Lost in memories, Illyana curled up in a corner of the cell. Thinking of family didn't help—it only fueled her fear, growing wild like weeds.
The cell was small, but every corner seemed alive. Thick black mist hid everything, forcing her to rely on hearing.
"Hiss… rustle…"
Faint sounds echoed. Illyana didn't dare cry, her wide eyes darting to every noise.
The cell felt alive.
She didn't know how long she'd been here, the time, or her location. Would Piotr or the Professor come for her?
Despair filled her.
Then, a red glow approached—the first light she'd seen.
What was it? Piercing the wall? A beast's eye?
She pressed against the wall, clutching her clothes, covering her mouth to stifle a scream.
It was worse than a beast—the devil who took her.
He looked human, but crimson, with a crown of bone spikes. Muscular, stronger than her brother Colossus, he carried a massive black war axe. The glowing point was a huge red gem between his fingers.
Its eerie, flickering light whispered incomprehensible, maddening words in her ears.
The demon grinned, always teetering on madness. He strode to Illyana, pressing the gem to her face.
"Beautiful?"
Illyana didn't know how to answer. Alien thoughts invaded her mind, tendrils of cosmic horror stirring in the dark universe.
Her thoughts fractured, spiraling toward insanity.
The demon pulled the gem back, sniffing it, licking its surface with a forked tongue.
The gem glowed brighter.
"I am Belasco, your master, Lord of Hell's Border. What was I… doing?"
He trailed off, staring at ceiling tendrils, lost in thought. Something had spoken in his mind, breaking his focus.
Mulling, he stuffed the saliva-soaked bloodstone in his mouth. Illyana saw it bulge his throat, its glow piercing his flesh, sliding to his stomach.
She clamped her mouth, suppressing a scream.
"Oh, right! I'm making you a 'Banshee,' my weapon, my consort."
Belasco recalled, his mouth splitting like a snake's. With a red glow, he spat out the stone.
He had his own bloodstone. This one was for crafting a Banshee.
For centuries, he'd been alone. Why make a deputy now? He couldn't remember, but something urged him.
A powerful living weapon—perfect. To evade the X-Men, he'd jumped to a time without them.
He couldn't time-travel alone. His first bloodstone, destroyed by Dante, enabled it. Was this the eighth or ninth?
Praying to Elder Gods was risky; he often discarded stones to shield himself.
But now, they granted his wish. After a ritual, time reversed, pulling him and Illyana to 1945 Hell's Border.
As the sole Belasco, he overwrote his era's self, remaining Hell's King.
Why the Elder Gods chose 1945, who knew? No X-Men here—he felt clever. Mortals couldn't track him now.
Step two: implant the bloodstone, corrupt her soul, forge a loyal warrior and depraved minion.
He gripped the wet gem, clenched his fist, and crouched, staring into Illyana's eyes.
"Scared?"
"…"
Illyana pressed against the wall, tears streaming. She didn't want to become a demon.
She covered her mouth, desperate to keep the stone out.
Behind her, the wall morphed into writhing tendrils, binding her limbs, splaying her like a lamb.
"Hahaha, fear's wrong! Scream!"
Belasco lifted her shirt, clawing bloody streaks on her stomach, tasting the blood.
Perfect—her physique could withstand the bloodstone's side effects, retaining human form while gaining power.
Pinching her chin, he studied her face. Pretty enough—future fine bitch.
Then, he punched through her stomach, shoving his arm into her abdomen.
He released the stone. It rampaged inside, fusing with her heart.
"AH!!!"
Illyana screamed, eyes rolling, nearly fainting, but the Elder Gods' whispers anchored her to reality.
Trapped between reality and nightmare, every second stretched infinitely, amplifying anger, forging a demon.
"Curse! Spit the vilest blasphemies—it'll ease you."
Belasco squeezed her organs, piercing her liver.
"AH!!!"
The bloodstone healed the damage but not the pain. As it mended her, its influence grew.
Soon, a new Banshee would rise.
But Belasco forgot: screams drown out the world.
Illyana's mind was flooded with Elder Gods' voices, her consciousness fading. She could only scream, their whispers burying Belasco's cackles.
"Why won't you curse?"
He crushed her liver, reaching for her pancreas.
"AH!!!"
No reaction he wanted. Frowning, he yanked tendrils from the ceiling, whipping her small body.
Despite her pained writhing, she only screamed, saying nothing.
To become a demon, the subject needed darkness, hatred for fate, and soul desecration.
Illyana wasn't there yet.
Growing impatient, Belasco reached for her pants, ready to use his best method.
But before he touched her, the floor vanished. Darkness swallowed him, and he fell endlessly, destination unknown.
Looking up, he saw a gold-sparking ring shrink to a pinpoint and vanish.
"AH!!! Kamar-Taj! Damn Ancient One!!!"
Hamir tucked his hands into his sleeves, signaling to Deathstroke it was done.
Swapping Monarch for Hamir was for Belasco—a flightless, spell-forgetting Hell Lord? Su Ming had a simple plan.
Like Loki's treatment in another world: Sling Ring portal plus free fall.
Monarch's dark magic hit harder, but his portals were slower than Kamar-Taj's Sling Ring. To trap someone, white magic was key.
Why was Su Ming here? Reverse deduction from the book. He'd eliminated names, but Magik's was absent.
In London and Germany, Magik stuck with the X-Men, acting like she knew Su Ming personally, unlike others.
Other time-travelers—Cable, Deadpool, Shadowcat, Bishop—were in the book.
Not Magik.
Since Kamar-Taj was unmentioned, Su Ming theorized Illyana wasn't omitted as a time-traveler but as a Kamar-Taj mage, evading scripting.
She couldn't do it alone, but someone could—Ancient One.
Ancient One not only stayed unrecorded but kept Kamar-Taj and interdimensional foes out of the story.
Three key points:
First, Magik could traverse dimensions and time, using Hell's Border as a hub. The X-Men's WWII return relied on her.
Second, Belasco kidnapped Magik, training her in Hell's Border to corrupt her into a demonic Banshee. The exact time was unclear.
Third, Loki's story omitted Magik.
Her expression last meeting implied a personal history with Su Ming, making her unique among the new X-Men.
Kidnapped at seven, Su Ming didn't know her before—she'd have gone to Choshin Academy, not Xavier's. Her genetic disease was treatable.
Rescued, she grew up at Xavier's, acting with the new X-Men, with no chance to meet Deathstroke alone.
Their meeting must've happened during her kidnapping.
Su Ming wanted no ties to Elder Gods. He came to Hell's Border for Balder, not otherwise.
Abandoning Balder meant no future visits.
Romantically, this was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with Hell; bluntly, who'd return to this tentacle-ridden dump?
Conclusion: his current time in Hell's Border was his and Magik's "first" meeting.
The only possible time.
He sketched Belasco's likeness, had Ciri space-jump to confirm, then the trio portaled behind him.
Young Magik's screams masked their arrival. Su Ming planned tactics behind Belasco, unheard.