The constant hum of the jet engines was the only sound that could be heard , a soft undertone beneath the soft murmur of voices. Aether sat quietly, his crimson eyes flicking between the passengers. Cyclops was at the helm, focused on the sky ahead. Jean Grey sat opposite him, her gaze occasionally lingering. Storm walked toward him with a small bundle of clothes in hand.
"We can't have you going around naked, handsome ."Storm said with a teasing smile, handing over the outfit.
Aether glanced at it than back at her . Without a word he touched the fabric , shadows emerged from his hand consuming
It and reshaping it into a tight-fitting black shirt, white baggy training pants with a black belt weaved through the waist, and black martial arts slippers, similar to Toji Fushiguro's attire.
' this returns some memories, it's been truly a long time '
Jean blinked " did you just reconstruct the clothes"
Aether gave a faint smile. "Yes. I devoured it since I don't like synthetic texture"
"Technically, it was a breakdown absorption reconstruction sequence. Corrected shinra
' But devour is punchier .'
"So you eat clothes?" cyclops muttered from his seat.
Aether looked at him. " I guess you can say so, it is just more effective "
Storm chuckled. "Alright, Mr. Drama. You clean up well, but what is your name."
Logan, leaning near the back, finally spoke. "And gonna explain what happened there, or are we gonna keep guessing?"
Aether's expression didn't shift, but he nodded.
"You may call me aether, I was experimented on . They wanted to create the perfect weapon. I suppose they succeeded."
A deafening silence filled the jet
" They injected me with the blood of a cursed clan and remnants of a monster from the Heian era called sukuna they even used the super soldier serum and Genes from other mutants
Jean blinked. " Sukuna...as in the king of Curses? "
He nodded internally surprised. " They wanted to create something beyond human. A weapon. A god. Something that transcended mortal evolution."
Storm frowned. " And you destroyed the lab?"
Aether's voice was low. "I woke up. Realized what I was. Then I broke out. They tried to stop me. So I turned the island into a void."
"The boy can bite I will give him that " Logan leaned back arms crossed
Storm smirked. " He's got a lot more than that."
Jean gave her a sideways glance. " Ororo , now is not the time ."
Aether raised an eyebrow, slightly amused." Do you guys always flirt during interrogation
"Only with guests built like Greek gods ,"Storm said with a grin
Jean laughed, but there was something else in her gaze now something thoughtful. Maybe it was sympathy. Maybe curiosity. Maybe... both.
The mood shifted. Warmed.
Beast tapped a few controls on the console. "We'll be arriving at Xavier's shortly. You'll be safe there."
Aether's gaze lingered on the clouds outside.
Safe. He wasn't sure what that meant anymore. But this… this wasn't a bad start.
—FIRST POV—
The X jet landed softly on a hidden landing strip behind the estate as I stepped into the grass for the first time in this life the air had a fresh smell unlike the lab and the facility , the sun bathed the mansion grounds in a warm light. Students moved about, practicing, laughing, living.
Storm and Jean gave me a quick tour. Bobby, Kitty, and Jubilee these all are faces I recognized
'It seems I am still early in the story'
We passed classrooms, training areas, even the garden where Beast was tending to rare flora. The mood was calm, even joyful. For a moment, i almost let my guard down.
When we reached the professor's office storm gave me a pat on the shoulder
"Don't worry he just wants to talk to you alone "
Shinra: "Caution advised. Xavier is a psychic. Permission to block all intrusive probes?"
" Granted "
I knocked thrice before hearing a voice telling me to enter . So I opened the door and stepped inside
Xavier sat on his chair smiling gently like a grandfather
" Aether welcome, please sit and make yourself comfortable "
I sat in front of him with a straight posture
"You are among family now. This school is a sanctuary for those born different. We help them learn, control, thrive."
I let him finish speaking not surprised at all by his attempt
"You have suffered. Been used. But here, you can grow on your own terms "
Shinra: "He's afraid of you. He knows Magneto would use you to start a war."
Aether: "just as I suspected he's trying to win me with compassion."
Shinra: "He believes if he shows you empathy first, he can delay the fire."
I gave him a slow nod. "I understand. And I appreciate your kindness. I... want to find peace."
Xavier smiled. "Then you are welcome here."
I gave him a nod of gratitude before leaving the office...
Shinra: *"Well played, Master. He believes you now."
Aether: *"Good. Let him."
—TIME SKIP—
After finishing the exploration storm took me
To the danger room
"This room is made out of vibranium it can regenerate and capable of handling anything you throw at it"
' Vibranium huh? I wonder how they got this much. Did wakanda or .S.H.I.L.D help them '
" So you use this room to train your heavy hitters
"Pretty much, get ready we are going to start the simulation"
Just as she finished explaining a projection of a giant golem made of iron appeared.
It stood at a staggering 10 meters height and it's limbs extended even more than that , at the top of it's head a red gem glowed brightly , probably a weakness for people to exploit, not that I will need it
" That is true master, you are the strongest "
' I thought you were proud for a second there'
"Negative. I am unable to feel emotions "
' Right…'
Focusing back on the task ahead I took a stance that will make anyone who has watched anime happy ,legs are wide to give a stable base, one hand is in front of me to be able to intercept incoming attacks, and the other hand is behind so i can throw my weight behind it on the attack. It's Vegeta's iconic pose in his fight with Goku
The fight started with the golem throwing the first punch, for someone of that size it's surprising the amount of speed it had . leaning towards the side I touched the extended arm
"Cleave"
The golem's arm shredded to multiple pieces but almost instantly it stitched it's self back together
" Not bad, not bad indeed. "
The giant now fuming with rage lached out trying to squish me only to get stopped by the infinity around me
"What is wrong? Unable to touch me?"
I taunted playfully only to get more punches thrown at me
"Let me help you" extending my hand to catch his attack with my other hand I throw a blue amped punch that destroyed the golem internally and knocking him back a few meters
"Durable aren't you then catch this Cursed Technique Lapse : blue - Maximum Output "
There was no need to chant out the technique It is an overkill
A blue singularity unlike the others had appeared in it's center lays a dark core like void that is out place. It was an attempt at combining blue with devour , as it raced through the air tearing through space bending everything around it the golem tried resisting the pull to no avail he was torn apart and sucked by the pseudo black hole
Moments after defeating the giant a bunch of drones that shot out rockets and energy beams, using devour i absorbed the incoming attacks and extended my hand throwing out countless small slashes that ripped the drones into bits
" Dismantle "
"Okay that is enough for now" storm voice echoed through the room "you can rest for now "Storm leaned on a wall, arms crossed. Psylocke whistled lowly
Shinra: " That was Flawless master. Should I log this as a courtship display?"
Aether: "...No."
After the simulation, we shared laughs. Even I let my guard down.
Later, on the lawn, i sat watching Bobby freeze a soda into a slushie.
Suddenly I caught a soda can thrown at me
Jean sat next to me a small smile plastered on her face. "You're fitting in quickly."
"I hope so . I do really enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. "
"For now." She muttered while sipping on her drink
I gave her a long look to which she smirked
"I won't be having a peaceful time won't I"
" No you won't "
" God damnit "