It was around late morning. I was sitting in one of the study rooms, waiting for Professor Xavier to arrive. Despite his duties as headmaster and the ongoing events, he agreed to help me push my telepathy further boosted with the Phoenix Force.

The Professor walked in, his strides steady and confident. His sharp blue eyes carried a glimmer of amusement as he noticed my raised brows.

"You look surprised, Aron," he remarked, settling into a chair opposite me.

"Well, you are doing better than I expected," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "Speaking of which, I thought you'd be busy with the announcement and all the paperwork."

A small smile played on his lips. "Let's just say I have a capable team to handle it. Besides, how could I refuse someone who brought me back to my feet?"

If I were to guess, Hank and Blink are probably grumbling about being buried under his deskwork right now. I smirked, but I kept that thought to myself.

"Alright, Professor. Let's get started," I said, sitting up. "I've been working on expanding my telepathic range and precision. With the Phoenix Force enhancing me, I feel like there's so much untapped potential, but I want to learn how to control it better."

Xavier nodded thoughtfully, his fingers steepled. "Telepathy, especially when augmented by something as volatile as the Phoenix Force, is both a gift and a great responsibility. Recklessness could lead to catastrophic consequences. Let's begin by testing the limits of your current abilities. We'll start simple. Let's start from the basics..."

He gestured for me to focus. "Reach out to my mind, Aron. I will not resist. Search for a thought, but remember—precision is key."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and let my consciousness expand. The world around me faded as I tuned into the rhythmic hum of the Professor's mind. His thoughts were like a vast library, each one neatly cataloged and shielded, yet accessible. I sifted through them carefully, bypassing memories and mundane musings until I found a recent thought.

"The team breakfast could use an upgrade. Perhaps Hank would be willing to attempt soufflés."

My lips twitched in amusement. Opening my eyes, I met his gaze. "Soufflés? That's ambitious for Hank."

Xavier chuckled softly. "Indeed. But you were precise—an encouraging start. Now, let's test your range. Extend your consciousness beyond this room. Can you find Logan? He's likely prowling the grounds."

Expanding my mental field was easy. With the Phoenix Force as a crutch, my awareness spilled out of the room like a wave, washing over the mansion and its grounds. It was so different from the regular telepathy. I found Logan near the garage, tinkering with his motorcycle. His mind was closed off, guarded as always, but his surface thoughts were loud enough.

"Why the hell did Chuck dump his papers on Hank again? Guy deserves a break. Might take the bike for a spin later—maybe grab a beer. Gotta keep an eye out for Jubilee. Kid, keep blasting my bike too much. I might go broke at this rate. Sigh!"

I smirked. "Logan's busy grumbling about Hank's workload and Jubilee. And he's thinking about sneaking off for a beer."

The Professor raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Very good. Your telepathic reach is exceptional. But let's push further. Beyond the mansion. Focus on the town nearby."

I nodded, closing my eyes again. This time, I reached outward, imagining my mind as a ripple extending into the world. The nearby town buzzed with activity, its collective thoughts blending into a cacophony of voices. It was overwhelming at first, but I began to filter them, honing in on individual minds. A barista worried about their latte art. A jogger pushing themselves to finish their route. A child marveling at the candy aisle in a supermarket.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"I can hear them," I murmured, "but it's noisy. Hard to focus on just one." Fuck! Too much noise. It felt as if my head was about to burst open.

Xavier's voice was calm and steady. "Filter the noise, Aron. Focus only on what you need. It's like tuning a radio—find the frequency you desire."

I adjusted my mental focus, narrowing it until I latched onto a man at a coffee shop. He was staring at his phone, scrolling through news articles about the latest hero-villain skirmish in New York.

"Another fight in the city. When will they stop wrecking everything?"

I relayed his thoughts to Xavier, who nodded approvingly. "Impressive. You're adapting quickly. But there's one final test. Extend your reach globally. Find a mind far from here, one you've never encountered before. With the boost from the Phoenix Force, it should be possible."

Globally? That was ambitious. I closed my eyes, my breathing steady as I poured more energy into expanding my consciousness. The Phoenix Force surged within me, amplifying my reach. I felt myself soaring past oceans, continents, into cities I'd never seen. The vastness of the world was dizzying, but I didn't let it deter me. It was like countless images flying past me at a blinding speed. I can't lose my focus now.

I zeroed in on a bustling marketplace in India. A vendor's thoughts caught my attention—he was haggling with a customer over spices.

"If she thinks I'll lower the price any further, she's mistaken. My cardamom is worth every rupee."

I chuckled softly, opening my eyes. "Found someone in India. A spice vendor holding firm during a negotiation."

Xavier's expression was one of awe and pride. "Remarkable, Aron. How does it feel? Your telepathic range is almost unfathomable."

"It's hard to explain. I feel like I can sense everything around me, but also nothing. Like I'm connected to everyone yet still alone," I replied as I continued to scan the planet. I could tell the difference between a human and a mutant. Fuck! I'm a freaking walking cerebro. "Sorry. That probably doesn't make sense."

"No need to apologize," he said gently. "I understand what you mean. It's the burden and wonder of our powers. Sometimes they're difficult to describe, even for those who wield them."

I let out a breath, my mind still buzzing with the sheer scale of what I'd just done. Professor Xavier watched me with calm patience as I steadied myself. But my curiosity was already spiraling into something more. Could I go deeper? Could I look into places that were supposed to be beyond reach?

"Professor," I began, "I'd like to push further. There's something I want to try."

His expression turned cautious, but he didn't discourage me. "Be careful, Aron. The Phoenix Force may make you feel invincible, but overreach can have consequences."

I nodded, focusing again. This time, my aim wasn't random. I wanted answers. Answers hidden from the world and the reason Fury decided to assemble the Avengers and X-Men together. My thoughts drifted toward S.H.I.E.L.D. and its elusive director, Nick Fury. Surely, if there were secrets worth uncovering, they'd be there.

As I extended my consciousness, I felt the faint hum of power dampeners—a network of nullifiers meant to block telepaths like me. Ordinarily, it would've been impossible to breach, but with the Phoenix Force fueling me, the resistance barely slowed me down. My mind slipped through the cracks, brushing against the presence of Fury himself.

The chaos of his thoughts hit me like a storm—strategies, contingencies, and secrets piled upon secrets. I sifted carefully, searching for something concrete. And then I found it.

An alien signal...

Fury's mind replayed the scene like a vivid memory. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s monitoring systems had picked up a strange signal from deep space. It was unlike anything they'd encountered before. For a brief moment, their sensors caught a glimpse of a spacecraft. The image was grainy, but unmistakable—a sleek, dark vessel with glowing runes etched into its surface. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.

The implications of what I saw hit me like a freight train. Aliens? A spaceship? Fury's thoughts raced with possibilities: Was it hostile? Was it observing us? Or worse, was it preparing for something?

But there was more. My focus shifted to a heated argument between Fury and another presence in the room—Bolivar Trask.

Yup! Trask, that bastard...

Fury's frustration burned through his thoughts. He wanted coexistence, pushing for ways to protect both mutants and humans. But Trask was relentless, advocating for the eradication of mutants entirely. His mind was filled with cold calculations, his thoughts laced with hatred and fear. I caught glimpses of Sentinel prototypes, schematics designed to target mutants with terrifying efficiency.

'Trask is a problem,' Fury's mind echoed. 'But cutting him loose isn't an option. Not yet. The Council's backing him. Sigh! General Ross is swaying the government and now this.'

That bastard. I should just kill Trask. I wanted to rip Trask's mind apart and show him what it felt like to be hunted. Wait! What about endless nightmares or should I turn him into a maniac? But before I could delve further, a sharp pain sliced through my head.

"Ah—!" I gasped, clutching my temples.

The connection snapped violently, like a door slammed shut in my face. My vision blurred as a blinding headache consumed me. And then, everything went black.