While Alex was taking Daredevil back to his base.
Back at the same monastery as before, the Ancient One was calmly drinking tea when a projection of light suddenly appeared in front of her.
Odin manifested before her, still seated upon his throne with his spear resting in his hand.
"Sorceress, you said the boy with the crown would not cause problems for Asgard, so explain to me why his energy is spreading not only through Asgard, but through all Nine Realms as well?"
When Odin spoke, the Ancient One showed no emotion.
She simply finished drinking her tea, placed the cup down on the table, and looked toward Odin.
"Odin, both you and I know that destiny and the expected results of a prophecy are unpredictable. In the end, we can only estimate fragments of the future instead of truly foreseeing it."
When he heard that, Odin frowned in displeasure before letting out a tired sigh while looking toward his spear.
"Sorceress, you also know I do not have much time left. Both you and I are merely echoes of a distant past. We will not be able to protect Midgard much longer."
His gaze sharpened.
"Do you truly believe allowing a being like him to flourish is a wise idea?"
The Ancient One finally showed a hint of dissatisfaction after hearing Odin's words.
Still, she quickly calmed herself and took another sip of tea while staring toward the distant horizon.
"Odin... I know that both you and I are remnants of the past. That is precisely why I allowed him to grow instead of cutting him down when I first saw him."
Her voice remained calm.
"He is a gamble for the future. Even if things go wrong, he will not destroy the world. And even if he ever comes close to that path, I made sure to place certain obstacles before him."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"But I am certain he will not fall into darkness."
Odin released a long sigh and nodded slowly while covering his eyes as if a headache had begun forming.
A moment later, however, he looked back at her with a serious expression.
"Leaving that aside, Sorceress, I need you to do me a favor. My eldest son refuses to remain in Asgard while the young king grows stronger."
Odin sounded deeply exhausted.
"I tried to stop him, but just like before, he stole the Bifrost and traveled to Midgard without permission. So I decided to leave him there instead."
His voice became colder.
"As punishment and protection. I would rather keep him trapped in Midgard. I only ask that you protect him from this new king."
The moment Odin finished speaking, the Ancient One stared at him silently for a few seconds before looking back toward the horizon.
"You said his energy is spreading. How concerning is it?"
"It has not reached a critical stage yet. The energy is still spreading across Midgard and is beginning to approach the other realms."
Odin tightened his grip around the spear.
"I am holding the spread back as much as I can, but traces of it already reached Asgard. I managed to expel it using the Bifrost, yet if this continues, I will no longer be able to stop its advance, Sorceress."
Hearing that, the Ancient One smiled faintly and lifted one hand.
Purple smoke-like energy appeared trapped inside a strange golden orb that was constantly being corrupted from within.
"You know... cursed energy, as the little king calls it, is a drastic change that will alter everything."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And like all change, it must be accepted, whether it is necessary or good. The only thing left is to accept it and move forward, King of Asgard."
She calmly looked at Odin.
"As a ruler, you should understand better than anyone that change is inevitable... simply accept it."
Silence filled the room after her words.
The atmosphere grew heavy as both the Ancient One and Odin remained there with saddened, thoughtful expressions.
Realizing he would gain nothing more from the conversation, Odin finally dissolved the projection, leaving the Ancient One alone in the room holding an empty teacup.
The Ancient One slowly stood up and stared at the tea leaves resting at the bottom of the cup before releasing a quiet sigh and walking toward a portal that suddenly appeared beside her.
"I truly hope I was right about you, little king."
_________________________________
Several hours after Alex robbed the pharmacy.
Inside an office, a black bald man with an eyepatch was signing documents and reading highly classified files while writing notes inside a notebook on his desk.
His concentration was interrupted when someone knocked on the door.
"Sir, we have urgent news."
The man entered the office and looked toward Nick Fury, who stared back at him with a severe expression while waiting for him to continue.
Instead of speaking, the man simply placed a folder on the desk.
Without hesitation, Fury picked it up and began reading the contents.
The further he read, the more serious and tense his expression became.
"Is this real?"
Fury asked with clear concern on his face while rubbing his temples as he looked at the image attached to the file.
The picture showed a four-armed, four-eyed mutant covered in tattoos across his face and body.
Below the image, one line was written:
"Mutation Level: Inconclusive."
Further down, the file stated that the mutant was responsible for the deaths of at least forty people in less than a year and had eliminated an entire unit specialized in mutant capture from the Mutant Research Institute.
Reading that made Fury grimace as he remembered exactly what the Institute did behind closed doors.
Still, he ignored it and continued reading until he reached the section about the pharmacy robbery that happened shortly after a bank heist.
"Okay... why the hell did you bring this to me?"
"The director of the Research Institute contacted higher authorities and specifically requested this mutant. The higher-ups are pressuring the military to go after him."
The man hesitated briefly.
"And according to them... they intend to deploy experimental equipment in civilian areas."
The moment Fury heard that, he completely froze.
A second later, he slammed both hands onto the desk and shouted furiously.
"WHAT THE HELL DO THEY THINK THEY'RE DOING?!"
Fury immediately stood up, grabbed the file, and pulled out his phone before rapidly dialing a number.
"Coulson, start arranging an emergency meeting with everyone in Congress! NOW!"
_________________________
Inside the Mutant Research Institute, two scientists stood before a perfectly sealed containment capsule.
"Bolivar, do you seriously think this is a good idea? They're still experimental and extremely unstable, especially if you send them against a mutant as powerful as the one you're targeting."
One of the scientists, a man wearing a white lab coat with a large burn scar covering part of his face, argued angrily with a dwarf-like scientist wearing glasses and another white coat.
The shorter man looked proudly toward the capsule before turning toward the scarred scientist.
"Julian, I know it's dangerous, but we already tested them in the field several times."
Bolivar Trask adjusted his glasses.
"This is the final step before the government fully supports us."
His expression hardened.
"And even if I disagree with some of the things you do in this place, I still believe mutants should cease to exist."
Bolivar stared at the containment capsule before looking back toward Julian and calmly speaking again.
"Julian... do you want what happened to you to happen to other people as well?"
Hearing those words, Julian instinctively touched the burn scar on his face before falling silent.
Moments later, his expression darkened as he turned and began leaving the room.
"Bolivar, I hope you truly understand what you're doing. Because if we lose an opportunity like this because of you... I'll destroy your career."
Bolivar ignored the threat entirely while walking toward the computer beside the capsule and adjusting several settings.
"I won't fail, Julian."
__________________
At X-Men's Xavier Institute.
Inside Jean's room, Jean Grey could move again, although doing so remained extremely difficult.
Ever since the day every mutant in the mansion collapsed, both Jean and Professor Xavier had suffered the worst consequences.
Even now, it still felt as though thousands of screaming souls were crying inside her head.
Thankfully, the younger students at the mansion were slowly improving day after day.
Those with stronger powers, however, were recovering far more slowly.
The biggest problem was that both Jean and Xavier suffered from brutal headaches that occasionally became unbearable, although the pain was gradually lessening over time.
Storm, Wolverine, and Beast had been trying to discover the source of the phenomenon and were slowly getting closer to the truth.
Jean could already walk through the mansion again, albeit with difficulty.
Normally, she only heard the thoughts of others around her.
Now, however, all she could hear were endless whispers and screams filled with agony and suffering.
She was certain those voices belonged to nobody she knew.
Even so, it was unbearable.
Yet the strangest part of everything was that ever since that bizarre dream where she saw herself torturing her own mind alongside those monstrous beings, she felt... different.
Her mind felt lighter somehow.
As though the burdens crushing her had become smaller.
The people around her no longer felt as oppressive or emotionally overwhelming either.
Jean did not know whether it was merely her imagination or something else entirely.
But she was happy.
At that moment, Jean was inside the cafeteria alongside Rogue, Kitty Pryde, and Cyclops, eating and talking normally when all three of their phones suddenly received a message.
Scott was the first to read it.
"Ororo is calling us for a mission. She also asked for Jean to come too, but only if she's capable of it."
He lowered the phone.
"And we're supposed to head out after we finish eating."
The moment everyone at the table heard that, they immediately turned to look specifically at Jean.
At first, Jean considered refusing.
Even if she could go, it would still be dangerous considering she still struggled just to walk properly.
But after realizing she would have help, she accepted the mission surprisingly easily.
Seeing that Jean Grey seemed willing to accept the mission, everyone continued eating with visible nervousness before heading to meet Storm.
When they arrived, Wolverine and Ororo were already waiting for them alongside Nightcrawler.
"Good, you're here."
Ororo crossed her arms before continuing.
"We need you all to return to New York."
The moment they heard that, both Jean and Cyclops froze.
Memories of what happened the last time they went there immediately resurfaced in their minds.
Scott still carried scars across his body as reminders of his failure.
"But before any of you start saying anything," Logan interrupted firmly, "Hank's been working on a radar dozens of times better than the old one. This one can identify people and even detect heat signatures."
As he spoke, Logan handed the sensors to everyone.
"Besides, I'm going with you this time, so things'll be easier."
Hearing that immediately calmed most of them down.
Logan had far more combat experience and sharper instincts than Ororo.
The only one still visibly nervous was Jean.
She still had nightmares about that day.
If that man had truly wanted to, he could have killed every single one of them.
Noticing Jean's expression, Ororo softened her tone and walked closer to comfort her.
"You don't need to participate in this mission if you don't want to, dear."
When Ororo said that, Jean genuinely considered refusing.
But the moment she remembered what happened to Scott during the previous encounter, she simply shook her head.
"Don't worry... I'm okay."
She could not allow herself to run away now.
Not when she was finally so close to overcoming her fear.
Soon after Logan handed everyone in the room a communicator—except Jean—he told them all to prepare for the mission.
It did not take long before everyone changed into their uniforms and boarded the Blackbird.
As the jet took off, everyone still felt tense because of the last incident in New York.
Still, with Logan beside them, the chances of things going wrong felt much lower.
And knowing how dangerous that place could become at any moment, they all decided to stay closer together and remain prepared for a possible fight.
The trip continued normally.
Jean had been worried that her recent mental problems would interfere with the mission, but the closer they got to New York, the stranger things became.
She started feeling... better.
Almost as if the voices that had tortured her for the entire week were finally fading away.
They were still there.
Just quieter.
Thankfully, Jean quickly realized the whispers were no longer getting worse.
Otherwise, she would have been forced to return to the mansion immediately.
Only one question remained inside her mind.
Why did she feel better the closer she got to New York?
But the moment the Blackbird flew over the city in camouflage mode, all of her doubts vanished.
She felt it.
In the destroyed section of the city, there was a monster.
Something that radiated death and carnage itself.
A King.
____________________________
It was a rough weekend, guys, sorry about that, but I'm back to normal now without any problems. And for anyone wondering why I haven't talked about Alex's family yet, it's because I think it's still way too early in the story for that.
Like, it's only been about a week since everything happened, and the pharmacy robbery itself happened during the same night Alex reclaimed Jack's territory, so I'm going to leave that for future chapters.
If possible, feel free to check out my Patreon.
As always, if you enjoyed it, feel free to send power stones or rate the story, it really helps a lot.
And if you have any constructive criticism or anything that could help me improve, don't hesitate to say it, I always read everything.
Also, just so you know, I really enjoy reading your messages, it genuinely makes me happy to see people enjoying the story.
Good night.