CHAPTER 95-SHADOWS AND SORROWS
The stars were still burning in Logan's eyes
when the Stargate closed. The X-Men stood battered on the rooftop, the scent of fire still clinging to their skin. Lilandra leaned into Xavier's arms, whispering soft words in a language none of them knew. Jean's parents clung to each other, unable to comprehend what they'd just seen. And off to the side,
bound in shimmering restraints forged by Shi'ar tech, Erik the Red spat curses until Raza backhanded him silent.
The Starjammers took him without ceremony.
Corsair gave Scott a long, haunted look before ordering the ship skyward. No explanations.
No words. Just a promise hanging heavy
between them: they would deal with Erik. And then he was gone.
The night fell still again, broken city lights
winking like wounded stars. Misty Knight herded the Greys away, muttering something about whisky. The X-Men-half-dead, souls scorched, but alive-returned home.
The next moming, the X-Mansion was quiet.
Too quiet. For once, there were no alarms, no screaming jets, no apocalyptic voices clawing into Xavier's head.
The nightmares were gone.
He sat in his chair outside the lower dungeon, eyes closed, listening to the silence. It was
intoxicating. Lilandra's presence in his mind, steady and sure, kept the shadows at bay. For the first time in months he could reach into his full power without pain.
"Charles?" Jean's voice. She stood at his side, still wrapped in faint green light. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"I should have done this sooner," he admitted. His voice was soft, but iron. "But the nightmares... every time I touched the thread of their minds, it was like drowning. I could not risk losing myself. Not then."
Storm rested a hand on his shoulder. "And now?"
"Now," he said, eyes hardening, "the Phoenix has cleared the way. It is time."
The dungeon smelled of iron and dust. Heavy doors opened with a groan, revealing the two captives chained within. Havok sat slumped, his head low, circles of light faintly glowing beneath his skin. Polaris lay against the wall, hair tangled, green eyes dulled.
Xavier wheeled in, the X-Men fanning out behind him. For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Havok's head snapped up, eyes blazing. "Charles! Let me out of this! You don't know what you're doing!"
"Quiet," Logan growled, claws flexing.
Xavier raised a hand. "It isn't him speaking. Not truly. Watch."
He closed his eyes. His brow furrowed. The air grew heavy, like a storm pressing down. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Shakari's chains run deep. But not unbreakable"
Green light snapped across Polaris' wrists. She screamed, thrashing, voice warped by someone else's commands. Havok bucked against his restraints, arcs of plasma flaring around his body
The X-Men tensed, ready to strike.
But Xavier's eyes flared open, glowing white. His voice rang in their skulls.
"BE STILL"
A shockwave of psychic force rippled through the chamber. The chains of Erik's control-red, Jagged, foul-snapped like glass. Havok gasped as if surfacing from deep water.
Polaris collapsed to her knees, sobbing, the madness draining from her eyes. And then it was over.
They blinked, dazed, looking around the room like survivors of a wreck.
"Charles..." Hayok's voice was raw. His hands trembled. "I... I remember it all. Every second. He used me-used us-like puppets."
Polaris staggered forward, eyes wel. "We fought you. Hurt you. We... oh God, we almost
killed you." She dropped to her knees, pressing her hands to her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The X-Men stood in silence. For once, no one had the heart to speak.
Cyclops stepped forward. His jaw was
clenched, visor glowing faintly. He looked at his brother, then at Polaris, then back at the floor. His voice was flat. "You weren't
yourselves. We know that. But it doesn't erase what happened."
Havok reached for him, hesitant. "Scott..."
Xavier broke the silence. "You owe no penance here. What was done to you was not
But Scott didn't move. His face was stone.
your choice. The guilt belongs to Shakari." His voice softened. "But you must live with the memory. And choose how to carry it."
Polaris looked up at him, voice shaking. "And If we can't?"
Xavier's eyes closed. "Then you must leave. The mansion cannot heal you. Only time will."
The words hit like a verdict.
Havok bowed his head. Polaris stood shakily, wiping her tears. They turned toward the exit. Neither looked back.
The heavy doors shut behind them. The X-Men stood in silence.
Logan lit a cigar, the flame trembling against his claws. "They'll be back," he muttered. "One way or another. Can't bury ghosts forever."
Jean touched Xavier's shoulder. "Why now, Charles? Why not before?"
He looked up at her, his eyes weary but clear.
"Because, my dear... last night, for the first time in months, I slept. And when I woke, the nightmares were gone."
Lilandra's shadow crossed the doorway, her
eyes soft, her presence steady as a hand against his back.
The professor's voice dropped to a whisper, almost to himself.
"And with her here... I am not afraid anymore."