Chapter 125: Leaving

After returning from Coney Island, Late at night, in the living room.

"How's the progress?"

Jack was lying on the couch, asking the hologram of the Red Queen projected onto the coffee table, "Is it difficult to decipher the Growth Codex?"

"Of course, it is difficult."

Red Queen glanced at him as if despising him for asking such a question and continued, "Currently, the deciphering progress is less than ten percent, and it is expected to be completed in about a month."

"That's great. Let me know when you're ready. After I send Jean back, we'll start."

Jack sighed and turned over to look at the ceiling, still thinking about the Stan Lee he had seen during this day.

His words made Jack very concerned as if advising him to become stronger.

'But why?'

Slowly, a feeling of panic that he couldn't explain came over his heart.

This made him even more eager to complete the fusion, only then could he go find the remaining four gems, and he would have the power to protect himself.

'Go to sleep, we still have to continue searching tomorrow.'

The living room let out a sigh and returned to silence.

.....

One month later...

Jack stood with his eyes closed and his arms spread in the vast space outside Earth. It looked like he was holding the whole Earth in his arms.

He was surrounded by a layer of blue energy that went out of his hands.

He was still searching for the convergence point between two parallel universes. Almost a month had passed, but he hadn't made any progress. This was a lot harder than he had thought it would be.

As the night approached the one month, he grew more and more anxious.

If he hadn't confirmed with the Ancient One that the convergence point was still on Earth, he would have gone to search in outer space.

How broken Jean's heart would be if she couldn't go back? Most importantly, no one knew what would happen if the power of the Phoenix Force inside her was released.

No matter what, he had to give it one last try.

A small tremble shook Jack's tense heart, and he immediately knew where it came from.

"I found it!"

With a sudden flash, Jack disappeared from his location.

The next moment, he appeared at the top of the mountain.

"Here it is!"

Almost as soon as he arrived, he felt the presence of the convergence point.

It was right here, on this mountain.

Even though he didn't know where he was, he knew he couldn't leave. As long as Jean was here, the Phoenix Force would sense of another universe and go back on its own.

Looking at the time, it was already in the afternoon. To prevent any accidents from happening, he decided to bring Jean here and wait for her.

The convergence point was not permanent, and it could change position at any time. He had to be prepared in advance.

With that thought in mind, Jack returned home.

"Hum~ Hum~ Hum~"

From the kitchen came a nice humming sound, but Jack couldn't appreciate it. He ran in with excitement and told Jean, "I found it!"

In the kitchen, Jean wore an apron around her waist and oven mitts on her hands as she held a small tray with a freshly baked cake inside.

Jack's kindness and guidance made Jean slightly less restrained than he was a month ago. She became happier and even learned how to cook, all because of Jack. He helped her understand how scary her power was and showed her how to handle it.

Jean didn't feel scared like she used to. She slowly learned to accept the power in her body and figure out how to handle it. She had never even thought of this, and not even Professor Charles could help her figure it out. But she did it here in just a month.

Jean was very clear that it wasn't because she was so strong or because this place was so special. It was all because of the man in front of her. In her heart, Jack was even more important than Professor Charles.

Jean smiled when she saw him, but she was stunned for a moment when she heard what he said. Then, as if she remembered something, her expression became pale. Her body trembled like it was about to fall over. Even the cake she was holding in her hand dropped to the floor and broke into pieces.

"Jean, are you okay?!"

Jack was frightened and quickly went over to support her, afraid she would fall.

"I...I'm fine."

Jean suddenly pulled her hand away from Jack and turned around to face the water pool, her voice hoarse as she asked, "So, can I go home now?"

"Yes, that's right. You can go back and see your friends." Jack replied, frowning as his instinct told him Jean's emotions were off. This didn't feel like someone who was excited to go home.

"Is that so? That's great," Jean said, turning on the water tap and washing her face. She turned around, her face covered in water, and smiled, "Then let's go quickly... don't waste any more time."

After speaking, she walked straight past him and went upstairs to pack her things.

She seemed happy and comfortable, but her eyes showed how she really felt. When Jack looked into her eyes, his heart pained. He just stood there in a daze and didn't even notice when Jean walked by.

But what could he do? No matter what, returning to her original world was the correct choice for both him and Jean. He had no reason to keep her here, and he couldn't even begin to compare himself with the Phoenix Force.

Jack sat motionless in the living room, waiting in silence. He turned around when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Jean was wearing the same clothes she had worn when they first met, holding the same book she had held that day, with a backpack on her back. Everything was exactly the same as it was when they first met.

"These clothes don't fit me anymore," Jean said, laughing awkwardly and holding the book to her chest to hide her cleavage.

Jean's body and height had changed a lot in the past month. This could have been because of how she felt. All of her old clothes were getting a little tight.

Jack remained silent, watching her quietly. He reached out his hand and said in a low voice, "Let's go."

"Okay, let's go," Jean smiled and looked at the place where she had lived for the past month before taking Jack's hand and disappearing with him.

At the top of the mountain, Jack and Jean appeared.

"I feel it," Jean said as soon as they arrived. To be precise, it was the Phoenix Force within her that she felt.

She let go of Jack's hand and followed the sensing, slowly moving forward.

Jack stayed where he was, looking at Jean with a conflicted expression, his hands clenched tightly into fists before he eventually had to release them.

Meanwhile, there was finally a response.

Boom.

Phoenix Force envelope out from Jean's body and directly struck the void. As the Phoenix Force kept coming through, cracks started to show all over the void, and eventually, a round hole opened up in front of Jean.

At the same time, a huge force of pressure came from the gap and sucked Jean directly. Jean did not resist this force and obediently allowed it to suck her up and towards the gap.

Snap.

Suddenly, a warm palm tightly grabbed Jean. Jean turned her head quickly, surprised to see Jack clenching his teeth and pushing her hard.

Jean smiled happily when she saw this scene, and her tears fell like broken pearls down her face.

She had just opened her mouth to say something when a stronger force came from the gap. Jean only got one last look at Jack before he let go of her, and she flew into the gap.

Jack gasped for breath, looking at the spot where Jean disappeared, feeling relieved.

"Thank goodness I made it."

At the same time, Red Queen's voice sounded in his ear, telling him he could begin the fusion.

Jack's eyes showed a bit of determination when he heard this.

"Just wait, Jean. I will find you soon."

...

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

You can find up to 35 advance chapters at my patreon.