The lobby of Silver Sable International felt unusually quiet today. The main entrance had been closed off to customers and the general public. The only people gathered in the spacious, modern hall were Dante and his inner circle to see Silvija off.

Silvija hugged Dante for the tenth time in the last hour, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as if she didn’t want to let go.

Ava, who had been standing nearby with her luggage, looked between them and sighed.

“Sis, he is not going anywhere.” She tipped her chin toward Dante. “And honestly, you should be more worried about what he destroys next time. Probably the whole of New York.”

Dante blinked at her with complete innocence. “I don’t do that.”

“Yeah, right.” She snorted and punched him in the arm with more affection than annoyance. Grabbing the handle of her carry-on, she stepped into the elevator. “I’ll wait down there.”

Ava had decided to accompany Silvija back to Symkaria for a day or two in Symkaria. Dante had offered to send both of them through a portal, but Silvija had to follow official diplomatic channels. Everything had to be properly documented by the staff and diplomats. She was a queen, after all. Appearances and protocol still mattered for her departure.

Silvija gave Dante one last lingering look, then turned and pulled Sharon into a warm hug. “I’ll miss you, Sharon.”

Sharon nodded enthusiastically, beaming up at her. “Goodbye, second mom!”

Silvija laughed awkwardly, still not quite used to the special title. “Take good care of yourself and your father, okay?”

“I will!”

She moved down the line. Piotr was next, standing straight with his hands folded behind his back, looking like a soldier awaiting orders.

Silvija looked up at him. “Keep protecting everyone.”

Piotr placed one fist over his heart and bowed his head slightly, with more ceremony than the moment probably required. “I will give everything I have, Commander. If anything is needed on this side, you have only to call. I’ll be on a plane within the hour.”

Silvija looked satisfied with that. “And don’t be mean to Illya.”

Illyana laughed from beside her brother. “I dare him to try. I’ll smack his butt with my Soulsword.”

Piotr went stiff. “Illya, I’ll never…”

Silvija moved to Illyana and hugged her. “Girl, don’t lose your mind again. Dante already has enough to manage.”

Illyana stuck her tongue out playfully. “I’m worse without the demon riding my head. It doesn’t have a real Demon Queen’s creativity.”

Silvija flicked her forehead with a soft “Hmph”, which Illyana accepted with a dignified wince. “Help Dante if he’s in trouble.”

Illyana glanced at Dante and nodded. “We’ll help each other. The future has many troubles set up for us.”

Dante didn’t need clairvoyance to know that. He still didn't know what world-ending calamity Illyana wanted to reveal. He’d take time out for her tomorrow.

Silvija moved onto Laura and pulled her into a tight hug next. “No matter where you are, the Wild Pack is your family. Never forget that.”

Laura’s arms came up and hugged back, and for a moment she dropped the careful disinterest entirely. “Don’t worry about our man. Anyone who tries to touch him will regret it.”

Silvija patted her back with a smile and let her go, then turned to the last person in the room who was relaxing alone on one of the lobby seats.

She stood when she saw Silvija coming, which was more than most people got from her without being asked. “Silvija.”

Silvija took both of Psylocke’s hands in hers, which left the telepath visibly confused. “If you ever get tired of working for Emma, my doors are always open.”

“It’s basically the same thing now.”

Dante caught the unspoken meaning behind Psylocke’s eyes and shook his head internally. Emma and he weren’t going to become a thing, not unless Emma stopped being Emma. It was never going to happen.

Silvija spoke with her a little longer, then finally returned to Dante. “Visit me in Symkaria, or I’ll send my army after you.”

“I will.” He slid his hands down from her waist and patted her ass. “How else will I spank this ass on a throne?”

She slapped his hand away, cheeks flushing scarlet. “Stop it. Everyone is staring.”

“They know we’re a couple.”

“...Right.”

He took her hand and walked her to the elevator. Raven followed them and stood to one side with her hands folded.

Silvija touched her arm as the doors closed. “I don’t know exactly what you’re going through. But whatever it is, I hope you find your way through it.”

“My gut tells me I’ve survived worse.” She paused for a few seconds, then stepped forward to hug Silvija. It wasn’t the polished, professional way a receptionist said goodbye to her employer, but a person seeking another’s warmth. “If I get my memories back, will you still want me here?”

“I will,” Silvija said softly, hugging her back. “As a matter of fact, I’m promoting you to be Dante’s secretary. He’ll look after you.”

Dante raised his eyebrows. The promotion was news to him, but it felt like the right move. He had taken on the CEO role of a company that dealt in international security contracts, but he had zero experience. Raven’s expertise and institutional knowledge would be better used to assist him in the office.

Raven released Silvija and nodded gratefully. “I’ll do my best.”

A few moments later, the elevator reached the parking level and opened. Ava was already in the passenger seat, sunglasses on, looking like she was done with emotional goodbyes.

Silvija slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Raven stood beside him as the car rolled smoothly toward the exit. He watched it until it turned out of the underground lot and the sound of the engine faded. He might be able to visit Silvija anytime with a portal, but it wouldn’t be the same as sharing the same room and seeing her whenever he wanted.

Raven tugged at his arm. “Mr. CEO, what’s on today’s schedule?”

He put his arm around Raven’s shoulders as they walked back toward the elevator. “I’m gonna train with Laura and Psylocke in the gym.”

She gave him a knowing smile. “Is it to see them in training gear?”

“Eighty percent,” he admitted shamelessly. “For men, a life without ass is ass itself.”

She closed her eyes briefly. “I knew it. A person can say anything they want, but their eyes always give them away.”

“Wow, my angel is so wise and intelligent. It’s like you’ve lived for hundreds of years.”

She jabbed him in the ribs with two fingers and gave him a cold look. “How rude of you to bring up a lady’s age.”

He slid his hand down her back and patted her ass. “Are you salty because it’s flat?”

Raven’s original form might be packing, but her current form was very disappointingly flat. Her pretty face could still win hearts, though.

“...”

***

A few minutes later.

Dante stood in the center of the private sparring area, holding a wooden katana loosely in each hand. Laura was back in her signature black crop top and tight black leggings that left very little to the imagination. Even Psylocke had changed into similar training clothes, though hers were a sleek deep purple.

As for Dante, he was only wearing shorts. A man didn’t need much more to train properly.

“Psy, I’ll teach you to the best of my ability,” he said in a rare solemn tone. “But I have one condition. You can’t start your revenge story without my permission. And after you’re done with the Hand, you’ll work for me.”

He knew he was being a bit forceful, but he had to be firm with his suicidal ninja lady. The Hand was a massive, ancient organization with deep resources. No matter how strong Psylocke was, she was still human. She would tire, bleed, and feel the weight of every kill. Madame Gao and her peers were utterly ruthless. They would throw hundreds and thousands at Psylocke to save their own skins.

He threw the second wooden katana onto the floor at her feet. “Pick it up if you agree.”

Psylocke glanced down at the sword. After a long, thoughtful moment, she reached out. The wooden blade flew up, wrapped in a faint pink psionic aura, and settled into her hand. She said nothing, but the gesture was clear acceptance of his terms.

He smiled. “Alright. Show me your current skills.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Psylocke held the katana horizontally, passed her hand over the blade in a practiced motion, then spun it once before settling into a perfect two-handed grip. “You’ve seen it before.”

“No telekinesis this time. You’re going up against an organization that treats human lives like cattle. Sharpen your raw skills as much as possible.”

“Sharpen my raw skills…” she whispered, nodding to herself. “To keep my telekinesis for stronger opponents?”

“Exactly. It’s a waste to tire yourself out on mobs.”

She nodded firmly. “Here I come.”

Psylocke dashed forward and slashed at his chest. He deflected her blade lazily with one hand. She followed up with a series of elegant, intricate attacks, but he effortlessly deflected each one.

Psylocke saw her attacks being easily avoided and made some distance between them. Her breathing was steady as she gazed at him. He could see her racking her brain for a way past his ridiculous speed and reaction time. The quiet ones were usually ones with the most intense thinking.

“This is kind of unfair,” Laura called out from the side of the mat. “You’re using your powers. How is she supposed to touch you?”

“She wants to take on an organization that has been winning for centuries,” Dante said, without looking away from Psylocke. “The Hand won’t give her a fair fight. Adapting to unfairness is the first step.”

“The Hand” organization in MCU was limited by copyrights and licensing agreements. This one had no such limitations. They had resources and power to amass mutants and other ability users. He would be training Psylocke with the assumption that the Beast was leading the Hand. It would be strange if the fat demon wasn’t here when other Hell-Lords were present in this universe.

Psylocke showed a determined smile. “I know. That’s why I’ve delayed taking them on.”

She wanted to cut their heads off without failing even once. And for that, she needed his teaching—he could see it clearly in her eyes.

“I won’t let you down.” He pointed the katana’s tip at her. “The Hand raised you as their executioner. I’ll give you the power to execute them.”

Psylocke rushed at him again. He disappeared in a blur and reappeared directly behind her. Her instincts kicked in instantly. She twisted half-way through her slash and launched a vicious slash toward his neck. He caught the wooden blade in one hand and wrapped his other arm around her neck, pulling her flush against his chest.

“Hold still for a second. I’m going to improve your body.”

She went quiet without hesitation. After what he’d done for her at Emma’s school, she trusted the process.

He started with the usual optimizations like fine-tuning her muscles, reaction speed, clearing inefficiencies, and overall coordination. Then he went deeper and checked the dormant regulatory genes sitting in her DNA like switches that had never been flipped. There were more of them than he had found in Silvija or Felicia. Either she was born exceptional or it was the accumulation of work across generations. Or perhaps he had simply grown more proficient at reading complex anatomies after working on so many different people.

He activated two genes that were linked to each other in an X-shape. As these genes seemed the most stable, activating them wouldn’t destabilize her system.

He removed his arm from her neck and stepped around to stand in front of her. Psylocke had a completely blank expression. Where he could usually read entire sentences in her eyes, right now he saw nothing. It was like she had stopped existing as the Psylocke he knew.

“Psy.”

He reached out in worry. Her hand twitched, and she slashed at his face without any warning. The strike was unbelievably fast, ripping through the air with a sharp, piercing sound. He stepped back on reflex, barely dodging the sudden attack.

She rushed him down with her wooden katana and slashed at him. Behind those eyes wasn’t a single thought. He would’ve mistaken her current state as telepathic mind control, except Psylocke herself was a telepath. She wouldn’t be mind-controlled so easily.

This had to be connected to the dormant genes he had just awakened.

Like a single-minded machine, she kept attacking him with cold, mechanical precision. Her combat style had become brutally efficient, almost boring in its perfection. Gone was the elegant, flowing swordsmanship Psylocke usually favored. Every movement was now stripped down to its most lethal form. Every attack was made to kill as efficiently as possible.

Dante didn’t try to snap her out of it. Instead, he fully tested her new capabilities. He pressed her with his own speed to see where her ceiling was.

The conclusion left him baffled. She was showing more than five times her previous agility and raw strength compared to their last spar. Previously, she had relied heavily on her telekinesis to boost herself. Right now, she was using nothing but pure muscle power.

After a few minutes of this, he decided he had enough data. He moved to knock her out with a precise strike to the side of her neck. Or at least, he tried to. She ducked it as if she had eyes in the back of her head and slashed at his neck. It barely registered to him.

‘Insane reaction time…’

He had no choice but to use Biokinesis to gently shut her down. Otherwise, he risked hurting her more than necessary.

The wooden sword slipped from her loosened grip and clattered to the floor. Her eyes fluttered closed as she fell forward, collapsing right into his arms.