John Allerdyce - Pyro

Pyro continued walking through the busy city streets, ignoring the suspicious looks and whispered comments he attracted. He knew he must be back at the X-Mansion, where Professor X and the other X-Men had probably already noticed his absence.

But something inside him rebelled against the idea of ​​returning to that gilded prison, luxurious as it was. Inside, he was just another mutant expected to follow orders and protect reluctant humanity. Outside the Mansion, he finally had the freedom to be who he truly was.

Pyro passed through a dark alley and leaned against the dirty wall, pulling a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit one with a snap of his fingers and took a long drag, tasting the acrid taste of tobacco mixed with the smoke of flaming power.

— Screw the X-Mansion — he said aloud, exhaling smoke rings. — — They don't know what it's like to truly live.

He knew he was playing with fire—literally. But in that moment, surrounded by the heat and darkness of the city, Pyro felt alive like never before in the Mansion. Free to be evil, free to be bad.