Jean blinked, surprised by Arthur's bluntness. His voice was calm yet firm, each word carrying a logic that left almost no room for objection.
"What you said… about Professor Xavier…" Jean murmured, disbelief mixed with a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
Arthur raised his glass, took a contemplative sip, and then set it back down on the railing of the balcony.
"Don't misunderstand me," he said, his tone gentle but direct. "Xavier is, without a doubt, worthy of respect. A man who devoted his entire life to the future of mutants. But that doesn't mean his approach is the right one."
Jean's body reacted instinctively. Her eyes narrowed, anger flaring instantly.
"Mr. Morgan, please… don't speak that way about Professor Xavier! He's a great man! He's dedicated his life to securing the future of mutants!"
Arthur leaned slightly forward, his gaze glowing with a kind of quiet curiosity.
"I agree that he's respectable. But that doesn't stop me from believing that the way he leads things is misguided."
Jean stood abruptly, her body tense. Normally, she wouldn't hesitate to push back against any criticism of Professor X. In other circumstances, she would have lashed out verbally, armed with the force of her indignation and the certainty of her conviction.
But now… something was different.
There was something in Arthur's calm, unwavering eyes—something that stirred a part of her heart she rarely allowed to surface: curiosity, perhaps even trust. A small voice inside whispered that she shouldn't react impulsively.
The crowd around them had noticed the movement, whispers rising, but Jean forced herself to steady her irritation. She drew a deep breath and sat back down.
"I'm sorry… I think I was rude," she said, though her voice still carried a thread of resistance.
"It's quite all right. Please, sit," Arthur replied with a serene smile.
The tension between them hung in the air, but Pepper, sensing the rising unease, quickly stepped in. She climbed onto the podium, tapped the microphone, and called out to the guests:
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!"
The crowd's focus shifted instantly. Jean seized the moment, picked up her glass, and almost unconsciously followed Arthur away from the noise of the party, guided by a mix of curiosity and an indefinable pull that drove her forward.
He led her onto a small balcony, closing the door behind them. The sounds of the party faded, leaving them in a bubble of silence, surrounded only by the night breeze.
"Mr. Morgan," Jean began, her voice firm yet laced with uncertainty, "why do you think Professor Xavier is… wrong?"
Arthur smiled faintly, leaning against the railing.
"He's right to want mutants to have a place in society, to fight for equality… but the way he goes about it is flawed. Look at those people inside," he said, gesturing discreetly toward the glittering ballroom.
Jean followed his gaze. The lights, the glasses, the carefully rehearsed smiles—it all looked like a choreography of hypocrisy.
"Professor X's greatest mistake," Arthur continued, "is trying to win these people over. He struggles desperately to earn their acceptance. But do you really think they care? The more you humble yourselves, the more superior they'll feel. The more you seek approval, the less respect you'll gain. It's a futile effort. This isn't about humans versus mutants—it's just human nature."
Arthur's words struck Jean with the weight of truth—something she had never heard before. Her entire life had been lived under Xavier's ideals, following his instructions: to show humans that mutants weren't dangerous, to maintain peace, to remain discreet.
But now, for the first time, she realized his approach might actually be making things worse.
"Mr. Morgan… then what should we do?" Jean asked hesitantly, almost seeking guidance, though without losing the strength of her own questioning mind.
Arthur stretched, letting out a soft laugh.
"Ahh~ I must have had too much to drink… I'm starting to ramble nonsense."
He leaned closer with a half-smile.
"Miss Grey, think of this as just a casual conversation. Don't trouble yourself too much. I'm sure Professor Xavier has his own plans and considerations. Maybe he sees something we don't."
Jean opened her mouth to reply, but something stopped her. A familiar voice echoed in her mind:
(Jean, are you all right? Did something happen at the party?)
She took a deep breath and answered telepathically:
I'm fine, Professor.
(Are you sure? I sensed your emotions shifting…)
I'm fine, just a little dizzy from the wine…
Xavier's presence soothed her, yet at the same time, her exchange with Arthur had left behind a hollow space filled with questions. He hadn't given her definitive answers, but his piercing perspective revealed something she had never considered: that Xavier's efforts, however noble, might need to be reexamined with courage and clarity.
When she turned back toward the ballroom, Arthur was already gone, leaving Jean alone on the balcony, staring out at the world with new eyes. The night wind whispered possibilities she had never allowed herself to imagine.
She knew, in that moment, that something had changed—a seed of doubt had been planted, along with the promise of freedom of thought. For the first time, she could consider not only what Xavier wanted, but also what she believed was right.
---
At the same time.
Gwen was hanging upside down, her feet stuck to the ceiling of her room, with no idea how she had ended up there. Her heart pounded, each beat echoing like a drum in her ears.
She looked at her hands, then at the ceiling, then again at her feet clinging as if they were suction cups.
"What's happening to me?!" her voice came out trembling, charged with pure astonishment.
Panic gave way to fascination for a moment. Gwen tried to move, and the sensation was both strange and instinctive, as if her body had just discovered a new law of physics that applied only to her.
"This can't be real…" she whispered, before letting out a nervous laugh.
"I'm walking on the ceiling…"
Wonder swirled into a storm of fear, curiosity, and excitement.
"Oh God… what am I now?"
---
(End of chapter)
---
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."
A/N: Final version of the chapter