SLAP!
The sound echoed through Professor X's office.
Elric cleared his throat and tried to regain some dignity. "Right. Anyway. My bad." He rubbed his cheek, which still stung. "Turns out it was a mistake. There's no large energy signature on her. Nothing unusual at all."
Hela's face went dark as thunder. Her jaw clenched so tight that storm actually took a step back.
"I hope you don't mind," Elric continued, addressing Jean more than anyone. "This stupid Hela always messes things up."
For a moment, it looked like Hela might actually murder him on the spot. Her hand twitched toward her hip, where her weapon would normally rest. But she forced herself to take a breath, then another.
She knew herself too well. If someone told her to fight, she could do it—she was confident she could conquer entire armies, maybe even worlds. But planning? Strategy? Subtlety? Those had never been her strengths. Back in Asgard, she'd had generals and advisors for that.
Now she was stuck, depending on this bastard to find a way back home.
The thought of having to rely on Elric—this arrogant, clumsy, ugly excuse for a sorcerer—made her want to stab him with a thousand swords. But she needed him. For now.
So she said nothing, just turned her glare toward the window.
The mood in the room had shifted from tense to awkward to outright gloomy. Professor X had been watching the exchange with interest, but now he leaned forward in his wheelchair.
"Before you become too disappointed," he said carefully, "I should mention something. Some time ago, I sensed a very powerful mental wave—psychic energy, unlike anything I've encountered before."
Elric's head snapped up. "You did? When? Where?"
"I wanted to investigate it properly," Professor X continued, "but I'd just established this school. There were constant troubles—mutant children manifesting powers they couldn't control, parents panicking, government officials asking questions." He gestured vaguely. "I never got the chance to follow up on it thoroughly."
"But you think it might be the same energy we've been looking for?" Elric pressed. "Just in a different location than we guessed?"
"It's possible."
Hela stepped forward, her earlier frustration momentarily forgotten. "A huge psychic force? Where exactly did you sense it? And how powerful was it?"
Professor X's face went pale at the memory. "It was somewhere in Asia. I couldn't pinpoint the exact location—the signal was too vast, too diffuse. As for its strength..."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"I cannot even properly describe how large it was. My own mental power felt like a small boat compared to an ocean. Just approaching the edges of it made me feel like I might be swept away and drowned. I was genuinely frightened—too frightened to investigate further."
The others exchanged glances.
"I tried to locate it again later," Professor X continued, "but by then, it had vanished completely. No trace whatsoever."
Elric frowned, thinking. His mind raced through possibilities.
No, it can't be Apocalypse. His power level should be stronger than Professor X's, sure, but not on this scale. This sounds like something else entirely.
Could it be the Phoenix Force?
He couldn't think of anything else in this universe that matched the description—vast, oceanic psychic power that could dwarf even Professor X. But if the Phoenix Force was already on Earth, why hadn't it bonded with Jean yet? What was it waiting for?
And stranger still, when he'd done his own scan of Earth after arriving here, he hadn't detected anything of that magnitude. Even if his sensing abilities weren't perfect, surely he would have noticed something that powerful if it was still present. Unless it was deliberately hiding.
He glanced at Hela.
She shook her head slightly. She hadn't sensed anything either.
"Okay, Professor," Elric said after a moment. "It might be the same thing we're looking for. How about this—if you sense it again, contact us immediately. We'll investigate it together."
Professor X considered this. His fingers drummed on the armrest of his wheelchair.
In truth, he'd been worried about that energy signature for months. At first, he'd assumed it was just an extremely powerful mutant—rare, but not impossible. He'd heard from Logan about mutants from the future who were supposedly even stronger than himself.
But now, learning from Elric that it might be extraterrestrial in origin, his concern multiplied tenfold.
An unknown alien entity with god-like psychic powers, potentially on Earth or near it. What were its intentions? Was it hostile? Curious? Indifferent to humanity?
Fighting such a being alone would be suicide. The power gap was simply too vast.
Working with Elric and his companions was risky—he still didn't trust them, not really. Hela radiated danger, and Elric himself was clearly hiding things. But an unknown alien was far more concerning than a mutent with questionable motives.
At least with Elric, there could be dialogue. Negotiation. And if he was telling the truth about wanting to help, about opposing some greater threat, then verifying that would require actually finding this entity.
Either way, locating it was essential.
"I'll try to find it as soon as possible," Professor X said finally. "But understand—it's only possible if that being allows me to sense it. The power difference between us is too wide. I could only detect it last time because it was actively using its abilities, searching for something perhaps. If it's dormant or shielding itself, I'll never find it."
"I understand, Professor," Elric said. He pulled out a small card and wrote something on it. "Here's our phone number and address. Don't hesitate to contact us if you find any clue—any hint at all."
Professor X took the card, studying it briefly before tucking it into his jacket pocket.
"We'll try from our end too," Elric added. "Between your psychic abilities and our methods, maybe we'll get lucky."
There didn't seem to be much else to say. The meeting had run its course.
Hela was already heading for the door, clearly eager to leave. Elric gave a small nod to Professor X, then to Jean and Cyclops, carefully avoiding direct eye contact with Jean.
Jean gave an awkward half-wave.
The three of them—Elric, Hela, and the third companion who'd remained quiet throughout—left the office and made their way through the mansion.Students peeked out from doorways as they passed, whispering to each other.
Outside, the afternoon sun was starting to dip toward the horizon.
"That was productive," Elric said, trying to sound optimistic.
"You groped a girl and we still have no leads," Hela said flatly.
"I didn't—it was an accident—and we do have a lead! Professor X sensed something in Asia. That's more than we had before."
"A vague sense of 'somewhere in Asia' months ago. Very helpful."
Elric sighed. "It's a start."
Behind them, inside the mansion, Professor X sat alone in his office, the card Elric had given him resting on his desk. He stared at it thoughtfully.
"What do you think?" Jean asked from the doorway. She'd been standing there quietly.
"I think," Professor X said slowly, "that we've just become involved in something far larger than we understand. And I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or not."
Jean stepped into the room. "Do you trust them?"
"No." The answer was immediate. "But I don't think we can afford not to work with them. Not if that energy signature appears again."
He turned his wheelchair toward the window, looking out at the grounds where students were playing.
"Keep an eye on that card, Jean. And be ready. I have a feeling we'll be hearing from them again soon—or they from us."
Outside the gates, Elric, Hela, and storm climbed into their vehicle.
"You really are useless," Hela said.
"Hey, you didn't sense anything either!"
Their bickering faded as the car pulled away, heading back toward the city.
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