A/N: Remember what I said last chapter of the dialogues getting a better writing after chapter 5? I lied, I couldn't help myself from revising the chapters one last time before uploading, so hopefully you won't have to see how clumsy my original writing was when I started writing a few weeks back (Yes, a few weeks ago, since I wanted to write a few chapters before publishing and stay ahead of release in case anything happens), not that this is much better. But anyways, author out, enjoy.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
*Rustle*
"Mmh? What was I-" Opening his still groggy eyes, he asked.
"You finally woke up, sleepy head. I've told you, you should sleep in your bed and enjoy your weekends, why can't you listen, you're gonna make your mom angry at you Dame!"
As Damian came to himself and opened his eyes, he was greeted by the combination of familiar yet long forgotten sound and images, the white tiles and sheets, sterile ambience of disinfected machinery constantly beeping, all accompanied by a voice he could never forget.
Incredulous of what he was seeing, he stuttered. "M-Ma? Wha… How are you even- Did I just dream it all?"
With an expression that feels so distant yet familiar, his mother asked back. "Mm? What do you mean, Osito? Were you dreaming just now?"
Unable to grasp what was going on, he got swept in the rhythm. "I… I guess I was, I had a crazy dream where I got older and opened a recreation center like the one you always dreamed about having in the neighbourhood! But then there was this guy that-"
"Is that so, sweetheart? I'd love to hear more of it but I'm afraid Mama can't talk for much longer, I'm only allowed here for a limited time so you'll have to listen to me very carefully, mi cielo." Said the woman, going from an endearing tone to a shift of seriousness.
"What does that mean Ma? I paid the bills for the month already, they can't kick you out! Also, don't worry, I'll find a way to earn some money so you-"
With a pain–that went beyond the physical–visible behind her irises, she looked at her child and said. "Dame, Cielo, it's not about that. Just listen to your Mama, okay?"
"..." Suddenly, a feeling of loss and inexplicable grief assaulted Damian as he looked his mother in the eyes and held her hand for what felt like the first time in an eternity, feeling as if something was pulling at him.
Meanwhile, the tiles on the walls started to crack as the window of the hospital room started to emit blinding amounts of white light into the room as everything slowly started to twist in an unnatural manner.
As if unable to notice the changes, Ana kept speaking in an even tone. "I'm allowed to be here because a special someone, that means well to you, warned me about danger coming your way, Cielo. I was asked to convey a message to you; don't trust your knowledge blindly Damian, everything has already changed from the moment you got here."
"What do you mean? What is going on Ma? We gotta leave this room, everything's breaking apart!" He yelled with alarm, ignoring the surreal words after noticing his surroundings.
As Damian tried to get up from his chair to get his mother to safety, he realized he couldn't move anything other than his own hand, akin to a paralyzed man.
Giving him a last hug, Damian could finally feel the long forgotten warmth of his mother as she spoke with deep sadness. "I can't leave with you, Osito. Mama's so sorry but I can't accompany you. Still, remember that I Mama loves you so, so, so, so much, my child. I know you'll be fine, you were always as strong as stubborn, Osito. But you must move on now… You must wake up Damian".
As long forgotten tears started to fall from his eyes, he refused to understand what his mother was trying to say. "I don't get it! Is this a damn prank, 'cus it's not funny at all!"
Then, another voice started to resound in the room. "Wake up Damian… Damian! WAKE UP!"
*HUGHH* Fuck…
[Are you alright, Damian? Your heartbeat started to accelerate while you started to sweat and cry, what happened?!]
Taking a moment to recuperate, he sat on his bed and massaged his glabella with two fingers. "I… I had a really weird… dream".
With visible worry, Eva asked. [Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare? You look distressed.]
Running his hair through his fingers, he turned to look at the window–at the moon beyond it–with a pensive expression. "...Yeah, it was just a really… bittersweet dream. God, I feel like I've cried more in the last 24 hours than what I've cried in the last decade. But no matter, Eva. What time is it?"
[It's okay to cry, you know? Even Batman cries from time to time.] She said to him, with a warm tone. [It's 10:36 a.m., Friday morning, Black Widow has left my extended range of vision 5 minutes ago, dressed in office attire.]
Catching an important clue, he said. "Office attire? If that's the case, maybe she's working undercover at Stark Industries to assess Stark at this time, unless the Avengers already happened and this is another thing altogether, but I don't have any memories of an alien attack so that seems unlikely."
Looking around as he talked, he noticed a smartphone on his nightstand. Reaching for it, Damian tried to analyze how advanced technology was for the normal citizens. Sadly, his analytical skills would face the wall of comic logic, as while the phone looked to be an Iphlone from the late 2010's, turning the screen on he read. "July of 2012? That doesn't make sense. That would take us somewhere after Iron Man I but before the Avengers first movie, but this phone looks straight out of 2017-18."
[Didn't you read somewhere that technology in this world is more advanced overall compared to your past world?] Asked Eva curiously, pulling information from Damian's memories.
Being reminded of that piece of information, he answered. "I guess so. But seeing the difference myself really creates a sense of dissonance."
Recovering from the surprise, he turned his focus back on track. "Anyways, if Natasha is undercover right now, hopefully on the orders of S.H.I.E.L.D, that means we're still pretty early in the timeline, that's a good start, at least."
Reminding him of the cruel reality, Eva spoke. [But that also means we don't have much time to prepare for Loki's invasion, right?]
"There goes my 'at least'," he joked. "I guess there's no time to lose then."
[We should start practicing how to wield this power, the sooner the better.]
"Read my mind, Eva. We'll have to judge an approximate deadline for the animal fucker's invasion. Should be before this year ends, and it happened after Natasha failed Stark in his assessment." He mused.
[That leaves us with a deadline from anywhere between one day and five months, hooray.] Said Eva with sarcasm.
Sighing at the way-too-broad estimate, he said. "Well, we don't have enough clues to narrow it down further for now, so no use in worrying. For now though, let's focus on what we can do. Time to put you through the ringer, dear." He joked at the end.
[At least invite for a coffee or something, jeez.] And she joked back.
"I'm back to being a broke teenager so no can do, but we'll have to fix this problem too, at some point. So tell me, how do I activate my powers?"
As the subject shifted to one of importance, her tone shifted to one of seriousness as well. [It should be pretty easy for you to do. First, try to feel our connection, feel the nexus point your existence gets tangled with mine.]
"Got it." He simply stated.
Although his attitude was lighthearted, his effort was anything but. Damian concentrated with the seriousness he always afforded to important tasks and tried his best to do as Eva said. Fortunately, it wasn't nearly as hard as he first expected it to be, but since he always had the lowest expectations for everything, that didn't mean much.
Trying to feel his insides as though following imaginary pathways inside his body, Damian was navigating his own body in a way that can only be described as swimming in the dark depths of the sea, he could only "see" darkness all around, and had to rely in his intuition to guide him towards his destination.
After a couple minutes of swimming around, he felt something. It felt like a current of energy that didn't feel like any other space in his mind. A place that was letting in a foreign something into his body, in a controlled manner, akin to a small stream of water falling gently onto a lake.
"I think I found it." He said to her.
[Great, now all you have to do is reach for that flow of energy to reach the portal connecting yourself to it. Tell me, what do you see?] She said.
Doing as he was told, he reached for that gentle stream and followed the 'current' upwards until he reached it. "Well, I don't really see much, it's more like a feeling. It feels like I'm in front of something akin to a dam." He tried his best to describe what he couldn't see.
[Okay, we'll address you not being able to see anything later, but let's focus on the main thing for now. Try to siphon some of that energy into your body, however you feel like you can. Then we can try to mold and shape it. Don't worry, I will be there to help you, so that you don't siphon more than what you can handle at a time.] She said reassuringly.
"'Kay, I'm counting on you. Let's just send it."
[Go ahead.]
After hearing those words, Damian tried to will the "dam" to open just a bit more to let more energy in. And after some seconds, he could vividly feel 'it' move to let in a bigger flow of energy, if it was currently letting in a weak stream that would need minutes to fill a cup of water, now a flow that could feel it in seconds made its way to Damian's body.
However, before Damian could worry about anything he felt another presence alongside him, controlling the "dam" so it would go back to its normal state once enough energy got in.
"Thanks, Eva." Was all he said.
[Don't mention it. This is kind of my whole shtick.] She said gleefully.
Damian could swear he was able to see with his eyes the pride in her voice, it seems finally doing what she was quite literally born to do plus his gratefulness, made her happy. And he found that cute.
Concentrating again, Eva said. [Now that we have enough energy inside, try to concentrate it in one point, then we'll proceed further.]
"Sure," and he did as he was told, this time with much more ease than when he willed the dam to open, it seems the energy was much more malleable once it was inside his body.
Grouping the energy with the help of his willpower, Damian pondered what would be the best way to start experimenting with this energy, as the possibilities were as infinite as they come.
[Why not try to create something? Like a simple mono elemental construct? It's better to start with things you can easily picture in your mind.] She suggested.
Without saying anything, Damian imagined a simple ball of dirt appearing in the palm of his hand, trying to keep it as simple as his mind allowed. However, nothing happened in the real world, as though the energy didn't know how to escape his body to become what he wanted.
"This is harder than it seems, huh? What am I missing, Eva?"
[It seems the energy can't exit your body on its own, maybe it also needs you to guide it with exactitude.]
"Hmm. Guide it out? …How about this then?" Trying it again, this time Damian separated a small cluster of energy and tried to guide it towards his arm but he soon came into another problem of its own. As he said before, he couldn't quite "see" nor distinguish any direction while in this metaphysical place in his mind, merely feeling the clusters of energy floating about in the dark space.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing Eva? Well, more like what I'm not seeing."
[Yes, and it's really odd. This is supposed to be your own consciousness, you are the owner of everything inside here. It doesn't make sense for you to not be able to see anything.]
"Well, maybe it's a self imposed limitation? I mean, I've always had a pretty bad case of aphantasia, only by focusing completely can I vaguely imagine blurry shapes of things (If you're curious, you can search "Aphantasia test" on google images and see the test yourself. For reference, Damian is somewhere between the 4th and 5th level. Pretty fucked up for someone whose power relies on imagining thing, fate is quite the cruel mistress)".
Being reminded of that problem, she muttered. [There was that, yeah…]
Feeling himself at an impasse, quite early on in his superhuman journey to boot, Damian felt bittersweet about having such a silly and unexpected constraint on his powers. Yet, he'd long learned to never panic when faced with a "wall" in his path, so he took a deep breath instead and pondered how to overcome said wall.
"Say, Eva. Can you "see" anything other than this darkness inside me?"
[I think so?] She answered with uncertainty.
Confused at her unsure answer, he said. "Mh? Elaborate, please".
[I can feel and see inside you, I think. However, this world is designed by you, so while I am able to "see", all I do see is mere darkness… but I have a feeling that if you were to change this place that could change too.]
"Well that's a start. Then tell me if you notice any changes, I'll try to reshape this place. Even if I can't imagine it, that doesn't stop me from describing how I want my inner world to look like, just like how I'm able to give detailed descriptions of things I've seen even though I can't picture them in my head".
With a new approach at hand, Damian tried to do as he explained and reshape his inner world (I decided to use this term from now on, for lack of better words since "consciousness" is not 100% accurate). First, he imagined a natural source of gentle light illuminating his whole inner world, then he imagined this world sectioned in three different parts or levels, separated by membrane nets that can be molded for easy access.
These sections or levels are divided into lower, middle and upper sections. Next, came the pathways that covered and connected his whole inner world, these pathways all eventually leading to a grand building floating in space in a rectangular layout, spanning what felt like whole blocks worth of space. Decorated in a classical 18th century style, it had refined arched porticoes in the front, the two story building was painted in white with what looked like subtle blue accents, it had beautiful wooden balconies, navy blue-tiled roof with white accents and a magnificent bell tower at the top, while in the center of the building you could see a beautiful central patio with colonial-era arches, stone floors and a well, surrounded by galleries. To top it all off, the insides were furnished with beautiful wooden furniture and at the patio Damian was Damian, Eva and the clusters of energy seeing all of this appear in real time.
"How about it? Can you see what I did?" Asked Damian with curiosity.
[Yeah… things did change, and in quite a grandiose manner at that, but was all of this really necessary? Not that I'm complaining, this place looks beautiful.] She said while looking around
Relieved at the success of his little experiment, he said. "Thanks, I tried to do my own take on a historical building from my homeland since I remember the structure quite a bit. And yes, it was necessary, I wanted to test how far I can shape this world even if I can't even see it. In other words, how far can my subconscious go guided by loose directives and its own "instincts". Also, am I correct in assuming you can see, judging by your reaction?"
Taking a moment after he stopped talkin, she spoke. [Yeah and while you were doing this I had an idea but first I'll need you to give me permission to "deepen our connection", so to say.]
Unsure of what she was asking, he said. "What that mean? Aren't we already completely connected?"
[Well, not really. I can only perceive your thoughts and mind superfluously due to what I assume is your inexperience in controlling what others can see inside your head. However, I can't "invade" your brain without your consent, the only reason I could give you your new memories or peek into your old ones is that I've always been there with you in this new life and during the trauma that caused your new ego to fracture and hide inside your mind, I was being "birthed". After that, I synchronize with you perfectly the moment our connection of consciousness was made, letting me see all of what constitutes your existence, or so I theorize.]
With more curiosity at the way his powers worked than relieved at her needing actual permission to take over, he stated. "Good to know that then, but how do I give you permission?"
[You sound awfully acceptant of what I just dropped on you.] She said, catching the lack of relief or suspicion at her explanation.
"If I let myself be shaken by every incredible piece of information from now on I don't think my brain would be able to function normally in the future. Also, sometimes you just have to accept things as they come, and it's not like either case changes things too much for me. We're in this together from now on until god knows for how long, so I can at least try to be nice to the one person that's 'chained' to the same boat as me, if there is someone I can trust right now, that's you. So might as well trust you all the way."
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Damian decided to plainly lay all the cards on the table since he truly felt if there was someone currently in existence he could trust, it would be his own power-turned-sentient-being-partner-for-life.
[...You're a dangerous man, you know that? I'm already having a headache thinking of the women you'll meet in the future.]
"That and the emotional dampener you put on my brain does wonders to help me process everything in a calmer manner. Also I think the personality of this life has changed me a bit after reliving this life." He said, trying to alleviate the mood.
Catching on to his intent, she played along. [Tsk, you gotta learn when to shut up, you ruined the moment. I'm gonna try to make the connection so get your ass ready to accept.]
"Of course, dear∼" As soon as Damian said that, he felt something reach for him internally, trying to link itself to him on a deeper level. Letting his guards down so this connection could happen, he was jolted by a painful sensation in his brain. Suddenly, his senses sharpened and expanded like they've never done before, he could simultaneously feel the rustle of wind on his skin coming from the window, hear a cricket rubbing its legs together on the grass of the front lawn of the house and see his room in a 360° angle even with his eyes closed, the overload of sensory information was frying his brain.
"AGH. FUCK. SHIT. EVANGELINE! TONE WHATEVER THIS IS DOWN!" He said, unable to bear the sudden pain.
[Y-Yes, I'm on it already!] Answered Eva, nervous at the unexpected outcome of their first fusion.
After some more seconds of excruciating pain and with the help of Eva, Damian's brain gradually adapted to the new information coming from his senses and after an extra minute, he could formulate thoughts again without wanting to claw his eyes out of his skull.
"What did you do, Eva? Why do I see the world like this now?" He asked, feeling like he was tripping on shrooms.
Nervous and remorseful, she tried to explain herself. [I'm so sorry Damian! I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't know you wou-] But before she could become a mess, Damian interrupted her. "Calm down, Eva. It's alright, just explain what happened. This is not your fault, remember we are first timing everything without any help, these things are bound to happen".
After some more reassuring word, Eva finally calmed down and explained what had just happened a moment ago.
[Like I said before, I deepen our connection to see if I could share my senses with you if our connection became complete again. It worked well, too well. It seems you were not ready to feel the world the way I see and feel it. As for why you see everything as if you had multiple filters on is due to my sight interposing with yours. While I don't have physical eyes like you do, I'm able to use energy as a medium to perceive the world around me, what you are seeing is the world not only through it's shape, but through it's energetic composition. The heat, the energy-charged particles moving about, the parts of the light spectrum that your eyes are not developed to see, the radiation, etc. But if I can share my senses with you, I believe the same applies both ways, give me a second.]
While Damian digested the incredible revelation of how Eva saw the world, he started to notice how colours and layers started to peel off of his vision, as though he had lenses with multiple filters stacked on top of each other and someone was removing them one by one until he could see the world in the same way he usually did with the caveat that he could see, hear, and feel everything ten times better than before.
"Damn, I could get used to having super senses permanently."
[Maybe in the future, but right now your brain can't handle this level of processing in real time for too long, but I'm sure we can fix that with our powers. By the way, why not give it a name, saying "special energy source" all the time is already getting bothersome.] She proposed.
"Mm, you do have a point. How about naming it the 'D Juice'?" He insisted again.
[...]
And silence was her answer.
"What?" He asked, trying to sound as obvlivious as possible.
[No.]
"Aww, c'mmon, it makes perfect sense!" He protested.
Yet on this, Eva wouldn't budge. [I said no.]
Putting on a mock offended tone, he said. "Tsk, who's the joykiller now?"
[Be serious, how about something like "E source" or "E energy".]
"Leaving aside how horrendously bad that name is, why the "E" letter?"
[Fuck you too,] She said, before explaining herself. [I thought about the origin of this energy, since it quite literally is an infinite energy that acts as a 'base', an irreplaceable constant for our powers to function and the fact that this power is what will let us continuously grow. I thought about Euler's number. Granted, his number is an exact one and we are working with infinite, but the sentiment is there.]
"Mm, not a bad reason. However, I'd rather use my own initials on my own power. How about calling it the 'D energy'?" He said with a straight face.
With a face that lacked any amusement, Eva rolled her eyes and simply said. [Men.]
Watching Damian have no other response other than shrugging his shoulders, Eva decided to take things back on track.
[Whatever, let's decide on a name some other time. For now though, try to look at your inner world. This is the whole reason of why I connected our senses in the first place.]
Doing as he was told, Damian closed his eyes again and tried to visualize his inner world from the spot where he imagined himself to be before the senses sharing shenanigans and much to his surprise, now he could actually this world by relying on Eva's "vision".
Whistling in marvel, he stated. "Sheesh, I could be a goddamn architect if I wanted to".
[Yeah, just imagine the building and let your body draw it for you like you did just now, see how that goes.] She commented from the side.
"Touché, mon chéri. Still, you gotta admit this looks cool."
[I've already said so the first time. Also, it seems you feel more like the old you seeing you choose your first body's appearance subconsciously.]
Taking her words in, Damian tried to summon a full body mirror on the patio and like Eva said, he felt more like the 26 year old Damian than the teenager one, and his 'avatar' reflected that. "Of course I do, I haven't been here for a full 24 hours yet, maybe this will change, maybe it won't. Only time will tell. Anyways, why do you look like that?"
Turning to his right Damian could see a construct of light that sounded exactly like Evangeline. This construct had the vague shape of a human woman but had no defined features, as though someone drew the outlines of a woman and body and face and left everything else unfinished.
[Well, I don't have a predetermined form but I can shapeshift to anything you desire, darling∼] She said in a foreign yet familiar voice.
After saying that Damian could see in real time how Eva transformed from this light construct form into a famous singer from his old world, becoming a short white woman with a curvaceous body, black hair and black makeup, with her characteristic piercing blue eyes.
"Hohoo, transforming into the only crush I've ever had? That's playing dirty." He said with mild amusement.
Walking up to him, the transformed Eva said. [Heh, like what you see, handsome? How about we have some fun together. Who knows, maybe I can even write a song about you afterwards.]
Finding her words more comedic than enticing, he answered. "Sorry, but I don't do it on the first date, not anymore at least. Also, I'd rather have Evangeline Rossi at my side before a random girl's copied body".
[Even if she doesn't have a body?] She asked timidly.
"Not yet. Eventually she'll have one, no less pretty that anybody else's too." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.
[And how long can you wait for that then?] She asked with undisguised expectation in her voice.
Smiling at her cute antics, he said. "As long as it takes, something tells me I have a long path ahead of me."
Feeling beaten by Damians unwavering words, smile and feelings she could perceive with their connection, Eva returned to her light construct before Damian could see her blushing in her shapeshifted body.
[Hmph! You pass, sweet talker.]
"I pass? For someone born a couple hours ago, you sure know how to act like a lady already hahaha."
[Anyways, now that you can see your inner world, try to guide the energy again.]
Eager to try again, he started to do so and took the small ball of energy he made earlier with an invisible hand before guiding it down one of the pathways that connected to the metaphysical equivalent of his right palm. Along the way, Damian noticed that he was descending, confirming once again that his subconscious followed his instructions splendidly and created the palace on the metaphysical equivalent of his head area, he also confirmed that the nexus point guarded by Eva was located not far from this newly made floating base also in the equivalent zone of his head. Incredibly so, he seemed to be able to process things at a capacity far too superior to what his brain allows in the physical world, as all his thoughts and observations occurred in mere instants while the energy ball traversed the sections to reach the middle one where the pathway ended.
'Well, here goes nothing'.
As he monitored the experiment both with his real and spiritual eyes in the real and inner worlds, he made sure to think clearly about wanting to create a dirt ball and with the help of his new vision he created said ball while in his inner world and sent it through the portal to his right palm to the real world and while his spiritual eyes saw the ball exit through the portal his real eyes saw an object materialize in the blink of an eye on top of his opened hand. Watching this happen in real time made Damian feel like a giddy child who fantasized about being a superhero all over again. Alas, life can never be as easy as we hope it to be, and his excitement quickly doused off by reality like water thrown at a small flame as he watched the newly created ball break down into fine dirt, falling to the floor through the sides of his hand.
"Mmm, the experiment was a partial success, it seems".
[Better than nothing. Though the problem seems to be the composition of the dirt, this dirt looks brittle and dead.]
"There goes my plan of becoming richer than Stark by creating natural resources".
[What do you think the problem was with the summon?]
"I have some ideas in mind, but the most likely should be specificity. I only imagined a ball of dirt yet not only do I not know the composition of what makes healthy soil nor the mineral composition of rocks, I didn't even add moisture to the mix to make the dirt stick together. Let's try again but replace the dirt with water as it is a fairly basic composition".
Before continuing their experiments, Damian went downstairs to the kitchen of his new yet familiar house and grabbed a cup while fetching his laptop from the living room to access the internet. Even if he had a completely different personality before the accident, some habits like lounging in the living room did not change.
'This world is truly a peculiar one, in spite of being the late 2000's, the technology is fairly more advanced, having the standards of my old world's mid 2020's. Guess I gotta thank guys like Stark for once. On the other hand, the timeline is not like the old comics nor like the MCU's, Tony's kidnapping happened in Afghanistan a month ago yet Spiderman became active 4-6 months ago, it doesn't add up. I guess whoever made my mother reach out to me in that dream was telling the truth, or a version of the truth. Still, that complicates things'.
Not wanting to think too hard about things that currently have no answer nor about the fact that something in the multiverse out there could reach to her mother's soul and put in inside of his dream or how could this entity know of him already, Damian put the cup on his night stand and after a quick research on the composition of water, just to make sure, he decided to try again. Delightfully so, this time around after repeating the process while expanding on the methodology, the experiment was a success.
"Holy shit, I created water! Now I only need the long hair and robe to become the holy son".
[We created water, you mean?]
"Yeah, yeah. What's mine is yours and all that, let's focus on what's important. My suspicions were right, as long as I understand properly what I'm making I can theoretically recreate anything. And that is but one aspect of our capabilities!"
[Aren't we awesome then?]
"That we damn are, Eva. What's more, this barely used any energy to create a cup's worth of water, I can probably use the handful we siphoned to fill a whole bathtub, and that's one handful worth of energy".
[And that's only the baseline, it is only up from this point onwards.]
"You're right, now that we got that out of the way, let's try the other stuff you and I thought about, it's currently 10:57 a.m. and I'm not tired at all so we have plenty of time".
While Damian and Eva explored the different aspects of their abilities, a multitude of interesting things were happening as a consequence of Damian's awakening and Eva's birth.
…
In a different part of New York, hours ago.
If people were to ask, Charles Xavier could be described as many things, both good and bad. Still, one of his main traits would be his strong will, a will that often focused on his vocation for finding and guiding young mutants in his pacifist ways. So as per usual, Charles was doing a search on Earth with the help of Cerebro, attentively searching for any young mutants whose awakening could pose a threat to themselves and the already poor image of his kin in the eyes of humanity, getting that young mutant under his wing afterwards was merely a bonus, really.
'There. A new presence. Faint, like embers struggling to catch flame. A child in Jakarta, just beginning to hear the whispers of their own mind. And another—older, in Oslo, burying their gifts beneath layers of denial. So many hiding. So many afraid'.
His thoughts are measured, patient. The search is as much an act of faith as it is science–a belief that every mutant found is another soul saved from suffering.
As Professor X was getting ready to exit the Cerebro room and proceed with his operations he felt it, a flare. No, a supernova going off on the north hemisphere, that's all Charles managed to see before the psionic energy hit him like a tsunami. It was a mutant, yes, but one unlike anything he has ever sensed before. Raw, untamed power, burning so brightly it seared his mind. Cerebro's systems scream in protest, the machinery groaning as feedback surges through its circuits.
'What is this? The potency of this signal is unlike anything I've seen, the Cerebro can't handle this much energy, I must see where it-'
Alarms blare. Sparks erupt from the panels, The psychic backlash hits Charles like a burning red knife stabbing at his brain. He grits his teeth, trying to pull back and shield himself but-
BOOM
Cerebro explodes–not in fire, but in a concusic burst of psionic energy. The helmet flies off his head, clattering to the floor as smoke curls from its shattered interface. Charles gasps while gripping his temples, his nose bleeding slightly from the strain.
The room falls silent, save for the dying crackle of overloaded machinery.
"...Incredible".
He exhales, wiping the blood away with a trembling hand. A headache pounds behind his eyes, but his mind is already racing.
"A mutant of this magnitude... untrained, unfound. If they can do this to Cerebro, what happens when their power fully awakens? What happens if Erik or someone else finds them first?"
His jaw tightens. The pride in his own omniscience stings. How many times has he assured the X-Men that no mutant could hide from him? And yet, here he was, unable to locate the most special child Cerebro has ever registered.
But beneath the pride, something else stirs.
"They must be terrified. A power like that, with no one to guide it… All alone. No, not if I can help it".
While Charles steeled his resolve to uncover the location of this enigma, the door to the Cerebro room opened as Hank and Logan entered the room after the security system alerted Dr. MacCoy of the malfunction of Cerebro.
"Professor! Are you okay? What happened?!"
"Hank, we need to repair Cerebro and implement the upgrades you were working on. A new mutant was born, one strong enough to overload Cerebro. We must find them".
…
Unaware of the cogs of fate spinning–adjusting for his existence. Damian spent his time trying all the applications he could think for his powers, taking short rests in between sessions to replenish himself before going at it again, merely changing the angle of his research. The final test of the day being one meant to try one of the most important possibilities for his future plans.
'Status'
After tweaking extensively with his powers, one of the most important discoveries–in terms of quality of life–was the ability to create his own status screen by influencing his brain to hallucinate a screen in front of him connected to his inner world, making it capable of projecting all the information he has inside his brain in whichever format he found pertinent. An ability that could make any data nerd green with envy.
— STATUS —
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Name: Damian Rossi
Age: 17 years old
Race: Homo superior
Threat Level: Undefinable
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BASE STATS*
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(Current iteration doesn't account for external alterations-The rough average score for a human ranges between C-/D+/D):
STR: C
DEX: C+
DEF: C-
VIT: C+
INT: A-
WIS: A
WIL: A
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PROFICIENCIES
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(Iteration accounts for mastery independent of race or age. Not enough data to determine the average for humans. Scores based on vague estimates):
Mystical Arts:-
Martial Arts:-
Biokinesis: F*
Telekinesis/Psychokinesis: F*
Electrokinesis: F*
Technokinesis:-
➡…(Click to expand)
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DATA
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Experiments:
Finished: ➡…Ongoing:➡…
Research:
Finished: ➡…Ongoing:➡…
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PENDING DUTIES/MISSIONS
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Short term:
Urgent:Try time manipulationTry energy manipulationFigure out dimensional travel.Flexible:Prepare for Loki's invasion.➡…Optional:-
Long term:
Urgent:-Flexible:Keep experimenting with my mutant powers.➡…Optional:-
——————————————
"Now this is what you'd call convenient".
[That's one way to put it, but does it really need to be in the format of an isekai status screen?]
"Nope, not at all–Probably won't even stick around in the future, but I've always wanted to have one of these, it's a man's romance, I tell you!"
[As they say, "men and their toys". Whatever, what else do we need to try before hitting the sack? We've covered a fair amount of abilities for the first day already.]
"Mm, care to remind me. Helps work the memory".
[We really need to enhance your brain, human capability really is too low, but sure. So far we've tried:
Basic energy manipulation: Success.Create/Destroy/Change objects: Partial success.Accelerate/Freeze/Reverse Time on objects: Partial success.Acc/Fre/Rev Time on you: Insufficient energy.Time Travel: Insufficient energy.Elemental Manipulation: Success.Imitation of abilities (of the "-Kinesis" variety): Partial Success.Enhancement/Degradation/Inhibition of other's abilities: Inconclusive/Lack of experimentation subjects.Short Range Teleportation: Success.Temporal Enhancement of the body (Strength/Speed/Healing Factor, etc.): Success.Temporal Enhancement of the mind: Success.Permanent Enhancements: Partial Success.Dimensional Travel: Pending.Conceptual Assimilation: Pending.
"What would I do without you, Eva".
[Probably be dead already.]
"That's… Well, whatever. Let's leave dimensional travel for later, I don't have enough stamina left to pull that off safely and first we need to figure out if the most important step of our journey to power can even happen…"
[Are you nervous?]
"It would be weirder for me to be completely calm when the most important experiment of my life is about to take place, you know?"
[If you put it that way, it does make me a tidy bit nervous too.]
"Haa… Shit. Second guessing myself won't change the result, fuck it! Let's just send it!"
Without giving himself too much time to think about it, Damian did as his barely put together "theory" dictated and concentrated his thoughts into a (not so much anymore) fictional superhero. Recalling all the information he had on said hero, of which he needed both to be at a peak human level character–and that was pushing it already–and a character he knew fairly well.
What's more, this character also needs to be useful to assimilate, because that's what he was trying to do. As crazy as that sounds, he was trying to conceptualize the traits, abilities, knowledge and physique of his target into a vessel that could be absorbed by relying on the fact that these "characters" actually do exist in this new reality of his, somewhere on the multiverse. Meaning their information had to be engraved on the tapestry of existence, somewhere. So theoretically, all he needed to do is find that data using his unique energy as conduit–or a radar and net–and bring it into his own inner world see if he could absorb it.
It was a complete and crazy gambit, but should the test results be a success, partial or total. That would mean it is possible for him to gradually make any power or ability in the goddamn omniverse/metaverse his own. Therefore, Damian concentrated like he's never done before and tried to recall with surgical detail the body, abilities, personality, history and just about anything he knew about one of his favourite heroes in all fiction, Nightwing.
The prodigal heir of Batman was the perfect template to base his whole foundation on, Dick embodied everything Damian was and aspired to be but elevated to the ninth heaven. The charisma, intellect, empathy, physical prowess, fighting ability, deduction ability, thought processing, etc. Not only was Grayson a better Batman in a most aspects, but he was also the one "normal human" hero Damian was sure wouldn't change him for the worse should Dick's personality overpower Damian's own. As he considered that was one of the possibilities of this whole endeavour.
However, there was both good and bad news so far, the good news is that his energy was going somewhere instead of simply dissipating or refusing to move as he observed it do when the task he tried to perform required much more energy than what he had at his disposal. The bad news, on the other hand, is that it was taking much more energy than he expected to form the connection with the data.
Even so, Damian refused to let that deter him and with the help of Eva, who regulated the faucet by herself in order to replenish his reserves as quickly as he could take it, he kept injecting energy into this hungry void. After keeping this stalemate for more than 10 minutes, Damian was starting to really feel the fatigue of going full throttle without pause–his brain was burning like a muscle being worked to failure–and just as he considered changing his approach, he finally felt it. It was vague, but he could feel the figurative "energy rope-tied bucket" he was throwing towards a never-ending well, finally reaching the water at the bottom.
Immediately, he started to pull back on this rope, trying to find a balance between gentleness and forcefulness, as he was afraid any sloppiness might sever the rope, consequently severing the connection. After what felt like an eternity of delicate "tug-wait-tug" mental motions, something finally touched the barrier of his inner world but nothing more than that. For some reason, this amalgamation of energy caught in his own energy net couldn't trespass the final barrier of Damian's inner world.
Exhausted and annoyed at having his prize dangling on his face yet unable to reach it, he cursed. "Aw fuck me man! You're already caught, why are you playing hard to get, you're just a fucking blob of energy for fucks sake!"
Noticing his fluctuating emotions, Eva tried to soothe him with words. [Calm down, don't let your exhaustion get the best of you at the last step, there must be a reason why this is happening, let's think rationally.]
And her words functioned like a splash of cold water, making him focus again."Haa-My bad... you're right. The mental strain is really eroding my mental faculties. Still, what can be the reason for this bundle of energy to not want to enter my inner world? The difference in our energy signatures? Does it have a will? Instincts? Am I the problem? There's too many possibilities and not enough time to test everyone, I won't be able to maintain this connection for much longer. So, any suggestions?"
And as if waiting for his words, she said. [Actually, yes. We don't need to test every possibility one by one, relax your mind and let me gain more control over synchronized state without letting the "rope" tying this energy bundle dissolve, I think I got this.]
"Loud and clear, Commander". He said, too mentally exhausted to ask any extra questions.
Without needing to second guess himself, not like he had the luxury to do so anyways, Damian relaxed and granted permission for his sentient power companion to take the wheel and become the passive element of their link. Contrary to his initial expectation, he didn't feel disgusted at the fact that somebody else was taking control over his body, maybe it was the feeling that he could always take control back or the fact that his companion felt like an extension of himself from the moment their connection was born, but he didn't feel any negative feeling nonetheless. It was a sense of novelty if anything, like seeing someone you really trusted drive your car for the first time, if you had a mildly narcissistic love for your car, and if your car was directly linked to your lifeline, that is.
Before Damian could go on a tangent though, his attention rapidly changed from Eva to what she was doing while controlling his power and inner world at the same time. He saw in real time how she changed the feeling his inner world gave out to one that felt foreign to him. Simultaneously, she opened a literal whole in his consciousness and projected this new feeling towards the energy bundle. Much to his surprise, he felt the exact same feeling but stronger coming from the newly opened hole, a hole that seconds later saw the bundle pass through and enter his inner world, lulled by a false sense of belonging before settling down in a corner of the patio, where it got sealed inside a sphere of energy sharing the energy ball's signature, one he assumed must've been Nightwings own.
Finally the process was over and shortly afterwards Damian and Eva reverted back to the prior state of their link, exiting this 100% synchronization state. Gasping for air, Damian fell back on his bed, watching the sun set through his windows, having spent the better part of a day experimenting with his newfound powers.
*Huff* "How the hell did you do that? How can you do that? You changed the signature of my consciousness-soul-spirit-whatever it may be into one identical to this ball's."
Taking a moment to try and put what happeneds into proper words, she did her best to express her reasoning and theories. [Well, I'm not really sure how to explain the 'how'. As you might have felt, I don't rely on the same concepts of humna logic like an average person might do to figure things out, at least not when it comes to this energy. Due to my nature, I have quite a deep connection with the energy source we draw from, I was born to help you manage it, so certain aspects come naturally to me once, think of it as my own version of muscle memory. Also. since this source of energy is able to be shaped into seemingly anything, I probably have a lot of 'muscle memory' we haven't seen yet. Apparently, this shapeshifting ability is one of those, and it looks to be good enough to the point we probably don't have anything to envy from that mutant woman, Mystique. Though that is as long as we are exposed to direct samples from the tartget's physical and metaphysical essence. Unlike her.]
Equal parts amazed and weirded out at how much his body had changed, he said. "Gotta add that to the status sheet then. That's fucking creepy and awesome in equal parts, that makes our job much more easy. Now though, I just wanna take a bath and hit the bed. This last experiment left me exhausted".
[Hoo, can I watch?] She teasingly joked.
And much to her dismay or fortune, Damian wasn't one to cower before a woman's flirting. "Not like you have a choice, do you? But sure, I've never been ashamed of any part of my body, it's one of the few virtues I have haha".
[Tsk, nobody likes a show off. Also, I'll be the judge of that.] She responded, trying to sound annoyed yet her curiosity was slipping at the tail-end of her words.
"Hm? Haven't you seen it from my memories already?" He asked.
[It's not the same, seeing it myself now that I'm sentient and seeing it from your perspective are two different things.] She rebuked.
Not one to waste any opportunity either, he threw a playful jab at her. "Hahaha, who would've known our dear Eva is a voyeur."
Not willing to go down alone, she quipped back. [Where do you think I got that from? Hmph!]
And immediately he defended himself with righteousness dripping from his tone. "Wooow, let me stop you right there, young lady. I may have one or two kinky preferences, but peeping ain't one of em".
But still, she wouldn't let go of this seeming newly discovered trump card. [Ha, are you sure?]
"I've never done it, never plan to, so I'd like to say yes." He doubled down, ready to triple down if needed.