Marvel: Genes of Power

Chapter 002: Birth of Magneto!

"Eric, I'm Awakened!" Smair grinned, his smile laced with mystery as he looked at Eric. "All thanks to you!"

"Awakened? What do you mean?" Eric asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. He was at a loss, unsure of what his companion was talking about.

"Watch this."

Realizing his words alone wouldn't be enough to convey the change, Smair extended his finger and lightly tapped it against the iron bars of the small window. As if under his will, the thick metal bent and twisted with a subtle ease, responding to his touch.

"What?... You…"

Eric's eyes widened in shock. "What kind of power is this?"

"The power that comes after Awakening."

Smair chuckled, his voice dripping with a mixture of excitement and something darker. "Do you know why I'm talking to you? It's because you're just like me. I sense a tremendous force lying dormant in your body. It seems that my Awakening is connected to you."

It's definitely tied to you... Without your genes, I wouldn't be able to wield this power.

"Me? I have that kind of power too?"

Eric's voice was full of urgency and disbelief. He leaned forward, his heart pounding. "What should I do? With this power, we could escape! We could survive! Can you help me?"

Eric's eyes burned with hope—a desperate longing for freedom, one that could not be ignored. His prison was more than just stone walls; it was a death sentence, a slow suffocation.

"No, Eric," Smair responded with a quiet, almost grim tone. "This power is yours alone. You must awaken it by yourself. Intense emotions can trigger it—sadness, fear, rage… anything. Your power will come when you're ready. Only you can awaken it."

Smair's knowledge came from a different place—he didn't know the intricacies of how Mutant powers awakened; he only knew that by collecting their genetic material, he could harness their abilities. But that was a different matter.

---

The night passed, and a new dawn broke across the sky.

Outside the window, a torrential rain beat against the prison, its rhythm punctuated by flashes of lightning and thunder. The sound was enough to stir every teenager held in the bleak, cold cells.

"Wake up! Wake up!" came the rough commands from outside the bars. The soldiers' voices rang louder than the thunder, their shouts filled with malice.

"Get out! All of you, out!"

The heavy iron doors groaned open. Groups of defeated, terrified figures were escorted by armed soldiers, moving forward as if walking toward their doom.

Ahead, Eric saw a vast stretch of buildings, tightly sealed, no windows—just doors that led deeper into the compound. The air was thick with dread, the sense of finality heavy in every step.

Smair's face paled as he recognized the buildings. His knowledge of history was vast—he knew what was coming.

The gas chambers.

The place that turned human lives to ash.

"Smair, there... that's the place where they send people every day, but no one ever comes out," Eric murmured, his face drained of color.

"Gas chamber," Smair replied, his voice a mix of sorrow and grim understanding. He couldn't hide the weight of his own knowledge.

Eric shuddered as the words sank in. He grabbed Smair's arm with desperation, his voice trembling. "Smair, we... we can't go in there, right?"

"Don't worry," Smair said, his voice firm with a rare edge of determination. "We will survive. We must."

Eric nodded, finding a sliver of hope in Smair's unwavering confidence. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could escape this nightmare.

But then Eric saw her.

Among the group of people being herded toward the gas chamber, he saw her—his mother.

"Mom! No! Please, no!!!"

Eric's voice cracked as he shouted, his eyes filled with tears and panic. His hand flew out, grabbing Smair's arm in a desperate plea. "Smair! Save her! Please, save her!"

Smair's face hardened. He shook his head. "Eric, my ability is still too weak. I can only protect the two of us for now. If I reveal my powers here... it'll be the end for all of us. Not just your mother—both of us."

There was no certainty. His words were full of sorrow and reluctance, but the cold truth hung in the air. The situation was beyond even their control.

"What should we do? Please, tell me! You know what to do, right?" Eric asked frantically, clutching Smair's arm with red eyes.

Smair hesitated, looking down at his companion with a deep, unreadable gaze. "Eric, your power must also be awakened for us to have a chance. You have to awaken it, and quickly."

"Tell me how! I'll do anything!" Eric begged.

Smair's expression softened slightly, but there was a deadly seriousness in his voice. "You need to use your heart. Roar! Call upon your power with everything you've got! Your mother is about to die at their hands. Can you feel the rage? The pain? The fear? Let it out! Roar, Eric, and awaken your power fully!"

Eric's eyes flared with raw emotion. His heart thudded violently in his chest, and without another thought, he let out a primal scream. His voice cut through the air like a force of nature, and as it did, the world around him trembled.

A violent magnetic storm surge outward from his body. Metal twisted and writhed in the air, as if alive—everything within his reach was bending, warping under the sheer force of his new power.

The power of Magneto.

It had awakened. And now, nothing could stop them from getting out of this hell.

*****

You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.

patreon.com/Translator_God