Imperio!

The second of the three Unforgivable Curses from his past life, the Imperius Curse, seized control of the soul.

At the tip of Sebastian's wand, a faint green light flickered to life.

This light, like the grasping hand of a soul-reaping grim reaper, slowly drew the President's soul from his body.

Wisps of gray-white mist seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, thread by thread, converging at the wand's tip.

There, they coalesced into a tiny humanoid figure, which was wholly absorbed by Sebastian's wand.

The Imperio curse, in Sebastian's past life, was merely a dark spell to control its victim's actions.

In this life, it had evolved into a true soul-seizing incantation. When cast, the spell extracted the soul of one or more targets, drawing it into Sebastian's wand, where it became entirely subject to his command.

A body stripped of its soul became a hollow shell—a walking corpse indistinguishable from a living person. It could mimic joy, sorrow, or anger, but within, it harbored no true emotion, only absolute obedience to the one who held its soul.

Such a person would carry out any order without the slightest hesitation.

Of course, this immense power was the most taxing of the past-life spells Sebastian had mastered.

Fortunately, its effects were impressive, and its potency justified the significant energy cost.

"Reduce the number of Sentinels as much as possible," Sebastian instructed the President, "and secretly investigate the Debarli. It's highly likely that Debarli are present within the White House, and the military's upper ranks are certainly infiltrated by them.

In all your actions, prioritize your own safety and ensure no one discovers what you're doing. Finally, provide me with detailed intelligence on the Washington Sentinel Research Institute."

"My lord," the President asked, his voice devoid of resistance, "if I find the Debarli, how should I proceed?"

"Do not act rashly," Sebastian replied. "If those creatures sense danger, they're likely to respond with extreme measures. Your role is to investigate and identify them. Once you've confirmed their identities, leave the information for me. I'll deal with them personally."

"Understood," the President said.

"Good," Sebastian continued. "If anything arises, call to me in your mind."

With that, Sebastian took the intelligence documents the President handed him. He snapped his fingers, dispelling the barrier, unraveling the azure light that had isolated the room. Then, casting he transformed into a vortex of blue starlight and vanished.

At that moment, the door to the President's office burst open. Two elite soldiers, guns drawn, rushed in. Seeing the President unharmed, they exhaled in relief.

Had anything happened to him, they would have been held accountable. With the President safe, they could finally relax.

"Mr. President, you triggered the alarm earlier. Is everything alright?" one of the agents asked.

The President nodded, responding as he always had. "No issues, everything's normal. I accidentally bumped the alarm while picking something up from the floor. Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, sir," the agent replied. "We'll leave you to it, Mr. President."

The two agents exited the office, and the President lowered his head, resuming his work as if nothing had occurred.

-------------------------

Sebastian sat in a café, sipping coffee and nibbling on cake. He couldn't help but appreciate the era's flavors—free from the industrialized tang of his future world, they were natural and refreshing. He savored the sensation.

Beneath his seat, deep underground, lay the core Sentinel Research Institute. It housed the original Sentinel prototype, Sebastian's target for destruction, and the captive mutants, including Hank.

Sebastian had already contacted Charles via the runed crystal, arranging to open a portal for the mutants once he successfully infiltrated the facility.

Meanwhile, Charles was coordinating with Erik. The X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants would unite to confront their shared enemy: the Sentinels.

The magic of Sebastian's past life might be less effective against Sentinels or steel constructs, but against humans, it was an unparalleled weapon. Spells like Legilimens and Imperio—mind-reading and soul-seizing—ensured that few could keep secrets from him.

Finishing his coffee and half the cake, Sebastian paid the bill and headed to the café's restroom.

There, he cast Animagus, transforming into a death raven, then shifted into Phase Form, his body becoming ethereal.

He sank through the floor, gliding through the thick earth until he reached the underground research institute.

Upon arriving, Sebastian noticed something peculiar. He had previously been unable to sense Hank and the others, but now their presence was clear. The institute's outer shell must be made of a special material that blocked supernatural detection and communication.

Fortunately, the crystal he'd given Charles allowed them to stay connected, or coordination would have been impossible.

Hank and the others were located in the northeast direction.

Confirming their position, Sebastian remained in Phase Form, gliding through the walls toward their location, his form untouchable by physical barriers.

At the same time, Hank, weakened by another round of brutal experiments, lay restrained by a mutant-power suppression device. Powerless to resist, he closed his eyes, cherishing a rare moment of rest.

He knew Charles and the others were coming for him. His only task was to survive until they arrived.

As Hank drifted toward sleep, a wisp of black smoke seeped from the wall, coiling onto his shoulder and faintly forming the shape of a crow.

A familiar voice sounded in his ear. "Hank, giving up already? That's not like you."

Hank recognized the voice instantly but reacted swiftly. Squinting at the guards outside his transparent cell, he feigned a sleepy roll, enduring the pain from his experiment-induced wounds to turn his back toward the wall.

There, he saw a crow formed of black smoke. Stunned for a moment, he quickly realized who it was.

"Sebastian?" he whispered.

"Of course it's me," the voice replied.

"Sebastian, where are you? How did you find me?"

"Where am I?" Sebastian said. "I'm right in front of you. This crow made of black smoke? That's me!"