"Ugh!"
Jean groaned, clutching her head as she sat up, clearly in pain.
"You alright?" I asked, still shaking off my own confusion.
"I—" she started, but was immediately cut off by a shrieking alarm blaring through the room. A loud, wailing siren that made her eyes snap wide open.
Pain clearly didn't matter anymore. Whatever that sound meant, it was worse.
"I have to go," she muttered, one hand still on her head while the other scrambled for clothes. "The mansion's being attacked."
I blinked. "What?"
Under attack? This place? With Xavier, Storm, and the walking nuclear reactor that is Jean Grey living in it?
Who the hell—
"Jean, report to the main gate." Storm's voice rang through the room, crisp and commanding through an invisible intercom. "The Brotherhood has attacked."
Ah. Of course.
If anyone was insane enough to assault the X-Men and maybe survive, it'd be the Brotherhood.
That… made me a little nervous. Not out of fear, exactly—but because the Brotherhood's leader supposedly had powers that felt a little too familiar.
"You stay here," Jean said sharply, pulling on a wrinkled T-shirt and shorts from the floor like it was just another Tuesday. "It's dangerous. We'll handle it."
A reasonable suggestion. Just not for me.
What if there was a hidden quest trigger tied to this fight? I wasn't about to sit in the lobby and miss a potential epic loot drop.
"Look, I know you think I'm a rookie," I said, following her as she moved fast, "but I've got a good handle on my powers. I'm strong."
Not bragging. Just facts.
"Doesn't matter," she shot back. "You've got no real experience."
Wow. Okay. Bold of her to assume.
"I've almost died, like… three times," I replied. "That should count."
"Storm can vouch for me," I added, quickening my pace. "She's seen what I can do. She trusts me."
Jean didn't look convinced, but she didn't stop me either.
"Fine. But don't get hurt."
"I won't." I mean, I might. But I wasn't about to admit that.
I had a couple new skills now, and enough reckless optimism to carry me through.
When we reached the main entrance, Storm, Xavier, and Beast were already there. Alongside them was a new face I hadn't seen before.
"Sorry," Jean said breathlessly, glancing down at her makeshift outfit. "Didn't have time to suit up."
Everyone else was wearing the standard-issue yellow and black. Stylish, if your aesthetic was "retro bumblebee."
"Their jet broke through the barrier," Xavier said grimly. "They've upgraded it with some kind of piercing tech."
"We've got one minute before they reach mansion grounds," Beast added. "Secondary defenses are still online."
While they strategized, my eyes wandered over to the unfamiliar girl.
She was watching me. Subtly. But definitely watching.
And conveniently, I had just the thing for that.
[Name: Illyana Rasputina]
[Age: 20]
[Nickname: Magik]
[Race: Meta-Human]
[Ability: Teleportation, Magical Affinity, Minor Spatial Manipulation]
Oh, that's Magik. Now we're talking.
"You're staring," she said, frowning slightly. "Your eyes are glowing."
Welp.
Note to self: subtlety is not this skill's strong suit.
Everyone turned to me. I immediately shut the ability down.
"You should stay inside, Daniel," Xavier said, voice calm but final. "Your potential doesn't matter if you lack experience. You joining the fight may cause more harm than good."
"Professor's right," Beast added. "You still—"
"CHARLES!"
The conversation was shattered by a voice—loud, raw, and furious. It echoed like thunder across the grounds.
"COME OUT! YOU BROKE THE AGREEMENT!"
I didn't need a face to know who it was.
The tone said it all—aged, angry, and ready to burn the world down.
"He's skilled enough to handle himself, Professor," Storm said, surprisingly siding with me. "I've seen him use his abilities. He can be helpful—especially with a large part of the team missing."
Xavier looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't get the chance.
"Charles!"
"Give him a chance, Professor," Jean added, now backing Storm. Which was… unexpected, considering she'd just been in Xavier's corner a minute ago.
Xavier squinted at me, his expression unreadable. "Don't get hurt. Stay at a safe distance."
I nodded, doing my best to look reliable and not at all like someone who'd absolutely ignore that instruction the moment things got interesting.
Magik was still watching me. Hard to ignore.
I kept glancing back at her, too.
Not just because she was pretty—though, let's be honest, she was gorgeous. Blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, the whole "mysterious" aesthetic going strong.
But more than that—she felt… off.
She was supposed to be younger. A teenager, maybe. But she looked twenty. According to my Eyes of Life, she was twenty.
Which meant something about this timeline was screwed up. And that was very, very worrying.
Still, that problem had to wait.
Beast moved to the heavy doors and threw them open, letting in a rush of air—and a whole crew of familiar, and not-so-friendly, faces.
The Brotherhood had arrived.
They had us beat in numbers—eight of them to our six.
I activated
Front and center was a man in red and purple, metal helmet gleaming in the sunlight. The same one who'd been shouting earlier.
Magneto. Master of magnetism. And currently radiating enough anger to power a small country.
Beside him, a woman with deep blue skin and fiery red hair. Yellow eyes, too. Her entire vibe screamed "deadly and mysterious"—and also "might stab you mid-conversation."
Mystique. Shape-shifter. Cunning. Dangerous. Gorgeous, despite the whole "blue" thing.
Next, a guy and a girl.
The guy looked like he'd sprinted out of a track meet: silver hair, tight blue suit, vibrating with pent-up energy.
Quicksilver. Speedster. ADHD personified.
Next to him, another redhead—normal skin tone this time, but I knew better than to assume she was less dangerous.
Scarlet Witch. Chaos magic. Potentially the most powerful one here… if she had her powers under control.
Then came the less-famous faces, so I scanned them with the Eyes of Life.
[Name: Mortimer Toynbee]
[Age: 23]
[Nickname: Toad]
[Race: Meta-Human]
[Ability: Amphibian Body, Prehensile Tongue, Toxin Secretion]
Honestly, the goggles and posture should've been enough.
[Name: Dominikos Petrakis]
[Age: 26]
[Nickname: Avalanche]
[Race: Meta-Human]
[Ability: Seismic Wave Generation]
Totally forgot this guy existed. Sorry, Dom.
But the last one… I had no idea who he was. Zero recognition. Had to rely on the scan.
[Name: Jason Wyngarde]
[Age: 37]
[Nickname: Mastermind]
[Race: Meta-Human]
[Ability: Telepathy, Illusion Casting, Memory Alteration]
Yikes.
Thank god I picked up that mental resistance ability. This guy would've been a nightmare otherwise.
"Certainly an Omega," Mystique murmured, eyes fixed on a watch-like device in her hand.
Whatever it was telling her, Magneto didn't like it.
"You better explain yourself, Charles," he growled. If the voice didn't make his fury clear, the way the jet behind him started rattling violently sure did.
His powers were flaring—metal groaned, air buzzed—and even the Brotherhood members edged away a bit.
"We made a deal," he snapped. "You inform me the moment a mutant appears, and I do the same. No poaching. No secrets. We let the kids choose."
Wait—what? That's a thing here?
That… actually makes sense. It would've saved everyone so many stupid fights back in the old continuity.
"Calm down, Erik," Xavier said, exhaling slowly. "It's not what it looks like."
"Calm down?" Magneto's voice went from furious to volcanic. "You broke our agreement—took a mutant child for yourself—and you want me calm?"
I mean… he wasn't wrong.
The X-Men might've been outnumbered right now, but in the grand scheme? Yeah, they were winning. More recruits, more visibility. Magneto's side? Losing ground.
Storm stepped forward. "I found him while he was being attacked. It wasn't betrayal—it was necessity."
Magneto scoffed. "And who was attacking him?"
Storm didn't answer.
Which made Magneto scoff even harder.
"The ones without powers. The so-called superior beings who see themselves as the pinnacle of evolution." Magneto's voice grew sharper, laced with fury. "They are the reason we exist. I blame you for that, Charles. They push us down through laws, governments—systems built to oppress. And you… let them."
It's worth noting: the Brotherhood didn't start out as villains.
They began as a resistance—fighting against mutant discrimination. And in some ways, they still are.
The problem? Their methods.
Everything the world did to them, they want to do back to the world. That's where Xavier steps in—trying to be the balance. The middle ground. A voice of reason between two extremes.
Magneto believes coexistence is a myth. That one side has to dominate—mutants, obviously.
Xavier, on the other hand, clings to the belief that equality is possible. He doesn't just resist the world's hate—he resists Magneto's, too.
It sounds black and white, but dig deeper and it's all kinds of gray. Both sides have had their moments—of truth, of failure.
I don't support Xavier, fully, but in a way, I have to —against Magneto's beliefs.
"We can talk about this, Erik," Xavier said, calm as ever. "The choice is Daniel's in the end. But considering the bond he's already formed with Storm and the others, I believe it's best if he stays with the X-Men."
And there it was.
A textbook bad move.
If Xavier wanted me to choose him, he could've just winked or something. Subtle. This? This painted a target on my back.
"Hah," Magneto scoffed. "Brainwashing young minds—your specialty, Charles. But I won't stand for it."
Then his eyes snapped to me.
"Come with us, child. We'll help you truly unlock your powers. Give you freedom. No chains. No limits. Use your gifts however you please."
Child, huh? I mean, yeah, he's old. Makes sense.
"Whatever lies Xavier fed you," Mystique added, her voice low and smooth, "don't buy into them. Come with us—we'll even help you find whoever hurt you."
Okay, that hit a nerve.
Finding my attackers is something I need to do… but it's my path to walk, not theirs to dangle.
"I…" The Brotherhood was tempting. Chaotic, yes—but tempting.
Still, "I'll stick with the X-Men."
Because let's be real: no matter how much "freedom" they promise, it's hard to be free when the world sees you as a terrorist.
Magneto looked stunned for a split second—then angry. Again.
"So you did mess with his mind, Charles!" he snapped. "I will not let this slide."
Subtlety? Gone. The man was ready to pop.
"Avalanche!" he barked. "You know what to do."
I braced for impact—some explosion, a flying car, maybe even a chunk of Earth—
But instead…
"Under the agreement between the Brotherhood and the X-Men," said the broad guy stepping forward, "I, Dominikos Petrakis—Avalanche—challenge you to a Decision Match. The winner gets to decide the group."
He pointed at me.
Wait… what?
"That—" I started.
"That is the rule, Charles," Magneto interrupted. "I suspect foul play. Under our agreement, he has every right to initiate a challenge."
Hold on.
I'm the prize here. Why do I have to fight? Shouldn't this be Brotherhood vs. X-Men?
I turned to Xavier, hoping for some kind of "don't worry, this is all for show" reassurance.
Instead, I saw him… biting his lip.
"I… agree."
What?!
…
…
—Nicholas Joseph Fury—
"Report!" commanded a deep, mature voice.
The agents flinched at the roar of their director. One of the female agents stepped forward and stood in front of the dark-skinned man. The others, while respectful of their director… were even more afraid of him. And so, they were grateful that the woman had come forward with the report.
Nick Fury was a tall man with an imposing physique, a bald head, and an eyepatch over his left eye. His face wore its usual stoic expression as he gazed at his agents. Being the director of the most secretive defense agency in the world was no easy task, and keeping track of every event—big or small—was even more strenuous.
"Multiple energy surges detected near Salem Center, Westchester County, sir," reported the woman, Maria Hill—his most trusted agent.
Nick Fury's frown deepened. He was well aware of the cause of such a spike: mutants.
He stared directly at the woman. "How many?"
"More than ten," Maria answered. "And they're different from the usual ones in that area."
Nick Fury was no fool. He knew about the presence of mutants—so did the government. But neither had acted against them.
The last time anyone tried, it ended in chaos.
"A different branch?" Fury asked. "The troublesome bunch?"
"Affirmative."
That told him everything he needed to know.
'Brotherhood.' His frown sharpened like a blade. 'Xavier's group is troublesome and reckless enough, but the Brotherhood is far worse. They need eyes on them.'
He turned around immediately. "Assign a group to watch duty. Report everything that happens there—every single detail. And notify me of even the slightest deviation."
The rest of the crew nodded, though Maria seemed to have something to add.
"About those deviations, sir…" She looked a little unsure. "There is one."
The bald man grew visibly curious—anxious, even. Deviations were never good, especially with mutants involved.
"We're sensing a presence we've never recorded before."
"A new mutant?" the director asked. 'That would explain the gathering. And if the assumption is correct, things are about to get messier.'
"Track every movement," he ordered. "If the energy shifts or moves to a different location, inform me immediately. We let them be—but if they threaten civilians, we'll have to be ready to act."
"As you wish, Director."
The only problem was—they had no means of stopping the mutants. Sure, the Avengers were capable, but the group was no longer bound to the government. Worse, Fury didn't have the persuasive power he once did.
Worst case, he'd have to rely on unconventional means.
'If only the government finishes whatever project they're working on before the mutants cause more trouble…'
For now, all he could do was watch from the sidelines.
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[[A/N: Read 25+ advance chapters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog
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