Only ten minutes passed in the real world when they ended their mental journey. As soon as they awoke, they were met by incessant questioning from the rest of the X-Men, who were truly curious regarding how it went.
Charles, true to his age and wisdom, spared Adam the awkwardness of reliving the story of his mother's phantom. He said it was something personal to Adam, and only he had the right to tell them.
Adam honestly didn't mind, for when he looked at the X-Men, their intentions were laid bare before his eyes.
They were curious, nervous, and hopefully expectant. He felt he could trust them just like how they opened their doors to him, so he turned to the professor and gave him a small affirmative nod. Seeing this, Charles smiled warmly, then decided to discuss it later in his office, relieving Adam.
One by one, they left the infirmary with a few encouraging words. Rogue said she'd come later. Adam nodded; her company was welcomed. Once everyone left, he looked at the feline doctor, who grinned, looking too excited for Adam's comfort.
"I need your cooperation to run some tests. Are you willing?" He didn't like what he was hearing, and even more, the excitement running through Hank as if he had found a new lab rat.
Adam pondered for a few moments. He felt nothing was wrong with him, but he wouldn't be able to leave this hall until he was confirmed to be fine.
As for Hank, there wasn't anything malicious about his change in demeanor. He simply wanted to run some tests on his blood to see if he had any secondary mutation.
"Alright." Sighing, Adam reluctantly gave in to the doctor.
"Wonderful, let's begin promptly," Hank exclaimed, rushing to his tech gadgets, picking up needles, tubes, and such on the way.
When he returned, he tied a rubber band around Adam's biceps and thoroughly disinfected the spot where he chose to draw blood.
However, when he finally tried to insert the needle, he paused, scratched his head, then looked at Adam, who was equally bewildered.
"Is this your doing?" Hank asked, looking between the beautiful silver scales on Adam's forearm and the twisted syringe needle.
"No," Adam hesitated. This was a surprise as he didn't intend to do this, but it was a welcome one nonetheless. He reckoned that this was his body's defense mechanism, an ability of sequence 6: Hypnotist, which grew more powerful as beyonders ascended the pathway until fully manifesting into a mythical form.
'But why didn't it manifest yesterday when Logan attacked?'
He was perplexed. His powers didn't awaken in one go when he was in New York. It was more of an ongoing process, and today he was feeling different—physically much stronger and mentally stable.
"Er, Adam, can you help me up here? I can't do anything if your scales keep breaking my needles." Hank touched Adam's scales; they felt tough, capable of tanking massive damage.
"Let me try," he said, looking at his arm. He knew fully well that he inherited the full abilities of the spectator pathway.
He could do too many things that most people would struggle to comprehend. Some of it came naturally to him, such as reading surface thoughts and body language analysis.
While other abilities required much finer control and guided intention, Adam looked at his scaly arm. He was a Visionary; his simple belief was all it took for him to do it.
When Hermes was cursed and turned into a rabbit, he believed that he was strong and big as a mountain, subsequently he became what he imagined.
Adam did the same. That was all it took for them to quickly wiggle like worms, as if they were alive, inside his skin.
"That was a bit creepy," said the blue feline doctor with fangs that could easily tear human limbs apart. He prodded Adam's skin with his finger, once he felt nothing strange he proceeded to finish the job.
"You have no idea," Adam murmured, looking outside the window.
His body hid madness that could turn the strongest of minds deranged. He hoped he'd be able to control it as he didn't want to become a walking psychic nuclear bomb.
He let Hank do his tests while he laid in bed. He closed his eyes, and a moment later, he was standing on his mind island.
He took in the scenery around him: his house, the floating landmasses, the distant stars, and his kingdom, which was still in the form of mesmerizing, chaotic mist.
He walked steadily until he reached the edge of the island, peering over the barrier that kept other mind islands outside. He remembered Martha's warning that he wasn't ready yet.
He believed that her warning didn't stem from her fearing for his safety. It was more about the control that he didn't have, which would cause damage to others if he became willful and ignored her words.
Adam banished the temptation creeping through him. He calmed himself and closed his eyes.
He sensed his being, his powers, which, most of the time were ignored due to his experience, but now, as he listened to himself, to what he had already become; a mutant with the full power of a visionary.
He was a sequence 0 masquerading as a mutant, a mortal, which was only one side of the mirror's reflection. The other side hid a being few could understand.
Adam opened his eyes; they were bright but wary. He realized that it was easy to lose himself to this staggering sense of power. if he didn't ground it with his humanity, things would turn bad pretty fast.
A heartbeat later, he willed himself to float up. His feet left the ground, and in an instant, he was before his nascent kingdom. Here, every action he did came naturally to him; he didn't need finer control or anything, just pure belief, and that gave him an idea about how to form his kingdom.
But Adam didn't want to rush it. He didn't know yet what he wanted it to be, and he had other things to learn first, such as dream weaving, hypnotizing, his virtual personas, psychic attacks, and invisibility. There were too many things to learn and control; the thought of it made him groan.
But he'd still do it, taking one last look at his mind island, he vanished, opening his eyes within the infirmary.
Hank took his sweet time doing the tests. Several hours passed until it was late in the afternoon. The sun's glare diminished; it felt like a good time for a walk, reminding him of the time years ago when he used to appreciate such simple things, and now, as he looked at it.
He realized a long time had slipped by. All those years, hidden behind dark, drawn curtains.
Adam felt his chest tighten as a sense of bitterness surged through him. He could feel it: the call of life.
And all that time, he couldn't appreciate it, or rather, he was helpless when it came to the matter, for when his most precious person was gone, the joy he once knew went out with it.
"Hank!" he called.
"What's the matter?" the doctor replied.
"Do you ever go out for walks outside here, outside the mansion?" Adam asked, his eyes still glued to the beautiful garden through the window.
"I used to," Hank closed the test files and stood from his desk, walking quietly until he stood beside Adam, following his gaze.
"Although most of the time, I used to shut myself inside my lab, drowning in a sea of research and PhD papers, I loved to go out with Jean, Bobby, Warren, and Scott. Those were the good days. Everything was simple. Er, maybe not so simple as we had to fight for our lives most of the time." He chuckled, then continued.
"You know, years ago, I wasn't like this. I used to look just like you, and despite having grown accustomed to my looks, I can no longer walk freely without consideration for the people around me."
"So no, Adam, I no longer take walks outside the mansion, and please… don't be like me," Hank patted Adam's shoulder, then walked back to his desk.
Adam watched his retreating back. Hank accepted his life, his fate, but he couldn't hide his reluctance from Adam as he hunched over his desk.
Silence fell over the room, each occupant lost in their thoughts, but soon that heavy mood was interrupted as Rogue entered the room. She stood for a moment beside the door, looking at Adam and Hank, who were surprised by her loud entrance.
A smile suddenly bloomed on her face, she quickly moved next to Adam, then turned to Hank.
"Sorry, hon, gotta take him away from ya." Hearing what she said, Adam didn't hesitate for a second before getting up and standing next to her, eager to leave the dreary infirmary.
"You might want to wear something," Hank looked amused, pointing at Adam's bare chest.
"No matter," Rogue waved her hand dismissively. "His shirt is ruined, and besides, we're only going to the upper floor."
"Alright, then. You're fine to go." Hank didn't wish to hold him up any longer; his shoulder was healed, and tests proved that he was perfectly fine.
"What do you say? Wanna go?" Rogue smiled sweetly at Adam, who felt his chest tighten for a moment, then replied.
"Sure."
"Let's go then; see you later, Hank," she said, taking the lead. Adam followed closely behind her, exchanging a nod with Hank as he passed him by.
"This is the professor's mansion, the institute in general," Rogue said as they went out of the infirmary into a narrow hallway.
The place looked rustic and botanical, mostly clad with beautiful aged wood. The windows were tall and low with a wide sill enough for one to sit. And almost at every opening or corner, you'd find beautiful pots of flowers, plants, and miniature trees.
"This is the teaching area," she pointed at several empty classrooms as she swiftly passed them by, then she turned to the left, where a huge central staircase leading to the upper floor appeared.
"Up is where we live; some students take residence here during the year. It's summer, which is why there's no one here. While the other members of the mansion have taken outside occupation, so it'll be only you and us," she explained as they stepped onto the second floor.
Adam followed her as she made turns until she stopped facing a door with a plaque that read:
ADAM WINTERS
He looked at it, puzzled, wondering how quickly they made the plaque.
"Is this my room?"
"Of course, wouldn't ya want a place for yourself here?" she said, lifting her eyebrows.
"No, that's not what I meant," Adam had to explain, because staying at the mansion wasn't within his plans. "I don't live far from here; I can always take the bus."
"Ah know," she smiled. "We've done our research on you, but you'll have a place of your own with us. That was the professor's intention, and it'll be better if you live here, for your training and safety."
Adam felt touched. It wasn't hard to notice how they were doing their best to accommodate him and make him feel at ease with them.
"Thank you," he replied with a slight smile, to which Rogue answered with one of her own.
"Let's get you settled in first," she winked at him and pushed the door to the room.
The first thing he noticed as he entered was how spacious it was, double the space of the bedroom he woke up in this morning.
The bed was far in the corner next to the tall window; there was a nightstand next to the bed.
The wall behind the bed had a notch in the middle, running entirely through its midsection, filled with books and planters of different kinds.
To their right, there was a desk and a recessed closet inside the wall, and in the far corner, there was a door leading to the bathroom.
"Ah took great care choosing your room," Rogue said with pride in her voice as she strode over a beautiful blue Persian carpet.
"I can see that. It's much bigger and more beautiful than my own," Adam followed her inside and noticed a bundle of clothes folded on the bed, waiting for him. Clearly, this was her work too.
"Thank you, Rogue, Anna," he scratched his head. "How would you like to be called?"
"Call me however you want," she never minded how people called her, although it had been a long time since she went by her original name.
"Then I'll call you Rogue," he said, sitting on the bed, holding the clothes in a daze.
Everything had changed. Every waking moment reminded him of that, and yet sometimes he couldn't help but feel that he was lost in fantasy, that he was still lying in his bedroom, dying, waiting to be awakened.
"You feeling down?" she asked, sitting next to him.
"No," he replied, spreading a black t-shirt over his knees. "I get lost in my thoughts sometimes, pondering what was and what is."
Rogue fell silent for a moment, then she lightly slapped his shoulder and chuckled.
"Alright, Ah get it, you're one of 'em brooding type boys. I'll give you some space to sort your thoughts," she smiled as she got up.
"You've got the wrong idea," he chuckled quietly. It felt strange to him because it had been a long time since he felt a bit light when talking to someone.
"'S alright," she said, waving her hand and asking, "Now, tell me, is there anything you need?"
Adam thought about it. There wasn't much he needed aside from his clothes, toiletries, and… his mother's picture.
"I should probably head home to grab some stuff."
"No problem, I'll go with you. You can freshen up a bit; when you finish, you'll find me waiting outside the mansion," she said, giving him one last look before she left the room.
He remained seated, looking at the room, touching the fabric of the clothes, smelling the sweet smell of wood and Rogue's lingering perfume.
"Yeah, time to start again…" he murmured, then frowned. His premonition warned him momentarily; he felt like he forgot something, which wasn't strange as he slept for a long time during the night until almost midday.
Shaking those thoughts away, he entered the bathroom. Half an hour later, he went out wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and Nike Air Force Ones.
His hair, still a bit wet, fell over just above his shoulders, and his beard stubble was trimmed lightly on the edges.
Adam didn't wait long before stepping out of the room and following his senses to where Rogue was, just like how everyone in the mansion was clear to his mind about where they were.
He went down the stairs, crossed another hallway, and pushed doors leading to the mansion's front grounds.
He was greeted by a cool evening breeze and Rogue leaning against a black Mercedes Sprinter with enough seats for the entire X-Men team.
"Gotta admit," she started, looking at Adam. "I like that growing stubble on your face."
Adam was momentarily surprised and asked as he went down the stairs.
"What? Not a fan of clean-shaven guys?"
"No-uh," she shook her head, looking completely serious. "Ah like real men, not pretty boys."
"I guess I'm lucky then." He didn't know where to lead this conversation, so he quickly got in the van, but Rogue's light chuckle still reached his ear.
The van rolled down the cobbled long drive. Once outside, Rogue put her foot on the pedal. A few minutes later, they parked in front of his house.
"You don't know how surprised the professor was when he found out you were living under our noses," Rogue said as she got off the van.
"That's why I told you that I saw you before," he lied as he inserted the key inside the lock.
However, just as he was about to turn the lock his spirituality warned him. He stopped and looked up at his bedroom window.
His vision changed as his spirit vision manifested, revealing the spirit bodies of three armed men wearing tactical clothing, their weapons pointing at them through the window opening.
Adam's eyes widened. "Get down," he shouted.
In that instant, he heard the sound of a trigger being pulled.
He heard loud bangs and saw the bullets exit the muzzle, followed by fiery sparks.
Adam felt like his mind was burning. His perception of the world slowed.
The bullet's trajectory was clear to his eyes; even the ants crawling inside the wall crannies were visible to him.
Rogue, on the other hand, barely had the time to register what was happening before she was suddenly dragged by Adam, smashing effortlessly through the restaurant door. Behind them, the dull sound of bullets hitting the pavement echoed.
"Damn it, I didn't absorb any power today," Rogue swore, finally understanding what happened as she got up.
Adam heard hurried steps coming from up above; they were coming fast. He looked at Rogue.
"What should we do?" He was nervous; the words flew quickly out of his mouth.
"Back to the van," Rogue gritted her teeth. She regretted not having made any precautions. She knew she could tackle those firing at them, but Adam's safety took priority.
They heard the steps above reach the upper stairs. Rogue didn't waste time and rushed fast to the van, holding Adam's hand.
However, before they could reach it, three men swiftly went out of the house and fired at them.
Rogue was slow to react as the bullets flew towards her, yet Adam heard it all. In that split second, he bit his lips as he gambled his life and embraced Rogue from behind, easily cradling her close to his chest.
Bullets struck his back, producing sparks, yet he felt only a slight tingling sensation.
He didn't waste time, he stomped hard on the ground and jumped above the van then ungracefully landed barely keeping his balance
Amidst the continuous firing and Adam's actions, Rogue was startled by his actions; she felt his arm hold her tightly.
"Take cover; they can't harm me." She heard him speak; however, there was something different about him. He was trembling, about to erupt.
"What's wrong with you, Adam? Why are you shivering?" Her voice was barely a whisper amidst the gunfire.
However, Adam heard her well. He released her, yet he didn't reply instead he growled like a beast.
He was afraid, nervous, and more than anything else, angry.
Angry due to their sudden attempt at murder, at this second chance of life that didn't seem to give him a moment of rest.
Adam's anger burned, fuelled by all the bottled up emotions he had been hiding. His eyes narrowed into sharp slits, and a dragon roared deep in his mind.
Rogue was about to ask again when suddenly a palm covered her eyes. She heard his voice, whispering.
"No matter what happens, don't open your eyes." Adam was trembling, hesitating as he felt the change through his body.
Rogue was anxious at his sudden, inexplicable request.
''What do you mean?'' She tried to pry his hand off, but his hands refused to budge.
''Please, Rogue, just do as I say,'' He was panicking, afraid for her to see what's happening
Rogue hesitated, she wanted to persuade him, but something told her to follow his words.
"As long as you know what you're doing." She said, with no small amount of reluctance.
"Now close your eyes and don't worry." She closed her eyes, then quickly furrowed her brows as she felt his skin over her eyes grow thick and hard. It felt cold like metal.
In the next second, Adam removed his arm, then jumped over the van.
The three unknown armed men stopped their fire as they stood shocked at the tall, scaly hybrid creature that landed.
He took a step forward; the men flinched as his golden eyes stared at them while his presence spread eerily over the area, gripping at their heart, almost suffocating them.
He was slender with compact muscles covered with silver scales. He had a dragon head that had human features and a crown of horns atop his head.
"Freak," said one of the soldiers as he watched Adam examine his long claws.
"Kill it," their leader shouted.
However, before they could do anything, they saw a change on Adam's body.
Runes and complex inscriptions appeared on his scales.
Just one unsuspecting glance froze them in place. The runes etched on his scales seemed to stretch way deep into Adam's body surface, yet somehow, they looked to be fusing with space.
Another moment later, they took over his whole body as it became a chaotic mess they couldn't comprehend or define.
A swarm of murmuring and information invaded their minds.
Their voices died in their throats.
Their minds shattered.
Blood seeped out of their orifices; their bones broke, compressed, and grated against each other.
Veins exploded, their flesh grew bumps, and soon enough, they couldn't handle it as a loud, hellish scream rang loud within the empty street.
And Adam stood waiting until their form dwindled into a pool of blood.
He felt sick, shocked. He let go of his mythical form transformation, returning to his human appearance.
He fell to his knees retching on the floor, spewing bile and the food he had eaten at the infirmary.
He was barely holding himself from collapsing. The act that he had done was more horrifying than outright killing them with a knife or a gun.
What did I—? What's wrong with me? He was breathing heavily when suddenly the scent of blood assaulted his nose. He bent over, spitting his guts out.
No, no, I had to defend myself.
He was panicking as he stood up, looking around to see if anyone had seen what he had done. Fortunately, it seemed that the sound of bullets scared them, as no one showed up.
I had to protect Rogue. He tried to convince himself as he looked back to where Rogue was, behind the van.
"Don't look…just trust me… okay?" he said, moving himself heavily to the blood pool.
"Don't scare me, Adam. What's going on?" Rogue's voice was quivering; she realized something had happened.
"Trust me for once, Rogue." He was shivering as he knelt beside the blood pool. He hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand in the blood.
It felt warm and disgusting as it seeped between his fingers, then he found it, the corruption seething within the blood, and if left unchecked, it'd cause a disaster.
He closed his eyes, trusting himself for once that everything would happen as he wanted it to be.
He envisioned it: the corruption moved from the blood into his being, back where it belonged, then he wanted every trace of these three attackers and what they had done gone.
He opened his eyes, feeling a deep stirring within his being, as his immense spirituality moved for a split second.
Right after, The three tactical suits vanished before his eyes; every bullet hole was filled again; his house's broken door was back the way it was.
Adam silently stared at the miraculous sight. He felt his hands become cold with sweat. At that moment, he truly realized the extent of his powers. Yet this didn't bring him any delight when what he'd done was still fresh in his mind.
"Y-you can open your eyes," he stammered. A moment passed, then Rogue came rushing from behind the van.
Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw everything had been restored to its original state.
She arrived before him, puzzled as to where the three attackers had gone; however, she had a hunch.
Rogue looked at Adam closely, who appeared to be trying to look natural, but she was no child. He couldn't hide his faint trembling and the sweat building up on his face.
"What happened? Where did they go?" she asked.
"T-they are gone," Adam faltered, choosing his words carefully.
Gone? Rogue wasn't a fool. She heard them screaming, and it wasn't the ordinary kind of scream. It was filled with despair, horror, and madness.
Moreover, everything had been restored to its original state. She knew this was his doing.
Rogue wanted to know exactly what happened, yet as she looked at Adam, she felt his exhaustion. Despite the immense power he possessed, he looked as if he could be blown over by the wind at any moment.
Words betrayed her as she looked at him, who had been waiting for her reaction and answer, silently pleading for her not to ask any questions.
"Ah, suppose, one day you'll tell me what happened," she pursed her lips.
Adam's eyes widened momentarily in relief. He was surprised; he thought that she'd press him for answers, to know what happened exactly.
Yet she proved him wrong.
"When I'm able to… I'll answer all your questions," he said sincerely.
"Ah'll hold you to that." She came closer and looked at his face, then ran a gloved hand through his forehead, wiping his sweat.
"Let's get going." Adam turned away from her. Every time he looked at her green eyes, he'd lose focus for a second.
"You know how to cook?" she asked as they strode inside his house. She wanted to change their previous subject, maybe even forget those screams.
"You've tasted my food this morning…"
"But that doesn't count. Ah wanna taste a real dish."
"I-I'll see what I can do."
"Ah'll hold you to that."
"I'm afraid I'm already deeply indebted to you."
"Then you know what you should do."
The sun sank beyond the horizon while their voices blended within the house behind blurry windows, leaving buried horror in their wake.