Chapter 9: Six Years
"Aiden, you can't do that again. It's too dangerous," Charles said sternly.
Aiden smiled bitterly and nodded at his words.
What else could he do if he didn't agree?
This time, he might have been lucky. Jean was still young, and her powers hadn't reached the terrifying level they would later.
The Phoenix Force within her body was merely a seed of the Phoenix Force; the true Phoenix Force was still wandering the Universe, which was why he only fainted.
If he were to face Jean later, with the Phoenix Force already within her, a single energy burst might have reduced him to ashes.
"It's good that you understand. The strength of your abilities is closely related to your physical fitness and mental willpower. As you grow older, your abilities will naturally become stronger, and there's no need to take such dangerous risks," Charles cautioned Aiden one last time before controlling his wheelchair and leaving.
Once Charles left, Aiden looked at Danny beside him: "Hey, Danny, I'm hungry. Can you get me some food?"
"Alright, leave it to me!" Danny, hearing this, patted his chest and readily agreed.
After sending Danny away, Aiden looked at Jean again.
"Jean, I need you to exert the same mental pressure on me as before."
Yes, he planned to go back on the promise he had just made to Charles.
After all, having Jean exert mental pressure was currently the fastest and most effective way for his abilities to grow stronger.
Although the process was somewhat dangerous.
Who knew, as soon as he spoke, Jean shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"No, I can't. I don't want you to get hurt because of me again."
"Jean, I'm fine now. Look, my abilities have also increased, and it's all thanks to you."
As he spoke, a much more powerful surge of telekinetic energy appeared around him, enveloping his entire being.
The next moment, he, who was originally sitting on the bed, slowly began to float, defying gravity.
Seeing this, Jean's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in them.
However, to Aiden's slight dismay, Jean still shook her head, her tone firm: "No, Aiden, if Professor finds out, he'll be angry, and I don't want you to get hurt because of me again."
Clearly, the previous incident had left a Shadow in Jean's heart, causing her to be unwilling to do it no matter what Aiden said.
Aiden's gaze met Jean's, and he saw that the little girl's eyes were full of determination and seriousness. It seemed that no matter what Aiden said, she wouldn't agree.
Seeing this, Aiden could only feel helpless.
What could he do? He couldn't force her, could he?
That might backfire, and if things went wrong, it might even trigger a rampage of the Phoenix Force within Jean's body.
As for finding Professor?
Although Professor's control was very strong, for some reason, Professor's telekinesis didn't seem to have the same oppressive force as Jean's, so it was completely useless.
This was very likely related to the Phoenix Force on Jean's body.
Suppressing the regret in his heart, Aiden could only put this idea aside for now.
"Alright, I respect your decision, but I still want to thank you," Aiden said with a smile.
"You don't blame me for hurting you?"
"How could I? I asked you to do it, and it wasn't entirely your fault; it was just that my abilities were too weak. And you've been by my side all this time, haven't you? I should be thanking you instead!" Aiden said with a smile.
"Aiden!"
Listening to Aiden's words, Jean's eyes were slightly red, filled with emotion.
Her parents had died (actually, because of her), and because her abilities were too strong, she often accidentally hurt others, making her an unpopular outcast at this Mutant school.
It was the boy in front of her who didn't mind this at all and was willing to be her friend.
Even when he was injured because of her, he didn't show any sign of blaming her.
This seemingly ordinary gesture left a deep imprint on Jean's young heart.
From this moment on, a strange emotion arose in Jean's heart.
"Aiden, the food is here! I got you a whole plate of meat!"
Just then, Danny's voice rang out from outside the door, and then he was seen entering, carrying a large plate piled high with various crab claws, abalone, and lobsters.
"Thanks, Danny, I feel like I'm starving to death!"
Aiden took the food Danny brought, and without worrying about whether eating so much would lead to high blood pressure, he immediately picked up a large crab claw and started eating.
Beside him, seeing Aiden eating with gusto, Danny was also very happy and began to tell Aiden about the events that had happened at the school over the past half-month.
Meanwhile, Jean thoughtfully began to peel crab shells for him.
---
Time flew by, like fine sand that cannot be held, only allowed to slip away quietly.
In a blink, six years had passed.
The Mutant school didn't have people coming to tear it down every now and then, like in the movies.
In fact, the time span between each major event in those movies was very long.
Take the most recent major event, Apocalypse, for example; there was a full ten-year gap between it and the "Days of Future Past" event.
It was now spring 1982, more than a year before the Apocalypse event.
And now, Aiden was already 16 years old.
In a few days, this semester would end, ushering in a two-month summer vacation.
Some students who still had families naturally chose to go home and reunite with them.
During these six years, Aiden had not stopped training his abilities.
And as he grew older, the types of training he undertook also increased.
In addition to his daily, unwavering routine of reading and training his abilities, he also added physical training, meditation, and other subjects.
Therefore, the intensity of his abilities was simply incomparable to six years ago.
In six years, Aiden had grown a lot taller.
He was now over 1.75 meters tall.
His physique was much stronger than when he first came to school; no one would doubt if he said he was eighteen.
Especially his appearance, as he aged, his Eurasian mixed-race face gradually showed its advantages.
With red lips and White teeth, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, how could one describe him as anything but handsome?
Coupled with his 1.75-meter height and a gentle smile always on his face, he was completely a sunny and cheerful big boy.
On this day, Aiden knocked on Charles's office door.
Knock, knock, knock... "Please come in!" Charles's voice echoed from behind the door.
Aiden pushed the door open and saw Charles bent over, writing something with a pen.
Seeing Aiden enter, he put down his fountain pen and, smiling, pushed his wheelchair out from behind the desk.
"Aiden, is there something you need?"
"Professor, I'd like to go out for a while," Aiden said, meeting Charles's gaze and stating his intention.
Charles's smile faltered for a moment but quickly returned. He asked curiously, "Can you tell me what you plan to do out there?"
Hearing this, Aiden recited the explanation he had already prepared.
"I've finished all the books in the library. I need more books, so I plan to visit the larger libraries outside."
Listening to Aiden's explanation, Charles's brows furrowed slightly.
"You can tell me what books you want, and I can have someone procure them for you. There's no need to go out."
He said this, of course, because he was worried that Aiden might encounter danger if he went out.
After all, Aiden was still just a child, and if he encountered criminals, he might not be able to protect himself.