Warp

In the X-Men upstate New York, an alarm started ringing throughout the building. It was around midnight, and most residents of the house were fast asleep or about to go to bed. However, the alarm quickly got everyone's attention.

Professor Charles Xavier swiftly kept wheeling his wheelchair towards the secret elevator in the mansion, and in moments, the rest of the X-Men members were already around him. Ororo was the one that helped him push his wheelchair on the way to the elevator.

None asked what the alarm was about since they all were already somewhat familiar with it. It was caused by Cerebro, an advanced computer made to detect new mutant brain waves. When it finds one, it sounds an alarm throughout the building. However, it's not usually as loud. Soon they reached Cerebro, and the professor's eyes quickly scanned through the information on the computer.

"So? What is it?" Logan asked, impatiently tapping his foot.

"I'm not entirely sure. Cerebro has either detected a dozen new strong mutants or one incredibly powerful one," the professor replied and made his decision. He grabbed the helmet portion of Cerebro and placed it on his head.

The computer's purpose was to detect mutants, but it also served to increase Xavier's own mutant ability. He was already one of the most powerful telepaths on Earth, but with Cerebro on, he could reach out to mutants all across the globe.

Xavier already knew that the new mutant was somewhere in Inverness, Scotland, so he focused his mind over there. Discovering him didn't take the professor long, but what he found out shocked him.

"No," Xavier said disturbingly and removed the helmet off his bald head.

"What's wrong, professor?" Asked the white-haired Ororo Munroe.

"I believe the new mutant has already been possed by the Shadow King," Xavier answered after thinking it through. He didn't know how the Shadow King got to the new mutant so quickly, but the veil of darkness that covered his mind reminded the professor of the foe they had banished from Earth.

Ororo balled her fist and narrowed her eyes at hearing that name. She had a history with the Shadow King as she had been briefly possed by him in the past. Ororo had a deep hatred for the astral entity, but she couldn't allow her emotions to get the best of her, especially not with her powers. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself, else she might cause a destructive storm around her vicinity.

"How are we going to handle this?" Ororo asked. She didn't believe that the professor would allow the Shadow King to possess an incredibly powerful mutant. They didn't even know what kind of powers he had and what he could do with them.

"I say we go and take care of business as usual," Logan said confidently.

"It's not that simple. We have to catch a plane to get there, but by the time we arrive, the Shadow King might've already moved on," Xavier said, believing that the astral entity wouldn't stay in one place. Trailing him would require someone to continuously track him with Cerebro, and the professor was the only one able to effectively use the computer since Jean wasn't ready yet.

However, Xavier would also be needed to mentally battle with the Shadow King, since again, he didn't believe Jean was ready for that. She had a tremendous amount of potential, but she needed more time to develop her powers. Jean was smart, so she quickly realized what troubled the professor.

"I am ready to use Cerebro," Jean said confidently. For years she had worked on her powers and believed she could use Cerebro.

Jean might not be able to use the computer for long periods of time and as well as Xavier, but she thought she would at least be able to track the Shadow King. Fighting the astral entity was a different story, however. She knew even the professor struggled against the Shadow King, so she was no match for him.

"This might be our best option," Xavier nodded after a moment of consideration.

"However, for the next few days, I will have to guide you on how to correctly use Cerebro. When I'm confident that you are ready, me, Ororo, and Logan will travel over to the UK," Xavier said and looked over to the sunglasses-wearing Cyclops. "While we are gone, Scott will be in charge."

Xavier couldn't just leave the X-Men mansion without protection. Not only was Cerebro here, but there were also younger mutants that studied and lived at the house. They were too valuable to be left without protection.

"Understood," Scott nodded. He was trained and prepared to be a leader ever since Xavier took him in. Scott was more than confident in his abilities to lead the group. They, however, did not have the same faith as him in his abilities, but they didn't voice their concerns.

The X-Men weren't the only ones that sensed the presence of the new mutant. Amongst them was one named Erik Lehnsherr, or more commonly known as Magneto. However, unlike Xavier, he didn't know exactly how powerful the new mutant was since he didn't have a computer like Cerebro.

Still, Magneto was interested in attempting to recruit the mutant. Unfortunately, he currently didn't have the time to bother with that as he was working on a big project. Carving and creating a base inside an asteroid took some effort even to someone like him. He did have he could send over to take a look, though.

Mystique's phone vibrated, and checking it, she saw a message from Magneto.

"Inverness, Scotland. New powerful mutant, try to find him and check if worth recruiting," Mystique read the message and looked over to Irene.

"Love, I believe it's time for us to go on holiday."

Mystique was already aware of who Magneto was referring to as Irene had already foreseen it. Knowing that she had no plans on trying to recruit him. Plus, Mystique didn't believe Zagreus would be willing to join Magneto and his cause. With that in mind, she planned to either fabricate a story or just lie and say she couldn't find the mutant.

Magneto didn't take kindly to failure, but Mystique was aware of how valuable she was to him, and at most, he would get angry at her. Him getting mad while she went on vacation seemed like an okay trade-off in her eyes.

However, there was someone else, or something else that took note of Zagreus due to their similar nature.

"Life... Death... Rebirth..."

Meanwhile, back at the hotel in Inverness, Jane and Zagreus just finished cleaning up the shards of a broken glass cup.

"That should be the last of it," Jane said after making sure there were no more shards left.

"I believe so," Zagreus nodded.

By Michael's suggestion, Zagreus tried to see if he could do anything else, and telepathy was just one part of the mutant powers he obtained, with the other one being telekinesis, the ability to move, manipulate and control object through his mind.

Zagreus' first attempt resulted in him crushing a glass cup. He had absolutely no control over his telekinesis. To him, it felt like he had grown a new set of foreign limbs, which he had no idea how to control. And that excited him.

During his free time, when he wasn't traveling or looking around landmarks, Zagreus' eyes were usually staring right into his phone. He was either playing a new game he found or "surfing" the internet.

Zagreus still wasn't sure why it was called surfing, but the point was that he had something to work on now. There was the ice ability he obtained from the Frost Giants, but that was something he already had some experience with. Telekinesis and telepathy, on the other hand, were something new, something exciting. The only problem was that he had to be very careful.

"You tried to pick it as gently as possible?" Michael asked over the phone, trying to understand his Master's powers as best as possible, so he could be of some assistance to him.

"Yeah, I definitely didn't want to break it. I just wanted to lightly lift it up in the air," Zagreus replied while thinking about what he can do with his new powers.

"I believe it would be for the best to avoid using Telepathy for now," Michael advised. Judging by what happened when Zagreus first used his telekinesis, he assumed that all the blood his Master had absorbed was solely from telepaths and telekinetics. So, him using his telepathy to communicate with someone mentally may as well crush the mind of that person.

"Yeah, I didn't like it," Zagreus replied as he had his own priorities.

"If you need my assistance, just give me a call," Michael said, knowing that his Master already had his plans.

"Bye," Zagreus said and grinned. If he could move objects with his mind, then what about people? What about himself? He really wanted to test that out.

Knowing what happened the first time, Zagreus tried to be even gentler this time. He didn't fear injuring himself since he knew he could heal from it. So, as carefully as possible, he tried to grab and lift himself in the air. In an instant, Zagreus flipped over, but he managed to let go and recovered by rolling on the floor.

"Okay... this is weird," Zagreus muttered.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked in concern. She knew her Master wasn't hurt, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"I'm fine," Zagreus flashed her a smile before he prepared himself for another attempt. He may have failed his first try, but that didn't mean he would stop attempting it. Zagreus was stubborn to a fault. He just didn't know how to quit, but that was also the main reason he managed to find his mother, or else he would've stopped trying after the first few failures.

While Zagreus was trying to get a grasp on his new powers, Jane sat down in front of the television. Although she enjoyed watching her Master, she also liked to be informed of what's happening in the nation. She flipped through the news channels until she saw something of interest.

"The government agency STRIKE that was founded to combat supernatural threats in the United Kingdom has been shut down as of today after our National Hero Captain Britan apprehended a criminal, who had secretly taken it over. James Jaspers, our new prime minister, already promised that he will create a new one that will serve the people and protect them from any supernatural threats. However, our National Hero has refused to join this agency and had this to say."

The picture switched to Captain Britan standing proud in his suit, and a purple-haired woman, who was dressed very similarly to him, stood by his right side. And on his left stood a man whose face was covered by the green robes he wore.

"I'm nobly known as Captain Britain, your champion, and my duty... is to ensure the safety of you, the citizens of Great Britain, and protect you from the forces of evil. However, today I refused to join the newly formed organization, not because I've decided to change my mind, but because I've lost my trust in government organizations."

Brian paused for a moment, fully knowing how much the people of the nation would take his words. They loved him and adored him as their hero. The government won't like what he said, but he was here to send a message.

"For this, I have decided to assemble a group of like-minded people. People who will protect the nation without asking for anything in return. The group will be named Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, which will strike down those who seek to do evil in our nation."

The two people on Brian's left and right were obviously members of his new team.

"I would also like to use this chance to invite someone to Excalibur. I don't know the man's name, but he more than deserves this. I'm not afraid to admit that he saved me and defeated the foe that I couldn't yet... he left without asking for anything in return. For him, it was enough to protect the ones he can. Those are the people I'm looking to join Excalibur."

"Zag, I think he is talking about you," Jane said.

Zagreus wasn't interested in the news since that was something that had no value to him, but when he heard Captain Britain, he did pay some attention to him. However, being invited to a team wasn't something he had expected.

"How do I refuse?" Zagreus asked without even considering the option. Brian and his group wanted to protect the United Kingdom because that was their nation, their home.

If he wanted to protect his home, he would find a way to return to the Underworld, and it's not like anyone would attack that place. Or maybe he would go to Greece and protect it since it was the closest thing to a home he had in the Mortal World.

And even if he did that, how long would Zagreus have to protect it? For a year or two? Or maybe for hundreds? He would much prefer to spend his time exploring and trying to find a way to his extended family while also trying his hand at a relationship or two. His uncle Zeus did always say the more women he had, the better, but Zagreus didn't really have much of an option in the Underworld.

"I'm not sure. If you don't attempt to even reach out to Excalibur, they will probably understand," Jane replied. She already had an idea her Master would refuse.

"That makes it easier for me," Zagreus said as the screen switched over to a slim man dressed in a fancy suit.

"And here is what our Prime Minister had to say about that," the reporter said.

"As your Prime Minister, I have come to a decision. They are clandestine, they are frighteningly powerful, and they are not our friends. They have walked among us for more than forty years, robbing us of independence and endangering our lives...and they call themselves superheroes! America is overrun with them. They have established footholds in Canada, Africa, and the Middle East. Even Russia has not proven immune. Many of the creatures are individually as powerful as entire armies! And they number in hundreds...hundreds!

Be it superheroes or supervillains, I consider them all a threat to our people! They are a menace! Just because they have superpowers, they think themselves better than us! I refuse to accept that! No one should be allowed to take the law into their own hands! I believe that everyone should be equal, so my first decisions as a Prime Minister will be the outlaw all superhumans! Be they heroes or villains, all of them will be imprisoned! That arduous task will be done by RCX, the newly formed government agency tasked with dealing with superhumans."

James Jasper's speech ended with that, and even Zagreus found it kinda silly. "Isn't this a stupid choice? If someone else, like Kaptain Briton, decides to attack a city, who will be able to stop him if superheroes are outlawed and imprisoned?"

Michael had mentioned to Zagreus about some kind of weapons of mass destruction the humans had created, but from what he understood, they can't be safely used without, well, causing mass destruction. It will absolutely destroy the lives of civilians, so that wasn't an option. How will they also contain someone who had superpowers without having a superhero on their side?

"It is," Jane agreed with him, "and how will they even find out who has superpowers? It just sounds like Jaspers was hurt Captain Britain refused to join the new organizations."

Their next few days continued on as usual as they traveled towards Loch Ness. Obtain a boat was a simple matter for them as they had money to spare. Zagreus was very excited at finally getting the chance to drive a vehicle, and although he had no experience boating, he had looked up a few guides on the internet.

If there was one thing Zagreus was bringing with him back to the Underworld, it was the internet. He didn't think he could go without it for too long now that he was addicted to it.

Now with a boat, it was time to go hunting for the rumored monster. Jane didn't have much faith that they will find it, but apparently, Zagreus had a plan, and she at least trusted her Master. Until she found out what his plan was. Jane just stared in disbelief as Zagreus pulled out a simple wooden fishing rod from his bag and threw it in the lake.

"Zag... you plan to fish out the Loch Ness Monster?" Jane asked. Nessie was supposed to be large and heavy, and she didn't doubt her Master had the strength to pull it out, but she didn't think the wooden fishing rod would survive that.

"Yes! I'm very good at fishing! Uncle Poseidon even praised me and gave me this fishing rod as a gift," Zagreus replied, his eye staring at the water and not moving an inch.

Jane nodded without replying as she looked over the fishing rod numerous times. However, no matter how she saw it, it was just a simple wooden rod. She didn't understand how that was a gift from a god.

Time passed, and Zagreus kept staring at the water while Jane was starting to believe the monster was really nothing more than a rumor. Someone should have definitely spot... Jane's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the fishing rod bend like an archway as something bit.

"I got something big," Zagreus said, but she just kept staring at the rod in disbelief. There was no way it wouldn't snap, right?

Zagreus pulled with all his might. Whatever the beast was, it was powerful but definitely not a match for him. He yanked the rod, and from within the waters emerged a large and scally monster.

"Roooar!" Nessie howled, and rather than intimidating, it looked frightened from the man that pulled it with ease.

Jane was just in disbelief as she looked at the creature that resembled one of those aquatic dinosaurs. She still couldn't understand how the wooden fishing rod was able to pull this beast out. Jane wasn't sure which was more unbelievable, the rod or the dinosaur in front of her. She shook her head and noticed that her Master was frowning.

"Zag, what's wrong?" Jane asked.

"I want to bring it with me, but I don't have a place to keep it..." Zagreus thought it could've been a cool pet. Sadly, he didn't have a place to keep it.

"I guess I could take a picture of it to show to Michael and maybe Emma."

Nessie stood in place as Zagreus snapped a photo of it. As a predator, it understood that in front was an even mightier one.

"Oh, I also want a scale or two. Someone might like those as a present," Zagreus then exclaimed, and before Nessie could react, Varatha emerged from his arm and collected a few scales from the dinosaur.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. Bye!" Zagreus waved at Nessie. The dinosaur understood him, and without a second thought, it dived back in the water and hoped to never meet him again.

Jane just stood there thinking to herself, 'I better get used to this.'

Michael was ecstatic when he saw the picture and learned that Zagreus took a scale from the monster. He would've preferred some blood samples as well, but he was happy with that and couldn't wait to inspect it.

Soon enough, they returned back to land and were about to resume their journey. However, just as they were about to enter the car, Zagreus suddenly paused. He sensed something which he couldn't explain. To him, it felt like something changed, but he wasn't sure.

"Did you feel something?" Zagreus asked Jane.

"No, at least I don't think so," Jane replied, confused at the question.

"Hmm," Zagreus wasn't sure if he was just imagining it, but he wasn't the only one that felt the same.

At that moment, three people got off at the airport in Inverness. Logan looked around as his hair stood up. His animal instincts screamed at him that something was wrong, very wrong.

Ororo also felt something disturbing. She couldn't explain it, but there was a shift, a change in how the winds blew.

"What's wrong?" Xavier asked. He didn't sense it like them, but he knew the two well enough to know something wasn't right.

"A shift in the wind," Ororo said.

"Something dangerous," Logan replied.

Ororo's response was one thing, but Logan's answer alerted Xavier. If Logan admitted that there was something dangerous here, then the situation was really grave.

"We might be too late," Xavier muttered and berated himself for delaying the trip for so long. Without a second thought, he immediately contacted Jane.

"Jane, I need you to tell me the location of the mutant."

"I... can't. There is something wrong, professor. I can't sense anything in the United Kingdom, even you three," Jane said hopelessly. Even with Cerebro on, she couldn't sense anything in the entire nation. It was as if an astral bubble was erected around it.

"... Keep trying and contact us if you find anything," Xavier said, resisting the urge to grab his bald head. The situation was even worse than what he assumed, and the mutant turned out to be far more powerful than imagined.

"What will we do now?" Ororo asked.

"We will investigate what's going on first and act once we have information," Xavier replied. They had to be quick about it, but they couldn't risk their lives due to being hasty.

Michael was having a blast as he stayed in the lab at Jane's manor. He had barely left the place, and it only for materials that he needed in his research.

Studying mutant genes was the topic he was most interested in, but he had few samples to work with. Finding new would take him time and effort, so Michael's current focus was on recreating Owl's serum. He saw benefits in it and hoped to even be able to alter it to make it better.

Michael was almost done with his first attempt at recreating the serum. He had a... volunteer with him to test it out, but he was sure it most likely won't be successful. However, that won't disappoint him as Michael would learn where his mistakes were. Failure was just one step on a very long road, and that was something he learned early on in his life.

Just as Michael was about to complete it, the entire manor shook from an explosion and ruined his experiment. He stared at liquid flowing out of the broken glass vial before his face turned into a nasty snarl. Michael turned around with his teeth bared and claws extended. He was ready to violently release his anger on whoever ruined his experiment.

Outside of his lab, Michael heard about a dozen footsteps running around. He didn't care who or what they were, but they were definitely going to pay. He also planned on giving Jane a piece of his mind for not informing him there were people after her head.

In a moment, the door to the lab got kicked open before a group of men stormed in. All of them wore green armor, making them resemble beetles. In their hands, they carried slick rifles that looked as if they were taken out of a futuristic sci-fi movie.

"Targets in sight. Eliminating."

Michael rushed at them as the Beetles opened fire at him. As the appearance of their weapons suggested, they didn't fire simple bullets at him. Laser projectiles shot out of their rifles and riddled Michael with holes before he was able to reach them. He dropped on the ground while they turned their fire on the volunteer he had brought over.

"Targets eliminated, searching the building."

The Beetles left the lab and the two corpses. They searched the entire manor and made sure there were no survivors there before leaving.

Similar situations were happening all around England, although some superpowered individuals were captured rather than killed on sight. That just was the beginning, however, and the other countries of the United Kingdom were bound to follow the same fate.