It had been an uneventful week since the business at the Hellfire Club, but for Ethan Kane, uneventful didn't mean unproductive. If anything, it was the most important week of his life.
Sage's Supercomputer Mind ability had reshaped how Ethan's mind functioned. His thoughts weren't faster in the way a speedster's reflexes were; rather, they were organized, precise, and limitless. His mind worked like a perfect operating system, processing information in parallel, running calculations, analyzing probabilities, and tracking subtle behavioral patterns in people around him.
He could recall every single moment of his life with perfect clarity, using mnemonic triggers to access memories instantly. He could partition his brain, dedicating a portion to each task—allowing him to learn multiple things at once. The implications were insane.
For fun, Ethan had started reading a jiu-jitsu manual he found in the hotel's common area. It wasn't anything advanced, just a basic introduction to grappling techniques and takedowns.
But something clicked. As he read the book, he realized his mind was analyzing every page like a computer scans code. By the time he finished reading it, he understood the techniques perfectly—not just intellectually, but physically.
He knew exactly how to move his body, where to shift his weight, and how to execute a technique without hesitation.
And when he tried it out—even just going through the motions alone in his hotel room—his body followed through flawlessly.
That's when he realized something else.
With his new mind, he now had complete, conscious control over his body. Every muscle, every reflex—it was all under his absolute command.
This wasn't just learning martial arts. This was becoming a full-fledged martial artist in minutes instead of years. If he had enough information on a skill, he could master it instantly. So Ethan started experimenting pulling up different martial arts. Within a day, he mastered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, Krav Maga, and Taekwondo to the highest level.
He then downloaded hacking guides, tutorials on lockpicking, and books on survival tactics. His mind absorbed them like a sponge, and within days, he had acquired more practical skills than most people learned in a lifetime. This was power. He would need all these skills to survive.
Ethan was also interested in magic but he disliked that most magic in the world required contracts, pacts, faith, or deals with entities that would control him to some level. Because of that, his only choices in the field of magic would be Miracle magic, Egocentric Magic, and Ecocentric Magic.
Agamotto the first Sorcerer Supreme of Earth discovered Egocentric Magic a magic derived from tapping into one's own spiritual energy. The effect of Egocentric Magic seems similar to psychic in nature, but it taps into spiritual energy, not psychic or mental energies. This magic allows to use of Astral Projection, Hypnosis, Mind Control, and Telepathy. A large reason Ethan refused to fill a slot with the Telepathy skill. If he could gain it through study then why waste a precious slot for it?
Agamotto also discovered Ecocentric Magic a magic that allows one to connect their own life force to the ambient mystic energies of the surrounding environment and manipulate them. By using Ecocentric Magic, one can form blasts of mystic energy, and create Force Fields and Illusions. One can even go on to manipulate the four classic elements, Air, Earth, Fire and Water, or even conjure small.
Miracle magic on the other hand was discovered by Mother Righteous a clone of Mr. Sinister who specializes in faith-based sorcery, and occult manipulation. Unlike traditional magic users like Doctor Strange the current Sorcerer Supreme, she does not rely on spells or eldritch forces but instead harnesses belief and devotion to fuel her power. Faith-based magic was like Chaos Magic that could over right the laws of the universe but require faith to use meaning you need people to believe in you. With it, one can alter reality subtly, make mystical deals, bind others to her through magical pacts, move between dimensions, and influence metaphysical spaces like the Astral Realm. The only drawback was that the magic was powered by people who put their trust or belief in the user, similar to a divine entity or religious figure, and without that faith you were powerless.
The problem however was that Ethan was not in a position to learn any of these at the moment.
Now that Ethan understood the full extent of his abilities, it was time to track down the powers he needed.
His next targets were:
Domino – Probability Manipulation
Forge – Superhuman Intuition for Invention
Mystique – Shapeshifting
However, finding them wasn't going to be easy. Ethan already knew Domino's real name: Neena Thurman. That was huge. Unlike many other mutants, Domino wasn't hiding her identity—she was a mercenary, and right now, she should be a part of X-Force.
Ethan's hacking skills were still developing, but after hours of practice, he was able to breach a few weakly protected databases. It confirmed what he already suspected.Domino was with X-Force.
X-Force was a mutant black-ops team handling covert operations outside of the traditional X-Men structure. Their entire purpose was to protect mutantkind through preemptive strikes and tactical missions. Ethan already knew their location thanks to his Marvel knowledge, but even if he could get there, X-Force was highly trained, well-armed, and full of some of the deadliest mutants alive.
Breaking in wasn't an option.
And right now? He was still being tailed by Hellfire Club security. Going after Domino right now wasn't just dangerous; it was stupid and suicidal.
Tracking Forge was tricky. Unlike Domino, he didn't operate outside of the X-Men's structure—he was with them.
And since the X-Mansion was only 40 minutes from New York, Ethan could theoretically go there and try to find him. The problem however was that he still hadn't lost his tail yet. Walking up to Charles Xavier's doorstep while Hellfire Club agents were watching his every move was the dumbest thing he could do.
He needed a better plan.
As for Mystique tracking her was even harder. Unlike Domino and Forge, Mystique wasn't affiliated with just one group. She moved between different organizations, played both sides, and manipulated events from the shadows.
Right now, she should be dealing with government control and mutant affairs, still tangled up with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Her last known sighting placed her working with X-Factor, having been blackmailed into working for the government. But that was old information and as of now, he had no real-time data on where she was now.
So, for now, Domino, Forge, Mystique, and even learning magic were off the table.
Ethan hated that.
But he knew better than to rush into things blindly.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
So far, he had three problems:
He knew where to find Domino but couldn't get to her safely.
He had no leads on Mystique or Forge.
Ecocentric Magic required leylines, Miracle Magic required followers and worshippers, and Egocentric Magic required time and meditation.
Which meant he needed time.
Time to refine his skills, time to shake his tail, and time to get stronger before making any new move.
And that was fine.
Because unlike most people in this world?
Ethan had all the time he would need.
For now, he'd focus on four things:
Mastering his abilities through more skill training.
Meditating to learn Egocentric Magic.
Finding a way to shake his tail from the Hellfire Club.
Creating an opportunity to get close to X-Force.
It was only a matter of time before the pieces fell into place.