An Entity Within | Stephen Strange

15 - Then There Were Two

"Who are you?"

"You know." Its voice was low, rough, distorted.

"No. I do not. You are not Master Kent though, are you?"

"No. But you do know."

Tilting its head, it frowned at Marcus. The Master watched them carefully, a wicked smirk on his face. He gave a low chuckle.

"Do you not remember? Our little run-in all those years ago? She was smaller then."

It dawned on the Entity then – the one who had been imprisoned was now stood before it, inhabiting Marcus' mind and body.

"How did you escape your prison?"

"My host broke it. Thought he was clever. Thought he could rid the universe of my existence with a mere trinket." It gave a cruel laugh, "The poor fool did not know how to use it and so I made use of the opportunity presented as I saw you had done all those years ago." Its shoulders cracked and clicked as its body convulsed, the red in its irises fading briefly to reveal Marcus's agonising stare as he gave a shout.

Marcus can't take it, can he?

"Tessa – ah!" Its bones cricked and cracked again and it grinned, chuckling as it squeezed its eyes shut, opening them to reveal that the whole of his eyes now looked as though it had been flooded with blood. It held out its hand shakily, "This body – this body is a weakening vessel, I can feel it dying. Let me join you, brother, and think of the power, of the discord and chaos we could cause on this pathetic little planet. Think of how much blood we could delight in spilling."

It said he's dying...can we...help him?

If they could, the Entity didn't know how. Marcus had dug his own grave; there was nothing they could do now other than try to stop this wicked Entity from hurting others.

"I told you before – you are no brother of mine."

The Entity that inhabited Marcus was taken aback by this second rejection. Why would its fellow being be so unkind? Didn't they know it was nice to share? If they didn't, then it would teach them how, albeit by force, because it liked the feeling of this enhanced power, it liked the feeling of a body but this one was quickly becoming useless. It needed someone stronger – it needed – it wanted – Tessa.

Tilting its head, it began to sing, "Come, little child, come to me..." Its voice was still low, but less distorted now, more so hypnotic, and still it reached out its hand to Tessa and her Entity, "Dream of a dream, and imagine what we could be..."

I – I don't like it. I know that song – I remember it. It's the song it used to call me all those years ago...

"Lullabies do not work on this child anymore."

But still it sang its eerie song, stepping a little closer now, "Come, little child, come to me, I'll sing you a song, and I'll sing you to sleep..."

Let me...talk to it.

"Tessa, that is what they want, and I cannot - " The Entity gasped as Tessa took back control.

Those red eyes appeared to light up when he saw her green eyes again, knowing it had succeeded in calling out the host. She stepped forward, slowly, lulled into an odd sense of calm that she couldn't seem to escape but equally didn't want to. As she neared that evil Entity, she started to reach out her hand too.

Tessa, do not listen to it!

And just as she was about to touch its hand, a golden whip snatched its arm away and it stopped its song. Tessa stopped too, still in a foggy state of mind but not as determined to lead as before. Without shutting her eyes this time, the black seemed to fill up her eyes like smoke rising into the air. It set its eyes on Stephen who flew above the roof, still struggling with the evil Entity.