Chapter 12
Jean POV
Existing in the astral plane is something that comes naturally to most telepaths. The sensations, however, are nothing like the physical plane. There are no normal senses. Touch, sight, smell, sounds, none of it exists. Everything you hear, see, and sense is contained within your mind.
It's like your physical body ceases to exist. But every feeling is more intense than anything I've ever experienced on the physical plane. And it's hard to appreciate the beauty of such an exclusive place when there are two extremely powerful beings trying to win custody of your daughter's body.
The relief of The Shadow King's illusions ending is short. My first thought is that Rachel has defeated him. And that's when I realized that my biggest fear was unfolding right before my eyes.
Instead of the extreme weather events, we are surrounded by the fiery, psychic storm that is the Phoenix. The cosmic power shines big and bright, nearly impossible to see through. At the heart of the bird is Rachel's silhouette, looking so small within the energy.
This is not a show of power. It's a loss of control. She is struggling with forces no one should be forced to face, let alone a child. I can sense her fear and anguish. She no longer has control over the Phoenix and is growing weaker. The Shadow King reminds the Phoenix of the evil sensations she is missing. The same sensations I craved during the worst times of my life. The same sensations I prayed she would never have to face.
I'm the only other person in existence to understand what she is going through, and the only one here who can fight alongside her.
"Get everyone out of here!" I yell towards Scott, and without any further information, I plunge into the astral plane.
The overwhelming surge of power that fills the void is like a bucket of ice water to the face. The two entities are just as big and bright as the Phoenix was on the physical plane. They circle Rachel. At first, all three are fighting against each other, trying to win dominance. In mere seconds, the ghostly humanoid and fiery avian begin to stop fighting each other, both targeting their entire power supply at Rachel.
"Get away from my daughter!" Is like a war cry as I join the battle. I form a protective force field around Rachel just as her strength gives out. Her consciousness flickers, but still the two entities fought tooth and talon for her.
When the Phoenix took refuge in my body, my powers did not have the maturity they do now. Not only do I have a better and deeper understanding of my telepathy, I have a much greater purpose to fight. It is not just me anymore. I might not have been able to defeat the Phoenix for myself, but my love for Rachel is beyond words. I'll be damned if I don't save my child.
Each blast of psychic power is formed with an even stronger sense of who I am fighting for. My fatigue means nothing to me because I will never rest until she is safe. Each psi-blast is fueled with unyielding determination. The power I pull from is something ancient. It is something more than just me or even Rachel. The strength is that of every loving mother from the beginning of humanity. It's the love beyond mortal understanding, rooted deep within the astral plane. It is a love neither the Shadow King nor the Phoenix could ever fathom.
They both fight for their selfish desires. Both looking for the sensations Rachel could provide them with. Her strong, emotional vulnerability is like endorphins to the Phoenix. Her mutant powers promise The Shadow King a worthy host.
As I fight them back, Rachel's aura of psychic energy is shrinking. She is getting more dull by the second, fading away. It's beyond exhaustion. She has grown dependent on the Phoenix, and now that she has turned against Rachel, the strain is zapping the life out of her body and mind.
And exhorting herself by staying in the astral plane is doing more harm than good. If she dies here, her body does as well. That is not a chance I am taking.
"Rachel, get out of here!" I tell her, leaving no room for argument as I try to contain the two entities in walls of psychic energy.
"Mom, no-" her telepathic voice is weak; too small to be in a battle.
The Phoenix breaks through my attempt at a cage, soaring through the inky blackness towards Rachel. I pull up a barrier between them with quick reflexes. Before she can break through, I push Rachel's consciousness out of the astral plane.
She is my everything. I may not have birthed her, but we share a bond stronger than any bond I knew a mother and daughter could have. I will die before I allow the Phoenix and Shadow King to take that away from us, and if that means facing the beings on my own, then that is what I will do.
"You want nothing but to hold her back," The Shadow King's voice echoes. Around us, the black flickers to illusions, but I do not allow them to overpower me. "Charles Xavier held you back your entire life, locking away your power so he would maintain the title of strongest telepath. She could be a god, but you continue the cycle Xavier set in motion."
I watch in horror as the Phoenix starts to forge with the Shadow King. Their powers are becoming one, ready to fight. With voices in unison, they say,
"We are powerful alone, but together we are unstoppable. You could not beat us separately. This fight is suicide. Do not leave Rachel motherless, but allow her to reach godhood instead."
Their speech is meant to distract me as strong waves of psychic energy bombard me. I block a majority of their attack, but not all of them. I cry out as they target my mind, the attempt to scramble it leaving an impact.
For Rachel, I have no choice but to push through the pain. Her life and autonomy depend on it.
When Oblivion was too powerful for me to defeat; I trapped him in the astral plane. If The Shadow King is without a host for long enough, he will be too weak to escape. He no longer is drawing strength from Kendall either, so if I can tire him out, maybe I stand a chance at containing him.
The Phoenix, however, is a host unto herself. She does not depend on Rachel for strength, only taking advantage of her vulnerable teenage emotions for her pleasure. It is like a euphoric high for the cosmic entity. Now that the Shadow King has granted her an even more powerful sensation, she no longer cares about maintaining Rachel's life.
I force myself to recover from their attack and send my own series towards them. The magenta beams of energy cut through the fire and the shadows, followed by a shrill caw of the Phoenix. One attack after another. Every strike I make, I can feel my power swelling. I am in complete control.
I have their combined projection pushed up to a wall of psychic energy. Tendrils reach out towards them, claws closing around their energy. Shadow King is pulled away from the Phoenix. I feel his resistance, and it is not lost on me how I am equally matched with two powerful beings. I persevere, closing walls around The Shadow King, separating him from the Phoenix. One after another, after another. Then I install a series of circuit breakers around them, powering through even as I feel the Phoenix's attacks trying to drain me. Over time, the Shadow King's energy becomes minute, contained in the prison of my creation. Even as he fades, I continue enforcing the walls, building a fortress until I am confident he cannot escape anytime soon.
And now it is time to face the Phoenix.
"I almost gave you the power to destroy my life," I tell her. My psychic projection grows, putting me on an even playing field with her size. "You took me at my most vulnerable, preying off of my fear. I do not fear you now. You cannot feed off me, and I refuse to allow you to feed off my daughter. This is not your true purpose. Do not let human emotion cloud your judgment any longer. You are above it."
The Phoenix spreads her wings to fill the void around us. I brace myself for an attack that never comes. Instead, a pulling sensation overwhelms me. When I regain composure, the darkness has been replaced with blinding white. It is so bright that it is hard to focus on anything else.
"This is my grave and birthplace," The Phoenix speaks with a regal elegance that was nothing like the horrors she tried to put Rachel and me through. Her golden flames are the only thing that stands out amongst the light. "The alpha, the omega, the beginning, and the end. This is the White Hot Room. All psionic energy of the past, present, and future in all realities reside here, as do my past hosts once they die. One day, you and Rachel both will be here as well. But unlike you, I do not have a beginning or an end. I existed when your planet was nothing but stardust and will remain long after it returns to that state. During my time, I have found many hosts, but none as powerful as you, Jean Grey. I have found refuge within your mind in thousands of universes. I was there when Rachel was conceived, and I am who brought her to this universe. That Jean Grey called for my help during her dying moments, and it is with the love she held for her that I was influenced to protect her. Not all human emotion is powerful enough to cloud my judgment, but your bloodline is full of empaths who feel things with a passion few do."
"And that is why you turned dark?" I ask, unable to comprehend the vastness of her existence or the universe.
"You do not remember our time with the Hellfire club. The illusions that Mastermind put you into were far from anything The Shadow King was capable of. He fed off your deepest, darkest fantasies. He unleashed the dark side you have suppressed. I am afraid to admit that it had a stronger impact on me. Human emotion is something I do not understand, and am incapable of feeling myself without a host, which is why it is so addictive. This is why I have returned to the White Hot Room. I have overstayed my welcome. It is time I allow Rachel to develop her mutant powers without my intervention. It took seeing you fight for her autonomy for me to realize just how important it is. Jean Grey, your emotions make you strong, and there is no stronger emotion you hold in your heart than love. As influential as your anger is, you can move mountains with your love. It saved your daughter this day, and it will save countless others in battles to come."
As she speaks these final words, my surroundings begin to blur. Before I have time to react, the same tug as before pulls me through the realms.