The Man of Steel stirred, attracting all attention to himself. He opened his eyes and was greeted to the glorious ambiance in the room. He was already used to it, however.
"Wh-what happened?" He asked, looking at the vague figures before him. "D-d-did I save Gotham? Did I save Razake?"
Cyborg rushed to attend to Superman, who had finally managed to form words after a long slumber.
The mention of Razake by Superman hit Doctor Strange, as he digested what Order had just told him. Conscious Fragments? Could it be possible for someone to exist in such kind of a division?
But this wasn't just any someone. This was the Prime Sorcerer!
"You spoke of more than one fragment." Doctor Strange said to Order. "Just how many are there?"
Order looked at Doctor Strange and replied. "Judging by your time in DC, and all the characteristics you have portrayed, I would say that the initially dominant fragment is associated with chaos. Let's call that Razake, Chaos."
He continued. "Then, there was a lot of energy used in defeating Thanos, and the already fragile conscious might have fragmented further. I would say, Chaos split and formed Rage as Thanos was obliterated. But that one is hypothetical, however."
"So, a total of three fragments may exist." Order said.
Doctor Strange saw some sense in this. But he still wondered how Order knew about all this, yet he was trapped in Superman for that long. But then again, it was the mystic arts. Anything is possible.
Superman fully regained his consciousnesses to be greeted by the relieved faces of the Justice League.
"How are you doing, Clark?" The Green Arrow asked.
"I feel like I have been resurrected." Superman said. "I have never felt any better."
"It's good to have you back Sups." The Flash said.
For a moment, they all forgot about the commanding presence of Order, but Superman took notice.
"You all seem awfully comfortable with that-" he said, feebly lifting his hand to point at Order.
"You look familiar." He said as he scanned Order's face.
"Nice to see that you are looking good old-timer." Order said. "Sorry for what I might have put you through."
"Razake." Superman recognized. "Did you make it out, or are you a ghost now?"
Order gave Superman a reassuring smile, but he didn't reply directly.
Barry took the floor and said. "Someone explain what exactly is going on here, now that Clark is okay. Thanks by the way." He thanked Doctor Strange.
"Yeah. We could use a concise explanation." Oliver agreed.
It was now up to Doctor Strange to fully give the details about his travel from a different multiverse.
---
"The Prime Sorcerer." Batman seemed to have been intrigued by that title. "Multiverse... Crossover."
"That's how it is." Doctor Strange said. He had shared a lot of details about everything that had transpired to all the present members of the Justice League: Oliver, Barry, Manhunter, Supergirl, and, Batman.
"So you are saying that a piece of him is what nearly destroyed Gotham?" Batman asked, pointing at Order.
"More importantly," Oliver started, "he said that you being here is threatening."
"Not exactly." Doctor Strange said. He didn't believe everything Order had said, because he also happened to have read the Genesis Manuscripts: the ancient text from Marvel telling the destiny of the Prime Sorcerer.
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"What is it gonna be, Doctor Strange?" Order asked. "If I reunite with Chaos, I will take control and find Rage, then be complete as one."
Doctor Strange was a rational sorcerer, and normally, he would go for the right way, even if it meant sacrificing himself. But he couldn't go back to his Universe, since being here had broken the order in the Crossover, meaning that his soul didn't belong anywhere.
So Order had either lied about returning him to his Universe, or he didn't know that, by doing so, he would be dooming Doctor Strange.
But however, that wouldn't be a problem for Doctor Strange if it meant saving everything. And he had been in DC long enough to know that all was okay.
However, in recent times, something about Doctor Strange had changed.
Including being frustrated by Razake, Doctor Strange had turned to using the Darkhold to protect his soul from obliteration once the Will of Prime had left his conscious. He had been carefully learning about his story from Razake's memories, and he knew no matter what, he always made it out a hero.
That's why obtaining and using the Darkhold wasn't a major problem for him. He figured that things would workout.
But consequentially, he was now more inclined to following his dark impulses. Merging with Order meant that he could potentially lose control over the Will of Prime, and a chance to being even more powerful. That was unacceptable.
Besides, he could still realize the destiny of the Prime Sorcerer even with just 1% of his consciousness. That much he could tell.
"Sure. I will let you in." Doctor Strange said to Order as he set up the ritual to block his chakra.
"Wise choice from the Sorcerer Supreme." Order said. "I would expect nothing less."
But Doctor Strange wasn't about to block his chakra yet again. Instead, he would absorb Order and force him to unite with Chaos within him, while still maintaining control.
Order seemed to be well-versed in the art of being the Prime Sorcerer, and that would make for a good upgrade. He also appeared to be more powerful.
He started to cast the spell, sending some energy towards where Order was standing, ready to observe him. It was illusive in that, it would make one believe that Chaos was coming out of Doctor Strange.
But as soon as the energy hit Order, he felt the deceit, and quickly warded it off.
"Like I said, I have the true knowledge and power of Prime." Order said. "This deception is unexpected and beneath for you Stephen."
"Well, that won't stop me from harmonizing you with Chaos inside me." Doctor Strange said as he prepared a more powerful capture against Order.
The Justice League was a bit confused by this, unsure of what to do.
"This must be the doing of the Darkhold." Order said as he warded of the mystic energy approaching him. "But this is all nothing to me."
Order was fast, strategic and organized, and he moved quickly, chaining Doctor Strange with his white magic. Doctor Strange hardly noticed this until he was kneeling down on the floor.
"I guess I'll have to block your chakra myself." Order said. "Your probably know about the Avatar by now. It's one of my favorites. Remember how they take away someone's bending?"
Order waved his hand and Doctor Strange's jerked upwards.
"It didn't have to come to this, but you just had to push it." Order said. "Don't worry, I will take away the effects of the Darkhold and free you from this desire of being the most powerful."
Order stretched his hand, with his thumb sticking out. He was going to place it on Doctor Strange's forehead, and block his chakra, thereby removing his ability to do magic. Then he would quickly merge with Chaos as soon as he came out.
His thumb came close to touching Doctor Strange's forehead, but Doctor Strange was a force not to be messed with. He had recently acquired an upgrade that would make him a formidable force: Absolution.
A green aura flooded Strange's exterior and radiated the room, quickly sucking away the white light. As if they never existed, the shackles that had wrapped around Doctor Strange dispersed and he stood up.
Order had become aware of the existence of such a thing as anti-magic, and he knew that it was the one thing that he currently didn't stand a chance against.
So, quickly before Doctor Strange could use it against him, he zapped at the speed of light and disappeared from the Watch Tower. He would deal with Doctor Strange later, when he was ready.
For now, he needed to find a body, and he had in mind who the right candidate for that would be. The one other person who agreed with his ideals of maintaining order and harmony.
The one other person who was destined to become the Prime Sorcerer. He who had the wisdom of time, just like Order did. The Lord of Order - Dr. Fate.
And Order had a gift for him. Something precious that he had managed to take away from Doctor Strange, even before they had met. The Scroll of Dimensions, hidden by Felix Faust in Gotham City.
Finding it was easy for someone who knew what being the Prime Sorcerer meant.
But at the back of his mind, he knew that he needed to stop Chaos at all costs. Chaos had set up in motion a series of events that would bring a lot of disaster. The OmniSight Aegis was about to rampage the Earth.
The Ultimate Spell would undoubtedly backfire once it was activated. There was no telling whether Chaos would split even further, due to his lack of order. He couldn't exist all by himself, and Order knew that he needed to harmonize him.
He was glad that Doctor Strange had taken control for the moment, but he knew that that wouldn't last, especially if Chaos realized his true potential.
---
(Strange's Subconscious)
"So I am chaos? I see."