The New Mutants #66

Magik is pushed to the murderous brink in her Limbo battle against Forge! This could be a Sorcerer's Duel… to the death!

Immediately following on from New Mutants #65, Darkchilde leapt to attack Forge with her Soulsword. The earth was burning, and Forge dodged her sword. She slashed at the ground instead. Wolfsbane wanted to help, but Sunspot pulled her back. Wolfsbane wanted to help Darkchilde since the Soulsword only effected magical spells and therefore wouldn't help her in a fight. However, Warlock observed that the rocks which the Soulsword had hit were not only cut but had sneering demonic faces. The others were confused and didn't understand what it meant. Mirage explained Destiny's predictions to Cannonball since he had been unconscious.

Darkchilde continued to attack Forge. His magiks were enough to keep her at bay, and even repel her at times. She was still angry and ranted about his involvement in the deaths of the X-Men. Forge's magik managed to knock Darkchilde back, and he explained that when he was younger he had made a mistake during the Vietnam war that came back to haunt him. The others were worried for their team-mate and used their powers together to try to save Darkchile; Mirage distracted her with an illusion of Forge dying while Cannonball flew by and snatched her.

However, Darkchilde had recognised Mirage's illusion for what it was, and while Cannonball carried her through the air she conjured up a stepping disc to teleport them all to Limbo. There she ensnared the other New Mutants in demonic vines that held even Warlock in place. Free to fight Forge, Darkchilde explained her connection to Limbo. As Forge explained that there was other magic which was just as powerful, he created psychic armour, a mask, shield & spear. Darkchilde pounced through the air, but her attacks could not pierce Forge's shield. She struck again & again, oblivious to how her vines had grown out of control and were about to swallow the New Mutants. As they fought, Darkchilde demanded to know why he didn't put up such a fight against the Adversary, to which Forge replied that as a teleporter and a sorceress she should have known that she was taking Colossus to his death or been able to save the X-Men. Enraged, Darkchilde lunged at Forge. She knew she couldn't get back to Dallas, and he reasoned that it was the Adversary's magic that barred her return. Darkchilde's spell deflected off of Forge's shield and destroyed her scrying glass. The effect on her was painful, and her eldritch armour grew fiercesome spikes. Darkchilde accused Forge of being accident prone, and losing the people he loves the most, including Storm.

Forge stopped fighting. He accepted that she was still just a child, just like he was when he fought in Vietnam. So he lowered his armour and stood defenceless. Darkchilde seized the moment and lunched the Soulsword into Forge. He screamed in agony and the New Mutants could only look on in horror. The demons in Limbo encouraged Darkchilde to deliver a fatal blow to Forge. Just as she raised the Soulsword to kill him, she was met face-to-face with an image of herself as the Darkchilde. Even more corrupted, completely covered in fur & scales, and with a hissing forked tongue.

Angry at Mirage's illusion Darkchilde turned to accuse her. However, she couldn't see the New Mutants as they were being swallowed up by the demonic vines. Wolfsbane begged her not to kill Forge. However, Forge begged her to kill him. The demons around them begged her to kill him. In a passionate fit of anger, she rejected them all and flung the Soulsword into the heart of the vines that had held her team-mates captive. The vines retreated and the New Mutants were freed. Reclaiming the Soulsword, Darkchilde restored Forge's strength and teleported them all back to Earth.

Yet she remained as the Darkchilde even after they returned to the attic in the mansion. Wolfsbane begged her to return to normal, and reminded her that it was her own choice not to kill Forge. Magik reverted back to a normal girl. They all quietly tip-toed back downstairs where they noticed Magneto was wearing his old villain's armour. They discussed how caught up in the Hellfire Club's affairs he had been lately, and they suspected that it would only be bad news.

Meanwhile in an alien space craft orbitting the Earth, a creature pawed at a poster of Lila Cheney. It then pawed at a white alien girl called Gosamyr. It referred to all other lives as 'it' instead of 'he' or 'she', and claimed to have some sort of contractual hold over Lila.

Note: The events of this story are followed by The New Mutants Super-Sized Annual #4. The main story in the New Mutants part of The Evolutionary War direct effects the character of Mirage.