Heat. Dust. Bright light.

That was all Charles was initially aware of as he began to wake up slowly. His eyes were taking a while to adjust while his brain tried to piece together the events that had taken place before he had arrived wherever he was.

He remembered Raven telling him about Erik, and them going down to Cerebro to find him. He remembered the few brief touches between him and Iris before he'd delved into Erik's mind, and how those had been all he needed to feel like he could go on. He remembered seeing Erik, and speaking with him – attempting to console him – before realising that someone else was there with him. That someone else – a being called En Sabah Nur – had taken control of his mind and Cerebro. He remembered seeing what En Sabah Nur intended to do – destroy the world, and enslave the human race, and have them all bow down to him... He remembered shouting at Alex to destroy Cerebro, and the feeling of Iris' hands on his face, her soft voice saying his name...

That was the last thing he remembered.

He blinked, and his eyes finally focused. He was leaning against a rock, sitting on a dusty, sandy floor with the sun beaming down on him. In the distance he could see... pyramids. He was in Egypt. Why was he in Egypt? Egypt was where Moira had been – where this had all begun.

He blinked again, and registered the five figures standing around him. There was someone else on the floor, just out of arm's reach...

It was Iris, her dark hair falling away from the ponytail across her face. He tried not to convey the panic on his face. What was she doing here? His thoughts flickered to two nights before, when he'd seen her for the first time in months, and how he'd had so much he'd wanted to say to her, but hadn't been able to say it. He didn't know where he stood with her anymore, and it hurt him so much.

The next morning he'd found her in the sitting room, asleep on the sofa, a small crease between her eyebrows as she dreamt. She had wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, so he'd found a blanket and draped it across her. He'd wished to stroke her hair, smooth out that crease between her eyebrows, and kiss her forehead – but instead he'd left the room before she'd woken up.

She didn't have that crease between her eyebrows now. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. He noticed a red mark around her neck, and realised with a frown it looked like her necklace had been wrapped around her neck by someone.

She looked so vulnerable lying there with her arms stretched out behind her. Charles noted that a rock had formed around one of her wrists, holding her against the floor.

"What have you done to her?" Charles whispered, finally looking up at the five figures standing in front of him, "Why is she unconscious?"

En Sabah Nur stepped forwards, "She's been put to sleep by Psylocke until she'll be required for further use."

"Let her go," Charles hissed, "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Everything," En Sabah Nur murmured with a smirk, and it was at that moment that Charles became aware that he could not hear the thoughts of the figures around him.

"You're blocking me," He muttered to En Sabah Nur, "How?"

En Sabah Nur stepped forwards, "I can shield their minds from your power. It's one of the many gifts I have acquired over the millennia. But... to see inside a mind- to control it. That's your gift. You saw it, didn't you? The glory of what's to come."

Charles shuddered at the thought of what he'd seen. His gaze fell on Erik – his oldest friend who he had not seen for ten years. He could see the glassiness of his friend's eyes – the death of his wife and daughter were still so fresh.

Charles murmured to him, "Are you going to take part in all of this killing? Destruction?"

Erik avoided his gaze, "It's all I've ever known."

"No it isn't," Charles told him, "You've just forgotten."

"No, Charles," Erik finally glanced up at him, "I remember. Your way doesn't work."

Charles felt oddly hollow, seeing his old friend like this. He had never expected to have to work against him again. He'd thought that time in Washington had been the last time.

"I showed him a better way," En Sabah Nur spoke firmly, "A better world."

Charles felt something snap inside him, and he sat forwards, "No. You've just tapped into his rage and pain. That's all you've done. I told you from the moment I met you, Erik - there is good in you, too."

Erik closed his eyes for moment, "Whatever it is you think you saw in me, Charles - I buried it with my family."

The silence was deafening as Charles shook his head, unable to respond. He knew that he couldn't convince Erik- not when he was so driven. He struggled to get through to Erik at the best of times, without the presence of En Sabah Nur taking advantage of his grief.

"Charles. You will send a message to every living mind in the world," En Sabah Nur commanded, "You will tell them that this Earth will be laid to waste. That it is I, En Sabah Nur, who will wreak this upon them. Now. Deliver my message."

Charles felt his heart fill with dread, but he shook his head. He couldn't do it

"Even if I wanted to- I couldn't reach that many people. I don't have Cerebro."

En Sabah Nur raised his eyebrows knowingly, "You don't need a machine to amplify your powers. You have me."

"Why should I?" Charles asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Your precious Iris must be worth very much to you," En Sabah Nur glanced over at her unconscious body, "She's very beautiful, I must admit. But she won't live if you don't do this for me."

Charles' heart stood still, and he inhaled deeply. He couldn't let anything happen to Iris. He'd been the one to convince her to stay and try to help Erik. He should have told her to go home. Now she was in danger. He didn't know what En Sabah Nur intended to do with her, but he wanted to protect her from harm for as long as he could.

He would have to deliver the message.

His thoughts flickered to Jean, and an idea came to mind.

"I'll deliver your message. Tell me what I have to say."

En Sabah Nur smirked, "Let us begin." His eyes turned grey-white, and Charles cried out as he felt the minds of every human and mutant in the world mingle with his own. It was agonising - he had never experienced so many voices in his own mind before.

En Sabah Nur began to relay his message, and with a deep breath, Charles began to repeat it.

"Hear me, inhabitants of this world. A message to every man, woman and mutant. You have lost your way. But I have returned. The day of reckoning- it is here. All your buildings and temples will fall. The dawn of a new era will emerge. For there is nothing you can do to stop what is coming..."

Charles closed his eyes for a moment, and tried to project a message to Jean, interwoven with the message to the rest of the world.

Jean, Jean - if you can hear me, focus on my voice. Cairo. Find us. Jean, find us. Cairo. Find us. Jean.

"This message is for one reason alone. To tell the strongest amongst you..."

En Sabah Nur held his hands out, "Those with the greatest power, this Earth will be yours."

Charles hesitated, straightening up as he muttered, "Those with the greatest power, protect those without. That's my message to the world."

En Sabah Nur's face seemed to harden, and he turned to Psylocke and nodded silently. She glanced down at Iris' unconscious body and murmured something. Charles felt his stomach jolt with panic.

A moment later, Iris began to stir. She coughed on some dry dust, and her eyes fluttered open. She lay there for a moment as she tried to allow her eyes to adjust, and a second later she seemed to remember everything that had happened.

"Where am I?" She asked, sitting up sharply.

"Why don't you take a look?" En Sabah Nur muttered, holding his arm out and pointing to Cairo beneath them. She turned around slowly, and froze when she saw where they were.

"Charles," She suddenly muttered, trying to stand up but falling short when her wrist caught on the rock.

"It's okay, Iris," Charles murmured, "I'm here. I'm fine."
Her eyes met his, and her expression seemed unreadable - but he recognised the fear in them. He knew that she was afraid, just like he was.

"Who are you?" She asked, turning to En Sabah Nur.

"I go by many names. You may know me as En Sabah Nur."

Iris shook her head, "I don't know you. Why are we here? What do you plan to do with us?"

En Sabah Nur seemed to ignore her question, "I'm the first mutant that ever lived. I used to be the most powerful god of all. And I will still reign today."

Iris raised her head, "Just because you were once worshipped does not make you a god now. What are you planning to do to our world?"

En Sabah Nur narrowed his eyes, "I plan to make this world mine again. And I need the most powerful mutants to be by my side."

Charles watched as Iris finally glanced around at the other four figures standing on the rocks. Her gaze caught on Erik's face, but she didn't say anything to him.

"What makes you so reluctant to understand this, my child?" En Sabah Nur hissed quietly, and Iris turned back to him.

"Just because someone has power does not make them any more important than the rest."

He smirked, "You do not even understand the extent of your own power, child."

"What do you mean?" Iris leant forwards, and he raised an eyebrow carefully. After a moment, the rock around Iris' wrist turned to dust.

"Stand up." His voice was firm.

Iris began to shake her head, but En Sabah Nur simply pointed at Charles.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want something to happen to Charles, would you?"

Charles started to protest, but Iris stood up before he could say anything. He gulped.

En Sabah Nur took a step towards her, "I can feel your power beside me. It's powerful enough to feel from a distance, my child. And I can enhance that power."

Charles leant forwards, his chest tightening with panic. What was En Sabah Nur planning on doing to her?

"Why would I want you to enhance my power?" Charles heard Iris hiss, and she tried to move away from the false god.

"Iris-" Charles began to say, "Don't listen to anything he says. He's manipulating you."

"Why would you listen to him?" En Sabah Nur's deep voice echoed across the rocks, "When all he does is teach you to control your power rather than unleash it?"

Iris stopped.

"I wouldn't want to unleash my power. Not when I know that it can harm others around me," Her gaze met Erik's for only a moment, and Charles' heart contracted at the memory of Iris' nightmares about what she had almost done to Erik ten years before.

"Is that you speaking, or Charles?" En Sabah Nur hissed softly, "Is that what you believe, or what your parents begged you to do before they died?"

Iris' head snapped up, and she stared at the false god in shock, "How do you know about my parents?"

"I know about many things, my child. And one of them is the mistreatment that you have suffered over these years. Others have meddled with your mind and prohibited the full use of your powers. You could be so much stronger."

Charles began to speak again, "Iris, don't listen to him, please-"

"You are a creator, my child. You can create anything from your imagination. That is almost as powerful as me. I want you by my side. Together, we can let the world see you for what you were born to be."

Iris shook her head as En Sabah Nur reached out to touch her face, "What are you doing?"

"Iris!" Charles began to shout, but it was too late.

"No - ," Her dark eyes met Charles' pleadingly for a brief moment before they turned white and she let out an ear-piercing scream. A burst of flames exploded from within Iris' body, and faded away just as quickly. Her dark hair splayed out around her, and in that moment she was an image of pure beauty. Pure, uncontrolled beauty.

Charles stared wordlessly as En Sabah Nur released her from his grip and Iris' arms fell back to her sides.

"How do you feel?" En Sabah Nur asked. Iris didn't say anything for a moment, instead raising her hands and gazing at them in a fascinated way. Slowly, gently, gracefully, she held her right hand out and fire emerged from her fingertips. She did the same with her left hand, raised them both up in the air, and lit up the sky with flames.

Once she was finished, she turned back around, her gaze brushing over Charles without a second thought.

"I feel..." Iris whispered, "Electric."

In that moment, Charles felt his whole world fall away. Iris' worst nightmare had come true – she'd been weaponised. Her powers were too strong, and she had become what she'd feared for so many years.

And he didn't know if he could get her back.