-Locke-

'Am I cursed with forever bad luck?'

Just when things had finally started to go my way, now there was a dangerous mutant supremacist after my life.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe."

Storm, (who else could the goddess with white hair and an aura almost on Wanda's level be if not Ororo Monroe?) assured.

I had half the mind to tell her not to make promises she couldn't keep, but the other half won over and I shamelessly huddled behind her.

The fact that my clothes were reduced to rags after the attack that reduced Wanda to ash, coupled with the beard I'd grown over the past few weeks- and I looked like a creep. Standing behind the beautiful African Goddess that was Storm, only intensified that vibe.

Bless her heart, Storm simply smiled at me, making my stomach flip flop in funny ways.

Then she turned her attention to the Master of Magnetism, who was imitating the sun- with pieces of metal rotating around him like planets.

Without hesitation, Storm took to the air.

"Eric, you will not harm the boy on my watch."

She declared

'Boy? We're not that far apart in age!' I thought wryly, my mind focusing on that instead of the situation.

"Storm's right."

Cyclops stated, the X-Men getting ready for a fight. For me, no less.

"The Professor believes he might be a mutant. But even if he is, we won't stand by and let you kill him."

'Okay. Hold up. What? A mutant? me?'

I gave the back of Scott's head a confused look.

Up above us, Magneto's face twisted, and he finally turned his killer stare from me to Cyclops,

"You and Charles have always been nuisances. But this time, I believed we were on the same side. I was wrong."

"You're always wrong Bub."

Wolverine growled out, the aura coming off similar to a wild animal. Something that was at odds with his relatively short size.

Short he might be, but he was wider than two of me. With muscles under his yellow costume that would make a body builder die with envy.

"Well, then. The time for talk is over."

Magneto's statement was followed by him suddenly attacking.

The small pieces of chain link under his control rained upon us like pellets from a hundred Shotguns.

I got ready to summon the Umbris, only for Storm to spread out her hands, creating a whirlwind around us that redirected the bits of chain away from our front.

The metal bits pelted the walls of the building behind with a sound akin to raindrops on iron sheets.

('We need to get you out of here.')

I heard a voice inside my head, just as a red haired woman grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the fight about to unfold.

"H-hey wait. Who-"

I begun only for her to me cut off.

('My name is Jean. Jean Grey. And if you don't want to be turned into a Pincushion, shut up and run.')

She said, rushing towards the building while tugging me along.

Storm's whirlwind provided the perfect cover to make our escape. Making me wonder if they'd planned this.

'As long as I survive I don't really give a damn.'

I thought, keeping pace with Jean.

The sound of impacts, metal getting shredded, animal-like grunts that I guessed were from Wolverine and the occasional flashes of lightning told me of the mayhem behind us.

We had moved past the yard, about to enter the building when I spared a look behind me. I was so glad I did.

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"Duck!"

I jumped towards Jean and tackled her, the two of us rolling out of the way of 2 red beams that passed right where our heads were.

The beams slammed into the building before us with a concussive impact, splitting it from the right to left in a slanted upwards angle.

The roof tilted and the upper portion collapsed, raising a cloud of dust.

Jean mentally yelled out,

('Move!)

She pushed my body off herself and created a telekinetic shield, protecting us both from the chunks of debris raining down

As the dust settled, I picked myself up, coughing slightly,

"The debris has blocked the entrance. Can you move it?"

Jean shook her head, breathing heavily. The timely shield seemed to have taken a toll on her,

"My telekinesis isn't as strong as my telepathy."

I considered our options, my mind racing.

'The Umbris Devourer could eat through the debris easily, but continuously bleeding myself is starting to take a toll on me. My body feels exhausted.'

I thought to myself, weighing the risks of summoning it and passing out due to blood loss, against doing nothing and dying.

Before I could decide the next move, the wind picked up above us.

I looked up, shielding my eyes with a palm.

The X-Jet was descending closer ti the collapsed building, and a rope ladder was thrown out from the open hangar.

I gaped at the metallic figure standing inside the jet, motioning for us to climb.

"Rescue's here. Let's go before Magneto takes control of our ride and drops it on our heads."

Jean spoke out loud, handing me the rope ladder.

"You go first, I'll cover you."

I didn't hesitate, throwing a quick 'thanks' her way before grabbing onto the ladder.

The X-Jet immediately began to ascend, pulling me away from the chaos below.

As I climbed, I glanced back and saw Jean running back towards the fray instead of joining me.

Conflicted emotions swirled within me; relief at escaping alive battled with guilt for leaving someone else to fight my battles.

Memories resurfaced of past losses, reminding me of the consequences when others fought on my behalf.

The X-Men's battle against Magneto had devastated the surrounding buildings.

Sixty percent of the base lay in ruins, with Magneto's powers accounting for forty percent of the destruction alone.

Despite the odds, the X-Men's teamwork appeared to be winning the day.

Storm confronted Magneto head-on, using elemental attacks to disrupt his control over metal. Cyclops and Gambit provided cover fire, while Rogue and Wolverine attempted to close in on Magneto, only to be thwarted repeatedly.

'Jean is holding them together.'

I reasoned, watching from the ladder, the X-jet retreating from them.

'Her telepathy is helping them coordinate their powers.'

Faced with the overwhelming mutant abilities on display, my limitations became clear.

"I'm still too weak. Just because I lucked out with Wanda doesn't mean I stand a chance against a mutant like Magneto."

I muttered, still grappling with the bitter feeling of running away like a coward.

I turned to continue the climb.

The X-Jet was just about to leave the edge of the compound when there was a sudden jerk.

A surprised yelp left me, barely hanging on as the rope ladder swung wildly.

My hands tightened around it, holding on for dear life. I looked up in question, only to find the X-Jet frozen in place.

Horror filled me. There was only one person capable of something like that.

I swiveled my head back to the fight in the yard and found Magneto's hand pointed at the X-jet. He was stopping it from flying away.

Even from this distance, I could feel the Master of Magnetism's determination not to let me go.

'What about the X-Men? Weren't they keeping him occupied?' I thought, sweeping my eyes over the battlefield.

Shock warred with fear, and my facial expression changed. Vision, who had earlier been thrown away by Magneto, was now keeping Storm and the others occupied, blocking the X-Men from getting to the leader of the Brotherhood.

"Shit."

I muttered, understanding the situation.

Magneto was forcefully controlling Vision. Like a puppet.

The android was made up of Vibranium which meant the Master of Magnetism could move it.

First it was Wanda, now it's Magneto. Vision can't catch a break.

With everything that had happened—being captured by Wanda, killing her, then Magneto coming after me for defending myself—seeing Vision, someone who had tried to protect me before, used like that was the final straw.

Fury surged through me.

I narrowed my gaze at the chaos unfolding below.

My anger ignited something within me, a resolve I hadn't felt before. Along with my killing intent.

"Enough is enough."

I growled under my breath.

Gripping the ladder tightly with one hand, I reached into my pocket with the other, pulling out a small metal shard. The Umbris Devourer would be my last resort. He forced me to this...

I sliced my palm, letting fresh blood drip down my hand. With a slight maneuvering, I was able to bring my hands around and slap the palms together.

The red portal manifested in the air before me. Dark, shadowy tendrils of the Umbris Devourer began to emerge from the depths, swirling with malice.

"Time to end this."

I muttered, focusing on Magneto's helmet and setting it as the target.

-0-

Without hesitation, Locke released the Umbris Devourer, its shadowy form surged forward with incredible speed, tearing through the air towards Magneto.

The dark tendrils moved with an unnatural swiftness, devouring everything in their path.

Magneto, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, released his hold on the Jet. And using both hands, he hastily erected a shield of metal to defend himself.

From his vantage point on the Ladder, Locke watched with a grim satisfaction.

"Checkmate, Magneto."

He muttered under his breath, a wry smile crossing his face.

Down below, the Umbris Devourer tore through Magneto's metal shield effortlessly, leaving him too shocked to react.

It consumed everything in its way before engulfing Magneto himself and swallowed him whole, leaving nothing behind but an eerie silence as the Umbris disappeared into nothingness.

All the metal in the air along with Vision dropped to the ground before the X-Men, who were now realizing what had happened.

On the ladder, after confirming Magneto was no more and unsummoning the Umbris, Locke sighed.

The adrenaline of the battle subsided, letting him feel the effects of his actions as they caught up to him.

Blood loss and magic exhaustion overwhelmed him.

With a final thought tinged with bitter irony, he reflected on how both Wanda and now Magneto had met their ends in similar fashion.

"Kinda fitting, Father and Daughter go out the same way."

he murmured weakly before succumbing to unconsciousness.

His body slipped from the Ladder, plummeting towards the ground below.

-End of first Arc-