The Road to Divinity (MCU SI-OC)

[Darwin-18]

(SI) A Marvel fan, who decided to do the right thing and save a life, succeded but at the cost of his own. Instead of facing death, he was thrown into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coming to terms with his new surroundings, he has to navigate his way through a world full of heroes, gods, and villains. How difficult could it be? (Will include X-Men and F4)

Chapter 1 - Different Reality

"Hey listen, listen! I know that I'm late but-"

"Again! You're late again, Ethan! Can you just show up on time at least once?!"

"Look, in my defense, it took me a long time to get all the stuff," I said over the phone, trying to find a way to make a valid argument. "Not to mention the long lines, you know how long those take."

Several seconds passed with nothing but silence. "You used that same excuse last week when we were meeting up with Frank, remember? We were supposed to meet up at his place, and you said you had to go out to get "errands" for your mom last minute? Think that I forgot about that?"

"I-ughh…" I tried finding a valid response but failed. "Alright, look. I may have stayed up a little longer last night and woke up barely thirty minutes ago. You know I can't just stop watching when a movie begins. Oh, and by the way, Nightcrawler was just amazing. One of the best performances I've seen in a while. See? I told you I would get around to watching it."

"You jackass," Was all he said before chuckling. "Alright, just please, please tell me you're on your way. Kind of getting impatient over here you know."

"Yeah, I'm on my way right now," I answered, glad that the conversation is moving in the right direction. "About ten or fifteen minutes away. Before you ask, don't worry, I got everything we need for the marathon."

"Thank god, least that is taken care of. Everything is ready on my end, just bring the food over so we can cook something before we start. Haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

"Awesome, I'll be there soon."

I hung up and had a long, desperate sigh of relief. Seriously though, I need to manage my time better. I swear, one of these days it's gonna screw me over, like now for instance. Still, being a few minutes late doesn't mean it's the end of the world. While walking, I tried my best to ignore the cold. It started snowing just a week ago, not that I was complaining but still found the low temperature to be a bit irritating.

I stopped for a moment to look at my left and my right, making sure that no car will pop up out of nowhere while I cross the street.

As I re-entered a steady pace, my attention turned to the screaming children that were in a nearby park, happily playing in the snow. They appeared to be at least four or five years old, something like that. As for the parents, they weren't that far away from the kids. There were three pairs of them, just chatting without a care in the world. My eyes jumped back to the children, unable to stop the smile forming on my face. I remember way back when I was their age, winter was always the best time of the year, for obvious reasons. Hours and hours of just wandering in the snow, building a fort, snowball fights and so much more.

Is it weird that I want to just throw myself into the snow? Just once? Eh, why the heck not, can't remember the last time I did anything when it was snowing.

Hoooooonk!

A loud noise snapped me out of my thoughts. Looking for the source of the noise, I looked around and spotted a speeding truck up the street that seemed to have no intention of slowing down. Why was it doing that? I trailed down the path it was heading, only to see a boy running into the middle of the street to retrieve a blue board, unaware that a truck heading his way.

Then everything clicked.

"…Kid! Get out of the way!"

Letting the bag drop to the ground and with all my strength, I dashed forward. The snow on the ground, which was at least a few inches deep, suppressed my feet from gaining a fast start. The parents, that were completely oblivious on the danger the child was in, all turned around after my sudden cry. A woman, which I presume is the boy's mother, shouted his name at the top of her lungs, high enough to break glass even. She broke into a run, rest of the adults following suit, but the chances of them making it in time were very thin.

While there was some difficulty running in the snow, I got to the boy faster than I would have thought. Just as I expected, the boy was frozen with fear and probably didn't even hear his name being called out countless times. I grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him off his feet, then throwing him off several feet away. Since the snow was thick enough and the boy landed on his side, I doubt he would have any injuries.

"Now all that's left is-"

I didn't even get to finish the sentence in my head when I saw that the truck approaching at a speed my mind could barely comprehend. I couldn't help it, I just had to close my eyes and hope this ends quickly.

The truck hit me, I was sure of that. But then… why didn't I feel any pain?

I opened my eyes, ever so slowly. And I was shocked at what I was seeing. I was in space! In the literal void of space, not a single planet was nearby, only thousands of little white dots.

Suddenly, I could feel my body starting to move, and quite fast. The speed increasing more and more. Out of nowhere, around my whole body appeared a blue sphere, it felt like it was pushing me even further.

"Aaaaghhh!"

Just like that, I was hurtling through space, with no intent on slowing down. It felt like I was a comet shooting through space.

In the far distance, I realized I was heading towards… Earth?! I wasn't quite sure where I was headed, everything was so blurry and moving way too fast for me to even process. Before I even blinked, I was falling through the clouds. This phenomenon ended with me hitting a brick wall and falling to the ground in pain.

"O-Oww!" I winced, unable to figure out what specific part of my body hurts the most.

I tried with whatever strength I had to stand up, but had great difficulty doing so. It took several minutes at best for my body to feel anything at all. After about a dozen attempts, I pulled myself up with my hands, which have only now stopped shaking. My feet got a good feel of the ground, making sure I don't lose my balance upon standing up. Another problem seemed to present itself, my back.

Placing my hands on my back, mentally preparing for the painful ordeal that's just moments from happening. On the count of three, I attempted to fix my back-ache. When I heard the "cracking" sound, I let out a long groan of satisfaction and relief. While the pain was still present, it was less bothering now.

Ignoring the pain in the rest of my body, I scanned my surroundings in the hopes of figuring out what the Hell just happened. From the looks of it, I ended up in an alleyway, a long one at that. Even though it seemed like it was day time, the alleyway was barely lit, accompanied by the loud noise of traffic in the distance.

I searching my pocket for my phone, and to my surprise, it was still in one piece, considering it was on the side where I smacked the wall. The screen was heavily damaged, cracks everywhere, but it seemed salvageable. I tried turning it on multiple times, but it was dead.

"That's just perfect…" I said in frustration, slowly feeling a migraine coming up. I rubbed my eyes, another dilemma added to the list.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed a faint reddish glow. Now fully focusing on the glow, the source of the light was hidden behind a small and damaged cardboard box. I started taking small, but cautious, steps towards it. Crouching down, I moved the box to the side, the red glow radiated from a book, only this was no ordinary book. The book was fairly large, what I only could identify to be a tome book. The cover was made out of what I assumed was vintage leather, a big ruby gemstone embedded in the center, with four smaller ones located in the corners, topped with gold assets around them.

The book was relatively heavy when picking it up, which is to be expected. Once it was in my hands, the glow on the gem died down. Upon opening the book and flicking through some of the pages, they had one thing in common, they were all blank.

"What…?"

I asked in confusion, continuing to flip through it. Page after page of blank space, no writing, no drawings, no nothing. I could only assume this was custom-made for decorative purposes. But how does that explain the red glow? The idea of my eyes playing tricks on me is a high possibility.

Deciding not to dwell on this matter further, I just closed the book with a sigh. Right then, the ruby started glowing slightly, lower than the first time. Out of curiosity, I started examining the gemstone in the center, slowly trailing my finger around it. When my finger reached the tip, I didn't expect for it to sharp as glass, instantly cutting my finger.

"Ah!" I winced, waving my hand for the sting to go away.

Suddenly, the gem started glowing once again, the same intensity when I first saw it. Above it, the small drop of blood expanded exponentially. After that, the book opened with the pages rapidly starting turning. I jumped back in shock at the sudden occurrence and landing on my butt, the book now floating. This process continued until the pages were even on both sides. The now inflated bubble of blood dropped dead center on one of the pages. At first, the surface absorbed it all, then appeared thin lines of blood that ran across the two pages. After some time, the color changed from red to yellowish gold, then the lines started forming into strange symbols, with some additional drawings of some sort. Once the pages were all full to the brim, the book closed itself and feel to the ground with a loud thud.

What… was that? There is no logical explanation of what I just witnessed, delusional or not. I got back on my feet and approached it once more, more cautious and scared this time around. The book had a different appearance that's for sure. The five ruby gemstones were now transformed into what appeared to be emerald stones, each of them letting out a faint glow, the middle one brighter than the rest.

I picked it up a second time, only now it was significantly lighter. It could be easily mistaken for a notebook for its current weight. Opening to the first page, I was greeted with unreadable symbols that circled a hexagonal drawing. Further studying the markings, I can't quite recall ever seeing anything like them before, not like these anyway. My finger trailing the markings until I reached the center of the hexagon, then the whole page suddenly lid up. The drawings radiated with a golden color, slight streams entering my hand until they died down.

Then something… weird happened. The symbols, I understood them, only little that it. I can't explain it, it was like learning a new language and getting accustomed to the basics. While I could barely understand the writing, I couldn't make out what word meant what.

"Enough of that!" I closed the book with a huff. "None of this makes any sense! How did this happen? The moment I pushed that kid away, the truck hit me than all of a sudden I'm in space?"

I'm not going to get any answers if I just stay in this damn alleyway. I started walking towards the end of the alley, book in hand. I had no idea why I even carried the thing, but I couldn't just throw it away. Was it responsible for why I ended up here? Maybe.

Getting closer towards the light, the noise growing louder and louder with each passing second, black silhouettes of people passing by from each side. As I was about to step out of the alley, I had to shield my eyes from the intense light. With my eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight, I withdrew my hand and I can't say I was glad about what I saw.

"Oh… dear… god…"

I uttered lowly at the sight. An endless sea of cars was put to a halt, seconds later they started moving again, only a little though before stopping once more. The sun was just about to set, but the heat felt like it was. All sorts of people passing by, not an inch of space on the street was empty. A few that passed by gave me strange looks, presumably because almost everyone I saw wore t-shirts and clothes you would normally wear in the summer. Then you see someone like me, dressed in winter clothing and looking around like a lost puppy. Most of them probably thought I was crazy.

"Hey, kid!"

I wouldn't exaggerate when I say I almost had a heart attack from that.

"Y-Yes?!"

Turning around in less than a second, my focus landed on the man who called out to me. If I had to say, the man was in his forties, a bit on the larger side, wearing a construction uniform carrying a toolbox.
"What are you doing wearing that oversized coat on ya?" The man asked, confusion on his face. "It's like what? 90° degrees out here!"

"O-Oh, this?" I blabbered instantly, my brain working overtime for an excuse. "I have a cold! Yeah, that's it. I can't stay outside for too long if I'm not wearing something as big as this."

The man just looked confused, like I spoke in a different language. The man just shook his head. "Aright, whatever you say kid."

Was all he said as he walked past me and began to leave.
"Wait, Sir!" I quickly called out to the man. He turned around and look annoyed. "Where am I? I mean, what's this place called?"

While it seemed like a very stupid idea to just ask the first person I come across. At this point and time, I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to figure out where I am.

"Mead St." The man answered.

I blinked. I motioned with my hand for a more detailed answer. "As in?"

"As in what?"

"As in what… city, I guess?" I asked. "Honest to God, I seemed to be a little lost. I can't properly remember where I ended up. Can you be a little more… specific?"

This is just humiliating and pathetic. Was that the best thing I could come up with?

"Kid, are you stupid?!" The man asked with a mocking tone. "You're in Mead St., which means we're in Bronx, you idiot. And as in "The Bronx" in New York. There? Does that jog your memory, dumbass?"

The man turned and walked away. I could still hear him cursing about today's youth or something.

"New York…"

Well, this is just perfect. New York, of all places to end up I get sent here. Now I know that I have vanished from part of the continent to another. I took off my coat, just now starting to register the intense heat. With no plan in mind, and still not fully believing that I was now in one of the largest cities in the world, I just started walking mindlessly along the street, blending into the array of people.

I noticed a swarm of people down the block, they seemed to be looking through a glass window. Shortening the distance from myself and the small crowd, they appeared to be standing in front of a TV store, numerous screens having the same blond woman wearing a gray suit, a NEWS logo on the bottom right. Without a second thought, I decided to see what all the fuss was about, have to start somewhere at least.

[And now, following up on the very, "controversial" debate that surfaced this morning at the Senate Armed Forces Committee.] The reporter stated. [The center of attention is Stark Industries' CEO, Tony Stark, also known by his alter-ego, Iron Man. Ever since his shocking reveal to the world, Senator Stern has demanded that Mr. Stark hands over the Iron Man armor so that the United States may use the same technology for military application. Senator Stern also claims that the existence of such technology possesses a threat and should not be in the hands of one man and one man alone. Stark, however, bluntly refused. He then proceeded to show evidence of foreign countries attempting to copy the suit, with all of them failing to come close to Mr. Starks' design. Among the footage shown, it also displayed fellow weapons manufacturer, Justin Hammer.]

The screens then changed to a courtroom. The camera was focused on TV that was entirely black, lines and lines of code appeared that displayed "Welcome Back, Mr. Stark", before shifting to low-quality footage of what seemed to be an oversized humanoid robot that fell to the ground while repeatedly firing a machine gun. It changed several times, showing similar footage, all attempts failing miserably. After that was over, a Senator and a man with a goatee in a well-tailored suit stood up and exchanged a few more words, before turning around and praising himself, a wide smirk visible on his face.

"Wait what?"

Did I just saw Robert Downey Jr.? It… it has to be, there's no way I couldn't recognize his face. I remember this scene, it's from Iron Man 2! Now I'm completely lost. Why are they showing a scene from a movie that was released in 2010? Why is the NEWS even mentioning this? I pushed through the crowd, ignoring their complaints. My mind could hardly keep up what I just saw and heard.

Let's go over this again. I'm positive that truck hit me, there's no way it had enough time to hit the brakes, I know for a fact that the driver didn't since I couldn't hear them. Hypothetically, let's say he did, the truck would still hit me nonetheless, and the impact would just be weaker. Still, aside from the adrenaline and fear, I didn't feel any sort of pain then. Speaking about time, why did I feel like everything slowed down, then ending up in space.

Then it hit me. I was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Either that or I somehow survived that hit from the truck and I ended up in a coma and all of this is just a crazy dream. I'm not sure of what option I should be fonder of.
I slapped my cheeks several times to regain focus. First things first, find a place to spend the night. A place where I don't have to pay, without worrying about a stranger lurking around while I sleep and can, hopefully, use until I figure out a better plan.

---

Now… where do I find that?

Numerous hours later, I found what I was looking for, sort of.

It was an old abandoned warehouse. Not the most ideal place but I'm just glad I managed to find something. By now it was already night time, my feet were literally on the verge of breaking. Entering the warehouse, I was honestly surprised that the inside wasn't all that bad, machines that were out of order and tons of boxes, some of them broken to pieces. I climbed up the flight of stairs and hid behind a large crate, using my coat to soften the hard surface.
At first, I had difficulty falling asleep. How could I? I was slowly coming to terms with that I might have ended up in a fictional world. I just kept staring at the ceiling, my mind refusing to think properly.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll go out and find some answers. Yeah, that will do.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep

---

When I woke up, I was able to deduct two things. The first, I was still in the same spot when I fell asleep the previous night. And the second, my back was killing me, way more than when my body was thrown against a concrete wall. Now that I think about that contributed to my back pain. The only upside was that since it was warm outside, the need to cover myself was nonexistent. At least there's that.

For the first thirty minutes or so after waking up, I just sat in the same position, still not yet fully believing my situation. The only thing I could do is rub my temples while trying to come up with a decent plan. Then I decided, sulking here by myself won't do anything. I'm far from home with no idea how to get back. If I really am in the MCU, that NEWS report was true and it's safe to say I'm in the timeframe of Iron Man 2. So that means things are moving relatively slow, might as well and try to dig up whatever I can. But the question was where?

Before leaving, I glanced at the mysterious book that was right next to me. I still haven't opened it since yesterday, finding a place to sleep was the main priority. I contemplated taking the book with me, but it would only be a nuisance to carry, whether it be its original weight or now that it's lighter. Ultimately, I decided to hide the two items behind a crate, adding a few smaller ones to the sides to block any view of seeing them.

Was I paranoid? Ridiculously so. Especially when hiding in a warehouse of all places.

With that taken care of, I left the docks, sneaking away from some construction workers that were not too far away, but they didn't seem to notice either way. Since I didn't have a goal in mind, walking around is all I could do for now. It took me about an hour to actually get anywhere, with the help of strangers that I asked for directions. With my phone being practically useless, finding a way to access the internet was key. To do that, finding a tech store somewhere was the easiest way of doing so.

After another half hour of walking, I stood in front of a fairly large shopping center, this will have to do. Stepping inside, I scanned every store as far as my eye could see.

"There it is."

I muttered to myself. A small sense of relief and joy when I saw a tech store at the far back. It didn't take long before I reached the said store. There were ten or so customers inside, all of the workers that I could see we're occupied with by helping the customers, the only exception was the one behind the register.

I walked the short distance towards the section that provided laptops. Luckily, no one near them might see what I was up to. This paranoia is starting to irritate me, I'm just going to google a few things, nothing out of the ordinary. Then I shouldn't be this paranoid. I used the touchpad to open the browser…

What should I type in?

This part hadn't occurred to me before. Come on, think of something. Something simple should do. Guess it's worth a try, I typed in "Tony Stark" and hit search. Immediately, I clicked on the first one at the top and skimmed through it. Yup, I'm in the MCU alright. How did I come to this conclusion you may ask? Simple, when searching upon a fictional character, it will most certainly be a Wiki page that contains dates of its release, its publisher, its powers (if they have any that is) and that kind of stuff.

Instead of being all the things I just mentioned, it was a well-detailed page that a historical figure would have. It listed the hospital he was born in, praise for his intellect and numerous achievements at a very young age, graduating MIT at the age of seventeen, the disappearance of his parents, continuing his father's legacy when becoming CEO of Stark Industries and last but not least, his announcement to the world of him being Iron Man.

Going further, I decided to try again to make sure this wasn't a fluke, typing in "Bruce Banner" this time. My hunch was correct. Just like Tony's, it had no mention of his alter ego, just his research on Gamma Radiation. After looking through the two pages, I decided to see what the NEWS sites had to offer. Won't be as near as useful when I now fully know where I ended up. Nothing worthwhile was there anyway, except for Tony and his court fiasco. I scrolled the page, just minor incidences here and there. But then something caught my eye, an article at the top of the page that included a name of a very important individual. I made sure I re-read the name properly at least five times.

Reed Richards.

The article was still relatively fresh, it was a picture of a man in a lab coat (which I assumed was Reed himself) shaking hands with an elderly man in business attire, an announcement for the renovation of a building that would soon be transformed into the Baxter Building somewhere in New York. That was just the first half, the second half consisted of basic info on Reed, Ben Grimm, Susan and Johnny Storm. It also listed an unauthorized test flight into space using an experimental rocket, which was made by Reed's design that launched close to a year ago. It said all pilots survived with no injuries after the rocket crash-landed back on Earth, but anyone who knows the history of the Fantastic Four knows that this is where they obtained their iconic powers.

He exists in this world as well? How can this be? This can't be the MCU if the Fantastic Four are in it. Or maybe… maybe everything is the same and they are just added in, RDJ's and Mark's faces were just like in the movies. A simple deduction, yet highly plausible. It also wasn't the actor that portrayed Mr. Fantastic in the movies, he looked different.

Then an idea popped into my head. Let's see if a certain Professor also exists. Lo and behold, he does, with very limited information available. I knew the X-Mansion was real, but the exact location was unknown. If my memory serves me right, it just outside of town. There has been some mention of "paranormal sightings" involving people doing all sorts of weird stuff, it's easy to assume that they were talking about mutants. So the X-Men, alongside the Fantastic Four are present in this version of the MCU. If the circumstances were different, I'd be jumping up and down like a madman knowing that an even better version of my favorite franchise existed!

Well, this certainly was an eye-opener. At least I now I know where I ended up, in my favorite fictional world, full of gods, monsters, aliens. I mean, it could have been worse. I tried searching numerous other things my mind could think of, sadly, there were no results this time, nothing of importance that is. Still, I can't be too dissatisfied with what I got, so I consider this a win. Alright, that being taken care of, we move to our next problem.

How do I get back to the warehouse?

---

"Finally!"

While the search helped immensely, finding my way back was almost impossible. I did use the same route that got me to the shopping mall, but due to the size of the city, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. By now, the sun was slowly setting and I was dead tired. I climbed up the stairs and was tempted to just fall down and sleep through the next three days. My mind refusing to work properly altogether. Food and water were a big issue. Going through the last few days with no food was horrible! I was so close to passing out from hunger. I had no money left since I spent everything I had when buying the supplies for the marathon. Still, after figuring out where I ended up, sleeping in an abandoned warehouse, a lack of food, wandering the endless streets of one the largest city in the world, alone, none of those things (believe it or not) were my biggest concern. There was only one thing I wanted to know, and I fear I may never get an answer…

How do I get back home? Is it even possible to get back? What will mom and dad think? Oh crap, I forgot about them. They are probably freaking out right now, the worst part is that even if I do find a way back, how am I supposed to explain this to anyone?

"Oh, right. The book." I muttered, stopping right in my tracks, I forgot about it. I moved the boxes aside and found the emerald engraved tome and coat right where I left them.

"Wish there was a way to mark this place somehow." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "If only my phone was in my other pocket then it just might have-"

In the middle of my small rant, the book suddenly opened with its pages rapidly turning. I jumped back in surprise, the wall preventing me from going further as I watched the book in shock and amazement. Its speed started to decrease drastically, it stopped entirely after a few moments. When it stopped, golden lines began forming on the page, then they started moving in every possible direction. I can't describe what it was, a drawing of some sort, it closely resembled a compass. Once it was finished, a beam shot out of the circle and landed a few feet away from me. In a blink of an eye, the beam disappeared, leaving a glowing symbol on the ground that also vanished moments later.

"... Okay, that's new." I said in disbelief. To be honest, after confirming I'm in the MCU, on my way back I started thinking for what was the use for this book, or when it absorbed my blood and changed the color of the gem.

I just couldn't wrap my head around this whole thing. All my life I could only dream of living in a world like this. When I grew older I just accepted that these are the type of things that we use to escape our daily lives, a way to entertain ourselves. Nothing more than that. But now actually seeing something like that happen before my very eyes, I couldn't describe the feeling with just mere words.

After finally composing myself, I began thinking of a way of using it. Was it on command? Only one way of finding out.

"Umm, find... the warehouse?" I asked it. Since it responded to my command to mark the place, maybe it would work again.

Right after saying those words, the lines lit up once more. Some of them started to surface from the page, interlocking with one another until it resembled an arrow. When it was complete, it started rotating slowly, moving slightly back and worth, directly pointing at the marked spot.

This is going to be a long night it seems.

---

Wandering the streets of New York only proved more tiresome. Another day wasted just walking and trying to come up with a plan. If I had stayed in that warehouse a minute longer I would have gone crazy. Deciding to walk in one of the biggest cities in the world, at night of all times, maybe one of my worst ideas yet. Truth is, I honestly didn't care, I won't get anywhere by just sitting around. Relying on people is a no go. The only ones I would even consider are beyond my reach, so that pretty much narrows things down.

Speaking about the book, the progress with it is a dead end. What I originally thought was thrown right the window. Nothing seemed to work, the small sliver of hope on figuring out the damn thing vanished. The only It only worked if I asked it to navigate to the place I marked, besides that nothing. The thing was still a complete mystery to me.

I was contemplating going to Karma-Taj, or to simplify the trip, find the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. The Ancient One would surely know something to help me, maybe even possibly find a way to return home. She most likely noticed when I entered the MCU, it's the Ancient One for crying out loud. Turning towards her for help was one of the only options at my disposal. For that, I need to think of what to say and make sure that they believe me.

An alternative was getting on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar but quickly dismissed that idea. The whole thing could backfire. S.H.I.E.L.D in Phase One was all over the place, trying to their hardest to keep things on the down-low, not to mention Nick Fury isn't the most trustworthy person right now. They have information on everything, the moment they spot me, I'm dead. A person who has zero info on them and practically acts like a ghost? They'll hunt me down in less than an hour.

With an exhausted sigh, I looked up to the clear sky. Why does this have to be so complicated?

"Help! Someone, please help us!"

Then I heard it, a loud and terrifying scream that echoed across the empty streets that could most likely be heard from a radius of a few blocks. I looked around in quick successions to find where the scream was coming from, it belonged to a woman. Not even a few seconds later, another scream was heard, louder this time. I felt a surge of adrenaline hit me as I started running, was someone getting mugged? Either that or someone is already injured. That's when I spotted it, an entrance to the alleyway, that's most likely the source of the screams.

I leaned onto the cold brick wall, peaking from the edge.

"I'll say this one more time, hand over all the cash you got and you two just might walk away all in one piece." A thug said bitterly, playfully swinging a small pocket knife in his hand.

"H-Hey man, I don't want any trouble!" The cornered man said hesitantly, protectively using his arm over the girl right beside him. "B-But listen, I swear I don't have any money on me! Honest to God!"

"Well then…" The thug slowly crept closer. "The hard way it is."

A mugging, five guys in total, I wouldn't be surprised if all of them had a knife. They were at least a couple of years older than me, all dressed in black clothing with punk aesthetics. Nothing more than just a bunch of junkies. The two unfortunate victims appeared to be a couple with no chance of escaping, the gang surrounding them.

"I'm getting a sense of Deja' Vu over here..."

What am I supposed to do here? I got no phone so I can't call the Police. Even if I did, those guys would be long gone before they even get here. Not to mention severely outnumbered, five to one, making things more complicated. I wasn't that particularly strong, I don't think I could hold my own in a one-on-one scenario, let alone against all five of them.

The thing I'm supposed to do is just turn around and walk away. I can't do anything that might help them and it shouldn't be any of my concerns. Unfortunately, they ended up in this situation, but the last time I tried to help someone resulted in me dying, actually it was getting sent to a fictional world where Gods and superheroes are real, which is just as worse. I'm sure if they just give them what they want they'll leave the couple alone.

Then why doesn't my body respond when I tell it to? Why am I still standing here? I got too many problems to worry about and I honestly don't want to repeat the same stupid mistake that got me here in the first place. But I can't just leave them like this,

Damn it.

"Hey!" I yelled as I made my presence known, stepping into the alley.

All of them turned to the sound of my voice, one of them was the first howl back. "Beat it, kid!" The thug with the knife in his hand yelled, obviously annoyed. "Can't you see I'm busy!?"
"With petty theft? Alright, look. How about this. You just put that knife down, leave the couple alone, and we all go our separate ways. That way, nobody gets hurt."

The punk just scoffed. "And let me take a guess, you're the one who is going to stop me?"

"Umm… yes?"

"Fine then…" The thief fully turning towards my direction, a wicked smile present. "Your funeral."

The one with the knife charged at me with full speed, quickly closing the distance between us. Here I am, going to fight a thief who has a knife, while I had what I believed was a magical relic, and I didn't know how to use it.

So what do I do? I smacked him across the face just as he tried to stab me, sidestepping his assault in the last second. It may be just my imagination, but I'm sure I heard a "cracking" sound when the book vibrated slightly from the sheer force of the impact. He didn't expect that fast of a reaction time with a book this heavy, which of course he didn't know it's felt like swinging a small notebook. At least now I know this same effect doesn't apply to other people.

The mugger stumbled backward till he fell to the ground, clutching his nose as his screams echoed in the now-dead silent alleyway. I could faintly see huge lines of blood running down his hands, staining his sleeves and upper side of his shirt. His hands started shaking uncontrollably as he attempted to uncover his face. Oh yeah, his nose was definitely dislocated, it should never go that far to the right. When he looked at the amount of blood on his hands, his eyes widened and instantly balled his fists, the look of shock changing to one of anger and rage.

"You're…dead!"

And that was my cue to run! I swiftly turned and made a run for it, I felt my muscles hurt from how fast my body reacted. The road was empty, not a car in sight. While running, I looked behind me, only to barely see the one I hit run out of the alley and started chasing after me, the other four not far behind. There was no way to go but straight, which is when the road reached its end and was divided into two separate paths. Deciding against going left or right, I continued going forward, running through a small gap in-between the two buildings. The whole area was dark, for me it was a good thing.

There were three ways to move from here, I opted to take the path to my left, hoping that the others take the other two. Choosing this path may have been a bad idea, it looked exactly like the street I just passed by, that and I don't even know where I'm going.

I made my way into another alleyway, turning my head slightly again to see if they were still on my tail. Unaware of where I was heading, I felt my foot slip on something, which sent me falling to the ground.
"A-Ahh, damn it." I groaned from the pain, as well as the hot air hitting me directly in my face, trying to block it with my hands. While doing so, something bizarre happened. Some of the hot air went into my hand with a golden tint at the tip of my hand. I moved away, deciding now was no time to think about whatever just happened.

Crawling to the book, I noticed something… strange. It was still closed, but there was a slight glow coming out of its side. Opening it, I flipped through the pages until I found where the glow was coming from. It didn't take that long since it was within the first ten or so pages. The first sentence on the page, it was now fully completed.

"There he is!"

Looking behind me, I saw the man I hit standing at the entrance. Shortly after, the rest of them appeared as well. A malicious grin plastered all over his face as his hand trailed to his pocket, taking out the small knife from before. At first, all of them slowly started walking towards me, until the thug with the knife started running at full speed.

"Do something! Do something!" I yelled while shaking the book desperately, nothing happened. Without even realizing it, I started hitting it with my fist, my head jumping back and forth from it to the attacker that was vastly approaching. Seeing as my attempts did nothing, I quickly tapped the text numerous times instead of just hitting it with my fist.

The text sparked slightly as it started to fade away, the tip of my finger absorbing it, gold lines briefly appeared on my hand. There was no time left to figure out what just happened as the man lunged himself towards me. I tumbled slightly back, throwing my opened hand out to try blocking the knife. Just when the knife was about to come in contact with my skin, fear took over me, my eyes closing before he could strike me.

But the pain never came. I opened my eyes just in time to see the man, who is now a few feet in the air and pushed all the way back to his friends, who caught him before hitting the ground. Looking back at my hand, it was clear that some kind of effect happened when I tapped the completed text.

"What the fuck was that?!" The thug yelled, a mix of confusion and anger in his voice.

"How the Hell did he do that?" The one next to him asked.

"Don't know, don't care, just grab him!" He yelled back.

All the other four charged at me, the two smaller ones had the upper hand as they were much faster. The closest one was on left, mimicking the same gesture as the first time, I got to see how the "spell" looked like. It was like a miniature whirlwind, a long cone of wind released from my hand, pushing my attacker back until he hit the wall. The one on the right got even closer, managing to repeat the action just in time, this one flew until he hit the trash cans, groaning in pain. Not gonna lie, this is the thing I wanted to avoid at all costs, but this feeling was exhilarating. If anything, it feels like I was mirroring the way Iron Man uses his Repulsors!

My moment of awe was cut short by the third thug who flung himself towards me, managing to sidestep him by the skin of my teeth. Still, he was behind me now which automatically results at a disadvantage, especially when he quickly turned around with the effort of grabbing me. I positioned my hand slightly upwards, releasing another cone that hit him in the chest from bellow, sending him flying back. He managed to land on his feet but still skidded backward grasping for air, moments later falling.

I didn't have time to react to the fourth one, who was significantly larger than the others, grabbed me from behind, locking my arms in a tight bear hug, pulling me off my feet. My arms being locked meant I couldn't properly aim for a good hit. Feeling the air in my lungs vanishing, I struggled to break free, the grip only tightens. Then an idea popped into my head. I wasn't yet quite sure how to properly use this newfound power, it's still worth a shot nonetheless.


Positioning my hand in the desired spot was difficult because his grip only got tighter, however, this should work. I swung my arm as far as I could, managing to hit him in his abdomen. It seemed to do the trick as I felt his whole-body vibrate rapidly, following with a strong push that knocked him down to his sides with a grunt.

I gasped for air as I fell to my knees, taking deep breaths repeatedly. My eyes scanned the small area around me, four of them were still down, only one left. Hearing what sounded like a war cry, I turned to see the leader charging at me, a lengthy distance separating us. Repeating the same gesture as before, a problem came to my attention that I didn't account beforehand, the ability's range distance. Instead of getting flung back as I anticipated, he was only slightly pushed back which took him by surprise, his anger returning in a blink of an eye, continuing his assault.

There wasn't much time to try again as the two who were on the ground, one on each side, quickly got up and lunged towards me. Running past them is a no go, I can't push them all away. Plan B it is then, run the other way! It wasn't long till I reached the far end, coming to a halt.

Turning around, only four of the thugs were standing, the big guy seemed to be knocked out. They weren't huddled up close up in a group, instead, they were separated. If I were to try knocking one away the rest will beat me up before I get to the next one.

"Think! There has to be a way out of this!" I thought urgently, my mind working overtime to figure out a plan. With each passing moment, they all crept closer, the devilish grin on the leader's face only growing wider. I turned back to the brick wall, then looking up. It wasn't like the two buildings beside it, it was at least above ten or so feet, most likely a garage or some sort of storage unit. Whatever it was, there was no way of climbing up.

Unless…

Ah, what the Hell, it's the only plan I got and it's worth a try, not like my situation can get any worse at this point. Hearing the leader's demand to jump me, which was my cue!

Acting quickly, I positioned my arm so it faced the ground, slightly tilted so instead of just, hopefully, pushing me upwards, but a little forward as well. Before I lost my chance, I fired at the ground. Upon doing so, I felt my whole body being pulled up almost instantly. Before I even knew it, I landed on the edge of the small building.

I couldn't believe it, it worked! I turned to see the four thugs, all having the same shocked face. I couldn't help but laugh victoriously, only pissing them off even further. That didn't sit well with the leader, turning around and racing out of the alley, signaling the rest to follow. Time for me to do the same.

"That was so cool!" I said in-between breaths while running as fast as I could, all the while smiling like an idiot. "The looks on their faces were priceless! It took a while for it to finally do something, but it definitely paid off. Didn't think it would give me superpowers for crying out loud!"

I have all night to geek out, can't get sidetracked right now. Running down the long storage unit was kind of a hassle, I could barely see anything, and right next to the edge didn't help either. With that being said, I failed to notice a hatch in my way, which resulted in me tripping and nearly falling off. In the split second where my body wasn't touching the ground, I threw my hand out, using the miniature cyclone to shoot me to the other side. I tumbled a few times before coming to a full stop, now lying on my back.

"D-Damn, close one… but still cool." I uttered getting up, feeling slightly sore on the left side of my body. "Wish I knew what else this book could do."

I jogged till I reached the end, and conveniently, I saw a ladder that was embedded in the concrete, perfect. Right then, I heard footsteps, very loud footsteps and they were getting closer. Taking a peek, I spotted one of the thugs running, instantly stopping when he noticed me, while I just took a few steps back. There honestly was no point in running back, all I had to do was wait a little. When he climbed to the top, I simply send him flying back, hitting a nearby wall and landed on the ground with a loud thud. I can't believe he really fell for that.

Right when I climbed down, another one appeared around the corner, coming to a stop at the sight of his friend on the ground. His eyes landed on me, immediately coming close as possible then throwing a punch, barely sidestepping it. Moving back till I was in the desired position, I blasted him back, his head hitting the iron bar.

He groaned in pain, using the ladder to prevent himself from falling. I did the same thing again, this time to disorient him completely, his head hitting the bar once more, now he was barely standing. This was my chance! I got close enough to swing a punch, hitting him across the face. Since I couldn't use my left arm for anything, I proceeded to kick him several times, his sides and stomach to be more precise. Before he had a chance to do anything, I threw my hand out, aiming at his chest, his body hitting the wall from the sheer force, at the same time, knocking the breath out of him. He just flopped to the ground, fighting to stay conscious.

"Three down, I think?" I said looking over the unconscious men. "Where are the other two?"

As if my question was answered, I could faintly hear footsteps, rapidly getting louder. Was it coming from the left or right? Right, these two came from the left so we'll go there. This path didn't lead very far either, to a side entrance of a junkyard to be more specific. When I entered, I stopped and hid beside several burn barrels, the closest one to me still has a spark of fire in it. I positioned myself so I could stay out of sight, a small gap from the barrels allowing me to see if they would come.

Just as I thought, the last two came through the entrance and looked around. I couldn't hear them too clearly, but I could tell that they decided to split up. So much for that, wish they just kept running. I could sneak my way out when they wander far enough or take care of them right now? The first option it is.

I slowly stood up, using the barrel for support. In the second that my hand opened, golden strings started radiating from the barrel, flowing into my hand. Right after witnessing that, I noticed one of the pages started glowing. I immediately began searching for the page that had the familiar text.

"Please, please give me something good," I said flicking the pages rapidly. "Come on, come on, where are you…!"

"I found him!"

I looked up to see the other guy pointing at me. I rushed towards him and threw my hand out, sending him flying back, his body hitting the pile of flattened cars. His body just fell to the ground, clutching his back. I looked around for the last guy, spotting him running up quickly from the right. Just as he got close enough, I tried sending him back.
Only for it to have no effect.

"What?!"

There wasn't any time to fully react because before I knew it, a fist collided with my right cheek. I skidded backwards, dropping the book as a result. Regaining my balance carefully, I rubbed my cheek, staring down my attacker as well.

"Not so tough now, are ya, freak?" the thug taunted with a grin, cracking his knuckles. "Time for payback."

With that, he lunged toward me. Being inexperienced when it comes to fighting, that and never actually participating in a fight, I just moved backwards to avoid the hits, his fists barely out of reach. This is bad. Just dodging won't win me the fight. I can't get close to the book, let alone find the page that I needed. There's a good chance that his friend might get back up soon and then I'm really screwed.

Oh well, here goes nothing.

I held my hands up in a guard, deciding to not move as much. He wasn't that skilled either, that much was evident. His hits were sloppy, uncoordinated, no clear fighting style, just mindlessly trying to punch me. Even so, he showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. When I dodged his punch that was aimed at my head, I tried going for an uppercut, which he avoided with his other arm.

In one swift motion, he kicked me in the left abdomen with his right leg, resulting in me stumbling backwards, while at the same time clutching my sides.

Then the thug charged towards me with his head down, slamming directly into me. That resulted in both of us falling to the ground, him being atop of me.

Ignoring the pain as best as I could because immediately after landing onto the ground, the man above bombarded me with attacks. I tried blocking them, but a few managed to get through. They were weak but still, my head started to feel a little fuzzy from the repeated hits. I spotted a metal pipe on the ground next to me. The moment his fists went up, I dropped my guard in an attempt to grab the pipe. Upon grabbing it, I swung as hard as I can at my attacker, hitting his elbow. He retracted both his arms to block the next few hits, giving me an opening to hit him wherever I could.

It was just enough to get him off of me, with him falling onto his back. I jumped to my feet, quickly running to my book.


Grabbing it, I ran as fast as I can towards the other exit, all the while flicking the pages to find the glowing page.
As I was running, and looking down at the book, I failed to notice the man I threw to the ground jump me from behind. Both of us fell to the ground, with myself ending up lying on his chest. Before I got the chance to get up, he grabbed me in a chokehold.

He was choking me. I tried breaking out of his hold, but no such luck there. I tried punching him several times, hoping that he would loosen up his grip. My hits weren't strong enough to make a difference. Looking down briefly, I saw the book opened on the exact page I was looking for. A line of text that was similar to the one I touched not even ten minutes go. I tried to touch it, only to be a few inches short.

"C-Come on… just… a little… more."

I was so close to touching it. With all my will power, I managed to move us both closer to it, finally tapping the spell. I watched as my hand absorbed gold strings, then my skin changed pigments. It changed to a dark silver-like color before returning to normal.

On the verge of my breaking point, I knew I had to act now. With whatever strength I had left, I pushed back into him as much as I could, aiming for one last punch.

The moment my fist collided with his face, his hold on me broke instantly.

While gasping for air, I immediately scrambled away and stood up after a certain distance, making sure I wasn't going get jumped on again. Whatever that did, it seemed to do the trick. His screams echoed across the whole junkyard, clutching the left side of his mouth. I looked over my left hand, it seemed normal, but I could feel something else as well. When I hit him, I didn't feel any pain. Besides that, it wasn't that strong of a punch, to begin with. Does my hand have the same density from the metal I absorbed from that barrel? I'm positive that's the case here.

The two of them were on their feet again, one in front and the other behind me. Two at the same time, just great. I tried paying equal attention to them both, waiting for them to make the first move. The leader charged first, his friend quickly following suit. Stepping slightly closer so I have some room to not worry about the one behind me, I dodged his punch and a punch of my own with my left hand, which he blocked.

Even though he blocked it, the thug stepped back while hissing in pain, tightly holding his forearm. Turning around, I saw the other one attempting to punch me when he got close enough. I positioned my hand to block it, wanting to see if my theory was correct.

While it was a risky gamble, it certainly paid off.

I didn't feel anything from blocking it, while he clutched his hand as hard as he could. While he was doing that, the leader charged at me again. Instead of moving back, my body went into a defensive stance. He didn't try at throwing mindless punches this time. He managed to land a few punches to my sides. I blocked some of his hits, the pain was getting more and more noticeable. After tiring himself out, it was my turn. My attempts weren't any better, but I still had the upper hand.

Each time he blocked my punches, he had to step back. Since my left hand was enhanced, he hissed when my hand hit his arms so many times. His guard was getting more open, that's when I saw an opening to hit him in the stomach.

Just as he fell to the ground, I turned my attention to the other one.

Right as I turned my head, a fist hit my right temple. While feeling slightly dizzy, I wasn't going to give up here. When he tried going for a similar attack, I ducked below and aimed at hitting his knee. With that one hit, he fell onto his knees, trying to hold in his screams. One final punch across the face was enough to take care of him for good.

I turned around just in time to spot the leader attempting to grab me, to which I grabbed him by the wrists, now becoming a game of both us pushing back and forth, with me losing. I barely had any strength left to go on, one more minute and I'm done for. Then an idea popped into my head. With my left hand, I began squeezing his wrist as hard as I could.

"Aghhhh!" The thug screamed at the top of his lungs. "You bastard!"

In a fraction of a second after his outburst, he kicked me in the stomach.

That knocked the breath of out me for sure, making me loosen my grip by a little. Even still, I wasn't going to let up.

Powering through the pain, I stood my ground and tightened my grip on his wrist. The same action went on a couple of more times. All I had to do is hold on for a little bit longer. After a certain point, he had no other option but to back up and clutch his wrist, now was my chance. I ran up to him as close as I could and punched him across the face.

That's when I dropped to my knees, the last bit of strength I had gone. All I could do was breathe in and out, my eyes still on the leader who just as well fell to the ground.

Out of nowhere, the one I knocked out rushed to his aid.

"Dude, let's get out of here!"

The other guy came quickly to aid his friend, pulling him off the ground and motioning to run away. With some difficulty, and the leader rejecting the idea of running, finally grabbed onto his companion and made their exit, almost falling down while doing so.

"H-Heh, that went better than I expected." I groaned while clutching my stomach while trying to stand up. Slowly moving forward, making sure my moves weren't too drastic to increase the pain, I bend downwards and picked up my book.

"I change my mind about you, you're amazing. I only wish I knew that the ability expires after a certain period. Still, you got me out of that mess so I can't complain."

In the corner of my eye, I spotted a brown wallet on the ground. Making my way towards it, examining it when I picked it up, it was that thug's wallet, must've fallen out when he tried choking me. I was stunned to see almost a few hundred dollar bills in there. I'm positive that the money originally belonged to him, I can't imagine a thief stealing money then immediately putting it in his own wallet right in front of them.

There's only one thing to do with this.

---

"Holy mother of God that definitely hit the spot!"

I commented the second I scoffed down on another sandwich, instantly grabbing the next one. Going on without food for the last two days was insufferable. I got a dozen or so sandwiches with a couple of water bottles for later. After getting them I sat in a small park that was nearby, thankfully it was empty, so I could eat in peace.

Thinking back to everything that happened tonight, I came to the conclusion that… I have no idea what to do. No idea, no plan whatsoever, still nothing. I mean, I'm glad I stopped that couple from getting mugged and all, but still, I almost got my ass kicked. Well, I got beat up nonetheless. I'm not cut out to be the hero.

But at the same time, it felt exciting to use actual superpowers to save someone. I would be lying if I didn't find it kind of fun to use them in general. Plus I liked helping people, so yeah, maybe it was worth a few bruises. The powers were so simple and straightforward, but very effective. It makes me wonder, can they be amplified or work differently?
The absorbing was reminiscent of how Rogue's power's worked, only watered down.

Taking the booking with my other hand, I observed its features once more. Magic always one of my favorite powers, solely because there were so many ways to use the simplest of spells. But the question was, how do the spells work? I know that magic can be divided into different categories, three to be exact.

It needs a proper name after all, right? Hmm, how about… the Codex of Magic! Or just simply "The Codex", yeah, that works too.

If I figure out how this thing works and everything it can do, I just might, hopefully, find my way back home.
In the meantime, I could do the same thing I did tonight. In a world where everything is possible, ranging from a psychotic sentient android to an actual God. Not to mention all the new additions to the MCU, things just might get a little hectic down the line. If I'm going to be stuck here, I just might end up doing some good in this crazy world. I might be a little too ambitious, but still, if I want to survive, I need to be on par with whatever comes my way.

Being able to handle a few thugs won't be enough, I need to get strong and fast.

Thankfully, I could use my meta-knowledge of the MCU to make things easier, but I'm not quite sure if that's a good idea. Things might not go actually like canon, due to the Fantastic Four, X-Men and who knows what else present in this universe, they might not follow the same order. I'll put a pin into that for later if the MCU as I know it plays out like it should, it would be enough.

Ivan Vanko and his army of drones will make their debut at the Stark Expo in the next few days. Not much time to figure this thing out. Still, there will be collateral damage, lots of it. People are bound to get hurt, or worse, killed. There's no way I can prevent all that chaos from happening, hell, I'm not even sure what I should do. But there has to be a way to stop him, or at least sabotage his plans.

After that, I'm definitely going to have to visit the Ancient One. Guess learning magic will be the most logical step to take. I'll be able to better understand the book, after tonight, I'm sure this isn't even scratching the surface of what this thing could do.

Then it's decided. It's not much but it's a start, we'll figure everything else along the way.

Now then, let's get to work.

And that's it for Chapter 1.

Honestly, it was fun writing this, for multiple reasons. First off, in most SI-OC stories on this site (and in general), the SI dies and is reincarnated to their desired world. I wasn't a fan of going this route. It gives a lot of time for the OC to plan everything out, a quick recap on their life in "X" amount of years and all that. The idea of just being dropped into the MCU without much planning and quick thinking of a possible way to survive. I do have to apologize if the Chapter is slow or dragged out, thought this would be a good scenario for the start of the story. I promise, the next few Chapters will have action but one step at a time to establish how

Same goes for the ROB (Random Omnipotent Being for those who don't know), I decided it was better to skip that part, for now, it will be explained later down the line (or maybe not) when the plot develops. For spoiler sake, we'll just have to get to that point for it all to make sense.

Another thing I want to address, The Codex won't always give free powers/stronger powers/give powers without drawbacks. Feel like I need to address this right off the bat. The powers are supposed to be creative and simple, for the basic ones that is. Magic will be the main focus, but so will obtaining various other powers located around the MCU. It will also take time to fully understand and figure out how some powers work and how to use them.

As I mentioned at the start, this version of the MCU will include the X-Men and Fantastic Four. While the story will follow the main plot, it gives a lot of room to come up with other ideas and plot ideas to make it more exciting and how the MCU will be changed because of them.

If you have an idea to further develop the plot or for some kind of power, let me know. Tell me your thoughts on the first Chapter by leaving a review. Until next time.

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 2 – Operation: Sabotage
"Let's see here…"

I flopped to the ground and placed the Codex in front of me. Since the thing had a built-in GPS, finding the warehouse this time around was significantly easier. I grabbed another sandwich and opened the book, time to figure out how it works.
From what I saw, and theorized when I first absorbed something, the text in the blank pages became visible. Simple enough. But then the question remains, can I absorb anything? Probably not, don't think it works that way. There has to be some sort of restriction to it. Still, I need to figure out how to do it properly. But before we get to that…

I found the page that had the Miniature Whirlwind. The text was a plain black color, it wasn't until my hand was inches from the surface that the text lit up. There was a slight pause before I tapped it. I watched as my hand glowed briefly before returning to normal. It was different than the first time I did it, the light died down way sooner. Did it already recognize that I used it before? Might be.

Jumping to my feet, I moved away a few feet to do a proper test of its capabilities. When I threw my hand out, I was greeted with the familiar spell that pushed several empty crates a little since it was barely out of reach. Before doing it again, I placed some of the crates atop of each other. When it was set up, I took a few steps back, then running up to it and blasted all of them away. Before setting the boxes up again, I decided to switch things up. With my left hand, I tapped the spell again, now having the power in both my hands. I could have a different power for each hand, that is until I learn magic properly, then I can expand my arsenal. But for the time being, practicing with what I have will do.

Just as I was about to go down to do further tests, I stopped when I thought of something important. When do the powers expire? I almost got screwed over when fighting those thugs, I need to figure out exactly when they expire. As of now, I'd say roughly five or six minutes have passed since I got them. I threw out another Whirlwind to see if it was still there, which it was. About a minute has passed me only doing the same thing until it finally expired. Now I have to look into this.

Refreshing the spell I started the second test. I need to figure out how much time I get when using these powers. I doubt everything I manage to do will have the same expiration time but still will come in handy with what I got now. I just starting counting when I threw the first Whirlwind. At the start of the next minute and thirty-second mark, I would throw one out. At the six-and-a-half-minute mark, the spell was gone, so I would assume it lasts about six minutes and fifteen or so seconds. This is good, this is progress. Onto the next thing

I went back down to the ground level, preparing for my next test. Using Whirlwind helped me escape that sticky situation with those thugs, getting better at that technique will come in handy. Looking up, my eyes locked on to the first floor. I refreshed it again and positioned myself right underneath the platform.

Taking in a deep breath, I positioned my right hand, which was titled but not by much, to fire at the ground. Moments later I slammed my hand down to the ground take off. Just like the first time, my body was pushed upwards, landing right next to the edge, almost losing my balance. Still, need to get used to this whole thing. Taking a glance at the other side of the warehouse, I got another idea. Let's see if I could make it to the other side. The gap between the floors wasn't too long but not that short either.

I took a few steps back until I reached the wall, my focus entirely set on the opposite floor. With that being said, I bolted. The moment I jumped off, I moved my hand backward to blast me off. This time I graced the landing, kind of. I was just a few inches away from smashing through the empty crates.

Oh yeah, this feels amazing. I just couldn't help but form a wide smile at the small development. It was just the start; things are just going to get more difficult along the way. Even still, I'm just glad that I'm getting accustomed to these powers.

For the next hour or so, I just repeated these techniques to get a better feel to them. Haven't crashed into anything yet so we're good. With that out of the way, I started using the second spell. I won't call it Iron Fist, no way, I will think of something better later on. I used one of the many metal support beams to use as a target. Hopefully, it won't be that big of an impact to send the warehouse crashing down upon me. For the first few times, I just did basic punches. Then I started punching harder, more and more dents forming on the support beam, and until now, I haven't felt any pain from my hands hitting the metal object. Time to crank it up a little. Now I was throwing even harder punches, only now noticing the slight pain building up, but it wasn't too troubling.

Finally, I used all my strength in one final punch, leaving a wide hole on the metal beam. I rubbed my hands together; it took all that to feel any pain. Scanning the massive hole, I made sure that it won't collapse or something, luckily, it didn't.

After I spend more time practicing those two spells, doing the same routine with a few additional changes every now and then, I decided that for now, that will have to do. I had other things to turn my attention to. Figuring out a way to crumble Vanko's plans is going to be troublesome. There wasn't much time to properly plan this out, that and the very small number of resources I had to work with. The powers I have now aren't enough to stop all of his drones, maybe one at a time but that just won't cut it. I need them to be immobilized while I do my thing, otherwise, a cannon or a hit from those things would be very deadly.

If I remove out their Arc Reactors, they become useless. Only thing is that I can't just waltz in backstage to take care of them, to many eyes lurking around there, not to mention the cameras. I already accepted the fact if I do this, S.H.I.E.L.D. is bound to spot me, it's a matter of time either way. I'd say I got a few days max, depending on what kind of mood Nick Fury is going to be at that time. I got an idea of how to prepare myself, but let's focus on the task at hand.

And then it hit me, an EMP. Since this is the early phase of the MCU, I don't think the drones have that kind of protection yet. For Tony I'm not worried at all, J.A.R.V.I.S. is there and he'll quickly reboot his systems, same for Rhodey. I'm positive Vanko's drones won't stay down for long, so when the EMP goes off, ripping out their Reactors comes first. If however, some of the drones don't shut down, I'll have to think some other plan.

Let's get the materials first.

---

After a few hours, I managed to get everything I need. Copper wires, a bunch of batteries and tools, circuit boards and anything else I thought might be useful that wasn't over my budget. Along the way, I bought a few flip phones that were fairly cheap in a vending machine. It took so long because I'm not just gonna get everything one store like an idiot. A lesson I learned from watching TV shows, never buy everything from one place. Anyone with a brain will immediately realize what I'm trying to make, really don't need the police on my tail just yet.

I began working on my miniature EMP. My grandad had a lot of old VHS players and computers disassembled to the bone, so whenever I would come and visit I'd watch him work on different electronics every time. I tried my hand at tinkering with various kinds of machinery when he first offered me the chance, quickly becoming a small hobby of mine when I got some spare time. I knew the basic inner structure of an EMP, so with the things I got, I was capable of making one. It didn't take long, it was only the skeleton that I'll store in one of the plastic lunch-boxes I bought. Another thing that I bought is a Bluetooth key so I can just place it somewhere and activate it with that. Configuring it was easy, I did the same thing to open the door of my apartment complex.

With that little device complete, I began working on the calculator I bought. Now hear me out. I didn't get just any cheap calculator, I got a little more advanced one. With it, I could set up a timer with a basic program. I didn't have enough money to buy the things to make my makeshift timer, luckily, I found this so makes things a bit easier. To make a timer out a calculator, you need to make sure a button labeled "PRGM" is on there, then you just add in the basic code for a timer, which was several seconds you want to set it. In my case, I had to add a total thirty-six hundred seconds separately for it to be set to go off after six minutes. After I completed that I took it apart carefully, all I wanted is to configure it so that the sound was louder, just in case I miss it.

It was time to see if this thing works. Placing the EMP and the dummy phone on the crate, I went back a few feet to see how long the range was. Upon pressing the button, I saw the screen starting to flicker, with seconds later turning off completely. Now for the next phase, I separated myself from the device even further, pressing the button again and it still shut down. So the key has a long-range, but how will the EMP differ? I placed the device into my backpack and stood at a decent distance from the phone.

"Alright. Let's see how this test goes."

This time around, the phone didn't respond. Well shit. I began taking small steps to see at what range it takes effect. That only happened when I was about three feet away from it. That just won't do. I tried hooking it up with another set of batteries, maybe with that kind of boost, it will be enough.

Again standing from before, I tried once more. Still nothing. Frustrated, I took the device out and went back to tinkering. I didn't have the proper tools to boost the energy, that and I can't fully recall how to do it properly. Adding anything else onto it won't help. If I just had a bigger power source then this problem could be dealt with. Or if I overcharge the batteries, but the charger won't get it to the point I need it to.

That's when an idea came to me. I haven't tried absorbing anything else aside from before. Let's say if I absorbed electricity, I just might find an alternative way to power this thing up.

I grabbed the Codex and jumped down to the ground floor, looking for the small control panel located in the back. I turned it on and wouldn't you know, it still works, kind of. I took the thing apart until I found the power cable, then I turned off the machine before removing the cable. I placed my hand so it was mere inches from the cable, then I began concentrating as hard as I could. The first two times this happened I wasn't even paying any attention. This should have been the first thing that I experimented with.

Over the next several seconds, my hand began glowing, sparks of electricity became visible on the end of the cable. It was slower than before, and the electricity turned into the familiar gold that went into my hand. After that was done I checked my book, trying to find on what page it was going to appear. After searching for a while, I found nothing. That's odd, it should have appeared by now. I checked my hand to see if anything happened. I tried focusing everything into my hand, then a small spark at the tip of my finger appeared. A glimpse of a smile forming on my face before going back to full focus mode.

This was different, but at least I can use this. I'm going to need a lot more to power my EMP. The next ten minutes or so I spend trying to conjure more electricity, the most that I got was at the tip of each finger. I can make a separate device to store the energy then transfer that to the batteries, yeah that can work.

Going back to the book, I need to figure out why nothing appeared.

Maybe I didn't absorb enough? It would make sense since this was a form of energy. Knowing this, I definitely need to get the Ancient One to teach me how to further develop this skill. Absorbing any form of energy will be key to get stronger, all the applications this could be used has me already giddy. Putting this idea aside, I began thinking about how to transfer this into the book. There has to be a way to make a shortcut inside the book to store forms of energy.

I'll put a pin on that and get back to it later. Right now, need to start building that charger.

It took me about an hour to make such a device, if anything, it looked like a ridiculously oversized charger. The base only constructed of a motherboard from one of the disposable cameras, with two makeshift antennas sticking out from one side, while only one battery connected for now. Don't want to overdo it just yet, but it is possible to charge multiple ones at the same time. In theory, this should work, only one way to find out.

Concentrating just enough so that my hand starts forming electricity, I positioned my hand close enough to the antennas.

After quite some time, the battery started producing smoke.

"No, no, no, no!"

I quickly ran up to the small device, carefully and hastily removing the battery, throwing it away in the corner.

"At least I know how long it takes for the battery to overheat. If I shave off a few minutes, it would be good to go."

Maybe if I a small add-on to convert more power to it, I just might extend the radius by a fair bit. Don't feel like the overcharged batteries will give it the kick it needs. Pretty sure if I do this, the device can have two or three uses, if I'm lucky.

Using one of the small circuit boards, I started tweaking so it was acceptable when I hook it up with my EMP. Doing this with limited tools was tricky, and quite infuriating, but after an hour passed, I was able to make it.

After I added that to my EMP, I went to see if this would explode or work, hopefully, it's the latter. During the day, the lights inside the warehouse were on. The sun was setting, the light posts outside turning on one at a time, the perfect opportunity for testing.

Placing the box in the center of the warehouse, I held the Bluetooth key and pressed the button moments later. With that, everything went dark. I stepped out of my hideout, seeing the lights were off in the other few warehouses with light posts as well.

"Huh, it seems like it works."

Turning it off, I went to add the finishing touches, like charging and replacing the batteries. I also made sure that the thing won't fail on me when I leave it behind. The expo was tomorrow at eight o'clock, until then, I'll make sure it's ready.

---

Stark Expo, Main Entrance

The next day, we arrived at the final stage of Iron Man 2. The security didn't bother me one bit, there were a few guards at the entrance, but they didn't do a full body check on anyone. Lucky me, even though I disguised the EMP to look like, good to know I won't be held up here. When I passed through, there were so many inventions that caught my eye that I just couldn't turn away from. Seeing technology advanced to this level was jaw-dropping. It truly was an amazing spectacle to witness. In less than a few hours, this entire Expo would become practically a war zone.

Surprisingly, there weren't many people here at this time, it was still early after all. Good for me, if I can get to the main stage for tonight's event and plant this thing, I won't have to worry about it not being in range. I found my way to the main stage where the drone presentation would take place. As of now, it was empty, about a dozen people working around the stage and making preparations. Circling it, I tried to not seem suspicious while doing so, to them I was just a curious fan. Looking up slightly, without drastically moving my head, I spotted a camera that had a good view of the place. Scanning the place further, I noticed more of them at every angle.

Before continuing onward, I hid behind a nearby wall, taking out the Codex and choosing Empowered Fist (a better name than before) in one hand, and Whirlwind in the other. My eyes landed back on the stage, that is when I found the door that, what I assume,

Since there weren't too many eyes present, and barely any machinery turned on, I needed to activate the EMP now so the cameras don't spot me. Taking out the key from my pocket, I clicked the button and waited for the device to take effect.

I overheard some of the workers complain that their laptop seemed to be busted, they were all the way down the steps from where I was standing, which means it worked like a dream. Sneaking down unnoticed, I got closer and closer to the door, now hiding behind a pillar. That's when I spotted a bit of a problem. The door had a keypad next to it, so either
I bust right through or wait for someone to use it then sneak it. Just then, a construction worker exited from that very door and to top it all off, he went the opposite way.

I quickly ran up to the door without causing a ruckus. I wasn't going to make it before it closes, instead, I shot out a Whirlwind at it, resulting in the door to burst wide open. Once I was in I closed the door in less than a second. After catching my breath, I pulled my self together, I don't have much time.

I went further down, there, I reached a massive hexagonal field. The field itself was still empty but was marked where the droids would be set. In the far right, I saw an air went, that is where I found my hiding spot. Picking up a screwdriver that was lying around with some other tools, I bent down and unscrewed all the screws, with the vent just popping off. I took the EMP out of my backpack and placing it inside, then putting the whole thing back like it was before. Sneaking out was a lot easier than sneaking in since almost everyone was confused about why the power went off. When I made my way out of the area, I turned the EMP off to check something out. I spotted the crew arguing around the laptop, which turned on moments later.

"Well, that's reassuring."

Knowing that from this range the device responds, I'm positive that the plan will work, at least somewhat. It does work though, it will probably make Vanko himself to show up sooner. Still, we'll be prepared if that happens.

Let's see what other goodies are hidden around this Expo.

---

In just a few minutes from now, one loud-mouth and insufferable Justin Hammer will dance through the stage and give his cocky speech about "a new era of man", so I better get into position.

Spending the last few hours inside the Expo, I can't list all the fascinating and interesting machines that do all kinds of wonders. All the ideas forming in my head from the sight of them, I can't wait to get my hands on this level of tech. As I crawled through the huge crowd, I got a good look at Hammer's face. My eyes then landed on Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanoff, which wasn't that difficult since they we're in the VIP section.

One set of droids after another made their debut, the audience cheering and clapping like crazy. Not gonna lie, even if I didn't know the plot and this happened in real life, I wouldn't feel safe one bit. Sure, they were disposable and brought more firepower than regular soldiers, it's lunatics like Ivan Vanko who can set that whole operation up in flames. As history has shown, hacking through the systems of any massive corporation itself spikes concern, especially if weapons of this caliber is involved.

And then I heard it, those thrusters, instantly goosebumps started surging through my whole body. When I turned around, just like everyone else, spotted a figure flying through the sky, that being the one and only Tony Stark, crashing his own Expo. When he stabilized and landed on the platform with a thud, the crowd erupted in another round of applause and cheers.

"What a show-off that guy, I swear."

I could hardly believe that I'm seeing one of my favorite heroes in the flesh. But as much as I wanted to gawk at the man in the iron suit, I had to act quickly. I took out the Codex and activated the two spells in each hand. Just as I was finished doing that, the drones started acting up. All that I need is for one of them to start shooting, can't have any people sticking around when the fireworks start.

With that, the shooting began. People started running away, all screaming at the top of their lungs as they tried getting to safety. I stayed beside a wall so I don't get killed by the large swarm running for their lives. It wasn't till Iron Man activated his thrusters and attempted to fly away that I'm about to miss my mark.

"Now!"

With the click of a button, everything went dark. All of the lights immediately shut down. The drone army that began their assault, fell to the floor one by one. Iron Man, who was several feet in the air, began falling back onto the stage, not too far away from War Machine. It seemed like the two's suits were still active, somewhat. The lights coming out of their eye holes were flickering, with both of them trying to maintain their balance. War Machine recovered quicker, charging towards his friend. Not having the ability to fly away and dodge the attack, Iron Man stood his ground until they both collided, knocking them both to the concrete floor. It wasn't so much of a fight at first, both of them were trying to overpower the other with their hands, going back and forth while doing so. While they were occupied with each other, I ran down the stairs at top speed. Since I couldn't jump onto the stage without difficulty, I set my eyes on the far end of the stage, where a small flight of stairs was located, using that to get closer to the deactivated droids.

"Rhodey, buddy, come on!" I could hear Tony yelling through his suit as the two continued their bout. "I know you're pissed about the other day, but cut a guy some slack!"

"Tony, I can't!" Rhodey yelled back. "I can't control the suit!

"J.A.R.V.I.S is already working on cracking your suits' systems. Just hold on for a couple of minutes longer, buddy."

"We don't have a couple of minutes!"

I eliminated the Army Unit first, ripping out the Arc-Reactors since I figured they were more deadly than the Air Force Unit regardless of their capability of flight since mostly all of them could fly. They were my second target either way. So far I only managed to take care of two members of that Unit, before I got to the third one it already came back online, the Arc Reactor on it glowing brightly once again. When the droid started moving, I slammed my fist around the circular core and ripped it out, the Reactor still active even though no wires we connected to it.

One by one, the droids that came back to life charged at Iron Man, who by now was hovering a few feet off the ground with War Machine doing the same but struggled more. With more droids noticing my presence, I flopped onto the ground and blasted myself away, tumbling up until I stopped at the end of the stage and jumping down, then ducking behind one of the many pillars.

Within a moment of sliding down the wall, a ray of bullets were fired from both sides, the bullets luckily not piercing through the ceramic pillars.

"That worked out just as well as I expected." I cursed as I took out my timer, hoping nothing shots me while recuperating. Only three minutes left. "Shit, already?! Gotta hurry!"

I let go of the Arc Reactor and took out my book hastily, refreshed both spells in quick succession. My gaze fell back to the small glowing orb. These two spells won't do me much good from this distance, but maybe that's where this thing could help me out. Without a second thought, I began absorbing the
Reactor with my right hand, which is where I had Whirlwind. The pure white energy that turned gold was flowing into my hand way faster this time, I almost had to pull away from the stinging sensation I began to feel.

Using the same tactic I used for channeling electricity, I used the same principle here. Over time, my hand began to feel heavy as my hand formed a golden shell around my hand, slowly building up like it was going to explode. When I got to a certain point, I tried thinking about how to release it. I began imagining like I wanted it to shot out from my hand. After some time passed, it did happen, a short beam of gold-colored energy was fired out of my hand and hit the ceiling

"This will do just nicely," I said with excitement, the fear of not having a way to fight back slowly disappearing. I peek over the edge when droids stop firing. Almost instantly after getting the droids' position, I fired a beam towards them, destroying one of their arm cannons. I moved towards another pillar, firing more beams along the way. Some of them missed the targets entirely, but a few beams hit numerous droids, heavily damaging their interior, I even managed to get a headshot. By the time I hid behind the pillar, the sentient suits of armor fired another assault towards me, slowly closing in.

From this angle, I saw Iron Man wrestle with War Machine while flying, the droids on the ground shooting at both of them, with some of the Air Force units chasing after them. Since in my current spot, I couldn't get a clear shot at the droids firing at me, so I'll help them out first. It was a little difficult with them moving so much, still, I managed to hit quite a few of them causing heavy damage. That gave Iron Man enough time to dispose of the ones around him, then moving on to War Machine that was on his tail. Reluctant to use any heavy weaponry, he settled using only fists for now with the occasional Repulsor Beam to damage his thrusters. Since the suit was still controlled by Vanko's program and being hacked by J.A.R.V.I.S., it gave him an opening to land some good punches, for the final attack he used the Thrusters on his feet to send War Machine hurling to the ground

For a split second, I think Iron Man saw me. My focus on him was broken when a robotic arm slammed itself to the left side of the pillar. I drooped to the ground and crawled away, shooting beams at it while doing so. Since my target was closer this time, I had an easier time to aim properly. With a few blasts to the head, another drone joined the scrap pile. I kept crawling until I reached the wall of the front row, not stopping my barrage for a second. Just as I finished shooting the next one, two more were right behind it, reading their guns.

Before they got the chance to fire, Iron Man, swooped down to the first droid, hitting it across the face and sending the droid back, finishing it off with a blast to the head. He quickly got onto the second one, shooting it multiple times in the chest with a final blast to the head. As the droid fell to the floor, he kneeled and extended his hand, helping me up.

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Umm… helping? What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Helping? Nu-uh, the only thing you're gonna do is get out of here as fast as you-"

Just as Tony was going to finish his sentence, several droids smashed right into him, sending off to the side till they hit one of the pillars. Two more droids began piling up, forcing him down and throwing heavy punches all around, making Tony's escape from the mountain of metal more difficult.
I ran up to the pile of droids, shooting two droids in the back of the head. The main one that was holding Tony down, I aimed for his arms, destroying them both. Being able to move freely again, Tony used the thrusters on his feet to destroy the remaining droids.

I looked down towards the billionaire, couldn't help but smirk while doing so. "As I said, helping."

"How did you do that?" Tony asked, but there wasn't time to reply because I was stopped with two beams hitting the ground that made us both turn to see where it was coming from. War Machine was already up in the air, not maintain his balance but slowly improved. The other droids, including the severely busted ones, started preparing for flight as well.

"That's my cue!"

Iron Man activated his thrusters, flying away through the open ceiling, War Machine following right behind him with a couple of droids backing him up. All of them were now purely focused on Tony, preparing their thrusters as well. Right now, only two droids remained on the ground, preparing to fire off as well. Their backs were turned so they didn't see me coming, I ran up to one of the droids and slammed my fist in the droids back and grabbed on whatever was inside, with my other hand latching onto its shoulder plate.

And before I knew it, the droid blasted off.

It felt like my whole body was being pulled down from the intensity. Soaring through the sky was different than what I expected, maybe because I was clinging onto a robot while trying my hardest not to let go. Not much time has passed since we joined back with the group, going all over Star Expo at high speed. As the droids began their assault once more, Iron Man tried dodging as many bullets as he could.

"O-Okay, in hindsight, this might have not been a good idea!" I said as I looked down at the entire Expo, finding it impossible to avert my eyes. I had to stop looking down, my eyes closed for a few seconds to regain my thoughts, while my grip on the droid tightening.

Iron Man changed course, instead of going down towards the ground he bolted upwards, the droids doing the same. I positioned my legs on the droids hip, making sure that when I remove my left hand from the shoulder plate I won't go plummeting down. The more we went up, the more difficult it was to hang on. When I found the ideal position, I started firing.

Since all of them were in a group, it was easier to hit them. With each blast that hit its mark, more and more debris came my way. Even so, I refused to let up. Way too late to back out now.

Tony was caught between a rock and a hard place. There wasn't much breathing room in this situation. If he doesn't dodge the barrage of bullets, his armor could be torn to shreds by the sheer number of them. Going down the civilian population is even worse. He needed to find an isolated area to lure them in. By then, J.A.R.V.I.S. should already be done with Rhodey's suit, then they could finish them off.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a yellow beam that went off in the sky. He re-positioned to see what was going on, scanning everything in his sight.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me…"

He saw that kid again, clinging on to dear life while shooting yellow beams at the droids above him. At this altitude, and the speed at their going, he could slip off at any moment.

"Hey, J, mind giving me an update on Rhodey's suit?"

"[At this moment, 83.1% complete, sir.]" J.A.R.V.I.S. answered. "[My sincerest apologies for the process taking so long. It would seem that Vanko's firewalls are a bit more complicated to fully crack. Rest assured, sir, it won't take that much longer to override Mr. Rhode's system.]"

"What about the Russian mastermind himself?" Tony asked. "Where's he hiding at?"

"[From what I can tell, it would seem that he is located at Hammer Industries' headquarters. All though, by my calculations, he may have already escaped by now.]"

"Of course he did…" Tony sighed. "Still, if you pick up anything let me know. Until then, I'll take care of these rust buckets."

As I was focusing my aim to hit every droid, I wasn't prepared when Iron Man did a sharp U-turn and flew back down, blowing up the droids that were first in line. I almost fell off due to how quickly the droid I was riding changed course. Right now, we were just above the mile-long fountain. War Machine, who was quite behind from the red and gold-colored superhero, went into overdrive. Before Tony could make his next move, Rhodey grabbed onto his suit, resulting in both of them spinning uncontrollably.

Just as the two flew in the distance, Tony's suit opened a compartment that shot out miniature missiles that come into contact with the droids that were in the front, leaving a massive explosion.

Some droids went off in different directions, but mine and a small number of others went through the cloud of smoke. I managed to shot down a couple more, before deciding to shot my ride in the head, gradually descending towards the water. Once it hit the surface, it started slowing down as it surfed the water. All the way until we reached the end, I let go of the droid's inside and stood up, jumping and rolling onto the ground upon the droid hitting the ledge.

When my body stopped moving, I was lying on my back. Everything was spinning, even though I wasn't even moving. All I could do is breathe, for the time being. Just need a moment of rest to get back up.
My head moved to the left, spotting the two iron-armored individuals crashing down onto the concrete ground. I rolled to my side first before anything, then from there slowly getting up. While I was on my knees, I heard the timer starting to beep.

Talk about timing, am I right?

"That didn't go the way I expected it to," I said while taking my backpack off and flipping through the Codex to refresh the spells once more. "I'm lucky I don't throw up in the next few seconds."

After finishing that, I proceeded to get back on track. Now fully standing, I slowly started moving towards where the two crashed. It was only one step at a time, but I had no complaints in that department. I checked my whole body for any injuries, there weren't any I could spot. While walking, my vision steadily improving, finding it easier to focus.

Was it just me, or did I hear thrusters booming in the distance?

It wasn't the pair that were far away from me, that much I'm certain. Looking around, I tried to find the source of the sound. I could feel a chill go down my spine when I realized what was coming. Ivan Vanko was heading our way. When he landed, which was a lengthy distance, the ground shook.

His suit got an upgrade. He seemed… taller than from I remember, the changes to the suit confirm that.
The shoulder area was bulkier than the rest of the body, with two compartments on the backside that connected with his arms and the two whiplashes. Both his arms had two long machine guns. The whips under them had a larger compartment, revealing a bright circled spot on them, they were the reason why his arms seemed different. When he started moving, it was evident the changes took its toll. It was much slower than its original form, it needed more time to just to make a full rotation. His attention was first set on Iron Man and War Machine, until his head turned towards my direction, noticing me.

He stopped for a moment, before charging up his left whiplash, swinging it towards me. Just as the whiplash reached the end of its length where it couldn't reach me, it extended in size, catching me off guard. I flew to my side just in time to dodge it. Before I managed to get back up, I saw his other whiplash approaching from the opposite direction, down to knee level. I threw a Whirlwind In front of me to propel me backward, stopping right near broken parts of previously destroyed droids. When another attack was heading my way, I grabbed the large chest piece and used it as a shield to block my sides.
As the attack hit me, it sent me further back. Right now, I was just beside the fountain again, quickly moving around to use the small wall as cover.

For a brief moment, I tried taking a peak, only to pull back when I saw an array of bullets flying in my direction. I closed my eyes and tried my best not to move, my body refused to move as long as I could hear the sound of gunfire. After some time, it stopped, I opened one eye slightly to make sure another assault wasn't coming. I waited a bit more before checking. As I slowly started raising myself, I took notice of more and more droids flying through the sky to aid Vanko. Upon getting a clearer view, he turned his focus back to Iron Man and War Machine, most likely assuming I didn't survive his barrage.
The two people in question got bombarded with countless droids. They completely ignored their previous protocol, not shooting on sight any more, just surrounding and restraining them.

Vanko made sure to take his time, enjoying the sight it would seem. Once he extended his whips, he began charging them to their max capacity. Unlike before, which the color was a simple white, they were now a more lavender purple. Their behavior was different as well, they were more wild and uncontrollable.

"Not good… not good one bit," I whispered as I observed the scene unfolding further. "They can't even budge with that amount of droids holding them down. What to do? There's got to be… something… I can use...?"

I trailed off when I noticed many sphere-like bombs, which were no more than a few inches in size and width, scattered on the ground alongside a severely busted drone that nearby. Immediately, I rushed to it and quickly skimmed through its remains. Aside from two submachine guns on its arms, the bombs were the only form of weaponry. Thinking on my feet, I started taking pieces off from the droid. Taking off the main chest plate, which I put on the side, for now. I kept digging deeper, it was when I found a small compartment cluttered with wires and bolts that I stopped my search. I cleaned the insides until nothing was left. Acting quickly, and carefully, I placed as many bombs until the box couldn't hold anymore. I bent another piece of metal and used it to close the box so none of the bombs drop out.

I then took the chest plate, placing it on the ground when the small wall was out of my way. I stepped onto the chest plate and grabbed onto the iron bar that was sticking out of it, clutching the box with the same and my left thigh. My gaze fell back to the massive battle, Vanko getting closer and closer.

"Alright… one stupid plan, coming up."

Using my other hand, I shot out a Whirlwind that propelled me forward, using the chest plate to glide through the concrete floor. While the base speed was anything but slow, it wasn't enough. Deciding to use another one, I almost lost my grip upon doing so, but I was approaching my target a lot quicker. I did this tactic a few more times in case I suddenly stop right beside the pile of droids. I shot a beam at him to catch his attention once more. The beam hit the upper area of his back, creating a dent on the armor. Just as he turned around, I flew right past him. Breezing through the battlefield, it didn't take long before I got close to the ever-growing scrap pile. Right before I passed them, I tossed the box right next to them. I had to make this shot count.

Acting quickly, I turned around as I was still gliding, firing multiple shots at the box that landed right next to the pile. While some of them were far from hitting the box, one hit was enough to cause a massive explosion right next to the massive drone pile. Since Iron Man and War Machine were in the middle of it all, the drones took the blast, enabling them to slip away.

With that over with, I slammed my other hand onto the ground. I could feel my hand burning when it came into contact with the pavement, destroying in the process the further we went. While at the start, the pain wasn't too noticeable, with each passing second it got more intense. I tried holding my screams, hoping to power through it. When it finally stopped, I rolled off the chest plate, groaning loudly as I clutched my hand, the burning sensation becoming unbearable. Taking off my backpack, I took out the Codex and a piece of cloth I had stored in there, wrapping it around my hand to ease the pain. I checked the timer, which had a slight crack on the display, but still showed it had a minute left before I needed to reset.

Right now, I can only refresh one spell, I highly doubt I can use my injured hand for anything, so I opted to use for Whirlwind to dodge his attacks.

"He upgraded his armor, but what kind of upgrades did he make?" I tried theorizing as I surveyed his suit from a distance. Aside from the suit being bulkier in general, the most notable features were located along the arms that had blue energy lines all over the whip holder. So that's it. He decided to switch mobility for extra protection. Those compartments around his arms were used to give his whips an extra kick. I know his armor is impenetrable when it comes to bullets, but energy blasts is another things

Guess that's the plan, get rid of those add-ons and we'll be good.

Turning my focus back to the two armored heroes, they were just about done with the last of the droids that were on them. Now, they went to take on Whiplash. They stood their ground, with a small spark appearing on Vanko's chest plate, which wasn't hard to know it was Hammer's Ex-Wife missile. Seeing as that didn't work, Iron Man and War Machine flew at the iron menace, both letting out everything they had in their arsenal. Whiplash was quick to act, charging up his whips almost instantaneously to the purple color from before, and then launching his counter-attack. From this distance, it was hard to see if the bullets had any effect, but it seemed like they were just bouncing off. When they used their Repulsor blasts, however, it managed to damage the surface slightly. He was slower than in the movie but wasn't nothing to laugh at. Each attack that they didn't manage to dodge cost them their armor, which was taking a massive beating. Little by little, their armor was chipping away.

While their attacks did the minimum, their coordination was the problem. Not to disrespect them, but using the same strategy as you did with the droids won't work here. As they were off the ground, Whiplash caught War Machine by the leg, throwing him back down and tossing him around, his armor malfunctioning in the process. Iron Man swiftly intervened, flying around the villain and fired back. Whiplash discarded War Machine, who had difficulty with his suit for a few moments. Being more experienced, Iron Man dodged the whips the best that he could, but he as well got caught, the whip circling his body and restrained his left arm. It wasn't long before he as well fell to the ground.

When War Machine's suit was functional again, he tried to stop Whiplash. His attempt was short-lived as the second whip wrapped around his neck. Both of them restrained and unable to escape. They tried doing the same finishing move just like in the movie, but they didn't fire. Actually, it was like they couldn't. Could it be that the purple electricity is draining their power the longer they stay like this? Possibly.

"Gotta stop him," I said under my breath as I took the chest plate, finding it a bit heavy to carry. "Now or never."

With that, I charged forward. The longer I ran, the more difficult it was to maintain this pace. When I wasn't too far away, I started firing to catch his attention. The two shots that hit his right shoulder made him look towards me. He appeared to be undeterred on letting them go, so I just fired more and more.
Come on, just let one of them go.

It seemed I managed to make him angry, he let go off of War Machine and threw his whip at me. The makeshift shield did its job, for the most part at least. It chipped off a piece of the edge, but the impact threw me back a little. Before I regained my balance, I saw it coming again, this time from the side. I managed to block it, but it tore the whole thing in half and threw me off to the side. While I was on the ground, I proceeded to fire a few more, this time managing to hit him in the head, which in turn released Iron Man from his grip. Another whip was heading my way, I barely dodged it with a Whirlwind that sent me back.

To my surprise, Whiplash jumped, using his thrusters to propel him closer towards me, while at the same time hurling his whips at me. I was stunned for a brief moment before my instincts kicked in and used another blast cone to move me back. Each time I did, I managed to slip away. I repeated this until I got slightly dizzy. Sadly, Whiplash didn't let up. The electric whip was coming towards me, but just as I was about to dash away, a flash of red and gold appeared in front of me, grabbing me and moving to a safer distance.

The moment he let go of me, he started shouting.

"Jesus, kid! I had like three heart-attacks since this morning

"W-Wait! Listen!" I said. "If you would just listen to me for a moment-"

"No!" Tony yelled back. "You listen to me! We got this covered, meaning you should go before you piss him off even further!"

"But-"

"Now!"

"I know how to stop him!" I said getting straight to the point.

"I swear to God, kid, if you utter one more sentence that's not "I'm leaving", you will not like me the moment I come out of this suit-"

"Both of you lost power when you got caught right?" I ignored him. "It's different when you fought him on the racecar track, that's why his whips are purple now, it drains whatever thing is caught in them. The things around his arms give him extra power. By destroying them first, you can get a fighting chance against him. Trust me."

Tony didn't say anything back. Instead, he looked back at the battle scene, Rhodey keeping Vanko occupied as long as he could.

"Hey, J., can you scan those whips of his?"

"[Of course, sir.]" The A.I. said out loud, allowing me to hear his voice. "[The majority of the suit's power is running through the generators that are located under his arms. It would seem that the young man's statement is indeed correct. Upon contact, the electric whips transfer energy sources from the target to the main Reactor core. Under normal circumstances, any other machinery would be out of commission. The Arc Reactor managed to withstand such an attack, but I'd advise not doing it again for long periods of time.]"

Tony sighed, turning back towards me. "Alright, kid, humor me. You got a plan?"

Mentally, I screamed in excitement that he would hear me out, but I tried staying calm nonetheless.

"It's simple. First off, you and Colonel Rhodes have to hold him off for a bit. Not long, just enough time for me to get close and blast those things to bits."

"You do realize that this isn't a game, right?" Tony said. "If those things hit just once, you're toast, you got that?"

I rolled my eyes, at his attempt to change my mind. "I'm still here aren't I? The sooner we do this, the sooner it's over. Alright?"

Tony didn't like it. He couldn't let the kid walk into his death like this, but he didn't have time to get him out of here. They needed to act now, or they will all end up dead. If the kid knew what he was doing, then he had to keep Vanko at bay.

"If this doesn't work, you turn around and run," Tony warned. "I'm not taking a "no" as an answer, am I clear?"

I simply nodded, gesturing him to take the lead.

Without wasting time, Tony shot off, heading towards Vanko. "Rhodey, did you get all that?"

"[Tony, can you tell me why in the hell is a kid here with us?!]" Rhodey yelled through their comms.

"Look, I don't know, okay!" Tony responded. "But he does have a point. We have to tank a hit or two to fry him."

Rhodey wanted to argue back, he really did. His hands were already full with going one on one with the crazy Russian. They won't last much longer, so they have to end this quickly. "[You sure this will work?]"

"It has to, so hope for the best!"

Not the answer he desired but knew it was the best he will get.

As the next whip was heading his way, instead of dodging it, he grabbed it. Immediately, he went downward, landing on the ground. The suit was going haywire again, still, he had to hold on. Tony went around him, firing two beams to his other hand. Instantly, the second whip was heading towards him.

Firstly, he lowered himself to be closer to the ground before catching it. He could feel his Arc-Reactor losing power, fast.

"And now…it's my turn."

I ran towards them, firing as many beams as I could. Getting closer, my accuracy got better. He couldn't move his arms away, there wasn't any way to shield the holders. When I was just a few feet away, I got a few extra good shots, resulting in the holder to exploding, same with the mounted machine gun on the other side. The purple electricity on his right arm started decreasing, quite drastically. Because of this, Iron Man was able to break free, his power returning almost instantly. Even though his whip had no energy in them, he still tried striking me with it. Just like before, using Whirlwind allowed me to dodge all of his attempts, a few of them were close calls. Moving directly to the second one, I aimed for it but from a longer distance. Not restrained anymore, he pulled War Machine to him every time a beam would hit the compartment. Luckily, Iron Man repositioned so that he was right behind him. With our collective attacks, with War Machine shooting when the suit wasn't malfunctioning, it wasn't long until the second one blew up.

Whiplash took several steps back, looking at his damaged weapons.

Both of his whips were useless now.

Rhodey went and grabbed the two lifeless whips, grabbing both of them before he tried escaping.
Focusing all of the power into his thrusters, then flying away, pulling them back. Vanko had a difficult time maintaining his balance. He activated the claws on his feet to spring to life, holding him down for the time being.

"Tony, now!"

On Rhodey's signal, Tony went in for the finishing blow. Charging his own Arc Reactor to their limit, he aimed for the Arc Reactor on Vanko's chest, firing a bright beam at the Russian. Slowly but surely, the armor started disintegrating. It wasn't until the thick interior of the armor was gone that he stopped, revealing wires and an exoskeleton housing Ivan Vanko. The suit opened, falling apart in the process, releasing Vanko and dropping onto his knees. There was blood on his mouth, more coming out with each cough. He looked up to the two, a face full of anger and hatred. Vanko tried standing up, but his body wouldn't let him, he was at his limit. With the last of his strength, he looked at gold and red suit, spitting blood in front of his feet and spoke in a low, bitter tone.

"Иди к черту, Stark."

Those were the last words before Vanko fell to the ground, losing consciousness after a few brief moments as his face hit the concrete.

The two friends approached the fallen Russian. After a few seconds, Tony turned towards his friend, Rhodey already having a good idea of what he was going to say.

"Don't you-" Rhodey warned him.

"Told you Hammer was up to something shady."

"There it is…"

Before the two could continue their bout, they could hear police sirens. As both of them turned around, they were greeted with numerous police cars, alongside several S.W.A.T. trucks. In a matter of seconds, the place was filled with police officers and other special forces. One car, in particular, a black Sedan stopped right in front of them.

"Yeah, I just arrived. No, he's on the ground, out cold. I'll call you if something happens."

An Asian policewoman with chin-length black hair, wearing a black leather jacket with dark blue jeans exited the car, closing the door with a slam. From her appearance, she was in her mid-thirties.

"Everyone! I want this whole area closed off," The police captain shouted. "No reporters, no nothing. Nobody is getting pass us unless they have a badge. I want Vanko chained, were not letting him slip away again. Furthermore-"

"Excuse me!" Tony called out to the Asian police officer before she passed him, catching her attention. "What took you so long? Please tell me you caught that prick, Hammer, before he got away. Please? Give me some good news for once..."

"We already apprehended that weasel, Hammer," The woman responded. "We're in the process of busting down the doors of his factory, along with several other places to stop the production of those drones, if there are any left that is. Same goes for everyone who had dealings with him under-the-table, and believe me, there are plenty of them."

"Yes!" Tony cheered, finally able to properly relax in days. "Finally. Why did this have to more complicated than it already was? All you had to do is listen to me."

"I did, didn't like the position I ended up in because of just that," Rhodey shot back, then turning to the officer. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name…?"

"Yuri Watanabe," Was her response. "Captain of the New York Police Department. Rest assured, Colonel, we'll take care of the mess. I'd save it for tomorrow's horror show with the Army, trust me, that's the least of your problems."

Rhodey couldn't argue, no need to overwork himself. "Fair enough."

"Alright, everyone, we don't have all night!"

Yuri called out to her unit, her cellphone starting to ring. She said her goodbyes to the Colonel and went right passed him, going to the wreckage of oversized suit. Tony came back beside him, patting his back.

"All's well that ends well it would seem," Tony said as he approached Rhodey, lifting his faceplate.

"I think you and I have different understandings of that sentence," He replied, lifting his own faceplate. He looked around, "Where'd that kid go?"

Tony looked around, not spotting that pesky child anywhere. Sure, now he vanishes when everything over. "Huh, no clue."

---

"Phew, that was rough. Didn't expect Vanko to be would be this much of a pain. Luckily, I got a reward for my hard work."

As I trailed through the streets of New York, I held the Arc Reactor in my hand and examined it. An actual power source that has an, almost, endless supply of energy. Real-life savior, it was a little stupid going in without any "secure" way to destroy the droids. None of my powers were strong enough to take a droid out in one go. But this also kind of proves my previous theory, absorbing enough energy will enable me to use it in tons of different ways. With this thing alone, I can power almost any kind of machine for the foreseeable future. Glad I snatched this when I did, I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. is already doing clean up before someone else starts snooping around there.

Currently, I was getting closer to my desired destination, the Sanctum Santorum of New York. I'm not going one more day without starting to learn magic, it's the quickest and most optimal route to surviving this place. The sooner I start the better I'll be when the Chitauri invasion begins, or something equally worse before then.

Just like that, and after another hour of walking, I arrived at the front doors of the mystical building. I didn't need to spend any time standing outside, I knew exactly what to do and what things I have to ask her. With that, I knocked twice on the door and waited for someone to answer.

After a short while, the doors opened, revealing a slightly younger Karl Mordo.

"Speak, child," Mordo spoke. "What brings you here this late in the night?"

"Good evening, I'm sorry for just popping up so late at night, but this is a type of matter I think has to be addressed sooner rather than later. Mind if I come in?"

"Don't play games, boy," Mordo said in a threatening tone. "State your name and business, now."

"Introductions are necessary I guess, my name is Ethan Chester. Again, I apologize for knocking at this hour, and your name is?" I asked the sorcerer, only to get no reply. With no intention to get a response, I continued. "As I was saying, I request to speak to the Ancient One. To be more specific, I need some assistance with a dilemma I'm currently facing, that's it. There's only one person who can give me that kind of help. If you are still unsure, I'm not armed or anything like that. Feel free to search me if you'd like."

With all that said, I took off my backpack and set on the ground, entered a T pose and waited for the search to be over. Mordo was weary, his expression not changing in the slightest. Once he was up in my personal space, he started his thorough search. Mordo made sure he checked every possible angle before moving on to my backpack. He took out the timer first, then the Arc Reactor. He only raised an eyebrow when he held the device, I just shrugged. Finally, he took out the Codex. That caught his intention. His gaze was fully fixated on the book, before placing it back inside and looking back at me. After a few more seconds, Mordo gave the go-ahead, motioning with his hand for me to enter. The inside was just like it was in the Doctor Strange movie, but real. You could practically smell the magic in the air.

"Yup, this place sure is impressive."

At the sound of doors closing, my focus shifted from the Sanctum and onto Mordo. While I was just possibly a few minutes away from talking to the Ancient One, I tried holding in my excitement. Let's see if my poker face is convincing enough.

"I will ask again, what is it that you seek?" Mordo asked.

"Well, I won't complicate things so I only need two simple things. For starters, I was wondering if I could be taught the ways of the Mystic Arts if that isn't too much to ask."

"So you already know this domain's capabilities," Mordo said lowly. "If you do know such secrets, I'd advise that you don't try anything foolish, it won't end well for you if you do."

"Please, I can promise you I bare no ill intentions." I held my hand up to stop Mordo from finishing his sentence. "All that I require is some help so that I can continue my journey onward with a way to defend myself. Heck, you can permit from learning magic altogether, I just need someone with expertise to examine an item. An item I presume you people are familiar with."

Mordo returned to his normal stance but was still not convinced. "As for your other request?"

I smiled for a moment before answering. "That's something I need to ask the Ancient One in person."

"You are speaking to the Ancient One, child," Mordo spat out. "If I were in your position, showing respect would be the first thing I would consider."

"Yeah, I would disagree on that."

"Are you insisting that I lie?"

"There are some things that are lacking to make me believe you in your statement, but with one particular item missing, I can easily come to the conclusion you are not the Sorcerer Supreme," I said with a grin. "Would I be correct to assume that?"

"You most certainly are."

A new voice entered the room. I turned around to find the Ancient One herself walking down the steps, a neutral smile plastered on her face. Eventually, she came, then turned to Mordo."Thank you for attending to our guest while I was preoccupied, but no threat, I can handle the rest. You may leave."

"Are you sure that is wise, Master?" Mordo asked. "I still think-"

"No need, Master Mordo." The Ancient One held her hand up. "I will make sure to find out everything
Mordo just bowed slightly and made his leave.

"I apologize for his aggressive behavior. He tends to do that when any newcomer arrives at the Sanctum."

"No need to apologize, you do have to look it at from his perspective though. I'd too would be suspicious if someone shows up in three in the morning with knowledge of this place. So in reality, I'm in the wrong here."

"Let's just both agree to disagree, does that sound fair?" Ancient One asked with a smile, to which I shook up my head. "Shall we step into a place with a little more privacy to continue this discussion?"

Before I could give her an answer, the whole area around me changed in a blink of an eye, I was a little disoriented from the sudden change. I would assume this was her room. It was filled with bookshelves, magical artifacts that had their own stand, several tables, with a few chairs around them. Aside from that, the room resembled like any other part of the temple.

"Please, sit." The Ancient One spoke with her back turned, doing some entirely different far down in the room. "I will be with you in just a moment."

Doing so as she instructed, I sat in one of the two red oversized armchairs with a small table in the middle of them. Moments later, the Ancient One came back to sit in the other chair, placing a tray with two cups and a pot.

"Would you like some tea? If so, do you have a preference?"

"Umm...yes, please, and honey if it isn't a problem."

Pouring in water in my cup first, the Ancient One then did multiple hand-gestures above the cup, the water now transforming honey tea for myself, then doing the same action for herself with additional hand gestures.

"Before we start, I'd assume introductions are in order?"

"That all depends honestly," I said with a pause, deciding if I should do this or not. "I think you already know who I am. More specifically, where I come from."

"You are right to assume that." She said while taking a sip of her tea. "Which begs the question, do know what happened that led to the result in you getting stuck in this dimension?"

"To be honest it happened so fast, it felt way longer but in reality, it only lasted about, thirty seconds or so." I began recalling that experience. "One moment, I was just minding my own business, nothing out of the ordinary. It was when I got hit by that truck that I started feeling disconnected from my reality. Then, moments later I find myself in space and-"

"Excuse me." The Ancient One interrupted. "Did you just bring up the fact that you've been hit by a truck, and because of that, it transported you to another dimension?"

"Believe me, as unrealistic and flimsy as that story sounds, I remember everything that happened. Besides, I am talking to a being who can tamper with the foundation of reality at any given moment in the day. So in a way, I suppose you don't think that some kind of ripple, in reality, occurred at that point in time, right?"

"Well, it has been known to happen from time to time." The Ancient One said while taking a sip of her tea. "Usually, the cause of that would be if someone is breaking the laws of that dimension that results in a collapse or something minor. In this case, it seems you we're the only one effect by it. If I were you, I'd be thankful that your body remained unharmed by that predicament, as dimensional travel can be very dangerous if proper training is absent to the user. Which begs the question, how did you know of the Sanctum Santorum's existence?"

"In my world, a lot of things are similar to yours, for the most part. You see, the difference between my world and yours, magic, amongst other things, isn't like it is here. There, not all things are the same as this place. So, I just took a wild guess.

I stopped for a moment to drink the tea. Right after taking the first sip, I took another one, bigger than the first. "I must say, this tea is excellent."

"As I was saying, given that I was found in a new dimension, I hoped that this world would little differences compared to my own. Sadly, that wasn't the case, so I had to think of something else.
Realizing where I ended up, I wanted to see if I place like this exists. I would assume that this kind of supernatural phenomenon will be familiar to you. Because in all honesty, all that I need to know right off the bat, is there a way back home?"
The Ancient One was silent and stayed like that for quite a while. Before the finally spoke.

"No, there isn't."

Well shit.

"Oh, and why is that?"

Before she continued, the Ancient One waved her hands till yellow sparks formed, creating thousands of little yellow and see-through spheres, all except one that was pitch black.

"Every single living being has an origin trait that distinguishes them from other beings from other dimensions. In our dimension, for example," The Ancient One took one of the small orb in-between her fingers. "Has its source that it's unique to them and them alone, their own dimensional essence if you will. If one would travel from their home dimension to a different one, they would have the trait that enables them to return. To simplify, it acts as a GPS to navigate through the multiverse. In your case, however," She took the blank orb in her other hand. "There appears to be no such trait. I haven't ever encountered someone that doesn't possess it. Without it, returning to your dimension is near impossible."

"Guess we can cross that option off the table," I said while rubbing my eyes. I stood up from the armchair and approached her. "At least you can tell me what this is."

I grabbed my backpack and took out the Codex, handing it to the Ancient One. She studied the emerald gem on the front, then opening it. After a few minutes of looking through it, she closed it and turned to me. "This is quite an artifact you have here, I must say. Where did you acquire it?"

"I found it not a minute after I ended up here, lying beneath some garbage."

"Anything else?"

"Well, at first, the rubies weren't green, they were red. It glowed brightly a couple of times as well." I explained. "I couldn't see anything that was on the pages when I first opened it. Then I touched the ruby in the center, I cut open my finger and sucked in some of the blood and ejected the pages with it, only then did the turn the color what they are now. Mind explaining what happened there?"

"It would seem that in order to reveal its secrets, it requires a form of identification. In most cases, blood or spiritual energies are used for these kinds of items. Aside from the user, without proper knowledge of the aspects of magic, only a few have access to it. From what I can tell, with these crystals, it would seem you have the ability to obtain various energy sources and materials. While the basic properties can be used to mimic its original usage, it can be shaped into other forms as well."

"Huh, that's good to know," I said, thinking of all the possible limits this kind of power can be used for. "I think we covered everything that needed to be addressed, so with that, can I have an answer to when, and if, I'm permitted to learn magic?"

The Ancient One adverted her gaze from the book and looked at me. "You seem keen on learning magic, mind if I ask, why is that?"

I didn't respond right away. I wanted to give an honest answer. "In all honesty, in a world where all these things are possible, I'm way out of my league. If I don't start somewhere, I won't make it far. You already said that there was a slim chance of finding a way back home. If I'm going to be stuck here, I need to adapt. Aside from that, I find magic to be quite versatile. If I'm bad in a particular field, I might excel at something else. You have my full commitment to learning whatever you wish to teach me. I have no wicked intentions to cause any harm. There are only two things I wish to do. Firstly, my own survival. From this point on, I'm all on my own. At least I want to have a fighting chance whatever comes my way. Secondly, no matter where I end up, I'm bound to wind up in the middle of most conflicts, all the more reason to be prepared for anything."

The Ancient One stayed quiet for a few moments with a neutral face, before speaking up. "Very well then."

I blinked a couple of times, not quite sure what her reply meant. "That meaning that I'm eligible to learn the Mystic Arts or…?"

The Ancient One formed a brief smile. "Eligible? I'd say there is potential in achieving the goal you set out for yourself. It's just a matter of how much effort one is willing to put in to obtain such power. But I feel I must warn you, the deeper you intertwine yourself with this universe, more and more challenges will present themselves. Take my word when I say, none of them get easier. I just feel you should be informed on what kind of risks will arise when proceeding forward."

"Well," I couldn't help but form a smile of my own. "I can promise you I will give everything I got."

"Good to hear." The Ancient One said. "In order to start, there is some basic ground I recommend we cover. Seeing as you are a different case compared to other newcomers, a different approach would

I simply nodded and let her lead the way. Just as we began walking, something popped up in my head.

"Oh, just a small favor if you don't mind me asking before we start?"

"That being?"

"Would it be a problem if I use your bathroom? I've… kind of been living in a warehouse for the last few days… I'd very much like to take a shower."
And that's Chapter 2.

I hope the attempt at making the battle with Whiplash was better unlike in the movie. He had so much potential (along with a lot of deleted scenes), which is sad to hear. With this, I might use him later if an idea pops up. Next Chapter were gonna dive into magic, gonna have a blast writing that. Still not sure what route I want to take leading into the next one, but we will have to see until that comes.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed. If any ideas/criticism regarding the Chapter, let me know how to improve. Until next time! (will strive for a 2 week schedule from now on).

(Edit- While posting on other sites, it has occurred to me that I may not be satisfied with Chapters 1 and 2. Purely for the reason, I messed up some things while setting up, so I was wondering, for clarity sake, redoing some parts of it to feel more natural and such. Anyway, lemme know if some parts might be lacking, will start fixing the format for Ch3. tomorrow so there might be a difference with the first two and the third).

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 3 – One Step at a Time
"Come on... just a little more..."

I uttered while struggling to maintain focus, my hands shaking slightly. My task? An attempt at manipulating water. To be more precise, a small sphere made out water that was a few inches above the bowl on its own. I got to the point of creating a shape with it, the only problem being, it was slowly falling apart.

It's been two and a half weeks since I was accepted into Kamar-Taj. Even though my stay was quite short, I managed to pick a few useful things up relatively quickly. One of my theories was correct after all, as I could easily transform the Arc-Reactor energy into different uses. A good example is to power my other spells more efficiently. I still need to get a grasp of controlling Dimensional Energy, but this is a good cheat to master another form that gets the job done.

At first, it didn't work out so smoothly. I didn't have any control over it, with the amount being too much for controlling for the first time, resulting in multiple burns on my hand while trying to recreate the projectiles I used for blasting those droids. A pair of gloves were needed for protection whenever I planned on using more energy than I could handle. Also, I may or may not have burned a couple of holes on the wall when doing this in my room, and Mordo might be the resident in the room next to me. Hey, I was new here, not like it was on purpose. That man needs to relax more.

Back on topic. While I was settling in my new, and temporary room, I wanted to think up other ways to expand my arsenal. I came up with a few Wind-based moves, while at the same time getting an idea for Water attacks and to their extent. Surprisingly or not, there were endless combinations to choose from. But one key is required to do anything along these lines is energy manipulation.

Aside from requiring a very long time to concentrate to channel that energy to your arms, I thought that would be the least difficult step, guess I was wrong in that department. The proper hand movements also needed to be correct the first few times to get properly used to them.

About another minute later, I gave up, the small sphere of water falling back into the bowl. It wasn't much at first glance, but it was a big improvement before a week ago when the water would barely react. The worst part of it is, I knew exactly where my problem was located. The gestures required to perform it weren't it, it's the part where I already put in the energy to maintain its form and add more to manipulate it freely. Guess even with cheating on getting the required energy, I miss the step where I balance it properly along the way.
I got up from the floor, doing multiple stretches. Doing the same motion for a few hours can become tiresome.

Another nifty trick I picked up quickly...

With a motioning gesture, The Codex flew from the ground and levitated just slightly above my chest, but at the right distance to make everything easier to read, especially to swipe pages rapidly. The trick was creating an aura around the desired object, then just controlling its movements. That alone will cut plenty of time of switching spells. Speaking about the Codex, I learned more about it and its mechanics as time went on. Compared to something as the Darkhold, it wasn't even close to being as dangerous as that. Along with absorbing almost any property, then converting that for my own gain in many forms. One of the benefits was that it allowed me to do more than just a spell at a time, I could infuse two at the same time to make something entirely different.

The downside was something I had to learn the hard way. Doing that can take a pretty big toll on my body if I overdo it. I'm not a hundred percent sure if that's all of the side effects since even The Ancient One had some difficulty deciphering it, there's still plenty left to discover.

I scrolled to the page where I wrote down some notes, trying to see what I did wrong. Most of them were important bits I've read from the numerous books, with some of my own beside them. There wasn't anything new or useful that can help me out. With a huff, I closed the book, then placing it to hang on my waist, a short blue energy line appearing when it was close. By this point, there wasn't much more to learn from books on this, it's just practice and nothing more.

Going to my bathroom, which was a bit cramped, I turned on the water and began washing my face. As I dried my face off, my eyes fell to the small mirror on the wall for a brief moment, before looking back and taking a better look at myself.

Almost a month after getting transported into the MCU, this is probably the first time I took a proper look at myself. My brown hair was a bit longer but was overall messier than before. My facial hair was also fairly short, so there was no need to shave just yet. I'll have to think of getting a haircut when I get back to New York. As I opened the window to let the bright sun in, the sky was somewhat cloudy with the possible chance of rain later on in the day. I looked down at the training fields and began thinking of what to do next. It was either going back to practicing water bending or go to the archives before training.

The second option it is then.

Fixing my robe, which was a bit different than others in Kamar-Taj. Not because I was special or anything, just preference. There were various combinations to choose from, so I couldn't resist. The upper half of the robe was laurel green with dark red lines that trailed down my arms and ended at the edges of the sleeves, along with a thin line going around my collar. The lower parts of the robe were also laurel green with a mixture of a dark gray spot on both sides of my legs, with black accents around the thighs. If anything, these things were very comfortable but didn't exactly offer too much protection. I was thinking of getting my hands on a bodysuit that can get the job done. You know, something that handle knives and bullets. Nothing wrong with a second layer of protection, even more so when it's hidden.

Walking along the main pathway of the temple, passing through the training fields, I strolled my way until I at the large gates of the liberally.

"Good morning, Master Khan," I greeted the Guardian of the ancient texts upon entering, making him look up from the book he was reading. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"No, not at all," Master Khan smiled, putting a red marker on the page of the book, then closing it. "Already finished the three books you checked out a few days ago?"

"Almost," I replied as I stopped at the desk. "I finished the Book of Control, but still need to finish the last parts of the other two. It took me some time to figure out how to harness and manipulate different energies, kind of forgot to finish them. Not to worry, I should be bringing it by this evening when I'm finished with them."

"What kind of book did you have in mind for today?"

"Umm, let's see…" I began thinking of what could come in useful in my current dilemma. "Anything similar to Control. Got to a bit of a roadblock, you see. I don't think it would be a good idea to jump to another field if I didn't manage to pass what The Ancient One tasked me with. The sooner I find out how to correctly balance this, the better."

The Guardian stood up and went to the many bookshelves, I simply followed. "That's good to hear. Not many newcomers catch on that quickly, you shouldn't discourage yourself too much. Aside from studying, how's your training coming along?"

"I'd say it's going well," I answered. "Never was much of a fighter, so there is a bit of a learning curve in that as well. The style is different than I initially thought, so there was some getting used to on that front. We'll just have to work more in that department."

"All in due time," The Guardian said. "Not everything can be learned right off the start. Those who seek improvement, improve. If you continue to walk down this path, I'm positive you will rise in the ranks before you know it."

"Heh, thank you for the kind words, Master Khan."

"No thanks are necessary, young one. Just remember for your future endeavors; even if you fail, use that experience to overcome your obstacle the next time your approach it," Master Khan said as we stopped at one of the many bookshelves, taking one of the books from the middle section, holding it in front of me. "Here, I believe this one should help you with your troubles. If you encounter any problem whatsoever, please, don't shy away from me for further guidance."

With a smile, I took the book from him and bowed slightly. "If I do, I know where to find you, Master."

The Guardian returned the gesture, then turning to his desk. Instead of sitting in the massive library, I went to the Weapon's Vault this time. It was going to rain anytime soon, and I honestly didn't feel like being stuck in my room for the next few hours. Since I arrived, I spent an equal amount of time in my room, the training grounds and the library, only to repeat that same routine the next day. Making a change of scenery while studying will do some good.

When I stepped in, I went and sat down at the nearest table. The Weapon's Vault was filled to the brim with magical artifacts, weapons of all kinds and with their descriptions. There were only a handful of people inside, some going deeper into the building or simply leaving. Cracking my knuckles, I jumped straight into it, there just might be something in here that will do the trick.

I didn't keep track of how much time has passed, but one thing's for sure, I couldn't spend another minute in this position. While seated, I stretched as much as possible, releasing a loud groan in the process. I rubbed my eyes afterwards, looking down at the book again after doing so. Without a second thought, I stood up, refusing to go back to read the massive book.

So far, I only managed to dig up one thing that could help me.

In some cases, using a larger amount of energy could be more beneficial. Until now, I would use nothing but a small fraction of the Arc Reactor's energy when practicing my spells. From my point of view, it seemed logical to start small then slowly build it up the longer it goes. Starting with a larger amount and controlling it from there does sound like it would work. My only guess on why I'm struggling with this is using an unorthodox method of powering spells.

Need to practice obtaining Dimensional Energy more. While this is a good alternative, having two sources will enable me to do things I most likely wouldn't be able to with one alone.

I paced around the table, looking at the many magical artifacts that were on display, which was almost every corner of the whole building. This is was the only place I didn't visit since coming here. Of course, it included the normal your stereotypical weaponry a sorcerer might use. Sadly, I didn't find anything eye-catching, but I kept looking nonetheless. Anything to catch my attention, even for a few minutes to clear my head.

And that's where I found it.

Two short daggers, placed horizontally from one another. Their hilts were covered in brown leather but severely worn out. The color of the metal was iron-gray, an orange gem located on the edge of the hilts. The most unique feature on the dagger was that it separated into a split blade, and from the looks of it, it wasn't used in a long time.

"Ah, the Blades of Sol," A voice called out from behind me. I was met with a familiar face, moving closer towards me. "Handcrafted by a renowned blacksmith who served under the first Sorcerer Supreme himself, Agamotto. Out of all the weapons he created, these were his favorite to use in combat. Over the years, these blades were rarely picked up. Their only purpose now is to attract dust. Such a shame."

I smiled at the man before me, as sincerely as possible. "Good morning, Master Kaecilius. What brings you here?"

"Nothing, in particular, just a simple stroll around the temple," Kaecilius said as he stopped right next to me, turning to the weapons on the wall. "I see these blades caught your interest."

"Just looking," I responded. "I spent all morning practicing, needed to clear my head a bit. Since you're here, mind telling me what's so special about these daggers, aside from the gem that's on the two."

Kaecilius took one of the blades, twirling it around. Moments later, the gem lit up, a lengthily sized orange energy blade coming to life. "On command, the blade can be the sharpest tool one might hold. A moment later, it can be dull as a rock. They can also change their length at any time, giving them more versatility. A very simple weapon, but with many applications, depending on the user."

I couldn't hide my surprise when seeing them in action. "Interesting. They seem like useful tools, they can't possibly be overshadowed by other weapons to not be used in generations."

"It can't be helped. All sorcerers find their weapon of choice sooner or later," Kaecilius spoke as he deactivated the blade. "It's how you use those tools that matters, keep that in mind when you discover yours."

"I will. Thanks for the advice, Master."

Kaecilius smiled briefly, setting the weapon back onto its stand. His focus went to the open book on the table. With a slight glance, he already knew what it was. "You having trouble with control? Last I've heard, it seemed like everything was going well."

"Wouldn't call it "trouble", per se. More like missing one important step that I couldn't figure out," I answered, closing the book afterwards. "I think I found what I was looking for though, given my situation."

"Ah, yes. The Ancient One told me you use a different method to conjure energy," Kaecilius said intrigued. "A fascinating predicament indeed. But, I've been at this temple for many years, and I've seen many people on their knees begging to be taught the ways of the Mystic Arts. You're exceptional compared to other beginners. In such a short amount of time, you accomplished a feat that takes months to see any development. Give it time. Although, if you want, you can join me and some other members for additional training that happens regularly after hours."

"After hours, you say?" I raised my eyebrow at that. "I didn't know there was additional training."

"It's not something The Ancient One overlooks. It's mostly consisted of me and a handful of other members who are willing to further explore their potential."

"In translation, your secret meetings to one day abandon Kamar-Taj, all the while fishing for the most talented magic users to take with you," I thought, seeing right through his little plan. Sadly, that's something that isn't ever going to happen. "I'll… think about it. Already have my hands full as it is."

"Just a thought," Kaecilius said while flashing a smile. "If you change your mind, you know where my dorm is."

With that, Kaecilius and I said our goodbyes, for now, him leaving the same way he came in.

Honestly, it's weird seeing a younger and slightly "normal" version of Kaecilius, even though it's just his façade. The poor guy lost his wife and will inevitably become a puppet. Oh well, can't do much in that area, if anything, I better be prepared if he does some sort of spectacle when he leaves. Anyway, seems like my time is up, I need to get to combat training.

---

I exited the training hall, exhausted and could barely feel my hands and legs. While they may be considerate when it comes to hand-to-hand combat on an inexperienced fellow like myself, they like to up the ante to see the maximum potential in their students. Not that I'm complaining, of course, better to improve on the field I'm least experienced in. While it's irritating to get my ass beat up most of the time, with each training I'm getting better.

Now that a few hours of that routine is over and done with, on to the fun part.

If the information in the book is true, my troubles are over. Not that nearly three weeks is that much of a waste, I'm just glad I found the root of the problem sooner rather than later. As I was walking to my dorm, I stopped at the massive fountain that was right next to the building. There was a stone statue in a kneeling position in the middle, the water pouring out of its hands. I looked at the water on the bottom, a good amount of it building up in the whole thing. Looking around my surroundings, I made sure I was alone.

Summoning the Codex, and with just one swipe, the pages started turning rapidly, stopping on the page I was going to use for my water spells. Let's try this again. I held out my hands, focusing as hard as I could. Unlike before, whereas I would feel the energy flowing through only my hands, I could feel it coursing through my whole body. When I felt like it was enough, I pointed my hands towards the water.

The water responded very differently than my previous attempts. Before, where it wouldn't respond right away, the surface started to vibrate. Over the next few seconds, it only became wilder. With one last push, I raised my hands, all of the water instantly went upwards.

I was completely stunned, a wide smile forming on my face at the sight. While I was happy that I managed to achieve this, it felt very heavy to properly carry. Some of it was spilled onto the ground. I tried catching the amount that started falling, which wasn't easy to do while maintaining this huge amount on my first try.

Moving my hands slowly to the side, I split the massive sphere in half. Since that worked, I started moving my fingers one by one. From the two blobs, small streams began extending from it. It wasn't long before the two spheres diminished in size, only leaving multiple streams that went around me. Now I wanted to do something different while I could still hold it.

I commanded the water to turn into a singular sphere again, then taking it apart again in smaller forms, quickly forcing them all back together to create a spiral. I increased the speed of my movements, moving the spiral up and down, followed by twirling it around the statue. After playing around with it for a bit, I demanded the spiral to as high as I could let it. As it reached its limit, I felt the connection break, the water falling onto me and lost my balance, falling on my back.

I heard someone approaching me. Looking up, The Ancient One and Mordo stood above me, looking down with both of them having their eyebrows raised.

"I don't know about you two, but I count this as a huge success."

Mordo shook his head, followed by rubbing his eyes. The Ancient One on the other hand...

"I believe congratulations are in order." The Ancient One announced with a slight smile on her face. "An untraditional way of approaching and accomplishing the learning curve, but nevertheless, well done."

"That's… one way of putting it, I suppose," I replied, taking a slight pause to breathe in and out. "So, that's control down, what's next on the list?"

"Eager are we? We'll go over that in the morning."

---

"Are you ready?"

"Do you have to even ask?"

I shot back at Mordo, who was standing a few feet away from me with his hands behind his back. It was around eleven in the morning, the summer heat getting a bit distracting, but nothing too noticeable. The sounds of other students grunting and shouting as they did their own training, be it hand to hand or with weapons. I'm starting to like this routine, been more active these two and a half months than I've ever been in my life.

"As you know, after a certain period, users of the Mystic Arts are granted of finding their weapon for personal use," Mordo explained as he grabbed the Staff of the Living Tribunal from his back, showcasing it. "There is nothing restricting the wielder to use multiple weapons, but I advise using one as each weapon can be deadly in its own right if mastered. Along with the addition of enhancing your weapon to your liking. Not only can it catch your opponent off guard, but most likely will give you an edge to come out victorious. I take it you already found the weapon you will be using?"

"Sure did," I replied as I extended my hands, revealing two daggers, doing a single twirl with each of them.

Mordo raised an eyebrow upon getting a better view. "The Blades of Sol?"

"Out of the wide selection that was available, these stood out to me the most," I explained while admiring them. "Can change their size and sharpness at any given time and can be altered by different materials and energy sources. I'm baffled that someone else hadn't already picked them up."

"I'm impressed. They are ignored solely for being as "flashy" when compared to other options," Mordo stated, activating his weapon right after. He entered his battle stance while putting one hand behind his back. "Let's see how well you handle them."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to go easy on you." I taunted back with a smirk, activating my daggers to be the same length as a sword, while the blade itself was dull. No need to set it to be sharp in a practice match.

I entered a battle stance, one hand extended while the other positioned more closely for defense. Since I knew Mordo's fighting style and how Kamar-Taj teaches it, he was counting on me making the first move. Sadly, he can forget that from happening.

We circled, slow steps as we both waited for either one to strike first. After a while, Mordo decided to go first, charging towards me. I tightened my grip around the handle of the daggers as I prepared myself.

His staff clashed with both of my daggers. The longer our stalemate lasted, my chances of overpowering him lowered. Retracting one blade, I aimed for his lower body, forcing him to back off. I moved forward, slashing blades, one after another in quick succession. Mordo easily blocked every single one of them. A few seconds of forcing him back, one powerful swing from his staff broke my momentum, having me stop my assault.

I breathed in and out to catch my breath. Mordo, on the other hand, didn't break a sweat. Twirling his staff, he took the offensive. In comparison, he was twice as fast and had more calculated movements. Having a little window to work with, all I could do is be on defense for now. In-between blows, I noticed his staff began glowing lightly, with each collision with my blades the glow got brighter. As it reached a certain point, his hits we're strong enough to knock one of my blades out of my hand, while feeling some pain in my hand

Having no time to run and pick it up, I'll just have to make do with one. Mordo took the lead again, his charged up staff made it hard to strike him properly and to block his attacks. I was forced to bet it on all or nothing. As his staff was about to collide with my blade, I deactivated it, returning to its original state. His staff had no target so his focus was thrown off. I made an attempt for a quick blow as I activated to its previous size, aiming for his stomach.

The only problem was that I underestimated his reflexes, again. His staff came swinging faster than I anticipated, knocking the dagger out of my hand, a kick to my chest the moment it left my hand, leaving me on the ground.

"That was me going easy." Mordo taunted with a smirk.

"…Best two out of three then?"

Even though I was defeated, I had no intention of staying silent.

"You're too slow," Mordo warned. "If this would be a real battle, making a sloppy mistake can result in giving your opponent the chance to land the finishing blow."

"Guess we'll just have to work on not making a mistake then."

"In that case…" Mordo entered his battle stance. "Again."

With I sigh, I stood up and grabbed my daggers off the ground. "Sure… why not."

---

These two and half months really didn't seem all that long. Each day I was slowly getting used to magic, and my particular set of powers. The more I thought about it, I knew how much problems I would have on my hands later on, this world is more complex than the original MCU. The thought of resorting to getting my hands dirty to make things easier grew bigger, but all in due time. As for making portals, now that was an interesting training routine. Using my own energy was tricky at the start, so I was forced to use Dimensional Energy for creating them, and let me tell you, it was a rough learning curve. Meditating for enabling that energy type was relaxing, and the more I did it, the more I took a liking to it.

Naturally, since there was a hiccup, The Ancient One took it upon herself to give that last extra push. When she told me she would be helping, I already got scared that she would trap on a mountain until I get it. It seems it's a regular occurrence that when first starting out, there is going to be a lot of trial and error, all though there were a few instances of people being a natural magic-user. Every single person had their gray area where The Ancient One would use a different method.

What was the method she used for me? Beating me to a pulp.

My assignment was to create a portal, to any location to escape, while going up against her in a one-versus-one. I wasn't allowed to do anything else besides that, but in exchange, she would go "easy" on me. Although I'll admit, this was the worst possible way of training, I decided to swallow my complaints and go through with it. After a decent number of skirmishes, and getting my ass handed to me over and over again, I finally created one. It was on one of the many isolated locations in Kathmandu, where I walk around for some fresh air.

While I was beyond satisfied with my achievement, adding another layer of difficulty was next in line. It was then changed to creating multiple ones in a session, to keep the consistency up. That's how mastering teleportation went.

Another hobby I picked up to pass time when I wasn't training was sculpting. There was something I wanted to make so my appearance a little less revealing, a mask. Don't want to walk around without my identity exposed, too many eyes to worry about.

My first thirteen attempts at making it were... seriously bad. It didn't resemble one at all, the instructor even asked me if I was planning it to be some sort of bowl, which was a compliment compared to how it looked like. Eventually, alongside some help, I created my ideal version of my mask. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the Bionicle toy line, the different and creative concepts with each figure is what drew me in the most. The unique masks were my favorite part of them. Naturally, I had to take the opportunity to use them for inspiration.

The main example I used was the Mask of Life, where a figure is set in a T-pose, arms going slightly upward and legs spread. That same figure, which was outlined and went up from the front by two or three inches. In between the legs, where the mouth section would open, I removed the legs altogether and added a bigger shell to make a respirator later on, to be safe from any poisonous gas, or anything similar for that matter.

Finally, after many attempts, and getting the proper dimensions for my head, the final version was complete.
A small detail I added when it was done, I made it so that eye sockets, when used, would form green shields to cover my eyes. A good way to avoid a cheap move if someone tries that, and would now completely keep my face hidden without anything exposed. Since I was most likely going to up against Magneto at one point, I wanted to be extra cautious, so I asked to add an enchantment. A non-visible energy field surrounding the mask that can negate his magnetic powers, now I don't have to worry about my head getting crushed like a watermelon.

When it was finished, I was so excited to try it on. When I placed it on my head, the compartments from behind clicked, keeping the mask in place.

After I was done, I went for a walk around the temple, admiring my creation. Passing through the main hall, I noticed the doors of the chamber that held the Eye of Agamotto, or the Time Stone, sitting on its pedestal in its full glory. This is the first time that I got a look inside, as before it was always closed and didn't have time to explore the room. Since my curiosity got the best of me, I had to go in.

Looking up, I saw the massive and deactivated Orb of Agamotto, rotating slowly. The three doors that led to the three different Sanctums closed off as well. Then my eyes met with the Stone itself. One of six elements of the universe and it was locked away inside of a container. Now imagine having that kind of power at your fingertips.

Then an idea came to my mind. How would my body react if I tried absorbing the powers of an Infinity Stone? There are two possible answers. One, my body would explode by that kind of power, or two, a result similar to what happened to Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Either way, some safeguards have to be placed beforehand to prevent anything going wrong. I'm ways off from opening that box, but until then, I'll know all the ins and out when going on that kind of scale.

"Seems like you finally stumbled upon this chamber."

Breaking my train of thought, I was greeted by The Ancient One as she entered the room.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized. "Never been in this room before, wanted to see that's so special about this place when you and the other Masters meet up every now and then. So this is the famous Eye of Agamotto. First time I get to see it up close."

"Most people have a similar reaction, this is the crown jewel of what magic has to offer after all," The Ancient One said. "The very concept of time can be altered by this item, with it also being the most powerful asset the Sorcerer Supreme can use."

"I'd say," I spoke whole still admiring the Eye. "Never would have thought that the entire concept of time is held and controlled in such a small vessel."

"Looks can be deceiving, can they?" The Ancient One said. "It would foolish to keep it locked away in one location if it would mean anyone can lay their hands on it."

"Does that mean you use it regularly?"

"Quite the contrary, believe it or not," The Ancient One corrected. "Tampering with the natural law is never a good way of resolving things, or for seeking answers. There are too many loose ends to watch out for, too many factors to take into consideration."

"Really? What kind of factors?"

"The simplest I can explain it is that… it's best to only see to a certain point, to not get overwhelmed."

"What do you mean that you "see to a certain point"?"

I knew exactly what she meant, but I wasn't given an answer from her, she just remained silent. She believes that until a certain point, even after all this time, she can just peacefully die when her successor can take up the mantle, that being Doctor Strange. Still, I can't let that happen. She is too powerful and is one of the smartest individuals in the universe. I can ignore the fact she uses the Dark Dimension to extend her life, even if it goes against the belief she tries to teach others. Perhaps, if I persuade her to look beyond her death, Thanos and God knows who else, can be taken care of just a little bit easier.

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, before speaking softly. "You know when you will die, correct?"

Her eyes slightly widened at my claim. For a short while, she was speechless. "How did you know?"

I let out a slight chuckle. "It's obvious, isn't it? Everyone would want to know when and how they will pass away, but nobody would want to face knowing the truth," I tapped the Eye slightly. "With an item such as this and a person of your stature, it's not hard to come to that conclusion. There has to be some sort of line somewhere."

"I guess it is a bit obvious. The truth is… I've lived a long life. While I am obliged to protect

"Why... don't you check anyway?"

The Ancient One raised her eyebrow at my question. "Might I ask why?"

Well, I got one chance at this, so better make it count.

"You see, ever since I came here, I've been thinking… how I ended up here, and its effects it might have. Now hear me out. One universe has its timetable, its actions, and events that are set to happen from the start. That is if there is nothing preventing any key moments in time, right?" I asked for her confirmation, where she replied with a nod. "Okay, so, I come in, out of nowhere, from a different universe altogether.
Doesn't that… tip the scale on this reality as a whole? I mean, in the grand scheme of things I'm just a fly, compared to the entire universe. But it can't possibly be just that. If something like this can happen, who's to say an event far worse can happen as well. What other kinds of possibilities might or might not happen if that's the case."

After I was finished, I was met with silence. The Ancient One seemed to be deep in thought, trying to find an appropriate response. "That… is quite plausible."

"So, what do you say?" I asked. "Is it worth a look?"

"Why are you so fixated on this? What makes you so sure that something like that might happen?"

"That's just my point, I'm not," I explained. "You are the only person who can truly know if any of this is possible. I've been taught that our job is to prevent anomalies that tamper with our, your, reality. I just want to know if because of me, will it cause further damage and changes in the long run."

That seemed to seal the deal. Her focus went to the Eye itself, most likely contemplating whether or not my theory was true. After a full minute, she turned to me and finally spoke.

"Only one way to find out, it seems."

She moved closer to the pedestal, hovering her hands over the Eye. Followed by several precise hand movements, the shell opened, revealing a bright green light. Extending both her index and little finger while closing her fists, she closed her eyes as mystical green runes of energy surrounded her arms and wrists, the inner-parts of the shell slowing down. Her head moved slowly side to side, no indication of any danger.
Suddenly, her eyebrows twitched.

Eventually, her head movements became faster.

The further she saw into the future, her state worsened. Just as I thought she was going to stop, she went in further. She held out several whimpers, trying to not lose focus, but it was more and more difficult for her. At a certain point, it got too much for her to handle.

"Gahh!"

The Ancient One screamed as she backed away, the spell rings on her arms disappearing.

I went to her aid. "Master, are you alright? What did you see?" It was obvious I wasn't going get a concrete answer, but still wanted to see what kind of info I can get.

She didn't face me, instead, she focused on the Eye, then lowly uttering. "Something horrible."

"How horrible are we talking here?"

Again, she didn't respond to my question. She took a moment to calm herself, straitening her attire a little. With a sigh, she turned towards me. "Thank you, I know what I must do now."

She activated the Orb of Agamotto, the globe turning to the Hong Kong and London Sanctums. After going over each of them, she had a look of disappointment.

"None of them are available, why now..." The Ancient One muttered, before turning to me. "Mind if I ask you for a favor?" She abruptly asked.

"A favor? Uh…sure, what is it?"

"You'll figure it out when you see it."

What kind of answer is that? Before I got to ask for further details, she was already making her way out of the room, I just decided to follow along. She was moving swiftly, with a face of determination mixed with uncertainty, which means bad is bound to happen soon.

"Mordo."

She addressed the man without batting an eye as we passed through the hall as we made our way to the main entrance of the temple. Mordo immediately realized something was up, tagging along and keeping up with us. He tried asking The Ancient One what was wrong, only to be met with no response.

"What is going on?" Mordo turned to be as we walked behind her. "Why is she like this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I said, both of us trying to keep up. "She wasn't like this not too long ago."

After about a minute with nothing but silence, we arrived at the main entrance, which was very similar to the New York Sanctum. Going down the stairs, we found Kaecilius rearranging some items on a table that was right next to the doors. Noticing us coming down, he turned towards us.

"Master? Is something wrong?"

Kaecilius asked, with a sincere face.

Wait… don't tell me she's going to-

"Forgive me, Kaecilius. This will hurt me more than you could ever imagine."

The moment she finished, she summoned the familiar magical shield, flinging it towards Kaecilius, hitting him directly in his left shoulder. Kaecilius stumbled from the hit, using the table behind him to prevent his fall. Mordo slightly jumped at The Ancient One's doing but remained silent.

Yup, that was my first guess.

Clutching his shoulder, Kaecilius' looked up towards us. The face that not too long ago, was neutral and non-threatening, was filled with rage.

"H-How dare you!?" Kaecilius' voice boomed, taking several slow steps forward. "

"I didn't want to do this, Kaecilius, but you leave me with no other choice," The Ancient One spoke. "I know what you will become, and now I know it's too late to change that. It's my fault you are what you are, and it's my responsibility to stop you from yourself."

"Your fault, eh?" Kaecilius scoffed. "It took you this long to realize that? Fifteen years, fifteen years I've spent at this temple, and for what?! To be treated as a mindless minion and follow orders that will not bring me any closer to my only desire? Yet, I held out hope, that one day I'll find out what happened to my beloved. Now after failing to keep your promise, you decided to hold me accountable for wanting to leave Kamar-Taj after I learned what I needed to continue on my own. I know far too well there a secrets you refused to tell me. I'll find a way, no matter the cost, even if I have to face you to achieve it!"
The Ancient One didn't react to his screaming, deciding to remain silent.

"No words left to say? And yet, you demand forgiveness for your actions. Pathetic."

Kaecilius clasped his hands together, creating a faint red glow. Several seconds passed, with several portals opening behind him, some familiar faces appearing. There were way more Zealots than when he went to infiltrate the temple to steal that page. Kaecilius was the first to start off, with his Zealots in sync with his movements. All of them had a light-purple aura following their hands. They slammed their fists to the ground, generating a massive purple shockwave going towards us. The Ancient One wasn't affected in the slightest, but Mordo and I got swept off our feet, flying all the way to the first floor. With a grunt, I crawled to the railing, grabbing it to help me stand up, Mordo joining me shortly.

The Ancient One only made one Tao Mandala for her right hand, the other placing behind her back. Kaecilius took out his Scythe Daggers and charging first, his followers' right behind him. The Ancient One did nothing but dodge Kaecilius' attacks, slapping him with her shield when he gave her an opening. The Zealots didn't fare any better against her, not one managing to land a hit on her. Kaecilius was already back at the front, desperately trying to land a blow on his Master, not once succeeding One swing with her shield was enough to thrust her attackers away. The Zealots formed energy blades and whips to help in the fight, but because of her agility, it made no difference to her.

Considering she was going up against her own students and only using one weapon, it would be an understatement to say that she was going easy on them.

"What should we do?" I asked Mordo, not taking my eyes off the battle.

"We help."

Mordo stood up and jumped over the railing, landing on the ground floor with ease, attacking his now-former peers without hesitation.

"She did ask me a favor, safe to assume this is it."

I thought as I put my mask on, ready to join in. With just one wave, I flipped the Codex wide open, opening on the page with the energy sources. I absorbed as much as I could, hopefully, it will be enough. With both my hands, I began creating my desired weapon. A few moments later, I held a long jade-colored energy chain with a hook, which was very reminiscent of a Japanese Kusarigama.

The Ancient One had no trouble dealing with Kaecilius, with the many Zealots trying to catch her off guard, we weren't even in the Mirror Dimension. Anyway, time to help out.

After a few swings over my head for the proper build-up, I threw out my weapon to catch anyone off-guard. It would seem my luck is still with me, as the one I caught was Kaecilius himself, who blocked the hit with his arm, the chain wrapping around it. That separated him from The Ancient One, who was easily handling every foe around her, with Mordo providing support.

I stepped onto the railing and yanked the chain. Instead of pulling him towards me, I used the hook to send me flying towards him. The hook, or to be more accurate, the energy flowing around it, allowed me to stay in the air without falling and maintain speed. When I was close, I tried giving him a swift kick to the head, only to be blocked by both of his arms in the form of an X.

With his arms, Kaecilius pushed me back while the chain disappeared, where I landed safely.

"I'm positive you know how this will end, so I'd advise you to quit while you're still alive."

"You cannot trust her, boy!" Kaecilius said with venom in his voice, pointing at The Ancient One. "She will feed you lies and fill your head with promises that will never see the light of day! Years of my life were wasted because of that, and that kind of fate awaits as well you if don't open your eyes before it's too late!"

"I'll have you know…" I spoke as I drew out my blades, charging them up to be the same level as a normal sword length. "I have a different fate in mind, so you might as well drop it now."

Kaecilius merely scoffed. Looking behind him, he saw Mordo taking out his Staff of the Living Tribunal, ready for him to make the first move. Kaecilius turned to me once more. "Shame. I was hoping to spare you."

Kaecilius charged towards me with his two Scythe Daggers. I merely stood still, blocking his two daggers with my own. He was significantly faster and more skilled in terms of combat, but with the Blades of Sol's length, he didn't get any openings to get a proper hit. As our weapons clashed back and forth, Mordo rushed to help, aiming his staff for Kaecilius' head. He moved backwards to get enough room to block his attack with his two daggers, swiftly kicking Mordo in the stomach to push him back.

As his back was turned, my blade made contact with his upper back, leaving a wide cut. Kaecilius was quick to respond, ducking and taking jab with his knife at my right abdomen. He tried going for a second hit, but he had to back off unless he wanted to lose his left arm. I checked my wound as Mordo kept Kaecilius busy, it wasn't that deep so there wasn't any immediate danger. We need to work together if we want to take him down, so I jumped right back in.

Mordo and I went back and forth with Kaecilius, his fast movements were making it harder to hit him. With this kind of opponent, a different strategy was needed, so I had to keep him distracted with my repeated swings, while still staying on the defensive side. Mordo was quite aware of my plan, as he didn't leave Kaecilius with much breathing room either, having landed several hits because of that. The longer the fight lasted, Kaecilius would take heavier hits from Mordo while I supported him.

After trading blows with our weapons, Kaecilius had enough of being on the losing side. With both weapons still in hand, he formed two purplish rectangles with a yellow circle and old forgotten text, flinging out one at me and Mordo respectively.

The moment it connected, we were sent flying back. I didn't stop until I hit the wall behind me, sliding down right after.

With a grunt, I grabbed my daggers and went back on my feet. If it wasn't for the mask, the hit could've been much worse. Mordo, however, drew the short end of the stick. He crashed into a table and was having difficulty getting up, with Kaecilius going in for the finishing blow. When I was about to run to stop him, a powerful shockwave erupted inside the room, throwing Kaecilius and his Zealots off to the side, Mordo and myself were the only ones spared from the impact.

The source of the blast came from The Ancient One.

As Kaecilius stood up, preparing for another attack, his right arm was restrained by a golden beam with a loud crackling noise, his left arm getting captured not too long after. The Ancient One held the two binds with only one hand.

Not having many options left, Kaecilius growled in anger, forced to resort to something he despised. "Everyone! Escape from this temple! I will join you shorty, don't be caught by any means!"

The Zealots that were still conscious were back on their feet, a group rushing to the doors and a group going up the stairs.

"Mordo! Ethan!" The Ancient One shouted. "Do not let them escape!"

Without a word, Mordo and I agreed. Mordo ran to the group that went upstairs, while I went after the ones who rushed out the door. Deactivating then placing my blades to their holders, I ran after them, I wasn't too far behind, but I couldn't let them get further away. The reason they ran in the first place was to teleport safely without interference. Summoning my hook, threw it out towards them, wrapping itself around one of them. As they came to a stop when the one captured called out for help, they broke the chain with their energy blades.

"Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be," I said while catching up to them. "Simply surrender and I'm sure you all can be spared a much more, severe punishment from the Ancient One. You're only making me do clean up."

"We're not going back there!" One of them shouted. "Kaecilius told us the truth about Kamar-Taj and it's Masters!"

"Come on, Ethan, you're smarter than this," Ranjan spoke softly. Most of the time he was my sparring partner for training, with few light conversations here and there. "If you want to follow The Ancient One's nonsense, feel free to do so, but let us go without a fuss. We have nothing against you."

"Yeah, I can't just let you all walkway. I have my own job to do."

I summoned the Codex, flipping through the pages until I commanded it to stop. My right hand was right above it, ready to duke it out.

"Then just know, this isn't anything personal."

The four of them entered their combat stance. Ranjan and the second one drew out their weapons, them being a broad sword and wooden staff with orange energy edges respectively. While the other two conjured the familiar golden circular spell rings. Slowly, I hid my left hand behind my back, feeling a slight spark of electricity forming.

"Well, that works for me."

Perfect time to show off my new tricks.

Immediately, I channeled my energy to create a coverage of electricity that went up to my palm, the intensity increasing. The staff wielder charged first, followed by the other three. I took a few steps back the faster he approached, dodging the swings of his staff. Going with a swift strike to my side, I ducked before it could hit me. That gave me an opening. I aimed for his stomach, barely blocking it with his staff, only for it to be broken in half. Even though he blocked my first attack, my hand almost made contact with his body. Some of the electricity went through to him, shocking him for a brief moment, moving backwards as he tried to recover.

The spell ring users came right after him. As one of them went in, I sprung towards him. Upon making contact with the ring, it dissolved, catching my attacker off guard. He tried striking me with his other ring, only for the same result to happen. The downside of this, my Lightning Strike's intensity was significantly lower from blocking it twice. Spotting the third one heading my way, instead of properly dodging his attack, I lunged forward at the defenseless Zealot, hitting him in his right deltoid. He screamed in agony, falling onto the floor.

I didn't have time to react as the energy ring hit the right side of my helmet, sending me off to the side. I was still on my feet, so I made a small retreat, taking out my left dagger and activated it, blocking the spell ring with it as he went for another hit.

Grabbing my second dagger, I bent slightly as I went for his legs. As my blade was traveling, I created a blade that was long just a few inches, cutting his right thigh. His body jerked from the cut, where it gave me a clean shot for a kick to his chest. Resting my dagger, I pulled the Codex and flipped the pages. While doing so, my other dagger clashed with the Ranjan's sword. I moved back with each strike I blocked.

As our duel continued, two Zealots stood side by side, channeling some kind of spell. With a final blow, I pushed Ranjan back, tapping the page before it was too late.

That's when I felt something hit the side of my body, a gust of golden dust pushing me off my feet and blowing me away. It wasn't until I landed on my back, right next to the fountain. I grabbed onto the fountain's edge to help me up, noticing two Zealots rushing to my position. With a wave of my hand over the water, a large and long stream erupted from the fountain and went for the Zealots, restraining the two. It wrapped around all over their joints, like an Anaconda on its prey, the tightness gradually increasing. Their grunts slowly turned into screams, dropping their weapons as the water got to their hands. Once they were, I did another wave to toss them away.

Now fully up, controlling the water with both of my hands, I pulled the water into two massive chunks then remodeled them so their shape would roughly resemble oversized arms that hovered under my real ones. Over time, I figured out how to maintain a form without it breaking, also knowing how to change its density.

All of them were back on their feet, just in time for round two. Instead of going one by one, they surrounded me from every side. They were cautious, not wanting to repeat the same mistake. I watched them closely, turning my head to the side to keep track of the one behind me.

At that moment, they charged me from the front and back, accompanied to the other two by the sides. Doing a one-eighty, I went for a punch to the jaw as my opponent was getting close. I missed with my fist but got a direct hit as the water flew to his face, evading his shields and knocking him down instantly. Throwing out my arms to the side, I shout out two water whips and grabbed the other two by their legs, sweeping them off their feet. While on the ground, those same whips turned into tides that pushed them back with a strong force. I made sure it wasn't just something they could easily shrug off.

Three down, one left.

Turning around, I held out my arms in a guard form, the two blobs creating a singular shield. Ranjan went for two punches in a row, the water shield negating the ring's hits. He moved to the side, aiming lower for my legs as that was the only area open. Lowering my left arm slightly, I blocking the shield just barely. The Zealot did a front flip, spinning around with the spell ring with my legs being his target. As his attack failed, I went for a punch for the above, with the Zealot backing away to dodge it. The water followed my hand and split into two tides that slammed into the sides of his head.

He stumbled a bit while walking back, and rightfully so, I doubt that he could take two or three good hits and still be able to stand. He called out to his comrades, demanding that they get up.

Once they did, all four of them retreated. They discarded their spell rings, creating a long golden energy whip instead. Before I got a chance to react, Ranjan's whip hit my ankle, pulling my forward. To maintain my balance, I was forced on one knee. I held my hands to the side, using the water to make a shield and block from other whips hitting my body, only for a whip to wrap around my neck and pull me backwards. It was fairly tight, slowly choking me.

My water extensions dissolved as my hands went to my neck, only for them to get caught as well. This was quite the pickle, getting restrained at four different sides.

"Stay calm, just think, think," I held my breath, thinking of a way to get out of this jam. I tried pulling the water back up but only managed to lift it several feet and with the density being at normal levels, finding it hard to focus on increasing it. I can't just hit one, I need to get all four. Opening my right hand, I checked if the electricity expired, to where I was greeted with a slight spark. I was almost out of air, so I had to make this count.

"Hope this works."

Creating four low water streams on the ground, I sent them out to latch onto the Zealots' legs. Taking another shot at making a Lightning Strike, I put everything I had into it. While it wasn't strong like the first one, it would be enough. I then formed a ring of water around me, connecting to streams. Ranjan was the only one who realized my plan, quickly detaching his whip and backing away, tripping in the process. I shot the electricity at the ring, sending a massive shock through the streams.

The three of them cried out simultaneously, breaking their hold on me. After a few seconds of them limping, they fell, fighting to stay awake while on the ground. Still kneeling, I took numerous deep breaths, rubbing my neck as well. Double-checking if they were unconscious, and it seemed to be the case. It was only Ranjan left.

He was still on the ground, watching as his comrades fell. Covering away, then jumping to his feet for his escape.

I stood up, feeling a sense of dizziness after getting up so quickly. Nevertheless, I ran after him. He didn't waste the chance to open a portal and jumping in, not bothering to look behind him. The portal was just about to close before I jumped through it. We were on the many rooftops of Kathmandu, the more outskirts parts of the town. Without delay, I continued my pursuit.

The buildings themselves weren't that tall, and the distances between rooftops were short. Ranjan was fast I'll give him that, I'm going to lose him if widens the distance and open another portal. Opening my Codex, I search and tapped for a quick refresh, simultaneously making my jade-colored energy chain and throwing it at him. Sadly, it missed its mark. Going for a second try didn't have better results, as this time around he was aware it was heading his way and had no problem dodging it each time.

Running along the rooftops got more and more tiresome the further we ran, and difficult to properly see due to it being night time. As I landed a hook around his waist and restraining his arms, I pulled the chain to propel me forward. When getting right in front of him, he did an air kick that hit me in the stomach and hard, knocking me down, but the chain was still connected. With all of his strength, Ranjan broke the chain and ran off, jumping off the ledge as he opened another portal. Following after him, having yet again almost cut off with the portal closing, landing on a different ledge of a new building.

We weren't in Kathmandu, that's for sure. The sun was still setting while the sky was cloudy, with a light rain shower. Looking at the buildings in the distance, I spotted the Big Ben, which means we're in London now. It seems like he won't let up until he loses me.

Ranjan didn't falter though, jumping off the building and creating a whip to give him a help him climb the wall. Following him, I used the water to lift me with little trouble. Now that I think about it, this rain can benefit me.

Using the raindrops and puddles that built up, I created a lengthy-sized stream of water that followed me while I ran. I just had to wait for the right shot. Jumping to the next building is when I fired, the stream gliding at a rapid speed and hitting Ranjan in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground. When I reached up to him, he was rolling off to the side and getting up. Ranjan created two gray energy spheres than fitted his fists perfectly, then sprouted double blades from the sphere, some kind of yellowish aura surrounding them. I launched a stream, aiming for his upper chest. He met my attack with his blades, pushing the water away without any trouble.

Huh, looks like he figured out a counter.

I fired multiple small tides, Ranjan spinning his blades in every direction, propelling every attack. He charged at me, slashing through the multiple other streams I threw his way. I had to move back as his blades were close to hitting me. With each step, I motioned the water to attack him from behind. Ranjan was very fast, spinning around to push the water, while not letting me get a chance to pull out my daggers.

When he saw an opening, he lunged towards me. I quickly made a shield and increasing its density, hoping it will be enough. The blade cut through the shield, the tip of the blade slashing my left thigh. I let out a hiss, I ignored the discomfort, immediately making another shield. Slicing through it again, leaving a cut on my arm this time.

I had to tank a couple of more cuts as I didn't have much of a choice. The streams kept him occupied and prevented him from getting a more precise hit. Taking a peek behind me, we were rapidly approaching the ledge.

So that's his angle. Then we're both going down if it's going to be like that.

There was plenty of water to use, so let's use it. Instead of focusing on just one source, I wanted every single drop that I could grab. Instead of orienting my attacks from behind, I only attacked from the front. Ranjan was too focused on finishing me off, he wasn't aware of the massive wave that was building up behind him. I waited a bit more, it needed to tall and wide so that his blades' aura can't deflect it.

As it got large enough, I pulled my hand back, releasing the wave and motioning it towards us. Realizing something was heading towards him, Ranjan looked behind him, and I could faintly see a shocked expression. I simply formed another shield.

Just like that, both of us got thrown over the edge.

While falling, from what I assumed was a twenty or so story building, I created a bubble with my head being just above the water and that was connected to the wall, slowing down before coming to a complete stop. Taking a look down, the street was empty, so there wasn't any threat there. All that's left is to grab Ranjan and get back to the temple. Looking around, and down again, I didn't saw him anywhere.

"What the hell? Where is he?"

Looking upwards, I found him hanging on the ledge with only one hand. It seemed like he found me as well, generating a similar blade in his other hand, throwing it right at me. It pierced through the water, but I moved to the side last second. Just as I dodged that, a second one came. He tried that again and again, but none of them came close.

Let's see, how one gets themselves out of this kind of pickle, I wonder. Better think fast before he gives me the slip. Wait... slip, that's it! I know just what to do. Turning back my focus on Ranjan, or to be specific, his hand. I concentrated hard as I could, making so that the area he's clinging on to would-be extra slippery. Of course, he was oblivious to my actions as he still kept throwing his blades. When he did notice, it was already too late. As he was falling, I made the bubble bounce towards him, grabbing his hand and making the water surround us.

I had little time to act, and one shot to survive.

While inside, I began conjuring a portal before we hit the pavement. It was slightly difficult as my movements were slower while inside the massive bubble. Even so, I had to use the last of my strength to increase my speed to properly make the portal, all the while holding my breath. Due to the mask, it took longer for the water to build up. Before we feel to our doom, I managed to create one in the last second, revealing the floors of the hall filled with the unconscious Zealots. Instead of falling, we were now sliding along the floor, slowing us down. We didn't make a full stop until we hit the wall, the water bubble exploding upon impact.

Once I was out, I removed my mask and tossed it to the side, coughing severely, taking in as much air as my lungs could take. I tried standing up, but with my arms and legs shaking, I had to take it easy. Looking to my left, I saw Ranjan covering away, trying to open a portal to escape, failing miserably multiple times while gasping for air.

That's it, enough was enough.

Ignoring the pain, I jumped to my feet and went towards him. He didn't notice that I was towering over him, which gave me the chance to kick him in his lower left quadrant. He backed up to the wall, but I didn't stop hitting him. After a few more kicks to seal the deal, he was done for.

"Persistent bastard."

I groaned while rubbing my arms, trying to ease the pain. Scanning my body, aside from a few cuts and bruises, they didn't hurt me too severely. Turning around, I spotted the Ancient One and Mordo coming down the stairs in a hurry. Mordo immediately going to the unconscious Zealot, restraining him.

"There… I caught them."

"Thank goodness," The Ancient One said sighing. "For a moment there, I thought something might have happened to you while pursing them."

"Well, as you can see, they were no match for me," I stated with a grin, while also doing a victory pose, somewhat. Her eyes scanned the injuries around my body, a worried look appearing on her face when she was finished. "Don't worry about these, I feel fine. Could've been worse, though. Anyway, what about Kaecilius? Did he escape?"

The Ancient One hesitated a bit, sighing before she gave her answer. "I took care of him… he will no longer be a threat to us."

Why did she say it like that? I have a feeling that she's hiding some important detail. "What about the other traitors? Are there any more of them left in the temple?"

"No, only the eighteen students that were by his side at the start of this were the only ones who plan to betray us," The Ancient One said. "Out of that amount, only three managed to escape with him. But enough about that. Come, your wounds must be treated."

---

Honestly, I just wanted to know why she attacked Kaecilius in the first place. She may have her reasons, that vision most likely being the main one, but still, it was out nowhere. I remember that Kaecilius left the temple with his underlings, not having any sort of fight when doing so. Time to get some answers.

While Mordo was busy rounding up all the students one by one, the Ancient One and I went to her room, where she took care of my injuries. When she was just about done, I decided to be the one to start off.

"So…"

The Ancient One looked up as she wrapped a bandage around my arm. "I assume something is on your mind, yes?"

"Why did you do that? Attacking Kaecilius out of the blue like that, I'm guessing the Eye of Agamotto had something to do with it?"

As she tied up the bandage, she stood up, beginning to slowly pace around the room, deep in thought.

"Before he arrived at this temple, Kaecilius was a different man compared to what he has become now. I took him under my wing, teaching him the ways of the Mystic Arts, and the more he trained, his potential grew as well. It seemed like his path was heading in the right direction. But, as time went on, I feared that I might have misled Kaecilius and didn't provide him with the proper answers he sought out to find at Kamar-Taj. I was sure that everything I did for him, I did it with the best intentions. To guide a broken man to redemption. After seeing what's to come… I knew it was far too late for him to turn back

I listened to The Ancient One patiently, not wanting to say anything until she finished. I may not be that all attached to them on that kind of level, it was still sad to listen to. "I'm… sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what that kind of burden that must be like to carry all on your own. I may not know the full story, but that doesn't mean everything was set in stone from the start. With some changes in certain areas, I'm sure things would have ended differently."

"Possibly…" She uttered lowly.

"I have to ask, why didn't you look into the future sooner?" I wanted to ask this way sooner, might as well use this opportunity. "Why not prepare for those things beforehand?"

"Just because you have the ability to see the future, and to know how everything unfolds, doesn't mean it comes without a price. A price some wouldn't be able to comprehend. The Eye of Agamotto holds an incredible power, but it also acts as a curse. Spending days, months, or even years to tread lightly of careful planning to stop every single entity that may oppose a threat to our reality. Sometimes, having the option of not knowing, is more preferable than knowing everything."

While I could understand her point of view to have that kind of power in your possession, it was kind of a waste, wasn't it? It was an Infinity Stone after all, and being the "easiest" one to use. Knowing how to prevent nearly anything has more pros than cons. It's a pity how people can get easily drunk with power.

Then a couple of knocks came on the door, The Ancient One permitting to enter. As the door opened, it revealed Mordo. "It is done, Master. Everyone who planned to betray us is accounted for."

The Ancient One sighted in relief, walking up to Mordo before speaking softly. "That's good."

"What's going to happen to them?" I asked, standing up and heading towards the two.

"A long, but necessary process to prevent them from using magic ever again." The Ancient One explained. "They've learned many secrets at this temple. We need to make sure they don't ever use that knowledge against us, or to harm anyone else for that matter."

"Fair enough, I guess," If anything, their punishment is pretty tame. "So, what happens now?"

"We tackle the next issue that needs our attention," The Ancient One proclaimed, turning to Mordo. "I take it you've notified everyone on the subject we discussed earlier?"

Mordo nodded. "I did. After rounding up all of the traitors, most of the students came and asked what happened, which made it easier to pass the message along. Some didn't fully understand the meaning of this decision, but they understood the situation we are dealing with."

"What are you two talking about?"

"Kamar-Taj will be closed off, for the time being," The Ancient One said, her statement surprising me to say to the least. "Now that the traitors are dealt with, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The Hong Kong and London sanctums are in danger, with bigger threats lurking in-between. Since Mordo and I won't be available, the temple cannot continue without our presence. There is no time to waste, we must act sooner rather than later."

"Great!" I clasped my hands in excitement, passing them as I started walking. "I take it we're leaving effective immediately. Before then, I need to-"

"Actually, you won't be joining us."

I stopped right in my tracks, my head snapping towards her. "Wait…what? Why not?! "

"I don't plan to take everyone on this task," The Ancient One said. "Only me, Mordo and a few other Masters from different Sanctums. Everyone else in Kamar-Taj will be dismissed, for the time being, at least. I will not endanger my protégés in something that they are not remotely ready for."

"I get that part, I do. But it's not like everybody here is not on that level when it comes to experience. Just lay off the beginners and-"

"You don't seem to understand," The Ancient One in an authoritative tone. "They are not ready. You. Are. Not. Ready. The moment I let you and the rest accompany us on this task, and the ones thet come after it, there is no guarantee who will survive and who will not. I will not have blood on my hands by making that kind of mistake. I will commend you for getting this far so quickly, and as of today, I'm convinced you can handle yourself when placed in those kinds of situations. But you still have much to learn before I can even think of reconsidering my decision. For now, I think its best you do not be involved. I'll update you and everyone else if anything of importance comes up."

Talk about getting the boot.

"Fine... let me get my stuff then."

Instead of walking to my room, I simply opened a portal to save time and energy. I didn't have much to pack, all there was a two extra pairs of my attire, the mask, the Arc-Reactor, and the tools I've used to make it, and my clothes from before I came to Kamar-Taj. Now I had to think about what my next move will be. I can't persuade The Ancient One to let me stay and go along with them, and the temple's going on lockdown so no training as well. The two months I've spent here have been very productive, now, that pace is going slow down big time. There has to be some sort of solution, but what?

The archives.

Yes, that's it. The temple is going into lockdown anyway, so I honestly doubt they would miss a few books until its back on track. If I don't get them, it's going to be difficult here on out. Let's hope this works.

Re-opening the portal, I was once again standing in front of The Ancient One and Mordo.

"Ready to go?" The Ancient One asked.

"Almost," I replied, opening a portal to the archives. "Be back in a minute, again."

Before The Ancient One and Mordo could say anything, I was already on the other side of the portal. I knew two or three books I wanted to get into in the next few days, but that's about it. Since I had only one shot at this, I had to make my choices very carefully.

"Let's see," I uttered lowly as I passed through the many, many bookshelves, looking at every single direction. "I'll take this one… and this one. What else, what else?" Every so often, I would take a book and it to the pile. I had to take a few trips to the desk to unload them all. Almost all of them were more advanced techniques compared to the ones I studied up until this point. But that was a good thing since one individual book wasn't constrained to a specific field, giving me a wide range of variety to work with.

Just as my portal was going to close, The Ancient One and Mordo stepped through it, catching me just as I went over my selection.

Mordo's eyes looked over the huge pile of books. He had a good idea of what was going on, and he didn't like it. Still, he wanted confirmation. "What are you doing?"

"Well, since Kamar-Taj will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, these books won't be in use any time soon. My training is far from complete, I don't think I'm even half-way there. And because I can't stay here while you two are off who knows where I have to continue my training somehow. You can at least grant me that, given the circumstance."

Mordo however, didn't like that answer. "Absolutely not."

"Oh, for crying out loud. What now?"

Before Mordo could say anything else, The Ancient One approached the table, looking over at the books one at a time.

"Never in all my years of attending this temple have seen such disrespect before."

"Disrespect?" I asked. "How is this disrespect? Enlighten me. I'm a pupil of Kamar-Taj am I not? I have been at this place, sitting on that table right there, studying for hours. That aside, what's the problem if I do take some books with me, anyway?"

"You were granted the permission to study the ancient text passed down by the ones before you, within this temple. You were not by any means allowed to steal whatever thing you-"

"Correction, I am not "stealing" them, I'm borrowing them." I cut the man off mid-sentence. "You know, how in a library you check books out and have to return them at a later date. Same principle here."

Mordo was left speechless, stepping towards The Ancient One, who still hasn't joined in on the debate. "You can't possibly allow this?"

The Ancient One continued to look at books, ignoring Mordo entirely. I can't say I was glad that she didn't say a single word, it only caused more anxiety. The more it took her to finish, I got the feeling I might have taken way more than I should. When she looked over the last one, I approached her. "Look, I don't have the slightest clue what you saw in that vision, and by now I think that's its best to not judge your decisions.

She turned to Mordo briefly, hoping that she will side with him. "You were right. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't allow this. However, I think this is the least I could do, as a show of gratitude. You've opened my eyes to the threats that are not that far away from us. That, and your assistance at dealing with Kaecilius and his accomplices. But to grant your request, there is only a condition you must follow. You may use the knowledge you use from these books in whatever way you please, I'm positive you'll make good use of it. You must not alter or remove anything from them, nor let anyone lay their hands on them. Can I trust you on that?"

"I promise you, these books will not fall in the wrong hands. If need be, I'll put my life on the line to prevent that from ever happening."

"That's more like it," The Ancient One said smiling. "Another piece of advice, make sure you'll be in a safe environment when practicing. It wouldn't be wise to injure yourself while doing so, and not attract unnecessary attention."

As she gave me her blessing, I gave her a bow in appreciation, a wide smile on my face while doing so. I hand gestures necessary to make the pile of books levitate, just like I did with the Codex, splitting them into two groups of six. Then I opened a portal, ready to take my leave.

"Well, this is it," I turned towards the two one last time. "Until the next time we meet, I suppose."

"Take care of yourself, Ethan," The Ancient One said her parting words. "And I wish you luck as well. I expect many things from you the next time we meet."

"You can count on it," I bowed one more time as a farewell, and because of sheer respect. I then turned to face Mordo, giving him a slight bow but not as serious, more of a joking manner if anything. "Master Mordo."

Mordo just rolled his eyes, nevertheless returned the gesture. I walked through my portal, arriving on top of the many buildings of New York, already breathing in that familiar scent. Judging from the hot summer sun, my guess would be that it was still in the afternoon.

In all honesty, this might be a good thing. Sure, I basically the boot from joining in on the more adventurous bits with the Master of the Mystic Arts, but now I had a lot more freedom to do many other things in this gigantic and chaotic city. There's already a lot going on, and most likely bigger things happening behind the scenes. It will be fun ruining that parade.

Observing my enormous pile of books, a smile formed as I lightly tapped the top one. With them, I have a lot of firepower and many more techniques I have to practice to double that. To start off this new solo venture, we have to start somewhere, and only one thought was on my mind at the moment.

"I need a burger…"

Yeah, that's the first order of business. As exciting as Kamar-Taj was, the food was the only thing I couldn't get used to.

I must apologize if some might consider this Chapter slow and didn't have much action, but I thought it was necessary from a character-building standpoint. I would like to clarify right off the bat; The training from Kamar-Taj is far, far from over. I decided to take this route because I have some ideas floating in my head to have them be more included later down the road. A lot of things will happen, and Kamar-Taj won't be left out. So setting up that Arc sounded fun to me.
But now, we aren't restricted to being only in the temple and being centered around it. From here, it can go anywhere and I see no reason why that option would be off the table. I can start expanding the MCU and tackling other storylines and have there be multiple ones. Side note, for those worrying about Doctor Strange and how this will affect him, worry not, I have that planned out and won't leave out our favorite Sorcerer. If anything, I just might flesh it out even further.
Hope ya'll enjoy it! Ideas/criticism are appreciated (as long as it's civil). Until next time!

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 4 - Hunting Season
"There it is. My ticket to the most valuable material on Earth."

My eyes scanned the sea of ships in the open desert, but I knew which one was Ulysses Klaue's. After a week of spending back in New York, I wasted no time to plan everything out. Just before I got forced out of Kamar-Taj. I was close to tapping into the Astral Dimension so that I can use my time more efficiently. Luckily, I didn't need any other book to help me with that, since I had plenty of notes in my Codex and it took quite a bit of practice to separate your physical form into energy. The wonders of using that technique were shocking and very interesting. Time flowed quite differently, with some additional effects. An eight-hour rest was equivalent to spending in this dimension, and you hardly feel that time passes you by.

If what I remember, it's because the subconscious that is being used to learn and process information more effectively than in my conscious state would. Like an endless study session, while you sleep comfortably with guaranteed success.

I'll just say it right now since it's already true. Best. Spell. Ever. I wish I had this during High School, would have got me through some deadlines a lot easier.
My time in there, I spent a while thinking about what to do next. Actually, how I would even want to do things next. On my own, I have plenty to worry about and finding resources to benefit me. For the last two months I've been contemplating what kind of route I would take, and to do it, I might have to do those deeds a little bit differently. Luckily, since there are plenty of scum bangs in this world, and always doing things the "right" way rarely works out how they should, I might want to start getting used to those thoughts and make some needed changes how I carry myself when faced with dangerous people.

Alongside that, I refuse to let things go beyond my control and pay the price for it. I wasn't so fortunate the last time, even if it was my own choice. There are many things that I have to worry about, having plans to counter them is a must. With that established, I've got plenty of time to plan everything out. Juggling everything can be possible if I play my cards strategically, and carefully. I can accomplish so many things, and I won't let anything catch me off-guard.

Within the Astral Dimension, I thought of multiple new ways to utilize my spells and study some new ones. My plan would be to do some inventory shopping. Teleporting to any destination on the planet enabled me to get some materials a lot quicker and less troublesome.

I took another trip to London, stopping by its Sanctum Sanctorum. Since I had proof I was a fellow Sorcerer, there wasn't any confusion. That, and word travels fast with what happened with Kaecilius, so I did get some credit on that front. This Sanctum, in particular, is the gateway where all magical items from Kamar-Taj come from. If there is any item that needs to be sorted or examined, it usually goes through here. There were only two things I needed here, one being any more info where The Ancient One and where the other Masters went. The current and newly assigned Guardian didn't have much to tell either, so this seemed like they didn't want anyone knowing too much about their mission.

The other thing I wanted to get was their equivalent of a Bag of Holding and some other supplies. I already knew this is the place where I could get one, I just didn't bother until now when I got booted out of the temple.

As cool as it was to finally figure out how to use my powers and get comfortable with this world, I had more pressing matters to attend to.

I was broke.

So back to our Wakandan smuggler, he was first on my list. With my Astral Form, I scanned the insides of his ship from head to toe. I knew exactly where his "security system was", meaning it filled to the brim with his thugs carrying machine guns on every level, with the rest of his crew storing weapons and soon to be shipped all over the world. The only thing I couldn't find was his money, which I presume he stored in dozens of offshore accounts I couldn't reach. There were a few security cameras, but there were many blind spots I can easily bypass. At this point in time, he had a smaller amount of cargo but wasn't anything to laugh at. Container after container filled with SMGs, handguns, rifles, grenade launchers, and much more. Klaue was in the process of shipping a large number of weapons, from South America to the heart of Russia, for a large sum of money. In addition to stealing his secret stash, I'll destroy his shipments while I'm at it. Won't need to worry about other criminals having high-caliber weapons at their disposal.

It's a win-win situation. Well, for me that is.

While searching the ship, I found my main objective, the massive container with the Vibranium. Getting there by going through the ship is too difficult and complicated. I could teleport inside the small room that was a top of the container, but it was still guarded. Even though I can easily take care of them, my plan to steal it might be somewhat noisy.
Challenging, but doable.

What I needed is a distraction while I made my move and I just came with a perfect solution for a distraction, a puppet. Yes, a literal puppet.

Since I have to spend a solid three minutes to go in, set up my stones and to power them for it to cut through a solid length of metal pathways, cut through the edges of the container, then teleport it out. I already have my location to drop it off, and figured how long and how powerful the beams needed to be.

While doing this process, I can jump into my Astral Form to keep an eye on my little puppet and make sure nobody tries to come here while I'm taking it. Since I can see what's happening in real-time, I should be golden.

Now for my creation.

Getting the parts I wanted weren't that difficult to find, mostly just pieces of wasted metal and tools and other small assets. Making the joints were easy, the time spent with my side hobby at the temple paid off. The arms and legs were made out of worn-out metal beams that cut into smaller sizes to give it a real-life scale. The chest area was larger and had a more rounded shape, making the arms stick out longer. Halfway into the progress, I decided to add an extra pair of arms, just for the sake of it looking more terrifying. Just for that extra scare.

The head was the fun piece to make. I had no intention to put much effort into its head that just made it a cooler and frightening design. Around the whole upper chest area, I made a ring that connected the two sets of arms. So when it would attack, it could spin all four arms. In the main set of arms, I placed what looked like massive gauntlets, with two pipes in its second set of arms. Small holes in the head, and its mouth joint area more revealing, only having a jaw bone and its inside hollow. Inside the skull, I attacked a small gray orb, when turned on, would radiate a red glow. It wasn't bright, so it only glowed on the left eye. The puppet was half a head shorter than me, considering I'm five foot ten. To make it look more hidden, I found a piece of light brown cloth, with a little help of magic, I extended it so it could make a hood for its head, then tying it around its neck so it doesn't fall off. The cloth was long enough to form a cloak around its body, going all the way to his knees.

With my beautiful and terrifying creation done, now to add the finishing touch.

The reason I wanted to use this idea because I can easily control it and leave it on its own for a short bit while I get into position. On each limb part, I attached a reflector and trigger mark. A little explanation for these two marks, a reflector mark when placed on an item, will try to move away from whatever it's approaching. While a trigger mark will force it to move closer. With minor adjustments for the marks on the shoulders and chest, the puppet will be able to stand without much support from its legs. Actually, floating would be a more accurate term but you get the idea.

Applying the same principle to the arms, they would act more aggressively and be used to make proper attacks. Before going further, I made sure I increased the density of the metal so it doesn't get shredded and barely hold together. I'm not sure how well it would hold against a couple of dozen machine guns shooting at it, but it should be able to withstand a good amount of bullets, excluding its mobility when the reflector marks are active.

As for how I'm going to cut through the metal, simple, with some mining stones. They work in pairs, setting each stone in the desired direction it would go and the length for the beam, which is powered with the Arc-Reactor energy to make it go faster. I needed to use eight rocks, then organize them so the beams don't go off in the wrong way. There are a few empty spaces in between the walls to place my rocks, so that area was covered. I can place them while in Astral Form since it doesn't take a lot of energy and focus to materialize small objects in that form.
With my preparations, it was time to dive in.

I waited a bit longer until it was nighttime, which will make things easier. Once it was time, I entered my Astral Form and flew over to the ship to see if everything was clear. Diving through the floors of the ship, things appeared to be normal, illegal weapon smuggling aside.

"Careful, you fucking moron!"

The voice of Ulysses Klaue echoed, somehow being louder than all the metal clanging around.

"Do you have any idea how much this shipment is worth?!" Klaue yelled at one of his assistants who dropped a crate, getting right up in his face. The man did nothing but look away, afraid to say anything. Klaue slapped the man across the face. "That's right, you don't know. Next time, I'll cut off your arm, got it? Now move it!"

"He seems to be in a bad mood," I thought while floating through the ship. "He's definitely not going to like what happens in the next five minutes."

I got up to the third floor, just above the Vibranium. Just as I thought, it was Klaue's office, go figure. Luckily, the lights were off and he seemed to be busy, so I had to act fast. I placed four stones on the floor, in the form of a square. Diving down, I placed the other four on the ceiling of containers under the Vibranium one. With everything set up, it's time for the show to begin.

In the span of a few seconds, my Astral Form was thrown back to my real body, waking up with a slight jump. Turning around, I looked down at my metal puppet, lying on the ground. Rolling up my sleeve, I found the Rune symbol I drew on my wrist to activate the marks on my puppet.
In one of the books I took, there was a way to make a shortcut for any spell. Creating new spells required either to do a certain chant and hand gestures or convert it to a text and save it. I opted to go with the second option, since I can add and use multiple marks at a given time, so I can select what spell I want to use and switch whenever I want. The marks themselves are temporary unless they are made to last. The ink itself was just conjured with Dimensional Energy, so there wasn't any shortage of it.

With a tap on my wrist, the marks on the puppet's let out a faint blue glow. The head was the first to act, the puppet had no difficulty standing up, not needing to use its arms. Once it stood on its feet, it didn't make a single extra move, only the sound of metal squeaking. I pulled its hood up and covered its face, only revealing the lower parts of its face. I spent some time practicing how to control it, it wasn't easy but it wasn't difficult either. If anything, it will make it even more terrifying.

I created a small portal, just enough for me and the puppet to fit through. I landed on top of the ship without making a sound, while the puppet hovered a few inches off the ground. I kneeled on the metal surface, entering my Astral Form again. As I flew to the side of the ship, I commanded my little creation to follow me, and make as much noise as possible. I got to the makeshift entrance of the ship when I got to ground level, passing through the metal gates. Several men on the inside did notice some kind of noise but weren't sure what it was. The best part of using my Astral Form is that I could see the energy signatures of the marks I placed through the walls. I hovered until I got into a better position.

With a flick of my fingers, the puppet sent out an amplified Whirlwind at the gates.

Due to the gates being locked with multiple metal beams keeping it in place, but the loud noise it emitted caused every single person on the ship to turn the source of the bang. The crew that handled shipping stopped in their tracks, while the guards immediately readied their weapons, some staying in position and the other stepping closer to the doors, using the containers as cover.

I made the puppet do two more attacks in quick succession, to gather more attention. Klaue took out his walkie-talkie, demanding that all hands come to the ground floor ASAP. I waited until the third floor was empty, that's when I returned to my body and opened a portal to the small and deserted room, right in the center of the square. Without wasting a second longer, I kneeled and clasped my hands together, activating the stones, the symbols on them glowing an arctic blue color, nothing too noticeable.

Having done that, I went back to my Astral Form. My real body held its position, only for my head hanging down slightly. For the stones to work, all I have to do is be in range to power them. They aren't loud now, but the longer it goes, the more noise there will be.
Going back to the entrance, the massive horde of criminals waited impatiently for the "intruder" to bust in. Deciding it was enough suspense, I had it shoot a Whirlwind at max power, blasting the doors off to the side, crushing several crates.

They watched as the puppet made its way inside with its head down, limping with each step, accompanied the sound of metal squeaking. After a few more steps, it stopped in its place, the arms swinging slowly side to side. Klaue, being the impatient lunatic that he is, fired first with his AK.

When he stopped his assault, the hooded intruder dropped to the ground. Satisfied with his work, Klaue let out a devilish smile, turning around while commanding his subordinates to clean up the mess. As he walked away, Klaue heard the sound of metal squeaking, followed by numerous gasps. His head snapped back to the open gate, the intruder was back on its feet. Without a second thought, he yelled out to his men.

"What are you all waiting for?! Shot it!"

Every single person that had a firearm in their possession started shooting at their hooded intruder. The puppet was sent backing away after eating a countless barrage of bullets. They wasted no expense to make sure that this time the trespasser would be dead for good. After another solid fifteen seconds of non-stop firing, they stopped. They carefully moved forward, some of them reloading their guns as they stayed back. I made it fall to the ground again, then instantly forced it up. As the puppet stared down its attackers, I activated its left eye, the blood-red glow making itself visible. Its mouth snapped open, releasing a fog that was quickly spreading, blinding their line of sight. The criminals rained fire again while missing their target, but stopped when Klaue ordered them to.

The fog I created is going to disorient them nicely. I, on the other hand, can see my surroundings clearly, like the fog wasn't even there, so it was a perfect illusion. I switched to the trigger marks and prepared its gauntlets. Two Whirlwinds shot out from its gauntlets, blowing away the thugs who were closest to its position. Having only a red glow to work with, Klaue started shooting in that direction, ordering his men to do the same. I made the puppet jump to the wall on its left, using its other set of arms to pierce through the iron, then firing two cones at two thugs who were on the first floor, sending them hurdling backwards. I primarily made the puppet stay on the wall, so none of the bullets head in my direction while I'm this form. I flew further to the other end of the ship, the puppet following me with rapid movements, which forced the thugs to follow as well.

Klaue immediately called to his men, telling them to not go on the higher levels on the ship but to stay on the ground floor, then ordering a group to step closer to the target and a group to stay behind if it tries to run back the other way.

Now that I see my creation in action, I was blown away by how well it worked. Its inhuman movements, the metal screeching when it does move, the eerie glow coming from its head. I can only imagine how even more terrifying this would look if it used blades instead of the gauntlets. But a hard pass on that idea. I might be in a fictional world, but having a death machine cutting off limbs and leaving a blood bath doesn't sound like a good image in my head.

Blasting away more and more thugs, the puppet landed on a large pile of wooden crates. I switched focus to the crates containing the weapons, tripling the Whirlwinds' intensity. The cones were significantly thinner than its previous version, the air traveling faster and obliterating the object in front of it. Wooden pieces went flying in every direction, while the guns inside were severely bent. As I moved in sync with my puppet, while phasing through different crates and objects, I would leave a particular set of rune markings on anything that might be considered dangerous.

I'll get to them later.

I flew to my unconscious body, doing a quick check-up. Everything seemed to go according to plan. Since the surface didn't need cutting, it didn't radiate much light, except for four lines that formed the square. While in-between the walls, the cube-shaped cut was almost complete, just a bit over halfway. Now, to be extra cautious, I'll have the puppet go to the opposite end of the ship. Never hurts to have a full proof plan and keep them on their toes.

Going back to the chaotic battle, my puppet destroyed all of the supplies in that area. The guns won't be in any shape for safe usage. After taking repeated fire from various directions, it received holes all over its upper body. Even so, his havoc wasn't stopped in the slightest. As it finished up the last crate, I made it jump in the air, using its gauntlets to propel it back, and landing right next to the entrance. Then I made it reveal its second set of arms, now crawling on the ground with his first and secondary set. All of the men close to it jumped back as they witnessed how rapidly it was moving, running at fast speed before jumping onto the wall and landing on a nearby crate at the other end of the ship. This end was mostly dedicated to vehicles with machine guns mounted on them.

First went the hood of the car then the engine, going to the mounted gun on top, then the roof entirely. After that, it jumped to the next vehicle, before going through every single one that was left. Of course, I marked several things along the way.

I flew through to Klaue's office window, checking if my operation was soon complete. Within the next ten or so seconds, it will be done. Hovering right next to the window, I commanded my instrument to return to me. Once again crawling on the ground like a wild animal, ignoring whatever shots were fired at it. As it got closer, it jumped to the short bridge that connected the platforms, doing another jump towards the window, breaking the glass and landing right inside the marked area, just in time too. I went back to my body, waking up and created a portal underneath the container just as all of the stones were connected, letting the lower floor I cut to drop down, passing through the portal beneath it. When my package fully passed through, along with me on top of it, I closed the portal.

And just like that, I'm gone.

---

Klause breathed in and out heavily, trying to maintain focus. Leaning on the right wall inside the stairwell

"What in the bloody hell was that thing...?!" Klaue had no clue what he was up against. In all his years of combat experience, he never saw something stay alive after more than five bullets, let alone a hailstorm of them. The worst part of it being that this thing wasn't human, nor anything that looked like that.

Klaue closed his eyes, taking one last breath. Exhaling after a few seconds, with his eyes bursting open with determination, his sight going up the flight of stairs.

"I'm ending this now, you metal bastard."

Running up the flight of stairs, he took a sharp left, leaning on the wall and peeking into his office, seeing not a lot from this angle. Slowly stepping closer to get a better view, he noticed the floor was cut out, the hole appearing larger as he stepped closer into his office.
His eyes fell with his mouth dropping, looking at the size of the hole, and realized what was missing.

"No... No... No...!"

Klaue rushed to the hole, only to find the whole container from underneath missing, smoke coming out of the metal that appeared to be cut. Then it hit him, that thing, it was a distraction! But that doesn't explain how? How did someone know where he hid it? More importantly, how did they even get into the ship?!

As Klaue tried finding the answers, he started hearing…explosions?!

Looking through his office window, Klaue saw his men jump for cover as the crates filled with weapons exploded, only pieces of the guns were left scattered on the floor. The explosions kept on going until every crate was destroyed, then it fully stopped. Klaue looked around his base with shock. Everything was ruined or blown to pieces, and his most valuable treasure was stolen from underneath his nose.

Without a second thought, he punched his office window, leaving a massive crack on it, with his hand now bleeding.

---

"Phew… a plan actually worked for once."
I thought while I made another quick portal trip to the location where I was before my plan began. I just wanted to see how my last surprise would look like from here. With my eyes set on the ship I robbed a few seconds ago, I held up my hand and with a flick, a light pink circle inside a dark blue triangle that rotated around it.

The marks I set back there acted like firecrackers. In terms of Kamar-Taj's teachings, this is heavily considered a beginner's move, a basic way of learning how to leave some energy in a different location and make it do an action. In this case, a simple firecracker. Now, on its own, it doesn't do much, but… have one mark and have about a two hundred ones packed into one, with some additional modifying by me to add extra power for a larger explosion radius, I'm sure it would do the trick. Now, let's see how my experiment holds up.
I tapped the pink circle with my thumb.

At this range, I mostly wouldn't hear such an explosion, but with a few dozen of them exploding at the same time that is a different matter. They were quite hearable, and I could see yellow sparks that escaped across the ship.

Oh yeah, they worked alright.

Now, I crippled Klaue's whole operation, all the while stealing his most precious cargo. I think I did enough damage to make Klaue start from scratch, but he might be a problem later on. Still, I didn't think to jump headfirst into a ship with guns aimed at me from every angle. I'll put a pin on him and work on it some other time.

I opened a portal where I dropped on top of my newly acquired Vibranium, in the Great Basin Desert. Now, I know what you are thinking, and no, I didn't just randomly pick this location. I made sure it was barren, scanning far and wide for any living creature, mostly being desert animals. The moment I arrived here, I created an invisible shield around the area, just in case some kind of scan finds me or my Vibranium. The spell was quite beginner-friendly and easy to make, so keeping it intact while I'm away won't cause any trouble. The Pocket Dimension problem, I needed it to be connected to my bag, so I still have plenty to learn before making it and transferring the metal into it.

Jumping off the container, I looked at all of the glorious Vibranium that was inside. Taking a step inside, I grabbed one of the cases and flipped it slightly, hearing that familiar and satisfying sound. The number of ideas that I have flowing through my mind to do this would be difficult to count, not to mention how big the supply is, so there won't be any shortage of that. I put the case in my bag, might as well have a sample on me when I find someone capable of handling it, or until I get some higher-end tech.

Placing my pupped inside, I created a gray shield to cover up the empty space, while also blocking the view of the inside. Kneeling, my hand hovered over the sand, the golden energy streams appearing as I absorbed its properties. I didn't have any experience with Sand Manipulation, and for this, I didn't need to. Extending my arms, I aimed for a spot on the ground, beginning to cast the spell.

From the selected spot, the sand started going upwards, slowly ramping up the speed. I waited about forty or so seconds until a deep enough hole was created. It was quite wide as well, the perfect size to hide the Vibranium for the time being until I figure out how and what to do with it. Taking a look down the hole was all that was left. Using one hand to conjure a portal was a bit hard, but since I knew where I wanted the other end of the portal to open on the other end, it wasn't that difficult. I created the portal under the container, with it sinking down, and with a loud thud, it was placed in the hole. As an extra measure of security, I went into my bag and pulled out another stone, tossing it in the hole.

It wasn't just any stone. This stone, in particular, is enchanted with a notification spell. If someone does show up around here and starts snooping around, I will know right away. Until I can make my Pocket Dimension, this will have to do.

Until then, we have other things to do.

---

Now with the precious cargo of Vibranium in my possession, with a plan that worked way quicker than I initially thought, I was ahead of schedule.

Currently, I was on top of a tall building, sitting right on the edge, a place where I won't have to worry about being spotted. A perfect chance to get some fresh air and enjoy the evening. I wasn't worried about falling since I could easily get out, that and I want to get used to high places, can't freely teleport on lower buildings without getting spotted. I mean, it's not that anyone can catch me but still, the more time I have without S.H.I.E.L.D. on my back the better. Besides, being extra paranoid and cautious never killed a man, did it?

With one of my plans checked off the list, I can move onto the next one. I have a feeling that security is going to be tighter on my next raid, so I might want to put in some extra time in my planning process. But that begs the question, where do we make our move next? I do have a few things I would like to get my hands on, but the only thing I need to properly execute them is time, a lot of time.

I was re-reading some notes I wrote down in my Codex for a few more complex spells that caught my eye. Another thing I learned at the temple that I found useful were the Power Bank Cells, they weren't called exactly like that, but I'm not using its long name that I could hardly pronounce. The spell, which involves creating several new cells into the host's body, will provide me a way to save the energy absorb for a later date.

You can't tell me that doesn't sound like a pretty good deal? Of course, it has its drawbacks to compensate.

Choosing to store energy in them up until a certain cap, you have to be very careful to not over-charge them. If careless when using them, your entire system can overload and have severe side effects. Worst case scenario, it can leave some serious damage to the body, but that's just scratching the surface. A healing factor to balance out this one is going to do wonders, and a better reason to acquire that kind of power.

As for the usage of it, it can amplify your spells quite a bit, but it isn't something that it's recommended to use at all times. The best form so far was to use it in short durations, or if trained well, up to a few minutes. It isn't regarded as one of the more dangerous spells for nothing. There is still a lot to learn about these cells, and if I could master it, I'll have last resort type of weapon.

While reading my notes in peace, I began hearing tires screeching, but the sound somewhat low. Looking down, with a few seconds passing, the sound echoed through the empty streets, the car coming into view from up here. Since I am this height, I could follow its pattern. It continued going forward until turning left around the corner.

Now, who could be in such a rush at this time of night? Well, I have a pretty good guess what it could be, so ignoring it doesn't sit well either.

"Honestly, I was kind of hoping for some action, no matter how foolish it might be. Better than just sitting around and reading all day. Better check it out."

For getting by, I opened smaller portals since oversized ones weren't necessary. I would rarely make them as following their pattern wasn't that difficult, only doing so when they would turn corners constantly. Picking the best locations that were high enough to teleport had to be quick, but it seemed I took a good route to blend in and not give myself away.

We went further into the rougher parts of town, which means we were arriving at our destination. With a turn to the left, the car entered an alleyway, and I followed suit with a portal on the roof. I came to a halt, crouching at the edge to observe the situation. While from this view, I saw where the black Sedan stopped, three guys in black clothing exciting the vehicle, all armed with hand-guns. With them, there were four other armed men with guns, along with several unconscious guys on the ground.

Their target, who they didn't seem to manage land a single shot on, was evading them, now taking cover behind a wall. The person in question was a white male, wearing a black sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a black bandana that covered the top half of his face, with two metal pipes in both hands.

That's when I realized who this person was; it was the man without fear himself, Matt Murdock, and he seemed to be in a pinch.

As the men stopped firing, one of them signaled to step closer and eliminate him. The fellow approached the corner quite fast, heading off to the side to not get jumped, only for a pipe to be thrown at his face at high speed, making the thug drop his gun. Matt bolted towards him, swinging his other pipe across the man's face. One hit was enough to knock him out. Just as he took the man down, Matt didn't stop moving, tumbling towards a black SUV for cover as another round of gunfire came his way. At this rate, he will be cornered from both sides.

Better act quickly.

Opening the Codex, I marked my arm with Air Manipulation as a secondary defense and tapping my forearm to activate Water Manipulation, then I created my jade-colored hook. I channeled my power to create a strong Whirlwind, now resembling a wild tornado coming from above. The small group was oblivious, five of them getting thrown to the ground, only two of them still standing close together. Throwing out my hook, it latched around one of the guys' waist. Once it connected, I pulled the chain, propelling myself forward, creating an orange spell ring in my other hand. The guy I caught turned around just in time to receive my spell ring across his face.

The guy next to him noticed and tried retaliating, I threw a backhand at him, the ring hitting him in the nose. As he fell, I saw the guy behind him getting up, I instantly flickering the spell ring at him, colliding with his face. Turning around, I shot out a powerful Whirlwind to toss the three getting up back to the wall, then firing another one to finish them off. While in this position, I aimed my arm to the ground, grabbing hold of every drop of water and creating a massive fist. Quickly turning, I commanded the Water Fist to attack the last two. Just as one of the last two got up and aimed his gun, the Fist came from above, bursting into thousands of droplets that fell on the two. As for the other thug, he dropped his phone as he got cut off mid-sentence.

With all of them out for the count, I turned to look at the blind superhero. He stepped forward from the black SUV, slow and cautious movements, holding his pipe in a guard formation.

"Not a threat! Not a threat!" I yelled out while holding up my hands. "I come in peace."

Matt's head went down to the now unconscious men. His stone-cold expression did not change as he went over each of them.

"What did you do?" Matt asked demandingly, but no indication of any hostility.

Since I was interested in what his thoughts were, given he has a different perception of what just happened, I decided to answer with a question. "What do you think happened?"

Matt, not pleased with the reply, merely grumbled. Nevertheless, he did want to know how the newcomer easily took out seven men so quickly, and with what. "I heard… water splashing… and like a tornado passing by, but never like that before, it felt different. I take it, that was you?"

"Bingo. You catch on fast."

"And who are you supposed to be?"

"Nobody." I simply said with a shrug. "Just your everyday fellow lending a helping hand."

"I had that under control, mind you."

"Then I'd really like to know what it would be if it was out of your control…" I muttered under my breath, and I'm fairly positive he heard that.

"Since that appears to be the end of it, I-"

Matt stopped mid-sentence, focusing in the direction of the pathway where the car arrived, then turning around at other pathways behind him.

"We got a problem."

Just as I was about to ask for him to elaborate, I heard tires screeching. All of a sudden, lights lit up the dark pathway on my left, the other pathway lighting up as well. Two new cars arrived at the scene, a red Honda Civic and white Kia Forde. I realized what was heading our way.

Immediately, I slammed my open hands onto the ground. The cars came to an abrupt stop, multiple guys with guns stepping out. The moment they got out and aimed at us, I created two walls made out of water that was a few inches thick, empowered with some magic for extra measure. As another shootout happened, the water walls drastically slowed the bullets' speed. When they passed through, they just fell to the ground.

"What… is this?" Matt asked in confusion as he listened to the water nullifying the bullets from hitting the two, following the sound of bullets dropping on the ground after leaving the wall.

"A shield made out of water, a strong one at that," I answered quickly, trying to not lose focus of the walls. "I can keep them up for quite a bit. But, I suggest we come up with a plan, fast."

Matt observed the situation, listening closely, and tracking their adversaries' position. "There are four on each side. I'd advise we take priority of one group before moving on to the second one, that way we don't get cornered. Can you keep one wall up and remove the other?"

"I'll do you one even better."

Swinging my arm in the direction of one of the water walls, it was sent hurtling towards the group of four behind it. The four men were sent back as they were engulfed in the tide, pushing up the car slightly. Closing my fist, I only extended my pinky and ring finger, locking in the wall in place. The density might be lowered since my concentration isn't on it and restricted by only using one hand, it will still prevent the bullets from traveling more than a few feet.

Matt and I charged at the fallen thugs. Due to the wave that hit them, they dropped their weapons in the process. The one I was going for crawled to his gun, I created an orange spell ring and aimed for it, cutting off a chunk of the barrel. Shocked by what the man saw, I swiftly slapped him with the ring across the face, his body going upwards then falling on his back.

The other guy that was behind him was getting up on his feet, grabbing his weapon in the process. As he tried to aim for me, I threw my spell ring towards him, knocking the Assault SMG out of his hands. Using a similar variant of Whirlwind, I created a cone underneath the man that was slightly tilted, sending him a few feet in the air and went straight to the wall on his left. Just as he came into contact with the wall, I made another one where his body would hit, propelling him across the whole battlefield, hitting another wall and falling inside a dark green waste container, right next to Matt.

Speaking of the blind lawyer, he was doing well in a two-versus-one situation. He easily disarmed them with his pipes, and going against him hand-to-hand didn't fare too well with the thugs. He was very agile, moving in-between hits, not spending too much time on just one of them.

The one who crashed onto the waste container crawled to a nearby gun. As his fingers graced the grip, with one wave of my hand, the water on the ground made a small wave to push the gun away. Then Matt came in with a kick to the face to knock him out.

I was about to compliment him, but my hand started to shake uncontrollably.

Oh crap.

"Hey!" I called out to Matt, with him turning towards me "Take cover, now!"

Matt did what he was told, hiding behind the metal waste container, while I took cover behind the same wall Matt hid when I first arrived. The only problem was our distance, we were too far apart to do anything. I still had Whirlwind on the ready, but I need a stronger blast than to seal the deal. I didn't practice much using the Power Bank Cells to boost my spells, but since I'm in a bit of a pickle, I'll have to give it an early test run.

Closing my eyes, I tapped into my stored power, feeling my chest tightening for the duration. I didn't draw too much of it, a small amount should do it. To my right, I created a small portal with the other end opening on the wall behind our attackers. Jumping through, I threw my arms out to what felt and looked like several wild tornadoes spawning from the wall. The blast itself lasted about two seconds since the travel speed was almost non-existent.

All four of them were blown forward, about a good fifteen feet to be exact, which served Matt perfectly.

Running towards them, Matt kneed the first member to get up in the chin. He then swung his pipe to the man beside him in his right temple, hard. With the same arm, he threw his pipe at the third thug to distract him, following with a quick punch to the jaw.

The last man jumped forward in hopes of grabbing his gun from the ground, and ready to shot the masked vigilante when it was in his hands. Just as he aimed towards Matt, I created an Eldritch Whip to knock the gun out of his hand. Matt joined in and gave him an uppercut, the last one joining the pile.

"There, that should do it."

"Yeah, I think it should."

Matt responded as we walked stepped close to one another, observing the many unconscious bodies that were scattered all around. This whole thing was blown out of proportion if you ask me. I took note at the level of weaponry these guys had. Whoever these people are, they have a lot of firepower that's for sure.
Then, we heard an engine turning on.

Turning around, we saw the Honda Civic going in reverse, then taking a sharp right to make its escape. I ran towards it, grabbing a stone from my bag and with an extra boost from Whirlwind, I threw it at the car, breaking its rear window. The car kept on driving, going out of view.

Matt walked over to the car that was left behind, first checking the unconscious men then moving onto the car itself. After about a minute, he stopped with the search, not saying a word this whole time. All of a sudden, his head turned his right, then to his left.

"The police are coming. Two cars, one from each way. If we run off to the streets, we'll be seen. It's better that we go-"

Matt was cut off as he felt like he was falling down, only to land on his feet. In the span of two seconds, the police sirens were replaced with a crackling sound that quickly faded away, and then silence. He could still faintly hear the sirens but were further away than a few moments ago.

"There. Now that's taken care of." I said turning to the blind hero.

I teleported us on a rooftop, can't have the police catching us. It was nothing too far away, just enough for us to lose the heat. Matt turned to me with his usual stone-cold expression, then going off to the edge of the building, slowly turning his head from left to right.

After a few seconds of silence, Matt spoke. "We're about five blocks away than we were just a minute ago. How?"

"Oh, you know the saying "a magician can never reveal all of his secrets"~. So I'll keep you guessing."
Matt didn't make any sort of expression change or respond. "Interesting. As absurd as that theory sounds, it's the most plausible one. That was no ordinary occurrence. At first, I thought it was some machine that controlled the water and air to behave that way. But I couldn't sense any new electrical devices coming here except for the cars. That aside, it doesn't explain how that ring of his appeared out of nowhere and used it as a weapon. To top it all off, jumping from point A to point B in less than two seconds? Somethings just don't add up to when not taking into account supernatural means."

Matt, finally moving, turned to his left and turned his back against me. "Now, we're done. I should also thank you, their backup might have shown up either way if you interfered or not, saved me the trouble."

With that, he walked away.

Before he did, I called out to him. "Wait."

Stopping, along with a sigh, Matt asked. "What?"

"You're seriously going to walk away without telling me about those guys?"

"Last I checked, it doesn't concern you," Matt said. "It's done. They are taken care of, and the police have custody. So I don't see a reason for you to take an interest in them."

"Is that supposed to imply that there aren't any more of them? I think we both know that isn't the case," I said moving closer to him to close the distance. "Ordinary handguns and a few of them, sure, I can see that. More than a dozen sent at a time, at one man no less. It makes me think you already had some beef with them."

Not answering, Matt just turned his head to the side. Even with the blindfold on, along with his mouth movement, I can already imagine what kind of expression he had. Still not letting up.
I groaned. "Look, I did you a solid and honestly, didn't mind helping out. At least you could tell me what's the deal with those guys. You don't get that caliber of weapons easily. If I do come across them again, I want to know what I'm going up against."

With a sigh, Matt gave in. The sooner he explained what he was doing there, he could leave quicker. Turning around, he began explaining. "From what I could dig up, they are a part of some bigger crew. I've been tracking them down for the better part of two weeks. This is the first time they sent this many."
Now we're getting somewhere. "What did you do to piss them off this much, anyway?"

"Beat up some of their men, among other things," Matt replied. "I interrogated all of them, all but one talked. He didn't reveal much, nor anything worthwhile. As for tonight, I stopped them from doing another kidnapping."

"Another? They already did this before?"

Matt nodded. "They did. Don't know how many they've captured, or what they plan to do with them, and they don't seem to have a particular target."

"Well that makes things difficult," I muttered, placing my hand at the lower area of my mask. "Is there any lead? Where they operate, how many they kidnapped and whatnot?"

Matt shook his head. "Nothing. For all I know, there could be dozens of them that got kidnapped. The cars I searched had no evidence either, so no, it's a dead-end," He explained. After a moment of silence, he perked up. "Although, there is something I found out, but it isn't much."

"Which is?"

"Just before I beat up the previous batch, I spied on them to see if I could get any information on their whereabouts, but no such luck there," Matt explained. "All I learned was about two of their victims. One was a girl, who described her as a "freak", using that term multiple times. The other was a man, actually, they called him an animal more than anything. Something about him being heavy to carry to the truck and getting his "blue fur" was a pain to get rid of the backseat."

"Blue fur? Heavier than an ordinary human? Could it be a certain mutant he's describing? Along with a "freaky" girl, it's almost for sure one of the other X-Men members."

"Huh, at least it's a trait of some sort."

"There, I've told you everything. Can I leave now?" Matt asked in an annoyed tone. "I've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"By all l means. Thanks for the cooperation."

Matt turned around and started walking away, as he did, I gave a final message. "If you plan on diving into their place, give me a call. Can't have you get cornered again."

"I work alone." He answered back, not stopping.

"Sure, but I have a feeling I'll somehow run into you again."

As he walked away, I noticed his head turning slightly to the right, but remained going forward until he got to the edge, jumping down the metal staircase, going out of view.

What an interesting fellow. He took out three guys and was ready to take on four more, with more backup on the way. While it may look impossible, I'm sure that the man could somehow figure out a way out of that situation. Just like I said, I'm sure our paths will meet soon enough.

Opening the Codex, I flipped through the pages to the page where I placed my compass. The stone I threw at the car was equipped with a location marker. Combined with the Codex's compass, adding a bit of my energy into the stone, I essentially created a way to track anything I mark. I definitely have to do more exploring of the Codex's mechanics.

The orange-colored energy arrow appeared, turning towards North-West. Time to find their little hideout.

---

After about thirty minutes of searching, which pretty much consisted of jumping through small portals and a top of large buildings to not attract attention, I found my target.

Right now, I was on the top of a thirteen-story building looking down at a four-story red-bricked abandoned factory. In this area of the city, the factory and other smaller buildings hid behind the taller buildings and had no suspicious activity, making it a decent hideout. From this angle, I could see from behind the factory.

Sitting down and crossing my legs, I sat in a position as I do for meditating, then entering my Astral Form. I threw myself-off the tall building, free failing down with no fear. While going down, I didn't find any cameras around the area, so that's good. Just before I hit the roof, I slowed my descent, passing through the concrete and going down to ground level, right where the entrance is.

Looking around, I noticed there were several cameras around. The place was filled with various machinery that seemed to be out of commission. There weren't that many people all things considered, from this view, there were at least fourteen of them. On the tables, there were similar weapons like the thugs had I faced half an hour ago, with regular handguns and knives scattered around.

One guy was arguing with a blonde woman and she seemed pretty pissed off, a second woman joining in every now and then. He had his feet up while leaning back in his chair, a wide smirk on his face while he argued with the two.

Diving into the concrete, I only raised my hand so that my fingers were only visible by the tip. Just above the chair's leg, I focused enough to give it a push. The chair fell, sending the man into a slight panic as he traveled along with it, rolling onto his side when he met the floor.

The two women busted out laughing.

"That's what you get!" One of the girls said in-between laughs. "Guess that's a sign for you to stop being so annoying."

The man got up, grunting and rubbing his sides as he did. "S-Shut the hell up, the both of you!"

I myself couldn't resist laughing at the sight. The way he panicked when falling was priceless. Oh well, my moment for fun is over, back to work.

I first decided to eliminate all the cameras I could find. Placing my hand inside the small device and pinching its insides slightly was enough to ruin it, without revealing anything from the outside. With that done, I wanted to find the man who was in charge. Traveling to the upper floors, I phased through each door I saw and checked what's inside, finding mostly a few people inside and others dedicated to storing equipment. It wasn't until I reached the farthest room on the second floor that I found the man I was looking for.

The person was a Caucasian male, in what I believed was in his forties, had short light brown hair that was slicked back. He was wearing a simple black suit, with a red tie.

"Yes, yes, I understand, sir. We took the proper precautions, we weren't spotted."

"Seems like I dropped in right in the middle of an important call."

He stepped closer to his desk, holding the phone with his left shoulder as he took out a small black leather planner and began writing something down, which appeared to be an address.

I floated towards him, wanting to see how much I could overhear. By the time I got there, he already closed his planner and put it inside his jacket.

"[-at midnight, understood?]" The voice on the other line said. "[Just like before, if you and your men aren't there right on time, it's off. I feel like I can't express how important this part is.]"

"Don't worry, sir, we will be careful," The boss reassured. "My men and I know what we can handle. If we were incompetent, then I doubt the number of test subjects we've acquired wouldn't be that high, now would it?"

"[Good to hear the enthusiasm, Mr. Lambert,]" The man said. "[Speaking of which, since you did complete your quota, I believe a bonus would be in order. Call it extra motivation. You can expect these bonuses the more we do business.]"

"Of course, and thank you again, Mr. Osborn. We'll be in touch."

My eyes widened "Osborn? He's the one behind the kidnappings? Now this is something I did not expect to happen. On the other hand, it's Norman, and that says a lot. Now the question remains, well two actually, what is he planning on doing with them and where's he keeping them?"

Instantly, I was sent back to my body, waking up and looking over the edge. How do I want to approach this? Make another fog and use my puppet again? No, I can use something simpler, plus it would take too long to set it up. Overload the circuit box and take them out one by one? I doubt they would be that stupid to separate when their base is being raided. Mental note, work on my illusion spells, will be useful later on. Oh, wait! I just might have a solution. To do that, I might as well dive back with my Astral Form-

My train of thought was broken when a speeding van stopped right in the empty parking space behind the factory. Three men exiting the car and opened the backseat doors, taking out two women, while the third one opened the truck and took out a man, all of them blindfolded and gagged.

At that moment, the boss stepped out with several members of his crew.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it wasn't important. They dragged the three into the factory, the victims desperately trying to wiggle out of their grip, but had no success. Either way, with multiple guns on their on their backs, they couldn't escape.

Curse me and my bleeding heart.

I created a portal above the guards and jumped through it, creating two spell rings on my hands, whacking one of the guys across the face upon landing, then rushing to the other guard, who turned around in the last second. He didn't have much time to react as my spell ring collided with his face, throwing him down. This alerted everyone else around me.

The boss pulled out his gun that was around his waist, as well as ordering men to shoot me. I kneeled down quickly, using the two spell rings to shield my legs and my upper chest respectively. When I got a chance, I moved to the one closest to me, infusing some extra power into my rings so when I crashed into him, it sent him back against the concrete wall.

Meanwhile the hostages, the men that held them captive pushed them off to the side just before the backdoor, ducking beside a few barrels.

"Finish these first, then teleport them out of here. The costs of going in loud have now become more evident..."

The next thug, who ran out of bullets like his boss, went to reload, and then I charged in. Flinging a spell ring, I disarmed the man fairly easily, then going for an uppercut to knock him down. Still moving, I took cover behind the parked van, then as I did that, the boss had reloaded his gun and continued to shoot me. I peeked ever now and then, the bullets hitting the side of the SUV, breaking the two windows in the process. What shocked me the most was that his man was right next to me on the ground, and he ignored him completely.

This is how he treats his men? What a prick.

Once he stopped firing, I saw him approach one of the girls and grab her by the hand, attempting to drag her in with him. I created an Eldritch Whip with my spell ring up and threw my whip at him. Thanks to the girl's relentless attempts, the arm he dragged her with was exposed, my whip slapping him in his bicep. He yelped in pain and retracted his arm, firing a few more shots before going through the door and closing it.

The guy next to me tried to get up, I punched him in the face with my normal hand, knocking him back down. Moving towards the three hostages, I threw my other spell ring at the guy I tossed to the wall, hitting him in his chest and finished him off for good.

I got to the hostages, placing thin long blue clips of energy on the tape. The girl began squirming upon being touched again, I called out to her softly. "Calm down, I'm here to help. Just hold still for a moment."

She immediately did what she was told, the other two perking up as well. I placed two more clips for the rest. Once they were all set, I backed up a few steps and began conjuring a portal. Now, this is a bit difficult, but I can't waste any time.

I did this a total of four times before shrugging it off and deciding to train with it a bit more some other time. I stood in between the portal and the three hostages, the portal facing them. With a push, I sent the portal towards them. As it traveled, I snapped my fingers to trigger the energy clips I made, cutting the tape that restrained their hands, all the while the sparkling circle teleported them out of here.

The location I picked was a few blocks back, a small and empty park I passed while I was tracking these guys. All that matters is that they are safe and no longer trapped with these clowns.

Speaking of which.

Walking towards the door, I began working on another spell called the Lumen Sphere. This one worked like your typical light spell to light dark areas or blind enemies, but this variant provided a useful effect. It can be transformed into small forms and can be carried around your palm. I made four for now, given how bright I want them to be they should. Taking one orb into my right hand, I put my other hand on the doorknob.

Opening the door quickly, I threw one Lumen Sphere inside and took cover. The rain of bullets came the moment the door opened, but stopped once the light blinded them all, some of them kept firing but their aim was way off. I rushed inside and grabbed another one, throwing it deep inside to buy me more time. Taking cover behind the boxes, then moving forward and stopping behind an old looking up at long lights hanging on the ceiling, I need to take them out as well.

I did the necessary gestures to create a turquoise colored sphere with three smaller orbs orbiting around it with no particular pattern in my right hand. I figured out this one while thinking of a way to use those beams I used to take out Vanko's droids. I fired the three orbs at the lights above me, destroying it, with three new orbs coming out of the main one. I destroyed more of those lights, taking another and shot two men running on the second floor. Getting hit by one of these orbs can knock the wind out of someone, but three is the ideal ratio to stop someone from getting up.

I grabbed the third Lumen Sphere, chucking it further down, taking cover behind a larger machine. I fired another few shots at the second floor, some missing but managing to get two more down.

Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching, I realized it was coming from my left. I threw my last sphere down and created a spell ring before he got into view. It was a man and he kept firing with his eyes closed, going on instinct to kill me. He swung to the right with his AK while shooting, my ring blocking the bullets. When his aim was off me, and I took the opportunity to blast him away before he regained his vision. A battle cry could be heard coming from behind me. Quickly turning, I saw the blond woman running at me with a baseball bat. I fired the three spheres at her legs, and like a ragdoll, she fell face-first onto the ground. Her body was close to the machine, which allowed me a kick to the head. Not with the tip of my boot, but doing an instep kick, hear head hitting the metal of the machine. Not too hard, just enough to not keep her down.

Holding up my orb, I peeked over the machine, one from the second floor and one rushing towards me. Shooting the guy on the first floor, two out of three orbs hitting, I hid behind the machine again. As my orb recharged, I used my other hand to create a yellow see-through circle with a square center that was connected with all sorts of lines around it a few feet away from me on my right, then firing my projectiles at the square, with them bouncing off and changing directions, all three hitting the man, his body flopping down into view.

I created another spell ring, only this time it was red in color and its sparkling followed a rhythm of a heartbeat. These travel faster and bounce off when it hits a target. My sights were set on the boss who was running up the stairs. I flung it towards his direction, hitting his right shoulder blade. The red ring bounced all across the factory, damaging anything it came in contact with. It also worked as a good distraction, making it hard to stay in the same position. The ring somehow hit several members, enabling me to land the final blow with my projectiles.

There were only two left, I think. The other girl and guy I threw off the chair. I caught them hiding behind several crates, taking cover. I hid behind a nearby machine while preparing my spell, yellow sparks flying around while making a small azure-colored pyramid with its shape constantly changing and turning in all directions. Looking over, I slammed the pyramid to the ground, sending a wave of blue flames towards the pile of boxes, causing all of them to explode and letting out blue flames that quickly disappeared.

The only thing that was left, besides pieces of wood scattered all around were their unconscious bodies. That should be the last of them. I looked around for my main target, finding him nowhere in sight.

"Where did that bastard run off to?"

I heard an engine coming to life, and the door of the entrance wide opened. Rushing towards the window, I saw it already kick into gear, making a sharp left when entering the road. He was going to make a right turn and go around the corner. Waiting just before he made the turn, I created a portal and jumped through it.

Just when I was about to land on the roof of the car, I drew out my dagger and created a spell ring, piercing through the metal and enabled me to hold on, while using the ring to soften my fall. That, and also for-

A gun was fired from the passenger seat, resulting in leaving several holes that pierced the roof but were blocked by the shield, the bullets sticking onto it.

As I was saying, that was the other reason.

When the firing stopped, I could hear the thug say to shake me off. I held onto my dagger as best as I could, my legs sliding off the roof when rapidly turning left and right.

Another round firing began, the shield did its work. I heard the boss, who was driving the car, said to reload and to take his gun out the window and shoot from outside. Better finish this now.

Removing my spell ring, I got up quickly and as carefully as I could, now kneeling on the roof. Summoning my hook, I threw it at the hood of the car, it pierced through the metal and stuck itself to it thanks to the blade's sharpness. While passing through single arm light poles, I waited just for the right time, then threw the end of the chain to the arm of the pole, it wrapped around when it came close to the metal beam.

I let go of the hook, took out my dagger and retracted it, and jumped, creating two spell rings to soften my fall by landing on the ground with them at the front, sliding off to the side. While I could as the car traveled further, it was flipped upside down, sliding and turning to the side in the center of the road, the two men still inside. The hook was still connected to the car and lamp but started disintegrating moments later.

Getting up, I made sure I took it easy, making sure I was alright then entering a light jog towards the wreckage, then taking slower steps when I was a few feet away from it. It never hurts to be careful. I was approaching closer to the car's right side, the boss' underling was still conscious, but could only groan while lying down on the roof of the car. Should've put his seat belt on.

Going to the other side of the car, I caught the boss opening the door, crawling out of the vehicle. Frantically looking around, he spotted me standing right next to him. His left arm went to the gun that was held in place by his belt.

Just as he grabbed it, I slammed my foot down at his wrist, causing him to yell out in pain.

"I'd reconsider your next move if I were you."

I warned the crime boss as I pressed harder, not giving him any breathing room. Eventually, his grip on the gun loosened, letting it drop to the ground. Once it did, I pulled it away with my foot, shooting it off to the side. I bent down and grabbed the man by the collar of his suit, hoisting him up to my eye level.

The boss tried to maintain composure, but his body was still shaken up from the crash. "Who the hell are you… and w-what do you want from me…?"

"Nothing special, just some information, and you're going to give it to me," I said slowly as I brought him close. "Let's start off simple. Who's your boss?"

The man scoffed. "I am the boss."

"Guess I'll have to play the intimidation game. I hope it's convincing."

I forcefully pushed him so that he hit the car, letting out a yelp, and then immediately pulled him back. With my right hand, I drew out my dagger and placed it right on his throat, his eyes widening when he felt the cold blade. "Wrong answer. I suggest you speak the truth when I ask you a question. How about we try this again. Why are you and your crew kidnaping people and where are you taking them?"

The man's eyes jumped back and forth, looking at my dagger then at my mask. He grit his teeth then responded. "We kidnap people then hold them for ransom, the easiest way to make cash! Family, friends, whatever, as long as they pay our price we give em' back and that's it!"

I mentally sighed, why do they have to push their luck? Activating my dagger, I created a six-inch orange energy blade, making the criminal gasp upon seeing it.

"That's strike two, do you want to see what happens on three?" I said as threateningly as I could, the mask helping me with that effect. "I can promise you that you won't see the insides of a jail cell tonight if you don't tell me what I want to know. Now, shall we start round three?"

The man started to quiver, and I couldn't blame him. If someone pulled out a dagger that extended its length, I would be scared too. "What's it going to be then?"

"Alright! I'll talk, I'll talk!" The man said rapidly. "We drop them off to different locations each time we have a new batch. I don't know where they take them or do with them once we drop them off. That's it, I swear!"

"See, was that so hard? But, I have a feeling you're leaving out a few details." I responded, the man slowly losing his composure, or what's left of it.

"I-I don't know their names, they never told me," The man added quickly. "Just some… businessman in a suit showed up and proposed an offer, a suitcase full of money. We get the people and they would pay us every time we did."

"Since you were supposed to have a new "batch", I'm sure you already have the address for the next meet? While you're at it, my first question about your boss, answer it. You seriously don't expect me to believe that you don't know anything about your employer, now do you?"

"Look, I don't know, I swear," The man said, his voice cracking. "I don't know where I'm supposed to meet up with them. They haven't told me yet, and no, I don't know his name. I never even met the guy, for all I know that must have been a guy working for him or something."

"You sure that's everything?"

"Yes! Yes! I swear! Please, just don't kill me…!"

I retracted my dagger, returning it to its normal state and placing it back in its holster. Just as I let go of his collar, I head-butted him in the nose, causing him to fall backwards and land on his ass, leaning back on the car. His nose was broken and was fighting to stay conscious.

I searched through his jacket-pocket while avoiding the blood that was running down his nose, I found the small red leathered planner I was looking for. With that done, I walked off the street and entered an alleyway. I kept walking until it was total darkness, making sure I was alone.

Now that the hostages are safe, and I got the planner I was after, there's still one thing I need to collect.

I created a portal to the boss' office, I set my eyes on the safe that was left slightly open. Kneeling, I opened it wide and was greeted with a few several stacks of hundred dollar bills wrapped in currency straps neatly placed atop of each other. On each stack, the currency straps had "ten-thousand-dollar" marks on them, some stacks seemed lighter than others. Looks like Norman paid quite the penny for his underlings to get his test subjects.

Oh well, finders keepers.

I'm dealing with criminals and I'm broke, had to have a little something for myself during these troubled times. That, and I refuse to live like a caveman. Besides, I need it way more than to just let it go through a court system, I have to turn a profit somehow in this business.

Removing the bag from my lower back and placing it right under the safe, I threw all the money inside. I'll count them properly when I get the chance. Right now, time to find a proper living space.

---

At this time, it was quite the hectic time being on board the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier. On it, everything was moving like a well-oiled machine, agents walking all over the place in a hurry, monitoring and reporting everything that gets on their scanners, acting quickly if any alarms went off or assistance was needed elsewhere.

Within the Helicarrier, every hour felt like rush hour.

Nick Fury made sure that everything ran like clockwork. Even with his one eye, he made sure he had tabs everywhere. Right now, there can't be anything that gets past him, not at times such as this. Standing in the main room of the Helicarrier, he was looking through the window with his head lowered, focusing his attention down at the Pacific Ocean that was just a few thousand feet beneath him. Having to work twenty-four seven without much breathing room requires at least a few minutes of peace.

It was either that or being on the verge of insanity with the amount of work on his plate.

Phil Coulson entered the busy room and maneuvered through the agents that we're walking about. Stopping right next to his boss, he spoke.

"Sir, I think we've got something."

Closing his eye and letting out a sigh, Nick Fury already knew his time for rest is cut short. Oh well, until next time.

"What is this time?" Fury turned to face his right-hand man. "And please don't tell me something else dropped out of the sky. We already had enough trouble with the last one."

"No, sir. Nothing like that," Coulson clarified. "But I still think you should take a look."

With a nod, Fury began to walk towards the conference room, Coulson following right behind him. After a few minutes, both entered the room filled with screens that marked different parts of the world. On one of the desks, it displayed a video of a road located in New York City, which appeared to be paused.

"So what are we looking at?" Asked the S.H.I.E.L.D director.

"Remember Andrew Lambert and his crew we discovered a few days ago?" Coulson began as he brought up the man in question, along with his previous records. "Well, we found their hideout, and they're quite a large number of them than we originally thought. On top of it, they seemed to be heavily armed, we're still looking into who their benefactor might be. All of the serial numbers on weapons were removed and we couldn't find the ones who sold it to them, so finding them might be tricky."

"Is that it?" Fury asked. "I hope there's more to this. I already came to that conclusion on my own without any of this."

"No, sir. This isn't the only reason I called you down for. Monitoring the security cameras around New York, our team pulled something from the servers. Just as we were about to investigate the Lambert crew further, this happened. The footage was caught by the surveillance from the opposite building."

With the press of a button, Coulson started playing the recording from the start. The footage was captured from a surveillance camera from the back entrance of the factory. As the video played out, two men ran out of the building and jumped into a brown car, immediately blasting off. The scene changed with another camera spotting them driving away on the road, the screen zoomed in on the escaping perpetrators.

As the scene changed again, Fury spotted someone hanging on the roof of the car. How? Just a second ago there was nobody on the fleeing vehicle, and all of a sudden there's a person on the roof of the car. The image itself was somewhat blurry how much it was zoomed in, but he could faintly see some sort of orange ring underneath the person's arm. By next scene, the open road was seen for a split second from a camera on a lamppost, with the car coming into view from the lower-left corner and being yanked upwards by a green chain that was attached to the front of the hood, the car sliding upside down until it came to a stop.

But the mysterious figure wasn't on the car anymore before it crashed. At the edge of the screen, Fury watched as the figure stepped closer to the wreckage, noticing the green chain started to stepped closer to the screen, taking a good look at this new arrival, but only from the behind. He hadn't seen anyone with this particular set of clothing, especially after dark. The silver mask also wasn't far too visible from this angle, so he took a screenshot of it when the frame was just right.

He went to the driver's seat of the now flipped car, the upper part of his mask could be seen, pausing again to take another screenshot.

"I would like to note, that alleyway he entered leads to a dead end, with no other ways to access the buildings. While monitoring the other cameras, he never exited the alley and he was no longer there when the authorities arrived."

Listening to Coulson's report, Fury tried to figure out the explanation for what he just saw.

"What do you think? Some sort of tech allowing him to move or teleport in quick succession?"

"Can't confirm," Coulson responded as he highlighted the individual screenshots. "That level of equipment required to execute that isn't anywhere visible. If he does have something like that, then it's quite well hidden. There is also a possibility that he might have help from somewhere else, but we weren't able to pick up any radio frequency in the area the moment this happened. Also, we discovered something else that ties in with this person. This footage is from a week ago and it was taken in London."

The next video came on display, and it appeared to be a view of a side of a building. Then all of a sudden, a massive wave of water came crashing down from above. The image started to zoom in on a certain area, then someone latched on to the building, and appeared to be surrounded in water, flowing around his body while in place.

It was him. The same masked figure he was shown in the previous video feed. Fury leaned closer and watched carefully to see what happened next. The masked figure seemed to be doing some kind of projectile. After some time, another figure came falling down and the person latched onto them, the video ending with both of them falling. A drop from that height is a guaranteed death, and yet he's up and breathing. What person was he chasing and why in London no less? If he was there, why did he come to New York, and when?

"What do we do, sir?"

Nick placed a hand on his chin, stroking his beard for a few moments before responding. "I want you to find me everything on this guy. Whereabouts, possible suspects, whatever. If you do find something, report it to me immediately. I have a feeling this isn't the last time we will be seeing this… stranger."

With a nod, Phil Coulson turned and exited the room. Fury watched as his right-hand walked out, then turning to look at the various pictures on the screen, placing his hand on his chin. It seemed like they might have a new player in town. What kind of connection does this person have with the Lambert crew? What is the explanation for his skill set? A hefty number of questions circled through the Director's head, but one remained more significant than the others.

"How do I find you?"
And that's Chapter 4! Sorry (again...) for the delay. I kept going back and making changes to the Chapter, and it got longer than I expected. Since Magic is explained in a hurry in most cases, I tried going into more detail some of its mechanics and how it works. Found it better to do that than just say "its magic, go along with it." As for the rest of the Chapter, I hope it's a good start to our first solo Arc.
On another note, we hit over 500 followers(on Fanfiction.Net)! Thank you all who enjoyed reading it. I didn't expect for it to get this high of a following, so I'm happy knowing there are people who like it. I might have got myself an editor from now on so the clarity of the Chapters should improve.
Also, just to add something a bit here for those wondering. I don't plan on making my OC a bland superhero and "for justice all the time thing". The way I wanted to make my story is how he evolves into this new world, and what kind of steps he's willing to take. I will try to challenge him mentally and show his progress through his struggles and how he views his new life. He's an anti-hero, but still leaning on the lighter side, that gray area in the middle I think is a good position. Of course, that may change down the line if I make the character development properly.
To further and properly structure this, a review would help a lot. Thanks again for reading, and until next time!

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 5 – Breaking In or Breaking Out?
"So, Marcus? What do you think of it?"

"Hmm, can't lie to you Frank, it's growing on me."

I told the elderly man while walking around the spacious apartment. After counting the money I stole, which took a while, I sought out to find a place to live. I was contemplating whether or not to simply buy a house, but then I would actually have to integrate myself into the system, which I'm not in, and attract more eyes onto me with a photo of how I look like. Instead, I opted to go the easier route, get an apartment. Which was my preferred choice than a house right now.

I made sure I had a presentable look, some new clothes were in order as well. I wore black slim-fit jeans alongside a simple white t-shirt, I also brought along a black and white windbreaker. Even though August was ending soon, it was somewhat chilly today.

"It's got an impressive view, no argument there."

I commented while taking another look through the window, admiring the view of New York. Alongside a balcony, not a single building blocked the view from this location. At sunset, admiring the tall buildings of the Big Apple sounded delightful. The place itself was on the top floor of a ten-story building. In fact, the last floor only had one apartment, another feature I don't mind.

Aside from having two bedrooms, the living room was quite spacious, they even included a fifty-five inch TV, which seemed like it was bought not too long ago. The bathroom's design was outstanding, even though it seemed somewhat cramped. Last but certainly not least, my personal favorite and deal-breaker, the kitchen. It was all state of the art, the sheer detail and design put into it made my mouth water.

"I think my answer would be obvious by now, but yeah, I'll take it."

Frank and I continued to talk details, after a few minutes an elderly woman, Frank's wife came through the door.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Christine apologized with a sheepish smile as she approached us. "An old friend of mine wouldn't let me off the phone."

"Please, don't apologize. I didn't mind the wait."

Christine began digging through her pockets, taking out a key. "This is the spare key. I recommend hiding them in a secret place just in case you lose your main one. Also, I wrote down some things that may be useful in the future, so make sure you don't lose it."

"Seems like that's everything," Frank said, putting a hand on his wives' shoulder. "I already told him the conditions, along with all rest. Best we be going, now."

Christine nodded. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Marcus. If you need anything, feel free to call us or knock on our door at any time."

"Will do," I promised while I escorted them to the door. "Oh, and Christine."

The old couple turned around. "Yes, dear?"

With a smile, I extended my hand. "My ID?"

"Oh, I completely forgot," Christine playfully slapped herself in the forehead, before searching through her other pockets. "Sorry about that, my boy. I'm getting too old for my own good."

"Don't worry about it, Christine," I reassured the woman as I took my ID back. "What kind of man would I be if I would hold something so insignificant against you?"

The elderly woman simply laughed it off, turning to her husband. "I like him, way more than our previous tenant…"

"Oh, please. Don't even remind me of that troublemaker…"

"Huh, guess that would explain why the TV appears new."

With that said, the old couple and I exchanged our goodbyes as they began leaving, closing the door on their way out.

I held up my ID, fully rotating it. The letters, numbers, color, the small image started disappearing. Oh, magic, how I love you so. With a simple illusion spell, I created a fake ID card out of an old gym membership I found. Pretty convenient, right?

Well, now that this nineteen-year-old scored his own apartment, time for a quick makeover.

I opened several portals to get all my stuff into my new place. The books go on the bookshelf alongside a disguise spell to make them appear as regular books. Some materials I put away in my bag since they seem out of the ordinary, then placing things that appeared normal in where they would belong.

Then filling my drawer with tons of clothes. Yes, 'tons' of clothes. Not passing up a free chance to upgrade my appearance. Going into different stores and buying multiple clothes while making sure that appeared like I wasn't even there. Annoying, yes, but well worth the extra work.

As I was done, I filled the fridge up with tons of groceries I bought from various shops around Europe. Now that I have a kitchen and an amazing one at that, I can finally cook again. Hope I just haven't lost my touch.

Having completed all that, we move on to important business.

Placing the Codex on the counter, with two other books for further research. Another problem I had to realize first hand, was the way I fought yesterday. I won't lie, it was kind of sloppy. Fighting hand to hand wasn't the problem, I just got used to it over the last few months of just training. I started to like using projectiles and long-range spells, so I might want to use them more frequently. I'm still contemplating on whether or not to just use anything when confronted with a fight, as long as I'm not noticed by anyone important, I should be fine. That does still raise the problem of I do get seen, and use something that would appear absurd, so we'll need to work on quick decision making.

Better get to it then.

First things first, set up the alarms. Or in this case, wards.

For this one, it was simple to make, only quirk is to find what to make it with. I took a leaf of an ordinary house plant, which blends in perfectly with my environment. From one part alone, I created a fully grown plant with numerous leaves, the stem growing out of the singular leaf. Behind the leaves, however, hid a small yellow eye that was connected to it. The eye can stay well-hidden since the leaves make a good cover but will disappear if somebody steps too close to it. The plant was beaming with life, the golden aura surrounding it gave that one away.

The eye of the small plant turned towards me, blinking several times as its eye tilted to the side. Smiling down at the newborn plant, I trailed my finger on one of its leaves, earning a wiggle from my little ward. What a fascinating creature.

I grabbed an empty plant pot and opened a miniature portal somewhere in the forest outside of town and grabbed some soil for the pot. The ward itself didn't need soil or water to survive anymore, feeding it a very insignificant amount of energy can keep it alive for many years.

Over a few minutes, the plant gave birth to several seeds, their appearance being of one closed yellow eye. I took the seeds and placed them in my bag, then entering my Astral Form. I planted seeds all around the area, that being absurdly easy as it seems like an ordinary plant and could be practically anywhere. Around the corners should do it, some on the rooftops, on the ground, the entrance of the building, and of course, behind my front door and along the outer-area of my window.

They won't grow right away, might take an hour or two and they'll be active. Besides, nobody's going to notice them anyway.

How they work is that if they spot anything suspicious, they will alert me immediately thanks to a special rune on my arm that will feel its burning if I don't check the rune if I wanted it to stop.

Moving on, to get myself vision if such a scenario would happen, this where the second preparation begins.

One of the things I got from the London Sanctum was an animal contract. Some contracts are harder to get than others, but one raven would be more than enough. After a little while after setting that up, I summoned my bird. As per the contract, I had to give it a name and be careful if I were to enchant as such since different animals can handle so up to a certain degree.

Naming the bird Helix, not a very good choice for a name but moving on, I gave my new pet some useful enchantments to survive easier. Increased durability and speed should help the little guy greatly. I'll give it some time before making changes to him, just in case his body might not be used to so many changes at once.

Finally, I needed a way to keep track of what my bird finds. The Eye of Rodkil fits this bill perfectly. It will enable me to see what my bird sees, store it if I want to review it for a later date, and I could even connect it to my wards. So in addition to keeping myself safe, being alerted if something comes up, and have my very own spy, I'll know what's heading my way and have time to prepare.

Now that's a pretty good deal.

Aside from grasping numerous new spells, another small detail I should mention is I figured out how to increase my durability, just by a small amount. Like the way I could absorb the properties of metal, I can convert energy to flow all over my body to take a few extra hits. It's not much, until I can get an upgrade it will work just fine.

There are so many more things to prepare for. I refuse to die a second time. Taking into account all the possible threats, Thanos being one of them, death is all but certain. Not to mention other possible entities that can wreak havoc. I may be considered stupid for dipping my hand when given a second chance, only problem being that doing nothing is not an option for me. Even if I would travel to the edge of the galaxy, I'm not a hundred-percent guaranteed I'll survive. Before, I had no worries whatsoever, that's no longer the case sadly. I don't regret what I did, not for a second, I'll just try and keep my head up no matter what comes my way.

It's not all doom and gloom though, since I have some free time and a free ticket to any destination on the planet, how could I say no to a break?

---

"Hmm, now that's good coffee."

I thought as I sipped my drink while admiring the scenery and busy traffic of Tokyo. I always wanted to take a trip to Japan, it's one of the destinations on my travel list. Sadly, affording such trips are expensive as is, so that dream had to be postponed for a while.

Until now, that is.

The ability to go anywhere, with the obvious inclusion of being extremely careful where you go and not attracting attention, being a Practitioner of the Mystic Arts does have its benefits. This particular café shop had a European aesthetic to it, and it even offered a reasonable food menu to choose from. My order was simple, a cappuccino and toasted sandwiches to get the day going.

"Oh yeah, I can get used to this." I thought while finishing up my second sandwich. It took another few minutes to finish my coffee, nonetheless I had time to spare. I wiped my mouth with one of the napkins as I stood up, taking one last look at this beautiful place. There's always next time.

Finding a safe location to teleport, I set foot back into New York, quite close to West forty-fourth St. to be exact. If that address rings any bells, it should since it belongs to the firm of Nelson and Murdock. It was behind the building in an alleyway, with no sight of life. Stepping out, I took a sharp left, approaching the barred door, swinging it open and heading upstairs. Going up to the second floor and going left, I moved toward the door with a cardboard sign taped to it.

Doing three knocks on the door, I waited for some sort of response.

Hearing a female voice giving the go-ahead, I opened the door and stepped in.

"Hello!" Karen Page said with a bright smile, standing up from her desk. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, this is the office of Nelson and Murdock, no?" I asked the blonde, then playfully slapping my forehead. "My bad, I shouldn't have just shown up out of the blue. Should have called beforehand and set up a meeting, huh?"

"No, no, it's alright," Karen said reassuringly while looking around the room before turning back at me. "And yeah, this is Nelson and Murdock. I take it this isn't what you were expecting?"

"In fact, quite the contrary," I looked around the office while making my point. "It's got character. So I think I'll be fine."

Karen chuckled at that. "It sure does."

After a few more seconds spent with random chatter, a man with long light brown hair in a suit entered from another room.

"Hey, Karen? Do you have that case file for the-" The man noticed me and stopped mid-sentence, forming a smile and extending his hand towards me. "Sorry, didn't see you there."

"Please, make nothing off it."

I said with my own smile, accepting his handshake. Then after he tidied his suit, he introduced himself.

"So, you're the Nelson in Nelson and Murdock. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Just like I said to your lovely assistant, didn't know if I should have called beforehand to see when you're available."

"No, it's no trouble at all," Foggy abruptly stated. "My partner and I are just in the middle of reviewing some files, but we are available at the moment."

"Is that so? Wonderful."

"Please, this way," Foggy motioned towards the other room. Before I walked past him, he called out to his assistant. "You can go on break early, Karen. I think we'll be good here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. When we finish up here, we'll go somewhere for lunch." Foggy said, then calling out to me.


"Would you like anything? Water, coffee?"

"Tea, please, if you have."

"What kind? We do have a few different ones to choose from." Karen asked.

"Surprise me."

Foggy proceeded to lead the way towards the other part of the office. We walked until we reached a closed door, opening it and revealing the blind lawyer walking back and forth while recording something, hitting the stop button when he heard us walk in. His face turned unreadable when he realized I entered with Foggy. Seems like he already figured it out.

"Matt, we got ourselves a client. Oh, and by the way, I never got your name."

"McField, Jack McField." I decided to swing with another fake name just in case. Going along with Foggy, I step closer to the blind lawyer. I didn't know how to introduce myself in this situation, turning to Foggy for some help. He told Matt I wanted a handshake, so the man complied.

"Matt Murdock. It's a pleasure to meet you." The man spoke, flashing a smile in the process as I accepted his handshake.

"Likewise."

Karen entered the room with, from the smell of it, it was cinnamon. I thanked her and before she left, asked again if the two lawyers needed anything, both declining and reassuring her she can go off to break.

When she left, Foggy gestured to one of the two seats, as two of them sat on the opposite side.

"So, Mr. McField, what can we do for you today?" Foggy started the ball rolling.

"Well, I was wondering if we can start with some legal advice first before we move on to my small dilemma. You know, to understand the lingo a little bit and such." I told the two while taking a sip of my tea.

"Sure, ask away. We aren't going anywhere, take your time."

"Let's see. First off, I was wondering if-"

I was interrupted when some music started playing, the sound muffled.

"Oh, excuse me for just a moment please." Foggy apologized as he took out his cell phone from his jacket. Looking at the number, by the look of his face, it was obvious that he didn't recognize it.

Answering it, he rarely got a chance to speak, only muttering a few times to signal that he was following along. Then responding "okay" numerous times, the line hung up.

"It was... someone from City Hall. Saying I should come ASAP, something about there being some error with our files?" Foggy turned to his partner. "Didn't say any specifics, but it sounds hectic down there. Should head over there and see what's up. Will you be fine soloing this one?"

"Yeah. I think we'll be just fine." Matt said to his partner, then shifting his focus onto me.

"Thanks." Foggy thanked his friend, then turned to me with an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. McField."

"No worries," I reassured the man. "Some other time perhaps. Go do what you have to, sounds important though."

Foggy thanked and apologized once more, grabbing his suitcase and hurried out the door. I took another sip of my tea in the meantime, Matt and I staring down at one another.
"You seriously don't expect that I'll start us off, do you?"

I leaned in my chair and crossed my legs, placing my hands atop of one another. "I must apologize for lying to your partner just now. I'm sure you heard that gibberish over the phone, no?"

His face hardened. "I did."

"Good, just wanted to get out of the way," I said. "Can say, you're looking good for someone who danced with a dozen or so criminals the night before."

"How did you find me?

"You're a lawyer? You advertise your name, it isn't that hard to track down, you know."

"You know what I mean," Matt said harshly, and honestly I couldn't blame him.

"As for that, I have my methods, mind you. But don't threaten, just like our last encounter, I come in peace. Your assistant just went off to break, and since your partner has left the building, I thought it would be an opportunity to talk in a secluded environment and in a more civilized manner."
Matt remained still, but eased up ever so slightly, leaning back in his chair. "Even then, you just show up at my workplace?"

"I mean, yeah. You're a lawyer, which means I can only find you on working hours, and I won't even start on what we do in our free time, we both have something we want to stay secret. So I think we're fine on that front."

Matt just grumbled at that. "Everything is so easy with you, is it?"

"I wouldn't go that far. If it's any consultation, I did find out what you were searching for." I told him.

"Which is?"

"The boss of those knuckleheads with guns," I half answered. "Honestly, I can't say I was happy when I figured out who it was. Norman Osborn."

Matt's eyes widened as his head perked up. Leaning forward, he rested one arm on the table and the other on his chin. "Why would Osborn be behind the kidnappings?"

"Another detail I overheard while spying on those punks, they used specific terms for their hostages.

From what I could gather, Osborn uses the people his underlings' capture as test subjects for his various experiments. I don't know yet where he keeps them, or where these experiments take place, but I should know soon enough."

"How so?" Matt asked. "In fact, how do you know all this?"

"I followed that car that got away and stormed their hideout."

Matt simply raised his eyebrow ever so slowly. "What are you looking at me like that? I found you going up against a swarm of them."

"You came in today, tricked my partner into leaving, just to tell me all this?"

"Given the fact that the address where we fought yesterday just about crossed the line with Hell's Kitchen, where I presume where you usually operate. Along with a crazy billionaire funding random criminals with high caliber weapons, ones that most likely had their serial numbers removed, I thought it might be a fine piece of information. Isn't it?"

"You said you visited them yesterday, correct?" Matt asked, responding with a nod. "This morning, there weren't any new files that said anything about criminals being apprehended, nor the possession of any weapons. I'm sure there was noise over there, I doubt the police weren't involved for a checkup. Hmm, strange."

This is… interesting. So there's a chance someone's keeping them from getting into the system, as of yet at least. Damn, this could complicate things.

Matt rubbed his chin, staying quiet for a few seconds while he processed everything. "So it was Osborn's doing. That still doesn't explain the motive. Why would a successful businessman put himself at such a high risk? Sure, even if the weapons are untraceable, that would seem irresponsible on his front if he were to get caught."

"Well, I'm sure some shady deals are in play here, and with a figure such as Osborn, I honestly doubt he didn't take the proper precautions to keep himself an enigma." I theorized. "For his motive. From what I know, Oscorp has multiple divisions under its belt, right? With human test subjects, it isn't hard to guess what he's up to."

"It's possible, however then comes the problem, a lack of evidence," Matt stated. "Hypothetically, if Osborn was behind it, getting proof can be impossible. The place and the people working in that field aren't that easy to dig up. Especially with Oscorp's resources."

"And if I were to provide evidence, hard evidence, then it would be possible to put an end to them?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Yes, "if" solid evidence is provided, things could get significantly easier. But that begs the question, how do you plan on getting it?"

"It's not a question of how, but when. It might take a while before I come close to something useful, I'll drop it off when I do."

"It would seem that's it," I stood up from my seat with a smile. "I thank you for your time, Mr. Murdock. I'll contact you if something comes up, so I'll leave you this," I reached into my pocket and placed a grey stone with a blue circle and dot in the middle. "In case you find yourself in a jam or want to talk without anyone eavesdropping, use this. Tap it three times in the center then hold for a few seconds until I respond."

Matt took the stone in his hand, trailing his thumb around it as he was inspecting it. I said my goodbyes and went towards the door. My hand went to turn the handle, but I was stopped by Matt. "Wait."
Turning around, I looked at the lawyer, waiting for him to continue.

"How?"

Matt asked, motioning the stone. I'm sure he already identified something strange about it. With a smile, I responded. "It would ruin the mystery if I simply gave the answer away, wouldn't it?"

With another goodbye, I closed the door, exiting the building to continue on with my day.

---

"Come on… show up already."

I was sitting down on top of an old abandoned hospital, waiting for the clock to hit midnight. When I arrived here, I scouted the area to make sure I was the only person here. The place itself was deserted, and was near the outskirts of town, making it an ideal place for a sketchy meet like this.

I had wards all over the place and had small circles hovering beside me to keep an eye on the place. Deciding to show up earlier was a good idea, so I can't complain too much. I'm not even sure if Osborn's men will even show up, but if what Matt said was true, the meeting isn't called off just yet.

On the lower left window, a ward spotted a black van coming and going out of view. Taking a look at a different one, it displayed the van from another angle, then all of them showing the vehicle a few seconds later. It parked right next to the entrance.

About time.

Forming the necessary seal on the ground, I summoned Helix. The raven jumped to my arm and turned towards me.

"Hey there, little guy," I trailed my finger across the bird's head, then pointing at the van on one of the circles. "See this? You need to track and follow them. There are most likely two of them, don't lose either of them when they go their separate ways. Gather as much intel as you can, every single address is important if we're to find the people they captured. It's the reason where It's the reason we're even here."

Hearing an engine coming to life, it would seem that the time is up.

"It's up to you, Helix," I said to my bird as I peeked over the edge, catching the van driving off. "Don't let them get away!"

Right on cue, the bird flapped its wings and launched itself forward at immense speed. While ordinary ravens by themselves are considered fast, with all the enchantments I gave my pet it shouldn't have any problems following its target.

With the vehicle leaving the area completely, I stood up and stretched. Now that I have taken care of, all that's left for me to do is wait. They can't be that careless to show up at their hideout right away with no delivery, it would have suspicion written all over it if they did. But then again, they haven't been caught yet so there's that. At the very least, it might take a few days before the two even go there.

Just hope that the people they're experimenting on can hold on for just a while longer.

---

"The results are in, Mr. Killian! This is our best sample yet! Furthermore, all signs point to this being the perfect sample of the Extremis Project. In comparison, none of the fatal side-effects from our previous versions haven't come up, nor any indication of them appearing at all."

"Excellent news, Maya!" Aldrich Killian clapped loudly with a wide smile. "That's what I like to hear. Finally, after all these years, we have it!"

The businessman and scientist continued to discuss further their achievement, going along with the other numerous scientists that were accompanied by them.

The laboratory of the A.I.M. division was mind-boggling, to say the least. Everything was state of the art, which is to be expected considering how much Killian funded the project. This wasn't in their main headquarters, rather in one of the many testing facilities they had where ordinary folk wouldn't snoop around. Sitting on top of the roof of the lab in my Astral Form, I observed the demonstration first hand and paid attention to every single word they said. Anything that can come in useful for my plan later.

Looking back on Iron Man 3, I'll be honest, I really liked that movie. Sure, it had its flaws and problems, and the twist with the Mandarin, I can see why it didn't sit well with some fans. But considering that the "real" Mandarin is somewhere about, it would be wise to go after one at a time. My only concern would be the Vice President, but a solution for that won't be too difficult to find later on.

For the Extremis itself, I had no idea what to do with it, not yet at least. For all its worth, it's a powerful tool that can be useful in the future, and better for it to be in my hands than in anyone else's. I was honestly lucky that I stumbled on the completed version of Extremis. While waiting for Helix to find my two worms, I decided it might be best to do some tech shopping. While I may not be too well versed with technology that can allow me to make my own gear, having some equipment was more important.

As for the building itself, it was relatively easy to figure out the layout and its locations. I use the term "relatively easy" as when magic is added to the equation, any problem can become significantly simpler to figure out.

Oh yeah, way easier.

Back to the equipment I wanted to take, I think I've already completed my list. I'm not an egghead to know the full extent of the machines and how to properly utilize them, but with the help of the Astral Dimension and learning how they operate, in addition to getting more tools, later on, I'll have an easier time in that area.

Overhearing Killian and Maya with their discussion, the man spoke how eager he was to inject himself with the Extremis as soon as possible. The procedure for this sample took place a few days ago, or maybe even more, but given how the tests were all positive, it seemed like he couldn't contain his excitement any further. Scheduling for the procedure to take place later in the evening. The scientists took the Extremis sample in a special vault down in the lab. Oh boy, did they lock it up good. It was sent deep inside the wall, but it had nothing on the other end. Just enough space around the small container. So that's where it's hiding, smart.

Snatching it was no problem, but I decided to give them the old switcheroo. Since he plans to inject himself with the stuff, what a worse way to end yourself than by your own creation?
Was it cruel of me to do such a thing? I would say so, and I contemplated whether or not to do the deed. I wasn't comfortable doing it but would be the "easier" route per se.

This man is a menace. The sooner he's out of the picture, the more problems I can cross off the list as well. Nothing good will come out the longer this man is still breathing. Since something in my stomach is preventing from straight-up killing a man, this route would ease my head a bit at least.

Going through the different rooms of the building to find the other Extremis samples, I took one at random since I don't care, or bother checking. All of the Extremis models were stored into the same metal containers, stored into different sections of the safe, allowing me to make the switch with no problem. Another idea I should consider is wiping all of the data off their servers and save a copy for myself. My reason for this is that even if Killian is out of the picture, having that data lying around for anyone to access in the company can't just be ignored. As for Maya Hansen, she was a brilliant scientist and her talents were wasted with him. Preventing her death will allow me to recruit her, and with my calculations, I would have everything I need to persuade her, while also cleaning all the research here.

They also made an antidote for the subject that took in the Extremis. If you act quickly, you can prevent the Extremis from spreading, and if the person didn't lose any limbs during that period, they could be saved with minimal damage. It was in such small doses, the cure was inside the barrel of a needle. I took the two that were available at the time.

Now, of course, accessing a highly secured server containing important information and research of such a chemical isn't that easy. Hacking is a different plate I couldn't even eat from. But luckily, I found out what was needed to get in. A key card for a computer, an Identification Card from either Maya or Killian and the password. By paying attention when they went on the computer, I knew the password already. Maya had a secondary key for the computer, and Killian was trickier to get. It was on him most of the time, no clear window for me to take it. The computers they had here weren't anything special, but in their main headquarters held the master computer, that's where I'm going to grab anything important.

This is my only shot, it's now or never. Let the show begin I suppose.

Killian took off his suit jacket in the other room near the lab. Taking the key out, I took care of any cameras that were in my area, and the other places I plan to be at. I placed several wards around key parts of the building, I have to keep tabs on a certain target. That being the only other Extremis user. Need him to be separated, then take him by surprise with the antidote. Better to get that out of the way as easy as possible.

Going back to my body, I teleported inside the room of the main computer, which was also the server room. Before anything else, since the place was empty and no available surveillance, I needed to reinforce the door. Finding the appropriate spell, with a few hand gestures, I sent several blue chains towards the door, along with a white rectangle that fitted perfectly. I'd be a shame If anyone catches me copying the files, that is if they have luck getting through the door that is, heh.

A little fun fact, this computer won't be turned off by a regular power outage. Once I found where the power box was, all it took was a few seconds of amplified electricity added to the mix to send the place into darkness. I already set up a small explosive at the compound's box and backup generator as well, which should have went off by now.

Going towards the computer, I took out the two cards and placed them in their designated ports on the large keyboard. Upon doing so, the screen lit up, requesting a password to continue. Entering the necessary code, I was greeted with a massive folder containing all of A.I.M. and just as expected, there was a simple folder titled "Project Extremis" thereafter searching for a bit.

I took out the hard drive I'd bought, connecting it to the computer, then began copying the whole folder, along with other interesting stuff.

I looked through all the circles that my wards provided. Killian was already fuming, going into full panic mode when everything went dark. He demanded his workers to get the power back on, but it would take a couple of minutes before everything was back up. I was more focused on finding the only person who poses a threat currently.

"There you are."

The bald Extremis user, wearing full black attire was on the move. He was moving along the East side of the building, appearing to be going towards Killian in quite a hurry. Hmm, let's see now, how do I do this? Since he was alone, it would be a one on one which works well in my favor. Wait... where did he take a turn? Oh! I know! That was the gym, it had two entrances and it is a short cut, along with only one camera in the corner.

Oh, well thank you for making it easier my friend.

I prepared my two spells I planned to use right away. Counting the seconds in my head how long it would take him to enter the gym, I opened a small portal in the other corner of the room so nothing was into view. First, I dropped in a cube of electricity that retained its form a few seconds until it was dropped in, exploding across the whole room. He should feel a slight tingle, but the camera will be out of commission for a little while. Secondly, I threw out a Lumen Sphere a little further away, it still managed to blind him.

Opening a portal behind him while he clutched his eyes, with my left hand I shot out three dark green energy tentacles and restrained him. I choose these ones because they work well against super-strength individuals.

As I ran towards him, the tentacles shortened their length to better accommodate me, with my other hand searching through my bag for the needle. The man's neck and face started burning up, his Extremis already activating.

The man grabbed the tentacles with some difficulty, swiftly turning to the side while trying to break the hold on him. As a result, I was lifted off my feet, flying over some of the gym equipment, landing across the other side of the room. Once my feet met the ground, I broke off the tentacles from the middle, the three retracing back to my arm as I backed off by a few steps, crouching with that same hand while my other one was behind my back, in it held the antidote inside my sleeve.

I wasn't even a few meters away from him when I teleported in, even then he was quick to react. I need just a second for him to be immobilized to get a proper injection without breaking the needle. Right now, I was thinking about what strategy to go about.

When his eyes finally landed on me, he stayed still, scanning me from head to toe. Not much time had passed before his neck and face started glowing, opening his mouth to let out a beam of fire from his mouth towards me.

So that's the way we're going to do it.

Throwing the needle back into the bag, I slammed both my hands together, two dark blue spell rings formed from behind me, shooting out two bright green beams to stop his blast, exploding as they met each other halfway. Another round was fired right after, knocking the Extremis user away.

The blast burned through his clothes, revealing his red glowing chest while regenerating some minor damages. The man checked his chest to see numerous holes regenerating back up. Setting his sights back on me, he went for another attack, while building up energy in his arms as well. When enough was built up, he fired three beams at his target.

Throwing in another set of hand gestures, three additional spell rings appeared one on each side and one above me. Their color changing to light blue. Shooting my hand out, each spell rings let out a blue stream along with a white outer shell surrounding it. This one is more effective against fire-based projectiles.

As the two attacks met, my projectiles easily cut through his, hitting him across the chest a few moments after, sending him flying backwards. He smashed through multiple gym equipment and didn't stop until he slammed into a wall, destroying the shelf and leaving a nice dent in the wall. His body fell down with his head lowered.

From this distance, I could see that whatever was left of his clothes on his upper area was completely gone. A good portion of his skin was blown off, the clothes burt while his exposed parts tried regenerating.

As I said, effective. I stood still, better to keep my distance after all. The man attempted to stand up, but wherever his hands touched only destroyed the remaining parts of the shelf, his body still taking some time to fully regenerate. I looked up in the upper corner, then to the two exits.

Might as well not be too cocky.

Turning one right towards the camera, I blew it to bits with a weak beam, but it was enough. Using two of the five rings, I sent them towards the two exits, expanding in size until it covered any possible entry.
The man was now back on his feet with his head down, barely keeping his balance. Raising his head, I could see the left side of his face growing back. As it did, he charged towards me full speed, his hands burning as he charged up his attack.

Alright, let's get this over with.

---

"What... the fuck is going on?!"

Aldrich Killian roared across the room, hearing frightful responses from the scientists around him. One of the male scientists took in as much courage as he could muster, and began approaching his boss.

"It-It seems that all of our power generators are having trouble going back up!" His assistant spoke, voice trembling with fear.

"What about that sound? I could feel it from here. Where's Eric?"

"He was last spotted going towards the gym." A female scientist spoke up.

Killian walked towards the numerous screens, scanning through the camera feeds. Some of them being out of function completely. Finding the camera that would display the gym, only to show a static feed.

He slammed his hand on the desk, the hit knocking out some keys off of the numerous keyboards. "Goddammit, where is he...!?"

"We can connect back to camera B-17, give us moment sir!"

The male scientist began furiously typing away on his keyboard. At first, there was no change on the screen. After some time, small snippets flashed across the screen, but with a ray of red that quickly disappeared. Eventually, the view of the gym became more visible, Eric standing in the farther side of the room while using Extremis. Kilian's eyes hurriedly turned to the person that Eric was firing heat-beams at. The person wore a mask and some weird outfit, but what surprised him that this person fired its own beams to counter Eric's. Before he knew it, Eric was blown away across the room, destroying anything in his way. A flash of blue then appeared, turning the screen back to static.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Killian muttered, his tone increasing each time he repeated the word, slamming his open hand on the table as well. Not now, not when everything was finally ready. Why? Why now?

This explains the power outage, the cameras not working, he was behind this. Did this person know about Extremis? If so, knowing its completion as well?

It has to be. This was no ordinary attack. Killian couldn't even think how this scum knows about Extremis, especially how tight under wraps it was. That wasn't the issue anymore, what's important now is to eliminate this intruder.

What a perfect time it was.

"Is our completed Extremis still in the safe?

"Y-Yes, sir. There was no indication that it was-"

"Get it ready," Killian cut off the scientist, not looking away from the static feed. "I'll deal with this rat, personally."

---

I dodged and blocked the attacks from the Extremis user, not letting a chance for a single projectile to strike me. Close range combat is not much of an option, so I had to keep my distance. The rings also helped to block pieces of metal that headed my way from the destroyed gym equipment, in fact, a few more of this and it won't resemble a gym at all.

The longer his Extremis is in use, the faster his body will regenerate. I'll have to prioritize stun spells before anything else. Another attempt of charging towards me all the while shooting heat projectiles at me, I had to be quick on my feet, moving back as my spell rings flew around me to block them, then flying at him when he got close, slicing his arms off piece by piece. His limbs quickly grew back, only to be chopped off again.

While going backwards, I prepared the spell that would slow him down. I had to be careful where I moved since only the area I marked will be of use. When the rings sliced through his arms, two of them hovered beside the sides of his head. When it was in place, it shot out thick blue beams, the temperature around us drastically decreasing. From his head down to his shoulders, his body began freezing. The Extremis tried removing all of the ice, but it took time and more heat to overpower the beams from freezing his body.

He began walking backwards while attempting to shield himself from the cold. I flipped through the Codex and tapped the premade spell I planned to use, tapping the text when I found it.
From the floor, dozens of green vines erupted from beneath him, piercing through his legs and went all the way to his arms, then swiftly moving up his neck to lock him in place. The vines that got cut off grew back, only becoming harder to move. Seizing the opportunity, I ran up to him while taking out the needle, finding a clear spot on the left side of his neck.

Quickly injecting the antidote, I left the needle in its place and moved back, the vines holding on till the last second. The rings stopped any incoming attacks, firing a few of its own at the man to push him back. The longer he tried fighting back, it became more difficult for him to keep up. Compared to before, the red glow around his body started dying down. He was still able to shoot out heat beams but were greatly weaker. While his wounds still healed, it was evident the effects were wearing off.

The man took a knee, breathing heavily, it seems the injection was doing quick work. I walked towards him, kicking him right in the head as a finisher. Now that the only Extremis soldier was taken care of, all that's left to do is to see if I can snag some equipment while I'm here.

This being their main location for testing, it had a lot of equipment lying around. I knew some of them and their purpose already, while I was far less familiar with the other machinery, I took it anyway. Trust me when I tell you, there were a lot of them.

While taking more and more machinery, a strange sound grew louder. On the wall to my right, a spot on the dark gray started turning red, the area growing exponentially. After a few seconds, the wall exploded, sending large pieces of rock in my direction. I had to jump back so I wouldn't get hit.
From the smoke, a shirtless man emerged. That man being Aldrich Killian himself.

.
.
.
With what fucking kind of Extremis did I switch the main one with?!

He was barely recognizable. His body was larger than his regular size, the arms appeared to be bulkier when in Extremis form, the same going for his upper body. It had a look similar to molten rock, his own form of armor, thick lines of red all across his arms and torso, only expectation of one line trailing up to his head, all of them connected to a glowing core in his chest. Couldn't believe the change was this drastic.

"You picked the wrong night to pay a visit." Killian taunted, a devilish smirk on his face as he took a few steps forward.

"I think I picked a good time." I tried showing no concern but was slightly nervous. If I make a move to teleport away, he can catch up or stop me mid-way. Not from this distance at least, but I doubt I'll get enough room to do so.

Looks like I'm stuck.

Killian decided to act first, clasping his hand together to combine the individual beams, forming a large one because of it. Throwing my left arm out and hitting the palm of it with my other hand to activate a see-through light blue shield to cover my body. When his beams met my shield, it still felt like a massive force hit me, it was even dragging me away slightly. My arm started to shake from holding it up against this, resorting to keeping it in place with my other hand for it not to break, fighting through the pain.
When the heat died down, I had to act fast.

Already having my freeze spell active, I threw my arm out to shoot a pure white beam that acted similar to cold air at Killian, diverging into multiple beams to hit him all around the body.

The side beams did prove effective at catching him off guard, with the main beam connecting to all the spots where the other ones landed. Just as his body started freezing, the Extremis kicked into overdrive, forming enough heat around his body to easily remove the ice. Using his entire body to channel a powerful enough blast, my ice beams were repelling back.

Pulling my left hand behind my back, I dug through my bag to pull a pink crystal sphere the size of a baseball, throwing it in the middle of the two beams. When in range, the sphere absorbed mine and Killian's beams, resulting in an explosion, brown vapour beginning to spread. Turning on my heel, taking cover by a nearby desk while forming the same shield I used not a minute ago. This particular crystal, when absorbed enough force before exploding, will cause more damage to anything breathing in the area.

Looking back at Killian, I watched as his "armor" was slowly disintegrating, along with parts of his head. With a war cry, the lines around his body began glowing brighter, the Extremis undoing all of the damage it was dealt. Fully healed up, he charged in my direction, shooting out one heat beam after another.

Running along the field of desks, I formed a spell ring for additional protection. I had a brief window in-between attacks to properly duck and jump to not get hit. The amount of time needed to open a portal and get through the other side is too long, I don't see myself getting a clear shot. Against this Extremis variant, it's either strong or more difficult spells to even fight.

Screw it, I'll try anyway, he'll blow up either way. Hopefully.

In the direction of the exit, which was about fifteen meters away, I began forming a portal. Since I was running, I was very close to passing through, but with a wave of fire with Killian in the forefront heading my way that was slightly quicker, I had to abort. Jumping off to the side, I escaped the blast by just a hair. I made other attempts, even moving the portal closer, but Killian didn't stop firing. I couldn't afford to get hit. Having no room left to turn to, I used a quick spell allowing me to run up the wall.

Killian leaped into the air, fire forming around his body, now reminiscent of a meteor. Forming the green-jaded hook, I shot it upwards at the ceiling, pulling me Even though I managed to avoid him, the whole wall started collapsing. I was quick to react, jumping to larger pieces of rock, getting down on the ground safely. The whole area around us lit up in flames.

Seizing the moment, I flipped the pages till I found a certain enchantment. Tapping the text, my hand was covered in a white aura, bringing my hook closer. I trailed my hand over the blade, it began to take a more frozen appearance. Now mixed with white and light blue accents, along with an icy-trail how cold it got. With my weapon ready, I flung it towards Killian.

He dodged the first throw, then I pulled it back to strike him from behind. Seeing the change of course for the chain, Killian ducked at the last second. The hook was easily flung back towards him, changing its course was a nice trick I learned. Not expecting that quick of another assault, Killian didn't retract his left arm in time, losing half his arm because of it. The wound wasn't healing because the area was covered in growing ice, resisting the increasing heat.

Using his other arm to fire back at me, kicking the hook away. I pulled on the chain, the end of it coming into reach. Spinning the hook to create a shield with the icy-aurora on the chain itself, blocking the fire. Repositioning, I threw it again.

It took a few tries to get close moving around the fire, but with a pull of the chain, the blade cut off his other arm. The blade's sharpness accompanied with the frozen enchantment did wonders.
With that done, time to fight fire with fire. Actually, water with fire.

If I can't use a portal to make my escape at the moment, nothing stopped me from gaining a boost from it. Opening a new portal on the ceiling, water immediately came flooding in. Under these circumstances, I'll need to use some amped-up control. I'll be stuck using one hand, but that will only mean he'll have it easier. The water started calming down, sprouting numerous streams from the source.

Throwing my hand out, I sent the first stream his way. The smirk on his face vanished instantly as the stream pierced his torso and sent him across the room, leaving a dent in the wall. It wasn't hard to tell that he was caught off guard by the attack, but this is just the beginning. Another stream came beside him, not giving him a second of rest.

He was sent upwards, stopping when he hit the ceiling, another stream hitting him before he could fall down. The same water that was around him pushed him downward faster. As his body flopped to the ground, I didn't allow him to even stand up, another wave hitting him from above. My fingers danced up and down, with each movement commanded a new stream to pummel Killian further into the ground. With each blow, it creating a larger hole. I had to resort to using the energy I saved up, but I could feel it pulling a strain on my arm.

I was never good at psychics, so I can't properly calculate how much force was put into them. But if I were to make an assumption, I'd say each hit was like a vehicle going at full speed. As a final blow, I created two large claws that towered around ten or so meters. Controlling the claws with one hand was tricky since two individual fingers commanded only one of them. The claws slammed down at Killian, creating another explosion around him, sending the water everywhere.

It took a while before he would get up, the ice finally disappearing, allowing his arms to grow back. Killian shot out a wave of fire, the water easily putting a stop at his attempts. Seeing as nothing would work, Killian went for a different approach. He stood in place, fire surrounding his whole body. The marls on his body shined brighter as well.

Then, Killian charged at me, followed along with the fire that escaped his body. He was going headfirst with an all-out attack. Commanding the water, I had it circle around him until it built up, capable of holding him inside the newly formed sphere. Clasping my hands together to hold it in place, fully setting my concentration on keeping the sphere active. I could feel sweat started to form beneath my mask, the harder it becomes to hold it up the hotter he gets. At a certain point, I noticed a change in Killian's behavior. While at the start he was calm and concentrating to break free, now his body shifted all over the place, his head going back and forth while most likely screaming. The water of the sphere started boiling, steam and bubbles on the inside.

More fire started coming out of his mouth more than anywhere else. The beam went upwards, that area being the hardest to keep intact. It's then I realized what most likely happening.
For a split moment, I contemplated the situation I found myself in and what I was doing, but it was too late. This wasn't like before when I can quickly change my mind at the last minute, what's done is done, and I'll have to live with that decision.

The inside of the bubble became less visible as time went on. The last thing I could see is Killian throwing his head back, more bubbles clouding the view. Suddenly, the hear beam pierced through the sphere, followed by a powerful explosion, the water lowering the intensity but it could still be felt all around. Slowly, the sphere began falling apart, a limp body dropping onto the ground with a splash.

Approaching the burnt body of Aldrich Killian. Getting a closer inspection of the now-deceased man, I felt a bit… nauseous. There was no head attached to the body, and there was a part around the chest in the shape of a "V" no longer there, like it was cut off. The second layer of skin started falling off in chunks, but the skin was barely sticking together. It was like the last remains of a victim caught in a trap from the Saw movies.

I had to turn away before I threw up, it truly was a gruesome sight. I feel as like this image is never going to escape my brain. Taking in several deep breaths to regain my thoughts, I knew it was time to leave, but before I can go, however, I can't forget about this.

A quick portal to the computer, the files were copied. Taking back my hard drive, I started the process to delete everything. Looking to my side, I could hear banging on the door. No use guys, you won't get through.

That's it, after this, I need a slight break.

---

"Okay, a pinch of this should do the trick…"

Another benefit of teleportation, in my opinion, is to get any sort of ingredient for whatever meal. I got everything necessary to make chicken noodle soup and my favorite meal of all time, classic lasagna. Being out of the loop for three months made me a little rusty, so I didn't want to make anything too difficult.

Adding the final touches to my lasagna, I showed it into the oven, all that's left to do is wait. In an hour and twenty minutes, my first and proper meal will be ready. Three months. Three months of
Also, I can't begin to explain how easy and beneficial it was to mix up my cooking with magic. Not time-consuming like it was before, multiple steps being done at once, oh, and above all, it was fun. Aside from numerous things flying around and making sure everything was moving smoothly, it felt great to try a different and interesting method for cooking.

My train of thought was broken when I heard a noise coming from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Helix tapping the glass window with its claw. Rushing towards the window, I opened it to allow my bird to enter, jumping right onto my arm. "There you are, little guy, I was worried there for a second."

I got out a bowl and filled it with water. Enchantment or not, taking proper care of my pet comes first. I sat down on the bar table as I placed the bowl down, signaling Helix to drink as much as he wanted. He jumped at the edge of the bowl, and after about a minute, he was already finished.

"Now then…" I snapped my fingers, a yellow sparkling circle with no image appeared next to him. "What do we have?"

Helix got into a more comfortable position, then creating a thin line of green energy that connected to the yellow circle. It started right where I told it to follow the van a few nights ago. With a few finger twirls here and there, I increased the speed on which the footage played. At first, it showed the van dropping off the passenger before going off on its own.

The guy in the van hid the car in a garage far away in the city. Then it was a couple of days' speed up, neither of them did anything suspicious or even go far outside their homes. So far, everyday normal life. Then, when the sun started to set, one of them went off in the city. I paused it, then rewind a few minutes and start again at normal speed. The man used his car to get to the area where he stored the van, hiding his ride in a parking garage, then walking down a few blocks to the building with the van.

From there it was just driving around the city, but it did have a route. It reached its destination, that being... inside a fish market? Now that's a poor choice however you make it. That one stayed in there for a while, only leaving a few hours later. In the meantime, Helix went to observe the other one. He stayed in his flat but joined a few hours later by walking for a bit and going on the bus. The two men left the building at the same time but went their respective ways.

So this might be the place, eh? Again, not what I was expecting, but still, the whole point of it is not being suspicious. Must be somewhere underground. In that case, we have to make a detour before dinner.

After some preparations, I opened a portal to the highest building in that area. From this height, I should be in the clear and with some security stones around me. Going into my Astral Form, I floated down to the fish market that was a few blocks away. Once I got in, I searched for a way downstairs, coming across the elevator. But here's something that didn't add up, it went only one level underground and one level up into the building.

The room underground was nothing but storage. Okay, what's the game here? I went back into the elevator and dived down further. Lo and behold, the shaft went further down. I flew back up in the elevator, trying to find a secret button, it had to be somewhere. I found it a few seconds later. On the top left corner of the small place, there was a small compartment that popped out, revealing enough space to fit a finger inside, right there being a button on the side.

Now that I knew that, I went back down. It's significantly deep, I'll tell you that much. When I floated down to the elevator doors, I passed through them, entering a hallway. There were three paths, down in the middle, left and right. The room on the right consisted of several men sitting around, some resting while the other ate from the numerous food containers, while the one on the left was used for storage.
Only one room left.

Going into the last one, I phased through the two metal doors, seeing a high-end laboratory before my eyes. Compared to the other rooms, no inch of space was wasted, filled with various machines, beds with restraints, and different types of equipment. Looking around, I saw a cage that contained a couple of people. They appeared to be asleep, but I wasn't sure, but the needle marks on their arms were enough for me.

"Aaarghhhhhh!"

A loud and beastly cry echoed across the laboratory. I flew further down until I reached the corner, making a sharp left. The moment the other part of the lab came into view, I saw several scientists electrocuting the blue-furred member of the X-Men himself, Beast. He appeared to be restrained from every possible angle, with some protective glass separating them. I lunged forward, getting closer towards them. Reaching the glass cage, on my left, there was another area of the lab that was further down.

A girl, roughly about my age, with green eyes and long black hair held on the wall. She was restrained by a full-body straight jacket, along with numerous beams that unallowed her of any movement, topped off with her head strapped in place and a metal piece covering her mouth. Wait a minute… Now that I got a better look at her, she was a bit similar to how Wolverine's daughter looked like, Laura Kinney.

The eyes, it was the eyes. Jumping back and forth across the room, not staying in place for more than a second, with the occasional muffled screams and attempt to break free. Oh yeah, now I see the resemblance more clearly. The two scientists who observed Laura walked towards the others who were experimenting on Beast. They talked about it being time for the "subjects to be injected again", but now with a more extreme substance. They already injected Beast and Laura with something to weaken them, which was evident by their behavior.

They went to prepare the next round of experiments.

After seeing all this, my patience quickly evaporated.

I disposed of every single camera that was in the lab, and the ones in the hallway. I didn't care for the ones in the other rooms since I had no intention of going into them. Since I can't do much in this form, I'll have to teleport in the hallway and go from there. Going up to the elevator, I shot a beam with two fingers and cut a line leading towards the hidden button. With that done, I was sent back to my body, and upon waking up, I dug through my bag until I found a prepaid flip phone.

Since I plan to blow up everything when I jump inside, I need two things to happen simultaneously when I bust the mutants out, these guys getting arrested and the police to rescue them to get proper help. When I called 911, I simply told them I spotted several men entering with guns at the address I gave them. Due to my mask muffling my voice, I doubt that they believed me right then and there, so I gave them a final warning, telling them it's there's no time and that they should hurry.

I broke the phone in half and threw it off to the side, then opening a portal to the hallway. Once I was in, I conjured two sparkling vertical rectangles in each hand, pushing them out towards the doors. When they reached the end, they extended until they fit the doors perfectly. Deciding to go the stealthy approach, I created a portal to get me through to the other side. Just as I stepped through, I saw a scientist with his back turned tinkering on a machine near the cage. I created an Eldritch Whip and threw it towards him, latching on to his arm just as he turned around. I pulled him towards me, letting out a yelp as he flew closer, grabbing him by the hair when he got in range and slammed his head onto the cage. This startled the captives, covering in fear as they woke up.

Letting the scientist drop to the ground, I shushed them softly, pleading them to be silent while I take care of the others. Before leaving them, I made a see-through shield around the cage just in case, the moment I'm gone it will disappear. Flipping through my Codex, I found what I was looking for before I turned the corner. Channeling just enough electricity I needed, I shot out several bolts at the machinery, destroying it in an instant. From there, I made sure the bolts spread across the whole area, the bolts bouncing off to anything within its reach. The whole lab slowly became darker and darker as more lights were destroyed.

To finish the job, I created two red spell rings on each hand, nicely stacked up together. Turning the corner, I flung my arms out to shoot the first two, flicking my wrists to send the other two off to the side. The scientists that were in view got quickly wiped out, while the others that were taking cover had a few extra moments before the rings bounced off towards them.

As I said, no need to waste time with a bunch of nitwits.

Approaching the protective glass, the blue-furred mutant watched me as I made my way forward.

"You alright in there, big guy?"

I tapped onto the glass, hoping he could hear me.

"Y-Yeah, s-somewhat," Beast answered, his tone low and weak, barely audible. I examined his restraints, there was a little room behind the glass, but numerous metal cuffs and arms holding him in place. I don't want to harm him further, so a more delicate approach is required. Only small portals would do, but that would mean I'll have to go one at a time, make multiple portals to remove each individual restraint. That's considering if I don't break the glass at all. Going that route would take longer, removing a section of the glass it is then.

Hearing a war cry, I turned to my left to see one of the scientists running up to me with a knife. Taking two steps back just before he came into range, I grabbed the man by the wrist, squeezing hard. The knife fell moments later, a kick going to his leg to throw him on his knees, sidestepping to give him a clean punch to the face.

Looking over to the scientist grabbing the edge of the table, pressing a button on the control center. An Eldritch Whip to the ankle and yanking him back, his jaw hit the table in the process. He groaned as he fell back on to the floor, neither he nor his friend were able to get up.

Of course, they have to do it the hard way.

"You know what? Give me a minute or two and I'll have you out of there, no problem," I said to him while turning towards my book, one of my hands scrolling through the Codex with an orange aura forming in my other hand. "Where is it? I know I put it in somewhere around here…" With so many bits of information to memorize, I need a reminder every now and then in case I don't lose a finger trying something out.

Wait, found it! Let's see… oh, that's how.

Taking a moment to re-read the text, just in case, I mingled my hands together along with the orange aura. Once its color changed to a darker tone, it was ready. I drew lines across the glass, leaving a trail behind, stopping and going in a different direction once my finger met the edge of the metal beam. The long outlined square will do its work on its own, roughly, it should be done in less than a minute.
In the meantime, let's free the impatient killing machine that didn't stop squirming.

"Relax, I haven't forgotten about you," I said to Laura as I walked towards the wall, receiving a muffled reply that I couldn't properly understand. Just like with Beast, I inspected her binds to see what kind of route to take.

Firstly, I took out the few tubes that were attached to her arms, luckily there wasn't anything being injected in her body at the moment. The metal bars that held her were tight, more focus centered around her hands so her claws wouldn't be much of a use, and since the power was acting all wonky, no use in wasting time there. I took out one dagger, creating the familiar yellow energy blade. Gonna need to put more power into this one to cut it fast.

After a few seconds of channeling my power into the blade, it changed to a dark red color. In terms of sound, before it would make a low hum, now it was more of a sizzling sound.

The blade cut through the metal like butter. While it did effectively do the job, I had to go slowly and be precise. For my sake, and for hers, healing factor or not. I removed the ones that restrained her head, then easily removing the cloth around her head and mouth, her black hair falling out, and finally able to speak.

"Idiot!" Laura screamed right at my face. "There are more scumbags right around the corner!"

"Hi, it's nice to meet you too," I said cheerfully, ignoring her hostile-like tone while cutting through the other beams. "I wouldn't worry about them. They won't be a problem."

Laura raised an eyebrow at that. "Eh, how so?"

Just as I was about to reply, the whole lab shook. Numerous equipment falling off the tables, along with some dirt falling from the ceiling.

Oh, did I forgot to mention, in case those doors are broken by any chance, the only way being by brute force, they'll release a massive impact to anything that's around them. They'd be better off untouched until they naturally disappear. Ops, my bad!

"I'm guessing that answers your question?" I replied while taking care of the other beams, moving to the removing of the straightjacket, then destroying the bonds on her hands. When they were off, her claws came to life, joining in on removing the last few binds and the rest of the jacket. Once she was free, she stumbled onto the floor with a grunt, having some difficulty standing up.

I kneeled to help her, but she was quick to hold her hand up, claiming she was fine. Whatever these guys injected her with, it seemed they paid no expense to keep her hold her at bay. Laura stood up a couple of seconds later, wobbling her way towards Beast. Her head turned to the right just before she passed the corner, that's when the sound of an explosion went off, followed along with gunfire.

Jumping towards her, I threw us both to the ground to take cover. I knew they had a variety of weapons, so it wouldn't be too farfetched to presume they have tranquilizer guns as well. Depending on if this time around they were even willing to restrain the mutants. If it weren't for the fact that Laura was drugged, she would have escaped my grip and immediately jumped in headfirst. The shooting stopped, but I knew that would change momentarily.

"Stay still," I said demandingly, forcing her to stay low. To my surprise, and with a grunt, she actually agreed. I slid towards the table, leaning back on the machine while taking out a black cube with silver sides called the Gravity Cube and chucking it towards them. After hearing it pop, almost every single object inside the lab flew towards the guards. It must have been difficult to aim properly with all kinds of objects flying at you.

In the meantime, I began conjuring electricity in my hand, using my other one to tinker around with it, molding it to be more precise. This seemed to catch Laura's attention, leaning closer to watch me bend the electricity into different shapes. Now, they appeared to resemble two snakes rocking their heads back and forth.

Peaking over the side, I quickly backtracked that decision as another array of bullets came flying in our direction.

Waiting a bit for the firing to ease up, I sent the snakes at the closest machine that was still in function. From there, it bounced off to every other machine, draining its power, its appearance growing in size. After flying across the room, it reached the far end, all it took was a flick of the wrist to send the snakes all over the lab, numerous screams erupting at the same time.

Since the shield was still up for the hostages, this attack won't affect them in the slightest. Looking over the machine for a second time, I was glad to see all of them on the ground.

"Now, move!"

Right on my signal, Laura bolted towards her friend, I followed right behind her. Reaching the glass, the marked area was no longer see-through that much, it looked like a brown smudge was all over the glass. One tap was enough to do the trick, turning the glass into sand. We went inside, Laura using her claws and me using my blade to cut the restraints. Cutting the last one, both of us grabbed hold of Beast, carrying him out of his prison.

"How do we get out of here?" Laura asked.

"H-Hold on, there might be more guards around…" Beast uttered. "W-We need to t-take caution."
"I think I may have a solution for our escape."

Still holding onto Beast, I opened a portal right in front of us. Encouraging them that it was safe, we stepped through, just in time since our hold of Beast was gone, the blue-furred falling onto his side, Laura quickly going to his aid.

"Oh, holy Hell that took longer than it should have," I groaned while stretching my arms. "Still, at least it wasn't too messy, could have been worse."

Just I as I turned around, Laura was already on the defensive, standing above Beast with her claws out.

"Wait, wait, good guy here." I held my hands up, the last thing that I want is to duke it out or yell at my apartment of all places. Slowly, my hands went to my mask, carefully removing it. "See? A friendly face, totally non-threatening."

Laura's eyebrows furrowed at that, it took Beast pulling her arm to lower her guard. "It's alright, we should be safe now."

"Okay, good. Now that we're a little calm, I was about to-"

A knock could be heard. Lifting my sleeve and tapping the marked area, a circle with the image of the hallway of my floor appearing, showing Christine standing right at the other side of the door.

"Give me a break…"

I rushed to the couch to place my mask on there, asking Laura to sit down, and with Beast's help, she obliged. "Just a second!" I yelled back. Lucky for me, I learned the perfect trick to get myself out of this jam. In my right hand, a lime green aura appeared. Twisting it around, it turned into a long ribbon. Walking around the couch, I held the ribbon in the air, the aura falling down to the floor as I was making a full circle around the piece of furniture. The area around them becoming blurry for a brief moment, then it disappeared.

"Don't make a sound."

I warned the two, receiving a nod from Beast. Going towards in a bit of a hurry, I did a spin while walking, clapping my hands twice. Once the second clap went off, my attire morphed into a simpler pair of clothes consisting of gray track pants and a dark blue t-shirt with a palm tree on it. My hand found the handle, opening the door casually.

"Oh, good evening, Christine," I greeted the old lady with a smile. "It's awfully late, is something up?"

"Hello, Marcus," The old lady greeted me with a smile, but her face quickly turned more serious. "I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, dear, but… I heard a loud noise. It sounded like it came on the floor above me."

"Is that so?" I hummed, pausing for a second. "I did hear a loud thud as well. Sounded like a bookshelf came crashing down."

"Would you mind if I step in for a moment, just to be sure."

I took a few steps back to fully open the door, allowing Christine to enter. "Please, by all means."

The elderly woman entered the apartment. Checking my main bedroom, then the spare, followed by everywhere else.

"Again, I'm sorry for just dropping in all of a sudden. You see, the last tenant… wasn't exactly the kindest of people I've met in my lifetime. I mean, how you can make a ruckus seven days a week, with the noise being so loud it reached all the way to the fourth floor, disturbing more than half of the people in the building is beyond me. As a matter of fact, what possesses you to throw out a perfectly good television through the bloody window?"

While I listened closely to the woman's words and paid attention to her movements, for the sake of being polite, my eyes couldn't stop jumping towards the couch, Christine completely oblivious of the two guests sitting on it. As long as the two don't make a sound, I knew I was golden. Laura and Beast watched as Christine walked around the place, every now and then their eyes switched to me, all the while a smile was plastered on my face.

I couldn't tell, was I nervous or was brilliant for thinking of this? I think it might be a little bit of both. Just keep breathing through the nose, keep the poker face up.

"Guess I was wrong," Christine said with a sorrow look. "Sorry that you have to deal with this old hag snooping around."

"Given how much trouble that fellow has done, I can't blame you for being suspicious of future tenants," I said as I walked closer towards. "Besides, I haven't lived here that long, and given the circumstances, I might have done the same thing if I were you. Can never be too careful these days."

"Thank you so much for understanding, dear," Christine spoke sincerely. "I'll think twice next time if I hear something."

I said goodbye to Christine and walked her out. Going back towards the two mutants, I snapped my fingers, the area that was invisible turned gray briefly before vanishing with a pop.

"Well, with that out of the way, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ethan Chester, and welcome to my humble abode."

"She called you Marcus just now..." Laura's face hardened. "Makes me think you're lying."
"Yeah, well, that elderly woman lives down the floor beneath me with her husband, great man as well. I thought it would be fair to spare the old couple from my shenanigans and everything that follows. To her, I'm just your simple tenant."

"So? Just a fake name doesn't mean the bastards who have a grudge against won't find where you live." Laura argued back.

I simply chuckled at that. Not to be rude or brag, but in the security department, I think I'm more than covered. "I reassure you that will not happen. Wherever I go, wherever I move, I'm like a ghost. No evidence, no witnesses, no trace. I wouldn't worry all that much in that category."

Laura wanted to argue further, but Beast groaned in pain, our attention turning towards him. His hand clutched his chest, barely holding on from falling off the couch.

"Hold him, I think I got something that can help."

I looked straight into Laura's eyes as I sat down on the couch. She still wouldn't light up so easily, and to a certain degree, I couldn't blame her how everything unfolded so fast. But one look to her friend was enough to leave her without much of a choice.

"What are you going to do?"

I scrolled through the pages of the Book of Yatik, this one containing a variety of spells used for the body. I was looking for two particular spells that I would need to execute this.

Keep in mind, this isn't technically considered full healing. Repair some wounds, and minor accidents sure, but full-on restoring cells and body parts are still worlds beyond my expertise. I made it a habit of studying for ways to properly treat myself if the need ever arrives, and will take a long while before I get to that.

When I found the spells I was looking for, I was good to go. I made sure to precisely read the instructions for the second one.

Firstly, I took one of his oversized hands and turned it over. After doing the necessary gestures, in my hand, a small piece of a green energy cloth appeared, then wrapping it around his wrist. Once on, the cloth grew in size and covered more parts of his wrist.

"The first one, you see, will scan his body for anything that shouldn't belong there," I began explaining to her while we waited for it to finish. "It works in a way, when put on someone, will recognize any drugs, damages, anything that wouldn't be in somebody's system. It works on any living creature since it can adapt to pretty much anything, immediately finding anything that's harming the user. With you and your friend being mutants, it shouldn't work any differently than if I were to use it."

"So you know what we are, huh?"

"First time meeting some as well. But knowledge about your kind is few and far between. Thought it might be best if I keep it that way for the time being. Speaking of which, how did you two end up with those nut jobs anyway?"

"It's kind of... complicated." Laura said slowly.

"Another time I guess, right now, have to move onto the second part."

I went back to treating Beast. The cloth shrunk back to its original size, removing it and placing it on the open page of the book. The bottom left of the right page had a marked area on it, used for identifying whatever the cloth picked up. Beside it, letters began forming, stopping when two words fully formed, but were in a different language. In certain cases, some things associated with Magic will have to be translated or deciphered, but since I already studied this particular subject, there wouldn't be much of an issue. I could read and make out a general understanding, but fully forming a sentence and using them not so much. It appeared to be a type of sedative.

"You still with us?" I asked the blue-furred mutant, receiving a weak nod in the process. "What I'm about to do next might be a bit unpleasant, but nonetheless should make you feel better afterwards. Also, don't close your mouth once I begin."

"U-Understood…"

Beast gave the green light, meaning we can continue. Closing my left fist, I placed my other opened hand on top of it, squeezing it a bit. Opening my fist, a small light blue orb stood in the middle, using my index and middle finger to expand its size, now a little smaller than a soccer ball.

Asking for the mutant to lean back and to open his mouth, I placed the orb close to the entrance. Inside the orb, two strings appeared, slowly growing in size. The strings went out of the sphere, entering Beast's mouth. Beast clenched his fists, trying hard to ignore the uncomfortable sensation. Over time, drops of a purple liquid traveled along the string, being transferred into the blue orb. The longer the procedure took, the more of it was built up.

"By the way, I never caught your name."

"It's Laura, Laura Kinney."

"A pleasure to meet you then, Laura."

Within about twenty seconds, we will be finished. The last bits of the liquid was leaving his body and should repair whatever side effects he may have experienced. It doesn't fully clean you, but after some rest, you're good as new. When done, the strings retraced themselves back into the orb, vanishing when the full length was in. Beast coughed several times when he was finally able to move.

"T-That's an interesting way to remove a sedative from a patient," Beast said in-between coughs. When he composed himself a little bit, he was able to speak more clearly. "In all my years involved with medicine, I never have seen something quite like this."

"Bit of an unorthodox method, but it does get the job done," I said, holding the sphere in both hands, summoning a blaze of fire inside it, not a drop was left when the fire appeared a few moments ago. "Makes a good incinerator as well."

The mutant extended his large hand, "Hank McCoy, happy to meet your acquaintance," I accepted his handshake, trying to match his grip. "Thank you for rescuing us."

"Likewise, and please, don't mention it," I then turned to Laura. "Your turn. I'm guessing they must have used something stronger to keep you down."

"No need," Laura held up her hand. "My immune system is stronger than his. They had to use four times as much to even affect me, even then they had to regularly inject me every few hours before it wears off. Drugs such as these do very little to me."

"You sure? Never hurts to double-check, you kn-"

"I'm fine."

Not going to get anywhere with her on this one it seems. I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. "Anyone up for some dinner?"

Since I already prepared soup and lasagna for myself, might as well offer it to them. Who knows when they last ate a proper meal? When I went to the kitchen to heat up the soup, I checked up on my lasagna that was still in the oven. I couldn't hide the grin that began forming on my face, just a few minutes to spare. I consider that perfect timing.

"Just a little heads up, I haven't cooked in a while, so bear with me if the food is a little off."
While preparing the food, the atmosphere turned silent. Well, they were the ones being quiet, and I couldn't blame them. With everything that's happened, it's not easy to open a conversation with a person you just met, ignoring the fact that the same person also saved them from captivity.

Oh yeah, it's going to be an interesting dinner conversation for sure.

Once the food was done, a simple spell to levitate several plates, the pot, and the plate with the lasagna. Setting two plates on top of one another, the first being for the soup and the second for the main meal. For the soup, I tapped my wrist to freely manipulate the liquid from the pot to fill our plates equally. As for the utensils, a few quick one-hand gestures to open the drawer and deliver what was needed to the table. Before I sat down, I gestured to them to join me.

"It's chicken soup," I said while sitting down, taking the spoon and waited for them before I began eating. Luckily, the chair supported Beast's weight. "Pretty basic, I know. But it's a favorite of mine."

The soup was just the right temperature, no need to wait for it to cool down. Taking a spoon full, I leaned down for the taste test.

"Hmm, it's missing something, but what?"

I tried thinking of the answer, but my mind was blank. Staring down at the bowl, I pondered what was needed. But then it hit me.

"Pepper."

With a few gestures, the cabinet opened and the pepper flew towards me. I grabbed it
Then doing another taste test…

"Perfect..." I said lowly, beyond satisfied that I could taste that homemade food I loved so much after so long. God, I'd pay anything to let them know I was alright. To a certain degree, that is.

Beast and Laura sat down, took their respective spoons, and joined me. After taking just two spoonfuls, a growing sound of slurping, and the smashing of metal on the ceramic plate became louder. Opening my mouth to take another spoonful, I stopped the moment my eyes landed on the other side of the table.

Laura was eating insanely fast, which may even be considered an understatement. While we barely began eating our soup, she was almost fully done. Because of that, she was totally oblivious that Beast and I were watching her.

"Laura..."

Beast whispered, nudging her slightly. Looking at him with a confused expression, she turned to me. Then I realized my mouth was still open and with a look that might indicate disgust.

She turned her face away in embarrassment. I couldn't contain myself from chuckling a little. It was cute seeing her react this way, but as I said, they were starving. Can't blame the girl for wanting to satisfy that need. Not that I really minded, either way, it was nice to have some company rather than always being alone.

"Please, it's no trouble," I said while commanding the liquid from the pot to refill the plate. "I was in the same position as you two not that long ago, so I know what it's like. If you need anything else, feel free to ask me."

Laura looked down at her plate, staying still for a short while. She began eating, but this time, at a much slower pace to match with Beast and me. After we finished the soup, we moved on to the main dish.

Another useful trick is to enlarge the food, so a third of the lasagna became the same size as a regular portion.

"The meal was excellent, Mr. Chester," Hank praised as he whipped his mouth. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

I simply raised my hand slightly with a smile. "Please, Ethan is just fine, doesn't make me sound too old. I'm surprised myself, really. After a three month hiatus from cooking, I was just hoping I don't poison myself. I'm just glad I'm back to cooking my own food, a really enjoyable hobby of mine to pass the time," I said before stopping to take a sip of my drink. "Now that we're more rested and fed, I was hoping if you would tell me how would mutants such as yourselves get caught by those guys?"

"If you wouldn't mind, we were hoping if you would tell us how you managed to find us."

"And how much do you know about mutants?" Laura added.

Mental note, mutants are still a big secret in this world. Regular people don't even know of their existence and kept in the dark, while the government we're most likely doing something about them, interesting. "Well, you see, my job description basically requires me to know about anything that's going on in the world, anything that might be considered out of the ordinary. That includes tracking down morons if they are up to no good. A... associate of mine gave me a few good tips on finding these guys, took care of them, and found the real culprits who bought you from them. I was shocked to find out how many people they captured, even more, that they had mutants as well. I actually found out about these scientists, not more than thirty minutes ago."

"But how did you even find out exactly where we were?" Hank asked. "Our friend also has the ability to teleport, but for that, you need to have an idea of the general location. We were most likely underground, judging by the layout and how the lab appeared overall. By the way, what you did just now, tell me, are you telekinetic?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve for that, it being magic," I said while waving my hand, a small gust of wind appearing on every single plate and the pot, fully cleaning within seconds. "This may come as a shock, or maybe not, but magic, real magic, exists. I'd go into more detail about it, but I can get rather confusing at times. I have a plethora of ways of using it to my advantage for any situation. It wasn't difficult getting into the lab, however, it did take a while to track them down without myself getting into trouble. Even with support, those guys weren't difficult to defeat them."

"What about those guys that captured us?" Laura asked.

"I beat about a dozen of them and got the answers from their boss."

"...by yourself?"

"In their defense, they were pretty stupid and didn't know what they were going up against," I merely shrugged. I wasn't entirely lying either. "As for mutants, I did hear a bit about them, but you two are the first I've actually met. I am aware that there are numerous groups of them, because of something called the X-Gene that triggers at some point in their lives. Since they are kept out of the public eye, getting you two out first was more preferable."

"It wasn't supposed to end up as it did..." Hank began. "A simple recon assignment, nothing more, wouldn't need more than Laura and myself. When we got there, everything appeared empty, that's then when they ambushed us. We managed to take out two of them before they switched their weapons, their intent to capture us. Escaping was far too difficult, and being outnumbered, they landed several good shots on us. Unfortunately, I fell first. Laura tried to fight them off, but was overwhelmed from every direction. The next thing I remember is waking up in the lab with a shock."

"Interesting, but I may have found out the person responsible for this," I stated. "That being Norman Osborn."

Out of the two, Hank was the only one surprised. "Osborn? The businessmen? He's the one behind this?"

"That's the name that came when doing some more digging. He does have the power to finance that, and it's obvious he's doing experiments on living subjects. Considering it's him, it's not far-fetched either. Was he the one to lure you there? Not sure, but there exists a possibility."

"True. Given his status, he does seem capable of doing it," Hank agreed. "Even so, there is little chance that he will likely ever be stopped. He is bound to have connections to get him out of anything surfaces."

"I put a pin on that, when I get more dirt on the man, and can make up a solid plan, I'll see to it these little operations of his are dead in the water, or anything else involving his shady work. But please, tell me something about yourselves. I summed up everything about me."

"Since you do seem to have knowledge about mutants, and you did save us from that prison, I feel it is alright to tell you," Hank said. "Laura and I are a part of a school, you see. A school dedicated to students who are... different. It isn't very public, only when a person's X-Gene is developed that changes start to happen. Some may see a physical appearance while others develop on the inside. Tell me, do you know who Charles Xavier is by any chance?"

"Ah, yes, Professor Charles Xavier. Yeah, I do know about him," I said trying to seem like "Brilliant, that man. I did read some of his other work, what was available that is."

I'm not going to lie, whether anyone agrees with me or not, but Charles Xavier was a brilliant man. He did have plenty of impressive feats, and his mind did get him out of some tricky situations. But as much as I admire the man, my caution of him was most likely double than that. I can't trust my mind on its own when around him since I couldn't even tell if those memories involving him were even real. I'm going to take some measures when meeting him for sure.

"He is the owner of the school I mentioned. He sees to it that every mutant has a home to turn to. It's his life's work. He tends to avoid the subject on public outings, more focused on other tasks, on the more political side of things. Besides, ordinary people aren't this, how should I put it, "accepting" of our kind, let alone to be invited into their own home."

"I can assure you, I'm anything but ordinary," I said with a slight grin. "Besides, I don't look at mutants in that way."

"And how do you look at them?" Laura spoke up after being quiet for a while.

"I can't judge people on something they didn't have a choice on," I told them. "From my understanding, the X-Gene can be triggered at any point, maybe it can happen tomorrow or maybe never. Before that, they would be like any other human, completely normal. It just isn't in me to judge someone on their appearance, I judge a person by their character. It's just in my nature. To me, it means very little as I see everyone as equals.

Laura and Hank stayed silent after my proclamation. After I finished, I realized how foreign it might have sounded to them. Considering mutants were inspired by real-life events, not to mention how they were treated, they most likely never heard of such a normal and natural response. It may be that simple to me, but it was sickening how different views were the solar opposite.

"We should rest now, I'm sure you two could use it about now," I rose from my seat. "Tomorrow we'll talk, how we're going to get back to your place."

Disposing of the dishes didn't take long, that's where we talked about sleeping arrangements. Since Hank was more than happy to take the couch, I offered Laura the guest room and the bathroom if she wanted to take a shower, which she accepted. I told them to just knock on my door if they need anything before wishing them goodnight.

Before I go to bed, I'm going to make something really quick, a tool that will come useful for tomorrow. So we're meeting the X-Men soon. I'm curious about what kind of group this will be since you can never know with comics. I may have spent very little time with Laura and Beast, but there appears nothing bad about them. I don't want to be quick to judge, but I'll hope that's the case either way.

A simple meet for the first time, surely, nothing can go wrong. Can it?
And that's Chapter 5. Sorry for the ones who thought this one might be too long. Was debating whether or not to cut some stuff, but I liked it the way as it is. I had more time to flesh out conversations with our Main Character so I hope it worked. To flesh out his character a little bit more.

The fight with Killian was fun and bit of a twist. Surely, they had countless attempts at Extremis and who can say some had different side effects.

So, we've finally met our first mutants. I won't give too much away, but the next one is going to be a treat. Which reminds me, anyone who likes the X-Men and wanted to see them in the MCU, if you have any suggestions please let me known. Can be anything, roster, point in time of the timeline, or ideas where to take them forward. Plan on having them be a huge part later on.

That aside, this one was intriguing to write since I wanted to show off Ethan's quick thinking of using different spells for the given situation. Feel I didn't go overboard, so I don't need to overthink there. A steady pace of learning new tricks and improving the already known ones.
That's it for now, until next time, cya and stay safe!

[Also note, if anyone spots mistakes or sentences ending abruptly, let me know. Possible that my word file is bugged.]

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 6 – Practitioner of the Mystic Arts
The next morning, I woke up relatively earlier than Hank and Laura, so I decided to take it easy for once. I dared not to interrupt Laura, and Hank seemed to be out of it. Since I spend countless hours studying and expanding my arsenal, I couldn't really tell the difference.

After a quick shave, and I really do mean quick, I was able to go about my day a lot sooner. Some of those tedious tasks are simpler now, proving to be more effective than regular means as well. I made some cereal and sat in one of the comfy silver armchairs, turning on the TV to eat my breakfast rather than just eating in pure silence. Hank was to my left, still in deep sleep. Just by the facial expression, it was obvious how tired he truly was. Deciding to lower the volume to not disturb him, I began flicking through the channels to find something decent to watch.

Having the bowl hover right under my mouth, I had no trouble using the remote or relaxing for that matter.
After skipping dozens of channels, my finger stopped pressing the button when it switched to the NEWS channel. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what was happening inside the crazy city that never sleeps. It was still barely nine AM, so there still wasn't anything worthwhile. That is until the anchor mentioned the follow up of yesterday's police raid, the scene switching to show a wide shot of a street late in the night.

I jerked in my seat slightly, recognizing the location. It was the same street where the underground lab
was. The scene switched to countless police officers escorting the scientists and guards towards the two vans, numerous others doing other work, such as escorting the victims towards medical assistance and keeping the reporters at bay. The anchor said they managed to get a statement out of the police captain.

The scene switched quickly, one moment showing the captain, which was an Asian woman with black hair that went down to her chin, then turning to her giving her statement. I turned up the volume just a bit to hear more clearly.

"[We're still yet to properly identify the culprits, and how they were able to set up a station underground.]" Yuri stated, not batting an eye before resuming. "[A few days ago, we apprehended a total of twenty-five gang members, along with their leader. We have reason to believe these two groups are connected in some way. The weapons we obtained from these groups seem to match, so there's little doubt these groups have a deeper root. Until we get more information, everything else is just speculation.]"

The police captain merely walked away, not bothering with the swarm of reporters taking pictures and asking questions.

Yuri Watanabe, huh?

Truth be told, I didn't know much about Yuri until I decided to look her up after playing Marvel's Spider-Man game. I knew the basics and her status, so it was good knowing the police have a capable leader. My only concern was whether or not she would end up becoming Wraith. I certainly hope that won't be the case in this reality, she really is better off where she is now than with the supervillain façade.

Seems like I'll have to pay a visit and get into contact with the captain.

After the NEWS had concluded, Laura walked in, seemingly wide awake. It was difficult, but I did my best to restrain myself from chuckling at seeing her with the clothes I gave her as pajamas. It was a hassle to even convince her to even change her clothes, but after finding out they've been in that lab for a little over two weeks, it was enough for me to make her change her mind. Other than that, including the conversations before and during dinner, she was very quiet and timid. She would avoid eye contact like it was the plague.

It was sad, truly. Having no childhood and raised to be an assassin. To be even driven to the point of asking yourself do you even have a soul. Yeah, she definitely didn't have it easy.

"Morning, sleepyhead," I said to her as I put my bowl in the sink, watching her slowly look over the cabinets. "Sleep well?"

"It was acceptable…"

Laura responded without even taking her eyes off the cabinets, unsure which to open,
"Hungry?" I asked, taking out the cereal from one of the cabinets. "I can make you some breakfast if you-"
Laura snatched the box out of my hand. "I can do it myself."

"You know, it's not a bother-"

"I said, I can do it myself."

Laura snapped at me, her head turning at me. If looks alone were enough to kill, I'd most likely be already dead on my own kitchen floor. Seeing that I had nothing else to say, Laura turned away to make her own breakfast.

"Just trying to be a good host…"

That went poorly. Note to self, try again, preferably a better and more natural approach.
Deciding to just go back to my seat, I was glad to see Hank slowly waking up.

"Oh, good morning," Hank greeted me while he rubbed his eyes, his expression quickly changing. "Wait… what time is it?"

"Firstly, good morning," I returned the gesture with a smile as I sat back down. "Secondly, It's a little over nine."

"Huh, I thought I would sleep through the whole week." Hank said jokingly as he sat straight up.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. You really should be resting," I said softly before a thought popped up, "Say, how are you feeling? I mean, compared to yesterday, do you still feel anything?"

"Quite well, I might add," Hank smiled as he hit his chest with his fist. "I can't say for certain until I get to my lab, but judging by the way that I'm feeling, your spell worked wonders."

"Really?" I asked with curiosity. "Truth be told, I never used that on myself or on anyone else, so I didn't have much practice. But thought learning some of these might be useful at one point."

"They most certainly did," Hank agreed. "It took out most of it from the more important parts of the body, I should know, I remember the areas it would hurt the most, and by how fast the side effects wore off when all of the serum is drained. Usually, that kind of procedure would take hours to drain every last drop, you just did it in mere minutes. It's an achievement of medicine in my eyes."

Frankly, I was flattered by his praise. Having an effectful and useful spell to remove any liquid when in danger. Just need to expand that healing gig as well. If you have magical abilities and are not bothered with learning healing magic, I see you as an idiot. It's going to be more difficult for severe injuries, but I'll figure that out until then.

"That's good to hear, and thank you, Hank," I told the blue-furred mutant sincerely. "Any feedback is welcomed, whatever way to improve is enough for me."
"Say, I know it would be rude of me to ask this early one, but I was curious, what are the limitations to this, healing magic?"

I waited a moment before answering, trying to recall all the information I had on healing magic. "Well, that's a tricky to answer. It's all based how well you know the field to properly use this type. In theory, almost every injury can be repaired."

It was true. While base magic does include countless medical solutions for any scenario, some more effective than others. Albeit the procedure for removing the liquid seemed like nothing because it was the first higher-skilled spell I learned back at Kamar-Taj. This is the field I'm particularly excited to tackle on, since I can make some impressive stuff later on.

"Fascinating," Hank rubbed his chin. "But I'm guessing not everyone is capable of accessing this knowledge, let alone be proficient enough in it to be a skillful user. But is it possible to convert certain aspects into regular medicine?

"At the current moment, not so much. Only because I don't have the right tools to expand my little project. I do plan on doing further research in the future. Usually, I'm actually forbidden from using magic, especially healing magic in public and such, would cause too big of a ruckus. But there are loopholes to work around on. Might take some time before I make such a discovery."

"If you ever need a hand, I'd be honored to help," Hank said excitingly. "Uncovering different methods of improving modern-day medicine? That's something I'd love to be a part of.
I pondered at his offer. Having some help with research with medicine and finding new ways to implement them is definitely needed. Hank would be a fine addition to that department, and did already have a few people in mind to ask. "You know what, let's table this discussion for another time. If we start now, I doubt we'll be able to stop."

With that done, we proceeded to talk about a variety of things while Laura made Hank some breakfast as well. He mostly led the topics, going into more detail about his position within the X-Mansion, while also talking more about other members and what they do. After a while, Laura brought a bowl for herself and Hank, so I decided to watch the TV while they ate in peace. After they finished, I wanted to get to business.

"So, now we should talk about getting you two home."

"How is that going to work, exactly?" Laura asked questioningly, Hank raising an eyebrow with interest.

"Very simple," I formed a see-through map that had a nice view of New York, also the whole area around it. I already had a general idea where the place is, but I had to make it seem like I dont know about the place. "Point on the map, as I feel you should know this. Any detail would help, open field, any pathway, and anything you suggest that will be of help in finding it easier."

"While you do that, I just need to do something real quick."

I went to my bedroom, since I wasn't in my usual attire, and for getting my little protection against the Professor. It was a beads necklace, a singular line, but had more than enough beads for tons of enchantments. While digging through the pile of books, I stumbled upon these things. Sorcerers frequently use these beads and have it set for protective spells. Since I will encounter a telepath, we can't have him go lurking through my mind, now can we?

On the drawer, the necklace hovered above a stone that leaked blue energy, all of it going into the rune of the bead. It took all night, but it's complete. Simple and well hidden, it might just become my most useful tool. After this, I'll definitely have to dig through and add more of them.

Placing the necklace around my neck, then my mask. With two claps, my regular clothes changed to my robes, along with everything else I'll need. I then went back to the living room. "Did you find it?"

"You're wearing your mask, too?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What can I say, I like it," I said with a hint of enthusiasm.

Hank nodded. "It's right here," then pointing his finger on the map.

I asked for any other details before we began. After about a minute, I created the portal in the spacious hallway, an open field of grass alongside a pavement waiting on the other side. Gesturing them to go first, I was the last one to go through. Looking around, I was glad to see the very luxurious mansion further down the road.

"See? Told you it was simple." I said turning to Laura, my mask hiding my wide smile.

Laura merely huffed, turning her head to the side, prompting Hank to let out a chuckle. Walking towards the mansion, it didn't take us long till we got to the front door. For a split second, I caught a flash of white through one of the windows next to the door. Just as we walked up the short flight of stairs, Hank went to turn the door knob, only for the door to be opened wide from the other side. Ororo Munroe, or Storm, stood there, her face switching between shock and happiness as she looked at the two of them.

"Hank… Laura…" Ororo uttered as her sights switched between the two, before throwing herself at them, embracing them both in a tight hug. "Thank goodness, you two are safe. We were worried sick."
Hank was the only one to return the hug, while Laura just stood there awkwardly. "Were okay now, Ororo. Sorry for the scare."

"I'm just glad that you two are back," Ororo said happily as she released them. Her focus then turned towards me, but didn't outright say anything. "Come, let's step inside first."

"Ororo!" A loud and gruff voice called out. Just as we stepped in, a tall man with hair all over his face, wearing a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans came into view from the left. Right from the start, I realized that it was Logan. "What's got you in such a… fuss…?"

Logan trailed his words as he saw Laura and Hank, his focus centered on his daughter. The two rushed toward one another, entering a tight embrace, not a single word uttered. It may not be the appropriate moment, but I couldn't shift my focus from Logan, or how I see it, Hugh Jackman. At this point, I had zero idea how this reality worked, at all.

It wasn't until now that I realized how many students surrounded us. They were only whispers, but a good portion was talking about Laura and Hank returning, while the other half was centered on me. Even though I might be forced to remove my mask soon, I was glad I decided to put it on beforehand. I'm not overly fond of being the center of attention. If it weren't for the mask, I'd most likely look anywhere to avoid this much eye contact.

From the sea of children, a tall and muscular figure came into view, quite hard to miss actually. On his sides, a girl with bright red hair wearing a green sweater while also sporting blue jeans and a man with a black visor that had a thin red line across it, wearing a light blue dress shirt and black pants were walking alongside him, by their appearance alone it was safe to assume they were my age. There also appeared to be a space in-between them, but only a bald head was visible.

Once the crowd made enough space for them to pass through, I got a clean view of Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Scott Summers and what I assumed to be Colossus heading our way.

"Hank, Laura, you're back," Charles Xavier spoke in a soft tone as he rolled up next to them.

"Yes, Charles, we're back," Hank said, flashing a smile to his old friend.

Xavier gave a smile of his own, knowing his friend and student are safe. "I'm sure we all can rest easy knowing this ordeal is behind us. But please, tell me, what happened to you two? We looked everywhere, but I still couldn't reach either of you, even with Cerebro."

"Heh, it's a long story, really. I'd rather not go into much detail, especially right now," Hank tried shifting the subject. "As to how we got back here, you can thank him."

Hank pointed with his thumb behind him, Charles' eyes went off to the side, landing on me, the same going for Jean, Logan and almost everyone else. Figuring my time for being silent is over, I took a quick breath to go back into my normal and "charming" attitude. "Hello there." I said with a slight wave of my hand.
The Professor made his wheelchair turn to the side and move towards me with a neutral face. "My apologies, but we don't seem to have met."

"Oh, but of course," I said as my hands went to my mask, slowly removing it from my head. All the while removing it, I had a smile on my face before it even came off, holding the mask with my left hand. "Ethan Chester, Practitioner of the Mystic Arts, at your service. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Professor Xavier."

I said while extending my hand at him. In the corner of my eye, I could see both Laura and Hank rolling their eyes. At the moment, I could feel some sort of strange tingling sensation that was spreading across my head, slowly becoming more noticeable from all areas, but the feeling never became bothersome. My focus back on the Professor, I noticed the faintest change in his facial expression. His eyes widened, but only slightly and stayed frozen way longer than normal, he seemed to be holding his breath as well. "Is something wrong, Professor?"

That pulled him out of his trance, blinking several times and forming a smile. "No, no. everything's alright. It's a pleasure to meet you," The man said as he accepted my hand. He then rotated to face his students.
"Everyone! Classes are dismissed!" The Professor announced. "Please, return to your rooms for the time being. We will be with you all shortly."

Cheers erupted from the field of students, half dedicated to the fellow members that returned, and the other for getting out of class earlier. I simply stood there with a smile as the students went back to their own activities. Slowly, the hall became less and less crowded.

"One moment, please," Charles turned around to Hank, as well focused on Laura. "Should we escort you to the medical wing for a checkup?"

"Might as well," Hank agreed. "Get that over with sooner rather than later."

Charles nodded, then turning to the rest of his students. "Jean, Piotr and Scott, please keep our guest company until we return, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, Professor." Jean agreed happily, with Piotr agreeing as well. Meanwhile, Scott stood still, not saying a word.

Xavier nodded, turning to me. "We shouldn't take long."

I raised my hand. "I'm in no rush."

Charles, Ororo, Logan, Laura, and Hank proceeded to go towards the medical bay. As they were walking away, I took a quick look under my robes at my bead, seeing the rune blinking on and off with a blue color. A quick smirk formed on my face before turning back to normal. The look on Charles' face says it all. The enchantment worked perfectly, especially with his expression, which might have given him a heart attack in the process.

My attention turned to the insides of the large mansion, doing a full spin to admire the interior of the mansion.

"This place… sure is amazing."

Aside from it being aesthetically pleasing, you can feel liveliness in the air, the mansion's full of it. It was either that from being inside the X-Mansion for real or my sensory skills were getting better.

"That's one way of describing it."

Turning back to the remaining members, Scott was the one who walked up to me. Just by the way he was walking, the man could be mistaken as soldier that was on duty, in form, and with near-perfect coordination.

"Scott Summers," He said calmly. "Thank you for rescuing my teammates."

Even the way he introduces himself was awful. He could have put in at least an ounce of feeling into it.
Me being me, I decided to ignore his poor attempt of introduction, I accepted his hand with a smile. "Think nothing of it."

"But if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go ask Hank and Laura for myself."

Just like that, Scott walked passed me, going to the medical bay as well.

"That was just rude…"

Is this really one of those versions of Scott where he's a prick? It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it was my problem. Guess basic manners is one of the things that never mushed well with the guy.

"Ignore him," Jean said as she and Piotr stepped closer. "He isn't usually like this. Once you get to know him, he's actually quite nice."

"Don't stress about it," The towering man tapped my shoulder a few times. While to him it seemed like a friendly gesture, to me it felt like he was hammering down a nail, even in his normal form. He then took my hand and shook it with both his own hands. "Thank you, my good man. We've spent many days searching for them, but we had little luck."

"T-Think nothing of it," I said while trying to avoid the slight pain from his grip, rubbing it a bit when he released it. "Couldn't just leave two mutants to sit in captivity and be experimented on."

"Ah, so that was it," Piotr said in a surprised tone. "Still, your kindness is greatly appreciated. But now is not the time to dwell on the past. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin, but please, simply call me Piotr. I must ask, you don't seem to have any physical changes, what sort of mutation did you have?"

"Mutation? Oh, no, I'm not a mutant."

"You're not?" Jean asked in surprise, her eyes wide while stepping closer.

"Nope," I put more emphasis on the pop. "You see, I'm more mangled with the… supernatural side of things.

"Supernatural?" Jean questioned. She scanned me from head to toe, her focus going to the book on my waist along with my attire. Once we made eye contact again, I raised my eyebrow with a smirk, seeing if she could make a correct guess. "By that, you mean… magic, right?"

"Bingo," I said cheerfully, turning to Piotr. "She catches on quick."

"Magiya?" The tall man asked in confusion. "That's one set of skills you don't hear every day."

"What can I say, it's fun," I shrugged my shoulders with a sheepish smile. "Besides, you don't see a school dedicated to mutants, but yet, here I am. You learn something new every day."

"Fair point. Now then, enough business talk, as the first non-mutant, allow me to welcome you to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters! Home to all mutant kind." Piotr exclaimed loudly with his arms wide open. "Please, follow me. We will show around."

The Russian giant began walking, Jean and I right behind him. I listened to every word as he spoke, learning new bits of trivia of the X-Mansion every step of the way.

"I appreciate the tour and everything, but he's getting a little too into it, don't you think?" I whispered as I leaned closer to Jean, not wanting to interrupt him.

Jean barely contained a laugh, using her hand to cover his mouth. "He tends to that. We let him do his thing, he seems to enjoy it though. Every time there's a new student joining the school, he's the first one to volunteer for the tour."

"Ah, that makes sense," I told the redhead while looking back at Piotr. "For a second there, I thought he prepared a script by the way he's talking."

That earned me another laugh from Jean. "You wouldn't be too far off if I'm completely honest," There was a slight pause between us, the only sound of Piotr going on about the school's foundation. "Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around it, magic? Really?"

It may have been just a whisper, but I could hear the excitement in her voice.
I raised an eyebrow. "What? You've got a school filled with extraordinary people with all kinds of unique powers and abilities, and you're interested in magic?"

Jean merely pouted. "Well excuse me for getting excited when I heard magic. It's not just that either, I'm used to meeting new people, but it's not every day you met a non-mutant at this school. You'd be the first "normal" person I've met since I don't even know how long anymore. Sorry if I find it interesting."

"Fair enough I suppose," I drew my hand out, creating a small bird made out of azure fire, this particular fire in this state itself wasn't harmful. The bird swiftly flew towards Jean, catching the girl off guard as the bird landed on her hands. The small azure creature let out a low, but cute squall as it changed its color to red before exploding, leaving only a trail of red dust before disappearing altogether.

"There's your magic trick," I said quietly then trying to catch up to whatever Piotr is talking about, something about them as a team going to Peru? "Didn't have much time on the spot to think of something better."

Jean's face was in one of surprise, before letting a wide smile. "Alright, that, was pretty cool."

"Heh, glad you liked it."

Just then Piotr turned around suddenly.

"After that, we made our way back home," The giant said with a cheeky smile, before changing to a confused one as he caught me just as I finished with Jean. "Did you pay attention to anything I said?"

I looked over to Jean, only to see her averting her eyes with a cheeky smile of her own. Looking back at Piotr, I tried to remember something out of his story. "About how you all as a team titled the X-Men, successfully completed a mission in the… Cloud Forest, something about chasing rouge mutants causing havoc and safely returning home?"

"Very good," Piotr resumed walking. "Now then-" He continued talking about another mission they had.
"By the way, I never got your name?"

The redhead smiled as she held out her hand. "Jean Grey."

I shook her hand as we walked with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Jean."

---

After about another thirty minutes after non-stop chatter from Piotr, even though Jean and I chatted about various things all the while, he was called to take care of something in another part of the mansion, leaving me and Jean on our own. We ended up going towards the kitchen.

I let out a sigh of relief. "That man can talk."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. He grows on you very fast," Jean pointed towards the fridge. "Want anything?"

"Surprise me." I simply said, leaning onto the counter to admire a very, very large and state of the art kitchen. My, what a beautiful sight. I can just imagine the number of things I could create with something like this.

My train of thought was broken when I heard footsteps approaching. Looking to my left, I spotted Logan entering the kitchen, with his eyes focused on me. Since we already made eye contact, it was late to break it off. I shifted my body to properly face the man.

"Logan! Just in time," Jean called out from the fridge. "You want anything?"

"One from my stash." Was his response with a quick look to Jean before turning back to me. It wasn't until he got way closer than he needed to before stopping. Jean came back with our drinks, a can of coke and beer bottle flew into mine and Logan's hand.

"Logan, this is Ethan," Jean began introducing me as she motioned her hand at me, before turning to me. "This is Logan, he's Laura's father."

Still, another word to be said by neither of us, so I was a little worried about whether or not to start. Right then, Logan extended his hand out to me, I took a moment before accepting it, receiving a firm grip
"Thank you for rescuing my daughter."

Logan said slowly, but the sincerity in his tone was genuine. Okay, crisis averted, we're good.

"You're welcome...?" I said, more sounding like a question than anything. "As I said to everyone, don't think much of it. Just doing my job."

"Where'd you find them?"

Logan proceeded to form the middle claw, easily taking off the cap of the beer bottle, taking a long sip from it.

"...In an underground lab in the middle of New York."

Just as I said that it occurred to me how familiar of an answer that is to him.

"Aha." Logan nodded, looking off into the side, his expression barely changing.

I decided to add some good news to the story. "In case you're wondering, they're rotting in jail with a severe headache."

He looked back at me, a sliver of a smile spreading across his lips. "To that, I can drink too."
I looked over to Jean, getting a small smile as confirmation.

Professor Xavier then entered the kitchen not a few seconds after, a smile came across his face as he spotted us.

"There you are," Charles spoke to all of us, but his eyes were centered on me. "My apologies for just disappearing all of a sudden. Wanted to make sure they were in good health, so I could rest at ease from these last few weeks."

"I'm just glad knowing my little trick was of help."

"Ah, yes, Hank did mention how easily the sedative was removed from his system, quite the interesting story. But please, let's step into my office first. I'd say we have much to discuss."

We stepped into the Professor's office, Charles going behind his desk, Logan leaning on the wall off to the side, with me and Jean sitting on the couch.

Our conversation started off with Charles asking questions regarding Hank and Laura. Again, I gave the entire rundown everything I know, trying to recall as many details as per his request. I told him about who orchestrated it all, and the bald man wasn't too happy with the newfound information. We discussed a little more until Charles decided to switch things up

"Well, with that out of the way, we can move on to more enjoyable topics," Charles leaned on the desk with his hands atop of one another, a smile forming. "Please, tell us a little about yourself, Ethan. I for one am intrigued, particularly by your title.

"Hmm, where to start," I stayed silent for a moment. "Think of me as a watcher of sorts. My role is to make sure any supernatural incidents are handled and properly covered up so the regular folk don't start any wild theories or to know the existence of such a concept."

"I would be right to presume you aren't the only one who, in your words, practice magic, no?" Charles asked. "There must be some sort of place where this, field is studied and practiced, no?"

I had no intention of going into more detail, but I'll leave him to think. "All depends, honestly. I tend to operate in more various fields, not just magical threats. Someone like me wouldn't usually do what I did to not risk exposure, although I tend to bend that rule a lot. Truth be told, there's a lot going in the world at the moment, most of it kept out of the public eye. But I assume you're familiar with that?"

"It's a very difficult process for humans to understand us, a delicate subject to bring up. My life's work is centered on this Institute, to give a home to the ones who are cast out. I know keeping our existence a secret won't last, that is why I'm trying to take proper steps to ease the situation, to better present ourselves. The last thing we want is for them to see us as a threat. That's why I opted to keep as a secret all this time until the proper time presents itself," Charles explained with a tender tone. "But I'm curious, Hank told me you have already had a firm grasp on Mutant kind. Is this… common knowledge where you come from?"

"All I can say, Professor, you'll have a difficult time trying to hide anything alarming from Sorcerers," I said calmly, feeling the need to state that here and now. "But no threat, we're a peaceful bunch. Just don't try causing unnecessary trouble and you're good. Sadly, I have a feeling that sooner or later all these little problems will just reach a limit before it all explodes."

"There's much of that going around I suppose, we can only fight and protect to live another day." Charles drove away from his desk. "Still, it's good to know this world has people willing to help. You have my deepest gratitude for saving members of our family."

"Again, think nothing of it," I said simply. "I'm just doing my thing."

After our little talk, Xavier told us to resume to our tour, as he had to discuss something with Ororo before handling the students.

The Professor also allowed for Logan and Jean to take me down to the sub-basements, and we know where that leads us. I knew that he probably couldn't have any peace at the moment, the fact his mind-reading ability was ineffective to a newcomer inside his very own home. Still, he was still forced to show hospitality, as I did return his missing teammates. While on second thought that might actually make him more suspicious of me. Nevertheless, I had to make sure my mind was safe, so I'll have to be more careful around him in the future if I notice any weird behavior.

Going down the elevator, we walked through the white hallway towards the Danger Room, while Logan went off to another room. As the slide doors opened, revealing a long hallway with slick dark blue walls, with white LED panels on the ceiling, giving it a futuristic and high-tech appearance. Entering the control center of the Danger Room, it was quite spacious at first glance. The room reached its end with glass windows as walls, a long row of machines underneath various screens that had a view of the environment below it but in different POV's.

Near the control panel, Laura could be seen off to the side, wearing a new set of clothes with her arms crossed, watching the feed intently.

"Laura!" Jean said a little louder than what could be considered normal volume, going into a slight run to close the distance between herself and Laura.

Before Laura could even respond, Jean bombarded the poor girl with question after question, but Laura tried answering nonetheless. I just remained quiet the whole time, knowing that this was the first time in weeks that they've seen each other, so I felt it was best to exclude myself from talking this time. Although, even though Jean would give Laura little breathing room, she would still throw a glance at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

When they were finished, Jean and I watched alongside her in silence. On the feed, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Rogue were fighting against two fairly large robots with canons for arms. The area around them was one of a heavily damaged city street with tall buildings. They already seem to have destroyed a few of them, only having to face two more to finish the course. Rogue hurled large rocks and leftover remains of the nearby wall at the closest robot, damaging its head and one of its canons, causing the robot to fire aimlessly with its other weapon. Kurt teleported back and forth to save Rogue before the canon was aimed at her, going behind some building for cover. Kurt then teleported Kitty to one of the over-sized feet, using her powers to have it phase down to the ground, immobilizing it.

Next on the list for the teleporter was to destroy the other cannon, using his tail to pierce through it, causing it to act faulty. Seizing the opportunity, Rogue ran at top speed, one punch was all that's needed to fully destroy the knee of the leg that was in the ground. That caused the robot to spring upwards, crashing onto the last bot behind him, making it fall to the ground. Just as it was about to get up, Kurt teleported Rogue on the robot's head, smashing it into pieces.

With that, the simulation was over.

Once the training session was over, all of them entered the room. Kitty was complaining about something, but only Rogue was listening, or more like forced to. Their uniforms were all mostly black with different small changes on each of them.

"Hey, Laura, Jean," Kurt greeted the two girls with a wave, then looking at me questionably. "…and someone we don't know."

To save me the energy, Jean took it upon herself to fill in on the ones who I haven't still met yet, quickly going through the introductions, also mentioning the fact that I wasn't like them, which I hoped wouldn't make the interactions awkward.

"Ah! So you're one the Professor mentioned!" Kurt said excitedly as he quickly jumped to me with his hand out. "A friend of Hank and Laura's is a friend of mine."

I returned the gesture with a smile. "Thanks, a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Sorry that we didn't come up when they first arrived," Kurt said apologetically. "We saw them exiting the elevator while on our way for training. When we find out both of them were alright, we just went to blow off some steam, peacefully this time."

"No worries," Jean dismissed it with a wave. "Just giving the finishing touches on the tour."

"Oh, and I have to say, this training system is outstanding," I commented as I couldn't just contain myself. This was the actual Danger Room, the training course of high-revolutionary design that can create any scenario, it was indeed impressive. "I looked so real. From my perspective, I couldn't really tell the difference at first glance."

"Thanks! But trust me, that was nothing," Kurt said. "That's not even half what this machine can do. You can set any scenario up, to pretty much anything depending on the kind of training you want to do. I like to do more "dangerous" and "fast-paced" ones, but every time I suggest them, they shut me down before we even got a chance to start… I don't know why, though."

"That's because you always overdo it and wind up in the hospital wing..." Rogue was quick to shut him down.

"Now, hold on," I said softly while raising my hand slightly at her. "At first, this thing right here sparked my interest, but now, he has my full divided attention. Can you show me more?"

"Sure," Kurt quickly walked to one of the seats, sitting cross-legged, furiously typing away at the keyboard. "What did you have in mind?"

"You said dangerous and fast-paced? I'd expect it to live up to its titles." I replied with a grin.

"Now we're talking!" Kurt went back to searching through the countless options on the screen.
Laura whispered to Jean, asking if they should really let them do one of Kurt's ridiculous courses. The redhead's only reply is that they'll intervene if Kurt truly does pick an awful one. Knowing him, that would be a high possibility.

The sound of the sliding door opening and closing, revealing Scott approaching them with a tablet in hand. Looking at the new entry, I could see he was about to say something, but stopped when he spotted me. I shook my head slightly and went back to the screen, not wanting to even bother with his, how should I put this, "displeasure" with me being here, so I went back to talking with Kurt.

"Listen up," Scott stepped forwarding in a commanding tone. "We'll try out a new strategy I've been planning." Scott proceeded to explain his plan, but Kurt and I weren't paying too much attention to him. After about a minute, he finished the rundown for his training for the day, which was met with silence.

"Can I try?"

I asked Kurt in the moment of silence, neither I nor him acknowledged Scott all. The sound of a low growl could be heard.

"Sure!" Kurt said excitedly. "It has a ton of different courses to choose from. You can even pick individual ones to your liking. Look, this one brings up-"

"Hold on," Scott's arm cut through between me and Kurt. His gaze turned from Kurt to me. "Not happening."

"What? Why not?"

"This isn't some public gym, in case you haven't noticed," Scott stated. "This is a highly advanced training course, not some toy you can play with."

"It looks like an oversized and advanced playground to me, so what's the difference?" I said jokingly. "Come on, man, do me a solid and let me try it out."

Without even making the slightest expression from his bottom half of the face, he only uttered. "No."

"What a guy!" The immediate thought formed in my head when looking at his emotionless face. Just like before, his tone is ticking me off.

Raising my eyebrows slightly, then forming a slight smile. "A vote, then. We put it to a vote, the fairest way of them all."

"You're overstepping your welcome, pal."

"Look, we're all civil here, everyone should have a say in the matter," I said calmly, before pointing at the control panel with my thumb. "Besides, I seriously doubt this entire place belongs to you, so can you knock off the act like you own it. Anyway, let's hear what everyone else has to say."

"Eh, ah' don't really care." Rogue lazily raised up one of her hands.

"I wanna see what the new guy can do!"

"Same here!"

Kitty and Kurt both raised their hands excitedly, much to Scott's displeasure. Turning over to
Jean also raised her hand slightly, also wanting to see how well a newcomer would fare in the Danger Room, on a relatively normal setting, of course. Laura seemed to be pondering whether or not to raise her hand as well, a slight nudge by Jean was enough to make her join in, but looked in a different direction to make it seem like she didn't care.

Seeing that literally each and every teammate of his inside the room agreed to this, Scott was at a loss. He could only grit his teeth slightly when his mouth twitched, refraining from making this a heated argument.

"Then it's settled!" I clasped my hands lightly in excitement, returning my attention to Kurt. "Now, my friend, show me what this puppy can do."

Having a similar level of excitement, Kurt motioned to lean closer to the control panel. "First off, we need to select an environment for the course to take place in. Here, all the ones that are availa-"

Kurt's explanation was cut off when a loud, loud alarm went off.

"Ehh… what's that?" I asked Jean.

"Someone's attacking us." Jean answered as she broke off into a run, other members going as well, with me following right after them. Running into the control room, we met up with Ororo, Hank, Logan and Piotr. More members entered the room moments later. Hank, who was already typing away at the computer, put up a few windows that displayed security cameras of the outskirts of the property where the iron fence was destroyed. At first, a giant clad in dark red armor all around his body except on his arms and legs walked through, a man wearing a red helmet with purple outlines.

Magneto, and his Brotherhood. The team consisted of him, the Maximoff twins? Toad, Blob, Sabretooth, Mastermind, Pyro, Avalanche, Unus and Juggernaut.

"That doesn't look good." I said upon watching the screens.

"Listen up, everyone," Scott called out to his fellow teammates as he adjusted his visor. "We have to act fast before they get too close to the mansion. The Professor is already on his way up, so we have to move quickly. It's most likely going to get messy up there."

Scott gave a rundown of the potential strategies they might want to use while the other members were getting ready. Once done, all of the members rushed through the exit, leaving only Jean, Scott and myself. I grabbed my mask and went to follow them.

Just as I was about to pass him, Scott did a double-take. "Where do you think you're going?"

I stopped to look at the man, he cannot be serious. "You're kidding, right? Eight people break through your gate and heading your way. You expect me to do nothing?"

"That's exactly what I'm expecting," Scott demanded, stepping closer towards me. "This is our problem, and since you're not a mutant, it means you have no involvement in this. Just stay here and don't make much of a mess while we're gone."

"Do you have your head that far up your ass?" I retorted. "This is the first time I'm actually hearing someone not wanting an extra hand."

"That's an order. I'd suggest you follow it."

"You ain't the boss of me, and I don't listen to nonsense."

By this point, we were up in each other's faces. There it is again, that tone. I was willingly offering help so the mansion doesn't end up blowing up, since whenever Magneto and his posse show up, nothing good ever comes out of it. Just as our argument was going to start up again, Jean got in the middle of us, pushing me and Scott away from each other.

"Scott, you go up to everyone else," Jean turned to Scott, speaking calmly. "I'll catch up."

The visor wearing mutant remained still but started to walk back with his focus on me, quickly turning to Jean before rushing out.

Jean looked back at me with a regretful look, I already knew what was coming. "Come on, you can't be serious? You're not letting me go too?"

"Listen, I know you want to help, and I appreciate that, I really do. But just as Scott said, this is between us and them. We have a history of sorts, a pretty complicated one at that. We should be the ones who stop him after all. Besides," Jean took a quick glance at the screen, a worried expression formed before turning back to her confident smile. "We took them on before, and I don't need to tell you who came up on top. Don't worry about us."

The look I gave her in itself could spell that she was lying. It was the look, I could tell. This encounter seemed to be different than any of their previous ones, meaning it's not going to be pretty in a few minutes. Jean took one step forward, uttering quietly. "Just in case any of them break into the mansion, promise me you'll protect the students."

Truth be told, I was surprised that she asked me this, and realizing I stayed silent, I was kind of forced to agree. "Um… yeah, sure. You can count on me."

Before leaving, Jean gave me a grateful smile, then went along to group up with the others.

Was I really going to just sit here and watch everything through the cameras? Of course not! Revealing my hand this early only presents more problems for me, but nothing wrong observing from the side just in case anything happens.

Sitting cross-legged on the iron floor, I entered my Astral Form and went up to the surface, wanting to get a close-up view. Right in the wide and open field. Magneto and his Brotherhood were taking it one step at a time, seemingly in no rush at all.

Magneto's Brotherhood consisted of himself, Toad, Pyro, Mastermind, Juggernaut, Blob with the Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver to round it off. I was surprised to see the Maximoff twins were here, which begs some questions that may come up in the future when speaking about canon, but that will be an interesting thought process when I come to it. So far, let's spin the indisputable fact that canon is thrown out the window with this.

Aside from the twins, who wore a more normal set of clothes, everyone else had a resemblance to their various comic outfits with a modernized and appealing look to them. Magneto, who wore black spandex mixed in with some red accents, his helmet having a similar color scheme and purple cloak, had various armor pieces around his body for an extra layer of protection, flew several feet off the ground with his chest out and arms wide, radiating with pride.

I crossed my legs and leaned back slightly to get in a good position. Just in time as the fully lined up X-Men got within range of the Brotherhood.

---

While Charles may have appeared calm on the outside, the same couldn't be said within his mind.
Going faster than any of his teammates, he easily took the lead, just like Erik did with his own group who emerged from the woods. Charles wasn't sure how well their talk will go, but he has to at least try. No matter how their views may differ, entering another nonsensical fight is the last thing he wants.

"Charles, how good it is to see you again." Erik called out to his old friend, a mix of sarcasm and sincerity.

"I would say the same thing to you, Erik, but we both know you didn't come here for a friendly visit." Charles said in a neutral tone, stopping when the two could easily talk to one another.

"Don't be so quick to judge, but knowing you, you'll only see this as a one-sided attack."

"Oh, pardon me, the proper term you would use would be "recruitment", if I'm not mistaken?"

"Your students, just like other members of your team are just wasting their time, the real change happens with me."

"Seems like you managed to find new followers for your cause, haven't you?" Charles said while eying the new additions to Erik's group.

"Not to worry, I was just about to give you a proper introduction," Erik flew back to the brown-haired girl and silver-haired boy, placing an arm around them both. "Charles, meet my daughter and son, Wanda and Pietro!"

Upon hearing their names, Pietro flashed a cocky smile with his arms crossed, while Wanda looked off to the side, not particularly glad about the sudden spotlight brought upon her.

Charles, on the other hand, was at a loss for words. "If this is your attempt at having a sense of humor, it isn't working."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Erik, I've known you for a good portion of my life, and had many, many encounters, surely I would have picked up on the fact of you having offspring." Charles said in a more aggressive tone.

"True, I did only find out about them recently, but nevertheless, we have a lot of catching up to do," Erik said smugly while lifting himself into the air. "Our first outing is just this, me showing them the true way of life!"

Charles merely scoffed. "Don't make me say the same thing for the umpteenth time, Erik. What you're doing here means nothing, the end goal you have in mind will change nothing, only add more fuel to the fire."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, my dear friend," Erik responded this time around in a calmer tone than the other times this topic comes up. "For decades, we stayed silent, forced into hiding. Clinging to the shadows as a resort to even stay alive. Until now. You know it too, Charles. You pay attention. The world as a whole doesn't know what to believe anymore. First, we have Stark throwing himself a parade, then a creature with enough power to decimate an entire neighborhood with ease. This is our time to make our presence known to the world. After everything that's happened, after everything we've endured, I refuse to stand a single day longer in silence!"

"We both know the way you plan to present yourself to the world, by doing so you'll only make them feel frightened. This takes time, Erik, you know that." Charles tried reasoning with him.

"I've told you, I'm done waiting."

Erik proceeded to call out other members of the X-Men, Jean in particular. Honestly, she was getting irritated each time the man singled her out. Seems like he started noticing that her powers were improving, making herself stand out for his revolution. No matter how many times he tries to persuade her, the answer will never change. Sure, it might take another fight and everything she's got to make sure herself and her teammates make it out with minor injuries at least.

Nevertheless, she doesn't plan on going easy on them if they try anything stupid.

John Allerdyce on the other hand, was losing his patience. Just like many times before, the same discussion was ending in the exact same way, and it was irritating him to no end. His only saving grace is that soon enough, he'll be able to let out some steam. Besides, their goal was inside the school, not here. To spice up the already dull formula, a change was in order.

The pyromaniac made his move the moment his leader was wrapping up his little speech, running past him to throw his left arm out, creating a small spark of fire. That single spark was enough to form multiple large fire projectiles, with Charles being their closest target.

Charles was surprised and shocked by the attack. He did sense what his intentions were beforehand, but he didn't have that kind of mobility to evade the attack. It wasn't until Kurt suddenly appeared behind him, grabbing a hold of his wheelchair and teleporting the two out before the flames hit him, with Jean creating a wide force field to act as a shield.

"Thank you, Kurt." Charles thanked his student, turning to look at him with the rest of the team.

"You should really stop going all by yourself only to be open for an attack, Professor…" The dark blue fur-colored mutant expressed with an exhausted sigh.

"Alright, I've had enough." Logan said with a growl, crossing his arms in an X to release his blades. Charles and Scott tried preventing Logan from rushing head-first, but there was no stopping him. Just as he blasted off into a sprint, Laura drew her own claws, easily catching up to her father.

Pyro was going to make another attack but was quickly slapped across the face when Erik swopped down to his position, muttering something under his breath. The one time he decides to discuss his goal peacefully, the pyromaniac has to mess it up. Even to go on his own, he's yet to realize who was in charge. Only a sign to tighten the leash so this doesn't happen again. Turning back to the Wolverine and his… daughter. With two swipes of his hand, he sent the Wolverine hurtling off to the side, about to hit Laura as well. The black-haired girl effortlessly sidestepped the hit, knowing there's not much that she could do for him. As a result, Logan crashed near the trees, taking out chunks of the green field until they came to a stop.

Laura kept moving forward, closing the gap between herself and her targets. Wanda shot out long red energy beams to try and stop the assassin.

She wasn't sure what kind of projectile was heading her way, but it made no difference as she was quicker, none of the projectiles landing. However, what she didn't take into account was for one of the beams she dodged to pull her leg from behind, holding her upside down briefly before being tossed far away.

Seeing how carelessly his teammates were tossed like ragdolls, Scott couldn't just do nothing. Ignoring Jean and everyone else, Scott ran a bit, firing numerous and strong ruby-red optic beams at the Master of Magnetism. Instead of blocking them himself, he let his daughter have the honor. With a flick of her wrists, Wanda formed a dark-reddish aura around her arms, sending out red bolts leaving out a faint trail. As they met, Wanda's bolts easily canceled out Scott's optic beams, quickly turning grey before evaporating. Scott went off to the side, trying to get in a few sneak attacks at least. Wanda, a little was taken aback from how quickly the new beams were coming, managed to match them in the last second.
Wanda drew her hands closer to her chest, then throwing them out widely, releasing a red wave of energy towards Scott. The leader tried dodging the attack, but when the wave hit the ground around him, it threw him off balance, the wave knocking Scott away when it hit him. Jean used her powers to catch him, lowering him near the Professor.

Seeing as the time for talk was over, Sabretooth, Blob and Toad charged, with Pyro right behind them. The Juggernaut took two steps, before Erik raised his hand, signaling him and Wanda to stay behind. He then commanded Avalanche to shake things up a little. Within seconds, due to Avalanche's influence, the flat grass field was quickly destroyed, first causing a large rift before distorting the area as a whole, large rocks erupting from the ground in the process. Scott was back on his feet, increasing the intensity of his beams, then fired away at Avalanche, who was too occupied to dodge his attack.

Logan, taking the opportunity while Magneto was distracted, tried going for a sneak attack. Erik was the one to spot him coming from the side, but it was Juggernaut who stopped him from advancing further. Swinging his abnormally large hand, Logan had to stop in his tracks to duck. Just as he was about to stand, his body froze, making him take the Juggernauts backhand, sending him crashing towards a nearby tree.

Unable to stand, Logan had to bare a kick to his ribs that sent him deeper into the forest. Magneto kept his eyes set on the wild beast, allowing Marco to have his thrill. What he didn't expect was an optic beam to hit his right shoulder. Cyclops and Storm were firing away as they moved closer, aiming at Magneto but some almost hit the other members.

Storm was flying over the battlefield, forming clouds in the clear blue sky. Hard rain began, with lightning bolts that were focused on the Brotherhood. Unus created a psionic field around her, which caused Storm to be stuck in place, unable to move. That resulted in taking a wide blast of red energy to the chest, causing her to come crashing down, Jean catching her before she hit the ground.

Beast was going up against Sabretooth, with Nightcrawler teleporting Colossus on top of him to catch him off guard. Unus pushed Blob forward, crashing into Colossus and Sabretooth with only Beast sidestepping him. Laura regrouped with the team, her eyes set on Sabretooth. Slashing away, it didn't affect the wild-beast in the slightest, but was enough to distract him. The rest of the X-Men could focus on other matters, such as the second towering giant they had deal with. Nightcrawler, alongside Rogue, teleported behind Blob, absorbing some of his power and making him take a knee, allowing Colossus to hit in his right temple. With another earthquake, the team was divided into smaller groups.
Back on her feet, Storm made sure to stop Pyro, aiming to extinguish the fire. Jean's priority was keeping Magneto, his daughter and Unus in line. While they had experience with almost all of them, and being slippery as they were, it was only a matter of time before they overpower them.

The most trouble that they faced was Magneto's children, one being unreasonably fast and the other a powerhouse. Pietro easily took them by surprise while long-range projectiles caused further problems. With an already created psionic field, Unus sent Laura, Scott, Rogue and Colossus flying back, but not before Scott shot a beam at him, knocking him back as it hit his stomach. The others regrouped back with Charles, Jean protecting them as they made their way back.

"Marco," Erik turned his head slightly to the towering giant, who just tossed Wolverine away like it was nothing. "Put an end to this dispute, if you so please."

"On it." The Juggernaut spoke with a smirk. With his very first step, the ground started to shake, knocking off several members of the Brotherhood in the process. Each step felt like its own earthquake. The X-Men members began preparing their counter strike to fend off against the approaching menace. It was never easy to figure out the correct way of stopping him, but they had to try their best. Jean, Colossus, Ororo Scott and Hank were the first ones on the ready, planning to throw him in a different direction, while other members caught Jean's mental warning, getting back up and getting into their own positions. Logan and Laura grouped up, ready to spring back into action on a moment's notice.

Within a few seconds, the Juggernaut will be within their range.

What nobody expected was a ring with golden sparks began forming in Juggernaut's way, drastically increasing in size, cold air coming through the other side. Increasing just enough for the tall giant to pass through, then began falling towards the snow. All that was heard was a loud boom when the man hit the ground, with the ring-closing completely.

While the members of the Brotherhood were stunned at the sudden disappearance of their comrade, their moment was short-lived however, when long pink crystals fell from the sky, exploding the moment they touched the ground. All of them were tossed to the side, all expect Blob who just fell on his side.

Another ring appeared a few meters off the ground, a figure with a mask, wearing some sort of set of robes fell, easily landing on the ground, straightening himself and crossing his arms. Only one group knew about this new arrival.

---

"Sorry. Thought I might level the playing field."

I wasn't quite sure how they planned to deal with that walking mountain, but it would be beneficial for everyone if he was out of the picture sooner rather than later. Guess it's better to reveal myself to the Brotherhood than letting them struggle with Juggernaut. I had more than enough time to figure out what would work best against them, all except Magneto, that's the only one I'm not a hundred percent sure of so I have one shot to neutralize him.

Luckily, I observed the mutants long enough to analyze them, giving enough time to pick my spells and plan in what order to go.

Meanwhile, across the field.

Now, who could this be?

Erik on the other hand was intrigued by how quickly The Unstoppable Juggernaut was removed from the brawl, and even forced back everyone else. How greedy of his old friend, he wouldn't even give them a proper introduction, going as far to not include him on his little team. While he was pleased a fresh new mutant was present, it also sparked curiosity as well.

Let's do a test.

"Pyro, by all means."

Pyro, now having the permission, spread his arms wide, releasing another wave of fire from his built-in flamethrower. When the size itself was massive, he manipulated the flame to grow in size, increasing about four times in comparison. While the size was remarkable, so was the speed.

Raising my hands, my fingers danced as they completed the required moves, sending out singular transpired blue ripples from each hand, quickly spreading. When they both met, the flames began turning into glass shards, the effect going off quickly all around. The glass shards simply floated above me, moving at a very slow speed. Fire, compared to all other elements, was relatively easy to remove and turn into something else, so long as the field was placed in time. I was pushed back while maintaining my position. As the last bit of the flame was transformed, I flipped my hand around to make all the shards rotate to the sharper end, sending all of them back where they originally came from.

All of the Brotherhood members ran back, only Magneto and his children stood in place. Wanda was the one to act, waving her hands to form the red aura and spread it all around them, cocooning themselves from the attack.

Magneto paced slowly in the air, observing this new arrival with interest. "Seems like you've found yourselves a new member as well, Charles." The Master of Magnetism said loudly enough for almost everyone to hear.

"I told you to stay back," Scott said furiously as he and most of the team came up behind me.

"And yet, somehow, my plan seemed more preferable than letting that giant rip someone in half," I said sarcastically while eyeing Scott with my head slightly turned. "Seemed the logical thing to do."

"Erik Lehnsherr, what a pleasant surprise."

Magneto raised an eyebrow. "So, you know who I am?"

"And a lot more about what you do, can't say I'm much of a fan," I told him, wanting to say a whole lot of other things but decided not to.

"Then it's a shame we meet on such circumstances. I'm sure they've already filled your head with stories about me. I'd like for you to know that they tend to over-exaggerate certain aspects. But tell me, friend, I trust you know many things about me, while I still don't even know your name."

"That's not of importance," I stated just loudly enough for him to hear. "Not to you, anyway."
Magneto grumbled. "No need to be rude, after all. We're all the same here, it be best if we were all properly acquainted."

"Just so you know, your little attempt at persuading me for your cause won't work, I'm not a mutant. So you might as well drop this."

Right after hearing this, Magneto's mood instantly changing. "What?" he growled, slowly clenching his fist before releasing it slightly. "Then answer me this, what is your business being here?"

"Just passing by. But now since I have the chance, I'm here to dispose of a nuisance, that being you."

"See, Charles?!" Magneto roared with burning rage. "Another perfect example of how humanity interferes. They can't help themselves, now someone who knows of our existence wants us dead!"

All the while Magneto expressed his rage, his hand didn't stay still for a single moment.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, then allow me to be more specific!" I interrupted his little speech of nonsense. "I don't have a problem with mutants as a whole, I have a problem with you. You're out of line, pal, a dangerous one at that. You seem to not understand the consequences of your actions, and believe me, do they attract attention. It's not only me you should worry about, but you'll also have your share of enemies soon enough. With sheer luck, I get to be the first of many."

"You're playing a dangerous game, child," sneered Magneto, his fingers slowly moving back and forth. "It would be wise that you don't test my patience. This is your final warning, step aside now, and don't interfere."

"I ain't scared of a man whose only goal is to tower over humanity, and I surely don't have the tolerance to watch said man leave a trail of chaos behind him. History has already shown us what happens to people like you, the only thing in your future that's for certain is your downfall."

"Very well, have it your way then."

Magneto said grimly, a grin spreading across his lips as he hastily balled his fist.
Noticing a faint sound of something flying at high speed, something that wasn't there a moment ago, Hank spotted a metal spear in the corner of his eye.

"Look out!"

Before his target could even turn, a metal spear pierced through his spine, going all the way until it went out of his chest. There wasn't much time for anyone to even act before more thin and lengthy spears embedded themselves all around his body. In a span of a few short seconds, Erik easily disposed of the real nuisance.

All of the X-Men members were beyond shocked, especially Charles. He knew Erik wouldn't take too kindly if he knew a non-mutant interfered with his plans, but not like… this! With this, the Professor knew that his friend no longer had any concern when someone, especially non-mutants, was in his way. Charles gripped the arm of his chair tightly, gritting his teeth in anger.

"If only the boy stayed silent."

Logan and Laura, who watched from the sidelines, we're wide-eyed upon witnessing the sight, their rage increasing substantially. Without wasting time, they charged back in.

With a wave of his hand, Magneto lifted up Logan off his feet, hovering slightly over Laura. Slamming his hand down, Logan fell right atop of his daughter instantly, pinning them both down onto the grass. Laura tried slipping away, but it was no use, and that only made her more enraged, how easily he was able to stop them. With a commanding tone, he sent his son with Mastermind towards the two, the mutant beginning to work his psionic illusions.

Back with the team, not a word was said between any of them, not fully comprehending the sight before them. The only one to even step forward was Jean, but couldn't do more than one step at a time at first, before rushing towards him. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, not sure where to look at all, wherever she looked it only made her more nauseous. They were everywhere. Almost every single important area of the body was damaged, and the blood was gushing by the number of wounds. Jean didn't want to, she really didn't want to face the truth, but it was impossible for anyone to withstand this much damage.

Without realizing it, she was on her knees next to him, her voice trembling. "E-Ethan…?"

All that she got as a response was a slight twitch of the head with a gargle, more blood dripping from underneath his mask. It only made it more painful for her to see.

His body got pulled forward, barely responsive on his own accord. Snapping her head towards the Brotherhood, Magneto held his hand out.

"No…!"

Quickly rising to her feet, Jean threw her hand out, using her powers to stop him from being dragged away. It may be too late, but Jean won't let him defile his body any longer. Usually, her concentration wouldn't be this off, but with her hand shaking heavily and mind in a state of disbelief, she was losing focus rather quickly. Before she could put more effort to bring him back, one of the metal beams was pulled out of his back towards her rapidly, forcing her to break her focus entirely to stop the weapon from wedging itself into her skull.

Because of this, Jean didn't have another chance to bring him back, as his body was now too far out of reach.

"As I said, Charles, I'm done waiting for change. So I'll be the one who will make a real change," Magneto turned his attention to the dead corpse floating in front of him. "A shame, really, but it had to be done. The first of many, but all for the greater good. This is a prime example of how humans react when they feel threatened by our kind. They always have to interject themselves into our affairs. Killing me in cold blood wouldn't simply stop how humans would view mutants. That was his first mistake, opposing me.

"I'll be the catalyst for us mutants!" Magneto roared. "From this day forward, no one will stand in our way! The quicker they learn, the more mercy I will show. It's as simple as that, my dear friend. To teach them a lesson, a proper demonstration is needed. Humans will never change, it's in their nature to feel frightened of those who are different, and that gives birth to hatred. I've witnessed it first-hand, and I will not rest until I know that won't ever happen again. Change starts today, with me leading it and trust me, I'll show humanity the full wrath and extent of the superior race!"

Magneto announced proudly, widely spreading his arms with a smile on his face, nobody answering back at him.

"You know what your problem is?"

Interrupted at the end of his speech, Magneto lost all focus on his current thoughts to find the source of the voice that was relatively close to him. Magneto was shocked when the head of the boy he just killed rose up slowly at him. The Brotherhood, who looked at his direction, were all shocked to see the human was still alive. As for the X-Men, they weren't sure what was happening on their end, only for Charles who read the minds of the others, his eyes widening upon reading their thoughts.

"You've got a massive ego, and that's going to be your downfall."

Before Magneto had a chance to do anything, a swarm of black ravens morphed out from his bleeding body, all of them aiming for Magneto. One managed to fly across his face, leaving three deep slash marks on his face that were revealing, making him cry out in pain. They were too fast and were coming from every possible direction. Magneto tried flying away, but wherever he would go, the birds followed.

He pulled several spears out of the body and formed additional protection to cover his exposed, yet damaged face, while also shaping them into thin sharp blades, spinning them at an intense speed then making them rotate all around his own body. While the armor protected his chest, other parts of his body received deep cuts, the metal not attaching in time to increase his defenses. Wherever he went to fly away, the birds prevented him from going far, pushing him back by some kind of force, leaving him only to keep as much distance whatever opening was available while mowing them apart.
Wanda and Pietro tried assisting their father, with the other members trying to help as well, but only more birds were born from the human's body. Due to them being too elusive, it was difficult to destroy them.

The X-Men weren't particularly sure what was going on but could see the body of their new acquaintance slowly disintegrating away as more birds morphed out of his body.

"What's happening...?" Scott said, confused, taking a step further to get a better angle.

"I can't say for certain, but all of them seem to be going into panic mode." Charles spoke while reading all of their minds to get their point of view.

"That means that isn't the real Ethan, right?" Kurt asked as he looked around them before looking back down at the Brotherhood.

"But where is he then?" Jean said worryingly.

"Right here, of course."

I chirped as jumped slightly behind them, shocking them all at my sudden appearance. Damn, I got them good, hah.

"Jesus! My dude," Kurt whipped the sweat of his forehead, before giving me a look of disbelief. "Never, never do that again..."

"What? What's a magic trick without a little suspense?" I said easily while scrolling through the pages and summoning the Green-Jaded Hook. I felt satisfied with the execution, and that I have about a twenty more second window before it all goes to waste, better wrap this up.

"But how did you know of his attack? There was little time for any of us to even react." Charles asked.

"The moment I cast my first spell, of course," I replied as I coated the hook with a dark blue aura, which prompted a few additional blades to come out from the side as the color changed to a cobalt blue. "For the finale…"

I spun around, setting my sights on Magneto, who was still trapped within the flock of ravens. Winding up, I threw the hook in his direction, rapidly increasing speed as it traveled. When close, the birds made an opening to let the hook reach its target. It wrapped around his torso in a matter of moments. Opening my right hand, a green flame appeared before it coated my entire hand. I slammed the chain, all the way until it reached the ground. The rest of the chain started falling down like it weighed a few tons. Once it reached Magneto, it slammed him into the ground.

Just like that, he can forget about flying away. Only by my own means well he will be able to even be lifted off the ground.

Tossing the chain to the side, I won't have to worry about it being broken or taken away. It would only respond to me and would take a great deal of power to break it, and I don't plan to give Wanda the chance to do so.

I turned to the X-Men members behind me. "Okay, now we can continue."

Scott walked up, giving me a sharp glare before turning to the other members. "Alright, people, let's move!"

Everyone was riled up to start the second round, their expressions showing nothing but determination. Not a second later, we all broke into a run, Jean on my right with Nightcrawler on my left.

Avalanche made another earthquake, distorting the ruined field even further. The whole team went on their separate ways, eyeing individual opponents for a more preferable match up. My first goal was to go around the whole damaged/broken terrain, opting to have a clear view rather than behind a rock that only blocks my vision. I had my sights set on the more powerful mutants to take out, but needed to keep my distance as well.

Jean and I were going off to the left, as cracks on the ground quickly managed to create distance between everyone. Jean easily tossed the incoming rocks off to the side, making our way to the parts of the field that weren't damaged, yet.

A long silhouette emerged, the source coming upwards. Both of us looked up, finding Laura kneeling on top of a rock a few meters away, a face with murderous intentions with her claws out.

"Laura?" Jean asked softly while looking at her friend and teammate, only to receive a fierce growl from the black-haired girl before lunging at us. Using her telekinesis, Jean merely sent Laura flying back to not harm her. Using her claws, Laura caught onto the rock she was just on, kicking herself off to make another assault.

This time, Jean used her powers to throw numerous rocks to block her off. Laura easily jumped from rock to rock, managing to dodge anything that came her way. While Jean was already distracting her, I conjured a simple chain spell that will keep her in place. Jean seemed to catch on with my idea, with me placing the chain behind the rock before Jean threw it at Laura. Just as her claws met the stone, my little trick quickly trailed to her arm, while also tightly sticking onto the rock. It quickly wrapped itself around her body, not allowing her to dodge this time. Jean used her powers to shoot her away, for the time being, giving us a moment to think about what to do next.

Jean looked to the other side of the battlefield, finding Logan facing off against Scott and Piotr. "They're under the influence by one of the enemy mutants."

"You know how to bring them to normal?" I asked her while staying focused in case Laura tried to sneak up on us.

"I did it before, but two at once is more difficult. Plus having them be distracted is a nice bonus if possible. Right now, I doubt we'll get enough time to deal with both of them."

"Can you take care of Logan? I'll handle Laura."

"I can keep him still while the Professor does the rest. As for Laura, are you sure? She can be a little… too fierce to take on alone." Jean argued.

"Think I'll survive," I said reassuringly while looking for the mutant responsible. "I'll take care of that one so he doesn't do it again."

Jean stood still before giving me a confident smile. "Alright, take care of yourself out there."

"Likewise."

With that, Jean was off, using her powers to levitate herself towards her teammates.

Turning my attention to the Mastermind, who was left behind, unable to do much on his own as Quicksilver was somewhere else. Perfect. I clasped my hands together, creating a small bird with four wings, each part of its body entirely made silver energy rings. The bird quickly flew across the battlefield, locking onto Mastermind. When the man noticed something was heading towards him, he tried running away. Once it was close, the rings on its body separated to form multiple chains, first tying up his legs before locking his entire body of any movement.

That will keep him out of the fight for good.

I was done just in time to lock onto Laura again, going around the large pieces of rock for a stealthier approach. Without thinking twice, I retreated into the debris, a spell ring in one hand with my other going back forth to summon dark brown vines from every rock possible, latching onto her arms and legs. Just as new vines would grab her, she would effortlessly cut off the old ones. I had to look back repeatedly while moving so I wouldn't fall.

Her agility and speed were incredible, and nothing to underestimate. With each jump, she would evade several vines, making it so we were only a few meters apart. When the vines got a hold of her left upper arm, she ran up until she was twisted to her left, using the opportunity to lead with a kick, a singular Adamantium claw quickly coming out of her boot that aimed for my sides. The spell ring was large enough to meet the sharp tip at the very edge but still close for comfort. If it wasn't for the vines that slowed her down, I'd probably be sliced in half from this position.

I could have done whatever I wanted to get her off my tail, but that wasn't the goal. I needed to cleanse her mind, and I had one option that works fast. Releasing my shield, I placed my hand behind my back and began channeling my needed spell. I had to be quicker now since I had no protection, nonetheless, my vines managed to keep her away long enough. What I was making was a Cleansing Orb, its outer shell being made out of what resembled glass with white strings flowing inside to enter the mind of your desired target for repairs.

"Come on, Laura! I know you find me annoying but you don't have to cut me into pieces now!" I tried calling out to her to try to keep myself calm while not trying to end up like a kebab. The orb was ready to go, but I'll have to get a clean and effective shot to make sure it properly clears her head.

"Don't be mad at me for this, Laura."

I waited for her to lung at me again, that's when I would strike. With her arms wide, she lunged forward, right into my trap. With my fingers, I controlled a few vines to grab her legs in order to pull her back. On the ground, she went to cut off the vines holding her legs, before more of them grabbed a hold of her arms, additional vines tying themselves around each other to keep Laura in place. Right now, she was on her knees with her head lowered.

She raised her head just in time for me to slam the orb right in her forehead, glass shards dispersing everywhere before disappearing, and the white strings slowly entering her head. The black-haired woman kneeled back down, releasing multiple whimpers as she closed her eyes shut. I made the vines disappear, with me grabbing her before she hit the ground. Seeing two rays of red in the corner of my eye, I pushed us towards the rock, letting her lean on it before she regained her senses. That same beam wasn't too far from hitting us. The beam came from Scott who tried landing a shot on Toad, who jumped on top of him, messing with his visor, while the other came from Wanda assisting her team. Toad jumped just as Blob slapped Scott with his overly sized hand, sending him flying back.

Avalanche, alongside Pyro were keeping Jean and Colossus from having an easier time helping Logan. Neither the Professor in a safe enough range to clean his mind.

In the center of the distorted field, which had some even ground, held everyone else. Rogue was dodging blows from Blob, while landing some of her own hits, and was coming out on top. Some members of the two teams were out of sight for now, but changes quickly happen in the battlefield.
Pyro made it very difficult for the X-Men to advance further, keeping them at bay with two giants made out of flame. Jean was able to keep the flames in place, the only problem being that Pyro used his flamethrower to increase the overall size tremendously. Throwing her hand out and clenching her fist, she crushed the compartments on his arms, nullifying his ability to create more fire.

With another wave, she knocked Pyro off his feet, breaking his concentration on manipulating the fire, leaving Jean with enough time to extinguish it.

Looking back down, Laura finally seemed to be coming to. Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked several times while looking around herself. When her eyes widened a little when they landed on me. "E-Ethan?" Laura asked with a hint of confusion.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," I greeted Laura. "Sorry if I hit you too hard in the head, would have used a different method but this one was the quickest."

Laura still seemed taken aback with me in front of her "What happened back there? I'm positive I saw that Magneto killed you."

"You missed the twist, a shame really, it was a good one too," I shook my head playfully, turning back the situation at hand. "But enough chit-chat, you should go help them, think they might need your help."

Laura looked in the direction I was facing, eyes widening when her father came into view. "He's under the same influence as you were. Jean and the Professor will get him back to normal. You should go and help them."

"What will you do?"

"I have my own plan on how to put an end to this fight. Eliminating their hard hitters is a must. Don't worry, i'll pull my own weight."

It took her a moment to fully digest everything. But not long after, her eyes narrowed, with her claws popping out as well, ready to take action.

"Oh, and before you go," I said hastily while pulling her back down. On the palm of my hand, a silver rune appeared, letting out a faint glow. I grabbed Laura's hand and squeezed it firmly two times, transferring the Rune over to her. When done, she looked at the mark with confusion. "It's a Rune that will create a force field around anyone or anything it touches. From my observation, Magneto can toss Logan and Colossus around since he has control over that kind of metal. It has two charges, one for each of them, with about a twenty-minute window before it expires. Make sure you use it on them, a single touch should do it."

With the newfound information, Laura nodded as she clenched her fist, jumping to her feet and set her sights on her father and teammate.

Having done that, I made my way out, using the same route where I had my little dance with Laura. While making preparations for my next spell, I was hit from my right side, throwing me off my balance and tumbling to the ground. It came so fast, leaving little reaction time. I did notice a faint trail coming towards me, but by then it was already too late. Rolling on to my chest, I saw the silver-haired speedster, standing over me with a smug expression on his face.

"You have to be quicker than that."

The mutant taunted before vanishing, leaving a faint bluish trail that quickly went away. Just as I got up on my knee, I received a kick to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me while throwing me back. I didn't even land on the ground before I was hit again, propelling me in another direction. This continued on for a bit, kicking me around like a soccer ball. Due to my slight enhanced durability, I was able to take the repeated hits until it started piling up,

Having little breathing room, I was limited to what I could do, but it was enough to buy me some time. I cast a Sound Bomb from my hand. I wasn't worried about him reacting to it, as to him it was practically invisible, and when it's ready it will explode automatically. For me, there wasn't any difference since my mask was enchanted to protect me from such an attack.

As for Quicksilver, not so much.

This sent the speedster hurdling to the ground, clutching his ears shut while still moving on the ground like a wild animal. He went out of sight to recover, still unable to take his hands off his ears.

"That's it, I've lost my patience." I muttered under my breath while on my chest, taking out my dagger. Covering it with a lime green aura that appeared in my other hand. The blade was lit with green energy, and for the final piece, I made a small ice crystal, before it was sucked into the blade, flashing blue and white lines into the green blade. When it was ready, I plunged the dagger into the ground.

Looking around, I spotted Quicksilver leaning onto a tree with his eye-brow raised while cleaning his ears. With a shrug, the speedster zoomed off, nothing but a faint trail that followed him. When he got into range, his speed drastically decreased as he started slipping on the grass, like the surface was made out of ice. Furthermore, thick vines grew from the ground, following him like wild snakes. As they grabbed a hold of his legs, it wasn't long before he fell entirely, the vines sprayed across his body, tying him up like a neatly wrapped present.

I got up and walked to Quicksilver, who was about eight meters away. When the dagger was placed, about thirty meters of the area was equivalent to walking on ice, without the area changing at all. The vines were also part of the marked area, whatever walks in its path will track it down and immobilize it, with it working to predict its targets movements.

That was step one, as for step two…

I slightly sped up to wind-up, kicking the silver-haired youth right in the jaw. The vines hardly let him budge, and without any help, he should be there for a while.

"That's for being a prick."

My moment of payback was short-lived as I saw a red energy wave vastly heading towards me. Throwing my hands in the air, my thumbs simultaneously moving down to project dozens of thin blue lines before me. I was pushed back slightly when her attack met my shield, but I refused to let up. The blue lines absorbed the red blast, leaving behind purple particles as they mixed.

As they slowly disappeared, the figure of one very angry Chaos Magic-user came into view, slowly walking with balled fists that were covered in red vapor.

"You so much as touch my brother again, I'll promise you'll regret it." Wanda Maximoff threatened, her voice dripping with anger.

"In my defense, he started it."

"Then I'll be the one to end it."

"Fair enough. Now, shall we dance?" I bowed slightly, quite eager to see how well I fair against another magic-user.

The girl merely scoffed at my remark, not fond of how my mannerisms were on the lighter side. Wanda slowly walked off to the side, her eyes fixated on me all the while, so I decided to follow along. It was like a Western Shootout, with each second becoming more and more suspenseful. She was nervous, I can tell that much, but she still carried herself with confidence.

Seems I'll be the one who does the first move.

Crossing my arms to form an "X", two green crystals forming in my hands. I threw the crystals at her, their size expanding while traveling with parts of the crystals broke off, a whole swarm of them now heading her way.

Acting quickly, Wanda formed a shield around her. Upon impact, miniature explosions came when the crystals shattered. The smaller crystals weren't a problem, but the larger ones were more difficult to fend off. When all of them exploded, she amplified her shield, now resembling a massive red wave of energy with three spheres of lighter shades of the same color floating inside.

When it was ready, she unleashed her barrage. Just from the looks of it, Wanda put in some extra juice, burning the grass as her projectile traveled. Now knowing I was able to grab her own energy and use it as my own, even if it would be a small portion, I can use it against her.

Behind my arms, two see-through containers appeared. Shooting my hands out, the containers flew into the air to meet her projectile. They started to suck in the energy, but not all of it though. While they did reduce the size and intensity, I wasn't safe yet. I quickly started walking backwards to evade the cracks on the ground that were forming from her wave.

My left sleeve was burnt as a result, up until my elbow, but all of the energy was absorbed.
With a slight move of my pinky finger, my book opened on my desired page. Now having an abundance of her energy to use, I was able to create a few creatures with relative ease than in normal circumstances. The wild energy that was stored was used to make my new companions, the energy itself transforming on its own.

The first creature was a Land Shark. Its head was bullet-shaped, thin eyes on the far side of its head. It was roughly three meters long and a meter tall. A long maw with two sets of teeth were visible. It also sported two sets of legs, the ones on the front more bulky and had sharper claws. The whole top part of the shark seemed to be reinforced with an additional shield for protection

The second creature was a wolf, its body looked like it was made out of thousands of little ruby crystals, Wanda's glowing energy flowing inside its body, giving it an illuminated appearance.

The last one was a hawk, the edge of its wings, and claws glowing a darker shade of red. I had a blob of the energy in my hand that I simply tossed to the ground behind me.
With my little performance set up, it was time for a counter-attack.

The land shark jumped slightly off the ground, before diving into the soil, its large body leaving outlines where it traveled, but its speed was amazing. The Wolf was the second to follow, with the Bird starting off last.

Wanda's face was in shock when she witnessed that her own power was used to make these... creatures! Her eyes shot to the ground, quickly spotted the trail of soil raised from the shark-like creature. Squeezing her hand, the area she aimed for, red trails touched the ground, beginning to crush from the inside. It destroyed chucks of the ground with no effort but was still unable to hit her target.

Spotting the creature's arm due to one of the holes in the ground, she was able to pull it out, since she was able to sense and control her own energy she could see, she was able to defend herself. Fully pulling out the creature was more difficult than she imagined, but once she had a firm grip the shark was plucked out of the ground, a mere two meters apart. Even though she was able to contain it, the shark would make an attempt to jump forwards, its maw barely out of reach from Wanda's position. She tried crushing the monstrosity, only parts of the armor cracking for now.

Realizing that two other threats were coming, she looked around, seeing the wolf speeding across towards her, she would have to retract one hand to hold it off, while potentially losing her hold on the shark. As a solution, she ripped the shark's abnormally large arm off, throwing it in the wolf's direction, piercing through its chest and immobilizing it.

What Wanda failed to notice was the bird swooping in from above.

"Gahh!"

Wanda shut her eyes, hissing as the bird scratched her upper right arm, leaving three slash marks. Ignoring the pain, Wanda's eyes shot wide open, radiating a dark-red glow, her anger drastically rising. Closing her fist, she put enough force necessary to crush the shark. The creature roared as its body was being crushed from within, the monster's head and lower body were pulled from the inside, crippling the creature, but still moved its arm and whatever was left of its tail. Raising both her hands into the air, she sent the wolf and shark hurdling at the hawk. It was able to avoid them both, leaving the bird caught in-between. Right then, the two energy creatures exploded, incinerating the bird before it got a chance to escape.

After she eliminated all of them, with the smoke gradually fading away, Wanda's rage was only increasing.

Huh, I'll be darned.

Using both her hands, she channeled her power for a short duration, before blasting off a singular red beam.

I retorted with throwing my left arm out, shooting out a similar beam but the only difference was that it was orange. It was a mix between my own and her energy I took.

As the two beams connected, it was a battle who would overpower the other. Due to her raw power, I was slowly losing. The intensity alone was tearing whatever was left of the ground, and I'm sure I can see Wanda struggling as well.

Okay. Time to end this. While she had raw power, I know how to bend this to make me come out on top.

Charging another beam in my other arm, this time the color being blue. Shooting it alongside the orange beam, the two beams mixed together. Smaller blue streams went off to the side, evading Wanda's beam and traveling alongside it, striking Wanda in the chest, making her lose her concentration on her own beam, allowing my blast to pierce through hers. Realizing that there wasn't much time to add enough power to stop the opposing beam, Wanda decided to put a stop to it, right now. Turning both her hands over, causing the middle-point of their beams to explode. It made us both back off, while also forcing us to stop from continuing our bout.

As our respective beams went away, our bout was met with silence. On my side, I firmly stayed in place, barely getting warmed up. Wanda however, was panting heavily, using her powers to this extent was taking a toll on her body. During our moment of rest, I was able to deduct this iteration of Wanda's abilities. She had the power, loads of it, way more than an advanced sorcerer would have. Her one and fatal flaw was that she had little control. Yes, she can use her powers in quick succession and a strong enough blow might do it, but when she herself doesn't know her potential and where to start improving, she'd be only doing herself harm if that doesn't change.

"Impressive," I complimented the brown-haired girl, impressed she was still willing to fight. "I didn't know you could make me go this far just to keep up."

"I didn't know you could be this annoying." Wanda huffed angrily.

"But you know what you lack? Control. You have an amazing gift, one that comes very rarely. It would be a shame to waste it."

Wanda scoffed. "What would you know?"

"A lot, actually. With our little dance alone, I can pinpoint quite a number of things. I can give you a list if you like," I remarked wittily, adding more fuel to the fire. "Believe me when I say this, you've yet to scratch the surface of your abilities, your true potential."

"Seriously? Do you really expect me to believe any of that bullshit? What you did today only proves Father was right."

"He's using you, all of you for your powers, its plain as day," I told her loudly. "He views you all as his pawns, his soldiers to do his bidding. When one's gone another replacement is easy to find in his eyes. The only thing you're guaranteed with him is that your life will be wasted following a man who can bring nothing but death.

"I'm done talking to you," Wanda said coldly. "I'd suggest you stop wasting my time."

I could only shake my head. "I really do hope you realize sooner rather than later how corrupt his view is, and that it's not too late to make a change for yourself."

Then, a long piece of metal landed in the ground not too far away from me. Got other people to stop.

"Sorry! Would love to stick around longer, but maybe next time!" I waved slightly before mentioning one little detail. "Also, this might hurt a bit."

Wanda was confused at my remark until she heard something surfacing on the ground below her. Just as she looked down to find a mole that was made out of her powers, but its form was a lot smoother than the previous one. Latching on to her foot, an intense shock surged through her body, a loud shriek escaped her lips. With a few seconds passing, Wanda fell to the ground.

"Better to take the quicker and less extreme route than drag this out further." My eyes shifted toward the on-going battle.

It seems like this time around, they were winning. With all the trouble Wanda and Pietro caused, since this was their first encounter, they weren't sure what strategy worked. As of now, Sabretooth was duking it out with Logan and Laura, who received dozens of cuts with their combined effort. Rogue was still having to deal with Blob, as Kitty's efforts seemed to be helping. Kurt still was having trouble with Unus, but was able to hold his own.

A great deal of members on both sides seemed to be down for the count.

As for Jean, she was facing off against the "Master" himself. Even before, she was taking him from the start. While she was able to block his metal projectiles with her mind, or using rocks as a shield, the sheer number of attacks was slowly overpowering her. Looking over the half-empty container of Wanda's energy, I formed the shape of a bird, different from the first one. The creature flew out of my reach, fast, with Magneto catching sight of it, moving some of his shields to squash it. Evading most of them, the creature was finally sliced in half a few meters away from him but knocked back from the explosion the two halves caused.

I teleported right next to Jean, giving her a hand so she could stand up. By now, Magneto was already back up on his feet, getting ready for a counter-attack.

"Tag team?" Jean asked, her eyes narrowing at Magneto.

"Tag team." I agreed to her offer, taking a battle stance.

Magneto easily took apart the metal, making more weapons to aid him. When done, a flick of his hand was all that's needed to send them flying at his desired targets, us. Quickly tapping the side of my forearm, a pink hexagonal barrier instantly appearing around us, blocking the first of his attacks. The barrier was tough, making every metal spear bounce off when hitting it. Jean would be able to grab ahold of the metal, but only momentarily as Magneto wasn't giving any free chances, but the rocks around were enough.

Jean tried to keep him in place, but it was futile, it only made him angrier. With a roar, the metal that was around him was sent flying at us. Compared to moments before, the attacks were beginning to leave cracks in the barrier. Need to do the same to him.

"You can grab a hold of energy and use it as your own, right?" I asked her.

"Somewhat," replied Jean with a grunt. "What'd you had in mind?"

While still focusing on the barrier, I used my hand to form a pulsating green energy sphere, something that will last and quickly replenish itself. "Will that work?"

Hovering her hand over the sphere, Jean was easily able to take some of the energy, form various shapes at will. A smirk appeared on Jean's face. "Sure will."

Using that energy, Jean used her mind to send it flying at Magneto, evading his shields and skidding backwards as it hit his stomach. Giving a quick approving nod, Jean was already making numerous more projectiles to use. The sphere will give her as much firepower as she wanted. Now having another set of attacks, Magneto's defenses were less effective.

The armor he wore was slowly torn apart, forcing him to constantly make repairs to not reveal his exposed skin.

Seeing as now Magneto had to hold off from attacking, I had a shot as well.

Being close to the lake, I pulled some of the water towards me, growing it to an about half a meter in size as it traveled across the field. When close to Magneto, it diverged into three separate streams, each focusing a different part of his body. With our combined effort, we had him right where we wanted him. While his armor was more durable, it still wasn't able to fix itself before more projectiles would hit him. Coordinating our attacks, be both struck him at the same time, dodging most of his shields. It knocked the wind out of him, another blast to the helmet knocking down.

Seeing as he was on the ground, I commanded all the streams to strike him from above, trapping him in a large bubble. He tried getting out of it, but it kept pushing him back to the center, some of the metal falling to the ground as his hold on them was vanishing.

Jean and I moved cautiously towards him, in case something happens.

Hearing a loud scream, I had to turn to the source, finding a rampaging wave of red energy heading towards us. I put extra focus to that side of the shield, grabbing Jean by the arm to get on the ground. Sadly, the wave obliterated the shield before we got away, sending us tumbling to the ground. Once we stopped moving. I was first on my feet, quickly forming a shield around us. Due to how powerful Wanda's attacks were, it didn't last long. When Jean was able to a second layer of protection, I formed two silver cubes and pushed them off to the side. These will attract the metal flying at us, just enough for them to miss us.

Jean and I suffered a mixture of attacks, varying form cuts caused from the flying metal that barely didn't pierce our body, and the energy attacks that broke our shield before a stronger from could be made. I made numerous advances with my water bending to stop them, but with a limited supply at the moment, I couldn't do much, only able to make some defenses and slow them briefly. I tried several other spells when I got the chance, but they weren't as useful.

Magneto and Wanda pushed us back even further, bringing us closer to the lake. Our only form of protection being a ring of water with enhanced durability with another layer courtesy of Jean.

"Got any ideas?!" Jean asked loudly.

I looked behind me, I examined the area I had to work with.

"Yeah, one," I uttered slowly, still focusing on keeping the shield up. "But you'll have to cover me for a bit so I can set up!"

"Whatever it is, it better be quick!"

Jean was quick to take over in the shielding department, my sphere disappearing while her force field took over. I didn't have much time, so to take them both out, I'll have to give it my all. Clasping my hands together and closing my eyes, I tried forcing everything out of my head, leaving one simple thought in; controlling as much water as I could. With all the extra energy I saved, I could increase the amount I can control. There's no holding back for this one, so I better make it count.

Ah! I could feel a stinging sensation that started off from my head and spread across my body, meaning it's working. Thirty seconds. If I do it in thirty seconds, I'll be fine.

With most of the water from the lake under my influence, I made a towering wave that would be enough to take them out, all of them. The wave stood at about eight meters tall, while the length seemed endless while it was ever spreading. I stood in the middle of it all, a stream of water hoisting me up. Now, I could somewhat match Wanda in raw strengh, while also not having to worry about Magneto as Jean still had my back as they tried desperately to come out on top. Swinging my arm, I formed a separate pillar of water that surged forward at high speed. My control of its shape was flimsy, making it appear more wild and terrifying.

Wanda had enough time to make themselves a shield, while also trying to stop the water entirely. Just as she was able to stop it, smaller streams diverged in from the pillar, hitting Magneto and Wanda not long after. It knocked them off their feet, as the intensity of the water was amplified.

Losing precious time, and the strain on my head becoming irritating, I swung my arms out swiftly to send more and more waves at them. While on the ground, Wanda still tried to properly shield them from any possible projectiles, with Magneto creating a large enough sphere for the two.

Sadly, defense was a luxury they weren't able to obtain.

They were tossed around, not given a moment to rest because another towering wave was about to hit them. The next several seconds were nothing but blow after blow, coming at a speed and in a direction they weren't able to prepare for in time. With the number of hits I landed, I was surprised they were still able to stand.

When the chance presented itself, Magneto pulled the half-formed sphere towards him and Wanda, fully developing the sphere around them. Now that they're inside, I have my chance to get them all out of here.
Pulling my hand out, I winced as I felt the side effects becoming more apparent, the strain becoming unbearable. The strain I can live with, but the pain in the back of my head was an indication that I was reaching my limit.

Just a little more.

I sent more waves towards all of the Brotherhood. Mastermind and Quicksilver were the easiest to snatch, trapping them inside the wave. Not long after, almost everyone else was trapped as well, the only difficult ones being Sabretooth and Blob, but not even them could escape the amount of liquid that surrounded them.

The X-Men, who were fighting the remaining members, stepped back when they spotted the waves approaching.

When all of them were rounded up, I pulled my hand back to command the wave to shift its trajectory, having it go in the opposite direction, which is when I made the chain disappear. I shorten the wave in length and height, making the wave resemble a big square made of water. They were within my hold, like a neatly wrapped up present. Now to give them a one way ticket out of here, for good.

Since the wave was coming straight at me, I took the few important seconds I had left to create a portal, making it large enough for a good portion of the box to fit. It was right underneath me, growing wider with each millisecond passing. When they were close, I could faintly see their reactions.

"Enjoy the wild!"

I shouted at the Brotherhood just as they passed through the portal, dropping them off on an island far of the African coast, closing it the moment they did. Immediately after that, I mentally cut the connection from using my reserved energy, making so that any liquid that was still under my control plummet to the ground. As a result, I was falling towards the ground as well. One singular stream went upwards to catch me, then lowering me down.

I turned towards Jean, who was looking at me wide-eyed.

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" I jokingly said.

Without even moving, I felt like my whole body was growing heavier each second that passed. Speaking of which, why can't I stop my body from leaning forward? Before I knew it, I fell face-first onto the wet grass, losing the last bit of strength I had left.

The last thing I could comprehend before blacking out was that my mask had been taken off, accompanied by some yelling I couldn't make out. Before I completely passed out, one thought was present in my mind, already getting a feeling of disappointment.

"Okay… maybe my calculations were a little off."

---

All of a sudden, my eyes shot wide open.

The first thing I noticed was the bright lights above me, which were irritating, to say the least, along with a machine going "beep" every second.

What happened to me? The last thing I remember was… throwing all of the Brotherhood through a portal on the other side of the world before passing out, where was I now? I seemed to be lying on some sort of bed, my eyes scanned the area, with me head turning slightly. A white ceiling with black lines running across them, light panels in every third row. Slowly turning my head to the side, I spotted Jean and Laura beside Hank, it seemed like he was explaining something to them. Okay, at least that question answered.

Did I really use every last drop I saved for me to pass out? My body feels… relatively fine, nothing seemed to be hurting. I trailed my hands across my chest, I could feel several wires were attached. Traveling along my pale chest, I stopped every time I would come across a cut, or when an area would hurt.

I tried lifting myself up slowly, unable to stay still for a second longer. Oh, that was it, and here it comes, the headache, along with pain across whatever part of my body I moved. The slightest movement was enough for me to feel like a shock ran across my entire body. With the newfound discomfort, I only moved slowly to properly sit, a long groan coming out in the process.

This seems to catch Jean's attention. "Ethan!" The redhead screamed, running towards the table I lied on.

When she got close to me, for the life of me, I couldn't find the strength to say anything, resorting to only nod with each question she asked. What was wrong with me?

"Thank goodness, you're awake," Hank came towards us with a tablet, Laura following right behind him.

"You were unconscious for a few hours, we were worried there for a moment that something more severe happened."

As the two came closer, I still found myself with my mouth firmly shut. Again, what was wrong with me? All I could do is turn forward to look at anything else in the lab.

"Come on, Ethan, say something." Jean pressured on.

Deciding to give in to her request, I tried opening my mouth to say something, then immediately closing it. Okay, what the hell was-oh, oh no. Not that, not now.

"Talk to us, Ethan. If you're hurting anywhere, just tell us." Hank reassured me.

Him, Laura and Jean stared at me in complete silence, with me only blinking and turning my focus to each of them every few seconds. Not good, I don't know how long I can hold it in, if I can that is. My eyes scanned the room, trying to find some sort of solution. There it is. I looked down at the wires on my chest.

Off. Now.

I scrambled to take them all off, catching them all by surprise, even more so when I jumped off the table and ran towards the nearby sink. Luckily, it was empty when I got a closer view of it. When I got there, I couldn't hold it any longer, I vomited like I was at death's door. I came to a stop for a brief moment, regaining some strength into my arms. As I said, it was a brief moment before I lost it all and my head was back in the sink.

"There goes yesterday's dinner…"

I could hear Jean talking to me while coming up from behind me. Oh, come on, don't let her see me like this! Flipping the faucet upwards quickly to wash my face, just in case I had anything on my face.

"Are you alright?" Jean asked softly.

I turned off the water, lifting my head up to meet my reflection on the mirror on the wall. I was most definitely pale and looked like I just got out of a coma, my white skin

"Yeah, I'm okay." I slowly turned around, leaning back with my arms clutching the edge for extra support, just in case. Jean handed me a water bottle, muttering a quiet "thank you" before I took a long continuous sip before stopping, letting out a relieved sigh.

I limped back towards the table, with Jean walking beside me if I needed help, even though I told her I was fine.

"You gave us quite a scare," Hank tenderly said while repositioning one of the monitors so I can see the display. "Initially, we-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, listen, I would hear you a lot better, if you had some Ibuprofen or anything to kill this headache."

Hank speedily moved across the lab to find a small bottle, handing it over to me. Taking a pill out and placing it in my mouth, then drinking more water, stopping for a moment when swallowing it. Suddenly, I poured some of it on my face.

"Okay…" I said with a sigh. "I'm better now."

"We thought you might have had internal injuries in your and Jean's fight with Magneto, but once we brought you in, we soon realized that wasn't the case. Our scans didn't show such an injury, several bruises, a few cuts and severe exhaustion sure but nothing to consider life-threatening. Here, look."
Pointing with his finger and changing the screen's display, Hank went on to number a few more things, nodding every now and then. "We were wondering if you could fill us in on a few areas."

Eh, might as well explain some bits to get off the hook quicker.

"Well, there's an unspoken rule in magic," I began explaining while taking another sip. "An unspoken rule that basically means anything your mind could fathom is definitely possible. Any desire, any amount of power or knowledge is accessible if you know how to use them. If you can work around some of their rules and side-effects, you can get off scot-free from any payment necessary. What I did back there was use every last ounce of power I saved for a reserve to take them out. In normal circumstances, I'm not skilled enough yet to do heavy-based abilities on their own, so I have to resort to using the energy I stored up from before. The more I use that particular ability, the quicker I lose fuel, so to speak."

"How much did you use for you to end up out cold like that?" Laura asked
.
I shrugged at her question. "Two weeks' worth, maybe? I'm back to square one in that field. One particular side-effect that's annoying is that it amplifies the strain the body takes with each spell cast with it. If properly timed, you get off with minimal damage. Overusing it too much with little supply every time can lead to more severe nerve damage."

"And yet, you used it anyway when knowing the cost?" Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, can't know your limits unless you confront them head-on. I'm still breathing, aren't I?" I merely shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Besides, I wasn't out that long… was I?"

"A few hours, actually," Hank corrected me.

"Ah," was all I uttered, taking a moment to fully digest. "I see…"

Hank insisted I stay a little longer, to do a few more tests for safe measure. Laura excused herself when I was on my feet and awake, but not long after, I was allowed to leave the hospital wing, Hank deeming I should be good enough to walk without any trouble. Even though I was walking slowly to avoid testing my luck, making it easy for the sake of my body. I only took a water bottle with me, not feeling like carrying anything else on me.

Jean stood by me all the while, keeping me company while we strolled around the institute, before walking outside for some fresh air, coming close to perfection as the sun started to set, not a better way to forget the thought of lying unconscious the last few hours.

I, however, wasn't thinking about that all. Okay, maybe a little bit.

For the first time in a while, I actually slept several hours in a piece without using my Astral Form to take advantage of every single second available. It was a little weird how fast I got used to ignoring the need for "proper" sleep.

I tried paying attention to whatever Jean was saying, but I kept zoning out when I would follow along. Right now, she talked about how everyone was pitching to repair all the damages caused by the battle, and that she offered to help but was told to take it easy as well. I was still trying to find a way to describe my recent showcase. To be frank, I was glad that I was able to test my capabilities, now I have a measuring chart to know where I stand. Before I would be content with using several spells at a time to hold up a fight, now I was controlling it when I would push myself to the limits. Jean's efforts cannot go unnoticed either, it was like we were in sync, without being mentally connected. I was fully on my own, I would have had to take out instantly with a strong enough attack.

Wanda and Magneto did put up a good fight, and I could definitely see her surpassing him.
What really grinded my gears was how stupid I was for slipping up. Trust me, when looking at the faintest of details, I see that as a failure. I greatly underestimated how much my body could handle, that was my first mistake. When I could feel I was reaching my limit, I should've stopped using the Power Bank's stored energy, instead of using alternative methods to not push it.

Which begs the question, how can I improve faster?

While a slight setback, I now have an idea of what certain fields I should focus on. Task number one, amp up the training big time. I'm close to accessing my own Pocket Dimension that's linked to my bag, a perfect field to practice. Since I can't tell how much passes in my Astral Form, I'm glad I won't ever know how much time and nerves were spent studying it and the Mirror Dimension, excluding the time prior before I had to learn it manually. It took a few months, but well worth it. I'll have to retrain myself from trying anything over the top, and practice

Also, potions.

Right now, I felt like my body was tossed through a shredding machine. When I get the space and start brewing some potions, I won't have to go through this sluggish state ever again. Might not fully recover if I use this repeatedly without a proper healing factor, but will cover most things. Better to have them ready for any scenario, as it would be idiotic to not use them. Since it requires time and delicacy to properly make, along with strictly following instructions, might as well call it "cooking two-point-o".

If I had one of those potions on me, I could relieve some of the pain that's washing over me right now.
Hmm, what else, what else. What else could I do? Need to think bigger, like-

"Ethan? You in there?" Jean waved her hand over my face, causing me to blink repeatedly at the sudden gesture.

"O-Oh," I rubbed my eyes for a moment. "Sorry, Jean. I was just... thinking about something."

"Care to share?" Jean asked with an eyebrow raised, a hopeful smile appearing as well.

"Nothing important, really. Just what happened today, been troubling me ever since I left the hospital wing."

"Why? Are you feeling sick again?" Jean asked, already getting unnecessarily worried. "If so, let's go back. Hank won't mind doing another checkup-"

"No, no, no, nothing like that," I quickly dismissed her concerns. "It's on the more in-depth side of things, boring magic stuff to be honest."

"Well then, make it interesting then."

I could help but grin at the redhead, it seems like it was hard to change the subject when she's around. Might as well open a little. Aside from a mage who is a few hundred years old, I didn't have much interaction with anyone else besides "To be honest, I'm glad how I did today. Compared to everyone else, it's reassuring to know I can stand my own against stronger threats."

"On your own?" Jean quoted me as sounding offended, but her expression and tone said otherwise.

"Of course, you've deserved half of the credit as well," I gave the redhead her well-deserved praise. "Looking back, we made a pretty good team. Our fighting styles meshed really well. You had my back out there, so thanks."

"Guess I was right about you, you are a bag full of tricks. I had no idea you could pull that much water around. You should have seen the look on their faces, they didn't know what hit them!" Jean said energetically.

"Was surprised myself, to be honest," I said slowly, looking away momentarily. "Up until this point, I never had to resort to going all out. Good to know where I stand in that category."

"You use situations where you almost died as a measuring point that nonchalantly?" Jean asked.

"Am I supposed to contemplate the amount of times I should have died instead?"

"Fair point."

Jean and I stayed silent while watching how the mutants were fixing the landscape. Together, they can finish any task with ease. That is to be expected, really, considering how much this place gets targeted for an attack.

I was about to spark another conversation, but Jean beat me to it.

"Thank you, Ethan."

I turned to the telepath, somewhat confused. "Eh, no problem, for what, exactly…?"

Jean shook her head playfully with a soft laugh. "For helping us, dummy, what do you think? To Scott, it may have looked like you were just butting in, but to me, I greatly appreciate it, and I say for a majority of people here think the same. When Magneto is involved, things rarely go smoothly. Being what we are, forced to fight our own kind with someone like him at the helm, each battle becomes increasingly difficult. That, and for being the only non-mutant who doesn't have any prejudice against us. The moment you step foot here, you didn't show any fear or treat us differently. Nobody will come out right and say it, but that behavior alone carries a lot of weight. You heard the Professor, It's not easy for humans and mutants to live peacefully, let alone work together. Guess what I want to say is, thank you for risking your life for us, I won't forget that."

For the whole duration, I simply stared at Jean, not yet fully realizing the full implication of her words, meaning I only blinked every now and then. It wasn't until she had nothing left to add that I realized I had to respond. "Wow… I… was not expecting that. Truth be told, I didn't even put much thought into it. You all seemed like a friendly bunch, and you didn't treat me with any hostility, all I did was treat you all the same way. Also, you seem to be forgetting something, I'm a guy dressed in robes that uses magic, so I wouldn't outright call myself normal."

"Still, it's a refresher to have someone not run away screaming when they see us," Jean looked back to the destroyed field. "On one hand, I can't hold it against them for being scared, but at the same time, it's just so… how do I put it, unfair. I just want to show them were not all that different from one another."

"I still think that might change," I said in a similar tone. "The world is starting to believe the unbelievable, so eventually, they'll have to realize different people live among them. If done right, and with a good first impression, the chances of humans and mutants coexisting become more obtainable."

"You think so?" Jean sincerely asked.

"I know so," I confidently said while looking back at her. "It's going to take some more time, but I'm sure we'll get there eventually."

Jean was about reply, but "Ah!" I winced at the sudden occurrence of pain at left side of my chest. "God, this is annoying."

"I'm still not sure you should be even walking," Jean told me, with a hint of worry. "I know you think you can shrug it off, but right now, in your condition, I think moving is the last thing you should be doing."

"Come on, Jean, what are you talking about?" I looked at Jean with a skeptical look to hide my grin, going for a witty remark before taking another drink to ignore my discomfort. "I'm in perfect condition."

"Ethan, you're walking slower than a crippled tortoise," Jean stated with a half lid expression.
Right after taking my drink, I spat the water out while laughing, coughing mildly at the same time. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

I looked down at my shirt, finding that my chest area was completely wet.
Wait… where are my beads?

I checked under my shirt, gone. My face went pale quickly realizing I've been walking around without my only form of protection against Xavier!

"If you're looking for something, I got it right here."

Jean reached into her pocket, taking out my enchanted beads, extending her hand out for me to take them.

My head snapped to inside the school, the bald Professor instantly flashing through my mind. Did he lurk around in there while I was out?

"In case you're wondering, neither I nor the Professor were inside your head. I made sure of that, I can promise you that."

I looked back at the redhead, a mixture of disbelief and shock. Did… did she really make sure my mind wasn't tampered with? At the moment, I was skeptical whether I could fully trust her, as this precaution was essential to keep everything safe. The worst possible scenario, my mind was exposed and the bald man had a thrill finally going through it, or Jean really make sure I wouldn't be tampered by Xavier.

"So you knew what it was, huh?" I asked calmly as I took them out of her hand, placing them back around my neck.

"Not at first. We had to remove everything when we brought you on the hospital bed, just so it doesn't get in the way. I try to not use my telepathy on anyone, but sometimes I notice certain things around me, I'm not always in control, so it happens accidentally. I could feel like something was blocking my powers when around you. Once it was off, those walls were non-existent. Can't honestly blame you for having such a thing, this ability, in the wrong hands, can cause devastating effects."

"All the more reason to be prepared for anything," I simply answered. "I'm not comfortable having anyone going through my head. Especially if I can't even tell if someone did. Always a little paranoid, I guess."

Jean chuckled softly. "You do have a solution for everything, don't you?" The redhead continued on with a similar tone. "

"I think I'm not still properly adjusted to this level yet, that's why."

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

I probably shouldn't have said that, or at least have constructed the sentence better. Looks like my mind is still not properly working. While I cursed myself for saying something like that, I still felt some relief nonetheless. Besides a bold sorcerer who's a few hundred years old, I didn't talk to too many people aside from simple conversations that were nothing more than to pass time. This time around, I'm actually holding a conversation with someone close to my own age, something I haven't done in a long while.

Might as well only reveal a small piece of the truth.

"You see, I wasn't always involved with this kind of stuff, quite the opposite really," I finally said, looking back at the students doing repairs. "When I got entangled in this world, I had come to terms with some things, some things that never came up before. Everything that's happening right now, it's all insignificant when compared to the bigger picture. It's a nasty place, with people who are just as bad. The more I think about it, the more and more problems arise that need fixing. Someone has to keep everything in check, even if different methods are required. If need be, I'll do what's necessary to keep the peace, or make a change that's long overdue."

For the next minute or so, we stood in complete silence, the only sound coming from some of the kids who were messing around in the long hole in the field instead of doing repairs.

"Why don't you just, you know… not get involved?" Jean asked sincerely, her tone low. "If you think it may be too much to handle, nobody is forcing you to put your life at risk. I can tell you want to do-good in the world, and I don't need to read your mind to know that, but you have to think about yourself before anything else. When you get overwhelmed, you can't think rationally sometimes."

I chuckled at her response. It's definitely something Jean would say, after all. "Actually, it's the other way around. It's because I know I can make a difference that pushes me forward, no matter the risk. I can't sit back knowing another dilemma is just waiting to happen, it's just not in my nature. Before, I didn't have the ability to do anything, but when I stumbled upon magic, I knew I had to act. To me, power is nothing more than a tool to use, and there's never a cap on how much is enough, so you always have to have a leg up on whoever you're facing. I've been close to death before when I had no powers, and I don't plan to live through that again."

"I guess, but still, you should never do something like that unless you're sure you'll be okay afterwards. Who knows what would have happened if the circumstances were different." Jean argued back.

"Then I'm lucky I got excellent help to prevent that." I said coyly.

"Just be careful next time, would ya?" Jean said with a shake of her head, a smile present as well. "I'd really much like to avoid the anxiety, you know."

"I can agree to that."

"Say, since we're already talking about it, what did you do before you learned magic?" Jean asked, another spark of interest spreading across her face.

"About that…" I trailed off. Don't worry, I already thought of a backstory that should cover everything if I ever needed it. I was thinking it over, while also wanting to find an excuse to avoid the topic.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to," Jean said reassuringly with a smile. "
I know it's bit of a personal question, so I won't force you."


"Thanks, Jean." I gave her a smile of my own, glad I didn't have to open that box just yet.

Our brief moment of silence was interrupted with, what sounded like, an explosion. Our heads snapped back to the students, a large fire could be seen spreading. The kids yelling at the top of their lungs.

"I think they might need your help over there." I leaned in closer to say lowly, not taking my eyes off the fire-engulfed field.

"Yes," Jean sighed, rubbing her temples. "Yes, they do."

---

"Guess this is my cue," I turned to the X-Men that accompanied my leave. "Finally, I can put this hectic day behind me."

Jean, Laura, Hank, Ororo, and Charles escorted me out of the mansion, now standing next to the statue. Just before I left the mansion, I made some quick repairs to my robes, who were now good as new.

"Farewell, Ethan," Charles said with a smile. "We won't forget what you did for us today. If you ever would like to visit, know that you are always welcomed."

"I'll keep that in mind, Professor," I said to him before turning to Hank. "I haven't forgot about our little discussion. When I'm free, we'll set a date and work around the details from there."

"Looking forward to it." Hank replied with a grin.

Lastly, Jean and Laura were left. "Guess until next time, right?"

"For sure. When not fighting for our lives, I enjoyed our time together. Looking forward to next time." Jean said happily. Laura on the other hand, just stood next to the redhead with half lid eyes, along with her arms crossed.

"What? I don't even get a goodbye for my troubles?" I asked Laura, acting hurt at her cold demeanor.

Laura merely facepalmed, then lazily waving her hand, not bothering to put any effort. "Goodbye."

"I have a feeling that's the best I will get," I said, feeling slightly disappointed. "Not getting better than that for now, I suppose."

With one last wave, I opened my portal to my apartment.

When crossing through the portal, the golden ring disappeared, leaving me in my living room. Ah, forgot to give them something. Quickly opening a smaller portal, right above my chest so I could stick my head to the other side. Finding them going back towards the mansion, a simple "hey" was enough to make them turn around. I tossed one of my Communication Stones towards Jean, who caught the stone instinctively with her powers when she saw it falling in front of her. Pulling the stone into her hand, Jean gave me a questionable look.

"If you ever need to get in touch with me, you can use that at any time. Three taps on the mark should do it," I said cheerfully, tapping my closed index finger with my thumb as a demonstration. "And if it's a fight, please call beforehand. Until then, bye-bye!"

This time around, I left for good. The moment the remaining gold sparks disappeared, I collapsed onto the couch, a long and exhausted sigh escaped my lips.

"Finally!" I thought, wanting to do nothing more than to take it easy. I tried keeping in every single possible complaint I had until I was all alone. I didn't want them to have to deal with my whining, and to be frank, I wanted to be left alone for the remainder of the day.

My thoughts were broken in half when Helix landed on top of my head, looking down at me with his head tilted.

"Hey, little guy," I smiled slightly at the sight of my pet, lazily placing my arm on my stomach, a motion for Helix to jump onto it. Looking around for the clock on the wall, I was surprised to see it show a quarter past eight p.m. on the display. Groaning, I used my free arm to take out a small bowl from the cupboard and filled it with water, making it stay in the air while I took out some meat from the freezer alongside two plates. I also took out a frozen pizza, something to make on the fly. Pulling them towards me, I sat the two plates onto the table, flicking my fingers to make the meat float slightly, placing on the plate.

Helix looked at me questionably with his head tilted, I looked back and forth between him and the food, giving him the go-ahead. The bird jumped towards the table, using its wings to stabilize his landing in front of his food, firstly dipping its beak into the bowl before starting off the main meal.

Glad that I've finished giving my pet its food, even though he still didn't need it. With a gesture, the pizza was pulled out of the box, which I sent flying towards the trash. Slowly spinning my finger in a circle, the pizza started rotating at a similar pace, the bread starting to heat up. Within less than a minute, it was ready, a snap, the meal was split into eight separate pieces, then placing them on the plate. As I slice flew into my hand, I leaned back for a more comfortable position.

A year. I got about a year before Loki's invasion on New York, which is going to need a lot more fire power. Now that I should have a few things up and running, I can cut some time off. But that won't be enough. Challenging, but doable.

What to do, what to do. In this state, I'll be mostly relegated to more Astral Form studying. Better find something new to work on. Then an idea popped into my head.

"After this, and some rest, I really should start the next-"

-"[And now, the first episode of HBO's hit series, now on reruns, The Wire.]"

I stopped to look at the television, my attention was immediately drawn to the TV. Alright, maybe I should rest up a bit, without doing anything, just lying on this couch.

I think I can go one evening pretending like everything's normal again. Just this once.
And with that, we've covered the X-Men. They will get a good amount of time in the story, and there are so many ideas to incorporate I wanna see what we could make with this. I love a big portion of the X-Men and their characters, and I'm sure some will already have an idea who 2ill be featured in the future. To the person who mentioned I altered canon but hasn't showcased the deeper implications of those changes, a good portion of them will be addressed. As to why he's "still believing in the canon timeline", he doesn't, he never did fully trust it since on Day 1 the theory of a different timeline was always present. This Chapter, which featured the Maximoff twins, only proves that the original MCU timeline is out the picture, but might also keep somethings all the same. Just to state that for the record.

Also, before anyone lunges at me with pitchforks, Magneto couldn't escape the flock of birds. I feel like I don't need to spoon-feed that. In case someone argues on that "plot hole".

Took some more time before releasing this one to think about the further changes this timeline might have, and where to take it. I also thought I was fair when writing the fight scene. This was a big one, so some stuff might be missing as adding everything in detail would be longer then it needed to be.

If there are any errors, let me know as I was looking over this late at night to make sure I didn't miss anything, with the help of my editor who did an amazing job. If you have any suggestions for further plans and ideas, let me know. On a final note, I've also been doing a little side project that should soon be up, in case anyone is wondering if I plan on making anything new.

Thats all I got for now, until next time, cya and stay safe yall!

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 7 – Control From Within
Nick Fury paced slowly around in his quarters, a blank expression on his face as he stared at the floor.

He'd just got off from a call with the World Security Council, which was something he loathed. Almost every time, it boils down to the same two conclusions, with them requesting more or making the man's day a living Hell. There was no middle ground when discussing with the Council. There were a lot of things on his mind that he wanted to say with their demands during the call, but restrained himself as arguing with the old coots won't get him anywhere, only a few ranks down the ladder.

Still, he couldn't let this minor annoyance throw him off balance.

Taking one bottle from his drawer, that housed various alcoholic beverages to get him through the day, he poured himself a glass before focusing back on the computer. The moment his fingers graced the keyboard, he got a report from Coulson about debriefing several of their agents.

Holding in his disappointment at the poor timing, Fury drank the entire glass, before walking out of the room towards a different section of the Helicarrier.

Upon entering the meeting room, Fury didn't bother throwing a glance at anyone inside, the only exceptions being Coulson and Natasha Romanoff. There were plenty of assignments to hand out, with all the agents paying close attention when they would be called out. The only person to not pay any attention whatsoever was the red-headed assassin, listening in every now and again but there wasn't anything new or something she didn't already know.

The infamous Black Widow watched as the last agent left, her boredom disappearing as she will find out the reason for her being called. "What are we dealing with here anyway?" Natasha asked casually, crossing her arms while sitting at the edge of the table.

"That's the thing, we barely know anything at all," Nick answered while adding the finishing touches on the assignment he gave the members who left. "We might as well consider him nonexistent, appearing only a few times on camera, even then it's nothing much to work with."

Pressing a button on the keyboard, Fury brought up the very small file they had on the vigilante. Piquing her interest, Natasha stood up and walked closer to the screens to take a better look.

"Like I said, very little to work with." With another press of a button, the first clip played, one where Fury studied numerous times before. The side of the building where two men were falling surrounded by water, the masked man walking to the flipped car. Lastly, the newest footage they were able to acquire, recorded from inside one of Aldrich Killian's test facilities. While the primary focus was the unknown entity, Natasha's eyes couldn't turn away from Killian's test subjects, barely recognizable from the picture she saw of the man before. The image froze and zoomed in on the monstrosity that was once Killian's right-hand man.

"You were right… very little to work with." Natasha said calmly while pulling all the images together with the very little amount of information about him. The gang that was apprehended not too long ago had ties with the group of scientists and armed men underneath that fish market. Meaning their new masked friend definitely paid them a visit. There is some information she can dig up from the two groups, although Natasha would like to know how he operates. While he wasn't sloppy by any means, he wasn't perfect, otherwise, he wouldn't let this happen.

It was a challenge, just what Natasha wanted.

"What do you think? I can't make a proper deduction with barely a page's worth of data. Can't tell what kind of angle he's playing at. His movements seem… random, although that's not saying."

"I'm not sure, but at the moment, I don't care," Nick spoke without any emotion while eyeing the images. "I want to know every single detail about him. We don't even know the full extent of his powers, but we can safely assume he's an Enhanced. We're not sure what his allegiance is, or what kind of incidents these are. I feel like he won't give you too much trouble, anything else would be just a waste of resources. As of now, we have a new player in town. For what we know, he could be on our side, or a dangerous and problematic threat we'll have to deal with."

---

"Owww, this is now becoming insufferable!"

I groaned while leaning on the wall of the bathroom, my mouth wide open, the toothbrush rapidly moving all around in my mouth, with a small stream of water coming in every now and then.

It has been several days since my dance with the Brotherhood and the pain was still present but decreased ever since I took some time off. I'd tried using some methods to make my body recover sooner, the only problem was that I couldn't use the more effective ones because every time that I did, my wounds would act up, making it difficult to complete till the end. I'd only managed to make a quick potion, something that would ease my head, it being the most prominent area that still caused pain. It being so simple to make, didn't result in it being all that helpful, but did get the job done.

Finishing up in the bathroom, I made my way to my living room, I made several gestures to enter my newly acquired Pocket Dimension! The moment I learned teleportation, this one was the most struggle I had on learning the technique, but the number of days and countless hours studying and perfecting the requirements in Astral Form to make it, I can safely say that it was worth it.

As for its appearance, there was a lot of variety. Most of the place was made out of mahogany wood, giving it a matching appearance with the furniture that fits the overall aesthetic. The large area was covered by a silver dome, something that could be easily changed on a whim. On the edge of the room, there were four sets of circular staircases, two going on the room below, while the remaining ones led up to the second floor. The second floor had lots of room around the corners, giving the first floor a nice wide view of the customizable dome. It served to be the room to tinker with various creations and inventions, with plenty of bookshelves to be filled and materials to house. The main floor served for relaxing or laying back, a spacious table in the far right corner. It was still pretty empty, although that will change when I figure out what else to put in here.

Another piece of decorations I couldn't resist to add, multiple stone figures holding up the second floor. There were a total of four of them with identical Spartan armor, their heads only being the only difference in appearance, having the head of a lion. Three were the same size, except the one far down, who towered over the wide table. The kitchen, which had zero technology whatsoever, was outstanding by magical means.

Sitting down at my brewing station, one wave was enough to pull the ingredients on the table closer, focusing on the see-through beaker that contained the potion I so desperately needed at the moment.

Up until today, I caused a miniature explosion by accidentally adding a few extra drops of the needed red liquid, almost poisoning the air at first when the heat temperature was too low for the potion to adjust and acid-like substance when missing the proper window to add the following ingredient. I'll consider myself lucky since I wanted to experiment with potions that are a tad bit difficult to make this early on if not careful.

Potion brewing, was one tricky and complicated field of work if I might say. But on second thought, I've survived the training phase of my own cooking, so I see this as a reminder that the utmost delicate hands and precision were required to exceed in the craft.

Something I took up as a personal challenge.

The potion needed twelve hours to cool off before I could finish it, but when it was time, I threw in a few pinches of green dust Helix I got somewhere from the outskirts of Russia, and so, it was done. I waited a few more minutes to see if this is the one and judging by its behavior and the very, very detailed instructions, it was a success. Taking a small glass flask, easily filling it to its limit. With just one whiff, it sent a chill down my spine by the split second of taking in the smell.

Well, I hope it tastes better.

Taking one small sip, I was close to spitting all the liquid out, but barely restrained myself, so I simply swallowed it.

"Christ, it tastes like a mixture of monkey piss and grape juice."

Ignoring the horrid taste, I kept on sipping till I got used to it. I stood up and went down to sit on one of the couches. Drinking almost half of the liquid inside the flask, I could slowly feel the pain fading away. After a few days of being confined to my couch, I'm finally able to move around without much trouble. The muscle strain I could live with, but the feeling of your head hurting like it was used as a drum, not so much. Later, I'll start off preparing other potions I had in mind, but right now, let's finish another room I was planning on setting up. Before I got up, I took a wooden figurine that I left overnight so it could be ready as soon as possible.

Walking up to the wall with a stone panel on it, doing the necessary gestures required for the wall to move forward a few inches before sliding upwards. Inside, it contained my soon-to-be training room. The Mirror Dimension, which I was finally able to access, still didn't mean other training methods were unwelcomed. The inside was spacious, still pretty empty until I get all the equipment set up.

It was a room dedicated for various training sessions, the walls enchanted so even fairly powerful attacks won't damage them, and if they are, they will repair themselves. The room was spacious but rather empty at the moment, itself was like a pseudo-Mirror Dimension that was easily accessible and is used for non-magical training. Because I was out of commission from using heavy levels of magic until I properly recovered, but in about thirty minutes to an hour, I will be able to at least put in some physical training in the meantime, something that will come in useful to stay in shape.

Reaching the center of the room, I placed the figurine down on the floor. Slapping my hands together, then twisting them to activate the figurine's ability. Over some time, the size increased exponentially, its final height towering over me by a few inches. It was a training dummy that was used back at the temple, and it could be enchanted to fit the required training session. The dummy had a bulky build, only the joints marked with a thin gray line, not many other characteristics in terms of appearance, only having a helmet that only left opened its lower parts of its face.
Taking out the other pieces of paper I grabbed, one by one holding it up in front of the dummy, the small pieces disintegrating and letting out red dust that faded away. It was an indication the move set was transferred. Kamar-Taj used these dolls for training, and this particular paper to choose what kind of fighting style you want it to use, making it optimal for hand-to-hand combat training for Sorceress. I'll have to add more types of fighting styles to get the full advantage of it.

That's for next time. I went back to my little work station, ready to begin with my next experiment, creating armor.

The robes were really comfortable and adding more enchantments over the next few days, but it still wasn't the most optimal choice for protection. For starters, only certain clothing can be turned into armor, but the metal had a better structure that when combined with various enchantments, made it resistant to plenty of things. On regular circumstances, sorcerers didn't bother with using it as they stay secret and only tackle mystical threats.
But as for me, who deals with pretty much anything, will be really handy.

This had been on my mind for some time now, as I need to figure out the most optimal way to use magic in order to make it. I had quite the collection of Vibranium to use, but I couldn't just make Black Panther like armor right off the bar. For starters, I'm not entirely sure how precisely this method of molding the metal will work with magical means, and I won't bother getting the equipment if I can do it like this. I forgot what the needed temperature is to make it bend, along with the setup needed to start the procedure.

Instead, I used a long piece of steel as a start, as it would be significantly easier than Vibranium. Making some space at the far end, I created four energy support beams that were roughly about thirty-five inches tall, same going for the length, then a yellow see-through wall connected through all the beams. These were made to be specifically resistant to high temperatures, to about five thousand degrees Celsius. If my memory is correct, or at least partly, it's more than enough to bend its shape. At the edge of the table, where the box was located, I made another one that extended off of the surface, the beams going down until they reached the floor. Around halfway, I filled the box with water to use later to cool off the metal, keeping them close together so I could finish the process without any additional hassle.

But that's where we run into a bit of a problem, conjuring that kind of heat is challenging. I doubt even with it being charged up, I can't come anywhere near close to that kind of temperature right off the bat. It would need some time until it could reach that level, which shouldn't be that big of a problem. Placing the metal inside, it hovered a few inches as the walls made it so that it wouldn't move. It was basically a magical cooker. For stainless steel, it needs over a thousand degrees Celsius for it to bend. A basic fire spell slightly amped up on each wall and a function so I can shape the metal when it becomes bendable, with the added option of rotating it along with some safety promotions that will keep everything inside. All of the work being done on the inside, there was a measurement line on all sides that could be moved for easier use.

After a few minutes of setting up, I dial appeared at the bottom left of the box that connected to all the walls, giving full control on changing the temperature. Alright, let's see how this goes.

---

It took a while for the temperature to reach the required heat, which was about less than an hour. If it were to go any higher, it would take more time to prepare. When it got to that point, it was time to begin. Outside the box, two green see-through energy gloves hovered on the bottom, my tools to safely mold the metal. Putting on the gloves, another pair appeared on the inside, ready to begin. Of course, I couldn't just instantly bend the metal, I had to take my time with it, and something I learned with my hours of crafting at the temple. Knowing the measurements of my arm, and turning off the head, I used the gloves to craft my arm piece. It was different and took a few minutes to get adjusted to it, I was able to make my item as it wasn't anything too complicated. Or anything I was unfamiliar with.

I wanted for the armor to be easily attached and removed, so I split the metal into two, it is now a front and back piece.

With the crafting process done, I walked to my left with the energy gloves on hand, I controlled the ones inside to transfer the armor in the cooling box, dipping it into the water only for steam to rise. When they cooled off, I placed them back on the center of the table, going for the finishing touch. On the edges, I started adding magnet-like connectors that will attach to its match, something simple but effective. Placing my hand on the bottom part then placing the top one moments later, instantly latching on, the first attempt was now a success.

The feel of armor on my arm was interesting. Never have I thought I would ever actually have my own made set, the only thing closest to this was the plastic toy ones when I was younger.
My how times change, and drastically I might add.

As for the weight, it wasn't that heavy but when other pieces are stacked up together it will be heavier for sure. Luckily, I know the exact spell to help out.

Wait... is the spell I'm thinking of actually used to tear metal or my mind is betraying me? I stayed still while contemplating if I knew what the spell was. I got it... I got it... and it's gone... shit.

Well, looks like I'm back to the drawing board until I find the appropriate tool.

---

No.

No.

Not it.

Definitely not it.

Okay. I knew I came across it somewhere. Why didn't I mark it? It's a damn spell for reducing the weight on almost any object!

I kept scrolling between the pages on one of the books until I found what I was looking for. By now it feels like I finished these books numerous times but they still had more to them than one might think.

I need to start remembering more of these spells, just to save me time in the future.

Seeing a pair of thin legs landing on the top of the page, I was greeted by Helix with his questionable stare like usual.
"Yup, we're back here again..."

Helix's head looked down slightly, then looked back again with his head tilted.

"If that's you asking me if I found what I was looking for, then it's a big fat no," I responded with a huff while stretching a bit. "Annoying, I know, but it is what it is…"

After he got his answer, I was about to resume my research. I spotted him sitting off to the side, getting comfortable in said position. Looks like I got myself company.

"Thanks for sticking around, better than being alone in this giant man cave by myself."

Gently petting the top of his head, only to receive a happy squeal in return, I went back to my searching.

Okay, I'm sure it was somewhere around here.

---

"Found it! Finally!"

After a few hours of searching, I found my ticket. Splitting the piece back into two, I began working on a new Rune for the spell to take effect. If I would just use the spell on the metal without the Rune, then there might be a chance for it to wear off, something that I can't leave to chance, especially when in a full suit of armor. Converting the spell into Rune format didn't take long, as I already knew most combinations, and this one wasn't too difficult.

Putting the mark on the two, I put the armor back on. I did a few more arm motions to get a feel with the weight, then with a single activation sigh, the Runes went into action, removing all weight from the metal. If anything, it was like wearing regular clothes. Now, with that taken care of, all that's left is to reinforce it, make it even more durable. It won't be the same as Vibranium, but it will make a perfect substitute for now.

With enhanced durability, something that can easily stop bullets and maybe tank an empowered hit. I spend several minutes adding the necessary enchantments, now all that's left is to see if they are enough. Given how durable it is now, it should stop a bullet without leaving a dent, not to mention if someone tries a sneak attack it won't penetrate it that easily. Lastly, I need a more "exceptional" example to be sure

What do I use?

Looking over my table, I spotted one of my Sol Blades. Perfect.

Picking it up, I charged it up slowly for the familiar orange-colored blade to appear. Since it had magical properties and wasn't just a simple sharp blade, it makes it the ideal testing tool. I wanted to test if this intensity, which is around slightly higher than standard, if I could pierce it and how deep it would be, so I placed my arm on the table. Winding back a little, I stopped for a moment as second thoughts quickly flashed through, but I already made my choice.

With all my strength, I slammed the dagger towards the table.

I jerked slightly as I felt a warm and sharp energy blade cut through my front forearm. I stayed still, remaining calm and trying to figure how much of the blade went through. On a closer look, it only scratched the surface, and just barely. Once the blade was out, I took the armor off, which had a thin entrance now, to look at a thin cut on my arm that started bleeding slightly. The wound itself wasn't that painful and seemed like it didn't go too far.
Barely a few millimeters.

Just like I said before, perfect.

A brief smile flashed across my face upon knowing my plan had worked but quickly changed when I felt slight pain when moving my arm. I had to tend to my wound before I do anything else. Healing the insignificant injury was over in no time, only I took a few more minutes just in case, to make sure the flesh properly closed.

"A total success, and what a big one at that," I leaned back in my chair and lifted my feet. "With that done, I have one less thing to worry about. Before, I had to keep my distance if I wanted to make an offensive move, while also having a countermeasure in place if something pops up. It all boils down to quick movements to have a spell in place, a field that can always use improvement and if too slow, it can be costly in battle. It's something that I will get better over time, I still can't place all my chips on reflexes, especially while they are still, on their own, normal."
I reached towards the table, grabbing my mug that was right at the edge, I took a sip. "While I'll give magic users praise for being quick on their feet, I can't wrap my head around the fact that a majority of them depend on that or rarely have any kind of armor on them. It just makes no sense if you ask me. In my case, who has a habit of getting into situations that are too close to comfort, I plan on using every trick to keep myself safe."

Taking a glance at the pile of metal, I knew I had more work to do. Before I went back to that, another thought I pushed to the side popped up while thinking about improving my defenses. "It's a long shot and could be nothing more than a total waste of my time. Still, I can't ignore the potential fact that acquiring that kind of ability can open is countless. I know only a small number of people who've mastered the technique, with an even smaller number who are willing to give it to me."

Finishing my tea, I set the mug aside to get another refill while I checked my arm. With everything good to go, I took my refiled mug and stood up, walking to the pile to take another piece.

"First off, needed to finish this before I move onto that."

---

"Now, let's see if we can find ourselves a certain Master of Kung Fu". If he exists in this universe that is. "

I may be stuck not using spells until I properly heal, but I was lucky I could still access my Astral Form. I wasn't all that sure if this person existed in this particular universe, but with the inclusion of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, my guess all bets were off the table. That and I've heard some stories that circled this area of town, so now all that's left to see if my hunch is correct. Learning Chi was on my to-do list for quite a while. I didn't put much thought into it while in the temple, due to being occupied with other assignments. I'm not even sure if I could learn it there, but I was content going this route. I can't absorb it like any other energy source, so I'd have to learn it from the one man I know.

Truth be told the constant need to fly around different sections of the city in this form was enjoyable to some extent, but it also annoyed me. Moving around like this was tedious, but it was the only way to travel without any way of getting seen. I know S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra is going to get my image and details at some point, there's no preventing that. The best I could do is keep the list short. My armor will be complete in about two days, so fearing bullets will become a thing of the past.

Aside from that, I went back to searching.

Chinatown, like other parts of the Big Apple, was still new to me, so I was going in blind. I had Helix do patrol to cover more ground, as I gave him the necessary information on who we're tracking down, so if he finds him, I will know. It was a bit cloudy outside, other than that, the night was relatively normal and silent.

Until I saw the door of a local Ramen Restaurant bursting wide open.

I was pretty high up, so I dived down to see who's ruining the peaceful evening. From inside, several masked individuals, four to be exact, exiting the establishment with baseball bats and crowbars, all of them laughing as they did.

"Same time next week, Mr. Tong! Don't forget!"

The last one stayed behind momentarily, sharing a similar laugh as his companions as he broke into a run to join them with a large bag behind his back.

Seems like I have to call off my search for a few minutes. This shouldn't take long.

They went around the corner, running in a straight line until they made several turns, after several minutes they were long gone from the food place they just robbed, and most likely trashed. This particular part of town had the buildings so close together, somehow making the environment around feel claustrophobic. After a few more minutes of running, they reached their hideout, going through the backdoor of a three-story building that wasn't in the best condition.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

Before I sent myself back to my body, I saw someone turning around the corner, then running on the same path as the four goons. Huh, this is interesting, looks like someone else wants to join in. I flew down to him and the building where the goons were. The individual made sure to check his surroundings numerous times in fact, and when he knew for sure not a single soul was around, he used a trash can to give him a lengthier jump, clutching the last iron beam from the fire escape. Without much effort, he quickly climbed up to the first story, making his way to the top in no time. Once there, he looked over the edge for another round of surveillance.

This gave me the chance to properly examine him as I lower myself to his level. He wore a red jumpsuit, only having a small section on his chest being a black color instead of being fully read. He was an Asian male, in his late twenties with short black hair that swayed to his left, with an athletic build that fitted the suit perfectly.

Holy crap, this is Shang-Chi of all people. So when I try searching for him the old fashion way, I find not a trace, but get side-tracked for less than a minute and he pops up just like that? Well, why am I to complain?

Not long after, he jumped to the next building. Athletic or not, with the buildings so close to each other, he didn't need to waste too much of his energy. Shang-Chi reached the rooftop of the hideout, kneeling at the fairly large air vent. He raised his hand, which let out a low yellow color, easily removing the exterior, tossing it aside, and going in.

Okay, so I might get first-class seats of one of the best Martial Artists around and how he kicks ass.

Bloody terrific.

Going for a swan dive, I phased through the roof and looked around the third floor, going through all the rooms only to find nothing, the same going for the second and first floor. They were located in the basement, the place where they had stashed all their robberies it seemed. The room was dimly lit, just enough light for them to count the money, the only thing around them was some furniture and the rest of their weapons, but had a low number of firearms, if any to be exact.

As for the group themselves, they were the residence of Chinatown and I didn't find out if they were a part of a bigger gang or just a small group, not like it was important and if it was, I'll find out soon enough if the larger group might pose a problem.

I sat on one of the armchairs in the corner of the room, ready to enjoy the show.

"I think this is the easiest score we've ever done!" One of them laughed.

"That moron will never learn, will he?" Another spoke in a similar fashion.

"Listen, all I'm saying is that we need to think bigger," The third one perked up, grabbing their attention. "We hit the spots that are still untouched, and after we-"

Before the man could finish his sentence, the door to the basement came crashing down the steps after a loud smack, taking everyone by surprise. All of the members instantly stood up, two grabbing the only available bats that were on the ground next to them. Casually, and with style, Shang-Chi walked down the stairs slowly, not even bothering to look at the faces of the shocked gang, only doing so when he was on equal ground, his expression unreadable.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you son of a bitch?!" The supposed leader spoke up first, unfazed about the intruder, who was standing several meters away.

In response, Shang merely raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, seemingly unbothered in this predicament.
"You better start talking, or else…" He tapped the desk with his bat.

Pecking his lips slightly, Shang lifting his hands slightly off to the side. "Or else it is, then. But I warn you, you all better give it your best shot."

All of a sudden, the man closest to the cupboard that had a gun on top, made a run for it. Shang's eyes darted towards the ground, where he saw a piece of wood from the door right next to him. With a swift kick on its edge, it made the wood jump upwards that he easily grabbed, then instantly threw it at the man running for the gun, hitting him straight in the teeth as he turned his head, hitting him so hard it knocked him onto the floor while clutching his mouth.

The other three looked at the Martial Artist, who merely did an "oopsie" expression.

Taking initiative, the leader slammed the bat on the table with a war cry, charging at the intruder with no fear. Shang took two steps back as the leader swung his bat left and right, just out of reach but it didn't faze the man in the slightest. After dodging another swing, Shang kicked his right knee, making the leader fall to his knees and cried out in pain, but received a clean hit to his left temple. The others who were on their feet made their attempt at the same time, one with another bat while the other only with his fists.

Charging in with a swing, Shang ducked and rotated, going for a kick to the head that hit with precision. Since the second one was coming weaponless, all he had to do was sidestep when the gang member went in with a punch, Shang grabbing his wrist with his left hand, squeezing it severally. Crying out in pain was all the man could do, but was cut off with a right-kick to the stomach that made him fall back.

The Kung Fu Master's eyes went to the far end of the room, where the one he threw the piece of wood at crawled on the floor, making another attempt at reaching the gun. Just as he grabbed the edge of the cupboard, pulling himself up, he was knocked back down as Shang ran up behind him with a kick to the back.

The leader found himself to be the only one on his feet, too far away from his bat, only up-side is that the intruder was turned around. Rushing towards him, the man in the red jumpsuit spun around while raising his leg, going for a spinning hook that hit the leader in the jaw. The leader wobbled backwards, crashing onto a pile of boxes.

The other two got back up at the same time, going at Shang simultaneously once more. Moving towards the closest one, Shang swiftly punched the man in the jaw then jumping slightly to reverse kick the second one in their right temple. They won't be getting up after that.

On the third attempt, the thug finally managed to grab the firearm, a relieved smile forming momentarily. Flipping the safety switch, he turned towards the intruder that was a few meters away. Pointing it towards the man in the jumpsuit, he attempted to pull the trigger before his hand covered the front of the gun. The man expected to blow a hole through his hand, but after pulling the trigger nothing happened. Shang's hand radiated a soft yellow glow, crushing the gun little by little before tossing it aside, then landing a swift uppercut.

While the overall encounter seemed longer in retrospect, it was all over way too quickly.

Looking around himself, Shang made sure all of them were knocked out for good. Walking towards the table, he took the backpack from the middle and put every last dollar inside, alongside a few pieces of jewelry that were there as well. While he was packing, his hand movements slowed down, then looking around himself. Shang wasn't focused on the thieves, rather on something else entirely. For about two seconds, his eyes landed on the area where I was located, before looking away.

With everything packed, Shang-Chi walked up the flight of stairs, heading towards the front door. I floated behind as he did, going a bit higher after leaving the building.

Going back to the restaurant that was robbed, Shang found the owners, who couldn't be over a day over forty, sitting at one of the tables in distraught as he entered through the door. The moment they heard the door-knob click, they immediately jumped to their feet, only for Shang to calmly reassure them he meant no harm. He simply walked to the neared table, placed the bag on the top, and turned around to leave. Just as he opened the door, he stopped, turning his head slightly to the right, only uttering a single sentence.

"You two are safe now. They won't be coming back anymore."

With that, he left the establishment.

"He's a good man after all, with a big heart to compliment that," I thought while following him out. "To think he most likely lives in some rundown apartment with barely any money to come by. "

I turned my attention off him by hardly two seconds, and he was already off the streets, now climbing the side of the building like it was nothing. It made sense though, as it would be smarter to move on the rooftops of the buildings to spot any additional crimes and not be in the open for anyone to spot him. He jumped from building to building for quite some time, doing more patrol for the night. Luckily, things seemed to be quiet, deciding to call it a night and head back before the rain started pouring harder. The two to three-story buildings in this street were all huddled together, having small openings in-between them every now and then.

"This seems to be the place alright," I confirmed my suspicion of this being his place while doing one more check-up before porting back. The place itself was acceptable, just enough room for a single person to live, only having two other separate spaces, those being a small bedroom and a tiny bathroom. Speaking of which, the living room and kitchen were connected, having a barstool to separate them. For its overall appearance, it seemed to be on its last leg.

Shang set his weapons in a cabinet that stored several others, then went to his kitchen, making whatever food he had left along with some tea.

As he was done making some noodles, he began preparing his green tea, but something seemed… off. His hand movements were slower, much slower, and his face wasn't focused on it anymore. Shang's head slowly turned to the right, his eyes moved from the floor to the wall, looking back at the far end of his apartment, now focused at the upper-left corner of the room.

The same spot I was at.

His stern and unbreakable stare made me jump slightly. There's no possible coincidence that he decided to drop what he was doing to peak around his apartment. That's when it hit me, his Chi. He must be at that stage where he's that proficient with the technique where he can sense the slightest form of life across his surroundings.

Shang's glare didn't change, not one bit. If anything, it got more intense by the second. I was testing my luck, seeing if there was anything else that caught his attention other than me. Sadly, he only focused on this particular spot, making me feel more nervous than I already was.

Seeing as how things were going, it was time to disappear.

Within a second, I found myself back at my Pocket Dimension, lying on one of the couches.

"Damn, he's good."

I huffed while sitting upright. I wasn't expecting to be "caught" that easily, that's what I get for underestimating a person of his caliber who also had several magical affairs.

---

Shang's eyes never left the upper-left corner of his apartment, his expression yet to change. Only now, he was sure he was alone once more. Whatever was there had just vanished, within a moment's notice. This was unlike anything he'd sensed before, which was in that case, was alarming.

"Some kind of presence was here, I'm positive of that," Shang thought while his hands went for the steaming teapot, averting his eyes to focus back on his dinner. "I felt a similar presence back in that room with those thugs. I wasn't sure what it was then, I'm not that entirely sure now, only now I'm certain someone, or something, was here."

Instead of dwelling on the matter further, he decided it was best to revisit the subject once he gathers more information. While he wasn't worried about this unexpected arrival, he was sure about one thing.

If this "presence" does come up a second time, then it means he might have to be more careful during their next encounter.

---

Now confirming that Shang-Chi exists, and knowing his location as well, I had to come to him for help. Hand-to-hand combat was one thing, but if I could learn Chi, I can step up my game exponentially. It's a very versatile tactic and could be implemented in a lot of scenarios. My mind already thought of some noteworthy tactics it could be used for, only that was still beyond my reach. First, I have to get it in order to use it.

Which brings me here.

A decision that could be considered as a bold one, or a very stupid one. To be honest, I think it's a heavy mix of the two.

Several buildings away was where Shang lived. It was still a rainy day, a quarter past one in the afternoon, the clouds blocking the sun, making it feel like it's going to start up again any second. I want to avoid using anything that might set him off, as he can knock me out, or flat-out kill me before I could even blink. I had one ace up my sleeve, so I hope it doesn't get activated on its own.

I entered a steady pace as I set my sights on my target. There weren't that many people walking around at this time, a lucky break for me as this neighborhood didn't have that much activity. Going inside the building, I stopped for a moment to observe the wooden staircase that was in critical condition, along with the walls that had planks popping out or had some kind of damage.

Still walking up to the second floor, I stopped when I reached Shang's door. With it being the only residence on that floor.

Hope this goes well.

Gently knocking a few times, the door creaked open slowly after the third knock.

"This is by no means a good sign."

I can't see Shang not locking his apartment door, and the lock doesn't seem to be broken. Something's very off here. I'm not liking it so far. He would just sense my Astral Form if I were to use it,

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

I'd very much like to take the safer route of checking the place, sadly, we have to go the old fashion way for this. Slowly pushing the door with my fingers, I peeked through the open space, only able to see the hallway, with a small view of the living room. Fully opening the door, I made sure to check every inch I could see. The doors on the side were closed, I couldn't hear a single sound from within. Looking up, I was glad to know he wasn't hiding in one of the upper corners.

Stepping inside, I walked with caution, constantly shifting my gaze all around.

That is when I heard a low sound of wood hitting against each other slightly.

Before I could react, a ten-inch blade appeared in the corner of my right eye, with it instantly going down towards my neck while a hand firmly grasped my left shoulder. My eyes widened upon the realization. Not that I was concerned that Shang managed to sneak up on me, rather he activated the card up my sleeve. When the blade and hand came into close range, even before that actually, I had to move my arm to the side as the spell was triggered. A dark-purple four-dimensional cube that moved in every possible direction, only the yellow sphere stayed in the center. The aura it released could make anyone's skin crawl, not to mention the eerie sound it produced.

Damn it! He triggered it! I shifted my focus upwards, seeing a small opening on the ceiling, the wooden tiles lifted up that revealed a secret space where he waited.

His grip tightened and his blade drew itself closer to my neck. "Do not try anything. If you do, you will be dead before you could turn around." Shang said lowly, and for the first time, his voice was very much threatening.

I swallowed the lump that was in my throat, and I could feel sweat starting to form on my forehead. I would say that I held composure, only my mind was occupied with the problem that was in my hand rather than the one behind me. Taking a sharp breath, I tried to respond calmly. "I don't plan on doing anything, all I want to do is talk. Preferably without neither of us wanting to kill the other."

"What is that in your hand?" Shang asked.

No use in lying, he most can sense how dangerous this thing is. "You know what a dead man's switch is? Imagine that but only a few dozen times more intense."

"You say you've come here to talk, how am I supposed to believe that when without hesitation use that… thing?" Shang asked. "Also, I haven't seen you around these parts, so tell me, who are you?"

"Actually, this "thing" activates on its own when someone steps too close, so I'll have to apologize if that startled you. As for your other question, we've technically already met, just not face to face."

Due to the only sound coming from the "bomb", I could hear Shang gasping slightly since he was probably a few inches away from me. "That's how I recognize you. In that case, it would appear we're in a stalemate."

"Not necessarily," I spoke more freely. "To tell the truth, I'm an admirer of yours. My intentions weren't to stalk you, I'm not an idiot who bites off more than he can chew. I just so happened to come across you while I was doing patrol."

"Then deciding to leave only when getting caught?" Shang asked. "Then knocking on my door a day later? That doesn't seem like a coincidence all on its own."

"As I said, all I wanted was to find you and talk, nothing more. How about this, we come to an agreement?" I offered. "I will deactivate this dead man's switch and nullify it completely. I have nothing else on me, nor do I intend on using anything else. I didn't want this to come out at all, but even you should know walking in without a plan is a fatal mistake. You can keep your blade on me until I do so, only I trust that you will allow me to talk to you in a civilized manner after I do. Here."

Moving my arm slowly off to the side, the outer-sides of the cube were now being absorbed within the yellow sphere, the aura around going in as well. It took about twenty seconds to fully deactivate, as I needed to be careful to not accidentally set it off. With a low pop, the sphere disappeared. I raised my hands slowly to show I had nothing else while proving I was willing to cooperate.

Now that the bomb was gone, I could breathe properly again. All that's left is hoping Shang doesn't knock me out. "No more tricks. If I wanted to harm you or blackmail you, I wouldn't have deactivated my only defense. If this won't convince you, I don't know what will. I only came here to talk."

After a few seconds of standing completely still, his grip on my shoulder tightened, making my eyes go wide when realizing what's coming next. Suddenly, his grip softened before fully removing his hand off my body, then retracting his knife. Releasing a sign, I lowered my hands at the same pace I raised them, now finally being able to turn around to face him.

When I got to see his face, it was the same stoic face, exactly like it was yesterday. The only thing that was moving was his eyes that scanned me top to bottom. Looking behind him, I raised my eyebrow. "Couldn't you at least close the door when you sneaked up on me? You might be used to this, however, I seriously doubt the neighbors are as well."

Shang walked backwards till he reached the door, closing it, then walking back to me. "There aren't any."

He motioned towards the living room, to which I followed. Actually being inside, it looked even messier and was starting to cave in. Shang then moved his arm towards one of the seats, to which I sat in one of them. While waiting, I noticed Shang eyeing me as he walked to his kitchen, his gaze never going off of me. I simply smiled and looked around his place to avoid that much eye contact.

"Since you're so inclined on meeting me, best do it over some tea, no?" Shang asked, his eyes still firmly set on me.

"Oh, yes please, whatever you have will do." I replied.

Not long after, he arrived with a tray in hand, setting it down on the coffee table as he sat down. Taking my cup along with its own plate, I waved my finger over it, making the heat die down a little to take a sip.

"Mmm, now it's perfect."

Taking a look at Shang while going for another sip of my tea, I saw his hands resting on thighs with an upright posture, eyes fixated on me and me alone.

"Before I start, I'm sure you have some questions to ask me, right?"

Shang's eyes narrowed slightly. "How did you follow me? To be more specific, what kind of ability was that?"

Placing my cup on the plate, I answered. "That was me separating from my body to access my Astral Form. I'm quite surprised, didn't expect anyone to spot me while I'm in that state. I think you'd be a first to do that."

"Hmm, that's what that was. I've heard of such a technique before, but I've never witnessed it first-hand." Shang rubbed his chin. "Now answer me this, who are you, and how much do you know of me?"

"My name's Ethan Chester, I'm a Sorcerer from a temple called Kamar-Taj, and to be frank, you and I are very much alike," I said calmly, taking another sip from my cup. "Only we have different methods of approaching a problem. You deal with street crimes while I focus on more dangerous threats. As for your other question, I did say I was an admirer. I read a few reports of some notorious gangs from Chinatown being taken out. It would be safe to assume that was you?"

Shang stayed silent, only to speak up after a few seconds. "Correct, that was me. Feel like there's no point in denying that since you already witnessed my work first hand."

"It was unlike anything I've witnessed before," I praised him. "Your movements are flawless, each hit was executed with precision. It was quite the show."

The next several minutes was one-sided questioning, which I didn't mind all that much. It was necessary to establish a trustworthy connection. I was careful how I would answer and when it was too much, I couldn't get carried away so easily. He had some knowledge of the Sorcerers' temple, only very little of it. "Something is still a mystery to me."

"Which is?" I asked.

"Your reason for being here," Shang clarified. "A person such as yourself coming to me to establish some kind of contact? I feel like you're leaving out a few details."

"Well, you see, it's never a bad thing to call for some help, you never know when it can come in handy. I know working solo is more preferable, although there are times where we bite off more than we can chew. For you, it might not make a difference how many in a group there are, but that doesn't mean there will be a situation that can be solved all on your own. Over time, I feel like it's going to mean a lot more than it does now, so it's best to keep the option on the table. Might as well do it with the people I think I can trust then wait until the last second."

"You've already done this before?"

"A few times, yes." I replied simply.

"So your only reason for coming here is to offer help if needed and nothing more?" Shang asked, not beating around the bush.

"Now that you mention it, there is one thing I need your help with," I said optimistically. "If you're available that is?"

"What might that be?" Shang asked curiously.

"When that thug tried shooting you, you placed your hand on the front of the gun, stopping the bullet before it even left the gun, that's when your hand started glowing. Correct?" I asked while reminiscing of yesterday's events, receiving a nod from Shang. "At first, I wasn't sure what that was, since I've never seen it before in person. I've heard of multiple people in New York that use that technique, seems like I managed to find someone who's not a criminal using it. Now, I'm sure it's what I saw was the ability to channel Chi. Partly the reason I came here is to ask for your guidance, I'd wish to learn such power. In return, I will do whatever you ask of me."

Shang stood still, making it difficult to get a readable expression off of him. He took his time before replying.

"I cannot help you." Shang said dismissively. "That type of power is not carelessly taught, nor does it belong in the hands of any person willing to learn it. It would be irresponsible of me if I would give out that kind of knowledge just like that. Aside from the fact that we've just met, I don't see you being the type of person who would deserve that form of power. It's no simple feat of acquiring it either, but as of now, I don't see you being worthy of learning its secrets."

"Oh, that's a shame. I was hoping to ask for some fighting lessons as well," I said sadly, finishing my drink then standing up. "The tea was outstanding, but I feel like I took up enough of your time."

Shang raised his eyebrow. "Just like that? No attempt at persuading me otherwise?"

"Nope," I said with a pop while fixing my clothes. "I'm more than pleased that we've officially met, and you've listened to what I have to say, so I thank you for that. We are bound to meet once again at some point, so I'd like to know we're on the same side. Other than that, I thank you for your hospitality."

Saying goodbye, I casually walked across the hallway and began to leave.

Closing the door, I didn't waste time in creating a portal back home. Sitting onto the couch, I thought over my encounter with Shang. The odds of him teaching me Chi right off the start were slim, even I knew that. I'll have to come with a different approach to make him reconsider, there's bound to be something I can do. I can only be glad that we started off on the "right" foot, it's the best start I could have got.

Now, how can we approach this?

---

"Please, come in."

I opened the entrance and gestured to my guest, Shang himself, to follow me through the door. The man's face was filled with wariness, the same degree of caution as well, nevertheless the less he went to step inside. I contacted him with the stone I left, and I was surprised he answered, even though I had to somewhat annoy him for him to show up here.

The place was barely lit because there are only a few windows around the second floor so not much light was available without turning on the lights.

"What are we doing here?" Shang asked, his tone completely neutral.

Walking off to the side, a few feet away from a control panel, I flipped a couple of switches when I got in reach. Numerous lights came to life, giving an appropriate view of the inside. It had a boxing ring in the far left that part of the building having the most room. Beside it, there were dozens of gym equipment and dozens of boxing bags by the side. Next to the ring, countless training mats covered the floor, most commonly used for sparing or even training.

The only slight downside to this luxurious establishment? It was a bit messy and kept out of shape. Trust me when I say when the cost was quite cheap in comparison. Luckily, this guy can whip this place into shape. I did most of the main problems right off the bat, fixing the broken glass and parts of the walls that needed another layer to hide the holes, making it seem brand new. Essentially, this was an easy investment.

"Your new place."

I walked past him, him following me as we walked to the small office room that was near the stairs. "I apologize for the slight mess, I've been doing some cleaning to help out. Believe me when I say I was able to get this place at a fairly low price. People just don't see the investment. Also, if you're going to ask, the place is legit, paperwork and all that stuff included."

Motioning to the office with my hand. "Has all the things you'd want to know about the place, as well as a bed, and over there has a small kitchen too. Showers upstairs, with some empty rooms. It's got plenty of space, and when it's whipped up to shape, it's a fine upgrade from what you currently have. Plus it's got a training area. That would be a deal-breaker, right?"

I stopped walking to let Shang take a proper look at the place without bothering him. He took his time to eye the place and only spoke up when he looked over the corner of the inside.

"If this is what you think will make me reconsider teaching you Chi, I have to apologize, it won't work," Shang said as he turned back to face me, his tone and face still neutral. "While I appreciate the fine gesture, such things matter not to me. My current home does its job well."

"Yeah, I kind of expected that," I commented sheepishly. "Still, this place is yours, whether you're willing to teach me Chi or not. This right here, consider this a gift from me."

"So you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart and nothing more?"

"Eh, something like that," I shrugged. "I just thought you'd deserve at least something for your troubles. We may have met just recently, but you've stacked yourself a bit of a reputation, a good one in my eyes. You're the type of guy I can count on. Might as well let you have this to be on your A-game, will make things more interesting, at least."
"Count on for what?" Shang asked, raising a single eyebrow.

"Oh, if a situation ever gets out of hand or goes completely to shit, I'll know you'll be there to help out. That would seem reasonable. It's hard to find a person who would do what's right without a second thought, this is my way of paying back to those who keep on fighting the problem, instead of becoming a part of it."

The Master of Kung Fu stood silent, going back to observing the wall behind him. On it, dozens of picture frames that were previously busted and cracked, showing notable fighters throughout history.

"One test."

Said Shang, making my head snap towards him upon hearing those two simple words. "Excuse me*"

"If you're so determined to display your true self to me, there's only one way that you can show me if you truly deserve it," Shang said calmly. "Words so far haven't told me anything I wanted to know. In order for me to truly understand who you really are, I will have to ask all but one requirement, facing me in battle. I will get my answer there. If you manage to do that, I will teach you how to manipulate your Chi without question, and at the time you find most appropriate."

"Oh, now we're talking," I said excitedly, while also keeping my composure. "What kind of test, and what are the conditions?"

"A simple match, that's it," Shang said clasping his hands softly, now walking towards me. "I want to see how well you do in a fight against me. Through combat, only then will I be able to decide. If you are willing to accept, we can start immediately."
"That's just dandy…"

My brow twitched when finished. I knew exactly what I would be getting into if I were to accept, one big on an ass-kicking. Going up against him is like signing a death wish. That only begs the question, what kind of test would it be? Is it asking me if I would blindly do anything if would mean achieving my goal, or if I thought about the risks and was confident in passing his test. Which then brings up another question; how much was I willing to risk?

The truth, I wasn't quite sure.

I always had a minute at least to think of a plan, any plan, just as long as I had an idea what course of action I would take. Hell, it didn't need to even be a good plan, because I never could trust myself acting on pure instinct. In order to succeed, I'd have to go in blind and at least try to survive in one-versus-one against one of the most skilled Martial Artists in the whole Marvel Universe.

Nevertheless, I made my decision long ago, and to just, what, chicken out now? He can play the intimidation game if he wants, but that won't be enough to make me back out. The benefit greatly outweighs the risk and having a new understanding of how to control the power I already have and the new things I could do with Chi.

I smiled slightly, realizing that I might indeed have made a foolish mistake doing all this. Seems like I'll have to do what I always do when facing these kinds of matters, keep going until I get it done.

"I accept."

---

I breathed in, then breathed out. The most difficult part is that my composure might not be at a hundred percent. Not long after I agreed, I quickly changed into clothes more suitable for fighting that didn't restrict my movements, that being black sweatpants with a gray t-shirt.

Shang wore his usual red jumpsuit, standing in the center on training mats with his hands behind his back. That's what's making it difficult for me, his calm and calculated behavior, each second that passed made me feel more nervous. I closed my eyes, taking one last breath and keeping it in for a few seconds while clearing my mind. When I was ready, my eyes shot open as I released the air, then moved closer to meet Shang in the middle.

"If you wish to call it off, the option still stands." Shang expressed calmly.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I asked with a grin, attempting to show confidence. "Trying to talk me out of it won't work, I'll tell you that much."

Oh yeah, I was a nervous wreck alright.

Shang merely perked his lips with a light shake of his head. "Whenever you're ready, we can begin."
Clenching my fists, I took my stance, the one I learned back in Kamar-Taj. It was primarily a defensive stance, just to get into the right mindset.

"Now, how do I do this?"

I know for a fact that he won't be the one to initiate the dance. Shang wanted me to make the first move, something I wanted to avoid at all costs. He can counter any move I make in eleven different ways, making it difficult to think of how to go in, and land a hit.

I took slow steps off to the side, starting to circle him, only for him to only move his eyes. If I don't do anything, this stand-still is going to last all day.

Here goes nothing.

Deciding that there's no point in waiting, I charged in. Shang never moved a muscle, while I was barely a few meters away. Going with a punch to the face, Shang moved his head slightly to dodge it, slapping my hand away. It was enough to make me lose my balance at the moment, retreating for a moment before going back in. The next several attempts were of no use and would end the same way. After a certain point, once he slapped my hands away, his open hand hitting me slightly below the chest.

That alone was enough to make me lose my breath, forcing me to back off. Shang's hits move way faster than mine, making it difficult to counter them if my hands are out.

While thinking of an optimal strategy, Shang suddenly ran towards me. Taken aback by the sudden action, my mind immediately jumped into preparing my defense. Shang jumped into the air, going for a flying kick. I ducked towards the left, barely dodging it, only for another kick heading my way as I got back up. While I could block it, I was getting pushed into a corner as he threw more and more kicks. The only reason why I could hardly keep up with him because he wasn't using his full strength. It was drastically one sided from an outsider's perspective.

After a few minutes, my arms were slowly becoming sore from all the hits I blocked. When he saw an opening, he built up a kick but quickly retracted it only for the leg to spring back, hitting me directly in my stomach. It hit me with such force that I was sent backwards, rolling on the ground upon falling. When I stopped, I rolled off to my side, getting into a kneeling position with my hands on the floor.

"This isn't going so smoothly," I thought grimly. Looking off to my side, I found a water dispenser. "He didn't specify what kind of style of fighting."

Raising my pinky, I was about to get ahold of some water before I felt my left eyelid twitch, clenching my fist as well.
No. I can't do that. I won't do that. No matter what kind of disadvantage I'm in, there's no way I'm going to cheat like that. Winning in that type of fashion won't get me anywhere. I knew what I was signing up for, meaning I'll play by his rules fair and square.

Of course, also being so damn persistent to not know when to give up. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't survive in this world for as long as I have, and I don't intend on letting this stop me. Rising up, I whipped off the small amount of blood dripping from my lips, forming the same stance once more.

Shang threw me a look of acknowledgment, seemingly impressed by my commitment, so instead of one waiting for the other, both of us met each other head-on.

Every time I got remotely close, Shang would evade my attack while simultaneously easily landing a single hit on me that pushed me back a little at every physical encounter. Defending myself until I get a very good opening is my only chance, fighting with extreme defensive won't take me far. It was increasingly difficult to keep up the more we fought. I used every ounce of knowledge of combat training and experience, it still wasn't enough.

I didn't know how much time passed during our brawl, I long forgot to keep track of it.

I panted heavily, trying to regain whatever strength I had. By now, each blow got significantly more painful. My defenses were falling apart, the pain becoming more and more unbearable. Whatever I did, he'd easily counter and punch back harder. I can make do with blood coming out of my mouth, the numerous hits to the head are just now starting to make me dizzy. I wasn't sure how much more I can take, nor how to figure out a way to turn the tables.

I may have been beaten from the start, but that doesn't mean I will be branded as a quitter.

With a sigh, I whipped off the blood from my lips. I'll just have to do what my gut tells me.

"It is over," Shang said calmly, closing his eyes while taking a relaxed stance as he moved forward. "You are your limit. I don't take any pleasure in this fight, nor do I want this to be prolonged more than it needs to be. You'd be only causing yourself more pain, it be foolish if you-"

I lunged forward, my fist met with Shang's jaw while he was too busy talking. It wasn't by any means my strongest punch, but it wasn't going to quit now. Due to my state, I was quickly losing balance, only managing to recover the last second. Turning around, I got a good look at Shang's face, mouth hanging while his hand was on his jaw.

Good.

I want him to see I wasn't joking around.

"Too bad... I'm not done yet..." I breathed heavily as I raised my hands for defense. "I've risked too much already... I have no option of backing out... not now. I already told you… talking me out won't work. The only way to advance further… is to overcome another obstacle, just like the many… many trials I faced… until now. One of two things are going to happen... either I'll achieve what I set out to do... or... I'll die trying. If it's the latter… you might want to clean the floor after this… "

Even though I was severely outclassed, and was getting the living crap beaten out of me, I enjoyed it. I might not get Chi how I envisioned, I still found it fun for some odd reason. I wanted to prove what kind of person I was, so I'll show him first hand.

Shang, still taken aback by my sudden attack, watched as I made my declaration. I didn't allow him another moment of peace as I charged at him. My first few steps were wobbly, almost making me fall down, only that wouldn't stop me. This time around, Shang deferred from moving at all, staying firmly in place while only reacting with a hit to shove me back. My fighting became sloppier, making me miss out on potential openings, with my reaction time going down as well. There wasn't a muscle in my body that wasn't in pain, and I wasn't doing them any favors by further pushing myself.

I no longer could focus on how much pain I was in, rather how tired I was. Very, very tired. I only kept going and going, resisting to stop. Because if I did, I know I wouldn't be able to continue.

"Keep going… just keep going." That one thought plagued my mind as I limped towards my opponent. I didn't want to give in, but realistically, I was reaching my limit, for real this time. My head was so dizzy I could barely make out in what direction I should be going, my muscles going on pure will power rather than strength, as I presumed I was dangerously low on it with each step I took. One quick look in front of me, I confirmed Shang was about three meters away from me. I didn't stop, the best I could do is ignore the overwhelming pain as long as I could. I started raising my shaking fist when I reached my destination.

My fists moved on their own, probably wouldn't respond if I told it to otherwise.
"Just a little more… and-"

"Stop."

On instinct, my hand froze upon hearing the command. My head fell to my left, only to see Shang closing his eyes. "I've seen enough. There's no need to continue."

Oh no, we aren't going through this again.

Winding up slightly, I went for another swing.

What I didn't notice is that instead of my fist colliding with his face, it simply went off to the side, completely off target.
As my arm traveled, my weight shifted as well, the feeling in my legs giving out on me, making me witness how I ever so slowly collapsed onto the ground. Even though my body crashed, I was relieved for a moment that I could rest in a still position.

"A few seconds…" The thought ran through my mind, trying to prevent my eyelids closing shut. "A few seconds and I will be… back… on my… feet…"

---

I groaned upon waking up, to some extent wishing that I didn't.

The moment I opened my eyes, I remembered how I ended up in this state, with Shang beating me to a pulp. Every single part of my body was in pain, slow movements were enough to make me wish he'd just finish the job while he was at it. The irony, last time I was out cold by using too much power, now I was out by getting smacked around by a Martial Arts Master. We've come full circle without too much time passing.

"Where's my bag. I need those potions. Right. Now."

Looking around slowly, I realized I was on the bed in the office. On the nearby table, I spotted my bag with the upper part of my robe. Moments later, I heard the door open.

"I see you're awake." Shang spoke softly while carrying a tray with two cups and a pot.

"Unfortunately… would prefer still being out." I responded lowly as I sat up, moving inch by inch to prevent further pain.

"I'm surprised, not many people would keep on fighting when going up against an opponent who outmatches them, let alone on the verge of passing out," Shang commented while pouring in our drinks. "I certainly wasn't expecting that level of commitment. You've earned my respect."

Groaning when I fully raised myself, I signaled towards the bag with my head, instantly regretting it. "I'm glad I got something out of that fight. Mind handing me that?"

Shang went across the room to retrieve my bag, placing it on the bed beside me, muttering a quiet "thank you" as he did. Reaching into it was torture in out of itself, my fingers and wrist struggling with each movement. After some searching, my hand recognized the shape of the bottle I was looking for. My hands were shaking slightly when I gripped the cap and removed it, making sure not to spill a drop. Upon taking the first round, I could feel some discomfort and pain going away, just enough to make me wish I wasn't dead. The second potion came soon after, speeding up the effect of the first potion.

I took my cup of tea, using it to wash away the taste of the potions. We were met with silence while I drank the liquid, only for Shang to break it after sipping his own tea. "Now that you're up, there's a topic we need to discuss."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I muttered disappointingly, taking another round of the three beverages. "I lost, no need to mention it. Just like we agreed, I won't bother you anymore. You can still take the gym, I have no real need for it."
Shang raised his hand slightly, indicating for me to stop. "You misunderstand, that wasn't what I was going to say. Quite the contrary, I have decided to teach you."

Due to his very blunt nature, and the condition I was in, I was very sure I misheard him. "Ughh, what?"
"I have decided to teach you Chi." Shang repeated, more clearly this time. "You've shown me everything I needed to see."

"Wait, wait," I repositioned before continuing. "I lost, very badly. How does that convince you to teach me?"

"Simple," Shang started before taking another sip. "Words can only prove so much, but actions tend to speak louder than words. In a fight, you can clearly tell what kind of person your opponent is. When we fought, I got to see who you really are. None of your moves indicated any hate nor rage. From start to finish, there was no change whatsoever to show me otherwise. I had to push you further to see if my theory was true. When I saw how far you're willing to go, I realized you indeed are the kind of person you claim to be. I've met many people who lusted for power, willing to do anything to get it. However, with you, it honestly felt like a simple spar rather than a matter of winning. I'm now positive I can trust you with that kind of power."

For the first few seconds, I stood still, then slowly nodding. "I'd react more energetically, only I would pass out if I would even attempt to stand up."

A smirk appeared across Shang's face. "Judging from those drinks, I'm sure that will change soon enough. Would you like to know the moment where my opinion started to change?" I nodded for him to continue. "When you raised your finger, I was positive you intended on using one of your abilities, but you didn't. I could tell by the look in your eyes, it wasn't about claiming victory, it was proving yourself to me. Even when you could barely stand, you used nothing but your fists. I'm not sure how many people would go about the way that you did. Everything else, just confirms my suspicion."

"All in all, it was an agreed fight between two opponents, using my powers to get an edge didn't feel right. Win or lose, I don't feel like I would have earned your respect if I didn't fight honorably. I'm glad to know I managed to prove myself, even though I was tempted on using my powers for a second there.

"Being tempted is one thing, actually giving into it is another," Shang said wisely, then moving on to the main question.
"When would you like to start?"

"Eh, give me until morning," I said somewhat excitedly as I finished my tea. "Just enough time to get the feeling in my arms and legs."

"Very well," Shang stood up. "I'd advise you to rest. If you need anything, I'll leave the door open so call me."
"Not much I can do at the moment, might as well get some shut-eye."

Before the man left the room, he focused on the wide training area before looking back at me. "The place really is impressive. It will be of great substitute compared to my current apartment."

When hearing that, a wide smile appeared on my face as I got into a comfortable position. "Told you. Have fun back there."

---

"In order for one to access their Chi, one must place the proper balance on the mind, and on the body," Shang explained calmly as he walked back and forth slowly. "While that may seem like a pretty basic explanation, it's more layered than that. An improper balance of Chi can cause many problems to one who isn't suited for it, even though it would be possible for anyone to use it."

Shang instructed that I sit in a comfortable position as he sat with his knees. "You do have some experience in manipulating energy, and from what you've shown me, it's a good starting point. Using water as a versatile weapon by controlling it has its similarities with Chi Manipulation. One key difference, you don't focus on letting that energy flow out of your body, rather channeling it all in. Right now, I want you to clear your mind and relax your body. Focus everything you have into right here. You'll know the feeling when you experience it, as well on how to manipulate it on your own once you do." Shang tapped at the center of his chest.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but can you be more specific by any chance?" I asked curiously. "I know it's not that straightforward, however, I'm not sure what I should focus on?"

"In all honesty, it varies from person to person, as all have a different process," Shang explained. "We already did the movements required to channel inner peace, it's up to you to put the pieces in the correct order."

After that, I've got a weird sense of Déjà vu.

It was like my first day when I began training, which I very much liked. It made me feel easier as I passed these trials already. As more time passed, I felt like I was moving one step at accessing my Chi, that might be since I would repeatedly ask Shang various questions whenever my training would come to a halt. I'm guessing that was a contributing factor as it made the process easier.

When my body and mind were synchronized, I'd imagine my heart as being the center point of my focus. While I was able to block out all sound, my heartbeat only grew louder in my head, which was a good sign. Over time, it felt like my whole body was experiencing that sensation. While my attempts were lackluster the first dozen tries, I wasn't going to stop any time soon. I figured out how the process should go, now it was all about trial and error. The mechanics were similar to how Kamar-Taj taught drawing out Dimensional Energy, only the slightest chance meant the experience was different as well. Although, this would also help me out getting that type of energy to fuel my spells much easier. While I was doing my meditating, Shang would use the free time to train in a variety of ways in his new gym.

Just like in my Astral Form, time became irrelevant. Accessing my Chi was my main goal, meditating and synchronizing my mind with my body. The feelings I would have while channeling it would be amplified, serenity and state of clear mind became so… intoxicating. My resolution persevering through any doubt or hesitation I might have felt along the way. As more attempts were executed, I was having trouble fully summoning that much Chi into my whole body. For the solution, I tried focusing all the untapped Chi at the center of my palm, a similar tactic I used when training for Water Manipulation. If I can firstly create a small object of Chi, I can go off from there. While I was faced with more errors, I never stopped using my method, going up until I managed to succeed in my task.

Then, a breakthrough happened.

Shang and I observed the small ball of Chi that swirled in my hand, a yellow circle in the center of my palm acting as an opening. Its appearance was beautiful with the sphere incomplete, which is perfectly understated for my first time. After all that trouble, I've acquired one of the most flexible forms of manipulation, all that's left is to become comfortable with it.

"Intriguing," Shang commented with a hand on his chin. "This is unexpected."

"How come?" I said with a smug look as the sphere disappeared. "Didn't expect me to nail it so soon?"

"Not that," Shang expressed without missing a beat. "Those who have experience manipulating energy will have a head start compared to those who haven't. The fact you managed to manifest Chi as a small sphere rather than building it up inside your arm is what interests me the most. I had a hunch you'd be able to do it within some time with enough practice, however, this is something I didn't foresee."

"Why, is it unheard of?"

"No, it's known to happen, although on rare occasions," Shang answered. "Now, we have our work cut out for us."

"How so?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Now that you can channel Chi, this allows us to improve some aspects to better suit your particular situation. I think I just might have the ideal method in mind."

"Really?" I asked with a tone of interest. "What would that be?"

"You can call it "fine-tuning"," Shang answered simply. "After that, I trust you can figure out the rest on your own."

"In that case, may we proceed to the next step?" I asked, a smile forming on my face all the while.

---

"You did well today," Shang said proudly, sitting on the bench right opposite me. "It seems like your training at the temple you attended taught you well. Your ability to control energy is remarkable when only practicing for three months. It's not anything to scoff at, but having a solid start is good nonetheless."

"Heh, thanks for the pep talk. Glad to know on what stage I'm on when it comes to that, it has been a bit difficult to come to a conclusion on my own," I thanked the Kung Fu Master while packing up my gear. "Being able to tap into Chi this early on is a milestone in my eyes. I have a general idea on how it functions, so I think I should be able to figure out the rest on my own."

"Is there anything else I could assist you with?" Shang asked.

"I think I've troubled long enough, should be fine on my own from now on," I merely shrugged. "The only thing I could think of is a sparring match whenever you're free. Training dummies do their job and the styles I asked you for will help too, but it isn't the same as sparing with a real person, ya know?"

"I guess it isn't," Shang agreed with a smile. "I hope your training goes well, if you ever have any problems, you know where to find me. I'll make sure to take good care of it."

"As long as it's of use to you, it's all that matters." I said happily.

A few moments of silence passed before the conversation resumed. "What will you do now?"

Without skipping a beat, I replied instantly. "Break someone out from a highly secured prison."
Shang's eyebrows jumped slightly. "Pardon?"

"Ah, that... came out wrong, hold on," I began digging through my Holding Bag, trying to find a certain file, of a specific soldier. It was filled with information I added on my own, as I didn't need to steal any for this one, for now that is. However, I still needed to keep it all in one place, especially when I get some real evidence in there. "Here. This should help."

Shang took the file and read what's inside, and judging by his facial expressions, some parts piqued his interest but also confused him. "Is this… all true?"

"Trust me, that isn't even half of it," I admitted, feeling I had no real need to keep this kind of information a secret, especially with people I plan on working with in the future. "There are still many things that are yet to be discovered. This is just scratching the surface. It took a while to gather that info alone, the rest is gonna be a bit more difficult, so it's going to take some time until the ones behind the whole thing are caught."

"I'm not sure what to make of this." Shang admitted as he kept going through the file.

"I do, it's messed up, and that's putting it lightly," I said, deciding to keep it simple. "I can't say for certain what else they did or didn't do, only it's a matter of time before I uncover it all."

"Do you think this is a wise choice?" Shang asked. "Make no mistake, it is not my place to tell you what you should do, or be involved in any kind of way. However, I feel like I should voice my opinion. Would this be a smart move?"

"An innocent man is held captive and they've used him as nothing more than a weapon for killing, actually, I consider that a suicide move if I walked in unprepared, but it will bring me one step closer to taking them down," I stood up, shrinking the Bag of Holding and threw it into my backpack. "Besides, someone's gotta do it."

"You mentioned you've had some health problems?" Shang brought up. "If you insist on doing this, will you be able to succeed?"

"That was some time ago, I should be good when I actually go do it," I responded leisurely. "Plus now that you've taught me Chi, I'll have another trick up my sleeve to depend on. I should make it out alright, without a scratch of course."

Shang stood up as well, extending his hand. "Then I wish you the best of luck."
Shaking his hand, I replied with a smile. "Likewise."

I turned around to make a portal back home. Just before I passed through, I looked back at him. "Now don't get rusty, you hear?"

Shang pursed his lips slightly and shook his head. "Feel free to visit then. If I do get "rusty", then the outcome of our next match might end in your favor."

Letting out a chuckle, I waved back at the man, closing the portal a few seconds later.

After making a quick meal to refuel. The moment I was done, I immediately went into my secret room to begin planning. While I did tell Shang I would be capable of using my spells, I might run into trouble if I use them for an extended period of time. To compensate for that, I'll have to use some premade spells to have them on me as primary tools. Sure, I have Chi under my belt now, the only problem is that I can't rely on it. It's more of a wildcard than anything. At best, I can probably make one solid move out of it and nothing more. One attack, for now, should be my only focus when using it.

If I'm lucky, I could maybe channel some for a thin layer of protection if I have some to spare.
Sitting at my workstation, I tried thinking about what I would need to accomplish my mission. It's going to be underground, tight spaces, tunnels, and all that kind of stuff. My best course of action would be using the environment to my advantage, as my armor will help me out for the most part. A tool that will alter the terrain or activate its action when I use it instantly.

Something small, compact, and effective. But what?

Looking around my table, I tried to come up with some kind of idea, when I saw the old gym membership I use to make my fake ID. Then something started to click.

Reaching towards it, I flipped the card back and forth. Small and compact, that can use the terrain to my advantage.

"Hmm, this could be a fun one," I thought with a grin forming on my face. "Everyone likes a good card trick, right?"

---

"Ok, quick and simple this time."

I thought in my Astral State as I observed the bank on First Street, which was located in Washington, DC. The place where the Winter Soldier was kept.

From my memory, I recalled the last mission Bucky did was last year, where he fought against Black Widow, so he wasn't used since then. Right now, he is in cryostasis underground, the place being used as an "S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house", yeah right. I already did a sweep of the place, the underground section was divided into a few sections, having two more levels when down under. Of course, there were S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra agents all about, only they didn't have any notable pieces of tech that were dangerous.

Unless you count guns, but I honestly doubt that will stop me.

I prepared the tools I would need for this since I wanted to try a different approach anyway. Instead of the laurel green robes I usually wear, I went with an all-black version for the occasion. I completed a full set of armor, easily using a spell to have the joints connected and each part would stay in its place. Being able to move freely and comfortably will be a big boost. I did several other tests to make sure my armor will be effective.

Like always, I'll have to remove any evidence of me being here. The cameras they've had weren't battery-powered, meaning they go off when the electricity does.

Going back to my body, I opened a small portal on the ceiling of the security room that was occupied by only two guards. It was tightly concealed, meaning access was only available from the inside. Diving through, I kicked the guard closest to me in his left temple. As the man was sent back, the other guard jolted from his chair as I fully landed, lunging towards his gun that was on the edge of the table. I instantly created an Eldritch Whip and flung it his way, latching on his wrist the last second. Pulling the whip back, it pulled the guard as a result, to which I head-butted him.

Easily knocking the two guards out, I tied them up with energy whips that looked like rope and will fade out over time, throwing them both into the closet.

Looking over the camera feeds that were scattered in the underground hideout. Everyone was still in their positions just like I saw not too long ago. This really is a golden opportunity, Bucky is still frozen and the scientists that are supposed to activate him were rooms away. My guess is when the lights go out, he'll make a book towards the Winter Soldier. Not to mention a room full of guards was around them, at least it will be challenging without going all out. It would be good if I grab the book from them as well, just in case. All the more reason to have some fun.

The best part, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't get any of this. Calling them for backup or reporting this break-in? Not happening. Don't misunderstand, Hydra will be fuming, only they will still have to cover this up to avoid questioning. A possible scenario is that they do report it with a whole different story, only that sounds like more trouble for Hydra so sweeping this under the rug seems most likely. Another scenario is that they call for backup, only they won't be able to get in nor be of any assistance as they will be too late, no matter the response time.

Not that there's going to be any evidence either way.

It being a safe-house, there was barely anything of value here. I'll have to make some money to keep my balance in check. Reaching behind for my bag, I took out a light-blue transparent card that had what appeared to be numerous sparks of electricity moved all-around inside as the image, only letting out a low sizzling sound. This little nifty creation was my answer to quick spells without needing to open the Codex or waste any of my energy.

Taking a few steps back, I flung my energy card towards the control panel. Upon contact, the card exploded into bolts of electricity that entered the machine, making it go haywire. Moments later, all the power this place had was out. Before moving in, I formed a white cube that will expand in size when placed on the door towards downstairs. Don't feel like simply teleporting the two out but don't want to waste more time while already going this route.

Opening another portal to the room with the scientists, with them and every single other guard turning towards my kneeled form, a single dimly red light made visible to them as they armed their weapons hastily.

"Evening." I greeted them cheerfully as one hand went for my dagger and the other to my bag for another card. This time going for a lime-green colored one with swirling lines, letting out low sounds of wind blowing. I threw it towards the middle of the room, slamming my dagger downward, a thin energy blade appeared last second, keeping me in place. They unleashed their array of bullets only for it to have no effect. When the card reached its mark, it divided into four separate spheres of air, then releasing four gusts of intense wind, blowing everyone and everything in the room away.

I ducked slightly to avoid getting hit by anything. When I looked back up, I found the whole room to be in a mess. Most of the guards were knocked unconscious, only a few still awake, with one of the scientists ending up right next to the exit while the other was knocked out. Following the scientist, I was greeted with a wave of armored guards, forcing me to take cover in the same room I just exited. While I could take the hits, I'd rather not stay in the open. Raising my right arm, where a white gem allowed me to shoot energy beams from it. It was an experiment to make weapons out of any object that can hold energy.

I kept shooting while keeping my primary focus on the scientist running in the massive crowd. They weren't prepared for the beams that knocked them down, however, they were coming in numbers, meaning more to slow me down.

Taking out some of the guards, I knew I had to clear the place up. While shooting, I grabbed a brown-colored card with dark green lines all around it. Jumping to my right, I threw the card out, going upwards towards the ceiling. Moments later, a layer of wood started spreading from the source, traveling across the ceiling and moving down around the walls, closing off some entrances to other rooms. From it, countless vines shot out towards the guards, grabbing them and pulling them to the walls or ceiling. Startled, the men tried fighting back against the vines, only it was no use. It sent them in a cocoon-like state, fully trapping them inside. Only a few of them were left, which didn't take long to take out. Walking through the now silent hallway, I tried not stepping on any of the unconscious bodies on the floor, the vines not bothering to grab ahold of them due to them not sensing any movement.

Reaching the end, I entered a spacious but empty room. The two doors on each side housed nothing more than guns and other supplies. There was one way where the scientists snuck off to, that being the two massive iron doors that opened on the side to let a single guard out. Compared to every previous guard, this one significantly taller, with what appeared to be a different kind of protection than the standard ones.

"You aren't getting through me, chump." Taunted the big bulky guard, the only one that was protecting the chambers.

"Give me a minute and we'll see about that." I responded leisurely.

The man roared as he charged towards me, while I entered a defensive stance. When he was in range, he tried bombarding me with punches that I dodged by moving back. Seeing as how I was more agile, the guard lifted both his hands up and lunged forward, slamming his hands down at me. Instead of moving back, I crossed my arms as I lifted them up, stopping his attack with minor difficulty, only pushing me down slightly. Looks like my armor is holding up pretty well, I could hardly feel any impact and with my slightly amped durability, knocking me down won't be so simple.

While in this position, I pushed his arms away with my own and kicked his kneecap. Falling onto his left knee, I smacked him right in the nose, breaking it with ease. The big guy went down, now for the scientist. Out of nowhere, I heard a war cry coming from behind, making me jump in that direction. A single guard ran down the hallway while shooting his assault rifle as he ran.

I crouched down while lifting up my arm, shooting multiple beams at him, the third and fourth shots hitting him in the upper right shoulder and stomach respectively. Getting back up, two large arms came around my waist, keeping my arms in place as the bulky guard hoisted me up in a bear hug. His initial plan didn't work out as he couldn't increase his grip due to the armor, so instead, he started running forward to the nearest wall to slam me into it.

My arms may be stuck, however, with one flick of my hand, a small form of the green card slid out from my sleeve that expanded to its regular size. I activated it by squeezing the card as hard as I could, summoning a powerful gust of wind between us. As a result, the force made him lose his hold on me, only I flew upwards while he was pushed back, landing back on the floor. I maneuvered so I could ease my landing, sliding backwards as I went into another crouch when fully stopping. Resilient fellow, that guy.

"Hmm, eh, might as well."

I thought about whether or not to test out my new little project, deciding it would be a shame to miss out. Brining my right hand behind my back, I spread it wide open, slowly starting to focus all of my Chi into the palm. Even though I was wearing armor, I could feel thin lines of pure energy traveling to my hand. The weight in the center started growing heavier, by now forming a sphere of Chi in the size of a baseball with streams of energy surrounding it. The sensation of using this ability was phenomenal, and quite addicting. With that ready, I charged in.

The guard was back on his feet, and going to meet me head-on again. Big mistake. With my left hand, I summoned my Green-Jaded Hook to catch him off guard. Throwing it out, it passed right above his left shoulder but looped around his neck, but pulling forward wasn't the idea. Sending out a whip, the chain extended further from the edge of the hook, a single chain locked as the rest grew in length. When we got close, I revealed my right arm, a golden-like aura circling around a white sphere with golden traits, while pulling the chain back with my left.

The chain around his neck pulled him slightly, stopping him in place with his chest wide open. Lunging forward with my own version of the Rasengan to his stomach that he left unprotected, it left him completely stunned upon impact. His whole body was sent flying backwards, the sphere pushing him until he crashed into the wall next to the metal doors, sliding down moments later.

Rapidly moving to the doors to complete the mission, I admired the final result. This version was just a prototype and a much weaker variant as I didn't know how it would work on a living target. It broke through his armor, leaving an open space around his stomach area, the flesh slightly burnt.

While still learning how to control Chi, I could only accomplish this move about two or three times in a fight before it starts taking a toll. Back to the metal doors, I could just teleport through, only that wouldn't be as fun, would it?

Lifting my right arm again, I formed another Rasengan, conjuring more Chi this time, slamming it at the centerline where the doors separated. The doors blew open, chunks of metal flying back when it revealed the final room.

Seems like I'm just in time.

Bucky was out of his cryo-chamber and was restrained by metal bars on a table while catching the scientist in the middle of reading the activation code. His face was full of shock when his eyes spotted me, but couldn't do anything as one of my beams hit him in his left shoulder, knocking out the familiar red book out of his hand.

Taking a closer look, I could see that Bucky was in a daze, and quite possibly still in pain. That is to be expected from someone who got out of a freezing pod and immediately mind-controlled. Should put him to rest right away.
Bucky's eyes widened, going back and forth from me to the scientist on the ground, who was just outside of his field of vision. Closing the distance, his breathing became heavier and rapid.

"It's alright," I said softly as I could, trying to ease his suffering. "I'm here to break you out. Just relax, I'll do the rest."

Reaching into my bag, I took out a tiny glass flask containing a small dosage of tiny vapor. While I didn't think it was possible, his eyes grew even wider at the sight of the bottle. I immediately raised my hand. "Please, do not worry. This is to calm the nerves, ease the pain as well."

His eyes darted back between me and the bottle. Not that the man had any options to choose from, so with a slight nod, he agreed. Taking off the cap, the purple vapor started leaking out, then bringing it closer to his nose. By the second whiff, his eyes started closing, no longer struggling against his restraints.

Within seconds, he was out cold. I made sure this wouldn't cause him any further pain. It was a hassle to whip up, although the end result was well worth it. Picking up the red book, I stashed it and went to cut the restraints with my dagger, opening a portal when done, carefully removing him from the chair by laying him down on the ground, creating a thin energy layer beneath him that acted as a bed, then taking him to the other side with his normal arm over my shoulders. I set him down on the couch in the Pocket Dimension. When I did, I looked at his sleeping form and for just a split moment, I realized this was probably his first time in a long while that he could sleep normally.

I wish I could say that he was scot-free, only there was one crucial problem to fix, the brainwashing. I did study some cleansing magic, something that will help Bucky greatly. With my numerous hours of research, this particular type of brainwashing should be, and I quote, "out-of-date" and "simple", which I find surprising to say the least. Taking out the red book from my bag, I looked at it before looking back at the Winter Soldier.

He should stay like this for a while, so I better get to work and see what I can do.

---

I was sure that I would be able to greet the War Veteran peacefully this time around, sadly, it didn't go so smoothly.

"Woah, woah, calm down there, pal," I spoke calmly with my hands moving up and down. "No need to raise the metal fist in here."

When I finished cleaning his mind, which took plenty of time in out of itself, I moved him to the couch of my actual home to make things easier to explain. While waiting for him to wake up, I began preparing our dinner. At some point, he jumped out of the bed without much warning, which is where I have to calm him down, again.

"Where the hell am I!?" Bucky blurted out, scanning every inch of the living room. His stance was defensive, and more like he didn't want to engage in a fight at all. "What year is this?!"

"My apartment, and two thousand-eleven."

"Where? Exactly?" The soldier asked the second I answered, his heavy breathing not changing.

"In New York, close to Central Park to be exact," I moved towards the window slowly, motioning him to follow. "Please, take a look for yourself."

Bucky stood in place, his body still in a defensive stance, looking in every possible direction to make sure his surroundings were safe. Step by step, he walked towards another window, slowly moving the curtain off to the side to see for himself. Once he did, Bucky was mesmerized by the sight. Cars that, to him, were way different that he remembered, buildings having more color and… screens that showed various items and names he wasn't familiar with, not in the slightest. Alongside the buildings that shone with lights, it complimented the night sky greatly. Looking down, he tried staying focusing on one person at a time, but he was overwhelmed with how much there was going on, and how… different everything looked.

"Is this… how the future looks like?" Bucky asked himself, unable to trust his own thoughts. While he'd liked to know more, he had a different dilemma at hand. Now he has to find out if this person is with Hydra and this is another one of their "tests" they'd like to toy him with.

Looking back at the person in question, Bucky was determined to get some answers, speaking in a low tone. "Who are you, and why did you bring me here?"

"I'm sure you have, like, a million different questions on your mind right now, and I will answer all of them, I promise," I motioned back towards the dining table. "Please, let's discuss it over some dinner. I'm sure you're starving."

I went back to the kitchen to add the finishing spices to the roast beef I was preparing. I already made vegetable soup, two plates cooling off on the table. When adding the final touches, I waved my hands over the tray to form a yellow energy box on it, heating up the meat to have it ready sooner instead of using the oven. Since he's awake might as well not waste time.

Hearing a sound that resembled a slight gasp, I could tell Bucky was shocked to see such a thing, where I couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"How did you do that?" Bucky asked, awe in his voice as he watched the food heating up. "What kind of technology is that?"

I clicked my tongue as an initial response, swiping with my hand to the right to lift the tray and place it on the table. "It's not actually technology, not the type you'd expect that is." I seated myself in one of the chairs, forming a reassuring smile towards Bucky for him to join me. "It's magic, actually. I will explain that as well."

The soldier was still skeptical, contemplating whether or not he should feel at ease, deciding it was the only thing he could do at the time being. His movements were stiff and robot-like, which is to be expected. Circling the liquid of my bowl with a spoon in hand, I was just about to begin before deciding to throw another glance at my guest. Bucky's eyes studied his meal as if he was trying his hardest to find some kind of flaw in it.

"Is… there a problem?" I asked genuinely.

Bucky's only response was to shift his focus from the soup to me, his emotionless stare looking back at his bowl.
"Oh, I guess I'd be slightly concerned about food poisonings. Let's fix that. "

Waving my hands quickly, the two plates with the liquids stayed in place, only shaking slightly as the two plates flew an inch off the table to switch sides. Bucky jumped in his seat as he witnessed the plates move on their own, now having the other bowl before him.

"As I said, it's vegetable soup. I'm not that cruel, especially when a person hasn't eaten in God knows how long." I expressed truth in that sentence, knowing how crazy I would be if I was locked up without a decent meal. "You can add anything you want from here."

I said motioning towards the spices in the middle. Now showing that this wasn't any trick, I hoped he could trust me a little more unless he thinks I would try and poison the both of us.

That would be a little too much, no?

After a few seconds, Bucky took his spoon to eat his serving, seeing as he could potentially relax for the time being, potentially. Putting the spoonful into his mouth, there weren't words that could describe the feelings his mouth was experiencing. He wanted to gorge down on the soup, but he wanted to act polite, that being the difficult part.

The dinner proceeded with peace and quiet, and when we were finished, I cleared the table with a gesture and decided it was time to get the ball rolling.

"There, with that out of the way, we can move on to the topic at hand," I spoke as I whipped my mouth with a napkin. "Would be fair to hold up my end of the bargain, so ask me anything."

"Your name would be a good start..." Bucky said lowly. "That and who you work for."

"Fair enough," I sighed leaning back into my chair. "My name is Ethan Chester and believe it or not, I don't with anyone. I work alone, as of late that is. I was enrolled in an "institution" not that long ago but I had to go on my own after a few instances involving another member."

"Does that place also have people who do magic?" Bucky asked. "I thought those were just made-up stories."

"You'd be right to think so, it isn't exactly a place you'd find on the side of a street. Only a few know about our existence, while the rest of the world are oblivious. There's a reason why we Sorcerers tend to work from the shadows rather than going public, you know."

"That reason being?"

"It involves having to deal with that pesky group of people who held you captive for nearly seventy years, so," I replied while shrugging my shoulders. "Actually they're one of the reasons but you get the idea."

Bucky's hands balled into fists after just mentioning Hydra. He paused when thinking about his next question. "Why did you bring me here? I've been asking myself that ever since we started eating, and I still don't see your angle in breaking me out. If you truly say you're not one of them, how can I be sure that they won't find us?"

"Well, when you find out one of the world's most troublesome organizations uses brainwashing on a World War 2 veteran, one that supposedly died helping Captain America fight that same group, to turn him into an assassin to do their bidding, the answer becomes rather simple," I replied honestly. "Hydra can't find us, I have this whole block under surveillance, nobody can find us and there's no way to track us down. To them, we out there appear like we don't even exist. As for Hydra as a whole, I did extensive research on them when I first discovered them. After snooping around a little, I've come to the conclusion that sitting around is a no-go. Thought that cleansing the minds of the people they control would be the moral thing to do."

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean by "cleanse the mind"?

"Exactly that," I responded without missing a beat. "All the work Hydra put into brainwashing you was removed, for good. Removed in the span of a few hours."

Upon hearing this, Bucky's eyes grew at the size of dinner plates, with his mouth hanging. At first, he wanted to ask how, but his mind wanted a different approach. "I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie?"

Trying to remain calm as possible, Bucky tried answering. "They've… they've been messing with my mind ever since I was in the War, that I can remember clearly. Every time they would bring me out, they'd… do something to me. You said it's been almost seventy years, so I seriously doubt whatever you did in a couple of hours scratched the surface of what they did over the course of a couple of decades. I just can't see you or anyone else fixing what's wrong with me."

As a response, I waved my finger in order to summon the familiar red leathered book that was lying somewhere in the house, gently placing it on the table. Upon seeing it, Bucky flinched, but I was quick to act. "This right here is now absolutely useless. I went over every single aspect of mind control they implemented into your mind. The words that they used to make you into their puppet don't work. If I were to read them out loud, they'd seem like ordinary words, just how they should be."

I didn't get any sort of reply, just flat-out silence. From how things were going, I don't think he had any intention of replying.

"So that's how it is? Guess that leaves me with only one way of proving it."

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, taking long breaths through my nose as I prepared myself for what I was about to do, and the risk that comes along with it. I'd like to have him by my side, as there's a low amount of people I can properly work with. In order to accomplish that, I have proven my sincerity without fighting back when I do this.

"Longing." I spoke the first of the ten trigger words, trying to mimic a Russian accent as accurately as possible.

Instantly, Bucky jumped back in his seat with his eyes wide, gripping the edge of the table. "No…"

"Rusted… Furnace…" I continued on calmly, each word made Bucky jump. "Daybreak…"

"Stop it!" Bucky yelled as he shot up from his seat, walking backwards with his hands covering his ears.

"Seventeen… Benign…"

Even though his ears were covered, it just wasn't enough, he could still faintly hear them, understand the motion of my lips. It was setting his mind on fire, the memories of the pain flashing through his mind became unbearable. He had to stop them, now.

"Nine… Homecoming-"

I got the word out as Bucky rushed towards me, grabbing me by the collar and hoisting me up, simultaneously pushing me until my back crashed into the wall, then firmly gripping my neck. The moment he grabbed me, my hands gripped his wrist, just so I could remain focused. With his enhanced strength, it was enough to make my knees shake as the grip slowly became tighter.

"I swear to God, if you say one more word…!" Bucky threatened by slightly raising his metal arm.

"O- One…!" I choked out, just one more to go.

His grip tightened, fully raising his other arm. "Bastard! I told you to stop!"

"Just one more…!" I internally screamed while closely watching his movements. His fist was almost fully raised, only it felt like time slowed down significantly. I have to finish this right now. With the last ounce of strength I had, I spat out the last trigger word. "Freight Car!"

Before his fist came into contact with my face, it stopped roughly about a few centimeters from my nose, staying in place while also shaking. Retracting his hand back, I got a good look at Bucky's shocked expression, closely observing his metal arm before going over the rest of his body.

Seems like he realized the mind control is gone for good.

Tapping repeatedly the arm that held me against the wall, Bucky let go of me after a few seconds while moving backwards. Taking deep breaths and rubbing my neck, I straightened myself up before speaking. "As I said, you don't have to worry about that anymore…."

Bucky to this moment looked over his hands, still unable to believe the words didn't affect him at all. "How did you… manage that?"

"Just as Hydra has the ability to control one's mind, people like me have the power that can repair it," I explained with some difficulty, limping back to my seat. "Now that I've proven myself the only way I know how can we go back to talking?"

It took a few moments for him to properly respond, still looking at me with a skeptical expression. Even though he still had some doubts, he returned to his seat, this time more relaxed than before.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me?" I moved us back on track as I took a sip of my tea.
Reestablishing eye contact once more, Bucky spoke up. "Can they… somehow bring it back if they capture me?"

"By simply using another combination of words, no. They'd have to go from the start, that is if the method is even optimal anymore. I'm not sure if they can recreate the same procedure to control someone, so just in case, I can offer you some protection if they ever get ahold of you again."

Lastly, Bucky moved on to the most dreaded question yet, looking down at the table. "What happens to me now?"

"To be honest, that entirely depends on you. I'm seeing two options here," I said calmly, prompting Bucky to look up. "If you want, you are by all means free to go, and we will never encounter one another ever again. I won't hold you against your will, or ask for payment in return for releasing you. I can provide you with some assistance to help you get accustomed to this day and age. Although I must warn you, I'm not sure how far you can go on your own. I should inform you, just in case your memories are foggy, but as of now, Hydra, are everywhere. Agents hiding undercover at every single turn, surveillance at every corner, countless businesses and organizations corrupt, while also having resources to burn. Shortly after the War, Peggy Carter went on to form an organization, called S.H.I.E.L.D., to stop people like Hydra. Sadly, they didn't notice they were infected from the start. The world's most powerful group of people that are meant to protect, are nothing more than a cover for Hydra, so you can kiss security goodbye."

I was met with silence for the next minute or so, patiently waiting to hear Bucky's response. "What is option B, then?"

"You can stay and help me," I said hopefully. "You see, I plan on eliminating Hydra. Time is scarce enough as it is, giving them any more results in us dying sooner. Like I said, they are severely infected, meaning in order to get rid of them, we'll have to play around two groups. While I'll admit there's some good on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s part, trusting or even working with them are too risky. In fact, they might not even know that Hydra is still active. While we may be short in numbers, I believe it can be pulled off with the proper plan."

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed when I finished, coughing slightly as he leaned forward. "If they haven't even been noticed since the War, and are really that powerful, what makes you think that you'll leave more than a dent?"

For the first time, I couldn't hold my ego in. Not because I was overconfident, but I knew what kind of advantage I had on my plate. "Just like the whole world didn't know Hydra was under their nose, they are oblivious to my existence as well. I have various methods to counter their tactics, while also having the element of surprise. I know what I'm going up against, they don't. I wouldn't be asking you this if I wasn't sure if my operation would work. Besides, what I did to remove Hydra's program still has more to it. The memories they've removed can eventually be restored, the reason I didn't do it is that restoring that many memories can cause brain damage if done recklessly. It seemed fair to me to let you choose what you would like to do with them."

I wasn't over-exaggerating, Hydra is a dangerous foe that should be dealt with caution. If I play my cards right, I will come out victorious. They are bound to be a bigger threat than what I'm familiar with, but I won't give them the opportunity to hit me back. If Bucky decides to stay, I'll have someone who has experience with Hydra, and will make the task of eliminating them much easier.

Still, it's his decision.

I rose up from my seat. "I understand this is not something you can decide on the spot, I won't put any further pressure on you. You can give me your answer in the morning. There's some new clothes over there, plus the spare bedroom is the first door when you make a turn down the hall. That's all I got, so good night, Mr. Barns,."

I walked towards my bedroom, aiming to get a head start on the books I want to finish. I won't focus too much on Bucky, the man needs his space and he'll decide in the morning.

No matter what the answer might be, I'm just glad I prevented plenty of damage in the long run.

---

Even though it was somewhat late at night, there was life all around.

The sound of people talking couldn't be escaped when outside, and for Bucky, that alone felt abnormal to him.
It was the only thing he wanted to do, no, it's what he needed to do. Bucky didn't trail far away from this… person who willingly broke him out of captivity, now sitting in the park that was in the view from the apartment window. While he had several doubts about him, there weren't any indications that meant Bucky was in harm's way, at least he thinks. There's no argument that Bucky was furious when that person, Ethan, began saying those accursed words. They alone brought many memories he wished he could forget, although he was still in control when he was done, so it meant he was genuine when he said that the program was out for good. Bucky was still on the fence about fully trusting him, though.

Right now, he attempted to enjoy the peace he so longed for, calmly seated on a park bench that wasn't far from the iron fence, allowing him to hear the voices of people who passed. While Bucky originally planned on going somewhere quiet, he realized that's the last thing he needs. The voices of other people, regular people, eased his mind more than he could imagine. With the new clothes he was offered, being a grey tracksuit, Bucky was able to hide his metal arm and put the hood on to hide in plain sight, not that a single person bothered with him anyway.

To tell the truth, Bucky wasn't sure what to do now. Hell, how could he know?

He had the option of getting off the grid, which greatly tempted him. Finding an isolated place where he can spend the rest of his life. There would be no more fighting, no conflict, just himself. After everything he's been through, was it too much to ask? Bucky realized that he was marked for life, with Hydra now in their prime being on the run from all authority is going to be difficult. At best, he could buy a few months or even years, if he would move every now and then that is.

On the other hand, Bucky felt like it was his duty to stay and fight.

He was a soldier, it was job to keep on fighting. Bucky didn't hesitate when signing up for the Military, and knew what kind of risk he was putting himself into. Yet, putting his life on the line was a low price for the good guys to win. Under normal circumstances, he would jump right back in without a second thought. Now, it just wasn't the same.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Bucky fully leaned back on the bench, shifting his focus in the distance to distract himself. As much as he wanted to make himself believe this is the same world when he was still "alive", it just wasn't. No matter where he looked, everything felt different. Even the way people talked seemed foreign to Bucky. With so many concerns flowing through his head, Bucky tried calming down by remembering the moments he cherished most.

His childhood, teenage years, being deployed in the military. Of all those memories, they all shared a sense of unfamiliarity, but one person shined through them all.

"Steve…"

A sliver of a smile formed across Bucky's face upon remembering his dear friend, only to disappear when more memories came flooding in. He would never forget the last moment he saw his friend, the glimpse Steve's horrified face as he fell down to the cold river. Bucky had no idea how the mission went or if his friend made it out alive, but for some reason, he had a feeling that Steve pulled it off, he just knew. Enhanced super strength or not, Bucky always admired how Steve, even if the whole world was against him, would never run away from a fight, no matter the odds.
"Hope you had a good life, brother…"

Bucky looked up to the sky as he lowly uttered those words, making a mental note to find Steve's grave, to pay him a visit to give him a proper goodbye. All the memories they've shared flashed through Bucky's eyes one more time as he stood up.

While reminiscing about his friend, Bucky's mind came to a resolution. He knew that he needed to keep going forward, it's what Steve would want. While he wasn't sure how much he could trust himself now that he was out of Hydra's grasps, there was only one way he could live out the rest of his life, by atoning for his sins. Mind control or not, a small glimpse of the actions he did before made him decide what to do from now on. It made him feel sick when remembering all the cruel things he did, and there's no possible chance he's going to let Hydra go unpunished. When he does that, he can then live in peace.

Putting his hands into the pockets of the tracksuit, Bucky slowly began walking, going towards the gate, his mind set on his newfound goal.

---

After my dinner with Bucky, I confined myself to my room and didn't exist from those four walls for the whole night. Like I said, privacy. Besides, I needed to go over the last few books I had on me to start practicing the more dangerous and intense spells. With Shang's help, I have other forms of combat to practice with my training dummy. Approaching the spare bedroom, I saw the door was slightly opened, but when taking a peek inside, I saw it was empty. Fully opening the door, I inspected the room top to bottom, it was exactly how I left it.

"Can't blame the guy," I thought while closing the door. "I hope he'll stay out of trouble. They'll eat him alive if he isn't careful."

Continuing my walk towards the kitchen, I stopped when I saw smoke coming from the right side at the end of the hallway. Immediately, my mind went into overdrive, breaking into a run towards the kitchen. Turning the corner, I wasn't greeted with danger of any kind. Frankly, it was quite the opposite.

Bucky was cooking, and with the smoke coming from the pan that was on fire, alongside his jittery behavior, he was having some trouble.

Jogging towards the stove, I waved my hands to manifest silver vapor from the tip of my fingers, instantly putting out the fire and clearing all the smoke when it came into contact. Turning over to Bucky,

While I wanted to ask him if he decided to stay, my mind said something else. "You could have just woke me up, you know?"

Bucky looked away embarrassingly. "Yeah... I was meaning to wait and ask you then, didn't expect that I would start a fire cooking a simple breakfast."

"You never cooked before?" I asked as I disposed of the burnt eggs and bacon.

"If you count heating up canned food then yeah." Bucky replied with a shrug.

"You're in luck, I happen to be an exceptional cook. I'll get you up to speed." I politely offered while taking out the second batch of ingredients from the fridge with a few waves.

"Sounds good." Was Bucky's reply.

He stayed by me when instead of using my powers, did the normal way for a change. While doing so, I had to ask. "So, you decided to stay?"

"I figured if the world's that bad, being on the run is gonna end badly for me I feel. I wanted to..." Bucky paused for a moment. "To thank you, for whatever you did. I feel like... my old self again. I don't have anything I can repay you with, but if you really do want to take Hydra down, I want to be of use. They have to pay for what they did. Not just to me, but to everyone else who suffered by their hands. "

"Trust me, I'm only doing my part. I occasionally step in and do what I can. Besides, doing this kind of work is rather lonely. I'd be glad to work alongside you, Mr. Barns," I said honestly as I looked at him, then extended my hand out to him. "From here on out, I will be fully transparent with you, and we'll both work together, as partners. Have to warn you though, hope you get used to my methods, magic does tend to be confusing to newcomers."

Bucky looked at my hand momentarily before accepting it. "I think I'll manage, and Bucky is enough. No need to make me feel older than I already am."

"Then we have a deal, Bucky. Welcome aboard."

For the next several minutes, we were met with silence as I proceeded to make our breakfast.

"Oh, and another thing," Bucky began, turning my focus towards him. "I took your warning and didn't go too far away from the building, although I was wondering, can you tell me what happened ever since the war ended? Sure doesn't file like the same New York when I left it."

I gave a slight nod, more than happy to inform him of all that's happened since then. "I'll make you a list, then."

As for this Chapter, I decided to take a slow approach compared how the last Chapter went. I feel like it was necessary to show that using powers comes with consequences, that's why for most of the Chapter he doesn't use any bigger spells in the last half. Feel like having done this, I won't keep having Ethan get into these kinds of issues and should proceed getting stronger without these restraints up until now. Saw this as the stepping stone in getting fully familiar with your powers and won't have problems dealing with most threats, for now.

We also got Chi, something I wanted to get for a while. It has many useful applications and can mix in with other techniques. It seemed fair that the process of learning didn't take the same time as when he first learned how to control energy, so there wasn't any need to waste much time there.

Lastly, Bucky Barnes. I personally always felt bad about what this character had to go thru the MCU, and really felt like he deserved a break. With this, canon (which already was altered) lost more key moments and now all bets are off. Plus, though both Bucky and Ethan could use the company while going up against the world, cant do everything solo.

Right now, I'm thinking about what I could do next, as there's still about a year (or less than a year) before the Battle of NYC, so any suggestions until then will be helpful. Lemme know what you think by leaving a review (civil ty)
Until next time, cya

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 8 - Building a Team
I hummed as I patiently waited at the front desk of the London Sanctum.

Needing new materials and ingredients, nothing stopped me from visiting the Sanctum with all the resources. I got plenty of history books and videos to get Bucky back on track, but I needed some things as well. I finished most of the books I took from Kamar-Taj, except the last three that were more advanced, which I plan to start mastering soon. The books I now planned on taking will enhance the list of spells I already know while also adding more variety. There was plenty to go around, the more the merrier. Also plenty of ingredients for potions and enchantments.

The Master who lived in the Sanctum seemed to be a grumpy fellow, especially when I presented with the list of things I needed. He wasn't the same guardian the last time I visited this Sanctum, which most likely means this is a substitute. Pleasant or not, the Master still went to get all the items I needed. Before he left, I tried getting some information on what's going on the magical side of the world. Seems like The Ancient One kept many of her subordinates in the dark about her whereabouts and her course of action, or they were asked to stay silent about the subject. I could only theorize what her plan might be, for now at least. Knowing her, it has to be important in some way, guess I'll have to figure out what's going on there as well at one point.

When he returned, the Master told me a package just came in with my name on it. Naturally, I was totally confused. It was a sealed Bag of Holding that only opened when my hands touched the cloth. From within, I took out a brown-leathered tome book with various gold accents, the single gem in the middle shinning briefly. Opening it, there was an envelope neatly placed in the center on the first page, unfolding by itself.

"Dear Ethan, I trust your training is coming along rather smoothly, since you've requested more books it seems like you've finished the last batch. I'm glad. This one is dedicated to practicing Chi. Personally, I think it's an interesting and versatile power that's very much worth the effort. I made a list of my preferred choices for more study material. I look forward to seeing how you progress." Signed, the Ancient One.

"Universe, you work in mysterious ways." I thought gleefully as well as a little concerned. I knew far better than to question how she knew, so I should just be thankful she helped me out. I'll just never wrap my head around how she does this kind of stuff.

With another trip inside the many rooms of the Sanctum, the Master returned shortly with numerous books floating by his side. I thanked him and left, getting a refill on my resources, I should be fine for the foreseeable future. Money is finite, although getting more of that from criminals won't be that much of an issue.
Now I would have to ask myself, what else would I need?

The logical answer would be to improve my physical capabilities, as that's what I'm lacking so far. My physique over the past few months has greatly improved, something I'm quite glad as I feel alive as ever, plus I was liking progress I was making. Still, while I can do more and more exercises to improve, I would still be limited on how strong I would be on normal means. Physically empowering your muscles with magic tends to end badly, as it's overly complicated and having it be in effect all the time would only damage the cells in the body over the years. Not saying magic users don't use this or fear of using it, it's just you can achieve certain results if you do it that way.

Extremis or the Heart-Shaped Herb would be ideal, as they provide numerous other perks alongside physical improvement.

Personally, I was never a fan of Extremis, the flaming body being the major reason for that. It did provide great healing properties, the worry of ever losing a limb disappears immediately after taking it. The insanely hot flames were cool, I guess, but it offers nothing new. I took the original and only complete sample of it as it might come in useful at some point, and I planned on recruiting Maya Hansen as well.

That leaves the Herb.

It's my preferred option and the superior one of the two. While thinking of its properties, I realized what huge benefit it would be. The enhanced speed it provides will help me cast a spell within an instant, while my senses would allow me to react quicker. Having night vision is nifty as well, with the bonus of being able to hear heartbeats those close to me and track any scent. It offers more beneficial properties, so it would be wise to get a hold of that plant.

With my mind set on getting that Herb, I won't have to worry that much about coming up with a way of taking it. I know exactly how the room looks and a simple way of getting in and taking the Herb without raising any alarms. I might want to meditate a little before making a portal to properly envision the scenes from the movie just in case, as I only need that room. Wakanda is notorious for its highly advanced security systems, and an important area like that is bound to be guarded, except for the room itself.

When I properly scan the room, which I'm fairly sure is still going to be like in movie form, I'll have my answer. The key is small openings. I don't need to actually enter the room to get what I want, rather I would make a small one first to cast a spell that would allow me to get a fully recreated copy of the room to see its layout. Once I learn how the place looks like to the last detail, I'll be sure to make my move undetected. Looking at it, I would take two, one for myself and one for Bucky, as well as some of its soil as well, I'm quite sure it possesses some properties that allow the plant to grow. Getting a third one, it would allow me to make many more afterwards, just in case. The Herb would most likely need low light in order to grow, that's why it's only lit up by torches.

All I would need to do before I continue is picture the image in my head. While meditating, the room became more familiar as I remembered more details about its layout. When finished, I began making my scanning spell, a small silver transparent orb the size of a Cheerio.

While I knew I was doing this completely blind, my hunch is still that within that room specifically this won't be spotted at the far end of it. The sphere won't let out any kind of light or sound, rather it will vanish instantly when it senses it entered a different area. Once it does, I will get a full scale replica of the environment with sensors that lets me see if anyone is moving from inside.

Sitting cross-legged in my training room, where the room would change size to mimic the growth room identically, I created a very small portal that went upwards to take the sphere away. I waited for about five seconds before the environment started developing, each structure forming out of tiny grey cubes at rapid speed. At first the layout was only colored in grey, but after it was fully formed it gained its color as well. Before I knew it, I was standing in the center of the planting grounds for the Herb.

Standing up, I looked around to see who was inside at the moment. Only two keepers. By the looks of it, they aren't aware what just happened, luckily the smaller the portal the lower the sound it produces. Walking about the grounds, I checked if there's any security to worry about, and there wasn't. All that's left to do is choose what plant to take.
There were many plants scattered all around yes, but something in my mind made me scout out the least noticeable ones. I don't really care if they notice a few of them missing, as they won't even know who took them, nevertheless my OCD made me be careful.

After circling the area, I found the three I'm taking with me. Two were hanging close to the edge while the last one was right near the brick wall. The keepers were doing their daily tasks of taking care of the plants, neither of them were remotely close to the ones I plan on taking. Having a clear view of the entire room, I walked to each individual plant, making a portal just the right size to swallow it whole. I took some of its soil from the far end. I don't need much, just enough so I can make more later on.

With the Herbs were in my possession, I didn't need to waste any more time here.

The two women were still going about their routine as if nothing ever happened.

Dismissing the copied layout around me, I was greeted with three Heart-Shaped Herbs along with some soil in a silver container several feet away from me. Walking towards it, I grabbed a hold of one of the Herbs, taking out the important part while returning the shell to the container. I admired the Herb in all its glory, slowly rotating it in my hand. I now have the plant that's equivalent to the Super Soldier Serum, arguably even better in some areas. Gripping it gently, I let out a sigh of relief, happy that I've acquired another very useful upgrade.

I don't know what it was, I just felt an overwhelming sense of relief while holding the Herb. These past few months took quite a toll on my mental state, to put it lightly. It always went back to the same thing, to become strong as fast as possible, so I would be lying if I was content staying the same. I was satisfied whenever I learned something new, as it wasn't enough. I can't tell what held my composure in place after all this time, but am I glad it's still going strong.

However, I've managed to use every single minute of my time here to improve my odds.

At times like these, I'm glad to be who I am.

Realizing how much time I spent in the dead-silent room alone with my thoughts, I shook my head.

"Damn, I wasn't kidding when I said this was taking a toll on me," I thought while rubbing my eyes. "I need to get out some time to get out of this funk. I should convince Bucky to take some time off with me soon, or I can maybe ask someone from the X-Men to just hang out? I can definitely use the opportunity to talk to people around my age, God do I need that."

Walking out of the training room, I went to tell Bucky about our new fruits. He was in the corner of the library, sitting at the edge of the table with numerous books around him, but Bucky was focused on the video he was currently watching. The screen was wide and it was adjustable, the yellow energy lines around it made it easy to do so. I created several Silver Snitches that scan and analyze any sort of book, easily able to absorb any knowledge if it's on paper and start making a replica of it. They can do a lot more, but for now this was enough.

Bucky didn't waste a minute after joining me to catch up on all the things that happened in the last century. I made sure to write down all that he would need to know, only I think I overdid it a little. Ever since I gave him that, Bucky didn't bother with anything else. He agreed to let me do another check up on him to be a hundred percent sure there were no loose ends, to which there weren't any. The human mind is very complex and delicate, I'm just thankful the spell I used did the job exceptionally well.

Of course, I gave him my own version of all the events that happened before giving him the detailed script. Just as I expected, I was asked a question I wasn't necessarily prepared for, about Captain America himself. That topic in particular was troublesome to figure out. On one hand, they both deserved to know the other survived, that they had a connection to their "old life", but it wasn't so simple. They were in no shape to see each other at this time, it was too soon. It was necessary that they get adjusted to this world, at their own pace.

For the time being, I had to go with a white lie. Just like in the history books, Steve Rogers was able to redirect the plane from hitting the city by crashing it into the Arctic Ocean, forever lost to the world. To say Bucky was devastated when he heard the news would be an understatement. The mission that would put an end to Hydra was all for nothing, and his best friend "died" young as a result. When I finished with the explanation, all Bucky said that he would make sure Steve's sacrifice will not go in vain. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Bucky's head turned for what seemed to be the first time in the last few hours.

"Still not taking a break, I see," I taunted jokingly while taking out the seat next to him.

"I did... for like two minutes," Bucky expressed leaning back slightly. "It's kind of a lot to take in, but I still want to see for myself what happened after the War. So far, it's safe to say plenty has happened."

"You should take your time with that," I advised as I waved my hands to summon a teacup for myself and a long glass for him, water being a better option than more coffee. A teapot made out of dark green energy formed as I had everything else on hand. "Nearly seventy years of history isn't the easiest to learn all at once. I know how redundant that sounds, but I still think taking it slow for a while is the better route. You've been very silent the last few days, I wanna make sure you're alright."

"No, no I'm fine, really," Bucky huffed, simultaneously looking back at the screen. "It's all I could think about, aside from eating and sleeping really. I wanted to see if we won the War, but we lost more in the long run. It's horrible, everything that happened."

I'm absolutely sure I heard that before. "Don't worry, we'll do the cleanup. If we play our cards right, at the right time, their empire will come crashing down."

Bucky stiffed a smile. "You seem to be sure a lot of things will go our way, how come?"

"I like thinking ahead," I replied smiling upon drinking my tea. "That and doing my research. A few kinks have to be worked out, other than that we won't have any problems dealing with them. As a matter of fact, I just have the thing that will help us with that."

Reaching into my pockets, I took out the two Herbs, placing them onto the table. Choosing to remain silent momentarily, as Bucky really didn't know how to answer, raising an eyebrow before speaking up. "A plant?"

I held in a chuckle at the reply. "Not just any plant, Bucky. This is the Heart-Shaped Herb, the successor to the Super Soldier serum. In fact, it's theorized that Dr. Abraham Erskine took a sample of the Herb so he can create the serum."

Bucky's eyes grew wide upon hearing that. "No way." His hand grabbed one of the Herbs, delicately examining it. "I never thought something like this existed."

"Dr. Erskine did amazing work with the small sample he acquired, sadly, his final product didn't come close to the original," I explained, before backtracking a little. "Make no mistake, the serum he gave Steve was effective and a huge success, only the Herb offers more than the original serum does. After his death, Hydra tried replicating the serum the best that they could, luckily they couldn't come close to making it. Hydra spent lots of resources in making their own serum, which they inevitably did. From my research, the serum they injected you with is still in many ways inferior. With this, you'll double your current strength.

"Wait, wait," Bucky stammered. "If this thing is basically like the same as the serum, where on Earth did you find this?"

"I got a tip from one of my peers about its location, a guy owed me a favor." I lied causally. "Preparing a plan on taking it took a while, but it's an upgrade that will greatly benefit us. It belonged to the same people who originally owned the Vibranium I took from that smuggler."

"The Wakandans?" Bucky asked questionably. "Aren't they supposed to be closed off from the world? Plus I can't imagine something like this lying around without it being heavily guarded. Won't they notice that you took their plants?"

"True, but they were also too full of themselves," I admitted. "There is only one place where you can find this Herb and the area it's hidden in is armed to the brim with guards, as only a select few are allowed to enter. That being said, the room itself was the only place that didn't have any security, as nobody can go too far into the temple without sounding the alarms. They also have an abundance of these Herbs, and I've made sure to leave no trail. Trust me, I'm careful like that."

Looking back at the purple plant, Bucky appeared to be somewhat skeptical. "So how do we do this?"

---

"Wish me luck." I uttered before drinking all the purple-liquid that came from the Herb.

Bucky nodded. "I'll be off by the side in case anything happens."

Giving him a quick thumbs up, laying on my back with my arms crossed, feeling my eyes getting heavier as I was dozing off. For the longest time, I felt like my eyes wouldn't open, no matter how hard I tried. These past few months of using Astral Projection, this time felt slightly different, like my body was sinking down with no end in sight. After a certain point, I could feel slowly waking up.

Turning my head to the side, I could barely see anything, my vision was blurry. Looking at the other side, I could see a simple table placed in front of a tree with purple leaves clear as day. After I laid my eyes on the tree, my vision slowly returned the more I focused on it. I was in some sort of grass field, glancing up to see purple streaks along the night sky, confirming I indeed am in the Astral Plane. The atmosphere itself felt vastly different, the air was cleaner and gave off a warm aura of sorts. Standing up, I walked slowly towards the table, where I noticed a familiar object placed in the middle.

The Codex.

Getting a better look, I already noticed something was off about it. The gems, they were red instead of green. Last time it was like that was before it took some of my blood, before I "unlocked" it. Flipping the book open, my suspicion was confirmed when I looked at the first page.

"Blank." I uttered calmly.

Now, this is interesting.

In the blink of an eye, the peaceful aura was gone. It was like standing next to a fire, being so close to the flames at such a degree where it would become unbearable. Only this sensation was a hundred times more intense. I could feel how powerful the aura was, yet it was shrouded in mystery. It was difficult to describe the feeling, but I was certain of one thing. I wasn't alone anymore.

Slowly looking up from the book, I was met with the downcast gaze of Bast herself.

To my surprise, I didn't even flinch when I looked straight at her, calm as a cucumber. But the sensation she gave off made a chill go down my spine for the briefest moment. Seems like the countless hours of meditating are paying off in more ways than one. The Goddess was massive in height, her piercing white eyes along with the powerful aura made me realize how small I was in comparison, both figuratively and literally. Yet, I remained completely calm. My only train of thought was to make sure I properly think my words through before I speak. I walked behind the wooden table to sit cross-legged on the grass.

"The Panther Goddess, Bast, the child of Ra and guardian of the Wakandans. It's an honor to meet you." I bowed towards the Goddess, my tone nothing but respectful.

"You don't belong here, Planewalker," Bast said, her voice booming. "You've stolen what belongs to my people. Explain yourself, then I may consider your fate."

"First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for that, I did not mean no disrespect. I'm fully aware of your status. Yet, I require your help, oh great Goddess."

Bast's eyes squinted at me, a low hum escaping her lips. "I see. You are no ordinary human, nor is this your first time within this state. A sorcerer, I was not expecting this. I am aware of your kind, contacting the dead at your pleasure. However, The Herb does not belong to you, why should I listen to anything you have to say?"
"From my knowledge, whoever eats the Herb receives the powers of a God," I began explaining. "We Sorcerers offer nothing but respect in the presence of a divine entity. I am aware that this kind of power is not that easily received, although I still believe I'm entitled to a chance to earn that."

"Sorcerer or not, you humans are so predictable," Bast spoke in a disappointed tone. "You only lust for power and rule those beneath you. It's truly sickening, to treat your kind so horribly, it makes me question the loyalty you all have to your own kind."

"Not to go against your word, but that's where you're wrong."

"Explain." Bast commanded.

"If you know about us sorcerers, then you must know we abide by certain rules. I don't collect power to be used to spread harm. Connections between humans and deities are common, giving the hosts powers in return of following their requests. I would like for you to do the same for me. With your help, I can fulfill my goal."

"Then tell me, Sorcerer, what is your goal?"

Without missing a beat, I answered with honesty. "To survive, and to protect those that need protecting."
"How can I believe you?" Bast replied with hostility. "Empty words will only bring you closer towards your death, and it won't be a merciful one if one would defy me."

"These aren't empty words, it's my whole existence," I shot back confidently. "It's what I stand for, and wouldn't let chaos flood the world. I would like to prove my worth to you, great Goddess. I've done such things before, and I will gladly do it again if that's what it takes."

Bast was silent, as if she was thinking it over. "What makes you worthy of being my Avatar?" Bast asked. "Humans with power only give birth to new wars, a never ending cycle. Since you broke the tradition of my people, death would be the appropriate punishment. But I'll humor you, Planewalker. If you are so confident, what makes you so sure you won't fail with that promise if I would agree?"

"Because… I won't."

"Why is that?" Bast asked demandingly.

"Simple," I responded calmly. "I refuse to bow down to some nut job that puts my life, and the life of others at risk. There is no order in the world, not from where I stand. Someone has to restore it, I intend to do that. Not just from humans, but from other worldly creatures that bring nothing but war. My duties as a sorcerer require me to insure Earth's survival, no matter the circumstance. For me to be its guardian, I ask for your help. If I were to become your Avatar, I promise you I will not only protect your people, but the entire human race as well. I only ask to be offered a fair shot."

My plea was met with silence, her glowing eyes slowly narrowing. I gulped, the anticipation in my mind slowly killing me.

"Very well."

My eyes widened slightly, as if a massive burden was lifted off my shoulders. I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding in, preparing myself for whatever trial she had in store for me.
"Your resolve is strong, Planewalker, I'll commend you for that. One trial. If you desire to wield my power, you'll have to complete one trial. Survive."

I gulped at her request, not liking the little amount of detail in her demand. "May I ask what the conditions are?"
"All the power and knowledge you gathered so far will be put to the test. If you claim to have the will to survive, and seek my power to fulfill your goal of protecting mortals, you must prove yourself to me. For the trial itself, you will be placed within a jungle where you will encounter creatures someone of your stature would be familiar with, with the objective being to reach the end of it, alive." Bast explained, stopping momentarily. "If you complete this trial, I'll deem you worthy of inheriting my power. But make no mistake, this will be no easy task."

Of course, I wanted to know more before I jumped the gun. "Are there any other conditions? What would happen if I fail?"

"The pain you experience will be very real, however, it won't affect your real body. If by chance you don't complete this trial, you will be banished from this realm." Bast explained, her tone becoming more menacing. "If I sense your presence entering this realm once more, I will not hesitate to wipe you out of existence. I have pardoned the crime of stealing the Herb from my people, but do not take my kindness for granted. I offer you one chance, Planewalker, what is your answer?"

The moment Bast asked me that, I already knew my answer. The fear of the unknown definitely made me feel uneasy, as well as possibly being caught off guard when it's most important, but the drive for survival outweighed that fear. It's the same feeling I experienced on that park bench when I made up my mind on how to go about in this new universe, along with the promise I made to myself. I will not fail. I will survive.

"I accept."

"Good," The Goddess hummed. "Your trial will now begin. Survive within the jungle, and I will grant you my powers."

When her paw crushed me, it felt like my very existence was whipped out. But a second later after it happened, my eyes shot open to find myself in a dark jungle. Examining myself, I felt normal, opposed to being ripped to shreds not a moment ago. My mask was in my left hand, with all my gear on, including the armor as well.

"Damn these Gods..."

Seems she was kind enough to let me use my powers, as if I had to go in barehanded then my chances of surviving would be slim. I could feel it in the air, this area is filled with mystical energy, along with who knows what kind of terrors lurking around. To get through this, I'll have to go with a different approach, kill on sight. Whatever this place is, I'm positive it's made by Bast herself for this trial to screw with me, as well as forcing me to my limit. I don't gravitate towards mindless killing, but I'll have to this time around. It didn't help that it was nighttime with the only light being the purple accents in the sky.

To my luck, I extended my portfolio so I should come out on top. I focused on skills that are AOE and detection, perfect for keeping me updated when I approach things such as pseudo-Spider Sense poison, radiation and so much more. With the beads stacked up, I'll be prepared in more ways than one.

I put on my mask before I began the first act. Clasping my hands together, I formed a small white sphere and threw it into the air, going way higher above the trees. Couple of seconds passed before it came down, going inside my sleeve into the Rune on my forearm, making a camera wide view pop up inside the orange rectangle. Welp, seems like the gigantic panther-like statue in the far distance is my finish line. I feel as if I teleport right to there I will get immediately disqualified, totally defeating the purpose of the trial.

"Let's ace this test." I uttered confidently, taking in one last breath before breaking off into a run.

While running, I waved my hands to form a platform from the earth's soil, then commanded it to propel forward, tripling my current speed. The terrain wasn't entirely even, but with my feet connected to the platform like a magnet, I won't be falling off that easily. My sensory beads were all active, so far it wasn't picking up anything. I have a long ride ahead of me, only good thing is that time won't be a factor within this plane.

It wasn't until a few minutes of moving that I finally sensed something, and it was heading my way, fast. I could tell it was an animal, a big one, along with powerful electrical discharge. Leaning to my right, I jumped off the platform while commanding more soil to rise up to form a shield, exploding not a moment after it's formed. Landing on the ground, my head snapped in the direction where the lightning came from, a grim expression forming.

In the distance, I was greeted with my first obstacle. A white bear that was about five meters tall, a bulky build with glowing white eyes, strings of lightning surging around its mouth. As it got closer, its footsteps grew louder, the ground trembling slightly. With a loud growl, the beast charged towards me with ferocious intentions.

"Of course, monster-like animals, who would have figured…?" I mentally groaned, not missing a beat for prepping my counterattack. Throwing my hands up, a wide earth wave towards the bear with me on top of it, along with a spell-circle that repeatedly shot yellow beams, the bear matching them with his lightning bolts. When in range, the wave engulfed the bear as the earth surrounded it, trapping it inside. Before I could fire an empowered shot, it broke out of its prison with my beam burning its left shoulder.

Landing on the ground, I sent countless earth spikes erupting from the ground towards the bear, scratching its paws slightly as it jumped high into the air. I could see sparks of lightning charging around its mouth, immediately forming a portal underneath me to get out of the way. The portal reopened way above the bear who crashed down and destroyed several nearby trees. As I was descending, I conjured four lengthy-sized spears and sent them down at the bear, piercing both its arms and shoulders, causing the creature to howl in pain. Once they were in, they instantly grew in size to stay in place, pinning its arms to the ground. I took out my Sol Blade as I landed on top of its oversized head, plunging it in right in the center, jumping off with an earth cushion waiting below me that widened the distance between us.

The bear roared in pain, pulling away but the large spears kept it in place. Its left arm almost disjointed, barely staying in one piece. With one last tug, it managed to regain some freedom at the cost of ripping off its heavily wounded arm.

"Come on, shoot a nice big one at me." I stood in place while raising my other dagger with a pure white blade with some electric sparks radiating from it.

Pissed beyond any measurement, the bear intended killing me with one blast, this one being the most destructive one. That's it, keep it going. It happened faster than I expected, the bolt flying at immense speed, but with my dagger up and spell in place, the attack was gradually being absorbed. It was pushing me back, but I could withstand it. When enough was absorbed, I tilted my blade, causing a volleyball-like net made out of lightning going from my blade to the one embedded in its head. The action was swift, but effective. Its head split in two vertically, the lightning rapidly dying down, with its body flopping down to the ground with a thud.

Approaching the lifeless creature, I located my dagger that was covered in blood and some organs. Cleaning it, I stored it into the holster and looked down. I need to be quicker and more decisive. I know I settled on "kill on sight", but I still have to make these decisions without hesitation. I think it's the fact that it's so easy to kill, and how quickly it can be done. It's… infuriating, I was always a pacifist and reserve, the sudden change was difficult but I knew there wasn't an alternate method.

When my hand is forced, I will have to be swift.

My thoughts were broken when I could sense something approaching, and fast. Without skipping a beat, I slammed my hands on the ground in that direction, causing the area to burst into flames in a cone, spreading wider so "it" doesn't survive. For a brief moment, whatever was moving stopped, only for a black wolf with most of its skin burned off to emerge from the flames. It was too late to react with a spell, so I tried evading it.

My attempt to dodge it was foiled as its mouth latched onto my left ankle, dragging me away while running at top speed, my mask occasionally hitting the ground while moving. The constant shaking made me slightly disoriented, but I ignored it, begging to channel my Chi into my right hand.

"Let. Go!" I yelled, plunging my hand into the wolf's side. I could hear the bones breaking as my whole forearm went in for his mouth to release me, the animal whimpering as it tried crawling away. Getting up, I channeled up my Chi Fist with increased intensity, striking its neck with a swift strike. Just as I silenced it, my beads picked up multiple new threats approaching. Hiding behind the trees, a pack of wolves double the size of the one I just killed.

How fun.

Sensing the first one lunging towards me at high speed, I raised my hands to form a barrier and repelled it off. Like vultures, the rest joined in on mauling me, managing to fully complete my barrier without any openings. They tried destroying it with brute force, pilling on top of each other to each get their shot.

What they didn't expect is countless spikes erupting from the barrier, piercing the front pack then extending out to hit the ones in the back. Expanding the barrier to throw away the carcasses to the side, I formed multiple stacked red spell rings that flew off on their own, eliminating the remainder of the pack.

Here I thought Killian and the Brotherhood were a nuisance. These beasts were ridiculously fast, and killing machines, with preparation being my biggest advantage. Fighting the unknown is always problematic, not to mention terrifying at times. Survival to the fittest isn't kind, so neither can I.

Opening my Codex, I chose my set of spells I'd have ready at all times.
Now, let's get out of this jungle.

---

The deeper I found myself within the jungle, my perception of time grew weaker.
I faced many animals along the way, deadlier iterations of animals that inhabit a jungle. While I couldn't tell time, I made it a habit to check my condition every now and then, using any necessary potion to stay sharp. After a while, my body started kicking back, unable to avoid the side-effects when in constant use. I was able to ignore it, making sure I preserve my strength so it doesn't worsen.

Aside of insects and wild birds plaguing the sky, I was able to fight back against the ongoing swarm of creatures that just kept coming.

Right now, I travelled on top of the river with a water board beneath my feet with two rings circling around me for protection. Every now and then, I shoot out water bullets from them at massive cobras that sprung from both sides. The longer I traveled, the river grew wider, and more unpredictable.

"It's too silent, something tells me that isn't a good thing," I pondered as I constantly checked my surroundings. "If I didn't know any better, I'm bound to run into one of those creatures any-"

My beads went off, sensing a big one coming, from below. In front, a wide maw belonging to a crocodile surfaced, closing just as I was about to pass it. With a slight jump, I evaded its attack, smoothly continuing my surf. I could sense it swimming towards me, at rapid speed. On the second attempt, the water ring sent out multiple crescent symbols toward it, slicing its mouth effortlessly.

Not long after, a whole swarm of them started popping up, only to lose their mouths when doing so. Jumping around wasn't the problem, but it took up more time to prepare a counter attack. I had the water be pulled to the side, Moses style, creating countless water spears that pierced all the exposed crocodiles. Getting a proper look at them, they were about ten meters in length, sadly their skin wasn't helping them at all. Releasing my hold of the water, I was safe for the time being, entering an open area of the lake. I could sense small and faint movements, preparing for the unexpected.

Suddenly, a crocodile ten times the size of the previous ones emerged. Its maw was already open, biding its time for the right moment to strike. If I were to jump away, I might possibly be crushed by its giant teeth, not wanting to see if the armor could withstand a bite that strong.

Going deeper inside, I used the water present to form a sphere-like barrier, several seconds passing as it slowly built up energy. When ready, I made the sphere enlarge, pressing against the crocodile's stomach, easily breaking its bones. Moments later, I was out the other end with a massive hole in the creature that swallowed me, slowly drifting back down to the river's depths.

I surfed towards the river's end, finally setting foot on ground once more. Sitting cross-legged beside a lengthy tree, my barriers immediately came to life. It was a while since my last dose, so I'd say it was time for another round. Taking the first sip almost made me throw up, trying my best to ignore it.

Noticing my vision getting a bit blurry, I knew I was starting to push it.

Oh well, can't quit now.

---

"Close, I am so close."

I focused on that thought, and nothing else. Since the start of this trial, I have sliced and killed countless monsters along the way, each more challenging than the last. Due to the inability to tell the time, I couldn't tell how severe the side effects of the many potions I drank and healing were to keep me up and running, but by now my system couldn't handle another potion. While my physical condition was fine, my mind was in shambles, the magical exhaustion made it difficult to cast the simplest of spells.

I could have been in here for hours, possibly even days, but I did it, I've passed. I have been worked to the bone, but the satisfaction I felt as I limped out of the jungle. After a while, I decided to look up from the ground, once again being met with Bast's downcast gaze. She was silent up until I was a few meters away from her, kneeling and bowing down in respect.

"Well done, Planewalker." Bast commended me, her voice filled with genuine praise. "You have passed the trial, proving yourself to be worthy of inheriting my power."

"T-Thank you, oh great Goddess," I replied weakly with gratitude, now only concerned with getting this ordeal over with. "It's a great honor to be deemed worthy of your power."

"Before I send you back to the mortal world with the powers of the Black Panther, there is one question you must answer first." Bast announced.

Raising my head slowly, I looked up to Bast with a blank expression. "What?"

"Do you still intend to keep the promise you made before the trial?" Bast asked, her tone menacing per usual.
I replied instantly, more due to my mind not functioning properly from the tiredness. "I do not know what the future will bring, nor what kind of obstacles I'll encounter along the way. But one thing's for sure, I will not fail at my mission, no matter how difficult it may become. I give you my word."

A few seconds pass in absolute silence, what already felt like eternity. Until Bast spoke up. "Then I have no other requests. As per the agreement, you will carry out my demand of protecting my people, as well as Earth itself. Even on death's door, I expect for you to fight till your last breath."

The area around me suddenly grew brighter, the intensity only increasing until there was nothing else but white everywhere. Only Bast was still clearly visible, but slowly started fading away over time. "Do not disappoint me, Plainwalker."

Then I was out, again.

---

When my Astral journey was over, my eyes shot open.

First and foremost, I swallowed the lump in my throat that built up while I slept. Raising myself slowly, I looked over myself to spot any changes to my body. Perhaps there were some minor changes around my muscles, only I couldn't notice any. When thinking about any physical changes, my ears picked up a faint sound. Focusing more on it, I could make out a "ba-dum, ba-dum" sound going off every second coming from behind, the left corner of the room to be exact. Breathing through my nose, I picked some sort of scent, with it becoming stronger the more I focused on it. Then a pair of feet gracing the floor, accompanied with a soft grunt.

"Did it work?" Bucky asked with concern as he came from behind, lowering his hand to lift me up.

"Pretty sure it did," I commented, accepting his help. "Never wanna go through that again."

"You don't seem... any different," Bucky commented with uncertainty. "Isn't it supposed to, I don't know, buff you up big time?"

"The Herb doesn't work like the serum does," I began explaining. "It doesn't alter your physical appearance that much, on the inside that's a different matter. The best method to test it out is the old fashioned way. Hit me."

Bucky blinked. "You want me… to hit you?"

"Yup! As hard as you can," I said before perking up. "Oh, and with your left arm as well."

Instead of asking further questions, Bucky simply sighed. Raising his left hand, he gave me a warning as he leaned back, then striking me after a second of winding up.

At that moment, it felt as if time slowed down.

His metal arm moved way slower than a regular punch would, the same could be said for his muscles over all. I wasn't caught off guard by the sudden action, but was rather in awe how I could react to his attack without any effort. On pure instinct, my arm moved on its own, catching his closed metallic fist with my right hand, shaking at first until I strengthened my grip.

Bucky was taken aback how easily his punch was stopped midway, retracting his arm back while we entered a neutral stance. "Guess it really did work."

"Aside from strength that surpasses even a Super Soldier, the Herb has other perks as well," I said while motioning with my hand to make the second Herb fly into my open hand. "Enhanced speed, agility, endurance, durability and healing, possibly even more stuff. Quite the impressive list for one plant. It also allows the user to see in the dark, track a scent to great distances and hearing the heartbeat of those in close range. We should run some tests to make sure. Now, it's your turn." I opened a small portal, pulling my hand out to him so he could take the other Herb.

Bucky stood still for a second or two as he stared at the plant. "So what, I just take it and go to sleep for a while?"
I stifled a cough. "Umm, actually, you first have to talk to a twenty foot cat Goddess."

Upon hearing that, Bucky's eyes widened as he raised his head. "A twenty foot what?"

"Now that I think about it, she might be bigger, I'm not really sure." I corrected myself.

"I have a feeling I'm never going to get used to this…" Bucky sighed as he rubbed his temples.

---

Now that Bucky and I were juiced up with the Panther Herb, there was one thing to check off our list.

I may have gotten my supplies and some stuff to get Bucky up to date, but there wasn't anything he could use that he was familiar with. When he was awake after taking the Herb, I asked him how his experience was and it was quite different from what I've gone through. Due to being brainwashed for decades, his trial was to relive all those memories and with time nonexistent, it was his own personal hell. Since he woke up with the Herb's buffs, he was able to pass her challenge. I also liked to think he acquired some clarity as well, further strengthening his resolve.

Pushing aside the Astral Plane and cat Goddesses, it was back to the real world, and I needed more supplies.

Luckily, I had the perfect place to go shopping. First, I had to get a laptop to access the A.I.M. files to scout out the hidden bases Killian had made. I went across the world, one of New Zealand's islands to be exact, before looking through all the files. Have to say, I was satisfied with the things I discovered. Killian had numerous facilities across the US, only some were more valuable than others. I set my sights on the largest one with the most goods.
When I went over there to see for myself, I discovered all its blind spots and disposed of them, then moved on to knocking the unit stationed at the base. I whipped up a sleeping spell that from one whiff, a person is knocked out for several hours. Covering the whole base with it, the people stationed began falling one by one, leaving all the goodies unguarded. Going back to base, I asked Bucky to tag along, opening a portal to the storage room of the facility.

"What happened to them?" Bucky asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Sent them to sleep," I replied nonchalantly, looking around at all the boxes. "That smoke when inhaled sends a person into a deep and long nap. Easier to just knock them out then clear out all their supplies."

The further we walked, Bucky scanned the area while I stopped to examine the wide display of weapons for the taking. Taking one out, Bucky eyed the weapon as he took a shooting position.

"You have more experience with guns, so take your pick."

"Feels the same, just seems shinier." Bucky commented while inspecting the weapon.

"From what I hear they're top of the line, the best money can buy," I picked up an M-16, first time actually holding a real gun. Right now, it didn't feel all that special. "What do you think?"

Bucky gave another look across the field of weapons, nodding his head slightly. "This will work. In fact, it's more than enough. With the amount of ammo they have, we won't run out for a while."

"Wait till you see what in mind for infinite ammo, you're gonna love that." I placed the M-16 back into its box, now preparing to clean the place out top to bottom. I created numerous energy platforms to place the boxes on, sliding them through a portal back to base when they were full. At the rate we were going, it didn't take us long before all of the weapons were in our possession.

When the process was complete, I told Bucky he could go back without me, as I wanted to do two more things before we left. First, I wanted to check out if they had any worthwhile tech for the taking. Upon checking their lab and storage, I wasn't greeted with anything notable, or useful, I decided to not waste any further time.

Lastly, I wanted their vault. I was conservative of the money I had just in case it would run out, now that won't be an issue anymore. While observing the place, I found they hid their funds somewhere underground in a massive and "impenetrable" vault. After locating the safe, I simply made a large square section of the lock disappear, allowing me to enter inside. On nine long tables that formed a U, piles of money neatly lined up, a single stack with a ten-thousand marked on the strap. If I'm positive, the total amount was somewhere around the three-hundred ninety million range, which I'd say is more than enough.

I could do so many things with that amount of money, and invest to make more after I decide to make my own company. Thank you Killian for helping with the future finances.

I created multiple portals to dump all the money in a storage unit back in the base, making a note to count it later just in case. When I made sure everything of importance was taken, I bid farewell to this place and to the poor souls who'll wake up without even knowing what happened. There were many supplies that were left behind since we got so much already, so I marked all the boxes and supplies to disintegrate after I left. The database didn't offer any useful information, nevertheless I deleted every file they had, bringing them to a total zero in terms of any resources.
Stealing from criminals is so fun.

---

After about a week from our shopping trip, it was safe to say we were pretty stacked.

I, for one, wasn't that excited about obtaining dozens and dozens of weapons as I preferred other methods. Bucky, on the other hand, looked like a child on Christmas morning. I had a spell do the money counting for me, when finished, the grand total being three-hundred ninety six million dollars to ve exact. Every time I saw him on the shooting range, he had a wide smile on his face whenever I saw him pick up a new gun to try out. When I made it so that any empty shells that were left behind would be refiled, making it so we have an infinite amount of ammunition, Bucky couldn't be happier.

With the Heart-Shaped Herb, Bucky was keen on testing his reflexes and aiming accuracy to their absolute limit, to which I happily obliged. I tended to his training before I solely focused on my own, as I wanted to give him everything he might need. Along the way, we got more creative with his training courses, as well as more challenging. After many attempts, Bucky was like a well-oiled machine, rarely missing his target when shooting and tended to be effective as possible. It's where I got to see some of his tendencies as a military soldier firsthand.

We didn't spend every waking moment sticking to the same routine, we weren't robots. At first, the conversations would be short but over time they would be more fleshed out the more we learned about each other. Pictures and history lessons were one thing, but Bucky still craved to see the outside for his own eyes. Using a simple set of illusion and protection spells were enough to shield us from the outside, appearing as two totally different people to everyone else. I took him to the places he requested, which were the locations he would visit in his old life before he joined the army. The one that affected him the most was his used-to-be home, describing it as a whole different building entirely, only resemblance being the layout and nothing more.

It was like taking a little child out in the big city for the first time, every slight detail catching their attention immediately. Honestly, it shouldn't have been comedic at some moments as I did feel bad, to him I doubt it was anything but pleasant.

To take his mind off of… everything, I tried getting him into different hobbies to switch things up. Figured it would be the appropriate time for that. Since he seemed to never learn how to cook for himself, it was something I'm good at and I expected him to get the hang of it after a rocky start, I was dead wrong. After a few kitchen disasters, Bucky ultimately gave up, only deciding to get some basics down and came to the agreement I will be the one doing the cooking from here on out.

It was a bust, but there are still many other hobbies to try. It would take some more time, but Bucky was slowly becoming more open and comfortable around me, but I was glad I was able to help the man out the best that I could.
As for myself, I went ham at my new powers.

Bucky and I were sure to take advantage of our sped-up regeneration to test our physical abilities. It got to the point I actually felt somewhat sorry for our training dummies. Hand-to-hand combat became significantly easier for me ever since then. My reaction time was incomparable than it was before, I could wait the last possible second before doing anything and my body would be fast enough to respond right away. It became sort of like muscle memory. Using the many fighting styles Shang provided, we practiced various different moves until we had to stop for some rest, which lasted for a short period of time. My experience with portals drastically improved, being able to create multiple ones at the same time and open much faster, the shorter distance the quicker they open. I practiced using portals during combat, getting sneak attacks in on weak points or for the element of surprise, maybe a Rasengan to the back will make things simple.

Aside from combat training, I spend a while meditating as well. Chi, on the surface, has many other applications it could be used for, so I was determined to better understand it. A perfect example why the Herb's properties compliment a Chi user is that it extends the duration it can be used. Fatigue is a common symptom after excessive use, which could be avoided if the body is trained to withstand it. The healing factor negates that, meaning I get the most value of the two. They synchronize together quite nicely. Of course, Chi can amplify the powers granted by the Herb, further propelling me to get better at it. I'll have to go over all of its applications within time, for now, I'm more than content with practicing a few of them for now.

Oh, and my control over water was smooth as ever.

Each movement perfectly transitioned to the next one, with the enhanced speed giving me more freedom to use different moves on the go. My control of it is greatly amped, easily able to control more amounts of liquid unlike before in my regular state. Of course, I had to test my limits. In areas with large quantities of water, I was unstoppable, as before longer use of controlling water would take a toll on my body. I could keep it up for hours, without any hiccup whatsoever, meaning as long as I have some form of liquid with me I have a weapon at any given moment. Forming shapes was easier, and more responsive, I'd make a mental note to train with my legs to form spells and manipulate elements, would double my speed in certain cases.

For my personal favorite, combining Chi with Elemental Manipulation.

"Ughh-ahhh!"

Shifting all of my weight forward, I sent a wild cyclone made out of water, with a yellow energy orb in the center of it all towards the training dummy that was five times its original size. The attack threw the dummy towards the wall, blowing off its entire chest, while leaving cracks across the body. I wanted an attack with such a density that could obliterate through any kind of armor.

That's where the creation of the Water Cyclone came to be.

Developing a brand new sub-form of magic wasn't that simple. It took countless attempts, with many hours of practice. The Herb made it so I could produce my attack way sooner, as fatigue was a thing of the past. With Chi being able to mix with Water, I was hard at work theorizing and practicing new attacks. There isn't any documentation of Chi infused Elemental spells, I was forced to walk into uncharted territory. Creating your own spells, in practice, isn't considered hard, it's more trial and error than anything. I knew two Elements at this time, add Chi on top of that and the final product packs one hell of a punch.

Chi can be easily mixed with water than with any other Element, I could summon the liquid necessary to bond with it on the fly which made it the perfect combination. It all depends on the amount, as it needs very little amount of Chi to spread all across the water. To be honest, it acted like a Rasengan with Water Release, which was my initial concept. When forming a Rasengan, the Chi it leaks can spread to the water surrounding it.
While it may seem one-note, its versatility allows for many other uses. The size can be changed, the intensity can be increased, and its purpose can be altered. It can be formed to serve as a lethal attack or when hitting an enemy, the liquid can change its shape so it traps the victim.

It was only one ability, but it was good enough for me. Reinforcing water with Chi on a larger scale is possible, but making distinct abilities is never a bad thing.

During training I thought of an idea I was immediately on board with, Chi Constructs. While making appendages, items, weapons and tools with simple Energy Manipulation from magic I already know, Chi is leagues better for that purpose. For starters, Chi acts like an extension of one's will, which alone makes its usage easier. For instance, I'd very much like something that's suited for both defense and offense, I have the perfect idea I wanted to turn into reality. As another bonus, I wanted to make some wings too. Unlike Dr. Strange's Cloak, I intended for these to be faster and used as defense, as well shoot out projectiles to even things out.

Of course, I couldn't get ahead of myself with my planning. I wrote down my experience and started developing on my research, writing down notes the more I learned about its mechanics. I knew the existence of Chi Storage, making the foundation won't take long, but actually storing Chi and using it proficiently is going to take time. On the up side, the more I use it and train with it, I'll be able to increase the process.

I went on to explore the Chi Storage idea. Having some knowledge how energy storages are made/used, so I could make that without a fuss. It then occurred to me how low my Chi supply was, which is to be expected. Even for a complete beginner one can channel enough Chi for many uses, but it wasn't close enough to create what I had in mind. I had enough for a few attacks and to enhance some body parts, which isn't a bad start. My goal is to use Chi to form my ultimate defense, as well as my ultimate offense.

Turns out, the Herb expanded the Chi pool I had prior. If I remember correctly, my body had to be more physically prepared to handle a larger quantity, whilst allowing more options on using it. Being above the peak of human condition, more possibilities presented themselves. To accelerate the process, I'll have to use Chi as another extension of myself, not as a switch. At first, the process took some getting used to, but I could adjust way faster than I expected. With my fast regeneration and healing potions I can cut down the downtime in-between, which was my biggest advantage.

For now, I'm content with empowering my attacks with it and occasional empowerment in my hands and feet. Next up, I had to get more advanced levels of security up and running. I need to get notified when and if something happens that requires immediate attention. Helix can place wards around the city that will get me a map in real-time with vision practically everywhere.

New York is unpredictable and has a lot of important people lurking around, keeping an eye out for any potential threats is essential. The wards I have set up around my apartment aren't that widespread, serving only as a means for security. To my delight, the tall buildings make it so placing on top of them gives a clearer and wider view of the city's layout.

With my mind set, I began working on my operation. I needed to add some tweaks to the wards I already use, then they are good to go. When they are placed, each ward will connect to the ones within range, forming a map of the areas that are marked. To make it more accessible, the map will appear with a tap of a bead. When I got everything I needed to set it up, I gave everything to Helix, opening a portal on the roof for him to be on his way.

I had another idea for what to use Chi for, puppetry. The first time I used a puppet, I would have to be within a certain range of it while also using my hands to control its movements. I know it's possible to transfer Chi into an object to control it with a simple thought. Since I have an easier time emitting Chi out of my body, using it as an extension of myself into a puppet will increase my combat prowess without me having to lift a finger. Of course, I'd first have to establish a connection with it and maintain it, as well as practice for it to smoothly without a hiccup. To ease my troubles, I can add a sprinkle of magic to buff it up and fix any issues I find along the way.

I planned on using the puppet I used to steal the Vibranium with some improvements, but for now, I wanted a new design. I would use Vibranium for the material, but I don't want to worry if it's suddenly left behind or captured, better to just use regular metal with enhanced endurance. Starting off with the skeleton, I made the upper body bulkier, with some room for hidden compartments. The weapons I wanted to make were blades that radiate plasma, as well as to turn into lightning whips that extent to about two meters. Along the blade, every few centimeters it was separated by a V that allows the plasma to pass along through, making it extendable to form the plasma whip.
If I get proficient enough, I could use multiple puppets at once, without even having to lift a finger. I'll get more creative with further designs with different functions, use them to do the work for me.

Not even an hour after I sent Helix on his mission, my bead started beeping.

Not a good sign.

Checking the map that formed in front of me, a red dot blinked somewhere just outside of Queens. Tapping on the dot, the map transformed into a feed of the ward that triggered the alarm. Showing the downcast view of the ruined street below, smoke everywhere but the ward had a filter that made the area more see-through. The entrance of a bank had a massive hole in its place, with rubble scattered everywhere, plus with it being a Sunday there weren't any people inside.

As for the ones in the middle of the chaos, it appeared to be Spider-Man and what by the looks of it, Shocker as well.
Every day I come across a different surprise, can't say I'm disappointed.

"Should get over there right away." I thought as I dismissed the display, jumping to my feet with a clap of my hands to change my attire. I made my way to the other room where my mask and equipment were, Bucky sitting by the side of a nearby table.

"Where are you going?" Bucky asked questionably.

"Downtown, guy with high-tech weapons causing havoc," I responded hastily as I put on my mask. "Heading over there right now."

Bucky's eyes widened slightly at my response. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Noup!" I responded, opening a portal then turning to him before crossing through. "Be right back!"

Now on the rooftop on one of the buildings, I stepped closer to the edge. With a few quick waves, I formed an indivisibility field around me so I won't get spotted, as well to kill of any cameras nearby. Looking down, Spider-Man and Shocker were still going at it. They were an even match, albeit Spider-Man wasn't going all out, mostly evading Shocker's attacks. The street around them was slowly crumbling away, Shocker's gauntlets destroying whatever object was behind Spider-Man. It was impossible to land a long range attack, only that didn't stop him from trying again and again.

Spider-Man didn't have his classic suit, it was more like a budget homemade suit. He wore blue sweatpants and a red hoodie, the holes on the mask had sunglass lenses. It's safe to assume this iteration of the Wall-Crawler is still new to the hero business. Shocker, on the other hand, had some similarities to his comic counterpart in terms of appearance but still vastly different. He wore a suit that appeared to be incomplete. The gauntlets were bulky, but aside of his arms, the rest of his body had openings that were unprotected. Only the mask was the same like in the comics. Although, the tech used on the suit seemed rather familiar.

Back to the battle, there were no bystanders as everyone ran far away from the growing chaos. In the corner of my eye, I spotted a woman looking over the corner from an entrance of one the buildings, a phone against her ear. While Spider-Man dodged the blast, he caught sight of a large chunk of a building moments away from falling, a girl standing out in the open underneath it. Maneuvering in the air, Spider-Man thwiped in her direction, landing beside her and pushed her back in, throwing out another web to move him away from the falling debris.

In that split second, he lowered his defenses just as Shocker flew at him, his fist colliding with the web-heads back, sending him flying upwards. I waved my hands to form a yellow sphere, engulfing the Spider as he was stopped in midair, while rapidly healing the injuries he had. Forming a portal beneath me, I teleported to his location with a yellow spell circle beneath my feet.

"I'd say you got this covered, but the collateral damage is piling up, don't you think?" I said lightheartedly as I floated next to the hero.

"W-What?" The Spider uttered confusingly, noticing his wounds vanishing while looking around. "It's... healing me?"

"Correct, just a few seconds more and you're good as new." I explained as we floated down to ground level, bending down for the tip of my fingers to grace the concrete where I immediately cast a spell that started repairing the damaged area, the holes filled up instantly and the pieces of rock flying back to the buildings in their rightful place like they were Legos. Within seconds, the whole block was good as new.

Shocker had no idea what just happened, nor did he have the faintest clue who this new arrival was. Either way, it didn't matter, he'll just kill two birds with one stone.

The Spider-themed hero circled in wonder as he watched the city block that was in ruins moments before was now spotless. "You sure you couldn't show up a few minutes earlier…?" Spider-Man said jokingly.

"I showed up the moment this got on my radar, so cut a guy some slack, will ya?" I replied with the same tone. "Need a hand with him?" I asked the spider-themed hero.

"Y-Yeah," Spider-Man stuttered. "By all means, Magic Man."

With a thumbs-up, I clasped my hands together, pulling them apart to reveal a circle of glass that had several cracks on it. Shooting both my arms forward to propel the circle towards Shocker, drastically increasing while traveling. Before Shocker could react, the large circle smashed through him, breaking into thousands of tiny glass shards. Once it broke, every single object and parts of the buildings started inverting, only to return to normal a moment later.
Spider-Man, noticing the area around him seemed… different, decided to inspect it a little further. His surroundings seemed shinier and somewhat distorted, but other than that he couldn't be sure what it was. His Spider-Sense went off briefly when the "projectile" flew, but it gave no indication of harm heading his way, so he asked his savior. "What was that?"

"To simply put it, a prison and some cover," I explained. "This is called the Mirror Dimension, a parallel dimension to be exact. Now that we're inside, we won't have to worry about causing damage or innocent bystanders as we're in a different plane altogether, it's only us three now."

"Cool…" Spider-Man awed, almost forgetting about the criminal with shock gauntlets.

Almost.

With a war cry, Shocker slammed both his hands to the ground, sending a cone-shaped shockwave towards us. Just as Spider-Man was about to web-sling away, I stepped forward to form a wall of glass from the ground, absorbing the shockwave. Flicking my wrists forwards, the wall tumbled down, causing the ground below to send several waves as my attack.

Shocker held his balance before he was knocked down, rapidly firing from his gauntlets. Sadly, they didn't come close to hitting me. Spider-Man put more effort while dodging, while I merely sidestepped or deflected with a spell ring at the last second. Clasping my hands together, two rock hands forming from the ground and slapping him from each side, then sending him crashing backwards.

Feeling slightly dizzy, Shocker ignored whatever injuries he may have received, going for a different course of action. Tactical retreat. The left side of his suit was acting up a little, not a good sign. Shooting at the ground, Shocker propelled himself upward, setting foot on the building's edge, helping him get a bigger boost for the next jump.

"He's getting away! I'll catch him!"

Like a torpedo, Spider-Man blasted off at a remarkable speed, swinging from building to building with every ounce of strength he had. Seems like he already forgot I told him this was a prison, or maybe I didn't explain it properly. Eh, no reason to worry, more fun for me. I could teleport until I was close enough to catch him, but that would be way too easy, plus I wouldn't get to try some new moves. With my Chi training, I wanted to create some sort of utility to not always rely on my surroundings, that's where I created the Chi Step.

Basically, I channel my Chi into my legs to enhance them, which alone would increase my speed considerably, after that, I would create a small platform that would act as a springboard. While using this, I'll have to send a flow of Chi over my body for stabilization while moving at that speed. For this technique, it all depends the amount of Chi I decide to use. It's quite versatile and will be battle-ready soon after some more practice, it will make it easier to maneuver while in the air instead of relying on substitutions or even tanking a hit.

At the moment, I can channel a solid amount of Chi into a certain part of my body, as I can't handle controlling a large portion in my whole body at the same time. Nonetheless, I'll have to train harder to further unlock its potential. Imagining a percentage scale in my head, I channeled my Chi to the desired amount.

"About three percent will be more than enough while I'm in here." I thought as I felt my legs becoming lighter, leaning slightly forward for better trajectory.

Then I was off.

I didn't even put all my strength into my jump, but the Mirror Dimension's buffs propelled me higher and faster than I originally expected. My already enhanced physique and endurance coated with Chi allowed me to smoothly travel in the air. Going for another jump the second my body started falling, I propelled myself even faster than the first time, gradually building up more speed with each jump. The experience of jumping on air was thrilling, fun as hell too.

Definitely going to catch my enemies off guard with this one.

It didn't take long before I was on their tail, the shards of glass floating above the road or on the side of the buildings leaving a nice trail. While in pursuit, I spotted an air blast coming from a mile away, courtesy of Shocker. Jumping slightly left to dodge it, I put more force into my next jump to thrust me even further. More and more projectiles were incoming, easily evading them all with no issue. The memory of playing that mission in Marvel's Spider-Man where you have to chase Shocker becoming more vivid.

"Magic Man!" Spider-Man shouted as he saw me catching up, doing his best to avoid the projectiles as well.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked in a laid-back tone, unbothered by the scenario I found myself in.

"He's too darn slippery, just as I am about to close the gap he gets away!" Spider-Man complained as he did a barrel roll to dodge Shocker's attack. "He has what appear to be some kind of vibro-shock gauntlets, when activated can project a concentrated blast of air at an intense frequency. If it weren't for this Mirror Dimension of yours he would have made a big mess by now."

"The way he uses his gear, doesn't seem like a newbie but no expert either," I deduced, an idea popping into my head.

"Want a boost?"

My offer surprised Spidey, that and avoiding another blast. Agreeing, I explained to him what I wanted him to do and when. After Shocker fired a few more shots, it was time to act. I made it so I jumped as Spider-Man released his grip from the web, creating a slightly beefed up springboard of Chi around the area where Spidey would descend. When his foot touched the platform, he leaned forward a little to spring himself off, flying like a bullet at the criminal. Upon getting close, Spidey shot a web that stuck to Shocker's leg.

Like trying to swat a pesky fly, Shocker used his other gauntlet to shoot down at Spider-Man, not one-shot landing. Preparing a stronger Chi Step, stronger than the one I gave Spidey, I flew past the two like a speeding bullet. Spinning around, a platform stopped me in my tracks and stayed in the air. I made some distance between my jump, just enough time to prepare my "show". Clasping my hands together and folding them, the fingers of my right hand extended forward, aiming at the approaching Shocker.

The criminal was shocked to see at what speed the second guy moved at, but he was prepared to blast him away. In the corner of his eye, he saw the side of a building break like it was glass, revealing a massive spider leg heading towards him. Panicking, Shocker aimed for the appendage to propel him backwards so it doesn't hit him, the sudden shift making him slide down a wall of a building, leaving glass shards in his wake. By some miracle, he didn't take that much damage from the fall, already on his feet as a second claw came crashing down beside him. Its appearance resembled an orange tarantula with a lion head, its size comparable to the tall buildings. From its sides, it released multiple webs that blocked any means of escape, acting like a triangular barrier. It may have been an illusion, but how the spell was placed it made it more believable. It used its claws to make Shocker jump around, like a predator playing with its prey.

Spider-Man released the web and landed atop a lamppost, watching in awe. Sliding down, he regrouped with his teammate that was standing in the open street.

"Ugh... is it friendly...?" Spidey asked somewhat reluctantly as his eyes could only focus on the building-sized tarantula with a head that resembled a lion.

"Don't worry, it's just an illusion. It's more of a toy than anything," I explained while using the spider's legs to make Shocker zigzag around. "Wanna try?"

The web head bobbed his head like an excited child, passing him the red orb into his hands. "So... how does it work?"

"When you want it to do something, squeeze the orb with both hands and picture the thing you want it to do." I answered.

Doing as instructed, Spider-Man squeezed both his hands and waited to see if his command would go through. The gigantic animal stopped in its tracks, Shocker taking the chance to blast its head off. As a result, hundreds of miniature spiderlings flopped down, crawling towards Shocker. I'm not sure if I ever heard a scream like his before in my life, if I was any closer I probably would go deaf. While they were illusions, they still moved and acted like they were real. Without much of a plan, Shocker fired in each possible direction while moving backwards, the wall behind him preventing him from going any further. Within seconds, he was drowning in spiderlings and screaming for his life, trying to swat away the endless swarm of tiny arachnids.

"Think we tortured him enough." With a snap, every single spiderling popped like confetti, with the original one turned into butterflies that quickly vanished. Shocker was utterly speechless how everything suddenly vanished, it only made him even more furious.

"That's it!" Shocker yelled in rage. "I'll end you both!"

Slamming a compartment on his suit, the criminal's gauntlet's building up a strong enough attack, Shocker stood in place for a few seconds as his gauntlets stored a hefty amount, then using some of it to propel him upward, as well as heading straight towards us.

"Here he comes…" Spider-Man uttered cautiously, entering a defensive stance.

"Charging in without a plan, of course." I thought as my eyes locked on to his gauntlets. In quick succession, I made the necessary gestures to form two red energy spheres around his weapons, shrinking in size moments later. The sudden change crushed his gauntlets, letting out a small explosion on each of them. Shocker was still in the air while this happened, so he could only scream as he lost his focus, landing onto the ground a few meters away from us. Without the power from his gauntlets, he dropped down like a sack of potatoes.

"That's an end to that," I said leisurely while brushing my hands together. I turned to the Spider, who seemed to be in a state of awe. "Wanna do the honors?"

"O-Oh, right, on it!" Spidey said hastily as he broke off into a run. Shocker, who was still conscious, could only verbally harass Spider-Man as he dragged him to the closest lamp pole, using his webs to immobilize him completely, webbing up his mouth when he was finished.

I looked around while walking towards the two, letting out a fake cough when I was close.

That made Spider-Man jump up from his crouched position. "Hey! Listen, I wanted to-"

I raised a single finger up before he could continue. "A moment, if you please."

Waving my arms, I made a small gateway then expanded in size, going over the lamp pole so Shocker doesn't stay an internitiy in the Mirror Dimension. On the outside, we entered a nearby alleway to not stay in the open, leaving Shocker to be picked up by the police. I could feel a bead notifying me, making me raise my hand to form a camera-view that constantly changed, courtesy of Helix. Two police cruisers are heading our way, approximately thirty seconds from reaching us. "Listen, if you wanna chat some more, meet me at the billboard with the vacuum cleaner. The police are on their way and I don't feel like dealing with them."

"Neither do I. Have a feeling they don't like me very much." Spider-Man commented as he turned to the sound of the sirens.

"Well, I'll be there if you're down for a quick chat, but now, best that we disappear," I formed a portal beneath me, instantly dropping down. "See ya there."

I choose this location for a reason, as appearing here without a plan beforehand would be irresponsible and stupid. While I had Helix map out the city, I had him carry seeds that when placed would act as an invisible dome, making the places he marks a secure location where we can't be heard or seen.

I leaned back to the metal support beam, waiting to see if the young hero would show up to my offer. Truth be told, I was excited to potentially meet Spider-Man. By far, he was my favorite hero since I could remember, I know it might sound cliché but I essentially grew up right around the time the hero was at his highest selling point. There wasn't a place where that red and blue wouldn't make an appearance wherever you go, so it was kind of hard to miss him. Even though I lived here only a few months and met tons of different people, I was still looking forward to this encounter.

After about another minute of waiting, I began hearing the familiar "thwip" sound. To my left, I saw Spider-Man swinging from building to building, doing a front roll as he went to land on the same roof as me. When he raised his head, he jumped back slightly when he saw me leaning back.

"W-Wait, you're already here?" Spidey asked with a hint of confusion. "I didn't even see you standing here."

"You can thank this barrier around us for that." I said cheerfully as I pointed behind him.

When he turned around, he saw a transparent ripple effect that was fading away, tapping the edge of it with his finger for another ripple to form. "Wow… cool, it's like an invisibility field, right?"

"Correct, as well as nullify any sound from within," I commented as I walked over to the edge, sitting down so my feet could dangle freely. "Can't be too careful these days."

Energetically, Spider-Man walked over and flopped down to sit next to me. "No, you can't. Anyway, I wanted to, ugh, thank you, for lending a hand over there, you saved my bacon. I'm Spider-Man, by the way."

He extended his as he introduced himself. It occurred to me that I never used a pseudonym or superhero name when meeting all these people, never had much of a use for it, except now would be a good time to start using it. I spent quite a bit of time thinking of what kind of name would be an appropriate fit to my persona. A name should hold some sort of meaning, especially a superhero name. I wouldn't want a boring name or use something stupid, so I had to choose carefully. After a while, I made my decision.

"I'm Fulcrum, a pleasure to meet you." I shook his hand,

"Fulcrum, huh?" Spidey said with a hint of surprise. "Was expecting something totally different, to be honest."

"What can I say, it stuck out to me," I admitted sheepishly. "I saw what you did to save that lady, you did well out there. It takes a lot of courage to charge in head first like that, or to be slightly moronic. Still, you can take a punch that's for sure."

Spider-Man rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly. "Y-Yeah, well, I'm still particularly new to this whole superhero thing.

"I could tell, otherwise you wouldn't be wearing a budget homemade suit." I commented lightheartedly as I scanned his attire.

"Hey! I'll have you know, this jacket didn't come cheap," Spidey quipped back. "Gotta make do with what you've got, right?"

"Been there before, so I know what it's like. Speaking of which…" I trailed off as my hand swiftly grabbed his wrist, a gesture that I'm sure surprised him with how quick it was. My eyes examined the web shooter, finally being able to see the device that's the real deal. "Nice, nice. Small, compact, somewhat sturdy I'd say, shouldn't break that easily. Extra points for using broken watches as its base. How'd you make the liquid?"

Spidey was embarrassed a little at my interest in his work, but was happy to answer all of my burning questions. Real life logic sometimes couldn't explain how some feats were executed and had some elements that only exist in fictional universes. He kept his other life on the private side, only going as far to discuss stuff about technology and some inventions he was able to make. After bombarding him with question after question, he wanted to know more about my skill sets as well.

"Anyway, with a job well done deserves some lunch. What do you want?" I asked the Spider while opening a small portal and sticking my hand through the other side.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"Dude, I could pull out anything from here, just choose."

Spider-Man stared at me blankly for a few seconds before responding. "You got pizza?"
"Toppings?"

"Pepperoni, please and thank you."

"I could go for that," I turned to the portal to dig out one of the few frozen up pizzas I already made, pulling the box with various toppings, putting some Pepperoni slices on the pizza. Taking it out, I closed the portal with the pizza floating in-between us, placing a finger under it to light it up, within ten seconds it was cooked. A single snap made the pizza split into eight pieces. A twitch of my finger made the compartment over my mouth open, along with a snap for the pizza to split into eight pieces. Grabbing a slice, I gestured for the teen to take his own. "Enjoy."

Taking one for himself, Spidey lifted his mask half way, releasing numerous hums after tasting the pizza. "Is it just me, or does magical cooked pizza taste better than regular cooked pizza?"

"I think there's a point where it's made to perfection, but that's just my theory," I commented while I took another bite.

"Beats having to wait, that's for sure."

For the next several minutes, we enjoyed our meal in silence until I spoke up after finishing my half.
"Say, I'm curious, what got you into this whole crime fighting business?" I asked inquisitively.

"It's… complicated." Spider-Man replied

"In this line of work, it always is. Don't worry, I got my share of complicated stuff, so I think I'll understand if you at least tried explaining it,"

Spider-Man let out a defeated sigh. "A little bit of everything, around the same time to be honest. I wasn't born with these powers, when I got them it felt like a blessing but soon it became a curse. A person close to me once said, "With great power, comes with great responsibility". At first, I didn't really care all that much, it was only when I lost that person did I truly realize what that saying meant. I… could have made a difference, but I didn't. That day will haunt me for the rest of my life, but I made a promise to that person, as well as to myself, that I won't ever let such a thing happen again. As a long as I live, I will do what's right, no matter the consequence."

Hearing his story firsthand was touching, but empathetic as well. All I could do is agree with my favorite superhero. "I respect that, I really do. Not a lot of people would go to those lengths, and I understand where you're coming from. Losing someone important to you is never easy, and to people like us, hits harder than regular people, we can't let it cloud our judgment. Personally, I think the people of New York are lucky to have a hero such as yourself looking out for them."

While I couldn't see it, I could make out a smile beneath his mask. "Come on, don't sell yourself short, but I think you'd be a few ranks below me of course," The webhead said lightheartedly. "Anyway, what got you into this gig?" Spidey asked optimistically, somewhat glad the focus wasn't on him anymore.

With a hum, I thought about my answer. "Instinct."

"What do you mean?" Spidey asked questionably.

"That's just it, instinct," I threw him a sideways glance as I started explaining. "I was always more of a silent type that would just let life pass me by while I did my own thing. Even so, my morals sometimes can get the better of me, and one day, I paid the price for it. While walking to a friend's house, I saw a kid playing on the road of a speeding truck. At that moment, I didn't think, I simply jumped forward and acted on instinct. As a result, my life wasn't the same afterwards."

"Oh, is that when you learned magic?" Spidey inquired. "I mean, if you jumped at a speeding truck and you're here, something must have happened, right?"

I nodded. "Magic works in mysterious ways, sadly, adjusting to this life wasn't an easy one. I was lucky I had an exceptional teacher," I stopped briefly before chuckling. "Actually, I remember why I did what I did that day and continue doing it. I did it because it's the right thing to do. I had the power and opportunity to make a difference, and we have a moral obligation to do so when we have those things. To me, it's as simple as that."

"I see." Spider-Man replied lowly, with the next minute passing in comfortable silence.

"Huh, certainly didn't expect this after fighting a lunatic with shock gauntlets. We aren't getting paid enough for the work we do." I said bitterly.

"I don't know, man, just trying to get by as best as I can. Not sure how to move forward without things spontaneously combusting around me." Spidey expressed a low chuckle.

"Just keep your head straight and don't give in, should be easy enough, right?" I said cheerfully, pulling my legs close to my chest so my feet can touch the ledge. "Been working for me so far."

Closing the open area around my mouth, I stepped away from the ledge. "I'd love to stick around some more, but I should head back, have a few things to finish. Next time, you bring the food, sound good?"

"N-Next time?" Spider-Man's head snapped towards me, scurrying off the ledge so that we were both standing a few feet apart.

"Eh, I usually pop out of nowhere when trouble starts brewing. Have a bad habit meddling too much when it does." I admitted jokingly.

"Same here," Spider-Man uttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, I don't know a lot of people who do this kind of stuff, and you, you're an actual wizard.

"As a matter of fact, I was contemplating whether or not for us to stay in contact. You're alright, definitely wouldn't mind working with you in the future. So in that case…" I tossed one of my stones towards Spider-Man, catching it no problem. "Wanna team up?"

The question left Spider-Man flabbergasted. "C-Can you repeat that, Magic Man?"

"I'm trying to put together a small team, one that can keep things in line," I began explaining. "It's only me and one other person at the moment. I can offer you protection and a place to work on your inventions without any trouble. You see, just because there aren't criminals running around doesn't mean all is well, there are plenty of things hiding in the shadows waiting to make their move, I'd like to be prepared when it does, as well as have trustworthy allies by my side."

I paused to create a portal, turning once more to the hero.

"I don't want to put any pressure, so you don't have to answer right away. Sleep on it for a while, but if you only want some help here and there, I don't mind. I'd like to have all cards on the table if we would get properly acquainted, but that's up to you. Also, if by any chance a man in a black trench coat with an eye-patch comes knocking on your door, don't let your guard down around him. Stay out of trouble, Spider-Man!"

I waved at the spider-themed hero as I walked through a newly made portal, closing off the portal before Peter could respond.

Turning over the corner at our library, I caught Bucky in the same position before I left. Looking up, a smirk formed on his face. "What took you so long?"

"Actually, spent more time eating lunch than dealing with the criminal, so you tell me." I taunted back with a smile of my own, taking a book out from the large shelf and joining him.

Now, where was I?

---

Several days passed since my encounter with Spider-Man, nothing major happened since then.
While it could be said I was rather excited when it came to training, Bucky took it to a whole new level. A good portion of the day would be dedicated to the makeshift gym or the shooting range. I decided it was best to let him be on his own to blow off some steam, and I could tell there was plenty of that. All in all, it seemed he was doing well now that he's out.

As I worked on my new puppet's interior, I got a notification that someone was calling me from one of my stones.
To my delight, it was the Wall-Crawler himself.

It seems like he thought about my proposal, deciding he wanted to meet up in person.

Initially, I was surprised to hear that he was on board, not expecting he would come to a decision so soon. Just from talking with the fellow, I could tell he became Spider-Man quite recently, a few months at most. At this stage, Spider-Man is more naïve and carefree than he should be, meaning I did a first good impression. To be honest, that man has suffered many times in many different realities, it was something I couldn't allow to happen. I find it impossible that in a majority of realities he's put in shitty situations just like that unless it's some sort of cosmic rule then I wouldn't even be surprised. I don't know if the writers for Spider-Man really enjoyed beating him with the stick over the years, all I know is that I can't stand to see that happen in this reality.

Peter is a smart man, and a very resourceful one, but also stubborn at times. Without proper guidance and a friend by his side, he'll just repeat the same cycle other Peters have across the Multiverse. I'll have to approach him as a friend, and that's exactly what I planned on doing.

When I asked him at what time we should meet, he responded with anywhere after three PM if possible, right after school I'm guessing. Giving me the option to pick a destination, I set up safety precautions so we won't be interrupted or seen.

Preparing to head out, I wore a fresh pair of black jeans with red sneakers, a dark blue coat covering the grey sweater I had underneath. As for the location I picked, it's the same reason like last time, security. I made it so the specific area was completely invisible to the human eye and any potential cameras in that area. Peter would have to go through an alleyway in-between the buildings, a chained-linked fence with a door on the other end. Rolling up my sleeve slightly, I tapped the rune on my wrist to check the camera view to see if Peter showed up, and he was already there.
Truth be told, the way he acted it made it seem like he was waiting for his drug dealer, repeatedly looking around himself, unable to stand still for more than a second. All I could do was laugh a little at the sight, if it weren't for the area being invisible then he totally wouldn't look suspicious. Speaking of which, without his mask on, I got a clean look on this universe's version of Peter. He was neither of the three actors who portrayed him in any of the live-action Spider-Man movies, not entirely that is. I could see traits from each of them on this Peter, but the hair specifically reminded me of how comic Peter would style it.

All in all, I'm glad I can potentially team up with my favorite superhero.

"Better not keep him waiting." I said grinning, opening a portal beneath me to fall down right next to Peter. "Yo."

Just as I did that, he let out a yelp and instantly jumped around. "What the hell?!"

I couldn't resist but laugh softly at his reaction. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I couldn't resist, I don't often get to do this. The opportunity was too good to pass up."

His surprised face quickly reverted to normal. "It's you… Fulcrum-…"

"Of course it's me, you're the one who wanted to meet up," I said grinning. "Expecting someone else?"
Peter waved his hands rapidly. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. You surprised me, that's all. I wasn't expecting you to just pop up out of nowhere, whatever happened to a normal approach?"

I merely shrugged. "I honestly can't tell the difference anymore. The only thing I do that's remotely normal is cook, but I digress," Then, I extended my hand with a smile. "Ethan Chester, a pleasure to formally meet you."

Peter accepted my handshake, with a smile of his own. "I'm Peter, Peter Parker. Nice to meet you as well!"

"Huh, I knew you were young, but you look about my age," I commented as I broke off the handshake. "It's the voice, I thought I was talking to a High School freshman for a while."

Peter chuckled in embarrassment. "I'm eighteen, actually," he paused momentarily. "Wait, how old are you, anyway?"

"Nineteen, my birthday is in a few months."

Peter nodded, shifting his focus to the ripples visible to us within the bubble. "It's just like the other day."

"Way too convenient not to use," I commented while observing the people walking along, oblivious to our presence.

"Can't hurt to be a little extra safe, never know when someone might be listening when they shouldn't."

"Ah, you mentioned a little about that the other day, I wasn't quite sure what you meant." Peter exclaimed while rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't blame you, I wouldn't either. I'll go into detail about that later if you'd like," I paused with a hand on my chin.

"Now, I was thinking of going somewhere where we could talk more freely, but that's up to you." I offered.

"Wait, quick question," Peter blurted out, to which I nodded. "Since you're a wizard, does that mean you live in a big wizard lair that defies any sense of logic and filled with all kinds of magical stuff?"

"I live in an apartment complex." I replied with a straight face.

"O-Oh…"

"But I do have something similar to that." I added with another grin.

That sparked his interest alright. "Can I see it?"

With an eye roll I spun my hands downwards to create a portal on the ground. "Watch your step."

Taking a single step forward, I fell down about a few feet until I easily landed on the floor of my little hideout. I took another step off to the side to let Peter have enough room, doing his signature spider landing as he jumped several seconds later. Twirling around when he stood up

"Oh, my god. This. Is. Amazing!" Peter gushed as he looked around place, abruptly stopping when the silver snitch halted in front of his face. It opened its shell to reveal a dim blue light before quickly closing, flying away in a different direction.

"Sorry about that, it notices when anyone or anything enters this place and gets a quick scan of it. Little feisty at times, but they get the job done. I was able get the whole library set up with their help."
"That's a snitch from Harry Potter, isn't it?"

"It is... only better."

Way practical too. Aside from using them to scan anything within its sights, it can also set up strong barriers and force fields while inside this place. Their range was somewhat limited, that's why they were so easy to make, and should experiment more with them.

"Want a tour?" I asked the energetic teen, where he replied by furiously shaking his head.

To me, it felt so plain while giving the tour, as by now this wasn't "interesting", but Peter would jump up and down like a hyperactive child. Every new sight showcased something he would observe every corner, even asking me permission to touch some of it. I think what took the cake was when I showed him the Sol Blades when turned on, then explaining the ability to change into any type of blade. He was so excited while swinging it around, he dubbed it the Magical Lightsaber.

The fanboying was amusing since I had the same thought while exploring magic, but not to this extent.
Peter was more than infatuated when I showed off the training room, the vast display of possibilities for the choosing made his mouth drool a little. I nonchalantly offered him to try it before moving on, not giving him enough time to respond.

Up next were the lengthy bookshelves surrounding the wide table, where I saw Bucky as he turned the corner. "Oh, Ethan, you're back," Bucky greeted as he caught sight of me, his eyes locking onto Peter. "Who's that?"

"Hey Buck, right on time. This is Peter Parker, and Pete this is-"

When I turned to look at the young genius, I was taken aback when I saw Peter's eyes wide as dinner plates with his jaw hanging. "Is… is that…?"

Before neither of us could open our mouths, Peter sprinted towards the soldier, now standing mere inches from his face. "Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes from the second World War! It has to be! Wait, how are you alive, and why do you look so young? Weren't you like twenty-six when you joined the war? I got it, time travel. Right? Anyway, what was Captain America like?"

While I did find the scene funny in its own right, Bucky was like a deer caught in headlights. Most likely since this is the second person he met after getting out of the ice and it just so happened to be a hyperactive teen who can talk until next week without stopping.

I tugged on his shoulder a little, causing the brown haired boy to look at me confusingly. "Slow down, Pete. See the poor War vet can barely keep up? Go easier on him a little, okay?"

Peter looked back at the Soldier, now realizing how uncomfortable he made them man with his bombardment of questions. "S-Sorry, got a little too excited. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

The boy extended his hand, trying again with a more polite approach. Nevertheless, Bucky accepted the gesture. "No worries. A friend of Ethan's is a friend of mine."

"Say, speaking about Captain America, I think you'll love what I'm about to show you, come here." I gestured Peter to follow along, Bucky joining us as well.

With a swipe to the left, a square section of the wall moved in that direction, revealing the many containers of Vibranium neatly stacked on beside one another, with plenty more behind the front row. The sight to us two was nothing special, but I could practically hear the anticipation just by looking at him. "Question time, do you know what material is used to make Captain America's shield?"

"Oh, Vibranium, of course. But it's an extremely rare material alloy that is known to only be found in Wakanda nowadays, but during the war Howard Stark managed to get a very small amount that was turned into a shield. It's stated that it's virtually indestructible when properly molded and in theory, be used for all-"

I threw one of the containers at him to cut him off, his hands clinging to it so it doesn't fall on the ground. "Excellent, then you're gonna have a field day with this. I took this stash from a smuggler who's been hoarding this stuff for years. I was saving it until I figured out everything it can do, but seems like you know your stuff."

Peter's eyes danced back and forth from Bucky to me then to the container, only letting out slight gasps each time he turned his focus.

Bucky, for the umpteenth time, gave me a confused and questionable look while observing the teen that began spouting what sounded to him, and to a slight extension myself, gibberish that was barely comprehensible.
"Should we be worried or...?" Bucky leaned in with a whisper.

"Nah," I replied with a smile. "Not yet anyway."

---

"I can't believe I got to meet a World War 2 veteran today! Here I thought the highlight of my day was getting an extra sandwich at lunch." Peter gushed as he followed me to our next destination. Bucky excused himself to go do his daily training session.

"Then I'm glad I could spice up your boring Tuesday."

"But seriously, how is he… you know, here. There has to be some story behind it, right?"

I released a sigh at his question, no reason beating behind the bush. "There is, it's not a pretty one. Since you plan on sticking around, I feel like you should know as well," With my finger I motioned him to get a little closer, immediately picking up what I was about to say meant to be a secret. "You read the textbooks, you know the day he "died", no?"

"Yeah, his and Captain America's final mission on stopping Hydra and ending the War. On their mission, they had to hop on a moving train, where Mr. Barns fell out while fighting the bad guys. It's stated he fell into a river, but the body was never recovered so it was presumed he didn't survive."

"He was a hair away from death, if it wasn't for Hydra themselves. They fished him out of the river and did… experiments on him." I said remorsefully.

"Wait… what do you mean by Hydra?"

I went on to give a short explanation on Bucky and his relationship with Hydra, leaving out some details that weren't necessary. Peter, for the entire duration, was silent. The expression on his face said more than words could after the revelation.

"I-I didn't know…" Peter expressed remorsefully, unable to think of any other kind of reply.

"It's ok, nobody could have known. Just don't go heavy on the questions. I patched him up, he's good as new, but I'd still like it if he adjusts properly on his own pace."

"I understand," Peter said solemnly. "I'll be more careful next time."

"That's what I wanna hear," I said appreciatively. "That reminds me, what you think of this."

As Peter turned around, his senses gave off a slight warning, his hands catching a small glowing core, the Arc-Reactor I stored all this time. Peter's eyes blinked repeatedly, unable to believe the sight of the item he was holding. "I-I-Is… is this a-an Arc-Reactor…?"

"Indeed it is, but not of Tony Stark's design," I began explaining. "If you remember a few months back at the Stark Expo when that crazy Russian attacked, he powered all of his droids with one of these. I was lucky enough to snag one of these from their remains, always wanted one so I couldn't resist. That's where you come in, I want you to study it, figure out what makes it tick." I offered.

Peter's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Really?"

"Yup. I had a thing for tinkering with machines and trying to make something out of old parts but I was limited. Kinda sucked at advanced engineering and science was never one of my stronger suits. You said you were an expert at that kind of stuff, think you can do it?"

"Well, I wouldn't say an expert but..." Peter replied sheepishly. "I mean, I wrote a couple of theories about the Arc-Reactor on how it's made and potential applications for it. In normal circumstances, it would take years to just figure out the kinks in order for it to even work. With this, I could just tear it apart and make a new foundation from there."

With a hopeful smile, I asked. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Of course! There wasn't a single thing I couldn't tear apart and put it back together even better," Peter admitted excitedly, forming a downcast look at the Reactor. "But I don't have the appropriate tools to even open this up, plus finding the right equipment isn't something lying around in a scrapyard." Peter muttered while in a thinking pose.

"Then you'll be needing this." I answered his worries by handing him a black leathered notepad.

Taking it into his own hands, Peter examined the item. "This one of your magical books?"

"Nope, just paper." I replied with a grin.

Remaining quiet for a few seconds, Peter contemplated whether or not to ask a "dumb" question. "...Magical paper?"
I couldn't resist holding in a laugh. "It is technically made with magic so I guess you can call it that," I walked a few steps towards him, gently tapping on the surface of the notepad. "I want you to write down everything you'll need to set up your own lab. Equipment, energy sources, materials, the works. Also, don't think about expense, that won't be an issue."

Peter was speechless. "I-I don't know what to say, I mean, all the stuff I made so far is just from old machines or stuff I found lying around with nobody using them. This is something I only dreamed of doing if I ever got to the levels of Tony Stark or Reed Richards, I'm not sure if I'm capable, to be honest with you."

"That's the insecurity talking. Believe me, I was nervous as hell when I started learning magic, I was practically at the bottom of the barrel starting from scratch. However, I knew I wouldn't get anywhere if I only thought I couldn't reach the levels of my peers." I said reassuringly. "I also know what can be achieved when the proper resources are provided to the ones who have talent. I was fortunate enough that my teacher gave me all that I needed to get on my own feet, so I would like to do the same in my own way. I told you what my plans are, and what I intend to do. The choice is yours, I'll be happy with whatever decision you make. What do you say, Peter Parker, can this sorcerer count on you?" I extended my arm with a smile.

The teen was stunned, looking at my hand for a short period while thinking it over. "No." Peter uttered before furiously shaking his head and correcting himself, rapidly shaking my hand. "Wait, I meant yes! Got confused, sorry. Anyway, yeah, I would love to work with you. Like... I'm honestly speechless. I always wanted to go bigger than just tinker on the small table in my room, but I never thought something like this might happen. I promise I'll live up to your expectations."

Smiling, I spoke up. "Just take your time, Pete, I look forward to seeing you in action. Think I might need some tutoring in that field so I don't get lost."

As we finalized our agreement, Peter went into overdrive on the notebook, writing all kinds of equipment and things we may or may not need. I gave him an idea what kind of setup I'd very much like and the stuff we'll start off with.

"Hey, would it be a problem if I made one of my dream projects first?" Peter asked pleadingly as he stopped writing.

"And what might that be?" I asked.

Peter stepped a bit closer to whisper his suggestion, my eyes widening slightly at what I heard. "You wanna build that?"
The teen could shrug with a small smile as a reply.

"You know what, my stuff can wait, go wild."

Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.

---

One lead, that's all Natasha desired at the moment.

Her current assignment only annoyed the hell out of her. She is yet to find any concrete proof or lead on the new ghost in town. Going off of the little she knew, Natasha started at the only place where actual footage was taken. With Killian's sudden death, and his work exposed, there's a connection there but it was still thin. If anything, his death most likely was his own fault judging by the corpse.

Natasha did some digging around Killian's facility where the video took place. For her target, it was a dead end, somewhat. The areas inside were heavily damaged, and there weren't any clues that could pinpoint her targets skillset. Whoever her target was, he at least knew how to cover up his tracks. There were no recordings or files in their servers, all of it whipped clean off. He was cautious, Natasha will give him that, but everyone slips up eventually, and this just might be her lucky day.

While back in S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, there was a report about a person with advanced tech robbing a bank and causing havoc around the block, with two vigilantes present as well. Unfortunately, there weren't any recordings of the event as the woman who witnessed it called the police before she was interrupted and the call went silent. The description her colleague gave her, was that the street was in "ruins", but upon her arrival the area was spotless. Something wasn't adding up.

They dispatched a unit to where the criminal was located, tied up around a light pole and was quickly taken into questioning. Natasha wasn't sure what to make of that, specifically the criminal himself. Herman Schultz, or as he likes to be called, Shocker, wasn't of any use whatsoever. Every question they asked him was met with silence or denial, making Natasha believe for a moment the nitwit was an exceptional actor to keep up a convincing poker face. When they hooked him up to the polygraph, the second round of questioning showed no results, a steady heartbeat for most of the duration, only acting up when asked about robbing the bank. Only more questions than answers arose after that little encounter.

That begs the question, how did he do it?

Judging by Schultz's behavior, it was like he was genuinely hearing that for the first time. It's a high possibility his memory was tampered with, he wasn't on any drugs nor does his file state about having any medical conditions. First, she'll have to confirm her suspicion if she was to move forward with her investigation. Tracking down the woman who made the call, she knocked on her door.

"Hi, excuse me, I'm Antonia Stanovic, from NYPD," Natasha expressed while showing the lady her fake-badge, receiving several nods from the lady. "Around a quarter past five PM you reported a robbery at this address, I just wanted to ask some questions to fill a few gaps."

"Ah, yes, I did," The woman answered with uncertainty. "But I'm not sure you're going to believe what I saw."
Natasha merely chuckled. "Ma'am, nothing can surprise me anymore. Please, if you could provide as many details as possible it would be a big help."

Reluctantly, the woman agreed to answer some of Natasha's questions afterwards. Besides Herman, the woman noted there were two other males present. They had some data on the first one, a vigilante with spider-like powers in what essentially is a blue and red onesie with a mask. S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up on him a few months ago, becoming more active in low-level crimes as of late. As for the second one, it's the same ghost they've been searching for weeks, the description fitting perfectly. She stated that prior to the third one's arrival, the street trashed and damaged before it was "fixed in seconds" with all three parties vanishing without a trace.

It only confirmed one of Natasha's suspicions, Supernatural aspects were in play. She checked the woman's file just in case, so whatever she said happened most definitely did. An entire block was trashed and cleaned up within seconds, all parties disappearing afterwards.

"How troublesome..." Natasha frowned at the total information she was able to collect. "If he's slippery as this then it's all up to chance. Unless bating him out, but that's "if" as well."

On her way back to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, she pondered what course of action to take. There's a high likelihood he'll reveal himself if a high-level crime is underway, and when it does, they have a short window to collapse on.

Just a little more.

Just a little more and Natasha will be able to put all the pieces together. She does love a challenge after all.
(Edit - I noticed/read some sentences were repeated or left unfinished. Word file bugged on me so I fixed the ones I could find.)

That's it for Ch8. I'd like to think I covered a lot of stuff with this one. We received the Heart Shaped Herb and its benefits, as well as some new ones. I didn't want to go too long with Bast than just with his specific trial, since it's been done. I only touched a little how drastic the buffs were at the start, but Ethan's progression is coming along smoothly.
I didn't want a too-long info dump of what he can do without much practice. So the next Chap will expand his training with a small time skip.

Also, we added Spider-Man to the list. Nothing against MCU Spider-Man, just wanted a different version to fit my story and think can accomplish so much with it. Personally I think the movies didn't do enough justice but those are my two cents. It will be an interesting trio and look forward to writing those three more.

Next Chap will come out faster since I know what to do plus I have already started writing it.
The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - 328ptdwC4j", dunno if the name sucks so I'll change it if so (still have to edit some channels and customize and such). Will fix it up in the morning if anyone decides to join.

That's all I got, till next time, cya.

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 9 - Troublesome Threats
A solid month had passed since our little team was formed, and business was booming.

In that time, we, Peter and I specifically, had set up our lab. Usually, these kinds of setups were restricted by how much space was available, and since that wasn't an issue whatsoever, Peter could constantly expand the room if needed.

You'd be surprised how easily it was to get a hold of the needed equipment and resources, finding the right suppliers didn't take that long at all. The underworld had many options to explore, but I was only interested in assembling our lab. Some would sell to me without asking any questions, while others needed some convincing.

People are so easily persuaded, especially when a stack of bills are being waved in front of your face. I was civil and polite, but even then some flat out refused to sell the tech to me. To my delight, those instances would be with corrupt criminals trying to keep their scheme afloat, meaning I didn't need to throw away money.

Honestly, they should have taken the deal.

I got him some of Stark's state-of-the-art supercomputers, which of course, he upgraded further to fit our needs. Digital displays, generators, customized tools, next-gen forge, the works. A highly advanced, and expensive, 3-D printer that went through further upgrades to fit Peter's vision, which was worth every penny. Add in an extensive chemistry set and we were set. It was like Christmas morning for Peter, and in a way, for me as well.

Having various kinds of advanced technology and equipment made me all giddy inside. While I was initially overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff and its purposes, since this was way beyond my level of understanding in terms of tech, but I was honestly surprised when I realized how quickly I learned it all.

By quickly, I mean almost instantaneously. I noticed some weird changes the first week after taking the Herb but didn't think much of it, only after a full month when Peter's non-stop rambling about the machines and their functions did I notice it. I was processing information way faster than before. There was no way in hell that I could learn all that stuff from the get-go and still memorize it with ease. The following month spent continuing my magical education confirmed it, I could memorize texts and pull off most spells on the first try, some with minor difficulty. Seems like the Herb granted me some more buffs I didn't even know were possible.

Wakandans, of course, had more secret tricks up their sleeve.

Back to our newly developed lab, it was like a view from a dream. Sleek white walls with black lines, workstations that had a similar design, and everything neatly positioned in its rightful place. It took several days of non-stop work and equipment hunting, along with magical means to speed things up, but we assembled our ideal laboratory.

In the Arc-Reactor project, I was happy to say that we now owned a fully functional one with Peter's input. Before we (he) took it apart, several machines were built to scan it first and have a file saved just in case. While initially nervous about tinkering, Peter was elegant and precise as a doctor operating on a patient. Having the layout in front of it might be considered a cheat, Peter fully understood how it functioned, stating the "missing pieces" now made sense, while also expanding it further with his own improvements.

Within a few days, we were able to power everything in the lab with a new and futuristic design of a miniature Arc-Reactor. We made other energy sources for other purposes, such as powering Peter's mask and recharging his gadgets.

As for Peter in general, there was plenty to say about him.

When he joined, I had to give him a long and detailed lesson on who our "protectors" are. Now that he was in the big leagues, it was imperative that he realized how corrupt the world was, how difficult it was to navigate in this world because of that. I made it so that his home was absolutely foolproof from anything, and I do mean anything. If S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to snoop around in the Parker residence, they'll be met with random "old lady nonsense" and no actual footage if they leave cameras. I won't have them getting any clues if they try to recruit him, we'll know the second Fury or anyone else with ill intentions shows up.

He was a total madman, which could be considered an understatement. After his first day here, Peter spent every free minute switching between a dozen different projects. I have underestimated how big of a genius he is, within days some of the heavier projects were finished. Realizing two pairs of hands weren't enough, I made several energy constructs that do a specific task that would help out to make the process flow smoother. The computer we made was way off from being the best, but it was more than enough for the time being until more upgrades came rolling in.

Peter was kind enough to give me a "thin" notepad full of stuff to help me learn these particular fields. It is going to be a while until I can do anything on my own, since I need to get some actual practice in to get started.

Then we moved on to our personal favorite subject, re-imagining his suit.

Simple pajamas weren't going to cut it, but he wasn't too optimistic for a full set of armor so we had to meet in the middle. We decided to use graphene for the suit since it was the most flexible, impermeable, and stretchable material, it was the ideal choice. Plus it fit with what Spider-Man should be; fast and agile, of course, I added my own touch with enchantments to help out with low to mid-level crimes.

I was reluctant to agree to a red and blue colored scheme, but when I noticed our design was becoming similar to the Advanced Suit from the game, to which I went with the idea until it was identical, Peter seemed to like it as well so it's a win-win.

For the mask, we did the same thing the MCU did, the lenses changing depending on the facial movements, adding a U.I. on them as well. The thought of creating an A.I. is both tiresome and a headache, so our solution was simple commands that would activate that specific function. It had many nifty features that would help the web-head on his day-to-day job. One of them being a device that detects cameras or any sort of device that captures video and audio to be disabled

Of course, we also wanted various web-combinations, and there were a lot. Peter was able to improve his web-fluid formula, storing more in a single cartage and could hold more weight.

On my end, we went on to make a simple Vibranium suit for the time being that was also infused with an Arc Reactor. With my ability to convert other energies to use for myself, I could take advantage of having a reliable source to use right on hand. I could control the amount I'd want and monitor how much goes into it.

Also storing Kinetic Energy was an added bonus. I updated my mask to now fully resemble the Mask of Life, my nostalgia wanting to recreate it to its entirety, it was a darker shade of grey unlike before, but I preferred it this way. With a highly advanced U.I. and hacking system, alongside algorithms for different uses, it had everything I needed.
I loosely stuck to the same training program as it was highly effective. I'd focus on a single ability and strictly focus on it until it was ingrained in my mind, revisiting it later during actual combat practice to test out plenty of variations. My Chi progress was boosted to a solid degree. With the Herb's benefits, I'd use it to its limits, greatly improving the amount of time I would need than from before to get right back up.

With more practice, I got a better feel for it, slowly becoming more natural, it would take years to master it but with these shortcuts it was ways easier to not overwork my body. I could form constructs that would last until I said otherwise, since it's difficult to actually break it, creating various abilities for convenient uses. It took me a shorter time to channel it as well to actually use it for what I want it to. I didn't tap the full potential of it, but I will if I keep this up.

Researching, as well as integrating a variant of Power-Bank Cells, I upgraded one of my more critical weaknesses.
My proficiency with Dimensional Energy was getting better, but I still didn't prefer that method as I could have plenty of reserves in place, however using it for mid-level spells isn't so bad. Vibranium had many magical properties, I knew that already but actually studying it then tinkering with it provided a more thorough look. After some tweaking, I made a storage device out of it, the armor itself held the energy as well as separate units I kept hidden for safe measure.

I made two variants, Chi Storage and Arc Storage, the latter being a name for the energy stored from the Arc-Reactor. With one naturally generating energy, all I had to worry about Chi, with it requiring me to simply meditate. The book the Ancient One gave me revealed that Chi replenishes faster if a storage system is present, the time needed to fully refill it depends on the amount and if the process is sped up. I was able to re-create some of my favorite abilities I always wanted to use, and trust me, I didn't hold back for this one.

I explored more Elemental Magic since I wanted know way more than just water. Ice and earth were on my list with some lightning by the side, as those combination were most appealing to me. This time around, I wasn't as focused to only learn new spells, but rather buff up the ones I already know, just to have more options, which I counted as a win.

As for Bucky...

"Ghaaa!" Bucky roared as his newly Vibranium coated fist collided with the last eight-foot tall training dummy. "Again. I wanna try something else."

"On it," I called out from the spectator's room with Peter while resetting the training course with a simple spell. "Three, two, one, start!"

With a quick nod, Bucky entered a defensive position momentarily as he analyzed the sea of dummies in front of him before charging in.

Having both the Herb and Soldier Serum, Bucky was packing some serious strength. If we were to measure raw strength, Peter and I are leagues behind. Since he was a Martial Arts Master, we would learn a whole new array of moves. Bucky advocated to teaching Peter moves that would allow him to be all over the place, fitting his style perfectly. This used Peter's abilities to quickly read the situation in front of him, expanding his options to be prepared for countless scenarios.

That's not even including if he goes beyond his limits the more he trains.

For me, I wanted more close combat experience, as I can mix in magic mid-way for added effects. I was able to process the lessons more fluidly, recreating the moves he taught us within the first few tries flawlessly. Just like with Peter and his notes, I was able to learn a lot faster than it would normally take.

Over time, my body experienced slight changes after taking the Herb. I stayed at my usual five feet eleven in terms of height, my body was leaner and had almost no unnecessary body fat, now having the physique of a pro-swimmer. The abs weren't as redefined but they were perfect in my opinion for this form, my arms and legs ever so slightly increasing in muscle mass to give them their sharp appearance.

I haven't gone to my swimming roots for at least a few years and now I achieved my ideal form I always wanted without much effort.

That's what I call working smarter, not harder. Even though I cheated.

The sparring sessions, while fun, could get rough at times. With Bucky, the longer the spar lasted the more difficult it was for to keep up with him, and more challenging. Peter, who has the Spidey-Sense, had a rough time when they went up against one another. It was true that Peter had no prior training whatsoever, and had trouble keeping up. Even if was well trained and achieved his feats from the comics, Bucky would still be able to stand toe-to-toe against him.

We practiced Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Aikido and redefined some of the Kung Fu I already knew. While my body and senses were enhanced, I still very much wanted to know numerous fighting styles because not always will I be able to use my wide arsenal, plus it helped me cast spells faster, not to mention using my whole body in case I'm airborne. It was a massive help to Peter as well, using his agility and speed to the fullest as he now knew different tactics, not having to rely on pure instinct anymore.

Peter improvised some of his own moves and started dubbing it "The Way of the Spider" the more we practiced. Of course, he would name his improvised style something like that.

After taking care of Peter, we even managed to give Bucky an upgrade. Well it was a second metallic arm, which he was, of course, reluctant about until Peter showed him how harmless the procedure would be and he was more open to it, after he learned about every minute detail.

We only needed a small portion of the Vibranium since we only wanted to coat it not fully recreate a limb. Just like with my own armor, I made sure to make it invisible to the Wakandan eye, as if they get a whiff of their precious metal used they will swoop down like Vultures.

First, a simple paint job that won't have it stand out, a darker shade of white seemed to fit. Next, a very powerful Rune that covered the entirety of the arm, making it so if scanned would appear as titanium. I had to mark various locations so it would be more effective but it should do the job. I added in shields, blades, tools, the whole nine yards. I might have also given him an optic beam that might be considered overboard but you can never be sure. For safe measure, I threw in some spells for stealth and recon missions.

His armor set was a replica of my old armor with various enchantments for the extra boost. Once we fully get UMF suits, I can only imagine what the increased durability will look like. The only field he was lacking in was in mobility, and I don't mean on the ground. On the side of his legs, we developed a small compartment that would pop out when needed, shooting out long-range wire ropes with a versatile grappling hook that can be changed depending on the scenario.

Peter and I watched as Bucky maneuvered through the tall buildings while shooting at springing target dummies with his pistols and arm enchantments. Some would block his path but a single kick would smash through them, continuing with the momentum he slowly built up. Moving targets were no issue at all, more of an inconvenience than anything.

Since I didn't like using the same course right after the previous one, I prepared something different for the finale.

Landing on the floor, Bucky eyed the countless destroyed target dummies when he felt the ground shake slightly. From the wall, a twelve foot-sized stone giant stepped out, its bulky frame itself giving of a "menacing" appearance.

The stone giant charged at Bucky, with the latter standing in place and raising his left arm to block its massive fist. It sent Bucky skidding backwards, but the punch stored a good amount of kinetic energy, the palm of his hand releasing blue vapor which indicated how much he could dish out. Preparing his own assault, the golem shot small rocks from its arms, Bucky easily evading them all.

When in range, the golem decided to retort with its oversized fist at inhuman speed, the soldier sidestepping it and jumping, aiming for the chest. Upon contact, the whole torso exploded into tiny pebbles, the libs falling off afterward, standing triumphantly as he completed the training course for the tenth time without taking a break.

Yup, he was now officially a one-man army.

The amount of flexing that man could pull off without boasting too much was unreal.

"That was amazing, Bucky!" Peter gushed when Bucky entered the spectators' room. "That's your best time yet!"

"Still think I could've shaved off a few seconds," Bucky remarked coyly. "Just glad it's not like the first time where I almost crashed through a building when trying this thing out."

"What do you think about the gear overall?" I asked eagerly. "It fits?"

"Think we could increase the speed when the hooks go out, other than that, I think they're perfect," Bucky commented. "I like that you can quickly change the shape of the hook to fit the need. Feel like you already thought about the potential "jamming" issue, and the lengths it can go is pretty far, so I don't have anything else to add."

"I'll be sure to fix that," Peter wrote down on his tablet. "If you have any other suggestions, just let me know."
"What about the arm changes?" Are they to your liking?"

"I was skeptical at first, but it's growing on me," Bucky rotated his arm, a lengthy blade coming out that turned into a shield. "It immediately responds when I give it a command, and I have to focus for it to activate so it doesn't accidentally turn on when I don't want it to. I could get used to this."

"I'm glad," I said but remembered to mention a crucial detail. "This is just the stuff I thought might fit with your fighting style, so we can make additional changes along the way if you'd like them. I threw in some other enchantments that might be useful for silent or non-combat situations."

Bucky nodded. "I noticed. I wanna get used to it first before adding more stuff, but I'll make sure to try out everything before I let you guys know. But until then…"

Bucky's hands towards the plate of bagels I baked, taking one, two, then half of them, making his way towards the door while stuffing his face, his lips forming into a faint smile before walking out. "Gotta refuel."

Seeing as he didn't need much additional help, the two of us went back to talking about a new invention we had in mind. While Peter and I were looking over the prints for our new invention, a loud and intense beeping noise came from the computer. Rushing towards it, Peter was the one to take the helm, a shocked expression forming not soon after getting on.

"Woah, is this even possible?" Peter asked in awe as he rapidly checked the scanners over and over.

"What is it? What kind of situation are we lookin' at?" I asked for him to elaborate a bit hurriedly.

"A… absurd amount of Interdimensional Energy sparked on the East Side of Manhattan. Like, this kind of energy doesn't just pop up by regular means."

Furious typing at the keyboard presented numerous camera views of the location of the source of it all.

The Baxter Building.

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Flipping open the Codex on the page where a 3D view of New York formed in yellow color, zooming in the Buildings location until it was visible from all sides. Waving my arms, from top of the building a transparent barrier started forming, rapidly surging down until it reached the ground. This particular form of barrier isn't for protection as much as they are used as cover, one for blocking off the energy radiating from within the building, making it appear normal like it was several minutes ago.
Seeing that Peter eyed me curiously as well in anticipation for an explanation. "A barrier that prevents any scanners from picking this up. We better head over there to see what's going on."

"That's the home of Reed Richards, possible that an experiment gone wrong?" Peter theorized.

I shrugged for a reply, unsure what antics Marvel's First Family might be up to, but it's certainly a safety hazard if this is going on. Signaling Bucky from the training room to stay in gear, Peter and I quickly suited up as well, meeting up around the library table. I gave him a quick rundown of what's going on and for him to be prepared just in case. When all of our masks were on, I opened a portal on top of the Baxter Building.

Placing my fingers on the ground, I went to see what was going on in there. From my perspective, I could visually see from multiple angles from within the building, the main focus point coming from within their lab.

I could faintly see the Fantastic Four all located in the same room, but I focused on the others present. They were thin purple humanoid creatures with a mix of insect and crab-like features, two sets of arms, seven feet tall and a set of lengthy insect wings, alongside two fangs on the sides of its mouth. Their whole body were covered in armor with the same color, only small openings between the joints.

"Dozens of "lifeforms" down below, definitely not human, and more keep popping up." I informed quietly.

"Not human? What's that supposed mean?" Bucky asked.

"You'll see in a moment." I spoke while standing up and opening another portal

Going through, we entered a high-tech laboratory with pure white walls with black accents, several pieces of equipment were utterly destroyed while portions were left undamaged. There was a wide portal opened in the backend, the beams used to stabilize it going haywire as more bugs passed through. As our three forms met the eyes of the Fantastic Four, a mix of worry and anticipation on their faces.

Speaking of which, I got a clear view of this universe's Fantastic Four. It may have been just me, but I couldn't ignore the resemblance as they were similar to the animated series of the early two-thousands, slightly adjusted but it was uncanny.

Again, this reality is weird.

"Oh, great going, Reed!" The Human Torch spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he pointed his arms towards us. "You invited more problems to our building."

In that moment of letting his guard down, and with Susan losing focus on her force fields, a few bugs slip through, going for a sneak attack at Johnny. Flicking my wrists, a green spell ring formed, sending it towards him that diverged into three small rings that flew faster once they did. They passed beside him by a few inches, slicing off the heads of the bugs that were behind him. Looking at the carcasses with surprised faces, he and the rest of the team shared a similar expression this time around.
"We're here to help," I spoke calmly while preparing my next spell. "Or to do pest control."

Slamming my open hand onto the floor, sending a singular ripple-like effect of a transparent blue wave throughout the building, more so specifically the sections the Fantastic Four own. Aside from negating sound and appearance from the inside, it reinforces the walls and floors so the bugs can't break out of the building. Susan was able to keep most of the force field up, until a bug swooped from the side towards her, using her powers to shield herself but losing focus on keeping the barrier up.
Once it was down, the bugs were free.

Peter and Bucky immediately jumped into action, going for the insects closest to them. The Fantastic Four didn't bother asking questions, only focused on taking out the invaders.

"Who are you people?" Reed asked as his neck stretched from his body until his head was close to mine.

"Name's Fulcrum, and we don't have much time for introductions, Mr. Richards," I spoke hastily while sending a spell ring to cut down an approaching bug. "Back on topic, all we have to do is close that portal, right?"

"Yes, that would be correct, but-"

"Good," I said pleasingly as I turned to the portal, opening my hand to prepare my attack. "I have just the thing to close-"

"No!" Reed yelled out, scratching until he was in front of me. "You can't destroy it! If you do, it could incinerate the entire building in instant, at worst a few city blocks! It has to be manually shut down to not risk any potential malfunctions with the system!"
"Well, that's reassuring…" I thought sarcastically. "Then how do we fix this?"

"To minimize the damage, we have to manually shut it down. The risk of destroying it is too high." Reed explained hurriedly.
Before I replied, I jumped with a red spell ring in hand to cut the bug coming from above in half, throwing it towards Reed who sliced off the bug that was coming behind him. "How long will it take you to do it?"

"With all these distractions…" Reed said gloomily, examining the growing chaos. "I'm not entirely sure…"

"I see, then I'll get you an extra pair of hands," I turned my focus to Peter who webbed two bugs simultaneously with Johnny burning them to a crisp. "Spider-Man!"

Catching his attention, he immediately swung over to us. "I need you to help Mr. Richards close off that portal."

Reed instantly intervened. "This is a delicate piece of highly advanced technology, I am the only one who can properly operate-"
Spotting three dots in the corner of my eye, I threw my fist to the side and gripped it tightly, crushing three approaching bugs with Chi Strings that quickly formed around them. "I know we've just met, and given the situation time is scarce enough as it is. But trust me, this man right here is capable of assisting you, just get him up to speed."

Reed was reluctant, rightfully so if I might add. However, one glance to the side was proof enough that there wasn't time to debate, nor to waste said time. "Have you ever operated an interdimensional teleportation device before?"
Spidey turned towards me momentarily. "No… but I catch on quickly." Spider-Man said with confidence.

Another wave of wariness spread across Reed's face, not convinced in the slightest. "Follow me…"

As the two geniuses went to the control panel, I had to provide them some cover. While the area was slowly getting a little overcrowded, more and more bugs went towards the shredded doors, wandering into the floors below. Taking out then swiftly throwing a Barrier Crystal at the main control panel, it expanded just enough to allow them to work without any concern.

Afterwards, I formed a familiar green-jaded orb that released several beams of the same color that targeted the bugs, the lab becoming somewhat less occupied for the brief moment until more arrived, just to give the Fantastic Four some breathing room.

"Nomad, you guard Mr. Richards and Spider-Man just in case," I called out to him while all of their attention was on me. "Countless of these insects went to the floors below, we have to take care of them as well."

"Aww shit! If they get into my room I'm going to lose it!" Johnny yelled out in worry, clutching his head as he descended.

"Of course you would only care about your room…" Susan dissed him as followed right behind him, turning towards me. "

"They'll be fine," I reassured her. "That barrier can't be broken so easily, besides, my teammate can keep them safe until that portal's closed."

"I'll stay behind and help out," Ben spoke while squashing an insect's head with his large hand. "They're annoying, that's for sure, but they're no match for us."

I nodded in confirmation, gesturing the siblings towards the wide exit. "Lead the way."

Giving birth to flames that covered his whole body once more, the Human Torch blasted off. Using her powers, Sue created a wide enough platform for two, quickly motioning towards her that I didn't need it.

With the green light, Sue flew off as well, in hot pursuit for her brother, I formed a Chi Step to follow her. Since I had faith in Bucky and knew The Thing won't be easily taken out, I made an energy construct that grew in size until it fits the destroyed door frame, preventing any more from getting out.

"They just keep coming." Bucky uttered lowly as he pulled out his blade from a bloody carcass.

"Yeah… too bad they're severely outnumbered." Ben spoke confidently.

In that instance, dozens of more insects crossed through the portal. Only these ones seemed more aggressive than the last batch.

"I don't think your math checks out…" Bucky muttered with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Ask me again after I bust a few heads," Ben spoke with a slight grin. "It's clobberin' time!"

---

Just as Ethan went his way with the remaining members and blocking off the door, Bucky observed the… rock man beside him as he charged in first, with Bucky following right after him. Due to the only exit now blocked off, they would have to swiftly execute as many bugs as possible and repeat the action until the portal disappears.

Within mere seconds, the monstrous insects once again began swarming the room that was slowly getting a little crowded. A few quick punches would sometimes do the trick, but as more crossed the portal Bucky needed to find an alternative solution. The insect's skin that acted like armor while resilient, didn't protect them from their blows in the slightest, easily cracking it and breaking several bones in the process.

Even so, they wouldn't yield, going back for more until their bodies couldn't take anymore, losing limbs felt like a minor inconvenience to them. They were fast and agile, but there was strength in numbers.

A weakness. Everything has a weakness, all he has to do is find it.

As Bucky took out the ones in front of him, his senses warned him to react from behind, rotating so that his Vibranium elbow would counter the sneak attack. Getting a better look at the insect he just elbowed, Bucky noted the abnormal behavior it experienced, its body rapidly shaking with no signs of stopping, dropping to the floor while it shook until it stopped moving entirely. Looking at the area Bucky hit it, it left a decent hole with green liquid slowly dripping out.

"Right side, close to its upper arm, most likely a few inches away from its shoulder blade." Bucky used the split second to theorize the plausible weakness, deciding it was best to hit the same spot.

Reaching to his left side on his hips, the handgun coded onto it materialized, quickly taking it out and aiming for the nearest insect. Unloading a single round at the same location, it pierced through its armor-like skin with ease, causing it to have the same jittery behavior like the previous one, only it lasted way shorter and dropped dead after about two seconds.
Oh yeah, he found it.

With the newfound information, Bucky kicked into overdrive, forming a lengthy blade on his augmented arm. His movements were mostly a few steps forward while rotating constantly, shooting the insects in the back row while slashing the ones that were close range. The body count ramped up quickly when prioritizing their weak spot, but even then they just kept coming.

Looking over to the… rock person, Bucky saw a huge horde surrounding him, swaying his arms all over but his fist would hit an insect it would just get right back up. Selecting the targeting system, Bucky raised his left arm, several crosshairs appearing where his iris would focus on the insects, as well specifically setting it so it doesn't target the orange rock fellow. Not a second later, three individual Vibranium blades in the shape of a V flew from the surface of his arm, rapidly rotating around Ben as the insects fell one by one, a single survivor fighting to get back up.

"Prioritize a few inches left from their upper right arm, that's their weakness." Bucky informed Ben, placing a bullet at the crawling insect at the spot in question before moving on.

Looking down at the carcass, Ben noted the exact area where the bullet pierced its skin. Hearing another one flying down from the side, he aimed his fist for the supposed weakness. Upon landing the punch, several bones from within the insect, managing to land on its feet while shaking like crazy, dropped dead not a second later.

"Heh, easier than smacking them over the head."

---

Even though I had to prioritize eliminating the interdimensional insects, I couldn't ignore the sights along the way. The Baxter Building lived up to its reputation, which was a given. The portal was opened on the last floor, so the four floors below it were completely infested.

"If we don't stop all of them soon, they'll get to the other residents of the building." Sue proclaimed as her force field crushed several insects.

"Mr. Collins will definitely kick us out this time if he finds out." Johnny uttered grimly at the thought, almost getting hit in the face by one of the creature's appendages.

"You won't have to worry about that," I said reassuringly, shooting multiple targets with Chi Bullets from the tip of my index finger. With the small moment of peace, the twins looked at me with a confused expression. "I reinforced the floors you own with a spell so the bugs don't break out by any chance. They can't get out by any means."

"Wait! A spell!?" Johnny's head snapped away from his targets. "You're a wizard!?"

"Focus Johnny!" Sue yelled at her younger brother, annoyed by how easily he can lose focus.

"Geez, sorry… just making conversation." Johnny uttered somewhat bitterly, scorching the remains of a still alive insect crawling on the floor.

"There are in almost every room, we should slip up to cover more ground!" Sue advised, with Johnny and I simply nodded as we went off in different directions.

Since they "somewhat" trusted me, I opted to go with a simpler method of cleaning house. Channeling my Chi, I constructed a second set of arms that formed from both my infraspinatus respectively. I could place them on any part but from the back is most beneficial in case a "sneak" attack happens. Besides, I like them more in this position. My newly set slammed their fists, red spell rings forming on each one respectively.

Taking out my Sol Blades, I crossed them to form an X, giving birth to the all familiar yellow blades. When ready, I dashed forward at immense speed, aiming for the larger group. They seemed to spot me approaching them, each snarling as the insects flew in my direction. I jumped when I got close, rapidly spinning so the blade sliced off dozens of body parts, a good portion biting the dust. I created a Chi Step beneath me, propelling in a different direction to slash away more insects. I maneuvered my body to rotate around when I would reach the wall, doing the same tactic again and again.

The speed difference only increased with each Step I made, blitzing all over the large area with body parts and light-green blood splattered everywhere. My armor was more than capable of protecting me, but the spell rings added an extra layer of defense while finishing off the ones behind me. Some insects with only the upper half of the bodies moved around, another slash needed to do the trick.

Hearing the Human Torch scream at the top of his lungs, I dashed through the hallway with great speed, turning a corner to the open dining room. I saw countless of them swarming the blond, coming from all sides with his flames becoming barely visible. Creating a fairly large yellow sphere around him and the insects, I yelled. "Go as hot as you can! The sphere won't break!"

Seeing as the message got through, Johnny did as he was instructed, the sphere now resembling a miniature sun. After the light died down, all that could be seen was the Human Torch as his flames died down, my spell wearing off as well.

"Oh… my… god…. I owe you big time," Johnny uttered with a scared expression as he landed. "I thought they were gonna eat me alive."

"Don't mention it," I reassured him, giving him a hand to stand up. "But we still have more lurking around, we better not waste any time."

I dashed off to search the other rooms, with Johnny following right behind me. There were a considerably less amount than a few minutes ago, and since the door of the lab is closed off, we must be closing in on the remaining few. When we reached the opposite end of the building, we found Sue holding off a swarm of them, somewhat struggling to keep them at bay.

When she was in our sights, Johnny and I helped her by taking out the outer layer of insects, allowing her to dissolve her force field than making numerous spheres that crushed the rest around her.

"Okay, that has to be the last of them, right?" Johnny asked irritatedly.

Before either of us could give a reply, a smaller insect burst through from one of the doors down the hall. It didn't get the chance to move very far as a spell ring sliced off its head, another carcass added to the scoreboard.

"Now it is." I said simply, not picking up any more on my sensors so it means we were in the clear.

"Finally," Sue groaned while stretching her arms. "Hope Reed was able to close off that portal, I don't want to see those insects ever aga-"

"No!" Johnny yelled at the top of his lungs, slightly pushing Sue as he ran down the hall at inhuman speed, stopping when he reached the room in question. About a dozen different emotions went through his mind as his legs started to shake slightly, falling to his knees in defeat with his jaw hanging.

Approaching his kneeled form, I took a peek inside, taking in the view of the "used to be" room the blond lived in. It was… unrecognizable at this point, all of his possessions torn to shreds with a framed NFL poster being the only thing that was left untouched, until it fell moments later with the glass breaking.
Soft whimpers could be heard as Johnny could do nothing more but look at his destroyed room. While the scene could be considered remorseful, Sue couldn't help but release a faint laugh that she tried to tone down.

I, on the other hand, had absolutely no control of the sentence I was about to say as it came out purely on instinct rather than anything else. "That's rough, buddy."

As if that was the final nail in the coffin, Johnny was sent off the edge, making sounds akin to a dying animal that quickly switched tones with each passing second.

Should I tell him I can fix it right now, or wait a little?

---

"That ended… surprisingly well."

Reed uttered apologetically as he looked around his work station that was filled with body parts, organs, and insect blood.

"I think your definition of "surprisingly well" has a different meaning compared to us, Stretch." Ben commented as he cleaned off the liquid from his body.

"At least you still have all your stuff in one piece." Johnny huffed, making Reed cringe once more.
After we cleared the four floors below, Reed and Peter managed to cut the cord of the portal not long after, with Bucky and Ben finishing off the remaining ones in the lab. I followed the twins back to where it all began, still yet to ask for my name or anything, most probably to check if their teammates were that was their main priority. After recuperating, each took their respective jabs at Reed for his "miss-calculation" while I checked up on Peter and Bucky.

When the blame game was over, Reed approached us with a face of gratitude. "Thank you, from me and my team's behalf, you saved us a lot of trouble. But who are you people, how did you know what we were doing?"

"I didn't, I just noticed an abundance of Interdimensional Energy happening a few blocks away from us," I said in a comedic yet serious tone, taking off my mask to properly introduce myself. "Ethan Chester, a pleasure meeting you in person, Mr. Richards. I have to ask, is this… a regular occurrence around here? An invasion from another dimension involving insect-like aliens, sounds like a terrible way to spend an afternoon."

Reed scratched the bag of his head sheepishly. "For the most part… no, it isn't like that."

"Sure," Ben rolled his eyes. "It's only a couple of dozen other ways we risk our lives on an almost daily basis, so it's a regular Friday for us. The bug thing is new."

Susan groaned as she spun around. "I know I should be thankful nobody got hurt, but cleaning this mess will be a nightmare."

"Since we're here, might as well help out." I chimed in, a few hand gestures making my fingers glow before my spell went off.

What once was a mess with green blood, limbs and broken objects, slowly started to rewind. Aside from everything insect-related, which was incinerated to leave no trace, the environment started to revert to how it was just a few minutes before the portal opened. With that part excluded from the cleaning process. The Fantastic Four, with the exception of Ben, ducked as object after object flew around them until everything came to a screeching halt. The heroes looked in wonder as the lab that was in ruins moments ago, was fully repaired in less than a few seconds.

"There, that should do it." I said leisurely while dusting off my hands.

Reed was the first to speak up, albeit with some slight confusion. "I… wh-… how did you do that?"

"Just like you and your team, we have a bag of tricks of our own, Doctor Richards." I replied with a grin. "I took the liberty of not just cleaning up your lab but all the floors under the ownership of the Baxter Foundation. No need to thank me."

Before anyone could reply, Johnny beat them to it. "Wait… all floors?!"

The blonde then dashed towards the door, with a single worry on his mind.

"Anyway…" Reed said trailing off. "I don't know how you did that, but you have my gratitude."

As I was about to respond, someone beat me to it.

"[Excuse me, Doctor Richards,]" A smooth robotic voice called out, to which I assumed it was their A.I. "[Director Fury is on the line, I assume it's because of the influx of energy from the experiment you conducted. Several lower rank S.H.I.E.L.D operatives tried contacting us, but I sent them to voice-mail since you were rather…occupied at the time. I would advise answering to not cause any further suspicion.]"

Oh, Fury, of course he would do that.

"Now that I think about it, there is something you could do for us," I stopped Reed before he could get to his computer. "Keep our services to yourselves, and I'll make sure that New York almost being invaded by insects is kept on the down-low. I'm not in the mood to deal with Fury and his crap."

"You know him?" Reed said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Not directly, never met the guy and don't plan meeting him for a while, but I know he's a pain in the ass, if you catch my drift."

Understanding what I implied, Reed nodded as he went to his workstation, picking up a small earpiece as he told the A.I. to connect him through.

Sue alongside Ben approached us. "Since you know us, I'd like to properly meet you all without the masks."
Giving them both the okay, they removed their masks. It was the Fantastic Four after all, and I'd like to work with them in the future. After a few quick exchange of names, Ben walked towards Bucky.

"Thanks for the tip back there, already have enough bug goo in my ears as it." Ben extended his hand to Bucky, to which he accepted.

"Don't mention it, I know you would have done the same." Bucky replied in a similar tone.

"Now that we're all acquainted, since you saved us from a whole lot of cleaning and money for repairs, the least we can offer is lunch, no?" Sue offered politely.

"Oh, I could go for some lunch." Peter perked up cheerfully.

"Sure, why not," I agreed with the notion.

"As long as it isn't chicken, I'm fine with it." Ben commented with a huff.

"Okay, that's taken care of, they won't bother us with the new security system I installed last week," Reed was about to continue until his eyes landed on Peter. "Wait... a High-School freshman helped me close a portal to the Negative Zone?"

"Junior, actually." Peter corrected him, much to Reed's bewilderment.

Before Reed could ask further questions, Johnny came in running, seemingly with equal energy when he left. "It's actually there! Exactly how I left it!" Johnny said with a wide smile before it quickly changed into a frown. "Wait… you could've done this earlier and you didn't say anything?!"

"You were having a moment," I expressed sheepishly. "If I did it right then and there, I was positive you would literally explode if you witnessed that right after seeing it in ruins."

Johnny wanted to protest, a mix of smiling and angered expressions. "Dude, I love you, but seriously, not cool…"

---

"So wait…" Johnny interrupted the discussion, shaking his head in disbelief. "You were in World War 2 with Captain America!? Dude, please tell me you have something that belonged to him, it would go wild on eBay!"

"Can it, Flame Breath!" Ben nudged the blond beside him, almost knocking him out of his chair, much to his annoyance.

After the near-Insect Invasion, the Fantastic Four insisted that we stay for lunch, a small token of appreciation for our help. Reed was able to hold off Fury from snooping around the building, stating it was a slight "error" in the experiment that was quickly resolved. Since I prevented the energy readings as soon as they appeared, it can be seen as nothing more than fluke. I learned that the F4 didn't like Fury very much either, but I low-key made subtle contingencies just in case. To some of their questions, I answered but vaguely, as I still thought keeping some secrets were necessary.

After closing the portal, Peter and Reed bonded almost instantly. The rest of us let them be, seeing as they would speak so fast they would finish each other's sentences, while also talking "business" while they ate. Bucky and Ben seemed to be getting along, with Johnny chiming in every now and then. They were debating who had the higher kill count, but also commending each other on their fighting styles.

Being seated right to Sue, I had someone to pass the time with.

"Genetic research, huh?" I said with interest while rubbing my chin.

Sue stiffed an awkward laugh. "Yeah, a bit boring, I know."

"No, no," I waved my hand quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I actually find it to be rather interesting. I only know some basics of it to be honest, but I'd like to learn more about it in the future. I'm planning on doing some research on it since I have an interest in medicine, so I wouldn't mind getting some insight from an expert."

"Medicine, huh," Sue hummed while taking a sip of her drink. "Not to sound rude, but with magic, isn't that supposed to be rather simple?"

I laughed softly at her blunt observation. "While true, it's a bit more complicated than that. You see, I can't just open shop with literal "magic healing" on the brand, I'd imagine it would be a PR nightmare. Besides that, it is possible to apply what I learned to actual medicine, with a few of my own tweaks to not cause any suspicion.

"I see," Sue rubbed her chin. "So in theory, any injury or disease can be cured, while also being considered "regular" medicine?"

"That's the gist of it," I replied leisurely. "I haven't outlined all the details just yet, but it's a passion project I'd like to see become a reality at one point in the future. It would set a new standard for modern medicine, as well as erase all health-care problems humanity faced up until now."

"Just whatever you do, make sure you patent it, and I mean everything," Sue put extra emphasis at the end of her sentence. "I couldn't tell you how many issues we faced early on because of that. If you don't make sure the paperwork is in order, then the leaches start showing up with all sorts of "legal issues" and that's not including if someone tries stealing your ideas."

"Oh, trust me, I won't allow that to happen."

The two of us went back and forth on the subject, while also jumping to various topics as more time passed. It was a pleasure talking with Sue, since out of the four members, I'd say was the most level-headed and talented person among them. I hope in the future I can approach her with several work ideas I had in mind, ones that would definitely fit her skillset.

After a while, Reed stood up and motioned Peter to follow him.

"What are you two up to?" Sue asked with a raised eyebrow, already knowing the answer.
"A-Actually, there's something in the lab I want to show Peter. I promise I won't be too long." Reed stated awkwardly.

Peter gave me a quick look, practically asking if he can go, to which I simply nodded. Might as well let the geniuses have at it, doubt there's anything wrong with allowing Peter to look into Reed's work. If anything, it might be a bonus for us.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you about an idea." Johnny cut in while Sue was talking. The next several minutes were spent with the blonde spitting out random and somewhat "interesting" ideas to create until Sue finally had enough.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to use your talents for something worthwhile, or to make an actual difference in the world." Sue exclaimed with a bored expression.

"Look, I'm not saying using it for medicine is a bad thing, however, maybe making a state-of-the-art supercar that's virtually indestructible, I'd definitely invest in something like that." Johnny said optimistically.
Sue released an exhausted sigh, pinching her nose. "Honestly, Johnny, are you ever going to grow up?"

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." I uttered in an amused tone, acting like I was thinking it over.
Johnny's face lit up with hope and excitement, while Sue looked at me with the most "are you serious" face I've ever seen, causing me to chuckle at their reactions.

"Hey, who said I can't do both?" I asked genuinely. "But let's go one at a time. Now, back to what we were discussing-"

---

Meeting the Fantastic Four was a rather fun experience if you ignore the almost interdimensional invasion that would happen if we haven't intervened.

The only one I was concerned about was Mr. Fantastic himself. Unlike the rest of the team, I couldn't get a proper idea of how this Reed ticks, which troubles me quite a bit. I don't even want to think what kind of version this will be, because this can either be "decent" or very problematic, with neither option being an ideal one.

On our end, Peter had to excuse himself for a few days, spending a majority of last month with us he couldn't devote that much time to spend with Aunt May. Since he had an easier time with his patrols, I assured him to take an extra break, only going out during the nights.

I was sitting cross-legged at my chair in front of the massive screen, having numerous tabs open to multitask on. Bucky was a few rows beside me, on his own computer where he focused on the Hydra dilemma and tried digging anything up that involved "suspicious" activity. All in all, it was a peaceful day inside the base.
Hearing a low beeping sound, I looked to the source, being the monitor that displayed the entire map of the US, a red ripple above St. George, Utah. It seemed to be a private residence in the outskirts of town.
Fully focusing on the ping, I switched to the tab that allowed me to access any security camera in the area, as well if any radio frequencies, only to get nothing. Static feeds area in question, with the only frequency being numerous Police reports but they had no idea what was going on.

Letting out a low whistle, Helix flew from his resting place to swiftly land on my forearm, head tilted with curiosity.

"Mind goin' over there and take a look-see?" I asked my small, black-feathered friend as his head snapped towards the screen, then to the 3-D zoomed-in version I made to show him first hand. Giving me a cheerful chirp as a reply, Helix was good to go. Opening a bird-sized portal, he was off.

Leaning back, all I could do for now is wait.

"Something wrong?" Bucky asked, leaning onto the edge of the table.

"Have a strong feeling about it," I replied back, my eyes firmly set on the location where the notification popped up. "I just hope it isn't anything too troublesome."

"If these guys can easily hack into these systems and leave no trail, we have a serious issue on our hands." I thought, only able to theorize for the time being. "My only question is what were they after?"

Digging through the files of profiles/information within St. George, I looked up the resident who lived in the residence that was trashed. The house was bought a few months ago, by the name of James Arthur Madrox, or as I knew him, Multiple Man. Aside from basic information, it didn't state he was mutant, so whoever showed up knew beforehand.

I also found out that most of the town experienced power outages or had various equipment acting haywire, the same time when the house was raided. Seeing as I couldn't get more from the computer, I waited until Helix returned.

I trained him a bit to utilize other spells to investigate and get all variables from the crime scene. The house, while trashed and filed with police, only had slash marks on some walls and on the ground. In terms of evidence, the place was spotless, by no normal means were they able to gather anything.
Luckily, I have other means.

While he was still there, I told Helix to get a hold of anything the mutant touched, used or ate that had some of his DNA. Since the window was open, with the trashcan right next to it, Helix swooped in to snag an old chicken leg, the police not batting an eye when it happened. Due to my enhanced smell, I shivered at the foul odor while putting on some gloves. Taking a small chunk of it, I proceeded to do an almost identical spell Dr. Strange used to locate Odin in Ragnarok. Stretching the meat like rubber, the familiar gold sizzling sparks appeared as I mixed it around, its final form resembling three rings all connecting.

I didn't plan on teleporting right in wherever that might be, I need to scout the place out beforehand. The location appeared in the Codex, then going over to the computer to see the coordinates. It was somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, without any device able for me to access.

To not get on their radar, I was a few thousand miles away before even doing anything, while not even being physically there, casting a spell that would scan the underground until I told it to stop. The thing about magic, it all depends on the amount of energy you use, which means it can either be plain as day or undetectable if it goes slow. My gut was telling me to not take any chances, as mutant hunters are dangerous, so being careful was necessary.

When it got to the mountain in question, I realized who I was dealing with.

"The U-Men." I thought bitterly when I saw them.

When the area of it materialized, the dark-blue armored suits were more than enough for me. Out of all the groups I could've come across, these were the worst kind. Instead of dealing with humanity, they primarily seek out mutants to experiment while taking their X-Gene, implanting the samples into themselves to gather more power. To become physically superior over humanity by essentially becoming mutants, by any means. Even though they aren't a threat to humanity right now, they definitely will be in the future if not dealt with. I knew there were numerous mutants inside, I wasn't sure how many but I'll know soon enough.

It wasn't easy, but I managed to find out their base, or one of them at least, a "rough" layout of the inside. I spent the next few hours doing extensive research for the people responsible, not wasting a single second, recalling as much knowledge I knew about them to be sure. I had to take extra precautions to not sound any alarms, strictly using my own skillset so be elusive. By a sheer of good luck, I wasn't noticed but wasn't able to get a full idea how their base looked like. The risk of getting spotted was too much, so I played it safe to be sure.

I was at a crossroads, this was high exposure if we made a slip up, but on the contrary, for a mutant, this was a fate worse than death. Being poached and picked apart by supremacists, especially by the likes of the U-Men.
However, if I properly set up a strategy that fully takes advantage of our capabilities, we'll be in and out before reinforcements arrive. Of course, I'll foil any safety measures they have when we come marching in.
Narrowing my eyes, I eyed the location while leaning back in my chair. "I'm coming for you assholes."

---

"Gentlemen, a moment, if you don't mind," I spoke up with a serious tone, catching both Peter and Bucky's attention. "We have a situation that requires our immediate attention."

The two shared a glance before turning back to me, strengthening themselves in their seats with their focus set on hearing what I had to say.

"If you recall, I gave you both a file centered on mutants. I trust you've looked over it?"

"Yeah, I have," Bucky confirmed. "There was quite a lot to go over, but I understand the gist of it."

"Same here, but what does that have to do with anything?" Peter asked questionably.

"For this, everything," I turned to the widescreen, typing away until the file I recently made containing the U-Men and all the information I had on them. I dug through my mind to collect whatever info I could remember that might be useful.

Bucky and Peter took a minute to go over the file's contents before I spoke up. "Let me introduce you to the U-Men, a transhumanist group and major Anti-Human bigots," numerous photos of the soldiers in action."Their profession, capturing and experimenting on Mutants. While observing the soldiers, I noticed each had different powers, meaning their X-Gene manifested. Although, with the ties and technology they have, it's very possible they acquire the X-Gene from the mutants they captured."

"Experimenting on them..." Bucky grimaced, but wanted to know more. "Do they have any connections? Resource supplies?"

"That's still a bit in the dark, to be honest," I admitted. "I'd wager they have enough to be on their own, as for past ties I'd like to get my answers from them personally."

Peter, who was unusually silent, spoke up while leaning onto the table. "How many people have they captured?"

"Can't tell yet, they have multiple bases so it's difficult to say," I answered. "Right now, we should focus on the one we know of. I managed to get a layout of it, albeit I was extra careful to not set off any alarms. If they have the slightest idea that someone is lurking around, I would assume they jump to kill if it's disrupting their goal."

"What's the plan?" Bucky asked.

"Rescue mission," I replied while zooming in on the schematics of the base. "Our priority is getting the Mutants to safety, as well as taking out a small portion of their numbers. Our armor is superior to theirs and I already came up with a few countermeasures to deal with them. We'll teleport in the room where they're keeping the Mutants so we won't have to worry about them. I'll use my spells to disrupt their sensors and such. Peter, I want you to find the main computer and see if you can access their files, it's vital we get more info on these guys if there are more of them. Bucky and I will cover you, as once we go in we're gonna get swarmed."

I went into more detail on the individuals with the powers I identified. I didn't forget the possibility that they kept some powers hidden since multiple X-Genes in one host is highly plausible. In raw strength, we can outmatch them, actually I think Bucky can do that on his own. We memorized the base's layout, then began suiting up. Too much time was already wasted and every minute that passes could mean a mutant is experimented on or possibly even dies.

Once we were ready, we met up around the table of the library, quickly going over our plan one more time.

"Alright people, look sharp." I called out to the two, receiving a nod from each of them.

I inhaled, then exhaled, taking a moment before we jumped in. When the portal was made, we were greeted to a dimly lit room, spotting several of the U-Men who were still in gear, standing in front numerous mutants chained to the wall with metallic collars around their necks. Bucky was the first to charge in, the first soldier that turned around received a fist to the head, the mask shattering from the blow. As the first one fell, all the others turned to face us.

One of the soldier's arms went wide, giving birth to wild red fire, I saw the move coming from a mile away, restricting the flames from growing. Flicking my wrists, I made two layers of Chi to cover his arms, crushing his arms not a second later. Spidey jumped forward, kicking the same person in the chin, leaving a good dent in it. To finish off the last two, Bucky fired an optic beam the closest one while I summoned metallic hands from the wall to the other one, then Bucky flew over to finish him off.

I took out a single Silver Snitch, reprogrammed it to do a different purpose, memory whipping. Quickly going about the room, it did its job in less than ten seconds while Peter went to help the victims. Looking at all the mutants present, I noted some were in better shape than others. My mask put up all their profiles, but one stuck out to me.

Alexander Summers.

It seemed that he was fighting to stay conscious. While we removed their restraints, I used a quick healing spell, just enough to help them out. "We will be with you shortly, we have to make sure nobody else is trapped here."

Before moving the newly created portal to send them back to our base, Alex spoke up. "T-There are t-two others, they took them n-not too long ago."

"Do you know where it is, by any chance?"

"N-Not sure," Alex responded weakly. "They d-dragged me pretty far, I'd a-assume it's in the middle o-or at least other side of t-the facility."

I nodded. "Thank you, we'll return once we get them safely out."

Before any of them could protest, the portal swopped down from above, transporting them all out. Making wide squares to view the hallway through the wall, we were clear for the time being, speaking up before we broke the door down.

"Spider, you know what to do,' I reminded him in a serious tone. "It's imperative we get some information on these guys, whatever you can if possible. If you are in any trouble, Nomad and I will be there within a moment's notice."

"Roger that." Peter acknowledged his mission.

"You ready?" I asked as turned to Bucky.

"As ever." Bucky simply responded.

"Then let's move." I said commandingly as I blew the door down.

Bucky and I went left while Peter went in the opposite direction.

---

"Duck, dodge, jump... jump again and strike!"

Peter repeatedly thought the same actions but in different order, his right foot smashing through the protective glass of the helmet of the armored soldiers. On his way to the main computer, Peter didn't encounter that many of them, but they sure weren't easy to fully take out. His web combinations managed to restrain some of them while his Spider-Bots did the rest.

Even though they were the enemy, Peter couldn't ignore how durable their gear was. Along with the X-Genes, they were deadly as they were unpredictable.

Aiming for the remaining U-Man that blocked him from his destination, dodging the array of bullets thanks to his Spider Senses, he webbed his weapon beyond usage, swooping in for the finishing blow. Instead of his fist breaking the protective glass, it passed through his head that completely dissolved into a gooey brown substance.

"Ahhh!" Peter mentally screamed. "I didn't mean to hit him that hard!"

Before another thought could cross his mind, the U-Man backtracked to the wall, his backside morphing into the brown-colored substance as he sunk into it, pulling in Peter as well. A chunk of the wall turned into what resembled mud, his body now fully infused with it. Unable to break free, Peter was warned what was about to happen but couldn't properly react, his body was slammed into the wall, the substance slowly sucking him in.

Thrashing around, Peter had a difficult time escaping his hold, the substance blocking his field of view. "Think, think. His whole body turns into a mud-like substance, meaning I can't get a proper hit in. I'll have to use a web-combo for this one."

From his U.I., Peter hastily listed through the web-combinations until he found it, the Explosive Web. The more is used, the bigger the explosion, as well as letting out an electric discharge for the added bonus. Since the web formulas were made with Ethan's help, it's made so it won't cause him damage when they leave his web-shooters if by chance Peter was in close range, but also allows him to use it with no repercussions, so he started spamming it.

Just as his vision was completely blocked, Peter's body was propelled forward, sticking to the opposite wall with mud all over. As for the U-Man, the mud moved to where his body started morphing back into normal, Peter jumped forward to kick him in the helmet, breaking the protective glass with blood spilling out as he flopped down.

"That's the last of em'." Peter thought out loud, seeing his work across the hallway.

Searching his seemingly bottomless storage pockets, Peter took out a familiar silver snitch, only with a different function unlike the one he first laid his eyes on. Allowing it to fly away, it dashed to every fallen U-Men soldier, releasing a thin red beam before letting out a thicker green version.

Due to having a mix of mystical and technological prowess, Ethan made sure that both he and Bucky were equipped with various items that would help them out of many scenarios. This snitch would erase the memories of the victim from the last hour, or if they had anything remotely that could lead back to the team. In order for it to work, the person it's used on has to either be unconscious or unmoving for several seconds.

Was it unethical? Kind of. Did it ensure his and the team's safety? Most definitely.

Going inside and hacking the door so it won't open, Peter approached the computer, taking out a specific USB drive to help him access it. Once it was in, the screen flickered before some files were being deleted automaticallyly.

"Ughh… this isn't good." Peter uttered as numerous tabs popped up only to disappear, furiously typing away at the keyboard.

It was difficult, but with the help of his USB drive, it managed to slow down the process while Peter tried getting as much information as he could. While doing his work, Peter heard banging on the door, only getting louder and more ferocious with each hit, indicating his time was running out.

"Come on... Parker Luck don't screw me now...!" Peter muttered while solely focusing on the computer.

---

"You take the robot, I'll take the other guy."

"Doesn't seem fair, but alright." Bucky replied while we went for our respective targets.

A tall robot dashed towards Bucky, three long blades extending from each arm while shooting red beams from its eye. Using his new upgrades, Bucky formed a lengthy shield from his arm, the beams bouncing off in the opposite direction, damaging the eye as a result.

When it came close, Bucky jumped to his left to dodge its assault, the shield quickly morphing into a blade of his own, slicing off its right arm and leg. When he was on his feet, he shot out the metal wire that pierced its other leg, pulling it back and plunging his blade into the robot's core, slicing it in half for safe measure.

Meanwhile, I raised my purple chains around the abomination, parts of its skin burning the longer in its hold. Flexing its muscles, and growing slightly in size, it was able to break free, its abnormally large hands stretching out towards me. Swiping with both my hands, I sent out several blue slashes to cut its arms off, releasing even more acid from the open wounds but they quickly regenerated. When they were about to squash me, I sent a thought to activate my defense, four Chi constructed rib cages formed around my body, accompanied by a golden aura. The acid simply flowed down on the outer layer of the aura, his strength unable to even crack the ribcage.

Heh, these constructs were well worth it. Good luck breaking through this.

From inside, I used the chance to immobilize his arms by sticking the bottom of it to the floor, then dropping down to a portal I created. When I was out the other end, an upwards angle behind his back, a Rasengan of a different variety was forming along with a Chi Step on the ready.

As the ball spun, the temperature of it and the area around it decreased drastically, and tiny shards of ice formed in the center that leaked out from the sphere, now having a light blue and white color scheme. As if his body was made of rubber, portions of his body and arms going to its back to make countless thin arms that rapidly grew in length.

While the speed was impressive, I could spot openings all around, forming more Chi Steps to make sharp turns in rapid succession. He couldn't even make additional arms nor any kind of defense before my Ice Release - Rasengan collided with his flesh. As if kicking a ball, his abnormally large body flew to the corner of the room, the moment he hit the wall, ice started spreading from the wound, quickly entrapping the monster into a giant rock of ice. The only thing that could be clearly seen is his face, rage evident but could do nothing, only move his eyes slightly.

With how powerful I made it, it will leave lasting damage and for someone like him, it won't be fixed that easily. Creating the sphere to search his mind, I was irritated to find he was empty. Another one that's empty as a shell, interesting yet infuriating.

These guys don't take any chances.

"So this is what they do, trading in their humanity to become... this," Bucky uttered in disgust while looking at the frozen frame of the U-Men soldier. "Not to mention the people they hurt to get these forms. It's sickening."

"That's what lusting for power will get you," I commented with a similar tone. "Hope the payoff is worth it."

Hearing my communicator start beeping, I pressed the side of the helmet with two fingers. "What is it, Spider?"

"[I got to the main computer, but once it turned on the files started deleting themselves. It's like it had a safety protocol in place if it noticed the slightest change of behavior within the base. I was able to get some documents of the ones they captured but everything else is gone it seems, I'll try to dig out whatever I can,"] Spider-Man explained over the speaker, inhaling before starting again. "[However, I have access to all the cameras around the base, and there are like a dozen death bots heading your way from the right. There is also a lab in the North wing section of the base, with two mutants on the operating tables.]"

Thanking him for the heads up, I looked towards Bucky who also got the message, starting to move in the direction Peter warned us about. Coming into view of a lengthy hallway, we saw the squadron of robots Peter warned us about vast approaching.

Closing my fists, I channeled my Chi and sent two streams of it into the walls of the hallway, covering them with a thin layer of gold energy. Slamming my fists together, the walls, including the floor and the ceiling to close in, crushing all of the robots instantly, leaving only squares of squashed machinery.

Snickering, Bucky leisurely walked forwards, placing a hand to his ear to contact Peter. He managed to locate two other mutants on the other side of the base, said to be moments away from being torn open. This base seemed to have more robots than actual people that was evident. We mowed through all the droids that came our way without any trouble, the other soldiers having powers that were only effective against certain mutants, making them irrelevant.

Going deeper into this hell hole, I kept having an irritating feeling that we were minutes away from a disaster. After a short while, a bead started nothing me with high intensity.

"Take cover!"

Before I hit the deck, I formed a resilient barrier that spread across the wall to my left that suddenly exploded into pieces. Through the smoke, we saw the newly revealed and spacious room, most likely used for storage but was pretty empty all things considered. In the center, a figure whose armor was familiar to the previous soldiers but was entirely black, thin yellow lines across each limb to the center of the chest plate. In the back, more robots could be seen gearing up.

In the upper left side of my U.I., I got the profile of said individual. Michael Landon, former Navy Seal and his mission record, with it coming to an abrupt end a little less than a year ago.

"You two shitheads think you can just waltz right in here and take out my men?!" The leader roared with anger, his arms radiating a faint blue glow. "I'll keep you alive long enough until I make you beg for death!"
With a side-ways glance, I spoke to Bucky in a tired tone. "You hear one threat, you hear them all."

"At least this one will attempt at delivering it." Bucky responded, getting into a defensive stance.
On his signal, each soldier alongside him fired various projectiles, ranging from guns to energy blasts. My shield came to life quickly that kept us hidden, withstanding the various kinds of projectiles they dished out.

"A little outnumbered, so let's make things a little more fair." I said excitedly, a wide grin forming beneath my mask.

Flipping through the Codex, I landed on the "creation" page, selecting several creatures to create. With an abundance of energy to fuel my spells, I could freely use these old tricks. Tapping the icons with animals on them, several of them materialized around us, all sharing the same cobalt blue color. I formed a bull, gorilla, lion, several hawks, a bear and an oversized scorpion.

Actually, all of them were bigger, not just the scorpion.

Once they go out, I have an illusion planned to duplicate them all, making it a guessing game which one is real. Making a hand gesture, two cards shot out of my sleeve into my hands, a brown/green and a regular brown respectively.

Time for the show.

Snapping my fingers, my creatures went on the offensive, while I created a small opening to send my cards out. Countless thick trees spurred from the ground, preventing the soldiers from properly aiming whilst targeting them to lower the numbers. The other card made it so the metallic ground, while same in appearance, turned into stone, resulting in walls and hands popping up, while also making them sink down if they tried walking up.

Powers or not, most of the U-Men couldn't overpower the energy beasts, especially since they couldn't tell which were the real ones. Having more leeway, Bucky and I used the advantage to shoot from afar, our projectiles hitting them like targets at a shooting range.

Out of all our enemies, I noted that only one was a potential problem. The former Navy Seal/commander would shoot away the animals with a plasma blast, whilst absorbing them when they would come into range.

Our projectiles in general wouldn't do anything. Flying towards the remaining animals, the absorption went a lot faster than before, sending out two large plasma waves in our direction. Since he absorbed my energy in multiples, the shield around was shattered, forcing us back until I set up new ones. Out of curiosity, I tried shooting numerous quick sneak beams to aim for his sides, most simply stopping as they were absorbed, a blue sphere forming around him while doing so.

"Energy absorption, most probably from Havok judging how his projectiles look," I theorized while commanding the trees to give us more cover. "Add an ex-Navy Seal into the mix, then you have a deadly enemy on your hands. A majority of my attacks are energy-based, and I've yet to properly implement countermeasures for that scenario. Just dandy…"

Mental note, look into energy poisoning or layers that prevents energy from being absorbed.

The commander obliterated more and more trees, flying all over the place while sending out countless plasma blasts. Bucky and I separated, taking out more of them in the meantime, I didn't focus on the commander since he would easily absorb whatever I threw at him, only for it to be shot right back in the form of plasma. Bucky used his mobility to jump around the tree-infested field, using his hooks to maneuver around them, but he wasn't able to get close to the commander as he would fly back while sending out plasma blasts that vaporized the area in a cone.

"How do we deal with this guy?!" Bucky asked loudly through the voice channel.

"From what I could tell, he has the ability to absorb any form of energy and dish it out as his own, which basically means my stronger spells are useless," I began explaining, thinking of all the possible solutions. "His armor seems to be infused with energy as well, making it fairly durable. Projectiles are out of the question, but he's not invincible. Physical attacks should do the trick if we coordinate our attacks. I'll create openings while you go in for the blow."

Nodding, Bucky agreed to the plan. Channeling my Chi for my second set of arms, I went to do my part. Water came flooding in when a portal above him opened, serving as an inconvenience to him until many tentacles formed at a second's notice. I prioritized his legs to immobilize him, firmly keeping him in place as several tentacles swooped in for a series of quick jabs from every direction. Plasma blasts weren't of any use, my two sets of arms doubling my already inhuman speed. As the former Navy Seal focused on free himself, Bucky charged in.

In the corner of his eye, the U-Men commander aimed with his right arm at the approaching intruder, a water fist smacked it away, the plasma blast shooting off to the side. He tried using his powers to fly away, but the water-binding only allowed him barely a meter off the ground, giving some openings to shoot numerous plasma shots.

While in motion, Bucky would side-step as rock shields rose from the ground, mitigating any destruction since each shield would bend in the direction of the blast. Jumping into the air, his blade came to life, the tip piercing his armor on his abdomen. Before he could respond with a wave of plasma, Bucky was gone via portal, reappearing in at different angle a second later. With portals opening then closing, Bucky dashed around him while dishing out repeated a mix of slashes and punches at the commander.

Enraged, not to mention injured, the remaining U-Man frantically moving in every direction in the hopes of landing a single hit. After receiving more wounds, the last straw was when Bucky sliced off his hand, letting out a war cry with plasma shockwaves shooting out from all around his body, to which I teleported Bucky next to me to prevent any injuries.

I asked him if he built up enough Kinetic Energy in his arm, receiving a nod in confirmation.

With our combined efforts, we went for the finishing blow.

Faint steam started to form around Bucky's arm as he ran, forming a Chi Step in his path to propel him to a greater speed. The moment the commander let out a powerful blast towards Bucky, he was already in front of him via portal, striking him in the center of his chest. A massive cone of wind exploded from behind him, his body flying backwards and breaking through a wall like it was made of building blocks, only a cloud of smoke left in his wake.

Inspecting our work, the helmet split in two, revealing a shocked expression that was lifeless, the gaping hole in his chest a clear indication of that.

Reaching into my bag, I took out four Silver Snitches, letting them fly about to do their purpose, while moving to the remaining mutants.

On our way there, Peter, alongside with my spell, pinpointed all the remaining U-Men that were in the base, nullifying them with ease. They were weaker compared to the other soldiers, the robots not posing much of an issue as they were cut down without hesitation.

When we got the room in question, we kicked the steel door down, two U-Men soldiers protecting a set of scientists wearing similar gear. One had weaponized attachments around its arms, firing red beams at us with no pause in-between. Sadly, none of them could land a hit on us. Bucky jumped over the soldier, forming his blade to slice off an arm at the perfect angle. Upon landing, Bucky spun around to slice off his right ankle, making him fall to the ground with how heavy the armor was.

Approaching from the side, Bucky stabbed his other arm for safe measure, a kick to the front of the helmet to take him out. The other soldier didn't have time to take his shot as I created two yellow-energy snakes and sent them flying towards him, quickly digging two holes respectively to enter the suit from the arms. The body started shaking rapidly before stopping, slowly falling backwards and landing with a thud.

Turning toward the two scared scientists, I simply flicked my fingers, sending two bolts of Chi towards them, knocking them out instantly.

On the operating table, my U.I. scanned their faces, Multiple-Man on one table, with the other one holding down a girl with long green hair, with the name Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, popping in the corner of my eye.

"Take it easy, we're here to help," I reassured the two mutants calmly, seemingly won over their trust with our little display. "Are there any more captured aside from that one room?"

"N-No," The black-haired man said. "They kept us all in one big room. They didn't keep anyone separated. I think."

Just as I took out my Sol Blade with the crimson flame to cut the binds, the girl on the other table spoke up. "I overheard them saying it was too dangerous for us to be kept separate, that it's easier to contain us. These collars negate our powers so we can't fight back, then pick two at a time for them to experiment on."

"I see. Well, rest assured, you won't have to worry about them anymore." I said reassuringly while helping the male stand up, Bucky releasing the girl from her binds in the meantime. Getting a signal from Peter, my hand went to my mask. "Tell me something good, Spider."

Before anything was said, a grunt with a loud crash could be heard from the other end. "[Y-Yeah, just give me a moment,]" a second of silence passed followed by metal breaking then a loud thud. "[A-Anyway, I was able to get some research on how they do their experiments but not much else. About eighty-percent of it was deleted, but I think what I have on here might be useful.]

"Good work, Spider-Man. How's your end looking? Need any assistance over there?"

"[Nah, I'm good, a few armored baddies already tried obliterating me but they were too slow. Give me twenty more seconds to see if I can get anything else from this thing.]" Spider-Man informed, nodding in confirmation.

Having some research data will be useful. It might be a bore to figure out, but with Sue's help, unlocking X-Gene splicing will come around hopefully sooner than expected. In my downtime, I kneeled down to place my hand onto the floor, going for one last scan of the whole place to make sure no other mutant was in this hell hole.

When I was positive there wasn't anyone else, I created several energy beasts to incinerate any DNA samples, supplies, resources, anything they might have used or plan on salvaging. Once done, the two of us helped the limping Polaris and Multiple-Man through a newly made portal, dropping them off with the others.

Before the portal closed off, I touched the ground on the other side, a Rune symbol appearing on it. Because I was a douchebag, I made it so it would send a similar energy stream that would attract S.H.I.E.L.D. to cause some ruckus. If by some chance Hydra is connected with the U-Men, it's better to throw them off my trail, not like I already made contingencies to prevent that.

Getting another call from Spidey saying his job was done, I opened a portal for him so all of us were back at our base, our mission now coming to a close.

"Well done, guys," I patted Peter and Bucky on the back as I congratulated them. "Clean, fast and effective. Just how I love it."

"Glad to hear it, M.M.!" Spidey replied with a thumbs up, while Bucky just nodded solemnly.

Turning around, I was greeted with curious and scared glances from the mutants we saved. Removing my mask, I approached them slowly with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I mean you no harm."

I motioned to Bucky and Peter to help them remove their collars, to which they complied.

"Who are you people?" Warren asked.

"What is this place?" Clarice followed up.

"How in the hell did you kick those guys' ass so easily?" James joined in, duplicates forming from the original as the collar was taken off, with each asking their own question.

"One at a time, please," I waved with my hands to calm them down. "I'm Ethan Chester, and this is my home."

I went over the many questions they asked, some more vocal than others. After that was over, I offered to heal them of their injuries to which they accepted, choosing to trust me as I just saved their lives. Some were a little hesitant, but came around after some time passed.

All of them had bruises and various cuts, even some burnt flesh and broken bones. Going one by one, I used a variety of spells to patch them up and some Chi Healing on top so there's no downtime to fully healing.
During this process, I was gifted with a golden opportunity, one I couldn't easily ignore. While I didn't recognize most of the mutants, there were some powerful and notable ones present. Them being Multiple-Man, Sunspot, Blink, Archangel and Havok. Because there were many injuries to go over, and since the spells distracted the ones watching, I made it so the blood that "disappeared" was actually transferred to a storage capsule. The nifty trick of transporting liquid coming in just at the right time.

Since nobody noticed what my side intentions were, I acquired the blood samples of Multiple-Man, Polaris, Havok and Sunspot. I had some plans in the making about the X-Gene, and by using blood samples I could convert them to suit me. These powers in particular were ideal for many reasons, so keeping them stored until they can be studied then taken to the final stage of X-Gene splicing.

Like I said, it was too good to pass up. If anything, this is my reward for having to deal with anti-mutant bigots.

"There, that should do it," I said reassuringly while standing up to stretch, taking a bit longer to fully heal Warren's broken wings. "You all are as good as new."

Warren stood up eagerly, flexing his wing muscles to see for himself, a massive smile following soon after. "It's really fixed! Thank you so much! I thought I lost them forever."

"No thanks are necessary," I playfully waved off. "I'm just glad I could be of help. If it's not a problem for you all, I'd like to ask a few questions about the people who held you captive. Just whatever you seen or heard is enough, after that, we can proceed to dinner."

"I don't anything, nor do I wanna talk about those psychos." Lorna scoffed as leaned back, resting her hands on the back of her head.

Alex rose up from his chair, walking up to me with a serious expression. "I think I may have something, just not sure if it will be of any use."
"That's okay, anything helps. Did you come across them on your own or did they find you?" I asked the blonde.

"Came out of nowhere one day, trashed my place and hunted me down for the next two weeks or so. First time I thought I escaped, but I didn't risk heading back, but turns out they were just toying with me," Alex motioned to his healed injuries. "They put me through some weird experiments, I was semi-conscious when it happened, but I overheard them mention "other facilities", but they left the room before I could learn anything else."

"I see, so my theory about multiple bases is confirmed," I rubbed my chin while thinking. "Even before we teleported in, I knew it couldn't be the only one judging by its layout."

"Who were those guys, anyway?" Alex asked. "I've met some nasty people in my life, but these guys take the cake."

"They're called the U-Men, or how liked to be known, the "superior" race. Essentially, they believe they deserve to rule all life by becoming mutants by stealing their DNA and modifying it so they could use their powers. I'm not completely sure how large their operation is, however, they definitely aren't pushovers."
"I heard about weird anti-mutant groups but never to this extent. Nevertheless, I'm just glad we manage to survive that," The blonde extended his free hand with a smile. "I'm Alex, by the way. Again, thanks for the help.

"Don't mention it," I returned the gesture. "But I should be thanking you for the info, it's not much but I at least know to be extra prepared when I encounter them the next time.

"So what now?" Lorna asked lazily. "Doubt we'll be staying wherever this place is."

"Well, while I did eliminate any chance of them tracking us or realizing who we were, the rest of them will figure soon enough something went down. Wherever you all lived before, I doubt it will be safe when and if they start looking for you."

"What happens to us now?" Warren asked in defeat. "Where are we gonna go?"

I wasn't a fan of this option, for multiple reasons. Not only do I not trust this person, but in the bigger picture, the place itself is not the ideal place for their kind. However my hands were tied, I couldn't just hoard them in, and sending them back out will only get them hunted or someone like Magneto on their tail. Actually, it would strengthen my relationship with the X-Men, something I wouldn't mind, to be honest. All in all, it's the best possible solution.

"Actually, I happen to know the exact place that will make you feel right at home."
Welp, the Fantastic Four make their debut in this Chapter. I was thinking of including Doom, but it's a bit soon and wanted to save him for later. Plus, I seen plenty of times where the MC meets up with the F4 while fighting Doom, wanted a different approach. Also, I totally see Reed doing something like. Hope I nailed their personalities, and expect them to show up in the future.

As for the other group introduced, I apologize if they seem "weak" in here, the rest will DEFFINETLY be more of a challenge. I didn't want to use the full powerhouse, plus with the spells Ethan used to cover themselves when breaking in should be more than effective.

The next Chap will be a team up the X-Men once again, but this time with higher stakes. I plan on touching multiple plot points with them and how their future relationship unfold. I didn't fully showcase what Ethan, Bucky and Peter are capable after the short time skip that will be displayed in the next one

If there are any spelling/grammar mistakes or unfinished sentences, I apologize. It's late and I read it just in case, but I still think some errors slipped thru. Constructive criticism is appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed it.

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links),
Until next time, cya.

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 10 - Teamwork
"How unfortunate…"

A middle-aged man with long black hair that covered the right side of his face uttered in what could be mistaken for a sad tone. Observing several screens in his quarters, the man remained calm while dealing the unexpected issue. As much as he wanted to viciously murder each and every S.H.I.E.L.D. member that roamed inside their raided base, he knew it was best to resist that urge. Having connections with Hydra, it meant risking their sweet deal if he would make a move. But it narrowed things down, someone tipped them off, he was sure of that.

Question is, who dared to mess with them, and how did they manage to find out one of their locations?

Hearing the door behind him open, the man didn't bother to even turn around.

"Sir." His right-hand man greeted him upon entering the room.

"Ah, just in time," The leader spoke excitedly. "I was beginning to worry you weren't able to obtain any information on our uninvited guests."

"That's just it, sir… we have nothing," The second in command uttered remorsefully. "The cameras we're all disabled, with all connections lost during the break in. Our "allies" tried questioning our men, but everyone claims to have no recollection of what happened during the break in. I'm… sorry, but that's everything…"

Several seconds of silence passed, making the man worry he said something his boss didn't want to hear.

"Oh, I see."

Getting an insecure feeling the boss didn't like his report, the man choose his next words carefully. "We will double our efforts, sir! Until we get results, we won't stop-"

"No need," The leader simply raised his hand, turning around for the first time with a smile on his face. "I don't really care who they are, but eliminating them is our priority right now. While it's unfortunate that we lost quite a bit, our targets will come on their own."

"How can you be so sure?" Asked the right hand man.

"Simple," The leader began explaining. "If they managed to find out one of our facilities, I find it doubtful they'll just stop there. Luckily, we didn't leave any information regarding our other locations, and no other members beside us know of their whereabouts. We'll use this opportunity to eliminate them when we notice any kind of suspicious movement around our facilities."

"What do you suggest?"

"We'll keep a close eye on the "potential" threats, if we pick the slightest sigh of someone approaching our bases, we will give them a welcoming present."

---

I tapped the stone that was connected to Jean, hopefully, and patiently waiting for a quick response.

To my delight, I only had to wait a few short seconds.

"[Hey, Ethan!]" Jean said cheerfully.

"Hey Jean, hope I'm not intru- wait," I stopped mid-sentence, a sly grin forming at the sudden realization. "Are you… carrying the stone I gave you? Gee, so I'm touched."

"[Oh, don't flatter yourself, big guy,]" Jean shot back with an amused tone. "[I keep it in my room, we just got back from a mission not fifteen minutes ago. Sorry I haven't been in touch for the last month, things around here were pretty hectic, to say the least,]"

"Naw, I had a pretty booked month as well, wanted to call but always managed to slip my mind. Sorry about that."

"[No worries. Anyway, what's up? How are things with you?]"

"I wish I called to simply catch up, but there was a favor I wanted to ask you."

"[Not getting yourself into unnecessary trouble, I hope?]" Jean asked, her tone lightheaded with a hint of seriousness.

"Only when I feel like it," I shot back but decided to get to the point. "To what I was saying, by any chance, did you ever encounter a group called the U-Men?"

The line went dead silent for several seconds until she spoke up. "[Yeah… I did. The first time we've seen them was roughly a few months ago, but they've been silent ever since. We made it out with everyone unharmed, but they gave us a lot of trouble. They didn't attack you, did they?]"

"Noup, but I did infiltrate one of their bases once I learned they captured several mutants," I informed her, hearing a slight gasp on the other end. "Don't worry, I got out perfectly fine with my team's help. Back to the favor, I heard the Professor mention if a mutant needs a home, your doors were open? You see, the homes they lived in are exposed, not sure where to go. I told them about you guys, so does that offer still stand?"

Instantly, Jean beamed up. "[Yes! Of course. I'll have to see the Professor, but he'll gladly take everyone for sure, I'm positive of that. When can we meet up?]"

"I'd say in five minutes or so. At your front door?"

"[Deal. See ya there!]"

With a quick goodbye, the stone's colors died down, ending the call.

"Now before we go, I have to give Bucky and Peter those beads I prepared to keep Xavier out."

"Who were you talking to?" Alex asked curiously as he entered the room.

"A friend of mine," I said as I turned to him. "It's the place I told you about."

Alex's face immediately became wary. "How can you be sure this place is safe?

"Aside from a bald man with mind-control powers as their leader, I'd say alright for the most part," I thought truthfully but decided to sugar coat it for now. "I can vouch for these people. When a mutant needs a place to go, this is it."

Alex was silent for a few seconds before a smile formed. "Well, you did save us from a fate worse than death, so I'll trust ya on this one."

"I think you'll like it there, there are plenty of people of your age, plus it's practically a high school, the best of both worlds."

"Hope so, the last one I attended experienced minor issues when I attended," Alex replied jokingly.

I hummed lowly, eyeing the blonde much to his awkward expression. "Why do you look so familiar…? Have we met before, by any chance?"

Alex could only laugh at that. "Trust me, I think I'd remember you if we already met."

"No, I'm serious. It's the face, I've definitely seen it before," I hummed once more. "What about your parents, or siblings if you have any?"

The mention of his family forced a mood swing onto the blond. "They… died a few years ago in a plane crash. My brother and I jumped out before it could hit the water, but the tides separated us, with me barely ending up on land by some miracle. I can't say the same about my brother."

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that," I uttered quietly. "What's your last name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Summers."

"One other question if you don't mind, what was your brother's name?" I asked, close to revealing the revelation.

"Scott…" Alex replied with uncertainty. "But I don't know what's that got to do-"

"Then great!" I said cheerfully. "You better prepare for a reunion, because he's at the place we're going to."

Alex's eyes went wide at the sound of that, silent for a few seconds. "My brother… is alive?"

"Alive and well, a bit of a stickler if you ask me, but yeah. I knew the face seemed familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on it." I said sincerely.

A wide range of emotions passed through Alex, the subtle changes in his facial expression confirmed that. "When can I see him…?"

"In about five minutes or so," I responded leisurely, a soft gasp escaping his lips. "Portals, remember?"

"Oh… yeah… already forgot about that." Alex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'll go check on the others to see if they're ready," I told him, making my way to the other rooms.

"Hey," I heard Alex call out to me. When I turned around to face him, it seemed like he had difficulty saying what was on his mind. "Thank you… I know I already said that, but honestly, I don't what else to say. Saving me is one thing, but… now knowing my brother is alive and I'm minutes away from seeing him again after so long, it's the kind of debt I'll never be able to repay. Maybe one day I'll be able to, but for now, all I can say is thank you, for everything."

I merely smiled with a thumbs up, not another word needed to be said.

Honestly, I'm just glad one of the Summer twins doesn't hate me for no reason. He's way more reasonable than that visor-wearing douche.

---

"What's this? To go with my outfit?"

Peter asked as he admired his bead necklace with interest.

"Protection, against telepaths," I informed the two. We're minutes away from going to the X-Mansion, and I had to make sure Peter and Bucky knew what we were in for.

"There are mind readers at this place?" Bucky asked cautiously.

"Only two, but I'm only worried about one. The man in charge, Charles Xavier."

"Wait, Professor Xavier is a telepath?!" Peter asked in a mix of surprise and worry.

"Yup. It's as problematic as it sounds," I confirmed his suspicion. "Telepaths are the most dangerous beings on the planet, if your mind is exposed, there isn't a detail they won't know about you, the risk is just too high. Xavier in particular, is quite famous in his own regard, that also being the only person providing a home to mutant-kind, I don't want to think the number of times he used his powers to gain an advantage at any given opportunity."

"If you don't trust this person, why are we taking them there?" Bucky asked.

"While I don't trust this person specifically, everyone else is completely fine," I responded stoically. "The kind of movement he started is within good intentions, but the way he goes about things and his methods don't sit well with me. Nevertheless, there isn't another place that would take in stray mutants without question, or without probing them. They will be taken care of for the time being, until I can make a place that will be a better alternative. It's the best option we have at the moment."

While reluctant, Bucky knew the situation these people were in, as well that their options were scarce. "You sure these things will work?"

"It did last time, but even then I was unprepared," I admitted, albeit a little ashamed. "I added a few modifications, such as being a few times stronger than when I went there, as well as making it impossible to take off unless the wearer "willingly" wants to take it off. We can't risk revealing anything to this man if he tries going inside our minds."

"But won't that cause more suspicion?" Peter asked curiously. "I mean if he couldn't read your mind, and now two more show up with the same kind of protection, won't that make him feel threatened by us?"

"If he's smart, he won't do anything," I responded confidently. "I showed them I'm on their side, it just means he can't know every single detail about us. Personally, I don't care what he does, as what he's doing is already morally wrong if he does it regularly. Besides, a person there who's also a telepath knows I use protection, and she's completely fine with it."

Without any more objections, Bucky put on his necklace. "Anything else we should worry about?"

"Nah, other than that, we're perfectly fine," I reassured him, with the pair both deciding to trust me on this one. We walked to the room with all the mutants patiently waiting.

"Everyone ready?"

I asked the group of mutants standing in front of me, receiving multiple nods, with Lorna responding with a yawn, we were good to go. The portal I made brought us to the front entrance of the X-Mansion, knocking several times on the door, Jean and Kurt's welcoming expressions were revealed a few short seconds while waiting

"Ethan! Right on time." Jean exclaimed cheerfully with a bright smile.

"Yo," I replied with a smile of my own.

Besides the duo, Xavier rolled up next to Colossus for everyone to see, a smile plastered on his face. "Everyone, allow me to welcome you to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters! Right this way, we'll answer any question you might have."

"Actually, I have a few questions." Jamie was the one to speak up, multiple copies of himself popping out.

We allowed the mutants to step in first, walking in the direction of the Professor and Colossus, who stopped a few meters away from us to inform the potential new tenants.

"Sup, man!" Kurt greeted me with a fist bump.

"Not much, just trying to get by in this crazy world," I said before realizing something. "Where are my manners, Jean, Kurt, meet Peter Parker and James Buchanan Barnes, these are my teammates."

"Whoa, dude, you have blue fur," Peter explained energetically, his eyes moving downward. "And a tail!"

Kurt merely laughed at the obvious observation that was in good intention. "That's not all I got."

A puff of smoke appeared as Kurt vanished at the edge of the long half hallway, reappearing in the same he was a second prior with two soda cans in hand. "Catch."

Effortlessly, Peter grabbed the can without batting an eye. "Instant teleportation as well?! Cool."

The two clicked instantly, neither of them even caring for their obvious differences.

"You didn't tell me you had a team." Jean asked me with a curious look.

"As I said, a lot of stuff happened in the past month." I replied sheepishly.

In the distance, I spotted Logan and Laura walking towards us. Seeing as my attention was elsewhere, Bucky and Peter looked in the same direction as I did. The moment Bucky turned his head, Logan stopped in his tracks with his eyes widening. Looking over Bucky, he shared the same expression as the Wolverine, with everyone catching on to the sudden stare down that was going down. Silence filled the air, Laura looked back and forth between the two men, both having an identical expression on their faces.

"Bucky…?" Logan uttered the name that sounded foreign, yet familiar.

"James…?" Bucky spoke quietly but with confidence, positive of the man that was in front of him.

Upon hearing the name, Logan grunted while clutching his head, kneeling down as he breathed heavily. Without missing a beat, Bucky sprinted towards him, Laura taking a protective stance but blocked by her father's arm.

Kneeling down to his aid, the two merely looked at each other in silence, before Logan spoke up. "Is that really you…? I… I thought they said you died while helping… Steve on the train…?"

"A part of me wishes I did, old friend," Bucky said remorsefully.

Confused Logan's eyes trailed Bucky's metallic arm. Then, the dots started to connect slowly, but Logan didn't want to believe it. "What… happened to you, Buck?"

"Hydra."

Like the first time, Logan had to clutch his head as more buried memories started surfacing. With Bucky and Laura's aid, he was able to stand. Xavier strolled towards his friend in a hurry. "Logan, are you alright?"

"Not so much, Charlie…" Logan uttered with a groan.

"Come, let's head to my study, we'll be behind a round of treatment right awa-" Charles got cut off by Logan before he could finish.

"No…" Logan grunted, eyeing Bucky from the side. "I-I need some time alone… with him…"

Charles was silent for a few seconds, unsure how to respond. "I… understand, if there's any way I could be of help, please, just ask."

Scott spoke with a neutral tone as he entered the crowded hall. "What's going on here?"

From the group of mutants, Alex emerged, staring at his brother with a soft yet disbelieved expression. "Scott…"

The soldier-like stature Scott held instantly vanished, replaced with an expression full of disbelief. Slowly walking to close the distance, they rushed to each other's embrace when their suspicions were confirmed, only soft whimpers could be heard afterward.

Jean, Kurt, and Piotr were left speechless, while for me it was nothing special. "Two reunions in like two minutes, that's got to be a record."

---

"Life, as much as it's complicated, sure has its surprises," I said thoughtfully while standing next to Jean.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked curiously as the elevator doors opened.

"Think about it, two sets of people, with each thinking the other is dead, are having a reunion under the same roof. I mean, what are the odds?" I told her in an astonished tone.

"Well, when you put it like that," Jean released a sigh as we walked down the hall. "I just hope Logan will be alright. Every time this happened, he'd go totally berserk until we can calm him down. This is the first time I've seen this kind of reaction from him."

"They were once teammates, if anything can jog a person's memories, it's someone dear to them." I theorized.

"Speaking of which, if they knew each other way back then, how did you two meet?"

I was silent for a few seconds until I formulated the proper response. "In an underground base where he was held captive for nearly seven decades," I said grimly, earning a gasp from the redhead. "To tell you the truth, I'd rather not go into detail. With Logan, albeit he can't remember his past properly, probably doesn't talk much about his experience, so I don't want to speak on Bucky's behalf. I managed to restore his memories, but still. Sorry, I'm just not comfortable talking about it."

"No, no, it's alright," Jean reassured me. "I understand. I usually help Logan when he has trouble remembering stuff, so I know what its like."

"But aside from life-threatening situations on an almost daily occurrence, what else have you been up to?"

"Studying mostly, or when I got some free time that is," Jean said. "For now, I'm focused on Biochemistry, I want to get my Ph.D. in it before moving onto another field. Dunno what to pick for the others, though."

"Doesn't TK and mind powers make things easy in terms of learning," I pointed out. "No offense."

Jean laughed sheepishly. "Kind of. Like, it's easier to remember stuff, which is good as there's a ton of minute details to know, nevertheless, it's a hassle. As for my telekinesis, it's a bit trickier. I need to fully concentrate since a minor distraction or loss of focus can cause a mess. I'm getting more adjusted to my powers, but there's still plenty to work on."

"That's good to hear," I commented happily. "Just don't overdo it."

"Anyway, what have you been up to since last time?" Jean asked with curiosity.

"A mix of training and establishing a base," I replied simply before elaborating. "I wanted to expand my arsenal so I had a bit of everything just in case. I managed to cut plenty of corners, considering how much time has passed. I… tend to go a bit crazy and creative when exploring sub-sections of magic, but the experience was fun. For the other thing, Peter is a genius in his own right, so I learned a bit from him while lending a hand to help out with various projects."

"Oooo, somebody's been productive," Jean commented. "Any chance of getting a tour in the future?"

"Of course, it's not entirely finished yet, but most of the work is already done," Coming through the doors of the Danger Room, we found it to be empty. "Huh, thought someone might be in here." I pondered out loud.

"Same, honestly. Seems like everyone's taking it easy since we got back," Jean uttered before an idea popped into her head. "Since you didn't get to try it out last time, wanna take it for a spin?"

"Aww, you remembered," I said jokingly, receiving a playful nudge. "But yeah, I'm down."

"Great! Come, I'll show you how it works."

While Jean was showing me the ropes, the doors behind us opened, revealing Laura with a distraught expression on her face, not fully noticing us until she arrived at the control panel. "Oh… hey you two."

"Long time no see!" I greeted her cheerfully, but it seemed like she barely registered it. I see what's going on. "How's your dad? Is he alright?" I asked the raven-haired assassin tenderly.

After a short pause, Laura responded. "I'm not sure. The Professor tried helping him but he refused. He wanted to be left alone with that man."

"Oh, I see."

"Your friend," Laura spoke up again, making me solely focus on her. "Does he really know my father?"

"I never asked him personally about what he did or who he met in his life, but judging how both of them reacted, I see no reason for either of them to fake it," I said tenderly. "They both experienced hell, I think it's best they spend some time alone before we start prying into their past."

Laura merely nodded, her gaze drifting away, but it was evident this bothered her in some way.

Time to fix that frown.

"Did you wanna go?" I asked Laura. "I don't mind waiting if wanted to go first."

Laura simply shook her head, but she was horrible at lying when she didn't put effort into her act. "Wait, I have a way better idea."

"Which is?" Laura was the one to ask, which came as a surprise to me.

"You, as a matter of fact. Let's have a sparring match." I proclaimed optimistically while turning towards her.

Jean and Laura were both surprised by my suggestion, Laura speaking up first. "Why me?"

"Simple, I think it would be more fun," I replied somewhat excitedly. "Training courses are fine and all, but it isn't the same as without a partner to do it with. You said it has various terrains that change every now and then, right? We can pick something to keep us on our toes while we fight. Come on, you know you owe me for last time, can you at least grant me this?"

I said in a pleading tone, along with clasping my hands, forming puppy dog eyes to further sell it.

Laura simply looked at me unconvincingly, not a single facial muscle moving at my plea. Releasing a sigh, she agreed. "Fine... what course do you want?"

Excitedly, I kept my smile from growing while replying. "Whatever you prefer, I don't really mind what you pick."

Snapping my fingers, my attire quickly morphed into something more fitting, revealing the full black bodysuit that hugged my form quite well, with the addition of the bottom half of my robe, otherwise, I felt like I was "naked" when training. Seeing I was ready, Laura set the finishing touches to the system, walking past me without batting an eye.

"Try to keep up."

Laura was the first to head down, Jean stopped me before I could follow her. "You sure you wanna do this?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" I asked confusingly.

"How do I say this…?" Jean tried finding the right words to say. "Laura isn't the type to hold back, per se. Aside from Logan, anyone who goes up against her gets send to the medical wing pretty quickly."

"Ohhhh…" I responded like I had a sudden realization, before forming a grin. "Then I definitely made the right call."

Rolling her eyes, Jean knew it was useless to reason any further. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

I walked down in the same direction as Laura, with her already standing on the opposite end with her hands crossed.

"Just a simple sparring match, sound good?" I asked while performing a few quick stretches.

"If you say so," Laura responded, her demeanor becoming stoic and serious, ready to go into action at a moment's notice.

The environment around us started to change, slowly materializing until we stood on the rooftop of a fairly tall construction building.

Several seconds of silence and anticipation passed, courtesy of Jean who waited before giving the signal. "[Ready, set... start!]"

Right on the singal, Laura and I sprinted towards the center. Even with my enhanced speed, Laura was able to match it effortlessly, the look of nothing but sheer focus on her face promising me that I was in for something else. Sparing with Bucky so much made me a little hungry to test my combat capabilities on skilled fighters.

I was hoping to make the first move, but she beat me to it, starting off with a series of quick punches and jabs when the opening presented itself. Using what Bucky taught me, I blocked attack after attack as I was forced on the defensive, easily seeing when it was coming while simultaneously getting pushed back.

While fast, it certainly didn't mean she was untouchable.

Her style was aggressive, going for quick and concessive blows, meaning there were different openings for me to exploit. Each hit I landed made her hit back harder, and honestly, wouldn't want it any other way.

---

"Here we have the Danger Room, a state-of-the-art training facility," Kurt presented Peter when he, Kitty, and Rogue entered the Danger Room, listing off its many features. "This is the best of the best."

"Pretty good, pretty good." Peter whitelisted upon taking in the view of the Danger Room's control center.

"Just "pretty good"? Kurt repeated. "Either you have this bad boy, or you're not easily impressed."

"Hey, someone's fighting," Rogue commented when she spotted Jean paying close attention down at the training field.

"Wait," Kurt uttered once they looked at the ongoing bout. "Why are they down there?"

"He wanted to try it out, but he also wanted Laura to join him," Jean explained, still yet to take her eyes off of them.

"Seems like they've been going at it for a while, yeah?" Peter asked curiously.

"About ten minutes or so," Jean answered.

Kitty clapped excitedly. "Uuuu, this is going to be good!"

"Why?" Peter questioned.

"You're looking at the X-Men's best fighter, that why," Kitty explained. "If he isn't on the floor already, means he's actually giving her a challenge. Doubt he'll last when she gets serious though."

"I don't know," Kurt put a hand to his chin. "Ethan seems to be putting up a good fight."

While the two continued to discuss who will come out on top, Rogue leaned towards Jean. "Did you warn him?"

"Yup." Jean simply responded.

"Didn't listen?" Rogue asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Yup..."

Rogue merely shrugged. "Eh, his funeral then."

---

The sparing session, in terms of hand combat, was reaching its limits, so Laura decided to spice things up.

After completing a spinning kick, Laura rushed forward with a singular claw popping out from her right hand. My ears picking up the sound before my eyes could witness it, a single Sol Blade appeared behind my hand, a thin coat of yellow energy surrounding it to withstand the Adamantium blade.

The moment our respective blades clashed, I wasn't angered by the sudden action. If anything, it made me excited to step up my own game.

Our movements were quick, the occasional blade clash with punches and kicks in-between. Twirling her hand from below, the claw almost sliced off my fingers, forcing me to release my blade, tossed into the air as a result. Standing my ground, I evaded her claw swipes, sending out a kick to the stomach when I saw an opening, making her stumble back. In the meantime, I jumped into the air, doing a front flip so my heel hit the pommel of the falling dagger, catching Laura off guard as it flew past her face, leaving a small cut on her right cheek.

Eyeing the thin line of blood leaking from her cheek, Laura's focus shifted back to me, eyes narrowed with growing rage, as well as interest. With the small cut closing up almost instantly, Laura balled her fists to draw out her remaining claws before charging in.

"Yup, that definitely pissed her off."

Putting more force into my legs, I made an attempt to jump over her, taking out my other dagger to block the attack from below. I dashed slightly forward to pick up my dagger, kneeling down as I activated it just in time to block her next assault.

"Thought we agreed on a "regular" sparring match?" I asked with a small smile, keeping our stance locked for the short pause.

"Since you got this far, I thought I'd crank it up a bit," Laura replied, not breaking eye contact for even a second.

"Oh, now we're talking," I replied eagerly.

In an instant, Laura pulled back, her right leg with its respective claw popping out. It missed my chin by an inch as I threw myself back, rolling on my sides until I stood up with a slight jump.

With all of her claws out, Laura charged in, with literal killer instinct. Because of this, her style of fighting changed, becoming wilder than before. Laura jumped and dashed all around, the tip of her claws coming one after another, forcing me to solely focus on defense. I could only move back to ensure I didn't take any damage.

Now, she would constantly jump around between blows, throwing herself forward to have the tip of her claws, trying to catch me off guard by the sheer speed she moved at. She was well aware of how I used my blades, able to quickly counter my attacks when I made an attempt.

While it was possible to keep up, I was able to fully witness the difference in skill, it was night and day. When she found an opening, Laura made sure to not let me go for a single moment. Hastily moving back, I found myself nearing the open window behind me, jumping out without even looking back, stopping my descent by plunging a blade into the wall. Laura followed me without hesitation, using the claws on her feet to gradually make her way down. I had to resort to using my one free blade to fend off against her claws, rotating her body constantly to get a surprise hit in with her unpredictability.

By not properly plunging in my blade, I nearly lost balance and slid down, jumping off the wall before it could happen. Hot in pursuit, Laura jumped as well, leading with her claws as she flew down, forcing me to cross my blades into an X to block her. Due to the sudden shift, I was propelled downward, just barely landing a few meters from the edge, while Laura missed the landing by several inches.

That was until she climbed back up several seconds later with a front flip, standing on the edge intimidatingly.

Oh yeah, enhancing serum or not, she's good.

I didn't keep track of how long we fought, but neither of us wanted to stop. Neither could properly injure the other, so it felt like that was our objective, not letting a single blow be dealt. Whoever was pushed back had to be extra cautious to not get overwhelmed by the constant and repetitive attacks.

Which was mostly me, but I did get manage to corner her a few times.

Right now, we stood opposite one another, standing in place as if we were stone statues. The staring contest went on for several seconds, with mine and her eyes narrowing as we studied each other's form. Laura leaned forward a little, eager to jump back in but was patient for me to make the first move.

To which I did.

"I surrender."

The stoic and unemotional expression of Laura quickly turned to a mix of surprise and confusion, definitely not excepting this kind of turn of events. "What? Why?"

"Two reasons," I began explaining with a smile as I deactivated my blades. "While I could keep going, I'm simply too inexperienced against someone like you. At best, I can see this ending in a draw, but neither of us is simply going to stop until the other is out for the count completely. Solely relying on physical abilities, there's no way I can beat you without any of my tricks. As for the other reason, I'm not wearing any armor so I'd rather not lose a limb going for a risky attack."

I said the last part jokingly but my statement wasn't entirely false. Walking forward towards Laura, who exited her battle stance I continued. "You really are a skilled fighter, I had a blast sparring with you. I'll be sure to step up my game next time for the rematch."

Unsure of how to respond with the sudden compliment, as well as requesting for a future bout, Laura uttered the first thing that came to mind. "Looking forward to it."

---

Meanwhile, in the control room…

"What. The. Hell?!" Kurt yelled out, baffled at the events that just unfolded.

"It was just getting good!" Kitty whined.

The only ones who weren't shocked were Peter and Jean, who were more surprised than anything.

"Well, that ended exactly how imagined it," Peter said amusingly, shaking his head in a playful manner.

"Huh?!" Kitty and Kurt both exclaimed in a similar manner as they looked at the brown-haired teen.

"What made you so sure?" Jean asked with curiosity.

"Ethan and I spar quite regularly, if I learned one thing from training with him, he can properly analyze the full extent of his ability, as well the opponent he's facing. I doubt he would randomly make this call if he wasn't sure of it," Peter explained thoroughly before a thoughtful expression took over. "Or maybe it's just Ethan being Ethan, he's confusing at times, I'll give him that."

"Huh," Rogue uttered as she looked back at the screen. "Maybe he isn't so stupid after all."

"Boooo!" Kitty pouted with a thumbs down. "Everyone aside of Logan gets their ass beat by her, and the one guy who can go toe-to-toe with her simply gives up? Talk about an anticlimactic ending…"

"Ya' sure it isn't because each time you're forced to spar with Laura she sends you, and almost all of us, quite frankly, two days into the infirmary?" Rogue taunted, causing Kitty to turn away with a pout.

"Once again, you manage to surprise everyone, even when you're not trying to." Jean thought as a sliver of a smile formed on her face.

---

"Dude, that was just disappointing." Kurt proclaimed as Laura and I entered the control room, Kitty nodding profusely beside him.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about that. But I got what I wanted, so I can't complain really."

"And what might that be?" Kitty asked raising an eyebrow.

"To have fun," I answered simply with a smile.

Kitty and Kurt's mouths dropped at my nonchalant comment as if I suddenly opened a previously healed wound, judging how their eyes practically bulged out of their eye sockets. Before the conversation would start up again, we were met with the sound of the sliding doors opening, revealing Xavier alongside Scott, Ororo, Logan, and Bucky behind him.

"Everyone, please, if you could join us for a moment. There is something we must discuss." Xavier spoke in a grim tone. Piquing my interest, I was eager to see what got the Professor's panties in a bunch, his expression was a dead giveaway from the start. All of us exited the control center, making our way down the hall to the planning room.

"What is it, Charles?" Hank was the one to get the ball rolling, some of the students taking a seat while we three leaned against the wall.

"There's no point in beating around the bush, so I'll just cut to the chase, it's about the U-Men," Xavier exclaimed calmly, which gathered numerous reactions from the others, while we three were neutral. "Thanks to Ethan and his team, they've managed to rescue a handful of mutants, we can now give them a proper home far away from their grasp. But now we also learned their intentions, experimenting on mutants to seize their X-Gene to use however they see fit. Before, I had no idea they were doing this without us noticing, I tried using my powers on them when we first encountered them but it was no use. Now that we learned what they are up to, we are able to prevent it. Mind giving us your thoughts on the matter, Ethan?"

The X-Men all turned to look at us, me specifically, to which I spoke up. "From my point of view, I didn't consider them much of a "threat", but that's only because the specific base most likely didn't have their top players and I made sure my team was well prepared before going in. There were only a few I would consider dangerous, so I can imagine how the others might look like. I do have reason to believe they have other bases, but I could use anything from within to track the others, so they are careful."

"By any chance, was this the base you were in?" Ororo asked while typing on a tablet, the screen behind her lit up to show a map of North America with a red dot on the West Coast.

"No, this is a different one," I told her. "The one I found was in the Appalachian Mountains. We tried getting information of their whereabouts, but everything was gone by that point."

"So this pretty much confirms it, they have multiple bases," Jean spoke. "Who knows how many they have."

"That's what worries me," Xavier chimed in. "If they had almost a dozen mutants, who knows how many are in the other bases, or how many lives were lost by their hand."

"I think it's obvious what you're asking from us, Chuck. Do I need to spell it out?" Logan huffed.

"I know it would be asking too much, but they are in desperate need of help, and only we could give it to them," Xavier brought up. "It's been a few months since our first and only encounter, I'm certain they only grew stronger since then."

"That's not the end of our concerns," Ororo chimed in. "There's no telling what kind of connections these people have, or if there are other groups who do a similar thing. It's our duty to save them, but I'm worried if they have a method of canceling our X-Genes. That theory is all but unproven."

"I agree," Bucky spoke up. "But still, I think we should try. Being experimented on is worse than a death sentence. How their operation is set up, I doubt they ever experienced a break-in, so they'll take this matter very seriously. Not to mention the troops they reserved for other locations, there's no telling how truly powerful they are. If not dealt with soon as possible, the damage could be on a massive scale."

"I may not know much about mutants, but if someone is in need of help, it's our moral obligation to save them when they have no one else to rely on," Peter said solemnly.

Once again, all eyes were on me, since both Bucky and Peter voiced their opinion on the matter, which practically meant they wanted to help, my hands were tied. I couldn't flat out say no, but jumping into bed with another U-Men squad wasn't the most optimal idea. They most likely are even more paranoid now, not to mention increased precaution in case another break-in happens.

It was a plate full of crazy, and I was forced to eat it.

With a sigh, I agreed. "I'm in."

Relieved expressions spread across the X-Men's faces that all three of us agreed to the cause. Scott proceeded to give his rundown of the plan he had in mind. Of course, my impatience with his incompetence grew as more time passed. First off, he barely included us in his "plan", not even asking what our strengths were, even though two completely new parties present within the group. There was a certain cap of nonsense my ears could take, and I feel like if he says another ridiculous sentence, I will lose it.

"That's everything," Scott finished. "If we stay in close proximity of one another, I doubt they'll be able to overpower us."

Oh yeah, there it was.

If one thing didn't change from my previous life, it's the habit of speaking up to get myself into unnecessary arguments.

Letting out a few fake coughs, I lowly uttered in-between them. "Horrible plan."

Once more, as if I was asking for it, albeit I was, everyone's attention was back on me.

"What was that?" Scott said, sounding more like a command than a question.

"Hmm?" I played dumb, looking around as if I had nothing to hide. "I didn't say anything."

"No, you most certainly did," Scott spoke in an aggravated tone. "Mind running it by me one more time?"

Throwing a sideways glance from Peter to Bucky, the former's face was full of unsureness while the latter shook his head slightly, as to say that I should stop right then and there, but I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay... where do I start?" I hummed. "First off, your whole plan is a mess."

Scott gritted his teeth but retained his cool. "Care to elaborate?"

"If you seriously think bomb-rushing them is the way to go, then you are way over your head," I shook my head at the mere thought of it. "Not only would that be going in blind, but we would also have little time to properly react to the situation at hand. Dealing with the unknown isn't that plain and simple as you make it out to be. To me, it sounds like a surefire way to get someone killed without proper preparation."

Scott stiffed a laugh. "You save a few mutants and you think you're some kind of expert? We aren't toddlers, we've seen all kinds of threats that are the same, if not worse than these guys. Let me guess, you'd rather waste time playing cat and mouse?"

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I did," I stated, taking another step to close the distance. "Before I do anything, I use every ounce of my abilities to make sure I have the upper hand, as well as to make sure that my comrades are safe, only a fool would think otherwise. Every minute we have is a valuable asset."

"You're missing the point, we have no time," Scott shot back, taking a few steps of his own. "One base was already compromised, you think they will sit around and wait for round two? I clearly remember you stating that these guys are careful about their whereabouts, if they were attacked out of the blue who's to say it won't happen again, at a completely random time. We have a small window to work with, the best course of action is to exploit it while they're still there, if they haven't moved already."

"That," I pointed my finger at him when I heard that line. "You just said the exact issue I have with your half-assed plan. You have absolutely no idea what you're getting, not only yourself but everyone in this room into."

"Is this is a common thing for you to question authority?" Scott asked, his voice dripping with rising anger. "We made a plan, save us all the trouble, and just follow it."

"Oh, I will, when I get a death wish that is."

It was déjà vu all over again, right where I found myself last time.

"Scott, Ethan, please." Jean's voice could be heard from the side, which was the only reason I averted my gaze from Cyclops.

Looking around the room, I saw anxious and worried expressions, save for a few exceptions. While it may not be my place to give demands, I couldn't risk the chance of someone getting wounded or possibly killed because their leader was an absolute dumbass. While I had no intention of following his plan, I'll have to be relegated to support duty to make sure.

To not start another argument, I raised both my hands up. "You know what, I'll let it go. I have no intention of arguing with you since you're stubborn as a brick wall, but if anything happens, it's on you. That's all I have to say on the matter."

I didn't give him the chance to say the last word as I walked back in-between Peter and Bucky, crossing my arms while focusing on anything other than the dunce idiot. The second I notice something is off, I'll take control.

---

"Something will go wrong, something will definitely go wrong."

The same thought circled my mind ever since we got on board the Blackbird. Not only was Scott a complete jackass, but he was also an egomaniac to boot. We didn't talk strategy or how my team could be of use, but a part of me really didn't care. I will make sure everything goes smoothly since I can trust his planning process in the slightest, with barely any faith whatsoever. Alex and Lorna tagged along as well, much to everyone's concern, one wanting to help out while the other wanted to get some revenge.

But yet, why did I have this occurring feeling?

It was bugging me to no end, but I was positive I had everything covered. While Hank boasted the Blackbird was perfectly designed for stealth, with their advanced technology dedicated to making sure of that. Not to be disrespectful, but I made sure to add my own touch for extra measure. Not only did I not like the fact we were doing the old "rush in, shoot on sight" plan, but since I didn't get enough time to be sure, my mind was in turmoil.

My thoughts were broken when I spotted Laura's figure coming from the side, sitting a bit closer than one might call personal space.

"What's bothering you?" Laura asked bluntly.

Perplexed, I didn't answer truthfully. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine."

"The look on your face for the last twenty minutes says otherwise," Laura said sarcastically. "What is it?"

Rolling my eyes, I kicked myself mentally for forgetting how perceptive Laura is, she definitely can spot the subtleties. Seeing as I couldn't lie if I wanted to, I responded. "OCD."

"That doesn't qualify as an actual response… be more specific," Laura said somewhat demandingly.

"I don't like the way we're going about this plan," I explained, eyeing some of the team who seemed a bit too carefree. "We know so little about these guys' other locations, for all we know we might be walking into a death trap. Not to mention not knowing how the layout looks like. If only he gave me some time I could've gotten everything we needed without them noticing. At least then we would have a concrete plan."

"Sometimes, proper preparation is a luxury you can't afford, especially on a mission such as this," Laura spoke lowly. "Seeing as they lost one of their facilities, we have little room to work with either way. We make do with what we're given."

"Still, I manage to obtain information faster than you might expect, as well construct a strategy without wasting too much time," I replied informingly. "I don't know, I made sure to block any traces of us heading their way until we jump in, and some counter-measures just in case... and yet, I feel like something will catch me off guard. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't make heads or tails of it."

The next several seconds passed with silence between us until she broke it. "This feeling you're having, how positive are you that it isn't just temporary?"

"More than I'd like to admit, actually. Seems like it will keep on bugging me until it happens." I admitted with a slight shrug.

"Well then, make sure you don't get cold feet if it happens," Laura said, sounding more like honest advice rather than a warning.

Grinning, I turned to her. "Now I know who to turn to if I ever need any advice."

Laura merely huffed, looking off to the side, which prompted me to laugh a little at her behavior. I'm just glad I know someone else around me was aware of the potential danger we were in. Within a few minutes, we landed hundreds of kilometers away to not get noticed, telling Bucky and Peter to not let their guard down.

Everyone was behind me, while I stood like a statue, that weird feeling once again starting to trouble me.

"What's the holdup?" Scott asked impatiently.

"Scott, don't be like that." Ororo dismissed the visor-wearing mutant for his behavior.

"Nothing, nothing at all," I replied sarcastically, opening a wide portal from below moments later.

Once in, I immediately placed a Rune on the floor, where we were already greeted with a loud alarm.

Not long after, soldiers and robots alike came rushing in, immediately shooting at us when we're in their field of view. The team quickly separated for cover, while I simply sidestepped with an occasional spell ring for defense. I analyzed the situation without wasting too much time, but with so many variables moving at the same time, I made sure nobody was in danger. I formed countless projectiles to lower their numbers.

Within a minute, the whole room was filled with U-Men and robots that didn't allow us to advance further.

"Fulcrum!" Peter's voice boomed into my ear. "My Spider-Senses are going haywire, and it's coming from Cyclops' direction!"

Looking around, I found that Scott's focus was set on blasting away the single U-Man with his optic beams, several robots moving close by completely ignored him. The soldier in question could only move forward as he absorbed the beams, but once his suit started to turn red, arms starting to flay around while moving backwards, with sparks of electricity surging around him. Activating a scanning spell in my eye that see's energy readings in greater detail, I realized what kind of danger we were in.

"Summers! Call off your attack right now!" I screamed at the comlink, with him not even responding, only increasing the intensity.

"Damn it, listen for once goddamn it!" I mentally screamed, ready to activate the Mirror Dimension to trap the U-Man in.

Sadly, it was too late, as the suit reached nuclear, releasing a massive explosion.

When I say massive explosion, I wasn't lowballing it. The entire base was turned to dust within seconds, smoke clouds were all that were visible after the loud bang.

Naturally, I was quick to react.

"Are... are we dead...?" Kitty asked in a trembling voice, observing her now see-through body with a yellow tint.

"You guys seriously don't give me enough credit, do you?" I asked while walking past them all, my right hand stuck in a specific gesture as small orange spell rings rotated around each finger.

"What did you do?" The Professor asked, releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I created an area around us, that when activated, we enter a different plane altogether, while still being in the same spot prior to the explosion. It's almost instantaneous but varies on distance. Luckily, I was right to be extra paranoid," I explained but had more to say. "I didn't want to take any risks in case they knew we would escape, so I used this at the last second. It doesn't leave any kind of trail, but if they do have some method of double-checking their work, all they'll find is a huge pile of dust and nothing else."

To not test our luck, I quickly opened a portal from above that engulfed us all, now standing inside my massive library.

"Now that we're in the clear," I spoke dully, taking off my mask to look at Cyclops with a bored expression. "This is the part where I would say "I told you so", but I rest my case."

Without any kind of leeway, Scott could only clench his teeth, choosing to stay silent than to argue back when it was obvious he made a bad call.

"The Blackbird," Ororo brought up while looking at her wristwatch. "It's destroyed. They knew we were coming."

"Luckily, nobody was on board," The Professor sighed.

"Where are we now?" Hank asked looking around.

"In my base. Since we got outsmarted by them, I want to check something before we make another play. Until then, make yourselves at home. Peter, mind giving them the tour?"

"Sure! Right this way!" Peter said excitedly, motioning for some of them to follow his lead. Kurt and Kitty were right behind him, while the others roamed around slowly to admire the unique layout. Instead of finding a simple celling, Rogue's eyes widened upon seeing the clear blue sky that provided light around the whole Pocket Dimension.

"Ughhh… question," Rogue spoke up with a finger pointed upwards. "What's the deal with that?"

"Oh, yeah, a moment," Throwing my hand to the side, the weather rapidly changed from a clear blue sky to a now orange sunset. "I like to switch it up from time to time."

While everyone else was occupied by the sights and Peter giving the tour, Jean followed me to the small table with many items scattered with bookshelves above it.

"Hey, you!" Jean's face lit up when she saw Helix land on her shoulder, jumping down her arm until stopping on her forearm. "What's your name, little guy?"

"Jean, meet Helix," I introduced her as my bird flew around her before landing onto her hands. "Just don't tickle him under his left wing, he's not too fond of that."

Taking out several books above the table, preparing to begin my little experiment.

"What are you doing?" Jean asked with her head tilted.

"I want to be sure of something," I simply said while focusing on the red pyramid-like energy construct in front of me. Opening a small portal, I took out a miniature energy box that released a low echoing screech from a puff of white smoke, a small fragment of the soul belonging to the U-Man that detonated.

Upon hearing the low screech, Jean shivered, placing a hand on her temple. "Is… is that a soul, and why is it so loud?"

"Only a fragment though, like the remains of the person's last remnants in the physical world," I began explaining, forming an ocean blue pyramid that opened from all sides. "Whoever blew themselves up made sure their explosion left nothing but dust in its place, so they most definitely knew we were coming, only I'm not sure how. They were even willing to sacrifice a small squadron of their own to ensure we were wiped out. This one acted a bit off in my eyes, and something's bugging me ever since I caught on. If my hunch is wrong, I still might be able to get something worthwhile."

Placing the soul inside, I waited several seconds to receive the results. The pyramid would scan everything, as well if the person prior was victim to experimentation or if multiple people were at one point around him. The glow died down, indicating the process was complete. The open and blank book beside it, an ancient language began forming on the page, using a spell to translate it on the other page. In the meanwhile, I typed in the name of the individual, digging through the database for more information. When my suspicion was confirmed, I intently stared down at the piece of paper containing his information.

Of course. This is what I get for not taking initiative.

"Ethan?" Jean asked worryingly. "What's wrong?"

Without answering her, I turned around and made my way to Scott to give him another piece of my mind. Turning the corner, the X-Men with Peter beside Kurt and Kitty spotted me aggressively approaching Scott, my fowl expression giving a good indication of what's about to happen.

Just as he turned around, I slammed the sheet of paper onto his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Nice going, asshole."

Looking at the paper in his hands, with Alex peaking from the side, he wasn't sure what to make of it. "What is this?"

"Mario Iglesias, went missing about three months ago, mysteriously disappearing from the hospital he was taken after an "incident" regarding his X-Gene, causing an explosion in his apartment complex when it manifested," I said bitterly, glaring at Scott who already had a grim expression. "This was the person inside that suit, taken hostage, experimented on, and used as a scapegoat to wipe us off the map."

After saying that, low gasps arose from some of them, while the others remained dead silent. Alex looked off to the side, while Scott could only look down at the paper. Leaning forward, making him look me in the eye, and speaking in a low tone. "I was willing to put aside our difference to work together, but now I see how your leadership not only puts your team into danger, but even the people who aren't involved whatsoever. I told you to back off, but you didn't. Now an innocent man's death is on your hands."

I backed off, since I had no intention of rubbing it in, but I had to get this out of my system. "The next time I say "listen to me", either you'll comply, or I'll force to you to. I won't have any more blood on my hands because of you."

"Dumbass."

It was infuriating, it honestly was. There is only a handful of things that can genuinely make my blood boil, and this was one of them. While I said I had no intention of sharing any of the blame, it was my fault for letting this whole fiasco play out as it did. I knew I shouldn't let the moron lead the mission, whether it was my place to overstep my limitations or not. It isn't just about an innocent man dying, it's the fact that all of us could've met a similar fate.

This is just another harsh lesson I had to learn the hard way; even if it means being an asshole, take control of the situation if it means the outcome will be guaranteed survival.

From each side, Bucky and Jean came from behind, with the former starting off. "Don't beat yourself up too much, this wasn't your fault."

"Uh, yeah, it kind of is, Buck," I retorted sarcastically. "I am supposed to prevent this kind of stuff from happening, yet, I failed miraculously."

"What happened, happened, we can't change that now," Jean said sympathetically, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know that's the last thing you want to hear right now, but if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be here. Right now, we have to make sure we find the ones responsible."

"She's right," Bucky agreed. "Sometimes these things just happen, even when we try preventing it. We can't let this affect our mission, otherwise, his death will be in vain."

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes. "You two are right. I'm just not used to missions going this badly. Luckily, none of us were injured or left behind, so I'm thankful for that, at least."

"Did you sense any other mutants when we got in?" Jean asked.

"No, just one," I told her truthfully. "Which is weird, they were willing to sacrifice their own troops to make the scene believable

"Even to go as far to make sure we don't get the faintest clue on figuring out where their main base is," Bucky shook his head. "We're back to square one, with no lead whatsoever."

Looking at the second sheet of paper that was yet to be translated, I released a low hum. "Maybe we do."

Confused, Bucky and Jean could only watch as I took the paper, I highlighted the section that listed various energy signatures. I was only concerned about a specific detail. Hypothetically, if they knew we were coming, and wanted to make sure we don't ruin another facility, willing to vaporize one, it wouldn't be too farfetched to assume the leader himself did the work or at least the higher-ups. Honestly, I would take anything I could get.

Creating a wide blue energy line, I had each signature pop up in their own separate square. Immediately, I noticed something odd. There were red spheres that indicated it they were human beings, but within, most had two to three smaller green orbs with a single red one, meaning they had other signatures within them. In the center, the largest sphere had about a dozen or so orbs inside.

"Interesting, very interesting." I thought curiously. The glow itself was dim, indicating they didn't spend too much time around Mario, but the numbers were off in my eyes. Only one of them had more than four signatures, meaning there is a high likely hood this was the guy.

Summoning and opening my Codex, I took them all to find out where each source came from. To my delight, all of them came from a single location that glowed brightly, with a small portion marked on the location of the vaporized base.

"Bingo," I said pleasingly, a smile spreading across my face.

"What?" The two said in unison, leaning closer a little too much with the anticipation building.

"I got us a lead."

---

"Good news, everyone!"

I said cheerfully to the remaining X-Men, including Peter, as I sat down on the empty chair on the other end of the table, Jean and Bucky sat down beside me.

"What is it?" Xavier asked in anticipation.

"I found out the main hideout of the U-Men," I stated simply, receiving surprised looks from everyone. "Actually, I did more than just that, I have a rough layout of it, as well as confirming the locations of mutants they're keeping. I told you I only needed some time to get the ball rolling."

"But how?" Hank asked perplexed.

"Magic," I replied grinningly, not entirely lying in my response.

"Eh, good enough for me." Logan shrugged.

"Way to go, Ethan!" Kitty raised her fist excitedly. "We're back in the game!"

"Excellent," Charles crossed his hands with a grateful tone. "If they are under the impression that we were killed, it's imperative we don't waste this chance."

"Way ahead of you, Professor," I said calmly. "Before we jumped the gun this time, I wanted to at least get an idea what we're going up against. This base is located, or should I say built inside a canyon, easily three times larger than the one we raided. Currently, we know there are plenty of mutants held in captivity, so I advise a group to focus on rescue while the other keeps their reinforcements at bay. As for my squad, we'll directly face the boss himself. I have a special weapon in mind to secure our chances, as well as nullifying them any kind of escape."

"What might that be?" Alex asked.

"This."

Simply pushing my hands out, the entire environment inverted slightly to take the form of the Mirror Dimension. The X-Men were wide eyed at the sudden action, only Logan looking down at the table that showed his reflection, tapping it with his knuckles. "Doubt this is only a house of mirrors-type of gag, right?"

"It's called the Mirror Dimension, an alternate plane where sorcerers can practice without having to worry about harming anyone or the area around them. It can also serve as a prison, as only sorcerers can leave if they so choose. Once I trap them in, they can't get out."

"But you're insinuating we will be trapped in as well," Scott spoke up bitterly.

Restraining myself to not respond in the same tone as him, I remained calm. "Not trapped in, take advantage of not falling into any traps they might have set up as a last-ditch effort. The environment will be the same, but they can't use any machines or tools if they left them behind. We have the home advantage this time around, as long as I'm around they can't beat us in my realm. Also, I've taken the liberty to do this…"

Snapping my fingers, a thin stone panel with different Rune marks appeared in front of each member of the X-Men. "From what I could gather, most of the U-Men have energy-based projectiles or some sort of augment. I thought about what kind of upgrade each of you can use to increase our chances, so I hope they'll fit you all well."

Curious, Kurt trailed his finger on the odd marking, making it lit up momentarily while feeling a warm sensation on the tip. On it, the same marking was on there but way smaller. "Cool…"

"What kind of changes should we expect from… this?" Piotr asked, taking his own panel.

"A protective and defensive Rune, numerous stored into one actually," I said to the Russian. "Bullets, energy beams, and projectiles alike will simply not damage the wearer. The opponent would have to be considerably strong on several instances to even leave a mark, but I still advise not getting hit if possible."

"Thanks for making it sound easy..." Kurt pouted.

"Trust me, you'll notice the difference in battle, but that's not all." I went over each individual addition I had in mind for the X-Men, primarily focusing on their weaknesses and giving more options to fight.

"You sure thought about everything, kid." Logan voiced his opinion, a small hint of admiration in his voice.

"Not yet. Claws out, please," I spoke to him and Laura, receiving questionable looks before they obliged. With red vapor, I coated the Adamantium weapons, giving them a low transparent red glow around them before vanishing. "In case you come across any kind of energy shield, your claws will be able to pierce and effectively destroy it. Armor or not, with this, I seriously doubt anything will be able to stop them now.

"Now we're talking!" Giving approving nods, Logan seemed more than satisfied. Laura on the other hand, only hummed.

"Not impressed?" I teased her, kneeling down to add an additional Rune to her feet. "During our spar, I figured out the way you fight, taking advantage of your speed and unpredictability to catch your opponent off guard. The only "issue" I could find is if you have no space to move around, you'll have a difficult time. So to compensate, I thought about a technique I frequently use, creating a platform beneath your feet to move around while airborne or quickly repositioning. To use it, simply imagine a platform to form underneath you when needed."

Doing as instructed, Laura jumped, a thin white energy platform forming beneath her feet, essentially doing a double jump with a flip. "You pay close to attention it seems."

"Not sure if that's a compliment, but thanks," I replied, once again unsure what to make of her comment.

I think she meant it in a good way, right?

"What about me?" Scott asked bluntly from the side.

I looked at the man completely bewilderment. "You are joking, right? You expect me to give you something when we both know your stupid ass got the entire team in trouble."

The visor-wearing mutant could only stare, unable to say anything to defend his case. To my right, I saw Jean giving me a sympathetic look, one I couldn't just simply ignore. Behind Scott, Alex gave me a similar look, the guilt-tripping from their combined efforts actually making me reconsider. While I didn't care what happened to him, I was still the bigger man here.

Forming a stone panel into my hands, I tossed it to him. "Once we're in, if I say something, follow it, that's my only request."

Seeing as I covered all of the X-Men, I had one person left to suit up. "Now that we're going up against a deadlier batch of baddies, I think it's time we pulled out the big guns for you too, Pete." I turned to the genius.

"Do you mean... the "thing"? Do you think it's ready, I mean, we didn't properly test-"

I simply raised my hand to stop him. "Peter, if there's one thing I doubt it's your calculations, plus we both closely followed the design plan, I made sure it's ready just in case. All that's missing is the person wearing it."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Rogue asked confused.

Walking over to the sleek white wall, Peter placed his thumb on an outlined square, scanning his fingerprint. The area opened from both sides equally, revealing a slowly rotating black and red suit of armor, one that's undoubtedly close to the MK III design. It would be sinful if I didn't make him have this in case of emergency. While the original MK III suit was made to deal with each member of the Sinister Six, we assembled a variant that would be ideal for countering many different enemies.

Similar to how Peter from the MCU received the Iron Spider suit from Stark, this is a major power-up for him, but having more of that "Parker charm" in it with his own touches. Just how Bucky is able to store up energy into his arm for a harder punch, the more Peter moves around in it he is able to utilize it it. With his fighting style focusing on being all over the place, he can easily use his quick movements to his advantage while dishing out more power without tiring himself out too much.

That's not including the other gadgets sprinkled within.

"Woah, you have your own Iron Man suit!" Kurt said wide-eyed, admiring the set of armor.

"Heh, I wouldn't call it that," Peter replied sheepishly.

"Of course, it's even better, in his case that is," I said truthfully. "While Stark's tech is advanced and has plenty of gadgets, this suit is properly tuned to fit Peter while in combat with his unique style of fighting. There's no better time to pull this bad boy out."

"I'll do one more quick check just in case," Peter took his touchpad to do so. "What about those magical enchantments you talked about?"

"Already added them, so don't you worry about that," I dismissed his worries, then turning to the X-Men. "Now, onto the plan…"

---

I split up our large group so I, Bucky, and Peter would each have a squad so we efficiently carry out the mission. Ironically, the base's layout resembled a U shape, and we planned on hitting three areas at the same time. One group focuses on the prison rescue, one keeps ahold of the opposite end of the base, while my squad goes for the main guys in charge. In the Mirror Dimension, they can say goodbye to robots for aid, or any booby-traps, if they have them by any chance. With the additional help from my enchantments, they should be fine for the most part.

"Looks like we're set," I turned to look at Bucky and Peter, then to the X-Men. "We all have our assignments, if we do them accordingly, there's no way they can possibly stop us. Make sure to stay with your respective group, but in case it gets too much, make sure to notify the others so we can teleport right to your location. Both Peter and Bucky are familiar with how the Mirror Dimension works, so they'll be able to change up the field if needed. Remember, as long as we coordinate our movements properly, there's no possible way we can lose."

After my short speech, I was greeted with confident and approving nods from everyone. Opening a small-sized portal at the U-Men's base, I send out the Mirror Dimension to engulf it whole. When done, I created three separate portals for each squad, wishing them good luck as we all departed to our respective missions.

---

Meanwhile, Bucky, Logan, and Hank moved forward with their part of the mission.

The rooms keeping the mutants were more widespread than the previous base, meaning they had to go one cell at a time to teleport an individual mutant to the X-Mansion. They were sure to cause enough of a ruckus at their location to attract as many as possible. With the help of the Mirror Dimension, Bucky was easily able to bypass thick walls, as well as create different pathways for sneak attacks, letting Hank take over to speak with the captives.

The soldiers on the other hand...

"Big guy, five o'clock," Bucky warned his old comrade as they stood back to back.

"Way ahead of ya, bub," Logan responded, both of them lunging at their respective adversaries.

For Logan, he had to face a bulky suit of armor nearly twice his size, firing a spray of bullets in his direction. His skin, while taking in a hefty amount of bullets, didn't cause too much pain, with some not even piercing his skin. Seeing the Wolverine approaching with no sigh on stopping, the U-Man's gauntlets released blue vapor, coating them with a layer of energy. Going for a right swing, Logan ducked whilst slashing his knee, quickly slicing off the left arm as he fell.

Bucky, on the other hand, had to deal with a member that was able to generate shockwaves at a rapid rate, a separate U-Men managing to restrain him for a short period with energy whips. Breaking them, Bucky shot out his hooks towards him, his newly formed blade piercing the U-Man through the chest, then throwing him towards the horde of the blue-armored scumbags, meeting an explosive end due to the bomb he placed on the first one.

The U-Men on the second floor, a U-Men that blinded the duo with the light radiating from his hands. Bucky was able to dish out an optic beam beneath his feet, causing him and the floor to come crashing down. Before the soldier had time to recuperate, Logan sprinted to plunge his claws into the helmet, the light dying down for good.

"Don't remember you ever having those," Bucky commented as he shot two U-Men from afar.

"Not exactly glad to have em'," Logan responded with a gruff, plunging his claws at the head of a nearby enemy numerous times. "You learned some new tricks yourself, bub."

The duo had to deal with U-Men whose powers were dedicated to area of effect, Bucky using shields and making sure nothing hit him, while Logan went in like a wild animal, allowing Bucky to deal the final blow from afar if need be.

Hank emerged from one of the holding cells, using the distorted field to move around to his advantage. "How many are there left?" Hank asked upon taking cover.

"About seven more. After that, we should regroup with the others if we don't find any more." Bucky advised, forming a blade with his left arm while materializing a customized AR-15 in the other.

"Let's make sure these clowns don't follow then," Logan stated, eager to get back into the fight. "Just don't get tired."

"Was about to say the same thing." Bucky retaliated, glad to see his old teammate hasn't changed all that much. With a war cry, the two men leaped from their hiding spot, Hank following right behind them.

---

"Ahhhh!" Kitty shrieked as she ran through the walls to avoid a black-skinned tiger-like creature that almost swallowed her whole. "Somebody mind helping?!"

"On it!" Peter responded while swinging in her direction. Due to his suit, which acted similar to Bucky's Vibranium arm, he stored energy the more he swung around, landing a direct punch to the creature's head, making it stumble in place before landing a final kick. Compared to the other groups, Peter's team consisted of him, Kitty, Kurt, Lorna, Ororo, and Piotr. His group would specialize in making sure no reinforcements interrupt Ethan and Bucky's squads. On their way to their position, Peter realized how serious of a threat these guys were.

The reason being the humanoid-like creatures with various animal parts showcasing numerous powers.

At first, he and the X-Men were shocked to face such opponents, for different reasons. Due to previous events, Peter wanted to fully know his opponents, in case he would have to hold back for unnecessary reasons. Already one life was lost, he can't let it happen again. With his magical gear, Peter was told they weren't humans transformed into these beasts, rather, artificially created mutant soldiers. Having that info in mind, Peter could go all out.

Lorna was able to suppress the U-Men due to her powers, but it painted a target on her head for the creatures. Peter and Piotr would act as a frontline, Kurt teleporting them closer to their targets to catch them off guard. Ororo would provide support from afar, making sure they won't be surrounded.

Opening its mouth, the creature with a monkey head released an ear-piercing screech, causing everyone except Peter to stop in their tracks. While they could still move, the sound was greatly discomforting, to say the least.

"Leave it to me!" Peter launched himself towards the creature, managing to withstand the pain somehow. He shot out webs at those who tried stopping him, while shooting a web grenade at the screeching monster, effectively shutting it up, Ororo sending out a powerful lightning blast, with Lorna's rotating blade to finish it off. With so many factors to take in, along with the gear he wore, Peter was able to be twice as effective in battle.

Peter was glad Ethan talked him into using the suit.

While he could tank their hits, it was better to not risk it. The difference in durability was more than noticeable, not falling victim to unnecessary injuries, having more leeway in his fighting style. These U-Men were skilled, but they weren't enough to take him out.

"Let's see what an extra pair of arms can do in a pinch like this," While not the appropriate situation, Peter couldn't hide his excitement, as four long silver and red mechanical spider-arms formed on his back.

Although solely controlling the arms through technological means was still in development, Ethan's influence allowed them to cut several corners in the meantime. A spell allowed him to control the arms telepathically as they were always connected to the power source, while also having some control within the suit with different pre-programmed algorithms.

Springing upward, Peter used his spider-legs to reposition quickly, shooting out webs from the tips and sticking to the ceiling.

The speed he was moving was too quick for the U-Men, shooting webs out to disrupt their aim while the other arms destroyed their suit augments and taking away their guns. When punches and kicks weren't enough to subdue them, the arms would pierce through their armor, injecting them with a small dose of a very powerful toxin to put them to sleep.

As the battle went on, the X-Men suffered some injuries along the way, making Peter work double time to not have anyone get killed. "Shadowcat, mind lending a hand?" Peter asked the girl upon landing next to her.

"Sure, what'd you have in mind?" Kitty asked when she fully phased out of the wall. Giving her the quick rundown, Kitty agreed, grabbing his hand so they could both phase down into the ground.

Not being able to feel solid mass but phase through like it was nothing was weird, but Peter quickly adapted. With his scanner, Peter was easily able to pinpoint where the U-Men were positioned, going for two closest to them. Shooting upwards, Peter used one set of spider-arms to create a shield for Kitty once he surfaced, using the other pair to pull the duo from the back, diving below the ground once more. To not risk her safety, Peter was the only one to resurface to plunge his spider-arms into another creature's head.

"Did he really have to station us here in this hellish place!?" Lorna complained, slicing off parts of numerous creatures with her blades.

"We all have our part to play," Ororo spoke calmly. "Even if we don't like it."

"Besides," Peter started as he landed beside them. "We know their secret weapon, they can't catch us off guard now."

Seeing as more monsters came their way, instead of charging back in, Peter had a diffident idea in mind. Taking out several small metallic cubes, the webhead threw them at the monsters, the creatures catching them as they drastically increased in size. With a snap of his fingers, their weight increased a dozen times, instantly breaking their bones as they were crushed by the cubes. Piotr made sure to not waste this opportunity, coming at them like a speeding train, acting as shield to give his team some time until they all regrouped.

"Is everybody alright?" Ororo asked tenderly upon checking her students for any wounds.

"Somewhat…" Kitty groaned, rubbing her sides in slight discomfort.

"We will manage," Piotr stated confidently. "Minor wounds, yes, but nothing we can't handle. We are the X-Men, we fought greater opponents than these monsters."

"Good pep talk, Big Guy!" Peter commended his new friend/temporary teammate. "We do our job here, it will make things easier for the others, that's all that matters."

"He's right," Kurt stood up with a grin, ignoring his wounds. "I don't know about you all, but I'm just getting started!"

"How do you guys keep such a positive attitude…?" Lorna complained. "It's sickening."

"You should try it sometime, having a frown all the time is bad for your health." Peter shot back, earning a disapproving scowl.

---

"-Good, good, keep me informed if anything happens," I said into my comlink, getting word from Peter and Bucky that they were fine on their end.

"-Stay safe guys, we're right there if you need us," Jean uttered out loud, sending a telepathic message to her teammates.

Jean, Laura, Rogue, Scott, Alex, and I made up the last group of our little split up. Since we were already here, I wanted to get a hold of the one in charge, seeing as I could still sense he was inside the building. It didn't seem like he was running, more like waiting for us to show up. I doubt this guy was that stupid, which meant he probably is "prepared" to take us on. There is no telling what kind of powers he amassed, so I'll have to be on my toes for this one.

"It's just up ahead," I informed everyone as we neared our target. "Whatever you do, don't let your guard down."

"Are you sure about this?" Alex asked wearily. "It's not too late to wait for everyone else."

"Stop whining. It's distracting." Laura said without even looking at the blonde, causing him to chuckle nervously.

I stepped in before Alex could continue. "Your ability will be very useful against these guys, plus I can give you any amount of energy that you'll need. Making sure we hit all spots at once will disorient them while we take on the leader."

Seeing as we were on the same page, everyone braced themselves as I sent several explosions to destroy the doors, shards falling down to reveal the wide and spacious room from within.

"Impressive, mighty impressive," The sound of unrhythmic clapping alongside a deep and mocking voice from the far end of the room. "Pretty clever, if I do say so myself."

The man in question had long, messy black hair swaying to the right, which obviously covered a nasty scar. Compared to everyone else, he was the only one not wearing a helmet, all having identical black bulky suits. There were in total of eight of them, all unmoving except the "supposed" leader. Once I had everyone in my sights, I slammed my hands to the ground, the glass beneath them shooting upwards to trap them.

The leader hummed. "I take it, this is your doing?"

The way he said that it felt more like an inconvenience than anything. "You'd be right to assume that."

"I see," The leader grinned. "Then it was you who attacked us this morning."

"I can't enter their minds," Jean uttered. "I'm completely blocked out, even the one without a helmet."

"Stick to the plan," I spoke bluntly. "I'll make sure they don't get far. We'll take them out as quickly as we can."

"I didn't expect you'd find us this fast. Actually, I'm glad," The leader spoke eagerly. "You've made our job significantly easier, more subjects to toy with."

"You're a bit too overconfident for someone who's trapped." Scott spoke confidently.

"Are we now?"

Each member broke out of their binds by different means, weapons from the suits or by their respective power. Moving at in-human speed, all of them entered a sprint in perfect coordination.

"Not happening!"

Flicking my wrists outward, the whole room expanded, putting more distance between us as glass panels rose up, then sending out numerous lightning beams that bounced all over. Only two got hit, while the others advanced forward. My goal was to separate them so they could only focus on themselves. Laura didn't waste any time going on the offensive, creating platforms beneath her to give her the needed boost. The energy shield the U-Man projected was shattered instantly by her claws, slicing his arm off in the process. The former assassin was blasted away by the shortest U-Man, who made various guns from their suit, unable to land another hit as Laura was already on the move.

Jean, Alex and Scott helped me attack them from afar, Rogue going head-on with the towering giant. I made the ground around him similar to quicksand, multiple hands popping up to slow him down. With a punch, it sent him flying onto his back, where I formed a hole that pulled him in.

I didn't have time to play games.

Creating numerous portals around me, I send out a combination of energy hands with enchanted metal blades that will slow down the target. I made sure to properly time my spells to ensure they were caught off guard, adding the finishing attacks with an empowered projectile alongside Alex's plasma blasts, Laura dashing to the closest one to make sure they stayed down. Jean was able to use her TK to disrupt her enemies, changing the direction of her projectiles to make it harder to dodge.

I kept changing the field to allow the X-Men to fight while putting them at a disadvantage. While we kept a lengthy distance from them, I felt a powerful gust of wind to the left, all of us getting separated within a second. I could spot Alex flying towards the wind user. I could see the leader flying with his focus solely set on me. To secure my odds, I will eliminate him first before helping out everyone else. Alongside morphing the Mirror Dimension, plant-like creatures surfaced to outnumber him with their own attacks.

His hand raised up for a layer of skin spread all over, forming an organic canon with a blade in the other as he flew towards me, ignoring everything else. We engaged in hand-to-hand combat, him trying to create weapons from his skin but I was five steps ahead. I either distorted the ground beneath him with cheap spells to stop his attacks, easily outmatching his enhanced speed, with my own blows ramped up, dishing out explosions in close range with no worry as it wouldn't harm me.

He tried absorbing my attacks, but I was one step ahead of this time. Just as it reached his finger, the blue turned red-colored projectile exploded, pushing the leader back with his arm in critical condition. You can't absorb something if it has already exploded.

"You bastard...!" The black-haired man spoke menacingly with a savage grin. "I'll take pleasure in dissecting you alive."

"Good luck with that." I responded sarcastically, not buying into his taunt.

Catching a foul expression before returning to a wide grin, his arms instantly regenerating but the armor from the waist down broke apart, chunks of flesh shooting outwards. It quickly took the shape of a scorpion while having a lower half of a human underneath it, the upper half of his body sticking outwards where the head would be, the size comparison way off in his monster-like form. The skin gooey skin solidified to a now hardened dark grey skin color, obvious traits of armor visible on the furnace, and two sets of lengthy crab arms with the end of the tail identical to its claws.

"Now that's just revolting." I spoke with disgust at his appearance.

Not even giving a reply back, the leader charged in at immense speed. I created a durable glass shield with metal as a second layer. It was shattered instantly, but by then I jumped far away, several chains that sprung when he got to my position, sending a powerful shock of electricity through his whole body. While restrained, I threw countless enhanced glass spears from above, managing to pierce his skin all over. Even though he took the full hit, the leader simply jumped with great force, seeing his wounds heal at a quicker rate than before. Aiming with its tail, it released a thin blue beam that I was able to dodge by a few inches, maneuvering back and creating more distance while he tried to hit me with the beam, my reaction speed giving me the leg up. Purple missile-like projectiles fired repeatedly that I blocked with consecutive shields, shooting my own energy binds and blasts via portals.

Every time I dashed, I left a different Rune trap that would detonate when he came in close range. I used these to analyze a potential weakness, as well to see if his body could really withstand this much. He managed to survive each one, his latest jump propelled him further than before, attempting to grab me with his hands that grew in size once more.

I threw out two small orbs of metal to the side, expanding into giant-sized arms that latched onto his tail and portion of his back. He was still in range to throw energy claw blasts and flail his arms, but I managed to reposition with many Chi Steps, taking out my daggers to form dark green blades, I slashed off one right arm and left multiple slashes on that side of his body. Swinging his left arm that was coated in red electricity, I flew into a portal that positioned me above his head.

If he can take reduced damage from energy-based attacks, I doubt the same will work for physical ones. Due to moving at such impressive speeds, I gathered an absurd amount of energy into my suit, regulating all of it into my right heel with a hefty amount of Chi, I slammed my leg onto his head, sending him hurtling down and leaving a massive crater that shook the ground.

Gliding back down, I saw his body slowly rise up amidst the floating glass shards. His limbs were broken but began snapping back into place, his head being the last part to be repaired. Looking at his sliced arm, the man screamed as he tried restoring it, while at the same time growing in size, sprouting canons and tentacles with the tips sharp as a blade. From the side, I noticed the marksman and wind user surrounding me.

He realized I'm the real danger here, and isn't willing to take any chances.

I'll find their weakness and exploit it, no matter how many I have to face at once.

---

Scott fired beam after beam as he moved a better distance, only for a purple-colored force field to spawn around him, connected to a U-Man in the far end. All of a sudden, Scott felt as his strength was being drained, unable to move or raise his hand without his muscles would break, once he did get the chance to shoot at the approaching enemy, his beams traveled at a fraction of its usual speed, with the intensity not nearly as strong.

A purple energy fist formed from within the force field, sending Scott crashing onto the floor on his chest, not capable to properly stand up. He received multiple hits while down, unable to defend himself inside the field.

Seeing the scene unfold, Alex flew at great speed whilst shooting plasma projectiles at his target. The U-Man had to dodge and create shields how powerful the attacks wore. Entering the field, Alex felt his strength diminish, but was still able to move. However, the U-Man zoomed right in front of him, swaying his massive arms in quick, repeated attack. Due to the layers of energy armor protecting him, he was able to withstand such blows but felt his stamina gradually decreasing. His own attacks paled in comparison due to being unable to properly charge up, trying to figure out a way to outsmart him.

A punch to the face along with an energy fist hitting Alex from the back, the U-Man grabbed him by the neck, turning around to create a closed fist around Scott, pulling him towards him then grabbing his neck as well.

As the area around them darkened in a bright purple cocoon, the two brothers prepared for the worst, but witnessed their enemy's arms and portions of his upper chest being crushed, Alex managing to see the redhead in the corner of his eye with her hand clenched. Taking this opportunity, Alex channeled everything he had into his arm, piercing the armor to clutch his captor's neck, putting everything else he had to enable him flight.

As they flew out of the field, it tried to follow them but became slower over time the harder his grip tightened. When Scott managed to inhale a deep breath after being choked, he fired a powerful beam at point-blank range, the armor gradually melting when hit on the same spot. Using his own jetpack, the U-Man changed their trajectory, sending the trio crashing the wall without stopping.

Seeing the giants' figure rising up from the hole, Laura jumped towards him but was caught off guard how fast he swung his arm, pulverizing her into the ground and throwing her down the hole. When she was about to jump back up, the area around her exploded all of a sudden, spotting another U-Men standing over the edge. Having to take a detour, Laura made her way back up while trying to not get hit.

The biggest one's body was now coated with a black energy layer that had spikes on the front. Glass beneath his feet shattered upon dashing forward, easily doubling in speed, unlike the first time. Following the direction where the tank was headed, Rogue's eyes widened upon realizing an occupied Jean was his target.

"Jean! Watch out!" Rogue shouted as she sprinted towards Jean, creating an energy shield to defend her teammate.

Sensing her thoughts and the approaching danger, Jean's attempt at blocking the attack was cut off as a loud shriek broke her concentration. Rogue took the full hit, pushing her backwards as she crashed into Jean, the latter tossed to the side while Rogue was sent flying back.

Crashing into the wall, the glass-like objects came falling down on top of her. Jean tried standing up but had difficulty doing so.

Looking down, a support beam held her leg in place, using her powers to move it away, but the wound on her abdomen slowed her down significantly.

"Shit," Jean mentally cursed, slowly removing the wedged metal beam from her wound. "Come on, stand up! I can't slack off, not here!"

Her concentration was shattered when she heard Rogue let out an ear-piercing screech. Locating her within a second, Jean watched in horror as Rogue was pinned to the wall by multiple mechanical arms, throwing her back and forth to tire her out.

"Stop…"

Rogue struggled to break free, but more and more mechanical restraints popped out from the U-Man's gauntlets. Squeezing harder, Jean felt the pain inside Rogue when her wrists were broken, as if they were her own.

"Stop…!"

The center of his chest opened, revealing a blue orb with sparks leaking out. It started to glow brightly, able to hear the humming sound through Rogue's perspective.

At that instance, something snapped inside Jean's mind.

"STOP!" Jean yelled out in rage, the rubble around her shooting in every possible direction.

The U-Man restraining Rogue, in the blink of an eye, received a boulder to his entire body at supersonic speed, only leaving a giant red mess on the wall he collided with.

Jean had no idea what she had just done, but for some reason, she told herself her actions were justified. It felt… like something else was telling her it was within her right to kill. If she didn't, her friend, her teammate, would've died. But as a result, she had to kill someone in order to accomplish that.

Yet, a part of her kept saying she had the right to do so.

Why would she care about such insignificant concepts? They were irrelevant. The people close to her are in danger, against people who treat her kind like dirt. They don't deserve mercy, especially not from her.

All of those thoughts entered the back end of her mind, only able to focus on two emotions at the current moment. One being anxiety, desperately trying to control the burning feeling that surged across her entire body. The other, rage, moments away from unleashing this newfound power to annihilate the scumbags that dared to murder her friends.

Jean knew what she had to do, and she was more than willing to play judge, jury, and executioner.

---

"I. Said. Stop!"

A powerful, yet demanding voice echoed across the whole area. Immediately, my mind was solely focused on figuring out what that was, a part of me not wanting to find out. The feeling was... unsettling, goosebumps rising around my whole body. Something was wrong.

Scanning my surroundings, I found where it was coming from, a chill went down my spine the moment I looked at Jean.

Crimson fire surrounded her, red hair flying upwards wildly as she rose up from the ground. The familiar soft and tender face I grew to know was replaced with growing rage and a literal ticking time bomb. Behind her, the flames molded into the shape of a bird, its appearance slowly becoming more distinct.

Each second that passed the aura grew stronger, meaning time was running out. "Oh fuck! This is bad, this is bad! I have about another ten solid seconds until it goes nuclear. I dont think it's smart to intervene with the Phoenix Force, but if I don't, it can potentially be a bigger problem to deal with. Better make this shot count!"

I knew some stasis spells that would match the scenario, but considering this is the Phoenix Force, this is a huge gamble. Quickly opening a portal beneath Rogue and Laura, getting them out to not get caught in the crossfire. Placing my middle finger onto my thumb, small water bubbles forming and popping around my two fingers. On the other end, the monstrous U-Man was grinning like the devil itself, its posture leaning forward as he was ready to spring into action.

Just as I raised my arm, the U-Man bolted, but we were both too late. In the blink of an eye, the aura surrounding Jean Imploded in every direction, yellow lightning bolts surfing along with the red flames. The attack obliterated the area around us, cracks all over the floor, and walls that quickly tumbled to the ground.

While the whole environment was in ruins, a barrier protected me as I tried to withstand the pain. I could only release agonizing groans, my teeth clenched harder than ever before, desperately trying to open a single eye lid to inspect the wound. Every joint in my left arm was broken, but luckily it was still in one piece. The Vibranium protecting it was shattered, some areas melted but still could be salvageable, but I had to take it off to properly inspect it. Third-degree burns from my hand all the way to my shoulder, barely able to move it on my own accord.

"D-D-Dammit…!" I cursed out loud, feeling my eyes getting teary from the sensation. "Even with all my enchantments, my armor was almost completely shattered, like it was made out of paper. The Phoenix… even with a very small percentage of its power, was able to damage me. I saw those bolts play out before me, but the speed it traveled is frightening. If my other protection spells didn't activate in time, my whole body could've been fried."

If there was ever a time to be thankful for having contingency plans to keep me alive, this would be it.

Hearing someone call out my name, I tried focusing on who the voice belonged to, quickly seeing Laura kneeling before me. "Are you alright?!"

Quickly scanning her, I took notice of the burnt flesh across her body with parts of her uniform shredded. "S-Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"I will heal naturally, you on the other hand, not so much," Laura stated bluntly.

I tried numerous healing methods, but they were going painfully slow, taking dozens of times longer for the process to even start. Cursing once more at my misfortune, I couldn't waste any more time, coating my injured arm with a layer of Chi to stabilize it, placing it behind my back so it stays in place.

"Why aren't none of your spells working?" Laura asked in confusion, unaware that my methods didn't help in the slightest.

"This power is far greater than any magic I've come across," I explained with my teeth clenched, Laura helping me stand up. "It's not permanent, but for now, it's pretty much unusable until I tend to it properly."

"Can you still fight?" Laura asked, more softly this time.

"I almost lost an arm, I'm not dead yet," I answered back, drinking the entire potion that was equivalent to a painkiller. "Besides, it doesn't matter if I can or not. I have to help her out."

Looking at the massive holes in the ceiling, the bright red ball of flames was visible as Jean flew around massive chunks of metal and rock, using them to toss around the leader. Glass shards followed in her wake, if it wasn't already destroyed she would use it as a weapon.

"Is that… Jean?" Laura asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah, but something else is controlling her," I said, but her confused expression demanded more. "I'm positive I sensed another presence inside of her. I met a deity that's essentially a God, but this… this is way worse."

"We should contact the Professor," Laura suggested. "Whatever is controlling her, he will be able to push it out."

"That won't work. It's too risky to even try. This kind of entity cannot be simply "pushed out", if anything, it will fry his brain if he attempts that kind of move."

While she wanted to ask for more information, Laura simply allowed herself to not complicate the situation any further. "Then what can we do?"

"First, I have to notify the others so they know what's going on," I informed her. "Everyone! Report in!" I shouted at my communicator hastily.

"[Yo, what the hell was that explosion!]" Kurt yelled frantically.

"[I'd like to know why chunks of this base are suddenly flying upwards!]" Logan joined in.

"[Ethan! What happened to Jean!?]" Xavier screamed loudly, causing each member of the X-Men to ask their own questions upon mentioning the redhead.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to properly describe it," I said grimly, acting as if I didn't know what kind of issue we had on our hands. "Whatever that was, this isn't Jean anymore. Her power suddenly got a massive amp, and she's not using it how Jean usually would. The room we were in got blown up within a second. Not just that, but I also sensed another presence within her."

"[What do you mean by that, Ethan…?]" Xavier asked in a scared tone.

"Exactly what I just said," I repeated, to Charles specifically. "It was strong and wild, far more powerful than anything I've ever seen. I could faintly make out a shape of a phoenix made out of flames behind her, but that's about it."

I could hear a faint gasp, knowing that it belonged to Xavier. Logan was the next to speak up. "[Doesn't matter, right now, we have to get her back down.]"

"I might have an idea what to do. Everyone else make sure to keep their distance until I figure out what to do next."

"[What do you plan on doing?]" Ororo asked with concern. "[If she isn't in control, it's too risky to go alone!]"

"[Yeah…]" Kitty spoke with her voice trembling. "[Maybe we should re-group before we do anything else.]"

"Don't worry about me, I'll try to calm her down. Besides, the more time we waste, I feel like we'll lose our only opportunity to do anything." I told them all before logging off.

"What are you planning to do?" Laura asked.

"Not sure yet to be honest, but I want to talk to her," I admitted, looking back up to the sky. "Jean is still in there, I'm sure of it. I have to try, otherwise, we are in massive trouble."

Laura was silent, hesitant to speak up. "Whatever you do, just be careful, you idiot."

"Like always, I can't make any promises. But I won't stop until Jean is back to normal." I responded to Laura, reassuring her, I won't fail.

---

"Can… can it be…? No, impossible. I'm positive I prevented any possibility of it ever returning."

Xavier, who stayed behind to not get in his team's way, was currently experiencing what he believed was a semi-panic attack. Memories he long ago thought to be nothing more than a terrible dream, lost over the course of many years, began surfacing. His mind went into overdrive, thinking and theorizing on whatever little straw he could grasp to disprove his fears.

For years, he worried this day might come, but never did Xavier actually think he would see the day. The mental blocks he placed within her mind should've prevented it from waking up. Even going as far do placing them into the deepest parts of her mind just in case, revising them every few years to make sure they were still intact.

The possibility of this being a totally separate issue was high. Maybe he was just overacting

Then why did Xavier feel like he was in denial?

Placing his already shaking hand to his temple, he hesitated to enter Jean's mind, but he had to be sure.

Within a second, Xavier jolted into his seat, sweating bullets profusely.

"There's no mistaking it…" Xavier swallowed the lump in his throat he didn't know was there. "The Phoenix… is unleashed…!"

"Professor?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Xavier looked up at the spider-themed hero who gently tapped his shoulder. "Are you alright? You seem… out of it, I guess?"

"N-No, I'm quite alright," Xavier tried composing himself, barely manage to utter a single sentence without stuttering. "Thank you for your concern."

"No prob," Peter accepted the compliment cheerfully but quickly switched into serious mode. "Anyway, we should move out. We took care of the creatures in this area, but we have to make sure everyone else is safe."

"Yes, I agree. Lead the way, I will be right behind you all." Xavier spoke confidently, gesturing for Peter to take charge.

Nodding, Peter walked over to the rest of the X-Men, informing them of their next plan of attack.

Once Xavier was left to his lonesome, he went back to the issue that plagued his mind. Trying to click the button to stroll forward, his fingers shook so much he couldn't properly press it. Placing his other hand on top of it, desperately trying to prevent the unsettling feeling that grew with each passing second.

"Oh, god, what have I done?"

---

Channeling my Chi, from my chest leaked out a gold-like aura, focusing on creating two sets of Chi Wings, the upper set being slightly larger than the bottom one. When it materialized, it was filled with countless feathers that would act as projectiles, with the ability to change them mid-travel. The learning curve was awkward until they became natural with my body, but well worth it.

Due to how much debris is flying around, and the interference with the Phoenix, I'll have to make do with this.

"Never actually used this in battle, hope the training will pay off…" I uttered for extra reassurance, my eyes aiming for Jean. Kneeling down slightly, I jumped, my wings propelling me for the extra boost.

Right away, I had to do some quick maneuvers to evade the falling chunk of debris, continuing to fly upwards. The faster I flew, the sooner Jean and the U-Man came into view more clearly, with the former throwing chunks of metal and rock at the monstrosity, accompanied by a wave of wildfire from her fists.

When I got closer, I tried calling out to her, using a few utility spells to amplify my voice and specific thoughts. "Jean!"

I shouted her name several times, not once did Jean even bat her eyelashes at me, solely focusing on squashing the U-Man leader with all the rocks at her disposal. With everything moving at the same time, I had to make sure my movement wasn't interrupted, as they continuously flew upwards. While flying, I made sure to shoot out Chi Feathers at the U-Man and his attacks, providing some cover to Jean as well, just in case, so the Phoenix doesn't get any more enraged. I was elusive as a fly, but it was difficult to keep up with her, the U-Man was only able to be on the defensive as none of his attacks managed to get even close to her.

"C'mon, Jean! I know that you're in there! Don't let it control you!" I shouted, shooting out multiple energy whips from my hand to hold her still. Initially, the whips jerked backwards as the aura that surrounded her repelled them but they quickly latched around her body. Once they did, Jean's head snapped in my direction, that alone sending a powerful wave in my direction that stopped me from flying any closer to her. Flaming red eyes stared me down to my core, for the faintest moment, I was hesitant of doing anything in the off chance of further aggravating the Phoenix.

Seeing as I took her attention away from the monstrosity, I spotted numerous dark-green streams of energy that changed trajectory, taking advantage of Jean shifting her focus off him. Jean was unaware of what's coming, making me throw my hand out to create several shields around her. Thinking I was attempting to harm her, Jean used her TK to disrupt me by sealing my hand in place, unable to finish the remainder of the spell. As a result, she was unprotected from the enemy's blasts, crying out in pain when Jean received the full impact from behind.

When I saw that, I instantly grabbed a small metallic sphere from my bag, opening a small portal near the U-Man's head, causing two consecutive explosions at point-blank range. I doubt that he will be able to walk that off so easily. Scanning the area to find the redhead, my eyes widened when I finally spotted her.

She was falling, with no sign of slowing down.

"The debris is blocking my view, I can't directly teleport to her, plus the aura is still present around her, but at least now I can get close. I have a chance, I can't miss it." With my mind set, I dived down, going at a greater speed than before.

In the corner of my eye, I saw the grotesque form of the U-Man falling down, but I didn't focus too much on him. Saving Jean was my only priority at the moment. I had to zigzag all over, trying to keep the momentum with the sudden shift in various directions. There were several opportunities to teleport closer but I heavily relied on my wings to do the leg work. As Jean was falling, more and more debris blocked me off as her telekinesis was wearing off, making it increasingly difficult to catch up to her.

When I was finally able to get in range, I opened a portal to get past the large part of the dismantled base, coming out the other end with Jean a dozen or so meters away from me. Just by this range, the aura around her that drastically died down than before was sort of pushing me away, but I was relentless. Momentarily building a thrust into each wing, I propelled myself forward to break through the force.

The closer I got to her, I pulled her by the waist, engulfing her my Chi aura.

"E-Ethan...?" Jean uttered lowly, her eyes barely half-open.

"I'm here," I said to her softly, pulling her closer by grabbing her by the waist. "Don't worry, I got you now."

I could see that she wanted to say more, but struggled to do so. The Phoenix was still present, that much I could tell, but Jean was somewhat in control at least. With her in my arms, I ignored the "burning" sensation of having Jean so close to me, aiming to land on the outskirts of the ruined base. Because of Jean, the debris moved away due to her powers, making it easier to fly, unlike before.

Once we were on the ground, Jean immediately pushed me away, her telekinesis putting some distance between us. "N-No... I-I don't want to hurt you again…!"

"She's in control, but the Phoenix won't let her go. If I am able to at least get to her, maybe the rest of the X-Men can finish the job." I theorized but had one way to make sure.

Quickly sending a message to Bucky and Peter, I needed to know where Xavier is. "Jean, you can't let it control you, you have to control it! Just try focusing on my voice!"

I walked slowly towards her, each step becoming more difficult than the last. Getting a notification, I saw Peter reply with a "he's with me", telling him to keep Xavier occupied just in case. I don't care if he reads their minds while I relay their message. I gave an enchantment that will negate his powers as long as Peter is within range.

"I-I can't..." Jean uttered in agony, clutching her head. "I don't- I don't know to s-stop this…!"

"I do, I know you can!" I shouted in reassurance. "You just have to fight it off for a little longer, please!"

Getting another message that told me Bucky met up with everyone, excluding Xavier, Peter keeping him occupied, the plan was good to go. Within moments, all of the X-Men scattered across the enemy's compound suddenly appeared via portal. Each member of the X-Men stepped forward, but not one person uttered a single word. It's there that I realized Jean used her powers to read her teammates' thoughts and feelings, no longer struggling as much as before.

"Everyone…"

In under a minute, the flames around her started to die down, as if a candle to the wind, the last spark of the Phoenix's influence on her disappeared. When Jean was finally released, her body started to tilt to the side. Without missing a beat, I dashed forward to catch her, gently lowering her down so she could take a moment to properly rest.

Her eyes slowly started to open, a Chi Arm removing my mask to reveal a reassuring smile. "You're safe now, Jean."

Without missing a beat, her head moved down to inspect my injured arm, eyes widening at the sight of it. "E-Ethan… y-you're… I-I didn't-"

I shushed her before she could go any further. "You don't have to apologize, silly, I know that wasn't you who did this. I'm just glad you're alright, my arm can wait for later. What about you all? Are you injured?"

"So and so," Hank panted. "Would say exhausted more than anything."

"They were stronger than we initially thought," Ororo tried saying in a steady tone. "While the enchantments you provided were effective, we suffered some minor injuries as a result."

"I don't think I can fight anymore even if I wanted to…" Kitty expressed with deep breaths as she kneeled down, some of the younger members doing the same.

"Come, I'll heal you all," I spoke while leaving Jean in a seated position.

"Ants!"

A loud and powerful yell interrupted us, the sound of glass shattering vastly approaching.

"That's what you are all compared to me, ants!" The monstrosity roared with a laugh. "I've survived way worse compared to your puny attempts! I'm just getting started!"

Suddenly, his massive body started expanding, the skin ripping before infusing with a different section. Essentially, he tripled in size but had an even more grotesque appearance than before, accompanied by additional tentacles and maws forming all over. The crab-like legs lifting its massive form for additional height, each appendage having sharp edges. The outer layer of skin hardening by how its color changed ever so slightly, acting as armor on top of everything

"What… what in the hell is that…" Scott quivered, utterly terrified at the sight before him.

"It's a shame, really," The leader spoke in a grim tone. "I wanted to dissect you all as punishment, the redhead especially, but oh well… disintegrating you all on the spot will satisfy me just as much!"

Chunks of skin from his abnormally large chest opened, revealing countless red dots that started to shine. A second later, a wide beam of red projected from the U-Man's body.

The X-Men braced for the worst, some taking a defensive stance while the others could only quiver at the approaching beam.

As for me… "Guess it's time to pull out the big guns."

That's it for Chapter 10.

Not gonna lie, I had some difficulty writing this, solely because of power scaling. Originally, the plan seemed simple but encountered some issues while writing. For starters, the U-Men while powerful, aren't necessarily prepared against people like Ethan, Peter and Bucky, considering how well they use their skill set. The mutants while still able to hold their own, had trouble keeping up nonetheless. It say its well-played out given the circumstance. I definitely see our Trio being stronger and more resourceful against these kinds of opponents.

I read ya'lls comments about my fights being a bit "dragged out", for that I have to apologize for two reasons. 1) I was a firm believer some fights in earlier Chapters Ethan couldn't simply win just like that, not that powerful just yet and 2) sticking to a formula that I'll most likely have to change. This Chapter shouldn't feel "as" dragged as there are multiple perspectives, but at this stage, Ethan by himself can end fights quicker than before. For this, if you have an idea what kind of attacks/spells/tactics I can incorporate into the story to accomplish that goal, leave a review with some thoughts/suggestions.

Sorry for the cliffhanger, the other Chapter will pack a big one, both action and plot-wise. It will truly display how far Ethan has come in such a short amount of time. Given all the tools and various spells to increase his abilities, I wanted to amp him a bit due to having amassed different powers by this point.

For those asking, the reason the U-Men knew the team was coming was because of Scott. His optic beams originate from a whole nother Dimension, so basic enchantments don't block it that easily from being detected. It would need way more to keep it hidden from the U-Men noticing.

The next one should be out sooner, as I basically split this Chapter into two for convenience's sake. I didn't forget about Logan and Bucky having their reunion, so I saved it for the next Chap as this one is long enough as it is.

Until next time, cya!

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links),

 

[Darwin-18]

Chapter 11 – Display of Skill pt. 1

A stream of red beams headed towards us as everyone braced themselves for the worst, but a sea of golden energy came before us, rapidly taking the shape of a skeleton arm with a more refined and wide shield of Chi. Golden energy flowed around us, manifesting ribcages once the spine from the back was constructed for additional protection. Slowly, as it made the beams easily bounce off into various directions, a skull with a fully formed ribcage took shape, fully protecting us from all sides.

Whatever was left of the base behind me was obliterated by the U-Man's beams, the Mirror Dimension's added effects causing more destruction as a result. I wasn't worried about Bucky or Peter getting caught in the crossfire, I've seen what they were capable of, so I know they won't let a poor excuse of an attack like this get to them.

When the light show died down, my massive Chi construct stood tall without a scratch, releasing a low hum as it lowered the shield.

Now, I have to admit, I'm a bit obsessed with Titans from Attack on Titan and Susanoo from Naruto, the ladder being an all-time favorite power I wish I had. Having the potential to re-create that in this universe was a no-brainer for me. Shame it got placed into an overpowered clan and virtually made no sense to belong on an ocular-based ability. Nevertheless, it was still one of the coolest abilities ever to be added.

With the book that the Ancient One gave me, I discovered ways to increase my Chi amount, greatly boosting the overall amount and better control over it. After acquiring a decent amount, I had to shape it to the desired construct, practicing it over and over to make it at a moment's notice. Just like the ability I took inspiration from, it was connected to my mind, able to simply think what I wanted it to do and it would do it. Being solely made out of Chi, it was ridiculously durable and tough to crack, meaning it would take a lot to break through it.

"This… is new…" Hank uttered in bewilderment, eyes scanning the golden aura flowing all around.

"It's healing us…?" Ororo thought out loud as she witnessed the slash marks on her arms closing up.

"Sorry for the scare," I told them, not setting my sights off the giant monster, "I thought I wouldn't need to use this one, but desperate times call for desperate measures, it seems. It is purely made of Life Energy, so it heals the ones that are allowed inside it. Keep in mind, this was designed to be unbreakable whilst also providing a solid offense as well as defense. I can only make this stage due to my limited supply, but it should get the job done. I call it...the 'Jaeger'."

"Jaeger…?" Logan repeated, albeit with confusion, "Why call it that?"

"You'll find out in a few seconds," I responded, my eyes not leaving the U-Man's grotesque form for a second.

Readjusting its posture, the monstrous form of the U-Man stood to its full height, extending its appendages. "You're nothing but a candle in the wind compared to me!"

"Then my flame will simply burn brighter!"

Another wave of Chi erupted from all sides, starting off from below, gold-colored strings roped around the bones to make skin before robes followed across the whole body. Behind the shield, a crossbow formed with the limbs sticking out from each end. The second hand manifested a double-bladed sword with pure white-colored blades. V-shaped arm plates forming on the sides. The helmet was identical to my mask, with two green-colored orbs shining from the eye sockets. I released a deep growl as I adjusted my shield while winding back my blades.

My Jaeger was ready.

I was ready.

Not wasting time, the U-Man swung his arms, tentacles with red sparks from all over dashed in our direction, I rotated my blade, slicing off each one that came my way. Spinning the blade like a propeller, I cut off all of them. Bringing down my blade from above, It was caught by his oversized crab arm. Quickly rotating it to slice it off from the joint, followed up by a shield smack to the face that sent him skidding backwards. I raised my sword that started releasing a low hum, swinging to throw energy projectiles in the shape of a C. The monster sidestepped the first assault, using its remarkable agility to jump around to avoid getting hit, only the edge of my slashes making contact. While he retaliated with a new wave of red beams, the previously sliced off crab arm grew back within seconds.

He thinks I'll allow him to regenerate that easily.

Wrong.

Just as he was about to land on a floating rock, I made the plane around him split, that particular area moving hastily towards me. When I was about to swing my sword, I felt my arm being restrained, the chopped-off crab arm holding it in place while it stuck itself to the ground. Ignoring the minor beams sent my way, I retaliated by hitting him in the top half where his body was sticking out with the edge of my shield.

It caused him to stagger for a bit. Sending out another slash to push him back even further, I opened numerous portals from behind that released a hail of rocks that expanded in size and traveled at greater speed, each exploding on impact. Having no other option, he jumped forward with his chest exposed. Countless red beams met my shield, shattering the area around me, but the Jaeger stood in place due to slight changes to the Mirror Dimension. When it came closer, it evaded the Chi slash I sent with my sword, making me release a shockwave of Chi from the center of my shield upon contact, breaking all the remaining walls while disorienting the U-Man, allowing me to pierce the left side of his upper body.

It howled at the top of his lungs, and it was only moments later that I realized it was a type of signal. Suddenly, my senses picked up numerous new entities that weren't present before. Immediately, I knew it had to be the U-Men soldiers we've taken out earlier since it's impossible to access the Mirror Dimension if you aren't a sorcerer. My theory was confirmed moments later when I witnessed bipedal, black-colored creatures with scale-like skin alongside a set of wings and broken armor pieces on their bodies popping up from every direction. It seems like their skin was made out of the same material as the leader's monstrous form, meaning he implanted a type of virus that is capable of using his men as puppets.

That was outright diabolical.

I raised my shield to block lasers, bone spears that caused miniature explosions, or them flying straight towards me. I raised my shield, shooting out arrows all the while as I slashed away with my sword, sending out crescent-like projectiles to lower their numbers. The whole area was infested, more popping up like the ones before they were chopped down. It was at times like these that you learn a valuable lesson; when taking down an enemy, make sure they stay down for good.

"What are those things?!" Scott screamed, observing the nearest creature.

"They don't look like the ones fought in the labs," Kitty commented from the side.

Sniffing the air, Logan replied, "Apparently, the bastards in suits we already took out. Seems like they're back for round two."

"Logan's right," I confirmed his claim, "They're possessed by him in this state, greatly enhancing their capabilities and using them as puppets."

"Oh, we are so dead," Lorna said bitterly, "There are too many of them popping up. This thing will break before we take them all out."

"That's not going to happen," I relieved her, and everyone else to an extent, mentally counting each monster my senses could pick up, "They can't break through this thing, no matter how hard they try."

"That's reassuring," Hank said wiping his forehead. "We should locate others before they encounter these creatures."

"The Professor is safe!" Storm announced with a hand on her temple, "He is with Spider-Man."

"Yeah, I just got the message as well," Scott spoke up, nodding alongside the other X-Men as they received it as well.

"At least we know he's not in danger," Hank sighed in relief, then looked back at the gigantic monster, "However, at this rate, it's like we're back to square one."

"Not necessarily," I said confidently before elaborating. "This time around, we'll cut em' down easier than before, if anything they're just fodder, stalling us from focusing on the leader. I already have a few ideas in mind, but first…"

Bringing up their POVs on the sides of my HUD, I called out to my teammates, "Nomad! Spider-Man! Report in!"

---

"Here!"

Spider-Man shouted frantically to his teammate, climbing up the destroyed remains of a nearby wall to see what all the commotion was about. The last he heard from Ethan was after the first time the base shook, now it happened again. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Reaching the top, Spider-Man's eyes widened at the sight in the far distance.

"He never told me it was so shiny…" Peter uttered while admiring the gold-colored suit of armor, amazed that, even though it was still short in comparison, it had a demanding presence to it once spotted. While he used his weapons to fight back, Peter's lenses zoomed in to get a better view of the situation, spotting a dozen or so black creatures popping up, beginning to surround Ethan.

"[What are your locations?]" Ethan's voice came through the comlink.

"Not far, I can see you from here," Peter informed.

"[I see you, Spider,]" Bucky chimed in, "[I'll be there shortly.]"

"[Good,]" Came Ethan's response, a loud clanking sound coming through the other end. "[Group up and move towards my position, this guy still has tricks up his sleeve. I should be fine for the time being, but we should figure out a way of neutralizing him.]"

"The Professor is still with me, I can't just leave him here all alone, and taking him with me isn't exactly the best idea," Peter said, unsure what to do in this situation.

Ethan was silent for a few short seconds before responding, "[Give him additional protection that will keep him safe for the time being. It's too dangerous for him to roam around us, tell him to keep his distance until someone can find him after we're finished.]"

"Understood, sighting off," Peter jumped back down to a Charles Xavier with a troubled expression with his hands on his temples, "Any luck, Professor?"

"I'm afraid not, my boy," Charles sighed, wiping away a small amount of blood coming out of his nose. "I keep trying to enter his mind, but it seems safeguards are in place to prevent Telepaths from controlling him that easily. Furthermore, these creatures of his are like puppets, it's like they aren't even human anymore. Seems like, once again, I'm powerless to do anything…"

"No need to push yourself, Professor," Peter said tenderly, "We'll make sure none of your students get in harm's way."

Charles stayed silent for a short duration, a look of worry mixed with uncertainty plastered all over his face, "I hope so, my boy. I dearly hope so."

Sensing something approaching them via his Spider-Sense, he saw how Bucky zipped down with his hooks, gracefully landing in front of the two, "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting warmed up," Peter responded with a half-serious tone, a fair amount of anxiety building up as well.

Bucky nodded, "Then we should move. We can't waste time sitting around, he needs our help."

"Right," Peter agreed before looking down to Charles, "Keep yourself at a safe distance, Professor. These should help."

Placing several small devices onto Xavier's chair, each lit up with a different kind of color.

"These should do the trick," Peter rose up, "They are shields and sensors to make you seem practically invisible, the shields alone won't break that easily, so you can rest easy. I'll swing by if you get into any danger. Stay safe, Professor!"

As the duo propelled themselves high above the destroyed roof, all Charles could do was stare at the fractured sights before him, constantly trying to think of a way to be useful, but would constantly go back to the other dilemma that was waiting for him once this whole ordeal was over.

---

"Four o'clock! A big one!"

"Two more coming from the left!"

Logan and Hank exclaimed as they paid close attention to the enemies running about. With their help, which wasn't necessarily needed, I either sliced up or punched my way through whatever monstrosity decided to test its luck. While they appeared fairly strong in their own regard, they weren't able to leave a single stretch to my Jaeger, only prolonging their soon-to-be short lifespan. Controlling the construct to this degree without proper and repeated training was somewhat difficult, but I could stomach it. The issue is that my Chi, if not stored additionally, would take way too long to replenish, so going all out seemed more preferable to end things quickly.

"Storm, blow away the ones in the far back, Lorna, you focus on the ones in the front row!" I told them, with dark clouds immediately forming and spinning metal beams coming into view. Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, dozens of creatures stopping in their tracks upon getting hit, Lorna's blades coming from the side for the finishing touch. Due to being a mass horde of them, many creatures got up close to the outer layer of the Yeager, but it's not like they could break through it.

Miniature missiles and web lines came into view, each releasing an explosion that varied in intensity, blowing away the monsters, as Bucky and Peter arrived as the smoke cleared. Peter shot out energy projectiles from his Spider Arms, stunning the monsters for a few seconds for Bucky to slice them in half.

"How are there so many?!" Peter asked frantically as he jumped around the battlefield.

"It's the U-Men we already defeated," I began explaining, "Seems like the big guy placed a backup plan into his underlings, turning them into monsters that do his bidding even after they're out cold. My guess is that they are telepathically controlled, meaning if we take him out everyone else will follow."

"Do you have any idea what his weaknesses might be?" Bucky asked directly, shooting monsters as he maneuvered through the air to not get hit.

"Not too sure at the moment," I responded quickly, slamming the edge of my shield on an approaching monster, "Compared to everyone else, he has more than one X-Gene in his arsenal. His healing factor repairs any injury within seconds, but I noticed it takes more time to regenerate a limb if it was cut numerous times, but that doesn't have to mean anything."

"I'll go see for myself," Bucky informed, shooting his hooks upwards to get a better opening. Without missing a beat, he ignored any creature that came his way, moving at speeds far greater than them. The U-Men leader saw him coming, flailing his arms to send out a mixture of black-colored spears and red beams from the chest that danced in all directions. Using the creatures moving towards Bucky, the man maneuvered in specific patterns that would hit the monsters, using them as cover and lower their numbers. To further seize the advantage, Bucky sent out several smoke bombs that exploded after a few seconds, the thick cloud of smoke one-sidedly blinding the enemy. Slashing away at the ones in front of him, Bucky emerged from the smoke, eyes set on the crab monster in front of him.

Swinging its massive crab arm in an arc, red sparks started forming around it as the man aimed for Bucky, causing a slight earthquake with its intensity.

While the arm was still in place, Bucky emerged from the smoke once more, running on the surface of the abnormally sized arm. In doing so, various obstacles formed around him, ranging from weapons to appendages of all kinds. His blade changed colors while making his way up, switching through different enchantments equipped to the metal. Either sidestepping or using his hooks to quickly reposition, all the while slicing any approaching threat. In an attempt to shake Bucky off, the U-Man flung its arm into the air, but he held on without breaking a sweat.

Setting his sights down to the humanoid figure at the top, Bucky blasted off towards his target, the Vibranium blade now releasing a low hum as it shined a dark blue color. On his way down, Bucky changed angles and directions constantly, while the edges of his blade sliced off the newly formed appendages, leaving blue flames on the slashed areas, whilst switching through different modes. Approaching his target, the blade's length extended for a farther reach, slicing off the makeshift shield of skin and the right side of his human body. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Bucky decided to retreat before he could get hit. While descending, Bucky's head would turn around to throw quick glances at his target.

"You hurt?" I asked him, the Chi aura moving towards him for safe measure.

"Don't worry about me," Bucky replied, "I think I found something."

"That being?" I inquired while my eyes aimed three Chi Arrows at the mutated soldiers in the distance.

"He has a healing factor that quickly repairs any injury within seconds, that much is obvious. However, he isn't invincible," Bucky began explaining, eyeing the creature's wounds that just now healed, "I tried various enchantments to see if they would be any effective, I might just have found the one. The Uucho enchantment seems to leave burn marks on the damaged area, acting like a virus that eradicates the cells completely. It takes a longer period of time before it could even start to regenerate."

"Hmm, interesting," I mused while thinking it over, "At what intensity is it set?"

"It isn't that powerful on its own, I theorize I was able to damage him due to being used alongside Vibranium. Otherwise, it would need a massive amp to do anything."

"I see," I hummed, several plans forming in my mind, "I noticed you aimed for his main body, cutting off his arm in the process, what about that?"

"It's just now starting to repair itself," Bucky observed with the help of the HUD in his mask. "As you would expect, it's the most "vulnerable" part of his body, granted if you can leave lasting damage on him. If we damage it, it will decrease his regeneration speed significantly, and if we're lucky, we'll leave a finishing blow because of it."

"Then I know what to do," I told them, responding with silence to relay my plan, "If the enchantment Nomad used managed to leave a lasting effect, we will try a more powerful variation of it. Spider, you will fight him close range, prioritize on causing repetitive attacks to exhaust his healing factor. Nomad, after I strike, you will follow up on the wounded areas where we think will cause the most damage."

"Got it," Bucky replied simply.

"But will it be enough?" Peter asked, "All things considered, he's pretty big to leave a lasting wound, I feel. Not to mention all these hideous things flying around us, that might be a problem."

"Way ahead of you," I uttered, commanding my Jaeger's arms to move towards the duo, engulfing them in a bright violet ball of fire. While there weren't any notable changes, the only one now visible was Peter's spider legs releasing a loud hum as they changed colors. Their equipment was the main focus for the spell to be dozens of times more effective than when Bucky first attacked. While doing so, I decided to add additional defenses to my Jaeger. Purple flames ignite around the whole armor, if he tries to get up close, he'll just end up burning himself. Also, the same way how my Vibranium armor acts, it's now replicated to a bigger scale, planning on returning whatever they dish out tenfold.

"As for the others…"

Raising my sword to the sky, I sent a purple slash in a general direction, shooting several arrows in different directions. When they got far enough, a simple command made the purple fire extend to wherever the arrows were, incinerating a hefty amount of creatures that gave us an opening.

"Go!"

Right on my mark, Bucky and Peter bolted to opposite directions, taking out more monsters on their way towards the boss. Purple slash marks were left on the U-Men creatures that crossed their path, releasing a wild flame that crippled their regenerative capabilities afterward. I provided support so they could move freely when they got to the boss, Bucky prioritizing on dealing damage while Peter would distract and occupy him. The web fluid is even more durable, and his projectiles should slow him down considerably.

"Kitty! Mind doing me a favor?!" I called out to Kitty with my arm extended, the girl jumped towards me to make contact. Waiting for the ideal moment, I told her to phase me, to which she complied. The U-Man rushed forward with its chest exposed, countless sharp bones coated with red energy, phasing to avoid his attack only for me to come out right behind him, canceling the ability when my sword was still in his body, an ear-piercing roar of pain came when the Chi Blade solidified.

Rotating to my left, my blade followed, leaving a wide slash on his right side, the insides infested with a purple flame that slowed down the healing. Going in for a second strike, he jumped high in the air to wait out until his wounds healed. Sending out several Chi Arrows in various directions, I would open portals to redirect them towards the U-Man's main body. After they all hit, I once again commanded the Mirror Dimension so he would fall back down. Slashing away with my sword in rapid succession. Thanks to our combined efforts, his movements become slower with each hit, causing more damage before his body could repair itself to the fullest.

"Arghh!"

The U-Men leader screamed in agony as his body tanked repeated blows from each side, the golden arrows lighting up with a purple flame on the opposite end. Bucky and Peter made sure everything was ready on their end, shielding themselves from any projectiles that managed to sneak their way past their defenses. Standing their ground, they braced for what was coming next.

Raising my weapon, the secondary blade was transferred to the upper one, instantly changing colors when it was fully gone. Now appearing as a thick, purple flaming broadsword with a white outline that released loud humming sounds, as well as its weight tripling while I rocked it back. There was so much energy stored up in a single object, especially this specific type and amount that felt like a bomb that was moments away from going off.

Slowly raising it upwards, the humming sound increased in intensity. While traveling, the blade started to increase in length, making it so I didn't need to move for my weapon to reach the U-Man. In a final, desperate move to avoid the attack, he put all of his strength to jump away, red sparks coming to life as they spread across its entire body. The webs stuck to his skin started to burn, but most of it stayed intact and the arm pinned down was ripped off to escape.

Perfect, he just sealed his own fate.

"Spider-Man! Nomad! Fall back, now!" I commanded the two, both blasting off in opposite directions.

While the U-Man was airborne, a single order for the Mirror Dimension made the area around him shift forward, a move almost practically identical to how Thanos grabbed Dr. Strange in Infinity War. Reaching an upright position, the blade released a low boom, burning brighter than ever before, that alone enough to cause momentary blindness.

"Try surviving this, you parasite!"

I roared as the monster came flying towards me uncontrollably, a look of fear and denial on the U-Man's face could be spotted as he got closer. Finding the ideal moment to strike, I swung down my sword with no hesitation, the blade extending once more mid-swing. Like cutting through butter with a hot knife, I cleanly sliced the U-Man in half, a thin line of blue flame visible on each end. Just as my blade made it all the way through, the arrows I sent out earlier erupted into the same azure-colored flame, engulfing the leader into a massive ball of blue fire. Just by the sheer power of the spell, it felt like it was pushing everything close to it back how intensely it burned.

After about a solid ten seconds, the ball of fire finally vanished, leaving nothing in its wake.

It took a while to figure it out, but the battle has finished.

"There's…" Kitty uttered in shock, "There's-"

"Nothing left," Charles finished her sentence, sharing the same expression.

"Gee, overkill much?" Logan expressed in a bored tone after seeing such a display.

"Considering he had safeguards in place to prevent any injury, I find that comment ironic," I answered emotionlessly, fixated on making sure there wasn't any possible way for him to regenerate back. So far, that seemed to be the case. "All in all, what's important is that it's finally over."

A massive headache caused me to choke on my own words, clutching my head as I kneeled with a grunt. My concentration over my Jaeger broke as well, causing the golden armor to release an echoing mumble as its armor and skin evaporated respectively, leaving it in its skeleton form before it too disappeared.

"Damn, it took quite a bit out of me…" I thought while waiting for the pain to ease up, "It's the first time I properly use it in battle, not to mention additional spells and enchantments added to make it more resistant. It does drain a solid amount to create, controlling it isn't necessarily the issue, but prolonged use if too much is used can be troublesome. I'll have to do extensive training just to boost up the time I can use it, and looking into a solution for Chi usage would be preferable as well."

Still keeping my hand in place, my eyes looked up to where the last U-Man was located. A thought that was present when I witnessed a headless Aldrich Killian popped into my mind, although it wasn't as troublesome as the first time. Why was that? The guilt of straight-up burning a person to death was present, yet I felt more like my actions were justified than anything. Was it the fact that, unlike before, I have comrades now? Not only am I battling for my own survival, but theirs as well. I'm not fond of killing, even if I'm forced to, but there's no other way about it.

It took some time to kick in, but now I'm more open-minded about the thought.

A hand on my shoulder made me look up, meeting Jean's deep green orbs that made me focus solely on her. "Are you hurt?"

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine," I said in an exhausted manner, "Just a little winded, that's all. I'll be good as new in a few minutes."

Jean only stared back at me, worry written all over her face. They weren't noticeable, but the signs of stress were present, the Phoenix fiasco still an issue needing to be discussed. Obviously, I was going to explain the whole thing once we get back to base, just so Xavier isn't close by, and to go over it in private. "More importantly, are you alright?"

"I'm… good," Jean didn't even try to mask it, at best half attempting to put on a brave face but gave up halfway. "...Thanks to you."

Hearing numerous thwips and zooms from above, Peter and Bucky landed a few meters from one another around the same time, rushing to regroup with me and everyone else.

"Nice work, you guys," I commended the two, "Sorry if that came a little too close to comfort, didn't want to leave much breathing room to not miss our shot."

"My senses went haywire way before it even happened, so I was ready in advance. But still…" Peter said, sounding a bit saddened at the end, his head looking back to the battlefield, "Wouldn't be too much of an issue! I'd swoop in to save Bucky if I saw he was in trouble!"

Placing his elbow onto Bucky's shoulder, the genius attempted swinging with a more upbeat attitude, causing the former assassin to eye him with a bored expression. "If that helps you sleep at night, by all means," Bucky then turned to face me, "The creatures he controlled reverted back to their normal forms. With him gone, we won't have to worry about these guys anymore. After we acquire more data, we'll be able to fish out the rest, if there are any."

I nodded in agreement, "Good. They might be aware it was our doing. The H.Q. suddenly went silent. Luckily, time in the Mirror Dimension flows differently, we have a chance before they all go into panic mode."

"Then we better not waste it," Bucky agreed.

"Phew," Kitty expressed with a smile, "I'm just glad that it's over."

"Same here," Alex agreed, releasing a groan while doing quick stretches

Charles strolled forward to us all, "Seeing as now that our troubles are over, shall we make our way back-"

Catching a low spark behind the bald man that was interrupted, I already knew what was happening just by seeing that familiar gold spark. A wide portal that belonged to Kamar-Taj opened a few meters away from us, four sorcerers with robes that had a yellow thunder-like symbol on their chest, the only difference being they had a different color for each. Their ages varied through each member, with only one female among them. They wore different colored robes that had some similarities in design, all except the tallest and shirtless fellow with long brown hair tied up in various places.

Speaking of which, I recognized the many animal-head necklaces and wristbands, hours of reading books taught me those belong to animal magic, most likely meaning he was a Druid. Scanning the others, I couldn't spot anything too worthwhile, due to the Druid sticking out like a sore thumb, and I didn't recognize anyone from my time at the temple.

All but one, Averdrian.

He was the center of the whole group, a man that was in his early thirties judging by his appearance, black hair that formed a small bun with two short bangs hanging from each side. Instead of robes, he wore dark brown leathered pants with a sleeveless white fur coat that trailed down to his knees, but the most prominent feature was located on his arms. They weren't gauntlets per say, but had a mixture of blue and white glowing stone-like material with gold accents, along with oversized chains connected to them.

I remember this man, I would only see him in passing when I was at Kamar-Taj, that being due to different schedules so I would rarely encounter him. The reason he stood out to me so much was that I caught a glimpse of him in a sparring match against a fairly powerful sorcerer, using those chains to extend their length to corner his opponent. They moved with precision and impressive speeds to boot, that alone causing plenty of trouble to deal with. He was a formidable opponent from what I've seen, someone I wouldn't want to fight a few months ago when I was just a novice. However, I don't have an ounce of knowledge of his full capabilities.

This doesn't seem good, not in the slightest.

"Ethan Chester," Averdrian said, a harsh and vile tone as he signaled me out. "You sure are a piece of work, aren't you?"

"Huh?" I pondered out loud, completely bewildered by his claim. "I beg your pardon?"

"You are well aware of your actions." The female spoke up. "Acting delusional won't help your case."

"Calm down, now," Averdrian eased his teammate, then focused back on me. "I have to ask, did you forget the first lessons of being a sorcerer? In case you forgot, meddling in outside affairs and getting spotted are probably the first two things that should be embedded into your skull upon starting. Yet, you managed to fail on both of those accounts."

"Am I supposed to know what event you're referring to?" I asked with a tilted expression. "Secondly, who are you guys? I only remember you seeing you a few times at the temple."

"Let's just say, it's our job to monitor for inter-dimensional entities or creatures capable of causing chaos within our realm and contain them. Back to what I was saying, we know you've been running around using magic in the open without care and risking exposure. It seems you've encountered the host of the Phoenix Force, so you might have done something right in your bundle of missteps".

"For your information, my personal business and what I do isn't connected to Kamar-Taj nor does it raise any suspicion of my magical abilities. Not like it matters, whatever I do is on me, with caution and within reason.""

"Really?" Averdrian replied sarcastically. "You forget using magic at all can be traced back to us and Karmar-Taj, that's the issue. You also said your actions are within reason? Then killing Aldrich Killian, CEO of A.I.M. in cold blood is within reason, I take it?"

Naturally, this came as a surprise to everyone present and definitely painted me in a bad light. Only I had no intention of staying quiet. "First of all, I didn't kill him, the reason for his death is using a defective serum of his own creation. As to why I was dealing with him in the first place was because he intended on using that serum to make his own army of super-soldiers, ones capable of causing a massive explosion large enough to level a city block. Was I just supposed to forget what I learned and ignore it?"

"Again, I fail to see why you would concern yourself with such trivial matters," Averdrian spoke back. "Not only did you unnecessarily engage with a well-known and public figure, you most definitely have government officials and most likely S.H.I.E.L.D. investigating into the case as they managed to find whatever surveillance footage was intact, and we both know how fast news spreads around those kinds of organizations."

"Oh, so S.H.I.E.L.D probably have some footage of me after all," The immediate thought surged through my mind, something I eventually expected yet prayed I had more before getting noticed. "He wouldn't make such a claim if he didn't know some actual proof exists. My hope is that not too much of it is caught on tape. I'll have to make sure to cover up my tracks better."

"Whatever they find it will ultimately mean nothing," I said without a hint of doubt in my voice. "I'll admit, it was sloppy of me to leave evidence, if any, but they'll just be grasping at straws. They had the literal God of Thunder drop by on a vacation, you insinuating that they don't already question the possibilities of other supernatural possibilities is quite ignorant of you. That said, they won't find out who I am nor where I come from, I feel like time will do that on its own."

"That aside, the new host of the Phoenix Force is the bigger issue." Averdrian stated.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "What about it? Jean had nothing to do with it. As you can see, the Phoenix is contained and doesn't appear to come out a second time, so I don't understand what the issue is."

"Regardless, being the host of a deity capable of untold amounts of power causing chaos throughout the universe is seriously problematic," Averdrian remarked in a hostile tone. "The Phoenix Force for last two decades remained undetectable and asleep as it reincarnated into a new host, one that is not only unprepared to contain such a deity but completely vulnerable to the Phoenix Force's influence. That cannot go unchecked. Life across the entire universe can be turned to ashes if such a creature such as that roams wild."

"In case it isn't abundantly obvious already, I took care of it, nor do I intend for it to spring loose a second time," I stated seriously. "After being asleep for so many years, it's logical that the first awakening would leave such an effect, it doesn't mean anything. Furthermore, I'm positive that you're aware this is a deity powerful such as this isn't some mindless creature. We all encountered one at least once before, but trying to control this one by force is not a smart move. From what you're insinuating, aggravating the Phoenix or the host will only end badly,

"My, how protective of the girl," Averdian commented specifically. "Not only do you know her before the Phoenix's awakening, but you're also quite knowledgeable about the deity itself. Rather odd, wouldn't you say?"

You aren't baiting me with that one, buddy. "I'm knowledgeable about a lot of things revolving the Mystic Arts, I'm well informed of its history. Yet, I know better than to tamper with a literal force of nature, unlike what you plan on doing."

"Sadly, that matter no longer concerns you," Averdrian proclaimed leisurely. "Our duty is ensuring this realm's safety from anything that might pose a threat to it. If it will ease your "worries", I'll have you know I take my position very seriously, and I always promise results. We've been taming divine entities since the dawn of man, what's one more to stop us."

"Excuse me," Charles stepped forward with an unpleasant look on his face. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Simple. The girl comes with us so the Phoenix doesn't accidentally get unleashed in the physical realm," Averdrian explained leisurely, "This time, we were simply lucky this event occurred within the Mirror Dimension, but if it were to happen again, there is no telling what kind of chaos it may unleash upon the world if not handled in time."

"Jean coming with you?" Scott repeated the key point in that sentence. "That is not happening!"

"Oh," Averdrian's face fell, as if he had sudden realization, "You seem to not understand, this is not a request. The host of the Phoenix will either come willingly or by force, I'm simply allowing you to choose between those two options."

All of the X-Men's member's bodies tensed with a cautious expression, all but Logan who growled as his claws popped out, "Who do you think you are, bub?"

"I am but a man who aims to ensure mankind's survival," Averdrian announced, his right hand slowly rising with the single chain on his gauntlet starting to increase in length with each additional chain that formed, "And a bunch of mere mutants won't stop me from accomplishing that."

"Ethan, are you sure these guys are from the temple of yours?" Bucky asked sharply, switching to an offensive stance.

"Relax, Buck," I told him half reassuringly and half tensed at how sudden the situation changed, "No need to go there."

"I don't know, they aren't givin' us much of an option," Logan growled as his claws popped out.

"I should mention, we have a zero-tolerance policy, so it'd be wise if you simply complied with our demands," Averdrian proclaimed in a strict tone, all other sorcerers entering a stance while his hands remained behind his back, "Now, the girl?"

The sorcerers and X-Men each entered their respective battle stance, but I had no intention of it staying quiet.

"Everyone! Stop!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, causing all the commotion to come to a full stop.

This is a problem, a big problem. Of all the times I had to deal with magical issues it just now decides to bite me at the worst possible time. I'd be fine if it only revolved around me, but with Jean is a different matter.

Besides, I can't keep track of them all at arm's length. While we do outnumber them, we were severely outgunned. If anything, they would slow me down in the long run. Not to mention not knowing their true skill sets, an even bigger issue on its own. I have to get more info before I make my move since otherwise, it's suicide.

"What gives, kid?" Logan asked impatiently, eyeing the sorcerers with a sour expression.

"You all stay out of this," I said calmly, prompting everyone to gasp slightly at my request, "I will handle this situation alone."

"Are you crazy?" Kurt yelled out.

"Dude, you can't be serious?!" Alex asked bewilderingly, "You saw what he did to your friends, you're out of your mind if you willingly want to go in alone."

"I'm not making this decision lightly," I spoke up through all the complaints, "If we were to fight them head-on, we would only be at a disadvantage. If you thought our previous opponents were tough to beat, fighting a group of sorcerers doesn't even come close to that. Realistically, I can't protect nor free you all if you're caught, worrying about myself is more than enough."

"So what?" Scott asked, enraged, "You expect us to sit back and do nothing? If Jean's safety is in question, there is no way in hell we won't fight!"

Without any kind of hostility, I decided to answer truthfully. "I'm asking you to trust me. Out of everyone here, I at least have an idea of their capabilities, and probably a way to stop them. The last thing I want is for this whole thing to get even messier than it has to be. I can't be at all places at once."

"Don't talk nonsense, we'll do this together," Bucky dismissed my request, eyeing the sorcerers with a cautious expression. Nobody answered back, just battle stances and worried glances all over. It was Bucky to speak first upon spotting the bulky man's hands releasing a brown aura. "Spider, guard my left."

"Ah shit," I cursed mentally, "Bucky, stand dow-"

There wasn't time to finish my sentence as Bucky released several Vibranium projectiles from his suit, going at fast speeds towards the sorcerers. Fully focusing on them, I remembered these ones were injected with a liquid to completely tranquilize the target. Averdrian was the one to respond, lunging forward with both arms wide, two singular white chains coated in a mix of light and dark purple aura extending whilst moving with precise accuracy, destroying all projectiles either by the chains themselves or by the aura that it produced.

Before he could make another move, a blue circle formed beneath Bucky, jumping forward to escape a barrier that formed in its place. The large man met Bucky halfway with a right swing, brown energy circulating across his arm to reveal an oversized bear arm to absorb the hit, a massive shock wave busted as the two stood in place.

"Heh, that actually hurt, you bastard," The man admitted with a twitch of his eyebrow, an irritated smile on his face while still holding his ground, "Too bad, that's gonna cost ya'."

Parts of his Bear arm morphed into several tentacles, trying to latch onto Bucky's arm but only a few managed to grab him by the wrist, blue-energy lines formulating a mere meter behind him, all connecting to create a rectangle barrier, effectively trapping Bucky inside.

"So fast!" I thought worryingly, not liking the skillset of the female sorcerer, "That's Arcane magic, crap."

Bucky tried breaking free, but it was no use. Without outside help, breaking out of such a powerful construct is difficult. "Don't worry, I got you!" Peter yelled out, leaping into the air with his Spider-Legs coming to life, the edges glowing with light-green energy, throwing them towards Bucky's cage. I knew those things, they were meant to cause a flux of energy to disrupt such prisons, but didn't get to reach their target as they disintegrated upon close contact.

Portals started opening around Peter, stone-like creatures with wings resembling gargoyles came out from the other end, shooting yellow energy projectiles to which he managed to evade. In a coordinated effort, the limbs of said creatures detached, a red energy line connecting to each limb to electrocute the area from within, managing to zap him before moving away.

It lasted briefly, but the cry of pain coming out of Peter as he was frozen in place, limbs of said creatures latching around his body to lock him from any movement, his Spider Arms suppressed from assisting him to try and break free. Above him, a ring of wind formed that blasted towards the ground,

Just like that, both Bucky and Peter we're down.

"As I said, we aren't taking no for an answer." Averdrian proclaimed as he and the others advanced forward, the Druid rushing head-first with a roar.

"Goddammit..."

I opened a portal beneath me to get right in the middle, sending out a powerful force-push from the front, making them stop in their tracks. Snapping my fingers, two obsidian-colored Snitches flew out of my sleeve to my hand.

"I'm the one you're dealing with, not them," I stated with no ounce of fear in my voice, the Snitches flying towards my teammates to free them. "Final chance, I wanna do this the peaceful way, if possible."

"If it doesn't involve handing over the Phoenix Host, we aren't listening." Averdrian responded with a stern look.

"Hard way it is," I thought tiresomely of having to fight again and took a defensive stance

And that that concludes the first half, another cliffhanger it seems. Sorry for that, but felt like the ideal spot to split it. The U-Men fight came to an end and I'm satisfied with how it went. Keeping in mind this dude would have many X-Genes in his system to allow him to be such a threat.

As for the other sorcerers showing up, I felt something like this is warranted. They would be well aware that the Phoenix Force is awakened on their planet, so wanting to contain it didn't seem too far-fetched for me. Also, the reason Ethan was called out at the beginning was something due to a reader mentioning how he should face some consequences for his sloppiness, which I also feel is justified. Ethan, as cautious and paranoid as he is, can't take into account all the possible variables, especially in the earlier Chapters before he got his footing, but this just means those mistakes came to bite him in the ass. There will be a contrast between this battle and the next one.

As you might already guess, this next fight will only have Ethan participate. While Bucky and Peter haven't reached their limits by any means, I still feel like they would have an issue dealing with magic users for the first time, especially at this point of the timeline. It will only serve as a motivator to get strong and soon as possible.

The next Chapter, like I said, will come within the week, the same principle for the Chapter after it, as I managed to stockpile a bit so won't take between updates.

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links),

Hope the wait was worth it