"Sooner or later, Xavier will set his mutants on us," Psyche said, before he revealed his plan of how he was going to take the X-Men down in a battle that Psyche knew would occur sooner or later. "Sooner or later," Psyche continued, "Xavier will send people here to look for the body that I inhabit now. When that happens, Candle-" he looked at the girl with red, wavy hair, "and Magnify," he nodded at the boy with dirty-blond hair and green eyes, "to create fireballs to attack the X-Men with. Shimmer will divert any threat towards the X-Men," he said, facing the Indian girl, and then continued, facing the girl with purple hair, pupils and nails, "and Violet will shield us from other attacks made by them."
Those sitting down in front of Psyche nodded in agreement.
"Now, I will need to practice using this boy's powers," Psyche said. "All of you, go back to your rooms and wait for further instructions. Portal, stay here." Standing up, all the other mutants, also under the psychic control of the Shadow King, opened the door leading out of Psyche's room, and once everyone was out, Candle slid the door shut.
"What do you want me to do?" Portal questioned.
"We're not strong enough to take down the X-Men," Psyche said. "I need you to bring us to the X-Mansion. I will handle the rest." "Alright," Portal said, nodding in agreement, as he snapped his fingers and both him and Psyche vanished.
Instantly after Psyche and Portal vanished, they reappeared in the basketball court of the X-Mansion. As Psyche led the way into the mansion, a voice in his head that sounded exactly like Professor X's said, "I know you're here. Get out of here before I drive you out." "Make me, Xavier," Psyche replied with a malicious voice dripping with venom, and the foreheads of both him and Portal glowed black for a few seconds.
"I've shielded us from psychic interference," Psyche said hurriedly, "but it won't last for long. Come on, we have to be quick." They ran towards the student's rooms, and Psyche's eyes glowed black as they walked over to a door that he blasted open with an energy ball, revealing an alarmed Wanda Maximoff.
"Dylan!" Wanda shouted in alarm. "What're you doing! D...Don't come any closer!" she said as Psyche began to move close to her.
"From now on..." Psyche said softly, venomously, "you will work with me. Do you understand?" Wanda's eyes turned as black as Psyche's, as she slowly fell under the Shadow King's psychic spell. "Yes, I do, Dylan," Wanda said.
Psyche stretched out a hand to touch the face of the mesmerised Wanda, and a black shape flew out of Psyche and into Wanda, showing that the Shadow King had switched hosts, as Psyche collapsed to the floor.
"Take the boy back to the Shadow Room, Portal," Wanda said to Portal. "Quick! Xavier's men are coming!" Portal nodded and vanished, together with Psyche's body, and Wanda's black eyes turned normal again, just as Wolverine and Storm ran past her door, and Wolverine looked in and said, "Psyche came in here?" "Yes," Wanda said, "but he went out after blasting open the door," Wanda stammered, acting as if she were frightened, as Wolverine continued running along the hallway, in search of Psyche.
Wanda walked out of her room, and ran down the staircase to the sitting room, in which she saw Sunspot and Shadowcat, also looking for Psyche. "Have you seen Spike?" Sunspot asked. "Yes, I have," Wanda said. "Come, follow me." They walked out into the basketball court, where Wanda telepathically called for Portal.
"Are you sure he's here, Wanda?" Shadowcat asked. "Yes, yes, I'm sure," Wanda said as Portal materialised from orange-pink light, to the astonishment of Shadowcat and Sunspot. "Oh mi gosh!" Shadowcat exclaimed. "Bring us back to the Shadow Room," Wanda said to Portal, and before Shadowcat and Sunspot had a chance to run away, they were all spirited away to the Astral Plane.
The three X-Men and Portal appeared in Psyche's room in the Shadow Room, and the black shadow flew out of Wanda and into Psyche, inhabiting him again. "Where are we?" Sunspot asked, his voice quivering in fright. "Good question!" Shadowcat said in response. "Where are we, Wanda?" Turning her head to look at the person sitting behind the wooden table, Shadowcat screamed and shrieked, "Psyche!"
"No, Kitty," Psyche said maliciously, "not Psyche." A devilish grin spread itself on Psyche's face as Shadowcat and Sunspot were bathed in a black glow that showed that they had joined Psyche, Wanda, Portal, Candle, Magnify, Shimmer and Violet; pawns of the Shadow King.
Back in the X-Mansion, nobody is aware of Wanda's, Shadowcat's and Sunspot's disappearance. Taking advantage of this, Psyche has sent Sunspot back to the X-Mansion, with the help of Portal, to spy on Professor X. Meanwhile...
Professor X, Storm and Wolverine were all in Professor X's room, discussing their next move. Sunspot stood outside their door, pressing his ear against the crack between the door and the wall.
"We can't kill them, Logan, they're being controlled by the Shadow King!" Storm argued; Wolverine had suggested killing all of them and ending the problem there and then. "But we have to do something," Professor X said, stopping the argument between Storm and Wolverine at once with the final tone in his voice. "The longer the Shadow King stays in Dylan's mind, the more the chances that he will suffer mental damage, which may kill him!" Concluding their past hour of discussion, Professor X said, "we will have to attack Dylan on the Astral Plane and force the Shadow King out of him."
"But how're we goin' ta do that, Charles?" Wolverine asked. "All telepaths can access the Astral Plane," Professor X said. "If I amplify my powers with Cerebro, I might have enough power to project all of you in. But, I will have to remain here, I need to remain connected to Cerebro." "Will ya be puttin' yourself in danger, Charles?" Wolverine asked. "No, it won't, Logan," Professor X said with a final air about him. "Tomorrow afternoon, gather all the X-Men and all the new recruits in the library. We will do it tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Sunspot walked along the hallway, and into the bathroom.
"Psyche!" Sunspot whispered. "I'm done!" Back in Psyche's room, upon hearing this, sent Portal, who had been waiting in the room together with Wanda and Shadowcat, to bring him back to the Astral Plane.
"Well?" Psyche asked. "Anything new?"
"They plan to come into the Astral Plane and attack us tomorrow," Sunspot said. "What?" Wanda said. "We don't have enough time to make preparations! How are we going to win?" A new idea formed in Psyche's brain. "Wanda, Sunspot, Kitty. Follow me. Portal, go back into the physical universe."
When they appeared in the physical universe, Psyche asked Kitty, "Pyro. The guy we battled in the Danger Room. Where does he live?" "I don't know," Kitty replied. "Do you?" she asked Sunspot. "No matter," Psyche said, as his eyes turned black in an attempt to root out Pyro's whereabouts. Projecting Pyro's whereabouts into Portal's mind, Psyche said, "Portal, go to Pyro and bring him here." Portal disappeared, and in a matter of seconds reappeared with Pyro.
"Hey! Where'd you bring me?" Pyro said angrily, before he set his eyes on the five of the Shadow King's pawns.
"Oh, it's the X-Brats," Pyro said arrogantly. "Do you want a beating?"
"No," Sunspot replied. "Do you?"
Pyro took out a Zippo lighter from his pockets, and formed a fireball. Sunspot stared at the fireball, and in a few seconds the fireball flew into his chest and got absorbed into his body. "Fire is heat and light, Pyro," Sunspot said, "when will you learn?" A glowing orange energy ball formed in Sunspot's hand and it flew at Pyro, knocking him over. "I have a deal for you, Pyro," Psyche said, stepping out amidst the others. "Join me in killing Charles Xavier and I will bestow upon you powers you can only dream of." "What kind of powers?" Pyro asked. "The kind of power I wield," Psyche said, as black shadow flew out of his body, into Pyro, and then into Psyche again. "Did you like it?" Psyche asked. "Do you like the energy, the pulsing energy coursing through you? Psychic energy that rivals Charles Xavier?" By the look on Pyro's face, even a baby could tell that he simply craved for that sort of practically limitless power. "Come with us, Pyro," Psyche said. Looking at Psyche with determination, Pyro nodded.
"Portal?" Psyche said as he looked at him. "Do your thing."
In Psyche's room, Wanda, Kitty and Sunspot were chatting. "How did you make Pyro join us, Dylan?" Sunspot asked. "Telepathy?" "No," Psyche replied, "I didn't. He joined on his own. Power corrupts."