Soren hadn't come to Kamar-Taj just for pleasantries.
He glanced at the Ancient One, sensing the relief still lingering in her expression after Dormammu's fall, and decided to strike while the atmosphere was light.
"Ancient One."
"Actually… there's one more matter I'd like to discuss with you."
The Ancient One blinked in surprise.
For someone like Soren now, in her mind, an invincible existence capable of eliminating Dormammu to personally bring up a request… it caught her off guard.
"Soren, just say it." She replied with a rare warmth, unconsciously adding a touch of respect in the way she spoke his name.
Soren offered a polite smile.
"You know… I am a doctor."
His tone turned light, as though speaking of a simple, humble duty.
"Healing is what I do best. So I want to build a stable portal directly here, inside Kamar-Taj."
The Ancient One raised a brow, intrigued. "A portal… to your clinic?"
"Exactly." Soren nodded.
"If anyone here is in need of treatment, they can step right through it and arrive at my medical center. You've seen my skills, illnesses, injuries, even life-threatening conditions… most can be cured."
And indeed, Ancient One had personally witnessed his abilities.
The recovery potions, the life-saving techniques, the miraculous remedies, she knew well that Soren's medical skills surpassed human understanding.
A soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
This was a chance to forge a lasting connection with someone whose influence reached far beyond what she could yet fathom.
And as the leader of Kamar-Taj, she understood better than anyone that even sorcerers remained mortal.
They were not immune to sickness, wounds, or the slow, steady toll of time.
Having a link to a place like Everlife could be invaluable.
"This is wonderful news, Soren." She said without hesitation, her voice earnest. "I absolutely approve of your proposal."
With a satisfied nod, Soren produced a shimmering portal talisman, its surface marked with ancient runes and shimmering energies.
He placed it in a quiet hall adjacent to the guest reception room of Kamar-Taj a perfect place for visiting sorcerers and students alike.
The portal flickered for a moment, then stabilized, establishing a direct link with the Everlife Medical Center.
"Of course." Soren chuckled, his expression playful.
"While I'm here to heal, I still need to support my family. It won't be free treatment, you know."
Ancient One was startled… and then laughed. "Hahahha."
A genuine, unrestrained laugh rare from someone like her.
She knew enough of Everlife Medical Center's reputation.
Soren charged a fair consultation fee, often far more reasonable than what the mundane world demanded for even minor treatments.
In a world where powerful abilities often came with overwhelming price tags, Soren's integrity was refreshing.
"Of course, Doctor." Ancient One said warmly.
"May the friendship between Kamar-Taj and Everlife last forever."
Soren gave a small bow of agreement, then took his leave.
Back at the Lab
Upon returning to his medical hall, Soren wasted no time.
He descended into the genetic laboratory, the faint hum of machines and the soft glow of containment cylinders welcoming him back.
At the center of the lab, secured within a reinforced arcane containment field, floated a dark, writhing mass, the demonic soul fragment of Dormammu.
Even heavily suppressed by the warding energies of the medical hall, the fragment radiated a suffocating, corrupting darkness, squirming and resisting containment.
Soren furrowed his brow.
He had spent hours attempting to analyze it.
But no matter what tools or arcane scans he applied, it yielded no useful data.
The system's prompt chimed coldly in his mind.
[Dormammu is an EX-class existence. Its demonic soul cannot be researched at this stage. The host must complete additional tasks to unlock higher research authority.]
Soren's face twitched.
"How many more?" He muttered, half-afraid to ask.
He imagined the system casually demanding ten, twenty, or eighty more advanced tasks.
"Forget it, I'll deal with it later."
As he was about to leave the lab, a flicker of motion caught his eye.
His gaze slid over to a counter where rows of gene fluid samples rested in crystalline vials, each marked with careful labels.
One of them a bottle containing Zilant's composite gene fluid, was behaving… oddly.
Frowning, Soren stepped closer.
Inside the vial, several previously well-integrated genetic structures the Electro-human gene, the Forest Anaconda gene, the Jotunheim Giant's gene, and the Abomination gene, were no longer stable.
Where they had once merged seamlessly, now they twisted and conflicted.
Tiny arcs of unstable energy flared within the fluid.
If left unchecked, the gene sequence would unravel completely.
"What's going on…?" Soren murmured, lifting the vial for a closer look.
This was no ordinary genetic destabilization.
Something had changed, either in the environment, the gene matrix itself, or perhaps… a lingering influence from Dormammu's demonic essence nearby.
If this deterioration continued unchecked, the entire gene experiment might collapse.
But more importantly, what had caused it?
The genetic matrix trembled on the verge of collapse.
And if those genes were fully separated, there was no question what would happen.
"If these completely split… Zilant will be torn apart from the inside out."
"Dead."
He'd invested so much into stabilizing that genetic monster, balancing power and compatibility with countless trials, and now it was unraveling.
There were only two options.
One, force Zilant back to its original, base state.
Use a genetic modification scalpel to carefully extract every foreign gene he had ever implanted. It would save his life… but strip him of everything that made him powerful.
Two, find a gene capable of inclusively harmonizing these unstable sequences.
A rare, overwhelmingly dominant yet accepting genetic blueprint that could bind these conflicting forces together.
But such a thing wasn't easy to find… or easy to make.
Soren sighed, massaging his temples, the weight of the crisis pounding at the back of his skull.
He had no immediate solution, and that frustrated him.
As he was preparing to dive back into calculations, a gentle ripple of energy touched his senses.
Someone was here.
His heart sped up…
Jean.
Soren quickly closed the genetic logs, sealed the lab, and headed for the entrance of the medical hall.
As the door opened, a familiar figure stepped inside Jean Grey.
She looked more less the same, but something was off.
Her face still carried the soft warmth he remembered, but her eyes were clouded with fatigue, and tension radiated from her body.
An untamed, volatile presence lingered in her aura, barely contained.
"Jean, you're here." Soren was smiling genuinely for once.
He couldn't help but feel a certain ease around her, a peace he rarely experienced around anyone else.
It was odd, really.
With Jean, time never seemed to pass. There were no walls to climb, no awkward pauses.
They simply… spoke. About anything, everything, nothing.
It was something Soren, for all his achievements, rarely found.
Jean returned his smile.
"Hey, Soren."
Her voice was gentle, but weary.
Soren noticed the subtle off-ness. The strain in her posture. The flicker of nervous energy beneath her skin.
"What's wrong, Jean?"
He motioned her to sit, offering a cup of warm tea, which she gratefully accepted.
"Is the chicken in your body acting up again?"
A smile tugged at her lips at his jab.
Jean then sighed, taking a slow sip, her hands trembling slightly.
"It's the Phoenix Force… it's always that."
"It's growing more restless. The seal's weakening… It's constantly pushing, clawing at me."
Soren frowned, his mind already racing.
"That's serious." Setting his own cup down. "We'll need to reinforce the seal soon, before it becomes uncontrollable."
He gave her a reassuring smile.
"You're not alone, Jean. I've got you."
Jean smiled, this time a little more genuinely.
"It's not only that." She looked down into her cup.
"Things at the school… are a mess. Magneto formed a Mutant Brotherhood. And there's a new Hellfire Club too. They're both making moves against the Institute."
Soren's eyes narrowed slightly.
He remembered Magneto's ambitions, the man was charismatic, dangerous, and entirely convinced of his vision for mutant supremacy.
"The Professor?"
"He says not to worry. That he can handle it."
Jean shrugged, though Soren could feel the lingering doubt behind her words.
Then came the part she hesitated over, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"And… I was wondering."
She bit her lip, glancing at him shyly.
"Could I… stay here? For a while? Just… get away from it all. From the pressure, the voices… and… to be with you..."
The vulnerability in her words caught Soren off guard, making him truly see her.
She wasn't the mighty Jean Grey, Omega mutant, or future Phoenix host.
She was only… Jean.
His Jean.
Soren smiled warmly.
"You don't even have to ask."
"Jean, this space is yours too. Rest. Stay. There's no rush."
The burden in her eyes dissolved, replaced by a gentle warmth.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream