"The Phoenix Rising – Part 2: Prelude to Chaos"
After sending Tony flying, Jean lifted her hand toward Emma once more. But before she could strike, the woman hiding behind the counter began to breathe erratically, trembling in fear. Her power was spiraling out of control. Her hands shook as more and more swords and daggers made of crystal-like energy materialized around her, floating in midair.
"I can't stop it…" whispered Janet, her voice trembling. Although she had managed to control her ability before, this time fear overwhelmed her completely. Seeing her boss attacked—the very person who had helped her in the past—threw her into a panic.
Janet carried a deep trauma connected to her power. She was terrified of hurting innocent people. Emma had been helping her through psychic therapy to manage her emotions, but right now, nerves and panic had completely taken over.
"Janet, calm down," said Emma, watching her receptionist with concern. The young woman was hyperventilating as more and more swords and blades appeared, each one vibrating with a dangerous glow.
Then, suddenly, they all shot out at once in every direction. Even Emma had to raise her arms to shield her face, though her diamond body took no damage. The blades sliced through walls and pillars with ease, leaving deep cuts and tearing the office further apart.
The edges were so sharp they carved through concrete as if it were butter.
In truth, the building should have already been evacuated, but both women had been so focused on work they hadn't checked their phones, which were always on silent. If they had, they would've seen the alerts flooding in from all over the city.
Fortunately, Janet's outburst caused no casualties—the building was nearly empty by the time Jean arrived, and the few people still inside had run out just in time.
Jean turned her gaze toward Janet, switching targets. Emma could wait.
She raised her hand, ready to obliterate the frightened girl, but a barrage of lightning bolts crashed down from the sky, striking right in front of her.
Ororo and the others had arrived just in time.
"It's time to stop, Jean. You have to fight it," said Storm, her brow furrowed as she floated nearby, her expression torn between fear and determination at the sight of her friend losing control.
Jean—or rather, what she had become—looked at her mockingly. She moved her hand, and a nearby building began to collapse, hurling massive fragments toward Storm. Ororo dodged midair, but the debris followed her like it had a will of its own, trapping her inside a growing sphere of rubble that was closing fast.
Before it could seal completely, a roar echoed through the air:
"GROOOWN!"
Hulk appeared, tearing the sphere open with both hands and freeing Storm. Without missing a beat, he grabbed her and hurled her straight toward Jean, combining rescue and counterattack in one move.
He knew who his teammates were—but something inside him told him this woman was no longer Jean.
Tony came flying back at that moment. He aimed and fired, but Jean moved her hand, catching pieces of broken rubble from the earlier sphere and using them to block Iron Man's beam, deflecting it before hurling another chunk back at him.
A red beam shot upward from the ground—Cyclops and the other X-Men had arrived. His face reflected the pain of having to fight the woman he loved.
The teams split quickly: some focused on evacuating civilians, while the strongest prepared to confront Jean directly.
Logan arrived as well, his motorcycle screeching to a halt. His expression carried a mix of anger and concern. As he stepped off, he threw an irritated glare at Cyclops but said nothing; instead, he ran straight into the fight.
Seeing all her former friends gathered, Jean smiled calmly and began to descend, ready to face them.
Hulk was the first to attack. He swung with all his might, but Jean dodged effortlessly, brushing his chest lightly with her palm. In an instant, the green giant was sent flying at tremendous speed, crashing through an entire building before vanishing from sight.
With a mere flick of her wrist, Jean summoned jagged spikes of stone from the ground, impaling Logan by surprise. The rocks burst through his stomach and out his back, leaving him growling in pain and disbelief.
Then she turned her hand toward Storm. The woman suddenly felt an invisible force grabbing her midair, squeezing her tighter and tighter as Jean calmly closed her fist.
"Ahhh!" screamed Storm, writhing in pain.
Tony reacted instantly. He launched a barrage of shoulder missiles, explosions erupting all around Jean and engulfing her in smoke and flame. The shockwave forced her to release Storm.
But the fire and debris were swept aside with a casual motion of her hand, as though they were nothing.
"Okay… is it just me, or is she getting way too strong?" said Tony, sweating as he watched Jean adapt and grow more powerful with each passing second.
A gunshot rang from a nearby rooftop.
Nicholas had fired his rifle, the bullet aimed straight for Jean's head—but it disintegrated into dust before reaching her. She didn't even raise her hand or look in his direction; her power shielded her by sheer will alone.
Her eyes turned pitch-black, and dark crimson fire began to swirl around her body.
"HULK SMASH!"
The green behemoth came crashing down from the sky after one of his massive leaps, clapping his hands together to unleash a deafening shockwave. The blast rippled outward, shaking every nearby building.
For the first time, Jean flinched and staggered slightly back. Tony, Nicholas, and Charles noticed instantly.
The real fight had just begun.
For an instant, Jean staggered backward, affected by the shockwave. Tony, Nicholas, and Charles immediately noticed that small reaction.
"Jarvis, send Armor 72," ordered Tony, his expression deadly serious as he launched another wave of explosions around Jean. The woman lifted Hulk effortlessly with one hand and hurled him back into the sky.
Before they could coordinate another attack, a new storm of crystal swords and daggers erupted from all directions, forcing everyone to dodge. The blades swirled violently around the clinic building, slicing through walls and glass as if they were nothing.
Emma, still in her diamond form, was thrown back by the force of the blast. She landed on her feet, sliding across the ground before stopping with one hand braced against it.
"Janet, you need to calm down. Breathe," said Emma, her tone filled with concern.
Janet nodded nervously and tried to comply, but each breath only made more blades appear around her. Her desperation grew—and with it, the number of floating daggers that threatened to explode outward at any moment.
"Perfect… just what we needed," muttered Tony, aiming his repulsors toward Janet, ready to stop her.
"Wait! No. If she faints or gets hurt now, her power will spiral even more out of control. More blades will appear. She has to contain it on her own," said Emma urgently, extending a hand toward him.
Charles focused on the young mutant and tried to reach into her mind to calm her, but his expression suddenly twisted with pain and shock. Emma noticed instantly.
"Her power cuts through any mental connection… those blades are made of pure cutting energy," Emma explained, her face tense with worry.
Charles opened his eyes with a grave look. He understood what that meant.
Tony, realizing it as well, spoke quietly.
"You're saying if her power grows stronger, she could cut through anything? Even psychic or energy-based attacks?"
"I don't know," Emma replied, still focused on Janet. "She just needs to control it…"
She didn't have time to say anything else. Jean appeared right in front of her—barely a meter away—with her hand raised, aiming directly at Emma's face. Emma's eyes widened in shock and fear. Everyone had been distracted by Janet; no one would reach her in time.
"An interesting power…" said a male voice beside Jean. "She should join us. And if her fear is losing control, then she should just let it flow to the fullest."
Jean turned her head slowly, surprised by the interruption. Owen stood there, his fist enveloped in a red aura that burned like concentrated flame, striking straight toward her face.
Jean didn't even try to defend herself. She was certain that no physical strike could harm her at this point. But she was wrong.
The impact didn't destroy her, but a surge of red energy blasted her away with an explosion of compressed air that rippled through the street.
Owen lowered his arm and looked at his fist. Part of his skin had turned black, almost disintegrating into ash.
Everyone had seen him appear out of nowhere—shocked, yet relieved. Tony noticed the crimson flash that had accompanied his strike.
"You're late," said Tony, hovering close in his armor.
"Heroes always arrive at the last moment," Owen replied with a calm smile.
"If that were true, no one would ever have time to be saved," grumbled Logan, ripping the massive stone spike out of his chest. He glanced toward where Jean had been sent flying, his expression a mix of concern and grim resolve.
Jean reappeared seconds later, floating unharmed. Owen's strike had only pushed her back; any actual damage had been instantly erased by the Phoenix Force.
"Owen, you said there was a way to stop her. What is it?" asked Storm quickly, hope flickering in her voice.
"Her," Owen said, pointing toward the street.
Everyone turned. Wanda was stepping off a motorcycle, removing her helmet with a look of disbelief as she realized all eyes were on her.
"Seriously… again?" she thought, frowning. This was becoming a pattern—first Superman, then Wonder Woman, and now Jean Grey? Clearly, Owen had a knack for dragging her into impossible situations.
Unfortunately for her, Jean—who had been glaring at Owen moments earlier—slowly turned her head toward Wanda. The sheer intensity of her gaze was enough to make the air tremble.
"After all, she's her natural enemy," said Owen with a faint smile, keeping his eyes on Jean as she floated above them.
Both women wielded powers capable of reshaping reality, though from entirely different origins. The Phoenix Force embodied cosmic life and destruction; Wanda's Chaos Magic represented the distortion of existence itself. Neither was at full strength yet—but Wanda had something Jean didn't: everyone else's support.
Owen glanced around, his eyes settling on Emma and Charles.
"Don't worry, you'll have help," he said calmly, drawing his daggers.
From above, a metallic case plummeted and landed beside him with a heavy thud. Owen opened it and pulled out his gloves and wrist guards, strapping them on without hesitation.
When he looked up, Tony was hovering overhead in a new, bulkier armor—one equipped with large metal speakers on the shoulders.
"Figured I'd handle the delivery service," Tony said casually, though his face was tense.
Owen didn't reply. He simply clenched his fists, and the red aura flared around him, radiating heat.
Jean descended slowly, wreathed in dark fire. Wanda stepped forward, letting the helmet fall to the ground. The wind howled between them, thick with energy and tension.
Everyone knew what was coming next.
The real battle was about to begin.