# Chapter 22: Absolute Power
Poland
Lehnsherr Home
Lin Chen materialized through a portal just outside the small house. He had sensed a massive surge of magnetic energy from this location and came to investigate, suspecting what he would find.
But he was too late. Erik was already gone.
Lin Chen walked to the backyard and found the two fresh graves. Simple markers identified them: Nina Lehnsherr and Nina Lehnsherr (daughter).
He stood before the graves in silence, feeling a deep sadness settle over him.
"Fate is cruel," he said quietly. "Erik tried so hard to escape his past, to build a peaceful life. And the world's fear and hatred destroyed that dream, just as it destroyed so many others."
He knelt beside the graves, placing his hand on the earth. "But perhaps... perhaps fate can be changed. Perhaps what was lost can be returned."
He activated his time manipulation ability. A greenish light spread from his hand, covering an area several hundred meters in radius. Within this field, time itself became fluid, responsive to his will.
Lin Chen focused on the two graves, reaching back through the temporal stream to the moment before they were buried.
"Return," he commanded, channeling his power.
Time began to reverse within the affected area. The earth of the graves stirred, then opened. Two bodies rose from the ground, and then he used time reversal directly on them. Their wounds healed as time flowed backward on their bodies. The arrow wounds closed, hearts that had stopped began to beat again, lungs that had been still drew breath.
Nina Lehnsherr and her daughter opened their eyes simultaneously, gasping as life returned to them. They found themselves lying on the grass of their backyard, staring up at the evening sky with confusion and terror.
"What... what happened?" Nina whispered, her hand going to her chest where the wound had been. There was nothing—no pain, just the memory of dying.
Her daughter clung to her, crying. "Mama, I was so scared! I couldn't breathe, and everything went dark, and—"
"Shh, it's okay now," Nina said, holding her daughter close despite her own confusion and fear.
They looked around and saw a handsome young man standing nearby, watching them with a gentle smile.
"Who are you?" Nina asked, positioning herself protectively in front of her daughter. "What did you do to us?"
"My name is Lin Chen," he replied calmly. "As for what I did—I brought you back. You died, but I reversed time and undid your deaths."
"That's... that's impossible," Nina breathed.
"In a world where your husband can control metal, is bringing people back from death really so impossible?" Lin Chen asked with a slight smile.
Nina's eyes widened at the mention of Erik. "Erik! Where is he? Is he safe?"
"He's alive," Lin Chen assured her. "But he's gone. He thinks you're both dead."
"We need to find him!" Nina said desperately. "We need to tell him we're alive, that we're okay!"
"We will," Lin Chen replied. "But not yet. Right now, you both need rest. Your bodies have been through trauma that modern medicine can't explain. Come with me—I know a place where you'll be safe."
He opened a portal showing Xavier's mansion on the other side. "This is a school for people with special abilities. You'll be safe there while we figure out how to reach Erik."
Nina looked at the portal, then at her daughter, then at Lin Chen. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't," Lin Chen admitted honestly. "But you're alive because I brought you back. If I wanted to harm you, I would have simply left you in those graves. Your husband believes you're dead, and that grief is being used to manipulate him into doing terrible things. We need to show him you're alive before it's too late."
Nina studied Lin Chen's face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. We'll come with you."
She took her daughter's hand and together they stepped through the portal. Lin Chen followed, and the gateway closed behind them.
---
Xavier's School - Main Hall
The portal opened in the mansion's entrance hall, causing several students who were passing by to stop and stare. Professor Xavier, sensing the arrival of unknown individuals, wheeled himself quickly into the hall.
"Lin Chen?" Charles said with surprise. "What's happened? Who are these people?"
Before Lin Chen could answer, Erik's wife and daughter stepped fully into view. Nina held her daughter protectively, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings with obvious nervousness.
"Professor Xavier," Lin Chen said formally. "This is Nina Lehnsherr and her daughter. They are Erik Lehnsherr's wife and child."
Nina spoke up, her voice trembling. "Please, Professor Xavier—Lin Chen said Erik is in danger. We need to find him. We need to tell him we're alive!"
Charles's expression became pained. "Mrs. Lehnsherr, I'm afraid the situation is quite serious. Erik has joined with an extremely dangerous individual—an ancient mutant called Apocalypse who possesses tremendous power. This being has enhanced Erik's abilities and is using him as part of a plan to reshape the world."
"Then we have to stop him!" Nina insisted. "Erik isn't evil—he's just in pain. If he knows we're alive, he'll stop whatever he's doing!"
"It's not that simple," Charles said gently. "But we will find him. I promise you that."
He turned to address the gathered students. "Please give our guests some privacy. Hank, would you prepare rooms for Mrs. Lehnsherr and her daughter? And contact Dr. Reyes—they'll need medical examinations."
As the students dispersed and Hank led Nina and her daughter away, Charles turned to Lin Chen with a serious expression.
"A word in my office, please," he said quietly.
---
Professor Xavier's Office - Minutes Later
Charles positioned his wheelchair behind his desk, his fingers steepled thoughtfully as Lin Chen explained how he had brought the Lehnsherrs back to life.
"What you did today," Charles began carefully, "bringing those two back from death... that's a power that raises profound questions. Who decides who lives and dies? What are the cosmic consequences of reversing death?"
"I understand your concerns," Lin Chen replied calmly. "And I don't take this ability lightly. I don't plan to reverse every death I encounter. But Nina and her daughter were innocent victims, killed because of fear and hatred toward mutants. Their deaths served no purpose except to cause Erik pain and regret. I saw an opportunity to prevent a tragedy."
Before Charles could respond, the door burst open. Hank McCoy rushed in, his expression showing urgency.
"Charles, we have a problem," he said. "I just got word from contacts in Poland. There's been a massive surge of mutant activity. Multiple powerful signatures—including Erik's."
"We know," Charles said grimly. "Lin Chen has already briefed me. Apocalypse has recruited Erik and three others."
Hank's expression became more concerned. "Then we need to act quickly."
Lin Chen stood up. "We need to act now, before Apocalypse can execute whatever plan he's formed. Professor, can Cerebro locate his exact position?"
Charles nodded reluctantly. "Follow me."
---
Cerebro Chamber
The group descended into the lower levels of the mansion, where the massive Cerebro chamber was located. The room was dominated by a long walkway leading to a central platform surrounded by a spherical chamber lined with thousands of small lights.
Charles wheeled himself onto the platform and placed the distinctive silver helmet on his head. The helmet connected him to Cerebro's systems, extending his telepathic range across the entire globe.
"I'm searching for Erik first," Charles said. "His mental signature is familiar—I should be able to locate him easily."
The lights in the chamber began to pulse as Charles extended his consciousness across the globe. Images flickered across his vision—thousands, millions, billions of minds.
Then he found Erik, standing in Cairo among Apocalypse and the other Horsemen. Charles could sense the turmoil in his old friend's mind—grief, rage, and newfound power.
But the moment Charles established the connection, something changed. He felt another presence suddenly notice him—ancient, vast, and terrifyingly powerful.
Apocalypse had detected the telepathic link.
"Charles, what's wrong?" Raven asked, seeing the professor's body go rigid.
"He's... he's connecting to my mind," Charles gasped, struggling against the intrusion. "He's using the Cerebro connection—turning it back on me—"
Lin Chen stepped forward immediately, placing his hand on Charles's shoulder. "Professor, try to break the connection!"
But it was too late. Apocalypse's consciousness surged through the Cerebro link like a tidal wave. Through Xavier's eyes, Apocalypse could now see every human mind connected through Cerebro's network.
More than that—Apocalypse's technopathy allowed him to interface with the machine directly, hijacking its systems.
On screens throughout the chamber, warning messages began appearing:
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED
SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS
GLOBAL NETWORK COMPROMISED
"What's happening?" Hank shouted, rushing to the control panels.
Through the hijacked Cerebro connection, Apocalypse addressed the world. His voice reached into the minds of every human on Earth simultaneously:
"Humans of this world. For thousands of years, I have slept. I awakened to find a species that has forgotten its place. You have built weapons of tremendous power—nuclear arsenals capable of destroying your world many times over. Yet you threaten each other with them."
"I will remove these weapons. I will disarm you. And from the ashes of your civilization, I will build something better."
At military installations across the world, soldiers and officers suddenly felt an overwhelming compulsion. Their hands moved without conscious control, accessing nuclear launch systems.
Launch codes were entered. Safety systems were overridden.
And then, simultaneously across the globe, every nuclear missile was launched—not toward Earth, but straight up into space.
Thousands of nuclear warheads streaked into the sky. People across the world watched in horror as their ultimate weapons disappeared into space.
In seconds, Apocalypse had disarmed every nuclear power on Earth.
"Your weapons are gone," Apocalypse's voice continued. "The age of human dominance is over. The age of mutant supremacy begins."
---
Cerebro Chamber
Professor Xavier screamed in pain as Apocalypse's presence invaded his mind. Blood began to trickle from his nose.
[DING!]
[Detected: Telepathy]
[Mental Power +189.5]
[Detected: Technopathy]
[Confirm acquisition Y/N?]
"Yes!" Lin Chen confirmed immediately.
His mental power surged dramatically as Xavier's telepathic techniques merged with his existing abilities. Apocalypse's technopathy flooded into his consciousness.
[DING!]
[Mental Power +163.2]
[Mental Power +175.6]
[Mind Control ability acquired!]
[New Mental Power: 1,124.2]
Lin Chen's eyes glowed with golden light as his consciousness expanded. With his mental power now exceeding 1,000, he could sense every mind on the planet. He could interface with every computer system, every network, every piece of technology simultaneously.
His power had reached a planetary scale.
"Professor Xavier," Lin Chen said calmly, his voice carrying absolute authority. "Release Cerebro. I'll handle this."
He placed both hands on Charles's head, and his mental power surged through the connection. Where Apocalypse's presence was violent, Lin Chen's was precise and controlled.
He found the connection between Apocalypse and Cerebro and cut it completely with his superior mental power.
[DING!]
[Mental Power +145.7]
[New Mental Power: 1,269.9]
Professor Xavier slumped in his wheelchair, the helmet falling from his head. He was breathing heavily, his face pale.
"My God," Charles whispered. "Lin Chen, your mental power... I've never encountered anything like it."
"Are you alright?" Lin Chen asked with concern.
"I will be," Charles replied weakly. "But Apocalypse used me to disarm the world."
---
Before anyone could react, the air suddenly distorted. A portal opened, and through it stepped Apocalypse, flanked by his Four Horsemen.
Storm's eyes glowed white with power. Psylocke held her psychic blade ready. Archangel's metal wings spread threateningly. Magneto stood with invisible magnetic energy around his body.
Apocalypse's eyes fixed on Professor Xavier. "You are powerful, Charles Xavier. You will help me rebuild this world."
"I will never help you destroy the world," Charles said firmly.
"You misunderstand," Apocalypse replied. "I do not wish to destroy—I wish to save it by removing weakness."
He gestured, and Erik moved forward, using his powers to pull Charles's wheelchair toward Apocalypse.
"Charles!" Raven screamed.
Alex Summers—Havok—stood near the entrance. Seeing his mentor being taken, he didn't hesitate. Energy gathered in his chest, and he unleashed a massive plasma blast at Apocalypse.
[DETECTED: Cosmic Energy Absorption and Projection]
[Ability Name: Plasma Burst]
[CONFIRM ACQUISITION Y/N?]
"Yes," Lin Chen confirmed mentally.
The blast was powerful, but Apocalypse deflected it with one hand.
"Foolish child," Apocalypse said.
But Alex fired again, this time accidentally hitting the massive power generator. The generator exploded with catastrophic force.
The blast wave expanded outward, carrying enough power to destroy the entire mansion.
Lin Chen's eyes widened. Everyone here will die unless I act immediately or famous scene of Quicksilver happens.
He smiled coldly, deciding to show Apocalypse his true power.
A faint green light flickered around Lin Chen, then exploded outward faster than light. His time manipulation activated at full power, covering the entire mansion.
Everything stopped.
The explosion froze mid-detonation. Every person became a statue—Charles, Raven, Hank, Alex, Storm, Psylocke, Archangel, Magneto, all frozen.
Only Lin Chen remained mobile in stopped time.
Then he noticed a blur of motion—someone stuck mid-stride near the mansion exterior.
Peter Maximoff—Quicksilver—had arrived just before the explosion. His super speed had allowed him to react, but even he was frozen when time stopped.
Lin Chen examined the frozen speedster with interest.
[DETECTED: Peter Maximoff - Quicksilver]
Physical Attributes:
├── Strength: 1.9 tons
├── Physique: 147.3
├── Speed: 355 m/s to 125,000,000 m/s
└── Mental Power: 14.4
Abilities:
├── Super Speed (Omega-Level)
├── Time Dilation perception
├── Accelerated thought processes
├── Enhanced reflexes
└── Kinetic energy generation
[Speed +424 m/s]
[DETECTED: Super Speed]
[CONFIRM ACQUISITION Y/N?]
"Yes," Lin Chen confirmed.
The ability integrated instantly. Lin Chen felt his perception expand dramatically. He could now move at speeds approaching light, his thoughts processing information at relativistic velocities.
He tested his new speed while maintaining the time stop. He appeared next to Apocalypse, then behind him, then above him, then across the chamber—all in what seemed like the same instant.
Then he raised his hand and reversed time. The explosion moved backward. Debris flew back to original positions. People moved in reverse.
Time rewound completely to the moment before Apocalypse arrived.
Then Lin Chen restarted time normally—but with changes. He opened a portal to his Mirror Dimension directly in front of Apocalypse and his Horsemen.
The ancient mutant and his four followers suddenly found themselves falling through the portal before they could react.
For the Horsemen, Lin Chen opened spatial cracks like shattered mirrors, trapping each of them in separate sections of the Mirror Dimension.
Lin Chen closed all gateways, trapping them in alternate dimensional spaces.
Time resumed normal flow. Everyone came back to awareness, confused.
"What... what just happened?" Alex asked, looking around. The explosion was gone, the generator undamaged, and Apocalypse had vanished.
"Where's Charles?" Raven demanded.
"Still here," Charles replied from his wheelchair, equally confused. He had memories of being pulled toward Apocalypse, then nothing.
"I stopped time and rewound it," Lin Chen explained calmly. "Then I trapped Apocalypse and his Horsemen in my Dimensions before restarting the time."
Everyone stared at him in shock.
"You can stop time?" Hank asked weakly.
"Among other abilities," Lin Chen confirmed. "Apocalypse is contained. His Horsemen are separated and trapped. The threat is neutralized."
Charles looked at Lin Chen with a mixture of awe and concern. "The power you possess... it's beyond anything I imagined."
Lin Chen's expression was serious. "Power is meaningless without purpose, Professor. I have the strength to reshape reality, but I choose to use it to protect people. That's what matters."
---
[HOST STATUS ]
Name: Lin Chen
Race: Human
- Dimensional Lord (Dark Dimension Authority)
Age: 20
Physical Attributes:
├── Strength: 310 tons (normal form) / Universal Scale+ (Cosmic Form)
├── Physique: 2,747.8 (normal) / Universal Scale+ (Cosmic Form)
├── Agility: 456 m/s (normal) / 225,000,000 m/s (with super speed)
└── Mental Power: 1,269.9
Special Abilities:
Combat Abilities:
├── Ultimate Regenerative Healing Factor (Cellular Immortality)
├── Enhanced Senses
├── Combat Intelligence (Master Level)
├── Super Speed
├── Controlled Energy Projection
├── Plasma Burst
└── Thunderclap
Mental/Psychic Abilities:
├── Telepathy (Large Planetary Scale)
├── Mind Control
├── Mental Shields
├── Technopathy (Apocalypse variant - interface with all technology)
├── Telekinesis (Ultimate potential)
└── Enhanced Perception
Energy Manipulation:
├── Weather & Lightning Manipulation (Large Planetary Scale+)
├── Electrical Manipulation
├── Electrical Immunity
├── Cosmic Energy Manipulation
└── Energy Absorption & Projection
Spatial/Dimensional Abilities:
├── Portal Magic (Master Level)
├── Space Manipulation (Solar System Level normally / Ultimate in Dark Dimension)
├── Mirror Dimension Manipulation (Ultimate Level)
├── Dimensional Blade Magic
├── Levitation Magic
└── Dark Dimension Authority (Complete - Universal Scale+ Power)
Temporal Abilities:
├── Time Manipulation (Solar Scale+)
│ ├── Time Stop (affects all planets and including sun)
│ ├── Time Reversal (entire star system)
│ ├── Time Acceleration
│ └── Temporal Resurrection
Dark Dimension Powers (Cosmic Form Only):
├── Reality Manipulation (Universal Scale)
├── Matter Manipulation (Molecular Level)
├── Dimensional Absorption
├── Immortality & Regeneration (True Immortality)
├── Power Bestowal
├── Cosmic Form Transformation
└── Near-Omniscience (within Dark Dimension)
Power Scale Assessment:
├── Normal Form: Universal Threat Level
├── Cosmic Form: Multiverse Threat Level
└── Mental Power: Large Planetary+ (can control minds globally, interface with all technology on Earth)
Notable Resistances:
├── Telepathic Immunity (mental power exceeds all Earth telepaths)
├── Time Manipulation Resistance
├── Reality Warping Resistance
├── Dimensional Manipulation Resistance
└── Elemental Immunity (electricity, fire, extreme temperatures)
**Current Status:** Active threat to Apocalypse neutralized. All abilities integrated and functional. Mental power sufficient for planetary-scale operations. Ready for any challenge within current dimensional framework.
---
[TO BE CONTINUED...]