X-Force: Beyond Omega

[Vol:3 Begins…] Ch: 111 [The First Iron Fist]

[Location: Unknown] [Bunker]

Cassandra Nova sat comfortably on a throne of cold steel. The air was thick with the scent of burning incense, though it did little to mask the scent of fresh blood. Before her, kneeling and bound in glowing psychic restraints, was a monk from K'un-Lun. His robes were tattered, and his breathing ragged, yet his discipline held firm.

The monk, a man with sharp, weary eyes and a body trained to withstand pain, barely flinched as a blade of telekinetic force traced along his arm, splitting flesh without spilling a drop of blood. Cassandra smirked at his resilience, leaning forward with a sinister smile.

"You monks," she mused, her voice a mockery of curiosity, "always so proud, so stoic. But pain is a language even the most disciplined minds understand."

The monk remained silent, his jaw clenched.

Cassandra sighed, rolling her eyes before pressing her fingers to his forehead. A searing pulse of psionic energy tore through his mind, an invasive force, unlike anything he had ever experienced. Visions of his home, the sacred gates of K'un-Lun, and the ancient legends of the first Iron Fist. All unraveled before Cassandra's insatiable hunger for knowledge.

When she was using Charles' body and learned about Jean's power, she wanted to have that power for herself. But trying to take over such volatile power would be foolish. So, she has been trying to find a way to weaken Jean's power and take it for herself. Finally, after years-long re

The monk's eyes burned with pain, but whether it was from his injuries or the weight of history, Cassandra didn't care. "They brought her to the cave of Shou-Lao, the undying dragon. She was made to watch as her students, those she had trained, those who trusted her, were executed... burned alive by the dragon's fire."

Cassandra's smirk grew. "And that was their mistake, wasn't it?"

The monk let out a slow, shuddering breath. "Yes. In her grief, in her fury, Fan Fei broke free of her shackles. She charged the dragon, prepared to die alongside her pupils… but fate had other plans. With all her might, she struck Shou-Lao."

Cassandra leaned forward, her eyes glinting with wicked amusement. "And?"

The monk swallowed. "Her fist did not stop at the dragon's scales. It tore through its skull, all the way out the back of its head. She killed the undying dragon with a single strike."

Cassandra's grin widened, her mind already racing. "And in doing so, she bathed in its power."

He nodded weakly. "Yes. The dragon's burning blood coated her hands, searing a dragon-shaped mark into her flesh. That was how it began, the first to wield the Iron Fist."

She chuckled, reveling in the irony. "So, their greatest disgrace became the source of their greatest power."

The monk's gaze lowered. "The Thunderer, K'un-Lun's master, did not see it as a blessing. He called the dragon scar her mark of shame. He decreed that she was to be exiled, cast out, never to return to the sacred city."

For a moment, Cassandra was silent, her mind processing every word. Then, slowly, she leaned back, tapping her fingers against the arm of her steel throne. "And what happened to her after? Where did she go?"

The monk hesitated, but Cassandra's eyes flared with psychic energy, sending fresh waves of pain through his already broken body. He gasped before he could stop himself.

"I... I don't know," he stammered. "Her story fades after her exile. Some say she wandered the world, spreading her knowledge. Others believe she sought vengeance on K'un-Lun. Some elders say she fought against cosmic forces that threatened to destroy our world and transverse other dimensions, slaying the evil. But… no one knows for certain."

She sighed, disappointed. "A shame. But you've given me enough."

The monk's shoulders slumped, exhaustion overtaking him. He had nothing left to give.

Cassandra stood, stretching her fingers. "So… the first Iron Fist didn't just wield power. She stole it. She took something meant to be eternal and made it her own. That means it can be taken."

She turned her gaze back to the monk, her grin sharpening. "And now I know exactly what I need to do." She already found out how to enter K'un-Lun from his memories, including the traps and fake gates. But didn't find anything related to the dragon's location.

His bloodied lips parted, barely able to form words. "You… will never succeed."

Cassandra laughed, a rich, venomous sound. "Oh, sweetheart, I always succeed." She flicked her fingers and the monk's DNA shattered. His skin disappeared and his blood, organs, and skeleton fell down as a pile of red-stained goop. "Sigh! That was a nice little story. To think, a human was strong enough to kill a dragon... Hahahaha! If I can find her remnants, even a little trace of her DNA, then those fools from Genosha should be able to bring her back to life..."

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