NOVEL NEXT Chapter 037 – Mortal God
[2009 – June]
The Phoenix Force wasn't just a source of immeasurable power and destruction like most beings that knew about it believed.
Of course, it wasn't wrong to call it an omnipotent being with a great capacity for annihilation, but that wasn't where its origin – its purpose – lay.
At its core, it was a force that governed life, and with life also came death, as was only natural. Rebirth being the concept it identified the most with, as it combined these two aspects of reality perfectly.
And while the Phoenix didn't meddle with mortal matters normally, when it came to the being that was closest to her and was destined to take over her mantle as the incarnation of rebirth, things were a bit different.
Jean Grey was the name of the fated host of her power and the Phoenix had already waited an eternity for her, as only by handing over her everything to Jean, could she finally move on from this material plane to another.
Though the longer she had watched her successor's life, the more unsettled and discontented she became, watching the old telepath blocking the girl from accessing her connection to the Phoenix Force.
Several times the Phoenix Force had nearly lost its composure and was about to turn that whole world into ashes and forcefully awaken her power in the young girl, but in the end, she had relented.
Not because she cared about the lives of a few billion insignificant mortals, but because the Phoenix didn't want to scar the young girl's heart any more than necessary.
Already was Jean afraid of hurting those around her when she didn't even wield more than a drop of the ocean of power that dwelled inside of her.
Still, the Phoenix Force knew that eventually nature would take its course and the mental barriers would be broken through one after another, forcing Jean to try and get a hold of the endless power within her.
It was inevitable. Like the mortals said, paper cannot contain fire.
The problem was that Jean had no experience whatsoever in controlling the Phoenix Force, nor did she even know of its existence. The Phoenix knew that this would probably be the cause of some very destructive consequences when she finally awakened to her power.
The cosmic entity naturally worried about her successor, but it also knew that this was simply unavoidable – a necessary process, as things stood.
It was then that a change occurred that caused great surprise to sprout in the eternal being's heart.
A mortal god had appeared.
A being with inborn powers of creation that with time would even allow the mortal to ascend into the ranks of higher beings, much like itself. Furthermore, it was a mortal god with knowledge about the Phoenix Force and its relationship with Jean.
The being's soul also had a strange and powerful 'scent' to it that blocked even the Phoenix's senses from finding out more about its origin, though some parts of his mind were still easily accessible to her.
And Jean had also fallen in love with exactly that being.
Seeing this as the incredible chance it was, the Phoenix decided it was finally time to stop letting the bald telepath have his way with her successor's mind and started to slowly demolish these barriers on its own, hoping that the mortal god would not let her down and help Jean accept her true power.
If his genuine love and care for her successor was any indication though then there was nothing to fear about his chances of success.
…
Sitting in the armchair before the small coffee table with Jean in my lap, we fed each breakfast, which mainly consisted of some toast with cream cheese, carrots, a few strips of bacon, and orange juice.
She had just finished telling me about yesterday's events, her eyes still carrying a sorrowful look.
Apparently Jean had gone with Ororo, Scott, Kurt, and Rogue to pick up a young mutant girl that Charles had found with Cerebro. A rather normal mission and something they had done several times already.
Though what they had found when they had arrived, nearly caused her to lose control.
The small girl had been critically injured by her parents after they had found out she was a mutant. Additionally, the girl had seemingly been abused for years by them, with clear signs of malnutrition and violence showing on her underdeveloped form.
The girl's mutation wasn't of offensive nature, with her merely being able to change her hair color at will, so she couldn't defend herself even against baseline humans like her parents.
They had arrived on time to save the girl, but what Jean had 'seen' and 'felt' had nearly caused her to kill the parents, so Rogue had to use her power and incapacitate Jean for a moment, as they had forced her to regain her calm before leaving with the girl.
It had been an altogether traumatic experience for her and the righteous anger she had felt at that time, not only directed at the parents but also at her teammates, Ororo, and Charles, had made her seek comfort with me.
I had listened silently as she had told me of the events, not willing to comment on Charle's flawed ideology.
“What would you have done?”, Jean asked quietly, after having finished her retelling.
Sighing audibly, I answered honestly: “I would have killed them.”
Jean looked at me in surprise after hearing my answer.
“You would have? Why? Because they were bad people?”, she questioned further.
"No. I would have taken their lives because I would much rather live with their blood on my hands, than the knowledge that they may repeat what they had done with another child. It's not about them being bad people and deserving death. It's about consequences, Jean.”
“I could live with the burden of having taken their lives, but knowing I could have stopped them from hurting someone again and not having done so, is a much harsher truth to live with.", I stated calmly.
Jean didn't respond as she closed her eyes and leaned against me, her face buried in the crook of my neck as she left a gentle kiss and whispered almost inaudibly: "Thank you."
Wrapping my arms around her, we sat there in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence, before I asked: "Do you have anything planned for the day?"
"Only team practice for two hours in the afternoon. You?", Jean answered, while grabbing my hand and interweaving our fingers.
"Training in the gym.", I said while raising our connected hands and placing a kiss on hers, causing a beautiful smile to appear on her lips.
“Aren't you still sore from yesterday's training?”, she asked with minor surprise.
"Did it feel like I was sore when I ravished you in the shower?", I remarked roguishly.
Her cheeks turning rosy, Jean voiced out raspily: “Not at all.”
Smiling down at her, I placed a quick kiss on her lips before I conjured a soundproof barrier around us and told her honestly: "My barriers aren't my only powers Jean, nor are they my original mutant ability. Also, you are the only one that knows that now, so please keep it a secret."
A frown on her gorgeous face, Jean asked in confusion: “Of course I will, but what do you mean 'original power'?”
I knew she would eventually find out as we were sure to spend a lot more time together from now on, so I decided to tell her the truth. Parts of it, anyway.
“My original power is something called Self-Creation and it allows me to create abilities for myself. My power with barriers is something I granted myself directly after the awakening of my original power, mainly to keep my mind safe from intrusion, though it is much more complex than that.”
“That … How does it work?”, Jean asked in astonishment.
“I am not sure myself. My body just naturally gathers energy and when it reaches a certain quantity, I just know that I can give myself a new power.”
I omitted the part about her flames helping me fill up my reserves, not wanting to pressure her into anything or make her feel as if I was only together with her because of them. I was going to tell her, but that was a thing for the future.
Jean didn't answer, being too dazed by my reveal. So I gave her a soft wake-up kiss as I whispered against her lips: "I told you I was going to catch up with you."
A gentle smile spread on her lips, as her gaze settled on mine.
Affection and tender joy burning in her eyes, she answered quietly: “You did.”