John and Illyana hurried down the dimly lit corridor. "So," John began, gng at Illyana with a smirk, "got a pn on how we're gonna find Tyson? Or are we just winging it?"

  Before she could respond, a group of figures began to emerge from a nearby t-juncture. The first figure's blue skin was unmistakable. It was Mystique. A step behind, at her shoulder, was Mago, his powerful stand iic helmet immediately identifying him. But it was the sight behind them that made Illyana's heart drop. Tyson trailed, levitating above the ground with his arms and legs piogether like a floating mummy.

  Without thinking, Illyana yelled out, "Wait!" Her hand reached out instinctively toward the friend they had e to rescue.

  Mystique and Mago stopped iracks, turning to face the duo. Illyana closed the distaween herself and Tyson. He looked... different. His normally lively gaze was vat, clouded over with rage. Even when she shouted out to them, he didn’t respond, and she could see that he was struggling, but uo move.

  "What did you do to him?!" Illyana demanded, her blue eyes narrowed into slits as she gred at Mago and Mystique, feeling a burning anger rise within her.

  Mystique tilted her head slightly, her voice dripping with casual malice, "Stryker cocted a special serum. Mind trol. Tyson wasn’t immuo its effects. Came right at us the moment he saw us."

  John, trying to piece everything together, interjected, "So, that's what happeo Professor Summers too? He was unscious with Professor Ororo, she didn’t seem ed, but remember he was there?."

  Mago nodded slowly. "Yes. And Stryker did more than just that. He replicated the process doo Logan on Tyson. His bones have been infused with adamantium. It has made him stronger, and more dangerous, especially now. But it’s allowed me to restrain him, prevent him from harming himself and others.”

  Her hands ched into fists. Illyana couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The magnitude of what Stryker had done was sinking in, and she could only think of saving Tyson. Her voice wavered, the now mixed with her anger. "Where are you taking him?"

  Mago paused, his posture cold and dominating, as he replied, "We're leaving. Our business here is cluded."

  Illyana’s eyebrows furrowed, trying to dis his iions. "And Professor Xavier? Where is he?"

  Mago smirked, "Xavier is perfectly fine, my dear. He's safely tucked away in Cerebro. Waiting for his beloved X-Men to rescue him."

  Illyana's gre intensified as she took a challenging step closer, "So, you just leave the Professor and make off with Tyson? Have you finally snagged your prize and now you’re running off with him before anyone stop you?"

  Mystique chuckled, her blue eyes shimmering with amusement, "My, aren't we the feisty one?"

  Mago, his tone id firm, interjected, "We have what we need. It's in your best io not interfere."

  Mystique's yellow eyes gleamed, studying the pair before her. "You could e with us," she purred, "Both of you. We reize strength when we see it. We invite you to be a part of the Brotherhood. A pce where mutants are not just accepted but celebrated."

  John looked at Illyana, searg her face for a hint of what she was thinking. After a beat, he cautiously voiced his thoughts, "It... it might not be that bad, Illyana. You'd be with Tyson. They're strong, and they're fighting for ge, for our kind."

  Illyana paused, her gaze flickeriween Mystique, Mago, and the still-struggling Tyson. She seemed to be sidering the idea of joining the Brotherhood, even if just to stay close to Tyson. But as she looked at Tyson's trapped form, her face hardened with determination. Her eyes began to radiate a fiery white glow.

  John sighed, sensing her aggressioepped back, crossing his arms, waiting for her to make her decision.

  Armor, remi of a knight's pte, began to encase her arm. A shimmerihereal sword maed in her hand. Her voice, ced with power and resolve, echoed through the corridor, "You will release him. Now."

  Magarded Illyana with an arch of his brow and a smirk pying at the ers of his lips. "You adorn yourself in armor and wield a swainst me?" He chuckled, the sound dripping with dession. "What naive audacity drives you to such a foolish a?"

  Illyana's response was swift. In a mere fra of a sed, she vanished from her position and reappeared adjat to Mago, her gleaming sword arg through the air in a vicious swing towards him. fident in his power over metal, Mago instinctively reached out with his abilities to stop both Illyana and her on. But to his astonishment, the sword tis trajectory unabated. It looked as if it was structed from metal, but his power found no purchase, nothing to hold onto.

  Mystique's eyes widened in realization. Demonstrating her superhuman agility, she lunged forward, tag Mago aside, narrowly avoiding Illyana's bde. The surprise on Mago's face was evident, his usually impeccable posure momentarily shattered by the ued twist. He processed what had just happehe arrogant expression on his face was repced by one of surprise.

  The corridor's metallic structure groaned as Mago recovered. He maniputed the steel beams and ptes, ready to ensnare Illyana in a trap. But just as quickly as her first move, Illyana vanished again, telep with a fsh. This time, she was directly behind the motioyson. Illyana whispered something inaudible as she gently id her hand on Tyson's back, and in an instant, both were enveloped by a swirling portal of light before vanishing from sight. The corridor which was quickly filling with the sounds of tearing of metal, now echoed with only the faint remnants of their departure.

  Mago's eyes bzed with anger and frustration. "Bst it!" he spat, gring at the spot they'd just occupied.

  John, who had been a spectator to the teand-off, slowly lowered his hands. He took a hesitant step forward. "So... uh, about that offer. Is it still oable?" he asked, trying to sound casual but betraying a hint of nervousness.

  Mago ighe boy and tinued down the hall. Mystique’s lips curled into a sly smirk as she extended a hand towards John. "Wele to the Brotherhood."

  ~~ Rogue Rept ~~

  Illyana did not like Mago, and she certainly did not trust Mago’s motivations toward Tyson. But Illyana wasn’t a fool. She would not dismiss what the man said about Tyson’s state. When she appeared with him in Limbo, she instantly teleported herself away from him, giving him some distance. She studied Tyson from afar, his silhouette dark against the fiery, shifting backdrop of Limbo. The ever-present crimson skies above roared with occasional streaks of lightning. The enviro seemed to echo the chaos and uainty that lurked within Tyson's mind.

  "Tyson," she called out, her voice eg in the desote surroundings, "it's me, Illyana."

  His gaze met hers, but it was as though he was staring through her, his eyes hollow and distant. There wasn't any sign nition, no warmth or familiarity. Instead, he looked around, his face dispying his fusion.

  But that ged when Illyana took a step toward him. Seeing her movement, something in Tyson snapped. With a roar, he luowards her in a rapid advance. Illyana, taken aback, instantly teleported several feet away. He stood where she had moments before, with an aggressive posture.

  She reappeared further away, her heart rag. She o find a way to get through to him, but how? The mind trol serum's effect was far strohan she had anticipated.

  "Tyson! You o fight this! Remember who you are!" she shouted. She khat beh the mind trol, the real Tyson was somewhere, trapped, trying to break free.

  But as Tyson growled, turning his attention back to her, she k wasn't going to be easy t him back. She prepared to telepain, trying to figure out a way to get through to him without endangering herself in the process.

  Each time Illyana appeared in his line of sight, a brief moment of stillness passed between them. But when she dared move closer, his demeanor instantly transformed intgression. Illyana began atempt, telep 30 meters to his left. Tyson's head whipped in her dire, his eyes fixing on her but not ung himself this time. Slowly, very slowly, Illyana took a step toward him, but as she took aep, Tyson roared and charged, the grouh him shaking from the force. Illyana had no choice but to teleport away to safety, her heart sinking as she realized a pattern.

  "Okay, Rasputin," she muttered to herself, "think." She watched Tyson from a distanoting his heavy breathing and the way his eyes darted around, searg. "Something is triggering him when I approach. But why?"

  She decided to test her theory. Telep bato his sight but staying stationary, she observed his rea. He watched her but remained where he was, tension evident in his posture but not attag.

  "Okay, so he's not attag when I'm just in sight," she mused. Thearted walking toward him. As expected, Tyson charged.

  She teleported again to a safer distance. "It's my approach..." But how could she help him if she couldn't get close?

  Illyana teleported to a spot, an outcropping of bed stone where she felt a retive sense of safety. She positioned herself just far enough from Tyson, a distance she gauged would keep her out of his aggro radius. The skies above crackled with itent bolts of lighting, casting a spectral glow ohing below.

  She took a deep breath, her armleaming in the sporadic light, and then she carefully sat down, her posture rexed but alert. Crossing her legs aing her sword lie horizontally in her p, she began speaking in a calm, soothing toyson,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady despite the heavy emotion she felt, “I know you may not uand everything right now, but I want to tell you what happened after you... after we left the Institute."

  He looked in her dire, the glowing red backdrop refleg in his eyes. Although his stance remaiense and alert, he didn't attack. His eyes darted across Limbo's ndscape, taking iherworldly sights but still seemingly aware of her presence.

  “We were ambushed. Stryker had some sort of pn. The school was utack. And...” she hesitated, taking a moment to steady herself, “and you stood up against them. You defehe mansion, defended us all when no one else could.” A deep sigh escaped her lips, “Jean sensed when you fell... when they captured you... you were so brave and we left you. Mago said they did something to you, made you stronger. And they used something on you, a serum. That's why you're like this now."

  She paused, waiting for any sign nition or uanding in his eyes. But he just watched her, his gaze still distant but not overtly hostile. She took a deep breath as she began to rey their ret events to Tyson. “We made it to Bobby's house. I thought it'd be safe, at least for a while. But Bobby's little brother was an insufferable brat. He called the cops on us." She shook her head, a mix of disbelief and annoyance evident ione. "I couldn't believe it. After everything we've been through, he barely gave us a ce to expin our story." She paused, recalling the frantic rush of the events. "We ran. Had no choice. Luckily Jean had called Professor Ororo and she picked us up in the bckbird with Logan. They had someone new with them. A blue-skinned guy who could teleport, a lot like I do." Illyana's brow furrowed in ption, "The strahing is, he looked eerily familiar. Kind of like Azazel. Remember him? Except like I said this guy is blue instead of red."

  She shifted slightly, her armor king as she did. "Anyway, things went from bad to worse. The bckbird got shot down. But as luck would have it, Mago was there. He saved us." Her voice grew colder, more solemn as she tinued, "But things ged after that. Mago had his pns. Somewhere during the infiltration of this base, he got a hold of you." Her grip tightened around her sword, the memory fresh and painful.

  But then, her voice softened, a hint of pride and warmth returning to her tone, "But you know what, Tyson? This time, it was my turn. I saved you." She allowed herself a small, genuine smile, letting that moment of triumph wash over her. She had gotten him out, and now she was determi him back fully. “Tyson, I brought you here to Limbo to keep you safe, to figure out a way to help you. I promise I won’t give up on you. We're in this together."

  The stillness of the moment hung heavy betweeyson's focus remained divided between the sights of Limbo and Illyana's words. Whether he fully prehe or not, she felt a small sense of hope that her words were reag him, that the bond they shared was still intact, hiddeh the effects of that sinister serum.

  Hours passed as Illyana talked. She looked out into the fiery horizon, her gaze distant, lost in the memories of a time long past. Her voice was softer than its usual fident, sometimes brash, tohe first time I found myself in Limbo wasn't by choice." She took a deep breath, "I was just a kid. Terrified, alohis pce... it felt like a nightmare. The sky was abze, the ground stantly shiftih my feet." Her fingers unsciously pyed with the hilt of her Soulsword. "I didn't uand it at first, but Limbo isn't just a pce. It's alive. It senses your fears and your insecurities. Every shadow here echoes the darkness I felt ihe pain, the isotion, the anger. Limbo was a refle of my soul."

  Illyana's eyes, a sharp, pierg blue, held Tyson's gaze. "But you know what's the most twisted part? The longer I was here, the more I became a part of it. It was as if Limbo and I... we were ected, iwined. I could shape it, trol it. And it, in turn, gave me power, and strength. My Soulsword," she lifted the gleaming bde, "fed from my very soul, became my on, my protector." Her lips turned upward in a smirk, a sembnce of her usual defiant spirit returning. "I realized that this pce, as hellish as it is, is also my sanctuary. A pce where I be me, without judgment, without fear. It's where I found my strength." She paused, a shadow crossing her face. "And then the demons came."

  "Azazel," she spat the h disgust, "He and his horde brought darko Limbo, a taint that seeped into every crevice, every er. It was as if a cloud of malevolence had enveloped the pce, turning everything it touched vile and wicked." Illyana's grip tightened on her Soulsword, "And the worst part?" her voice cracked slightly, "A piece of that darkched onto me. It felt like a parasite, feeding off my fears, and my anger. I felt myself slipping, being drawn into that abyss, being a vessel for the corruption."

  She looked at Tyson, her blue eyes shimmering with uears. "But then you stood beside me, battled alongside me. Every demon, every devil, we faced them together. You helped me work to recim my sanctuary, purge the taint that threateo e me." A soft smile pyed on her lips, "I don’t think you realize, Tyson, how much that means to me. In a world where I've ofte alone, you were my any bea. You reminded me of who I am, and for that, I'll always be grateful."

  She took a step closer, her gaze intense, "And maybe, just maybe, I do the same for you."

  Tyson's form, which had been a tempest of fusion and anger earlier, now looked broken aed. His strong shoulders slouched in resignation. His eyes, which usually sparkled with mischief aermination, were downcast, staring at the grouh his feet.

  Hesitating for just a moment, Illyana took aep, the hope was audible in her voice as she asked, "Tyson?"

  To her surprise, Tyson slowly lifted his head, his gaze meeting hers. The depth of pain and fusion in his eyes sent a pang of sympathy through her. His voice, when he finally spoke, was rough, as if he'd been through a battle and e out the other side barely intact, "It's been a rough couple of days."

  Illyana, hearing the raw emotion in his voice, took aep, this time with more fidence, "I know. But we're in this together."

  Tyson's eyes seemed distant as if he was lost in memories. His voice was thick with emotion, each word carrying the weight of the experiences he went through. "I remember everything, Illyana," he began, pausing to swallow hard, his face etched with pain. "Every sihing."

  "It was different thatle with Mago. That was unimaginable pain… Thehi dark. I thought I was dying, but I survived, unscious." He ched his fist, knuckles white, emphasizing the agony of his words. "This was different. Having adamantium cover each bone, seeping through my body, felt like being burned alive from the inside. Every single moment, every heartbeat... ain. But this time, the darkness never came. I felt it all, every moment of agony."

  "Then there was the serum. It invaded my mind, coiling around my thoughts, taking trol. Stryker whispered ands, and I... I had to obey. It was like being trapped in a cage, watg myself do things I didn’t want to, but I owerless to stop it. My mind screamed, but my body didn't listen."

  Drawing a shuddering breath, he tinued, "And then Mago found me again. With these bones, I couldn’t escape his grip. I lost trol pletely. I thought everything was lost. Stryker had trol of my mind, and Mago had trol of my body."

  His voice trailed off, leaving an oppressive silen its wake. Then, to Illyana's surprise, a soft chuckle escaped his lips. He looked up, his eyes finally finding hers, a spark of hope igniting in their depths. With a smile that seemed to light up the dim dimension, he whispered.

  "But then... you saved me."

  Author's Note:

  And with that, we're through the darkest part of this story.

  Are you still reading?

  Good!

  Only two more chapters in this Arc.