บท 36: The One with Two Strongest Sorcerers
Satoru Gojo lay on the metal slab, his body still adjusting to the sterile, futuristic environment of the Helicarrier. His Six Eyes scanned the room, cataloging everything with precise clarity despite his lack of cursed energy. Cold light flickered above, casting sterile shadows on the sleek walls. The room had the efficiency of a machine, devoid of any warmth or emotion—much like the men and women who had captured him.
For the past few hours, Gojo had endured silence. No one had entered the room after his initial interrogation by Fury and Romanoff. They had poked and prodded, clearly not fully understanding who or what he was. Without cursed energy and missing his right arm, Gojo felt like an animal caged in a zoo.
The door slid open with a mechanical hiss, breaking the silence.
A man stepped through, wearing a long, flowing cloak with intricate golden trim. Gojo immediately sensed something different about him—this wasn't just another SHIELD agent. The man carried himself with the grace of someone who had seen beyond the limits of the mundane world.
Gojo's Six Eyes flared as he scanned the man's aura. There is some sort of energy inside him but what amazed him was the sheer volume of that energy. It was different from what he was used to. Ancient, structured, and steeped in things he didn't recognize.
The man spoke, his voice calm but authoritative. "You've caused quite a stir, haven't you?"
Gojo raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting the man approach. He had learned long ago that silence often disarmed his opponents faster than any verbal retort.
The man circled the table, finally stopping at Gojo's side, looking down at him with a critical eye. "Satoru Gojo, right?"
Gojo grinned, masking his irritation. "You know my name. I didn't catch yours."
"I'm Doctor Stephen Strange," the man said simply, his tone calm but edged with authority. He leaned over slightly, his gaze assessing. "You're in quite the predicament, aren't you?"
Gojo chuckled, shifting his weight slightly on the slab. "Yeah, you could say that."
Strange didn't respond right away. "You don't belong here. And people like you are… often unpredictable. Dangerous, even."
Gojo's smile didn't waver, but inside, his mind raced. This wasn't a regular interrogation. Strange clearly knew more than eye-patch guy or leather-tights lady. He had that air about him.
"What can I say? I'm full of surprises," Gojo said, still playing it cool. His left arm ached where his right should have been, and the absence of his cursed energy gnawed at him. But he wasn't about to give Strange the satisfaction of seeing him rattled.
Strange continued. "I've encountered beings like you before. Travelers who cross dimensions, often unaware of the chaos they leave in their wake. You might think you're special—unique—but I've seen far worse than you."
Gojo's eyes narrowed. The calm, almost condescending tone Strange used stirred something in him. He had faced enemies no mortal could stand against. And yet, here he was, powerless and treated like some kid who didn't know better.
"Nice pep talk," Gojo replied smoothly. "But I'm not interested in joining your club."
Strange smiled, though it was more of a smirk. "You're not here for an invitation. You're here because your presence is a threat. And I'm trying to understand what kind of threat you pose."
Gojo sat up, though the movement sent a sharp pain through his missing arm. He didn't let it show. "What makes you think I'm a threat? I've been minding my own business."
Strange's expression darkened. "Beings who travel across dimensions are often the most dangerous, whether they realize it or not. You don't understand the multiverse, Gojo. You think your world is all there is, but there are countless worlds beyond yours. Some are just as fragile as your own, and the wrong move can tear them apart."
Gojo's grin faltered slightly. The multiverse? That was just a theory in Gojo's head he concocted to explain Lockhart's existence but it being true made Gojo feel various emotions. The thought of other realities, other worlds, both intrigued and unnerved him. And if Strange was right, it also raised a disturbing question: what else he didn't know?
Still, he wasn't about to let Strange see that he was rattled.
"Multiverse, huh? So I'm in a different world now?" Gojo leaned back, forcing the nonchalance to return. "Do I get a visa or am I being deported?"
Strange wasn't amused. He flicked his wrist, and the glyphs twisted into more intricate shapes, spinning faster. "This isn't a joke, Gojo. You were captured after a battle with a Basilisk—a creature that doesn't belong in this world. And yet, here you are, missing an arm and without your powers."
Gojo's expression stiffened, that would Lockhart wasn't from this world either. He forced a smile. "Basilisks aren't exactly something I deal with daily. Things got messy."
Doctor Strange paced slowly around the room, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. Strange's voice cut through the quiet once again, this time with a more somber tone.
"You're not the only one affected by the Basilisk," Strange began, his gaze hardening. "When that creature was teleported onto the Helicarrier with you and Gilderoy, it wreaked havoc. Several SHIELD agents were killed before anyone could react. A single into the eyes of that thing was enough to drop even the strongest of men."
Gojo frowned, leaning forward slightly. This was news to him. He had been unconscious when the teleportation occurred, only waking up here in the sci-fi prison.
Strange continued. "One of the people caught in the attack was a young hero—Luke Cage. He tried to stop the Basilisk, but its fangs sank into him, injecting poison that could kill anyone, no matter how invulnerable they think they are."
"Luke Cage?" Gojo's brow furrowed.
"Cage has near-impenetrable skin," Strange explained, "but even that wasn't enough. The Basilisk's venom doesn't just attack the body—it breaks through every defense, magical or physical. I got there in time to freeze the poison in his body, but it's just a temporary solution. He's still unconscious, and I'm not sure how long I can keep the venom at bay."
Gojo listened, the gravity of the situation settling in. If Strange hadn't arrived in time, Luke Cage would have been dead. The Basilisk's venom wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"And yet here you are," Strange said, fixing Gojo with a pointed look. "I can tell you were affected by the poison. Your body was under its influence when we found you. But somehow, you survived. So tell me, how did you manage that? What did you do to neutralize the venom?"
Gojo's smirk faded, replaced by something more contemplative. Strange was right—Gojo had been hit by the Basilisk's poison, though the memory of it was hazy. The pain, the burning sensation as the venom coursed through his veins... He had been on the edge of death before everything went black.
And then, Gilderoy.
"It wasn't me," Gojo admitted after a long pause, his voice quieter than usual. "It was Gilderoy. He made me drink something. I don't know what it was, but it worked. The poison stopped spreading after that."
Strange raised an eyebrow. "Gilderoy saved you?"
"Yeah," Gojo said, though there was a hesitation in his voice.
Strange's gaze remained fixed on Gojo, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes—curiosity, maybe even understanding. "So you're unsure about him."
"So, Luke Cage is still unconscious?" Gojo asked, steering the conversation back to the snake.
Strange nodded. "For now. I'll be monitoring him, but unless we find a permanent solution to neutralize the poison, his condition could worsen. He's stable, but that won't last forever."
Gojo leaned back, the weight of the situation settling over him. Gilderoy had saved him from the poison, but if Luke Cage was still in danger, there was no telling what might happen next.
"what about the serpent?what happened of it?"Gojo asked.
"I trapped it inside the mirror dimension" Strange replied
Not being knowing what that means gojo didn't asked any further.
Strange said, his voice edged with a hint of sharpness. "I have another question for you: who is Gilderoy Lockhart?"
The name hit Gojo like a punch in the gut, though he didn't let it show. He kept his face neutral, but his mind raced. Lockhart—that snake. Gojo had met him before, briefly, though he hadn't known much about him. Just some flashy sorcerer with a lot of talk and little substance. But now, with Strange mentioning him, it made Gojo rethink everything.
"Lockhart? He's a clown," Gojo said, downplaying it. "Why are you asking me about him?"
Strange's eyes narrowed, as if he sensed Gojo was holding something back. "I don't know much about him. But I've seen the patterns. Beings like him… they travel between worlds, collecting power, manipulating events. He might seem harmless, but men like him are far more dangerous than they appear."
That confirms Gojo's theory of Gilderoy Lockhart being a world-traveller. Gojo's mind flashed back to the Basilisk.The timing, the strange events… it was too much of a coincidence.
Strange continued. "Gilderoy Lockhart is the kind of person who hides behind charm and theatrics, but I've seen the damage his kind can cause. Men like him use others—like you—as pawns in their games. And you, Gojo, might just be caught in his web."
Gojo's gaze darkened. He had already been doubting his involvement in the Basilisk battle, but now Strange was confirming it. He wasn't just a victim of random events—he was part of something much larger. And if Lockhart was involved, it meant trouble.
"So you think Lockhart set me up?" Gojo asked, his voice colder now.
Strange's response was measured. "I'm saying that people like him don't make mistakes. Everything is deliberate. If you ended up here, it's because someone wanted you to."
Gojo clenched his fist, his frustration boiling over. He was the strongest sorcerer in his world, but now he was being played like a fool. And Lockhart… that bastard was likely pulling the strings from the shadows.
Strange stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "You need to understand, Gojo. The multiverse is dangerous. There are forces at play that even you don't understand. And if you keep pretending you can handle everything on your own, you'll end up as just another casualty."
Gojo's grin was gone now, replaced by a steely resolve. "You think I'm a kid who doesn't know better. But I've faced worse."
Strange nodded. "Perhaps. But you're not in your world anymore. And here, power means nothing without knowledge."
For a moment, the two strongest sorcerers of their respective worlds stood in silence, the tension between them palpable. Gojo's mind was racing with everything Strange had said—the multiverse, Lockhart's manipulation, the possibility that he had been nothing more than a pawn.
But Gojo wasn't one to sit quietly and be played. He might be vulnerable now, but that wouldn't last.
"I'll tell you this," Gojo said finally, his voice calm but laced with determination. "Lockhart might be playing his games, but I'm not someone you can underestimate. I don't care what world we're in."
Strange met Gojo's gaze, his expression unreadable. "Then I suggest you start figuring out the rules of the game before you become the one being played with."
With that, Strange turned and walked toward the door, the glyphs disappearing as he moved. The door slid open, and before he stepped through, he paused.
"One more thing, Gojo. Beware,the multiverse has a way of revealing the worst in people."
The door slid shut, leaving Gojo alone in the cold, sterile room once more. But this time, his thoughts were anything but quiet.
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