An Entity Within | Stephen Strange

15 - Then There Were Two

"Stand down, Marcus!" Stephen yelled at him, "Stop fighting and we can sort this peacefully!"

"That is not Marcus!" The Entity yelled at the sorcerer, "Look at his eyes – that is another Entity!"

Strange peered down at Master Kent who growled like a feral animal in the binds of the whip and saw the bloody glance. It looked between the Entity and not-Marcus, trying to draw some connection, trying to think of a thought but he was just stunned.

"Marcus is dying, it is killing him – and that is if he is not already dead." The Entity raced forwards, conjuring a space shard ready to pierce the body in the hopes that it would stop the other Entity.

But while Stephen was in his state of disbelief and uncertainty, the evil Entity took its chance to pull on the whip, pulling the sorcerer roughly back down onto the roof. Stephen grunted as he made contact with the smooth stone, but the cloak quickly had him back up on his feet. The possessed Marcus dodged the Entity's attack, forming a shard of its own after it had leapt away and threw it at her. Luckily, it was only a close call as the shard sailed on past her. Marcus's Entity looked down at his hands, apparently confused by how off its aim had been.

"It appears I am not yet used to these hands..."

Stephen conjured another whip, lashing out at Marcus's body, attempting to bind it again. The golden rope twisted itself around its arm again, but the red-eyed Entity chuckled. The sorcerer frowned as he struggled with it – what was the cause of its laughter? He soon found out as it roughly pulled its arm to the side, sending Stephen towards Tessa's Entity. Casting a shadowy shield, it caught Stephen before it leapt up over it, conjuring two of its own whips to try and restrain it. Again, the black binds grabbed its wrists and it wrestled against its fellow Entity, straining and snarling the whole time as though it were rabid. Jolting its one arm towards its back, it pulled Tee towards it, butting its head into hers as she came forward. Tee groaned as they fell back onto the concrete roof.

"If you won't willingly accept me, I'll make you, I'll weave my way in to her mind." Came its growl as it formed a space shard, ready to pierce her chest.

"Tess!"

The Cloak shot forwards at Stephen's cry, preventing the evil Entity from injuring her at all. The sorcerer darted forward, grabbing Tessa/Tee and helped them up, getting them away from the other Entity that continued to struggle with the Cloak of Levitation.

"Any ideas as to what we do?" Stephen questioned as he held them up.

The Entity shook its head but stopped, "This Entity was originally imprisoned in a statue that Marcus broke. It mentioned Marcus tried to catch it or destroy it using a 'trinket'. Perhaps there is another ancient artefact that can be used to capture and contain it?"

"Okay, great idea. The problem is having time to go and find said artefact."

"I know what I said earlier but...we have to let it escape."

"That's less great."

"It is our only choice if we wish to do this right. It is weakening. If it wishes to remain hidden in plain sight, then it will wish to keep its current vessel in some relatively good condition."

"Marcus is still a human, you can't – "

"No." The Entity looked at Stephen, "If you value the lives of the millions on this planet then understand that there is no chance of getting Marcus back. He is already dead. He is gone. What inhabits that shell now is a monster that has no value for life, only chaos and death. You need to accept that."

Is there really no chance though?

"I thought you wanted him dead anyway?" The Entity mumbled.

Yes...but I'm not sure if I meant like this...

The Entity had no response for her but looked back at Stephen, "Do you understand? If you wish to save people, then we must either capture and contain it or find a way to end it quick. But first we must let it go so that we have the time to search." It removed its arm from around Stephen's neck and formed a shard, "We must wound it first though, ensure that it will only be recovering and not causing harm elsewhere."

Stephen was conflicted. He tried to value all life but knew the Entity knew more about its own kind than he did. As for Tessa, she was frustrated that Marcus had been taken before she had gotten the chance to confront him again. It wasn't fair that he got out of his punishment from herself and from the Masters. It wasn't fair that her family had suffered and now she could not avenge her parents either. But would her parents have actually wanted her to do that?

The Entity threw its shard at Marcus's leg as he flailed and fought with the magical material and let out a roar of pain as it was pierced. The material slid away from it, rushing back to Stephen's shoulders. Marcus's body clutched at its bleeding thigh, looking up at the sorcerer and sorceress that stood before it, the skin around its ruby eyes crinkling harshly as its brow hooded over, scowling at them.

"It will die – "

"It will not." The Entity interrupted the sorcerer, "The body is weakening but like myself and Tessa, that Entity will have given it some strength," It paused, "At least I presume so..."

Stephen and the Entity waited, ready to fight again if it decided to attack but thankfully it didn't. Using Marcus's sling ring, it formed a portal and stumbled through it. Stephen chased after it, but the fiery circle dissipated, and he huffed.

"How are we supposed to find it now?" Stephen questioned as he spun to face Tee again.

The Entity scoffed as it approached him, "You are a sorcerer, are you not?"

He frowned. The Entity raised its hand, presenting a strand of Marcus's golden hair.

"There are things such as locator spells, sorcerer. I thought you would have come across them by now?"

"I haven't lost anyone I've needed to locate until now."

"A suitable excuse."

While Tee tried to make a little light of the situation, it was deeply perturbed by the return of the once imprisoned Entity. It felt somewhat responsible for the being's exploration of another vessel as it had acknowledged that, after seeing itself and Tessa, it had wished to bond also with another. That said, it had wished to bond with itself and Tessa mainly and it could not accept that. It was too dangerous. Tee refused to put Tessa in harm's way and wished to keep to its promise to protect her no matter what. 

It paused as it processed the events prior to meeting with Marcus's Entity.

"The other students...they saw..."

Stephen nodded, "We have to explain to them now. We can't keep it from them any longer."

I'm sorry. I'll defend you, so will Stephen. You saved him after all.

"I merely hope they can see through thepreconceptions they have of beings such as myself."