WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Strange Academy #7 by Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, Edgar Delgado, and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.

It should come as no surprise that secrets abound in the mystic corners of the Marvel Universe, frequently coming with world-ending potential attached to them. At Doctor Strange's New Orleans academy, the faculty is as open with their students as they can be, though that doesn't equate to being entirely honest about the nature of their abilities.

In Strange Academy #7, the students have been made aware that using magic comes with a cost, as well as the fact that the faculty has furloughed that cost through some unknown means. Thankfully, readers have finally gotten a glimpse at just how the Strange Academy has been providing for their wards. Unfortunately, it could come at the cost of the entire Marvel Universe.

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An encounter with the ancient and menacing Hollow left Doyle Dormammu dead and Emily Bright in a horrifying state, having lost all control of her powers and on the verge of a mystical meltdown. Even after getting the students back to the academy grounds and with all hands on deck, there is nothing that Strange or the rest of the staff can do on their own to save the powerful young mage. With time running out and nowhere else to turn, Doctor Strange takes Emily to the only being he can think of with the power to save her, one he is already deeply indebted to.

Even with Zelma's objections, Doctor Strange ferries Emily Bright away in a hurry, bringing her to the realm of Hoggoth, one of the three Vishanti. The Vishanti, ancient beings who protect Earth from supernatural threats as well as acting as patrons for the Sorcerer Supreme, have existed for as long as life on the planet itself has, if not longer. Hoggoth in particular is the last remaining god of an alien pantheon long forgotten. When Oshtur, one of Earth's elder gods, met Hoggoth on her travels, the two learned from each other and formed a friendly bond that led Hoggoth to follow Oshtur back to our world. As Doctor Strange implores Hoggoth to save Emily's life, it becomes perfectly clear that the elder god himself has been eating the cost of the school's unending source of mystic energies, and he isn't pleased that Strange has come asking for yet another favor.

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While Hoggoth begrudgingly does as Doctor Strange asks, it isn't because he wants to. During their conversation, Hoggoth questions whether or not he has made a grave mistake in entrusting Doctor Strange with as much power as he has, to which the Sorcerer Supreme reminds the tiger god that they are both well aware of what is coming their way. And without all hands on deck, they could very well be fighting a losing battle.

It isn't particularly shocking to learn that Doctor Strange has yet another secret he has kept hidden from his young wards, and likely the rest of the faculty, but it is surprising that something so dire could be on the way that even one of the Vishanti is willing to give in to Strange's demands in the hopes of staving it off. Whatever the two of them are looking forward to facing off against, they should probably get that information out in the open. After all, they already know the consequences of keeping the next generation of Marvel mages in the dark.

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