Chương 130: Chapter 130: Stephen's First Magical Experience 

Returning to Kamar-Taj, Luke strolled toward the Ancient One's private pavilion. Given the timeline, he assumed she was currently formally instructing Stephen Strange in the mystic arts. As the primary financial sponsor and 'battery' for Kamar-Taj, Luke felt it was his absolute duty to personally inspect the training progress of the future Sorcerer Supreme. 

Walking into the serene courtyard outside the pavilion, Luke observed the Ancient One actively demonstrating foundational Kamar-Taj spellcasting—specifically, Eldritch Magic shaping—to an incredibly skeptical-looking Stephen. 

Honestly, considering the Ancient One practically exclusively utilizes melee-focused, highly structured Eldritch Magic shaping... why did Doctor Strange eventually devolve into a chaotic, ranged-DPS mage constantly throwing random magical spells and cosmic artifacts during his fight with Thanos? Did he completely skip the melee combat curriculum? 

Luke shook his head, tossing the random thought aside, and watched as Stephen frowned deeply, staring at the complex, glowing black Eldritch mandala the Ancient One had just conjured. 

"Is something wrong?" the Ancient One asked, slightly puzzled by his reaction. Logically, Stephen should be staring in absolute, mind-boggling awe at the physical manifestation of magic. 

"Uh... I just find it highly inconsistent," Stephen said, his trembling hands gesturing vaguely toward the main courtyard. 

"When I was walking through the primary training grounds this morning, I observed the other disciples practicing. The magical energy they were conjuring was uniformly a glowing, bright golden-orange color. So... why is your specific magical energy completely pitch-black?" 

The Ancient One paused, genuinely surprised. Of all the incredible, reality-shattering things you just witnessed, you're focused on the color palette? 

Recovering her composure, the Ancient One noticed Luke casually leaning against the doorframe, a highly amused smile on his face. She smiled back. 

"Perhaps it would be best if our primary benefactor explained the discrepancy to you directly." The Ancient One gestured gracefully toward Luke. 

Stephen turned around, staring at the man he had seen earlier. 

"I came here expecting to quietly observe the training session, but apparently, I've just been drafted as a guest lecturer?" Luke sighed helplessly, walking over and casually sitting cross-legged on the floor beside them. 

The Ancient One gestured to Luke. "Stephen, allow me to formally introduce Lord Luke." 

"Greetings, Sorcerer Luke," Stephen said respectfully. Having witnessed Luke's terrifying strength when he effortlessly pinned him to a chair, Stephen wasn't about to be arrogant. 

However, before Luke could respond, the Ancient One corrected him. 

"Actually, Stephen, his primary classification is not a sorcerer. He is formally recognized as a Dimensional Lord. 'Sorcerer' is merely a casual, secondary title he occasionally adopts." 

Stephen stared at Luke in absolute, mind-boggling shock, his eyes wide as if he were examining an incredibly rare, highly dangerous mythological beast in a zoo. A literal Dimensional Lord?! Sitting cross-legged on a wooden floor drinking tea?! 

Noticing Stephen's highly intense, slightly dissecting gaze, Luke silently, aggressively raised his fist. 

"Uh, my apologies," Stephen quickly raised his trembling hands defensively, executing a flawless, highly practiced French military salute (surrender). 

Luke sighed heavily and looked at the Ancient One. "Is it too late to find a different successor? I think this one's defective." 

"I'm afraid the timeline is quite fixed," the Ancient One smiled serenely. 

"Alright, fine. I guess we're stuck with him," Luke shrugged helplessly. 

Stephen glanced nervously between the two of them, feeling highly anxious regarding their cryptic banter. "Uh, excuse me? Are you discussing expelling me already?!" 

"No, Stephen. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with right now," the Ancient One reassured him calmly. "Now, regarding your previous question. Please, ask Lord Luke." 

Stephen nodded, refocusing his analytical mind. "I was inquiring as to why your specific magical constructs manifest as black energy, whereas the other disciples utilize golden energy." 

The Ancient One nodded toward Luke. "The answer to that question is sitting right next to you." 

"As a fundamental requirement for mastering the mystic arts, you must first understand the absolute, universal law of energy conservation. Energy cannot simply be created from nothingness. To acquire the massive quantities of raw magical energy required to cast spells, sorcerers must formally forge pacts and actively siphon energy from various external, highly powerful extra-dimensional entities." 

The Ancient One pointed to Luke. "Prior to Lord Luke's sudden arrival, the vast majority of Kamar-Taj sorcerers were forced to utilize highly dangerous, often parasitic pacts, trading pieces of their own souls, lifespans, or other abstract concepts in exchange for raw energy from various cosmic entities." 

Stephen frowned deeply. "I've heard countless religious zealots claim that their gods benevolently bestow miracles upon them. But the concept of 'gods' actively parasitizing their followers like blood-sucking leeches is certainly a new, highly disturbing perspective." 

"To be absolutely clear, we are absolutely not their followers. We are their sworn enemies!" the Ancient One corrected him sharply, her tone incredibly serious. "The vast majority of those extra-dimensional entities are cruel, infinitely greedy demons who would gladly devour humanity given the chance. You can accurately conceptualize them as massive, cosmic parasites actively attempting to attach themselves to the material plane to siphon our reality's life force." 

Luke: Wow. I feel incredibly, personally attacked by that analogy. 

"Is that so?" Stephen realized the Ancient One was entirely serious. He suddenly slowly, very cautiously turned his head to look at Luke. 

Luke scowled deeply. What's with that look, buddy? You think I'm a cosmic parasite?! 

"Ah, my apologies. I must clarify," the Ancient One quickly corrected herself, noticing Luke's irritation. "Naturally, not all Dimensional Lords are hostile parasites. Lord Luke is a highly unique entity; his dimension is entirely self-sustaining and passively generates limitless energy without requiring parasitic attachment to the material plane. Furthermore, he has incredibly generously agreed to a formalized, highly beneficial contract with Kamar-Taj, providing us with a massive, absolutely pure source of dark energy." 

"However," she continued, "Because his passive energy generation is currently finite, he cannot infinitely supply the entire Kamar-Taj roster yet. Therefore, he has currently only established formalized pacts with a select number of senior sorcerers—including myself. Because we utilize his specific, pure dark energy, our magical constructs naturally manifest as pitch-black, distinguishing us from the disciples still utilizing the ambient, golden cosmic energy." 

Hearing the Ancient One describe him as 'incredibly generous' and 'selfless,' Luke awkwardly pursed his lips. Honestly, the only reason I initially agreed to supply Kamar-Taj with energy was to desperately bribe the Ancient One into not dying and abandoning me to deal with Thanos alone. My motives were incredibly selfish. 

Seeing Luke blushing slightly from the unearned praise, Stephen shot him an incredibly suspicious, highly analytical glare. He's definitely hiding something. 

"What? You still suspect I'm a demon trying to steal your soul?" Luke aggressively glared back, engaging Stephen in an intense staring contest. 

Watching the two grown men childishly glaring at each other, the Ancient One shook her head helplessly. "Do you have any further questions regarding foundational theory, Stephen?" 

Successfully refocusing Stephen's attention, he quickly mentally reviewed the highly complex somatic gestures the Ancient One had utilized to conjure the Eldritch mandala. 

He looked down at his severely trembling, heavily scarred hands with profound despair. 

"Master, I must be realistic. In my current physical condition, it is biologically impossible for my hands to execute those highly intricate, rapid somatic gestures with the required precision. What exactly am I supposed to do?" 

Before the Ancient One could answer, Luke interrupted. "Wait, you guys actually use those ridiculous hand gestures to cast spells?" 

Ignoring Stephen's confused expression, Luke continued. "Isn't magic basically just clapping your hands together and visualizing what you want to happen?" 

To perfectly demonstrate his point, Luke casually clapped his hands together once. Instantly, an incredibly complex, multi-layered, terrifyingly powerful dark energy mandala flared to life in the air directly beside him! 

Stephen gasped sharply, staring at the complex magical construct in absolute awe. Is that the true pinnacle of magical mastery?! Effortless, instantaneous casting?! 

The Ancient One shot Luke a highly exasperated look. Could you please stop actively attempting to ruin my curriculum by showing off?! 

She turned back to Stephen, offering a patient explanation. "While it is technically possible to instantly conjure and manipulate highly complex magical arrays entirely through sheer force of will, doing so requires an absolutely profound, masterful comprehension of magical physics and flawless, instinctual control over raw energy flow." 

With a casual, effortless wave of her hand, the Ancient One instantly conjured a matching, equally complex dark energy mandala. 

"However, for absolute beginners, utilizing specific, highly structured somatic gestures acts as a necessary physical catalyst to help focus the mind and direct the flow of energy. By establishing deep, physiological muscle memory for specific spells, a sorcerer can reliably and rapidly execute complex magic even in highly chaotic, incredibly stressful combat environments where conscious concentration is difficult." 

Stephen nodded slowly in understanding. He was about to ask another question, but Luke dismissively waved his hand. 

"That's true for normal beginners. But Stephen literally spent time soaking in the pure, highly concentrated aura of my Dark Dimension yesterday! His innate affinity for my specific dark energy should be significantly elevated! He should theoretically be entirely capable of bypassing the physical catalysts and utilizing pure willpower to manipulate my energy!" 

The Ancient One frowned slightly. In her precise, Time Stone-verified calculations, Stephen's very first successful spell—a highly unstable, basic Sling Ring portal—was supposed to occur only after she aggressively stranded him on a freezing, lethal Himalayan peak, forcing his survival instincts to override his rational mind. Conjuring a stable Eldritch mandala was a significantly more advanced technique! 

"Given that you specifically recruited him, his innate mystical potential must be absolutely staggering," Luke argued, looking at the Ancient One. "Coupled with the 'Dark Energy Bath' he received, I'm highly confident he can achieve instantaneous casting." 

"Excuse me, what are you two talking about?" Stephen interrupted, highly confused by their cryptic debate. 

"You're saying... my mystical potential is 'absolutely staggering'?" Stephen asked, a spark of his old arrogance returning. 

"Obviously," Luke nodded firmly. "Do you honestly believe the Sorcerer Supreme personally tutors just any random idiot off the street?" 

Stephen blinked, looking at the Ancient One in genuine surprise. He had simply assumed personal instruction from the Master was standard Kamar-Taj protocol; he had literally seen her briefly lecturing another disciple that morning. 

"Lord Luke is entirely correct. Your innate potential is truly exceptional," the Ancient One admitted, deciding to simply lean into Luke's interference. 

"So... you're suggesting that I currently possess the capability to execute effortless, instantaneous casting just like the two of you?" Stephen asked, his eyes lighting up with genuine excitement. 

"Precisely," Luke confirmed confidently. In Infinity War, this guy literally just casually waved his hands to summon massive, multi-layered defensive arrays to block Thanos's attacks. His innate talent is absurdly high. 

"Shall we test the theory?" Luke asked, his eyes locking onto the Ancient One. 

The Ancient One closed her eyes briefly, rapidly recalculating the temporal variables. She eventually nodded. She fundamentally believed Stephen would become the greatest Sorcerer Supreme in history; testing his limits early wouldn't necessarily break the timeline. 

Seeing the Ancient One agree, Stephen smiled proudly. However, seeing both of them staring at him intently, he quickly dropped the arrogant smirk. 

"Alright. So, what exactly is the first step?" 

Luke smiled sadistically and stepped closer to Stephen. "The first step is formally signing an employment contract with me." 

Luke aggressively jammed his index finger directly onto Stephen's forehead! 

Stephen felt an incredibly powerful, cold surge of alien energy violently invade his mind! He involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut, and his consciousness was instantly, forcefully dragged into a pitch-black, mental void. 

"Whoa, okay. This aesthetic is becoming highly familiar," Stephen muttered nervously, looking around the infinite darkness of his own mindscape. 

"Stephen Strange," a familiar, booming voice echoed from directly behind him. 

"Luke?" Stephen spun around. His jaw instantly dropped in absolute, primal terror. 

A colossal, terrifyingly massive, multi-limbed, nightmarish entity towering several meters tall stood directly behind him! 

Luke, currently occupying his fully unlocked 'Dimensional Lord' true form within the mental space, smiled terrifyingly down at the insignificant mortal. 

Having unlocked and integrated the biological traits of his elite Shadowkhan, Luke's true form was incredibly imposing. He was clad in the impenetrable, hyper-dense exoskeleton of the Crab Ninjas. His lower body had merged into the massive, hyper-muscular serpentine tail of a Squid Ninja. Two massive, razor-sharp scythes (from the Scythe Ninjas) protruded violently from his back, forming a terrifying, skeletal set of wings that could detach into dual death-scythes. 

Furthermore, he had successfully integrated the terrifying 'Devouring' attribute of the Shadow-Eater! While the Shadow-Eater consumed biological shadows, Luke could actively consume raw dark energy to temporarily, massively increase his physical size and mass. 

Although he hadn't actively engaged the gigantism ability, his baseline five-meter-tall true form was more than sufficient to completely paralyze Stephen with absolute fear. 

"Stephen Strange. Do you formally consent to this pact? I shall provide you with limitless dark energy in exchange for your service," Luke rumbled, slightly lowering his terrifying, armored head to lessen the sheer oppressive aura crushing the doctor. 

Stephen, desperately fighting down the urge to scream, managed to frantically nod his head in absolute agreement. 

Luke offered a highly sinister, evil chuckle, instantly filling Stephen with profound dread. 

"Excellent. Lesson One: Absolutely never blindly accept a magical contract from a terrifying Dimensional Lord!" 

Without warning, Luke violently whipped his massive, muscular serpentine tail, aggressively slamming it directly into Stephen's astral form and violently ejecting him from the mental space! 

"WAAAAAHHH!" 

Stephen's physical body violently convulsed, launching backward off the floor and crashing heavily against the wall. 

"What happened?!" Stephen gasped, sitting up and desperately clutching his forehead, feeling a sharp, burning sensation. 

"Relax. It's merely the physical manifestation indicating the contract was successfully established," the Ancient One stated calmly. She produced a small hand mirror from her robes and held it up. 

Stephen stared into the mirror. A highly intricate, dark-purple runic crest—resembling a stylized oni mask—was permanently burned into the center of his forehead. 

"Please tell me this mark doesn't allow him to mind-control me," Stephen asked, highly panicked. 

"I assure you, it does not. We have all signed identical pacts," the Ancient One reassured him gently, briefly manifesting her own glowing crest to prove it. 

"Oh, thank god," Stephen sighed in profound relief. 

"Well, that's not entirely accurate," Luke suddenly interjected from across the room, causing Stephen to flinch violently. 

Luke, having returned to his normal human appearance, strolled over with a highly sadistic smirk. "What's wrong? Still traumatized by my true form?" 

"That tail whip actually physically hurt," Stephen grumbled, rubbing his chest. 

The Ancient One stepped forward, closely inspecting the specific runic structure of the crest currently glowing on Stephen's forehead. She frowned deeply. 

"Lord Luke... why exactly did you utilize the 'Absolute Master-Servant' binding protocol for his contract?!" she demanded, turning to glare at Luke. 

"Wait... WHAT?! A MASTER-SERVANT CONTRACT?!" Stephen shrieked in absolute, existential despair. 

"Oh, relax, both of you. I'm just actively reinforcing Lesson One!" Luke laughed maliciously. "The contract is magically programmed to automatically dissolve the subservience clauses and revert to a standard 'Equal-Exchange' pact in exactly seventy-two hours. Furthermore, during these three days, I'm magically restricted to only commanding him to perform utterly trivial, harmless actions. For example..." 

Luke paused, a brilliant, highly evil idea forming. "...I command you to dance the 'Gangnam Style' choreography." 

Stephen stared in absolute, mind-boggling horror as his physical body completely betrayed him! Completely against his will, he scrambled to his feet and began perfectly executing the highly energetic, incredibly embarrassing horse-riding dance! 

After several seconds of desperate, frantic mental struggle, Stephen finally managed to violently assert his own willpower, breaking the magical compulsion and collapsing heavily onto the floor, panting and deeply humiliated. 

"I understand," the Ancient One nodded slowly, suppressing a smile. If she hadn't actively analyzed the localized runic decay indicating the contract was indeed temporary, she might have genuinely suspected Luke was initiating a hostile takeover of Kamar-Taj. 

"But why specifically a three-day duration?! Why not just a one-hour penalty?!" Stephen demanded, glaring angrily at Luke from the floor. 

Luke smiled brightly. "Because from the exact moment I entered this pavilion, you aggressively shot me exactly three highly suspicious, intensely analytical glares. A three-day penalty seems perfectly mathematically proportional." 

Luke casually reached down and hauled Stephen to his feet. "Don't panic. I'm not going to magically compel you to walk into the women's restroom or dance the Cha-Cha naked in the courtyard." 

"Honestly, hearing you specifically deny those highly disturbing scenarios makes me significantly more anxious," Stephen swallowed hard, realizing he needed to actively avoid Luke for the next seventy-two hours. 

"Alright, the contract is finalized. Let's proceed to the practical examination. Let's see if you can successfully execute instantaneous casting," Luke said, glancing at the Ancient One. 

She nodded in agreement. With a casual wave of her hand, the surrounding reality violently shattered like glass, instantly pulling all three of them into the Mirror Dimension. 

"Alright, the floor is yours," Luke said, lightly shoving the bewildered Stephen forward. 

"What exactly am I supposed to do?!" Stephen asked nervously, staring at his trembling hands. 

"Close your eyes. Mentally focus entirely on the contract mark on your forehead. Actively siphon raw dark energy directly from my dimension, channel it into reality, and use your sheer willpower to force the energy to form a geometric shape. It's incredibly simple," Luke instructed casually. 

The Ancient One sighed helplessly, quickly stepping forward to demonstrate a highly basic, foundational geometric mandala to give Stephen a reference point. 

Returning to Luke's side, she watched Stephen nervously attempting to focus. "Do you genuinely believe he can accomplish this without physical somatic catalysts?" 

"I have no idea," Luke shrugged effortlessly. "If he succeeds, it proves his genius. If he fails, it just means he's an ordinary novice and my expectations were too high." 

Stephen stood frozen, absolutely clueless on how to actually begin. Remembering how Luke had violently dragged him into the mental void earlier, he closed his eyes, desperately trying to recreate that mental state. However, his highly logical mind kept interfering. 

Feeling the intense, expectant stares of the two most powerful beings on the planet boring into his back, Stephen's anxiety skyrocketed. He stared down at his violently trembling hands, gritted his teeth, and forcefully clenched them into tight fists. 

The sharp burst of physical pain from his damaged nerves acted as a sudden, sharp anchor, momentarily clearing his chaotic thoughts. He closed his eyes and directed his entire absolute focus inward. 

Since he was officially bound by contract to Luke, he should theoretically possess an active, permanent tether to the energy source. 

Focusing entirely on his forehead, Stephen faintly perceived a microscopic, metaphysical 'doorway' leading into an infinitely vast, pitch-black void. 

That must be his Dark Dimension, Stephen realized. He mentally 'reached' through the doorway, attempting to aggressively pull the energy toward himself. 

Simultaneously, Luke felt a highly faint, incredibly weak tugging sensation through the contract tether. 

Luke smirked, glancing at the Ancient One. "He successfully located the dimensional tether and is actively attempting to siphon energy. However, his draw rate is currently incredibly slow." 

The Ancient One smiled warmly, her eyes shining with genuine pride. "His innate perception and talent are truly unparalleled." 

Luke watched Stephen straining intensely, his face contorted in a grimace of absolute concentration, desperately trying to pull the energy faster. 

This is going to take forever, Luke thought impatiently. Let me just aggressively expedite the process. 

Offering a highly sadistic smile, Luke mentally unlocked the floodgates, aggressively forcing a massive, highly concentrated surge of pure dark energy directly down the tether and into Stephen's body! 

"AGH! IT'S TOO MUCH!" Stephen screamed in shock as pitch-black, highly volatile energy violently erupted from his pores, swirling aggressively around him! 

"Stop whining! I merely provided you with a slight operational boost! Now, use your willpower to condense the energy into the array!" Luke yelled over the chaotic noise. 

Stephen frantically raised his trembling hands, attempting to aggressively force the swirling dark energy into a structured geometric shape using sheer physical force. 

However, the dark energy was completely unresponsive to his physical gestures. It simply swirled chaotically around his hands, entirely ignoring his desperate flailing. 

Watching Stephen frantically waving his arms like a drowning man, Luke frowned and turned to the Ancient One. "Does he seriously not understand that controlling extra-dimensional energy requires absolute mental focus and intent, not physical pantomime?" 

The Ancient One shook her head helplessly. "I was literally about to explain that foundational concept to him before you aggressively interrupted my lesson." 

"Should we tell him?" Luke asked, feeling a slight twinge of secondhand embarrassment watching the brilliant surgeon desperately flail his arms at a cloud of smoke. 

"Let's observe for a moment longer," the Ancient One replied, highly interested in Stephen's problem-solving methodology. 

Stephen, incredibly frustrated by the unresponsive energy, screamed in desperation. "Why won't you obey me?!" 

Because he was highly emotionally agitated, a microscopic fragment of his raw, aggressive intent bled into the ambient magical field. The swirling dark energy instantly vibrated in response, but remained unstructured. 

Wait. Did it just respond to my voice? Stephen frowned. He aggressively barked several verbal commands at the energy cloud, attempting to order it to form a circle. 

Naturally, because Luke retained absolute, supreme authority over the dark energy, Stephen's localized verbal commands were completely, utterly ignored. 

No. It wasn't the words. When I yelled earlier, it reacted to the sudden spike in my emotional intent! The physical gestures and verbal commands are entirely irrelevant! The absolute key is... mental projection! 

Realizing his fundamental error, Stephen instantly ceased all physical movement. He took a deep, calming breath, actively silencing his chaotic thoughts. He focused his brilliant, highly trained mind entirely on a single, singular objective. 

He flawlessly visualized the highly complex, geometric structure of the foundational array the Ancient One had demonstrated. He projected that image with absolute, unwavering clarity directly into the swirling cloud of dark energy. 

Slowly, deliberately, he raised his trembling hands, no longer attempting to physically force the energy, but utilizing his hands purely as a focused extension of his mental will to 'draw' the projected image into reality. 

On his third mental attempt, he finally successfully established a synchronized resonance with the dark energy! 

He watched in absolute awe as the chaotic, swirling black mist instantly snapped into perfect, rigid alignment, rapidly forming a highly complex, glowing geometric mandala directly in front of him! 

Stephen stared at the stable construct for a brief second, completely stunned. 

And then... 

"YES!" 

Stephen aggressively pumped his fist in an explosive celebration of triumph! 

However, the sudden, violent spike in emotion completely shattered his absolute mental focus. The glowing mandala instantly violently destabilized and dissipated back into chaotic smoke. 

"Uh," Stephen lowered his fist, highly embarrassed. He slowly turned to look at the two masters. "You... you both saw that it was completely stable for a second, right?" 

Seeing Stephen's incredibly awkward expression, Luke laughed and turned to the Ancient One. "You were right. His talent is absolutely terrifying." 

"Then he is officially the chosen successor?" she asked softly. 

"Absolutely." 

Luke nodded approvingly. He glanced around the Mirror Dimension, a sudden, highly malicious idea forming in his mind. 

He casually materialized a brass Kamar-Taj Sling Ring from his inventory and tossed it directly to Stephen. 

"Put that on your left hand. Form a crystal-clear, highly detailed mental image of your desired destination. Actively channel ambient dimensional energy through the ring, execute a circular motion with your right hand, and aggressively force the energy to tear a hole in space-time. It's incredibly simple," Luke instructed cheerfully. 

Stephen caught the ring, looking at the strange brass object with intense curiosity. 

"Alright, we're leaving now. Dinner is officially scheduled for exactly four hours from now. I sincerely hope you manage to successfully open a portal and escape this dimension before then," Luke smiled brightly. 

He nodded to the Ancient One. She instantly understood the sadistic test. With a graceful wave of her hand, she tore open a massive portal back to the real world, and the two of them stepped through. 

"Good luck! Remember, you must believe absolutely in your own capabilities! Also, quick tip: you cannot utilize my dark energy to power the Sling Ring; you must successfully connect to the ambient cosmic energy field! But I have absolute faith in you! You can do it!" Luke offered an incredibly insincere, overly enthusiastic thumbs-up, before aggressively gesturing for the Ancient One to close the portal. 

SNAP. The portal vanished, leaving Stephen completely, utterly alone in the chaotic, gravity-defying Mirror Dimension. 

"How long do you honestly think it will take him to successfully open a portal?" Luke asked, chuckling as they walked back toward the courtyard. 

"It is difficult to predict. The current situation lacks the absolute, lethal urgency of a Himalayan blizzard." 

"Well, let's just hope his intense desire for a hot dinner serves as a sufficient motivational catalyst." 

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