Esdeath crouched at the edge of a decrepit warehouse roof, scanning the abandoned industrial complex below. Three days of careful information gathering—bribes to the right street kids, hacking into police scanner frequencies, and following whispered rumors—had led her here.
The Gowanus Canal district wasn't exactly prime real estate, but its maze of forgotten buildings made it perfect for those wanting to disappear.
Especially those with genetic gifts society feared.
She vaulted silently to the next building, landing in a crouch that barely disturbed the gravel beneath her boots. The night air felt different here—charged with something beyond the usual urban decay. Her senses, heightened by the Lust flowing through her system, picked up faint traces of... something.
Not quite electricity. Not quite heat.
"Magic," she whispered to herself, the word feeling strange on her tongue. Her knowledge of the Marvel universe hadn't prepared her for how it would feel to actually sense mystical energy. It prickled against her skin like static electricity with intent.
She slipped through a broken window into what had once been some kind of processing plant. Dust motes danced in the moonlight filtering through the skeletal roof. Empty crates and forgotten machinery created a labyrinth of shadows.
Perfect ambush territory.
The air shifted behind her—a sudden displacement that made her ears pop. Before she could fully turn, a circle of brilliant light flashed into existence, and a figure stepped through.
Blonde. Armored. Dangerous.
And holding a sword that seemed to both exist and not exist simultaneously.
"Hunting or spying?" The woman's voice cut through the darkness, Russian accent clipping her words. "Either way, you picked the wrong territory, ice queen."
Esdeath recognized her immediately. Illyana Rasputina. Magik. The sword was a dead giveaway—the Soulsword, a weapon of pure mystical energy.
"Neither," Esdeath replied, keeping her posture relaxed despite the adrenaline surging through her. "Just a curious tourist. Love the sword, by the way. Compensating for something?"
Magik's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly in the darkness. "Your aura is... wrong. Too cold. Too hungry." She circled slowly, the Soulsword leaving faint trails of light in its wake. "What are you?"
"Misunderstood, mostly." Esdeath tracked Magik's movement, feeling the strange energy emanating from the woman. It felt ancient, chaotic—a stark contrast to her own cold, controlled power. "Though I'm flattered you noticed my aura. Do you check out all girls this way, or am I special?"
The flirtation landed exactly as intended—Magik's jaw tightened, her grip on the sword shifting. "You're deflecting. Last chance for a straight answer before I send you somewhere that will freeze even you."
"Promises, promises." Esdeath sighed dramatically. "I'm just looking for other mutants. Nothing sinister."
"Liar."
The word hung in the air for barely a heartbeat before Magik vanished in another flash of light. Esdeath's instincts screamed—she dropped and rolled as Magik reappeared above her, Soulsword slicing through the space where her head had been a split-second earlier.
The blade struck concrete, sending mystical sparks flying.
Esdeath flowed to her feet, ice crystallizing around her right arm, forming a jagged blade that extended from her fist. The temperature in the warehouse plummeted twenty degrees in seconds.
"That," she said, a cold grin spreading across her face as frost crept across the floor between them, "was rude."
Magik raised her sword, its glow intensifying against the spreading ice. "You haven't seen rude yet."
Their eyes locked—blue ice meeting blue fire—as power radiated from both women in palpable waves. The real dance was about to begin.
Esdeath sidestepped as the Soulsword carved a glowing arc through the air. She countered with a precise thrust of her ice blade, forcing Magik to teleport away in a flash of light. The Russian mutant reappeared behind her, but Esdeath had anticipated this—a wall of ice erupted between them, buying her precious seconds.
"Predictable," Magik taunted, slicing through the barrier.
Ice shards exploded outward, but Esdeath was already moving, surfing across a self-created ice path that spiraled up toward the warehouse ceiling. Her fingers traced elegant patterns in the air, sending crystalline daggers raining down.
Magik teleported rapidly, avoiding most but catching a shallow cut across her shoulder. "Not bad for a beginner."
The blonde demon-queen slammed her sword into the ground. Hellfire erupted in a circle, melting Esdeath's ice constructs and sending steam billowing through the warehouse. Through the mist, Magik's eyes glowed with otherworldly light.
"Let's see how you handle something hotter."
The air tore open. Not just a teleportation disc but a genuine rift—a window into somewhere else. Esdeath felt her breath catch as she glimpsed a red sky, twisted rock formations, and things that slithered and crawled at the edges of perception.
Limbo.
Heat like nothing she'd ever felt blasted through the opening, carrying with it the stench of sulfur and decay. Demonic whispers scratched at the edges of her consciousness.
"Scared yet?" Magik's voice echoed strangely, harmonizing with something deeper, older.
Esdeath's pulse quickened, but not with fear. The Lust inside her surged, translating the threat into raw, intoxicating energy. Her eyes gleamed with challenge as frost crystals formed in the air around her, defiant against the hellish heat.
"I've seen scarier hentai," she quipped, channeling her power through the floor.
Ice exploded upward in a forest of jagged spears, forcing Magik to close the rift and teleport. But Esdeath had been counting on this pattern—the moment Magik reappeared, ice erupted from every direction, forming a deadly cage.
One spear grazed Magik's arm, drawing a thin line of blood that looked black in the moonlight.
"Shit!" Magik vanished in a flash, reappearing ten feet away, her breathing slightly labored. She touched her wound, examining the blood with narrowed eyes. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
"You actually tagged me."
Esdeath maintained her combat stance, ice still swirling around her fists. "You're not the only one with tricks."
They circled each other, both breathing hard. Steam rose where Magik's residual hellfire met Esdeath's frost-covered floor. The warehouse had become a supernatural battleground—half frozen, half scorched.
After a tense moment, Magik straightened. The Soulsword flickered once, twice, then vanished as she dismissed it.
"You're dangerous," she said, a note of approval in her voice. "I like that."
Esdeath allowed her ice blade to dissolve, though she kept her guard up. "You're not bad yourself, teleport girl."
Magik laughed—a surprisingly genuine sound. "Teleport girl? I'm the ruler of a hell dimension."
"And I'm new in town kinda," Esdeath countered with a shrug. "We all have our quirks."
For a moment, they simply regarded each other—two predators recognizing something kindred in the other.
Magik circled her, frost crunching beneath her boots. The warehouse felt different now—charged with spent power and the lingering scent of brimstone and ice.
"You've got skill," Magik conceded, brushing ice crystals from her blonde hair. "But you're stumbling around in a world you don't understand yet. Mutant affairs are... complicated."
Esdeath relaxed her stance slightly, though her muscles remained coiled and ready. "Complicated how?"
"Humans who want us dead. Mutants who want humans dead. Government programs that want us weaponized." Magik's eyes hardened. "And then there are the real monsters—the ones that make both sides look like children squabbling in a sandbox."
"Sounds like my kind of party," Esdeath replied, a half-smile playing at her lips.
Magik's expression didn't change. "It's not. Not until you know what you're doing." She took a step closer, her presence intense despite her smaller frame. "Consider this a professional courtesy: stay out of mutant business unless you're prepared for the consequences."
The threat hung in the air between them, but Esdeath heard something else beneath it—not just warning, but something almost like concern.
"Is that what you were doing here? Mutant business?"
"Something like that." Magik glanced toward the far corner of the warehouse, where shadows seemed to pool unnaturally. "This place is a nexus point. Draws certain energies."
Esdeath filed that information away. "And here I thought you just had good taste in abandoned real estate."
That earned her a ghost of a smile from the blonde. Esdeath extended her hand. "Since we're being professional and all, you got a name?"
The Russian studied her hand for a moment before taking it. Her grip was firm, her skin surprisingly warm against Esdeath's perpetually cool touch.
"Illyana. You can call me Magik."
"Esdeath."
"Interesting name." Magik stepped back, a glowing disc of light forming beneath her feet. "Try not to die, Esdeath. You might actually be worth talking to."
Before Esdeath could respond, the disc expanded upward, swallowing Magik in brilliant light. Then it collapsed into nothingness, leaving Esdeath alone in the half-frozen warehouse.
She stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space where the blonde had vanished. The Lust power inside her hummed with residual energy, satisfied yet somehow wanting more—like the pleasant ache after an intense workout.
"Magik, huh?" Esdeath whispered, a smirk forming on her lips. "I think I want to see her again."
The power within her pulsed in agreement, craving another clash with the demon queen. This hadn't been just a fight—it had been a dance, a test, a promise of something more interesting than the petty criminals she'd been hunting.
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