chapter 234

Chapter 234:

–Earth Marvel–

The Ancient One:

'Fate is quite the intriguing thing…' The Ancient One thought to herself as she sat sipping tea across from her newest guest. A guest that she shouldn't have been meeting with for years yet, but his fate seemed to have been pushed forward. Whether it was by mere coincidence or the machinations of Higher Beings, the Ancient One didn't know or particularly care. Her decision had already been made, and she wasn't playing any of their games anymore.

A few hours ago, a man had shown up on the Kamar Taj's literal doorstep begging to be healed. He was a world-renowned surgeon whose hands had been recently crippled in a car accident, effectively ending his career. He wasn't supposed to have shown up for years still...

This man was originally meant to be her future successor. Now, however, the Ancient One wasn't sure what this man's destiny would turn out to be. Would he be a powerful sorcerer, or would he go back to being a world-renowned surgeon? Before a certain Fallen Angel stumbled into their reality, the Ancient One would have pushed for the man to pick the Arcane Path. Now, it didn't really matter which path he chose.

It was a bit cruel to say, but with the introduction of Heather Potter to the Kamar Taj, they no longer 'needed' Doctor Stephen Strange. There were many realities where he did a great job as the Sorcerer Supreme, but there were just as many where he ended up turning bad or making monumental mistakes. With Heather as her current apprentice, there was no need to take the risk on Stephen.

Before Layla arrived in this world from Earth DxD, the Ancient One had seen Heather's future. It wasn't anything spectacular. Heather was destined to defeat her mortal enemy Voldemort, and then she would spend the rest of her short life as an Auror, in The Wizarding World, chasing down future Dark witches and wizards. It would have been a thankless job that would have seen Heather struck down before the age of 40. Magical Britain would spend a few months mourning their hero before she would eventually be forgotten when that superstitious community ended up choosing a new Miracle Child to worship. That future had long since been changed.

Now, when the Ancient One looked at Heather's future, she saw so much more! Sometimes she saw Heather as the next Sorceress Supreme – one who was immortal and reigned for over 1000 years! Protecting the world from the shadows as the pinnacle of humanity! In other futures, she saw Heather Potter transformed into a Fallen Angel. With 12 majestic black wings, Heather served under her mother keeping order across the Multiverse while also leading the Kamar Taj and its new members. In futures where Heather chose to become a Fallen Angel, the Sorcerers ended up allowing other races to join them in protecting the Earth. It was true that only humans could effectively use Eldritch magic, but that didn't mean other branches of magic weren't equally useful in defending their reality from all the malevolent beings that wished to invade.

The Ancient One was a tad biased and could admit she wanted to see Heather stay as a human, but she couldn't deny the benefits of introducing the powerful members of other benevolent races into their ranks as well. The Supremes of the past would probably curse her from beyond the grave for spitting on humanity's legacy, but the Ancient One was practical. Human or Angel, she didn't actually care. She only wanted her successor to be someone who would never fail their job and let the world down.

"So, Mr. Strange? What can I do for you?" She asked the man sitting across from her. She noticed that his hands were trembling, and he looked out of sorts.

"It's Doctor Strange actually…" He replied in irritation. He clearly didn't like people not using his title. "...And I heard this place offers healing to those who can't be healed through other means? Is that true?" He asked skeptically.

She took a sip of her tea before setting her cup back down on the small table between them. "It is true. You certainly could be healed here. Very quickly, in fact," The Ancient One said as she felt her wards fluctuate. A familiar guest was soon to arrive. She looked back at Stephen. "The question is, do you wish to cure yourself or be cured by someone else?"

"I can cure myself?" Stephen asked. "How would that work exactly?"

"If you study here for the next few months, then I guarantee you'll be able to heal yourself."

"Months?" He didn't seem enthusiastic about that time frame. "And what if I let someone else heal me? Who would even be able to heal me? The best doctors and surgeons in the world, besides myself, of course, couldn't do anything for my hands," he told her.

She smiled at him cryptically. "If you wait a few more seconds, you'll find out all that you want to know."

"Ok…" He looked at her like she was crazy. She simply smirked. Unbeknownst to him, a purple portal had silently manifested directly behind.

Layla of the Fallen stepped out of the portal. The Ancient One had grown used to Layla randomly showing up whenever the Fallen Angel wanted to.

The Ancient One did raise an eyebrow at the entourage following behind Layla, though. Layla came back with multiple non-human tagalongs. All three of their auras felt incredibly dark. Normally, beings like this would never be allowed to set foot in Kamar Taj. The only reason the Ancient One didn't immediately throw them out was that they had arrived with Layla.

…

–Layla–

"Hello!" I greeted the Ancient One as I stepped out of my portal. "Oh, you have a guest? Sorry for interrupting."

The guest, who hadn't yet noticed me, startled in his spot! He spun around, and his eyes widened. "You're the Angel! The one from TV!" He looked familiar to me, but I don't think I'd ever met him.

"I have been known to occasionally appear on the news," I confirmed with a shrug. I stepped out of the portal as more people entered the room from the portal behind me.

"Hi, Master!" Heather greeted the Ancient One as she walked out of the portal with Asia.

"Hi, Miss Ancient One!" Asia waved at her enthusiastically. "And hello new person!" Asia said to the unknown man in the room.

"Hi?" He replied to her while focusing mostly on the portal next to me. He was looking at it in shock. This man was obviously not accustomed to the supernatural.

Rias, Sona, and Vali exited next before my portal closed right behind them.

We had made a quick stop, from what I was now calling (Earth DxD-C), to Earth DxD to pick up Emma. She was a bit peeved at being left in the underworld for a few days, but at least she had effectively used that time to make numerous connections among the Fallen Angels. According to her, she had interviewed a lot of my siblings over the past few days for various positions at Fallcorp. A lot of them actually want to work for my company, as it turns out. I sometimes tend to forget how popular I am amongst all my siblings. Emma wasn't feeling up for any more adventures, so I directly portaled her back to Penemue's office.

That was probably for the best since I figured this was going to be a tediously long day. There was going to be a lot of planning.

"Interesting company you're keeping these days," the Ancient One commented while looking at the three demonic beings in the room. Each of them squirmed slightly under her gaze. Her eyes glowed momentarily, and I could tell she was inspecting them closely. Under her gaze, Rias and Sona shuffled closer to me, while Vali gulped before taking a brave step forward.

"You're pretty strong, Lady? You want to fight?" Vali asked her challengingly. His nervousness was discarded in the face of a potential fight. He was a true battle junkie.

The Ancient One gave him a faint smile. "I'll pass, thank you. As you can see, I'm currently in the middle of entertaining a different guest." Vali scoffed but didn't ask again. He sat down in the corner with a huff.

My attention shifted back towards the man in the room. "Hello, I'm Layla of the Fallen. And who might you be?" I asked him.

He stood up and extended his hand for a shake. "My name is Dr. Stephen Strange."

Stephen Strange! So that's where I recognized him from! I didn't expect him to already be here in Kamar Taj, though. Doctor Strange's storyline shouldn't have occurred until after the first Avengers. I know I wasn't technically in the MCU, but the timeline had been somewhat consistent up until recently.

"You're the world-renowned brain surgeon, right? What are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, Asia stepped towards us. "You're a doctor? I want to be a doctor too when I grow up!" She said excitedly.

"That's nice," Stephen said dismissively to her. He then made a rude gesture, shooing her away as if she were a cat or something.

Asia immediately wilted at his dismissal, and I frowned at the good doctor. That was incredibly rude! She was on the verge of crying because of him!

The Ancient One spoke up. "Doctor Strange has come to us to be healed. I was just telling him that he could either spend a couple of months here studying to fix himself, or someone else could heal him," she explained to me.

"I didn't think this place had connections to the famous Angel Layla. No wonder the people coming here all end up with miracle cures," Stephen said to me. "Will you please heal me as well? No one else has been able to."

"No."

The room went quiet for a moment. The only sounds that could be heard were the snickering of Heather and Vali. Neither of them liked that Stephen had been so rude to Asia either.

"...No?" He asked me.

"I wont heal you." I told him.

"What do you mean you won't heal me!?" Stephen exclaimed, glaring at me. His humble attitude quickly vanished.

"You were rude to Asia just now, so no, I'm not going to heal you. If you had been nice to her, I would have considered it. Also, I know that you're a world-renowned brain surgeon, but you only work on patients you're sure you can save. You avoid taking risks with critical cases, fearing that failure might harm your famous career."

"T–that's... not true," Stephen stuttered. I knew he was lying. Everyone else in the room seemed to think so too, judging by the glares he was receiving.

"I thought good doctors were supposed to heal everybody?" Asia mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. While Asia could easily heal him, as her future aunt, I wasn't going to let him take advantage of her. He didn't get to be so rude to her and then expect her immediate help.

"They are, Asia. This guy's just a quack!" Heather pointed at Stephen.

He sputtered in indignation. "I'm not a quack! I'm the best brain surgeon in the whole damn world! So what if there are some patients I refuse to treat? There are plenty of other surgeons who do the exact same thing I do. Failed surgeries will ruin my reputation!"

"Wow, he actually admitted it." Heather remarked.

Stephen glared at her momentarily before turning back to me. "Are you really not going to heal me? Are you going to ignore all the lives I'll be able to save with my hands restored?"

He attempted to guilt-trip me, and I admit, it worked a tiny bit. Even if he only worked on patients he knew he could save, he still saved them at the end of the day.

Rias and Sona had been quiet so far, hiding behind me from the Ancient One's gaze. Rias peeked out from behind me. "I can heal your hands for you." She reached into a dark portal in front of herself, pulling out a small vial. "These here are Phenex tears. They can heal pretty much any injury besides restoring lost limbs or organs," she declared.

Stephen looked at the vial in her hand greedily. "Are you serious? That's unbelievable." He took a step towards her and reached his hand out for the vial.

Rias quickly pulled her arm back and smiled at him deviously. "Nuh uh, not so fast. We have to make a deal first. That's the only way I operate. My name is Rias Gremory, and I am a Devil."

Stephen blanched. "You want me to sell my soul to heal my hands!?"

The Ancient One sent me a glare now that she found out I had invited a Devil into the Sanctum, but I just gave her a wry smile.

Rias shook her head at him. "I don't want your soul. This single vial of Phenex tears cost my family $75 million USD. If you want it, it'll cost you $150 million. I'm in a new world and could use my own spending cash…" She said. Rias knew that I was a far better healer than the Phenex clan, so those tears were effectively worthless to her now. I have to admit, it was smart of her to sell them for a jacked-up price.

Stephen ignored her 'new world' comment and focused entirely on the monetary bit. "150 million!? I don't have that kind of money!"

Rias frowned. "You said you were the world's greatest brain surgeon though?" She slipped the vial back into her storage space in disappointment.

"I already spent my entire fortune paying people to fix my hands!"

"All those people failed to heal you, and you still gave them money? Clearly, you're bad at making deals." She looked at him pityingly.

"It's not about making deals; that's just how the US medical system works. They upcharge for everything." I told Rias who looked horrified.

"You know, it's pretty sad when the medical system in the literal Underworld is better than in America…" Sona commented. "Most medical treatments in the Underworld are free at this point. Only Phenex tears cost extra money."

Stephen was starting to look pretty desperate, and his face was turning redder from all of our comments.

"Layla, just heal the man." The Ancient One told me. If it was a request directly from her, then I reluctantly agreed.

Stephen let out a sigh of relief and then sent me a victorious smirk. He thought I was going to heal him for nothing. He was wrong.

"I'll heal your hands, but you have to do two things for me first." I told him.

"What are they?" He asked.

"First, you have to apologize to Asia for dismissing her dream, and second, you have to let her occasionally intern at your hospital. She has a busy schedule, but she can do it a couple of times a month at least." Asia smiled at me after I gave him my ultimatum.

"I agree." He said. He turned to Asia and gave her an apology that sounded about as heartfelt as a narcissist like himself could give. She accepted it wholeheartedly because that's just who she was. It didn't take more than a couple of seconds for my Purger of Darkness to completely restore his hands back to perfect condition.

"My hands! They're back! Thank you so much!"

I waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget your promise. Go get your job back at the hospital and make sure to tell them about Asia stopping by in the future." With that said, I waved my hand, and a portal opened up directly beneath his feet. Stephen let out a funny startled yelp right before he fell through it and disappeared from the room.

The Ancient One sighed. "I suppose the Surgeon won out over the Sorcerer in this timeline. Where did you send him?" The Ancient One asked me curiously.

"I didn't know where he worked or lived, so I just dropped him off right in the middle of Times Square. I'm sure he'll figure things out from there." I told her.

The Ancient One shrugged. Part of me was surprised that she didn't want Stephen Strange to stay in the Sanctum and learn to be a sorcerer. She seemed fine letting him go back to his old life in fact. I'd ask her about that later when everyone else wasn't around.

"Why don't we get to the heart of why you're here, Layla? And why did you think to bring two and a half devils directly into the Sanctum—a place that, I'll remind you, has been purging their kind from this dimension for years?"

Rias and Sona gulped after hearing that. Vali just scoffed again. "I'd like to see anyone try and purge me." he muttered challengingly.

"Have you been looking into the future lately?" I asked the Ancient One.

"I always do, but it's harder to glimpse whenever you're involved. Why do you want to know?" She replied.

I scratched my cheek. "Because Thanos is going to arrive on our world in less than 5 days…" I told her.

If looks could kill, I would be very dead right now…

"T-Thanos!? He's not supposed to show up for years! What the fuck did you do!?" She exclaimed while glaring specifically at me. That was one of the first times I'd ever heard her swear. She must be panicking for real. "Tell me everything immediately!" She demanded.

I spent the next hour giving her the full rundown on all the details of my past adventures that I had failed to tell her before. Thankfully, she had calmed down, when she heard that it wasn't our own universe's Thanos coming after us quite yet. Apparently, that guy was pretty terrifying. And that was coming from a stoic woman like her.

After my explanation, we started brainstorming responses to the coming threat. Obviously, we didn't want Thanos's giant alien army/ship attacking any major cities. The fight would need to take place somewhere remote, and the Ancient One needed to figure out how to make that happen. Theoretically, if she knew he was coming here, she could alter the barriers protecting our world to make his ship emerge in a place of her own choosing. That sounded like some pretty technical magic, so I'd let her work on that on her own.

The task she gave me was to inform Fury of the coming threat. I wasn't really expecting S.H.I.E.L.D. to make a difference, but the Avengers could be useful allies to have, at least. I also considered informing Hela, but I decided against it. Asgard had its own war coming up, and I didn't want any of her needed soldiers dying in my own war.

Despite that, I still had a couple of other options for groups I could ask for reinforcements. Wakanda could be one, but I honestly didn't want to be indebted to them. The other option I was leaning towards was a certain warmongering brother of mine and his legion of bloodthirsty Fallen Angels. They'd all been itching for a fight for well over a hundred years at this point, and I happened to have one for them…

…

"Welcome back, Layla. And you too, girls. We were all caught off guard when Layla decided to pull you both out of school randomly in the middle of the day." Frigga said as I stepped out of a portal into my penthouse's kitchen. She was sitting there having tea with Hestia and Natasha. Artemis was standing nearby in her sexy maid uniform, holding a tray like this was a cafe.

"Sorry about that. It was an impulsive thing to do. I know I probably caused a small panic at their high school." I replied.

"You did." Natasha said, nodding her head. "Half a dozen kids called the police thinking that the new students had been abducted by evil wizards or aliens…"

Whoops… Well, that happened, I guess. Heather and Asia were definitely going to get some weird questions from their classmates when they go back to school on Monday.

"Hi, Frigga! Hi, Hestia! Hi, Artemis! Hi, Natasha!" Asia greeted them all one by one with a smile.

"So, Layla… Who are your guests?" Natasha asked me. She glanced at Vali before quickly dismissing him. Her eyes specifically lingered on Rias and Sona for a moment before she gave me a judgmental glare. "Who might these two ladies be?"

I looked away from her judgmental gaze. If I could sweat, I'm sure I would be right now. Rias and Sona smiled awkwardly at everyone who was staring at them.

"This is Rias and Sona. They're both Mom's new girlfriends!" Heather exclaimed for me. Judging by the sly grin she just gave me, she was sowing chaos on purpose!

"Yay! New family members!" Hestia said sincerely. She really liked having a big family.

Frigga and Artemis looked shocked.

Natasha had doubled down on her glare at me. She could be a bit jealous as my only current human lover. It hadn't been long since Natasha had moved in with me, and I knew she would be upset with two more members of my harem living here now, especially since she knew nothing about them.

"Hi there. I'm Rias Gremory. It's nice to meet you all. Layla is currently helping me get out of an arranged marriage, and I find her quite attractive and don't mind dating her in return."

"Hello. I'm Sona Sitri. I'm also Layla's new girlfriend. I like to spend my time learning and studying magic. I like Layla because she is incredibly beautiful and has the most amazing magic I've ever heard of."

"You were gone for only a few days and came back with not one, but two new girls?" Natasha asked me while taking a deep breath.

"Yes…?"

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight…" Natasha told me.

"..."

XXX