[2009 – October]
Sitting cross-legged in the dark void of space, the blazing celestial giant illuminating my figure, I quietly watched the swaying 'threads' of glowing plasma that covered the surface of the sun as the consequence of the exothermic reaction during the nuclear fusion process.
I sat at merely a few hundred meters distance, lethal winds of pure solar radiation and fiery plasma-turned hydrogen and helium, as well as minor traces of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, etc., ferociously battered my form.
And yet, not even my clothes were the tiniest bit singed, muss less my indestructible physique.
Even the crushing gravity couldn't affect me as a simple ethereal shield countered the pulling force that tried to drag me into the colossal star, the strain on my mind negligible as a subconscious program kept the shield active without my explicit focus.
Like a true higher being, I was unaffected by the natural laws of the material world if I so wished.
I sat still even as a minor solar eruption forced a wave of plasma my way like a sharp executioner's blade. The destructive force of the super-heated atoms was enough to sever a small continent as it struck me with a sharp intent.
The unbearable heat of thousands of degrees Celsius should be enough to set even the atmosphere of Earth aflame but the only thing that I felt was the acceleration of the revolutions of the bio-electrical matrixes inside my every cell.
Like coming across a black hole, the destructive energy that struck my body just disappeared, never to resurface again, while I felt my blood thrumming through my veins and arteries with added vitality.
Seeing that the results matched my expectations, I didn't hesitate to do what I come here for any longer.
Reaching forward with my hands, I clawed at the void while an intangible barrier formed around me and stretched into every direction, turning the area in a radius of over a thousand kilometers into my own territory.
And, as if reacting to the movement of my arms, the swaying plasma threads on the sun's surface in my proximity turned into wrathful flaming serpents that threw themselves at me.
Akin to heated spear tips coming fresh from the furnace, tens of plasma threads bit into my body with almost murderous intent, the overwhelming thermal energy and matter-breaking kinetic force causing my Energy Vessel to sing in delight.
The ring-like structure rotated with glaring speed inside my cells, facing no resistance at all as it took in the energy like a hungry whale with a bottomless stomach, empowering me in the process.
Each and every cell in my body hummed and pulsed with power, pure fire rushing through my veins as the fiery strands of plasma failed to turn my body into a cloud of ash.
The fact that I could do this showed just how detached I was from the human race.
A heat that was intense enough to even melt the likes of Adamantium and Vibranium felt like a comfortable warm bath to me while the shocking movements of my Energy Vessel rumbled within my cells, the sensation merely reminding me of a deep tissue massage.
I hummed quietly as I listened to the raging energy reactions in the celestial giant before me, my ears working perfectly even in the void of space.
Another point to take note of was that I had chosen my spot next to the sun carefully, which was at a position that the Earth didn't and wouldn't face.
After all, the localized absorption of energy might cause a significant drop in temperature on Earth if I did it at the wrong spot, which might have dire consequences like the appearance of another Ice Age.
I wasn't too well versed in Meteorology and Astrophysics to be sure of that conclusion but I knew that the solar radiation that I used to empower myself was also what ensured that life could flourish on Earth since it provided the necessary warmth and light.
And I was careful enough to not take any risks with it as there wasn't really a difference between doing that or just directly destroying Earth, which I didn't want to see happen.
Closing my eyes while engaging my subconscious mind to continue drawing the plasma threads to myself and letting my Energy Vessel observe the thermal energy within it, I took a deep breath as I relaxed my muscles.
Plasma surrounding me like a thick fog, I could feel the energetically-charged gas rush into my lungs and impact my unbreakable tissue, causing the hydrogen-helium mixture to lose most of its energy and revert back into a gaseous state that I exhaled the next moment.
The whole process felt as if I had filled my lungs with sparkling water but it didn't prompt me to cough or anything like that since my body's instincts were different from a mortal's.
I enjoyed this state as I didn't have to keep myself under control to the same extent that I had to do it on Earth.
I still couldn't allow myself to be completely careless and just release the shackles on myself as this space couldn't endure the strain of my existence but some of the restraints could be loosened according to my wishes.
With the near-vacuum around, I wasn't at risk of causing tornadoes that might ravage the land with a single exhale, or be mindful of the fact that my steps alone might cause the earth to quake and the land to shatter.
It wasn't that I didn't enjoy being a 'human' at Jean's side but I likewise found enjoyment in the fact that I could do things that no mortal human would ever be able to accomplish.
Or in simpler words: At times, I just liked not having to be human.
Inhaling and exhaling the glaring streams of red-yellow plasma, I slowly withdrew my consciousness from this primary dimension as I mentally moved to the Darkforce Dimension to take care of a different matter.
…
Moving through the thicket of bushes and trees, the tall grass swaying gently and parting on her path as a result of manipulation of the gathered life force inside her, Selene contemplated not for the first time to just leave this spider-infested purgatory while droplets of sweat rolled down her soft cheeks and slender neck.
To be more accurate, her manipulation of the gathered life force inside her was a sign of how truly old she was, how incredible her mastery over her own mutant ability was, considering that her powers had only enabled her to claim the life force of others at the very beginning to ensure her 'immortality' and longevity.
She had not been able to manipulate the gathered life force at all when she had first awakened this power but that was the wonderful thing about being a mutant with an ability that gave her longevity.
Through training, every mutant could advance their strength if the time invested was great enough. Sometimes this came with a secondary mutation but in most cases, the original ability would just evolve and advance.
Naturally, this was still something rare to really happen but Selene had been on this Earth for thousands of years and had mastered her powers to their utmost limit after centuries of grueling training until she truly had reached the limit of her potential.
From the simple life force draining and gathering, she had been able to reach incredible heights in manipulating this curious and precious energy force.
Not that this mattered at the moment.
She was wearing a thin black linen dress that barely reached her thighs to cover her rounded behind, leaving her pale and beautiful legs uncovered. It sat loosely on her shoulders, made possible by two small strings, while trying to contain her bountiful cleavage.
The peaks of her full breast poked into the thin fabric as she didn't bother to wear any underwear in this heat, while the sweat that was running down her perfect figure made even the lightest and thinnest fabric stick to her curves.
Selene knew that she must look like a lusty summer dream with her flawless facial features and long black hair tied into a loose ponytail, her creamy skin glistening with sweat while her dress accentuated her incredibly sensual figure.
But despite her favorite pastime consisting of acting as a seductress, she couldn't find any joy in her current situation.
She had been wandering through different Australian jungles for days in an attempt to reach some rather isolated places near a few middle-sized lakes in the South Australian State and find someone that she had gotten to know more than eight hundred years ago.
Her magic wasn't of much help as her targets knew how to hide themselves from such with their advanced technology and other abilities.
The only solace was that the anti-mosquito creme worked as intended, which prevented her skin from being thoroughly turned into nothing but swollen, red, and itchy flesh.
In the beginning, she had thought about using her life force to project an energy shield around her that would protect her from the heat and mosquitoes, but simply clearing the way was already somewhat of a waste, not to mention using her precious life force as an insect repellent and mobile air conditioning.
Of course, she would love to use her magic to do all this but that wasn't really an option as she wanted to avoid being found out in her search, which could lead to her targets hiding away from her entirely since she knew about their preference for solitude.
Well, she was looking for someone that didn't want to be found, so that was a given.
As such, most of her silent complaints were just to pass the time as she had survived far worse than this. In fact, not being comfortable had its own charm as it reminded her that she was still alive and her ambitions of power and authority were not yet fulfilled.
There was this saying that she remembered about hard times creating strong men and Selene knew this to be true even for a millennia-old sorceress.
Breathing in the dense and hot air while more pearls of sweat ran down her neck and disappeared in between her perfectly-shaped breasts, feeling them also run down her lithe back, she sighed inwardly as she cursed the two people that she was looking for, for living in such a backward place.
Finally though, after what felt like hours, she reached the edge of the jungle and could see the shoreline of the lake through the sparse trees, which caused her to speed up as she ran with quick steps to reach the cooling source of life.
Selene couldn't help but sigh gaily when the clear lake water splashed around her ankles as she didn't even bother taking off her sandals before stepping into the water.
Crouching down for a moment, she formed a concave with her palms and splashed her face with a bit of water, letting it run down her neck as she lightly rubbed the cooling liquid into the exposed skin of her shoulders and cleavage while beaming contentedly.
She seemed youthful, warm, and innocent as she did so, forgetting for a few moments that she was the Dark Priestess and the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.
Rising back to her feet, her moist and cool hands pressing themselves against her fair neck as she continued to hum in contentment, Selene turned her gaze to her surroundings and finally saw what she had been looking for in the distance around two hundred meters down the shoreline.
Two small huts made out of sandstone, wood, and straw stood quietly at the edge of the jungle, somewhat hidden by the green overgrowth, a mismatched pair sitting at a stone table in front of the small houses, leisurely playing some board game or the like.
It was a man and a woman, both wearing simple clothes.
Selene didn't have to approach to know that the man looked to be of Asian descent with black hair and dark eyes while the woman seemed of Nordic origin with flaxen blond hair, fair skin, and bright green eyes.
'Thena and Gilgamesh.', she thought and the innocent joy vanished from her eyes as a complex and undecipherable look appeared in her own iridescent green eyes, 'Finally.'