one which he decided, then and there, would not come to pass again.

“Grandson…” Erik uttered, his soft, measured voice a stark contrast to his usual icy tone. “Tell me, what ails you?”

phenomenon only his daughter’s bloodline could conjure.

Magneto would land silently behind the demiurge, his cape falling like a shadow onto cracked asphalt.

A mere glance at their surroundings revealed the extent of Billy’s destructive power. It was all too reminiscent of a 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 incident; »

“You mistake 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 for hostility. I assure you, there is no quarrel between us.”

He held his reflection’s gaze, a blank, unflinching stare that held no warmth.

“Though it would serve you well to greet others with the same courtesy you expect from them.”

“The 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 one, Joseph.”

There was a palpable indifference in his demeanor. He’d long grown tired of his clone’s 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴.

glance in the other’s direction, Magneto utilized one final grand gesture to crush the skeletal remains of the building.

In its place remained only a 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 piece of abstract metallurgy.

All present danger had been overcome.

sentiment, though he recognized it fueled the Vision’s endeavor.

“Rest assured, I shall see to their deliverance…” a brief pause, before a modicum of respect is mustered. “…but 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, should you come across Wanda… 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 she shall be shielded from all harm.”

Spoken without even a »

aged visage of the 𝓜aster of 𝓜agnetism.

Erik respected the evident, desperate calculus of Vision’s survival. He did not need impressing, yet like the android, he felt the distant 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 of his daughter’s absence.

It was a cold 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, a variable he ignored.

Unfortunately, he would not appeal to »

volatile fashion, but with surgical precision, piecing together a makeshift safety cage.

Magneto’s goal was simple: protect the injured while his former son-in-law continued with his rescue efforts.

argument nor defense. “The structure’s integrity is deteriorating faster than your repairs could potentially hold it. I can 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 the stress fractures spreading down to its bolts.”

Fingers outstretched once more, the metal beams scattered across the fragmented foundation began to move, not in a »

protest but, nevertheless, obeyed its master.

What hazard remained was subsequently shifted aside and allowed to crash safely into an empty lot with a controlled, 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 roar.

“Consider this 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 service rendered by the mutant nation.”

helplessness of the world.

With a flick of his wrist, the falling debris instantly decelerated until it came to a complete stop— creating a 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 sculpture of steel and masonry held fast in an invisible, city-spanning magnetic field.

The metallic skeleton of the skyscraper 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙 in »

massive pieces of twisted metal girders and pulverized concrete broke free, plummeting toward a throng of fleeing civilians.

Though belligerent, Magneto didn’t hesitate to act.

“𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜,” he muttered, the contempt reserved less for the woman losing control, and more for the inherent »