Location: Forest Edge, Near City Outskirts Time: Same night as the underground escape
Riven darted through the forest like a phantom, his breath slow and controlled despite the soreness in his limbs. The deep canopy above filtered moonlight into streaks that guided his way. In the distance, he could hear the heavy crashes of trees being felled, soil being torn. The mutated kid was close.
The trail of destruction was impossible to miss—gouged earth, shattered trunks, and the stink of scorched metal. Whatever Hydra had done to the kid, it had stuck. Enhanced beyond control. A weapon.
He spotted movement ahead. A blur. Then—
WHAM! A thick branch came flying out of the shadows.
Riven leapt, his telekinesis surging just enough to twist his body midair, letting the projectile slam into a tree behind him. The bark exploded outward.
He landed, sliding on the dirt. "Kid!" he shouted. "Stop! I don't want to hurt you!"
A roar answered him, guttural and strangled with pain.
The kid emerged from the shadows—eight feet tall, muscles bulging in unnatural ways, skin grey-blue, covered in jagged scars. His eyes flickered with unstable telekinetic energy. The ground around him trembled.
Riven didn't hesitate. He charged.
They clashed with brutal force.
Riven ducked under a swipe that would've snapped his spine, retaliated with a hard knee to the mutant's gut, followed by an elbow to the jaw. The kid reeled, but barely.
The mutant grabbed Riven by the arm and flung him against a tree. Bark shattered. Riven coughed blood.
He stood again, slower now.
His telekinesis surged—but wild, unstable. He lashed it outward, knocking the beast back several feet. But the kid howled, crouched low, and launched forward again.
Blow after blow.
They were fighting each other, but Riven was fighting himself more—trying not to kill. Every bone in his body screamed to end this. But the face beneath the monster was still a child.
Eventually, the kid's power began to flare out of control. Waves of energy tore through the forest, ripping branches from trees.
Riven dropped to one knee, exhausted, blood staining the dirt beneath him. His black tactical suit was torn open across his chest and shoulder, deep gashes visible.
The beast roared one last time—then turned and fled, crashing through the woods toward the city.
Riven struggled to his feet, panting, bloody.
He pressed the communicator at his ear. "Logan... he's heading toward the city. I tried. He's not just strong—he's broken. Like I was."
Riven lowered his hand.
Behind him, a gust of wind blew leaves aside as Storm descended. Logan, Jean, and Cyclops emerged moments later.
They had seen the final crash. The destruction. And Riven standing alone, body wrecked, but eyes still locked on the horizon.