A year had passed since the New Mutants had left the Massachusetts Academy, and life for Inarius had continued in its unpredictable rhythm. He had grown stronger, both in skill and confidence, but some part of him still thought about Illyana Rasputina.
One afternoon, as he sat in Emma Frost's lavish office, going over the logistics of their latest training regimen, she looked at him with a rare hint of somberness in her usually composed demeanor.
"I have some news," she said, her tone softer than usual.
Inarius raised an eyebrow, sensing the gravity in her voice. "What is it?"
"It's about Illyana," she said, carefully watching his reaction. "She's… changed."
"Changed?" He leaned forward, his heart suddenly racing.
Emma nodded, her expression unreadable. "She sacrificed her connection to Limbo, her Soulsword, and her Darkchilde persona to stop a demonic invasion. In doing so, she's reverted to being a child. An ordinary child. She no longer remembers anything of her time as Magik. No memories of Limbo, no memories of her powers… or you."
The words hit Inarius like a blow to the chest. For a moment, he didn't say anything, his mind racing to process the information.
"She's just… a kid now?" he asked finally, his voice quieter.
Emma nodded. "Yes. She's living with her brother, Colossus, and by all accounts, she's happy. She's free of the horrors she endured in Limbo."
Inarius exhaled slowly, his emotions tangled. Sadness weighed heavily on him, but at the same time, there was a bittersweet sense of relief. "Good," he said after a long pause. "She deserves that. A chance at a normal life. No nightmares, no fighting… just peace."
Emma regarded him with a rare flicker of warmth. "I thought you might feel that way. It speaks well of you, Inarius. You care deeply, even if you try to hide it."
He offered her a weak smile, but his thoughts lingered on the memory of Illyana—the warrior he had sparred with, the girl who had kissed him on the cheek, the friend he had grown to care for.
A week later, Inarius found himself accompanying Emma to the Hellfire Club. She had been cryptic about the purpose of their visit, only hinting that it was "important for the future."
The opulent halls of the Hellfire Club were alive with tension as they arrived. Members of the Inner Circle stood gathered, their faces a mix of anticipation and unease. At the center of the room, Sebastian Shaw and Magneto stood facing each other, the air between them crackling with hostility.
"This is a long time coming," Emma murmured to Inarius as they took their seats.
The confrontation was swift and brutal. Shaw, always confident in his strength, underestimated Magneto's resolve. The fight wasn't just physical—it was a clash of ideologies, of dominance and power. Magneto's mastery of magnetism proved too much for Shaw, and by the end, the self-proclaimed Black King was on the ground, his arrogance shattered.
Magneto stood victorious, his imposing figure commanding the room. "Sebastian Shaw is hereby removed from the Inner Circle," he declared, his voice echoing through the chamber. "From this day forward, I am the Grey King."
The room erupted into murmurs, but no one dared challenge him. Shaw, humiliated and defeated, was escorted out by guards.
As the dust settled, Emma leaned over to Inarius. "Remember this moment," she said. "Power isn't given; it's taken. And soon, you'll have your chance to claim your place in the Inner Circle."
Inarius glanced at her, her words resonating in his mind. The prospect of joining the Hellfire Club's elite wasn't something he had considered seriously before, but now… now it seemed inevitable.
As they left the club that evening, his thoughts drifted once more to Illyana. Even as he stood on the edge of his own rise to power, a part of him hoped that wherever she was, she was happy.