Chapter 068 – True Manipulation. Enlightenment.

[2009 – July]

Watching as Elijah did the unthinkable and created barriers out of flames, air, water, earth, and even lightning, Jean was shocked speechless while listening to his explanation.

Just when she thought that she had made a major step forward by awakening her connection to the Phoenix, Elijah followed suit and opened a whole new branch of barriers for him to use, as if refusing to let her keep advancing without him.

Don't worry, I will catch up soon.

The words he had spoken to her after their first night together once again rang in her ears, the confidence and determination in them simply incorruptible.

Tender joy bloomed in her heart as she realized that while she may be the inheritor of a goddess of Creation, Fire, and Rebirth, her love was Elijah Frost, the most talented mutant Jean had ever come across.

And like the Phoenix had said, he would never leave her side.

…

After quickly finishing up breakfast, I went to the training halls beneath the Hellion Mansion to try and truly figure out what I could do with my shields, Jean following along to also begin training her control over her new powers and discovering her limits.

So it was only a few minutes later that I found myself in a small but private underground hall.

The biggest training hall in the mansion was the size of a football field and open to all for training purposes, which was inconvenient when it came to keeping what I was capable of private.

This one on the other hand was reserved for my personal use at all times, so I did not have to worry about being disturbed or watched.

Still, I knew that Emma most likely monitored every training hall, but I didn't really worry about her as I trusted her greatly, not to mention that there existed no telepath on Earth that could force its way into her mind and review all the knowledge that she had about me.

Jean though had opted to go to her own private training room, so we wouldn't disturb each other's concentration.

Sitting on a soft training mat, I recalled everything I knew about my powers and realized that contrary to what I had thought at the beginning, I did not know about every aspect of it.

Omega-level mutants had limitless potential, so it was only natural that I couldn't completely grasp my powers, even though I had incredible control over them as it was.

I had created my shielding powers with specific intentions in mind and therefore knew about them, but Shield Creation and Manipulation had more applications than just what I had originally intended to use them for, the Omega-level potential making sure of that.

Up until now, I had always taken control of the ambient psionic energy around to create physical constructs that acted as shields, while my ethereal barriers were formed by psionic energy born out of my own mind, capable of influencing concepts of reality I didn't even fully understand.

Thinking about it more deeply, it almost seemed as if my shields were capable of manipulating reality in a very limited but definitely observable way.

And while it was through the use of psionic energy that I could force my will upon reality, my shielding powers were not limited to this. At least it seemed like they didn't have to be.

Raising my palms, I invoked small barriers made out of solidified air, before changing them into shields made out of different elements, a burst of vitality suddenly rushing through my mind as if cleansing and expanding it.

Epiphany. Enlightenment.

I could feel my mind expand beyond my previous limits as I continued to invoke barriers made out of different kinds of energies, going as far as forming one made out of pure electromagnetic force.

I knew that it wasn't unheard of for mutants to grow stronger through streaks of inspiration, enlightenment being something real and undeniable. And as I was a mutant, this was true even for me, my peak human mind taking half a step further, trying to reach a place beyond the limits of human cognition.

I could feel my mind being on the cusp of expanding to a level unreachable for normal humans, a tingling sensation to the back of my head informing me that I had reached a crucial point in my control over my powers.

Until now I had displayed my potential by creating shields with different intents and purposes, focusing on the aspect of 'shielding' and 'blocking'. Though what I had realized during breakfast this morning was that I had neglected my ability to manipulate my shields in favour of exploring what kinds of shields I could create.

Now though it was time to truly push the limits of what I could do through pure manipulation of my barriers, as just moving them around and exerting physical force on the external world while imitating telekinetic powers through them was not enough.

If I truly had total control over my creations, then this simply could not be the limit of my capabilities. I believed that firmly.

As if in a trance, I sat there with my eyes closed, barriers made out of different elements circling my still form, while an ethereal shield created an anti-gravity field around me, causing me to levitate above the ground.

'Manipulation … Manipulation … Manipulation …', this single word echoed through my mind over and over again, as I forced the psionic energy my shields consisted of to transform into different elements.

Still, I could feel that something was still missing, the magnitude of what I was doing not reaching the threshold for true enlightenment. I needed to do something bigger, something 'deeper'.

Banishing all my shields at once, I stood in the empty room with my eyes still closed and created a single barrier around myself, the blackish-transparent psionic energy perfectly encasing my whole body in the form of a spherical shield.

Concentrating my every thought on it, I reached deeper and deeper into the shield with my mind, feeling as if my thoughts had fused with it, the surrounding psionic energy trembling slightly under the intensity of my mental presence.

I felt as if I had become one with the shield, my whole being consisting of this simple energy construct. And then, I just willed 'myself' to change, to transform into pure space.

And my shield followed my will without resistance as I had already become one with it, turning into one of the fundamental compositions reality was made out of, psionic energy transformed into pure space. And for the first time since my arrival in this Universe, I truly took control over my surroundings, bending space to my will as if this was how it was supposed to be.

But I didn't stop there, having not yet reached my limit.

Pushing my mind further, I forced the spherical shield made out of space that encased my body to move, and faster than even my senses could react I had reached the other end of the room, seemingly having teleported myself from one position to another.

And then I did it again. And again. And again.

Moving through the room, appearing in different locations instantaneously as if teleporting, I manipulated the space my barriers were out of and everything inside it, including myself, until I felt a sudden spike of pain shot through my mind.

Losing control of the barrier, I fell to my knees as I grabbed the sides of my head in pain, blood running down my nose and ears, while chaos reigned in my mind.

Though through the painful storm that seemingly ravaged my brain, I could also feel my mind break through an invisible barrier, reaching a realm beyond my previous limits, a place beyond human cognition.

And then the pain suddenly vanished and I opened my eyes to a reality that had formerly been closed to me.

I was suddenly able to perceive the world around me with more than just my physical senses, information gushing into my mind from sources unknown, as a higher mental potential was being unlocked through true and pure enlightenment.

I knew my mind had reached an Enhanced Realm, even though my body was still Peak Human in nature.

And with this unexpected advancement, I seemed to have unlocked my Sixth Sense naturally, gaining a type of Extrasensory Perception that allowed me to truly 'see' the world and perceive reality in greater detail.

At this point, I couldn't help but throw my head back in laughter. Pure joy filled every fiber of my being at that moment, as I realized that what I had just done was nothing short of extraordinary.