A heavy silence blanketed the room, tense and suffocating, following the revelation of Xavier's deception.
Storm—Ororo Munroe—stood still, her fists clenched at her sides. Her breath trembled as much as her voice when she finally spoke.
"We're family, Charles..." she said quietly, her eyes clouded with pain. "Every one of us here—we've bled, suffered, and endured the world's hatred. We built something here… something sacred. A place where mutants can stand tall, not hide."
Her voice cracked as she looked directly at Xavier.
"And you betrayed all of it." A tear ran down her cheek. "I believed in you more than anyone. And you shattered that."
Without another word, Ororo turned and walked away, retreating to the sofa at the far end of the room. Kitty Pryde hesitated before quietly following her, kneeling beside her former teacher to offer silent comfort.
Professor Charles Xavier closed his eyes, lowering his head. The weight of shame was written in the slump of his shoulders. The room didn't move, as if holding its breath in grief.
"Ahem." James Moriarty cleared his throat, the sharp tap of his boots on the floor drawing everyone's attention. "Touching as this familial collapse is, I believe there's a far more pressing matter to attend to—namely, finding Miss Jean Grey before it's too late. You can wring out your emotions about the professor afterward."
Beast nodded gravely. "Moriarty is right. But before that—I want to make something absolutely clear." He looked to Xavier with a calm yet firm conviction. "I no longer support you leading this institute, Charles. I believe I speak for many of us."
Xavier looked up, eyes red but dry. He glanced at Ororo again. She did not meet his gaze. The guilt returned in full force, twisting his expression into something fragile.
"…Understood," Xavier whispered, a shadow of the man he once was.
Karna, silent as always, stood nearby with arms crossed. He had witnessed judgment before—had been both the judge and the judged. He said nothing, only watched.
Then Ritsuka Fujimaru stepped forward.
"Before we move forward… I have questions," he said. Calm, but with a quiet strength.
Emma Frost tilted her head. "Ask, darling. By the way, I'm Emma frost."
Hakuno just looked at them.
"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru," he said with a nod, "but just call me Ritsuka. First question: Emma, Xavier—what do you know about the Phoenix inside Jean?"
Emma folded her arms, her diamond-hard gaze flicking to Xavier. "Not much. He never allowed me into her mind."
Xavier finally raised his voice, just barely. "I… only suspected. I sensed the overwhelming power as Jean grew. I called it 'Phoenix' because of the legends—flames, and destruction. I tried to isolate it, to protect her."
Ritsuka narrowed his eyes. "Isolate how?"
Xavier's voice shook. "I built psychic barriers within her mind. Suppressed memories. Blocked off parts of her consciousness (talent)… I told myself it was to shield her from pain."
He turned to Scott Summers—Cyclops.
"She was like my daughter," Xavier said. "All I ever wanted was for her to live a normal life. A happy one."
Ritsuka closed his eyes briefly. "Alright. But we need to focus on what's coming."
He stepped forward, speaking not just to Xavier now, but to everyone.
"The Phoenix Force is very real. And it's bonded to Jean completely. Every second we hesitate, it grows stronger. She's not just struggling against it—she's fighting to keep herself intact. For us."
Logan clenched his fists, but remained silent. Even with his hatred toward Xavier burning behind his eyes, he didn't speak. Not now. Not with Jean's life on the line.
Piotr Rasputin—Colossus—stepped forward, his deep voice steady. "Jean is our family. Just like Ororo said. And we always protect our own."
He turned to the group.
"Let's save her."
A murmur of agreement swept through the room. Even Gambit, lounging lazily, gave a curt nod. Rogue stood taller. Nightcrawler murmured a quiet prayer in German. Even Mystique's expression softened for a moment.
Ritsuka exhaled. "I'm glad we're all on the same page. But there's something else…"
He paused.
"…We're not the only ones searching for Jean. There are aliens after her power. They're called the D'Bari. And from what I've heard, they don't plan to negotiate."
Kitty blinked. "Aliens?! How do they even connect to this?"
"Space," Hakuno said simply, arms crossed beside Ritsuka. "Jean's powers draw attention far beyond Earth."
Ritsuka nodded. "I don't know the full picture, but I do know they're strong. If they reach Jean before us—" He looked at everyone, his voice tightening. "It won't be her we're saving. It'll be the world."
Emma Frost frowned and touched her temple. "He's not lying. I can read the surface of his mind. What he says is true."
Tension grew again. Everyone felt it.
Ritsuka's voice cut through. "We'll need backup. A lot of it. And we need to be prepared for a fight."
Raven—Mystique—spoke up for the first time.
"Then it's time we talk to Magneto."
The room froze.
Even Wolverine looked stunned.
"You want the Brotherhood?" Bobby Drake said. "They'd never side with us."
Ritsuka didn't flinch. "I'll talk to him."
Emma laughed bitterly. "Even Charles couldn't get him to budge. You think he'll listen to you?"
James Moriarty leaned on his cane, smiling. "If there's anyone who can talk reason into unreasonable forces, it's Master Ritsuka. You'll find no better diplomat."
Colossus nodded. "Let him try. We all believe in him."
Ritsuka gave a small smile, then turned to Hakuno and Piotr.
"We'll be back soon." Ritsuka says to karna and James but not before he nod at karna to talk with professor x.
Hakuno stepped beside him.
Colossus opened the doors to the Blackbird place. "Let's go."
As the three walked out, the jet awaiting their departure.
They flew towards the mountainside location where Magneto was supposedly residing—a quiet commune nestled beneath high cliffs and thick pine canopies, far removed from the eyes of the world. The wind rushed past them, silent except for the low hum of power radiating from Hakuno's arm-mounted spellring and the metallic glint of Colossus soaring beside them.
Upon arrival, the atmosphere was less than welcoming.
The moment they touched the ground, the response from the mutant community was hostile. Some mutants ran for cover. Others stepped forward, faces grim, fists clenched, prepared to fight.
Ritsuka raised his hand slowly, fingers spread wide in a show of peace. "I come in peace."
A sharp voice cut through the tension. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
They turned to see a tall mutant with kinetic sparks pulsing through his twitching hair. His gaze was trained solely on Ritsuka.
"Ariki," Colossus greeted solemnly, stepping slightly ahead. "We want to speak with Magneto."
"No," Ariki snapped, eyes narrowing. "Get lost."
Ritsuka didn't budge. His calm voice held a heavy weight. "I'm here to speak with Erik. It's important. It concerns… his old friends."
Ariki's fingers curled. The tension in his shoulders stiffened. A vein on his temple pulsed. "He's not here. Leave."
Hakuno let out a dry chuckle, brushing her bangs back with a sigh. Her tone was nonchalant but edged with steel. "So much for a mutant-friendly community… Look, you seem like a decent guy. Responsible, even. But I'm not leaving. My boyfriend and I—we're not going anywhere until he speaks to Magneto. Once he does, we'll go."
Ritsuka nodded. "It's critical. We need him. The X-Men need him."
"I said—"
Before Ariki could finish, a low hum of electromagnetic energy filled the air. A commanding voice followed.
"I'll take it from here."
From a modest structure at the edge of the commune, a tall man clad in civilian clothes but radiating unmistakable power stepped out. His graying hair fluttered in the breeze. Even without the helmet, the magnetic pressure in the air shifted with his presence. Erik Lehnsherr, the master of magnetism.
Ariki hesitated, his jaw clenched. He stepped back and gave Ritsuka one last glare before nodding and walking away.
Magneto's steel-blue eyes scanned them. Hakuno gave him a friendly wave. Ritsuka took a step forward.
"My name is Fujimaru Ritsuka," he began, his voice respectful but urgent. "And I need to talk to you about something rather important."
Erik studied him and then Hakuno with a long pause, weighing the situation with that same calculating look he had given world leaders. His voice was curt. "You have five minutes. Then you leave. I don't want the authorities or Xavier's mess spilling into this place. The X-Men and the Brotherhood do not—should not—cross paths again."
Ritsuka nodded. "Understood. I'll make it short. Charles Xavier's secrets have been exposed—by Emma Frost. As of today, he's no longer the head of the X-Men. Jean Grey… she's become the host of a powerful cosmic force, something ancient and deadly. We're standing on the edge of extinction. If she loses control, the world burns. And even worse… someone else is trying to take that power. The D'Bari. We don't know if they can control it either."
Magneto stood still, like iron frozen in ice. His eyes flickered with something like disbelief. "Charles… removed? Hmph. I warned him. I warned him his methods would doom him."
Hakuno hid her relief. 'Good, he's not closing the door on us yet.'
Ritsuka pressed on. "Emma exposed everything—the manipulations, the mental tampering. The team's trust in him shattered after learning what he did to Jean... and others."
Erik folded his arms. "What did Charles do to Jean?"
"He tried to contain her powers since she was young. Used his telepathy to suppress parts of her mind. It was a violation… and now she's beyond him. Beyond any of us, maybe."
Hakuno glanced at Erik, raising an eyebrow. "Not even going to ask if we're lying?"
"I know a liar when I see one," Erik replied coolly. His gaze returned to Ritsuka. "And you aren't. So, I suppose you want me to clean up Charles' mess. Again."
Ritsuka sighed. "That's… about right."
Magneto looked past them to the sky, as if searching the clouds for some answer.
"To think… one day, the X-Men would come begging for my help," Erik muttered, his voice laced with irony and disbelief. He couldn't even finish the sentence, the thought itself too absurd.
Ritsuka stood firm, arms crossed, eyes serious. "I'll be honest with you—talking to Jean while Charles is around will only end in chaos. She'll try to kill him. She's unstable, and we need to stop her before she completely loses control. On top of that, the D'Bari are circling her like vultures. They want to use her powers for themselves."
"Who the fuck is D'Bari?" Erik asked, his tone sharp, skeptical.
"All I know is that they're from space. Their homeworld was destroyed by the same force that's now inside Jean," Ritsuka replied, his gaze unwavering.
There was a brief silence before Erik finally nodded. A flick of his hand summoned his helmet from the distance—it snapped through the air and landed solidly in his grasp.
"Very well," he said, slipping it under his arm. "We have a brat to stop… and a world to save. Let's move."
Well, that was easier than expected, Hakuno mused inwardly, a bit caught off guard by how quickly Magneto agreed.
"The jet's that way," Ritsuka said, gesturing with a small smile. "Colossus, start it up."
Colossus blinked. He hadn't expected Magneto to be convinced so easily—especially not by words alone. Still, he gave a quick nod and broke into a sprint toward the Blackbird.
"Ariki!" Erik suddenly called out.
From the brush, a calm voice responded. "Yes?"
Erik turned. "We're leaving."
Ariki stepped out from the trees, brushing a few leaves from his coat. "I heard what he said. If it's true… he has my support."
Who would've thought dealing with ex-terrorists would be easier than dealing with Charles, Hakuno thought with a mental sigh.
As they made their way toward the jet, Erik's voice cut through the air again. "I have a question."
Ritsuka glanced over.
"Why are you angry with Charles?"
Ritsuka arched a brow. "That obvious?"
Erik nodded.
"Well…" Ritsuka exhaled, his shoulders tense. "He forced his way into people's minds without permission. Tried to do the same to Hakuno and me. But that kind of intrusion is a complete violation of trust. And on top of that, he seems to think I have some magical solution to fix Jean. Everything I know, I've already told him."
Erik let out a low chuckle. "That's why I wear this." He tapped the side of his helmet. "Charles is a good man. But… sometimes he forgets where the line is."
"I agree," Ritsuka said with a shrug, already walking toward the stolen Blackbird.
Meanwhile, Colossus was at the controls, powering up the jet. The engines hummed to life.
He couldn't help but think to himself—how the hell did Ritsuka convince Magneto that easily?
---
Note: Magento will become good friend with Ritsuka and active member in future story arcs.