Chapter 8:

The destruction on Manhattan was extremely severe. A quarter of the population was destroyed, killed instantly by what looked to be nuclear bombs. Half were extremely injured and disabled. The rest were missing. Buildings and streets were obliterated, only several landmarks being recognisable. Superheroes were working overtime, rescuing the missing civilians, and tending to the wounded. The dead would be buried later. The Defenders roamed the streets, picking up and rescuing several children whose parents were killed. Some parents even had their own children killed. The Fantastic Four pitched in, doing their best to help.

Many civilians and superheroes that were alive, they mourned for their loved ones, who died instantly in the assumed wide-spread terrorist attack. Among them was a very familiar and iconic figure, who knelt in the local cemetery. Which - thankfully - was one of the places that was somewhat unscathed. His dead, glassy look gazed upon the tombstone, which rested beside another cherished one.

May Parker

1962 - 2005

Beloved worker, cherished aunt, and wonderful woman

May her soul rest in peace, for she will be dearly missed.

Peter Parker kept on reading over the words, the scar on his heart still present and aching. His tears had long since dried up, his eye ducts not able to produce any more. He was just... dead. Both on the inside and outside. The only thing on his mind was seeing the image of his beloved aunt, crushed underneath all the rubble of their home.

Spider-Man was web-swinging across the air, dodging and ducking between falling skyscrapers as they collapsed. "Oh, look! A game of dominoes: building-sized edition!" he weakly quipped, his humour doing its best to mask the horror he felt. "Man, why do I feel like I'm losing?"

His Spider-Sense was working overtime, ducking and weaving through each obstacle, sometimes helping him avoid getting crushed or killed. His sharp eyes caught the sight of a particular building about to fall on what looked to be a mother and her son.

"Oh, boy!" His lenses widened as he swooped down quickly, shooting out a web that caught both family members and quickly snatched them, just in time to avoid getting crushed. He caught the two of them, gently placing them down.

"Thank you, Spider-Man!" the mother thanked, tears springing in her eyes as she coughed, some soot catching in her throat. The young boy hugged Spider-Man's legs.

"No problem. Quick, get to safety!" he ushered, making them move along and avoid the collapsing debris. Spider-Man shot out his webs, carrying himself up and around the destroyed streets of Manhattan.

Who could've done such a thing? he thought to himself, his sharp eyesight trying to pick up any more civilians. Eventually, his eyes went over a familiar house. His own, in fact. Huh, he wondered if Aunt May was alrig-

Immediately, Spider-Man's thoughts came to a sudden halt as his blood turned cold. Without even thinking, he swung towards the house, landing in a heap and moving the debris. "No, no, no, no, no, NO!" Spider-Man yelled frantically, desperately hoping against all hope that he was wrong. That he wouldn't find-

The hero stopped, horror written across his features as he saw an image that would haunt him for the rest of his days. His Aunt May, her body broken and twisted. Her limbs were bent at an odd angle, her frail body having bones poking out. Her spine was snapped, her body arched, and a stray pole of stone was embedded into her abdomen, a look of shock and pain on her face. Her blood covered her body as she stayed there, frozen like a statue.

A weak moan came from Spider-Man's lips as he converged onto his dead aunt, cradling her body. He ripped off his mask, stray tears falling from his eyes like waterfalls. "No... it can't be." He sobbed as he stroked May's face, trying to earn a reaction. "L-Let this be a bad dream. T-Today's just-just starting out bad! I had J-Jameson bark at me this morning, so m-maybe this is just bad luck springing itself on me! Y-Yeah..."

Deep down, he knew that this was real, and that his aunt died. Her cold body was enough to inform him of the hard, severe truth.

New tears spurted from his eyes at remembering the memory. He leaned forward, hugging the tombstone of his aunt like a lifeline. "I-I'm sorry, A-Aunt May," Peter sobbed, tears coating the stone. "I-I failed you. I d-didn't e-even get to t-tell you that I-I'm Spider-Man. I didn't even t-tell you about my w-whole l-life, the l-lives I saved, the b-baddies I fight..." Peter's face scrunched up, the emotion getting caught in his throat. He swallowed it, pushing forward. "H-How, it was my fault U-Uncle B-Ben died."

As he poured his emotions and secrets out, his mind was in turmoil, trying to cling onto something. Eventually, it came upon his aunt's death. More specifically: the reason. This wasn't a random terrorist attack. He didn't know how, but he could tell. Someone did this. In a world of superheroes, super geniuses, gods and monsters, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that someone had the power to bomb Manhattan.

Peter wasn't usually one for vengeance, having learned his lesson after chasing after Uncle Ben's killer. However, now the familiar tinges of rage and fury burned deep in his gut. This person - this... monster - killed thousands of people, and injured and disabled a thousand more. Families were trying to locate their families. People mourned, wept for the ones lost. His own aunt - a kind, loving, wonderful woman, who didn't deserve the death she had received - had perished in the same incident.

He gripped the tombstone tightly, almost breaking it. "Please. Someone out there," Peter begged - no, prayed. "If anyone's out there. God, please, listen to my prayers. My aunt, these people. None of them deserved to die. So, please. Just... humour me a little. Please, bring my aunt back. Make the psycho who did all of this pay. Just... please."

Fortunately, it seemed God was willing to listen to Peter's prayer. Unfortunately, he intervened. Where light was about to approach Peter and do his best to mend his soul, darkness covered the light, taking its position.

"Oh, is that right?" a dark, demonic voice spoke in Peter's mind, making him jump and whirl around. His head turned left and right, yet he was unable to identify who or where the person was.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" he yelled, before slumping his shoulders. "Great. I can't even catch a break. I got voices in my head."

"I am more than a voice, Peter Parker," the voice spoke again, making Peter get on guard again. "I am much, much more. But enough about me. Let's talk about you. You seem so... angered. So distraught. Has the destruction of Leonardo Sebastian hurt you so much?"

"Leonardo? Is that the son of a bitch who did all of this?" Peter asked, a furious look on his face.

"Yes, yes, yes! Oh, what rage that boy has." The voice chuckled, seemingly amused. "His hatred for humans is quite interesting. Even demons do not harbour such a deep and powerful fury that boils in that boy's soul. Alas, while he would make a much better partner, his emotions are a wildcard. He's still just a hurting little boy with some abandonment issues. But enough about him. I want to focus on you, Peter Parker."

Peter gulped, not sure if he should trust the voice speaking.

"I can bring her back, you know," the voice mused, making Peter's neck snap in shock as he looked up in shock. "Your Aunt May. While I can't revive everyone that Leonardo killed, I can bring May Parker back. The only thing I'll need, Mr. Parker, is your word that you will follow me. Listen to my word, and I can even assure you that Leonardo Sebastian will be dead at your feet, slayed by your hand."

Peter's eyes widened at the thought, his mind moving. Admittedly, his senses were warning him against trusting this being. He was most likely a demon, or some sort of dark entity. And it was more than likely that he'd stab Peter in the back. Yet... he found the idea to be tempting. His mind was screaming that he kill Leo, ignoring the experiences he'd had with revenge. Leonardo was a villain, a murderer who destroyed Manhattan and killed thousands, including his own aunt. In his mind, he deserved justice.

"What do you want me to do?" Peter asked, his voice steely. The voice was silent, before a figure started to form beside him. It was a tall, shadowy being. He had long, flowing black hair, horns on his head, and red, crimson eyes. He looked like the stereotypical depiction of Satan.

The figure grinned, fangs displayed. "Oh, I have great plans for you, Peter Parker. But first, allow me to introduce myself. Call me... Mephisto."

XXX

Nicholas Fury stared at the screens before him on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, struck silent. When he first received news of the attack, he was immediately trying to find out who had caused all of the destruction. He couldn't send in any agents for rescue during the whole thing, not unless he could risk them dying.

When the dust cleared and settled, he had sent out any agent he could, trying his best to rescue anyone they came across. Still, it was not enough.

This... this was something different. Something new. Something that they knew would come true, yet were never quite ready for it. The day where S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to step up, protect the innocent lives. So far, they were doing well. Then, this all happened: Manhattan destroyed, likely done by the hand of a single being, maybe more. Fury wasn't stupid, he knew that this happened deliberately, done by a super-powered being. Or beings. It was too sudden for the destruction to happen.

He knew that certain events like this happened, Devastation Day and the Bayville Incident coming to mind. These three incidents were interlinked, they had to be. No high amount of death came like this coincidentally, or by some random terrorists or villains. Someone was behind all of this. Someone dangerously powerful. He decided to try and get help from several of his 'friends' to help figure out the cause.

"Abigail Brand of S.W.O.R.D. speaking," a woman with green hair wearing glasses who appeared on the screen, replacing the carnage that was shown. She wore a body suit that ramped around her frame, although she had subtle muscles. "Colonel Fury, are you calling about the recent destruction of Manhattan?"

"Why else would I be calling, Agent Brand?" Fury responded sarcastically. "Have you gotten any satellite readings? Any recordings before the incident took place?"

Brand frowned, seemingly working at a nearby computer. "Nothing so far. All of our technology was scrambled before the incident took place. Wait." She frowned. "I'm managing to piece together a picture. It's faint... almost blurry, but I can make out the image of a man. Roughly six foot four, looks to be of Hispanic descent, but... that's it. His face is unrecognisable."

Fury clicked his teeth, his only lead coming to a dead end. He slammed his hand on the communication desk. "That's not good enough for me, Agent Brand! I want you and the agents at S.W.O.R.D. to start working at identifying that figure yesterday! Ethnicity, powers, face, age, everything!"

"But sir, we can't-" "Maybe you're not recognising the situation at hand, Agent Brand," Fury interrupted, voice lowering itself to being barely above a whisper. Brand flinched at the other end. "Manhattan is practically gone. All of its residents are either dead, missing or crippled. The Avengers were defeated by this unknown force. If left unchecked, he could possibly do more damage, leading to more deaths. So, unless you want to hand me your resignation papers, get your ass in gear."

"U-Understood, sir!" Agent Brand saluted quickly. "Agent Danvers will also be on the case immediately, sir!" The screen turned blank, leaving Fury to his thoughts.

There were questions, and it was Nick Fury's job to get answers and to protect the world, even if it didn't want to be. He knew that the threats were getting more dangerous and even S.H.I.E.L.D. was hard placed to play catch up. Something had to be done soon, or there'd be no world to protect.

XXX

(Abandoned Warehouse)

The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Quicksilver, Toad, Blob, Avalanche, the newly dubbed Phantazia, Pyro and Forge stared at the two beings, who stared at each other. One glaring, the other apathetic.

"When I told you to take care of your urges," Magneto started, his glare increasing with each word, "I didn't mean level Manhattan."

"I fail to see why you are so angry," Alucard responded, a bored look on his face. "I wasn't noticed, and I was able to get rid of a good majority of humans. I thought that was what you wanted."

"Yes," Magneto hissed, "but not when it leads to our group being discovered! Because of your actions, many people are blaming it on mutants! There are accusations being fired everywhere, the blame shifted upon us without argument!"

"Then we will respond in kind," Alucard responded, a savage grin appearing on his face. "When they rally up against us, we will of course attack them, slaughtering them by the dozen."

Magneto growled, the metal around the warehouse rumbling. It had just occurred to many of the young mutants that they were surrounded by a small junkyard, a couple of yards away. Giving Magneto the immediate advantage. "Not when our plans have yet to come into fruition!" he barked. "You are pushing each and every one of my plans ahead, not allowing any of us to prepare or counteract what is yet to come!" Metal immediately surrounded the mutant's form, springing towards Alucard. "I have put up with your insubordination long enough, boy!"

Just as the metal was about to wrap itself around him and crush him, it halted. Shocked, Magneto tried to edge the metal forward, only to reach resistance. He gasped as his body was being dragged towards Alucard, whose hand was outstretched. He grasped the older man's neck, squeezing. Magneto gasped, the metal trying to defend its master, only to halt again, crumpling like tissue paper.

Eyes glowing white, Alucard used his telekinesis to vibrate the molecules in Magneto's body, specifically his right arm. The Master of Magnetism screamed in pain as his arm exploded in a shower of blood and bone, frightening the other mutants present.

When Alucard spoke, his voice was low, quiet even. Yet, it carried such volume that everyone flinched. "While I understand your concern, Magneto, I need to remind you of one crucial detail. Something that every sane being should do. Something even the stupid should know, the blind should see, and the deaf should listen to: do. Not. Ever. Test. Me. You care about your precious plans so much, I'll just kill you and take control myself. Do not think that you are the superior here, lest you will find your time on Earth very, very short. Do you understand me?"

At hearing the man gasp and choke, Alucard dropped the man, giving him an expectant look. Reluctantly, Magneto nodded. Alucard smiled. "Good. Now, if you need me, I need to take a leave of absence. Don't bother calling me unless it's important." With that, Alucard walked out of the room, apparently removing the tension from the room.

"... That was so hot," Phantazia mumbled, receiving odd looks from her fellow mutants.

Avalanche turned to Quicksilver, who rapidly paled. "Still want to piss that guy off?" The speedster stayed silent, fear apparently choking him.

XXX

(Leo's Apartment, Outside New York)

"Jean, this is Wanda Maximoff," Leo introduced, the two girls standing and sizing each other up. He watched, amused at the entire thing. "Wanda, this is Jean Grey."

"Hello," Wanda greeted, a smile plastered on her face as she extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Jean responded, shaking her hand. Immediately, both of their hands flared up with their respective powers; Wanda with her Chaos Magic and Jean with her Phoenix-enhanced psychic powers. They both silently glared at each other, trying to make the other one give up.

"Alright, that's enough," Leo admonished, chuckling. He pointedly looked at each girl. "There are no favourites between you two. A little rivalry is good and all, but no fighting. Understand?"

"Yes," both of them uttered, scowling. Leo smiled. "Good. Now, there was a reason I called you here. Wanda, how have you gotten with the exercises I've given you?"

Wanda brightened, pleased to be talking about something that she took pride in. "It's going great. Things don't suddenly explode or 'warp' when I don't want them to. Not to mention, I'm getting good at using my telekinesis."

Leo nodded with a smile, while Jean looked intrigued at the last bit. "Is she a telekinetic?" she asked, curious.

Leo shook his head. "No, her mutation is something more... complicated. But enough about that, how are you doing Jean?"

Jean grinned. "I'm getting more powerful. The mental exercises you offered are amazing. Not to mention that my mental barriers have gotten better. I've chosen a library as my mental defence."

Leo frowned. "Won't that make it more easier to access your thoughts? It was similar to the one you had before."

"Yes, but it's a rotating one. Every second, the spines of the book shift between each other, always moving throughout the entire space. Destroying it with pure force wouldn't work, as I've programmed them to teleport to a particular spot inside my mind, making it so that no one could reach it. And even if they did, it'd constantly teleport and move further away from them."

Leo was intrigued, as well as impressed. That kind of mental manipulation was astonishing. He hadn't even thought of something as simple, yet effective as that method. "Amazing. I knew that you had extraordinary talent, and you continue to amaze me."

Jean chuckled, blushing a little. "Thank you, darling. Can I expect to get a reward for being so good?"

"Absolutely," Leo muttered, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around the redhead, kissing her easily. Jean responded, moaning at the action. Wanda blushed, looking away at the scene before her. Though she discretely eyed the way their lips moved, a look of envy written across her face.

The two separated, Leo having a lustful look on his face. He groped her ass, making her hum slightly. "We'll go over the terms of your reward later. For now, I a suggestion for the two of you."

The two girls nodded, looking at him expectantly.

"I'm planning to meet with a man called Karl Mordo. He's a powerful sorcerer, rivalling even Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. Though, unlike him, he's able to dabble in more... darker aspects than Strange. I'm planning for him to help teach both me and Wanda in the ways of magic."

"Magic exists?" Wanda interrupted, a shocked look on her face.

Leo smiled. "Wanda, I think the question you need to ask is what doesn't exist. There are many mysteries to the world that we don't know the answer to. Anyway, I plan to go to him with a proposition. I've scoured Strange's mind for several secrets that he would eagerly want. He wouldn't miss the chance to obtain magic that Strange possesses."

"Then why am I going?" Jean asked, curious. "I can't cast magic."

"True, but telekinesis is an art practised in magic as well. And as gifted as you and I are, it wouldn't hurt to expand our repertoire of skills."

"Alright, but can I ask something?" Wanda asked, a curious and fearful look in her eyes. At Leo's nod, she continued. "Did you destroy Manhattan?"

At that, Jean also looked curious as well.

"I did," Leo answered, not in the least bit ashamed of his actions. Both of their eyes widened at his answer.

"H-How?" Wanda whispered, a hand placed on her mouth. "Why?!"

Leo was silent for a moment, thinking about how he would answer the question. "The 'how' should be obvious, however, the 'why' is quite simple. Both of you know of my hatred for humans. And while it mainly stems from a more personal matter that I won't discuss, my experiences with them frankly disgust me. Looking around, they're practically destroying the world they themselves inhabit. Wars plague the planet, pollution and poverty rampage through out many places, choking nature."

Leo's eyes got colder and colder as he continued. "They are petty, weak and hypocritical. They squabble and battle over the most useless of conflict: land, government, sexuality, women's rights, nature, race, etc. They won't change. They've had hundreds of years to learn from their ancestors' mistakes, and they still continue the same actions. But we mutants are better. All of us have suffered at the hands of humans. Either because we are better, more beautiful, or more gifted. People say the humans fear what they don't understand. And while that's true, another fact many ignore is that humans are nothing more than savages. Parasites. Monsters. They loathe and envy those above them, those who are more gifted and better. Yet, when they have power, they basically lord it over others, usurping many and dominating their wills, simply to appease their egos. They're a disease. A sickness."

Both Wanda and Jean were silent as they listened to his speech, silently agreeing with his words. Humanity, despite the claims that they've made leaps and bounds in advancements, still pretty much acted the same, only using different tools and methods to achieve the same result.

"So, you destroyed Manhattan, because of your hatred of humans?" Jean asked, a frown on her face. "While I understand that, and agree with it, there are still some decent human beings. My parents, for example..." Her eyes widened, suddenly glaring at Leo. "My parents! You killed my parents!"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "I did?" He suddenly had a knowing look on his face. "My apologies, I simply forgot that many mutants had human parents."

"You forgot?!" Jean yelled, fury blazing across her eyes. Parts of her body bursted into flames, shocking Wanda and making her move back slightly. Leo was unimpressed by the display. "How could you do such a thing?! My parents were the ones who took care of me when I figured out my powers! They were good people, and you killed them!"

"Calm yourself," Leo spoke, a calm look still on his face.

"Calm myself?!" she screeched, the fire behind her morphing into the shape of the Phoenix. Many parts of the apartment had already melted from the heat. "I'm not calm! I'm furio-"

Leo clicked his fingers, the tips glowing with a soft red glow. Immediately, Jean's flaming aura vanished as she stared, shocked.

"Wha-" "Jean," Leo said, looking at her. "I understand your plight. I may disagree with you, but I see your point. Your parents were central in your life, so it is understandable that their loss would devastate you. I plan to fix that." His body glowed with energy, before ten orbs separated from his body, transforming into clones. He looked at each clone. "Retrieve any human parents of any mutant that we've come across. As well as that, do that same for any mutants that you come across. I seemed to have realised my earlier error."

Nodding, the clones teleported in a burst of energy to carry out their tasks.

"What are you doing?" Wanda asked, her horror and intrigue replaced by curiosity.

"Amending an error on my part," Leo simply answered. After five minutes, the clones appeared in a burst of energy, carrying corpses with them. The two girls jumped back in shock, their noses assaulted by the foul stenches of the dead.

"A-Are those the corpses from Manhattan?" Jean asked, a disgusted look on her face.

"Yes," Leo answered, a shining hand outstretched towards one of the corpses. Thankfully, many of them were still intact, so he didn't have to go to extreme lengths to restore them. A hand placed one cheek had the glowing light flow throughout their bodies, healing most of its injuries. The healing had the corpse identify itself as female, with grey hair and a little weight added to her form. Her eyes opened, making Jean gasp.

"Mum?" she gasped, tears springing towards her eyes.

"W-What... What is going on?" Elaine Grey uttered, throat a little raspy. She coughed. "I-I saw... flashing lights. An explosion. I-Is this heaven?"

A chuckle made her look up, seeing Leo's amused face. "Trust me. You most certainly are not." He walked towards the next corpse, who thankfully was fully intact, only having a piece of shrapnel stuck in his throat. Removing the shrapnel from the wound, he then resurrected the elderly man in the same fashion as the elderly woman.

John Grey gasped, clutching his neck frantically searching for the wound. "W-Where..."

Next was Vivian Daniels, then Evan and Dorothy Pryde, Julian Keller(1), Cessily Kincaid(2), Victor Borkowski(3), Nicholas Gleason(3), Joshua Foley(4), Santo Vaccarro(5) and David Alleyne, along with their respective parents. All of them looked confused, rising and looking around. Not having the time of patience to deal with them, he used his telepathy to mentally control them, lowering their thoughts of confusion and shock, replacing them with shock and obedience.

I know that many of you are confused, Leo mentally explained, making all of them listen. I know that you believe that you have died. And you are correct. You did die. But I have given you all a second chance at life. For all of you mutants, I want to give you all a purpose. A chance to gain control of your inherit powers, see them as gifts rather than curses. Parents, support your children through their endeavours. Encourage them, rally them. For the time for mutants to stand at the top of the food chain is coming.

They nodded simultaneously, making Wanda and Jean get creeped out. "W-What's going on?" Wanda asked, confused.

Leo gave a small smile. "Me amending a mistake on my part, and creating a glorious opportunity. Now, let's go."

XXX

(Mordo Castle)

Karl Mordo - also known as Baron Mordo - looked at the image the water showed him in thought. Mordo was a powerful sorcerer almost, equal in strength to his rival, Dr. Strange. He wore a completely green ensemble that included a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a sort of loincloth and a cape that had two sharp points at the shoulder that extended so they were equal in height with his head. He had grey hair and brown eyes that were constantly searching for more ways to gain power.

Right now, he was studying the image of Manhattan in ruins. He hummed, seeing the corpses littering the ground, the buildings in ruin, and the devastation present. He didn't particularly care about Manhattan's destruction; in fact, the only reason he was even viewing the image was because he had felt Strange's magic signature, trying to locate something. Most likely the cause of all of this.

Mordo frowned in thought. He himself was intrigued at what had happened. He had felt no magic used, so what had happened was pure power. Who or what could've done such a thing? He knew that sorcerers weren't the only powered beings that roamed the Earth, but to so brazenly make an attack on a populated city? Either this person was so arrogant in his actions that they didn't care about repercussions, or they had a specific goal in mind other than just senseless destruction.

"I see you are enjoying the view," a voice commented behind him, making him whirl around in shock, magic curling around his fingers and ready to utter a spell. He was halted, however, by the familiar Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that wrapped themselves around his body, immobilising him.

"W-What is this?!" he exclaimed, struggling to escape. "Release me at once!"

"But you haven't even heard of my proposition yet," a voice said, making Mordo crane his neck to look at who spoke. There were three people in his lair. The one in the front - and presumably the one who had spoken - was a young male, his features Hispanic in origin. He wore casual clothes, jeans, a jean jacket and a black top - yet, Mordo couldn't help but feel incredibly small in his presence.

The ones behind him he was equally fearful of. They were both girls, with the redheaded one leaning against his side. Her emerald green eyes glowed with absolute power that demanded respect from all those who gazed upon her. She seemed to be wearing casual clothes as well, yet - just like the boy next to her - her aura frightened him. Mordo swore that he even saw flames dance around her eyes.

The last girl had blue eyes and brown hair, while wearing clothes that could be considered goth, something that Astrid would wear when going casual. While she looked more defined than most ordinary humans, she arguably looked the least impressive amongst the group. And yet, Mordo reeled back in shock at the sense of wrongness that he managed to pick up from her. Her aura was chaotic, and seemed just as frightening as the others.

"Karl Mordo," the male spoke, making the sorcerer's attention drift to him. "I have an offer for you."

Immediately as he spoke, the door behind them burst open, a woman running through and snarling at them. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, and had beautiful blue-black hair that grew in ripples, with a body similar to a gymnast's, which didn't detracting from her feminine curves which were considerable. Her eyes were beautiful brown that looked like molten pools of chocolate that seemed dull with greed and cruelty. She had a face that was perfectly heart-shaped, with a nose that was not too small and not too big for her face. All of this was enhanced by her clothing which consisted of black fishnet stocking beneath black shorts, a semi-loose green shirt the same shade as Mordo, which had a few buttons unbuttoned at the top along black high heels that gave her just the right lift to enhance every curve.

"Who are you?!" she asked, glaring at the intruders. "Release my father at once!" She slammed her hand onto the ground, summoning what looked to be a demonic fire creature. The demon roared, flames flying from its body.

"Kill him!" the woman ordered, making the demon charge.

"Astrid, wait!" Mordo yelled, but it was too late. Leo held his other hand out to the approaching demon. "Crystallitato Tellustris!" he chanted, using his magic for the first time. Of course, because this was his first time, the results weren't... quite as expected. Instead of using the spell he had copied from Strange to summon a couple of ice pillars to push the demon back, the ice shot out from the ground, encasing the fire demon in a cocoon of powerful ice. Ice so cold that it froze the demon's flames on contact.

Leo frowned while the others stared in shock. "Too much energy," he noted, looking down at his hands. It seemed that was the first attempt at magic was shoddy; while it did its job, the magic he used was way too much. It was like he commanded his brain to allow him to walk... only for his leg to suddenly shoot out at the last second, sprinting into a run.

Astrid would've said something, but she was held in place by Leo's telekinetic hold. "As interesting as that result was, I'm not here to fight. I have come to offer you something, Karl Mordo."

"What exactly do you have to offer me?" he asked cautiously.

Leo smiled. "I'll keep our dialogue short. My name is Leonardo Sebastian. These are my... associates, Jean Grey and Wanda Maximoff. We have come here to learn magic from you."

Both Mordo and Astrid gaped at him, before the latter sneered. "You barge into our home and attack us, and you expect us to-"

"Astrid, quiet!" Mordo hissed, making his daughter's mouth clamp shut. He frowned at Leo. "What exactly do you mean? You just casted magic just now."

"Yes, but - to be blunt - my control is shit," Leo summarised honestly. "As you can see-" He gestured towards the frozen fire demon "-I didn't intend to freeze the demon solid. Merely slow it down. As a master of magic and rival to the Sorcerer Supreme, I have high hopes that you'd be able to help me."

"Why should I?" Mordo asked, scoffing. "I have no time to waste upon teaching an apprentice. And even if I did, you entered into my home and have me and my daughter bound! Why would I even bother listening to your request?!"

"If I hadn't done so, you would've attacked me," Leo countered. "You should actually be thankful. Many people who've attacked me have ended up on my list."

"Your... list?" he questioned, confused.

"Yes. My 'Death' list," he elaborated, smirking. "Detailing how I've killed them, how many I've killed, why I've killed them. Though, it's getting quite full, going up in the thousands. Would you and your daughter like to be added?"

The two sorcerers were struck in horror, fear seizing control of their hearts. They knew that he could back his threat up. Mordo especially, since he was started to sweat at the sheer size of Leo's magic. It was like a beacon, glowing and easy to be seen from practically every sorcerer. It was something that - quite frankly - made Mordo shake in horror.

"But, I'm not here to threaten you," Leo said, smiling easily. "I have come with something of value to you. I contain several... interesting little tidbits on your buddy, Strange. Most of them are useful; spells, incantations and secrets on his own Sanctum."

Mordo's eyes went wide at his words, thoughts racing through his head quickly. If what the boy spoke was true, then he had secrets only available to those elected Sorcerer Supreme. While he was almost equal in power to Strange, it was his title and gifts that stopped him from surpassing him. But, if he were to know his secrets, his weaknesses... Mordo smiled a cold, greedy smile.

"So, you hope to offer me Strange's knowledge, in return for my help in learning magic?" Mordo summarised, pretending to think about it. "Seems to be a fair trade."

"Indeed," Leo agreed, an identical smile on his own face. "This knowledge will propel you to heights you've never perceived. If you kill Strange, all the better. Now, do we have a deal?"

Mordo thoughts drifted away slightly from the present and were filled with fantasies of killing Strange, taking his magic for his own, and gaining godlike power. It seemed too good to be true.

"We have a deal, Mr. Sebastian," Mordo agreed, eyes alight.

"Please, call me Leo," the mutant offered, grinning.

XXX

(Manhattan, Ruined Avengers Tower)

The utensils fell and cluttered on the table, Tony's hands shaking. The Avenger gripped his wrist, trying to do his best to get it to stop shaking. He wiped his sweat-coated brow, growling at his thirtieth failure. He made to pick up his tools again, only for a hand to clutch his own suddenly. "Tony."

Tony's fear-filled eyes moved to meet Steve Roger's own, the soldier staring at him with a concerned look. "Are you alright?" He winced, seeing Tony's incredulous expression. "Okay, that was a dumb question. Look, you need to stop. You've been at this for hours. You have to rest."

Tony snatched his hand out of the super soldier's grasp. "I'm fine, Cap." His hand reached under the drawer, pulling out a bottle of scotch. Tony downed the whole bottle, Steve watching in concern. He finished drinking, wiping his mouth. "I'm just... trying to get into the grip of things again."

"You have to rest," Steve repeated, making Tony bristle. "You drinking isn't going to help anyone. We need to-"

"What?" Tony hissed, throwing the bottle of scotch at him. Steve quickly dodged it, the glass shattering against the wall, the liquid pouring off the wall. "We need to do what? Rest? Slow down? No. There's no time. No place for that here."

"Tony-" "Manhattan is gone, Cap," Tony interrupted, fingers curled, looking like he was about to hit someone. "The people, the buildings, the spirit. All gone. The Avengers are practically destroyed. The people are crying in horror. All gone. Thanks to that-that monster."

Dread my coming, Leo's voice spoke, the memory causing Tony to spasm in fear, his body shivering violently. Look at your shadow, and know that even that is not safe from me. There is no corner too small for me to reach you. No end I will not go to, to torture you. Remember this, as the day you angered God, and all lived to tell the tale.

"I know," Steve nodded, a dark look on his face. "I was there, Tony. I remember the fear, the terror, everything. I felt the helplessness that I had. He didn't even look at me, consider me a threat. We both went out unscathed, but at least you were given the attention. I was nothing. An insect in comparison to his gaze." Steve chuckled bitterly, surprising Tony. "No, even lower than that."

Tony snorted. "Trust me, you weren't missing out."

"My point is," Steve continued, "we have to keep fighting the good fight. I know that things are looking bad. Believe me, I know. This... this feels worse than what I went through in the war. Maybe... even worse than I felt when I lost Bucky. We failed these people, Tony. We're heroes, the one to defend the innocent and beat back the bad guy. We couldn't even do both.

"But, if there's even one person left standing, then there's hope." Steve's voice rose in volume-no, passion. Righteous, furious passion. "Many people were lost. We can't recover from that. I don't think we ever can. But what I can tell you is that we shouldn't give up. Time and time again, oppressors, evil people, rose up and tried to take control. Tried to destroy the world. We've beaten them back. It might be a different time and place, but the same process goes on. We will win. Because we believe that we can."

"Even if the world gets destroyed in the process?" the Armoured Avenger asked, fear bubbling up in his throat. He remembered the raw terror he had felt when looking up at him. He wasn't so eager to face him again. Especially considering the fact that he could tell that he was toying with the Avengers.

Steve had a hard, determined look in his eyes. "Well, if we can't save the world, we'll be damn sure to avenge it."

Tony smiled a little, the pep talk helping him with his nerves. However, unnoticed by him, the stock market numbers and money flow for Stark Industries was going down by the minute. It had taken a hit when Manhattan got destroyed, but was now almost gone, the income getting chopped in half each time. All going to one unknown bank account.

Having finished striking a deal with Karl Mordo, Leo arrived back into his apartment, grinning sinisterly as he checked his bank account.

Another chapter posted! A long one coming, but it is HERE!

Hope y'all liked it. The reactions from everyone was absolutely fun to write... and exhausting. Lots of heartbreak, fear, anger, tension, disaster, etc, etc. But still fun.

I put in the Mephisto cameo with Peter because he would take advantage of the situation at hand, without question. Who better to take control of than the famous Spider-Man? And I know that this is entirely similar to One More Day, but I wanted to do something different with Spider-Man's grief and anger. Namely, change his character. Already have an idea, and it's sticking.

Also...

(1) to (5) - I know that each of the mentioned mutants are American, but am unsure if they lived in Manhattan. So - for story's sake - just say they are.

Next chapter will possibly cover everyone else's reactions, and Leo's training in magic. Captain Marvel will make an appearance soon (most likely next chapter), and I'm looking forward to that. I'm hesitant in doing so, as I want to watch the Captain Marvel movie before putting anything down, but it should work out. Hopefully.

Now, Guest review time:

1) - Thank you very much. And the matter's already been addressed. And it was Leo's own version of the Void.

2) Already been addressed.

3) Already done.

(I'm not answering most of the Guest reviews, since they address the same thing)

Now, with that out of the way, I bid y'all adieu. Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story.

Read and Review!