Nightmare

After everyone returned to the institute, Charles sat in his office and dialed Ms. Ritts's private number.

"Ms. Ritts, I need an explanation." Charles asked sternly, "What exactly is the relationship between Obadiah Essex and Dr. Stasis?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as though she were weighing the pros and cons.

At last, Ritts's voice sounded again. "They are biological brothers."

"...And?"

"They are both descendants of Nathaniel Essex, both top-tier geneticists, and both engaged in forbidden cloning research." Ritts spoke coldly. "You should have already seen how terrifying Madeleine, created by Dr. Stasis, could become when she lost control. And Obadiah, as the one in control of Essex Corporation, was plotting secrets that would only be more troublesome than Dr. Stasis's."

"Since you already knew all this, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Anger seeped into Charles's voice. "You are putting my students in an extremely dangerous situation!"

"Because Dr. Stasis's classification level is very high, Mr. Charles." Ritts's answer was flawless. "Remember confidentiality, Mr. Charles. This is a matter of national defense."

"Ms. Ritts." Charles let out a soft sigh. "All I see is exploitation and concealment."

"And regarding the investigation into Essex Corporation..."

"Sorry, my children need rest."

After a few exchanges, the two sides parted on bad terms.

Charles hung up and rubbed his throbbing temples. The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

What exactly was that woman's objective?

Night fell, and the institute's corridors were silent.

Miles tossed and turned, unable to shake his unease.

Essex Corporation, Dr. Stasis, the ATHENA office, Madeleine... Too much had happened lately, and the more Miles thought about it, the more irritated he became.

So he got out of bed, intending to get some water.

Under the dim lights, Miles had just passed a corner when his steps abruptly halted. He looked over instinctively.

At the end of the corridor stood another Dr. Zander.

"Am I dreaming again?"

Miles pinched his cheek. It did not feel like it.

Then he slowly found a knife in a nearby drawer and walked over.

"Hello, Zander!"

Almost at the same time, shrill screams and cries of alarm erupted one after another from dormitories throughout the institute, shattering the stillness of the night.

Not long afterward, the shaken group gathered in the common room, none of them looking well.

"I saw all those people I killed come back to life..." Jonah said, his face pale.

"I saw Dr. Richard again... He said he was taking me back..." Gideon's clothes were disheveled, and a fresh bloody gash had appeared on his arm, as though he had just been in a fight.

"So things from nightmares have come directly into reality this time?" Miles mused, then looked at Madeleine. "Madeleine, did you see anything just now?"

"I..." Madeleine paused. Under Miles's gaze, she unconsciously looked away.

Miles frowned. Just as he was about to press her, a dull tremor suddenly came from beneath their feet, cutting him off.

"Thump... thump..."

As the vibrations drew closer, the windowpanes buzzed and the cups on the table began to shake.

At the same time, Bobby pointed outside and let out a scream. "Wh-what is that?!"

Everyone turned to look.

On the lawn outside the institute, beneath the cold moonlight, a massive bear-like monster beyond description was slowly emerging from the distant darkness. It was as large as a heavy truck, wrapped in ominous black mist, its scarlet eyes burning with pure terror and malice.

Every step it took made the ground tremble.

How did that monster get here?

"Prepare for battle!"

"Aurora, contact Logan!"

Even as questions filled his mind, Miles gave the orders without hesitation.

Still reeling in shock, the young X-Men quickly entered combat mode.

A trace of determination flashed across Jonah's pale face as he wiped away his cold sweat. Gideon clutched his bleeding arm, picked up a knife from the floor, and glared viciously out the window.

"Bzzzz..."

Miles's three Flying Dragon drones were the first to rise from his room and shoot out through the window. Their machine-gun modules spat dense streams of fire, scattering a chain of sparks across the giant bear's thick fur.

At the same time, the drones' thermal imaging scanners frantically analyzed the monster's weaknesses.

"What is this thing... The thermal imaging is a complete mess. Is this really a living creature?" Miles received the data from the drones' analyzers and fell into deep confusion.

"Hold it back!"

Madeleine and Delia extended their hands at the same time. Two powerful telekinetic forces converged in the air, forming invisible giant hands that fiercely gripped the bear's limbs. At the same time, Richter pressed both hands to the ground. The lawn before the institute split apart with a thunderous crash, and a thick earthen wall rose from the ground directly in the giant bear's path!

"I'm going in!!"

Cannonball Sam let out an angry roar. Brilliant golden energy burst from his entire body, turning him into a human cannonball with a long blazing trail as he slammed violently into the giant bear's neck!

Boom—!

The dull impact made everyone's eardrums ache.

The giant bear let out a pained roar. Its enormous body staggered under the immense force, then crashed onto its side, smashing a huge pit into the lawn.

"Nice one!"

As the giant bear toppled over, a tremendous crash rang out, shaking the entire institute building and sending several wisps of dust drifting down from the ceiling.

At the same time, Moonstar Dani's room was steeped in eerie silence.

Professor Charles Xavier's figure was "sitting" beside her bed, watching the frightened, trembling girl with a gentle smile on his face.

"Sam may look a little shy most of the time, but he never lacks courage at critical moments. Of course, I should remind him to stay farther away from the institute's main building next time..."

Dani lowered her head, gripping the edge of the blanket tightly with both hands as her body shook uncontrollably.

In a hoarse voice, she said, "Professor... You already knew, didn't you?"

"Yes. I discovered it on your first night here," Charles answered gently.

"Then why... why didn't you tell them?" Dani asked fearfully. "The monster outside... It's called the Demon Bear! I know it came for me!"

"It killed my parents, killed my friends, kept chasing me, kept tormenting me... I..." Dani's voice trembled. "I'm really scared..."

"Because I was waiting for you to tell them yourself, Dani." Charles spoke softly. "I know you fear your power. It manifests the deepest fears in people's hearts, which is why everyone had nightmares and encountered illusions. You were afraid your new friends would abandon you because of your power, that they would see you as a monster."

Charles paused. As the battle continued, another thunderous burst of energy came from outside the window.

Dani Moonstar possessed Telepathy and the ability to manifest illusions, bringing forth what others feared most. And the fear Dani herself manifested was the monster outside, born from the Demon Bear of her tribe's beliefs and Cheyenne legend.

"I understand you very well, Dani. Every mutant among us has gone through something like this." Charles spoke slowly. "But do not forget that my institute exists precisely for people like us—the 'outcasts.'"

"Do you know? During the last mission, Madeleine nearly killed Miles and Richter with her own hands. But look at them now... They have become very close, haven't they?"

"Try to trust them, Dani. Fear is a mirror. It reflects not only what we are afraid of, but also how brave we truly are. Miles, Sam, and the others are not your enemies. They are the most reliable companions who can fight at your side."

Dani slowly raised her head. Through the window, she saw Miles's drones circling in the air, saw Sam turn into a streak of light and charge at the giant bear once more, and saw Madeleine and Richter gritting their teeth as they maintained the telekinesis and earthen wall.

"...I'll try."

At last, she made up her mind. Throwing back the covers, she prepared to leave her room and face the nightmare she had created herself.

But at that moment, something changed.

Bzz—

The space in the room suddenly twisted and shattered without warning. A spatial portal flickering with strange light appeared out of nowhere!

Then a figure slowly stepped out of it.

The instant he saw that figure, the gentle smile on Charles's face froze, and his pupils contracted sharply.

It was a face he only dared recall in his deepest nightmares.

No... This was not a manifested illusion. This was real!

Bang—!!

A sniper drone equipped with a Barrett M25 sniper rifle fired a shot, piercing the giant bear's eye!

At the same time, Cannonball Sam transformed into a cannonball once again and smashed violently into the giant bear's jaw!

"Wooo..."

With one final earth-shaking howl, the enormous Demon Bear finally wailed and dissolved into black mist that scattered through the air under everyone's combined assault.

Sam dropped onto the ground, rubbing his aching neck as though his bones were about to fall apart.

"My god, that thing's hide was way too thick." He complained, his all-out charges from earlier still leaving his head ringing.

"Still, where did that huge thing come from?" Bobby asked in confusion. "Are there bears that big in this world?"

"Normal creatures don't turn into black mist and suddenly vanish after being killed."

"Anyway, let's ask the professor what happened later. He must know something..."

Miles frowned as he sensed the garbled stream of data sent back by his drones. "My drones can't detect any valid biological signatures. The thermal imaging is a complete mess, and its energy readings are beyond every known range. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't a normal creature."

"Right, where's Dani?"

"I haven't seen her since earlier. She doesn't seem to have come out yet..."

Boom—!!!

A deafening blast suddenly erupted from the direction of the main building. A violent shock wave laden with dust and rubble swept toward them, leaving everyone unsteady on their feet.

They instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves, their ears ringing.

They looked up in horror and saw that the historic main building of the Xavier Institute had been blasted open with a massive hole.

Amid the billowing smoke, a tall figure slowly flew out through the breach in the collapsed structure, landing silently on the lawn before them.

The figure was exceptionally tall and burly, his exposed skin a lifeless gray. He wore a black combat suit of strange design.

He merely stood there, yet an indescribably crushing pressure enveloped the entire area. The air seemed frozen, making it difficult for the young mutants to even breathe.

What terrified them even more was that behind him, Dani was suspended in midair, restrained by an invisible force. Her eyes were closed, and she had already lost consciousness.

Miles's three Flying Dragon drones instinctively swung their guns toward him, but before they could lock on, a telekinetic shock blasted them away, sending them flying into the distance.

"Gulp..." Chubby little Bobby swallowed hard, unable to utter a single word.

The next moment, Charles's shout suddenly rang through everyone's minds:

"Run! This is... Apocalypse!!"

"Wait, no. He isn't the Apocalypse from before, but he really does look like him... Aah!"