What to do about Magik?

Author's note: Yes, this story is all about Sapna and Illyana's grief on having to kill Sapna to prevent the Eater of Worlds from consuming Limbo and killing everybody in Limbo (i.e. the Mutants who were hiding in Limbo during the Inhuman Terrigen gas clouds that were poisoning earth, see the comics). I've always felt that Illyana deserved better on having to deal with doing that then what Marvel wrote for her. This was the ending I first imagined, but then I had to figure out how the story got here (the prior chapters). And I had been struggling to come up with an idea for a Vlad Taltos story, I eventual mused upon what if this happened in Vlad's universe and thus a full story was born.

I'm somewhat amused that I thought, when I first started this plot line, that it would only take two or three chapters (ahh… such foolish optimism on my part), well… this is the final chapter.

Part 72a: Our protagonist/antagonist achieves a reckoning of sorts…

Dawn peeked over the horizon, which was as fitting a time as any mused the Athyra (house of magic and philosophy). He was male, well over seven feet tall, and dressed in his house colors with a style that was the height of current fashion. We will forgo any mention of his name as it doesn't really matter. Then time stops and Vlad somehow conveniently walks from behind a scrawny bush that couldn't hide an anemic squirrel. he brushes off some imagery dirt on his left arm while speaking to you.

"Not really here, but somebody has to break the fourth wall. So this is the point of the supposed apocalypse. Can't say I'm impressed." As Vlad gestures to bring your attention to the scenery.

The terrain is arctic tundra with an emphases on rocky and less on tundra. And cold, there were scattered patches of snow and the ground had that I'm permafrost three inches down vibe. There were some distant rocky hills and that was it. No habitation in sight, and in actuality, no habitation for hundreds of miles.

Vlad just gave a little shake of his head as he examined the frozen Athyra. "And of course this idiot overdressed for a charming morning in the middle of nowhere, Athyras are like that. It makes sense that an Athyra is involved if this is really the site of the apocalypse because the reason there are so many nasty Athyra out there is that they spend so much time in solitary study and contemplation that they start thinking of people as abstractions, becoming completely divorced from morality and empathy, unlike us assassins who always consider our prey… um… targets to be very much a real person. Not for any sentimental reasons mind you, but when you're figuring out how to get to somebody you usually need to understand them and that makes them real vs. abstract."

With a pop sound Vald vanishes and time resumes.

The ritual has been so difficult to find and decipher, but his genius had unraveled it. Now he would exceed all his peers and ascend to godhood itself. With that the ritual was conducted and took but moments. A shudder and then a snarl of sarcasm from the Eater of Worlds as he spoke from his new host.

"Again another fool, I almost tire of them." A few chuckles. "Almost… And now a new world to consume."

That was when Eater of Worlds was attacked. Attacked by Illyana with everything she was capable of doing. Attacked with no rules binding her, no pulling her punches as she usually did (a combination of Hell Lord rules and Illyana worked very hard to not be a Mary Sue). But not this time, it was the full might and fury of the Queen of Limbo, Hell Lord, and Sorceress Supreme that she was. Attacked with everything that she could do, was capable of doing.

A vast plethora of arcane symbols bloomed into existence around him, and with the symbols were eight pentagrams that hovered in the air facing him from eight different angles. Then blasts of magical energy spiked in from the pentagrams and imploded upon him. Blood erupted from every orifice of the body that Eater of Worlds had taken over as he fell to his knees and vomited even more blood.

A light circle appeared on the ground beneath him, then a blast of eye burning light erupted from the circle and such was the speed that the material blasted though the atmosphere. It was a vent from the heart of the local star, over twenty seven million degree Fahrenheit plasma at a pressure of almost four million pounds per square inch spewing vertically, burning the flesh from his body, and irradiating him as fusing hydrogen emits gamma radiation and he was basically at the heart of what was a gamma ray laser. A laser that was capable of burning a hole through mountains or vaporizing asteroids. This as more akin to being struck by the burst from a pulsar then a normal weapon. Nothing remotely mortal should be able to survive, must less prevent be turned into scattered atoms.

And yet… Eater of Worlds persevered, flesh falling off of his bones as if he'd been slow cooked, as the plasma laser flickered out. He rose to his feet, at which point he was impaled by Illyana's soul sword that she held with both hands, as she shrieked her rage at him.

"DIE!"

But Eater of Worlds did not.

Would not.

He brutally struck her with the back of his left hand, a jarring blow that flung her to the ground, then reached down to grasp her neck with his left hand before holding her aloft, feet dangling above the ground, with the sword still impaling him.

"Magik…" Was his sneering declaration from his burnt and flayed lips as his lower lip fell dripped off.

"As if one such as you could end one such as me." Mocked Eater of Worlds. "Perhaps in another place, in another time. But not here!"

Illyana grinned back in defiance, blood dripping from her mouth as he held her high by the throat as he began to squeeze the remaining life from her. Her insolence and defiance in the face of oncoming death was… dissatisfying. Unsatisfactory. Perhaps some taunts to drive home her failures.

"You could have prevented this if you had struck truer when I wore Sapna."

Which earned him some ineffective kicks to his stomach, which he ended with a few brutal strikes with his right fist.

"It was sweet to take her from you. Enjoyable to trick her. Like I trick all the fools I take. She screamed when she realized, in the end, how she had been deceived . How… sweet was her pain as all that she was… consumed by me."

Then he smashed her repeatedly into the ground and with eachsmash he yelled one word.

AND!

HOW!

IT!

FELT!

SO!

GOOD!

Then he held her high again so he could look into her eyes as he resumed his taunting.

"I just wish I could have made her…"

That's when Eater of Worlds noticed the glint of a tiny flame in her eyes, a glint that was growing larger.

No...

It was not a glint,

It almost looked like a…

A…

Dawning realization that was far too late as Eater of Worlds stumbled and dropped Illyana as fiery talons emerged from the front of his chest as he was struck from behind while the scream of absolute rage and hatred from the new attacker deafened him.

And the attacker?

It was a bird of burning fire. Like an eagle or…

A…

PHOENIX!

Eater of Worlds strove to fight back but Illyana's attack had weakened him. As he attempted to grapple with the bird on his back, who was busy gouging him with its talons and beak, Illyana rose from the ground and pulled her sword from his torso, causing him to cry in agony as he flung the bird from him.

And so the three fought.

Eater of Worlds confronted by an enemy on either side, sometimes a woman and a bird. Other moments it was as of if twins confronted him, one dressed in black, the other red and gold, both armed with swords that were twins of passion and fire, their power a song within them as the intensity rose ever higher.

A last threat, or was that a plea? "If I die, so shall you!"

"Everything dies in the end…"Was the Illyana dressed in black snarled reply as she thrust her sword again into his body and channeled all that she was through the soul sword as the Bird of fire flared.

A burst of light, of fire, and the last image was one of two Illyana doing what they had come to do, the Eater of Worlds impaled by two swords.

And thus perished the Eater of Worlds.

Part 72b: Aftermath

Hours later…

Vlad, Cawti, Morrolan, Aliera, and looked down into the now molten valley from the top of a distant small mountain. Oh, and Loiosh and Rocza were there as well.

(Um… talk about wow Boss.)

(Yeah… why… one could almost call it apocalyptic.)

(We're still here.)

(Well… apocalyptic for somebody.)

Part 72c: The White Hot Room

Illyana, naked and eyes closed, floated in an endless eternal moment.

Serene.

At peace.

Content.

So of course somebody had to go and ruin it as a most loud and authorative voice of Emma Frost declared.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

Which startled Illyana into breathing again, and reminded her that breathing was something living people do; she groaned and replied. "Wrong… since when did Pulp Fiction end up in the Bible? The correct quote is 'And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them (Ezekiel 25:17)."

A chuckle from that voice. "So now you're quoting the bible?"

"Apparently better then you can. Please don't tell me that Jubilee has become a host."

"Shards no." Replied the voice of Emma with tones of horror.

And why you might ask does Illyana know the bible? The answer is simple, all Hell Lords know such. And Belasco, may he suffer forever, loved to make sure those he taught know just how dammed they were, figuratively twisting the knife when he wasn't actually twisting the knife.

Illyana opened her eyes, all she could see was white, as it should be for this was the white hot room, true home of the Phoenix. Not blinding white, just white. Nothing to see, just Illyana floating in a formless white nothing.

But she could hear that voice, a voice that shifted to Rachel Summes.

"I really should kill you for what you've done."

A vicious smile of contentment from Illyana. "Worth it."

Followed by some laugher from Illyana that quickly degraded in into wracking sobs and shrieking crying as she wrapped her arms around her knees and cried her eyes out.

Cried for what she had been forced to do, the killing of Sapna.

Cried for the loss of the little girl she'd so cared for.

Cried as all that she had suppressed came pouring out.

Cried as somehow, in the white formlessness she floated in, her body gave the impression of being hugged and rocked as if being comforted as the voice shifted to Scott Summers repeated over and over.

"It will be okay… "

"It will be okay… "

"It will be okay… "

"It will be okay… "

Finally the sobs trailed off and she uncoiled, whipped her eyes, and noticed her nakedness. With a few gestures her black field costume covered her as she stated.

"Sorry, just… go overcome there."

Another shift of voice to Jean Grey. "Understandable I got… I was… upset as well."

"Talk about a big understatement…"

The voice of Hope Summers. "Yeah…"

"Still want to kill me?"

A sigh from a formless Illyana voice. "That broke so many rules."

Illyana was rather dismissive. "Like we ever followed such."

Now Namor the Sub-Mariner spoke. "True… The foul wretch fell before our might, as it should be. But still… there will be consequences."

Illyana reasserted. "It was worth it."

Emma again. "Really?"

"You tell me."

A sigh in the blinding whiteness in the voice of Illyana. "Okay… it was. I… really enjoyed that. Just so you know, it's no longer possible for you, or for anybody to gift me with memories anymore. That was an overlooked…. loophole that only a former host could possibly do, or exploit."

Illyana closed her eyes. "Not surprised, don't most former hosts kind of die when ceasing to be hosts?"

Tones of sadness in the voice of Jean Grey. "Yes… that tends to be the fate of those who become… us. Yet all that they were remains with me here. And that was your plan all along. Knowing that the you that I am, would not, could not, standby and let that fuckingbastard win. Not after what we had to do to save Limbo, to save everybody. And not after he… he… after what he did to… to…"

Illyana's finished what the voice could not. "Gloated over what he did to our little girl."

Rachel Summers again. "That… that was a poor choice on his part."

Illyana look embarrassed. "I had kind of … hoped that… you'd… come. But…"

A chuckle from Scott Summers. "Yeah… I know… you were ready to die and… not have me come if you were not able to achieve the deed."

"Yeah… thank you, for Sapna."

A mix of all the voices. "For Sapna."

Illyana looked around the white nothing. "Um… now what?"

BEGIN MEMORY RECALL

"Throw me the ball Illyana!"Had been Sapna's happy cry.

Illyana hadbeen teaching Sapna, in Limbo, how to play baseball, a common thing with the X-Men. But now…

Now Sapna was unscarred.

Restored.

Human again, not the demonic humanoid form she'd been trapped in.

A happy child.

As Illyana threw the baseball for Sapna to catch, and then throw back.

And as the two played, Illyana looks at you…

For you are Illyana looking in at this memory. And the Illyana playing is… Phoenix.

A memory now and forever part of the White Hot Room.

END MEMORY RECALL

Part 72d: Earth

Illyana, Earth's Sorceress Supreme, was floating in the air at the center of the Sanctum Sanctorum, incidentally everything in the room was ablaze. She gave a startled breath and opened her eyes, and apparently found the flames to be more annoying then threatening as she extinguished them with a few arcane gestures.

A knock on the door, then Wong entered, after first glancing in some dismay upon the smoldering furniture and scorched everything. He was holding a tray with tea, two cups, and some very tasty cookies. He had a rather concerned, and yet sarcastic tone as he set the tray down on the smoking desk.

"So… just like Stephen you insist on doing foolish and impossible things. It will take days to remove the smoke and soot."

Illyana set her legs down upon the floor. "Yeah, I had good teachers."

"Did it work?"

A smile, slightly trembling, but a smile. "Hell Yeah."

Authors note: I really don't agree with Marvel having Clea becoming the Sorceress Supreme of Earth as I think it should be Illyana. So… this story denotes that, and I never did place it in any of the X-Man comic timeframe, so… who knows what the future may be?

Goodbye Sapna, you deserved better.