"Hold still, buddy. This is going to change everything."
Without hesitation, Soren injected the Extremis fluid into the massive serpent's thick-scaled body.
As the gene fluid dispersed, Zilant let out an instinctive, sharp scream, a sound that made Jean flinch and tense.
But then… it stopped.
The courtyard fell silent.
Where there should have been the agony of genetic restructuring, the unbearable suffering that had driven countless Extremis test subjects into madness or death…
Jean's face twisted with concern as she approached.
"Zilant… are you okay?"
Soren, for the first time, felt a pang of uncertainty.
According to every test he'd run, the Extremis process, it should still trigger severe reactions during the early integration stages.
Before either of them could act, a low rumble vibrated through the ground.
Zilant's massive body began to glow from within, crimson-red energy surging like liquid fire through his veins.
The glow spread along his length, and as it did, strange, ancient-looking patterns and sigils began to form on his scales, glowing, shifting, humming with raw power.
The impossible happened.
His body started growing.
Not only in size, though his bulk swelled until he nearly filled the entire courtyard, but in presence. His aura, once wild and unstable, became dense, immense, and perfectly controlled.
He radiated heat authority. His scales shimmered like forged steel under the crimson light.
"Roar!"
Zilant's triumphant bellow shook the air, a sound of newfound dominance.
Soren blinked, stunned.
"I… I don't think it looks like a problem." Soren watched the serpent bask in the orange glow surrounding him.
"In fact… it looks like he's enjoying it."
Jean let out a breath, half a laugh, half disbelief.
"I've never seen anything like this… it's beautiful."
The System Interface flashed in Soren's mind.
[Mutated Anaconda King: Zilant]
[World Level Class A]
[Abilities: Lightning Lv 8, Ice Lv 8, Strangulation Lv 10, Scale Defense Lv 10, Rapid Regeneration Lv 10, Flame Lv 8]
Soren's eyes widened.
"He evolved… all the way to Class A."
He knew how deceptive those ranks could seem to outsiders. The difference between B+ and A wasn't just incremental, it was a qualitative leap.
Zilant's aura alone now felt more intense and stable than ever before.
The Extremis gene, designed to push human bodies to their biological limits, had taken to Zilant's hybrid biology like a perfect match.
"Zilant." Soren called softly, approaching.
"Did you feel… anything? Any discomfort, pain, when the gene fused?"
The massive thunder serpent, still glowing faintly, shook his head, or at least the serpent equivalent. His bright eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly aware of his transformation but unsure just how vast the change had been.
This surprised Soren more than anything.
Extremis wasn't supposed to be painless.
Even the perfected version should have induced cellular restructuring pain. Killian's original serum caused unbearable agony and massive mortality rates.
Yet Zilant stood, not only surviving the process but thriving in it without a flicker of suffering.
Soren furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin.
It shouldn't be possible. Unless…
Unless the perfected Extremis, when applied to a creature like Zilant, an already genetically-enhanced beast with extreme adaptive traits, reacted differently.
Or perhaps it was because Zilant had already integrated multiple powerful gene strains, making his body uniquely equipped to assimilate volatile foreign DNA.
Soren glanced over at Jean, who was still watching the serpent in quiet awe.
"I think we're going to need a bigger yard."
Jean grinned, shaking her head. "Or a new planet."
Soren couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Every one of Zilant's abilities had grown rapidly, many were at level 10.
He stared at the data, his heart racing.
If the perfected Extremis gene had such a powerful effect on Zilant… could it work on me too?
The thought lodged itself deep in his mind.
As he stood there, lost in his calculations, Jean Grey stepped closer, her brow furrowed slightly, sensing Zilant's transformation on a level beyond simple sight.
The psychic echoes of power radiating from the serpent were intense.
"Soren…" Her voice laced with a hint of wariness, "I can feel it. Zilant's gotten so much stronger. If I fought him now… I don't think I'd win."
Soren chuckled, his lips curling into a small smile.
He glanced at her, Jean, still in the early stages of mastering the Phoenix Force, radiating power barely held in a dam.
"Jean, if you ever fully master the Phoenix, there'll be few beings on this planet, maybe in the universe, that could stand against you."
"If you like Zilant so much, I'll make him your personal bodyguard. He's loyal, strong… and surprisingly good at picking up on moods. I'll bring him over later."
"You two can go out together, show him the city."
Jean let out a soft laugh, shaking her head, the tension lifting for a moment.
"If I walked around with that thing as my bodyguard, the government would probably lose its mind." She grinned, glancing at Zilant's hulking form still sprawled across the courtyard.
"Besides… don't I already have a doctor looking after me? Why would I need a snake?"
Soren snorted, teasing.
"Good question. I'm multi-talented, after all."
She smirked at him but then her gaze turned toward Zilant, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"So… what now? Are you just going to keep him here?"
Soren sighed, glancing at the enormous serpent taking up half the yard.
"What choice do I have? This glutton… he's grown too big. I can't keep him on land, not unless I want black helicopters showing up on the roof."
"The ocean's the only place big enough to hold him for now."
Zilant let out a low, rumbling groan, as if grumbling in protest. Even though he didn't speak human words, the dissatisfaction was obvious.
Soren laughed, shaking his head. "Stop complaining. You know I'll come check on you."
With a flick of his wrist and a shimmer of light, he teleported Zilant back to the secluded waters near Manhattan's edge a private cove hidden from the public eye.
The serpent's massive form slipped beneath the waves, its orange-red glow slowly vanishing beneath the rippling surface.
But Soren's mind remained restless.
The flawless fusion with Extremis… it gnawed at him.
Could I survive it? Could I push beyond my human limits the same way?
He'd made Extremis perfect. And the temptation to claim its power for himself was growing.
As he returned to the quiet medical hall, Jean spoke again, a hesitant smile on her lips.
"Soren… I haven't been back to the school in a while. With everything that happened — I… I think it's time I checked in."
There was something vulnerable in her tone. Jean hadn't left on good terms. Her powers were still volatile.
But the school was still home.
Jean smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Come with me. You could use a break."
Soren hesitated, his eyes softening.
"I'd love to, Jean… but I have a few things to finish here. If anything happens, call me right away."
She nodded, though there was a flicker of disappointment in her expression.
Still, she masked it well, grinning playfully as she spoke.
"Fine, but while I'm gone, you'd better not be running around charming other girls."
"I've seen how some of those harlots look at you."
Soren laughed, shaking his head. "Where would I even find the time?"
He reached into his coat, producing a black card.
He placed it gently in her hand.
"You remember how to use this. If you ever miss me… or if anything happens, use it. I'll always come for you."
Jean looked down at the card, her smile something real and warm.
"Thanks. Don't get yourself into trouble while I'm gone."
"I'll try."
꧁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