Vex returned to his penthouse at Dawn Tower. As he entered, he found Jean chatting with Darcy while Sharon was busy working on her laptop. Faora, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Upon spotting Vex, Jean asked, "Did everything go smoothly?"
Vex nodded in response, but before he could say anything, a gust of wind swept through, and Darcy threw herself into his arms.
"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed.
Vex smiled and hugged her back. "I missed you too. Where's Faora?" he asked.
Sharon responded, "She's in the underground lab, working on something. Said it would take a few days, so she won't be able to spend time with you."
Vex nodded knowingly, understanding Faora's obsession with her experiments.
"Jean, feel free to pick any room to rest. We can talk tomorrow," he said, and with that, he embraced both Darcy and Sharon and headed toward the master bedroom. The events of the day, particularly Gwen's teasing, had ignited a fire in him that he needed to extinguish.
Jean watched, stunned by his lack of discretion. Did he not even try to be subtle? Yet, her mind drifted to the memories of her own moments with Vex, leaving her feeling conflicted as she gazed at the closed bedroom door.
---
The next morning, Vex stepped out of his room and saw Jean standing by the window, still in the same clothes from the day before. "Up so early?" he greeted. "Didn't Natasha bring you new clothes? Why didn't you change—don't they fit?"
Jean turned around, and Vex's eyebrows raised in surprise. Her eyes were red, with dark circles under them—she hadn't slept at all.
"Did we… disturb you?" Vex scratched his head, "The soundproofing should be good… did you use your telepathy?"
Suddenly, Jean rushed toward him and hugged him tightly. "I thought it through last night. I can't stay away from you, and I don't dislike you. I… want to be with you." she confessed.
Vex blinked in surprise. He had been in such a rush last night that he hadn't considered Jean's feelings. But… how had she decided on her own?
Seeing Vex's silence, Jean looked up, hurt. "You… don't like me?"
"Ah… no, it's not that, I just—"
Jean didn't let him finish, lifting herself with telekinesis and kissing him forcefully. With things reaching this point, what could Vex do? He accepted her completely.
---
That night, after soothing Jean's mind using the Horse Talisman, Vex had Natasha officially register Jean in his household. Within seconds, the system notified him of the reward for marrying Jean Grey:
-Telekinetic Floating Cannons: A weapon driven by telekinesis, capable of intercepting and destroying meteors, with the power enhanced by psychic energy.
- Phoenix Force Fragment: A piece of the Phoenix Force, the source of all psychic power in the universe, giving Vex unimaginable strength.
Vex was thrilled with the rewards. Not only did he receive one reward for marrying Jean, but two! As he wielded the fiery Phoenix Force, it felt like a tame kitten responding to his every thought.
While familiarizing himself with the new power, the Phoenix Force "spat out" two talismans: the Rooster Talisman and the Sheep Talisman, though the Phoenix Force dismissed them with a feeling of disdain. With the Phoenix Force's capabilities, these talismans seemed trivial.
Later, Vex teleported to outer space, absorbing the unfiltered solar energy, feeling at home. Coincidentally, a group of meteors, the largest about 20 meters in diameter, was heading toward Earth.
"Let me take care of you," Vex said, summoning the King's Treasury from which three golden orbs emerged, hovering in a triangular formation above him. These were the Telekinetic Floating Cannons.
With a thought, the cannons locked onto the meteors and unleashed a barrage of golden beams at 10 shots per second, obliterating the entire meteor shower with ease. Vex barely had to lift a finger, and the cannons did the rest, all automated and efficient.
However, something strange caught his eye. Among the debris were large metal fragments, some with intricate designs. These weren't ordinary meteors.
Curious, Vex put away his floating cannons and teleported to investigate the mysterious fragments up close.