Chapter 86: CHAPTER 84

She knows.

"You know where I'm from?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No I don't. But I know you are not from any of the known universes my flames have spread through. So either you were from the universe that existed before this one, from the void, or the Outer." She explained which only served to confuse me more.

"Wait, how do you know that? I mean… is it like I'm broadcasting what I am to every powerful being out there?" Now this is the part where I start shitting bricks. 

"Of course." Oh God! "While your existence is carefully shielded, it by no way means there are not powers who know of your very existential being."

This was getting from bad to worse as she continued speaking. 

Who knew that my day would go from bad to worse? Literally. 

"You said shielded right? So that means not every powerful being knows about me right?" She seems to take offense to that as she squinted her eyes at me and for the life of me, I thought I died. 

"You speak of 'powerful beings', yet you can't even begin to comprehend what 'power' means. What those who shall not be named do with you is of no concern to yourself. Transcending what you call 'power' and wielding that which came first since before the void was null, if they were interested in you then you possess no right to interfere on how they view your life."

That would have been a serious burn if I were talking to someone of my level or someone I could one day hope to beat, but her? It was as bitter as it always is… truth. 

"So it concerns you not what plans they have for you." She finished. "The only way would be to exist above them."

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle as he said that and looked at her. "You think that's possible?"

"It is not a probable impossibility but rather a true one. No matter what sort of existence you become, it would never matter as they would still exist above you."

"Figured it so." I just plopped down on the soft grass and sat there as I watched the skies. This experience was… humbling. An eye opener. 

As I sat on the ground, a memory came to me. One of me in a cell, pledging me worthless life to whoever brought me here. Only now was I comprehending the meaning of that choice as she stood near me. 

She who could reduce this entire galaxy to flames, such a being was the one telling me just how worthless my life was to them. And no matter how I whined or despaired, it was still the truth. What was I to do about it anyway? Rebel? Psh please. 

I was fine being a pawn but the least choice they gave me was to determine my worth. And that I was thankful for. So rather than being someone, a piece, who could be moved at any convenience, I'd rather be an important one. They did give me the ability to Adapt and Evolve after all. 

I looked at her one more time and asked her. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Curiosity. It is not every lifetime one sees a being from the Outer."

Right?? So she drew me out of the state I was in just to satisfy her curiosity. Gotcha. 

"I had wondered what an Outer like you would have since the very few I've seen between universes had something to them… something entertaining, as they'd judge. But yours seems mundane." She spoke with the same curiosity she told me as the reason they made her bring me here.

I didn't ask who the 'they' that she was talking about meant because I for one didn't want to know. 

"I don't know what classifies as impressive to you but I do have the ability to Adapt and Evolve." I told her but the look she gave me was one you'd give to an idiot. 

"Don't all sentient beings have the ability to Adapt and Evolve? While it is true that yours has a higher chance of success, it does not however make it noteworthy. A majority of this planet is evolving as we speak, some in minute ways not worth mentioning, while others in ways some of your kind would consider monumental. But at the end of it all, they are all still evolving. Adapting and Evolving is not what I'd consider an ability but rather a free gift."

I didn't know talking with an omnipotent being would be this… faceslapping. 

Here I am trying to show what meagre amount of worth I had to someone who didn't even care if I died the next minute and here she is telling me what amounts to me breathing and thinking it's a special ability I have above everyone else. 

But I've never been anything if not humble(what, you think I'm not? Please). Even kings bow. 

"So what you are trying to say is that, my ability is something else?"

"Yes. Though it is either influencing your species ability to evolve or vice versa. You've been using it for quite a while now judging by the energy you emit." She clarified. 

Okay say what now? 

"So you mean to say I've been using that, my, ability all this while without me knowing?" I was flabbergasted.

"That it would seem."

"So do you like… know what it is? My other ability I mean." I asked her with hope. Telling me wou-

"Yes I do, but I'd rather refrain from telling you what it is." She just cut down that train of thought as soon as it kicked into gear. 

"Why?!"

"I'd rather not want to get involved with someone else's games. Beings like us don't like it when others interfere with our plans." She said. 

This version of the Phoenix was different from what I had expected. My expectations were ranging from that of an angry bird to a girl suffering from an all powerful alter ego but this one was more level headed. 

"So you just called me over to satisfy your curiosity? Just like that?" I didn't know what I was expecting but I knew it was more. More validation as she was the only one who had any kind of clue as to where I came from. 

I wasn't interested in going back, gods no, but I just thought maybe she could help me… I don't know, maybe point me in a way than me running around aimlessly in this fuck-verse. 

"Well you did beseech me not to destroy this planet. I thought it would be more fitting to meet you in person." She told me with the same indifferent gaze she had since the beginning. 

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"Thanks, I think. For not destroying this blue ball." I gave her my sincere thanks. 

"I wasn't planning on destroying it in the first place." She said. "This planet has more to offer than what others would think. While destroying it wouldn't have been anything monumental, the fact that you are here and given its history and secrets, I think it would be amusing to watch until it comes to an end in the next few thousand years." 

I somehow had managed not to show much of a reaction any time she casually talked about destroying the planet nor the planet's eminent demise. Saves my mental health that way. 

"Are you leaving anytime soon?" I asked her. 

"Yes. There are places I must be in the vast multiverse."

"Is she gone? Jean Grey." I just wanted to know even when I knew the most likely answer. 

"There was no way for her to dominate my existence. The consciousness known as Jean Grey is no more." She said in the same flat tone as she had been talking with. "Did you have some affections for the owner of this vessel?"

"No. It kinda feels like I owe her." I let out a breath before cursing myself at what I was attempting to do next. "Would you mind visiting them, not for anything but just telling them goodbye. She meant a lot to them, you should know that don't you?" 

She fell silent for a while which did nothing good for my nervousness. "Alright. I have seen how they care for her, though I don't understand how, I understand why."

"Thank you." I let out a breath as my shoulders relaxed. 

"Think nothing of it. Although inadvertently, you did facilitate my rebirth to come this quickly. Take it as my last gratitude." I didn't understand what she meant by that but I accepted it nonetheless. 

I felt like I was forgetting something but since I couldn't remember it even with my enhanced memories, I shrugged it off. 

"How are we going t- oh, I forgot about that." And just like that, she picked both me and my car and the next thing I knew was that I was in front of the Mansion. 

And not just me, but all the X-Men that were out looking for Jean. It literally took less than 2 seconds and we are in front of the Mansion  even with members of the X-Men scattered all around the state, it still didn't mean anything to her. 

"Jean!" I turned and saw Scott running towards her with a look of unquantifiable relief. I wanted to warn him but this was just the perfect chance to see if there was still a part of Jean Grey left. 

Scott stopped moving a feet away from Jean, even his expressions were paused. This kind of psychic display was astonishing. It wasn't just his body that she held but even the blood and his thoughts. The individual known as Scott has stopped working.

She could stretch a second of his psyche to eternity if she wanted with just a thought and this wasn't even a tenth of a percentile of what she could do. 

"Jean?" Ororo called out with hesitation as she made her way towards her. She only got a raised brow from Jean and nothing else. 

"So no one is going to speak about the fact that we were just zapped from across the state to our home in seconds? No? Cool." Bobby muttered off to the side but he was elbowed by Kitty which made him keep quiet. 

"Red is that you?" Logan asked. By this time we had already gathered a small crowd in front of the gate which had notified those inside the Mansion as I could see Hank pushing a bandaged Charles towards us. 

"Jean, talk to us please!" The freed Scott tried calling out to her but she just straight out ignored everyone and turned to look at me. 

"Is this enough?" I resisted the urge to face-palm since I should have known it wasn't going to be this easy. 

"Draul what's wrong with Red?" Logan asked with a calm voice but his eyes were saying something else entirely. 

"This is the Phoenix. The alter ego of Jean Grey… the part that Charles locked up." Everyone tensed, some had widened eyes, while some were already on the verge of crying. 

"What do you mean by that? She's still Jean right?" I honestly felt bad for the kid. Too bad this wasn't one of those verses where he had the girl of his dreams. 

"N-"

"Yes she is, but she's entirely different. You could say she's an entirely new person." I stopped the Phoenix from saying anything else that would break the boy's mental state further and let him down with a way to get over it. 

"What do you mean Draul?" The grip Ororo held my hands with told me she had an idea on what happened and the way her eyes were glossing with tears just made me feel worst but this was better. 

At least they had a form of goodbye. 

"She is not the same Jean that you all knew. She is an entirely different person with new memories, new goals, new life… and new feelings." Their faces went pale the more I talked and it didn't help how Jean's face didn't betray any emotion. She looked as impassive as she ever was. 

"Jean." Charles called out as he rolled himself forward towards his students. 

I am not ashamed to say that I forgot about the bad blood between Jean and Charles. 

"For what it's worth… I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I should have told you about what I did to you and for that, I am truly sorry. My shortsightedness deprived you of your choice and…" Even Charles couldn't help but break down in tears. "I'm… t-truly sorry."

"Your apologies matters not to me. He pleaded with me not to destroy you and everything you hold dear and I did not. There is no need for such exchanges between us Charles Xavier." The man broke down in tears as he was brutally shut down by the Phoenix. 

The others were too shocked to say anything. 

That alone was proof that the Jean they knew was gone. The Jean they knew would have never said anything like that to the Professor. 

"My time is almost up. I'll be leaving soon, Outsider." She spoke but it seems I was not the only one who heard that. 

"Where will you be going?" Ororo asked Jean. 

Jean looked at me for a while before she turned to Ororo. "Not somewhere you can follow. Under his pleas, I came to bid my eternal goodbye."

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