Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters. X-Mansion.
Inside the Danger Room, Jean Grey stood at the center of the large chamber.
Her posture was poised for combat as holographic lights flashed intensely, enough to cause an epileptic episode.
A gigantic hologram materialized in the form of a futuristic robot.
The robot's mechanical eyes fluttered open. In that instant, yellow energy hummed furiously within them before shooting a devastating laser beam at Jean.
Jean had already anticipated the attack as she had faced it more often during past danger drills.
She easily rolled to the side and touched her temple.
Then, concentrating on her telekinesis, she stretched out her hand to create a powerful telekinetic blast that whirled toward the robot.
BOOM!
A resounding explosion ensued as the blast dismantled the robot from the core.
White eyes, like the gaze of death.
Silver eyes overlapped with her senses, and she lost focus momentarily.
All she could see was blood. Lots of blood.
Jean didn't notice that another robot had already materialized behind her.
The robot opened its mouth and breathed out a glacial stream of icy energy that furiously froze her, transforming her and the adjacent environment into an icy domain.
The holographic figure was immediately dispelled.
The simulation ended, cut off by a stunning woman standing in the viewing deck.
She had beautiful deep brown skin that reminded one of Mother Earth. Her silver-white hair gorgeously flowed all the way to her tiny waist.
The black bodysuit she wore did nothing to hide her enviable African curves.
She was…Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm.
"That's enough for the day," Ororo said as she regally descended from above, landing next to Jean.
Her eyes, pale blue like winter skies, looked down with concern. "What conundrum disturbs you, child?"
Rivulets of sweat trickled down Jean's temples. Her breathing was slightly heavy and agitated.
"I…I'm fine," Jean responded as she stood up from the ground, the feeling of freezing temperatures still clinging to her damp skin.
Ororo edged closer, softly touching Jean's shoulder.
The scent of fresh petrichor hit Jean's nose, slightly calming her inner turmoil.
"If you were fine, your concentration wouldn't have been so off today. You could have easily avoided the last attack from the robot. Both your mind and body were elsewhere," Ororo explained gently, no judgment in her voice.
Jean looked away, sighing heavily. "It really is nothing, Ororo."
"When someone says it's nothing, then there really is something or…somebody, Jean," Ororo stated, tenderly squeezing Jean's shoulder before disengaging.
"The troubles of the mind and heart…I know them too well. Don't bottle them up too much," she advised.
Jean looked back at Ororo in all her imperial glory. She was a queen both in temperament and heart, a pivotal pillar of the X-Men.
She greatly respected Storm since she always seemed to be in… control.
Jean was tempted to disclose her feelings and the divine images of the silver-eyed Bloodborne Devil Empress haunting her sanity. Nearly.
She stopped herself.
"Can I have a break to calm my mind?" Jean politely asked.
"You have all the time to clear your head, child." Ororo smiled.
Jean issued her thanks and walked away.
She wanted to distract herself or else she wouldn't have peace.
Ororo watched Jean leave, a contemplative expression on her face.
"I hope you resolve your inner demons, Jean. The ones you bear give off an ominous feeling. Only you… can handle them," she whispered to the wind.
~~~<>~~~
The Sunday afternoon winter sun shone over New York.
Seol Hwa closed the laptop's lid and sighed softly. "That's enough for the day."
She had been cooped up inside her apartment for so long that it was starting to get a bit…claustrophobic.
She, who once roamed unbounded across the lands of Murim, was now showing classic shut-in tendencies.
That was not how she had lived.
She liked to walk, fly, and swim in nature.
The Dao was not fixed on a singular facet of existence, like knowledge alone.
It was expressed differently through all of nature.
The Dao was everywhere.
While in Murim, she didn't have a place to call home. Now, she had one.
It had its own warmth and Dao charm that she'd temporarily lost herself in.
But that wasn't who she was or who she was supposed to be.
Seol Hwa stood up from her seat, a knowing gleam in her dark amber eyes.
'I'm currently a paradox. Always have been. In this decorated ambivalence, I became myself,' she thought, taking her coat from behind the door before walking out.
To be a Heavenly Demon, she could be whatever she wanted.
~~~<>~~~
The New York streets were as busy as ever.
The cold winter gale swept past her face, lifting her long, silky black hair.
Seol Hwa looked down at the snow glistening under the sun's rays.
She inhaled the frigid air, absorbing nature's energy: the freedom.
She continued walking aimlessly.
She garnered attention as always. It had become an inevitability.
Couples held hands, giving each other warmth.
Families happily huddled together, chatting as they enjoyed their Sunday afternoon.
Children curiously looked around the vendors before tugging at their parents' clothes.
A young woman was walking her Golden Retriever, but the dog seemed to burst with energy, giving her a difficult time as it tugged at the leash.
When it saw Seol Hwa, its beady eyes twinkled, its tail incessantly wagging.
"Goldilocks, be a good girl! Goldi, don't!" The owner shouted, failing to restrain the golden-furred dog.
The Golden Retriever ran to Seol Hwa and began to happily jump around her like she was its new owner.
She even sniffed Seol Hwa as if she were the sweetest thing she'd ever smelled.
What brazenness.
'Little traitor,' Seol Hwa mused with a small smile.
The Golden Retriever looked up at her, tongue lolled out excitedly as it sat in front of her.
"Go back to your owner," she muttered, her amber eyes subtly glowing with command.
The Golden Retriever whined in sadness, reluctant to go away.
The young woman finally caught up, breathing heavily, mist steaming out of her mouth.
She clutched her knees to catch her breath before scowling at the dog.
"Goldi! You are a very bad girl. Why did you run away from me? When we return home, no oat biscuits for you!" She scolded the preoccupied Golden Retriever as if she were addressing a child.
"Huff." The Golden Retriever only gave the owner a bombastic side-eye before returning her full attention to Seol Hwa.
It was then that the young woman noticed Seol Hwa.
She went slack-jawed immediately.
Realizing she was staring, she apologized.
"S-Sorry… I'm sorry about the dog. Goldi has never been this disobedient. I hope she didn't do anything bad."
"I'm sorry again that I didn't control her well." She bowed slightly, her gesture coming from the heart.
The people walking by curiously glanced at them.
The woman noticed this but didn't straighten her back, unworried about causing a scene.
'To courageously own up to your mistakes. Those are outstanding qualities,' Seol Hwa noted.
"The dog didn't do anything. There's nothing to be sorry about. Raise your head," Seol Hwa said in a neutral voice.
The woman did as she was told, gazing at the untamed beauty before her.
Her voice was like music to the ears. So symphonic.
It was then she wondered why Goldi, who had always listened to her, disobeyed her words and rushed to a stranger. A goddess nonetheless.
What made her so special?
"Little one, don't cause troubles for your owner again," Seol Hwa warned lightly, looking down at the Golden Retriever.
The dog barked joyously as if heeding Seol Hwa's words.
Seol Hwa then nodded at the dumbfounded woman before continuing her walk.
'This is the mortal world. And now I'm being forced to immerse myself in its randomness,' she mused.
'Such is life and its spontaneity.'
As she waited at the crosswalk for the green light, something else happened.
A thief suddenly grabbed a middle-aged woman's handbag, snatched it, and started running away into the crowd.
"MY BAG! THIEF! HE STOLE MY BAG!" the woman screamed for help as she scrambled after the hooded man in dirty jeans.
No one moved to help. They only looked at the helpless woman.
Seol Hwa blinked, surprised that a mortal dared to attempt daylight robbery in her presence.
She was, in fact, also proficient in the Dao of Thievery.
But stealing a few dollars from a helpless woman? That she could never.
Money had never interested her that much.
Just as she was about to interfere anonymously, a figure dressed in red and blue spandex swung by.
A line of webbing shot from above, deftly sticking onto the thief's legs.
The thief tripped disgracefully, effectively rendered immobile, and the handbag skidded on the ground.
"Really, man? Don't you know the meaning of days off? It's a Sunday, you could be in church confessing, but here we are," Spider-Man shouted before landing next to the webbed man.
He then effortlessly picked up the man and webbed him at the lamp post, leaving him to hang like a pendulum.
"Fu—" The thief was about to curse him.
PSST!
Spider-Man playfully lifted his wrist and webbed the thief's mouth.
Only muffled sounds could be heard.
"I can't hear you. This is purely PG-13, buddy," Spider-Man said before webbing the handbag into his hand.
The nearby people began taking pictures of him while applauding his heroism.
"Thank you, Spider-Man. Thank you very much!" The victim loudly thanked Spider-Man, her eyes misting with unshed tears.
"Here's your bag, ma'am. Stay safe." Spider-Man gave back the woman's handbag.
He was already used to the gratitude, just a normal day for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
But being used to the 'thank yous' didn't decrease his efforts and resolve to do good for the neighborhood.
Spider-Man existed to bring happy smiles to the residents of New York.
It was then that his spidey senses abruptly buzzed, the all-too-familiar feeling coming from behind, mixed within the crowd.
It didn't take long before Spider-Man spotted her.
There she was… easily standing out wherever she went.
It was that new mysterious girl that always gave him the spidey tingles.
She was dangerous, but Peter Parker (or rather, Spider-Man) didn't know the magnitude of her danger.
The sheen of his goggle lenses reflected her lethal image.
Seol Hwa looked back at Spider-Man when she sensed a familiar aura.
"I guess I gotta go. Call of duty, up and away!"
Feeling that he was staring too much, Spider-Man awkwardly shot off the ground with a one-liner.
He left behind camera shutters and an amused Seol Hwa.
'So it was you, young man. And this is the path that you chose,' Seol Hwa thought as the traffic lights turned green.
'Who would have expected? The fate that I faintly saw was tied to this secret identity of yours, Spider-Boy. No, not this one alone. They are one and the same.'
Seol Hwa gazed at the sky, her auto-cultivation was slowly absorbing the energies in the atmosphere.
She paid it no mind as she veered off into a much quieter street.
In front of her, an old woman was watching over her flower stand, her eyes filled with love for her flowers.
Seol Hwa observed the flowers, recognizing most of them due to her former status as an alchemist.
There were chrysanthemums, white lilies, roses, lavender, and a few other species.
Losing interest, she walked by the old flower seller.
"You're quite the charming lady, aintcha?" The old vendor called out. "Spare this old bag of bones some of your precious time."
Their eyes met.
Seol Hwa wondered what the old lady wanted as she paused to look at her kind, weathered face.
"Come closer, beautiful one. I don't bite," the old flower seller said in a reassuring voice, gesturing toward her.
"I doubt your shaky teeth can bite through my skin. You're certainly a wise, old woman," Seol Hwa replied in a humorous tone.
Seol Hwa was several centuries older than the mortal woman and there she was calling her old as if she weren't the ancient one.
The old vendor was rendered speechless by Seol Hwa's audacity.
Yet she didn't feel offended by her remarks.
"You're a funny one too. That's a nice combination to have," the old vendor said with a toothy grin as her coarse hand plucked a white daisy from the bucket.
"Here… a beautiful flower for a beautiful lady," she offered the flower to Seol Hwa.
Seol Hwa arched her eyebrows, staring at the flower and then at the old woman.
"Are you forcing a sale on me?" Seol Hwa asked skeptically.
"No, no. This is on me. I decided to give it to you on a whim. There isn't any hidden meaning behind it. If I want to give you something, then I just give it," the old woman slowly explained.
Seol Hwa detected neither lies nor ill intent from the old woman.
But had she ever accepted free things? She was used to taking by force, stealing or working her ass off for them.
Every free thing in the Murim came with hidden strings attached.
The young masters of the prestigious clans, sects and all her suitors liked to use expensive bouquets of flowers when they were pursuing her.
They had seen her as a flower, a mere possession, delicate and weak, unaware of her demonic heart.
On one occasion, she had been forced to annihilate a middle-tier clan - a subsidiary of the Hebei Peng Clan - when their young master had plotted to kidnap her using whatever vile means.
So Seol Hwa was quite used to transactional relationships.
Even the "free" in freedom had a price to be paid.
800 years of experience weren't for naught.
"I don't accept free things easily. My life has always been dictated by fighting for everything myself," Seol Hwa finally said in a reminiscent tone.
"That's a pretty difficult life you've lived, young lady. I have no say in that. I know we're strangers, but like I said… this was all done on a whim."
"If you don't want, I'll just…" the old vendor had a dejected look on her face that she tried to hide behind a kind smile.
"I'll take it. Kindness met with ungratefulness isn't what I intended," Seol Hwa relented, accepting the flower.
Its pleasant scent wafted to her nose the moment she held it.
The old vendor found the scene of Seol Hwa holding the daisy flower to perfectly complement each other.
"You look more beautiful and kinder right now, no matter how much you pretend otherwise," the old vendor happily commented.
"Just like an angel," she added.
Seol Hwa lightly scoffed, a small smile on her lips. "I'm not an angel. Don't let my face deceive you."
"I trust my own judgment," the old vendor insisted.
"I appreciate the flower." Seol Hwa smiled at the vendor and didn't linger.
She looked down at the daisy, gently dancing to the whims of the wind.
If she weren't holding it, it would have been blown away.
'Once, I was just like a flower, swaying ephemerally to the wind currents,' she reflected on her past.
From the fragility of a flower, she had slowly metamorphosed into the stability of an ancient mountain.
She became anti-fragile, unperturbed by the vagaries of fate.
~~~<>~~~
A few minutes later, Seol Hwa found herself near an old pawn shop.
There was something prosaic about it.
The pawn shop's dirty windows were lined with random junk like broken electronics and other odd things.
Seol Hwa decided to enter just to look around since she had been walking for quite some time.
A middle-aged man with crafty eyes was behind the counter.
Those eyes reminded her of those money-obsessed merchant families of Murim.
Ignoring the man, Seol Hwa began looking around.
The inside was slightly dusty but posed no problem for her.
There was nothing noteworthy. Everything was just as mundane as the shop itself.
Suddenly, she noticed something in the corner of the shop, surrounded by other items.
It was an unassuming scabbard. The leather was worn out by time but still held on.
Seol Hwa ignored it, deciding to look at other items some more before reaching for it.
She didn't want to show the pawn shop owner that she outright wanted the sword.
She picked up the scabbard. It was slightly heavy.
She looked at the subpar craftsmanship before finally unsheathing the sword.
The moment she wrapped her hands around the hilt, a long-lost feeling washed over her senses.
The feeling of becoming one with the sword, the weapon merely an extension of her body.
The blade looked unimpressive, with rust and crusty layers on its surface.
The crudeness of it didn't deter Seol Hwa from thinking that it was slightly special.
She could spot heavenly and earthly materials from miles away.
The sword itself wasn't special but its structural composition…
Her amber eyes subtly glowed.
The pawn shop owner, who had been observing Seol Hwa's every movement, could no longer restrain himself.
With his small eyes twinkling, he waddled toward Seol Hwa, his protruding belly ahead of him.
"Ah, you have fine eyes, miss. What you're holding is a legendary blade from an unknown ancient period. It has changed hands through different eras. Its previous wielders have all left indelible marks in history. Only those who are worthy can wield the sword."
"And you, miss, are certainly worthy!" the man said dramatically.
"Another piece of information: That sword is said to descend from the stars. Though I'm not so sure myself," he added with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Just a hundred bucks and it's yours, miss. That's a special discounted price for you."
Seol Hwa was left speechless by the pure bullshit the round man was spewing.
A fluent bullshit talker.
She herself was quite proficient at speaking nonsense on some occasions.
However, the middle-aged man was slightly overdoing it.
'You think I haven't handled materials of meteoritic origin? I once plucked a star and hammered it into a weapon because I was bored.'
'You want me to pay $100 for a scrap? Truly audacious to try to swindle me.'
The pawn shop owner thought Seol Hwa was a beautiful fool from some rich family who could easily splash money without second thought.
But… he didn't know who he was dealing with.
A broke Heavenly Demon.
'I forgot to bring any money with me,' Seol Hwa thought. 'I'll just haggle the price as low as possible.'
"I can't fork out a hundred bills just for one piece of scrap metal. Ten dollars for the sword," Seol Hwa countered.
"Ten dollars? Are you serious? I lost 75 bucks for that sword you're calling scrap. Don't hurt my feelings like that, miss," the pawn shop owner lamented, showing a fake depressed look that almost seemed genuine.
"I don't care. For it to remain unclaimed in the corner of your shop, means that I'm the only person that shows mild interest in it," Seol Hwa insisted. "My offer still remains the same. Ten dollars."
'You were clearly scammed out of your 75 bucks. I'm not easy to scam, mortal. I'm the scammer.' Faint amusement played in her eyes.
The pawn shop owner showed an aggrieved face. "Ten is too low. How about 50 dollars?"
"Ten."
"Forty."
"Ten."
"Thirty-five."
"Ten."
"Twenty. That's my bottom-line!" The pawn shop owner said in an exasperated voice.
"Ten." Seol Hwa remained adamant in her decision.
The pawn shop owner felt like shedding tears. He had thought Seol Hwa was a mere greenhorn, easily deceived but she was proving to be one tough nut.
"Okay, okay. You win, miss. Ten dollars it is," the man finally gave in, tired of the back and forth.
He stretched his hand. "Now give me the money."
"I have no money," Seol Hwa said blandly. "Can you give it to me for free?"
"You have no what?!" The man was almost going crazy.
"And you want it for free? I'm sorry, but my pawn shop doesn't run charity. It will hurt my business, miss," he said, gritting his teeth to suppress his rage.
The tension in the room was palpable.
It was then that bell at the door jingled and an unlikely visitor entered.
The two instantly looked at the door.
The moment Jean entered the shop, she went still.
Her green eyes met those enchanting amber eyes.
What could be the odds?
She had left X-Mansion to clear her mind and had decided on random happenstance to enter the pawn shop.
And the source of her nightmares was standing there, blatantly haggling over a mere ten dollars with the shop owner.
'Is this what they call… fate?' Jean tried to make sense out of the situation.
She had loose belief in fate but currently, she was beginning to believe in it.
Forced to.
Forced by that one person… Seol Hwa.
In that instant, she wanted to turn back but against her better judgement, she stayed.
She inhaled and exhaled heavily before stepping forward, her green eyes shining with shaky courage.
Jean gazed at the old scabbard in Seol Hwa's hand and the depressed face of the pawn shop owner.
She got a gist of the situation.
"Hi," Seol Hwa greeted her.
"H-Hi," Jean stammered, unable to hold her gaze for long.
"How much?" she plainly asked the man.
"Oh, her friend?" the man said amiably.
"Yes. How much for the…" Jean looked at the sword and then back to the man.
"… the sword?"
"Fifty bucks," the man abruptly named a price before his shifty eyes glanced at Seol Hwa.
Seol Hwa gave him a hard look that immediately made the man cease his foolery.
"I-It's ten dollars, miss," he quickly corrected the price, gulping down a mouthful of saliva.
Jean dug her hand into her jacket and clawed out twenty dollars.
She then placed it on the man's outstretched hand. "Keep the extra."
Seol Hwa amusedly watched Jean trying to keep her sanity.
Jean tried to.
Since the psychic girl had helped her, Seol Hwa was going to return the favor.
"Thanks for the save," Seol Hwa said with a genuine smile.
Jean felt her heart nearly skip a beat. "Um, that was nothing."
"I was just helping a schoolmate," she added as they began walking out of the shop.
Seol Hwa nodded.
The two young women walked in uncomfortable silence before Jean decided to break it.
"Um…Seol," Jean began.
"It's Seol Hwa," Seol Hwa corrected her.
"Seol Hwa, why didn't you just… you know, influence his mind? You're a powerful telepath, more powerful than me," Jean hesitantly asked her.
Seol Hwa's lips curved into a smile. "I don't claim to be more powerful than you. Don't belittle yourself."
Jean felt warmth fill her heart, despite the deep-seated trauma the ancient existence beside her evoked.
"Why do you say so?" Jean curiously inquired.
"That's something you'll learn by yourself," Seol Hwa said mysteriously.
"Also, I see no reason to impose my sovereignty on a mere ant."
"Sovereignty? You speak… weird," Jean replied, still awed by the power brimming within her absolute words.
"So I have been told a lot of times."
Jean suddenly had a bold idea.
"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" Jean surprised herself when she asked.
Seol Hwa arched her brow.
Jean realized her question came off in a suggestive way.
She immediately added, a small tremor in her voice. "I know a park… that has that kind of atmosphere."
Seol Hwa considered it. If that was what Jean wanted, she would go along with it for today.
"Okay." Seol Hwa nodded.
Jean led the way until they arrived at a small park.
There were various trees and benches. A nonfunctional fountain stood at the center of the park.
An old man sat on one of the benches, throwing seeds to the pigeons flocking around.
The pigeons cooed happily, pecking the seeds into their little bellies.
Jean found a seat that provided an unfiltered view of the serene park.
She sat at the furthest end of the bench.
Seol Hwa sat at the other end, secretly amused by Jean's actions.
"Am I that terrifying?" Seol Hwa casually asked.
"Yes, you are," Jean answered truthfully.
Someone who could spawn a hellscape in their mind was something close to a true devil.
Jean thought Seol Hwa could have harmed her if she wanted to on that day.
"But who… who are you really? You aren't a normal high school student."
"Are you?" Seol Hwa glanced at her.
"I'm not. I'm a mutant. But what are you?" Jean pressed the questions.
Seol Hwa solemnly gazed at the sky and remained silent for some time.
"I'm currently someone's daughter and was formerly feared as the Bloodborne Devil Empress. You met that aspect of me the last time you tried breaching my mind," Seol Hwa finally answered.
"Those two contradict each other, but only through that contradiction can I realize my true self."
Seol Hwa didn't expose her past, only sharing a fraction of the truth.
Jean listened attentively to Seol Hwa's profound words that didn't conform to her current age.
"Is that the reason why you try to live a normal life? It feels confusing," Jean echoed her thoughts aloud.
Seol Hwa subtly chuckled. "Life's confusing enough. Humans themselves are walking contradictions."
Jean scratched her head. "You're being cryptic."
She side-eyed the mysterious transfer student.
Right now, she didn't feel like the monster she had envisioned her to be.
When she was near her, the images of the silver-eyed empress and the infinite blood sea didn't resurface in her mind.
Strangely enough, the cause of her nightmares had become the antidote to it.
She felt a certain kind of calmness when she just talked with her like a… normal person.
Seol Hwa slowly caressed the scabbard that lay at the center of the bench, then looked at the flower in her other hand.
"You and this flower share something in common," Seol Hwa began, slightly raising her hand, displaying the flower.
Jean creased her brows. "How?"
"You are both fragile, easily swayed by outside forces. But that isn't something to define your existence for a long time."
"Instead of being swayed…" Seol Hwa gazed at Jean, a knowing glint in her amber eyes.
"Be like the Phoenix, unchained by the whims of nature and fate."
Jean tensed visibly, murmuring to herself, "Be like the Phoenix…"
She understood what Seol Hwa was trying to say, which was basically to woman up.
However, she had a feeling there was a deeper meaning to her words that she currently couldn't comprehend.
"One more thing: take some of your free time to meditate. The mind also needs to be trained like any other organ. Don't let that fear limit your talent," Seol Hwa advised before suddenly standing up.
Jean was taken aback by her sudden movements.
She knew Seol Hwa was about to leave her alone with many questions.
"A-Are you already going? We have barely… talked," Jean tried to make her stay.
Seol Hwa could sense her neediness, what she was thinking.
She edged closer and leaned forward, catching Jean by surprise.
Jean almost activated her telekinetic powers as she stared at the beautiful figure looming over her, her natural scent overloading her senses.
Slowly, Seol Hwa placed the flower in Jean's hands before straightening her back.
"Take care of the flower. Or just do whatever you want with it. I hope you overcome the nightmares." she showed her a breathtaking grin before gracefully walking away.
Jean stared at the empress's perfect figure until it disappeared in the distance.
Seol Hwa left Jean with more turbulence than ever.
The flower still had Seol Hwa's warmth, making her brain glitch.
Not even the ENTITY inside her, the dark passenger within, could save her from that!
~~~<>~~~
Yu_ner's Corner:
Alive. I'm thankful for that. And guess what? It's my B-day. I used to not give a f about it but lately as I grow older, I have learned to appreciate the gift of health and living. I no longer take it for granted.
So yeah happy birthday to me and a chapter for you.
Wish you all the goodness in life ma lovely super duper readers.
Sh*t. I'm getting older. Just realized that. Not getting any younger😭
I have long forgotten on how to spoil myself or to be spoiled lol.
You can support me in anyway on my special day. Now read 4.6k words from my soul.
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