He couldn't carry it any longer.
More broken mirrors appeared around him, rising from the ground and above.
The shards cut his arms, tore at his hair, and covered him in blood.
Yet the heart in his hands kept beating strongly.
Each mirror reflected memories of his past, filled with tears, scars, pain, and suffering.
He was so afraid, trembling, and lost in the endless maze of his childhood.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way out.
It felt like he would be trapped there forever.
There was no escape and no one to save him.
At last, he couldn't bear it any longer.
He sank to the ground, hugging his knees, sobbing.
"Soren, come out. Come out. Don't let him trap you."
Suddenly, a voice came from somewhere far away.
Soren was startled like a frightened bird, he curled up, and looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from.
But all he could feel were the shards of broken glass.
"Come out, follow your heart, Soren, follow your heart," the voice echoed.
He froze, touching his chest.
His heart was still warm, still beating.
And it was guiding him.
It was leading him forward, as if saying, "Hurry, hurry."
He stumbled into his feet as he stood up and followed the feeling.
He pushed through a narrow wall lined with sharp, jagged mirrors.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.
He fell into a warm embrace.
A woman held him close, gently touching his wounds and kissing his head, "My sweet child, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you."
Soren was panicked and tried to get away in hurry, "Ma'am, you have the wrong person. I'm not your child... I'm not..."
"How could you not be?" A man came up behind him and wrap his arm around Soren's shoulders.
He patted his head gently, "You're our child. We will always love you, forever."
"But I'm not... I'm really not..." Soren whimpered and starting to cry, "How could I ever be loved? I don't deserve it..."
The voice that had been guiding him spoke again.
"Why don't you deserve to be loved, Soren? Look around you. So many people love you. We all love you."
The voice was now very close to him.
A pair of cool yet steady hands gently pried Soren's hands away from his tear-covered face.
Through his blurry vision, he saw a pair of blue, opal-like eyes.
A kind professor with brown hair stood in front of him, wiping away the tears on his face.
The professor's blue eyes had slightly lowered lids, and combined with his perfectly shaped eyebrows, his gaze always seemed to radiate a softness, like he carried the world's kindness.
Professor X's fingers trembled slightly, his eyes a bit red.
He gently shook his head at Soren and wiped away the tears staining his cheeks.
"You are worthy of love, Soren. If you don't believe me, just look—"
He took Soren's hand and led him forward.
After only a few steps, they came face to face with Tony Stark.
The usually carefree and flashy New York billionaire frowned the moment he saw them.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down, then stepped forward and grabbed Soren's wrist.
His Iron Man armor quickly formed around him: "Who did this to you, Soren? Tell me, and I'll take care of it right now."
Soren quickly shook his head, "No, you misunderstand, no one—"
Before he could finish, someone else approached.
The Dark Knight's voice, deeper and rougher than usual, growled, "Who did this?"
Batman threw his black cape over Soren, wrapping him tightly.
He spoke near Soren's ear, his voice simmering with barely contained anger: "I told you not to go off alone…"
Soren, confused, stammered, "I-I didn't…"
His words faded as the scene changed, and the bright Kansas sunlight made him squint.
He saw the Superman soaring high in the sky.
The superhero he had admired since childhood that was full of the warmth of the yellow sun, gently and protectively embraced him, whispering, "Soren…"
"Soren…"
"Soren…"
"Soren…"
More and more people started coming toward him, their concern, their worry, and their soft voices left Soren overwhelmed and flustered.
Blushing and panicked, he tried to explain to each one of them, but he couldn't keep up.
The gentle professor stood by his side and asked, "Don't they love you, Soren? You are surrounded by love. You are worthy of their love."
Soren said in confusion, "But I... I'm just a..."
"You are not a substitute for anyone; you are yourself," Professor X's voice echoed deeply in Soren's mind, "You are someone who deserves to be loved. Wake up, Soren. We are all waiting for you."
"I..."
Soren wanted to say more, but Professor X's figure vanished before him.
Soren quickly shouted, "Wait, Professor—"
He ran after the fading image of Professor X, rushing toward the dazzling door of light.
He got closer and closer—
...
His mind jolted, and he opened his eyes.
...The light of evolution faded away.
Soren opened his eyes inside a metal arm's crook.
He saw Bucky Barnes' face.
His eyebrows that was usually furrowed like a displeased cat, were now even more tightly knit and his dense lashes were looking down at him.
It was hard to tell what expression was hidden behind his mask.
Seeing that he was awake, Bucky scoffed, his tone carrying an air of someone who was going to settle scores.
"I really didn't expect it. So, you're the Angemon," the former Hydra's most formidable assassin said with a sneer as he held Soren.
Soren recoiled in shock, pushing against Bucky's metal arm to lean back.
He then realized that he had returned to his human form.
—Oh no, did he just blow his cover in front of everyone?!
Soren immediately went rigid, his arms frozen in place, unable to move as he held onto Bucky's metal arm.
He couldn't bring himself to look directly into Bucky's eyes.