X-Force: Beyond Omega

Location: Unknown Island, Magneto's Sanctuary1

The island was a fortress of solitude, a utopia of Magneto's design. Its location was hidden by a combination of advanced technology and Magneto's unparalleled control over magnetic fields, ensuring that no satellite or radar could pinpoint its existence. Towering spires of gleaming metal punctuated the skyline, their seamless construction a testament to Magneto's mastery. Amidst this metallic haven, mutants trained in relative peace, far from the oppression they faced in the human world.

In the central chamber of his citadel, Magneto stood before a massive monitor wall. The screens displayed news footage from across the globe, each one looping the same event—the miraculous resurrection of the dead in New York. Reporters spoke in tones of awe and disbelief, replaying images of Aron descending from the sky, wreathed in golden flames.

Magneto's sharp eyes narrowed as he studied the scene. His hands, clasped behind his back, clenched tightly. The metallic floor beneath his boots rippled slightly, responding to his simmering emotions.

"Aron," he murmured, the name carrying a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "A mutant wielding such power… or perhaps something more. Our intel on him was wrong. He played really well and hid his power."

Mystique entered the room, her blue form gliding with predatory grace. She leaned casually against the pillar, her yellow eyes fixed on the screen. "So," she said, her voice tinged with amusement, "the humans have a new messiah. And they're already building him a throne. And he played us well."

Magneto turned his gaze to her, his expression unreadable. "Not a messiah," he corrected. "A weapon. One they don't yet understand. But they will… and when they do, they'll turn on him, just as they've turned on every other being who's dared to rise above them."

Mystique tilted her head. "Do you really think he's one of us? Or something else entirely?"

"That remains to be seen," Magneto replied. He walked toward the nearest window, looking out over the island's expanse. "But his actions cannot be ignored. He demonstrated the power to bring the dead back to life—a feat that not even the most gifted mutants have achieved. And yet he does not seize control, does not claim his rightful place as a leader. He denies his strength, squandering it to win the affection of the humans."

Mystique smirked. "Sounds familiar."

Magneto shot her a warning glance, but her grin only widened. "Relax, Erik. I'm on your side. I just find it amusing how history repeats itself."

His voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "This is no time for amusement, Raven. The balance of power has shifted. Aron's emergence will embolden the humans. They'll see him as a sign that their survival against greater threats—mutants, extraterrestrials, gods—depends on controlling power like his. They'll seek to weaponize him, or destroy him if they cannot."

"And what's our play?" Mystique asked, folding her arms. "Recruit him? Take him out before they do?"

Magneto's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile. "Neither… for now. First, we observe. Let the humans fawn over their new savior. Let Aron bask in their gratitude. When they inevitably betray him, he will see the truth of their nature. And when that moment comes, we will be there."

A voice interrupted from the shadows. "And if he doesn't fall to their betrayals? If he stays their champion?"

Magneto turned to find Wanda emerging out of thin air, her eyes glowing with red light. The Scarlet Witch.

 As her crimson eyes dimmed to reveal her natural gaze, Wanda's expression softened. "You've always believed humans would betray their saviors. But not everyone is you, Father."

The word "Father" hung in the air, heavy with layers of meaning. Mystique arched a brow but said nothing. She walked out, leaving the two alone.

Years Earlier – Sokovia

The streets of Sokovia were thick with smoke and chaos. Bombs had reduced houses to rubble, and cries of the wounded filled the air. In the ruins of their family home, two children huddled. Wanda Maximoff was just ten years old and held her twin brother Pietro's hand as they gazed at the unexploded Stark Industries shell lodged in the floor.

"We wait here," Wanda whispered, trying to mimic the calmness their mother had always shown. "Don't move. They'll come for us."

"They're gone," Pietro said, his voice trembling. "Mama and Papa—"

"No!" Wanda interrupted sharply. "They'll come back. We just have to wait."

Hours became days. Hunger ate at their insides, but fear kept them in place. Then the sound of heavy boots echoed through the ruins, and the children froze. Men in tactical gear, with helmets obscuring their faces, entered the wreckage.

"They're alive," one of them said with his voice cold and detached. "Bag them. Hydra wants fresh subjects."

The children were dragged screaming and kicking from their home. In the distance, smoke and fire obscured the skyline and erased what little was left of their world. The scientists took them to a secret facility and experimented on them, trying to test their resilience and probe their minds. Wanda screamed in sterile halls as they made her witness her brother undergoing brutal tests.

For months, the twins endured, their will to survive being their only armor against the horrors inflicted on them. It was in this hellish place that Wanda first felt the stirrings of her powers. Her emotions, raw and uncontrollable, began to manifest in strange ways—objects moving without touch, lights flickering with her anger. The Hydra scientists took notice, pushing her harder in their experiments.

And then, one night, the fortress walls trembled.

The attack came without warning. Hydra agents scrambled to respond as the ground beneath the facility quaked. Alarms blared, and the building's metallic structure groaned as if alive. In the chaos, Wanda and Pietro huddled in their combined cell, witnessing how the steel bars twisted and killed those who tortured them.

Out of the smoke and fire came a red and purple-clad figure, and a helmet covering his head. His open hands commanded the metal, bending it to his own will.

The guards opened fire, but their bullets never reached their target. Magneto's hand flicked, and the projectiles shot back and pierced through those agents, killing them instantly. The Hydra agents' weapons were ripped from their hands and crushed into useless scraps. With another gesture, Magneto used those scrap metals to form hundreds of metal sharp shards. He simply shot them at the agents, killing them effortlessly.

Reaching the twins, he knelt to meet their terrified gazes. "You're safe now," he said, his voice low but firm. "I'm here to take you away from this place."

Wanda clung to Pietro, her wide eyes filled with both fear and awe. "Who are you?" she whispered.

"A friend," Magneto replied. His eyes softened as he looked at them, seeing echoes of his own past—his family torn apart, his childhood stolen by cruelty. "And someone who knows what it's like to lose everything." He led them out of the facility, his power shielding them from the chaos of his attack. When they got out of that facility, the Hydra base lay in ruins, its dark secrets buried beneath the rubble.

He took the twins to a safe haven, a remote cabin where they could recover. Pietro healed quickly, his youthful energy defying the trauma he had endured. Wanda, however, remained withdrawn, her newfound powers manifesting in bursts of uncontrollable energy.

"You have a gift," Magneto told her one evening as they sat by the fire. "But it's dangerous to let it control you. You must learn to wield it, to bend it to your will."

"I didn't ask for this," Wanda said, her voice trembling. "I just want my family back."

Magneto's gaze darkened, shadows playing across his face. "We don't get to choose the hand we're dealt, Wanda. But we can choose how we use it. The world won't be kind to you because of what you are. You must be stronger than it."

Over time, a bond formed between them. Magneto became a mentor and a father figure to the twins. He taught them to harness their abilities with the help of other mutants. For Wanda, his lessons were harsh but necessary. He saw her potential and pushed her to embrace it, knowing that her power could one day surpass his own.

Yet, despite his efforts, Wanda sensed a distance in him—a barrier he had built around his heart.

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