The X-Men led me outside the warehouse to an empty patch of open desert.
"Are we going to teleport away or …"
A giant Stealth plane materialized before my very eyes.
"Fuck me," I whispered.
"What? Haven't seen a Stealth Plane before?" Scott quipped.
"As a matter of fact, no, I have not," I said, deadpan. "Where could I have possibly run into one?"
Scott blinked mutely, realizing I had a point, but powered on regardless. "Whatever. Let's just go see the Professor."
The base of the jet eased open, lowering a ramp. A blue-skinned, shaggy cat person stood at the very top with circle glasses of all things and the same yellow and black Leotard that I hoped I wouldn't have to wear one day.
"Is that a Wookie?" I asked, slack-jawed. With the performance I was putting on, I was surprised I hadn't gotten an acting skill yet.
"What's a Wookie?" Jean asked beside me.
"It's a Star Wars thing. You won't get it," I muttered, still staring at the cat person. "So, you the professor?"
"What if I am?" Beast asked, and I squinted.
"You're not him," I declared, earning looks from everybody present.
"No British accent. I clarified, "stuck out, even as a voice in my head."
Beast chuckled, shaking his head. "Of all the ways…He'll get a laugh out of that when he wakes up."
"You're the tech guy, I take it," I said. "I must admit, I pictured you way less…thicker."
"The name is Hank," he said, gesturing to me aboard, "and we mutants come in all shapes and sizes."
"Dante," I answered, fully knowing what revealing my actual name would mean. They'd be able to trace me back to L.A. and probably connect me to the murders if they haven't already done that. At the very least, being honest would earn me brownie points and keep my new Identity a secret. I didn't know how I was getting out of this yet, but I was holding back as many cards as I could. "So, your mutant power is thinking super-fast?"
"Not quite," Hank explained. "Mutations that present themselves in physical changes are often not as simple. I attained a different physiology when my mutation manifested. It has nothing to do with my intellect."
"Double trouble," I quipped as I walked into the jet. It was less spacious than I imagined for the infamous jet. A dozen or so seats were in the bay area leading up to a cockpit. A bald man in a wheelchair sat in a corner, with his hung low and straps holding him upright.
The X-Men seemed to flock past me to attend to him.
"Professor," Jean softly said as she rushed to him, with Scott beside her. Wolverine and Ororo held back, but their concern was obvious, as were the sharp looks they gave me.
Noting my discomfort, Beast spoke. "He'll be fine. He's just unconscious. It has happened so few times that the young ones are convinced the Professor is invincible, which begs the question, what exactly are you?"
Beast scrutiny turned to me, as did everyone else's.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not quite human. Of this, I am certain, by your admission and the Professor's. He called you an 'Anomaly.'"
My eyes darted around the room as I searched for an explanation. I knew lying was out of the question. Between Jean's Telepathy, Beast's, and Wolverine's senses, they'd likely pick me apart.
"Ah well, I've always been a little different since I was a kid," I said, drawing on Dante's memories. "I was stronger and faster than just about everybody my age. Things changed in a big way for me about a week ago, though. I was contacted by…something, and the encounter further awakened my abilities. I can heal now, and some strange energy seems to be bubbling inside me." I shrugged. "As for why I figured out I was not a mutant, it was because I've been like this since I was little. Most mutants I know get their mutation when they're teenagers. Besides, I learned that people come for you when you awaken your mutant abilities. That never happened, not until recently."
Hank shifted his glasses, seemingly satisfied with my explanation for now. "We'll arrive at the school soon enough. We'll talk further there."
I nodded, finding a seat, and strapped down, waiting for takeoff. Everybody's mind seemed to be somewhere else except Scott and Jean, who seemed to regard me. The former with scorn and the latter with curiosity.
Curiosity, I knew, which wouldn't be satiated by just staring at my face.
She was a Telepath. She probably couldn't help herself.
My mind was likely the only source of entertainment on a weary, multi-hour-long flight to a boarding house.
Once the old man came to, he would probably try to enter my mind again.
I wasn't sure I could repeat the demonic energy explosion whenever I crossed paths with a Telepath.
I needed a Hail Mary, and I needed it now, so I turned to the one thing that could deliver it.
'Hey,' I yelled out internally. 'System, you there? You see what's going on, right? I'm about to be found out. The whole mission is kaput if someone knows what I am up to. I could use some help here!
No response came.
I did not know whether the system was ignoring me or was not sentient, but I realized I would not be getting help from Shin after a few minutes of yelling at it.
I supposed I couldn't really complain. The abilities I already had were overpowered. I just needed to think outside the box.
Closing my eyes, I opened my status and took full stock.
Name: Axel Warren
Species: Nephilim
Class: None
HP: 290/420 (Health Point)
SP: 220/370 (Stamina Point)
AE: 50/ 230 (Angelic Energy)
DE: 50/210 (Demonic Energy
Strength: 20 +1
Dexterity: 21+ 1
Vitality: 41+ 1
Endurance: 36+1
Angelic Energy: 21+ 1
Demonic Energy: 20+1
Abilities
Skills
Parkour (Basic)
Blunt Weapon Mastery (Basic)
Gun Mastery (Basic)
Sword Mastery (Adept)
Knive Mastery (Basic)
Driving (Basic)
Demonic Energy Manipulation (Basic)
Shop (Locked)
Devil Arms
********
Souls: 42
The new stat growth was nice to see and hinted that pushing my body to the extreme and recovering through Angel Regeneration was the secret to sustained growth.
However, what caught my attention was my new skill, Demonic Energy Manipulation. Between the night's craziness, I barely remembered getting the skill.
The specifics of how I'd gotten it remained clear, however. In a moment of desperation, I'd pushed myself and manipulated my demonic energy. I was certain the same would be possible for Angelic Energy, even if I suspected it would be more difficult.
Still, I needed to figure it out right here and right now because it might be too late by the time I arrived at the school.
The answers I was looking for lay in some unique interaction with Demonic and Angelic Energy.
I was certain of it. I just had to figure it out before we reached New York.
The regular flight time between New York and Las Vegas was 6 hours. A Bullshit Stealth jet could probably cut the travel time in half.
I had that much time to cobble together a new skill.
This was not how I imagined being Dante would be.
With my eyes still shut, I took deep, long breaths as I searched for the weightless, ethereal energy I felt pulsing through me each time I used Angel Regeneration.
In the game, Angel Energy was the more versatile and elusive of the pair. It'd been shown to let you do everything from creating energy constructs to teleportation and rapid regeneration.
I did not understand the first thing about it, but as Dante has proven throughout the games, you didn't need to understand something to wield it like a badass.
Activating Angel Regeneration, I reached for the energy I'd grown passingly familiar with and let it pour over me. I got the measure of it and tugged at it as it rapidly mended my wounds.
"Wow," Jean murmured, and I heard Logan shift before me.
"What the hell are you doing?" Scott yelled, and I tuned him out, opting to ignore the arrogant prick.
"Settle down," I heard Logan bark. "He's healing himself."
I switched off the skill before it burned through all of My Angel Energy and felt my way back to the sensation I had experienced before in my mind's eye. I spent a great deal of time stumbling in the dark.
Before I ever came close to feeling my angel energy, I gained a far more interesting skill.
Congratulations: You've learned Meditation (Basic)
Calms the mind, body, and soul, allowing for introspection, mental decompression, and clarity. 2x Energy Regeneration and temporarily boosts physical and mental control by 25%
Christ.