Idunn had not anticipated any visitors that day, let alone the Sorcerer Supreme himself. The man looked worried. She could tell that he was trying to be polite this time, but he was searching for answers. The goddess welcomed him inside. Everything was always better with a cup of tea. Whatever was going on would be resolved, if not by herself, then by Agatha, Loki and the rest of them. Idunn was optimistic. The tree had shown her that the way ahead would be good.
"There is something different in the magic," he said, worried. "I suspected it was due to the tree's interaction with Earth's magic, but it's different. I can't help but fear the worst."
Idunn gave a thoughtful nod. She had also noticed a shift in the magic, but hadn't given it much thought until now. All her thoughts had been focused on the tree. Now, the Sorcerer Supreme had all her attention.
"I sense it, but it's all around you." Idunn answered softly.
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, confused.
Idunn realised that her words had only added to Stephen's worries, which was not her intention. The goddess had always sensed a unique type of magic around the tall man. On the day they had met, the man who had introduced himself as Wong had a small amount of residuals of that magic around him. Her knowledge of Midgardian magic was limited. She wasn't particularly familiar with the type of magic Strange was using. It was difficult for her to determine what that shift in the magic meant exactly, and she wasn't the type to probe.
The energy signature that Idunn sensed was vaguely familiar, something older than anything she was used to being surrounded by. Even though the tree was centuries old and venerable, this magic felt even older. Idunn had felt something similar when she was around Loki not too long ago. Similar but not exactly the same. As much as Idunn wanted to bring up the issue with Loki, she finally decided against it. The weird magic was slowly fading around him. Loki had been through a lot and he found it difficult to open up and tell his story. She didn't want to push him to reveal anything he wasn't ready for. Boundaries needed to be respected. Her tree was blooming. The future would be good anyway.
"It is emanating from there." Idunn said, pointing almost towards Stephen's heart.
"The eye of Agamotto?" asked Stephen.
"I do not know what name you call it here. The entity is as old as the universe and exists beyond the realm of Midgard. There are others like it, and this one can hear them calling," replied Idunn.
Stephen looked down at the necklace he now wore as the Sorcerer Supreme. The Eye possessed an immense power, he knew that. He had used its time-loops abilities to defeat Dormammu not so long ago. Kamar-Taj was built around the idea of defending the stone at all costs. As the Sorcerer Supreme, he had a responsibility. The existence of other stones with similar powers had never been part of their plan.
"Why now? After hundreds of years... Why now?" Stephen asked, his voice almost quivering.
"I am not sure," replied Idunn. "But I think we should speak with the others and maybe do some research. It is not wise to combine those types of power. It would be far too powerful for any Midgardian or any other to wield."
"Nobody but me should use the Eye," Stephen declared, trying to sound sure of himself.
"And yet, you fear it. You can feel the endless possibilities ahead, the various paths that each one of our decisions will forge. You know, deep down, that many of them will lead to unfavourable futures for all of us."
"How can you be sure?" Stephen questioned.
He had experienced all that. The temptation to use the stone and peek into the numerous futures was almost too much to resist. The ancient one had warned him to be cautious with these newfound powers. Stephen had already broken the rules once. Although the outcome had been favourable, it had come at a great cost to him. He had died so many times that he lost count. The experience had changed something in him. Stephen Strange was still a doctor, and he could recognise the symptoms of his PTSD every time he woke up in the middle of the night, his voice hoarse from screaming, shivering from a cold sweat. His magic had also changed in ways he couldn't begin to explain. Idunn only needed to look at him a second to see everything.
