Chapter 6

  Arc 1 - Ch 6: Banished

  Date: Friday, June 4, 2010.

  Location: Xavier Institute, Scarsdale, New York

  Jearolled alongside Tyson. A gentle breeze whispered through the trees lining the path, rustling the leaves and pying with her long, fiery red hair. The wind carried Jean's unique st into his enhanced senses; rose and vender overyed with amber and the smell of fire.

  "Tyson, when you reted Logan and Victor's history... I felt it. All of it. Through your mind."

  Tyson halted, taken aback. He turo face her, surprise etched on his features. "You did? I thought my mind was too difficult to read."

  "It is. Except when your thoughts are broadcasting so loudly. Or if I'm near you. I'm so sorry for the maelstrom of emotions you're experieng right now. It must be pletely overwhelming."

  Tysoated, grasping for the right words. "It's like... I have tw souls inside of me. One my own, the other a phantom of Sabertooth's."

  A moment of shared uanding passed between them. "Sometimes I feel a simir tug-of-war. A sehat there's another entity, another personality within me, fighting for trol."

  Tyson's brow furrowed with as he studied Jean's face. Her admission stirred an uneasy memory. If he recalled correctly, Jean had a repressed personality he had seen take hold of her in the movies. Or worse, could she be referring to the Phoenix? Or heaven forbid, the Dark Phoenix?

  "You do?" he asked, a nervous edge creeping into his voice.

  Jean gave a solemn nod, her eyes downcast. She ed her arms around herself as if warding off a chill despite it being a fortable summer day.

  "Ever since my powers started growing, I've felt...something. Another presence, deep in the recesses of my mind. Like a caged animal, pag restlessly." She shivered. "At first, it was just glimpses, but it's gotten stronger. Harder to ignore."

  Jean lifted her gaze to meet Tyson's, her green eyes clouded with uainty. "The Professor says that an embodiment of my power. But when it surges up..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "It frightens me. Feels like I'm on the edge of losing myself."

  Tyson studied her with growing unease. "Have you told the Professor everything? Maybe there's some way he help get it under trol."

  Jean gave a half-hearted shrug. "We've been w on teiques to keep it tained. Buildial barriers and such. But it's getting stronger all the time. Like a dam about to burst." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I just hope it's enough."

  The defeat in her voice made Tyson's chest tighten. He pced a gentle hand on her shoulder. Jean managed a small, grateful smile. But in her eyes, Tyson saw traces of a growing dread. As they approached the gym entrance she abruptly stopped and turo face Tyson directly.

  "We'll get together soon, I promise," she said, "If I find bahin myself, you too. I'll help you in any way I ."

  "Thank you, Jean. That means a lot. I'm no psychic, but if there's anything I do, let me know."

  Jean gave his arm a light, reassuring squeeze. "Just being around you is nice. Your mind is quieter than everyone else's."

  They strolled into their physical education css, joining the students already gathered odoor basketball courts adjat to the gymnasium. As they stepped onto the court, their teacher, Scott Summers, cpped his hands sharply to get everyone's attention.

  "Alright everyooday we're pying basketball," he announced, his eyes hidden behind his distinctive ruby quartz sungsses.

  Tyson's face broke into an eager grin, his mind already envisioning how dominant he'd be in basketball with his new physique.

  As the game kicked off, his fidence quickly morphed into surprise and then thrill. One of the students caught the ball and then tossed it directly into open space. Before Tyson could eveer the bad pass, there was a blur and a rush of air as the student disappeared, only to reappear and snatch the ball from midair. With two more telep blinks, the boy was in rao shoot, and the ball swished ly through the he other students burst into appuse and cheers while the scorer shrugged modestly, chug at their rea.

  Tyson leaned into the challenge. 'Well, at least it'll be iing,' he thought.

  The ball assed between pyers. Finally, it came to Tyson, who cradled it securely a his knees. Drawing on years of muscle memory from before he arrived in this world, he leaped upwards, arm extending, and released the ball in a smooth, practiced motion.

  But as the ball reached its peak, it froze in midair. Tyson's spun around, sing the court until he spotted Jean. She stood across from him wearing a pyful grin, one hand raised subtly as she telekiically held the ball aloft. With a cheeky wink, she directed the ball into the waiting hands of a teammate before turning and running down the court.

  Tyson jogged over to Jean, feigning annoyahrough his smile. "Just wait until I get the ball ime."

  Leaning in, Jean dropped her voi octave lower. "Looking forward to it," she decred before spinning on her heel and rejoining the game.

  All eyes were glued to the ongoing game, where the usual rules of basketball collided with the uable abilities of the mutant students. Across the court, Shadowcat crouched low. As a teammate hurled the ball toward Tyson, he sprang into a, extending his arms outward to intercept it. But to his dismay, the ball passed harmlessly through his grasping fingers, then his torso.

  Stumbling, Tyson whirled around, he spotted the culprit.

  Shadowcat removed her hand from his bad was already moving for the loose ball. With agility granted by Sabertooth, Tyson raced forward, deftly maneuvering arouo snatch up the ball, passing it off to a waiting teammate.

  Dribbling down the court on the py, he sed for openings, his heightened senses pig up every sound and movement around him. Heading toward him was Illyana Rasputin. Tyson tensed, expeg her to shy away from his imposing size. Instead, she vanished, reappearing at his side to swipe the ball mid-dribble.

  "Not so good at this basketball, are you?" Illyana taunted. Lunging forward, Tyson grasped at the empty air as she teleported just out of reach, materializing across the court with the ball held aloft.

  Her eyes glinted with mischief beh the residual glow of her powers. "Well, well. Looks like the big, bad new guy met his match, didn't he?"

  She tossed the ball to aeammate, then teleported back to Tyson's side. She slowly circled him like a cat toying with a mouse. Pausing before him, she cocked her head in mock sympathy. "What's the matter, Tyson? 't brute force your way through me aer than you could brute force your way through Physics?"

  Illyana ighe game, more ied in taunting Tyson. "You know," she whispered, leaning in close, "this could have been avoided if you'd just pyed nice."

  Deliberately, she reached up toward his face. He dodged back.

  Tyson warned, "This is me pying nice. Keep ing at me and I'll show you how much of a brute I be." he finished with a snarl.

  Illyana was not oo back down. She teleported to his side again. Tyson tried to dodge, but her power matched his every move. Still, he mao say just out of reach. Until suddenly, Illyana disappeared.

  Tyson smelled her before he saw her; brimstone, smoke, and lic with the barest trace of sandalwood.

  But it was too te.

  Illyana had teleported behind him. She reached her hand around his head, brushing her fingers across his face for only an instant. The world faded away momentarily as a rush of memories engulfed Tyson.

  She had a traumatic youth. She was abused but escaped her tormentors by retreating into her personal realm, Limbo. Time there moved differently, acc to her will. She had greater trol of her powers while within her domain. She fed the Soulsword from a piece of her very soul. She reunited with her with her brother, Colossus, esg to the institute. She trained rigorously to trol her portals and teleportation. Her youth had left scars, both visible and invisible. Those years shaped her resilie underh her tough exterior y vulnerability and a deep-seated mistrust of the world.

  The sounds of the basketball game faded into the background as Tyson focused ily on his hands. His left arm became encased iallic armor as he invoked Illyana's mutant ability that he had absorbed through her touch.

  Illyana flinched back, startled. The shock of Tyson maing her power struck her deeply. She recoiled as much from the pain of his touch as the surprise of his mimig her gift. Her already pale skin bnched further, being ghostly white. She drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide.

  "You!" she began, her voice quivering with a votile mix of pain and fury. "You're not allowed to use your powers to harm other students!"

  Tyson cut her off sharply, his temper rising. "Me? You started this, Illyana. I warned you not to push me too far."

  She shouted over him, her voice thick with anger, "You'll regret that! You go to Hell!" Suddenly, she smiled evilly.

  "Well, maybe not hell. Limbo will suffice."

  Her expression twisted into a vengeful snarl. Without another word, Illyana swept her arm in a dramatic arc. The very air seemed to vibrate with dark energy. A portal maed beh Tyson, revealing glimpses of a hellish demonic realm.

  Before Tyson could react, the portal's gravity seized him. With a cry of surprise, he plunged downward.

  The sudden shift from the basketball court to the hellish realm of Limbo was jarring, leaving Tyson disoriented as he tumbled through the portal. Looking up, he saw that the sky was a haunting blood red. Jagged roations jutted out from the ground. Distant screams and wails echoed through the smoky air, mingling with the ever-present stench of sulfur that g to everything.

  Tyson nded hard, the impact shattering bones and f the air from his lungs in a painful gasp. He y motionless, struggling to breathe through the searing agony. Then, blessed warmth spread through his body as his healing ability swiftly forced bones bato pce, and knit them back together. The iy of the pain followed by relief left Tyson reeling, but he used the moment to gather himself before unsteadily getting to his feet.

  He looked around warily, taking in the nightmarish realm. Molten va flowed o hardened bck rod jagged obsidian. The swirling red and bck sky cast an ominous glow over everything. Massive pilrs of stoted up randomly from the uerrain. Choking smoke and the stench of brimstone filled the air with each breath. In the distayson could see shadowy shapes moving atop some of the jagged peaks, their uhly howls and roars eg through the realm. Everything about Limbo emanated menace, even the very ground seemed to pulse with dark, sinister energy. Though no immediate threat preseself, Tyson couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, of being a trespasser in a realm where he was utterly unwele.

  — Rogue Rept —

  The dribble of the basketball and the eic shouts of the pyers were cut short as an eerie silence desded on the court. All eyes were fixed in horror on the spot where Tyson had stood just moments before, swallowed up by the portal jured by Illyana Rasputin.

  Illyana stood motionless, her breaths came in heavy rasps, a visible aura of crag dark energy surrounding her. Silver light glinted in her eyes, matg the are glow of the armor now eng her right arm. In her hand, she gripped a longsword. Summoning the portal had been an impulsive act, driven by raw emotion, but Illyana showed no signs ret at banishing Tyson.

  Scott Summers reized the precarious situation immediately. "Illyana!" he shouted, "Bring him baow!"

  On the far side of the court, Jean Grey watched in horror as the portal swallowed Tyson, and then winked out of existence. Her heart hammered against her ribs and her breath caught ihroat. "Oh no, Tyson," she whispered, her voice quivering. She could feel their fledgling friendship slipping away, the possibility of a deeper bond cruelly snatched from her grasp. Panid sorrow dueled within her usually serene green eyes.

  Scott reached Illyana and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "Illyana! You have t him back. We don't harm our own!"

  Illya his visor with a defiant stare. "He hurt me first! Let him rot."

  A cold gust of wind swept across the court, carrying with it the promise of an approag storm. Students reflexively gnced around, half-expeg to see Ororo Muhe white-haired weather-maniputing professor known as Storm. But she was o be found.

  This 2was something else entirely.

  All eyes turo Jean Grey as her feet lifted from the crete. She floated gracefully, surrounded by an aura of raw psychic power. Her red hair whipped around her head, dang wildly as if possessed. Jean's deep green eyes burned with an intense fiery light, shifting to a vivid crimson. She radiated a palpable dahe dispy transfixed everyone present.

  "Bring. Him. Baow!" Jean's voice echoed, amplified, and yered as if spoken in harmony with ahe and resonated not just audibly, but psychically as well.

  All eyes locked between Jean and Illyana Rasputin, two of the academy's most formidable mutants. Their brewing frontation was impossible to look away from. Illyana, known for her fiery temper and stubborn defianever backed down from anyone. Yet something in Jean's yered psychic voice gave her pause.

  This was not a request.

  The sheer force of Jean's abilities reached out, enveloping Illyana's mind and pelling obediehe Russian girl's fierce blue eyes gzed over, her usual spark repced by a vat, trance-like stare.

  Jean's influence was unmistakable.

  A heavy silence fell, broken only as Illyana summoned a portal. The silver-hued gateway rippled before her, otherworldly and foreboding. Gone was Illyana's characteristic bravado and swagger, repced by a disoriented, almost lost expression. Jean's and was a subtle yet irresistible manipution of will and i. Without a backward g her peers or the professor who looked on with evident , she stepped into the portal.

  Retrieving Tyson was now her sole focus in life.

  Around the gymnasium, hushed whispers broke out among those familiar with the extent of Jean's abilities. Rarely were they so openly dispyed, and rarer still was it to see them affeeone s-willed. The realization that Jean had not just anded but trolled Illya a chill down many spines, reminding all present of the delicate baween capability and responsibility among mutants.

  The dispy of psionic might was both impressive and uling, hinting at the sheer force Jean could wield.

  Behind the Ses

  - Magik uses stepping dis the ics. Here her teleportation is more like as seen in the New Mutants movie. She open sling-ring-like portals to Limbo (no prep estures necessary) or teleport by moving through Limbo in a power remi of Nightcrawler’s.

  - This se is partly inspired by X-Men (2000), New Mutants, X-3, and Dark Phoenix.

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