A faint red glow slowly began to appear around Ethan Cole's body. His clothes fluttered even though there was no wind, and the aura surrounding him gradually intensified, rising like a quiet flame awakening after a long slumber. The change was subtle at first, but within seconds the energy around him became impossible to ignore, as if something ancient and powerful was stirring within the darkness.
Across from him, the red-haired woman reacted in almost the exact same way. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she felt the same energy inside Ethan that had haunted her own life for years. The sensation stirred her heart violently, filling her with confusion and excitement all at once.
At that moment, the world seemed to shrink until only one figure existed in her eyes.
Ethan stood high above the flooded city, framed between sky and earth, his presence radiating something both terrifying and strangely familiar.
"Phoenix Girl… Jean Grey."
Ethan silently repeated the name in his mind. The words seemed to carry a strange gravity, as though the name itself possessed a mysterious power that pulled at him.
Even though they stood far apart, the two of them could see each other clearly. Yet their recognition wasn't based on sight alone. What truly connected them was the power they could both feel resonating deep within their bodies.
The same power.
The power of the Phoenix.
"Who are you?"
A woman's voice suddenly echoed inside Ethan's mind, clear and direct. At the same moment, the red-haired woman shot upward into the sky, accelerating rapidly as she flew toward him.
Not far below, a man wearing strange glasses shouted in alarm.
"Jean! Where are you going?"
Jean Grey didn't respond at all. She didn't even glance back.
Right now, there was only one person left in her world—Ethan Cole. An indescribable pull deep inside her chest demanded answers. She needed to understand why this stranger made her feel something so intensely familiar.
Within seconds she reached the rooftop.
Jean hovered in the air before slowly landing in front of Ethan. Her red hair moved gently in the breeze as she stared at him, searching his face for answers.
Ethan looked back at her calmly. A faint smile appeared on his normally composed expression.
The smile was strange. There was familiarity in it, yet also curiosity, as if he had discovered something fascinating and was eager to examine it more closely.
"Who are you?" Jean asked again.
Her voice carried confusion and caution at the same time.
"I'm Ethan," he replied lightly. "Someone who happens to share a certain connection with you."
"A connection?" Jean repeated, frowning slightly. She clearly didn't understand what he meant.
Ethan tilted his head and studied her for a moment before speaking again.
"Can you feel the power inside yourself?"
Jean blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.
"What are you talking about?"
Ethan raised his hands slightly.
"Like this."
The moment he moved, a surge of crimson light erupted from his body.
The energy flowed around him like streams of fire, swirling and dancing through the air. Behind him, the pale red glow spread outward, expanding until it resembled a pair of enormous wings stretching across the sky.
Jean's body trembled.
She could feel something inside her reacting violently, as if an invisible force had suddenly grabbed hold of the power buried deep within her soul. A faint red glow began to shine from her body as well.
Her breathing became uneven.
The Phoenix Force inside her stirred uncontrollably, surging like a raging tide threatening to break free from its restraints. Within moments, two enormous flaming wings formed behind her as well, mirroring Ethan's power perfectly.
The two figures faced each other across the rooftop.
For a brief instant it looked as if two phoenixes had spread their wings in greeting, preparing to sing together beneath the sky.
"The Phoenix Force… how can you have the Phoenix Force?"
Jean's voice trembled as she spoke.
"You know the answer already," Ethan replied calmly. "We're the same kind of people. Both of us have carried this power since we were very young."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"But there's a difference between us. You've spent your entire life resisting it, trying to suppress it out of fear. As for me…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I control it."
As he spoke, Ethan slowly extended one hand.
A small flame appeared above his palm. The fire burned quietly, glowing with a deep crimson light. Although the flame looked simple, it was actually a pure condensation of Phoenix energy.
Jean's pupils shrank instantly.
She could feel the terrifying purity of that power. The flame in Ethan's hand contained an incredibly concentrated form of the Phoenix Force, something she had never witnessed before.
Fear flickered across her face.
Despite carrying the same power inside her body, she had always feared it. The Phoenix Force was something she could never truly control.
Ethan slowly closed his fingers.
The crimson flame compressed under the pressure of his grip, shrinking into a smaller and smaller sphere. As it condensed, the air around his hand began to vibrate violently.
Jean's expression changed again.
This time her face was filled with shock.
Only someone who possessed the Phoenix Force could understand what Ethan was doing. The flame didn't simply burn—it made a faint, almost mournful sound.
It wasn't a normal crackling noise.
It was closer to a cry.
The Phoenix Force itself was wailing.
It was surrendering.
The immense cosmic power that had terrified Jean for so many years was submitting obediently to Ethan's control.
How could she not be shocked by something like that?
"No… that's impossible," Jean murmured to herself.
Her eyes never left Ethan's hand.
"No one can control this power. This is darkness… a destructive force that destroys everything. How can you possibly control it like that?"
Ethan watched her quietly for a moment.
Then he released his hand.
The crimson flame instantly dispersed, dissolving into the air like scattered sparks. Afterward, he extended his hand toward Jean in an inviting gesture.
"If you want to know the answer," he said calmly, "come here."
Jean's body trembled again.
The expression on her face changed constantly. At first there had been surprise, then fear, and now something closer to inner conflict.
No one else could see what was happening inside her heart.
But Ethan could feel it clearly.
For Jean, the Phoenix Force inside him felt like the presence of family. It was like a lonely person suddenly encountering someone who shared the same bloodline.
Yet this "relative" was also the very thing she feared most.
Jean slowly began walking toward him.
Step by step, she closed the distance between them. At the same time she lifted her hand and reached toward Ethan's outstretched palm.
The gap between them shrank until only a small distance remained.
Their fingers were about to touch.
But at that exact moment, a voice suddenly shouted from the side.
"What are you doing, Jean? Come back!"
Jean's body froze instantly.
Her hand stopped in midair.
At the same moment, a blazing red beam of energy shot straight toward Ethan.
.....
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