CHAPTER 3

“How many lives have you saved, Stephen?” a soft voice whispered into Doctor Strange's ear, startling him. He turned to see who it could be, but no one was there. Someone new was with him on the Astral Plane. The voice grew angry. “Master of the mystic arts? Ha! You are not worthy of the power you wield!”

Doctor Strange felt uneasy. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it. Even in his astral form, Strange could feel the room getting colder. Dark shadows danced across the walls in front of him. “Show yourself, whoever you are!” he shouted. Soon the shadows began peeling away to become slithering snakelike creatures. “By the Vishanti,” he muttered under his breath.

“The Vishanti can't help you now,” the mysterious voice replied.

The shadow creatures taunted Strange as their hissing grew louder and louder. Sensing danger, the Cloak of Levitation quickly surrounded Doctor Strange's physical body, shielding it from danger. “Let the light of the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto blind you, creatures of the dark!” Strange ordered sternly. The cloak's amulet released a flash of blinding white light, burning the shadow creatures and causing them to sizzle. They scattered back into the walls, but the whispers continued.

“You doubt yourself, Strange. I see magic is taking its toll on you,” the voice said. “Why not relax and take the vacation of your dreams?”

At last! Doctor Strange knew exactly who he was dealing with: Nightmare, ruler of the Dream Dimension. Nightmare was a ghoulish villain who delighted in tormenting his enemies with their deepest and darkest fears. He wished to feed on those fears and use them to increase his power. He often hid on the Astral Plane, lying in wait to strike Strange at his weakest moment. He was close to getting his wish.

“Do not mock me, Nightmare!” commanded Doctor Strange. The shadow creatures appeared again, swarming Strange's astral form from behind and grabbing him tightly. He struggled to break free, but their grip tightened.

At last, Nightmare showed himself. He stared at Doctor Strange, tilting his head ever so slightly. He was looking for fear. Nightmare snapped his fingers and a vision of the past appeared in front of Doctor Strange. It was an image of his early days as a young doctor. It had brought him great joy to save lives using the skills he learned in medical school, but a terrible accident had changed all that. He lost the use of his hands and was no longer able to perform surgery. It hurt Strange to be reminded of his past in such a way.

“My powers have grown since last we tangled,” Nightmare sneered. “Look at your past, Stephen. See your fear. See your pain!” The happy visions swiftly became darker. Doctor Strange watched his younger self grow frustrated, struggling to hold a scalpel. It made him angry.

“You won't scare me, Nightmare. I fought through my pain. It made me stronger,” Strange growled. “And when I break free, I'll show you just how strong I've become.”

Nightmare let out a loud belly laugh, savoring the moment. Strange, however, saw an opportunity. He looked around the room, scanning it for items he could use to escape. Aha! The Sword of Ultimate Shadow would do the trick. It was housed in a glass case nearby. Strange focused his mental energies and commanded the sword to leap from the case and cut him out of the shadow creatures' grip. The sword did just that, and soon Doctor Strange's astral form was free at last. He grabbed the weapon and gripped it tightly, preparing for battle.

“Clever, clever,” said Nightmare. “Your magical items come in quite handy. I hope no one ever steals them. Then you'd be in real trouble.”

Could Nightmare be behind the dark magic Doctor Strange had sensed? He was certainly powerful enough; that much was obvious. “The world of magic is unbalanced. What do you know of it?” demanded Strange.

Nightmare cackled heartily once again. “Ha-ha-ha! Magic is always unbalanced! Magic is always uncertain! That is its nature, fool!”

Doctor Strange became impatient. “Why are you here, Nightmare? Reveal your true intentions or leave the Astral Plane at once!”

“My intentions were simply to test your mettle,” said Nightmare. “You'll soon face a much bigger challenge than I present. The question remains: Will you rise to the occasion?”

Nightmare slithered his thin frame through the air toward Doctor Strange. “Your fears were delicious. I look forward to dining on them again soon,” he said before evaporating.

Doctor Strange's astral form soon rejoined his physical body as he returned to the Earthly Plane. He was exhausted by Nightmare's taunting. In fact, it had made him quite hungry.

Wong sensed his friend was in need and rushed into the room to check on him. “Are you all right?” he asked. “I heard some commotion.”

“I'm fine,” replied Strange, out of breath. “I think I'll have some of that soup now.”