The Road to Divinity

by Darwin-18

(SI) A Marvel fan, who decided to do the right thing and save a life, succeded but at the cost of his own. Instead of facing death, he was thrown into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coming to terms with his new surroundings, he has to navigate his way through a world full of heroes, gods, and villains. How difficult could it be? (Includes X-Men and F4, and more)

12. Chapter 12

Yo, supsup. Sorry for the overdue Chapter, didn't like the way it was turning out and after many tries, decided to just swing with this and see what happens. Couldn't continue the story until I figured this out, but I did stockpile a few more Chaps in the meantime.

Anywho, enjoy da ting.

Chapter 12 - Display of Skill pt. 2

I wasn't allowed enough time to think before new blue lines started to form at a rapid rate, my senses instantly alerting me of what was about to happen. Boosting my legs by a small amount, I used that to jump high up to avoid it and make some distance.

Averdrian was the next to follow, swinging his right arm that sent out an energy construct of his existing chain while extending in size, dodging it at the last second.

A huge gust of wind from above sent me back down to the marked area, blue lines rapidly traveling all over to prevent any escape, the chain coming back down as an additional form of restraints.

"That was rather anticlimactic." The Druid spoke as he and the others moved forward.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked genuinely, whilst retaining a hint of sarcasm.

With how laid back I said it, it was evident something was up… that being me. His head snapped upwards, spotting me standing upside down on a floating rock. It was a cheap trick to keep the act up, but crossing through the portal made me undetectable, or they didn't take me seriously to truly bother sensing the area around them.

"I have no intention of fighting you, but…" I said calmly as I stood up, releasing the bind of my Chi Layered arm to move freely, clenching my fist a few times to adjust to the pain still present, my second set of Chi Arms coming to life, "I have no patience to be wrongfully accused of minor issues and one I help prevent. If you want me, I can promise you one thing…I won't go the easy way."

Several seconds passed in anticipated silence, all of us standing completely still as if to see who will make the first move. The Elementalist was the first to raise his arm, the decoy releasing a blinding light to everyone except me, who already formed a Chi Step whilst shifting the space around the Mirror Dimension, making my way down the canyon at an impressive speed and closing the way behind me.

Not wanting to play around, I accessed a portion of my remaining Chi to spread through my body to further enhance my capabilities, the edges of my body receiving a thin gold outline signifying it was on. This is a state I didn't expect to use yet, but will be useful with the amount I can use at the moment.

The depths of the canyon tripled as well for its length, but before I could make my next move, the area around me shifted, particularly the rocks near me to box me in. Regulating energy into my legs and forming a blue crescent-like weapon onto my second arms that released short-ranged beams from behind, I blasted my way out of the almost completed rock cage. On the other end, the Elementalist with an ice wave and a swarm of purple chains from the Arcanist waiting for me. Dashing towards the ice, I rode the wave while destroying the newly made ice spikes with my Sol Blades, opening a portal behind the element user.

Seeing a wide shadow coming behind me, I turned around to see the man with various necklaces and tattoo markings scattered on his arms and chest speeding towards me with an oversized bear arm. I was only able to summon my Chi Ribcage around me before it hit, crashing onto the side of the canyon while uncontrollably sliding down. I managed to regain some control and propel myself forward, forming more Steps to get away.

While dancing around the canyon side, I made a sharp turn around the corner, coming face-first into three monstrous-like creatures, my magical senses quickly picking up the fact that they were demons. Each varied in appearance, having numerous differences but all looked like the same species. On their forehead stood out the most notable traits, a wide, dark green diamond-shaped marking that glowed.

Preparing their attacks, I wasted no time blitzing towards them, slashing away with my Sol Blade towards the nearest one before bouncing off to the second one, slicing its head off whilst throwing a metallic cube towards the third as it opened its jaw, the cube expanding in size to destroy it from the inside.

Noticing a swarm of them flying in from above, I propelled myself deeper into the expanded canyon, dodging various attacks on my way down with a lengthy stream of water moving upwards to meet me halfway. With it rotating around me, I sent out needle-sized water projectiles towards them, also molding the rock terrain to disorient the creatures.

My attacks did land, but bright blue spheres formed around my targets, thin lines of the same energy shooting when my needles hit their mark. In the far distance, I spotted the woman on top of a stone-like demon, her hands radiating a darkish blue aura.

"She must be the reason for these shields, I can tell it's coming from a different source." I thought while taking a glance at the sorcerer. "That could be problematic."

Opening a portal, I attempted to widen the distance but noticed it was acting strange, the other side becoming blurry as blue lines spread everywhere. Quickly sidestepping it, I propelled myself even further to get a moment to think. Deciding to try again with a faster one, I was met with the same result. "She can mess with portals too, meaning I could've landed right into a trap. Shit, my mobility is sort of crippled because of this."

Speaking of portals, I was aware numerous ones started opening around me, forcing me onto the defensive. Barriers and shields served their purpose only to act as thin layers, as bolts of different colored energy with weirdly-shaped weapons bombarded me from each side.

Reigniting my blades with a darkish red color, each slash would meet the attacks midway before they could reach me, the spell rings that were thrown either exploding or releasing different projectiles for extra measure. Noticing sections of the water I controlled acting strange, and chunks of rock shooting upwards that I slashed through, I cut the connection while doing a massive leap to widen the distance.

"So each of them uses a different class of sorcery?" I theorized, now seeing all of them use their abilities. "Those can't be mere coincidences, especially by their stance before casting a spell. Not to mention putting me in this position with their teamwork. Alone they'd be annoying to deal with, but together my options are limited. I need more info before I charge in recklessly, I won't have too many chances if I slip up."

Further up ahead, purple-colored chains busted through the sides of the canyon, causing both destruction and changing directions while heading towards me. Sending out missiles made out of water, I added two energy spheres inside to pack a harder punch, exploding upon meeting the chains.

Smoke came afterwards, but while a good chunk here was destroyed, more emerged a second later. Deciding not to try a second time, I propelled myself downward, a single hand motion altering the dimension's layout so the sides of the canyon extended and inverted, a single hole present that allowed me to pass through.

On the other end, it appeared to be a make-shift cave with how it was inverted, a rather large one at that. I landed with a thud, standing up with a huff as my senses were picking up five new threats.

One by one, the sorcerers teleported all around the open field.

Looking around, my gaze was met by each member as my head slowly turned to the side. I was careful about making a move, but they beat me to it.

The Druid engaged first at a remarkable speed, an orange aura coating his feet while running. Creating a wall from the ground for a quick defense proved futile as he simply smashed right through it.

Dodging his right swing by ducking, he stopped in place to throw a low kick that I evaded with a jump. His attacks had a ton of force, even by just slightly missing. Now in the split-second window, I sucker-punched him whatever Kinetic Energy was stored from the suit and added magic in my right hand, staggering backwards momentarily.

In the meantime, I could sense the same trick used on Bucky forming around me, propelling myself upward to get out before it came to be. That proved to be a poor choice as bolts of lightning rained down from above, receiving a massive fist to the side of my body that threw me across the battlefield. Just as I landed, a chain erupted from the ground a few meters away from me, managing to jump to my feet to evade it at the last second, only for new ones to pop up.

I had no time to think, only to act on my instincts to not get hit again. Demons came bursting through portals once more from the sky, while simultaneously the area behind me transformed into sharp ice spikes. Touching the tip, I threw myself back whilst commanding the spikes to pierce the demons, but that wasn't enough to eliminate them all

I was either pushed back by the wind, forced to reposition due to being grounded, risk-taking powerful blows whilst trying not to get restrained, worrying about countless demons, and avoiding those annoying chains.

The Elementalist and Arcanist coordinated their efforts by trying to corner me, blue energy waves and constant shift to the terrain would've been effective if I wasn't moving so fast, as well as slicing the demons that were meant to keep me at bay.

The Druid was the most annoying one to deal with, constantly charging in while everyone else would cast spells from a distance. Whenever I was about to attack one of them, someone else would come in and disrupt my attempt, or use the appropriate counter since I'd have four others ready to respond.

The destruction enabled several pathways that were made with the Mirror Dimensions constantly expanding, choosing one before blasting off at high speed to get away, leading me to a massive and lengthy cave.

A chain obliterating the ceiling made Averdrian's presence known as he flew down with a spell ring beneath his feet, leisurely retracting his construct before throwing out the other one.

"You're only making this more difficult on yourself, Ethan," Averdrian spoke calmly while whipping his chains, making them instantly shift direction in another attempt to capture me. "This entire fight is pointless, all you have to do is tell me where you hid the girl and this whole issue can be resolved."

"Considering how you plan to handle Jean's situation, I'd rather take my chances," I spoke irritatedly, trying to destroy his energy construct but only able to knock it away with a slight crack, a new one coming away that I managed to dodge. "Controlling an entity such as the Phoenix doesn't simply work by force, if anything, it will piss it off even further."

"It's quite concerning to have such doubt towards your superiors, not to mention a little insulting, for that matter," Averdrian shot back disapprovingly. "Let's change that."

We made our exit into the massive canyon once more, I landed on the side of it while entering a sprint with all the added energy I collected.

Jumping to avoid the approaching chain aimed for my legs, I instantly did a front roll to dodge the second one coming from behind, I timed my dodges properly until I could cast a spell of my own.

With the Arcanist out of sight, I was able to send out an orb that almost hit the base of his gauntlets, releasing a powerful shockwave upon the impact that sent him in the opposite direction.

At the same time, my enhanced hearing managed to pick up the sparks of a portal forming, while my sense of smell told me it was the Druid without needing to look back. Pushing myself off the wall, I began spinning while I moved towards the man to meet him halfway sooner.

Before my foot collided with his temple, I added a coat of energy all around it, sending him flying backwards with extra force. The large man crashed through the glass-like wall that led to a very rather spacious cave of sorts, following right after him while closing the hole to buy me some time.

Regardless of his body rolling on the ground, he was easily able to get back onto his feet while in motion, trying to retaliate but I immediately appeared before him with a kick from my other leg.

Unlike my initial two hits, they wouldn't knock him back too far away, two meters at most, so to compensate, I had to put more power into my punches while aiming for any weak spots due to his enhanced durability.

"Come on, I need to at least take one out while they're separated!" I thought while doing as many punches with all the added Kinetic Energy I absorbed, dodging the single right swing to continue my barrage, getting a few more hits in the process. "I just need hit the right spot-"

Just as I was about to hit him again, his head adjusted to face me properly, grabbing my real arm by the elbow with a massive grin plastered on his face.

"A little cocky, aren't ya?"

I didn't need to turn my head to know the sealed-up wall was now broken, my senses alerting me of multiple approaching threats.

Still in his clutches, I jumped upwards while releasing a burst of electricity to escape his hold, rotating mid-air as I grabbed the edge of his hands. In that one spare moment, I combined the two energy cases around my legs into one, stacking a little bit of Kinetic Energy into them upon kicking from the back, causing a miniature purple explosion as he was sent flying in the opposite direction.

Forming another Chi Step to widen the distance, I was able to dodge the earth pillar shooting up from the ground with lines of blue flying all over. I didn't have much breathing room as my next obstacle was a group of demon dogs at rapid speed, managing to dodge a few while destroying two in the process. Sadly, I wasn't able to avoid the last one that slammed into my left arm at full force.

I didn't get an opportunity to deal with it as before I knew it, the creature's teeth bit down on my injured arm, forming numerous cracks on the outer layer, clenching my teeth while trying to withstand the pain. Its mouth was coated in the same blue color as the Arcanist's spells, which explains why it was easily able to damage it.

To get rid of the dog-like demon, the already damaged layer of Chi shot out multiple spikes to pierce its head, unwilling to let go before my upper arm squashed its head before my cast could fully break.

With each slash, I left a thin line of red energy on the creaturs' body or used it as a projectile to not get overwhelmed so quickly. Literally spamming the ability at each target I saw, I lost track of how many I hit as they just kept coming, at an alarming rate at that matter.

"There are too many of them," I thought as I started to feel a little winded, ignoring the stinging sensation in my arm. I had to find a way to buy myself some time, and fast. "All I need is a distraction…!"

Well, given what I just did, I just may have one.

For a split second, I thought if I should do this next move, as it was a little overkill, all things considered. However, given the fact I can't even make a portal without it getting tampered with, running in the open isn't much of a choice either…

My left eye twitched while raising my right hand, deciding there weren't many other options to reconsider. "Ah, screw it. If they are experienced sorcerers, they won't have too much trouble dealing with this one…"

All the marks scattered within the cave started to light up, changing to an orange-ish color in the span of a second. I could see the female sorcerer flailing her arms to cast her own spell, I activated mine earlier as I didn't have any more time to build it up.

In one fell swoop, the cave erupted into a massive explosion with so many individual charges scattered all over.

Just enough to get me out while focusing all my energy on spells to keep hidden for the time being, hopefully.

My left arm was the frequent target of their attacks since they could disrupt the construct without "fully" breaking it. Not like attacks and projectiles alone didn't hurt like hell, maneuvering so as to avoid getting hit or soften the blow if I can't. My armor is able to withstand it and not get tampered with on the spot thanks to the enchantments I put on it, but getting hit by anything was all kinds of risky since I didn't know the full extent of their abilities.

"Something tells me this will be more difficult than I thought…"

---

The X-Men watched in awe as the sorcerers, including Ethan, engaged in combat. It happened so suddenly, and nobody liked the fact they were left behind for varying reasons.

"Shit, he can't be serious?" Lorna asked bluntly. "I don't mind giving a hand, but why was he so against us helping him?"

"Like he said, we wouldn't be of any use," Bucky answered simply, breaking free from his prison as the Snitch tore it apart from the top. "I don't like it either, but we have to trust him. We'll protect Jean if he can't hold up his end."

"Shouldn't we just get out of here?" Alex asked. "Otherwise, we're just sitting ducks."

"Sadly, I don't think we can," Peter admitted as he too was set free, instantly checking the markings on his now exposed arm. "Ethan tried doing that before they started chasing after him, seems like they stopped it before it could take effect. We installed safeguards on our suit to teleport us out of the Mirror Dimension if one of us got stuck by any chance, but if they aren't working, meaning they most likely are preventing us from doing so."

"That's just great." Scott cursed under his breath.

"Then we should use this time to think of somethin'," Logan said to everyone, "I sure as hell ain't lettin' these guys call the shots."

"Can you stand?" Laura asked Jean, softly as she could to aid her friend.

"Y-Yeah… I can," Jean responded weakly. Upon standing, Jean's body started to shake slightly, almost losing her balance entirely. Laura was quick to react, grabbing the redhead gently as possible to not cause any further pain.

"I got you." Laura spoke with nothing but reassurance in her voice.

Jean looked at her friend weakly, wanting to say something or at least smile, but she couldn't.

"He'll be fine," Jean's head turned to Laura, a look of uncertainty before changing to one of confidence. "I don't know how, but he always manages to find a way."

Jean could only nod to respond, deeply hoping that will be the case this time as well.

"My, it seems we missed our mark."

"Ironic, seeing as you have that relic around your neck at all times."

Several meters away from the group, stood a bald and pale woman in gold-colored robes alongside a dark-skinned man with short brown hair, his robes similar in design to the former but with a green and grey color scheme. The duo seemingly appeared out of nowhere, staring at the distance without as much as acknowledging everyone else in the vicinity.

"Who… who are you?" Charles asked with a hint of fear in his voice, noting the similar attire the two shared with the others.

"Relax," Mordo eased the man calmly, slowly turning and walking towards them. "We mean you no harm, nor do we intend to start anything."

"He speaks the truth," The bald woman proclaimed as she turned to face everyone. "Talking is more preferable than fighting in this instance, is it not?"

As the two moved closer, Bucky took immediate note of their attire, having a slight resemblance to the pair that Ethan wears.

"Wait, I know who you are," Bucky uttered in realization, bells ringing in his mind upon observing the bald woman. "You're the one who taught Ethan magic, correct? I remember him telling me about a woman teaching people magic in some sort of temple."

"You'd be right to assume that, Mr. Barnes," The Ancient One addressed the former soldier. "My apologies that our first encounter had to be under such circumstances."

Looking to the side, Peter found the person he was searching for. "Umm... excuse me?"

Peter said with uncertainty as he approached the bald woman in yellow robes. While appearing more civil than the other sorcerers, he wanted to start off on the right foot. "I'm Spid- Peter, a friend of Ethan's. He spoke a little about you, but I don't recall him ever mentioning your name?"

"The Ancient One," Responded the Sorcerer Supreme with a smile as well with an extended hand, which the teen shook right after. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Parker."

While Peter was taken aback by how she knew his last name without him even mentioning it, nor why her "name" was actually a title but figured that the woman had her ways. "Nice to meet you too. Listen, Ms. Ancient One, is... is Ethan in trouble?"

The Ancient One posed for a second as if she were considering the question, before responding. "I don't see a reason for him to be."

"But... wait," Peter was genuinely confused on how to respond. "If he isn't in any trouble, then why are the other wizards attacking them, better yet, why are you here with us, shouldn't you be with them."

"For the first part, you see, is a bit complicated," The Ancient One started, taking a glance towards Jean, the redhead in question immediately picking up the fact she was involved. "As you might know, we are Masters of the Mystic Arts, our duty is to ensure peace and balance on Earth. When my peers and I were alerted by the Phoenix Force's awakening, our very planet's existence was on the line. With Ethan already in contact and is familiar with the Phoenix's host, the situation is more layered than meets the eye. Meaning, a different approach is in order."

"Excuse me," Jean approached the two, distraught in her voice while trying to formulate the right questions in her mind. "This… this thing inside me… can you please tell me what it is?"

The Ancient One was hesitant for a brief moment, the look the young girl gave her made it difficult to answer with a straight face. "My dear, you are the host of the Phoenix Force, the Avatar of Life, Death, and Rebirth throughout all of existence. In the last two decades or so, the Phoenix Force found a new host and remained asleep ever since, until today. I would address it as a god-like entity, but it's far more than just that. Being able to shatter reality then re-imagine it in a different order, the ability to give and take life with a mere thought. I've seen many demons and Gods throughout my life, but the Phoenix? Very few are able to rival it."

Jean remained silent, trying to process everything the older woman just said. Clenching her fist, she asked the question that troubled her mind. "What you're saying is, you came here because of me, of what I can become?"

"I'm afraid it appears that way." The Ancient One answered in an apologetic tone.

"So what happens to me now?" Jean uttered, looking down in regret. Some of the X-Men wanted to protest but the Ancient One beat them to it.

"That depends," The response made Jean look up in confusion. "Personally, I'm not the type of person to force someone against their will, that same situation applies to you. However, the concern of my students is warranted, to some degree. Making sure that the Phoenix Force isn't aggravated further and remains contained is pivotal, it just depends on the method we go about it. To be honest, the real reason this was brought to my attention was when Mordo said one of our students already made contact with it, by that time, the other sorcerers had already appeared before we could. Since Ethan is willing to go to such extreme lengths to defend your case, it's only fair I allow him to do so."

"But still, is this really necessary?" Peter asked with worry. "Are you really fine with just standing here when your students are fighting against each other?"

"There is only so much I can do, and at the moment, I can't interfere," The Ancient One explained. "Neither Ethan nor Averdrian will take too kindly if I would choose sides. Both have valid reasons for doing this, I will only put a stop to it when the victor is decided or someone is about to get fatally wounded."

"That doesn't add up," Logan called her out, approaching her with narrowed eyes. "You wouldn't just let your own students go at each other, especially with what's at stake. Furthermore, I'm positive those bubs don't even know you're here, effectively making their entire job here pointless. Is this supposed to be some kind of test? See how they act under pressure, I take it?"

"Keen as ever, Mr. Howlet," The surname struck a cord inside Logan but elected to ignore it due to his hunch being correct. "I'm a firm believer that stressful scenarios push a sorcerer farm beyond their limit. I train my students to be adept in the ways of the Mystic Arts, but arranged training matches can only get you so far. Regardless, the Phoenix is an entity in a league far beyond any other mystical creature I encountered in my lifetime, even my students would have been at risk if it would feel threatened, as there's no telling what it could do if it felt threatened. Aside from that, those two are quite peculiar in my eyes, so I'm interested in how well they put their training into practice. I wouldn't do this in regular circumstances, but for me to see what they're capable of, the stakes have to remain as is."

"Wouldn't you call that a little too extreme?" Logan countered.

"Just a tad bit," The Ancient One "corrected" him, but admitting nonetheless. "Still, I think it's essential to see where they stand, especially when I haven't seen the two for quite a while. As for the Phoenix Force, well, I think it's best we wait until they've finished before continuing that discussion."

"I just hope that he's ok…" Jean expressed remorsefully, looking away at the seemingly endless canyon.

"Why don't we take a look, then?" The Ancient One said eagerly as a wide rectangle with yellow outlines appeared before them, showing the kneeled form of Ethan hiding away within the canyon walls, a sour expression plastered on his face with an attempt at steadying his breathing, tending his injured arm. The group watched the brown-haired boy stand completely still for a solid ten seconds, before Lorna spoke up.

"He's just hiding away?" Lorna asked.

"Not hiding, he's making a plan," Bucky spoke up leisurely, forcing everyone to look at him. "This isn't the type of battle that has room for errors. It didn't take him long to realize he's outmatched if he goes against all of them at the same time, he needs a solid plan of attack before going back on the offensive."

"Yeah, not to mention the kid's going up against people who utilize the same style of fighting as him," Logan commented. "Arguably, against this line-up, he just might have gotten himself into a sticky situation."

"So you think Ethan can't win?"

"I can't say whether or not he'll win or lose, but I know one thing…" Bucky said confidently, his gaze not leaving his friend and teammate for a second. "He won't give up until he finds a way."

---

"Well this day has just been one headache after another..."

I mentally groaned as I stood in place inside a small concealed cave on the side of the canyon, crouching with a bitter expression as the gears in my mind worked overtime to use the limited time I had to think of a plan.

Why does it have to be today of all days? Having to deal with not one, but five high-class sorcerers that are pissed off by their own paranoia. No wonder magic users are off their rockers when the slightest sign of a potential problem is in the making, I didn't even get to vouch for Jean

Taking out a stone with the Rune blinking every two seconds, I knew then and there my attempts at contacting The Ancient One were effortless. Just what in God's name is she up to that she can't answer?

Of all times for her to be MIA is just perfect. At least with her, I could try discussing the issue in a more reasonable manner and find some sort of compromise. Just by the way Averdrian acts, I don't like the way he deals with these types of situations, and I was too stubborn to not prevent an even bigger problem. Even if she gave him permission to deal with these kinds of situations, knowing Jean's circumstances makes things easier and more complicated at the same time. It might be too risky to just let her go with them, both because of the full extent of the Phoenix's capabilities and their method of dealing with it, which I can say with some certainty, isn't guaranteed in the slightest.

I shook my head. "Not the time to think about that, one problem at a time."

Think, just think.

Now, objectively, and if we look at this as a "fair" sorcerer battle, I'm way out of my league here, there's no doubting that. While I'm proficient in Water and Lightning Manipulation, they have a user dedicated to pure Element Manipulation. While I can summon some energy creatures I made, they have a user who hunts them for a living. So far, five on one puts me at a massive disadvantage.

Think, think.

They move as a well-organized team, synchronized and fluid in their movements. However, I'm positive that they're looking down at me, not considering me a real threat. They're toying with me. While I am too slippery to catch, they aren't going all "out" on me how skillful they appear to be. While I have an impressive amount of various energies stored to use, they are essentially masters at drawing Dimensional Energy at a moment's notice. The power influx there is tricky to properly scale.

To them, I'm nothing more than an ant walking under their boots.

Which could just be my saving grace.

Let's see, the best route to take would be to focus on a single target before moving onto the next problem. For the Warlock and Elementalist, I can use Runes to keep them out of the fight and prevent others from helping them while I'm still ticking. The only issue is that I don't have enough time to pull it off, so I'll have to make my shots count. But if it succeeds, I will increase my odds of winning.

The Druid will have to be taken out in a raw brawl, and if I can provoke him enough once I take out the other two, I can deal with him. I noticed if he has enough time, he can form additional protection while in animal form. Using raw strength without any additional techniques will be difficult.

The Arcanist and Averdrian are the tricky ones, the former being proficient in canceling out my spells. For Averdrian, I'm not too sure in terms of defining traits, but the moment he casts a spell it shouldn't be taken lightly.

I have to switch on and off my Power Bank storage to get more leeway, but under any circumstance can I use it for more than a few seconds. The risk is too high to use it as a single attack, I'll have to use it defensively and if lucky, what's needed to take someone out.

I'll rely on using surprise attacks and fully utilizing my unorthodox fighting style to take em' out, and if I play my cards just right, it might work.

I might not know

Catch them off guard, take out the Arcanist first then move for the Warlock. The Druid would be ideal next if I get the right angle, but the Elementalist can work if I separate them. Then him. I'll have one shot against him if I want to keep him down for a while.

Crap.

I need some sort of ace up my sleeve, sadly having a unique form of magic isn't at my disposal. Throwing a glance down to my Codex, an idea of using some spells I discovered when I studied it in my free time.

There were a few gadgets Peter made that can be effective if I use them properly in close range to subdue them. After that, I'd need to place a Rune or two in order to seal the deal. I can't waste too much time in the open preparing a spell if the Arcanist isn't dealt with early on.

it folds in nicely with their restraints to seal the deal on the magic side of things and in the base state as well.

For now, I can only hope to slow these guys down long enough till I get ahold of The Ancient One, that's all. Meaning right after this, I'll have to hunt her down, but after dealing with this, I honestly don't care as long as I can reach her.

Alright, I think I know what to do.

Turning off the flame mentally for later, I reactivated the Chi cast before forming a small portal, releasing a quiet whistle afterwards, Helix zooming out of it and landing on my forearm. "Hey, buddy, I'm gonna need you to do a favor for me.

Helix tilted his head to the side, an indication he was already on board without hearing me out to the end.

With a small smile forming, I continued. "We only have one shot, I think, so we can't waste it. Here's what I want you to do..."

---

"Any sign of him?" Averdrian spoke hastily, not fond that the nuisance is still roaming around somewhere. The thought of leaving the boy inside the Mirror Dimension without his Sling Ring is becoming more appealing by the minute.

"Nothing yet," Sasha said as the blue vapor she sent out returned to her fingertips. "He knows some tricks, I'll give him that. It doesn't take this much time to fish out novices, but it won't be long now."

"Still, I think we should be careful," Ivan advised as a gust of wind cushioned his landing.

Averdrian was about to respond before he sensed the slightest change in the whole Dimension that wasn't present moments prior. Like a hefty amount of energy spawned out of nowhere, and was moving quite rapidly, but not to their location.

"Everyone!" Averdrian called out, forcing everyone to be on the ready. Taking a defensive stance, his gauntlets began glowing a transparent purple color as the energy chains materialized. "I sense movement, but it's not heading towards us, I feel like that's intentional. Be on the lookout."

"Whatever it is, there's little chance he'll even leave a scratch on us!" Braux boasted with a mighty roar at the end.

In the corner of his eye, Braux spotted yellow sparks that instantly made a wide portal right next to him, revealing a creature with a mix of gold-colored energy armor pieces and consisted of water for the whole body. While he was aware of what was about to happen, a fist with a golden aura collided with his jaw, while simultaneously releasing a powerful shockwave that further propelled his body backwards, breaking the glass-like replica of rocks in his wake.

The shockwave sent every allied creature, and some members flying back, but Averdrian stood his ground, formulating a powerful barrier to shield himself. Glass shards clouded the field, slowly drifting away to reveal the energy creature standing up, roughly about fifteen meters in height. On closer inspection, particularly the golden helmet with a figure symbol, Averdrian spotted the boy encased inside the water mixed with energy as if it were armor.

"So the rat's come out to play." The sorcerer spoke eagerly, glad that the cat and mouse game came to an end.

---

"I don't have enough Chi to even attempt at forming a Jaeger like the first time. Luckily, I know how to compensate." I thought upon seeing the work done with my punch.

Due to how slowly Chi replenishes if a massive amount is used, or if the storage for it is depleted, it takes a while before it recharges. To be conservative, I only made several armor pieces with a replica of my mask for the helm, nevertheless, this state should do the trick to sell my act. Opening a portal after building up for my strike was a nifty idea.

Locking eyes with Averdrian, I took a moment to take notice of everyone else's position. The Warlock's creatures rose back up, all releasing their respective growls, a Chi shield alongside the familiar jade-colored hook forming in one hand, with a dual-bladed staff in the other.

Spotting a demon with black bone-like armor flapping its wings, I rotated my body so the blade sliced its neck before piercing its chest with the other side. Small and large creatures of all kinds went on the initiative, either meeting an end by my blade or by water bullets I dispersed all over, using the small amount of terrain I could control to constantly move around.

Before they could use the same tactic of surrounding me, I slammed my staff onto the ground to send out a shockwave, followed by a ring of water around my Jaeger shooting numerous thin, needle-like projectiles in every direction. It managed to cut down the current demons present, while also releasing steam upon impact to cloud the field.

Noticing the ground starting to vibrate, I looked towards the only creature capable of making such noise. The animal shapeshifter leaped into the air as his claws started to glow a dark blue color. Dodging the attack by sliding to the left in the last second, I rotated so my staff aimed for his head, blocking it with his arm and going for a quick jab with the other. My punches released miniature shockwaves of energy with each hit, allowing me to at least keep up with the Druid's ferocity, although it wasn't easy by any means.

Being bombarded with element spells, changes to the battlefield, chains from long distances, and monsters of various kinds, I couldn't let my guard down even for a second. Before it got too crowded, I made a run for it while taking out as many monsters as possible.

Jumping off the cliff towards the expanded canyon, I throw my hook out far away into the distance, instantly retracting it to propel me forward, using the water in my avatar to slide across the walls much easier while keeping the momentum up.

I was able to make some distance with my initial trust, sadly that didn't stop more of those damned chains to pop out not that far away from my current position. Avoiding them at first was somewhat easy with all the momentum I had built up but had a few close calls before needing to use my staff to swat them away.

While moving, I made sure to leave faint energy signatures, mostly in-between attacks occasionally that wouldn't give anything off. I had to be sure to not overdo it, otherwise, my chances of winning go out the window. Just hope my backup plan will be enough.

While dodging the chains, blue spheres appeared from above right after, expanding in size before exploding, the aura left behind feeling like acid on the surface of my Jaeger. It was an open field with no terrain to use as cover, the nearest being quite a bit of distance away. Before I could decide whether to continue onward or use the Mirror Dimension, a line of chains erupted that forced me to stop.

Trying to go around it, I couldn't react to the Druid in lion form coming out of nowhere with a fire engulfed fist, unable to raise my shield in time. As a result, I was thrown to the side like a ragdoll and tried my best to not get nauseous with how rapidly my movements were changing.

Just like before, I was surrounded, with the exception of the Druid that was making his way towards me. Sidestepping his attack in the last second, I swung my spear with full force from the back that sent him staggering off to the side.

Having a second to work with, I targeted the Arcanist with a frontal assault, raising my spear while charging up a bit before throwing it. She was able to block the effect with a protective blue dome, only managing to damage some of the demons that were close to her.

The Elementalist tried shifting the earth to trap me in it, but a slam of my foot shook the field as cracks began spreading all over the terrain, a torrent of water heading in every direction to push everyone back. It especially helped clear the demons and somewhat damage the chains, allowing me to move to my closest target.

Combining their efforts, the female sorcerer conjured dozens of blue strings that wrapped around to form two massive balls, a line of fire traveling along the strings due to the Elementalist's influence. The weapon's end now resembles two burning fireballs with a red hue. Springing off into the air, they traveled at immense speeds towards me from above, raising my arms with a reinforced defense spell activating.

While I took a few steps back, the ground quickly shifted downward when I was about to put my foot down, quickly filling up to trap it in place. I tried pulling it out, but my only attempt ended in failure, looking back up to find their combined attack

My mind raced to add whatever spell I could think of that can help me in this situation. Sadly, it was too late to do anything else.

In one swift motion, I lost both my arms, the Chi vanishing upon destruction alongside the water that quickly evaporated. While I was disarmed, literally, chains erupted from the ground that wrapped around my Jaeger that kept me in place. Unable to move from the outside, I started to use my real arms for the next spell.

Getting another warning, I spotted more chains coming from Averdrian's hand, a portal opening midway with the Arcanist's blue smoke coating the chains as they traveled. This time around, they pierced my armor a second after they latched on to me, making my armor crumble little by little. I could feel the energy being drained because of the chains, allowing the hoard of creatures to keep me suppressed.

"Ethan Chester," Averdrian spoke casually with half lid eyes. "You're beaten, and quite frankly, foolish to think you could fight all of us on your own. All of this could've been simply avoided if you weren't so stubborn, but I'm afraid that luxury is gone. Now, I could rummage through your mind to find at which part of the Mirror Dimension you hid the Phoenix, or simply do it by hand. If you tell me willingly, I might consider giving you a lesser punishment."

I stared at Averdrian, my mask hiding my ever so calm expression, the sound of water sizzling whilst turning into steam. With my sense of smell and advanced hearing, I picked up the faintest of changes around the crowded area, already knowing everyone and everything's sights were firmly locked on me. My arms are restricted and if I make the slightest movement, I will feel their full wrath.

To which, I released a low whistle.

In a blink of an eye, a brilliant ray of yellow energy came from above, revealing Helix only in a monstrous-like state, drastically increased in size alongside two additional sets of eyes and wide wings with the edges coated in yellow energy.

During the fight, the faint trails I left behind were a pathway for him to blitz through long distances without them having time to react. It also gave him enough time to build up as much energy in the short amount of time I was able to buy him.

The line of energy that followed him dispersed into all possible directions, small white orbs that turned into clones of Helix, each dispensing pitch-black feathers mid-flight.

The sky was clouded with monstrous ravens as countless feathers were scattered all over. Not a moment after, one feather after another erupted into an explosion, a sea of red spheres visible because of them.

Clones swopped down around me to begin softening the chains that confined me, the original Helix arriving to finish the job. Once the chains were broken, they started to disappear, all except a small portion I managed to retain, wanting to see how my main threat's weapon functioned given the opportunity.

"Now, for the first one."

Given that my Jaeger was crippled, rebuilding it was too big of a cost if I were to use it a third time. Instead, I decided to use it as a kamikaze of sorts, adding a different type of energy for it release a massive Chi Shockwave, simultaniously making the Mirror Dimension expand while splitting it appart in five different sections in an attempt to seperate them.

Due to my distraction working better than intended, I made sure to not waste my chance by teleporting above the Arcanist, who unfortunately was distracted by the swarm of ravens. Her eyes widened upon simply noticing my presence, and a ring of blue electricity exploded around her to dispose of the clones. That same electricity started to dance around her arms, entering a stance of some sort.

"If my hunch is right..." A single Chi Step is all I needed to begin my assault. The speed to which I moved allowed me to dodge the blue stream, setting foot onto the ground to bounce off, building a sufficient amount of power into my fist, getting a direct punch to her solar plexus. A loud "gah" escaped her lips as the air was knocked out of her, while being thrown back, hands lighting up to retaliate. Being close range she released streams of blue energy, a motion of my pinky manifesting two Vibranium shields similar to Steve's in Infinity War. Since anything magic-related won't do, reinforced armor it is.

The attack was enough to push me back slightly, moving to the side to propel me forward. Another quick rotation of fingers summoned four Vibranium spheres hurled like a cube, pressing a small button to disperse them all in her direction at fast speed. Almost having no weight to them and moving faster when not they don't hit their target whilst storing a charge of kinetic energy if they hit to pack a harder punch in the next rotation.

She attempted to widen the distance by distorting the area around her via the Mirror Dimension, but the spheres still followed, swatting away her hands from continuing the gestures. It was enough time to keep her distracted, creating giant rock hands to swat her back to me.

A Helix clone came from above with a barrage of feathers, forcing her to make a shield that tried forming around her whole body, but two spheres managed to sneak their way in.

Moving just so before both her arms were knocked away, I jumped slightly to knee her in the chin. Her body flew upwards, to which I punched her stomach with an extending Chi Arm that sprigged like a jack in the box. Being tossed further back, I instantly moved forward to not give her a chance to retaliate.

Before she could do another spell, the device on my wrist erupted in a flash of bright light, the equivalent of a flashbang that managed to interrupt her. Just enough time to charge up and close the distance with a kick to her chest, sending her to the ground with an abrupt stop upon colliding with a small rock.

Taking out a pair of small box-like devices connected to each other, I threw it towards the downed sorcerer, locking onto her wrists the moment it left my hand, pulling her arms behind her back to lock them in place. When they latched on, they began releasing a liquid that quickly hardens when exposed to the air. It was a similar design to his foam webs only slightly altered with a dose of magic to further strengthen it.

Now all that's left is to make her invisible for the time being.

"Sorry about this," I apologized, a Rune symbol forming beneath the armor on my right arm. "But I'd like to end this misunderstanding as soon as possible."

"You're only digging yourself a deeper hole by doing this." She spouted aggressively, more upset about the position she found herself in rather than anything else.

"I probably am. However..." I snapped my fingers to add the finishing touch, a silver-colored mouth restraint covering her lower head with an eye and ear restraint yet to be placed. Next, upon doing several hand gestures, I extended my hand towards her, three black dots appearing around a square in the middle of my palm. "I can't simply allow you to take Jean away, not under these circumstances."

Over the next ten seconds, I put all of my will power to focus solely on the sorcerer, or to be specific, take a single piece from her. While different forms of magic exist, practicing and using them takes a decent amount of time to get somewhere, not to mention the rules and limits of it.

However, since I was able to absorb different types of energy and experiment with them, I studied that aspect to see how far it could go. A simple thin line of blue energy was all I could take from her body, the last tic taking a bit more as it expanded in size before the connection was cut off.

Opening a portal to a totally random location far away in the depths of the Mirror Dimension, an additional spell to have her be undetectable, for a solid amount of time at least.

Taking care of the one sorcerer that causes me the most trouble, I had more room to work with, next was the Elementalist. What I was able to get from the Arcanist was miniscule, but I knew some properties to it and how it differs from other types, while also managing to mix it with other spells to do the heavy lifting.

Sadly, my plan became a little difficult to pull off, as they weren't giving me any room while together. Not to mention adopting a more aggressive style to try and subdue me

While I was able to take out one member, it greatly enabled me to keep the fight going despite still being outnumbered, considering I could use my spells now without any worry.

The Elementalist was too elusive to catch, or even land a hit because of his mobility. I was lucky to quickly take out my "main" threat, picking off the others in the desired order however was becoming increasingly difficult. Getting my spells off without interference was a massive improvement nonetheless.

Due to constantly being on the move, I was able to avoid the spells used on the terrain, but not so much as the sorcerers themselves. I was locked in a repeated cycle, forced on the defensive with an occasional window to respond back with an aggressive counter attack, which would be at the second or third member before I could get hit.

Before I could get caught up in another of their combos, who were still prioritizing my left arm with Averdrian's chains and the Warlock's creatures that traveled in groups with their own spells, I used various explosive-like abilities to eliminate them with higher intensity.

"Well, it seems like I have to make some changes to the plan…"

Teleporting away before two of them could gang up on me, I appeared near the Warlock from the side, shooting him with an energy beam to his shoulder to catch him off guard.

"Can't have you keep bringing out reinforcements, buddy."

When I was in range, my suit dispersed a metallic projectile that expanded upon making contact with his hand that held the Sling Ring, essentially locking it in place. A black demon with wings came to his rescue, grabbing him from behind then immediately taking off.

Forming an Eldritch Whip, I threw it in his direction that latched on to the metal casing, both increasing effectiveness and yanking him back towards me.

My senses picked up the Elementalist and Druid heading my way, another pull brought him closer as I created a portal that threw us out up in the air, while also somewhat away from the rest of the group.

I was able to get a kick his stomach, pulling him back up to get another hit with my fist that was blocked with his staff that started glowing.

More creatures, albeit uglier in appearance, came swarming from all sides, using whatever tactic they had to subdue me. While having perks of agility and abilities to distort my senses, I ignored that sort of pain while occasionally using small amounts of Chi to cleanse it, but he was able to break the connection with the whip as a result.

Light shined from above when he raised his staff. What came out of it was a massive, two-headed serpent with green scale-like skin, its heads moving upwards towards me with their individual roars, fire and ice coming out of each of their mouths respectively. Dashing forward in between them to avoid the attacks, my Sol Blades extended their length to form two massive cuts trailing down to the base of its body, causing it to explode while propelling myself towards the Warlock.

Rotating his staff with a faint reddish glow to block the projectiles, the minions that were left had a line of energy come out while connecting to each other, trying to make a barrier while supercharging them to dish out more powerful projectiles.

He still couldn't use his Sling Ring, meaning he can't escape, at least not yet.

Several Helix clones came to my aid, but the largest creatures ignored them entirely, while the smaller ones protected their master.

Opening a wide portal behind me, water came flooding in, my fingers doing quick and precise gestures to disperse the liquid into various shapes and forms. Even the lengthiest of streams packed enough force to slice or pierce most of my targets. While I can't take out all of them without more reinforcements coming, I had to stun him for at least a few seconds to break his defenses.

Taking out another device, one made with Bucky's input, it was ideal for dealing with multiple targets.

Channeling a small amount of Chi into my ears to block what's to come.

Even with the added protection, I could faintly hear the screeching sound that made my teeth clench for a short duration. All of the creatures present had to stop in place, their entire form visibly vibrating while clutching different parts of their bodies to protect themselves, but it was no use.

The device itself emits an ear-piercing sound at such intensity, that anything within a thirty-meter radius will be caught off guard by it. I already added additional enchantments for an additional boost, but I formed a silver energy sphere around it for the initial blast to have an extra kick.

Forming thin layers of water, I threw them first before larger chunks followed, managing to decapitate the ones I could damage before the device's effect ran out.

Activating my Power Bank energy, I quickly pulled my arms towards my chest, commanding the two separate waves to move in the Warlock's direction with tripled speed compared to the others. Being hit from the front and back with such intensity most definitely left him dizzy for a few short seconds.

Quickly motioning the water to form a sphere, trapping him inside while inside the water pushed him in various directions. Clasping both sets of hands together, doubling the speed for the water to turn into ice as it speeded from both the top and bottom. Just before they met halfway, the Warlock was able to summon out one last creature, a big one.

While the creature looked like a mix of a water-based animal by its lower body structure, it's lengthy wings said otherwise, accompanied by a long, elongated neck with a head reminiscent of a dragon said otherwise. Solely focusing on freeing its master, I commanded the water left behind to form countless spikes to pierce its body, but the head still aimed for an attack.

To finish the job, I leaped towards it with the left side of the Chi Ribcage manifesting with its respective arm to grab its neck, tightening the grip for it to be ripped off, tossing it to the side while set ablaze.

Tapping the giant ice prison, I marked the thing with two Runes that would keep him hidden and increase its effectiveness, quickly falling through the portal that opened and closed underneath it.

"Two down, just three more to go." I thought hastily as my mind went to the others. "Oh, God… this is starting to get tiring."

Seeing several circle-like shadows quickly, I looked up to find three black dots quickly drawing closer, spotting a hint of red lines on the bottom.

"Wait…what kind of spell… is that?" I thought in confusion before reality hit me to react.

"Oh, for fucks sa-"

---

"Gustav's out," Ivan declared as a small white ghost vanished from his shoulder. "Same with Sasha. They aren't responding, but I'm positive they are still within the Mirror Dimension."

Averdrian's eyebrows furrowed, not fond of having another member be neutralized in battle. "Without Sasha, locating them will be tedious You sure you can't get a read on them?"

"Can't distinguish them properly," Ivan shook his head. "It wouldn't be difficult if their energy signature wasn't tampered with, meaning the boy has decent knowledge on sealing techniques."

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, only able to reply with a bitter remark. "Surely…"

Averdrian and his remaining teammates regrouped at the edge of the canyon, observing the work way down below.

"At least we took care of the boy, too much time was wasted already," Averdrian said while proceeding to do several hand gestures. "We can search for them and the Phoenix without any further trouble."

"I think you might have spoken a bit too soon," Braux commented while looking at the scene unfolding on the canyon's floor, causing Averdrian to stop in his tracks to inspect the situation. Despite their efforts, the boy still managed to avoid and partly destroy Ivan's spell.

"Aww come on, that did nothing?" Braux groaned in annoyance. "What's the deal with this kid? He just won't let up."

Slamming his foot on the ground, Ivan formed many cracks down below, another slam to send countless rocks falling down into the deeper void of the Mirror Dimension

"Too bad we're not going to play his game," Averdrian spoke in a calm manner, but with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Subduing the Phoenix is our main priority, not taking part in a goose chase."

"So what do we do?" Ivan asked his teammate.

"I will look for the Phoenix myself," Averdrian replied solemnly. "I'm positive the girl is still within the Mirror Dimension, but the brat managed to hide her away so we can't trace her signature. I can faintly sense it, but it isn't enough to pinpoint an exact location. All I need is a little bit of time to fish them out, capturing her shouldn't be too difficult either at this point, the Phoenix's Awakening most likely weakened her to give me an opening without causing trouble."

"Shouldn't we all go together then?" Braux asked with an eyebrow raised. "Or deal with him before with him first?"

Averdrian merely shook his head. "As I said, it will take some time just to the host, and unless we deal with the pest right away, we won't get a chance to do so. On the other hand, if we waste too much time with him, the group might escape as a result. While I'd very much like to teach the brat a lesson for what he did to Gustav and Sasha, If we secure her, our job here is complete. We can't lose sight of our mission, and

The two other members turned to each other with a neutral expression, staying like that for a few seconds before both gave an approving nod at Averdrian's plan.

Their thoughts were interrupted as the ground shook slightly, making them turn to see the jumping along the canyon wall to close the distance

Speak of the devil.

It would also seem he has another trick in play as well, in the form of various creatures of his own. They appeared to be energy constructs, mostly humanoid creatures with bird-like features with a different design on each one.

The sight of the boy just rubbed Averdrian the wrong way, especially the way he held himself with an unfazed attitude. While he had to commend the ability to take out two out of five sorcerers in such a short window whilst noting their respective weaknesses, being mocked like this made him wish he didn't hold back.

That was about to change.

The boy was playing a dangerous game, not only with his competence as a sorcerer but with all life across the universe in the process.

That has to end, right now.

Just not in the manner he would have liked.

"Keep him off my trail, I'll capture the girl," Averdrian gave the final order. "We'll locate Sasha and Gustav the moment I teleport the host back to base."

Giving both their respective nods, Averdrian flew off in the opposite direction, not wasting time channeling his tracking spell.

Standing in place, Braux clasped his hands together that made the numerous necklaces around his neck light up their respective color, energy beams leaked out of each of them before taking shape of various types of animals before they dived back into the fight.

---

The whole environment turned to one of brimstone and ash, multiple streaks of lava surfacing moments later, giving off an eerie feeling with the sudden change. Erupting upwards to form streams of lava with Averdrian's chains not long after. The Elementalist was swiftly moving across the terrain with a cushion of air beneath his feet, rocks shifting and moving in his wake.

Having to rely on my right arm and the Chi pair, I can't afford to take any damage on my left side. Even though I managed to bring out reinforcements of my own, they weren't strong enough to take out the animals summoned by the Druid, not on their own anyway.

The fight continued like this for about a minute without much of a change, a sight that started to trouble me in the back of my mind.

Furthermore, something seems off. Their fighting style wasn't like it was a few minutes ago, not putting so much focus on hitting me with their strongest spells. Well, it was, but the change from my perspective was more than noticeable.

The difference now compared to only a few minutes ago is too noticeable to completely ignore.

Wait… someone's missing…

I knew it was too quiet all of a sudden.

I ignored the two the best that I could to try and scout out the missing sorcerer, unable to visibly see him anywhere in the area. Teleporting a few times to cover more range, where the two effortlessly followed, I kept on searching regardless of being targeted from the back.

Using a spell that caused a gold energy ring to massively expand in size in a ripple-like effect across the Mirror Dimension, losing effectiveness the longer it traveled. For just a brief moment, I sensed a faint trail that quickly vanished, but it was more than enough for me to get a good guess as to where he was going.

"There…!"

My hand instantly created a portal to slip through when I picked up Averdrian's trail, just before another attack from the other two sorcerers could reach me. My remaining creatures appeared on their own a moment later.

Just as I landed, my head instantly snapped around to locate Averdrian, using a few quick spells to focus solely on him. Reaching into my bag, I took out four small humanoid bird stone statues, each having a set of armor with different kinds of weapons, throwing them towards the man at high speed, drastically expanding in size while traveling.

Before they could get far, the other two sorcerers appeared down below from each side, the Druid in his lion form catching one bird with his hand while the Elementalist didn't waste time shooting at the others.

Through the small squad of creatures and countless floating rocks, accompanied by a cloud of smoke as a result of the Elementalist and Druid destroying two bird soldiers, the third just now getting blasted away by a huge ball of fire.

Needing to ignore the current situation, I zoomed off to the side to spot Averdrian, analyzing his crouched stance with both hands on a transparent orb with an orange spark in the middle, his chains hovering around as protection.

"Wait… I know that type of spell…!" I realized as my mind began racing. "He's trying to find where I hid Jean and the others! This is bad, the techniques I used aren't that powerful or meant to last long, but since The Ancient One isn't responding and the fight already got to this point, it might not even matter if he gets to her before I do."

My teeth clenched gradually while tightening the grip around my Sol Blades, mentality going back and forth on what to do in this scenario, the limited amount of time I had to make a decision only made it more difficult.

With the last of my stone birds getting destroyed trying to catch up to the fleeing sorcerer, the Druid released a loud roar as my creature's body fell off to the side, the terrain around him subtly changing that signifying the Elementalist's influence.

"Damnit…!"

Realizing my window of opportunity to keep Jean safe was closing by the second, my body essentially moved on its own, propelling myself towards the Druid at high speed. As his energy-infused claw came swinging my way, I shifted my trajectory slightly off to the side to avoid it, proceeding to run up the canyon wall without slowing down.

I barely made any distance before my senses warned me from all sides, a white-energy bear moving with its paw aiming for my left arm. A spell ring from my second pair of arms stopped it just in time before I kicked it away, destroying it in the process while swinging my blades towards two more upon passing through in between them.

The terrain itself made it difficult to move forward, creating a portal to ignore it entirely while getting a better angle at the fleeing sorcerer.

Before I could close the gap any further, a portal formed on my left with the Druid coming out the other end, jumping towards him to avoid his assault before our paths could collide.

Turning one of my Chi Arms into a make-shift missile with a few more additional things mixed in, I shot it towards its massive chest, the shockwave from the explosion propelled me further ahead while it was enough to push him back, I wasn't able to continue with my plan as the rock surface around me morphed upwards in an attempt to trap me in, quickly putting energy into my blades to create a massive hole to continue my momentum.

"I don't care if it misses, it just has to get close enough to disrupt his spell," I thought worryingly while trying to adjust my aim. "The amount I stored into it should be more than enough…!"

When I took in the pattern he flew on his spell ring, I leaned forward for my Chi Arm to charge up, finalizing the last bits of the spell.

"Stay away from Jean… you bastard-"

I got cut off by a powerful bolt of lightning smiting me from above, sending me plummeting down. While my armor withstood most of the pain, I'd be lying if I didn't feel anything at all, but that wasn't my biggest problem.

At that moment, in my eyes, my chances of winning started to decline in a span of a single second.

No… I didn't manage to aim it properly in time…!

Seeing a black dot traveling at high speed towards the sorcerer in question, my eyes widened at the sight.

Helix.

Throwing my hand out, I waited for just the right moment until he got to a closer distance, doing all the necessary calculations in my head in order to not miss my chance.

Opening a portal in front of my Chi Arm I sent out, the makeshift missile made its exit through the clone before it got destroyed by a large chain. There wasn't any more time to react as the missile collided with his body, releasing a miniature shockwave before he was sent flying downward, crashing onto the side of the Canyon with a loud boom.

"Got him…!"

My brief moment of excitement was short-lived when I crashed onto the Canyon floor, making me cough up some spit on the display of my mask.

The sensation of simply lying down and "enjoying" the fact I wasn't moving at the moment was appealing, fighting two consecutive battles in the same hour gradually started to take its toll on my body. I probably still have a decent amount of fuel left to use if I time it properly with an extra kick.

I hope so that is.

Rolling off to my side, I attempted to stand up but was pushed down as the ground beneath me quickly rose upwards, catching me off guard. The Druid was heading towards me with an enlarged light blue-colored bear claw, a portal opening to shorten the distance and slam me back down.

I didn't get an opportunity to respond, as I was immediately picked up by the Druid's large hand. His grip around me was incredibly tight, barely allowing any wiggle room, which was the least of my concerns. At the same time, a transparent sphere formed around my body while in his clutches, the Elementalist appeared a few meters away from me with his hands moving rapidly. It was at that moment did I realize that he was trying to knock me out by removing the oxygen while I'm trapped.

Taking my one and only breath before the effect could get more severe,

Given the fact I couldn't even move my arms, I had to quickly improvise. Commanding a little bit of water that was in the vicinity, making as many needle-like projectiles from it before sending them towards the duo.

"This won't hurt while he's in animal form…" I thought of my only optimal solution to getting out of this bind. "Too much…"

The Elementalist was able to turn the water sent his way into steam, but the Druid proceeded to tank it head-on.

Since I can control my suit to some degree by selecting several different options from my HUD, I selected an option meant for this kind of scenario, for multiple Vibranium spikes to pop up all over. Instantly, his hold on me disappeared as the Druid retracted his hand with a roar, channeling the Kinetic Energy I absorbed prior into my leg in order to kick him across the face with the help of a quickly made portal.

Just as he was knocked back, I made the Mirror Dimension expand behind him, making it so it would take a bit before he could come to a stop.

Accomplishing that, and having just enough time before the Elementalist could retaliate, I formed a Chi Step to torpedo me towards him, breaking the sphere with my sudden burst of speed before grabbing him by the neck. A kick to my side with a powerful wind spell sent me skidding backwards with four streams of growing ice in quick pursuit, throwing two explosive spell rings in their direction to destroy them.

Upon stopping, I slammed my hands to the ground, creating two massive black-colored and static-like energy hands, finding himself in the middle of them. Extending further to close the gap, he propelled himself upwards by simply shooting upwards with a ball of air beneath him, proceeding to make his counter-attack when I teleported above.

While he dodged my attack, he didn't expect a cheap trick such as a tiny red string attaching to his left wrist when we passed each other. Since had no intention of showing down, it pulled him like a ragdoll.

Before we landed, the ground erupted upwards so we landed quicker, imminently using his free hand to create various rock structures from my side while simultaneously going for a spin kick with a coat of air around it. Making a single Chi arm for extra defense, I dealt with his attacks while I blocked his kick by grabbing his leg, which quickly met with a burst of electricity surging around his body.

Thanks to my armor, I managed to withstand the shock while absorbing it without much of an issue. My hand swiftly moved down to his ankle, a tiny portion of energy circling around it that leaked out of my wrist, keeping it in place while I snapped his ankle.

Letting out a loud scream, the Elementalist used his other leg to kick me in the stomach, a crimson ring formed with small obsidian-colored rocks connected to it, forcing me to let go as he propelled himself away whilst knocking me back how unexpectedly big the impact was.

Having some time to cast another spell while in the air, the sorcerer made lava streams erupt towards me, coming from multiple directions.

Him being a fighter that uses his movements to cast spells, I targeted the sensitive spots on his arms and his uninjured leg. Being locked in close-range combat, I made sure to use enough strength so my attacks would leave a lasting effect. After getting numerous and successful hits in, it was evident his body couldn't withstand much more of this without responding back.

Due to the fact he excels in Elemental Magic, taking into account that such spells would have a lesser effect on him all but proven wrong. To fix that, I had to make a contingency plan just in case. Instead of ending with a hard punch, I grabbed his wrist, making it seem like I was about to squeeze down, allowing him to knock me away with a powerful cone of air with the same arm.

Now, let's see if I can get him to take the bait.

Summoning Helix to me via a portal, I had him create a few clones to aid me, forming multiple orange spell rings I sent flying in both directions as well. With how many he made so far, I have to use the rest sparingly to

He was swiftly managing to dispose of Helix's clones with rapid movement whilst mixing fire and air attacks, not making any new ones that made it seem like he was about to regain the advantage. As well as altering the terrain around him with the Mirror Dimension's added effect Opening a portal to throw a quick sucker punch to the chin, I dashed towards him to disrupt his focus, only getting two more hits in before needing to avoid a charged up attack from both elements. The remaining clones came flying down with a white trail following them, looping in a circle before swiftly closing in on his position.

Throwing his arms out, a ball of fire formed around his entire body, drastically expanding in size and potency. As a result, Helix's clones came to an abrupt stop while trying to push forward, burning each of them to a crisp.

I shot out several blue energy tendrils from my arm towards him, just so his only option was to jump further back. Right where I wanted him.

When he got into position, I pressed a button that made four, blue lines appear in total that connected each respective device, roughly taking the shape of a square. Not a moment later, the area around him released sparks of electricity, prioritizing him since I managed to place a faint Rune symbol when I squeezed his wrist.

With a simple jump alongside a portal from above, I punched him across the face, using my hands when reaching the ground to rotate my body in order to kick him in the stomach, a purple shockwave resulting afterwards as he was slammed in a downwards angle.

Dashing towards him while still recovered, I tossed several stones around his body that quickly lit up, white strings coming out before interlocking with one another. Moving my hand on his chest, I placed a stronger Rune meant to seal him away, having more than enough time to make it as effective as possible.

Redoing the necessary process to incapacitate him, I tossed him far away into the depths of the Mirror Dimension.

Teleporting high up into the air, I began searching for others, the HUD zooming in on their location in the far distance, despite all the smoke and floating rocks.

Locking onto the last two, who emerged from the cloud of smoke, I braced for the next round. Averdrian was riding on top of the Druid who transformed into a gigantic black-colored wolf, a muscular one at that. His entire body was covered in chains with several hanging off to the side. He moved with such ferocity to break the ground beneath him with each step, the chains breaking anything in its path to grant additional speed. Reaching a rock structure, the Druid blasted himself upwards with a mighty roar, his claws starting to burn a bright crimson red color.

"Seems like they regrouped, but there's only two of them left," I thought when the duo came into my line of sight. Averdrian stood on "All bets are off now, which means I have no more room for any screw-ups."

I have to finish this. Right here, right now.

Moving as a single unit, the Druid's speed coupled with Averdrian's chains got me into a few close calls, darting off to the side to make some distance while preparing my next move.

Opening a portal to dodge the attack, I relocated higher into the air, being the safer option than being stationed on the ground. It didn't stop Averdrian from using all manner of spells, ranging from explosive-like effects to altering sections of the Mirror Dimensions to use as a form of projectiles.

To deal with the Druid, I have to keep him from changing forms, but since he's already using one, the best I could get is for him to stay that way.

Deciding to take a risk, on the next attack I moved towards them, avoiding collision until I tapped the Druid's right leg with my open hand, immediately propelling myself back upon doing so. With a single touch, a custom-made Rune started to take effect, making it so he can't change forms for a solid minute or two for now. It also acts on fuel, the more charged into the target the longer it would last.

A considerable amount was used to jump-start it and will be a decent cost from my Power Bank reserves to cancel out his attempts at breaking it. To prevent that, I have to use my time wisely.

While I potentially figured out the method to deal with them, the Druid on his own required a lot more preparation. In order to accomplish that, I created a jade-green orb in the palm of my hand while using my other to further boost it's power from behind. I didn't necessarily focus on hitting them directly, but rather to create plenty of debris wherever they would move, which was exactly what I was aiming for.

Aside of this ability, I didn't use anything else for the next minute or so, mostly because I had to evade their incoming attacks while I could finish the preparation, constantly on the move to make sure my tactic is a success.

Instead of facing me head on, they used their mobility to travel across the open field, the chains moving behind them building up a massive flow of violet-colored energy, making an abrupt stop to swing them around with a massive gap inbetween to cover more range.

"Alright, Helix, you know what to do. Just like we planned, alright?" I told my loyal pet in its monstrous form, receiving a deep hum as a response. Flying in a different direction, Helix morphed out two identical copies of himself that flew in opposite directions, one going down while the other high into the sky. The sheer amount that is flying about shouldn't make them too noticeable from the others.

While facing them head-on wasn't much of an option, I need to buy him as much time until he and the clones get into position.

They did the same tactic several more times, slowly becoming a bad sign as with each swing, the energy around the area would still be present, although it would fade ever so slowly. My theory of this being some sort of preparation for something bigger becoming more apparent, but I'd rather focus on stalling them for a little longer.

My connection with Helix notified me he and the others were in position, meaning everything is set up.

A glance towards my left arm, one thought crossed my mind before I committed to my plan. "Please, let it be enough…!"

Focusing all my willpower on the Arc-Reactor energy I locked away, time slowed down from my point of view. I thought for a moment it wouldn't activate, but felt a huge and familiar shock to my system, a green flame igniting on my left palm. Not skipping a beat, I slammed my hand down to my rapidly turning Codex, stopping at the marked page with my hand meeting the center hexagonal marking.

Around my body, a powerful force of wind erupted from all sides, essentially forming the heart of a hurricane, reaching the position where the Helix clones were located, reaching the ground and ceiling of the Mirror Dimension. The opposing sorcerers were caught off guard by how powerful it was, blown instantly in the opposite direction.

Having some resistance to the wind, I was able to hold my position before dashing forward, not letting this opportunity go to waste. Averdrian was quick to respond, regardless of being spun around controllability on top of his companion, propelling themselves forward albeit with difficulty.

Dodging the rapidly moving chains, the spell I had in mind charged up in my right hand with no time to spare. Using my already low amount of Chi to form a different Rasengan variant. There wasn't as much aura leaking from the sphere, with it having a now white outline and the orb changing to a dark purple color, space around it warping slightly while releasing a deep humming sound. This one is of my own design, and now to put it to the test.

The chains that I dodged never retracted, blue transparent barriers forming in-between them, meaning he was going to box me in. To close the distance, gold energy came to life around my arm that molded into an extendable appendage, launching forward to carry out my Rasengan. Going from an upwards angle, they naturally formed shields and chains to stop it.

Opening a small portal where it couldn't be seen from their point of view, and re-opening it behind the wolf, I used the small window of opportunity to my advantage. Averdrian was able to react when the purple sphere was vastly approaching but had to jump off the wolf's back to avoid it, sending several chains to absorb the blast, but it didn't reach in time.

Upon collision, its body was thrusted forward with a loud boom, the sphere most positively breaking its vertebrae. Meanwhile, almost everything found within the hurricane, be it glass, energy, or chunks of rock, flew towards the animal's body in quick succession from every direction, getting buried while simultaneously receiving debris due to the Rasengan's gravitational pull. It was designed for containment as much as it was for dealing damage.

The first time I used this, I almost tore the entire training room to pieces if it weren't for its instant repair feature. Fully utilizing it was tricky because it couldn't be simply thrown otherwise it would prematurely detonate, as well as have a destructive power if used in a populated area.

I call it the Gravity Rasengan!

"By the looks of it, it lived up to its name." The sight of the untamed and wild Druid was no more, rather a thick sphere shell that housed him, the area on his back will keep the gravitational pull intact for a little while, just in case of him trying to break free. Add to the fact that he's positioned at the center of the hurricane, he won't be going anywhere soon.

This means I have enough time to-

"Hmph…!" I expressed suddenly when a chain flew right past me, another following right after.

Averdrian was hot in pursuit, the many rocks managing to slow down his rapid movements. We landed on a nearby floating rock, being met with a vile stare from Averdrian when he stood up.

"You insolent swine…"Averdrian spouted in anger once he made contact with the ground, dragging the chains as he walked. "You have some nerve…!"

"It's your own fault regardless," I said bluntly, standing my ground. "You all can only blame yourselfves for what happened, not me. I wanted to talk this out."

"Oh, we're way past the point of talking," Averdrian said, his voice dripping with growing anger.

Throwing both his hands out, chains exploded in length, quickly retracting them for the two chains to redirect towards me, two additional chain sets growing from each one while traveling.

"Now that the others are out of the picture, I get more options to use, like..." The thought quickly became a reality with extending my hand, snapping each individual finger to send out a blast of compressed air towards Averdrian, some of his chains blocking them but still forcing him to dodge the ones that got too close. My other hand made a small portal for Helix to land on my hand, closing his wings as a sort of defense.

"Make sure as many of his chains are either disrupted or destroyed, or if by any chance the gauntlets themselves," I instructed the following plan, the center of my hand radiating a red glow that transferred to Helix. "This should help out when using clones. Don't give him any breathing room."

Letting out a croak in response, Helix flew towards his target, black spheres morphing out of his body that instantly manifested clones of himself. Flooding the sky with copies, their aim was set towards the chains, the body turning to a red crystal-like state a second prior, causing an explosion that left behind a shockwave upon impact.

While that slowed down his assault to a degree, Averdrian was quick to retaliate with three portals opening from both sides and above, the ladder releasing a cloud of white smoke that was barely affected by the tornado, three sets of yellow glowing eyes as it separated into multiple bodies. Picking up the fact they were now sentient, my nostrils stopped inhaling mid-way when registering how harmful it was, a flick of my pinky activating the backup air supply within my mask.

My thoughts around his battle strategy seemed to come true, favoring long-range artillery attacks from a safe distance if the terrain doesn't suit him or if the opponent is fast or beyond his size. Not to take into account how powerful the chain constructs are, a suitable artifact in the right hands.

The speed difference allowed me to evade his most destructive attacks, and without backup to capture me anymore, but that didn't mean I won just yet.

There were so many of his chain constructs, not to mention being way more durable than before, as well as leaving a trail of purple energy in its wake. It seems to be the same strategy like he used with the Druid, only it was stronger this time around.

Looking down while trying to make a portal, my attention was immediately shifted towards the fact I could only make a few sparks at best, but only for long distances.

He's gonna try to box himself in, to not let me create a portal to catch him by surprise. Or worse, getting caught in whatever spell he's trying to make.

Regardless, I didn't rely on that to come out victorious.

The chains began to close in, waving my fingers to disperse a smokescreen that quickly spread, my plan all but ready. Spell-rings of various colors stacked on top of each other on my hands, the additional Chi Arms doing the same, all coated in different signatures to throw off his senses. While flying, they would stop to release a type of projectile with that ring's associated color, a spell similar to a virus that spreads to slow down its target and self-destruct if commanded to. More and more chains got caught in it, the smoke negating vision across the battlefield.

---

"Pff, such child's play," Averdrian thought bitterly at the sight of such an obvious tactic. "You can try whatever spell you'd like, but none of that will amount to anything in the end."

He was aware of where they were coming from and from what angle, the only issue being of not being able to know which is which. No matter, all of them will be cut down.

Projectiles bombarded him from all directions, but they still weren't strong enough to fully break his defenses. The obnoxious crow and its clones tried distracting him with the occasional sneak attack, if only he could spot the real one to prevent more from being made.

With so many of his constructs out and active, it was a matter of time before his fate would be sealed, and complete his mission of securing the Phoenix. So much time and resources were wasted already, but his senses didn't warn him of the creature being active.

While it was reassuring to know they weren't in any danger at the moment, he couldn't let her slip away.

All he has to do is avoid those bothersome pests for a little longer.

However, while his other spell was in still motion, he wasn't given a chance to widen the distance between them.

"So he's not letting me teleport away. Might as well teach him the consequences of interfering in a sorcerer's duty."

Giving a simple command, all his constructs entered a spinning motion whilst sending out a wave of his energy for extra measure to destroy multiple birds at once.

Only one left.

Scanning the area all around, he spotted his last target rather quickly, moving around the chunks of floating debris in an elusive manner.

Yet, it was naive to think such an obvious tactic would have any effectiveness against him.

The brat thought he could trick him by using his pet as a decoy from above, his senses picking up another portal forming beneath him, a wide grin forming on Averdrian's face. When his eyes found the boy traveling from a soon-to-be close distance with ten spell rings of various kinds behind him, Averdrian shifted all his willpower when the other chains shifted downward, whilst focusing to shield himself from behind with his chains with extra reinforcement, as well to blast away the bird.

When his chains came into contact with the child, his body dissolved into black smoke, revealing the monstrous raven hidden in the middle, maneuvering swiftly to avoid his attack. Spinning around, Averdrian's eyes caught the boy throwing his blade through the small openings through his chains, leisurely moving his head to the side as his eyes didn't change focus for a second.

At such close range, the time required to singal the chains to move was considerably fast, now having sight of the boy, quickly closing in to stop him right in his tracks. With both sides covered, Averdrian sent another wave of energy throughout his constructs to further amplify them, not wanting to take any chances this time around.

Closing in just the right motion, even if he would move his legs in time, there was no possible way to continue moving from the front, the other areas around him a moment away from trapping him. With just the right angle, Averdrian was about to use one more spell to seal the deal.

"Got you…!"

Before the chains could move another inch, the boy vanished in a blue blur.

"What?!" Averdrian cried out in shock at the sudden turn of events.

At the same time, his ears instantly picked up a loud swirling sound that came from behind him but was unable to turn his head in time.

---

"Didn't account for this, did you?!" I shouted as I appeared above him upon catching my dagger.

My entire right arm radiated a golden shell of Chi with the fist glowing the brightest, a streak of white and blue streaks signifying the counter-spell I prepared from analyzing the energy I obtained from his chains. I believe I figured out the appropriate stack of spells to subdue him, the Chi used as a way to keep it all in one place.

The man didn't even have enough time to turn his head as I swung my arm in an arc, three streaks of blue, white, and gold flowing from my fist, aiming for the right side of his back.

Being high up in the air, my attack propelled us downwards with a loud boom, Helix evading it with ease. Whatever chunk of rock that floated in our way was destroyed, heading towards the ground as if a meteor was moments away from crashing.

Drawing closer to it and not intending on expanding the Mirror Dimension, I sent out an energy shell of my arm to continue the punch while I propelled myself away from the huge force accompanied by my attack. Slowing my descent by simply manipulating the air around me, I stumbled forward whilst doing a front roll to fully stop. The moment I halted, I the last of my Chi leaving my body, kneeling down upon reaching my limit

"Phew, that should do it," I breathed in and out when my mask dissolved, finally able to rest after fighting for the last hour. As for Averdrian, he won't be that injured after my attack. Despite how it may have seemed, all that energy wasn't solely focused on physics harm, but crippling his ability to cast magic. A very old and tedious ability to learn that spreads across their body like poison, greatly decreasing magical concentration and weakening them overall, with my little own touch of course. It took a while to prepare, but I'm thankful it was enough for getting the job done. "Why can't they just ever listen..."

Cursing under my breath once more, I simply let go of any feeling of restraint as all the energy stored in my body deteriorated in the form of steam. With how much it was active, including all the blows I took, having used a hefty portion is a small price to pay.

While clutching my left arm, I took notice of the Arc-Reactor in my suit flickering repeatedly, taking it out for further inspection. Half of it was burnt, with the damaged shell indicating It was a moment away from short-circuiting entirely.

Guess it would seem I overdid it to keep everything else active, but that is to be expected when too much is used in such a short amount of time with no breaks in between.

Releasing another sigh, I pushed that topic off to the side, for now, needing to think about what to say to The Ancient One as I rubbed my temples. "One problem at a time, I suppose..."

Standing up to a slight headache and wobbliness, I took a moment to regain my strength, turning around to do one last thing.

Suddenly, Helix landed on my shoulder elegantly in his monster form, purple-colored smoke clouding his body to return to his small state. "I owe you big time, little guy. You saved my ass just in the nick of time, thank you for having my back out there. It means a lot."

Helix simply croaked in response, bowing his head as a sign of gratitude. Happy my pet/assistant felt the same, I rubbed his head as a last thank you. Turning around, we spotted the unfinished business left behind. Tilting his head at me, I reassured him right away. "Don't worry, I can take it from here. With your help, he isn't a threat anymore. I'll teleport you home, okay?"

Nodding in agreement, Helix jumped into the small portal back to base. Not too far away, I saw glass shards floating all over the place, small and big pieces alike.

Through it all, I could make out Averdrian crawling across the destroyed terrain, albeit very sluggishly. Opening a portal beneath me, I appeared several meters away from him, causing him to stop right in his tracks. Knowing that his left shoulder blade and arm were broken, his only attempt was to raise his right, formulating a chain of two meters that deteriorated a second after.

"You bastard...!" Averdrian roared whilst flopping to the ground. "How dare you do this to me?!"

"Don't take it personally. You would've done the same thing to me if I didn't fight back," I replied non-threateningly, having no desire to spew insults at him. "You know the spells for this sort of thing, someone of your stature surely does, so don't act like a baby when someone uses them on you. My intentions were only in self-defense."

"Self-defense," Averdrian repeated sarcastically, clenching his teeth so hard I found it surprising they didn't crack. "How dare you call yourself a sorcerer and fight your own! Meddling in things beyond your understanding, dooming us all! You'll pay for what you did to me and my comrades!"

"Not like you guys gave me much of a choice. Regardless of that, I had no intention in hurting any of you," I replied nonchalantly. "I'm well aware of what you all are capable of, seeing how you fight, so I know who's at their breaking point. Furthermore, I explained that the Phoenix is contained, I was well sure of that. You going after my friend would only cripple any chance of avoiding an Omniversal beast of destruction. Tampering the minds of the host and entity works on occasions with dangerous consequences. I know the rituals and methods, all of the crap that goes into it, because of that, I cannot allow you to take Jean."

"You insolent child!" Averdrian roared as he attempted to make another chain but failed. "You are not aware of the consequences of all the things you have done today! I will make your life far worse than any possible hell imaginable! I won't allow this world to perish by some brat!"

In one last attempt, the weakened sorcerer lunged forward with three lengthy chains coming out of each gauntlet. Having no care in the world, I stood calmly in place, the chains disintegrating upon close contact, Averdrian's body once again meeting the cold glass.

"With that, we're done," I said neutrally towards Averdrian who was still on the ground. "I really wanted to do this the peaceful way, but you didn't even give me the option to explain my side of the story, actually, no, I did, but you refused to listen. Wanting to attack me and my friends without a second thought. I don't care if I'm in any trouble for my actions, I will take full responsibility for everything, but it won't be coming from you. The Ancient One is the only person whose judgment I answer to, not a hothead like yourself."

Turning around, I didn't bother to waste any further time with him. It was difficult, but somehow I managed to come out on top against this kind of lineup. There were a few close calls, but my gambles paid off. Speaking of problems, I now have to deal with the Ancient One, who still hasn't interfered, making me uneasy for all kinds of reasons.

Where are they, anyway?

While I tried figuring out their location, my magical senses all of a sudden went wild after picking up a "whoosh" sound. A burst of negative energy suddenly came about out of nowhere, the sound and scent of it were close to making me sick, and it was getting more powerful at a rapid pace. Looking behind me, I saw Averdrian back on his feet with both of his arms extended, a singular dark purple spell ring in the center as the smoke of the same color flew towards me. I couldn't properly identify what kind of spell it was, due to not yet discovering this variant, but I could tell it was something far more different than anything Averdrian used before.

As the spell traveled, its speed began to drastically decrease as if it were traveling in slow-motion. Not just that, but my own body was a victim of the sudden effect as well, moving slower and slower before coming to a stop. The purple fog stopped a few inches from my face, before rapidly retreating back to Averdrian, hitting him directly in the chest and being flung back because of it.

That's when I realized the Time Stone was active.

Several meters away from us, fractures started to form in a selected area, breaking into a thousand pieces to reveal the Ancient One along with everyone else. However, a single look towards the Sorcerer Supreme told me she was less than pissed off at what Averdrian tried to do.

In a swift motion, The Ancient One blitzed towards Averdrian, hitting him in the chest with her palm, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You know better to use that kind of magic," The Ancient One warned with an icy tone. "I expected more from you, Averdrian."

"I have my right!" Averdrian shouted, more outraged that the Ancient One stopped his assault than being thrown back. "He's been nothing more than a nuisance and keeps getting in my way!"

"And that's your justification for using dark magic to potentially fatally harm a fellow sorcerer?"

"My justifications were to make him pay for what he did to everyone else!" Averdrian retaliated in outrage. "What he did to my colleagues means nothing? Restraining them like animals and having the audacity to strike them the way that he did?! Getting in the way while the Phoenix Force has awakened from its slumber?!"

"None of those attacks were lethal, their only intention of subduing the specific target, that's the reality of it," The Ancient One responded back simply. "I would've intervened if anyone was in mortal danger. I allowed it to go this far, and the outcome was decided. Both of your arguments are valid, but due to the complexity of this particular case, and with how the dispute ended, I'm afraid I will have to side with Ethan on this one."

Averdrian tried his best to keep whatever little composure was left inside of him to not explode. Glaring at me before looking back at the Ancient One. "This is outrageous… You taught and trained me for this line of work, yet you do not allow me to do so but side with a boy who hasn't attended the temple longer than a single year…!"

"All encounters have to be handled differently, I believe I taught you that aspect at the very beginning," The Ancient One responded calmly. "This case regarding Ms. Gray and the Phoenix aren't an exception to that rule.'

I listened to how the Sorcerer Supreme gave a harsh lecture to Averdrian, who could only grit his teeth and nod every now and then. Occasionally, I could see him giving me a hateful glare, to where I simply glared back, since I know his ego would be bruised even further by not reacting at all.

"We will discuss this further when we return to the temple," The Ancient One proclaimed, making Averdrian lower his head. Raising her hand, fingers dancing before doing a snap, all of the sorcerers appeared behind him, even the Druid who was now in human form. The spells I used on them were still present, but merely disintegrated a second later.

While it was nothing new to me, the sight of all my work put into restraining each individual sorcerer diminish in a blink of an eye. It was The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme so I had no business in even trying to match that. However, when further looking into it, the sight of all my work and preparation being undone instantly, I only grew more eager to reach her levels one day

With all said and done, Averdrian didn't waste time making a portal when his powers got restored, storming off without bothering to wait for the others.

"Hey!" I called out to the sorcerers, turning around just before they crossed the portal. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off the way that I did. It wasn't my intention to harm either of you, nor did I enjoy fighting sorcerers from the very temple I learned about magic. I'm fully aware you were only doing your duty of protecting this realm from powerful entities, trust me when I say I was doing the very same thing before you arrived. My intentions were only to protect my friend, nothing more.

The group stood in place for a few seconds, unsure how to respond. Sasha merely rolled her eyes before turning around to cross through the portal,

"Huh, I certainly didn't expect that." Ivan shrugged as he was the next to follow.

"All that work for nothing… and a damn headache to boot." Braux commented as he and Gustav were the last ones to cross through.

Yet, even with them gone, I still didn't get that sense of ease I needed.

"Something troubling you?" The Ancient One asked with her head tilted.

"By now, I'm too tired and confused to even guess what your intentions are," I expressed with a sigh. "For starters, was this whole thing necessary?"

"Not really," The Ancient One responded simply, only making me more confused. "I was interested to see how the situation would resolve itself, with you and Averdrian specifically. As much as I wanted to step in, neither of you would be satisfied unless you settled it amongst yourselves. I was merely curious what the outcome might be."

While I would question the reason behind that logic as she has that Stone around her neck, I decided to not open that box. "Given the circumstances, I just didn't want them to take Jean away, especially since you weren't there at the time when I decided to prevent that from happening.

"And for that, I can't blame you for what you did, if anything, I'm impressed," The Ancient One complimented. "Containing the Phoenix Force is no easy feat, regardless if it was only at a small fraction of its full power."

"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you abou-"

"About the Phoenix Force itself and how to prevent it from going berserk?" She cut me off, to which I just nodded. "As of now, even though it has reawakened, it doesn't appear to be aggravated at the moment, which is a good sign. I'd like it that you and Ms. Grey approach me for more detailed instructions, but to keep it simple, establishing contact is essential. On its own, the Phoenix is a neutral presence, and if it's acceptable of its host, it's possible to tap into its power. Keep in mind that the training process will be tedious if it doesn't go as planned. I trust you'll keep her at a steady balance."

"You're entrusting this task to me? I asked wide-eyed, taken aback slightly. "Why?"

The Ancient One's eyes jumped towards the X-Men, at Jean specifically before looking at me. "I told the young girl what she's capable of and to say she was in a state of shock would be an understatement. This will be a painful experience for her, her whole worldview shook upon learning the Phoenix resides inside of her. While it's important we ensure Earth's safety as Sorceress, we also must manage our expectations of her as well, she's human as much as everyone else, only burdened by a responsibility she never wanted. In order for Jean to master the Phoenix Force, we mustn't rush her, and personally, I feel like it would be easier if she was introduced to the world of the Mystic Arts by someone she already trusts as we help through this. That was the entire reason for fighting in the first place, wasn't it?"

I won't lie, she was right and there was no use denying it. "Yeah, it was."

"Excellent, then we have an agreement," The Ancient One said happily. "I will contact you soon, till then, I'll send you several books that I highly advise you take a look over before Ms. Grey's training begins. Also, I'd like to supervise the first few sessions, to see if the Phoenix responds positively to the training."

"Understood," I nodded in confirmation. "I know it's too soon to judge, but I think this whole thing will turn out okay. I was able to use a small fraction of the Phoenix Force's power from my injury, something I don't see as a coincidence. If anything, it could have backfired when I tried absorbing it, instead, it felt like I was granted permission on using it. That's a good sign in my book."

"I noticed," She said. "Nevertheless, we must take our time with this, only if we achieve a milestone can we accelerate our timetable. That being said, I encourage you to get to it."

Before I got to say anything else, the woman turned around to form a portal, signaling Mordo it was time to take their leave.

"Master."

"Yes?" The Ancient One spoke with a raised eyebrow before she crossed the portal.

My next question was honestly unnecessary, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity. "Where were you these last few weeks? I visited the London Sanctum a couple of times and not even they knew what was going on. Can you at least tell me that much?"

"Oh, that," The Ancient One "I will be honest, that is a topic for another day, one that I'll bring you up to speed personally. But I feel like you have enough on your mind at the current moment. Rest up for a bit, we will be in touch until then. Does that sound reasonable?"

That wasn't as much of a request as much as a one-sided trap to make me comply. Honestly, I kind of expected that kind of response. "I won't get anywhere if I say otherwise, so there's no point trying."

"Glad you understand," The Ancient One said cheerfully, walking through the portal before saying farewell. "See you soon, Ethan."

Then, the portal the Sorcerer Supreme walked through disappeared, leaving us on our own within the Mirror Dimension.

"Oh, thank god." I expressed with a deep sigh, willingly letting my body collapse onto the ground.

Before I could hit the ground, Peter and Bucky dashed behind me to prevent the fall. "Easy there, Ethan. We got you."

"Trust me, Pete, I'm more mentally worn out than how I currently look on the outside," I elaborated on my current state. "I'm fine, just need to take a moment to catch my breath is all."

"That was quite the show out there, kid," Logan complimented, him and the rest of the X-Men stepping closer around us. "Thought you were a goner at one point."

"Seriously, there was barely any breathing room in that fight, yet, you managed to defeat all of them." Alex commented

"Heh, thanks for the moral support, anyway," I shot back at him in a similar tone. "I'm just glad it ended how it did, could've been way worse if it went how I imagined it."

"How come?" Laura asked questioningly.

"These guys I fought weren't the real issue to be wary about, it was my teacher who I was most frightened to deal with," I admitted. "When she showed up, she was uncharacteristically silent, that alone forming red flags in my mind. Fighting her would be dozens of times worse than the five I just fought."

While nobody knew the Ancient One's true capabilities, it was enough to make several of them shudder briefly, having already witnessed what skilled Sorcerers are able to perform giving my statement some merit. If they only knew to what extent she can utilize the Time Stone.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Alex asked worryingly. "With your people, I mean."

"Regarding my teacher, I think everything's fine on that front," I answered back. "For the ones I've fought, I don't necessarily care to be honest. They were only doing their job, if they listened to my side of the story then all of this could've been avoided."

"So what now?" Kitty asked, looking around everyone for confirmation.

"We make sure our work here is done, which I'm positively sure that it is," I looked around at the ruined remains of the secret base. "My teacher agreed to help with some of the leg work, all we have to do is check out the base from the other side. Obtaining whatever data we can from them will be useful."

"Like I said before, let me worry about that," Bucky said reassuringly. "I'll go over everything. You, on the other hand, should get back to base and start tending to your wound."

I looked at the man to my left, a part of me wanting to retaliate by staying put until I was sure this mission can be put behind us. Instead, I simply gave up, his expression telling me it was useless to convince him otherwise. "Fine, I'll go. Feel like there's no point in arguing about something I can't win. Notify me if you find anything suspicious."

"Will do." Bucky said approvingly.

"I'll tag along," Logan volunteered, a nod of approval coming from Bucky. With that settled, the duo began with their assignment after we all departed the Mirror Dimension.

---

When we were finally done with all the events that happened today, I was very much eager to simply treat my wound with a long shower with a meal before shutting off for a few hours. The younger members of the X-Men had different plans.

Charles, Ororo, Hank and Scott wanted to check up on the mutants we rescued and welcome them to their school, which was a given. The thought of meeting some and recruiting them to my team crossed my mind but didn't have the will to follow up on it, simply wanting to close off this day for good. Kitty, Laura, Kurt, Piotr, Alex and Rogue wanted to stick around a bit longer, and I didn't want to just shoo them away. I knew Peter would keep them company and liven up the atmosphere while I was gone, so I didn't worry too much about it.

While they kept the duo busy, I had my hands full with someone else, Jean.

Just as I was about to close the door of my own personal room, Jean stepped inside without uttering a single word. Telling her what I intended to do, she practically demanded me to tell her what to do, as she had no intention of leaving. I was well aware of how tedious and long the process to remove each piece of metal stuck to my skin, and I didn't mind it as much. Jean, on the other hand, insisted that she helps out in any way possible, with no room for me to prevent her otherwise. Her behavior and the way she spoke told me everything, she was feeling angry and guilty about what happened, not to mention the worrying glances I saw when I would show discomfort moving my arm without the Chi layer canceling out the pain.

It wasn't like the Jean I knew from before the Phoenix "awakened", only asking for further instructions from time to time in a low, emotionless tone before going right back to tending my wound. Even though she had nothing to do with it, and was already feeling bad just seeing the way she behaved, I just opted to remain quiet and let her do the work. Not like I had a say in it anyway.

About thirty minutes into it, we almost had all of it out, but my arm remained a dark shade of purple of constantly going back and forth, nothing a few potions won't fix. However, for the twentieth time of looking at Jean, the regret and anger in her face along with the low hum of a spell keeping my arm from moving, I couldn't bear another minute of this agonizing silence

I had to start somewhere, but where? "You sure you don't want to take a break? I'm telling you, I feel better now. Most of my nerves are back and don't need magic to support it… half the time. I'd rather much give you a check-up just in case."

"Sure... half the time…" Jean scoffed lowly, not batting an eye whilst focusing on the lower section of my arm. Ignoring the first part of my question.

"No, really, almost all my sensory points are functional, time will do the rest from now on." I reassured, gently trying to move her hands away.

Instantly, Jean's hand grabbed my wrist, softly enough to not cause discomfort. "Please… let me just finish… this is the only way I know how to repay you… after everything that's-"

"Geez, you're still thinking about that," I huffed. "I'm positive I heard you saying "whatever happened, happened" before, I don't see why this instance is any different.

As if I struck some sort of nerve, her whole body came to a complete stop. Her grip on my hand tightened slightly while shaking. "Why…?"

I hummed, unsure what she was insinuating.

"Why… why aren't you mad at me?" Jean asked with a shaky tone, unable to look me in the eye.

"Should I be?" I asked without missing a beat.

"Yes… you should…" Jean uttered, albeit in an angered tone.

I let out an exhausted sigh. "Jean, how many times do I have to tell you, it wasn't your faul-"

"But it is! Stop saying it isn't!" Jean screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice almost cracking. This time, she raised her head, reestablishing eye contact for the first time since we entered the room. Right then and there, I could fully see how much pain she was in. "Ethan, I almost killed you, why do you keep ignoring that fact like it's nothing?! When I was in that state, I saw everything. I saw what I did to that U-Man, to my surroundings, to you. The moment you tried to stop me, the only thing I could think of was burning you just because you "interrupted" me when I was fighting that U-Man. Not only that, but your own peers had no hesitation to fight you, because of me. Your teacher told me about the thing living inside of me, what it can do, what it will do if I'm not careful. How can you look at me and act unfazed after what happened today, knowing that in a split second, I might kill you if you try to stop me…?"

At that moment, I was hesitant to properly answer. But at the same time, the tears in her eyes with a face full of sorrow only made me want to reassure her that she had no right to blame herself for what happened. It was random luck in the universe that was bound to happen, sooner or later it didn't matter, it was inevitable. While I knew what my job fully entailed, I didn't think of that as an explanation for my actions, only recalling the face I saw moments before the Phoenix exploded.

"You seemed scared, and I wanted to help," I responded truthfully, her face froze at how sincere my reply was. "What was I supposed to do? Do you think I haven't thought about the risks? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't do anything, especially when I'm one of the few people who can truly help? That doesn't include just you, if someone I care about is in trouble I won't think twice before acting, no matter what the case may be. I… know we don't know each other that well yet… but that doesn't mean I won't offer my help to someone who needs it. Even if the damage was more severe, or permanent for that matter, I wouldn't regret what I did, not for a second. Besides…"

I stopped when I realized what I was about to say, feeling slightly embarrassed by the thought of it. "… If the roles were reversed, I feel like you would do the same for me. I couldn't just watch you suffer like that, and I wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing all over again."

Silence once again filled the air, our eyes firmly locked onto each other. Without warning, Jean threw her arms around my neck, tightly embracing me into an almost bone-breaking hug if it weren't for the Herb. I wasn't sure how to react, so I gently placed my arms onto her backside as that was all I could do as she softly cried onto my shoulder.

Her soft red hair tickled my nose and touched the left side of my face, that alone made my face heat up slightly. To tell the truth, even though I meant every word, I was confused on what exactly to say in this situation, as I certainly didn't expect something like this to happen.

I was never really good at handling

Regardless, I just wanted her to know it wasn't her fault. That's all that really mattered in my eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Jean whispered, almost barely audible.

The embarrassed feeling I had instantly vanished when I heard Jean apologize for the umpteenth time. "Geez, will you stop apologizing, dummy? You're only making me feel bad when you keep saying it like that."

Jean released me from the long hug that we shared, looking away while wiping away the tears that were still present. Seeing the "struggle" to fix her appearance, I waved my hand to create a lengthy red handkerchief, handing it to her as I received a low thank you. Wiping away the tears and then blowing her nose, Jean was surprised to see the liquid from the handkerchief dry away in an instant.

"Y'know... magic, useful for everything, not gonna lie." I uttered without thinking, more glad that the atmosphere started to shift in a positive direction.

Jean released a soft laugh at my comment. "You always have a solution for everything, don't you?"

"Not always," I replied coyly, glad that her behavior was slowly shifting for the better. "Most of the time, though."

While one issue was resolved, another formed right after, that being more silence. I feel like I didn't need to say anything else or something unnecessary, but I also put myself in the corner by doing that. Each second that passed, the urge to say a sentence that made any kind of sense grew bigger, as well as impossible.

Then I started hearing numerous low "tu tump" sounds that slowly infected my mind.

"Wait… it's mine, that I'm sure of… but…." My thoughts were all over while solely focusing on the two separate beats. "But hers too…?"

My concentration was broken when we heard multiple knocks on the door, startling us both, me a little bit more due how loud it was for me compared to Jean. "Come in!"

The door slowly opened, Rogue's head coming through with a soft greeting. "Hey, guys."

"Hey Rogue."

Jean and I said simultaneously, causing us to look at each other briefly before breaking it off a moment later.

Rogue's eyes jumped back and forth, mouth agape for a few seconds. "O-Oh, sorry y'all, ah didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, no, it's fine, right?" I asked Jean while rotating my injured arm, pulling myself up with a quick gesture. "The arm's been tended to, now in a few hours I'll be good as new."

"If you say so, sugah," Rogue responded back, embracing Jean into a hug when the two got close. "How you holding up, hon?"

"I'm alright… it's just…" Jean released a sigh before forming a reassuring smile. "…a long day, that's all. We'll figure this thing out, don't you worry about me. What about you, did you need anything?"

Rogue looked to the side with an embarrassed expression, motioning the redhead to move closer so she could whisper something to her. Due to my enhanced hearing, I could hear her whisper "can we talk", but not another sound was uttered between the two, meaning they're speaking through Jean's powers. The possible topic in question alluded me, with Rogue looking embarrassed while Jean giggled a few times. Realizing it was useless to even try figuring it out, I simply waited by the side for them to finish.

"I'll go check up on the others, don't want to leave them in the dark about this whole thing," Jean excused herself. "I'll see you two later. Good luck~"

Jean waved playfully as she exited the room, leaving me and Rogue on our own. What were they talking about I wonder? Seems whatever it was, Jean seemed to be in a far better mood, only means I will never fully understand how women tick.

Sensing that she didn't know how to break the ice, I did it for her by teasing her. "Should I start off, or would you do other honors."

"It's nothin', just…" Rogue rubbed her neck before finishing. "A favor, if it ain't too much askin. Y'know what, maybe I'll ask ya next time, you're injured and I don't wanna bother ya with my-"

I simply raised my hand to stop her. "Rogue, I'm not dead, this right here is nothing. Whatever was on your mind, ask away."

That gave her a slight confidence boost, Rogue opened her mouth to begin her request. "Ah just figured, since ya know so much about various powers and stuff, ah thought about asking if you could help me with mah… issue. Ah feel like I don't need to explain how my powers work, no?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "You absorb any property you touch, be it living or some sort of object. I believe Jean mentioned you retain memories and any skill sets that person had. That part I understand, but what's the issue?"

"About that…" Rogue looked off to the side briefly. "Ever since mah powers manifested, ah could never touch anotha' person without fearing of sending them into a coma. No matter how we tried, we never could figure out how to fix me. If we're bein' honest, ah just wanted to give up then and there to finding a solution for it. So Ah' thought… maybe, if it ain't askin too much, you could look into that, perhaps? "

"Only you got one part wrong," I spoke up, causing Rogue to look at me with confusion. "I won't be fixing anything, because nothing is broken, you are not broken. What I'm going to do is more along the lines of fine-tuning. I'm sure I can find something useful that will help you out."

"Thank you so much!" Rogue spoke with hopeful eyes, a wide smile forming as well.

"Then let's begin." I opened a portal for my hand to scramble around across the other side for the object I was looking for.

"Wait, like right now?" Rogue asked surprised. "Ya don' have to do it right now, I don't wanna be more of a nuisance than ah already am."

"Too bad for you," I shot back with a smile. "That's my favorite pastime."

I tossed her a small metallic sphere, the outer shell being hollow as it only consisted of several lines that met all across the orb, a miniature mechanical contraption located on the inside. Once in her hands, it started to release green energy in small amounts. "What's this?"

"The tool that will make our problem a little easier to solve," I began explaining, taking a few steps towards her. "You see, you and I actually have similar capabilities, only my powers aren't so drastic and can be stopped on command. I figure different circumstances have some differences, so with this, I'll get all the details I need to find a solution."

Hearing that, Rogue turned her gaze back to the orb. "So what should ah do with this?"

"Absorb the energy that's leaking out, then concentrate on sending it back into the orb," I told her simply. "That's all there is to it."

Slightly taken aback by such a simple request, Rogue tightened her grip around the sphere, absorbing the energy leaking out. The action only lasted a few seconds with the light dying down, sending the absorbed energy back into the orb as the light disappeared once more. Handing the orb over to me, I coated my fingers with energy to not soil it, as an extra safety precaution.

"Ah know Ah should just let ya do your thing, but how will that do anything?" Rogue asked curiously.

"Well, for starters, we won't have to worry about using a living subject for you to try on," I told her while rotating the orb. "Not only that, but the energy that goes back and forth will tell me what particular case you belong in, as well if anything happens to the energy once you take it. The object itself is designed to fit various needs in terms of testing, so we don't have to use living subjects to find out. Don't you worry, this will do the trick."

"Oh…" Rogue released a "Is there anything else you need me'h to do?"

"A few simple questions revolving around your powers," I asked kindly before perking up. "Oh, and a small blood sample too if you're alright with that."

Nodding in agreement, Rogue walked over to a nearby table and sat down, with me joining her after I grabbed a small syringe from another portal. Rolling up her sleeve and extending her arm out, Rogue sat patiently as I rubbed her elbow with a wet cloth. "When did your powers first manifest?"

"About a few years ago…" Rogue answered slowly. "At a pretty crappy time to boot."

"That being?" I asked politely while injecting the needle into the vein.

Rogue averted her eyes at that, a slight shade of red spreading across her cheeks. "Mah first kiss..."

I did know beforehand how Rogue awakened her powers, but I was curious if this timeline had any altercations to anyone's origin. "Yup... that does sound like horrible timing."

To save the girl from further embarrassment, I decided to ask her several other nitpicky questions to get her point of view when her powers are active, or the effects of the people she absorbed. Taking the needle out of her arm, I placed it in a newly formed metallic container fitted for its size. "That's everything I need, you helped so much by doing so. I can't give you an ETA about making a discovery at the moment, I'll have to go through all my books and do excessive research to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Rogue simply waved her hand at that. "Take ya time, sugah. Ah don' wanna cause you pressure or anything, but thanks for doing this, even if ya don' find a solution, Ah appreciate the effort."

"Just so I don't jinx it, I'll remain quiet until then," I told her jokingly. "I'll let you know as soon as I think of something."

Generally speaking, I vaguely knew how Rogue's powers caused her issue. Upon contact, she passively absorbs the Life Energy from the victim, her boyfriend in particular was an ordinary human, making it quite dangerous in that regard. A simple kiss resulted in several weeks of the boy being in a coma, meaning it was very lethal if contact is prolonged. Due to the genetics of mutants, they were more durable against her powers, that's why nobody faces any severe side effects aside from maybe some slight fatigue.

While I truly wanted to help her with her issue right now, my mind was too tired to function properly at the moment, making it impossible for me to even stand searching through countless books for the perfect solution. Rogue would have to wait a little longer, but I did promise her I would find an answer and I planned on delivering.

---

"Damn, is it just me, or did beer taste a shit ton better when we were in the army?" Logan commented with a sour expression, ogling the large pitcher in his hand.

"My last drink was the day before my last mission, can't say I even recall how it tasted," Bucky answered back while looking through several shelves. "But I'll take your word for it."

After the battle, Bucky and Logan proceeded to investigate what the main headquarters of the U-Men had to offer. They didn't encounter any threat due to all of them being eliminated earlier, having a peaceful time while exploring. There wasn't a chance for them to delete anything from their database, giving them some solid information about their connections. Essex Corporation and Hydra being the most notable names on the list. Plenty of information was acquired, all that was left was to go through it. Whatever tech seemed worthwhile, Bucky created portals that would transport it to a storage unit in their base. After a solid hour's worth of work, the two decided it was time for them to catch up, properly.

"God, I'd sell my soul for a good drink after a day like this." Logan gruffed, reclining back into his chair in disappointment.

"Way ahead of you." Bucky joined him at the table, placing a small dispenser on the surface.

Logan loomed over it with curiosity, taking in the odd design of the object. "What's that?"

"Drink enchanter," Bucky simply responded, pouring several droplets of the liquid inside to their respective glasses. "It's supposed to "enhance the drink several dozen times" with one drop alone, never tried it before but I figure a few drops should do the trick."

"And you're just trying this now?" Logan asked somewhat dumbfoundedly.

"Been busy ever since I busted out of Hydra. Besides..." Bucky said while raising his drink. "Never had the occasion to do so."

Taking his own glass, Logan returned the gesture before taking their respective drinks. For the first time in quite a while, Logan experienced a feeling he long thought to be impossible, the drink itself wasn't that strong, but it was an overall improvement nonetheless. "Better than the crap I was forced to drink for the last few decades."

The two simultaneously enjoyed and hated the silence that came as they sipped their drinks, both unsure where to start. Bucky decided to break the ice. "I told you where I've been, what about you?

Logan groaned as his eyes went all over the place. "What is there to tell? After the war, it was another shitfest after another, all the same. Wherever I went all I saw was fighting. Actually, wherever I went, trouble followed. With the X-Men, I just might have found that sense of peace. Heh, never thought I'd be saying that, used to think it was "make-believe" bullshit, guess I got proven wrong."

Having nothing to do but spread a wide smile towards his friend, Bucky was glad he was able to find salvation in this hellish world. "I'm happy for you man, you deserve it."

"Your turn," Logan said, taking another sip of his drink, finding it more appealing than minutes ago.

"Ever heard of the Winter Soldier?" Bucky asked, Logan nodding in response. "You're looking at him."

"Wait… you said they kicked into gear after the War…"

"Yup," Bucky finished his sentence sour expression. "Brainwashed me ever since, and used as a genuine pig to carry out numerous assassinations over the years. They even managed to get into the system to make sure their operations don't get any unwanted attention."

Logan stiffed a laugh. "Sooo, the most of the goverment is completly down the shitter, why am I not surprised…"

"They've been laying low for decades now, it was only a matter of time before they gathered enough resources and connections to infiltrate the government and other parts of the globe," Bucky scoffed as he was about to take a sip. "God, I'm getting a headache at the mere thought of where they are and in whatever other rat hole they're hidding at."

"Essentially, you can't trust anyone nowadays." Logan groaned. "Heh, what am I saying, wasn't it always the case?"

"Depends who you ask," Bucky added. "There are still some good people out there, it just became more difficult to tell on which side they're on."

After a minute of simply enjoying their drinks, Logan asked with an eyebrow raised. "What about the kid?"

"What about him?" Bucky asked skeptically.

"You trust him?" Logan asked bluntly, not beating around the bush.

Bucky, for several seconds, stayed quiet, contemplating the question in his mind. Then he realized, there was no need to second guess his decision. "I do."

Upon hearing how genuine and honest his answer was, Logan didn't want to shower his old teammate with such questions. However, a side of him wanted to be sure in case of history repeating itself. "How can you be so sure?"

"For the longest time, I wasn't sure of anything that was going on in here," Bucky explained while tapping his forehead. "But this, a choice that I can decide for myself, I know I made the right call. Without a doubt in my mind. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be their lab rat, I feel like that speaks for itself."

Logan nodded solemnly, glad to know his friend was confident in his decision. "If you're good, bub, so am I."

Bucky released a chuckle afterwards. "What about you? Seems like you find yourself a home as well. Never imagined that you would be teaching kids someday, you don't seem the type of guy to be doing that."

"What can I say, they're a pain in the ass. But the good kind," Logan expressed while taking another swing. "Somebody's gotta show em' how to survive in this hell hole. I don't care what happens to me, if they can handle themselves after I'm done with em', that's all that matters in my mind."

"So, who's the lucky lady that managed to tame you?" Bucky asked with a wide grin.

Perplexed, all Logan could say was. "Ha?"

"What do you mean "ha"? Tell me all about her." Bucky said eagerly. "Don't try leaving out any details."

"Buck, what the hell are you even talking about?" Logan asked, totally confused at what his friend was referring to. That, and the beer is starting to take effect it seems.

Now sharing the same expression as Logan, it was Bucky's turn to be confused. "Well, you're married, aren't you?"

"No, what gave you that idea?"

"Ughh… Laura, your daughter, maybe?" Bucky asked, simplifying it further.

Realizing what Bucky was referring to, Logan's mind was blank momentarily before he could think of a reply. "Oh, that…"

To Bucky, the tone alone was enough to tell how unenthusiastic Logan acted at the sound of his question. "What's wrong?"

Taking another, long sip of his drink, Logan began thinking about how to explain how his daughter came to be. The alcohol just now started to kick in, both making it easy and difficult at the same time. "You see… what happened was-"

Das it for part 2.

Okay, so there was a big delay for this Chap for numerous reasons. One of them was how to deal with this fight and how to play it out. Kept going back and forth and wasn't sure if any of them were good, considering I spent so much time on this, decided to go with this one and call it a day since I wouldn't get anywhere.

Some said Ethan shouldn't win this fight. My answer to that is yes and no. I wanted for him to struggle against this one as the matchup truly is tricky, but not impossible, given his extra set of tricks. Showcasing different forms of magic was both fun and challenging, hope I got some of it right.

The relationship with Jean was my main goal when thinking how this Chapter would end, and Ethan losing after everything didn't sit well with me. Yes, I am aware he still didn't get one loss upon getting into the Marvel Universe, I didn't forget that, just found better choices to show that. That's just my 2 cents on the matter, at least.

Next Chapter is the well known thing called The Beach episode. Essentially, Ethan and crew have been doing nothin this whole time but work, its fine to change that. More SoL moments and slow-paced stuff between the characters is what's missing in the story, so I plan on fixing that from now.

Should be within next week or two as I got it mostly finished, so won't be too long for an update. Again sorry it took so long and if it didn't deliver. Any criticism or thoughts on it is greatly appreciated

Note; will re-upload tomorrow as I'm sure there are a few errors that sneaked their way thru, alongside previous Chapters as my OCD doesn't allow it.

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links)

Cya