Sebastian approached them, his expression calm but firm.

"What are your names?" he asked.

The teenagers, realizing they stood before a mutant powerful enough to destroy a Sentinel, quickly responded. "I'm Robert, Robert Drake. Seventeen. I can control ice," the first boy said, his tone warm but shaken.

"Gabriel Summers. Fifteen," the second said, his voice flat, eyes guarded.

"Anna. Sixteen," the girl murmured, her self-consciousness evident in her quiet tone.

Sebastian noted their differences—Robert's gentle leadership, Gabriel's aloofness, Anna's timidity. Robert, the eldest, seemed to guide the group. "How did you three meet? Were you together, or did you come across each other?" Sebastian asked.

"We met on the way here," Robert explained. "We all saw a message online saying mutants could find shelter at the X Academy, that it would protect us. But now…" He trailed off, gesturing at the ruins.

Sebastian's brow furrowed. If they'd been a group and stumbled on a false message, it could be a coincidence. But three strangers, each seeing the same misleading information and meeting on the road here? That was no accident.

Someone was spreading false messages to lure desperate or hidden mutants to this place, likely to wipe them out.

Sebastian prepared to lead the three young mutants away, but a sudden roar filled the air. He looked up to see five Sentinel robots speeding toward them through the sky, their red eyes glowing menacingly.

It was indeed a trap.

Sebastian stepped forward, his wand moving slightly in his hand. Hellfire surged forth, forming five swirling vortexes of flame in front of him. The hellfire condensed into five massive fireballs, and as Sebastian pointed his wand at the five Sentinel robots diving from the sky, the fireballs shot out, each targeting a Sentinel with deadly precision.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The five fireballs moved too quickly for the Sentinels to dodge, striking them directly and exploding on impact. The raging hellfire engulfed the robots, and five fiery masses plummeted to the ground, smashing into the earth and creating deep craters.

From the flames and craters, the five Sentinel robots emerged slowly, their surfaces marred with extensive melting. The hellfire's brief contact wasn't enough to destroy them completely, but the damage was evident.

Seeing this, Sebastian rotated his right wrist, wand raised. The hellfire gathered, swirling around the Sentinels like a vortex, transforming into a blazing storm that consumed the five robots.

Bang!

Two Sentinels teleported out of the hellfire, their sleek arms morphing into long spears that thrust toward Sebastian. At the same time, the other three robots' surfaces transformed into diamond, charging through the flames directly at him.

The Ring of Harnessing Power on Sebastian's left hand glowed, and he threw a punch. Space rippled like water, and a shockwave burst from his fist, blasting the two teleporting Sentinels backward.

They crashed into two of the three charging robots, halting their advance.

Focusing on the fifth Sentinel, undisturbed by the chaos, Sebastian activated the Space Gem's authority. His left hand made a grasping motion, and the space around the robot twisted and compressed.

The Sentinel was crushed into a distorted metal sphere, crashing to the ground, utterly lifeless.

Sebastian clicked his tongue. Destroying a Sentinel this way was efficient but drained too much magical energy—hardly cost-effective.

Crossing between parallel universes might seem effortless, but only he knew the toll it took. Each trip consumed over half his magical reserves, even with his wand amplifying his power and the Space Gem shouldering most of the burden. Without it, traveling between universes so easily would be impossible.

Glancing at the remaining four Sentinels struggling to rise, Sebastian pointed his wand at the ground. The earth trembled, and thick vines and roots burst from the soil, writhing like serpents. They coiled around the Sentinels, whose outer shells were half-melted by the hellfire, and tightened, tearing the robots apart. Their remains scattered across the ground, lifeless.

After defeating the Sentinels, Sebastian approached the three teenagers his expression grim. "Don't stay here any longer," he said. "This is a trap set by the military to lure young mutants like you seeking asylum and capture you all at once."

Hearing Sebastian's words, Robert, who could manipulate ice, pressed his lips together, a bitter edge to his voice as he said, "Then… what should we do?"

"Do you know of any other mutant organizations?" Sebastian asked. "I can take you to them."

"Other ones…" The three teenagers exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering in their eyes.

Gabriel, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "I know where the Brotherhood of Mutants is."

"The Brotherhood of Mutants? Magneto's group?" Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Where are they?"

"From what I know, they have a base in Brazil," Gabriel replied.

"How do you know this?" Sebastian pressed.

"By chance," Gabriel said, his tone guarded. "My older brother told me about it. He said if I had no other options, I could go there."

Sebastian's mind ticked. Gabriel's brother was likely a mutant too, and one with connections to mutant organization, it seemed.

"Where in Brazil?" Sebastian asked. "I'll take you there."

"The slums of Rio de Janeiro," Gabriel answered.

"That's a good place to hide," Sebastian noted. The Sentinel robots were most numerous in the United States, and while they existed in other countries, they hadn't yet spread widely. Full deployment was only a matter of time, though.

For now, the Sentinels were under government control, targeting mutants but not entirely disregarding human lives. Hiding in a densely populated place like the slums of Rio would significantly increase their safety.

Sebastian drew an arc with his wand, and a portal shimmered into existence. He gestured to the three teenagers, stepping through first. They followed without hesitation, emerging on the other side to face the sprawling, chaotic sprawl of Rio's slums. The tightly packed shanties stretched out before them, and the trio stared, wide-eyed. Robert and Anna marveled at Sebastian's ability to transport them across the world in an instant, a power far beyond their expectations, despite the variety of mutant abilities they'd seen.

Gabriel, however, frowned slightly. Multiple-ability mutants weren't unheard of, but their powers were usually related or variations of a single skill. Sebastian's display during the Sentinel fight—wielding an array of unrelated abilities—was extraordinary, even for a mutant. It reminded Gabriel uncomfortably of the Sentinels themselves, who could mimic multiple mutant powers. He didn't think Sebastian was a Sentinel, but a seed of suspicion took root.

Sebastian waved his wand, sending an invisible ripple outward.

It spread silently across the slums, unnoticed by anyone, scanning for signs of life.

Within moments, he pinpointed the Brotherhood of Mutants' base—and sensed a familiar presence among them.

Motioning for the teenagers to follow, Sebastian led them to the base.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary, dilapidated three-story building. Inside, however, it concealed seven mutants, all members of the Brotherhood, each with formidable combat abilities.

With a flick of his wand, Sebastian unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping inside with the three teenagers close behind.