X-Force: Beyond Omega

Magneto watched Mystique go, then returned his attention to Wanda. His voice was cold and controlled.

"Only time will tell, my child. But I have seen many heroes rise and fall, their dreams of a better world crushed beneath the boots of oppression and fear. Even those with the best intentions are swayed by the weight of their own power. Humanity has no capacity for greatness. Their fate was sealed the moment they learned of Aron's resurrection powers. They will destroy themselves eventually... one way or another."

Wanda frowned at the venom in his words, but she could not refute his argument. For as long as she had known him, Magneto had always spoken of the human race with disdain. His belief that they were inherently predisposed to violence, bigotry, and hatred had never changed. He saw them as a threat to be contained, to be kept at bay from mutants—the true inheritors of the world.

He walked to a table where a chessboard lay, its pieces arranged in mid-game. "Come," he said. "Play with me."

Wanda came to his side and sat down. She studied the board for a moment, then moved a pawn. "You play chess like you live your life," she remarked. "Always five steps ahead, always ready to sacrifice pieces to achieve your goal."

"It's a game of strategy," Magneto replied, moving his own piece. "And the goal is to win."

"What happens when there's no opponent left?" She countered, capturing his knight. "No one to challenge your will? What will you do then?"

Magneto studied the board, his expression unreadable. "There will always be someone to challenge my will, Wanda. That is the nature of conflict—one side always rises, and another falls. And I intend to make sure it's never me."

His hand hovered over a rook, then he moved it instead to capture Wanda's bishop. "Checkmate," he said with a slight smile. "Never let sentiment distract you from victory."

Wanda nodded, acknowledging her defeat. But as she looked up at him, she saw the faintest trace of sadness in his eyes. It was a glimpse of the man he had once been, a man who had known love and loss and carried the scars of both.

"What about Jean Grey?" She asked suddenly. "You found anyone who can take her on? You have wasted too many resources just to get a hold of her and failed over and over again. You even failed to find Quintavius Quire. Perhaps, I should give it a try."

"She is powerful," Magneto conceded. "But so are you, Wanda. Your potential has yet to be fully realized. Once it is, no one will stand in our way."

Wanda met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "How long are you going to give that excuse to keep me here?"

Magneto raised his eyes and looked at her.

"Yes. I can read your thoughts," Wanda said with a cold smile. "I can read them all, but I respect you enough not to pry into them. So, how long, Father? How long will you keep me locked up here, away from the world, away from the humans?"

"Until I know you can control your powers," Magneto replied evenly. "Your emotions are tied to your abilities, Wanda. They make you unpredictable, dangerous. I already lost my family, I won't lose you and Pietro. But I guess you already knew what's in here." He tapped his forehead.

"Couldn't you just trust me once? I'm not a little girl anymore," Wanda said, standing up. "I can take care of myself. And I won't lose control like that again."

Magneto watched her walk away. As she reached the doorway, he said softly, "Fine. Go. Forget Jean. I want you to focus on Aron. All the information we have on him is useless at this point. Investigate him. Find his weakness, strength, or any information that will help us understand his powers or his character. I want to know everything about him. And, be careful out there."

"I'll try," Wanda said, walking out. The space around her began to ripple and she disappeared into thin air.

Magneto stared at the doorway, his expression unreadable. Then, he turned to look at the chessboard, his eyes fixed on the white queen. It was a beautiful piece, carved from ivory and polished to a gleaming finish. He lifted it from its place and held it in his hand, admiring the craftsmanship. Then he rearranged the pieces on the board and moved them back to how they were before Wanda played.

"The pawns are in place," He smiled and took the tiny device that was stuck at the back of his earlobe and placed it on the table. It was a special device created by a certain someone who has high-level technology skills. It prevents the user from revealing his thoughts and masking them with fake ones. It works only on telepaths below Omega Level, but for Wanda, who has barely scratched the surface of her real power, it was enough to mislead her. "The bishops are ready, the knights are ready to ride. But to win a war..." He took the queen. "... you have to sacrifice everything. Even if it means losing your queen." He placed the white queen in front of the black king and sighed. "I'm sorry, Wanda, but it has to be done."

Magneto took out his phone and dialed a private number. After a few rings, an eerie female voice answered, "Yes?"

"It's time," Magneto said. "Pietro must die by Aron's hands. Do whatever it takes to ensure it happens."

"Consider it done," the voice replied. "But you sure it's necessary?"

"It's the only way to help Wanda unlock her true potential. Pietro's death will awaken her latent power, making her an unstoppable force. She'll become our greatest weapon against humanity and once chaos unfolds, you'll capture Rogue and bring her to me," Magneto said with a smirk as he disconnected the call.

...

[Control room]

Mystique sat in the control room. She kept an eye on Eric for some time now after noticing a change in him. She stared at the screen as Magneto's conversation replayed in her mind. "Pietro must die." The words churned in her gut like poison. She had known Eric for years—had followed him through the darkest of paths—but this? This was different.

She leaned back in her chair, her fingers drumming softly against the console. For as long as she'd been by his side, she'd trusted his judgment, and believed in his vision of a mutant future. But sacrificing Pietro? A child she'd watched grow, a young man who still carried fragments of innocence in a world that had stripped them of so much? It was unthinkable.

Mystique's fingers hovered over the console keys. The network system gave her access to everything: communications, plans, files—even hidden files Magneto thought no one else could reach. She tapped a few keys, bringing up encrypted logs of recent activity. If she was going to act, she needed to understand the full scope of Magneto's plans.

As she sifted through the data, Mystique couldn't shake the feeling that Eric had been spiraling for some time now. The old Magneto—the one she had followed without hesitation—had a purpose, a fire that burned with clarity and conviction. But this Eric? He seemed consumed by desperation, a man willing to destroy everything, even his own people, to achieve his goals.

She opened a secured file. It contained a secured mail sent by someone through an untraceable channel: "Wanda's Awakening – Trigger Required: Significant Personal Loss." Mystique felt her stomach twist. He wasn't just planning Pietro's death—he was orchestrating it to manipulate Wanda, to weaponize her grief, and to unleash the chaos he so desperately needed.

Her fist clenched. This wasn't the way. It couldn't be. She tried to track the sender but failed. Whoever sent the message must know Wanda's power. So, it's either someone who can sense or see the latent power or someone very familiar with Wanda, like Hydra, who performed countless experiments on her before.

'Could it be?!' Mystique's eyes widened at the thought. 'But what does he want with Rogue?'

She stood up and began walking around the room, the weight of the choice pressing down on her. If she stayed silent and allowed Magneto's plan to unfold, Pietro would die, and Wanda would be broken in a way that could never be undone. But if she acted against Eric, she risked everything: his wrath, her position, the fragile unity of their cause.

She thought of Pietro, his cocky grin and unyielding loyalty to his family. She thought of Wanda, struggling under the weight of expectations and the power she barely understood. Then there was Rogue. Mystique remembered that lonely girl, who always kept her distance from others in fear of hurting them due to her power. "Sigh!" And then she thought of Magneto, the man she had once admired but now barely recognized.

Taking a deep breath, Mystique made her decision. She would not let Pietro die.

Mystique knew she couldn't confront Magneto directly. He was too powerful, too deeply entrenched in his own narrative. So, the only one who came to her mind was Charles. After all, it was Charles who taught her how to use her powers, who showed her to use her power for something productive. If anyone could stop Eric, it was him.

'I need to get out of this island.'

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