A/N - I just want the image to stay pls Wattpad, love u, pls keep it up, pls pls...

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The wind bellowed, boomed and howled around them in every which way possible, sending vicious flurries of snowflakes into their faces. Both sorcerers shivered even though they had purposefully brought some more layers to prevent this. Bitter cold tore through the material though and sunk its frosty bite into their bones. The wild weather was relentless.

In the distance was a structure with architecture similar to that of the sanctums. It was a vast and black-looking fortress - intimidating and seemingly impenetrable.

"Over there!" Tessa yelled as loud as she could, gripping Stephen's snowy arm to hold him close for a second, "That building! I saw an illustration of that building in the book!"

With a nod, Stephen and Tessa slipped on their icy sling rings and desperately tried to form portals as they stood in the emptiness of the landscape prior to the building. None of their attempts succeeded though and both huffed in frustration, squinting around them as though a vehicle would magically appear.

I sense there is a field which nullifies your spells.

Tessa shook her head, eyes fixed on the building as she shouted, "Tee says our magic won't work!"

"Let's push on then!" Stephen yelled back at her, pulling his coat around his torso tighter.

As they gradually stumbled on through the storm, she felt a growing restlessness within her. Impatience disturbed the Entity as it considered how they could all be a lot quicker had it taken control and had Strange brought his cloak.

Give me control.

She didn't feel like collapsing before or just as she arrived to that building and so ignored the Entity.

You might not die of hypothermia if you do...

There was nothing they did that gave her any reassurance that allowing the Entity to take control would give her magical cold resistance and so Tessa tried to repress the thoughts of the Entity more.

Tessa...

The two pushed on, both frozen to their cores.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

After what felt like a day but had really only been twenty freezing minutes, they arrived at the hulking, beautifully-detailed, black metal doors of the fortress, both a shivering mess. With no clue of how to get in, Tessa simply tried to open the door first, which, much to their relief and delight, was open and so they entered, shuffling in with the help of the chilling breeze.

Both shut the door with their backs to it, a burst of know leaping in before the door was shut completely. They took a moment to appreciate the more mild air inside the building.

"If we ever need another relic, we're checking Hawaii first." Stephen said, rubbing his upper arms before looking around, "This is quaint."

The interior also followed some of the same architecture as Kamar-Taj but, what had appeared as a fortress on the outside, was instead juxtaposed with a welcoming, broad, mansion-like foyer, with stairs leading up to an eerie-looking second floor and a hallway either side of them.

They edged in a little further.

To her left, Tessa acknowledged a flickering amber light beaming out from an open doorway, one that reminded her of a fire and, being as frozen as she was, opted to head in that direction first to thaw. Stephen swiftly followed after her, also in need of warmth before their search.

Reaching the doorway, Tessa peered in, spotting two armchairs by crackling fireplace.

Do not let your guard down.

At this point, her need for a warm rejuvenation far outweighed her need to be alert and she rushed over, again ignoring the Entity's words of advice.

Stephen headed straight for an armchair while Tessa knelt directly in front of the fire, rubbing her hands together and hovering them over the heat to bring back some feeling into them again.

A metallic hiss sounded behind her.

Whipping around, with one arm now resting on her bent, ready-to-get-up knee, her brow rose in alarm as she saw Stephen's head being held back against the chair with a fearsome scythe against his neck while a pointy end of a staff was in her own face. Her eyes followed up the length of the stick to see an older man gripping it and then she saw that it was a woman who held the scythe.

"Who are you?" The man's Russian accent made his demand for answers more formidable, "Why are you here?"

"We're sorce - ow!"

The man had used the other end of his staff to knock Stephen's temple.

"He didn't ask you." The woman said.

All three of them then awaited her answer.

They are older, practically expired. We could take them easily if -

Tessa ignored the Entity and spoke rapidly, "We're sorcerers. We came from Kamar-Taj. That's Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the New York sanctum and my name is Tessa Hyde, keep - uh - we don't mean any harm."

The man's weary eyes narrowed as he looked at her, appearing to analyse her choice of tunic, thick coat and her sling ring. His terribly stern gaze met with hers directly as he lowered his staff and offered her a hand up from the floor, to which she took and hauled herself up. At the same time, the woman, whose demeanor went from prepared to exhausted yet relieved, lowered her menacing weapon from Stephen's neck.

"My name is Sacha Vetrov. That is my sister, Varvara. We are the sorcerers who protect this vault and have protected it for years."

Stephen took a moment to breathe, his hand gently exploring the fact that his neck still thankfully possessed no gaping hole in it. He stood from the chair and offered a hand of greeting to Varvara who gazed at his hand in disdain before moving to stand beside her brother, leaving Stephen to stare at the floor as he processed her rejection.

"You broke in here." Varvara commented, "Why?"

"We didn't break in." Tessa shook her head, meeting Stephen's gaze.

He added, looking back at the older siblings, "The door was open - "

"But do you live here?" The woman asked Stephen pointedly.

"Well, no - "

"So then why did you enter? Why not knock first?"

"Because it - it looked abandoned and the book never mentioned anyone would be all the way out here."

"Book?" Sacha prompted.

"The Book of Carcera: Relics of Imprisonment." Stephen explained, "We're looking for a particular relic."

Tessa said, "The book had a vague location and an illustration of this building. That's why we're here. We're hoping you have what we need."

"And what is it you need?" Varvara's Russian accent made her words sound harsher than Tessa was sure she had intended them.

"Gargorra's Box." Both intruders answered.

"A powerful relic." Sacha stated, "And why exactly would you need that?"

"We - um - " Stephen looked at Tessa.

Tessa looked between her sorcerer and the siblings, "You see..."

Do not tell them.

"What have you done?" Sacha quirked an eyebrow.

Tessa rose her hands in defence and let out a little, stressed laugh, "Nothing! We've done nothing - "

"You've done something to bring you to us." Varvara's voice was stern.

A creak sounded behind Tessa and before she could even turn to address whatever it was, she was gone, forced back into the depths of her mind.

Tee!

What the other three saw was her leap up instantaneously after hearing the creak, somersaulting backwards in the air to land gracefully behind another sorcerer, space shards out in the shape of an 'x' and resting against the nape of the new man's neck.

Don't!

"Wait! Stop!" Sacha exclaimed urgently, "Leave him be!"

"Tee!" Stephen rose his hands, casting amber tao mandalas shields just in case.

The person that stood between the frightful, ghost-like blades looked between the aged siblings and the new sorcerer, with a katana gripped in his own hands.

Tee, I swear to God...why can't you just trust me?

"Drop your weapons and I will retract mine." Came the fearsome, breathy words of the Entity.

Sacha was first to drop his staff and elbowed his sister to drop her scythe which she did. Very delicately, the other sorcerer lowered his katana too, letting it clatter to the floor before raising his hands in surrender. Sacha held his frightened gaze with the man who stood before the Entity who also followed through with its side of the request and allowed the blades to dissipate.

As Stephen himself took a breath, letting the orange sparks evaporate as his arms dropped, the Entity strolled around to view the new addition, "Is there anyone else here lurking?"

"No," Varvara answered, "It's just the three of us."

"I believe you." The Entity answered, turning its attention to the unknown man, "Who are you?"

The man opened his mouth to speak but shut it again, raising his one hand while he dipped the other into his pocket and fished out a small device, no larger than an electric shaver. But it wasn't a razor as they soon discovered, for the man held it against this throat, clicking a small button before opening his mouth again.

A robotic voice left his mouth, "My name is Olek. I'm sorry. I did not mean to frighten you." He paused, sharing a nervously soft smile with the Entity, "I thought you would hurt Sacha."

"And Varvara?"

He rose his device to his throat again, "She can take care of herself."

Varvara scoffed.

The Entity tilted its head as it looked at Olek, its black eyes narrowing as it focused on the device he held. For all its knowledge, it did not understand why this human did not speak like the others and why it required a device to make a coherent sound. Cautiously, it approached Olek to get a closer look at the object, much to the dismay of Stephen, Sacha and Varvara who were all on edge by this behaviour.

Be gentle, Tee.

The Entity pointed at it, peering at it curiously yet still making sure not get too close, "That device. What is it?"

Olek brought the object back to his throat and again, a monotonous, crackly voice left him, "This is an electrolarynx. My voice box had to be removed so the doctors gave me this so I can still speak...can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"Why are your eyes like that?"

"Because...they are..." It answered (in all honesty not knowing the real explanation). Tee asked, "Do they scare you?"

"No. Do I scare you?"

The Entity scoffed, "No."

"If you aren't frightened by my differences, then why should I be frightened by yours?"

The Entity recoiled from Olek, brow lowered pensively. It looked over at the other three who stood watching - Stephen was half on-edge and half-worried about what unpredictable thing the Entity could do next while Sacha and Varvara were prepared to pick their weapons up again if need be. Droplets of stress slunk down Sacha's brow, Varvara kept flexing her hand and Stephen's eyes remained wide. Tee looked back at Olek who now stood before it with a peaceful smile and no visible signs of fear.

For all but the Entity, the silence was unsettling.

Tee? Are you okay?

"I am...sorry...for my outburst."

Again, Olek raised his device, the robotic voice cranking out, "That's okay. I sense you are often scared someone will hurt you - "

"Or Tessa."

"Aren't you, Tessa?" Varvara interrogated.

"I...no. I share her body."

"So what are you then?"

"I..." Tee looked to Stephen for help.

But even the skilled sorcerer was afraid that the big reveal would have an impact on them all and they would repeat the events of earlier, "They are..."

"Go on, we're not waiting all day." Sacha encouraged.

"I am an Entity."

"You're not serious?" Varvara spat.

"I understand that my kind has hurt your kind before but I have no intentions of doing that - "

Sacha rose his voice, gesturing to his dearest, "You almost killed Olek!"

"I...showed mercy...and patience." Tee shrugged, "If I wanted to kill anyone you would all be dead already. No one would have had time to entertain the mere thought of it."

Not helping...

Olek waved his hands as if to brush off the matter when the other three's faces dropped at its response. He shook his head, raising his hand again to pause everyone before something else was said again.

Olek said, "Whether this sorceress is Tessa or an Entity or both - who cares? They - "

"I do because you - "

Olek glared at Sacha who dared to interrupt him. It was hard enough when one didn't have a voice they couldn't really raise. The sorcerer, silenced, allowed Olek to continue.

"They did what we did. They were backed into a corner, they were threatened, they were scared and so they retaliated just like we did to begin with." He turned to the Entity and apologised for sneaking up on it before looking at the others again, "The point is, and rightfully stated by the Entity itself, that it showed mercy. I am alive and breathing - we all are." He appealed to Sacha now, "I know you are frightened, Sacha, my love, but we, best of all, understand what it is like to be ostracised and villified for being different."

"You're not seriously comparing that thing to yourselves?" Varvara hissed.

Sacha looked between his sister and his lover and the Entity itself but remained speechless. While Olek was willing to give his partner time to digest this thought, Varvara was not. Instead, she grabbed her brother's arm and kept her voice low.

"You know what Entities are like. None have ever been good."

"Have any that you know of even tried like this one?" Stephen said.

Sacha looked from Stephen back to his sister, "It would be a lot of effort to go through to pretend for this long when we both know they could destroy everything so easily, like a child knocking over a tower made of blocks."

"Sacha - "

Olek jumped in again, "I sense the good in the Entity and Tessa and so I trust them."

Again, the silence remained heavy with thought but Stephen became increasingly impatient and so did Tessa and Tee.

"Can you all just trust us a little quicker because we have a time sensitive situation on our hands." Stephen finally grumbled, looking at Varvara and Sacha, "I know you find issue with there being an Entity here, I know it's suspicious and vile and whatever else you want to call it but there are bigger issues than our Entity."

Varvara frowned, "What do you mean?"

"As you well noted," The Entity began, "One of my kind, the kind you typically know as more aggressive, has broken free of its mortal prison. We are looking to once again imprison it within a relic found here."

"Gargorra's Box?" Olek's smooth, buzzing voice queried.

"Yes, the box." Stephen nodded.

"I know where it is," Sacha added, "Third floor, come with me."

All apart from Varvara turned to follow after Sacha but were stopped when she sharply said:

"I want to talk with the Entity. Alone."

The Entity had turned to meet Varvara's unwavering, cold gaze and never broke it. Behind it, Stephen watched on worriedly, afraid something would be said or done to break everyone's trust once again. Olek turned to murmur something to Sacha which was only audible to the rest as a series of low buzzes before patting his partner on the back and nodding for him to take the sorcerer to the relic. Sacha then did the same to Stephen, quietly insisting that his lover would keep the situation calm should anything upsetting arise.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

About two dozen showcases were peppered throughout the third floor of the mystical museum-like building, all of them varying wildly in shape and size. Some relics were weapons such as malevolent staffs (that looked as though they belonged to witch doctors) and daedalian bows, arrows and quivers alluding to certain supernatural abilities. There were objects like chalices, chains and cabinets (petite, portable ones, of course) all imbued with sorcery. And then there were the boxes and chests - big ones, small ones, fat ones, thinner ones, flat ones and taller ones.

One familiar chest, that was crafted of the most alluring yet eerie dark oak, patterned with runes he recognised from books and spells, and decorated with midnight metal slats and bolts, seemed to call to him. It was of a tangible size, about as big as newborn baby - he did expect it to be smaller - but it wasn't inconveniently large. An aura of dread and yet also hope seemed to emanate from it.

"Gargorra's Box. Once used to capture countless evils, most of which are unspeakable."

"Why unspeakable?"

"Mainly because we can't remember them and none of these ancient sorcerers appeared to document it."

"So...no check in sheet?"

"No."

"Right," Stephen nodded, "Anything I should know that the book didn't tell me?"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"I said alone, Olek."

"Pretend I'm not here." He buzzed as he took a seat by the thriving fire, silently tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair.

The Entity waited patiently, perhaps a little hesitantly, near the door.

You've handled this well so far so you have that going for you.

But it wasn't comfortable. It hated being questioned to the third degree like this. They understood they were impulsively aggressive sometimes but if they wanted people dead, they would be. Its gaze lingered on Olek who sat in the hopeful, warm light of the fire, his one leg crossed over the other and looking away from itself and Varvara. The man perplexed it. Despite being so brutally threatened, Olek still seemed able to to forgive and accept it. If he could, why couldn't everyone else?

We're all unique, Tee. In actions and in thoughts especially.

"Your kind," Varvara said, "I acknowledge that there are so called good and bad Entities but the good ones are a myth to us. They don't show themselves."

"They are wise."

"So by our known logic that only bad Entities show themselves, you are therefore bad too."

"I once was, yes."

"So you openly admit it?"

"Whether I do or do not, you have already judged that I am untrustworthy because of your prejudices."

"They're not prejudices if they're true."

"And they are not." The Entity hissed, "I am an impulsive, defensive creature, I know, but I cannot prove my allegiance to you all if not given the chance."

Olek clapped, drawing their attention to him as he leapt up out if his seat strolled over, "I think," He said, holding his electrolarynx under his throat, "That this Entity has already proved they are willing to be good."

"Oh really now?" Varvara rolled her eyes.

"Yes."

"And how is that?"

With a gleam of amusement in his eyes, Olek announced, "Because I would quite frankly kill you after a grilling like that when all has been explained already."

The Entity smirked and stifled a chuckle at the offence Varvara took at this statement. The woman glared between the two of them and shook her head with a huff.

"Fine. One chance. Get rid of this other entity and perhaps I will believe you."

"Although it does not mean much to you now, you have my word." The Entity replied respectfully.

May I please take back control of my own body now?

The Entity didn't think that a wise move given they were now moments away from facing the Evil Entity. It didn't want to risk Tessa collapsing and being unable to fight and so it refused.

Tee -

You know I'm right, it thought. And it felt Tessa's resignation and acceptance wash through its mind. The Entity felt her upset at being unable to do anything other than think but at the same time, Tee had experienced this for much longer than Tessa had. Part of it thought this would be good for her to experience so she could better empathise with its situation even though what it felt, she felt and what she felt, it felt because of their now stronger bond.

"We have the box." Stephen announced, waltzing back into the room with Sacha, cradling the item they came for in his arms, and easing his frown once he saw everyone was still being civil, "Are you ready to go?"

The Entity nodded.

"You'll need to return the box to us." Varvara said, "We'll look after it once you're done."

"Thank you," Stephen appreciated her offer.

"Wait," Olek rose his one hand to stop them, "I'll go with you."

"What? No." Sacha blatantly refused.

"The protective spell was set up by myself. Only we can portal in and out of this bubble without landing in a snowstorm. They'll need one of us to leave and to come back."

"Yes, but not you." Varvara stated, looking directly at the Entity as she said, "I'll go."

"Varvara, no - " Sacha refused.

"Sacha, you clearly don't want to go. So it's Olek or myself. But we all know I'm the better fighter, so I should go, protect the box. Something tells me both the Doctor and this Entity will be too occupied to open and close the box. So, I'll go."

"But - "

Olek patted his partner's arm and shook his head before looking at Varvara, a silent nod of thanks reciprocated between them. He understood that Varvara was trying to protect them and their love.

Doctor Strange nodded his thanks to men and then looked between the Entity and the sorceress, "Okay, Varvara, take us back to Kamar-Taj."

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A/N - Close to the end nowww

Also, Jodie Foster and Gary Oldman are faceclaims for Varvara and Sacha Vetrov 😄

I wanted a faceclaim for the adorable Olek but have found no one suitable in my mind yet :((( so open to suggestions!