Chapter 82: Bonus - : The Motive

Chapter 82: Bonus Chapter: The Motive

This is the bonus chaoter for 2.5k stones.

Only two normal Chapters this week cause I have been unable to write much in the past week because of a string of unfortunate events.

Will make up for it in the next week.

Next bonus will be at 5k stones.

...

"It can’t be that good."

As they said, famous last words.

By the end of her reading session, which lasted a little over an hour, Ororo sat by the main entrance of the institute. Even if she was there in the moment, her mind was in the past.

It was a good story. Even though it wasn’t related to her in any way, it reminded her of her childhood, of the day her life flipped on its head.

One moment she was happily laughing with her parents; the next moment the roof of their home collapsed on them in a ball of raging fire. If only she could send back a page to warn her younger self. As silly as it seemed, she almost did it.

’Not that the kid me would understand everything just with that.’ She shook her head wearily.

In a way, she could see why this story was popular with the kids here. Each of them had a moment like that. A moment they thought about while reading this.

But as the thunder rumbled softly over the building, a man in a wheelchair stopped just behind her.

"I see that you’ve read it as well." Xavier arrived with a book in his hand, the same book she had confiscated from Kitty earlier.

"I am sorry, Professor. I got sidetracked." Ororo sighed; there was so much to do, and here she ended up reading a story.

"It’s alright; I always tell you to take more breaks anyway." Xavier smiled.

"So, how do you feel after reading it?" Even with the genial expression, his eyes were fixed on the blue thread that connected to Ororo’s head.

A blue flickering line that darted through the clouds and further, somewhere far away from his reach.

’What did I feel?’ She pondered over the question as the distant thunder quietened.

Without a doubt, there was a spike in her emotions when she thought of the past, something that didn’t happen often now that she had grown used to the fact, but after that, there was a change from the usual numbness.

"I feel a bit lighter?" Ororo looked at Xavier’s knowing smile. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not really..." The blue thread had now vanished.

He had seen this happen a dozen times already with the kids at the school, but to think it even reached Ororo without her knowing at all.

The only thing he had gathered till now was that the trigger was the stories written by the online writer named John Doe, and the thread appeared when the reader felt strong emotions, carrying it into the sky.

Afterwards, it left the reader feeling calm as the pain, anger, and sadness they felt were siphoned away. It was a state where, according to the students he had talked with, one felt comforted. Similar to a warm hug, as Kitty had put it.

Although it was a good thing, it was where these emotions were taken that concerned Xavier.

’What type of being can feed on these emotions? And why would it need these?’ In this world, some gods needed worship to become stronger, so this wasn’t that different of a phenomenon.

However, there was no way of knowing if this being had good intentions or not. Still, any attempt to find the source of the website used to publish these stories had been a dead end.

Even SHIELD was unable to find this John Doe. Even then, it didn’t seem like a complete waste to alert them.

’They did find someone connected to this John Doe.’ Xavier hoped Fury would listen to his request one more time as he looked at the book in his hand.

The boy with flashy pink hair stared back at him; the speech bubble beside him had ’I am a psychic’ written in it.

Should he just read it and connect with the thread as well? Maybe he would be able to track it back to the being in question and have a dialogue?

That was a good way to follow the trail, but it could also backfire on him. Since this being wasn’t just drawing emotions from the Mutants, he had seen these threads on the normal civilians as well. Although the number wasn’t that great right now, the target scope, even if he had to stretch it, was every sentient being on this planet.

’What would happen if the thread connects to everyone?’ He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread and urgency.

"Professor... We have company." Ororo’s stern voice brought him out of the reverie.

"Don’t worry, they are invited." He smiled, watching them walk up the paved path.

Xavier had already identified the three people who entered through the main gate a while ago. In fact, he was waiting here just for them. Well, the true target was the young lady between Raven and Destiny. The former had contacted him regarding her quite some time ago.

And it wasn’t her power that had his interest. It was the blue thread connected to the top of her head. To perceive the threads on others, he had focused his mind and been there when they had just felt a strong emotion.

But with this girl, he didn’t even have to try to see the thread. In fact, it wasn’t a thread at all. It was closer to a wire of pulsing blue.

And it was very clearly visible to him even now that he didn’t seem to be reading.

Anna Marie, the girl who wanted to enrol in the institute, had the strongest link to this John Doe out of everyone he had seen so far. The tricky part was that this young woman was the reason Fury had called upon him, which led to him disclosing the matter of John Doe to SHIELD.

’This might get a bit convoluted, but when are things ever not?’ He greeted them with a smile as Ororo stayed nearby.

"Let’s have a talk inside." The chair turned as he headed inside the mansion.

The students were busily moving about while talking as they passed by.

"My books..." Kitty trudged along with the group.

"Must be the work of Dark Reunion..." Robert said while posing in an unfamiliar way.

"Professor Ororo took it, Bobby," Scott sighed as Jean followed the group from a little distance.

And other students were equally jolly in their discussions and jokes.

They got a bit quiet when they noticed Xavier and others approach and quickly left; even then, they had interest in the girl who was their age.

"Things have become a bit lively around here." Raven was in her human form to avoid standing out.

"Lively indeed." Destiny also looked around, thinking it was a good choice to come here after all.

"They can get livelier." Xavier smiled as the door to his office opened.

After the three guests sat down and tea arrived, he looked at Anna Marie. The young girl was every bit as alarmed as most of the kids that arrived here were at first. But his attention was on the gloved hands.

Raven had spoken of her before; it had been a few years since she wanted to enrol Anna Marie here. But the girl herself refused the offer.

"Did something happen for you to change that decision?" He asked the question while keeping an eye on the flickering cord.

"Yes." Anna Marie nodded.

"It wasn’t a book that changed your mind, perchance?" Xavier could see Destiny giving a faint smile.

Anna Marie had been religiously trying to understand her powers since she had stepped out of her room. She would still disappear in there for hours and read the romance novels to sleep, but things changed after she heard Raven and Destiny discussing Pluto.

The premise of that book, of robots imitating humans’ way of living and eventually developing emotions similar to them, had stirred something inside Anna Marie.

Ever since her power had awakened, she had been avoiding people.

"Even if I can’t touch anyone, I want to be able to do that one day. And it won’t happen if I don’t make an effort to understand it." Anna Marie had really liked Pluto, as much as she had liked the first two novels. "I heard you could help me with controlling these powers."

"Well, I cannot guarantee that it will work, but we’ll try everything," Xavier said.

"That’s enough..." Anna Marie paused for a moment, looking at Destiny for her confirmation before continuing. "Can you help me look for someone?"

"Depends on who it is." Xavier already knew who this young girl was thinking about.

"Thank you..."

Watching her smile, he couldn’t say with certainty that he could find John Doe, but at least he could connect her with someone who knew that entity.

This unknown entity that fed on these emotions; it would be better if it wasn’t evil or harboured any nefarious intentions about those it connected with.

He observed the faint thread on Raven and Destiny as well, but mostly on the pulsing wire on Anna Marie.

’I do not like our chances if it is indeed like that.’

That was all Xavier could think as he looked at the book in his hand.