A violent pulse of electromagnetic force erupted from Magneto as his declaration faded into the night.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
Several of the younger mutants staggered, clutching at their heads or dropping to a knee as the pressure rolled over them like an invisible shockwave.
"No," Charles said firmly, raising a hand as if to steady the very space around them. "I will not allow you to drag these children into your crusade."
"That is not your decision to make," Magneto said, his voice dropping into something colder.
"Why not allow them to choose… freely, for once?"
He extended a hand toward the rescued mutants, palm open — an invitation that felt more like a command.
"I will ask you again," he continued, his tone sharpening.
"Stand with me… and I will give you more than safety."
His eyes glinted beneath the helmet.
"I will give you justice."
The air seemed to tighten around his words.
"Those who caged you… who cut into you… who treated you as less than human—" his voice hardened,
"—I will see them answer for it."
A faint, dangerous hum of power built around him.
"No more collars. No more chains. No more fear."
His gaze swept over them, intense, unrelenting.
"Join me… and I will ensure that none of those insects ever lay a hand on you again."
Charles' expression tightened. Now that his powers had returned, he could feel it clearly — the pull of Magneto's words, amplified by the sheer force of his presence, tugging at wounded minds already pushed to their limits.
"Do not listen to him!" Charles said sharply, his voice cutting through the tension.
"You have suffered enough. What you need now is healing — not another cause that feeds on your pain."
Magneto's lips curved faintly.
"Come," he said, extending a hand toward them. "Do not be swayed by hollow ideals."
A few of the rescued mutants shifted uneasily, exchanging uncertain glances.
"Don't worry, Professor," Scottie said, stepping forward to stand beside Xavier, her posture rigid with resolve. "The X-Men won't let him take them."
"Yeah," Logan added with a sharp grin as her claws slid free with a metallic snikt. "Was gettin' bored listenin' to these old men argue anyway."
Jean, Storm, Marie, and Kitty moved in behind them without a word, forming a tight defensive line.
"Just as I suspected," Magneto began, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Your students possess far more spine than yo—"
"I told you not to badmouth the Professor!" Scott snapped.
Her hand twisted the control at her visor—
A crimson beam erupted forward.
The optic blast tore through the air, a focused wave of raw concussive force aimed straight at Magneto.
And then—
It bent.
Mid-flight.
As if striking an invisible wall, the beam twisted violently and deflected away, carving a blazing arc into the ocean behind him.
For a split second, a lattice of crackling electromagnetic energy shimmered in front of Magneto… and vanished just as quickly.
BOOM!
A towering column of water exploded upward where the blast struck, crashing back down in a thunderous roar.
"…How?" Scott breathed, stunned.
Magneto didn't so much as flinch.
"I had hoped reason might reach you," he said calmly, almost disappointed.
"But it seems only ruin will open your eyes."
He rose higher into the air, his cape whipping behind him.
"When your ideals lie broken at your feet… then you will understand."
His gaze swept over them, cold and absolute.
"That my way… is the only path to our survival."
He lifted a hand.
"Come… my Brotherhood."
His voice rang out, no longer persuasive — but commanding.
"Show them the truth."
Behind him, the massive warship groaned as it descended toward the shore, dragging the sea with it. Waves crashed violently outward as the rusted leviathan started to settle low, looming over the battlefield like a throne of iron.
Figures began to emerge along its edge…
Stepping, one by one, into the pale wash of moonlight.
"He thinks stayin' up there's gonna save him?" Logan growled, stepping forward, claws flexing. "I'll drag him down myself—"
"Wait," Scottie cut in sharply, raising a hand. "There's more of them… on the deck."
Before anyone could react—
A blur.
Sand scattered across the ground as a figure appeared right in front of them.
"Sis, I tell you — patience, hm? Our turn always coming," a playful male voice said, thick with an eastern european accent.
A silver-haired boy stood there now, a lazy grin on his face. He wore a green suit marked with a jagged lightning bolt across his chest, dust still settling behind him from his sudden arrival.
Beside him stood a young woman — auburn hair falling around her shoulders, her posture sharp with irritation.
"Pietro…" she said, her accent heavier, each word clipped and musical. "I told you — do not run so fast."
She brushed sand off herself with visible annoyance.
"And now look. Ruined."
Her outfit left little to the imagination — a deep crimson leotard cut daringly low, showing off her cleavage, clinging to her figure, paired with fitted tights and long boots. A flowing red cape trailed behind her, and atop her head rested an intricate, five-pointed tiara.
Her green eyes flicked down at the dust still clinging to the fabric, lips painted a bold red curling into a displeased grimace.
"Do not call me Pietro like that," the boy snapped, straightening with exaggerated pride. "Is Quicksilver. Sounds better, yes?"
She didn't even look at him.
Still brushing at her outfit, she muttered flatly—
"Then stop acting like child first."
"…Okay, who is that?" Roberto let out a low whistle, eyes very clearly not staying on her face. "She's— wow. Even hotter than you, Dinah."
Dinah's head snapped toward him.
"Say one more thing like that and I'll rearrange your face," she said coldly, eyes narrowing.
"It was a compliment," Roberto muttered, completely unapologetic — and still staring at the girl's cleavage.
Jubilee leaned in slightly, voice lower, unease creeping in.
"Uh… can we talk about the fact that they just appeared out of nowhere?"
"Maybe… teleporting?" Sam offered, frowning. "Like Katrin does?"
"Or maybe they're just straight-up creepy," Tabitha scoffed, folding her arms. "And what are those outfits? They look like they walked outta some busted circus act."
"Eh? Vhat is wrong vith circus?" Katrin asked, tilting her head, genuinely puzzled.
Tabitha blinked.
"…Right. Forgot. You were in a circus. Okay, bad example."
Rahne squeezed her eyes shut, quickly tracing the sign of the cross.
"Th-that lass… her clothes…" she murmured anxiously. "Is she no' afraid of God's judgment…?"
"It's probably for mobility," Dinah said offhandedly, though her eyes stayed sharp on the newcomers.
Bobby leaned slightly to the side, lowering his voice.
"Not gonna lie… the guy's got style too. Handsome, confident… kinda cool."
Their voices luckily didn't carry far — the group stood a short distance behind the X-Men's front line, speaking in hushed tones among themselves. It was less conversation and more an attempt to keep their nerves from unraveling.
But that fragile calm didn't last.
A loud, booming voice suddenly rang out from the warship, now fully grounded along the shore—cutting straight through their murmurs.
"Heh… is it time for a late-night snack?"
A massive figure launched off the deck.
He hit the ground like a falling boulder.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the sand beneath him, kicking up a thick plume that swallowed the area in dust.
As it began to settle, a hulking man stood at the center of a shallow crater — not tall, but enormous in bulk. Layers of mass pressed against a stretched jersey and shorts that clearly weren't made to contain him.
He rolled his shoulders, grinning.
Jubilee blinked.
"…They brought a sumo wrestler too?"
Before anyone could react—
A burst of fire ignited along the ship's deck.
Flames streaked through the night sky, arcing downward before slamming into the beach beside the hulking man. The fire twisted and collapsed inward—
Revealing a boy clad in a bright yellow-and-orange suit. A red mask covered his face, spiked blonde hair jutting out wildly. Metal nozzles were fixed to his wrists, a tank strapped across his back feeding the flames.
"This is gonna be a beautiful night to watch things burn!" he laughed, as jets of fire burst from the side of his gauntlets.
Jubilee leaned toward Tabitha, eyes wide.
"Uh… okay, that guy is definitely your vibe. He likes to burn stuff too. You know him?"
Tabitha made a face.
"I don't burn stuff — I blow it up. They are both totally different!" She scoffed. "And no, I don't know him. He seems kinda crazy. And look at what he's wearing. I wouldn't even talk to someone dressed like that."
As they spoke—
Another figure dropped from the deck.
She didn't land so much as crash forward into a low, predatory stance, sand scattering under her weight.
A wild-looking blonde woman straightened slowly, a feral grin stretching across her face. Her outfit was rough, torn in places — an open top that exposed hard muscle and deep cleavage, her entire presence radiating something savage and barely contained.
Her eyes locked instantly onto Logan.
And lit up.
"Well, well…" she purred, voice low and dangerous. "Look who it is… didn't think I'd be seein' you again this soon, sister."
Her grin sharpened. "This time… I'm gonna carve you up nice."
Logan didn't mirror the excitement — her expression twisted instead, irritation flashing across her face.
"Yeah? Get in line," she shot back flatly, claws sliding out with a metallic snikt. "I don't even remember you, bub… but you're already annoyin' me."
Still, her stance lowered, muscles coiling — instinct taking over even if memory didn't.
The air between them tightened, thick with animal tension.
Beside the feral woman, two more figures dropped down from the ship.
"Get your filthy tongue off me!" one of them snapped the moment he landed, shoving himself away. "I could've gotten down on my own!"
The boy straightened with visible annoyance. He wore a navy-blue suit reinforced with metal plating along his chest and shoulders, a transparent visor shielding part of his face. Dark brown hair framed sharp, irritated features.
Behind him, a long, slick tongue recoiled rapidly, snapping back toward its owner — a wiry man crouched low with messy curls and a crooked grin.
"Yeah, well, you're welcome anyway," he muttered, rolling his shoulders as the tongue disappeared back into his mouth.
Kitty squinted at the armored boy, pointing at him.
"Hey—wait. You're that Lance guy from my school, right? What are you doing hanging out with these lunatics?"
"Who're you calling a lunatic, little girl?" Lance snapped, bristling instantly.
Kitty paused—
Then remembered.
Right. She was wearing the Anti-cognition mask.
"…Huh. Never mind," she muttered under her breath.
"So you have seen me in school?" Lance scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, I was in that dump. Left months ago. Bunch of idiots didn't know talent when they saw it. Had me hiding what I could do, acting normal all the time…"
A grin spread across his face as he gestured around.
"Here? I don't have to pretend. In the Brotherhood, I can do whatever I want — no fear, no rules."
His eyes slid back to Kitty, smirk widening as he looked her over.
"Why don't you come over to this side, girlie, I'll make sure you're taken real good care of."
"Ugh—in your dreams, creep!" Kitty shot back immediately, recoiling in disgust.
Lance's expression darkened.
"Why you—"
He stopped suddenly.
Magneto descended in front of their group, his hovering presence alone enough to silence the exchange.
"I had heard rumors," Charles said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "That you were gathering followers… striking at humans. I had hoped they were wrong or exaggerated."
Magneto turned slightly toward him, expression calm — but unyielding.
"Terrorizing humans?" he repeated. "No, Charles. While you remained confined to your sanctuary… I was out here freeing our kind from their chains."
His hand tightened slowly into a fist.
"And in doing so, I have shown them a truth they can no longer ignore — that we will not suffer in silence."
He gestured toward the figures gathered behind him.
"These are not followers. They are believers. Survivors who chose to stand with me… to take back what was stolen from them."
His voice rose, charged with conviction.
"This Brotherhood of Mutants will remind humanity exactly why they feared us in the first place."
"Fear will only breed more fear, Erik!" Charles fired back, his voice firm, urgent. "You are setting us on a path that ends only in war. Stop this—before it is too late."
Magneto regarded him for a long, quiet moment.
Then—
"The time for debate has passed, Charles," he said, cold and absolute. "Stand aside… or they will move you."
"I'd like to see them try," Scottie answered first, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Very well," Magneto said, a cold grin spreading across his face. "Let us see, Charles… if your sheltered children can truly stand against warriors tempered by reality."
His arm swept forward — sharp, absolute.
"Come… my Brotherhood—"
His voice rose, thunder rolling across the shore.
"Show them how wrong they are!"
"Show them how weak they are!"
"Show them what becomes of those… who choose to stand with humanity!"
His gloved hand cut through the air like a blade.
The beach seemed to hold its breath.
Both sides tensed — power gathering, muscles coiling, the first strike moments away—
And then—
The air between them warped.
Light twisted inward, space folding like fabric as a radiant portal tore open at the center of the battlefield.
From within it—
A figure stepped out.
Clad in gold and white.
He hovered effortlessly above the sand, a gleaming golden helm reflecting the cold moonlight, a luminous golden cape flowing behind him like liquid sunlight.
Power radiated from him — vast, controlled… overwhelming.
Both sides paused.
For a single heartbeat, the battlefield held still.
"Aeon!" Jean's voice broke through, sharp with relief.