Awakens

One could say a great deal about what had transpired previously.

A mess though summed it up best.

Mystique didn't really know how things had gotten so bad, but she supposed trusting Juggernaut was the best place to start. She had thought she could control him, direct him in accordance with her will yet that had failed miserably. He had nearly killed her, nearly killed the Brotherhood and the X-Men.

No one had been able to stop him.

It was a clear reminder as to why Juggernaut was so feared in the world. He wasn't like everyone else, his powers were beyond imagining. How he had ended up being captured was still a mystery to her, the reports didn't detail how, no doubt a result of hiding the sheer number of casualties involved in doing so.

But from that single fight, Raven knew that he was not someone anyone should touch. This was no doubt the reason even Magneto did not attempt to recruit him, he was an unruly and untamable beast. Someone who was as likely to kill their allies as their enemies, something she learned the hard way. Despite trying to stay out of his way and even help him, Juggernaut had not listened to her in the slightest and as a result, they had all nearly died.

Looking at the Brotherhood members, she could see it in their eyes.

This incident would scar them forever.

Their combined might, aided by the X-Men had not even been enough, not even when Juggernaut's powers became noticeably weaker. He had been toying with them, letting arrogance cloud his judgement as he restrained himself to prolong their suffering. Yet despite that opportunity presented to them, none of it had mattered as he continued to pick them apart.

Not even a powerful Mutant like Storm had been able to halt Juggernaut, the durability he had enabled him to completely brush off her lightning bolts and sharp winds. It had just been a bad matchup for her and she had in turn, been restrained by the allies that surrounded her.

Unable to unleash the full totality of her powers in fear of hurting her allies.

But not everything was bad.

There was a silver lining to this dark cloud.

Two in fact.

Their defeat at the hands of Juggernaut had not broken their spirits, it had in fact envigorated them further. Though muted and shaken by their near-death experience, she had seen the group training in the days that had followed.

They may have been shaken by that incident, but their resolve had been strengthened. Through hard work and determination, all four of them had every intention of not allowing a repeat of that to happen again. She could safely say that she had not seen the four of them train this hard or with such determination ever.

The question she had now was, how long would this determination last?

However, even if it did not last long, Mystique knew that the second silver lining would change everything. In fact, it already had and she was glad that she had managed to grab ahold of Esau when she had.

She had thought him dead when Juggernaut struck him, even Xavier and Logan had thought the same. His confidence had got the best of him and Esau had not been prepared for the overwhelming difference in their powers. A folly of youth and one that she had thought had cost him his life.

That was until he walked out onto the lawn where the Brotherhood and X-Men's combined members tried and failed to fight Juggernaut.

He looked like he was on the verge of death, the fact that he was walking had been a miracle. But she had seen it in his eyes, the pure whites of his eyes, he was not conscious. There was no thought behind his actions, no will, nothing. His body seemingly ran on instinct alone as he lumbered towards Juggernaut who struck out at him once more.

She had thought this to be the decisive blow that would finish him off once and for all.

Except, it hadn't.

Esau's body had moved in an unnatural way, twisting around the blow and landing one of his own with strength beyond anything he had possessed previously. Mystique had thought it a miracle, a one-time stroke of luck that would not repeat itself.

But it did.

Time and time again.

Juggernaut struck, marching forwards as he always did, Esau's body running on pure instinct as he ducked and weaved around the strikes in unnatural ways. Blows of his own rain down upon Juggernaut from awkward angles with incredible strength and speed. Juggernaut did not dodge them, he hadn't dodged any of them and they struck him all with a deafening sound ringing out.

Then the impossible had happened.

One blow came, it struck true and Juggernaut stepped back.

No, he was knocked back.

Then it happened again.

Juggernaut and Esau continued to exchange blows, Esau twisting and weaving around the powerful and wild blows of the Juggernaut. His own blows struck out with incredible strength and speed that only continued to increase as time passed by.

Even though Juggernaut had emerged victorious in their clash eventually, it had proved something to her, to everyone. Esau's powers were dangerous, limitless even, but what made them truly dangerous, was Esau himself. His talent for fighting, that one-track mind of his, that would make him one of the most dangerous beings in the world, a rival to Juggernaut and perhaps, someone who could surpass him.

It was not definite, but that fight showed the potential was there.

Untapped and unrealised, but there nonetheless.

The question was, did Mystique want to bring it out.

She had already tried to control an unstoppable force once and failed miserably.

Did she really want to help create another one?

She knew that Esau wanted to fight Wolverine, it was the only condition he had on joining the Brotherhood. But what happened when he fought Wolverine? If he lost, would he remain in the Brotherhood until he won? And if he won, would he then leave to look for someone else to fight against? Or would he remain behind?

She didn't have answers to any of these questions and that's what worried her. If she didn't know what Esau wanted, how could she secure her own safety, not just from him, but from Magneto? After all, he had already expressed interest in Esau after her report on the fight against Juggernaut.

Yet she also couldn't hold him back because if she did, it would more than likely drive him away. He leaving the Brotherhood in search of powerful people to fight against and also make her an enemy to him and put her under fire from Magneto for losing him.

It was at times like this she wished her life had gone differently.

It would be less complicated.

Hearing a door open, Mystique looked to see Esau stumbling out of his room, arms still limp by his side, the muscles and bones still healing. The strength had gained had certainly allowed him to battle against the Juggernaut, but his body had not been able to handle it, one of the major weaknesses he possessed.

"Where is he?" Esau rasped out, face twisting into one of pain as his body protested at the minute movements he made. He was angry, pissed beyond measure at the humiliation he suffered at being taken out in one punch.

Mystique was honestly surprised to see him up and moving, having expected him to be out of the count for another few months. Perhaps his mutation was not simply about adapting to his enemies by becoming stronger, but perhaps adapting to give him ways to circumvent any type of problem? "Where's who?" She questioned, trying to hide her curiosity. 'If he can develop a healing factor as a result of his injuries, then it's possible that eventually, no one will be able to stop him.'

Once again, Mystique was beginning to question whether recruiting Esau was a good thing or if perhaps she was about to unleash another monster on the world?