Inside the cerebral wave enhancement chamber, a deathly silence hung in the air after the ordeal. Only the group's ragged breathing and the faint hum of cooling machinery could be heard.
Professor Charles Xavier lay on a hospital bed. Though his spine had been repaired and sensation had returned to his body, the wounds carved into his mind ran far deeper than any physical injury.
He opened his eyes. The gentleness and wisdom they once held were gone, replaced by the weariness of ten thousand years and a lingering terror that could not be erased.
He looked at the friends gathered around him, at the fear and concern still lingering on their faces, and began recounting his "experience" in a hoarse, slow voice.
"Outside... only a short time has passed, right?" He gave a bitter smile. "But in there... within that being's memories, it felt as though I lived for ten thousand years..."
He described the universe that belonged to "Neos," the immense realm known as the Imperium of Man.
He spoke of the flames of war that unified Terra, the glory and sacrifice of the Great Crusade, and countless human worlds returning beneath its banner amid the fighting. He also spoke of the ever-present, predatory xenos threat, and... the ultimate horror called "Chaos," which had finally shattered his mind.
"That was a universe where humanity struggled to survive in despair, lighting tiny sparks in the darkness." Charles's voice carried a weight none of them had ever heard before. "Unlike us, their enemies were more direct, more... omnipresent. The price they paid for the continuation of their species was beyond anything we could imagine."
He paused, regret flickering in his eyes. "Unfortunately, I only saw that long and dark history. I did not see what came afterward, nor how they