Chapter 49 – Opening & Transition

The explosion's echoes still thundered through the corridor as the smoke settled, revealing the Brotherhood and Vanguard squared off in a tense, breathless standoff. Every muscle was coiled. Every eye locked.

A single spark—no one could tell if it came from Pyro's flickering flame or the crackle of Adrian's power—ignited the storm.

With a scream of metal and a roar of rushing shadows, the room erupted.

The battlefield split instantly into chaos. Cassie and Sage lunged to intercept Scarlet Witch and Mystique, knowing the pair's illusions and shifting forms could devastate the team if left unchecked. Bobby veered to meet the blur of Quicksilver and the charging bulk of Blob, the two threats poised to smash through their defenses.

In the center, Adrian and Peter maneuvered to shield Elio, their eyes darting between allies and enemies, knowing every second counted.

The war for Elio had begun.

A swirling storm of shadows and crimson energy engulfed the chamber the moment the first blow landed.

Cassie dove into darkness, her form flickering between pools of shadow as she lunged at Scarlet Witch. Her shadow blades extended, striking from impossible angles. But with a flick of Wanda's wrist, a surge of red hex energy collided with Cassie's attack, detonating it midair and sending a shockwave through the chamber.

Sage, beside her, slammed the butt of her fire axe into the ground. A shimmering hexagonal barrier unfolded from the impact, intercepting shards of flying debris. She weaved through the chaos with practiced precision, swinging her axe coated in her golden barrier energy—each arc widening her protective shield around Cassie and Elio.

"Keep her distracted!" Sage shouted, her eyes locked on Wanda.

"I'm trying!" Cassie snapped, her voice low and calm despite her whirling shadows. But every time she thought she had an opening, Mystique's form shifted—once as a Vanguard member, then as Sage herself—throwing her into a moment of hesitation.

Cassie dodged a red bolt by slipping into a shadow, reappearing behind what she thought was Scarlet Witch—only for the woman to spin, her features morphing instantly into Mystique's chilling smirk.

"Too slow," Mystique hissed, slashing with her twin blades.

Cassie barely raised her arm in time, her shadow solidifying to catch the strike. Sparks showered as steel met the dark energy of her Living Shadow. Cassie hissed, feeling the shock rattle through her bones. Another blur—another face—Mystique shifted again, looking like Adrian this time, throwing a punch that made Cassie's breath catch in fear.

Sage caught the feint in time, ramming her barrier-coated axe between them. "Focus, Cassie! Trust me—not what you see!"

The words jolted Cassie back to her senses. She pushed off the ground, shadows wrapping around her feet to propel her upward like a wraith. Her eyes darted from shape to shape. Scarlet Witch hovered near the ceiling, her crimson aura pulsing dangerously, but Mystique's illusions flooded the room with copies—some flickering between Cassie herself, Sage, Adrian, even Elio.

Sage gritted her teeth and slammed her axe into the ground again. A pulse of barrier energy rippled out, shattering three illusions at once. Two reformed instantly. "Damn it!" Sage cursed. Her breath came short. Sweat beaded on her brow.

Cassie's eyes narrowed. She remembered Sage's words: trust, not sight. She closed her eyes, letting her Living Shadow sense the subtle pulls of real mass and momentum in the room—ignoring what her eyes screamed at her.

She flicked her wrist, sending a shadow blade spiraling. It bypassed two illusions and sank into something solid—a startled gasp sounded from the true Mystique as she staggered back, morphing involuntarily to her natural blue form.

Cassie exhaled sharply. "Got you."

Scarlet Witch screeched, flaring her power. Red tendrils lashed out, warping the floor into jagged spikes, tossing chunks of concrete like ragdolls. Sage raised a dome barrier just in time, the world outside turning into a kaleidoscope of chaos as Wanda's magic slammed against it again and again, each hit rattling Sage's bones.

"Cassie, break her concentration!" Sage barked, bracing the barrier.

Cassie leapt, shadows propelling her above the dome. She threw her hand forward; her Living Shadow erupted like a spear, splitting into dozens of jagged shadow lances. They stabbed into Scarlet Witch's floating form from every direction.

Scarlet Witch shrieked, her red aura exploding outward in a massive wave. Cassie's shadows were shredded midair, and she was hurled back, crashing into the far wall. Her cloak fluttered lifelessly as she crumpled to the ground, coughing blood.

"Cassie!" Sage shouted.

She dropped the barrier, rolling to dodge a wild hex bolt. She twisted up, her axe a blur, but Mystique—back on her feet, eyes blazing with fury—met her head-on. The two women clashed in a furious dance: Mystique's blades vs. Sage's barrier-enhanced swings. Sparks rained with every parry.

Cassie crawled up, wiping blood from her lip, and caught Sage's eye. No words needed: they moved together. Sage drew Mystique's focus with relentless attacks, while Cassie slipped through shadows, finding the one perfect angle. She reformed behind Wanda, shadow dagger poised.

But Wanda turned, eyes wild, hands raised—While shadows and hexes collided in the isolation room, Bobby faced his own battlefield: a jagged corridor torn by Magneto's entrance and the Vanguard's desperate defense.

Quicksilver was a blur—streaks of blue flashing around Bobby's head, punches narrowly missing. Each time Bobby turned to block, Quicksilver was gone, his taunts echoing from every direction.

"You're too slow, space-boy!" Quicksilver sneered, reappearing behind him with a snap kick that sent Bobby stumbling forward.

Before Bobby could recover, Blob lumbered in. Each step shook the hallway. He swung a massive arm, and Bobby barely leapt aside, landing in a three-point crouch. The floor splintered where he'd stood, chunks of concrete rolling away.

I can't keep dodging them both, Bobby thought, teeth clenched. His eyes flared a deep yellow a wave of energy coding him in temporal fractures.

The air around him rippled. Space itself seemed to warp at his fingertips. He flickered, disappearing in a pop of displaced air and reappearing above Blob. He dropped with a feral snarl, Rift Claw slashing down. The spatial blade carved a shimmering line across Blob's shoulder. The giant mutant roared, stumbling.

Quicksilver zipped past, trying to catch Bobby midair. But Bobby twisted He's trying a new move he created, Rift Howl exploding from his lungs—a concussive spatial wave that shredded the air itself and forced Quicksilver to tumble off course, slamming him into a shattered wall.

Bobby landed hard, feet cracking the tile. His chest heaved that power is like my Apex of my ability yeah. Spatial Apex… I can use it and control it… His mind raced as he felt his range of spatial jumps expanding, his Rift attacks biting deeper.

He leapt again, dodging Blob's backhand by a hair. His claws swept in a broad arc, Rift Raze carving space so violently it left a lingering distortion behind. The slash opened a gash in Blob's side—impossible by normal physics.

Quicksilver zipped back into the fight, moving faster, desperate. Bobby reacted by instinct, Spatial Flicker letting him skip inches out of reach at every attack, their movements a blur of whiplash speed.

Quicksilver's eyes widened. He's matching me…?

Bobby bared his teeth. "Gotcha." He spun, claws flashing—but his vision flickered. His Apex shuddered, yellow glow sputtering. His chest clenched with a sickening jolt. The strain of holding his Spatial Apex too long caught up to him.

No… not now…

Quicksilver saw it instantly. In a heartbeat, he zipped behind Bobby, elbow cracking into Bobby's ribs. The world snapped sideways as Bobby was hurled through a steel door, slamming into the next corridor. He gasped, eyes wide as stars burst across his vision.

Blob stomped forward, a mountain of rage. He lifted Bobby like a ragdoll and slammed him into the floor once, twice—concrete shattered beneath them. Bobby's body went limp, Spatial Apex extinguishing completely. His eyes fluttered, fighting for consciousness.

Quicksilver stepped over him, breathing heavily but smirking. "Too slow after all."

Cassie hurled herself sideways as a searing hex bolt from Scarlet Witch ripped through the room, exploding the ground where she'd stood. Stone shards flew like knives. Sage raised her barrier just in time, the translucent field rippling as it absorbed a second blast.

They moved together, shadows and shields weaving in frantic tandem. But the air was thick with confusion: illusions and shifting figures surrounded them. Cassie lunged at a silhouette—Mystique as a copy of Sage—and slashed with her shadow blade, only for the image to melt into air.

Another Mystique, this one wearing Cassie's face, stepped out of the smoke with a mocking grin. "Looking for yourself, darling?"

Cassie's teeth ground. Her shadows lashed out, but the fake vanished. She flipped back, landing beside the real Sage, breathing hard.

"Which one's real?" Cassie hissed.

Sage wiped sweat from her brow, eyes flicking across three Wandas floating above them, each crackling with scarlet chaos energy. "I… I don't know yet."

Suddenly, all three Wandas unleashed a barrage of hex bolts. The air twisted with chaotic energy. Cassie's shadows split, deflecting some blasts, while Sage's barriers flickered under the onslaught, cracks forming with every hit.

One of the Wandas teleported behind them—Sage's eyes snapped wide. That's the real one!

"Cassie, right behind you!" Sage shouted.

Cassie spun, shadows flaring like blades of midnight. But before she could strike, Mystique—in Sage's form—tackled her to the floor. They rolled, shadows and illusions tangling. Cassie's knives missed by inches, cutting through illusions instead of flesh.

Sage's barrier expanded in a desperate push, slamming Mystique back. "Focus, Cassie! Listen for my voice—ignore the fakes!"

The room became a storm of light and darkness. Cassie drew on every ounce of instinct. Sage's real voice—hoarse, resolute—cut through the chaos. Cassie pivoted, ignoring a Mystique doppelgänger and a false Wanda, and stabbed her shadow blade straight through the real Scarlet Witch's hex aura.

Scarlet Witch gasped, stumbling as her illusions flickered and died, the other Wandas vanishing instantly.

Mystique tried to rush Sage from the side, morphing into Cassie mid-strike—but Sage twisted, her fire axe humming with energy. She swung, catching Mystique across the ribs with a solid blow. Mystique cried out, shifting back to her blue form as she crashed to the ground.

Breathing raggedly, Cassie and Sage stood back to back in the wreckage, shadows and barrier lights mingling as the dust settled. Elio huddled behind them, eyes wide and terrified.

Cassie glanced down the corridor, heart sinking as she saw Bobby lying motionless, Quicksilver and Blob regrouping.

The fight wasn't over.