"How could that be?" Jean Grey, who had seemed so poised and composed ever since they met, finally lost her composure.
The Phoenix Force was the source of Jean Grey's power, but it was also the greatest nightmare of her life. It had lost control more than once. The most recent incident had been a few years ago, when it nearly destroyed the X-Mansion. Even Professor X had been at a loss, and it was Xiang Qian who managed to dissipate the overflowing Phoenix Force and bring the situation under control. That was also how Xiang Qian and Phoenix first became connected.
"I'm in your domain right now, and the Phoenix Force is perfectly calm. I can feel it. There's nothing unusual about the Phoenix Force in the real world, either."
Jean opened her right hand. Golden light shimmered in her palm. The Phoenix Force, born from the life force of every living thing in the multiverse, appeared and disappeared at Jean Grey's will, as docile as could be.
"See? They're completely under my control." Jean looked at Xiang Qian, puzzled.
Xiang Qian shook his head. "Not necessarily." He reached out as well and lightly tapped Jean's palm. Ripples spread across the calm water, and the once-docile Phoenix Force suddenly erupted. Under Jean Grey's horrified gaze, threads of golden light spilled from her palm.
Fortunately, before any more power could escape, Xiang Qian gently covered her hand with his and quelled the Phoenix Force's outburst.
"What did you just do? Why couldn't I sense the Phoenix Force at all for a moment?" Jean panicked. Every time the Phoenix Force erupted, it plunged her into a nightmare as deep as an abyss, followed by endless regret.
Xiang Qian held Jean's hand, soothing her. "Don't worry. It's still under my control. This is what I wanted to tell you: here in the Soul Realm, the Phoenix Force might slip beyond your control."
"Is it because of your influence?"
Xiang Qian shook his head again. "No. It's the realm itself that's affecting it."
"Isn't that the same thing? This is your Soul Realm, controlled by your thoughts." Jean was even more confused.
Xiang Qian smiled bitterly. "It doesn't work that way. Though this realm is rooted in my soul, my thoughts can't fully control it."
Jean was astonished. Ever since Xiang Qian had first brought her into this realm, she had been awed by the immense power of his soul. To create a universe from a single person's soul required a strength no less than the Phoenix Force's—and she herself probably couldn't control even one percent of the Phoenix Force.
Seeing the bewildered look on the beautiful older woman's face, Xiang Qian felt rather helpless. To make sure the Soul Realm wouldn't negatively affect the Phoenix Force, he had no choice but to reveal his greatest secret.
"The universe you see here wasn't born from my soul. It already existed. For some reason I still don't understand, it became deeply entangled with my soul and fused with it. But, ultimately, it's still an independent existence."
"My soul can't fully control this universe. I can only control a part of it. What I call the Soul Realm is just that part."
Jean felt she had almost understood. "So your relationship with this universe is like the Phoenix's relationship with me?"
"Yes and no." Xiang Qian thought for a moment, trying to find the right words. "The Phoenix Force has substance but no form. It's not only a collection of energy; it's also an embodiment of certain fundamental rules. This universe is different. I'm certain that it objectively exists on a material level. For some reason, it fused with my soul, eventually becoming something peculiar, halfway between matter and consciousness."
"Then why does it affect the Phoenix Force?" Jean was a highly educated woman. She could more or less understand Xiang Qian's explanation through abstract philosophical concepts and some cutting-edge theories in physics, but she was more concerned about the Phoenix Force losing control.
"Within the realm I can control, I can guarantee that the Phoenix Force will remain stable. What worries me are the parts I can't control." As he spoke, Xiang Qian recalled some things that sent a chill down his spine.
"This universe was originally a real, objectively existing universe with its own established rules. Those rules encompass everything subjective, both metaphysical and physical, as well as all objective laws of physics. They're powerful, rigid, irresistible, and invasive. Everything in this universe, whether it was born here or came from elsewhere, will be assimilated by those rules—including my soul and your Phoenix Force."
Jean suddenly understood. "Was it during the last time the Phoenix lost control? You dissipated the Phoenix Force that escaped—but you didn't dissipate it. You absorbed it?"
Xiang Qian nodded, then smiled bitterly. "But the Phoenix Force was still too powerful. Even a small part of it was more than I could control back then. It rampaged through my Soul Realm, nearly shattering every galaxy. I had no way to stop it, so I could only drive it back into the part of the realm beyond my control."
"After that, the Phoenix Force was assimilated. It became part of the universe's rules and could no longer be controlled."
"But why would that affect me in the real world?" Jean understood the concepts Xiang Qian had explained, but she was still confused.
"The Phoenix Force is a gathering of the universe's life energy. It doesn't have a fully developed sense of self or a logical mind of its own. Its actions are driven mostly by the instincts of life." Xiang Qian reached out and caressed Jean's cheek. "What truly calms it is you, Jean. The instinct of life is to survive and reproduce. If we call that instinct divine nature, then it's the balance between Jean Grey's humanity and the Phoenix's divine nature that makes the Phoenix controllable."
"But that balance is fragile." Xiang Qian's words dimmed Jean's expression.
Xiang Qian didn't deny it. "That's right. The Phoenix Force is, after all, driven by instinct. When my Soul Realm—I mean the part I can't control—absorbed and assimilated the Phoenix Force, it also unleashed the Phoenix's innate instincts. Compared with the Phoenix Force that remains in you, restrained by your humanity, the temptation to freely pursue its instincts is unimaginably powerful."
"Its instincts will awaken, and the Phoenix's divine nature will overwhelm Jean Grey's humanity." Jean murmured to herself. "By then, I won't be Jean Grey anymore. I'll just be the Phoenix?"
"The Phoenix's instincts have been eroding my personality all along. Eventually, they'll completely replace me, won't they? James, tell me—is that my inevitable fate?" Jean looked utterly lost. Worse still, without realizing it, she began to radiate the Phoenix Force once more.
Xiang Qian sighed softly and gathered the distraught woman into his arms, using the advantage of being in his own realm to suppress the Phoenix Force just as it was about to run wild.
"Don't worry, honey. I won't let that brainless Phoenix hurt you." Xiang Qian comforted her. "The Phoenix Force has its cute side, too. Want to see?"