CLICK!
The world seems to stop as I feel the heat and pain start to fade.What… what is this?It feels like death isn't as close anymore.
Stop getting distracted!Just because death isn't right at my door doesn't mean it's gone.
I start channeling Mom's power to heal myself while shouting,"STOP THAT, YOU BASTARD!"
It comes out more like a roar than a scream, but it works—the beam stops.And then I finally see the bastard who shot that damn laser at me.
Oh. It's the guy with the weird thing on his face…Of course it would be him. He was the only one awake in that cave.
When I get close enough, I take a punch straight to the face that sends me flying.
"What the hell, man!?" I yell after rolling across the ground.
The human standing there stares at me with a confused look, watching me lying on the floor.He seems about 5'7" or 5'10" tall, and not as old as the other humans who ran away after hurting Mr. Bear.
I stand up, crying from the pain in my cheek and my whole body that's throbbing and burning. Without thinking, I yell,
"You idiot! I help you, and this is what I get? A LASER TO THE FACE?! What the hell is wrong with you, you ungrateful jerk!?"
My shouting wakes the other humans, who look around in confusion until they spot the guy who attacked me.
With the power of that human's attack, the place is now much brighter, and everyone can see the cave—and me.
The red-haired woman screams,"Scott! What happened!?"
The blue monkey guy—wait, he's a mutant too, I think?—just looks weak and dazed, unable to speak.The brown-haired girl, looking dizzy, asks the same thing but without yelling.The pale one doesn't seem to care about anyone else. She just keeps staring at me in shock.
The man—Scott, I guess—stares at me too, still confused, not even answering the woman who called to him.
Still crying and furious, I shout again,"Say something, you ungrateful jerk! I help you out of that weird bird thing, heal your wounds, and this is what I get!?"
Still crying, I slowly limp out of the cave, using the walls for support.Mom's power is gone—I spent too much of it healing those damn ungrateful people, and even more trying to save myself from the guy with the face-thing's attack.
Outside, I'm still crying, though less now.I sit under a tree, every inch of me aching.
Eventually, the pain eases just a little, and I stop crying. But it still hurts—a lot.
After a while, I see the pale woman step out and look around before spotting me and walking in my direction.
Oh no. She came to finish the job!
I quickly move behind a tree, trying to hide from another possible laser blast.But nothing happens.
When I peek around the tree, she's just… sitting there.
Okay… weird.
I stay quiet, thinking.
Mom told me not to show myself to humans because I might scare them.And what did I do? The exact opposite. And almost died for it.
Now I'm hurt all over, my skin's slightly red, and this strange human is just sitting there doing nothing.Doesn't she know I'm here? Should I say something?
No… better not. I'd rather not get another laser to the face.
I always thought Mom didn't want me near humans so I wouldn't frighten them.Why didn't she mention they shoot lasers from their eyes?!
Damn it… what do I do?If I stay, I might get fried again. If I run, I'll still get fried—no one can dodge a laser.
There's one thing I could try…
Mom said not every creature is the same. So maybe—just maybe—the pale one won't shoot me.
Maybe it'll be fine.And if not… I've still got a tiny bit of Mom's power left—enough to close up one small wound.
I step out slowly from behind the tree and walk carefully up to her.
"Hi?"
She looks surprised when I speak, glancing at me quickly.
Oh crap—the laser!
I duck and curl up on the ground, waiting for the beam to hit.…But nothing happens.
When I peek from the corner of my eye, she's just looking at me strangely.
Oh, right… I'm still crouched like a scared cub.
I slowly stand and mumble,"Sorry. I thought you were gonna shoot me with a laser like that guy with the thing on his face."
She pauses for a moment, then laughs softly.
"You don't have to worry. I can't do that—and even if I could, I wouldn't."
She smiles as she stands.
Then she looks at me and says,"My name's Anna. What's yours?"
I freeze for a second, thinking.Should I really tell her my name? Her packmate almost killed me for no reason…But Mom gave me this name to use, right?
"My name's Valak."
She looks surprised for a moment."Like the demon?"
"Demon? What's that?"
She gives me a look like I'm joking, but then just smiles again.
"It's a beautiful name. Who gave it to you?"
I stare for a second, thinking about saying it was Mom, but then I remember how scared she is of humans—so I stay quiet.
She looks at me the same strange way again, then says,"Look, Valak. I came here to apologize for my friend. He's hurt and didn't know you were trying to help."
She gestures for me to sit beside her under the tree.I hesitate… but then sit down anyway.
After a while, I ask,"So, how come you don't shoot lasers like that other guy?"
She looks at me calmly."Well, first—we're not humans."
Wait, WHAT!?
"Second, because we're not human, we each have special powers. Like what you saw with Scott."
So… does that mean I'm like them too? A mutant?
I get lost in my thoughts, and she watches me quietly before asking,"So, Valak, where do you live?"
Live?
I think for a moment. I never really lived anywhere. I just… existed.But that doesn't mean I don't have a home.
"I live where there's earth and plants. As long as nature's around me, that's my home."
I just blurt it out—but it's true.Ever since Mom showed me the beauty of nature and how every creature welcomed me, I've believed the whole world is my home.
I live in the earth itself.
She gives me a puzzled look, so I explain,"I live wherever I want. If I want to sleep in a cave, I do. On a mountain, with the wolves—it doesn't matter. Everything is my home."
"So… you're a nomad?"
"Nomad?"
She gives me that confused look again, trying to come up with an answer."Valak, where are you—"
Before she can finish, we both hear someone shouting,
"ROGUE!? Where are you!?"
The group of—right, mutants—come out of the cave looking for her.
She stands, looks at me, and says,"Come on, I'll introduce you to the others."
Some time later.
We're all sitting around a campfire—which I really don't like.It reminds me of that forest fire from a while ago.
When they lit it, I was so scared I ran off, but Anna explained it wasn't dangerous.
Now, I'm sitting here surrounded by the X-Men, as they call themselves.
The guy with the face-thing (a "visor," apparently) is Scott.His mutant power shoots lasers from his eyes—yeah, it really hurts.He apologized afterward, saying he wasn't feeling well.
They said Scott had something called a concussion and wasn't in control.
The redhead is Jean—she's kind, but something about her makes me stay a few steps away.She said she has "telepathy." Sounds tasty, but apparently it's not food.
The brown-haired girl is Kitty—kinda annoying, but funny.She said she can walk through walls, though it "comes at a cost." I didn't get it, so I let it go.
The blue monkey is Kurt—he's awesome. He can disappear and reappear in a puff of smoke, and he's funny.
And then there's Anna—Rogue.She's my favorite. She's patient, kind, and always explains things I don't understand.
Right now, everyone looks worried.Scott's holding some weird device and says,
"I still can't reach the Professor. Not even the emergency signal works. I really don't know what to do."
Jean adds, worried,"Yeah… I can't reach him either. My powers can't get through—it's like we're inside some kind of barrier."
Hearing that, I think for a second and realize—
"Maybe it's because of Mom…"
I didn't mean to say it out loud—but everyone hears.
"Who?"
I slap my hand over my mouth.
Crap. I shouldn't have said that!
Everyone (except Anna) looks at me with suspicion now.
"What did you say, Valak?"
They all stare, their expressions turning sharp.
What do I do?!
Before I can lie, Anna speaks softly,"It's okay, Valak. You can tell us. We won't hurt you."
Right… Scott might've hurt me, but he wasn't himself.
After a few seconds, I whisper,"Mom's not really my mom by blood. She… adopted me."
Their expressions soften as I continue.
"I can't talk to her much, but I know she watches over the whole forest. And I know she loves me."
Everyone looks shocked by what I said.Scott and the others exchange glances, then step aside to talk privately.
After a moment, Scott returns, cautious but calm.
"Valak… can we talk to Mom?"
I'm about to say I don't think that's possible—she only ever talks to me—but before I can answer, a voice echoes through the forest:
"What do you want with me… and my child, X-Men?"
When I hear the voice, my face lights up with pure joy — it's clearly Mom.
But… something's off. She sounds angry, which is weird.
For as long as I've been alive, I've never heard her like this. She's always been endlessly gentle — calm like the wind and kind like the earth. But now? She sounds… mad.
"I asked you a question, X-Men!"
Mom's voice grows louder, and suddenly it feels like the entire forest is shouting with her — the wind howling from every direction.
I don't really feel anything myself.But when I look at my new friends, they're all silent, heads lowered, like someone just gave them the scolding of their lives.
Looking closer, they're not just quiet — they're terrified.Everyone's sweating and frozen stiff. Everyone except Jean, who looks a little better than the rest, though not by much.
"W-We were just trying to leave the forest, ma'am," Scott stammers, his voice trembling even as he forces himself to speak.
But Mom doesn't answer.
Silence.
Then, after a few seconds…
"I cannot allow that, child. You cannot leave."
Everyone freezes — even me.I glance around. They all look deeply worried.
What does Mom mean by that?
Seeing how tense everyone's gotten, I ask,"Mom, why won't you let them go?"
Her tone softens immediately when she speaks to me.
"Because of you, my little one. The world beyond is too dangerous for you right now, and you still can't control your powers."
Powers?Wait… I have powers?
As far as I know, I'm just fast, strong, and kind of tough — that's it.What powers is she talking about?
I stay silent, lost in thought, as the others continue the conversation.
"But, ma'am, we won't tell anyone what we saw here. We promise," Jean says firmly.Everyone nods in agreement — everyone except Mom.
"Listen, child," Mom says, her voice echoing through the trees. "Valak is a being that no creature in this universe can fully understand. He is chaos wrapped in innocence, with immeasurable potential."
She pauses for a moment, like she wants her words to really sink in. Then continues,
"The world — no, the universe — may not be ready for him."
The more she speaks, the less I understand what she means.Because… I don't feel like someone powerful. Not at all.
"Ma'am," Scott says, "we can keep this secret. No one has to know what happened here."
Mom answers, cold and calm,"Unfortunately, child, there are countless ways to extract information in this world."
At that point, I kind of stop listening.They're all just going in circles now — talking about responsibility and danger and control and… whatever.
Honestly, they're acting like I could wipe out the whole forest just by thinking about it.
Which is ridiculous. I almost died a little while ago because of Scott — something I still hold just a tiny grudge about.
I'd really love to know what they're actually talking about.
Oh—hey, a squirrel!
I start playing with a squirrel until I hear Mom's voice again, gentle but firm,
"Valak, sweetheart, stop playing with the squirrel and come here."
I let the squirrel go and walk back toward the group.
"Valak," Anna says softly, "would you like to leave the forest and explore the world?"
The moment she says that, my eyes light up.
Explore the world beyond this endless forest?That sounds amazing!
"That sounds incredible!" I say without thinking.
Mom lets out a deep sigh before answering.
"Fine, you win, X-Man child. If my little son wishes to follow a path beyond this place, the choice is his alone."
Uh… what?
What are they talking about?
Anna smiles and says,
"Valak, would you like to come with us — to Professor Xavier's school?"