Soren Macaluso, standing quietly, glancing at Jean Grey. Her usually bright eyes shimmered with a mix of determination and lingering fear.
She was a fighter, always had been, but this was personal.
"Soren… are you with me?" Jean asked, her voice soft, laced with something more than duty.
Her gaze sought not an ally, but reassurance, someone to anchor her.
Soren didn't answer with words.
He simply nodded.
That quiet, firm gesture was enough for Jean. A smile blossomed on her face, radiant and genuine.
Despite the danger ahead, in that moment, she felt warmth and strength.
Soren's heart skipped, catching on her brilliant smile and the way her face softened just for him.
Across the room, Charles Xavier, still pale from his ordeal, watched the exchange.
Though he remained silent, a pleased expression flickered across his features. It gave him a quiet joy to see Jean finding strength in someone like Soren.
A man whose talents had already saved him more than once.
When Soren, Jean, and the recovering Professor X returned to the academy, the mood shifted instantly. Students and faculty alike gathered, faces lighting up with relief.
They had endured days of fear and uncertainty, and now hope returned with their leader.
"Professor!"
"You're awake!"
Cheers, embraces, and thankful voices filled the space. Gratitude for Soren was just as strong. He had given them back their guide and mentor.
"Thank you, Dr. Macaluso… you saved the professor. You saved us all."
But the joy was short-lived.
Reality came crashing down as the professor addressed them.
"We now understand Erik's plan," Professor X began, his voice steady but shadowed by concern.
"He has taken Rogue. He intends to use her unique ability to absorb powers… for what he has built."
Everyone's expressions soured.
They had seen what happened to Senator Kelly, a man who had become little more than living liquid, his body unable to withstand the transformation Magneto's machine forced upon him. If Magneto succeeded on a larger scale…
It would be a catastrophe.
"We cannot allow this." Storm said firmly.
"If humans see us as a threat, war is inevitable."
Scott held a strange device, the very one Mystique had used to sabotage Professor X.
"When you were unconscious, Professor, we investigated the machine," Cyclops explained.
"This is what we found, the injector Mystique used. There's still venom inside."
Everyone turned toward the vial of dark, shimmering liquid.
Soren's sharp eyes narrowed. There it is.
A rare, dangerous substance, one that could suppress the mind of even the greatest telepath alive.
"Can you give this to me?" Soren asked calmly. "I want to study it… understand how it works."
There was no hesitation, everyone trusted him.
Professor X gave a nod.
Scott handed over the device, though his brow furrowed slightly.
"It's incredibly toxic. Be careful."
"I will." Soren replied, securing it carefully.
Storm spoke next, her worry plain.
"Professor, can you use the Cerebro mainframe to track Erik? We have to stop him before it's too late!"
Charles sighed, weary but honest.
"I wish I could. But my mind is still recovering from the toxin. My connection to Cerebro is too weak."
His face grew heavier with regret.
"And Erik… Erik designed the machine alongside me, years ago. He knows how to shield himself. Even at full strength, finding him while he's prepared would be difficult."
"Right now… it's nearly impossible."
A heavy silence followed his words.
"How long until you're strong enough to try?" Jean asked.
"If I rest, and continue the recovery treatments Dr. Macaluso gave me… perhaps a few days." Charles answered. "Then I might be able to locate Rogue."
But they all knew they might not have that long.
The faces of the X-Men were grim, weighed down by the burden of what might come.
In just a few days, Magneto could do more damage than any of them could imagine.
If his plan succeeded, if he used Rogue to power his mutation machine, the fragile, volatile relationship between mutants and humans would collapse completely.
Tens of thousands could die.
And what was left… might not even be worth saving.
No one spoke, not even Storm, who was usually the first to steady everyone in times of crisis.
Then, breaking through the thick air like a chime of clarity…
"I want to try."
Heads turned.
Jean Grey, standing close to Soren, her voice resolute.
"I want to use the Cerebro strengthening device… see if I can find Anna Marie."
Her words dropped like a stone in still water.
Professor X stiffened at her words, his usually serene expression flickering with alarm.
"No, Jean." Charles said firmly, his tone the voice of heartbreak.
"Your abilities are strong, yes… but you've never used Cerebro before. It's not a simple amplifier. It's a weapon in the wrong hands… and a trap in untrained ones."
He looked directly into her eyes, his gaze heavy.
"If you lose control, you could accidentally harm others… or yourself."
But Jean didn't back down.
Soren could feel her determination, radiating from her like heat. He knew this wasn't about proving herself this was about protecting people, about not standing by while others suffered.
"I think Jean should try." Soren spoke up, breaking the professor's hesitation.
Everyone looked at him.
"We don't know when Magneto will make his move. If we sit and wait, we risk losing. Jean's power is extraordinary, and with help, she can do this."
"I believe in her."
His words made Charles Xavier hesitate, torn between caution and urgency.
He trusted Soren, the man who had saved his life, the students, and more than once proved himself.
And Jean…
Jean had always been special.
Her psychic potential was so vast, it rivaled his own. What she lacked wasn't strength, it was control.
"Professor." Soren continued gently, "I can help her."
He met Charles' gaze.
"I have methods, techniques, and enhancements. I can temporarily raise Jean's mental endurance, stabilize her psychic channels, and help her handle the surge from Cerebro."
Everyone was exchanging uncertain glances.
But none of them doubted Soren's capability, not after everything he'd already done.
After a long pause, Charles finally nodded.
"Alright, Dr. Macaluso." The professor said solemnly. "Jean's mental power is indeed formidable. If you believe you can stabilize her enough to use Cerebro safely… we have little choice but to trust you."
Jean's face brightened, a beautiful, relieved smile blooming on her lips. She turned to Soren, her voice barely a whisper meant only for him.
"Thank you."
Soren smiled back, the bond between them quietly deepening.
A short time later, inside the Cerebro chamber, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Only three people were present...
Professor X, seated at the main console, his pale face ready to guide.
Jean Grey, seated within the sphere, nerves taut but heart unwavering.
Soren, standing close by, not just a guardian, but her anchor.
Before Jean took her place, Soren handed her a vial filled with a shimmering, iridescent liquid.
"Drink this."
"It's something I prepared for myself… a concentrated elixir designed to rapidly enhance mental clarity and boost latent potential."
"It will heighten your focus and stabilize your psychic channels temporarily. But don't overextend."
Jean nodded, trusting him completely, and drank.
Almost immediately, warmth spread through her body.
Her mind sharpened, like a veil had been lifted.
She felt… alive.
꧁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