M'Krann Crystal

The White Hot Room

"You look tired White Phoenix," is Death's remark.

"I am actually... I am tired of this never ending cycle. I always come here when I die, always waiting for the Phoenix Egg to make me a new body and be reborn again. After I've done this so many times, it starts to feel monotonous. The sight of this place does give me comfort, but it always feels like a cage most of the time…" Jean admits.

"I am well aware that the Phoenix Work can be somewhat tedious... I think a change in scenery and a new body is in order. I believe it's time for you to venture into another world and choose a body to inhabit for one life cycle. And considering that the M'Kraan Crystal is the nexus of realities, you can pick the one you like and live there for a while until the Phoenix Egg finally finishes making your original body. Then, you can return here once that temporary life ends and resume your life as Jean Grey once more. Consider it as a reward after healing the M'Kraan Crystal, which saved all the realities in the process," Death tells her.

"If I do this, will I retain my power as the Phoenix if I temporarily inhabit a different body?" Jean asks.

"The Phoenix Force is bonded to you Jean Grey, whatever body you may inhabit, you will still have its power, although admittedly not as powerful as when you are in your original body," Death informs. "However, if you do decide to venture into another world, might I suggest one for you?"

"I am still considering it though...but I am willing to listen to your suggestion."

"If you want to retain your full power as the Phoenix, I suggest you inhabit the body of someone who's been created through nature's loophole. Someone unnatural. Someone whose likeness has been reborn repeatedly to rectify the imbalance and a person whose blood has created an entire supernatural race. "

"Who is the person exactly?" Jean asks curiously.

"She's called a doppelganger. When you decide to try living a different life, she is the best choice you have for a temporary body," Death says to her.

Jean considers the thought before finally agreeing to the chance of living as someone else.

However, she soon decides to lock her memories away to experience the joys of living without a past dragging her down.

A clean slate once more.

Tabula Rasa.


Even at an early age, Elena knows that she is different.

Deep in her soul, she knows it.

In her dreams, the world always ends in fire, where thousands die and yet Elena remains. She always dreams of rising from the ashes as a fiery bird and flying into the stillness of space to watch as the entire universe burned at her feet.

In her dreams - No, in her nightmare - she is always the cause of the world's destruction.

It feels inevitable. Like destiny written in her soul, coded into her DNA, or a formulated plan created by the Universe itself.

There is no escaping from it.

Even if she tries.

Elena feels like there is an unstoppable cosmic entity that lives inside her skin and it's only a matter of time before it awakens and starts clawing itself out of her to consume everything in its path.

It's only a matter of time before the world is engulfed in flames.

Unfortunately, she doesn't have the forewarning before it happens.

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.

.

When she is four years old and attending nursery school, Elena Gilbert has a vague sense that she is older than the children her age. So she never truly enjoyed playing with the rest of the kids in her school. Instead Elena spends her time reading, learning and simply trying to quench her never-ending thirst for knowledge and satisfy her curiosity. Most of her peers find her odd for enjoying the comfort of books instead of playing outside with them.

And around six years old, Elena realizes that she often knows things that she hasn't learned from books. She learns that she somehow has medical knowledge.

Complex medical knowledge.

.

.

She runs quickly. Even with her short legs, Elena is able to reach the gathered children in the small playground of their nursery school.

"Please give him room to breathe!" She advises loudly to the other kids, who immediately skitters out of the way the moment she uses her 'adult voice' which her friends refer to without her realizing it.

With a first aid kit in her hand, Elena swiftly stalks forward to kneel beside the injured boy, who is patiently waiting for her to come back. Tyler Lockwood has finally stopped crying it seems, but he still looks quite shaken after falling from the monkey bars.

The adult who watched them a short while ago went somewhere and did not see it when Tyler fell down.

Now, it is only instinct that drives Elena to help the boy. After Tyler fell down, Elena immediately asked someone else to fetch Ms. Hargreaves while she ran inside to get the first aid kit, where she knew the adults usually stashed.

Of course, she wouldn't know all of this if Elena didn't make it a habit to remember where the emergency medical supplies are placed, and even the emergency exits in case of something bad happening, like the other children acquiring injuries during playtime.

"What are you going to do with that Elena?" one of the kids asks her curiously as soon as Elena opens the first aid kit and starts looking for the necessary materials to use.

"I'm going to use some of these to patch Tyler up," She replies absently as she grabs a hold of the disposable gloves, the antiseptic swabs, the band-aid, the gauze, the adhesive tape, and the antibiotic cream.

Elena methodically assembles the items in front of her and glances at the scrape on Tyler's arm again, trying to gauge the size of the scrape and decides to use the gauze instead of the Band-Aid since the wound is of considerable size.

"Do you feel pain anywhere else?" Elena asks the boy.

"My ankle. It hurts. I don't think I won't be able to walk with it," Tyler says tearfully, his lower lip wobbling.

"Let's take a look at it then," Elena says in a soothing voice.

She crouches further down to examine Tyler's ankle and instantly notice the swelling and purple discoloration just right where his talus bone is.

"Can you move your toes for me Ty?" Elena requests.

"Why?" the boy asks in puzzlement.

"Just to see if it is functioning well considering your injury. I need to know if there are any other damages, like nerve damage that prevents you from moving your foot."

Tyler simply stares at her after listening to her explanation.

"Ok," the boy says right before he wiggles his toes carefully and Elena notes how Tyler seems to grimace at the action.

"Thank you, Ty." Elena says while she slowly reaches out to press her fingers on the dorsalis pedis pulse just on top of the foot. Then, she also checks the posterior tibial pulse, which is located behind the medial malleolus or the ankle bone.

"What are you doing now, Elena?" Matt asks curiously.

"I am checking his pedal pulse. Since fractures can cause possible damage to surrounding tissue, nerves, skin, and blood vessels, I am just making sure that Tyler's foot and toes have good blood supply," She explains to those who are listening.

Elena would have done more examinations like palpating the area to see if it feels tender. However, she doesn't like to cause any more unnecessary pain to the poor boy who is still clearly in pain. So Elena simply made her deduction based on her first assessment.

She suspects that Tyler might have a talus fracture.

"I think you might need to go see the Doctor for your ankle Tyler," She informs the boy. "An x-ray will be able to determine if you suffered a talus fracture or something else that is causing you pain, the swelling, and the ecchymosis in your ankle."

"A Talus fracture? Eki-mo-what? What's that Elena?"

Elena hears Caroline inquire from behind her but she isn't able to answer her since she starts to concentrate on the task of applying first aid on Tyler.

She needs to secure Tyler's injured foot in a well-padded splint. Fortunately, the first aid-kit has one and Elena quickly moved to use it.

"I'm going to put your foot on a splint Ty," Elena informs the boy as she began the process, "It is to keep your foot immobilized, or keep it from moving, to prevent further damage in the area and will encourage bone alignment, which your Doctor will advice you to do if the damage is not severe to require a surgery. Right now, I am splinting it temporarily. I am sure your doctor will provide you with either a proper cast or a splint once you see her."

Elena finally finishes securing the splint on the back of Tyler's foot and his leg while she directs a question to the gathered children, "Did someone already find Ms. Hargreaves? She might need to call Tyler's parents about what happened because he definitely requires an immediate visit to the Doctor."

"Laura went to fetch Ms. Hargreaves not to long ago," Bonnie informs her.

"Since it looks like Ms. Hargreaves is taking some time to arrive, I will have to do all of this on my own then," Elena mutters almost to herself.

Then, she turns her attention back to the boy and says, "Let me see the scrape in your arm Ty"

Tyler quickly extends his arm towards her.

Elena inspects the wound clinically and proceeds with her next medical intervention.

"What are you going to do?" Tyler asks anxiously when Elena dons the disposable gloves that are too large for her small hands.

"I'm going to clean your scrape first Tyler," She informs the boy as she opens an antiseptic swab a moment later. Already preparing to clean the scrape on Tyler's arm.

"Do you really have to do that?" Tyler inquires.

"Yes, cleaning the injured area will allow me to remove some of the small debris that might have embedded in your skin when you fell. It's also to eliminate your chance of infection by decreasing the germs from entering the open wound," She tells him and proceeds to carefully wipe the area with the antiseptic swab.

Afterward, Elena simply walks Tyler through the entire process as she cleans the wound, applies some antibiotic ointment, places the gauge over the scrape, and secures it with an adhesive tape. All the while she can feel the other children watching her with awe.

"Where did you learn all of that Elena?"

She hears Bonnie ask and Elena turns around to the other girl and says, "I was a Doctor in my previous life."

She says it as a joke at first. However, the more she thought about it, the more it became a possibility.

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Ms. Hargreaves is surprised to hear that it was Elena who put the splint and bandaged Tyler up. But when Elena informs her of the possible fracture that Tyler suffered, the woman simply stares at Elena with skepticism. So Elena has to explain in great detail that a Talus fracture is something serious and needed to be addressed immediately. If not treated instantly, Tyler will not be able to bear weight on his foot and he will need to use crutches to walk for a long time.

Elena also tells the woman that there might be a fluid buildup in the muscles of Tyler's leg, which is called compartment syndrome in medical term. This compartment syndrome can result in loss of sensation and function of the leg, and definitely requires emergency surgery if that is the case.

Mr. Hargreaves has already called Tyler's parents by this time, but Elena just wants to let the woman know that her slow response to Tyler's fall might have resulted in Tyler unable to walk properly for months.

After that event, Ms. Hargreaves informs Elena's parents about her impressive medical knowledge.

That is also the reason Elena suddenly finds herself being enrolled at a grade level three years ahead of her peers.