NOVEL NEXT Chapter 061 – The One That Wanders
[2009 – July]
Having vented her anger somewhat, the Phoenix let go of her hold on the aged telepath's mind and reined her inner fire back in after making sure that Cerebro was nothing but a hunk of molten metal and burnt cables.
Focusing its mind inwards, the cosmic entity decided that it was finally time to meet her host and inheritor.
…
Whiteness. Endless whiteness.
One moment Jean had still been in Elijah's arms, trying to cope with the painful revelations about her father and the Professor, while in the next moment she found herself standing on a white tower surrounded by white lights on all sides.
Afraid and confused about her new surroundings, Jean forced herself to calm down and reach out with her telepathy in all directions but found absolutely nothing, as no other sentient being seemed to be anywhere near her.
"You will not find any other beings here besides you and me.", an ethereal voice suddenly sounded out from behind her, causing the beautiful redhead to whirl around and ready her telekinesis for a powerful blow at who she suspected had brought her here.
What she saw however was a figure entirely consisting of bright white flames, exuding power like Jean had never felt before in another being. It was unadulterated; raw, invincible.
And yet there was a hint of gentleness and familiarity to it that made Jean instinctively relax. The young mutant felt drawn to the figure, feeling as if she was simply looking not at another being but into herself.
The being had no facial features but Jean knew that it was 'looking' at her, though she felt no hostility from the 'look' but something akin to joy and pride. It was a strange feeling as these impressions seemed not to come from what her senses picked up, telepathic and others, but from a subtle connection inside her.
"Y-You are the Phoenix Force, aren't you?", Jean realized, not needing any more hints.
“I am indeed.”, the voice sounded out again, a hint of approval in it, “And you are my host and inheritor, Jean Grey.”
"Where am I? And where is Elijah?", Jean questioned, her heart demanding her to ask about her love.
“This place exists in a separate dimension than the reality you have been living in, Jean. It is the nexus of all realities, the focal point of creation and existence. This is the White-Hot-Room, my home and my heart.”, the Phoenix answered, her words shocking Jean into a silent stupor for a moment, before she shook it off and questioned again, more firmly this time.
“And where is Elijah?”
"Still on Earth above the Statue of Liberty, as is your body.", the 'godly' existence before her replied, and Jean felt as if a smile sat on the Phoenix's nonexistent lips, "I only brought your consciousness here so that we could finally meet face to face."
“I have been waiting for you for a long time, Jean”, the Phoenix added, “And without Elijah's help, I can only guess that our first meeting would not have happened under such rather harmonious terms.”
"He is special.", Jean whispered softly, her hands raised and pressed into her chest at the mention of Elijah.
"He is.", the Phoenix agreed gently, almost as if it could see him with her - Jean's - eyes.
"From this day forward you will be able to wield my power, though learning to control it will not be an easy task. It will most likely take decades or centuries until you can truly inherit my position as the Aspect of Creation and Destruction, Rebirth and Fire.", the divine entity added, as it continued.
“Until that time comes, you can find me here. And you will know how to reach 'here' as soon as you wake up. Now though it is time for you to get back-”
“Wait!”, Jean interrupted, a question that needed an answer burning fiercely in her mind.
“When- … I mean if … If I inherit- … If I decide to inherit your power and position, can I still be together with him?”, she asked hesitantly, unsure what it meant to 'be the Phoenix'.
"What if you can't?", the Phoenix questioned calmly, its ethereal voice suddenly void of emotion.
“Then I don't want your power.”, Jean replied quietly but without hesitation.
"Why sacrifice omnipotence for him?", the manifestation of the cosmic force of creation asked, strangely sincere curiosity and innocence in its voice.
"Because he is my home.", Jean answered with a tender smile on her beautiful face, deep love shining in her eyes.
An ethereal sigh echoed through the pale-white void, as the Phoenix relented and intoned quietly with its ageless voice: “He who passes by mountains and seas, finding beauty and despair, no place hidden to his eyes. He walks the stars with eternity in his heart, freedom being his guide. He is the one that wanders, and he will never have to leave your side, little phoenix.”
…
Having seemingly only been unconscious for a few moments, I woke up laying atop the oxidized copper sheets that the surface of the Statue of Liberty was made of with Jean in my arms, pulses of heat and light shimmering beneath her skin.
She was unconscious, her bright green eyes closed as her lithe form rested atop my body. I wasn't too worried though as the Phoenix Force had not seemed to have malicious intent, and even if it did there was not much I could do in this situation considering who I was up against.
My best guess was that Jean's mind and body were adapting to the connection with the cosmic entity that had been suppressed for years, and would wake up soon. Though to be sure I opened a portal to the underground medical ward of the Hellion Mansion and sent Emma a message, asking her to meet us there as soon as possible.
For the moment, I also ignored the pulsing warmth I felt overflowing from my body in favour of taking care of Jean.
…
"You are probably right, Elijah. Her brainwaves seemed to be fluctuating between two frequencies, though the data from the EEG suggest that they are slowly merging into a singular frequency. She will most likely wake up in a few hours when her mind has finished adjusting to her awakened powers.", Emma explained calmly, as she read through the information on the datapad in her hands, wearing a light grey business suit with a white doctor's coat around her shoulders.
She may have primarily been a businesswoman, but I trusted her judgement as she was undoubtedly one of the people most knowledgeable in the field of psionic powers and telepathy. Her expertise in anything that involved the mind and mutant powers wasn't far behind Xavier's himself.
"I understand. Thanks, for everything.", I thanked Emma while standing next to the hospital bed on which Jean was resting, holding onto her small hand gently.
“It's nothing. You are my family.”, she replied with what looked like a genuine smile, though I knew that she wasn't being entirely truthful.
Emma as Headmistress, Chairperson of Frost International, and White Queen of the Hellfire Club never had even a single second to squander, so her being here automatically meant that she could not be somewhere else to take care of her various duties and tasks her positions left her with.
The fact that she set those aside for me without hesitation didn't go unnoticed by me. Whether she did this deliberately or not, I was grateful either way.
Suddenly a blaring sound rang out, originating from Emma's electrical wristband, causing a deep frown to appear on her flawless face, an icy light shining in her clear blue eyes.