"Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum."

Wong led them inside, allowing the group to get their first proper look at the interior of the ancient building. Even Carol hadn't seen this before, having only viewed a snapshot from her holographic communication device. Kamala's eyes were as wide as saucers as she took it all in, wearing a similar expression to Yaz. The Doctor was fascinated by everything, walking around with a bundle of energy, inspecting anything that she came across (including a pair of armchairs that Wong assured her were just that). Dan, on the other hand, was completely bemused by what he was seeing. There was a giant staircase but not much more that he could see straight away, making him wonder why Kamal was reacting so viscerally.

"This is the New York Sanctum!" she said giddily, her hands clenched in excited fists. "I'm actually inside the New York sanctum! We could stroll through a door and end up anywhere . Fancy a trip to London or Hong Kong? Because we could! There's sanctums there too."

Wong looked at her curiously. "That's supposed to be a heavily guarded secret."

Kamala shrugged innocently. "Then you're not doing a very good job at it. It's all over the Reddit forums. I'm surprised you don't have tourists always knocking on the door."

"We…have a sign saying we're not in. Strange thought it would be a smart idea. He's never been good with people, especially strangers. I don't know why he used to go to so many parties with that personality of his."

"Where is Doctor Strange?"

Dan and Yaz shared a look, obviously wondering what sort of a name that was. Wong was still staring at the youngest of the group. "He's currently off-world. Not that he told me where he was going. He never deins to tell me where he's going." He paused, frowning. "How do you know so much about our activities here?"

Carol patted him on the back. "You'll get used to that. She knows everything there is to know about superheroes. She's a fan ."

"Is that why you brought her here? For an autograph or photo? Because, I must remind you, I charge for that sort of thing. Very reasonable prices though. And I could do an offer for group shots." He glanced in the direction of the remaining trio, who were doing their best to stay quiet. The Doctor had learnt that it was sometimes best to keep your mouth shut if you wanted to learn something, although she wasn't always very good at following through with that.

Kamala appeared rather perturbed by the fact that she was being dismissed so readily, especially with Carol making comments that could be construed as sarcastic. So, taking matters into her own hands (quite literally), she reached for one of the armchairs several feet away without moving, dragging it over. All of them watched as her right arm extended itself, encrusted with glowing crystals and illuminating the room momentarily with its purple hue. Dumbstruck, Wong stared at the chair, now right next to Dan, who had chosen to take a seat in it. Well, if there was an offer made, he wasn't going to reject it.

"And you didn't think to lead with that?" Wong asked.

Even Carol's eyebrows were slightly raised at the spectacle. "To be honest, I never knew that she was capable of that . It's the first time I've seen it in action."

Kamala was looking at her shyly. "Did you like what you saw though?"

"You know, you don't need my validation to be an extraordinary young woman."

"But…it would still be nice to have."

"I think your powers are extraordinarily beautiful and I'd like to find the reason behind why you suddenly have them, which is one of the reasons why I brought us here."

"Where have I seen that before?" Wong stroked his chin in thought before clicking his fingers together. "That's it! Tiktok! There were hundreds of videos about your activities."

Kamala raised her eyebrows. "You're on Tiktok?"

"I view it as my job to keep tabs on all potential supernatural behaviour and Tiktok allows me to cover extra bases. I also like the dances." Wong was admiring her now with more fascination. "They called you…Night Light. Nice work with the DODC, by the way."

Carol was looking at her, apparently silently questioning the choice of name. Kamala winced. "I was hoping to work on my branding a bit more when I had the chance but, funnily enough, life has been pretty hectic the past few weeks."

"Do these people also have similar powers?" He nodded his head to where the Doctor was threatening to poke a precariously placed vase.

"No. Not that I know of."

"No superpowers of any note," the Doctor informed her with a polite smile. "Unless you count my skills on a Scrabble board."

"Frankly, I'm still trying to figure out who they are," Carol commented, eyeing them suspiciously. "They were with Kamala when I found her. They claim to have saved her so who was I to tell them to get lost?"

"That's because we did save her!" Yaz argued defensively. Carol could tell that there was something different about this group because it had been a very long time since anyone had spoken to her like that.

Wong crossed his arms. "And why did the girl need saving?" He watched as Carol suddenly wore a sheepish expression. "I'm still to be told what brought you here, Captain. Threats that get your attention are never good, especially for the Earth's continued wellbeing."

"It's not a threat, strictly speaking," she explained. "Not that I know of. Remember what you had me investigating after you stumbled across Shang-Chi?"

"I didn't stumble across him. It was a highly thought out reconnaissance mission."

"Please. The only reason you found him was because the rings sent that signal, which you felt in Kamar Taj."

"Let's not mention that place at the moment. It's still currently a sore point. We recently had a…minor incident there. Extensive reconstruction is taking place as we speak, which is why you find me here now."

Carol looked like she wanted to delve more into that but chose to save it until later. "Anyway, I was doing as you suggested, searching for anything that could resemble the energy patterns we found. Well…" She nodded her head towards the bangle on Kamala's arm.

Wong honed in on it. "You should probably come with me."

Obediently, they followed the man deeper into the Sanctum, travelling up the staircase to the next floor. There were more artefacts on display there, most of them locked behind glass cases for safe keeping. Dan idly noticed that there was a kitchen with rather pleasant aromas emanating from the oven, but Wong quickly closed the door and warned him that he didn't like to share his food. Mainly because Strange was always taking a bite without him noticing. Despite not knowing him, Dan couldn't fault this Strange person for trying when it smelt that good.

Wong had them enter the library, much smaller than the one at Kamar Taj but a lot less burnt and ashy after the latest attack. He dreaded to think what precious books had been destroyed because of the Scarlet Witch's tireless endeavours. Obviously, they didn't compare to the unfortunate souls that had been lost. But there were some really nice books there that he was going to miss. The copies that the Sanctum held would have to do, though books weren't going to help them this time. Though that wasn't stopping the Doctor from nosing around, trying to take a few from their places on their shelves and frowning when she discovered most of them were securely locked in chains. From her past experiences, anyone who was keeping books from people wasn't someone she wanted to know.

"Impressive," she remarked. "Though it doesn't really stand up against the collection I've got going on in the Tardis."

"I don't think I've heard of that term before," Wong responded. "Is it a town? A building?"

"It's her ship," Kamala answered for her. "The one she rescued me in."

Wong appraised them more closely. "You're space travellers?" He sounded rather surprised and they tried not to be insulted at what his tone was insinuating. Dan puffed his chest out to make himself look more impressive.

"That's certainly one way of putting it," the Doctor replied delicately, not wanting to give too much away at this early stage. Everything was similar to their reality and yet so completely different that it was difficult to keep track of what she was allowed to say, especially in front of someone she didn't yet know. "I would like to find out who you are though. I'm all up for following people blindly like I have done so far but I've got a limit. The Captain seems to think that you can help us…help Kamala at least…but I may need a bit more convincing."

"I'm the Sorcerer Supreme. Not to blow my own trumpet but that means I can wield the mystic arts to a great extent, more than anyone alive. Of course, Strange would argue that he is more powerful but then he shouldn't have gotten himself killed, should he?"

"I'm sorry," Yaz said, her brows furrowed. "It sounds a lot like you're saying that you're some sort of…wizard."

"A rather insulting downplaying of my capabilities but I suppose the term could be used by someone without the proper knowledge."

Dan nudged her. "I think he just called you stupid."

"Thanks for clarifying," she growled. "You better wipe that smirk off your face before I knock it off."

They came to a stop by what looked like an ordinary table. They half expected it to be imbued with magical powers after what Wong had been saying but it turned out to be perfectly normal after all. He beckoned Kamala over, who, after getting a nod of reassurance from her idol, wandered over to where he was pointing.

"Miss Khan…would you please remove the bangle? I'd like to inspect it without hurting you."

"You can call me Kamala but…would it really hurt that much?" For some reason, she didn't really want to part with the family heirloom, feeling as if she would risk losing her powers completely if they were separated for only a few moments. Of course, Bruno had told her that her abilities came from within and had simply been unlocked by the old artefact, but did she want to take the risk?

"Probably not, but I'd rather avoid the potential of what happened to Doug the last time I tried this." He gave them what seemed to be his attempt at a smile. "That was a joke. I'm trying to ease the tension in the room with humour."

"Glad to see that someone else does that," the Doctor remarked.

"Yeah, but that was actually funny compared to your usual dad jokes," Dan retorted.

"You can't blame me for that when I actually was a dad," she huffed.

Everyone was looking at her again, even Yaz, who had heard her casually reference her past genders before. She gave them an innocent smile, hoping they just thought that she was being weird. That was the conclusion that most people came to. She busied herself with admiring the thick jewellery as Kamala allowed it to be removed delicately, Wong placing it on the surface in front of him. With a few quick movements, he brought up a rendition of the bangle, floating in the air with golden wisps of energy. Yaz and Dan jumped back, still getting used to what this world had to offer. So they'd been pretty accurate with calling him a wizard, unless he had a super realistic hologram display working that they couldn't see. Kamala was standing so close that the fizzling energy was being reflected in her brown eyes, whilst Carol was the only one of the group who appeared nonplussed. That was natural when you could do what she did.

The Doctor's mouth was agape as she admired what was being shown in front of her. She walked in a slow circle, her arms clambering over Wong's shoulders as she focused on the sight with acute fascination. "How are you doing this?"

"I told you," he huffed, trying to shrug her off of him. "I'm the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Could I have a bit more detail than that. Treat me as a complete novice to this part of the world, which I'm not usually one to admit."

"Sorcerers like me can tap into the energies of the universe that most people don't allow themselves to see," Wong explained. "We practise in the mystic arts, connecting ourselves to otherworldly beings, most notably the Vishanti. They are the ones who grant us the privilege to wield their powers. It is then our duty to protect this realm using such abilities."

"Protecting it from what?" Yaz asked.

"Creatures that would like to see it destroyed. Multiversal entities seeking to destroy reality after reality."

"I'm sorry but…that's not possible," the Doctor argued. "That isn't how science works! You can't just…tap into a different realm whenever you want and get magic out of it! It goes completely against the laws of nature. Creating energy that wasn't there in the first place!"

"Most people are unable to see the work they do because they do not possess the third eye. But you cannot deny what you are seeing right in front of you." He gestured to the display he'd created, twirling it around, making it larger, separating the components of the bangle until it surrounded them all like a golden universe. Yaz tentatively reached a hand up to touch it, feeling its strange warmth encompass her. "It is those laws of nature that we seek to protect."

"Magic users are becoming more and more prevalent," Kamala added. "You hear rumours about the number of people who were working at Kamar Taj. And there's obviously Wanda Maximoff, who might just be the most powerful of them all." She didn't notice how Wong slightly flinched at the name and the memories it served to bring back.

"I reckon I could still take her," Carol idly commented, checking her nails as if she didn't really care that there was a woman who could easily match her.

"Oh, definitely. Though I am a little biassed." Kamala paused, looking at the trio as they stared at the magic around them. Dan kept waving his hand in the air, trying to mess the projection up for some reason, but it kept reverting back to its previous shape whenever he stopped. "Is this just something else you've managed to miss whilst living here? Do you really have your head in the sand that much?"

"It's like what Wong said. It's meant to be a bit of a secret." The Doctor was hoping that would be enough to cover their tracks. The sorcerer didn't seem too impressed, squinting his eyes at them. They didn't notice him subtly turning his hand underneath the table, casting another, silent spell. "I'm just…amazed at what this world has to offer."

"Exactly," Dan agreed. "If I'd known that there were magicians hanging about the place, I would have got one in for the DIY in the kitchen." He frowned, suddenly remembering something. "Before these two went and wrecked my house."

"We already apologised for that slight mishap. Profusely. Many times!"

"Still ruined my house. I had all my Liverpool stuff in there."

Wong wrinkled his nose. "Please tell me you're not a Liverpool fan."

"Can't you tell by the accent, mate?"

"I was hoping that you might support Everton, which I could tolerate."

"What are you then? Don't say… United ." He looked on in horror as Wong nodded his head. "Doctor, I want to go. I can't physically stay in a room with a United fan for more than five minutes. I'll come up in hives!"

"I think you're overreacting, Dan," the Doctor assured him, wanting to get the conversation back on track. "Let's not insult the wizard."

" Not a wizard," Wong growled. "Sorcerer. There's a very important difference."

"Which is?" Yaz wondered, feeling sceptical about that.

"...what's really important is that I was told that you were space travellers and yet you talk about having homes on the planet, about supporting football teams."

"Can't we be both?" the Doctor asked, slightly nervous at where this was heading. "I'm sure loads of people travel to space nowadays, based on what we've seen so far."

"Not unless they have a heap ton of money or are registered in the books of the sanctum. We keep a record of every individual that could pose a threat to this realm, every individual with powers that could include having the ability to travel to space. Yet I've never even heard of you before."

"Before we turn on each other, could we focus on why we're actually here?" Carol suggested, intervening before more serious accusations were made. "The bangle. What can you see in it? Is this what we were looking for?"

Wong shook his head, though it may have been more for the Doctor than the Captain. "No. The Ten Rings were sending out a signal to a location or entity that we still haven't figured out. This isn't connected to that as far as I can tell. It is definitely Kree in origin, which explains why you were connected to it. An ancient artefact, once part of a pair. You must have stumbled across its partner."

Kamala's eyes lit up. "You found another one? Do you still have it?"

"It broke up upon impact as soon as the connection was made," Carol told her sadly. "Like…it couldn't cope with the overload of power."

Wong stepped forward, zooming in on another section of the object floating in the air. There seemed to be a small pulse beating amongst the rest of the strands of energy. "That's because the power had nowhere to go. Upon activation, it channelled huge amounts of energy. Kamala had the ability to take on the energy, whereas you didn't. Probably because your body is already consumed by nearly infinite amounts of power. But there was something about Kamala that the bangle accepted. This pulse of energy unlocked something within her."

"It's because of my ancestors," Kamala blurted out without really thinking. Was she supposed to be talking about this to strangers, even if they didn't exactly feel like such? "I'm related to…the Djinn."

"Are you sure about that?" Wong asked, who'd moved slightly further away from her.

"I saw it. I saw my grandmother with her mum, who was a djinn. I had to fight a whole bunch of them?"

"How can you be related to an alcoholic beverage?" Dan asked.

"Djinn are…legends," the Doctor explained, her eyes wide as she stared at Kamala. "Myths stemming from the religion of Islam. Some might call them genies. Others viewed them as much darker creatures. But they're a fantasy!"

"They're creatures of another realm," Wong said darkly. "You said that you fought some…"

Kamala's face twisted as she now regretted opening her mouth. "Trust me, that whole ordeal is sorted. We did go fairly close to bringing about the end of the world but I had it covered in the end."

"Weren't you just talking about wanting to defend the planet from these other realms?" Carol asked. "It looks like you've had someone doing that job for you."

"Then you'll be happy to know that I'm about to take drastic action," Wong informed her. "Against a threat from another reality."

"You're not going to hurt me, are you?" Kamala wondered, her hands beginning to glow instinctively.

"No. Because you've been telling me the truth. Whereas these three…" He turned to the Doctor, Yaz, and Dan. "Have been lying since they got here. Potentially since they rescued you. There's a reason why I haven't been able to get a read on them up to this point. It's because they're from another reality. Another universe."

The Doctor had her hands up already, noticing how the other three were now looking at them suspiciously. "Okay, okay…I think I've got some explaining to do."