Pen Pal (Strange)

[Jaymi]

Dear Mr. Strange,

My name is Emily Bright, and I'm a magician.

Or a sorceress, er, um... sorcerer? Maybe I'm a witch or mage?

I'm not actually too sure what the official title is, or if there even is one. I just know that for as long as I can remember, I've been able to use magic.

My parents are afraid if people knew about me they would take me away, so I've never shared the whole magic thing with anyone...

...until now.

Something... strange happened. Something I didn't realize I could do.

More than making books float or vanish.

I don't know how to explain it. Or if you'd even believe me. Or maybe you will because you can do it too, but I felt death. Actually felt it coming.

Without knowing I was doing it...

...I pushed it away.

Right after, I felt like that car had hit me and not Emma. Like, I hurt deeper inside than I knew was possible and that scared me.

You probably get letters like this all the time. Or maybe not. I don't know what to do here. I'm trying to learn about this on my own...

...but I'm afraid of what might happen if I get any of this wrong.

Please, Doctor, help me.

Sincerely,
Emily Bright

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

Sun glistened through the leaves of the tree, sparkling down along the teen's face as she laid back against her dog. It was summer, so she didn't have school for a few more weeks. That suited young Emily just fine. It meant she still had time to meet up with her friends, maybe hit up a pool and a bowling alley, and of course, try out some more things she had wanted to give a shot.

For all the thoughts of magic being some ancient thing that most people didn't even believe in, it was painfully easy to find resources on the internet. Most parents needed to worry about what their kid would do when given a phone, but Emily had promised to behave and she meant it. She stayed away from social media, didn't get into fights in the YouTube comment section, an avoided stranger danger. All the things they were most concerned about.

The spell repositories though? No one ever thought about those.

Setting her phone to the side, she grinned playfully at her dog. Now she had a general idea of what to do, she just needed to give it a shot. Closing her eyes, she reached her hands up and started chanting. Well, sort of chanting. Mostly the young spellcaster repeated a few words over and over again.

"One with all things."

She felt it well up from deep inside her like it always did, her fingers warming as yellow light flared from their tips. Gritting her teeth, the girl concentrated, focused, repeated the new mantra. Then it felt like it clicked. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. The moment her spell worked.

Letting her hands drop, she rolled over and glanced to the side. Flowers blossomed where they hadn't been before, red daisies springing from the ground as if time had sped up. Another grin before she felt the wave of exhaustion hit her. Dropping back, she landed on her fluffy pillow of a pet who gave a soft ruff.

"Okay, now I need some food..."

---

Oh the places you'll go...

(Letter taken directly from Strange Academy Issue #1. I don't typically use existing material, but reinventing the wheel here seemed pointless.)

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

Another day, another potential catastrophe waiting to happen.

But at the very least, this one was narrowly avoided.

War was a fickle and gritty thing -- and very usually, when waged between two interdimensional entities that threatened to utilize Earth as a staging ground for their millennia-old feud, it got difficult to tell who was right and who was wrong. And so Strange played peacemaker, using his station as Sorcerer Supreme to broker a temporary treaty between the under-dimensions and settle their feud for the time being. The problem would crop up again in the near future, but when did anything ever stay fixed?

Strange had nary a moment to breathe and kick his feet up before a portal opened above him and deposited a stack of letters onto the floor in front of his crackling fireplace. Strange sighed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and glanced up at the portal as it sealed itself.

"Wong," he exhaled.

With reluctance, Strange waved his hand and magically sorted through the letters by weight; one could discern the longer-winded entries based on the amount of ink clinging to the parchment within. He'd work his way down from the longest ones, which was his usual strategy. It ensured that as the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel grew nearer, it meant less reading for him.

Some time later...

Reading through the pages made Strange wonder if, perhaps, it was time for a change of address. But, as Sorcerer Supreme, he was obliged to make himself available to the magical community at large for any correspondence -- be it little or large. He was about halfway through the pile of letters when one in particular caught his eye.

Strange felt something was off the moment his fingertips touched upon the outer parchment of the envelope. Within, the paper hummed as though possessing latent energies of its own design that may have leeched off of whoever wrote it. Normally, when he received declarations of magical potency, they were penned by witless fools who merely experienced a strong electrostatic shock when brushing by a piece of metal and deduced that they must be sorcerers. But as he read the words... this was different. This warranted some measure of attention.

He sat by the fireplace and remembered the name signed at the bottom. When he released the paper, it remained hovering in place in the air before him. Strange breathed deeply through his nose and let his eyes shut; with an ease of secondhanded nature, Strange allowed his astral form to eject from his body. The familiar feeling of weightlessness and freedom from one's mortal vessel came over him, and he reached out for the letter in the air. When his astral fingers went through it, a translucent copy of the correspondence formed in his hand.

"Emily Bright," he uttered, staring at the name. The letters began to vibrate and re-arrange themselves, morphing into runes of an eldritch nature that did not belong to any known language.

"Emily Bright...", he repeated, and soon the astral plane around him began to shift as he honed in on her magical signature.

Then, he spotted it, stretched across time and space -- a lone dot nestled amidst the life-giving energies of nature, wild and free, but also surprisingly controlled. For now. In an instant, he shunted his astral form across the physical space between them, defying all laws of physics and arriving at her location faster than the speed of thought.

"A neat trick," he quipped, manifesting before Emily as a ghostly specter in the visage of Doctor Strange. His voice was airy and sounded as though it echoed from across a great distance, but the words were clear and understandable.

"The first lesson of magic," he began, "walking" across the grassy ground toward her, though his intangible footsteps made no sound and disturbed nothing they passed over, "is that it always comes at a cost, whether you realize it at the time or not. So think twice before you go growing daisies all around the neighborhood."

Strange's astral form regarded her pet for a moment, then turned back to her. "I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. You contacted me for a good reason, I suspect."

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

Emily was just standing to dust the dirt from her bare knees when she felt a tingle. A feeling at the edge of her feelings that caused her to raise up to her full five foot two inch height and fix her gaze on the Strange man that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Then he spoke.

Her feet working backwards, Emily squeaked as she moved away. Then she realized what he was saying and that drew her attention to the flowers near the tree. The ones she had just made.

"Are you a ghost?" she whispered as if she was trying to keep the question between herself and the surprising apparition. His words that followed brought another squeak. This one less of fear and more of disbelief. He had actually responded. By appearing in her backyard. Was this magic? Could she do it?

Not really the right questions now.

"No."

Or the right word to say. Raising a hand up to smack herself in the forehead, Emily groaned.

"I mean, yes. I did. I um..." Turning, she pointed at the flowers. "I've been doing things like that since I was born and... and..." And what, Emily? "Am I in trouble?"

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

The spectral Strange smiled. He crossed his hands in front of his waist.

"Not a ghost, Ms. Bright. Though I can understand your confusion," he answered, glancing around her back yard and taking in the sights as though through his own mortal eyes. "This is my astral form, released from my physical vessel all the way back in New York. It's a tricky spell to master, but once you do, you find that distance, no matter how great, is never a detriment to you ever again."

Through his astral eyes, Strange could see hints of the eldritch energy that leeched off of Emily's person passively. Among all else, this much was clear; the girl held great potential in the palm of her hand, potential that could spiral out of control if not properly harnessed. He'd met budding sorcerers before, but none who had the raw power to cause life to spring up from the fertile ground spontaneously. And at such a young age, no less...

"No, dear. You're not in trouble," he assured her, leaning down to be more at eye level with the girl. When he grew closer to her, she could likely sense that he gave off no scent, no body heat; nothing that would betray his presence if he didn't wish it to be known. But there he was, nonetheless. "It's not fair to judge someone for something they know very little about. Clearly, these are confusing times for us both. Ever since I took the office of Sorcerer Supreme, more and more younger magic practitioners like yourself have been cropping up here and there. It's alarming, really."

Strange glanced at her dog. Attuned to the spiritual realm as they were, it was likely the dog could perceive Strange even though he only allowed himself to be seen by Emily. He looked back to her. "What you have is a very unique and precious gift, Emily. But it also carries with it a great burden of responsibility."

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

"Astral form... Oh, I read about that on the internet. I was going to try it but then..." The girl let her words trail off, not bothering to finish her thought. Here Doctor Strange, some big guy in the magic world, was actually sort of standing in her backyard and talking about responsibility and all she could do was spout off about learning things from the internet.

Admittedly it had worked with the flowers...

"I just mean... It doesn't really feel like a gift sometimes." Glancing around her yard for a second, the girl twisted her fingers and a stick she had spotted began to float between her and the intangible figure, a soft golden glow surrounding it. "I can't share it with anyone, and my parents are scared..." With a motion, Emily's fingers clenched into a fist, snapping the wood in half.

"And sometimes there's these... shadows, but not like normal ones. I just... I want to learn more, but also I'm worried that if I do, then maybe something bad's going to happen, like when..." Letting her hand open up, the teen glanced over at her dog as the now-twigs fell to the ground. "It's just really scary, you know?" she admitted out loud for maybe the first time in her life. "How do you um... how do you handle it all?"

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

Strange raised his brow. "I wouldn't always trust the internet when it comes to magical knowledge. Though, I will admit, things have gotten a lot better since the late 90's."

Strange watched with interest as Emily warped her eldritch energy around the stick. Through his astral form, Strange could sense and see the distortions caused by her manipulation of matter in the air; subtle, but clear as day. Despite her age, it seemed to be something that came to her as second-nature. Strange recalled a time when the Ancient One admitted that certain individuals were simply gifted with the ability to be sorcerers. Strange, himself, was one such individual, destined to become Sorcerer Supreme since before the day he was born.

While he paid little mind to the idea of predetermined fate, the Ancient One's words certainly seemed to hold merit in his experience. How else does one explain the existence of people like Wanda, and young Emily Bright?

His eyes narrowed at her mention of shadows, but that was a conversation for another time.

He smiled once more at her question. "Your fear is well-placed. When I was first learning the ways of the sorcerer, there were days when I felt like I might simply be better off abandoning the idea entirely. The training is brutal, the days long, and the risks tremendous. You live your entire life from that day forward understanding that you know so very little of the world around you, and no matter how much you do end up learning, it will never be enough.

"But, that's not all."

Strange's hands raised from his sides, and around himself and Emily, the world began to shift and distort in various esoteric ways. As though peeling off a bandage, reality seemed to bend backward and tear away, revealing the infinite cosmos beneath, the border between dimensions that was filled to the brim with the known and unknown. He and Emily -- and her dog -- stood within this vast infinity, though Strange took measures to ensure that her and her companion were not overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information within, shielding their minds via a simple spell cast simultaneously. What she saw, then, was a swirling vortex of universes that stretched out without end. In this world, they were weightless, unimpeded by the laws of the material. One felt as though they might be able to reach up and fly -- if there were any discernible sky.

"You learn that you're simply part of a bigger picture. I handle my duties by understanding myself to be unimportant in the grand cosmic scale," Strange explained, glancing around the nexus, "When you let go of the physical realm, and realize that your existence is defined by more than just your mind and body, you open your eyes to things that you never thought would be possible in your wildest dreams."

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

It took Emily an actual discernable effort to not defend the internet. She had basically grown up on it, after all, and before Strange, it was one of the only sources she had for what she could do. It had helped explain to her what magic was, that she wasn't a mutant or anything else. That there were energies out there and with the right focus she could manipulate them. Of course, for every flower growing spell she had found there, ten more failures preceded.

Not really a hill worth dying on.

So with a bite of her lower lip, the girl simply nodded to the Sorcerer Supreme's criticism of the source of humanity's knowledge, acquiescing that not all knowledge was equal. Then came his speech and with it the world around young Bright changed. Morphed. Everything that was wasn't and in its place was a true peek at the infinite cosmos that spread out for eternity.

Which mostly just left Emily's mouth open as she turned about in place, trying to absorb it all in at once. "This is so weird..." she whispered as Emma continued to lay against where the tree once was. Not seeming bothered in the least with the transformational nature of reality, the dog's only reaction was to open its mouth in a large yawn before rolling over to a more comfortable position.

Turning her attention back to the man, the young girl, with eyes wide, seemed almost at a loss for words. That wasn't a state of being that lasted for teenagers, though, and soon she had a hundred questions. "Does it ever get less weird? Or scary? Or... big?"

Three isn't a hundred, but she had to start somewhere.

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

"Weird, indeed. I've heard many that think they're clever call it strange," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

Strange gestured for Emily to follow as he began to "walk" across the vast expanse they found themselves within. Lights shined in the distance, stellar objects inconceivable distances away shot through the cosmos, and bizarre sights and sounds made themselves more apparent as they went. Strange crossed his wrists behind his waist.

"Like most things, it truly tends to only get more confusing the deeper you delve," Strange admitted, glancing down to Emily. "The most precious of cosmic mysteries are layered with questions so infinitely complex, it's a wonder those who study them don't collapse into insanity just from the mere thought of it...

"But, it isn't all so dramatic." Strange waved a hand, and a line of eldritch energy formed before their stride and stretched onward endlessly across the cosmos. It widened, and displayed a window-like view into their universe, onto earth, but wider; it displayed normal people going about their everyday lives from all corners of the planet, blissfully unaware. "These people haven't the slightest idea of the things you and I perceive, and yet they press onward anyhow. One could say a sorcerer is cursed with knowledge, but I tend not to look at any knowledge as a curse. It's a gift. And as defenders of reality, knowledge is undeniably our greatest weapon against the forces of evil. If I had to choose between a normal life and the one I lead now? Well, I would choose this every time -- complete with all the difficulties, hardships, and trials that come."

Strange smiled, glancing down to Emily. "It doesn't get less scary. But you will become more brave, and more capable, as time goes on."

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

The man that was (and wasn't) there began to walk through the space that wasn't (and was) there. Though he made no motion to have her follow, the young girl (that definitely was there unless she wasn't) moved to keep pace with him, her smaller frame having to step a bit quicker to keep up. Listening intently to the man's words, she allowed herself to nod attentively as he spoke, not wanting to interrupt the Sorcerer Supreme, opting instead to absorb as much of his words as possible.

When he paused to open up a window back from the world that was, Emily couldn't hold back a soft shudder. Perhaps it was because she had never experienced someone else doing magic nearby, or the strange reality in which they found themselves, but the Doctor's spells sent goosebumps up her spine.

A small, delicate hand reached out as if to touch the window as the elder spoke, but the young sorceress stopped herself short of actual contact.

"Defenders... of reality?" she finally spoke, her voice carrying as much a question as an attempt to absorb the title bestowed. "Is that what I am?" A soft frown creased the edges of her soft lips as she stared into the world revealed in the portal. It sounded so... important.

Emily Bright wasn't so sure she was that important.

Wasn't so sure she could defend herself all that well. Reality was a long way off.

Rather than wait for an answer to her question, the girl simply returned to her mental list of questions. Right at the top? "So how do I... learn all this? Like, people might notice if a weird ghost guy in a red cape starts showing up in my backyard all the time."

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

Strange looked down to Emily. He smiled, in an attempt to soften the blow and ensure her that it wasn't a terrible fate.

Though he understood well enough her trepidation. Such a tremendous purpose wasn't something that was easily understood nor accepted, especially to a girl her age. Moments ago, her life was normal, if a bit unique, what with her latent abilities. And here Strange had arrived, ghostly and transparent and ready to blow the hinges off of everything she thought she knew. It would certainly take some getting used to. Luckily, the Doctor was nothing if not patient.

"Well, if I truly wanted to go unseen by the material world, I could. In fact, no one except yourself could see me when we were in your yard just a minute ago," he replied, waving his hand once more. The line of energy "zipped" back up as though a window were closing, shutting off their view into the world and replacing it with the endless cosmos beyond. "Though that wouldn't be the most convenient nor most effective way of doing things. That much is for certain."

He glanced back down at Emily, and held out his hands. "What I need from you before we move any further is a promise, Ms. Bright. A promise that whatever may come in the future, whatever you might accomplish, that you won't misuse these talents."

Then, he lifted his hands in front of his chest. With a singular motion, sliding each hand across one another, the Eye of Agamotto opened and revealed a glowing inner light. "And understand that if your promise isn't truthful, I will know."

It wasn't a threat, moreso an insurance policy. If Strange was going to start training the future generation of Sorcerers, then he had to be sure that they were pure of heart and intention.

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

"That's a neat trick," the young Bright said as the Doctor explained that only she could see him when they were in the backyard... which apparently they weren't anymore. That last part somehow surprised her more than it should have. After all, they were in the wide open expanse of the universe and beyond and had just looked down at a city she didn't recognize. Still, some voice at the back of her brain told her it was a trick. Some sort of illusion...

If it wasn't, then where were they and how much were her parents going to ground her for going there with a stranger?

Then he asked for a promise, which answered a question she hadn't asked. He really was going to teach her. She just had to say she wouldn't misuse the knowledge. This brought her up short and she bit her lower lip as she thought. One question answered, so many more now to ask. Misuse them according to who? Some old guy she didn't know? Sure, he was a hero, an Avenger... she had reached out to him, but that didn't mean she knew him.

Would healing Emma count as misusing them? Would showing off a new trick to her mom and dad count?

Or did he just mean she shouldn't hurt people... reality with what he taught her? Defenders of reality... it was scary, but it also suggested a lot. She didn't know if she wanted something that lofty, but Emily Bright was also certain she wasn't looking to hurt people.

"I promise."

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

The Eye of Agamotto pulsated gently, rhythmically. The light it generated seemed to wash over Emily and see right through to her very soul, scouring it for any sign of deceit or corruption that may lay dormant. But much to Strange's relief, when she spoke her promise, swore herself to the purposes of good, it sensed nothing out of the ordinary. And the Light of Agamotto knew all, especially in cases such as this.

Though truth be told, Strange had a feeling about this one. Her innocence was almost overwhelming, and it made him glad to know that the powers he and other mystic masters held weren't inherited by those unworthy of such strength.

"You have a strong heart, Emily," Strange said with a smile as the amulet at his neck closed, "the Eye sees it. I see it, too. And that's a very good thing, because you're going to need it in the days to come if you wish to hone your abilities."

Strange lifted his hands, and the cosmic expanse around them began to retreat back from whence it came, out of their field of view. In its stead, reality folded back in as though walking from one room to the other; grass grew up over their feet, the sky appeared before their eyes, and a chirping bird was seen soaring overhead as everything went back to as it was. She could even feel the bright sun's warmth once again.

"You learn through practice, training, a good measure of discipline. Though that will hopefully develop over time as a matter of course," Strange explained. He stepped to the side and knelt down by the dog who still laid sprawled on the grass, either not noticing or not caring about their rapid change in scenery. He let a ghostly hand run over the dog's head, and the pup reacted as though he were actually there. He glanced up to Emily.

"How would you like to come learn how to hone your powers at a real, honest-to-goodness Academy?"

[Jaymi]

Oh the places you'll go, with your eyes so wide
With your heart in your hands, and your sword at your side
Oh the mountains you'll move, oh the tears you'll cry

---

Emily hadn't even realized her body had tensed up while she was thinking. By the time she made her promise, her fingers were clenched into tight fists held at her side and she stood tall. He was going to judge her, he had made that much clear, and no small part of her held defiant against such scrutiny, but she faced it head on. Even the glow of the light from the amulet about the man's neck didn't cause her to flinch.

Then it was done and she let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding in. All at once her body relaxed, fingers stretching as her shoulders slumped. Being stubborn was natural to the young Bright, and it was nothing compared to her mother, but it didn't mean it didn't come with some strain.

Then the doctor spoke once more and she didn't even attempt to hide the smile that lit up her face. It wasn't the compliment, and it certainly wasn't the list of things she needed. It was the invitation.

One she was ready to accept without a moment's hesitation.

"Yes!" The response came with a small bounce as her fingers found themselves folded together in front of her chest and she looked up at the man, excited. Excitement that quickly faded as she realized what it likely meant. "I... I mean... I really would, but I think... I think you might need to talk to my parents."

---

Oh the places you'll go...

[Ysmir]

"Some things can't be avoided... some things just have to be faced."

---

He'd faced monsters and rival magicians. Gods. Demons. Lords of the Netherworlds and rulers of dark dimensions of time and space where nothing good existed. He'd faced eldritch abominations sent to slumber in the deepest reaches of dark space. Fought in thousand-year wars between two warring factions of ancient monstrosities.

And for some reason, meeting a young girl's parents seemed more formidable than all of them.

"I had a feeling something like that might be necessary," he replied.

Light around his astral form distorted as many, many miles away, his physical body shunted back into action and was teleported instantly across that vast distance. Before Emily's eyes, Strange seemed to come into full being, the glowing, whispy trails of energy that made him up beforehand peeling away to reveal cloth and flesh. He adjusted the hem of his robe and smiled, his physical and astral forms becoming one once again.

"I figure things may be a bit less dramatic if I'm actually present for this meeting." Then, he looked down at his clothing. With but a thought, his sorcerer garb shifted into plainclothes of a far less magical nature. The Cloak of Levitation become an ascot around his neck, his robes became a trendy turtleneck sweater in a deep blue shade, and the Eye of Agamotto became a string pendant beneath the ascot. Strange cleared his throat and gestured forward across the yard.

"Please, lead the way."