I'm writing a few Magik stories because of the release of X-Infernus. This is a retelling of the issues Magik was in, but with her taking on a greater importance. I always thought that she was both miss and underused, with changing powers and personalities. Making her a New Mutant was a mistake, one that I'm not actually correcting, but I am getting rid of the problems that move created. Magik and her powers will be more prominent and better defined here.

Disclaimer: I own no one in this story. All the characters are property of Marvel

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The X-Men pulled the little girl out of the portal, only to find that she was no longer a little girl.

"[Piotr? Is… is that really you]" (translated from Russian) she asked.

"Illyana?" Colossus asked as she moved her hands over his face, feeling his cheeks.

"I'd forgotten your face" she said in English before embracing her brother.

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Later, Illyana was being served dinner by Moira MacTaggert. She ate ravenously and without table manners.

"My goodness, girl! When did you last eat?" Moira asked, somewhat disgusted.

Illyana looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged and went back to pigging out. The answer disturbed Moira, but she didn't say any more. She went into the next room where the x-men were waiting.

"I've run every test I could think of. As far as I can tell she is the real Illyana."

"Then what happened to her?" Storm asked.

"It seems that while just a few seconds passed here she spent about seven years in that other dimension."

Kitty started to cry, and everyone looked at Colossus to see how he was taking the news. He seemed at a loss for words for several minutes. Finally, he asked "What shall I tell my parents?"

Everyone looked at him incredulously. "That's what you're worried about Peter? What about her?" Wolverine inquired. Piotr just turned away.

Sensing that there was something more bothering him, Storm asked "Peter, little brother, what's wrong?"

"Its just that….that…I don't know if we can trust her. What if she was with Belesco the whole time?"

Storm looked at Moira. "She hasn't been very forthcoming about what happened to her, has she?"

Moira shook her head. "If it was especially traumatic she may never."

Kitty was still crying. "Seven years in that hell!" She sobbed.

Storm turned back to Colossus. "If Illyana is here on Belesco's orders then she needs our help even more."

Colossus then walked into the room where Illyana was eating, saying "All of the good I have done as an X-Man hasn't been worth this."

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That night Illyana did not sleep soundly. She tossed and turned until she woke up screaming. After waiting to see if anyone one had heard her she took the medallion Belesco had given her out of her shirt, opened it, and stared at it for many minutes. Suddenly, her face contorted in rage and she threw the medallion against the wall. She did not go back to sleep that night; instead she sat in bed, holding her knees to her chest and breathing heavily.

On the floor the medallion was still open, with three of the five bloodstones already in place.