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I'm here to kill this demon," Illyana said flatly.
Dante froze. "Huh?"
He turned to Wolverine, who looked just as confused as he was.
"What the hell are you talking about, lady?" Logan growled. "What demon? The kid's a mutant. Just like us."
Illyana didn't flinch. "Look at his arm," she said. "That's not the X-Gene."
Dante instinctively glanced down at his left arm—his mutated, glowing, half-transformed arm—and then back up at her, frowning. "Are you serious right now? It looks like that because of my mutation."
Illyana shook her head. "No. That arm is a piece of something older. Something worse. He's not just a mutant. He's been possessed—by a body part of an ancient demon. A powerful one."
Dante blinked. "…What?"
"The reason your mutant detectors picked him up is because he is a mutant," she explained, "but his real power is being suppressed by the demonic energy in that arm."
The words hit hard—Dante didn't even know what to say, let alone ask. His mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out.
Logan, thankfully, had no such problem.
"So what?" he said, stepping forward, claws clenched. "Just because he's got a cursed arm, you show up swinging a sword at him? You really think that's how we handle things now?"
Illyana's gaze didn't waver. "Don't think the past week makes him safe. What you've seen from him… that's temporary."
She turned to Dante, her voice cold but not cruel. "As time passes, the corruption will grow. The more he uses the true power of the arm, the faster it'll take over."
Dante flinched. He knew exactly what she meant.
The blue fire.
It was strong—strong enough to wipe out Danger Room robots in seconds. And it could do more. He could feel it. But every time he used it, something inside him pulled harder. Just like the first time, back when he lost control of his temper for a moment in the woods,. This time he nearly attacked Headmistress Kitty Pryde. If not for her phasing ability, it could've ended badly.
Since then, the teachers had warned him—strictly—not to use the flames again.
Logan, sharp enough to put the pieces together, narrowed his eyes at Illyana.
"So, what now?" he asked. "You still planning to kill him?"
Illyana looked back at Dante and paused.
"No," she said. "He's still in control. Still himself. That means we have a chance."
She walked a few steps closer, lowering her sword slightly. "I can use him—to track down the others. The ones who weren't as lucky as him. They need to be stopped… and maybe, just maybe, I can find a solution for him too. It's not too late yet."
Dante didn't say anything. He just stared at her, still processing.
Logan gave a short nod. "Then I'm going with you."
Illyana turned, giving him a tired look. "This isn't new to me, Logan."
"And I don't care," he replied bluntly. "He's my student. I'm not letting him walk into hell alone."
She sighed—clearly annoyed—but didn't argue further.
Illyana approached Dante and reached out, grabbing his arm. A glowing magic circle formed in front of it. It surrounded his arm for a moment, pulsing once before fading completely.
"Just checking," she muttered.
Then she raised her hand, opened another portal, and looked back at him.
"Come with me."
When Dante and Logan followed Magik through the portal, they found themselves standing on the rocky side of a mountain. Cold wind swept past them, and patches of snow clung to the jagged peaks in the distance. The air here was thin, and everything felt… quiet. Too quiet.
"One of the others is somewhere in this mountain," Magik said without looking back. Her tone was steady, but focused.
Dante and Logan kept pace behind her, both on high alert. They didn't know what they were walking into, but after everything he'd learned recently, Dante knew better than to let his guard down.
For a while, they walked in silence—just the sound of boots against stone and wind pushing through the trees. But Dante had a question sitting in the back of his mind since before they even left.
"So… Illyana—"
"Don't call me that," she said sharply without turning.
He blinked. "Uh… alright. Magik, then."
She didn't respond, which was as close to approval as he was going to get.
"So, Magik," he continued, "you said I was okay—for now—because of the body part I got. You also said I'm not like the others. Something about me having hope. Can you explain that a little more?"
Magik was quiet for a few seconds. Then, finally, she spoke.
"The body parts are from a demon," she said. "A demon named—" She said a name that immediately left Dante's mind blank. It wasn't just hard to pronounce—it felt like his brain actively refused to process it.
"I'm sorry," Dante said, blinking. "That name is… unbelievably hard to say. Can we just call him 'Guy'?"
Magik stopped walking. She slowly turned her head and gave him a cold, deadpan stare that made him instinctively take half a step back.
Wolverine, watching from behind, smirked. "Well… kid's not wrong," he muttered. "Let's just go with 'Guy.'"
Magik sighed. "Fine. Guy, then."
She turned forward and kept walking. "He was a demon from before our universe even existed. His power was beyond anything we've ever seen. Eventually, he died… but for some reason, his body parts didn't stay dead. They were reincarnated into different people across the world."
Dante frowned, following close. "And each part gives its own ability?"
"Exactly. Each one reflects a part of his legend," she said. "It's vague, but from what I've pieced together, his footsteps would 'claim the land,' his right arm could bend space to his will, his eyes could twist anything into what he want… and his left arm could bend life itself."
Dante blinked. "So… the parts that are out there right now—"
"The legs, both arms, and the eyes," Magik said.
She continued, her voice low. "The eyes and legs are the most mysterious. I can't say for sure what kind of power they could possibly have. But the right arm is already known to give space-manipulating powers, and the left…" She glanced back at him. "You already know what it does."
"The flames of life," Dante muttered.
He looked down at his left arm.
"So that's what they are… the reason I'm not being controlled." He paused, thinking. "I guess that explains why the flames burn stamina instead of just burning things. It's not normal fire—it's burning life force."
Magik nodded once. "Yes. It's also why you're still yourself."
Dante's expression hardened. "Is there anything else I need to know? Any other danger?"
She didn't hesitate. "Yes. No matter what, we can't let all four body parts come together. If that happens—Guy comes back. And if he returns, no one will be able to stop him. Not the Avengers. Not the X-Men. Not even magic."
That hit hard.
Before Dante could ask anything else, a sudden dull shockwave rippled through the air like a bomb going off. Trees bent and snapped, snow flew from branches, and the ground shook beneath their feet.
The shockwave was heading straight for them.
"Portal—now!" Magik snapped.
She opened a glowing disc in the air and all three of them dove through just before the blast reached them. They tumbled out the other side, landing further down the slope—safe, but only just.
The air was still. The shockwave had cleared a massive circle of forest, creating a wide clearing in the mountain woods.
And in the center of that clearing stood a figure.
Dante slowly rose to his feet, brushing snow off his jacket. He looked up… and froze.
The figure was tall, shirtless, his chest and arms human—but below the waist, his body was monstrous. Twisted, dark red skin. Hooved legs. Black veins glowing faintly across demonic muscle. His hair was blonde. His eyes burned bright red.
Dante took a slow step forward, breath catching in his throat.
He recognized him.
"…Owen," he whispered.