Not the Messiah Chapter 2 (Patreon)

[China, Pekin]

Briar Raleigh

Magneto has changed, more apparent than his returned youth or powers, he feels like a different person. Not someone else but a different Magneto, a man with a different mission. He still hunts for those who kill mutants, but his focus is not on avenging the fallen, he seeks to guide those that are left.

Machine men take the survivors of labs, underground fight clubs or those simply incarcerated by their parents for being who they are. Following him has stopped being about admiration, it is quickly becoming a matter of faith. Faith in the path he is charting, Faith in the new world that is being built by those rescued and his machines.

A place worthy of being called Utopia, the promised land for mutants. He comes to downtrodden, the broken, those that have been forgotten by everyone, everyone but him. He builds them back up and the ones that are strong enough get a new purpose. To be what Magneto was to them.

I remember scenes from these past months in which our work has grown, like the talk he had with a kid who was outed as a mutant to his parents by a fearful friend. Finding a child beaten in the street so shocked by the hate of his parents that he couldn’t even cry until he spoke.

“People cry not because they’re weak, it’s because they’ve been strong for too long. From this day to the day I die, I will be strong for you”

at those words the kid who was so close to giving up on life, looked at him with eyes full of hope

“You promise?”

when he spoke those words, Magneto kneeled down to hug him

“I promise”

a voice full of conviction born from tragedy answered him and the kid finally cried until he could no more before he was taken to a new home

Or the time he met a girl rampaging around for being different, hating herself and the powers she had, demanding they disappear

“Tell me child why is being different a crime? why do you hate yourself?”

he spoke patiently letting her attack his magnetic shield to no avail.

“Because everyone says being different is bad, I am a monster”

she stopped her rampage and broke down crying Infront of him

“I think everybody’s different, we should all celebrate this individuality and not be embarrassed or afraid of it, don’t be what they accuse you to be, don’t play their game, come with me I have a place for you” and then she was taken too.

This is the right thing to do, some people will say I’ve turned on humanity. But that is a lie they are the ones that betray their humanity when they kill children, when they experiment on them, when they let them behind out of shame of what they are.

I will die for this cause

I will kill for this cause

This is the purpose of my life

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[New York, New York City]

Carmella Unuscione

Walking the streets of what is possibly the most unfortunate city in the world in which all crises always occur, I think of what to now, Magneto has been missing for months and mutants get harder and harder to locate, the people of course rejoice at their decreased numbers they don’t ask questions. What do they care about mutie freaks. But I care and I will find them, I will save them.

Suddenly all the screens of the buildings around me start going off, great an attack from another alien or some new crisis, another madman here to proclaim their control of the world. I couldn’t be more wrong in the screen before is Magneto he looks younger than I’ve ever seen him.

For a moment the world stops to hear what he has to say, cars, trucks and passersby stop to stare at the one who would call himself the leader of the mutants, expecting a threat or something worse but receive only a message.

“I am Max Eisenhardt, better known as Magneto, I’ve been known by other aliases Erick Lensher, Magnus Lensher, Michael Xavier and others, but what I am is a survivor”

as he says this, I see it in his arm the unmistakable tattoo that was put onto him by the Third Reich

“I’ve also been known by this number, prisoner #24005” taking a moment to compose himself he continues.

“I know what is to be persecuted by who I was before and when I found my freedom I promised myself no one would pass through the same things I went through, for too long that was an excuse I used to lash out to the world, killing innocents in retaliation for attacks, hidden from their view by the people in charge, creating terror and giving them exactly what they wanted. A monster”

“The acts I have committed in the defense of my race, I don’t regret them but penance must be given and so it will be, for all of those I persecuted in a parody of what happened to me for being inferior, when the truth is we are all equal, I can’t offer my life because it belongs to mutantkind, if I am to be judged it will be by them. But… I will offer you recompense”

In an instant he puts his hand on his face, and plucks his eye out, blood dripping from the now empty hole. Without hesitation he crushes the eye in his hand. Then he does the same to his remaining one.

“I will never see the world again not this one or the one that has been created for mutants, I will never set foot upon that world, and I will give my life to protect this one from whatever threat may come.”

Putting a bandage over his face he speaks again.

“I send this message to my brethren, those mutants still in hiding, come to me I will receive you and guide you to a world of our won, we will be free from prosecution, free to ourselves in a new home, all over the world there are seven gates that lead to our new home”

a map with the locations appears in the screen as his voice continues.

“The path can only be found by mutants, by those who wish us no harm and our allies, a place where the ones who wish for our extinction can’t follow. Come to our promised land. Those who are blinded more than I am, those whose creeds demonize us, those whose beliefs would have us kneel to them and to those hateful few who remain from the monster that was the Third Reich, I will never stop, as long as I live and even beyond death, I will keep on protecting my people”

“You can close your eyes to the things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to the things you don’t want to feel. if you feel that the world needs to change, let us change it together”

The screen turns black, but the silence continues, the man once lauded as the most heinous terrorist of all time, the monster that all parents fear their children becoming when they are revealed to be mutants, has shown his humanity. More than that has shown them all, that with fear and hate they are recreating the mistakes of the past.

The world will never be the same, it cannot go back. The only path now is forwards, and I know what I must do, the master of magnetism has issued a call and I will answer. My purpose has been restored, my people need me to be a warrior and guide

Finally, I feel complete again.

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[New York City, Fantastic Four HQ]

Franklin Richards

The world stands still, I’m confused, I know about the indignities that mutants suffer, I know the hate that spreads around when a new one emerges. But until it was pointed out to me, I had never seen the similarities of their persecution. I could change that; I could change the universe in an instant and nobody would notice. But I had always been told that to do so would put me on the same level as men like Magneto.

Now men like Magneto don’t seem so bad, now men like him seem like exactly what the world need, those who are prepared to sacrifice for what they believe in, those prepared to be punished for what their actions are.

The world moves again and I know what I have to do, I must join with him, I must save my race, with them I will be free, with them I will be appreciated for my powers I will not be kept from using them, he will show me the way.

I feel my strength the power to alter reality and as I prepare to use it, pain…pain is coursing through me, my...my uniform, it is hurting me I cannot concentrate on my powers.

Running my mother comes to stand beside me when she hears me scream for the agony is too much to make words, she doesn’t realize what’s wrong, I have been betrayed, my father has made it so I can’t use my powers.

I stop reaching for my strength and the agony subsides, anger replacing it. I have been betrayed. My abilities have been sealed my birthright has been denied to me.

“Franklin what happened? Are you ok now?”

my mom is hysteric as she speaks

“I am ok now, was trying to use my powers but my suit stopped me”

immediately her face changes, she is no less worried, but she is confused and a little fearful.

“What were you trying to do?”

my mother fears what I am, even as she loves me, she can’t accept my power.

“I was trying to teleport all the mutants that heard Magneto and wanted to find him to his location”

she is not happy with that answer I can tell

“You were gonna help a villain recruit an army!” outraged at the notion

“I was gonna help those forgotten get to the only person still looking for them”

I scream and the wariness returns

“Dad limited my powers when I was little but I’m older now and I can change the world make it better”

“it is not your place to make it better like that”

laughing at her answer I look her in the eyes

“Then what is the point of them if I don’t use them for a good cause”

“Magneto is a terrorist” she answers

“Magneto is a victim, one that needed help and clearly got it and he now wants to help others like him, like me. He showed the proof of his conviction by mutilating himself”

“Causing self-harm is not what I would call sane or proof that he is a better person” she clearly will never understand my position she is not a mutant

“I will take this suit off and then I will use my powers to help the mutants, you cannot dissuade me from my course, I’m fifteen, I know what I’m doing”

“Son I can’t let you do that”

she says as I walk away

“what are you gonna do send me to my room?”

suddenly the pain is back I fall an cannot move

“clearly there was some sort of mind control in that message, when your father gets back we will fix it but for now, this will keep you distracted” betrayal again.

Magneto is right, humans will never leave us alone, so long as we are a threat they will seek to control us, separation into a world of our own is the only answer. I may not be able to free me as this stops me from using most my powers but sending a message is possible.

He will free me and lead me into a world without restrictions.

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[Doomstadt, Doom’s Castle]

Max Eisenhardt

As I finish giving my message to the world, Doom looks to me

“Doom could heal you”

he says without giving any hint as to what the offer entails

“I could heal myself if I wanted to but I will remain like this for now, let my penance be real”

“You will be unable to fight as you are”

“With my powers I can see better than with my eyes, even the way people’s thoughts move”

he remains quiet for a moment

“If you believe this way you can help our people then Doom will not object” he leaves after that

The pain in my face is nothing compared to what I have suffered before, taking a seat in one of the chairs around the office I rest for the moment. Things are still going on in the world, but my message will force them to act to choose a side in the new divide I’ve created.

Doom seems to be planning something, and I believe it will be beneficial so I won’t ask what he is doing, I’m now a subject and I need to trust my king will do what is necessary for the benefit of those he governs.

I must prepare to leave I have to gather all of those who are guides and induct more, I must check upon the gates to our world and make sure they are capable of protecting the doors, even if Doom placed enchantments on the places around them, magic can fail, and we cannot fail.

Things will start moving faster and I still have to uphold my end of the agreement.

Doom World will be a reality even if I must die trying, my bosses wouldn’t have anything less than that much effort.