely designed space vehicle.
Behind him, a massive wormhole was closing, within which faint outlines of colossal spaceships could be seen.
The moment Doctor Strange discovered him, the man noticed Strange as well!
Without a word, the man launched an attack.
A fierce battle ensued.
At first, they were evenly matched.
Doctor Strange even held a slight advantage.
But when the giant wormhole reopened and ships began pouring through, Strange felt the urge to retreat.
However... it was already too late!
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09