An indescribably white world, as wide as the universe itself. In this gigantic space, there were books, snacks, beverages... pieces of identity that composed the being that was Jean Grey.
"You are...?"
"I am you".
Without a doubt, the most noteworthy was the gigantic bird levitating on top, in the centre of this world, emitting a heat that resembled the sun. Jean could only stare at this bird with marvel and curiosity. One being looked up, the other down.
"Y-You're beautiful... is this a dream?" The girl asked.
"This is your mindscape, Jean. I am the Phoenix Force, the source of the power inside you; the source of power in the universe" the Phoenix answered.
Jean looked at herself wearing nothing but a long white dress with nothing beneath, like a representation of purity.
"... and why am I here?"
"Several individuals have detected my existence, you are also getting a hand of your powers. Eventually, you will come here and realise my existence".
The phoenix descended in a gust of flames that compressed up and changed until she took a humanoid form, levitating and falling in front of Jean with subtleness and grace.
Jean found herself looking at a vivacious image of herself, the only difference was her eyes and hair; while she remained with her crimson-red hair and green eyes, the Phoenix's red hair looked like living flames that heaved up as if she was in outerspace. As for her eyes, her right eye was flaming red with a slit in the middle, it didn't resemble a human eye, but her left eye was even more sinister.
A pitch-black eye with a white slit, totally unnatural.
Despite her beauty and grandeur, rather than everything bright, Jean found herself inexplicably drawn to the black eye. Like a small flaw that would make one feel pity towards the phoenix.
"Have you been inside me all this time, who knows about you?"
"Emma Frost and Charles Xavier know about me. Even if I tried to conceal my existence, a black dot in a white sheet would always be noticeable, let alone me, a massive stain shrouding your consciousness".
"E-Emma knows? why did she never tell me?!"
"Because I instructed her to keep my existence a secret from you and everyone. I even shared a bit of my power with her".
Like two images of a mirror, both stared at one another. While Jean couldn't help but feel reverence for the being in front of her, the phoenix's stare was not superfluous. Rather... like looking at a friend whom one hadn't seen for a long time.
"I don't understand. If you didn't want me to know, why reveal yourself now?".
"I hoped that you'd progress and eventually realise my existence by yourself. However, I'm afraid I can't wait for you anymore... the time has come".
"The time for what?!" Jean grew exalted by the Phoenix's cryptic behaviour like she wanted to say something... but at the same time, she had inhibitions.
"The First Round" The phoenix frowned, her first gesture.
"Once the time comes, I will take complete control–".
"Stop that".
"..."
Jean clenched her hands tightly in refusal.
"You're talking to me like I'm ignorant; like there are matters that I don't need to know! This is my body! If you called me here, and you disclosed yourself to me then tell me everything I need to know one time! I'm not a useless bitch! I'm becoming stronger!"
"Not strong enough–" Phoenix interrupted with sadness, another gesture.
"If you give me more time–".
"There is no time, Ray will..."
"Ray will what?" Once his name was mentioned, Jean realised there was more to this, how was he even involved?
"...you aren't mentally strong enough to bear the truth".
"This again!"
"However, there are some things that I can tell you so that you may be prepared. Listen well, what you are about to hear is of utmost importance" The phoenix exhaled, like she didn't have a choice but to talk.
"In the end, you and I are one. I am not the phoenix force of this reality... you and I have come from a faraway place and I can't do this without you, Jean".
The Phoenix's pitch-black eye began to palpitate, she visually grimaced and stumbled.
"Phoenix!"
Jean caught her, when she saw Phoenix's eye, the blackness had expanded even outside the eye, slowly beginning to overtake her face.
Phoenix grunted and little by little the mark receded until it disappeared, leaving only her black eye.
"W-What is going on with that eye…?"
"Nothing that you need to know. I'll tell you what you need to know, Jean. I will tell you about the Multiversal Brawl".
**
**
Annie thought the day was lost, after dialling Jean numerous times without an answer, she almost gave up, until Jean called back to confirm the meeting spot.
She met her friend at Times Square, but straight away could tell something was not right with Jean.
'We are childhood friends, we even know each other's period… I know you are distressed' Annie thought, watching her friend stick along but at the same time not present in time and space.
Her mind was somewhere else.
"Are you sure you want to be here?" She asked again, this was the third time as they walked around buying clothes, eating sweets and doing their girly stuff. Even as guys tried to approach, Jean didn't even spare a glance.
"Don't ask me again, Annie… I'm here am I not!?"
"But you look like you don't want to be here…"
"I'm just… sorry" Jean apologised and Annie led her to sit at a restaurant as they had spent the majority of their day shopping and even went to see a movie that felt like she was the only one who enjoyed.
For one she was surprised by the amount of money Jean was willing to spend, but that thought was put at the back of her mind watching Annie's distress.
For her part, Jean couldn't help recalling that conversation with Phoenix over and over. The only bit of detail that she released after relentless insistence.
'Ray has a powerful and dangerous being inside him. Just like we weren't supposed to be here, he also wasn't supposed to be here… the reason we are here, Jean, is to stop this being, and if we can't stop him… then we have to eliminate him'.
It was a truth she didn't want to hear, as Phoenix said. It was a truth she didn't want to accept.
'The source of this monster inside him is an enormous mind-numbing hatred personified. Don't confuse yourself, this dangerous being IS RAY. We can't destroy one and save the other. We can only destroy both or save both… and the way to do it is through love'.
She was confused at first, what could love even accomplish?
'If we can fill the emptiness with love, then this being inside him will have to recede. But now we don't have time. The first round is going to start for you and him, you will be separated. So, before that happens, you only have one chance'.
One chance, according to Phoenix, the 'first round' would start any time next week. During that time Phoenix would take over her body to defeat a powerful foe that she wasn't ready to face and move forward. Ray would also have to do the same.
'It is all so confusing… what can I even do? How can I save Ray?'
It wasn't the whole truth, but what was revealed was enough for her to not want to know any further.
"I know that I'm not a mutant, but I'd hope that you could at least share your worries with me," Annie grimaced and clenched her hands, she somehow felt that Jean's worries were beyond her realm of influence.
"Do you love Ray?"
!!!
Of all the questions and statements, Annie never expected that, but Jean was dead serious. One gaze was enough to tell, "W-What are you!?–"
"Do you love Ray?" Jean repeated her question sternly.
"…"
Annie refused to answer, Jean continued, "If I were to tell you that he's in danger–"
"What's wrong with him!?"
Annie's yelling attracted all gazes, she had to sit down and apologise.
"What's wrong with him, Jean?!" She yelled again, this time in a whisper. Havingn't spoken with Ray before, she couldn't even tell if he was going through something, which led her to believe, once again they were concealing things.
"Do you love him?" Jean asked a third time.
"I love him!" Annie confessed, "I love him a lot so tell me!"
Jean smiled in relief as a weight descended from her shoulders. She already knew… but at least now there were no secrets.
"I love him too," she said.
"I won't lose" Annie frowned with a determination that Jean found amusing, that was not the game she was trying to play.
"None of us has to lose, Annie. We don't... have time for those things..."
"Um? What do you mean?" Annie wasn't getting it.
"I'm saying that I don't mind sharing" Jean crossed her legs to sit more comfortably, the crowds of people went by as she evaluated her friend's reaction.
"Ah? S-Share...?"
"If I have to share anyway, I'd rather share with you... it is better than you just kissing and meeting Ray behind my back".
"Eh? Y-You know?!" The girl screamed, flustered and a bit embarrassed that she was exposed like this. Also a bit confused as to why Jean didn't look angry at all.
"Do you want to share Ray with me?" Jean proposed.
"P-Pardon…?"
"There are Emma and perhaps Raven too…? So it would be four of us sharing... that's exactly why I need you, Annie... if it is us two against them two– eh, Annie?" Jean mumbled, thinking her friend was paying attention.
But Annie had nearly passed out by information overload.
'I-I didn't know... having a crush... would be this hard'.