A week later, in the late afternoon, Rowan Mercer stepped out of a shimmer of displaced space and returned to the school from the New York Sanctum.
For the past seven days, he'd made the trip daily. Every afternoon, without fail, he sought out the Ancient One to study time magic. She had time to spare. With no dimensional invasions underway, her disciples handled most routine threats, leaving her free to teach, drink tea, and quietly observe the flow of futures.
Even with her guidance, time magic proved far more intricate than Rowan had anticipated. Still, the effect was undeniable. His research into Fairy Sphere was progressing far faster than before. Only now did he fully understand why Makarov had once called it a nightmare of a spell.
And he couldn't help but admire the First Master who had created it. That kind of talent bordered on absurd.
Rowan had just returned to the surface when a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Rowan, someone claiming to be an Inhuman is requesting to see you. She says it's urgent."
Professor Xavier.
Rowan vanished and reappeared in the main conference room.
Inside stood Xavier himself, Wolverine leaning against the wall, and a woman with dark skin and sharp crystalline spikes protruding from her scalp.
"What's going on?" Rowan asked.
Xavier gestured toward the woman. "She contacted the school under the pretense of applying for a teaching position. In reality, she wanted to speak to you. She identifies herself as an Inhuman."
Rowan's gaze settled on her. His tone remained even.
"If I remember correctly, Inhumans were helping Hydra fight us in Washington."
He hadn't forgotten. The individuals who had interfered during that battle were Inhumans. Why they were working with Hydra was another question entirely.
The woman stiffened. "We didn't have a choice. Hydra took our families. They used them as leverage."
Rowan stepped closer, his expression unreadable.
"Why are you here now?"
He wasn't interested in Hydra's internal politics or the Inhumans' grievances. As long as Hydra didn't come knocking on his door, the rest of the world's mess wasn't his responsibility.
"I'm Raina," she said quickly. "I can see fragments of the future. A catastrophe is coming. One that will affect the entire world. And the Inhumans won't survive it without your help."
She took a breath and pressed on.
"Sin of Hydra gained terrifying power from a hammer. Then she released something called the Serpent, deep in the Mariana Trench. In the futures I've seen, that thing causes unimaginable destruction."
Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Our leader believes that if you help us rescue our captured families, the Inhumans will leave Hydra for good. We'll come here. Join your school. Follow your rules."
Compared to Hydra, Rowan was the lesser evil by far. He protected those with powers instead of dissecting them.
"A world-ending disaster… and a sea god?" Rowan murmured.
Sin, he recognized. Red Skull's daughter. He'd seen her name buried in Zola's data. As for the Serpent, that was new. Whatever it was, it didn't fit any familiar pattern.
Raina wasn't lying. His own telepathy confirmed it.
Rowan exhaled softly.
"Looks like Hydra needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later."
He'd tolerated their existence because they posed no direct threat to him. But Hydra had a talent for digging up things they had no business touching. If they were now waking ancient entities, that was a problem.
"Alright," Rowan said after a moment. "I'll rescue your people. In return, I want everything you can find on this Serpent. Origins. Nature. Anything."
Raina nodded rapidly. "Our leader, Mara Vale, is usually kept at Baron Strucker's base. She has access to Hydra's highest-level intelligence."
"Good," Rowan said. "Write down every hostage's name. Then bring me the one who can teleport. I'll be back shortly."
He instructed Xavier to keep an eye on Raina, then vanished again.
Moments later, Rowan appeared inside the New York Sanctum.
A stationed sorcerer blinked in surprise. "Mage Mercer? You're back already?"
Rowan smiled. "I need to speak with the Sorcerer Supreme. Is she still here?"
"She returned to Kamar-Taj," the sorcerer replied. "You can reach her through the portal on the second floor."
"Perfect."
Rowan headed upstairs.
Most sorcerers drew portals by hand, burning their own energy to do so. The Sanctums were different. Fixed gateways, woven directly into the building's structure, allowing even novice mages to cross the world without cost.
Rowan stepped toward the portal, already turning over a single question in his mind.
Just what kind of god was sleeping beneath the sea?