Cracks in the Shell
Author's note: Just what did the Cuckoos mentally see after Illyana first returned from Limbo after her initial struggle with Dormmanu (Uncanny X-Men #3 and 4)? The initial confrontation with Dormmanu appeared to have changed how Illyana viewed her companions and how she thought.
Some of the references in this story are tied to my prior story Snowflake on Ice. See the story There are no snowflakes in hell for Illyana's 2.0's creation.
5/29/15 I've updated this story with a what actually happened when Dormmanu tried to end Illyana.
Part 1:
Earlier Illyana had abruptly vanished then moments later had reappeared. Instead of her usual teleportation disks of light she had reappeared upside down four feet in the air surrounded by flames and red blazing ghostly images of bones and demon heads. Illyana took a hard fall landing on her side, blazing images and fire still surrounding her.
Everybody was rather freaked out, especially the newest member, code name Golden Balls; a nickname he was desperately trying to avoid. Illyana got to her knees and then stood up, the burning fire and burning images finally fading away. Illyana brushed off questions about what had just happened and fled to her room in a panic.
Flashback:
Illyana was held by two demons while Dormmanu's finger embedded itself mystically in Illyana's abdomen. This caused Illyana to cry out in pain, more from the spiritual disruption then any actual physical pain; although seeing a giant finger thrust into you is quite disturbing in itself.
Why was Dormmanu doing this? The disruption of Limbo was spilling over into his domain, causing mounting damage and disruption. Dormmanu was acting in his own perceived self defense. The threat had to be eliminated, thus his bid to take over Limbo and his summoning of Illyana to Limbo.
Dormmanu damned her, damned her with everything he had.
Dormmanu is one those creatures that always had more power and cunning then actual intellectual depths. For most magical entities this approach would have worked.
Should have worked.
But Illyana was not like most entities.
Just how do you damn somebody with all that you have? This wasn't your average magic zap. Dormmanu understood something about Illyana that others, and Illyana herself, did not know. He understood how Illyana's powers were broken and what he believed it would lead to; and to he acted to end her.
Illyana 2.0 had regained what was left of Illyana 1.0's soul. However it was not fully integrated. She was layered, unmixed. The soul was changing her, influencing her, but she was still very much not Illyana 1.0 in actions and in thoughts.
Dormmanu's power compressed the essence of Illyana. Her soul, her mind, her powers. All was squeezed together like a runaway stellar collapse. In an instant Dormmanu achieved what would have taken years, if ever. The layering was gone, crushed into a hard dense core hovering on extinction. Illyana mind had only one thought was left as she endured the agony.
"NO"!
The stellar collapse is a good analogy. Only in the indescribable heat and compression can certain elements be made, can certain components be truly fused together to create something new. To achieve ignition. To ignite incandescence.
To reach final unity between the demonic and the soul.
The power surged out of Illyana, flinging Dormmanu away. Dormmanu looked up from where he had been flung to behold Illyana reborn, blazing with power and rage. His plan had gone wrong, horribly wrong. Instead of destroying her he had fused her together. He had made the problem worse (or so he believed).