NEW YORK
MAY 25, 1998
THIRD PERSON POV
Telepathy — a power that, if granted, perhaps only one in a million or even one in a hundred million would refrain himself from using to pry into someone's secrets or manipulate others.
But here in Marvel's world, every roadside Joe who possessed it would do something reckless — and regret it later.
Just like today.
Two individuals would regret it deeply.
Kilgrave, also known as the Purple Man, mainly worked alone. A psychopathic criminal who stalked his victims, controlled them, and later abused them in ways no one could imagine — all for his sick joy and entertainment.
And today, he thought he had a brilliant idea — to control the rising young billionaire's legal guardian, Mr. Anish. Through certain connections with his abilities, Kilgrave planned to utilize him to improve his cash flow and resolve his current financial problems.
"Once he is under control, then I won't have any problem. I will also put Jessica in the new penthouse kekeke." Killgrave grinned as he constructed the plan.
He chuckled softly, the sound wet and dangerous, already picturing the power and leverage the move would hand him.
He used his power to control a man who was scheduled to meet Mr. Anish to discuss the Brew Haven Overseas Plan. The deal was only in its early stages and would take another two months to finalize.
Both Mr. Anish and the man under Kilgrave's control took a car to a nearby restaurant.
Kilgrave followed them, confident and calculating. As he entered the private room, he discreetly released a chemical substance into the air — the key compound that amplified his control over others.
But suddenly, a faint blue aura enveloped Mr. Anish — and in the next instant, he vanished, right before Kilgrave and the controlled man's eyes.
What the hell… is he a mutant?
Kilgrave froze, his confidence shattering. Panic spread across his face as his eyes darted around the room in disbelief. Just as he turned to flee, a hand clamped tightly around his neck.
Aethereon stood behind him, expression unreadable, his presence radiating quiet menace. Before Kilgrave could even gasp, the world blurred — and the two vanished from the restaurant's private room.
Then came a voice, low and cold enough to freeze blood.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKED YOU ARE?"
Kilgrave's body trembled violently. His voice caught in his throat as terror choked every word he wanted to say.
Without another sound, Aethereon disappeared once more.
------------
Xavier's school for gifted youngsters
General pov
Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X — or as some would call him behind his back, the Mind Rapist — had been restless.
Three months ago, he had sent Jean Grey to deliver a birthday gift to a boy — Alex.
But ever since that day, strange things began to happen to Jean. He couldn't access her mind as easily as before. Even when he did, he couldn't manipulate or suppress what he wanted to seal within her — the very thing he'd been restraining for years.
It terrified him.
Yet to his astonishment, the thing inside Jean was no longer violently thrashing as before. It had become quiet… docile.
Almost calm — like a sleeping beast.
Jean had told Charles that the man she met outside Alex's house — his butler — was someone she couldn't read. She had accidentally tried to access his mind but failed, assuming it was due to her lack of control or simple nervousness while delivering the gift.
But Charles, being Charles, couldn't let it go.
That one line haunted him: "I couldn't read his mind."
He contemplated for weeks, finally deciding to take a risk.
"Who would know?" Charles muttered, rolling his wheelchair toward Cerebro. "Might as well try."
The massive dome-shaped chamber hummed as he entered.
The helmet lowered, locking in place over his bald head. Lights flickered to life, and a million psychic threads connected to his mind at once.
Countless images appeared within the circular projection field — endless figures scattered across New York.
"Let's see what you're hiding," Charles murmured, narrowing his eyes as he locked onto one figure inside a restaurant where three individuals were present.
As he peered in, he sensed something — a barrier protecting the mind of that butler.
"Hm. There's definitely something here," he muttered. "I need to use more power."
He pressed two fingers to his temple, concentrating harder.
A pulse of power traveled outward, locking onto the target. It broke through the first layer of defense — the nanobot mental barrier — yet even then, he couldn't access the mind.
Even Cara, monitoring remotely, believed Mr. Anish had transferred just in time when the nanobot barrier broke through.
But she was wrong.
Charles did break through the outer defense. He did attempt to access Mr. Anish's mind — but it was futile.
What he encountered wasn't resistance… it was something beyond comprehension.
The aura surrounding the butler's consciousness was immense — deeper and older than anything Charles had ever sensed. If the entity inside Jean was a moth… then this was a universe.
Cold sweat trickled down Charles's temple.
And within a millisecond, Mr. Anish vanished from Cerebro's view entirely.
Charles tried to locate him again — but couldn't.
He wasn't anywhere on Earth.
He wasn't anywhere.
Panic surged within him.
First, Jean's power becomes docile. Then his inability to control or even comprehend the butler's mind. Now this — someone disappearing from Earth without a trace.
Someone was guarding that butler.
Someone far beyond imagination.
Just then, two signatures appeared outside — above the school.
Charles focused, locking onto the source.
What he saw froze him completely.
Two figures hovered in the air — one holding the other by the neck.
The one in control was Aethereon.
Aethereon stood suspended in the night sky, the cold wind rushing past his armor as his visor dimly reflected the full moon.
Below him, Kilgrave struggled helplessly in his grip — the once arrogant telepathic manipulator now gasping, eyes wide with terror.
Without a single word, Aethereon's voice came out cold and absolute.
"Your filth ends here."
He pressed his palm tighter around Kilgrave's throat. A faint white-blue glow surged from his hand — chakra, dense and pure. The energy wrapped around Kilgrave's body, crackling faintly like contained lightning.
And then, with a motion as effortless as swatting a fly, Aethereon snapped his neck.
A brief silence.
Then — the body went limp.
But Aethereon wasn't done. He poured more chakra into the corpse, coating it entirely, compressing it until the air around shimmered with power as he added lightning nature around it for more distruction.
With one mighty swing of his arm, he hurled Kilgrave's body like a javelin — reinforced with chakra, cutting through the air like a meteor.
It streaked downward, piercing through the sky —
WHOOOOSH—!!
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The corpse tore straight through the roof of Xavier's mansion, smashing into the dome-like exterior of Cerebro. Metal shrieked and shattered as the reinforced chakra-propelled projectile pierced clean through the chamber, exploding on impact.
A shockwave rippled across the compound. Lights flickered.
The entire building shook violently as smoke and debris filled the sky.
Down below, the students screamed and ducked for cover.
Professor X's office alarms blared.
In her room, Storm felt the surge before she saw it.
The moment she heard the explosion, her instincts flared — and so did her rage.
Throwing open the window, she looked up into the night sky. There, hovering above the chaos, was a figure — white armor gleaming under the lightning flashes — Aethereon.
Her heart pounded as her eyes turned white, her voice trembling with fury.
"AHHHH!!!" She roared with all his might.
In an instant, clouds gathered overhead — thick, black, and churning. The wind howled, and a violent thunderstorm formed within seconds.
A thunderbolt split the night sky, roaring toward Aethereon with blinding speed—
But before it could strike, he was gone.
ZIIIIP—!
Aethereon appeared right behind Storm, his movement faster than thought. In his right hand, a kunai spun with precision, already thrown moments before to fix his teleportation mark.
"Slow," he remarked with a cold tone.
Energy swirled around his palm — a massive, football-sized Rasengan forming, humming with devastating power.
Without hesitation, he thrust it forward, slamming it squarely into Storm's chest.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
[AN: ALEX THREE SENSEIS IMAGES-]
The shockwave sent her crashing into the courtyard, tearing through stone and metal as a crater exploded beneath her impact.
Aethereon landed smoothly beside the crater, his cloak fluttering in the storm's gale. The air shimmered with the residual chakra around him as he calmly adjusted his stance, eyes locked forward.
But before he could take a step, lightning crackled —
The smoke burst apart.
Storm emerged from the dust, her white hair whipping violently as electricity surged around her body. Her eyes glowed even brighter, emitting a pure white light that radiated fury.
"why are you attacking us?" she demanded before she lunged forward and punched Aethereon on his face with all her strength — thunder echoing with her strike.
Through the sky when Storm's punch landed squarely on Aethereon's chest. For a split second, she thought she had struck true — her lightning-charged fist connected, the shockwave bursting outward like a sonic boom.
But before she could even smirk at her mark, Aethereon's body — which should've been sent flying — twisted unnaturally, his movement fluid and inhuman.
His right arm bent like a serpent mid-air, redirecting the momentum entirely. The force flowed down his body, coiling around his muscles before focusing all that power onto a single point: BLUE AURA GATHERED—on his index finger.
And then — CRACK!
That same finger pressed firmly against Storm's face.
The strength was controlled — measured perfectly — because if Aethereon used his full power, which now reached over 600 tons even without the GLR (Green Lantern Ring), Storm wouldn't just have flown back… she would have been erased from the battlefield.
Even restrained, the hit sent her flying like a ragdoll, her body smashing through the school's outer wall. Bricks shattered. Concrete split. Her form pierced through the structure before crashing into the inner hallway.
He glanced at the storm before turning his attention to the building where he had thrown Kilgrave.
The shockwave rippled through the mansion — alarms blaring as security systems activated.
Inside the school, danger sensors triggered instantly. Protective barriers flared up around classrooms, and the young mutants were swiftly ushered into the safe chamber by automated defense drones and emergency personnel. The combat unit — the trained senior students and staff — rushed toward the courtyard, eyes locking on the lone, armored figure standing amid smoke and broken lightning.
Aethereon.
His aura was calm but suffocating — every breath he took seemed to hum with raw energy.
Meanwhile, at the ruined Cerebro chamber, debris was being cleared away piece by piece.
Colossus strained his massive arms, lifting fallen beams as Hank McCoy — the Beast — crawled through the shattered remains of the dome.
"Careful… check for Professor Xavier," Hank called out, coughing through dust.
Colossus nodded, shifting a massive chunk of debris aside. Beneath it lay a crushed body — unrecognizable at first.
"I found someone," Colossus said grimly. "But… I don't think it's him."
They looked closer — the man's face pale, lifeless, purple. Recognition struck both of them at once.
"Not Charles," Hank muttered, his tone low and uneasy. "He's… dead."
Both men exchanged tense glances before sighing in relief. At least it wasn't Charles.
Moments later, they located Professor Xavier, trapped beneath his overturned wheelchair. His breathing was shallow, but he was conscious.
"Professor, stay still," Hank said, carefully pulling him free.
Xavier coughed, blinking rapidly, disoriented from the earlier psychic backlash. His first words weren't about himself.
"Are Jean and the children safe?" he asked weakly, his voice raspy.
"Yes," Hank replied firmly. "You don't have to worry. Everyone's being moved to safety."
He checked Charles for any serious injury while Colossus supported his back.
Across the battlefield, Storm — bruised, battered, and still trembling with electricity — stood surrounded by her allies.
Pyro, Kitty, Havok, Bobby, Firestar, and Cyclops formed up around her, all of them looking ready for a fight. Their stances were defensive, weapons and powers ready to ignite.
But Aethereon didn't even raise a hand. His stance remained relaxed, almost indifferent.
He wasn't in the mood to fight these "wannabes," as he thought to himself. They were strong, yes — but not the type he considered enemies.
Even though he sounded arrogant, there was a discipline to it — the kind that came from relentless training. Eight hours daily, without fail. Aethereon always prepared himself for a world where powers could fail — a day when he might be stripped of his system or strength.
That's why he trained his body, his blade, and his instincts.
His swordsmanship had already reached the level of a Greatswordsman, honed through sweat, pain, and battle(in simulation). He didn't depend solely on his templates — every movement he made was his own, polished and perfected.
All the templates he had, except Minato's, relied on their own martial discipline — the mastery of the body itself. And Aethereon embodied that philosophy completely.
{AN: DONT FUCKING COMMENT ABOUT MINATO ALSO TRAIN HARD I KNOW ABOUT THAT. I AM TALKING ABOUT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DON'T HAVE ANY SUPERNATURAL POWERS LIKE MINATO HAS CHAKRA..}
From afar, Charles couldn't comprehend who is he and why he was attacking the school. The air was heavy with tension and disbelief. Jean and Kurt appeared near Charles, teleporting close with anxious expressions carved into their faces.
"Professor, what should we do? I don't think we can win," Jean said, her voice trembling as her eyes darted toward her friends still battling in the courtyard.
Before she could rush in, Hank stopped her, holding her shoulder firmly. "Not yet," he said, remembering Charles' previous instructions — If the school is ever attacked, don't let Jean use her powers recklessly.
So Jean, Jubilee, and Kurt focused on protecting the children inside the school, forming a defensive perimeter. Outside, Hank and Piotr (Colossus) arrived carrying Professor Xavier, who was bruised and slightly injured from the earlier impact but still conscious.
"I might create a chance… just when the opportunity strikes," Charles murmured from Hank's back, his tone steady despite the pain.
"You're injured, Charles. You can't—" Hank began, but Charles interrupted him with firm resolve.
"I need to do this. Even if you and Colossus join, you can't win against him."
Charles closed his eyes, pressing two fingers to his temple as he concentrated. His psychic energy flared faintly.
In the courtyard, Cyclops and Havok — the Summers brothers — unleashed their heat blasts together, a devastating beam of energy tearing through the air. But Aethereon stood his ground effortlessly, his Green Lantern Ring forming a shimmering emerald barrier that absorbed the attack.
As the light faded, Aethereon surged forward in an instant — his speed blurring the air — and before either brother could react, his fist connected squarely with their faces. Both Cyclops and Havok were sent flying backward, crashing through debris.
The battlefield was chaos incarnate. The ground was scorched and frozen in equal measure; the sky cracked with lightning. Storm tried to manipulate the atmosphere, dropping the temperature rapidly to give Bobby (Iceman) the upper hand.
Her plan worked — the air turned frigid, frost forming across the courtyard — and that's when Charles saw his opening.
He closed his eyes again, his psychic voice echoing through the mental plane.
"I don't know who you are… but you'll have to pay for this."
He reached out, trying to access Aethereon's mind — only to hit an invisible wall, a barrier of pure mental resistance(nanobot).
"Jean, help me," Charles said quickly, glancing her way.
Jean nodded, sweat already forming on her brow. Together, they concentrated, their combined psychic force hammering against the nanobot-generated defense surrounding Aethereon's mind.
Inside the system space, Cara's eyes flickered on the virtual panel.
"Warning: external telepathic breach detected!"
Jean's power pierced through the barrier. As the nanobots' protective shell cracked, she saw it — his face, partially revealed beneath the visor. Her breath hitched; her eyes widened in shock.
"...Alex?" she thought inwardly — realization flooding her expression. But before she could speak further, panic surged in her chest.
At that exact moment, Bobby's ice powers reached full force, freezing Aethereon solid. Beacuse for a split second, his body stiffened — immobilized completely as Charles enetered his mind.
"NO!" Jean screamed, but her voice was lost amidst the chaos.
Hank and Colossus exchanged confused looks as Charles' consciousness entered Alex's mindscape.
As Aethereon became an ice sculpture, Cyclops took his chance, aiming his optic beam to finish the job — but before he could fire, Jean's eyes suddenly glowed a faint orange.
A powerful psionic pulse burst outward, a shockwave that rattled the very air. Her body levitated slightly as her telekinetic aura flared around her like molten flame. She soared toward Aethereon's frozen form, her energy shielding him from the incoming blast.
"No one will harm him," Jean declared, her voice deeper, layered — both furious and protective. Her hair flowed in the air, its ends flickering with fiery light as her eyes burned a brilliant orange, like twin suns ready to incinerate anything in their way.
As all the X-Men stood frozen in confusion — torn between anger and disbelief at Jean for protecting the very intruder who had attacked their school — a thunderous noise shattered the tense silence.
BAMMM!
BAMMM!
BAMMM!
BAMMM!
The school's reinforced wall cracked open as four armored Humvees burst through the smoke and debris, their headlights slicing through the haze like blazing eyes. The air filled with the deep growl of engines and the clatter of boots as soldiers poured out with practiced precision, their rifles raised but not aimed at Aethereon — their target was the X-Men.
The vehicles screeched to a halt between the frozen Aethereon and the mutant defenders, kicking up clouds of dust that danced in the flickering light. From the second Humvee, the door swung open with a sharp metallic thud.
Out stepped Nick Fury, his iconic long coat fluttering slightly in the wind, followed closely by Agent Maria Hill and Clint Barton. Fury's single eye swept over the chaotic scene — from the cracked courtyard to the injured students, then to Aethereon's ice-sculpted form.
His jaw tightened, though his expression betrayed no weakness. "Mind if I ask what's going on?" Fury said coolly, his voice carrying across the courtyard like a command.
He stood with his hands behind his back, scanning everything with his sharp 130-degree field of vision. The tension was palpable — one wrong move, and the entire courtyard could erupt into chaos.
Jean's eyes glowed faintly orange, her aura flaring with subtle warning, while Storm and Cyclops shifted into guarded stances. Even Barton's grip tightened on his bowstring as his gaze darted between Jean and Aethereon, uncertain who the real threat was anymore.