The roar of the jet engines filled the sky as the X-Men soared toward the ruins of Egypt.
Soren watched them disappear into the horizon, a knowing smile playing on his lips. He had done his part. What would come next, he would observe.
Inside the Blackbird, tension filled the compartment. The team had felt their powers surge under Soren's ability, their confidence renewed. But as the fighter jet approached the towering ancient pyramids, their optimism wavered.
An alarm blared.
"What is that?" Hank's voice rang out in shock as the sensors picked up a swarm of metallic objects in the air.
The sky in front of them was filled with floating iron constructs, shifting and swirling in a storm of metal. They formed a near-impenetrable blockade around the entrance to the pyramid.
"Erik…" Mystique muttered, her grip tightening.
Floating high above the battlefield, Magneto stood unmoving, arms stretched wide as he manipulated the magnetic field. His expression was unreadable, but his intentions were clear, they weren't getting past.
"We don't have time for this!" Quicksilver said, vibrating with impatience.
Mystique turned sharply to the team. "Jean, Kurt, Hank, get inside and find Charles. Quicksilver and I will handle Erik."
Jean hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Got it."
The moment the jet touched the ground, the team rushed out.
But the moment they approached the pyramid's entrance, they were met with resistance.
Standing at the base were three of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen... Psylocke, Storm, and Angel.
Storm raised an arm, the wind howling as the sky darkened. Lightning crackled across her fingertips before a fierce tornado shot toward them.
"MOVE!" Hank shouted.
He barely had time to push the others aside before the tornado struck, sending him tumbling across the sand.
Jean's eyes darted to Nightcrawler. "Go! Find Charles, NOW!"
Nightcrawler nodded sharply before vanishing in a cloud of blue smoke.
Nightcrawler reappeared just beyond the pyramid's entrance, his breath shallow.
The moment he materialized, he realized his worst fear.
The inside of the pyramid was a labyrinth of glowing passageways. A twisting, winding maze of ancient corridors, all radiating with an ominous blue glow.
"Damn it."
He couldn't teleport anywhere he hadn't seen before, which meant finding Charles would be harder than he thought.
Before he could make a move~
A shadow moved behind him.
A gust of wind, a blur of wings, and then searing pain.
Angel's fist slammed into his back, sending Nightcrawler skidding forward.
"Gotcha." Angel sneered, spreading his razor-sharp metallic wings.
Nightcrawler barely had time to recover before Angel dived at him again, his steel feathers glinting under the eerie blue light.
Nightcrawler vanished just as the wings slashed through empty air.
Reappearing at the far end of the hall, he gritted his teeth. He couldn't fight Angel… not head-on.
So he ran.
Angel snarled and took off after him. The chase had begun.
In the heart of the pyramid, Professor X lay strapped to an ancient altar.
Blue energy swirled around him, pulsing in waves as Apocalypse stood above him, arms raised.
His deep, rumbling voice echoed through the chamber. "You are but a vessel, Charles. My time is now."
Charles struggled against his restraints, sweat dripping down his face. He could feel Apocalypse's mind pushing into his… invading, corrupting, consuming.
"NO!" Charles shouted, his voice echoing through the halls. "GET OUT!"
The scream reached Nightcrawler's ears.
His heart pounded. That was Charles!
Using a burst of strength, he teleported through the corridors, dodging Angel's strikes until~
He saw him. There, at the center of the ritual, was his professor.
Nightcrawler's eyes widened. He had to act.
Professor X's body convulsed under the pulsating blue energy. His face twisted in agony as Apocalypse's power threatened to consume him.
Nightcrawler stopped hesitating.
Angel's razor-sharp metallic wings sliced toward him, and Nightcrawler vanished in a cloud of blue smoke.
Reappearing in a blink, he grabbed Professor X's limp form and, with another burst of energy, teleported away as Angel's wings tore through empty space.
Inside the Blackbird, the sudden rush of air startled Jean, who turned sharply to see Nightcrawler materialize with Professor X in his arms.
"Kurt! You did it!" Jean gasped, relief washing over her.
Nightcrawler didn't stop. He teleported back onto the battlefield, grabbing Hank, Storm, and Mystique one by one, bringing them onto the jet before their enemies could react.
Mystique barely had time to process what happened before calling out, "We need to go, NOW!"
The moment the last X-Man was aboard, the jet engines roared to life, the Blackbird lifting off in a sharp ascent.
A deep, inhuman roar tore through the air.
An invisible shockwave blasted out from the Pyramids, slamming into the fighter jet with devastating force.
The jet shuddered violently, nearly spiraling out of control.
Struggling with the controls, Hank yelled, "What was that?!"
Mystique's eyes snapped toward the pyramid's peak.
There, standing above them, was Apocalypse. His body pulsed with raw energy, which he would have collapsed to summon if he hadn't been healed by Soren.
He raised both hands, blue energy swirling around his form before condensing into a blazing orb of power.
With a deafening roar, he launched it straight at them.
The X-Men barely had time to react.
Jean's eyes widened. "We're not gonna make it!"
Hank's hands gripped the controls desperately, but the energy blast was moving too fast.
"GRAB MY TAIL!"
Nightcrawler's desperate voice rang through the cabin.
Jean, Mystique, and the others instinctively reached out, each grabbing hold of his blue, prehensile tail.
Mystique wrapped herself around the unconscious Charles, holding him tightly.
Nightcrawler focused all his energy, pushing his powers beyond his limit thanks to his increased potential and the threat of death.
The explosion was inches away~
Then, in a final, exhausting burst, Nightcrawler teleported.
The world blurred in a haze of blue smoke before the team crashed onto the ground.
"Agh!" Jean groaned, rolling onto her side.
"Ow! Dammit, Kurt!" Quicksilver yelped, rubbing his elbow.
A collective series of pained groans filled the air. But the Blackbird was gone.
It had exploded mid-air, consumed by Apocalypse's attack.
Had they been a second slower, they would have all died.
Mystique quickly checked on Charles, who was groaning weakly as he regained consciousness.
A relieved smile touched her lips. He was alive.
But before anyone could celebrate...
"Charles."
Everyone froze. The space around them seemed to tremble.
"Come to me!"
Standing a few meters away, Apocalypse loomed in the brightness. His predatory gaze locked onto his vessel.
"You are stronger than they will ever be. You were born to rule, not to serve."
Charles shuddered, his body still weak, his mind still clouded from the failed possession.
But Quicksilver saw red.
He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. This monster had his father under his control.
His own father.
A sudden burst of wind filled the air. Quicksilver was gone in a blink, rushing straight toward Apocalypse in pure rage.
"DON'T!" Charles shouted.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream