Sean remained conscious throughout the long fall...
In the world of the mind, it was impossible to distinguish reality from illusion, nor could one accurately gauge the passage of time. Only the speed of his thoughts remained unchanged. No one knew how long it had been until he crashed heavily onto a chair with a red backrest.
Professor X sat beside him. Both of them seemed firmly nailed to their chairs, stripped of the ability to move freely. Apart from a long black table, there were no other furnishings in sight.
A hazy, soft glow enveloped the space.
Sean turned his head to the right and saw David, pale-faced, sitting nearby. As he appeared, more and more figures materialized on the chairs; men and women, young and old, all kinds of people.
Unlike the uniform hospital gowns, these projections wore different outfits, making their identities easy to guess at a glance: elite professionals in tailored suits, constantly holding cell phones... rock musicians with lip rings, ear studs, and tattoo-covered arms... a violently screaming freckle-faced manic teenager…
Seats filled with such mental projections, likely all deeper aspects of David's consciousness. Sean lounged in his chair with curiosity, while Professor X sank into deep silence...
"Ladies and gentlemen, please settle down."
Once the table was packed with different personalities, the soft glow suddenly dimmed into darkness. A blinding spotlight flicked on, illuminating a grotesquely obese figure. Dressed like a TV show host, this thing was clearly not human.
It was a massive bloated creature stuffed into a high-end suit. Its oversized head exuded a greasy repulsive aura. Its narrowed eyes gleamed with a cold and menacing yellow light.
"Welcome, everyone, to David's world!"
The fat thing clutched a microphone, then, its swollen body jerked in a clumsy imitation of Michael Jackson's iconic dance moves.
With a slide, it lunged next to David and shouted, "Dear David, you remember me!"
The original personality (the mental projection that took David's form) was the one Professor X had been searching for. Now, it cowered in its chair, trembling uncontrollably, as if terrified.
"I won't hurt you. David, I'm your friend. Don't you remember? The cute dog you had as a kid, your dear friend Lenny who passed away… I've always been with you, in different ways." The words, which should have sounded comforting, dripped with an unspeakable horror coming from the yellow-eyed monstrosity.
It grabbed David's head, forcing him to look into its slitted eyes, which brimmed with madness and malice, "I watched you grow up. I created all these personalities for you. I am you, David."
"You're not David. You're Amahl Farouk, a formless monster," Charles finally spoke, his voice steady.
The bald professor's piercing gaze locked onto the yellow-eyed creature like a nail, "I remember you. Back when I didn't need a wheelchair, you came to me. Just like now, you dragged me into a nightmare, pulled me into the deepest layers of consciousness, and fed on fear. You consume negative emotions like food. Shadow King."
Charles' psychic power surged like a furious ocean, an invisible pressure shaking the very fabric of this mental space. He was the world's most powerful mind, nearly unbeatable on the psychic plane.
"Ohoho, Charles Xavier," The yellow-eyed creature known as the Shadow King let out a shrill laugh, "We still have unfinished business."
His grip on David's head tightened, his eyes gleaming with greed, like a starving man staring at a gourmet feast.
"You're the reason I ended up like this, Charles. But I've found a better host now. David." His bloated face twisted into a grotesque smile as he gazed at the trembling David and cackled, "I discovered you last century, Charles. I thought you were the strongest vessel I could ever find! But you were too powerful. What a shame. I wanted to devour your mind, take over your body… but you slipped from my grasp."
"I thought you were dead," the professor said coldly, his eyes darkening. Clearly, there was history between them.
The Shadow King was a pure psychic entity, which fed on emotions, especially intense negative ones. Like a parasite, he lurked in the depths of human consciousness, slowly taking over his host.
Charles had nearly fallen victim to him once. Back then, this creature still went by the name Amahl Farouk and had a human form, not this revolting monstrosity.
The Shadow King had coveted Charles' powers, leading to a brutal psychic battle. In the end, he suffered a crushing defeat, losing his physical body and fleeing as a disembodied entity.
"I came so close. Though I lost my form, I found an even better host." The yellow-eyed creature smirked at Charles, who was struggling against the chair's restraints, "I know how strong you are, Charles. But this is David's subconscious. Any violence you commit here will reflect on his real body. Will you kill your own son? Or turn him into a vegetable?"
The Shadow King was fearless. Even knowing Charles had come, he felt no threat. Humans were shackled by their emotions, those useless, messy feelings that made them vulnerable.
"Charles, how about a deal?" The creature's beady eyes darted cunningly, his greasy face stretched in a grin.
Over the years, the bald professor had become the world's most formidable telepath. With Cerebro, he could link with every mind on the planet.
If the Shadow King could take Charles' body, the entire world would become his feeding ground. Billions of emotions would fuel his evolution, pushing him beyond his current form.
The Shadow King demanded, "Give yourself to me, and I'll spare David."
Though David's ability to absorb consciousness made him a perfect vessel, Charles would accelerate his growth exponentially.
"My answer is the same as years ago: Get lost." Rare fury twisted Charles' aged face.
For a man of his composure to speak so harshly, his rage must have been overwhelming.
"Negotiations failed. Pity." The Shadow King's eyes narrowed.
He tapped his feet in a rapid erratic dance. As frenzied drumbeats pounded, the personalities seated around the table erupted into violence.
They tore into each other like beasts, a brutal massacre symbolizing a grim truth... David's personalities were being erased. From the slaughter in the subconscious hospital to this bloodbath, the Shadow King was systematically wiping out David's mind.
"Charles, will you just watch your son die?"
The creature's bloated face twisted into a cold smirk. No matter what the professor chose, the Shadow King would win.
"Hey, hey, hey~, are you lot just pretending as if I'm invisible?"
The yellow-eyed beast finally noticed the young man sitting between David and Charles.
Then, Sean rose leisurely, plucked out his chair, and with deliberate calm, slammed it straight into the Shadow King's head...