In a forgotten part of the world, buried beneath layers of earth and secrecy, stood a prison unlike any other—constructed entirely out of plastic and polymer compounds. No metal. No iron. No weakness.
Inside, a single prisoner had been kept for quite some time.
Magneto.
The self-proclaimed savior of mutantkind, the man once feared by world governments, now sat calmly in his translucent cell. Not with rage. Not with regret. But with an eerie, composed serenity, as if he were on vacation instead of imprisoned.
The guards found it unsettling. How could a man who had tried to bring human civilization to its knees look so relaxed? So... undisturbed?
The answer revealed itself today.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three iron spheres shot out with blinding speed, tearing through the prison like artillery fire. The sound echoed like thunder in the enclosed corridors, followed swiftly by screams that were cut off too quickly.
Within seconds, the indestructible "plastic" prison lay in ruins, and the guards—so confident in their defense protocols—had become lifeless husks.
None of them even had time to scream.
The facility prided itself on its strict inspection protocols. Anyone entering or exiting was thoroughly scanned—if the iron content in their body exceeded a certain threshold, they were denied entry. It should have been impossible for Magneto to access any trace of metal.
So where did the iron balls come from?
"Humans," Magneto muttered as he stepped over the corpses without emotion, "are such fools. After all this time, they still don't understand…"
His red eyes glinted as the spheres hovered beside him.
"The reason I stayed locked in this place wasn't because I was captured. It was because I lost—to Charles."
The blood on the floor didn't stir any remorse in him. His mission, his resolve, had never faltered.
As he stepped out into the cool night air, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows.
A woman with blue skin and golden eyes. Mystique.
"Raven..." Magneto's lips curled into a rare smile. "From the moment I sensed the elevated iron content in the guard's bloodstream, I knew it was you."
Mystique's face flickered with amusement, but her tone was urgent. "Sorry to cut your vacation short, Erik."
She paused before adding, "I wanted to wait until everything was perfectly in place... but things outside are changing—too fast. We need your wisdom now."
Magneto raised an eyebrow. "You launched the extraction plan early?"
Mystique nodded and handed him a phone. "See for yourself."
Magneto took the device and began watching the now-infamous X-Men documentary—along with a string of recent news reports and public reactions compiled by Mystique.
He didn't say a word for several long minutes.
His expression didn't shift at first, but gradually, his eyes narrowed.
"…Charles."
There was something in his tone—a complex blend of astonishment and disbelief. As if he were watching someone he had once known intimately, now transformed into a stranger.
Mystique interpreted it correctly and spoke up. "Charles isn't who he used to be anymore."
Indeed, even without being in the outside world for some time, Magneto's sharp intuition picked up on something immediately strange. The Charles Xavier he had known would never have done this.
Release a documentary?
Reveal the existence of the X-Men to the world?
Create an app—X Daily—that openly shared the truth about mutants?
It was practically asking for a spotlight. This was the opposite of Xavier's old ideology, which favored secrecy and diplomacy. Magneto's brows furrowed deeply.
"What is he doing?" he muttered.
The world had clearly changed while he was gone.
Mystique answered quickly. "The video's already viral. Nearly everyone knows about Charles Xavier and the X-Men now… and that includes us. Even the Brotherhood is watching."
Her tone dropped with a subtle edge. "In fact, many are calling for a global trial. For you, Erik."
Magneto's face darkened immediately.
His reputation… tarnished beyond recognition?
Although he had always claimed not to care what the world thought of him, hearing that he had become a laughingstock and a villain in the public eye still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"How… how could the politicians allow this?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Why didn't they try to block the video? Shut down this so-called 'X Daily'?"
"They tried," Mystique said. "It was useless."
She leaned in, lowering her voice.
"There's something strange about the X Daily app. Our sources say it's loaded with what looks like a virus—unremovable, undetectable. Once someone downloads it, it can't be deleted. And worse… major platforms can't even remove it from their servers."
Magneto's eyes widened.
So that's what it was…
"Technology," he whispered to himself. "Charles has finally embraced the one thing he always feared."
That explained the confidence.
That explained the reach.
"He's obtained a level of technological power far beyond his time," Magneto muttered, still processing. "And now he's using it like a weapon."
Mystique nodded. "That's why no one can stop it. The video is everywhere. The narrative is shifting. People are actually beginning to empathize with mutants."
Magneto took a sharp breath.
Then his eyes went cold.
"Charles… has strayed from his path."
That realization struck him like a thunderclap. All these years—decades, even—they had been opposing forces. Two sides of the same coin. Magneto pushing for mutant dominance. Charles pushing for peaceful coexistence.
But they never changed each other's minds.
Until now.
Now, somehow, Xavier had broken his own rules. He'd abandoned secrecy. He was pulling mutants into the spotlight. Drawing public sympathy. Taking risks he would have once condemned.
Someone had influenced him.
Someone had changed him.
Magneto's fists clenched at the thought.
He knew Charles better than anyone. That man's ideals had been forged in fire, hardened over years of conflict. He would never abandon them without external pressure.
"There's only one explanation," Magneto said darkly. "Someone else… someone powerful… is guiding him."
Mystique hesitated, then said softly, "I'll be honest. At first, I was shocked. But now, Erik… I think Charles was right to do it. This approach works."
She gestured to the phone.
"The entire world is watching that video. It's changing minds. Even inside the Brotherhood, people are talking. They're starting to believe that aligning with the X-Men might be the better path forward."
That was the last straw.
BOOM!
The two iron balls floating near Magneto exploded in midair, fragments scattering in every direction.
He didn't even flinch.
A strange, bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"So they're swayed that easily? Because of one video?" His voice was sharp with contempt. "Do they truly believe that a little sympathy from humans means we're suddenly safe? That the tides have turned?"
Mystique's eyes softened. "You've been gone too long, Erik. The world has changed—and so has the mutant population."
Magneto exhaled slowly, the fire in his gaze returning.
"I've been gone long enough, yes. But I wasn't idle. I've spent my time reflecting. Not regretting—but recalibrating. Thinking about what comes next."
His tone dropped into a dangerous calm.
"Still… it's time I reminded them who I am."
His aura flared—powerful, undeniable, magnetic in every sense.
Mystique didn't have to ask what he meant. She had seen this before.
The calm before Magneto moved the Earth itself.
Then he turned to her.
"I need answers," he said coldly. "Someone has changed Charles. I want to know who."
Mystique nodded, about to respond when—
A voice echoed softly behind them.
"Mr. Lehnsherr… Ms. Darkholm…"
It was smooth, unhurried, and entirely self-assured.
"There's no need to investigate."
Both Magneto and Mystique turned sharply toward the source of the voice.
"I've been waiting here for quite some time."
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