POV Narrator
The five mutants stared intently at Rogue. She stood hunched, arms extended, head lowered, but it was clear she was ready to fight.
"What's the brat's power?" Logan asked.
"We're enemies! Why should we—" Avalanche began, but was interrupted by Wanda.
"She can absorb the powers and memories of the people she touches, and it also weakens them when she does it," Wanda said, cutting Avalanche off. He glared at her in annoyance.
That brief distraction was all Rogue needed to strike. In an instant, she lunged at Avalanche, leaping with her hands outstretched, ready to slash.
She only missed because Jean moved Avalanche at the last second with her powers.
"Damn," Avalanche said, looking at Rogue wide-eyed, sweat beading on his forehead.
"The brat touched me while we were fighting, so now she has my regeneration and..." A familiar sound interrupted him as three black bone claws extended from Rogue's hands.
"...and my claws."
Rogue shifted her attention to Scott, who, seeing her coming, fired his optic laser. It was effective, pushing her back into some trees and causing severe burns.
Burns that were simply ignored due to her regeneration factor. For the laser, she created two petals from her back, using them to shield herself from a second shot.
Seeing his attack was ineffective, Scott shouted, "Jean, throw stuff at her!"
"On it!"
Both Jean and Wanda began using their powers to hurl broken trees and large rocks at Rogue.
This forced her back but didn't stop her.
"It's useless. We're just delaying the inevitable. I'll fight her head-on, and you all back me up," Logan said, looking at his students. "And that includes you brats from Magneto's crew," he added, now addressing the two Brotherhood members.
Avalanche hesitated at first, but seeing Wanda nod, he sighed and accepted his fate.
Logan lowered his center of gravity, extended his arms, and charged at Rogue, who, throughout the previous exchange, had been bombarded with lasers, rocks, and trees.
In seconds, Logan reached Rogue's right flank, driving his claws into her back and using his other hand to cut off the petals at their base.
She let out a scream of pain, silenced by a rock striking her head, followed by a stab to her abdomen.
Logan's hands were soon covered in acidic blood, but that didn't stop him from stabbing again. What stopped him was Rogue sprouting eight branches from which she launched purple crystals in all directions.
Several struck Logan, immobilizing him for a second, but not enough to take him out of the fight.
What did incapacitate him were the explosions caused by the crystals.
The battlefield fell silent and shrouded in smoke after the explosions.
POV Jean
"My... head."
Everything hurts, and my vision is blurry. I don't know what happened. I lay on the ground, trying to make sense of it.
Then I remembered: the new girl from the Brotherhood, the fight, the crystals, the explosions, and... and—
"Scott!" I screamed, remembering he was closer to one of the crystals than I was. Though I'd made a force field to protect us, I wasn't sure how effective it had been.
Frantically, I looked around, trying to find him, but the smoke obscured my vision. I used my telekinesis to clear it.
"Scott!"
I couldn't help but scream when I saw his state. His right leg was burned up to his stomach, his right arm twisted unnaturally, and his head was bleeding after being thrown against a rock by the explosion. I rushed to him and checked his pulse.
"Thank God, he still has a pulse."
As I was about to sigh in relief, every hair on my body stood on end, and cold sweat ran down my back.
I didn't need to look behind me to know what was causing it.
I gathered all my mental strength and turned, unleashing a telekinetic blast that sent the mutant flying through several trees.
I felt my strength wane, and my nose started bleeding from the effort, but it wasn't enough.
From the direction I had sent her flying, an animalistic roar filled with pure rage echoed—a rage I'd felt when I tried to enter her mind.
Knowing what was coming, I mustered my mental power again, and when she came back into view, I hit her with everything I had, sending her flying once more.
And again.
And again.
And again.
I don't know how many times we repeated this. My legs trembled, blood poured from my nose, eyes, and ears, painting everything red.
I felt like I would die standing here, but there was something in my mind, urging me to continue, promising that something would finally break, and my wings would emerge.
Then I saw her. I think they called her Rogue. Her form was so similar to Vela's that I couldn't help but think of the child and the danger she might be in—and that enraged me.
Rogue ran on all fours toward me. I prepared myself and focused more power.
She came closer, and I swore I saw fire in the corner of my vision.
I felt something in my mind about to snap, my wings on the verge of breaking free. But what wings? And what would break?
She was closer than before. I wanted to hit her with everything I had at point-blank range.
She was within reach! Just as I was about to unleash all my power, she tripped and fell face-first, her transformation fading, leaving only the girl with the white streak in her hair.
I felt all the power I had gathered dissipate. Whatever was about to snap remained intact, and my wings were chained once more.
"What wings?" I muttered before collapsing unconscious.