[2009 – October]
"I once invited you to stand by our side and fight to bring about a lasting change. Now that our survival is threatened by this 'vaccine', I want to invite you once again to fight side by side with your own kind, Elijah."
Hearing these words uttered by his old friend, Charles couldn't help but tense up, knowing that the young Frost was a true deciding factor, his strength alone seemingly enough to suppress everything under the sky.
Elijah though didn't seem to be moved at all by the invitation, still looking on calmly with his deep green eyes as he stood behind Emma like a silent protector.
Suddenly though the high collar of his dark sweater moved as a little black head popped out from behind it.
Hooting softly, the little creature, which turned out to be an infant owl, reached up and nipped affectionately at Elijah's chin as if to greet him with a kiss before rubbing against the skin of his neck with her tiny frame.
A hint of emotion appeared in the young Frost's indifferent eyes as this happened, his lips forming the faintest of smiles as he glanced down for a moment.
The small owlet on the other hand seemed to finally realize that there were others in the room and turned its head, her amber eyes narrowing with a fierce glint as it hid inside Elijah's collar and observed them with a look that seemed to suggest that it was pondering if it should take a bite out of them to confirm their taste.
Charles almost failed to control his expression as he sensed the intentions of the tiny avian through the ambient psionic energy since its mind was as impenetrable as Elijah's own.
The tiny owl saw them - a group of mature Omega- and Alpha-level mutants, capable of destroying cities - as nothing but possible after-tea snacks. The amber gaze gave away its incredible intelligence, so it should have understood, through its animalistic instincts, that their power was far far above its own.
And yet, there was not the faintest trace of fear in the tiny owlet's gaze and posture as if it had no understanding of this concept.
It was clearly a newborn little featherling but it had the spirit of a voracious dragon.
Its slitted gaze was penetrating and quite invasive, passing over them leisurely as if trying to find the tastiest prey amongst them, disregarding its own tiny body and obvious lack of strength. It was as if the little owl truly and utterly believed that there was no escape or chance to retaliate for any of them if it so wished.
Sensing this incredibly pure conviction and its unbending belief, Charles could only be shocked, having never seen an animal like this.
This was clearly just a little baby owl, and while mature owls were predators and supposed to be quite fierce, this little black 'chick' wasn't just fierce, it was draconic.
Those dangerous little eyes though quickly turned into crescent moons that expressed nothing but comfort and joy as the young Frost raised his hand and brushed over its feather coat with his fingers, soft hoots of happiness escaping its tiny beak as it went back to hiding away from sight inside the high collar a moment later.
Having been distracted by the small avian, Charles resettled his focus on the young man, though what he saw when he did so made a chill run down his spine.
The young Frost's sclera had turned the deepest shade of black, only his irises burning with a raging white flame as he gazed at them all with a truly demonic pair of eyes. The light around his figure seemed to dim while shadows danced.
His gaze passed over them indifferently and brought with it a horrifying sense of bareness as if the young man could peer into their very souls.
Charles found himself unable to move, his body refusing to listen to his commands while he was in the presence of something 'greater'. Worst of all though was that his telepathic abilities had been ripped from him, turning him into a normal human from one moment to another, his face paling as a sense of fright welled up in his heart.
He wasn't that dependent on his abilities like other mutants but it was still a painful blow to his confidence and sense of security. Most alarming though was that he could see Eric and his subordinates tensing up too, their eyes expressing their fear and shock.
Charles heard a painful grunt of Ororo behind him while Hank gasped in shock, so he understood that Elijah had just single-handedly stripped them all of their abilities with nothing but a look.
All of them were mature mutants and their combined strength basically should have made them unstoppable. And yet, in front of the young Frost, their incredible power was nothing but dust and smoke, entirely insignificant.
Charles couldn't help but be appalled at this, realizing that the young Frost's strength might very well rival or surpass all of mutantkind.
His mind in disarray, a single question came to him.
'Was this the strength of a true Beyond-Omega? A being so powerful that it seemed to be an entirely different existence?'
It was then that the young man took a single step forward, moving to Emma's side, who seemed completely unaffected by her brother's incomprehensible power.
Charles almost expected an attack or a demand for subordination to leave his former students' lips, almost thinking that this meeting might have just been a pretext for a chance to 'catch them all'. But he was evidently wrong as Emma just sat there quietly, looking at her younger brother calmly with a hint of endearment, no intention to use his strength for her own benefit.
Instead, it was the young Frost that parted his lips and addressed them.
"Asking me to fight a war on your behalf?", Elijah voiced out quietly as he lightly shook his head, his demonic eyes looking at them with strange serenity, "We all have our own paths to walk. I will not try to make you walk mine, so don't expect me to tread on yours."
"I am not a soldier that can carry your ideals. And neither am I a fighter that you can entrust your hopes with. I will only shoulder the burdens of my own aspirations."
"Your wars have to be fought by yourself."
"For your own good, don't depend on my help because I am not a saint.", he ended lightly before turning away to leave, his silhouette merging into the darkness as another whisper reached their ears, "If anything, I am the Devil."
A moment later, Elijah was gone and so was the pressure that he exuded and the shackles on their powers. But none of them were relieved or thankful that they weren't permanently stripped of their abilities.
A heavy silence filled the room and a lasting impression of dread was left in their hearts after the young man's disappearance, his incomprehensible strength forming a shadow in their hearts.
Charles' hands trembled as he held onto the armrests of his chair as hard as he could, trying to regain his bearings. But before he managed to completely calm himself, Emma's voice rang out quietly as she rose from her seat gracefully, her light-grey suit accentuating her soft curves.
"Asking him to fight for you?", she uttered, staring at Eric icily, "Even I would not think to do such a thing."
Shaking her head, her expression indifferent, she raised her hand to touch the black gem hanging on the delicate silver necklace around her neck and likewise disappeared the next moment in a cloud of shadows.