Mad Memories

Qiqi searched all around but could not find where the voice was coming from.

"Hello, Mr. Charles. Where are you? Qiqi can't find you."

"Oh, child, I'm sorry, but I'm not anywhere near you. I'm speaking to you through my mind. You can think of it this way: right now, I'm inside your little head."

In a room several kilometers away, Professor Charles pressed two fingers to his temple, his ice-blue eyes glowing with a captivating light.

A few days earlier, the leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D. had approached him. According to them, the long-missing Tony Stark had returned with a little girl suspected of being a mutant.

Professor Charles had devoted his life to the cause of mutants and had extensive discussions with S.H.I.E.L.D. about peace and balance between humans and mutants. He took the news very seriously.

According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation, the little girl named Qiqi appeared to have problems with her memory, which prevented them from learning the details of her abilities from her directly.

Upon learning that Professor Charles was at New York University, they had specifically invited him to help confirm Qiqi's identity.

S.H.I.E.L.D. envisioned Professor Charles using his powerful Telepathy to read Qiqi's thoughts and memories without her knowing.

For an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D., such a simple and effective method was the ideal way to acquire information.

It would also help S.H.I.E.L.D. deepen its understanding of mutant abilities.

But Professor Charles was unwilling to steal information in such a crude, invasive way. Rather than deprive the girl of her right to choose, he preferred to talk to Qiqi and obtain her permission.

"Qiqi, do you know where your special abilities came from?"

Professor Charles asked.

Qiqi's mind was a blank. She did not understand what he was talking about at all and answered purely on instinct, "Special abilities? What are special abilities?"

Charles patiently guided her. It seemed the little girl had not realized she was different.

"Special abilities are..." Professor Charles wanted to explain them clearly, but he feared Qiqi would not understand what the term meant, so he decided to simplify things first. "You can think of special abilities as magical powers that ordinary people don't have, but a few people do."

"Take you, for example, Qiqi. An ordinary person couldn't split a ceiling in two with a single slash of a sword."

Charles continued giving examples. "Or take me. I can talk to you without being near you. That's a special ability, too. Many people have abilities like these. We call them mutants."

"Mutation is actually the outward expression of a genetic change. It usually occurs during puberty and is triggered by emotional fluctuations. But having an ability at such a young age, like you do, Qiqi, is actually very rare."

"Qiqi, do you remember when you gained this ability?"

"When?" Qiqi's mind remained blank. In what little memory she had left, this magical power had always been with her.

"Sorry. Qiqi doesn't remember."

Professor Charles believed the little girl. In fact, that was precisely why he had come: to help Qiqi understand herself and learn to master and control her abilities. That was his main reason for agreeing to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s request.

"Would you like to find out what's in your memories, Qiqi?"

Professor Charles asked her tentatively.

My memories?

Qiqi repeated silently.

"Yes."

She had always had a vague feeling that she did not belong here, that she did not belong in this world. That unease, that sense of being apart from the world, had left her with a constant premonition that she would eventually leave.

The feeling troubled her.

"Then please allow me to help you recover your memories." Professor Charles remained calm. What he was about to do was use Telepathy to learn about Qiqi's origins.

With the girl's permission, Charles opened the door to Qiqi's memories.

First came the girl's experiences over the past few days: fragments of her life in Stark Tower. These memories were relatively complete, perhaps thanks to her diligent memory training.

As he pushed further back, he found scattered fragments of Qiqi meeting Tony Stark in the desert.

Professor Charles continued exploring deeper into her memories.

Then he felt a sluggish resistance.

Even the images in her memories were constrained, unable to move any further back.

Professor Charles frowned. This rarely happened. Apart from the specially designed helmet Magneto had made to block his powers, his Telepathy was almost always unstoppable.

What's going on? Could Qiqi have a power within her that rivals mine? That's fine, too. This is a good chance to test what kind of mutant she is. Professor Charles did not stop trying. Instead, he increased the strength of his Telepathy.

His Telepathy grew stronger and stronger.

The images in Qiqi's memories became clearer and clearer.

At last, scenes from her memories flickered before Professor Charles's eyes, revealing a breathtaking nation.

The scenery was beautiful and majestic, its city steeped in old-world charm. Proud mountain slopes and stone forests rose above vast plains and vibrant riverbanks. Though he had glimpsed only a small corner, he could not help marveling at nature's creations and human ingenuity.

Could this be Qiqi's homeland?

Professor Charles wondered.

In the memory, Qiqi stood on a street near the harbor, waiting for something he could not identify.

Suddenly, the sky in the memory changed color. Gray-black storm clouds blotted out the clear sky, and howling winds swept in, whipping yellow sand through the air.

A torrential downpour followed.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed within the clouds, as though they held a terrifying power capable of destroying everything.

"This..." As Charles watched, he made no attempt to hide his shock.

Qiqi seemed to notice the change as well, her gaze lingering on the strange sight in the sky.

Suddenly.

Surging moisture and a deafening noise filled the entire space.

The gale carried the roars of a colossal beast from every direction.

The roars bore such overwhelming pressure that their sheer force nearly drove Charles out of Qiqi's memories.

"No!"

He hurriedly steadied his mind and strengthened his power again, only then managing to stabilize the images.

Even so, the discovery left Charles astonished. A scene within a memory had actually shaken his mind.

Rumble!

Thunder rolled, and countless bolts of lightning appeared in the sky.

Charles continued watching.

At that moment, the Qiqi in the memory seemed to realize something. She turned, walked a few steps, and climbed onto the wall of a slightly taller building beside the road.

Watching the memory, Charles could not help worrying along with her.

Fortunately, despite a few stumbles, the little girl managed to climb onto the top of the wall. Through Qiqi's eyes, Charles saw the most unforgettable sight of his life.

The churning sea whipped up tremendous waves, and even the reefs shook. An enormous creature struggled amid the surf. Its body blotted out the sky, its skin was rough, and its fangs were hideous-a sight that sent chills down his spine.

What shocked Charles most was that the ferocious sea beast had five hideous heads, each roaring with its jaws open. Its massive body thrashed in the sea, sending up wave after surging wave.

Professor Charles's pupils contracted.

"Wh... what is that?!"

Powerful blue energy gathered in the mouths of the beast's five heads. As though a great hole had been torn in the sky, streams of blue energy fell like meteors, crashing down with the power to destroy everything.

In an instant, Charles felt utter terror! His hands began to tremble.

"My God, what did I just see?!"