Limbo, in a special castle, in special library a woman clad in red studies a grimoire. “Lady Witchfire!” a demon suddenly shouts and runs in excitedly. The Darkchilde is gone, he informs her. What does he mean, gone? she asks. She was killed? The demon clarifies that it’s unclear. In the middle of battle, the she-demon simply vanished. Even her troops looked confused.
Was there an energy signature of some sort? Witchfire asks. Yes, a yellow circle, comes the reply. Witchfire takes the bloodstone amulet hanging above the book. With the Darkchilde gone, so goes her power over these lands. My lands, Witchfire corrects with an evil grin.
The X-Men’s Danger Room, where the Darkchilde has just appeared. You! Pixie shouts. Oh not her, not again! Santo moans. Darkchilde demands her sword from Pixie. Addressing her as Illyana, Beast tries to ask her to handle this peacefully. Do not call her by that name, she cries and hits him with her battleaxe.
Santo attacks, believing himself to be immune to her. She attacks with a magical blast and tears off his rock-arm, then slices right through him. Mercury calls Santo an idiot. He was made of Limbo rock last time they fought her, she reminds him. She addresses the Darkchilde, reminding her they helped her beat Belasco, and this is how she thanks them?
Darkchilde creates a shield, and asks for the return of her sword. Then nobody gets hurt. Mercury turns her arm into a claw, reaches right through the shield and pierces the Darkchilde’s shoulder. In return, she uses a spell to separate Mercury into small bubbles and then liquid.
She turns to Pixie and warns her to make this easy on herself. Give her her sword! Never! Pixie replies and threatens her with both Soulsword and Souldagger. If she thinks she’s letting her get her evil hands on this sword, then she’s crazy! She doesn’t even know what it is, but she knows she’ll probably do something really awful with it and…
Enough! the Darkchilde orders, annoyed by her prattle. Pixie suddenly notices the bloodstone amulet the Darkchilde is wearing. Her soul is in that thing, she shouts. Give it back! Come take it, Darkchilde challenges her and Pixie attacks her with the sword.
She’s gotten bolder, Darkchilde observes and easily corners her. Enough, this foolishness ends now, she announces and casts a spell. Gravata sinova clatorim!
Energy blasts spring from her eyes at Pixie, who finally sinks down beaten and lets go of the Soulsword. Finally! the Darkchilde shouts and grabs it and holds it tight. Tears run down her face. She is engulfed by a strange light and begins to transform, losing her hooves, tail and most of her demonic aspects, save for her horns and sporting armor on parts of her body instead. This Darkchilde is almost human… Magik once more.
In the Darkchilde’s castle in Limbo, Witchfire, in the meantime, has used the time to conquer the castle. With an evil grin, she stands in the Darkchilde’s throne room, looking at her handiwork, the dead demons. And daddy thought she didn’t like getting her hands dirty, she smirks.
The captured and chained S’ym warns her she has no idea what she’s done. The Darkchilde will return. She’s counting on it, the sorceress replies. Her forces are loyal, he promises. They’ll rally to her side. Witchfire buries her sword in his chest. She steps onto a dais looking down on the demon troops. They are not loyal to the Darkchilde, she states. They fear her. She simply needs to make them fear her more. She takes off the Bloostone amulet and holds it high.
In the Danger Room, Magik notices her newfound humanity and smiles peacefully. Boshe moi! comes a exclamation from the entrance. Colossus enters. Hesitantly, he addresses her as snowflake. Instinctively, Magik attacks with her Soulsword, realizing only a moment later it’s her brother. Why doesn’t she feel any…? she exclaims and feels her horns. The bloodstones… it must be!
A warning shot, courtesy of Cyclops, is fired close to her. In addition to Scott and Peter, Wolverine, Emma, Armor and Karma have arrived. Seeing Magik is still armed, Cyclops orders Karma to get a lock on her if she can. Illyana? Peter asks. No, she replies, she’s still not… Peter interrupts, asking her not to leave. They can help. No, they can’t, she tells him regretfully, as she rustles up a teleportation disc. No one can. She has to help herself. She’s sorry. No! he shouts. Not again!
The newcomers try to help the injured parties while Cyclops questions Beast on what happened. Emma announces that Kurt’s high brain functions all check out. It appears he’s simply unconscious. With no physical mark of where he was stabbed, Beast adds.
Why did Illyana stab Kurt? Karma asks. Oh it wasn’t her, Hank begins to correct her. It was…
Let me go! Pixie cries that moment to Wolverine who was trying to help her up. Hank warns him Pixie is not quit herself today. Is she okay? Logan asks while at the same warning her to keep those hands where he can see them. The Darkchilde’s got the piece she’s missing, she replies and begins her teleportation spell to follow.
Don’t do this! suddenly comes Kurt’s weak voice. He asks her to calm down and think. This isn’t just about her. They are all involved and will go after Illyana together. Babbling apologies, Megan hugs him in relief.
Magik arrives back in her castle and almost slips on the blood on the floor. Get out of there, S’ym weakly tries to warn her. Catching sight of her, he inform her that she looks terrible. What happened to her hooves?
Who did that to him? she demands. Belasco’s daughter, he begins, and she has her… Belasco had a daughter? Magik exclaims.
His blood courses through her veins, Witchfire announces, stepping from the dark, and Magik’s blood will decorate the room! She attacks with a blade of her own and Magik can barely deflect the blow.
Back at the X-Men’s HQ:
No more excuses! Peter Rasputin demands as the group is gathered around the Darkchilde’s battleaxe. What further proof do they need that Illyana is alive? Peter, Cyclops begins. Colossus interrupts him. He is through listening to Scott. All this time they’ve been looking for a way into Limbo and now have found it. In the unlikely form of their teammate, no less. He points at Pixie. He refuses to wait any longer. They – referring to himself, Pixie, Nightcrawler and Wolverine – are going to Limbo after Illyana and there’s nothing Scott can do to stop them.
He done? Scott asks. Go get your sister back, he tells him. What? Peter asks confused. If Peter’d have let him get a word edgewise, he could have told him that he agreed. Peter’s right. They are X-Men. They are family. They don’t leave their own behind. Peter thanks him. But there’s no way he's just letting the four of them head into Limbo, Scott decides. He’s sending Rockslide and Mercury with them.
What?! the two teenagers ask, not exactly pleased. They just got their @$$#$ handed to them. Santo reminds them. And she had barely just got done pulling herself together, Mercury agrees. How could they help?
Cyclops reminds them that, along with Pixie, they were the last ones to travel to Limbo. That means they have more experience down there than the rest of them. Plus, Mercury is magic-resistant and, if Santo reforms himself out of Limbo rock, so is he. What’s the matter, Rocky? Logan mocks. Was a time not too long ago he couldn’t shut up about how they kicked Belasco’s @$$! It appears it’s come time for him to put his money where his mouth is, Beast adds. Gonna take a lotta money to fill that big mouth, Karma mutters. Cyclops reminds Cessily and Santo that they want to be treated like adults, like X-Men. It’s time to start acting the part.
One other thing. There’s no denying this is as personal as it can get for Peter. Same goes for Megan. They can’t run the risk of emotions getting in the way down there. That said, he’s giving command of the team to Nightcrawler. They’ll follow his lead and his orders. No one raises a finger without his say-so.
Colossus takes the battle-axe and tells the others to come on then. He doesn’t want his sister spending another minute in that hellhole. Kurt asks Megan if she is up for this. After everything she’s suffered already… Her suffering began in Limbo, is her reply. And it’s the only place it’s going to end. She’s going to get her soul back or die trying.
She casts her teleportation spell and they immediately find themselves in Limbo, surrounded by hostile demons. Be careful what you wish for next time, Santo quips.
