The smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air when Magneto stepped through the shattered doors of the small-town police station.
More than a dozen officers raised their weapons at once, shouting for him to drop to his knees.
The old man only smiled—calm, composed, radiating authority that made even the guns seem uncertain.
"You humans," he said slowly, "have ruled this world long enough. Powerless… fragile… yet you think you can stand above us Mutants? What a joke."
His voice carried the weight of centuries. "Kneel, and I'll spare your lives. Refuse—"
He lifted a hand, metal creaking around him. "—and you'll serve as proof of evolution."
"Open fire!"
Gunshots erupted. But in midair, every bullet curved—flicking around like silver snakes—and buried themselves cleanly into the foreheads of the men who fired them.
By the time the last shell hit the floor, Magneto was already walking deeper into the station, boots echoing on tile, expression unreadable.
In the surveillance room, a young policewoman was frantically reporting to central command.
When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned—too late.
The pistol in her hand snapped free, flying straight into Magneto's grasp.
He smiled faintly. "Tell your superiors this: Mutants have declared war on humanity. The school Charles Xavier built—Axville Mutant Academy—isn't just a haven. It's our headquarters. He's been training Mutants since childhood… and now, they're ready."
He leaned closer, voice like cold iron. "Humans are no longer the masters of this world. You're the relics of a weaker age."
The city police station received the live feed. The message hit the federal channels within minutes, and by the time it reached the White House, half the cabinet was already shouting about retaliation.
Mutant prejudice had always simmered below the surface—now Magneto's words poured gasoline over it.
He flicked his fingers. A metal fork hovered inches from the policewoman's terrified eyes.
"Tell me," he said quietly, "do you think this could pierce your skull before you blink?"
"P-please… please don't…"
"I asked you a question!"
"My daughter's only a year old," she sobbed. "Please… I don't want to die."
Magneto's eyes darkened. "During the war, I begged a soldier the same way. I begged him not to shoot my mother."
The fork trembled. "He did it anyway."
His voice grew cold. "You talk of equality… but every day, Mutants are beaten, tortured, hunted. All because you fear what you don't understand. But fear won't save you now."
The fork shot forward, burying itself deep in her forehead.
She collapsed before she could even scream.
Without looking back, Magneto left. The city police watched helplessly through the monitors, outrage and horror twisting into one unanimous cry: Kill every last Mutant.
Outside, the air rippled with static. Loki waited by the curb, smirking lazily.
"Well done," the trickster god said. "A declaration of war, chaos, fear—you've played your part perfectly. Now, all that remains is to wipe out this town. Shall we?"
Magneto glanced sideways. "If you value your life, Loki… leave."
Loki's grin faltered, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
He noticed something strange—the old man's eyes weren't cloudy like before.
They were sharp. Awake.
Before Loki could react, his body lifted off the ground, throat squeezed tight by invisible force.
"Wh–what?! Impossible—my scepter—"
"Your scepter failed," Magneto said, his voice a quiet storm. "You can control the weak-minded, Loki. But not me."
The metal around them hummed like an orchestra of blades. "You did control me, once. For a moment. But I broke free that same night. I stayed silent… because I wanted to see what you were after."
He released Loki, letting him drop to his knees, gasping for breath.
"You call yourself a god," Magneto said, stepping forward, "but without that toy in your hand, you're nothing but a clown. A petty jester pretending to rule."
Loki wiped his mouth, eyes burning. "Then why obey me at all?"
"Because it's time," Magneto said simply. "Time to show humanity what happens when evolution fights back. And since you're so eager to take the blame—"
He spread his hands, rising slowly into the sky, metal debris swirling around him. "—I'll let you have the spotlight."
"You're… using me," Loki realized, horror dawning.
"Exactly." Magneto smiled, serene as the world began to shake. "Charles will think I'm just another victim of your scepter. He'll hesitate. That hesitation will be enough."
Loki stumbled backward, suddenly aware of how small he felt. "I thought I was manipulating you."
Magneto's laughter rolled like thunder. "Then consider this your education, god."
He floated higher, the magnetic field distorting the clouds around him. "This town will vanish in minutes. Run, Loki. Or you'll be nothing but dust."
Loki didn't need to be told twice—he bolted.
As Magneto hovered forty meters above the ground, the sky itself seemed to bend toward him. Every nail, screw, and car in a mile radius began to tremble, pulled toward his will.
The storm had begun.