Alan believed the best way to capture Kaecilius at this moment was to intentionally expose a weakness—to bait Kaecilius into taking the hook.
He would use magic to conceal his aura, preventing Ancient One from using her scrying orb to locate his hiding place.
Additionally...
Through the incident with Kaecilius, Stephen Strange had come to an important realization and completely changed his current mindset. He began to take up the responsibility that came with being the Sorcerer Supreme.
Although it was somewhat cruel for Stephen Strange, becoming a sorcerer meant he had to let go of Christine.
He could never return to a normal life, and all of this would seem fantastical—unreal—to Christine.
It would be difficult for her to accept that the once-brilliant doctor had cast aside all the knowledge and expertise he once held… just to become a sorcerer.
"What you said… makes sense. Right now, that's indeed the best way to catch Kaecilius." Ancient One curled her fingers slightly and gripped her bone fan tightly.
At this moment, Alan also noticed that the Time Stone, which had always hung on Ancient One's chest, was no longer around her neck.
Could it be that the plot was progressing just as he intended? Stephen Strange should now be secretly studying the Book of Time Magic in the library.
…
In the library, while munching on a piece of fruit, Stephen Strange grew increasingly curious about the book Kaecilius had once tried to steal.
He wanted to understand what was in that book—what could be so enticing that it drove Kaecilius to betray Ancient One.
"Wong?" Stephen called out as he pulled the book from the shelf, glancing back to look for the librarian.
The library was empty, and Wong didn't respond.
"Probably went to the bathroom or something?"
Getting no reply, Stephen simply took the book and kept flipping through it while still chewing his fruit.
But when he came across a certain symbol in the book, his chewing stopped abruptly.
Stephen Strange realized—he had seen that symbol before!
He quickly looked up—and sure enough, the artifact displayed on the stone pedestal bore the exact same symbol as the one in the book.
The artifact seemed to emit a strange pull, and Stephen's feet began moving toward it involuntarily.
By the time he snapped out of it, the artifact was already hanging around his neck.
"Mordo said only those recognized by the artifact can use it… Well, I guess I'll give it a try," Stephen muttered, not really expecting it to work.
It wouldn't hurt to try. After all, Karl Mordo had said it took him half a year before he gained the artifact's recognition. Stephen had only just started his training, so it was likely he'd fail like before.
Stephen took a deep breath and followed the gestures from the book.
"Activate the Eye of Agamotto… Is this how the hand gesture goes?"
Half-skeptical, Stephen moved his hands as instructed, forming a cross in front of his chest. Suddenly, the Eye of Agamotto emitted a faint green glow.
The container began to rotate.
Seeing this, Stephen's excitement soared, his eyes quickly scanning the next steps in the book.
His hands rotated slowly, side by side, while a dark teal magical glow—like a string of spells—began to coil around his wrists. A magical sigil even appeared in the center of his palms.
"I can do this…" Stephen shrugged, encouraged by the unexpected success.