Escanor(Marvel)

Now I needed to decide where to go next. I had inherited my father's business, and thanks to knowing how he ran things, I managed to keep it afloat. Negotiations with partners confirmed that things were going well. I was grateful to my father for the years he spent guiding me and insisting I take part in management. How much I missed him.

Money wasn't an issue, but it left a trail. Any transaction from my accounts would immediately reveal my location. That meant I had to rely on cash. The first step was to withdraw a large sum and keep it on hand.

I had no plans to leave New York. This was my city, my home. Here, I could find those responsible for my parents' murder. The law had failed me, but the shadow organizations might not. New York was a place where dark forces intertwined with business. Conflicts with them were inevitable, and dealing with them was always a struggle.

The first priority was finding a place to stay. Returning to my house was pointless too dangerous, too painful. The memories there were too strong. I had a plan: stay in the city for a few days, no more. That would be enough time to prepare for my next move.

As I pondered my future, the X-Jet had already reached the mansion and smoothly landed in the hangar. Wasting no time, I headed for the exit. The entire X-Men team was there to meet us, even those who had gone home had returned.

"Escanor, that was an amazing fight!" Kitty exclaimed the moment she saw me. She excitedly mimicked my movements, showing how I had fought. "You went like this and that, and he just got angrier and kept growling!"

"That was so cool," Jubilee added. She had recently joined the X-Men.

"He wasn't that strong," I replied with a shrug. "How did things go on your end?"

"We saved everyone!" Kitty reported happily. "Kurt was so exhausted he's resting in the med bay now."

I nodded, feeling a small wave of relief. It was good to have teammates who had my back, especially when it meant not having to worry about civilians' safety.

"Despite the destruction, there were almost no casualties. Only the injured. That is commendable," Professor Xavier noted.

He looked over the gathered team and continued:

"Since we are all here, I must share some bad news. Magneto has crossed the line. He intends to declare war on humanity. We cannot allow this," he said, his gaze sharp as it moved over each of us. "We will have to fight him and stop him."

His words hung in the air, heavy as a storm cloud. No one dared to break the silence.

"With Escanor, this won't be too difficult," Hank murmured, adjusting his glasses, which looked almost comical against his beast-like form.

"Unfortunately, we will have to manage without him," the Professor said calmly but firmly. "Circumstances require that he leave us."

I couldn't believe my ears. They were going up against Magneto, and I was leaving? Absurd. I could help there was no need for this dramatization.

All eyes turned to me. Their stares burned into me. Clever move, Professor. Very clever. Making me look like a coward in front of the team. Everyone knew they could rely on me, but now… now you had declared I was leaving.

I clenched my jaw, suppressing my pride. I said nothing. Let them think what they wanted. But the Professor knew. He saw it in my eyes the silent message that spoke louder than words. I noticed the slight furrow in his brow. He understood.

Without another word, I walked away. It was time to go. They would handle this they had to. I had taken down the strongest of their enemies. The rest… the rest should be manageable for the X-Men. Only Magneto was a real threat.

I didn't have many belongings, but I knew I had to take them. The most valuable things were memories a small family photo album, my father's old watch, which reminded me of our past, and a few documents related to his business.

Reaching my room, I realized I was still at my full height. A habit. My massive frame nearly filled the corridor, forcing me to shrink down to a more reasonable six-foot-six just to fit inside.

My bag lay on the floor. I started packing, trying not to think too much about everything that had happened.

Knock, knock.

The door was open, and standing in the doorway was Ororo.

"You're leaving already?" she asked, stepping inside and sitting on the edge of the bed next to my bag.

"Yes," I replied shortly.

I knew that, more than anything, I would regret not seeing her again. During my time here, I had truly fallen for her. My attention had not gone unnoticed, but she had always responded with restraint. My age made her hesitant.

We had never become more than friends, but our relationship had been warm.

"I understand," Ororo said, her voice calm, though I could hear the sadness in it. "You haven't been here long, and you're not obligated to fight. If I'm being honest, you have more reason to hate humanity than any of us. Maybe, in some ways, Magneto's views are closer to yours. And yet, despite everything, you became part of our family."

Her words struck a nerve.

"Maybe," I admitted. "I didn't really think about it. I didn't know you were planning to go against Magneto. That's why I was leaving."

She smiled warmly, almost maternally.

"So, you're willing to help after all? I'm glad. Thank you. That means a lot to me." Ororo stood, lightly touching my arm as she added, "I hope you're not gonna leave after this."

With that, she walked away, leaving me alone in the room with my bag, which now seemed far less important.

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

************

Finding the Brotherhood's base turned out to be harder than we had expected. Magneto was too cunning. His hideout was designed to be completely impervious to even the Professor's abilities. The anti-telepathic helmet he wore, combined with the base's shielding against any psychic waves, made him virtually invisible to our technology. All we could do was track his movements traces of his actions and attacks.

But he couldn't stay hidden forever. We found a possible location: a mountainous region surrounded by massive cliffs and narrow trails.

Now, everything depended on how quickly we could find an entrance.

We stood on one of the mountain paths, surveying the area. Wolverine held binoculars, scanning for any signs of movement. His senses were invaluable in situations like this if he caught a trail, he could lead us straight to our target.

"I smell people here," he muttered over his shoulder, not breaking his focus.

We kept moving forward, venturing deeper into the mountains. Several times, we encountered patrols, but Jean skillfully kept us hidden using her telepathic abilities. Telepathy truly was a terrifying power.

After several long minutes of searching, we finally discovered an entrance cleverly concealed within the massive rock formations. It looked like Magneto had carved out an entire complex inside the mountain, turning it into a true fortress. The door, camouflaged by boulders, only opened for a few moments to let people in or out.

Wolverine was the first to break the silence.

"Kitty, your job is to get inside and scout the place. Maximum caution. No fights. Got it?"

"Got it," she replied, hesitating for a moment before nodding firmly.

"Scouting?" I scoffed, stepping into the conversation. "Why waste time? Give me a minute, and I'll tear this whole base apart."

Wolverine turned to me sharply, his expression darkening.

"No. We're not risking everything because of your arrogance," he growled, stepping closer. "You're too full of yourself, kid. You think you're invincible? You think no one can match you?"

"That's exactly what I think," I answered calmly but firmly, locking eyes with him.

His lips curled into a vicious grin, revealing his fangs.

"When you're lying on the ground, bleeding out, begging for help, remember this you were killed by your own pride."

"That will never happen," I said coldly, clenching my fist. "You've got a nice healing factor, right? Maybe we should test if you can survive in space."

The air grew thick with tension, as if nature itself had frozen, afraid to intervene. Wolverine, barely restraining his fury, unsheathed his claws.

"Enough!" came the stern voice of Storm. "This is not the time or place for your childish bickering. We need to work together, or we lose. Escanor, stop provoking Wolverine."

I slowly unclenched my fist, and Wolverine retracted his claws, but our gazes still burned with an unyielding rivalry. It seemed that no matter what, we would never see eye to eye we were like two opposing forces, destined to clash.

I glanced at Storm and, with a slight smile, took a step back, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. Wolverine returned to his task.

"So… should I go or not?" Kitty asked hesitantly, her voice wavering as if she needed reassurance to strengthen her resolve.

"Yes," Ororo affirmed, stepping closer and gently placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Your job is to find out what forces they have. We need to be prepared."

Kitty sighed softly, then nodded. Her body became intangible, seemingly dissolving into the air. She sank into the ground, disappearing from sight.

To me, this was a pointless effort. All we could do now was wait.

I still believed that my plan storming in, crushing the enemies, and obliterating everything in an instant was far superior. But clearly, my methods weren't exactly appreciated here. The Professor, Ororo, and even Wolverine valued caution over strength.

Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde

Slipping through the dense mountain rock, Kitty moved confidently toward the base. However, misjudging her exit point, she suddenly dropped through the floor and landed with a dull thud on the steel surface of the fortress.

The sudden noise immediately caught the attention of nearby guards. Panicked, Kitty instantly phased back into the floor, her heart pounding so loudly that she was sure they could hear it.

The guards turned, scanning the area where the sound had come from. They stood alert for a moment, glancing around suspiciously, but after finding nothing unusual, they returned to their patrols.

This time, Kitty moved more cautiously. She phased back up into a different section of the room and took cover behind a set of massive containers. Surveying her surroundings, she quickly realized where she was an enormous hangar.

The hangar was packed with crates, many of which clearly contained weapons. One of the crates was slightly open, revealing an assortment of firearms everything from automatic rifles to complex energy-based weaponry. While many mutants had abilities far surpassing any conventional weapon, it seemed Magneto was preparing for an all-out war, equipping even his less-powerful allies with a deadly arsenal.

Looking around more carefully, Kitty noticed that there were more mutants here than she had expected. Some of them seemed familiar she had seen their faces before in the Professor's lectures on known mutants and their abilities.

What she saw made her blood run cold.

Magneto had gathered an impressive force. His army was formidable, and from the looks of it, he wasn't planning to just defend himself. These were preparations for war not just a conflict, but an all-out confrontation.

Kitty pressed herself against the container, trying to steady her breathing. She knew that returning with this information was vital for the team.

She decided to take a risk and explore more of the base. Moving from one hiding spot to another, she carefully made her way deeper into the complex. Every step was filled with tension one wrong move could give her away.

In one of the narrow corridors, she almost ran straight into a patrolling guard. Her heart pounded wildly, but she managed to hide behind a metal frame just in time. Holding her breath, she waited until the guards passed by, then cautiously moved forward.

But suddenly, something felt off. A faint gust of air brushed through her hair, as if a breeze had somehow made its way into this enclosed underground space. Kitty froze, scanning her surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place.

She turned her head to check if someone was behind her and locked eyes with a smiling face.

"Hey there," the stranger said.

Before she could react, she felt a sharp blow. Darkness swallowed her.

Pietro stood over her unconscious body, smirking as he examined his catch.

"Looks like the X-Men decided to pay us a visit," he said, effortlessly lifting her light frame. In a flash, he carried her to Magneto.

"Father, I caught one of them," he announced as he appeared before the leader of the Brotherhood.

Magneto studied Kitty. His eyes gleamed with cold amusement.

"So, they're already here," he said with venomous certainty. "Charles, you won't stop me this time."

He turned to Mystique, who stood nearby.

"Lure them into a trap."

Mystique simply nodded, and her body began to shift. Her skin lost its signature blue hue, her features rearranging into an exact replica of Kitty. Her voice, now identical to the girl's, spoke:

"This will be easy."

Pietro and Mystique exchanged glances before she headed toward the exit, ready to lead the X-Men straight into a deadly ambush.

Magneto watched them leave, his expression unreadable.

"Forgive me, my old friend," he murmured, his voice quiet but filled with steel. "I can no longer stand by and watch our people suffer."

The intelligence Mystique had uncovered didn't just reveal kidnappings and mutant imprisonment it exposed something far worse. A horrifying truth: humans had been conducting inhumane experiments on mutants, treating their lives as disposable. Torturous procedures tested their weaknesses, their strengths, and methods for their complete eradication.

Weapons were already in development. New ways to detect and eliminate mutants were being invented.

After learning all this, Magneto had made his decision. He knew this would be a point of no return, but in his mind, there was no other choice.

"We strike first," he declared, his voice unwavering. "If we wait, defeat is inevitable."

Author's Note

after this event, the escanor leaves them