Many of the remaining students at the Xavier Institute (Anole, Blindfold, Elixir, Loa, Match, Nezhno, Pixie, Rockslide and Wolfcub) have gathered in the common room and are telling stories around the fireplace. Rockslide is telling them tall tales about his adventures as a New X-Man. He claims that he defeated the Sentinels, scared off Apocalypse, told off Professor X, saved Hellion from Wolverine, scored with Lady Mastermind and saved the Cuckoos from the Phoenix Force. Wolfcub thinks his story is cool but Match and Anole tell him that Santo is making this all up.
Santo challenges them to come up with a better story and warns them that they’re going to have to “suck up” a bit more if they want to make it to the New X-Men squad. Pixie asks Blindfold if she has a story and Blindfold says that she does in her own cryptic manner of speaking.
Blindfold’s story:
Blindfold tells the story of a demon lord who took a young girl. The demon wanted her innocent soul to appease his dark masters. He was opposed by a team of heroes who failed to save the girl. The demon lord became her master.
Reality:
The others are a bit creeped out by the introduction to the story but Blindfold continues.
Blindfold’s story:
She explains how the heroes believed the child lost but that she appeared again soon after but changed. The girl was now older, darker with a tainted soul from her time as the demon lord’s apprentice. She adds that time was different in the demon’s realm and in the few minutes the girl had been gone she had truly spent years in hell.
Reality:
Rockslide asks if the girl was hot and is quickly reprimanded by one of his schoolmates.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Mercury is having yet another nightmare and is crying out softly in her sleep. Hellion comes in to check on her and assure her that she’s safe now.
Surge arrives as well and asks how Cessily’s doing. He says he’s not sure and mentions that she wakes up screaming still. He adds that she won’t tell him what they did to her and asks for Nori’s reassurance that Cessily will get through this. Nori says that of course she will and asks if he wouldn’t mind taking a break so she can talk with him about something. He agrees since he feels like it’s going to be a long night anyway.
Blindfold’s story:
Blindfold’s tale continues and she expands on the girl’s experiences as the demon lord’s apprentice. She tells of how he raised her and taught her the dark arts and the way in which he twisted her soul by shattering it and creating from it the Bloodstones which would provide his masters with entry to the world.
She goes on to say how the girl fought and found allies against the demon lord. These were the heroes who had sought to defend her who had become twisted themselves by the demon lord’s magic. The girl forged a Soulsword and used it to banish her master, Belasco from Limbo.
Reality:
Rockslide offers his own brand of constructive criticism and tells Blindfold that it would have been better if the girl had cut off the demon guy’s head in some gnarly way. Anole realizes that he knows this story from the X-Men’s files and that he thinks this really happened as the Soulsword and Belasco are real.
Santo replies that his story happened too… especially the part about Lady Mastermind. Victor tells him to shut up about it already and Santo tells him he’s just jealous. Wolfcub asks if they smell something burning and Match thinks this is a reference to his perpetually flaming head. Anole explains to Santo that Blindfold is a precog and Santo points out that if this story is in the past it must make her a “re-cog”.
Their bickering disturbs Nezhno who asks them to lower their voices since he is trying to meditate. Santo tells him that he should shut up and Nezhno adds that his voice grates and that he, especially should quiet down. Pixie shushes Nezhno and tells him that Blindfold is telling a story.
Down the hall, the Stepford Cuckoos and Elixir are sneaking into the bedroom of the Beast who is sleeping soundly. One of the sisters declares that this will end badly but Josh says that it will work and that they should trust him. He asks that they get anything they can on human and mutant biology, genetics and medicine. They note that after what happened, Dr. McCoy is already uneasy around them.
Josh assures them it’ll be fine. One of the sister argues that they were going to do it for David and that Dr. McCoy, as a teacher would want Josh to learn all her could. They initiate a telepathic transfer of knowledge. Elixir is pulled into the air and his eyes grow wide. He mutters “I didn’t know” several times.
Blindfold’s story:
Belasco’s plan to reclaim his lost apprentice and complete his pact with his dark masters was disrupted when Illyana Rasputin died. When he returned to Limbo he was opposed by a new sorceress bearing the mantle and power of Magik.
He was defeated and the Elder Gods exiled him for his failure. Though weakened, he could sense the momentous changes happening in the world above. He killed a demon and performed a blood rite that allowed him to witness the world’s transformation at the hands of the Scarlet Witch. Within this altered reality, he also saw his young apprentice, Illyana Rasputin reborn!
Reality:
Victor interrupts the story to clarify what Blindfold is saying as they know that Colossus’ little sister is dead. He wants to know exactly what kind of story Blindfold is telling and asks if all this is really happening. Loa asks what she meant by “reality changed” and Pixie wants to know if Cyclops is going to show up in the story. Wolfcub asks if Illyana is real or not and Santo, thick-headed dimwit that he is, asks who Colossus is. Blindfold does not answer their questions but simply continues her story.
Blindfold’s story:
She tells how Illyana disappeared just as suddenly as she had returned. But Belasco was convinced that his former pupil lived and was merely hidden, so he began a bloody trek through the dimensional veils to Limbo.
His quest was challenged by Limbo’s new mistress, the human sorceress Amanda Sefton who turned the denizens and lands of Limbo against Belasco. He faced her army of demons with wild abandon, fighting for weeks to reach this new Magik’s stronghold. Driven by rage, Belasco defeated Magik, who no longer wielded the true Soulsword with which Illyana Rasputin had defeated Belasco and won control of Limbo.
Amanda was driven forcefully from Limbo and fell to Earth two days ago. Belasco raised his demon army and Limbo became a dark reflection of him once more. He could no longer sense Illyana but could smell her on those last with her. The children who lived in the X-Men’s mansion.
Reality:
Blindfold concludes her tale by telling her friends that this is where Belasco believes he will find his lost pupil and that the demon lord is coming for them. As she says this, she removes the bandages covering her empty eye sockets.
Anole realizes immediately that this is no story but a warning. Pixie decides she doesn’t like Blindfold anymore and Santo calls her a “freaky chick”.
Victor tells the others that this is really happening and they have to tell the X-Men right away. Pixie asks if they’re going to be okay and Blindfold replies no and tells Megan that she is sorry for her loss.
Victor tells them they have to get out of there right now. The moment he says this, the floor below them collapses as a fiery ring surrounds them. They scream out as they fall into the abyss below.
