"You fear the risk of escalation," he continued, "but a leader doesn't just guard the line—they push the enemy's bottom line back, step by step. If you don't… the day you're gone, your dream will collapse under the weight of your enemies' patience."
Xavier was silent for a long moment. Since parting ways with Magneto, he had walked a solitary and careful path. He couldn't deny that Jue's words had teeth.
"Why choose us?" he finally asked.
"My existence ties me to this world's conflicts," Jue said plainly. "I would rather step in on my terms than be dragged into someone else's war. And you—your people—are the best bridge for my intervention."
Xavier sighed, the admission heavy. "I'm old. Older than I want to admit. Not just in body… in spirit. How do you keep your mind sharp?"
Jue's eyes darkened. "In the Soul Society, there's no rest. The fight never ends. You don't get the luxury of growing old inside."
The tension eased. The two men spoke for a while longer, their philosophical duel shifting into a cautious truce.
"Don't push them too hard," Xavier said finally, his gaze drifting to the laughing students. "They're still children."
"I'll give them the choice," Jue replied. "I won't force them to walk my path. But those who choose it… will be ready."
Xavier nodded, accepting the promise, and turned his wheelchair away, leaving Jue alone once more in the quiet corner—watching, waiting, calculating.
After Professor Charles departed, Yi Feng stepped from the shadows where he had been lingering. The young man's life had shifted in a heartbeat, and the shock still weighed on him. His father was gone, murdered for being both a mutant and Asian. His quiet, uneventful life had ended; in its place stood grief, confusion, and the need to cling to the man who had saved him—Jue, a stranger to this world but as much a warrior as any mutant.
"My father's burial… it's tomorrow" Yi Feng's voice was tentative, as if afraid that saying it aloud would make it more real.
Jue inclined his head. "Tomorrow. But given the… unique circumstances—and the mutant involvement—it has to be handled quickly." His words carried an edge, his spiritual pressure tightening like a blade. "I can't stand the thought of your father's killer walking free just because the law looks the other way."
Yi Feng's hands clenched, resentment flaring in his eyes. The prejudice, the indifference—it all festered inside him.
"You're an adult now," Jue said, his voice low but cutting. "You can resist. Or… you can let it go, keep pretending nothing happened, keep being the 'good kid.' But if you want revenge, I can train you. Then you can take care of it yourself. And maybe, when those law enforcement officers who turned a blind eye start regretting how many they let die, it will be too late for them."
The Shinigami's gaze was unwavering. He had once been like this boy—obedient, quiet, and cowardly. That version of himself disgusted him now.
"You mean… to kill them?" Yi Feng's voice wavered. Hatred burned in him, but the act of killing still lay across a line he could not yet cross.
"They were never good men. Just scum. I'm giving you a chance—whether you take it is up to you." Jue didn't press further. His offer stood, like an open door Yi Feng could step through or ignore.
Yi Feng let the words pass in silence. Instead, he asked the question he'd come here for. "Those thugs who died in the city… their bodies are still lying there. Will there be trouble?"
"Trouble?" Jue snorted. "They were gangsters. The police will shrug, maybe call their boss in for questioning. Mutant involvement? Even less reason for anyone to care. You're here now—Xavier's School will stand behind you. You have nothing to fear."
Relief loosened Yi Feng's shoulders. "Then I'll answer you tomorrow, after my father's funeral. For now, I need to be with my mother. Please forgive me, Mr. Jue."
"Your mother's already left," Jue said, glancing down the corridor. Zhuge Siting was nowhere in sight.
"Yes. We didn't want to attend the event, but… after all the trouble we've caused since arriving here, we couldn't just vanish." Yi Feng bowed slightly, then turned away.
Left alone, Jue felt a faint hollowness. Wandering the halls to pass the time, he found himself drawn toward the large window at the far end of the corridor. There, silhouetted against the winter night, stood Qin—her gaze fixed upward at the star-flecked sky.
Sensing him, she turned. "Hello, Mr. Jue." Her voice was quiet, weighted.
"The night sky's clearer in the suburbs," Jue said, joining her at the glass.
Qin's reply came abruptly, bypassing small talk. "Mr. Jue… do you have a way to control the monster inside me?"
Jue met her eyes. "Not control. But I can teach you how to fight it. In the end, the power is yours—it's born from you. If you believe in yourself, there's no need to surrender just yet."
"But it's too strong," Qin said, the steel in her voice cracking with uncertainty.
"Strength is irrelevant. This isn't about who hits harder—it's about will. You and it are fighting for the same body. That's a battle of spirit. Even a scholar can tame a beast if they refuse to yield."
They fell silent, watching the moon drift in and out of shadow behind thin clouds.
****
At a covert base in Mexico, Colonel William Stryker listened to his adjutant's report.
"Colonel, confirmation has come in. Team William is dead. The girl they captured has been sighted at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Stryker's jaw tightened. "The X-Men?"
"There were traces of their aircraft in the area, but analysis suggests it wasn't them. Someone else intervened."
Stryker moved to the observation window. Below, a mutant lay strapped to an experimental table, writhing in pain under relentless tests. Stryker's voice didn't waver. "And Sergeant Abner?"
"Not yet located. He knows our tactics, sir, and the men are… reluctant. He's highly respected. He only awakened his X-gene during an op to save his team."
"Which means he's no longer one of us," Stryker said flatly. "If he reaches the Brotherhood or Xavier, he'll be a weapon against us. I'm authorizing lethal force—bring me his body if you have to."
The lieutenant hesitated. "Sir, such an order will damage morale—"
Stryker's eyes narrowed. "Then send the Hyenas."
The lieutenant's face paled. "If they deploy…"
"He won't survive." Stryker's tone was final. "Do it."