After a long moment, she released him, stepped back and composed herself. The professional mask sliding back into place, though her eyes retained warmth.

  "What about them?" She gestured toward the unconscious Braddock siblings. "They've been through significant trauma. Both physical and psychological."

  "Oh. Right." Jay reached out with his new reality-warping power.

  The process was simpler this time. He didn't need to resurrect anyone or rebuild from scratch, just return them to peak health. The corruption Selene had inflicted vanished. The psychological damage from being mind-controlled and forced to attack their sister healed. Even the exhaustion from fighting faded.

  Brian Braddock's eyes snapped open first, then Jamie's and finally Betsy's.

  All three sat up simultaneously, confusion written across their faces.

  "What?... Where am...?" Betsy's voice trailed off as she saw her brothers. Both alive and free.

  She leapt forward, wrapping both of them in a fierce hug. "Jamie... Brian... Bloody hell, you're okay. Thank God, you're okay."

  Brian returned the embrace immediately, his protective instincts kicking in even before he fully understood the situation. "Bets. Easy. We're alright."

  Jamie moved slower, groggily processing what had happened. "What... what happened? Where's Selene?"

  Fragments of memory came back. The breakfast…Selene's entrance…Jamie's last-ditch reality warping to teleport Betsy to safety…the dark ritual binding their wills… Fighting their sister against their will… Being knocked unconscious by her friend's overwhelming power.

  And now this.

  Brian reached for his forehead. The pentagram that had been carved there was gone, and no trace remained, only for him to let out a shaky breath of relief.

  Jamie did the same, then his instincts kicked in as he tried to reach out with his reality warping.

  He got nothing.

  The power was gone. His connection to the quantum strings was severed.

  His eyes snapped to Jay. The Power Broker was here, of course; the man had taken his powers. That made perfect sense given what Jamie knew of him. Why wouldn't he steal the ability to reshape reality itself and remove any competition for the title of Monarch?

  Jamie's hands clenched. The loss felt like losing a limb. Worse, because he'd only had the power for a short time. Just long enough to understand its potential.

  Betsy pulled back from the hug, wiping tears from her face. She looked at Domino and Jay, gratitude overwhelming. She moved toward them, pulling Domino into another embrace. "Thank you. I can't... I don't know how to repay you for this."

  "You don't have to thank us." Domino patted her back awkwardly. "Just glad we could help."

  Jay produced the Amulet of Right and the broken pieces of the Sword of Might with a blue light. He handed them to Brian with an apologetic expression. "Sorry. I think I broke your weapons. The paranormal scrambling doesn't play well with mystical artifacts."

  Brian took the pieces with trembling hands. His jaw tightened as he stared at the broken sword. Merlin himself had bestowed these artifacts on him as symbols of his role as Captain Britain. Now they lay in pieces. "I... I see." His voice was carefully neutral, but his knuckles whitened around the fragments.

  The Ancient One's laugh was bright and genuine. "Don't worry. I'll ask Merlin himself to grant you new artifacts. Better ones, probably, knowing how he works."

  Jay's head snapped toward her. "You know Merlin? The Merlin?"

  "Know him?" The Ancient One's smile widened. "We're drinking buddies."

  "Then why didn't you ask him for help?" Jay's voice carried genuine confusion. "He has the entire Captain Britain Corps as a multiversal police force. They could have dealt with your problems in minutes."

  The Ancient One sighed, her expression shifting to long-suffering patience. "That old wizard is impossible. Every time we meet, he tries to dump his responsibilities on me. He doesn't trust Roma to maintain the balance of the multiverse properly, so he constantly attempts to make it my problem. Between Dormammu, the various dimensional threats, and maintaining Earth's mystical defenses, I have quite enough on my plate without adding multiversal oversight to the list."

  Jay stared at her, flabbergasted. He'd known his teacher was powerful and connected, but drinking buddies with Merlin? Being asked to take over multiversal balance duties?

  The depth of her influence was still something he was only beginning to grasp.

  He shook himself out of his thoughts. There was still one more thing to handle. Jay turned toward Jamie, preparing to return his Quantum reality warping.

  The Ancient One's hand shot out, stopping him. Her other hand touched his temple, establishing a telepathic connection.

  Jay's Mind Shield perk blocked it automatically, but he consciously lowered the defense. Allowed her in.

  Jay's mental voice carried confusion.

  

   The Ancient One's mental presence was heavy with certainty.

  Jay processed that information in seconds.

  The MCU, Earth-199999. It always had a distinct lack of mutants compared to the comics. He'd always wondered why this universe was so different in that regard, aside from the obvious copyright issues back in his home reality. And now he had his answer.

  Jamie Braddock. A reality warper who would eventually hide an entire subspecies of humanity. Whether intentionally or accidentally, the result would be the same. Mutants written out of history.

  

  

  Jay's mind raced through implications. A world with mutants and the X-Men visible and active. With that level of power integrated rather than hidden.

  But that wasn't the only factor.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Jamie's voice cut through the telepathic conversation, loud and petulant. "Oi! Power Broker! Stop with the bloody staring contest and give me my abilities back! I want them now!"

  The telepathic link broke. Jay blinked as he was pulled back to normal reality.

  Jamie stood in front of him, fists clenched, face red. His upper-class British accent somehow made the demand sound even more entitled.

  And Jay finally saw it.

  There was no gratitude for being saved, not even relief that his sisters were safe. Just anger over lost power.

  Jamie cared about his siblings, sure. But right now, in this moment, his fury over losing his abilities trumped everything else.

  Jay's expression shifted, became colder.

  Betsy moved immediately. Trying to mediate between her brother and the man who could unmake him with a thought. "Jamie, please. He just saved us. Don't..."

  "What power?" Jay's voice was flat. His expression became mocking. "I took that as my fee for helping two lost puppies out of a pinch. After hearing your sister's sob story, saving you seemed like the charitable thing to do."

  Both the Ancient One and Domino sighed simultaneously. They recognized that smile. Jay was planning something and testing someone. This never ended well.

  "What are you on about?!" Jamie's voice pitched higher, more nasal with indignation. "I didn't agree to any bloody thing! And no matter what you say, just freeing us from some decrepit witch isn't enough payment to take my power! The power that commands reality itself! Do you have any idea what you've stolen from me, you... you..."

  Jamie's face twisted as he searched for words. His eyes tracked over Jay, taking in his features, his skin tone. Something ugly flickered across his expression.

  "You're not even from here, are you? Probably some coolie's son playing at being a hero. And you dare take what belongs to a proper British bloodline? My family's been protecting this realm for generations while your lot were still... well." He waved a dismissive hand. "It doesn't matter. Just give it back."

  The words were carefully chosen. Not quite crossing the line into overt slurs. But the meaning was clear. The contempt in "your lot." The emphasis on "proper British bloodline." The assumption that Jay's heritage somehow made him less deserving.

  Jay's expression didn't change. But his eyes hardened.

  Domino's hand moved toward her gun. "Watch yourself, British boy."

  Brian's face went white. "Jamie, for God's sake..."

  But the damage was done. The mask had slipped. Jay had seen exactly who Jamie Braddock was beneath the aristocratic polish.

  That settled it.

  "You're right about one thing," Jay said quietly. "I'm not from you noble heritage. My grandparents actually worked for their family rather then pillaging anotjer country in the name of 'White Man's burden'. Worked harder than you've ever worked in your privileged life. And you know what?"

  His hands began to glow with that blacklight.

  "Keep your bloodline politics and think of this as a final act of kindness towards you lot."

  Jay reached out with Mad Jim Jasper's reality warping. Not at Jamie but at Betsy.

  His hands, surrounded by a black aura with bright stars speckled around them, thrust forward, appearing to plunge into Betsy's chest. She gasped, eyes going wide with shock and pain.

  "BETSY!" Brian and Jamie screamed simultaneously, their voices cracking with identical panic.

  Jay pulled both his hands in opposite directions.

  Betsy's form split down the middle. But instead of blood and gore, instead of organs and viscera, two complete bodies were separated. The process looked violent but was actually incredibly precise. Jay was unweaving reality itself, finding the place where two souls had been forced into one body and simply... separating them.

  On the left stood Betsy Braddock with purple hair now lighter in shade. Features matching Brian's, clearly British, clearly the woman who'd been born to the Braddock family.

  On the right stood Kwannon with asian features and dark violet hair, almost black. The innocent victim in all of this. The woman who'd been forced to share a body after a mystical accident, trapped and helpless while Betsy lived her life.

  Silence fell.

  Then Kwannon's knees gave out. She collapsed, hands touching her face, her arms, her body. Her own body. After months trapped, she had control again.

  Tears came. Not quite crying but deep, wracking sobs that shook her entire frame.

  Her hands moved frantically, checking herself over and over. This was real. She could move her limbs, speak with her own voice, and exist as herself.

  The sobs intensified. Months of helplessness, of being a passenger, of screaming silently while someone else lived in her flesh, all of it came out at once.

  Brian caught Betsy as she stumbled, holding his sister. His actual sister, back in her original body. "Easy, Bets. I've got you." His voice was thick with emotion.

  Betsy stared down at her hands, her features, the body she'd been born with. "Brian? Is this... am I really...?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

  Jamie stared at the scene. His earlier anger forgotten. "Bloody hell. How did you...? Even after I tried multiple times, I couldn't separate them. The mystical binding from Siege Perilous was too complex, too deeply woven into their very essence. How did you manage it?"

  "Think of this service as a bonus." Jay's voice was cold. "And consider it payment rendered for your powers. Fair trade, yeah?"

  Domino moved to his side, her hand finding his. She squeezed once. Gentle and supportive.

  The Ancient One approached Kwannon, kneeling beside the sobbing woman. She placed gentle hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

  It took time. Long minutes of Kwannon crying while the Ancient One held her, murmuring soft words in Japanese.

  Finally, Kwannon's breathing evened out. She looked up with red-rimmed eyes, uncertain.

  The Braddock siblings had their moment. Brian held Betsy close, checking her over repeatedly. Making sure she was real and whole. "You're alright. You're really alright." His voice carried wonder.

  Jamie stood slightly apart, his expression complicated as he watched his power being used in ways he'd never imagined. Ways he'd never even considered.

  Jay decided enough time had passed.

  He gestured, and the Mirror Dimension began to collapse. Reality folded back on itself, the dimensional barriers dissolving as they returned to the parking lot in an instant.

  Only to find themselves surrounded by media crews and police officers. The crime scene had been cordoned off. Cameras pointed at them and questions shouted from every direction.

  "Is that the Power Broker? Can you confirm your identity?"

  "Is it true a mutant attacked London?"

  "Did you kill all these people because they were Anti-Mutants?"

  "Were you involved in the attack on the Braddock estate?"

  "Reports say dozens died here. Can you explain what happened?"

  "Are those the missing Braddock siblings? Are they alive?"

  "Power Broker, is it true you're connected to the mutant community?"

  Jay sighed. Of course, the press had found them. This mess was too public to contain. He reached out with his technomorphing, finding every camera, recording device and phone.

  He deleted all the footage they had captured.

  Then, Blue energy rippled, and they were teleported.

  The Braddock were sent to their mansion to give them time to recuperate while the rest reappeared at Kamar-Taj, in the meditation hall where this day had started so many hours ago.

  Kwannon stumbled as the sudden shift disoriented her. She bent over, hands on her knees, breathing hard and vomiting.

  Wong appeared almost immediately.

  "We have a guest," the Ancient One said. "Please arrange accommodations. She's been through significant trauma and needs rest."

  Wong nodded, gesturing for Kwannon to follow.

  Silence fell over the meditation hall.

  Jay, Domino, and the Ancient One stood together. The weight of what had just happened settled over them.

  "You took a significant risk," the Ancient One said quietly. "Resurrecting Jaspers to steal his power even after Lady Death's warning was explicit."

  Jay's jaw tightened. "I'd do it again. Every time. If it meant keeping you alive."

  The Ancient One's expression softened. She reached out, cupping his face with both hands.

  "I know. And that's what makes you both wonderful and terrifying. Your loyalty is absolute. But so is your willingness to defy cosmic law."

  "Is that a problem?"

  "Not for me. But it may become one for you." She released him, stepping back. "Death doesn't forgive easily. And entities like her have long memories."

  "Then I'll deal with it when she comes for me."

  Domino moved to Jay's side, her hand finding his. "We'll deal with it. Together."

  The Ancient One looked at them both. At the young man who'd defied death itself. At the woman who stood beside him despite the cosmic dangers.

  "You've changed since you first came here," she said softly. "But promise me this, don't take the ability to resurrect the dead lightly, we don't want any more of her attention, whether it be good or bad."

  "As long as it's not my friends, I promise not to abuse this power?"

  "It's a human thing. That's good." The Ancient One smiled. "Now go. Rest. You've earned it. We'll discuss the ramifications of today's events later. Extensively."

  That last word carried warning.

  Jay grimaced. "Looking forward to it."

  Blue energy gathered around Jay and Domino.

  They teleported.

  Left the Ancient One standing alone in the meditation hall.

  She looked down at her hands, feeling the life force thrumming through her veins. The psychic vampirism that would sustain her indefinitely.

  Her student had given her immortality. True immortality.

  She closed her eyes and began to meditate, reaching out with her enhanced senses. Using the Mind and Time Stone to search for any trace of Death's attention.

  What she found made her open her eyes.

  Death's voice, cold and absolute, echoed in her mind:

  'He pulled a soul from my realm. Tore it free like theft. The next time he reaches into my domain, I'll take something of his in return. A life for a life. A soul for a soul. Tell him this: his defiance has a price, and I always collect.'

  The Ancient One's expression became troubled.

  Jay hadn't just angered Death. He'd stolen from her. And Death, unlike other cosmic entities, didn't bluff.

  "Oh, my student," she whispered to the empty hall. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

  The meditation hall offered no answers.