Chica De Los Ojos Café: She'll wake up soon but not too soon.

GothikStrawberry: Mastermind could have woken up before the place started coming down and decided to make a break for it.

Dream: Uh…Okay…Just know that there are two of us doing this story…And maybe why you do would be nice to know.

TheLegendaryManHimself: Ah okay thanks for explaining that, lot's more fluff around I mean have to balance out all that stuff from before. What happened to Shaw wasn't lethal, just overloaded a bit.

coldqueen: Actually this is going to be a very LONG story and all that just happened, was Act I of III.

IvyZoe: It wasn't you, as for Rogue you'll see later on what's going through her mind and Romyness and lots of it will be in the future.

Mark C: Well Shaw was overloaded not exactly blown up, and Mastermind could have woken up before that happened. Besides, you know what I say? If you don't have the body then they aren't dead, and what can I say…I like to surprise people.

Wen1: No she wasn't. If you read more carefully you would have known that Scott and Jean were already intimate with each other before she got captured.

Thanks to: rolofreak1990, X00001, Uncanny R-Man, Episodic, Sparky Genocide, Silver Warrior

CHAPTER 21: A NEW DAY

Xavier was in his office early in the morning thinking about everything that had just transpired. He had learned about what had happened to Jean and Rogue and felt such grief for what they had been through. Rogue was so traumatized that it looked like she had retreated into her own mind and secluded herself in some strange coma-like state.

Then there were Vincent and Emma, who they had found there as well. And there was also the fact what his students had endured when captured, especially poor Kurt. He had heard what had happed to him from Hank and the thoughts that a few of the students were projecting. He looked at the boy in the infirmary last night and his eyes seemed to have lost the innocence he had always seen there. Kurt had, despite his harsh life, always had this smile in his eyes, but Xavier hadn't seen that last night.

Xavier had never felt like such a failure before. They trusted him and now they had gone through horrors that even Magneto wasn't capable of. He should never have allowed them to go there, but on the other hand he couldn't have left Jean and Rogue there either. He should have gone with them, but he knew that he wasn't in any shape to help them. It was times like this he cursed his legs…For he hated having to sit back as they went out there.

He was wondering just how bad things could possibly get and how they were ever going to overcome this. He was sure they would all need some comforting after this. He knew from personal experience how suffering from the physical abuse from his own step-father could affect someone. He knew how alone a child could feel in the world and he hoped to help them all through this. He was truly worried about Rogue. If she didn't pull out of it, he would have to go into her mind to help her, but he also was worried about how she would deal with everything when she was awake.

Hank at the time was walking to Charles office. He had pulled an all nighter on the test results and going over the long list of injuries he had treated and checking on Rogue periodically. He smiled a bit upon seeing Gambit there holding her hand even though he was fast asleep. He was tempted to move him, but he figured that he would want to be there for her if she woke up.

Hank yawned and then rubbed his weary eyes as he walked the halls until he bumped into Storm on the way, literally. "Oh my dear, I'm sorry."

"It is alright Hank," Ororo said then looked at his appearance, seeing that his fur was a bit messy,and his eyes looked heavy. She wasn't sure because of the facial hair, but he might have had some dark circles under his eyes. "Hank, did you work all through the night?" She asked him concerned.

"Mostly, I'm afraid after such an ordeal…Well…I just had to keep working and to be honest, I just didn't feel like sleeping after that." Then he remembered something Ororo had asked him. "Oh, just so you know, I finished all the results along with that blood test you asked for. And according to the read out, I found nothing wrong with it."

"Are you sure?" Ororo asked in a worried tone and held her breath. She had been so afraid that she might have caught something from Leland and she wanted to be sure.

"Yes, I found nothing wrong with your tests," he said, looking a bit more concerned. He knew Logan had found her, but asking for a blood test had him worried. He didn't ask why because he was afraid of the answer. "Ororo…If there's anything you need to talk about…" but he soon found himself trailed off, for he wasn't saying one thing or another about what might have happened and left it open for her to interpret the meaning.

"Thank you Hank but…I just want to put all this behind us."

Hank nodded and they walked towards Xavier's office. When they got there, Logan was already inside along with a very tired looking Xavier. Hank guessed he hadn't slept well either. "How are they Hank?" Xavier wearily asked.

Hank sat down and rubbed his temple. "Well…Physically they could have been worse…Mentally that's another story. Kurt suffered some bad electrical burns to the chest and it will take a couple of weeks for him heal so he doesn't notice it at all. But luckily his fur will hide any scars…Vincent won't be so luck."

"Ya mean the kid that's a walking collection of scars," Logan said in obvious distaste in seeing what the boy must have had to live with.

Hank nodded. "Yes, he already had a nasty collection of old scars from some kind of traumatic and abusive childhood…Add to the burn scars and cuts…And he might heal from a few of them to the point where no one might notice, but the others like the one on the back and his side form the burns will heal in a week, but they will be notable."

"What of Rogue?" Ororo asked, for she was the one everyone was worried about.

Hank sighed upon thinking about her. "She's still asleep…But actually I think it's more of a catatonic state. She's withdrawn into her own mind in order to deal with what happened to her." He heard Logan let out a growl and figured he would be in the Danger Room for some time after this. "She isn't pregnant, but she did catch an STD from her…Ordeal."

"Goddess," Ororo whispered. "Was it…"

"Aids? No thankfully." Hank was thankful for that, to have to live your life without touching and then her first time going through that only to have to live your life by still not being able to get too close to someone was too terrible a thing to happen. "It's one of the lesser ones that's treatable. I already have given her medication for it."

There was a collective sigh of relief from that.

"Emma and Sage are in pretty good shape, although that bruise on Sage's face is healing nicely." Hank finished off with a few more minor details before Xavier spoke after thinking about a few things.

Xavier sat back in his chair thinking on events. "I think I shall let the students who were on the mission skip school for the next few days…They need to try and heal emotionally from what they went through."

"Yeah, I guess we can give them some slack, even the Danger Room can be cancelled." Logan said, besides it would give him more time in it to himself anyways.

"I'll talk to the principle about it, although I don't think he'll mind. Next week is the exams so I doubt they'll miss much and most of them will graduate after this anyway," Charles said, certain that the principle wouldn't mind. He was more open minded then Kelly towards mutants thankfully.

"What about Sage?" Ororo asked. She was glad to see her old friend again, for she had loaned her some clothing to wear and she was looking forward on catching up with her.

"She'll have to call in Fury. He'll be stopping by later today." Xavier explained, feeling somewhat proud of what Sage had aspired to. He had always wondered what happened to her and now she seemed so different from the young woman he had met all those years ago.

-Later, Upstairs-

Jean was waking up slowly upon hearing gentle breathing and opened her eyes. She was resting on Scott's warm chest and she could hear his breathing and his heartbeat. She smiled, remembering last night and hugged him close. She felt him shift and someone stoking her hair. She smiled at his touch and felt great for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. She was a bit sore and a few muscles felt a bit tired, but it was a good type of feeling that only having such a wonderful intimate night could bring. "I love you Scott," she said.

"And I love you my Queen," came a voice not from Scott, but another darker one that haunted her. She pulled away and with horror saw Shaw instead of Scott.

"NO!" Jean bolted upright in bed clutching the cover to her naked form.

"Jean!" She felt hands on her and she pulled away scared until she saw it was Scott. "Jean it's alright, it's me." She felt such a great sense of relief fill her and she hugged him close to her. Scott wasn't sure what she had dreamed of, but it had upset her so he held her close to him, stroking her long red hair and whispering comforting, loving words to her.

After a minute Jean regained her composure. "I'm sorry Scott…I…I just had an awful fright."

"It's alright…I know this won't be easy," he said softly to her. They laid back down on the bed together, still holding each other. Each of them was happy to have the other in their arms again…For it felt so right and comforting

"Scott…Let's not wait…Let's move in now…Today," she told him. After what she had just dreamed, she didn't want to spend another night alone and to be honest this whole affair had left her with the impression that what they could be taken away at any moment and she didn't want to waste another moment of their lives together.

"Are you sure? I mean…Well…I guess the Professor might let us. We are adults now."

She hugged him closer. "Thank you Scott…I guess I should tell my mom that I'm moving in with-OH GOD! My family Scott! What do they know about this?" she asked him worried.

"Easy Jean…Calm down. The Professor couldn't get a hold of them or your sister," he explained. Jean remembered how her parents were taking their first vacation in some time and her sister was at her friend Emily's. "Do you want to have them here?" he asked her, although he wasn't looking forward to that. He wasn't sure if he could face her mother and father after failing to protect their daughter.

"Yes…I…I need to see my family Scott," she said to him. She wanted to hug her mother her father and her sister in her arms…She wanted to regain the life she had nearly lost. "I know how to get in touch with them."

"Aright, as soon as you're ready we can call them."

"Thank you Scott." Then, she kissed him softly on the lips. "But…Could we just stay here for a little while longer? I want to make this last." Scott didn't complain and they just laid there under the sheets feeling their naked forms against each other and the link in their minds…Feeling the warm, loving peace they felt with each other…Never wanting to let go of it ever again.

"I won't let anything hurt you again Jean…I promise," sent Scott through their link as he continued to gently stroke their hair.

"Thank you Scott…For everything."

"I love you," he sent as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I know…I love you too."

"I'll always be there for you."

"And so will I…"

-Upstairs: Emma's Room-

In another room Emma was waking up. She felt fully rested for the first time since…Well…She couldn't remember when she slept so well if she had to be honest to herself. She looked up and smiled, seeing the sleeping form of Vincent under her. He looked so different when he was asleep…He looked peaceful. She traced the white scar on his left side of his face where that bitch Selene had cut him.

Even with the scar, he still looked handsome to her. It gave him a little dangerous look and seeing what he had been capable of in that fight getting out of the Hellfire Club, it was kind of appropriate. His face was calm and serine and she found herself staring at it. There was just this quiet strength he seemed to have and to be honest, she found him fascinating. He was much more complex then most people, but his mind was ordered and not chaotic.

Plus, he had given her hope…Something no one had ever done…And, okay she found him cute too…Maybe more then that. She squirmed over him, feeling his body and enjoying the hard fighter's build he had. This though had caused him to wake up. He blinked a few times, trying to remember where he was and then last night came back to him.

Emma smiled seeing him look down at her. "Morning," she purred at him and she thought it was so cute how he blushed a bit.

"Morning Emma…Uh…Sleep alright?"

"Very well thank you," she responded truthfully, getting off him although she did find it really comfortable and she stretched as he got up. "Well, what do you say we get some breakfast? I could use a decent meal for once."

"Yeah, I could really go for some real food instead of that stuff they fed us." Vince thought back to the water, bread, and some kind of slop that tasted just as bad as it looked. "Although…I did have a nice dream for once…I was afraid I was going to wake you up."

"Oh really? Tell me, was I in it?" she joked at him standing up.

Vincent was on his way to the door and stopped. "Well…Actually yeah…You were there in this white dress and we were at that place you took me too in your mind…After that Jason guy had me…Well…You know." He honestly didn't want to think about that horrible mental torture.

Emma, however, just stared at him as he left in a slight daze. She sat back down on the bed thinking about what he had said and frankly, she was a little freaked out because…She had the same exact dream. She sat there wondering how they could have shared that dream. Had she been using her telepathy by accident? It was possible, but who had been dreaming that? Had she pulled him in or had she dreamed it and pulled him in?

It was a question that would have to wait and think about later. She got up and smoothed out her borrowed PJs, making a mental note to go shopping today and decided to go and eat now…And wonder about that dream later.

-Downstairs-

Most of the New Mutants were getting ready for the last couple of weeks of school and were looking forward to the summer break coming up. They were also waiting to hear about last night. Everyone knew that they had finally found out where Jean and Rogue had been taken too and that everyone had come home late last night.

Tabitha, Ray, and Bobby were talking about it amongst themselves. "Well I heard the adults say that they got a few others back with them," Ray spoke up as they were standing near the stairs. "Although beyond that I didn't hear anything else."

"Well it can't be good. I mean, if they were all right then why were we not to go into the infirmary last night and today?" Bobby asked them. "I mean, if they were alright then why haven't they all come down by now and why haven't any of us seen them?"

There was a moment of silence, then Tabitha noticed Kurt coming down the stairs.

"Hey Blue," said Tabitha rushed over to him, but then saw that he was walking funning as if it hurt to do so. "Hey…Are you alright?" She was truly concerned seeing Kurt like this. Once she actually thought of going out with Kurt when she first got here since he was kind of cute, but decided that he was too much of a nice guy for her.

"I vill be…In time." But there was just something in his voice that said much more then those simple words.

"Kurt…Is everything okay? I mean what happened? Where are the others?" Ray asked him seeing Kurt's bruised his chest.

Kurt sighed. He wasn't going to say everything that had happened, but they needed to know something, for they were worried and wouldn't let this go. "It…It vasn't easy…Ve got Jean and Rogue back, but ve got captured and I got…Hurt…Plus Rogue is in a coma or somezhing."

"Oh God Kurt I'm sorry." Tabitha gently pulled him into a small hug being careful of his chest.

"Thanks, I'm going to see Rogue now," said the blue mutant in a sad voice and walked passed the others as they looked on, wondering what else was going on.

The three of them headed into the kitchen and started eating breakfast where they found the other New Mutants there and told the rest of them what they had learned.

"Man this sucks," Roberto said after finishing his toast. "I mean, I know after a few weeks they might have, I don't know, been through something, but Rogue being in a coma is just…"

"Yeah I know what ya mean," Sam said sitting down next to Amara. "Ya got to wonder what exactly they went through."

"I don't think we want to know," said Rahne, the redheaded Scottish girl, as she put away her dishes. "I mean if what she went through put into something like that then…" Rahne couldn't finish her sentence. After she had retuned not long after Jubilee, she had felt like she had come home. Now it seemed to her that her 'family' here was hurting and she didn't like it.

"Yeah I guess she's…" Jubilee trailed off seeing an unfamiliar dark haired boy with a scar on his face walk in. "Yo…Who are you?"

The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow and gave a small pleasant grin. "My name's Vincent, I was…Well…A prisoner of the Hellfire Club, or at least one of them. Xavier offered me and the others a place here. And is there any pancakes left?"

"Yeah there's a whole mix still left in that cupboard," Sam said pointing to one of the cupboards.

As Vincent went to it Ray had to ask him how bad it was. Everyone watched as he just stood there not moving his back to them. "Bad," was the only thing he said, but the dark tone in his voice told them to just drop it.

"So…Vincent…Where are you…Damn…" Bobby tried to ask him where he was from, but the sight of a young woman walking in with long blond hair and a killer body that looked like it belonged on Baywatch had caused his mind to take a vacation at that moment…As did most of the other males.

"Hey Emma, you feel up for some pancakes?" Vincent asked her over his shoulder as he got things ready.

She sat down at the only other empty place at the table. "I'd love that. Thank you darling." She was either completely oblivious to how the boys were staring at her or she didn't care. Jubilee kicked Bobby's shin under the table to snap him back into reality.

Xavier Institute – Infirmary

Remy Lebeau found himself stirring from his troubled sleep yet again as he woke up to the same, dismal sight of Rogue lying so deathly still in the bed before him. Throughout the night, he had slipped in and out of a light sleep, but he was always haunted by her pained sobs and his failure to protect her when he should have. He came here wanting to make up for past mistakes, but in turn only made another one that hurt her in ways all too hard for him to think about. Because of his inability to save her, that Selene 'woman' tortured and raped her…Forever scarring her body and mind.

At this point, he didn't know what time it was and he didn't much care either. He gave up trying to sleep, knowing it would just bring more reminders of his failures. It also only proved just how much he was falling for this girl…Which only made it hurt more because he hadn't been there for her when he should have.

Hank had come to check on her from time to time, but the reports were always the same. This strange, deep state she was in seemed to be a result of her own actions, most likely stemming from the trauma her mind suffered. While he was confident that she would eventually come out of it, the long term effects of this experience remained to be seen. Such a thought was not too uplifting to say the least and he didn't look forward to seeing Rogue struggle with this experience that he wished he could have somehow prevented.

But no matter how bad he felt about it or how much he hated himself for letting this happen to her, he could not change what had transpired. It was over…Done with. They were both still alive, that much they could be thankful for, but there were still so many struggles and complications. Part of him didn't know if he could handle all this…Everything from starting over to making amends to the people he hurt. But even if he couldn't, that wouldn't stop him from trying and doing all he could to finish what he started.

"I'm so sorry cherè…" whispered Remy to the unconscious girl lying in the bed before him, "Dis is all my fault. I let them take you…I let them torture you…I let them hurt you. It was all because I failed. I came here wanting to make everything up to you…But I only hurt you again."

Remy struggled with his words as he swallowed hard from the emotional strain. He may have never been too keen on emotions and he may not have been very good at expressing them, but after everything he had been through from coming back to Bayville to rescuing Rogue with the X-men, he set such notions aside for the sake of making peace with both Rogue and himself.

"I know it's gonna be hard for you Rogue…" said Gambit, his voice still strained by emotion, "But I promise you…I promise you with everything I am…I'm gonna help you. Remy's gonna be there for you like he should have been. I promise…"

Gambit may have been a thief, but he was still a man of his word. Growing up, he always had a strong belief that once a promise has been made, one must see it through no matter what. To break a promise was one of the greatest sins for anyone to commit in his mind. Thief or not, he still had a strong sense of right and wrong. And now that he had made this girl a promise, he would see it through no matter how long it took him or how difficult it was. Rogue deserved more than this suffering…A lot more. He wanted to make sure she never had to feel pain like that again no matter what the cost…He owed her that much and he now had a promise to keep.

While Gambit was gently holding her exposed hand and solidifying his desire to keep his promise, he had not realized that someone else had been watching him. He had been so focused on Rogue that his keen sense of awareness temporarily lapsed for the first time in quite a while. But for the young man watching, Kurt Wagner, he felt it necessary to let the Cajun speak his peace to her. He had helped rescue her and helped her break free of the illusions that had nearly destroyed every part of his sister that he held dear. Even though he was a thief and former enemy, Kurt felt he at least deserved a chance…And upon hearing the words he spoke to his sister, he felt confident that it was the right choice.

"It vasn't your fault you know…" said Kurt, breaking the silence of the room and startling Remy out of his stupor as he saw Kurt standing in the doorway.

"What?" he said curiously, "How long have you been standing dere homme?"

"Long enough…" replied Kurt with a slight grin.

Gambit simply rubbed his neck in slight embarrassment, not expecting anybody to have heard what he said since he so seldom made himself so vulnerable. But this was the guy's sister after all and he couldn't blame him for being there. He just wished he had made himself known sooner.

"You still keep blaming yourself don't you?" said Kurt, remembering what Gambit had said as he walked over to Rogue's bedside.

"Of course I do…" grumbled the Cajun, "It's my fault she ended up like this…It's my fault she got captured in the first place."

Gambit's self pity was a hard bit to swallow and it made Kurt feel all the more amazed that this was the same guy who had once been such a bitter enemy. He seemed so different now…Not so much changed, but more as in he knew him better now. After seeing and experiencing himself true horror and evil, this lost, confused soul seemed hardly worth being afraid of or classifying as 'evil' in a sense. He showed a genuine concern for his sister…And if the look on his face was any indication, probably much more.

"First of all, you didn't do this to her," said Kurt sternly, trying to get the stubborn Cajun to process that, "The Hellfire Club did it all…They vere the ones that hurt her…They vere the ones that…"

Kurt found himself unable to finish, the memory of what Selene did to him still too fresh in his mind. Gambit could hear the strain in his voice and watched as Kurt walked over to his unconscious sister and gently ran his hands over her unmoving face.

"I think…She'll have a hard time dealing with everything once she wakes up," Kurt mused as he collapsed on a on the other side of Rogue's bed, "To have endured such horrible treatment for weeks on end…I just don't see how anybody can deal with that."

Kurt felt tears welling up in his eyes as the terrifying image of Selene flashed before his eyes and caused him to cringe at the very thought of it. Gambit no longer wanted the traumatized young man, whom he had watched get tortured and defiled before his very eyes, to continue.

"If only we had gotten there sooner…" mused Gambit, trying to hold it all in, but not doing a very good job at it from Kurt's perspective.

"I know…" said Kurt, "I know. But she's in good hands now. Ve are all alive now, that's something to be thankful for. It still hurts but…It'll just take time."

Gambit was willing to guess that he probably got help with that thanks to Wanda, judging from how they acted around each other after they got back, but he chose not to comment on it. Gambit had failed to fight of Deathstrike when they took her and he nearly died in the process. He never would have thought that he could have made it to this point…He thought he was dead for sure. But he was still here…And he had helped get Rogue back. A near death experience was not exactly what he had planned to experience when he came to see Rogue, but in his drive to make everything up to her…He had survived. Maybe it was a sign that he was meant to fall for this girl…Maybe some higher force was telling him that she was the one destined to steal his heart.

"You really care for her, don't you?" said Kurt, noticing how the Cajun was holding onto Rogue's hand.

For a brief moment, Remy didn't respond as he contemplated just how much things had changed for him. And one of the reasons for that…Was lying right before him.

"Yeah…I do," said the Cajun mutant, "More than Remy ever could have imagined."

"So does this mean that you'll stay?" asked Kurt, curious as to what this former enemy was going to do next now that he had fought alongside them and helped them succeed.

Gambit considered that question for a brief moment…Wondering just what it was he was going to do now that he had survived this whole thing. Would he go the same route Colossus went and become and X-man? Would they give him a chance? Scott had already shown that he believed him and now it seemed Kurt was showing the same thing. But would he ever fit in here? Could he be an X-man?

For Kurt, it was nice to see someone care so much for his sister. Remembering the fight that brought her back to them, it was Gambit's words and memories that helped break the illusion that had come so close to destroying her. He had little doubt from the look in his eyes that there was more to how he felt about her than he was willing to tell. And if Colossus could join the X-man after being in a similar position, then so could he. Besides…Rogue could use all the help she could get in the coming days when she wakes up and is forced to come to terms with what happened to her.

Finally, as Gambit gave Rogue's hand a gentle squeeze…He smiled to himself as he made his decision.

"Yeah…I think I will. After all…I made Rogue a promise and dis here homme intends to keep it."

-Afternoon at the Mansion-

Sage had woken up late, sleeping in for the first time in years. She had changed and washed up. As she walked the halls, it felt comfortable to be here. It felt like she had come home again. She remembered how she had felt heartbroken when this place had been blown up a few years back. She could see the difference, but it still looked very much the same, but it wasn't the wood or the carpeting, it was the place itself that made it what it was.

'Sage could you meet me in my office?' Xavier said to her through telepathy.

She sent a replay and wondered what was going to happen now? She walked along the halls and saw a few of the others still around. She saw the girl Kitty and the boy Piotr talking to Emma and Vince in the living room, but walked on. She found the office and when she went in she saw Fury there. She didn't know what to think now. She had a bit of a revelation early this morning at being back here and now she was thinking of following through it.

"Agent Sage," Fury said in a professional manner as always. "Well the good news is that with the information and after last nights 'activities,' the Hellfire Club should be finished in this part of the world for sometime if we're lucky."

"I assume there's bad news?" She asked him, seeing Xavier's grim face at those words.

Fury sighed and explained how three of the members of the Inner Circle were unaccounted for. "At any rate, it would be nice to have you back at SHIELD."

Sage looked at him for a moment considering her options. "No," she simply said surprising them all. "I'm done Fury. That was my last mission, period. All that time I spent there and on other missions, pretending to be someone else for months if not years at a time…I…I don't know who I am anymore…I can't do it again Fury. I lost myself…I thought I was doing good work at SHIELD, but at what cost?"

Sage looked away from him and out a window. "I need to find myself again…And I can't do that at SHIELD…I'm sorry, but as of now, I resign from SHEILD."

Fury sighed. If she really wanted to, she could resign and there wasn't a thing he could do about that. "If that's what you want…" With a final solemn glance, she nodded her head.

"What do you want to do now Sage?" Xavier asked her.

She had thought about this all day and she had made her choice. "Charles…You helped me once with my powers and you said that this place would be a place to help others like me and to help make the world a better place for both humans and mutants. And…I'm hoping that you will let me stay, maybe here I can find what I lost."

Xavier smiled at her and nodded his head. "Of course, Sage…You will always be welcome here and we could use the extra help with the students." Sage was overjoyed by Xavier's words and at that moment, she truly did feel she had come home.

Outside The Xavier Institute

The meeting was over now and the teachers and elders of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters could finally begin the healing process after everything that had happened. Life would hopefully return to some sense of normalcy in the weeks to come, but it was clear now that nothing would ever be the same. The Hellfire Club had affected everybody in a way that no other foe ever had and the scars of the experience would definitely take some time to recover from.

However, as a new day dawned before them, the inhabitance of the institute could finally get on with their lives. Friendships had remained, bonds had not been broken, and new friends had been made. Their unity had not faltered and they had shown themselves their true strength in the end. Nobody had died, but everybody had been changed. It was a long hard fight…But at long last, a sense of calm settled over the institute.

Then suddenly…Outside in the quiet fields of the surrounding land…A mysterious purple mist began to descend upon the area in the distance along the tall stone walls surrounding the institute. The air itself became agitated and the winds began to slightly pick up as the mysterious fog began to move with a mind of its own. Then…Through the shroud of strange mist…A figure formed and stood upon the wall staring back towards the window of Charles Xavier and his institute.

The figure that formed was that of a tall, imposing man with medium length blond hair and well built muscles. He appeared to be in his early twenties and bore a strong stature. In addition, his body was covered in mysterious dark blue armour that resembled that of a samurai. He had three visible swords…Two short katanas and one long, intimidating blade that rested within an elaborately decorated case. On the back of each hand, there were strange oriental tattoos that seemed to have a level of detail and complexity that went far beyond mere appearance. However, the most ominous feature about this strange man was the mysterious tattoo over his left eye that seemed to glow as he looked towards the institute.

He was Slayer…The ultimate warrior. He was a mutant, a mystic, and a warrior. He lived in the shadows and existed outside of everyone's knowledge. He was unique because he had great power from both physical and mystical realms. And at the heart of this power was his all seeing, all knowing eye that could watched at Professor Charles Xavier sighed in his wheelchair and proclaimed, "It's over…Thank God it's finally over."

But as much as both he and the warrior watching him from afar would have liked to believe that, Slayer merely looked back intently as the sights that he saw both far and wide across the realms of space and time flashed before him…And knew the truth about what was truly in store for Charles Xavier and his X-men.

"No Professor Xavier…It has only begun."

END OF ACT 1

NEXT UP CHAPTER 22: ACT 2