Ethan burst out laughing.
The sound echoed across the endless ocean of consciousness as if the very sky had joined in mocking the words that had just been spoken. To him, Professor X's reasoning sounded less like wisdom and more like naïve idealism dressed up as philosophy.
"You people are really interesting," Ethan said between quiet chuckles.
He shook his head slowly, amusement clear in his eyes.
"You obviously have the power to clean up the mess in this world whenever you want," he continued, "but instead you insist on obeying a bunch of meaningless rules."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Don't you realize something simple? The people who ignore the rules are always the ones who gather power and followers the fastest. Meanwhile, the ones who obey those rules spend their entire lives getting pushed around."
Ethan tilted his head.
"So why exactly do you insist on doing it that way?"
His voice carried a faint layer of sarcasm now.
"And now you're here trying to stop me," he continued. "Do you really see yourself as some kind of savior?"
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Do you honestly believe the world can't function without you?"
The ocean beneath their feet remained perfectly calm, but the tension in the air was unmistakable.
"And let's not forget something else," Ethan added casually. "This situation right now is between me and the United States."
He gestured faintly toward the distance.
"It has nothing to do with you."
His eyes locked directly onto Professor X.
"So why are you stepping into it in the first place? And why is the first thing you do to aim your criticism at me?"
Ethan's tone became sharper with every word.
"In your eyes, does the American government automatically represent justice? Is whatever they declare the official truth?"
He paused briefly.
"And if someone steps outside the rules they wrote, that person is automatically evil?"
Ethan shook his head again, the faint smile returning to his face.
"So this is the peace you want to protect?"
His voice turned openly mocking.
"A peace created by layers of lies and agreements written by people who benefit from them."
His words hung in the air like quiet accusations.
Professor X didn't answer immediately.
To Ethan, the contrast between the two leaders of mutantkind had always been obvious. Even Magneto, ruthless as he could be, felt more honest than Professor X. At least Magneto never pretended to be anything else. He pursued his goals openly and directly, never hiding behind moral lectures.
Professor X, on the other hand, and the X-Men who followed him, always seemed focused on stopping whatever they personally labeled as evil.
And yes, some of Magneto's actions had undeniably harmed the world.
But wasn't it the responsibility of governments to deal with that?
When had the X-Men become an unofficial enforcement agency for the state?
Professor X finally broke the silence.
He sighed softly.
"Child," he said calmly, "the darkness inside you has already clouded your judgment."
His voice carried no anger, only quiet disappointment.
"That power has begun influencing the way you think. You no longer see clearly."
He looked out across the endless ocean before continuing.
"What we protect is justice," he said. "Ordinary people. Society. And ultimately the stability of the entire world."
His gaze returned to Ethan.
"What is permitted by the rules is correct. What violates those rules is wrong."
His voice grew firmer.
"Those rules exist because they represent the values society has agreed upon. They are universal standards."
Professor X shook his head slightly.
"You are opposing those values."
He paused.
"And because of that, there's no need for me to argue with you. To most people, your actions will already define you as evil."
His tone softened again.
"I think you already understand that."
The ocean remained silent.
"Stop indulging in this false sense of power," Professor X continued gently. "It will only lead you further down the wrong path."
He looked at Ethan steadily.
"Give it up. Leave the darkness behind and choose the light."
A brief pause followed.
"Otherwise," he said quietly, "you will become a sinner in the eyes of the entire world."
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then Ethan laughed again.
He shook his head slowly, almost amused with himself.
He had actually tried to reason with Professor X.
In hindsight, that alone felt ridiculous.
"Forget it," Ethan said casually. "You and I were never going to see eye to eye anyway."
He spread his hands slightly.
"Consider this a small punishment for the little mental ambush you pulled on me earlier."
His eyes glinted faintly.
"I know you're one of the greatest telepaths alive. You can erase someone's sense of identity, wipe out their memories, and completely overwrite their self-awareness."
His smile widened.
"Coincidentally… I can do something very similar."
Ethan snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
The world changed instantly.
Thick gray fog began pouring into the endless mental landscape from every direction. The mist moved like something alive, spreading rapidly through the sky and across the mirrored ocean beneath their feet.
Within seconds, it swallowed everything.
The once-blue sky turned gray.
The endless ocean darkened into a dull, lifeless shade.
The entire world had been drained of color.
Only gray remained.
From within the swirling fog, Ethan's figure slowly stepped forward.
"Your self-awareness is now locked inside this place," he said calmly.
His voice echoed faintly through the empty space.
"This is the deepest layer of your consciousness. The core of your identity."
He gestured toward the gray ocean beneath them.
"As long as you escape from here, you'll still be yourself."
Then his expression turned cold.
"But if you fail… you'll be trapped in an endless winter."
Professor X remained silent.
Just before the last traces of Ethan's voice faded away, he spoke again.
"Oh, right," he added casually. "I almost forgot to mention something."
The fog stirred around him.
"I've constructed three separate cages inside your consciousness."
Ethan raised a finger.
"Each one has a single exit."
He smiled faintly.
"Find those exits. Break the cages."
His eyes sharpened.
"Let's see how powerful your telepathy really is."
Then he continued calmly.
"Oh, and one more thing. I adjusted the time flow here so it runs about a hundred times faster than normal thought speed."
His figure slowly began dissolving into the gray mist.
"So take your time."
The last fragments of Ethan's presence vanished from the world of consciousness.
Professor X stood alone on the gray ocean.
He looked around silently, then let out a quiet sigh.
Without hesitation, he began extending his mental awareness, probing the invisible walls of the prison Ethan had constructed.
But only seconds later, he realized something was terribly wrong.
The prison surrounding him wasn't simply an illusion.
It had substance.
The entire cage had been constructed using his own self-awareness as its foundation.
If he attempted to destroy it through brute mental force, the result would be catastrophic. The shock would collapse the very sea of consciousness that defined his identity.
And if that happened—
Professor X's personality would be destroyed along with it.
His body would still live.
But the consciousness known as Charles Xavier would disappear forever, replaced by a blank awareness formed only from instinct and memory.
In other words, Ethan's trap was brutally precise.
For someone like Professor X, a master of the mind, this was perhaps the most lethal prison imaginable.
.....
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