Everyone around them jolted in alarm, caught off guard by the sudden ambush.
For a moment, tension snapped taut like a drawn bowstring. When the attacker revealed himself, some of that tension loosened.
A grotesque figure clung to the nearby wall like a lizard, his misshapen limbs wrapped around the cold steel framework. His forked tongue recoiled into his mouth, lips curling into a sneer as his bulging, amphibian eyes glinted with malice.
It was Toad.
Raven's heart dropped "Stop! Toad, stand down!"
But it was too late.
If it had been Soren alone, perhaps he would've let it go.
But the attack hadn't just targeted him, it was aimed at Jean. A breath slower, and Jean might have been seriously hurt.
The dragon has inverse scales… and those who touch them die.
A deadly stillness fell over the scene as Soren's aura easy-going, unassuming doctor, was gone.
Soren vanished, his figure blurring out of sight with a sharp gust of air. He reappeared standing at Toad's feet.
A massive dark magic circle surged to life behind Toad on the wall, eerie runes glowing with sickly green and purple light. The magic exuded a malevolent, otherworldly energy that made the metal framework creak under its presence.
Toad's eyes widened in horror.
"W-what is this?!"
His skin began to blister and fester, the corruptive power of the spell eating into his flesh.
He let out a guttural scream, struggling against invisible bindings.
Soren's psychokinesis gripped him like an unbreakable cage. Even a powerhouse like Magneto would have struggled under this full-force assault, a third-tier mutant like Toad stood no chance.
The magic circle expanded, its writhing tendrils pulling Toad inward, swallowing him piece by piece.
His screams echoed through the steel corridors as his body disintegrated into nothingness, consumed by the abyss.
The others could only watch in silence, their horror mirrored in every face. This was not the kind-hearted doctor they thought they knew.
As the last remnants of Toad vanished, the magic circle collapsed into itself with a cold shimmer. Soren turned, his face devoid of emotion.
"No one, I don't care who, no one harms the people I care about."
The words echoed like a chilling decree.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Raven stood frozen. Oddly, she didn't feel grief for Toad, instead, her gaze shifted toward Jean, lingering in quiet envy.
How lucky she was to have someone so powerful who would erupt into wrath on her behalf.
To be protected like that… to be cared for.
Raven's heart twisted.
Wolverine exchanged a troubled glance with Cyclops and Storm. None of them had expected this display of dark magic or that Soren, the doctor they'd understood, harbored such ferocity and mystical power.
"Let's move." Soren said flatly.
"The summit is starting. And Erik won't wait."
One by one, the others collected themselves, falling into step behind him.
As they moved toward the summit platform where Magneto's plan would unfold, Jean walked a little closer to Soren.
"Thank you… for what you did."
Her voice was soft.
Soren's expression softened slightly. "Always."
No one bothered to hide anymore.
Since Magneto already knew they were coming, there was no point in stealth.
The group ascended the winding metal staircase inside the Statue of Liberty with tense, hurried steps.
"Rrraugh!"
A guttural, animalistic snarl shattered the tense quiet, followed by a blur of motion.
A towering figure lunged out from the shadows, blocking their path. Muscular, savage, and wreathed in thick, untamed hair, his jagged fangs gleamed like ivory daggers beneath the flickering lights.
Sabretooth.
Raven stepped forward quickly, alarmed.
"Sabretooth! Get out of the way, Erik's plan won't work! We have to stop him!"
Her voice was sharp, but her heart beat uneasily.
She had made her choice to stand with Soren and the X-Men. The memory of Toad's quick and brutal death lingered in her mind.
She feared what would happen if Sabretooth pushed too far.
Sabretooth's face twisted in fury.
"Raven… you traitor!"
"You're siding with them? With him?"
He gestured toward Soren with a clawed hand, his expression a mix of betrayal and unfiltered rage. In Sabretooth's world, loyalty was everything.
And Raven, the one he thought an ally, now stood against them.
He charged.
But before he could reach her, another figure tackled him mid-air.
"I've been waiting for this." Wolverine growled, slamming Sabretooth to the ground with bone-jarring force.
The two feral mutants tumbled into a vicious brawl, claws tearing, snarls ripping through the air, steel against flesh.
It was a grudge older than memory.
Their struggle was a whirlwind of muscle and blood, but both were too evenly matched, their healing factors rendering blows that would cripple others mere annoyances.
It was clear this fight wouldn't resolve anytime soon.
'Let Logan handle him.' Professor X mentally called firmly.
'You need to keep moving.'
Everyone nodded. No one argued.
There was no time to waste.
Together, the group hurried upward, finally emerging into the night air atop the Statue of Liberty's torch platform.
The winds howled, carrying the scent of salt and metal from the bay.
A heavy metal door groaned open.
And there he stood.
Magneto.
Erik Lensherr, regal and dangerous. His presence made the very metal structure tremble in sympathy, his power radiating in silent waves.
But when his cold gaze fell on Soren, a flicker of shock broke through his composure.
"Dr. Macaluso…?"
The disbelief in Magneto's voice was genuine.
He had respected Soren's power, to see him now, aligned with Charles and the X-Men, standing between him and his victory.
"Why?"
Before Soren could answer, Professor X spoke, his mind carrying a deep, weary sorrow.
'Erik. Your plan… it won't save them. That machine of yours it's unstable. If you activate it, the world leaders won't become mutants. They'll die. You'll be condemning them, Erik.'
Charles was heavy with grief.
He and Erik had walked so far together, shared so much, and now stood on opposite sides of a tragedy about to unfold.
Magneto's eyes narrowed, his jaw tight.
"So… even you turn against me. All of you."
His gaze swept over Raven… Raven, who'd once called him brother, and hardened.
Inside, Magneto seethed.
A white-eyed wolf. A traitor.
But outwardly, his voice was calm.
"I will not stop. My plan is moments from success. Thousands of mutants will no longer have to crawl in the shadows. No more hiding. No more fear."
His voice rose, steely and resolute.
"Anyone who stands against me tonight… stands against the future of our kind."
As if to punctuate his words, the steel beams of the platform quivered, resonating with the force of his will.
꧁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