Chapter 142 – Price

[2009 – September]

Frowning heavily, Charles' gaze rested in the distance as he looked out the window behind his office desk.

Just a few minutes ago, he had felt a spike of truly horrible power disturbing the ambient psionic energy roughly in the location of the Massachusetts Academy.

Considering that almost every telepath's power came from an innate ability to manipulate another's mind through the use of psionic energy, and the fact that he was an Omega-level telepath himself, Charles was naturally very sensitive to the changes in the omnipresent ambient psionic energy field.

His great power as a telepath of the highest order also meant that the range of his sensitivity was enormous even without the use of Cerebro.

In truth, Cerebro's function to increase his range was also only secondary as the main function of the rather incredible apparatus, which Hank had just recently finished rebuilding after its latest destruction, was to help him sense things more 'clearly'.

Cerebro, therefore, wasn't just a telescope that allowed Charles to 'see' farther but also a magnifying glass with different light filters, so to speak, that enabled him to better understand what it was that he was seeing even at a great distance.

This was also the reason why he could use the machine to differentiate between the brainwaves of normal humans and mutants while without it, he could not make out the difference between a human and a mutant mind.

Still, while Charles wasn't able to understand clearly what it was that he had sensed without Cerebro, his sensitivity to the ambient psionic energy and his own experience were great enough to make him understand that only a living being bearing truly terrible power could cause such a change.

It might have been different if he had Emma's gifts as he had no problem admitting that his former student was far more talented when it came to direct psionic energy manipulation than he was.

To be entirely truthful, while they were both Omega-level telepaths, he had basically zero talent for psionic manipulation. Even after decades as a telepath, the best Charles could manage was to move a few pieces of paper with his mind and turn the page of a book if he was feeling lazy.

This knowledge wasn't of any help at the moment though as he was rather sure that Emma would not help him understand what it was that he had felt, especially since he had the faint suspicion that it was her younger brother that was responsible for this sudden change.

There wasn't really a logical explanation for such a suspicion but Charles trusted his instincts very much.

The mind of an Omega-level telepath was a strategic weapon in itself and even he did not fully understand the full potential such a weapon held after decades of studying and training his own powers.

What he did know, however, was that experience had taught him to trust his own instincts.

…

"So this is your path in this life, huh?", the Ancient One mumbled under her breath as she opened her eyes while not moving from her meditative pose, a few dozen students sitting in front of her in the same pose, their eyes closed and their breathing even.

Having just sensed the disturbance in the Darkforce Dimension through a ward that she had left behind there some time ago, as well as noticing the irregularity in the one that was placed in the New York Sanctum, she could not help but sigh quietly while shaking her head.

The Ancient One did not fully understand what it was that Elijah had done, nor did her memories give her any further clues pertaining to that, but she had her own guesses.

"Such great power, sigh … ", Enid whispered, "Don't lose yourself, Elijah. This world still needs you, even if you don't need it."

Closing her eyes once again, the Ancient One fell back into a trance, meditating to calm her mind and soothe her spirit.

…

Wild flowers with a hint of spice – of fire.

That was the fragrance that tickled my nose as I lay in bed with Jean resting atop my chest, my fingers combing through her soft fiery locks while she had already fallen asleep.

She had been exhausted and drained after worrying for my safety for hours, not enough to quell her need for intimacy and warmth, but enough to fall asleep right after a bout of tender passion.

Gently supporting her head and holding onto her waist, I slowly turned over while being careful not to wake her, placing her down on the soft bedding.

Her wild red hair stood in stark contrast to the white sheets and her rosy, but light skin. Her bare chest rose and fell in an even rhythm while strands of moonlight danced over her slender neck, delicate collarbone, and perfect pale breasts which were topped by two small, pink berries.

I never wanted this sight to fall into someone else's eyes.

Even becoming a Realm Lord couldn't help me understand how this beautiful redhead could have such a firm grip on my heart, though I didn't really mind.

Smiling faintly, I leaned down and lightly pressed my lips against her smooth cheek before leaving another kiss on the warm skin just below her collarbone, causing a soft hum to escape the sleeping beauty's lips.

Moving away, I drew back my hand though I made sure to trace Jean's soft hip and warm abdomen while I did so, slipping out from under the covers a moment later. Pulling the blanket up a bit so that her chest was covered and she wouldn't get cold, I picked up the loose cotton pants from the floor.

It was a black pair and the material felt somewhat coarse and rough but I liked that about it. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy some soft and fluffy material for my sweatpants but rough cotton or linen was generally more to my liking when it came to workout clothes.

Naturally, there was also functional, high-quality, and specifically designed breathable clothing made for the purpose of highly intense workouts but I preferred this kind of simple clothing when I trained.

The reason was rather simple too as I didn't like how the other materials stuck to my skin while soaked in my sweat.

Putting on the piece of clothing, I threw a quick glance at the full-body mirror, the sparse illumination of the room not really a problem for someone with my senses.

Dark locks framed my face while my green eyes were bright even in the darkness of the room. The pants sat low on my hips while my upper body was bare.

Strong arms, wide shoulders, prominent chest, and a slightly narrower waist with all the muscle groups clearly distinguished and every single muscle tempered to perfection. It looked as if a master sculptor had taken his carving blade to every single muscle of mine while making sure that the proportions and distribution of them all were simply flawless.

I wasn't particularly vain but I had to admit that I enjoyed being attractive, and if only because my well-muscled physique matched Jean's slender frame with perky curves in all the right places.

Throwing those thoughts to the back of my mind a second later, I left the bedroom and opened the balcony doors in the living room that led to a small terrace.

Stepping outside and placing my hands on the railing, I took a few deep breaths of the cool night air.

The cold didn't bother me while I did so. I felt it but I was left unaffected. Still, taking a few deep breaths through my nose caused a plethora of scents and odors to prick my sense of smell.

I could smell the sap from dozens of different trees, bushes, and vines, while the fragrance of a multitude of flowers and berries likewise reached my nose.

Though it wasn't just that, as I could also smell the unique scents of thousands of different living beings, including the ones emitted by the inhabitants of not only the Hellion Mansion but also from those living in the normal student quarters of the Massachusetts Academy. Not to mention the teachers, guards, and the rest of the staff.

With my sense of smell alone, nothing in the vicinity of the Academy could escape my notice, that was how incredible my current senses were.

One might think that this would lead to a sensory overload but that wasn't the case at all as my mind had been strengthened to a point where it could filter and analyze all the information that was transmitted to my brain through my superhuman senses with ease.

The increase in my strength this time was too great for me to fully comprehend and I knew that it would probably take months for me to fully understand what I was capable of now.

What I understood clearly though was the fact that neither my soul nor my body was by any standard human anymore. And while this may seem obvious and rather insignificant, I knew that this was probably the most drastic change of all.

Already I felt as if reality was just a frail construct that I could shatter at will. The best example for this would be that my power was so great that if I stomped too hard, I could easily destroy this whole planet.

Naturally, this kind of change had an effect on how I perceived my surroundings, and not a favorable one.

I understood very well that I was in a dangerous position where I could easily lose myself in the face of my newly-gained strength, discarding my morals and ideals as they might seem redundant with the power that I now held in my hands.

I was at risk to become something truly monstrous.

Fortunately, even though my soul was now irreversibly connected and fused to the nexus core of the Darkforce Dimension, my mind would not be taken over by the desire to devour life and light as my mental shields were still intact and prevented my thoughts from being corrupted.

My soul may crave to reap life and devour light but my mind was still clear and untainted, my spirit still human.

Still, there wasn't anything that I could do to reverse the transformation of my soul nor did I think that such a thing was necessary or would be beneficial.

I was now the Realm Lord of the Darkforce Dimension, to hope that the ascension of the very origin of my life had not resulted in any disadvantages, or that there wasn't a price to pay for such power, was a childish and naive thought.

The higher one stood, the deeper one might fall. Everything had its counterpart, every advantage its corresponding disadvantage. This was the law of causality, this was the 'cycle'.

I had understood this before, and I certainly understood this now.

This didn't mean that I wasn't happy that I had finally gained enough power to now be counted as a player in the chess game that was steering the fate of this whole reality.

I was happy, I truly was. I felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders as I knew very well that power equaled freedom. Without enough power, one wouldn't even be allowed to decide one's own fate in this incredibly dangerous Universe.

And while I was still a long way from being comparable to existences like the Phoenix Force and the Living Tribunal(which I had no idea if it even existed in this Universe), I reckoned that while I was not Dormammu's equal, I had at least reached the same existential level as he had, considering that we were both Realm Lords of a secondary dimension.

With this kind of power, my heart felt much lighter as I thought about all the possible future threats that might spring up on Earth while I still lived here. Protecting my family and Jean was no longer a difficult task.

This simple realization was freeing in a way that I couldn't really explain. It was as if my world had suddenly become much '

less narrow'.

Picking up a rustling sound from behind me, my reverie came to an end as Jean's arms wrapped themselves around my waist, her front pressing against my back as she rested her head just in between my shoulder blades.

I could feel the thin blanket that she had wrapped around her naked form on my skin, not to mention that I could also see it as my irises started to glow with a white light.

"I didn't mean to wake you.", I voiced out quietly.

"I know.", came her soft reply while her cheek rested against my back.

"You scared me today. I thought I had lost you.", Jean continued, her voice even softer and full of tender vulnerability.

Though she didn't add anything else or say something like 'Don't do that again.' because she knew that I could not promise her such a thing.

I had gone into the Darkforce Dimension knowing that not coming back was a real risk. I had known that she would be scared and worried, and while this knowledge tore at my heart even now, I had still chosen to go.

I loved her but I knew very well that there were some things that I simply had to do if I wanted to be with her and continue to walk the path that I had chosen for myself.

Therefore I didn't apologize for the grief that I had caused her as I had done so knowingly and I wasn't shameless enough to ask for her forgiveness now, even though I knew that she would give it to me without hesitation.

Instead, I voiced out a promise that I intended to keep no matter what might happen in the future.

"I will always come back to you, Firefly.", I stated in a quiet voice, one of my hands letting go of the railing so that I could place it atop hers which was laying flat against my muscled abdomen.

"I believe you.", she replied and I could feel her lips leave a small kiss just below my right shoulder blade while her arms embraced me a bit tighter.

She stayed quiet for a few long moments after saying those words, though eventually, she asked: "Do you want to tell me what it was that kept you away for so long?"

Smiling ever so slightly, I began to talk, telling the one person that I loved talking to the most about what had happened to me in the Darkforce Dimension.