A chilling sensation pierced him. It wasn't pain, not exactly, but a profound coldness that seemed to aim directly for the core of his being.
He felt a fleeting, impossible pull, as if something ancient and immensely powerful was attempting to destroy his very soul.
The attempt failed, of course, but the sheer audacity of it, the raw, unyielding force behind it, left him momentarily stunned.
It felt as if he had brushed against Death itself.
A figure coalesced before him, a woman of ethereal beauty and terrifying power.
Her eyes, pools of cosmic darkness, narrowed as they locked onto Sullivan.
This was no mere cosmic entity; this was Death.
An almost imperceptible flicker of annoyance crossed her timeless features.
"Still immune, I see," her voice, a whisper that echoed through the vastness of space, held a cutting edge.
"You truly are your grandfather's kin, Sullivan. How... irritating."
Before Sullivan could respond, the air shimmered, not with the gentle energy of his portals, but with the raw, untamed fury of a supernova.
Jean Grey, wreathed in the blazing glory of the Phoenix Force, tore through the cosmic veil.
Her eyes, molten gold, fixed on Death with an intensity that promised annihilation.
"Get away from our mate,"
Jean's voice, amplified by the Phoenix, boomed with a protective wrath that shook the very fabric of existence.
"He is ours, and you will not touch him."
…
Death's already faint flicker of annoyance deepened, morphing into an almost imperceptible scowl that marred her perfect features.
The Phoenix Force, that insufferable cosmic anomaly, was a constant thorn in her timeless existence.
It defied her, cheated her, and now, it dared to lay claim to a being who should, by all rights, be hers.
Even though she tried to kill him to control his soul. He was still her betrothal.
The audacity! A low, resonant hum, barely audible, vibrated through the cosmic void – the sound of pure, unadulterated cosmic irritation.
Death's gaze shifted from the blazing inferno of the Phoenix to Sullivan, a new, unsettling glint entering her cosmic eyes.
A slow, chilling smile, utterly devoid of warmth, stretched across her lips.
If the Phoenix believed she held ultimate dominion over him, Death would disabuse her of that notion.
What greater irritation could she inflict upon her ancient adversary than to snatch away the very being she sought to protect?
Sullivan, she mused, could be a most exquisite pawn in her timeless game.
A wave of cosmic allure washed over Sullivan, an irresistible pull that sought to unravel his very being.
It was a charm born of eternity, woven from forgotten desires and whispered promises, designed to make even the most resolute soul surrender.
Death's eyes, now shimmering with an unholy invitation, held a seductive promise of ultimate peace, an end to all struggle.
"Come, Sullivan," her voice, now a silken caress, attempted to coil around his will. "Embrace the void. Embrace me."
But Sullivan, who had brushed against oblivion and walked away, felt only a profound sense of wrongness.
The coldness that had first pierced him returned, but this time it was not debilitating; it was a shield.
His grandfather's legacy, a stubborn refusal to yield, resonated deep within him.
He met Death's cosmic gaze with an unwavering resolve, a silent rejection that vibrated with raw, unyielding life.
The allure, immense as it was, simply shattered against his spirit.
He remained, utterly, completely, immune.
"Daga kotowaru! Kuso Baba!"
(I refused! You ugly grandmother!)
Death was shocked because she did not understand Japanese. However, she could tell that it was an insult.
Normally, she was an all speaker.
However, when it came out of Sullivan's mouth. If she didn't know Japanese. She would never understand.