Illyana was falling through absolute darkness. It brought back unpleasant memories of her first trip to Limbo. Eventually she slowed to a stop, and found herself at the floor of the abyss.
From that endless inky expanse a shape began to form. Her shape.
It was like looking in a mirror. A dark, terrible mirror. This Illyana had shimmering black hair, and piercing red eyes. A pair of small horns poked through her bangs, and she twirled the end of a long thin tail around her finger.
"So we meet at last," the other Illyana said, her mouth forming a smile that was anything but warm.
"The famed Darkchilde."
"That's not who I am!"
"In a manner of speaking. That's who I am, and I'm as much a part of you as that pretty little face."
Remmy burst through the threshold into the throne room.
"Anna-Marie! Ma Cherie, I've come to rescue you! Where are-"
He was snatched by the neck and tossed halfway across the throne room by a large hand. As he felt the air slowly retreat back into his lungs, a shape appeared over him.
"Sorry about that, dude," Jubilee wasn't sure if she wanted to move him or not.
"She's kind of out to lunch right now…"
The oversized Anna was pacing back and forth, huffing and puffing amongst a pile of demons in various states of consciousness. Alison was helping N'Ezhno, who was back to his usual size and nursing a headache.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Jubilee asked once Remy seemed a bit more cognizant.
In a puff of smoke, Kurt, Thunderbird, and Armor arrived on the scene.
"It looks like we missed a party," Hisako said in awe as she took in the aftermath.
"There's plenty more party out there," Jonathan shook his head.
Kurt approached Anna slowly.
"I wouldn't - mon dieu - I wouldn't get so close if I were you." Remy wheezed.
"It's okay, Anna," Kurt said gently. "You know who I am."
Anna nodded.
"Kurt! How much longer will I stay like this?"
"I'm not sure. But if you have a bit more in the tank, I have an idea as to how you might use it more constructively. Alison?"
"It's your class too. But if we're the cavalry, you can bet I'm coming too."
"And I, as well." N'Ezhno said softly as he stood up.
"Nez, you already look half dead," Jubilee frowned.
"We brought Triage along," Thunderbird replied.
"He can look at you, see if we can't get you back on your feet."
"Let's just go!" Anna shouted. "I'm goin' berserk just standing here. It's like everything is on fire. Nez, is this what it feels like for you, too?"
"Always," N'Ezhno said somberly.
"This place sucks," Sam observed as the three runaway mutants trekked across the hellscape.
"We shouldn't have come here," Amara shivered.
"Hell of a time to get cold feet, Amara," Bobby called from his vantage point higher up the hill.
"I see a castle up ahead. Let's head there and see if there are any signs of them."
A trio of voices suddenly broke out in their heads.
What are you guys doing here?
Didn't Miss Frost give you two detention?
This place really sucks.
"It's the Cuckoos!" Sam shouted.
You don't have to be so loud.
"Where are you guys?" Amara asked.
"It's getting bad out there. Illyana and Miss Pryde need all hands on deck."
It's not exactly great in here.
A warzone, more like.
Keep going in the direction you're headed, and look for a cliff face. You'll probably see Mr. Summers' lasers from there.
And hurry, all three said.
There's bad things out there.
"She must hate me," Rahne moaned.
"I said such horrible things. I didn't know what this place was like!"
"I'm sure she would love to hear your apology if we all survive this mess," Emma said dryly. They had been traveling for about 20 minutes, and Rahne's guilt was beginning to wear thin on the woman.
They came to a cliff overlooking the blasted landscape. They saw Belasco's Castle high on the left.
Rahne gave a sniff in the air.
"Look there - that's them."
They saw the three small shapes of Amara, Sam, and Bobby clambering up a hill.
"That's not all we found," Emma pointed Rahne's head a bit farther up. There was a massive battle going on at the top of the hill.
"Looks like the gang's all here," Rahne breathed. "Shall we get to it, then?"
"I can't go diamond," Emma said. "Rachel is the only psychic left out there to relay our location to."
"I'll watch your back," Rahne growled. She had already taken her wolf form.
And so the battle was joined and the X-Men made their stand in Limbo.
Nightcrawler, Sam, and Bobby ran interference, while Wolfsbane, Dazzler, and Thunderbird dismantled the demons at close range.
Chris and Amara - the girl still unused to using her powers - hung back with Emma and the Cuckoos. With all four of their minds together the psychics could send huge swathes of demons into terrors from their imaginations.
Armor, Rogue, and N'Ezhno - once he was fixed up - put their large size and strength towards crowd control, while the others attempted to get Sym off of Cyclops long enough to get their leader out of harm's way.
Scott was bleeding through his nose by the time he finally reached Triage.
"Let's get you patched up, Mr. Summers," Chris said.
"I'm glad everyone is okay," Sam landed next to the two mutants.
"Now we can get back to the house, pronto." Bobby shouted from up above.
"Roberto? What are you doing here?"
"There will be time for that later," Emma shot Sam and Roberto a look that could curdle milk.
"But the boys are right. While you darlings took the fight to the demons, Belasco himself took the fight to us."
"Then we need to wrap things up," Cyclops said, standing up again. He looked at Sym, the same pleasant, expectant look on his face.
"Any ideas on how to deal with him?"
"Maybe one," Nightcrawler stroked his chin.
"Are you sure, Kurt?" Alison frowned. He's pretty big."
"He's undoubtedly lighter than Pietro though," Kurt grinned.
"I would appreciate some assistance though, fraulein."
"Plenty of noise out here," Dazzler nodded. Her eyes illuminated.
"Could use the release anyway."
"I am the dark part of you. The strong part of you. And once the last of your soul has been extracted into the Bloodstone Amulet, I will be in charge."
"Without my soul, you'll take over my body?"
"Our body. Do try to keep up," Darkchilde rolled her eyes.
"Though right now that's a bit of a moot point."
"What are you talking about?"
"You mean you don't know?"
Illyana clenched her fist and conjured a sphere of flame.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Darkchilde wagged her finger and held up her arm. The entire environment convulsed around her.
"Let's go ahead and have a looksie, shall we?"
She twisted her fingers and an image appeared between the two girls. It showed a rampaging beast with a skeletal, flaming head and thick hooves.
Illyana looked at the creature.
"Is that thing… me?"
"Everything is relative, Illyana," Darkchilde grinned.
"That 'thing' represents the conflict in your soul. Between the person your mind wants to remain and the person your body desperately wants to become. Until one of us can triumph over the other, it will be master over both of us."
"But I don't want it! I've spent my entire adult life trying to prevent the Inferno!"
"Mm. And that's where I come in. When you touched the first Bloodstone, I was born. I will fulfill my purpose and throw open the door to this universe for Belasco's legions. Our destiny is written in blood, and soon it will be at hand."
"So close," he muttered, looking at his collection of stones torn from Illyana's soul, "I can taste it."
A flash of steel sent him reeling as Ororo, her dagger in hand, found purchase in the side of his head.
The wind surged once more around Storm and Belasco as the thing that was once Illyana raged on the lawn.
Belasco stood up. The gash left by Storm's knife had turned a dark crimson, and the demon king's right eye was now a fiery yellow with a slit for a pupil.
"How many layers of deception are there, I wonder?" Storm spat. "How many masks hide the true ugliness at the heart of Belasco?"
Belasco grinned a newly asymmetric grin.
"Scratch me with whichever claws suit you, Storm. Look upon your innocent little charge now. She will bathe this world in an Inferno beyond reckoning. You have failed. In fact..."
He snapped his finger towards the hulking Darkchilde and commanded her attention.
"Oh Illyana," he sang with malice. She began lumbering towards him, the grass beneath her feet withering into straw.
"Come show your Auntie Storm what became of that sweet little girl she fought so hard for."
The Darkchilde held out its arm and called forth the Soulsword. It flew to her hand and lit with orange flame. Then the beast started walking, slowly and purposefully towards Storm.
Dazzler strode towards Sym with arms outstretched. As he started to walk towards her, the entire world went white. From his perspective anyway. Nightcrawler ported through the field of light Dazzler emitted, grabbed onto the great pink demon, and the pair of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.
A thousand feet up, another burst of smoke released the two combatants.
"Ey, whatcha playing at, blue?" Sym screamed over the roar of the wind.
"A delay of game, my friend! Auf wiedersehen!"
Kurt vanished, then reappeared next to Cyclops.
"Not exactly original, but when you learn to shoot green lasers out of your eyes instead of red, you can judge my lack of variety anytime you like."
"I'll take it," Scott muttered as he watched the faraway shape of Sym plummet towards the ground.
"Emma, contact Illyana, get us out of here."
"We've been trying," Phoebe said.
"We can't get through," said Celeste.
"Something is wrong," Mindee said.
"We came through Belasco's rift," Amara realized.
"It's probably still there," Sam added.
"Then let's move, X-Men!" Scott ordered.
As Darkchilde circled Illyana, a sword appeared, embedded in the floor of the abyss between them. It cast a blue light that Illyana's eyes struggled to adjust to.
"Oh good, it has the sword. That makes things simple. One last little bit of light left to purge and I can get this show on the road."
Darkchilde raised her hand and the tip of the sword where it stuck into the floor turned red. The red glow began to inch its way up the blade, the last fragment of Illyana's soul slowly giving way to Limbo's corruption.
In the glow of the Soulsword Illyana could just make out the shape of Storm standing her ground against Belasco.
"Ororo," she said, her voice weak.
"I know what you're thinking," Darkchilde said. "She can't save you from me. You are me."
Illyana looked up at the blue light, the red corruption spreading further up its length.
"Don't."
It was the same feeling she had all those years ago. It might have been fear then. It might be fear now. But her desire to run was suddenly stronger than that creeping feeling that rooted her in place.
She surged forward and placed her hands on the Soulsword, and the black expanse shuddered from a psychic earthquake.
"If you strike me, it will only delay the inevitable. You cannot kill me, just as you could not silence your own darkest thoughts!"
"You want to send every living thing on Earth to Hell?" Illyana's voice was shrill and haggard. She was stooping under the mounting pressure inside the void.
"Fine! You can go first!"
She thrust the sword into Darkchilde, and then there was nothing...