š If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon! I'm offering advanced chapters there as a thank-you to readers.
--------------------
Check out advanced chapters on : patreon.com/Veni_V
---------------
"Help me? What's wrong with me?" Jean asked, her tone turning cold. Her powers were far stronger than Charles', in both telekinesis and the psychic abilities they shared. The audacity of such a weak man to think he could help her was outrageous.
"Absolutely not!" Eric shouted, voicing the exact thought in Jean's mind.
"Shut up, Eric!" Charles pleaded.
"I won't, Charles! You're always holding her back."
Sensing the danger, Charles instinctively used his powers, attempting to calm Jean's emotions with a soothing psychic wave. Instead of helping, his actions only enraged her further.
"Jean, I'm doing this for your own good..."
Bang!
The desk lamp on the table flew across the room and shattered against the wall. The front door slammed shut on its own as the entire house began to shake. Objects throughout the room levitated into the air, a clear sign that Jean's abilities were spiraling out of control.
Charles realized his attempt to calm her had been a mistake, but there was no turning back. He had to double down, pouring more psychic energy into her mind while trying to reason with her.
"Look at me, Jean, look at me. I can help you..."
He tried to comfort her, but the psychic probe she felt in her mind was met with fierce resistance. As her anger surged, her rational side began to fade.
"Get out of my head!"
"Jean! Your power is a danger to yourself and everyone around you, but I can help you!"
"Think about Scott! You nearly killed your lover because you couldn't control your powers."
"Shut up!!"
All of Charles's pleas were useless. Mutants' powers are their nature, their instinct. For most of his students, the school was a safe haven where they could freely use their abilities and be themselves.
But because of her immense power, Jean had been forced to suppress her true nature even here. Now, no matter how kind or logical Charles's words were, she wouldn't listen. She would no longer be forced to hold back.
A powerful burst of telekinesis erupted. Eric was instantly thrown back and pinned to the kitchen floor, unable to move. Charles was thrown against the wall, but he continued to pour his psychic energy into her mind, trying to suppress her rage.
Outside, Logan and Scott sensed the commotion and looked at each other before rushing into action. Eric's menāJuggernaut, among othersāalso moved.
Juggernaut put on his helmet and charged toward Logan. Unaware of the powerful mutant's true strength, Logan was caught completely off guard. He was knocked to the ground without a fight, then grabbed and slammed through the side of the house.
Scott immediately fired a blast from his visor. The other mutants on Eric's teamāone who could grow spikes and a cloneāhid from Scott's optic blasts. Only a speedster, who could also sense the location and strength of other mutants, dared to face him. In a flash, she appeared in front of Scott and punched him in the face. When he tried to retaliate, she easily dodged his laser blasts and remained completely untouched.
The battle between Logan and Juggernaut inside the house was at a standstill. Scott's fight with the speedster was also a stalemate. But inside the room, Charles was losing. With no other option, he kept using his abilities, desperately trying to get into Jean's mind.
"Let me in... Jean..."
This last attempt was the final straw. As Jean's pupils turned dark, golden flames ignited from the shadows. The human Jean had vanished, and in her place was an enraged Phoenix.
Charles's psychic ability was instantly severed. The power that had been with him his entire life disappeared in that moment. He didn't know that Jean's immense strength wasn't her own; the Phoenix Force was the cosmic embodiment of life and psychic energy. Charles's mental power, no matter how strong, was insignificant before it.
Slowly, Charles was lifted from his wheelchair, his body twisting in an unnatural way. Although he seemed unharmed on the outside, he was being gravely injured.
"No! Jean, don't!" Eric screamed, but his powers were also suppressed. His ability to control the magnetic field was gone, and he could only watch as his old friend was taken to the brink of death.
Logan and Juggernaut, whose battle had moved inside, were also caught in the telekinetic field. Their abilities weren't gone, but they were pinned to the ceiling by an immense force, unable to move.
"Ahhh!"
Suddenly, Jean screamed. She turned to see Emma Frost outside the house, using her mental powers to directly attack Jean's mind. Unlike Charles's gentle approach, Emma's direct psychic assault, combined with the element of surprise, had an effect on Jean. The pressure on Charles's body suddenly stopped.
"Glasses boy! Think of something fast! My attack won't last long!"
Scott knew Emma was talking to him, but his opponent was too quick. Her speed was no match for someone like Superman, but it was more than enough to handle Scott. He had to activate the button on his glasses to fire his optic blast, and that brief moment was all she needed to land a hit.
"So you need those glasses to use your powers, huh? I can't believe someone so weak has such a high-level ability!" the speedster taunted, full of arrogance as she completely suppressed Scott.
She rushed forward again and knocked his red crystal visor off his face with a single punch. Seeing Scott close his eyes tightly, she became even more confident.
"Looks like you're useless without them. What a weak X-Man."
"Hehe..."