CHAPTER 94 – THE PHOENIX ASCENDANT
The barren world lay silent, the M'Kraan Crystal glowing softly behind them like a slumbering god. Dust drifted in the air, broken stone all around. The X-Men and Starjammers stood in a circle, barely able to breathe, staring at each other with wide eyes.
They had done it. The lattice was whole. The universe still lived.
But Jean was gone.
For a heartbeat, panic ripped through them. Then—fire.
A pillar of emerald flame erupted from the Crystal, wings blazing across the black sky. Out of it stepped Jean Grey, her eyes burning white, her body wrapped in the Phoenix fire. She hovered above the stone, untouched, unbowed, radiant like a new sun.
Logan's lips parted. "'Holy hell… Jeannie…"
Storm fell to her knees, tears streaming. "The Phoenix… risen."
Jean touched down, the fire receding into her skin, leaving only a glow behind her eyes. She smiled weakly. "It's done. The lattice will hold. The universe is safe."
Behind them, Emperor D'Ken lay in the dust, babbling, clawing at phantoms only he could see. His mind was shattered, trapped in nightmares with no end. His empire had lost its master.
Corsair knelt by Cyclops' unconscious form, trembling. His hand brushed Scott's hair, his voice low. "My son…" He choked back tears, gripping him tighter. "Jean… was it true?"
Jean met his eyes. She didn't speak—she didn't need to. The Phoenix fire in her gaze told him all.
Corsair bowed his head, clutching Scott like he'd never let go again.
The Starjammers gathered, Raza wiping his blade, Hepzibah licking her claws clean, Ch'od grunting in satisfaction. But even they were silent before what they had just witnessed.
Lilandra staggered to her feet, chains of Erik's energy gone. She raised her head to the stars, her voice trembling. "It is finished. My brother is broken. The throne… will be mine."
The Stargate flared. Green fire opened above the barren plain, the pull of Earth calling them back.
One by one they stepped through. The world dissolved—
And they stumbled back onto the rooftop of Greenwich Village.
The building was half-ruin, smoke still curling from its broken walls. Jean's parents stood below, clinging to Misty Knight, eyes wide as their daughter returned wrapped in fire.
And on the roof stood Firelord. Staff blazing, eyes like twin suns. He turned as they appeared, his power burning the night.
Cyclops, just conscious again, staggered to his feet, visor glowing. "We're not done—"
But Firelord lowered his weapon.
"Your professor spoke to me," he said, voice low and heavy. "I saw the truth. You did not fight for conquest. You fought for life itself. I will not strike again."
Scott froze. Logan lowered his claws. Even Storm's winds fell still.
Firelord looked at Jean, the Phoenix aura still dancing faintly around her shoulders. His eyes narrowed. "You… are dangerous. But you are also necessary. Do not squander what you've been given." He rose into the sky, his staff blazing, and vanished into the stars.
Silence fell.
The Stargate flared one final time. Lilandra stepped through, her armor torn, her face lit with tears. She ran across the broken rooftop and fell to her knees beside Xavier.
"Charles…" she whispered, voice breaking. "My soul-love. I will not be parted from you again. Not until the Council itself crowns me."
She threw her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest. Xavier closed his eyes, hands trembling as he held her close.
The X-Men stood around them, battered, bloodied, broken—but alive.
The Crystal was safe. The Emperor was lost. The Phoenix was born.
And for one fleeting moment, beneath a ruined New York sky, they let themselves breathe.
And Logan after taking a buff from his cigar mumbled to himself "That was one hell of a day,bub"