"Is that so? If my mind isn't guarded, will I be invaded by you like a whore, controlled at your whim?"
Vincent Hall's lazy voice whipped up a powerful psychic storm.
It swept toward Charles Xavier like a hurricane.
"Young friend, do you feel no guilt for your actions?" Professor X stood unmoved in the astral plane, his mental projection calm and radiant.
"Guilt? Are you referring to the Vatican or the Naval Base?" Vincent smirked disdainfully.
"Violence is not the solution to everything," Charles lectured.
"Without violence, I am just a pig waiting to be slaughtered. Don't preach to me, Professor. Don't you use your powers to change things? Why is it 'violence' when I do it, but 'guidance' when you do it?"
Vincent was losing patience.
"Convincing you is difficult," Charles admitted. "But I hope Raven will return to the school."
He knew persuading a powerhouse like the Ice Demon was impossible. The threat level was too high.
"We stay in our lanes. I don't interfere with your school, and you don't interfere with Oscorp or my people," Vincent said, his mental voice turning cold. "Especially you, Professor. If you invade the mind of anyone around me again, I won't hesitate to rip your head off personally."
Vincent gave Charles a deep, piercing look.
With a massive psychic push, he ejected Charles from Raven's mind.
Vincent formed a hand seal. A special psychic rune materialized and embedded itself in Raven's psyche—a permanent shield.
He withdrew from her mind.
Raven looked at Vincent with new eyes.
"Don't worry," Vincent said calmly. "If I want to hurt someone, I'll freeze them, drain them, or decapitate them. I won't violate their mind."
Raven exhaled. It wasn't just trust; it was dignity. Having one's mind read, judged, and manipulated was a violation worse than physical assault.
"Charles promised he would never invade my mind," Raven said sadly.
"He won't do it again. I left a Guardian Seal. No one enters your head without your permission. Not even me."
Raven smiled sweetly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
"That is the best gift you could have given me."
"It's my honor to satisfy you."
"Vincent... honestly, you are a gentleman."
"Haha, no. I'm not a gentleman. I'm a demon with taste. Or maybe just a high-class villain."
Vincent grabbed her waist and led her out of Oscorp.
He wasn't worried about Gwen seeing them. She was in England on a family trip. Even Spider-Woman needed a vacation.
In New York, Vincent didn't need to hide. The media was already self-censoring any negative news about Oscorp. He was becoming an invisible king.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Charles Xavier frowned in his wheelchair.
He felt the Ice Demon's disgust.
He wasn't bothered by the judgment on his methods—he had made peace with his ethical compromises long ago. But today, he felt a genuine threat of death.
The Ice Demon was changing the definition of power.
Freezing the Vatican. Destroying a Carrier Strike Group with a tsunami.
These were acts of god, not man.
"Raven is with him..." Charles thought. "Is this good or bad?"
For a de-powered Raven, the best place was the school. But she refused. She was lost, and the demon had offered her a hand.
"Professor," Storm walked in, looking worried. "Scott detected an energy anomaly at Alkali Lake. He went to investigate."
"Let him go," Charles sighed. "Scott needs closure. Jean is dead."
He couldn't sense Jean anymore.
"Should we go get him?"
"No. We have bigger problems. Erik is mobilizing again. He's gathering mutants in Los Angeles."
Charles rubbed his temples.
Magneto was radical, but predictable. The Ice Demon was the wild card.
The world was shifting. Governments were scared. They were secretly recruiting mutants now, not just imprisoning them. The destruction of the US Fleet had shattered American military prestige.
"Nations are realizing that a single Omega-level mutant is a strategic deterrent," Charles mused. "This might be the dawn of mutant acceptance... born from fear."
"Professor, you look troubled. Is it Magneto again?" Storm asked.
"It's Raven."
"What?" Storm gasped.
"She was hit with the Cure. She's human now."
"The Cure is real?" Storm whispered. She remembered Beast's report.
"Where is she?"
"New York. Oscorp."
Charles didn't mention the Ice Demon. If Storm knew Raven was with the man who sank the fleet, she might do something rash. And Storm couldn't beat him.
"I'll go get her."
"No, Ororo. Leave her be. She has chosen a new life. Interfering now would only bring her pain."
"I understand," Storm nodded reluctantly.
Logan walked in, chomping a cigar. "Cyclops found something at the dam? And didn't call me?"
"Logan, Ororo," Charles's face suddenly went pale. "Go to Alkali Lake. Immediately. Scott is in danger."
Oscorp Villa.
Vincent looked east.
"What is it, Vin?" Raven asked, nuzzling his neck.
Despite being human, she was still an elite combatant. Her stamina was impressive.
"The Phoenix has risen," Vincent murmured. "Goodbye, Cyclops."
His psychic sovereign ability detected the massive energy spike. The plot of X-Men: The Last Stand had fully begun.
"Jean is alive?" Raven was stunned.
"She's not Jean anymore," Vincent said. "The Phoenix Force has created a new personality. It's dangerous."
He interrupted her thoughts. "Pack your bags. We're going to the Long Island villa."
"Why? I like the penthouse," Raven pouted. "I haven't even modeled the Ghost Spider suit for you yet."
"My power is on the verge of a breakthrough," Vincent explained. "I need the ocean. And maybe... I'll find a way to restore your powers."
"Then hurry up and get dressed!" Raven pushed him.
Vincent checked his stats.
[Wealth: 84 Billion]
[Desire Points: 830 Million]
[Abilities: Ice (Tier 2 Peak), Fire (Tier 2 Peak), Psychic Sovereign (Mastered), Hydro-Kinesis (Sovereign)]
His psychic upgrade had doubled his combat efficiency. He could now fuse his powers seamlessly.
Vincent drove his Ferrari to Long Island.
Raven was "busy" in the passenger seat.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the beach.
Vincent held Raven's hand. With a thought, seawater rose and froze into a magnificent ice yacht.
He led her aboard.
Inside, he set up a barbecue. He created ice furniture but used the Mera Mera no Mi to heat the air, creating a perfect microclimate.
"Ice and Fire in perfect balance," Vincent smiled, igniting the charcoal with a snap of his fingers.
Raven shivered slightly, snuggling into his chest.
"So," Vincent whispered. "Ready to watch me become a god?"
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