The X-Mansion hummed with tension after Magneto's attack. Bill sat in the war room with Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine, strategizing defenses. His comics memories painted a grim picture—Apocalypse's rise, the Phoenix's chaos—but Magneto's threat loomed closest. Lily trained downstairs with Beast, her fire growing steadier, while Clara helped fortify windows, her hands steady despite the fear in her eyes.A sudden tremor shook the ground—not magnetic, but raw, elemental. Bill's Wolverine senses caught a scent: stone, sulfur, something alien. He bolted outside, family in tow, as a rift tore open the lawn—a swirling purple portal, like the Nether's glow from Minecraft, a game he'd loved in his past life.From it emerged Mystique, flanked by Pyro and a hulking figure in obsidian armor—Blockbuster, a mutant Bill didn't recall from comics. "Magneto sends his regards," Mystique sneered. "The girl comes with us."Bill's anger flared, but exhaustion weighed him down—too many templates, too fast. Then the portal pulsed, and a new emotion surged: ingenuity, the will to build and endure. The system chimed:
"New Template Unlocked: Steve (Minecraft). Resource manipulation and crafting abilities enhanced."His body shifted—jeans and a blue shirt replaced his torn clothes, a pixelated sheen shimmering over him. Instinct took over. He punched the ground, dirt exploding into his hands, and in a blink, crafted a stone sword—crude, blocky, but razor-sharp. "You're not taking her," he growled.Pyro laughed, hurling flames, but Bill swung the sword, absorbing the heat into it—Minecraft logic bending reality. He charged, slashing Pyro's arm, then punched a tree, wood blocks stacking into a shield. Mystique shifted into Clara, taunting, but Bill's comics-honed paranoia saw through it—Wolverine's senses confirmed her scent. He webbed her with Spider-Man's agility, then used Steve's crafting to encase her in a dirt cage.Blockbuster roared, smashing forward. Bill switched to Hulk briefly, staggering him, then back to Steve, crafting a TNT block from scavenged debris. He lit it with Lily's stray spark—her fire now a tool—and the explosion sent Blockbuster reeling. The portal flickered, and the Brotherhood retreated, Mystique's glare promising vengeance.Lily ran to him, awestruck. "Dad, you're… Minecraft?""Guess so," he said, the template fading. Clara hugged him, laughing despite herself. "You're full of surprises."The system noted:
"Host emotional state: Resourceful. New template mastered: Steve. Recommendation: Utilize crafting for defense."Bill grinned. "Let's build something stronger."