UPSTAIRS
Johan pushed open his bedroom door to find Emma and Wanda sitting on his bed, engaged in what appeared to be a casual conversation that stopped abruptly when he entered. Emma's smile was too perfect, too calculated, while Wanda looked slightly uncomfortable—like she wasn't sure if she belonged.
"Don't stop on my account," Johan said, settling into his desk chair. "I'm sure whatever you were discussing was fascinating."
Emma arched an eyebrow. "Just girl talk. Nothing that would interest you."
Johan nodded, not believing her for a second. He closed his eyes, focusing inward.
System: Open status.
[ SYSTEM ONLINE ] [ USER: SIR JOHAN ] [ LEVEL: 1 ] [ XP: 87/100 ] [ DAILY SPIN: READY ] [ NOTIFICATIONS: 13 ]
"System, show notifications," Johan thought.
[ QUEST COMPLETED: MEET PROFESSOR X (REWARD: 2 SPINS) ] [ QUEST COMPLETED: MEET MAGNETO (REWARD: 2 SPINS) ] [ QUEST COMPLETED: MEET THE ANCIENT ONE (REWARD: 5 NORMAL SPINS, 1 EPIC CHEST) ] [ QUEST COMPLETED: SAVE WANDA MAXIMOFF (REWARD: 3 NORMAL SPINS, 1 UNCOMMON CHEST) ] [ DAILY SPIN: READY ]
Johan's lips curled into a satisfied smile. The system was rewarding him faster than he anticipated. Maybe this god didn't completely hate him after all.
"What are you smirking about?" Emma asked, studying his face with too much interest.
"Nothing," Johan replied, eyes still closed. "Just thinking."
System: Use all normal spins.
The familiar whir of the slot machine filled his mind as the system processed his ten spins. The results flashed rapidly:
[ SPIN #1: +15 XP ] [ SPIN #2: +10 XP ] [ SPIN #3: MINOR HEALING FACTOR (PASSIVE) ] [ SPIN #4: +25 XP ] [ SPIN #5: +20 XP ] [ SPIN #6: IRON SKIN (1-TIME USE) ] [ SPIN #7: +15 XP ] [ SPIN #8: +30 XP ] [ SPIN #9: +20 XP ] [ SPIN #10: ENHANCED REFLEXES (48HR) ]
[ TOTAL XP GAINED: 135 XP ] [ LEVEL UP! ] [ LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2 ] [ REMAINING XP: 122/150 ]
The system continued processing:
[ LEVEL UP BONUS: +1 ABILITY SLOT ] [ CURRENT AVAILABLE ABILITY SLOTS: 3/3 ]
Johan mentally pumped his fist. Not a bad haul. The healing factor would be permanently useful, and enhanced reflexes could save his life in the coming days.
System: Open epic chest.
The digital chest materialized in his mind's eye, ornate with glowing runes. It cracked open with a satisfying virtual crunch:
[ EPIC CHEST CONTAINS: ] [ +100 XP ] [ 500 GOLD ] [ 250 SYSTEM SHOP COINS ] [ ABILITY RECALL CARD (3 USES) ]
[ LEVEL UP! ] [ LEVEL 2 → LEVEL 3 ] [ REMAINING XP: 72/225 ]
[ LEVEL UP BONUS: +1 ABILITY SLOT ] [ CURRENT AVAILABLE ABILITY SLOTS: 4/4 ]
Johan's heart raced. The ability recall card was a game-changer. He could reclaim used abilities—and Truth Echo would be incredibly useful right now.
System: Open uncommon chest.
The smaller chest cracked open with less fanfare:
[ UNCOMMON CHEST CONTAINS: ] [ +50 XP ] [ 100 GOLD ] [ 150 SYSTEM SHOP COINS ]
[ TOTAL XP: 122/225 ] [ TOTAL GOLD: 600 ] [ TOTAL SYSTEM SHOP COINS: 400 ]
"You're being awfully quiet," Emma remarked, her voice cutting through his concentration.
Johan opened his eyes, decision made. "Just thinking about how to handle all of this."
System: Use ability recall card. Reclaim Truth Echo (24HR).
[ ABILITY RECALL CARD: 1 USE CONSUMED ] [ REMAINING USES: 2 ] [ TRUTH ECHO ACTIVATED: 24HR DURATION ] [ ANY LIE SPOKEN NEAR YOU WILL REPEAT IN YOUR MIND ]
Johan turned his full attention to Emma, watching her with new intensity. "Emma, can I ask you something?"
She smiled, guard visibly rising. "Of course."
"Do you know about the system?"
Emma hesitated, her perfect mask slipping for just a fraction of a second. "No, I don't know what you're talking about."
Her body glowed green in Johan's vision as Truth Echo triggered. Inside his mind, her actual words echoed: "Yes, I've known since the beginning."
Johan's breath caught. He'd suspected—her timing was always too perfect, her reactions too measured—but confirmation still hit like a truck.
"Wanda," Johan said, his voice carefully controlled. "Could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Emma about something private."
Wanda looked between them, confusion evident on her face, but nodded. "Sure. I'll wait downstairs."
The moment the door closed, Johan leaned forward. "How long have you known about the system?"
Emma's smile faltered. "I don't—"
"Don't lie," Johan interrupted. "I can tell when you're lying. Truth Echo. One of my abilities."
Emma's eyes widened slightly, the only sign of her surprise. After a moment, she sighed, dropping the pretense.
"Since day one," she admitted. "When you woke up in class."
"How?" Johan demanded. "The system said no one could read my thoughts."
"They can't," Emma confirmed. "But I heard the system's notification when you activated. It bypassed my telepathic shields somehow."
Johan processed this. "Are you from the future? Or were you sent to this world like me?"
Emma stiffened, as if debating whether to continue lying. Finally, she said, "I was sent here. Like you. No explanation, just... woke up in a teenage body with all my memories intact."
No green glow. She was telling the truth.
"So you're not the Emma Frost from this timeline," Johan concluded.
"No," she admitted. "I'm from about twenty years in the future. Or an alternate version of it, at least."
Johan leaned back in his chair, mind racing. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Would you have believed me?" Emma countered. "Besides, I don't know what game God is playing. For all I know, you could be the antagonist in my story."
Johan couldn't help but laugh at that. "I was thinking the same about you."
A moment of silence stretched between them before Johan made a decision.
"I'm going to trust you," he said finally. "Not because I believe you completely, but because we need each other. The system is mine, but your knowledge of the timeline is invaluable."
Emma's perfect eyebrow arched. "Trust? That's a dangerous game, Johan."
"Everything about this is dangerous," he replied. "I'm going to take Wanda to Kamar-Taj for a few hours each day. Both of us need to learn control."
"Kamar-Taj?" Emma looked genuinely surprised. "You're mixing with the sorcerers now?"
"Magic is part of what I received," Johan explained. "And Wanda needs guidance before she accidentally levels a city block."
Emma nodded slowly. "And what do you want from me?"
"Handle Shaw," Johan said bluntly. "You know the Hellfire Club inside and out. Start building a mutant team like you did in your timeline. We'll need allies."
"You're being surprisingly transparent," Emma noted, wariness in her voice.
Johan shrugged. "Why waste time with games? SHIELD is already sniffing around. Coulson wasn't here by accident. We need to be ready."
Emma studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll deal with Shaw and start recruiting. But Johan?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't trust everything the system gives you," she warned. "Gods love to watch mortals struggle."
Johan's smile was sharp. "Oh, I know. That's why I'm collecting as many backup plans as possible."
He stood and walked to the door, opening it to find Wanda waiting in the hallway.
"Everything okay?" she asked, looking between them.
"Just fine," Johan assured her. "Emma and I were discussing some plans. I'm going to take you to a place that can help us both train our magic. It's called Kamar-Taj."
Wanda's eyes lit up with cautious hope. "When do we start?"
"Tomorrow," Johan decided. "We have a lot to prepare for."
As they headed back downstairs, Johan felt the weight of the truth settling onto his shoulders. Emma knew about the system. She was from the future. And somewhere out there, a god was watching them all like pieces on a chessboard.
Well, Johan thought, adjusting the marble AI in his pocket, two could play at that game.
THE NEXT DAY - KAMAR-TAJ
The Ancient One's golden portal crackled into existence in Johan's backyard at precisely 7 AM. Johan and Wanda stepped through, leaving behind the suburban American morning and emerging into the thin, crisp air of Nepal.
"Welcome to Kamar-Taj," the Ancient One said, her smile enigmatic as she led them through a courtyard where students practiced forms that bent reality itself.
Wanda stared in wonder. "It's beautiful."
"It's functional," the Ancient One corrected. "Beauty is a pleasant side effect of perfect form."
She led them to a small, private courtyard lined with ancient texts and artifacts. "We will begin with the basics. Magic requires discipline before power."
Johan exchanged a glance with Wanda. They both knew "basics" was relative when one of them had chaos magic and the other had... whatever multiversal concoction God had gifted him.
"I can only spare two hours each morning," the Ancient One continued. "The multiverse is... unstable lately." Her eyes lingered on Johan for a heartbeat too long.
"We'll make the most of it," Johan promised.
The Ancient One nodded. "Your magic is different from ours, but the principles remain. Control starts with the self." She produced two amulets, passing one to each of them. "These will help contain any... accidents."
Johan slipped the amulet over his head, feeling its weight against his chest. The metal was cool, inscribed with symbols older than recorded history.
"Now," the Ancient One said, "show me what you can do."
For the next two hours, she guided them through exercises that taxed both mind and body. Johan discovered that his shadow beasts responded better to intention than command, while Wanda's chaos magic craved emotional focus.
By the time they finished, both were drenched in sweat, but their magic felt more tethered, less wild.
"Tomorrow," the Ancient One said as they prepared to leave, "we begin proper spellwork."
As they stepped back through the portal into Johan's yard, Wanda turned to him. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For bringing me here. For... everything."
Johan smiled, surprised at how genuine it felt. "We're in this together now."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A message from Emma: Meeting Shaw tonight. Be ready for anything.
The game was accelerating. And Johan intended to win.
HELLFIRE CLUB
The Hellfire Club gleamed with old money and older secrets. Emma's heels clicked against marble as she navigated the opulent corridors, every step measured and deliberate. She'd walked these halls before—in another life, another timeline—but the weight of déjà vu still pressed on her shoulders.
Sebastian Shaw's office door loomed ahead, guarded by two men in suits that barely concealed their mutant nature. They straightened as she approached.
"Miss Frost," the taller one said, surprise evident in his voice. "Mr. Shaw isn't expecting visitors."
Emma's smile was glacial. "He'll see me."
The guard hesitated, torn between protocol and the inexplicable authority in her sixteen-year-old voice. Emma didn't wait for his decision. She pushed past them both, opening the door without knocking.
Sebastian Shaw looked up from his desk, annoyance flashing across his features before settling into curiosity. He was younger than Emma remembered—his hair still dark, face less lined—but the predatory gleam in his eyes remained unchanged.
"You have thirty seconds to explain this intrusion before I have you removed," Shaw said, voice deceptively soft.
Emma closed the door behind her, leaning against it. "I know what you are, Sebastian. And I know what you want."
Shaw's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"
"The Hellfire Club is just the beginning," Emma continued, moving to sit in the chair opposite his desk. "You want power. Real power. The kind that changes the world."
"You seem awfully confident for someone who hasn't even graduated high school," Shaw remarked, studying her with new interest.
Emma crossed her legs, her demeanor shifting from teenager to queen in an instant. "I'm a telepath, Sebastian. Omega level. And I'm offering you a partnership."
Shaw leaned back, skepticism written across his face. "Prove it."
Emma's diamond form rippled across her skin, transforming her into living crystal. Shaw's eyes widened fractionally—the only indication of his surprise.
"Impressive," he admitted. "But why come to me?"
"Because you understand ambition," Emma replied, her form returning to flesh. "And because war is coming. Mutants against humans. The government is already developing weapons against us."
Shaw's interest sharpened. "How do you know this?"
"The same way I know about the Hellfire Club," Emma said. "I have... sources."
"And what exactly are you proposing?"
Emma leaned forward. "A seat at the table. For me and a few select others. In return, I'll help you build something lasting. Something powerful."
Shaw studied her for a long moment, weighing ambition against caution. Finally, he smiled—the same shark-like smile Emma remembered from her past.
"You're either insane or exactly what I've been looking for," he said. "Either way, this will be interesting."
Emma's perfect smile didn't reach her eyes. "You have no idea."