Just as Theron uttered the words, the green, foul liquid continued to rise up until it was close to his esophagus. Xavier gasped for breath, struggling with all his might but the paralysis still held him in place.
He screamed internally, since his mouth wasn't allowed to speak.
'Dammit, I can't die here.' He thought in panic. 'I just can't. I've not had my revenge yet.'
The green liquid rose higher, swallowing Xavier's body in its suffocating embrace. It was cold, heavy, and alive—seeping into his pores, crawling into his veins, trying to rewrite him from the inside out. His chest burned, his muscles spasmed, and his vision blurred as the runes etched into the pod's glass flared with sickly light.
The scientist leaned close, his grin wide, his voice dripping with zeal.
"Don't fight it. You should be grateful. You're paving the path to evolution. Soon, you'll be more than human. You'll be perfect."
Xavier's fists clenched against the restraints. His lungs screamed for air, but his spirit refused to yield. Perfect? No. This was mutilation. This was erasure. He could feel the liquid gnawing at his identity, whispering promises of power if he surrendered. But surrender meant becoming one of the broken husks chained to the walls. It meant losing himself forever.
"No…" he growled, bubbles escaping his mouth as the fluid covered his face. "I… won't…"
The pod's needles pierced his skin, injecting streams of volatile energy. His body convulsed, his veins glowing faintly green. The transformation was beginning. His bones ached as if they were being reshaped, his mind flickered with alien thoughts, and for a moment he felt himself slipping—his humanity dissolving into something monstrous.
But then—deep inside—something stirred.
The Zenrokushu Gauntlets.
Though stripped from him, their bond was not broken. He felt them, faint but insistent, pulsing like a heartbeat in the distance. They resonated with his defiance, amplifying his will. A spark of blue light flickered across his chest, clashing against the green corruption. The runes on the pod stuttered, their glow faltering.
The scientist frowned, tapping the glass. "Interesting. You resist more than most. But resistance is futile. The pod will consume you."
Xavier's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with blue arcs. He thrashed against the restraints, every muscle screaming, every nerve aflame. The pod trembled. Cracks spiderwebbed across the glass. The green liquid churned violently, as if recoiling from his defiance.
"I… am not… yours!" he roared, his voice muffled but powerful, vibrating through the chamber.
The chained mutants stirred, some lifting their heads, their hollow eyes flickering with recognition. The scientist stepped back, his grin fading into irritation. "Impossible. No one resists the metamorphosis. You're supposed to break."
But Xavier didn't break.
He burned.
Blue lightning surged from his body, clashing with the green liquid in a storm of energy. The pod's runes flickered wildly, unable to contain the opposing forces. The restraints strained, metal groaning under the pressure. The chamber filled with the sound of cracking glass and humming power.
The Demaranian stepped forward, her yellow eyes narrowing. "He resists," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "This animal is different."
The scientist sneered. "Different or not, he'll be mine. Evolution cannot be denied."
But Xavier's defiance only grew stronger. His humanity, his rage, his refusal to be erased—it all coalesced into a single, unyielding force. The pod shook violently, alarms blaring across the chamber. The green liquid boiled, unable to claim him.
And then—
CRACK.
A fracture split the pod's glass.
The scientist's eyes widened.
Xavier's voice thundered through the chamber, raw and defiant:
"I will not become your fucking monster!"
The fracture in the pod widened, jagged lines spreading like veins across the glass. The green liquid churned violently, boiling against Xavier's skin as if enraged by his resistance. His body convulsed, caught between two forces—the corruption trying to claim him, and the raw surge of power awakening deep within.
Theron's grin faltered. He slammed a fist against the console.
"Contain him! Increase the infusion rate!"
The runes on the pod flared brighter, needles driving deeper into Xavier's flesh, pumping more of the vile substance into his veins. His muscles screamed, his bones felt like they were splintering, and his vision flickered with images of the mutants chained around him—what he would become if he failed.
But Xavier refused.
He clenched his fists, forcing his body to move against the restraints. Sparks of blue lightning danced across his skin, colliding with the green glow in a violent storm. The pod shook, alarms blaring, the machines around him stuttering under the clash of energies.
The Demaranian stepped closer, her towering form radiating menace. Her yellow eyes narrowed, watching him with a mix of curiosity and hunger.
"He resists," she said, her voice low, vibrating through the chamber. "No subject has ever resisted this far."
Theron snarled, sweat dripping down his temple.
"He's not resisting—he's malfunctioning! He'll break like the rest!"
But Xavier's voice thundered through the liquid, muffled yet undeniable:
"I… am not… yours!"
The restraints snapped.
Metal bent and tore as blue lightning surged outward, shattering the pod's interior. The green liquid exploded in a wave, spilling across the floor in a steaming flood. The glass cracked once more—then shattered completely, shards raining down as Xavier burst free.
He collapsed onto the floor, drenched, gasping for air. His body trembled, veins glowing faintly blue, his eyes sparking with residual energy. He was battered, but alive. More than alive—unchanged. Untaken.
The mutants chained to the walls stirred, their hollow eyes flickering with something new. Hope. Recognition. The scientist stumbled back, his manic grin replaced with fury.
"No… no! You were supposed to be the first! The prototype! The proof!"
Xavier rose slowly, his chest heaving, his fists clenched.
"You wanted to erase me," he growled, lightning crackling across his arms. "But I'm still fucking here."
The Demaranian's smile returned, sharp and cruel.
"Interesting," she whispered. "Perhaps you are worth more than I thought."
The chamber trembled, machines sparking, alarms screaming. Xavier stood in the wreckage of the pod, defiant, his body radiating raw power. He had resisted the metamorphosis. He had broken their design.
And now, he was ready to fight back.