Chapter 1 : Awakening the X-gene
[New story. Kind of… It actually was a chapter that's been on my Patréon page for a while. I'll start posting it weekly.
You can find up to 10 chapters of this story, along with my other one, in advance on Patréon. Replace the é by e. Search for Cathbel on the website or use this link :
https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596. E instead *
Enjoy !]
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« Ya~tta~ ! » The uncharacteristic sound of Japanese resounded in the sewers of New York. Along the banks of flowing filthy water, a young child had jumped to his feet and started dancing without reason. He appeared to be about 11 or 12 years old, much too young to be living on his own.
The child is me. I reincarnated in this world and for years I thought not much of it. That is, until I learned about World War II… Contrary to the History I knew of, here, Hydra, an organization aiming for world conquest, had posed the greatest threat together with the Nazis. Hitler might have funded them, but he didn't really control them… Along with them, other names such as Steve Rogers, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter drew my attention and revealed one simple, yet terrifying fact : I was in the Marvel Universe !
The panic attack I had at the time had almost awakened my dormant X-gene, not that I knew it at the time, of course. It only was delayed because I hadn't manifested any signs of puberty, I think… Even though some mutants awakened much sooner or were born that way.
When I did become a mutant, I wished I didn't… I lost my hair and seemingly my bones, suctions pads appeared on my limbs and my skin took on an orange-brown tone. It was hell ! And not only because I felt disfigured, the pain was something else ! At that moment, I almost wished for Galactus to come eat me or something…
After this, I never went home… For some reason, I couldn't face my parents like this. Was it shame or something else, I wasn't sure… Perhaps it was fear that, like so many other parents of mutants, they'd refuse me, cast me out… So I fled. With nowhere to go and no means of transportation to go to Salem, I decided to take refuge under the city of New York, where I knew a community of Mutants lived : the Morlocks.
They accepted me. But unlike what I thought, it wasn't with open arms. They asked what I could do, and since I didn't really know, they made me some kind of servant for the mutants with real power. Unfortunately, a boneless child wasn't really good to serve others. I was clumsy because I was unaccustomed to my body and just moving around was difficult. Therefore, they bullied me…
It was then that I fled again. And as I was crouching in some dark corner of the sewers, I found a damp piece of paper. As I took it in my hand, I put a finger in my mouth to soak it with my ink (cause I did that too as I recently discovered… Not that it was useful for anything). And then, I started writing wishes on the paper…
First on the list was to get my old body back…
Almost magically, I felt the suction pads disappear into my skin, the bone regrowing under it and the tone lightening. I froze for just a second, uncomprehending before I jumped up and started dancing…
And now, we're back to the present ! I still don't know what this means and I don't really care ! I mean, I can finally leave this damned, dirty and power-ruled place ! While I am feeling happy and dancing like an idiot, I notice my body blurring, like an image out of focus, and then, I feel it shift back to my mutated appearance. Because of the missing bones, I fall on my ass, my arms falling a second later. I am dejected obviously. But then, I realize something and retrieve the piece of paper.
On it, the original phrase I wrote, which wasn't actually a wish but rather a statement, is now illegible, blurred by water or dampness. If I could, my face would be stretched into a smile but, well… With my tentacle-face it isn't possible for now. Yeah, 'cause I have four additional tentacle coming above and below my mouth, like a certain pirate from a Disney movie. Frankly this mutation is annoying…
Moving back to the sentence I wrote, I ponder…
« Does my ink make what I write come true ? »
If it is, this is overpowered ! Wanda Maximoff was a known mutant with reality altering powers but she originally had a hard time controlling her powers. In fact, almost every omega-level and reality altering mutants had ! As for me, it is ridiculously easy to control ! After all, I only have to write with my ink.
Then, I ask myself :
« Does it work for others, though ? »
I shudder at the thought. In this universe (or even in my old one for that matter), slavery might have been abolished but it is still practiced by criminals, the military and certain governments. I can see myself being strapped to a steel table just so that faceless people can extract my ink… Nu-huh ! Not to me !
« I need to experiment with this ! »
This has to have limitations and rules to figure out. It can't be as simple as writing something and it becomes true. Otherwise, I have a power similar to the Death Note and that's scary. Well, in the manga, it was limited to causing death but, if my hunch is true, my power is so much more than that !
Unfortunately, the paper currently in my hand is unusable. It's too wet, now. Besides, there's not much place on it after having written with my finger. I want something a little better to write with, like a brush or something… And more paper.
« Although… »
I turn to the wall and observe it for a while. Then, I shrug my shoulders, dip my fingers in my mouth again, thinking how unsanitary that is, and start to write and speak it at the same time :
« This. Wall. Disappears… » Then I step back and… Nothing. « So, It's not really reality warping, huh ? »
I'm a bit disappointed. But I continue to think. If I can't affect the world around me, maybe it's just me ? After all, the earlier transformation was just me reverting back to my body prior mutation. Still, this has potential !
« But, what about… » Following a hunch, I start writing :
« The. Ink. On. This. Wall. Disappears… » And it does ! Even the other sentence I wrote earlier !
I pump my right tentacle in the air, a motion made awkward by the absence of joints in my body. I'm not really an expert on squid and octopi or anything but… The way they move is completely dependent on their muscles, I think. At least, that's how it feels to me. Anyway, I digress… Back to my new discovery !
« So, the writings affects my body and my ink, huh ? »
I can't help but feel that this is a strange power. Still, I'm giddy with excitement, which is strange considering I'm rather old mentally (Almost 50, counting the two lives…). Then again, as a failed fantasy writer and a real nerd, possessing superpowers has always been a dream of mine. Though, all things considered, I don't think I've ever really considered the ramifications living in a world like Marvel entailed…
Focusing back on my ink and its applications, I make my first two important observations. One, the writing impacts me and my ink directly. I still need to figure out how exactly it does and if there are limits to it. Secondly, and probably the most important, one I can even consider a weakness : the writing needs to be legible. Otherwise, what was changed goes back to what it was originally. This makes me wonder what happens if I write on a paper and it gets burned or torn… Something to figure out later !
For now, I need to get my old body back. If not permanently, at least long enough for me to secure writing paraphernalia. With this, I'll be able to go back to my family and from there… We'll see.
So… let's do just that ! I think as I once more put my finger in my mouth.