"Eric."
Inside a pristine white room that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions, Professor X called out slowly to the figure who was sitting in the corner, hunched over and covering his face with his hands.
Hearing the voice echo through the mental space, Eric slowly looked up. His face was haggard, gaunt, without any trace of emotion. His eyes were dull, lifeless—the eyes of a man who had given up on everything.
"Eric... you know what you're doing outside, don't you?" Professor X's mental projection took a step forward, his voice gentle but firm. "How could you let him use your body like this? Let Ultron control you, use your power to hurt people?"
Eric did not answer. His eyes remained hollow, staring through the Professor rather than at him.
"Eric..." Charles tried again, his voice carrying decades of friendship and concern.
"Shut up! What are you shouting about?" Eric suddenly exploded, his voice raw and filled with pain that had been festering for who knew how long.
"What do I care what happens to this world?" His words came out in a torrent, years of anguish pouring out. "It's not you whose family was killed right in front of him just because they were my family. It wasn't your mother who was murdered before your eyes!"
His voice cracked. "My mom was killed in front of me, Charles. Shot down like an animal. Just because I'm a mutant. Because I was born different. Because I couldn't control my powers."
"Why should I care what happens to this world?" Eric continued, his hollow eyes now burning with bitter anger. "The hell with this world. The hell with all of them. Just let it all be destroyed. Let them feel what I felt. Let them—"
"Eric... you don't mean that," Charles said softly, his heart breaking for his old friend.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" Suddenly, Elric appeared beside Professor X's mental image, materializing out of thin air within the mindscape. His presence was solid, more real than it should be for someone who wasn't a natural telepath.
"I can't keep Ultron out for too long," Elric said, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. "His soul is fighting back, trying to regain control. We need to hurry."
"I know, but... Eric is not in his right mind," Charles said, his voice heavy with worry. He gestured toward the sitting Magneto, who was now looking at Elric with those same hollow, emotionless eyes.
Elric also looked at Magneto, studying him carefully. The body language, the defeated posture, the broken spirit.
"It's likely that without the original owner's cooperation, this body can't be used to its full extent," Elric mused aloud, piecing together the situation. "Ultron's control isn't complete. And Magneto's soul isn't very strong in terms of metaphysical resistance—he's powerful, yes, but not trained in soul combat or mental fortification. So Ultron just locked his soul in a prison, buried it deep, and took over the driver's seat."
After thinking about it for a moment, Elric was about to say something, to try reasoning with the broken man before him. But his words were suddenly interrupted by the whole mental space shaking violently, like an earthquake was tearing through the white room. Cracks appeared in the walls, the floor buckled, and the ceiling seemed to pulse with dark energy.
"This guy is acting up again," Elric muttered, feeling Ultron's soul thrashing against their mental intrusion. "Professor, you do your job. Talk to Eric, convince him. Only half an hour—after that, I'm wiping this place clean, with or without Magneto's cooperation."
"Okay," Professor X nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'll reach him. I have to."
After subduing Ultron's main body in the physical world, it hadn't been too hard to enter his mind with Professor X providing precise guidance through the mental barriers. And with Elric providing a huge amount of energy—raw power that the Professor could channel and focus—they had quickly broken through Ultron's mental defenses and found Magneto's containment place, this white prison.
But still, they couldn't forcefully kick out Ultron's soul without the original owner's help. Without Magneto actively fighting back, actively reclaiming his body, the best they could do was contain the AI.
Looking at the dynamic between Magneto's broken spirit and Ultron's invasive soul, Elric suspected that Ultron had likely made some kind of deal with Eric. Promised him something—revenge, perhaps, or oblivion. And Magneto had given his body willingly, or at least hadn't resisted the possession.
Anyway, it doesn't matter to me, Elric thought coldly. I'll just wipe everything out after half an hour if this doesn't work.
BOOM...
The mental space shook again, more violently this time.
BOOM...
Another tremor, and Elric felt Ultron's consciousness pushing against his mental barriers, trying to expel the intruders.
Without Momonga's borrowed power—the abilities he'd gained from the Overlord—he would have been simply devoured by Ultron's digital consciousness by now. The AI was relentless, calculating, finding weak points and exploiting them with ruthless efficiency.
"Ultron, okay buddy, can we just stay still for a bit?" Elric said to the surrounding space, knowing the AI could hear him. "This will go easier if you cooperate."
"You inferior biological bastard!" Ultron's voice roared through the mindscape, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Suddenly, the surrounding space became even more unstable, shaking intensely. The white walls began to crack and peel away, revealing darkness underneath—the raw chaos of an artificial mind fighting for survival.
But it was really getting untenable now. If Elric dragged this out much longer, if the mental battle continued at this intensity, Ultron might actually manage to overturn the situation, might find a way to expel them and regain full control.
Hela, get out of here, Elric commanded through their mental link. Go to the other side of the world. Go with my clone.
He simultaneously ordered his other clone—the one still in the physical world—to retrieve Logan and Jean, to get everyone to safety.
Hela, who was currently restraining Magneto's thrashing body in the physical world, was stunned by the sudden command.
Other side of the world? What are you going to do? she asked in an annoyed voice, already suspecting but not wanting to believe it.
You bastard, don't tell me you have an even stronger attack! Her mental voice carried both shock and irritation. And you've been going easy on me all this time during our spars?!
But no reply came through the mental link. Just silence.
"Move," one of the clones directly said to her in the physical world, his voice flat and emotionless. He raised his hand and opened a swirling portal, the dimensional gateway crackling with energy.
Hela looked at Elric's still face—his real body standing motionless as his consciousness fought inside Magneto's mind. She could see the strain in his expression, the slight tension in his jaw.
With a huff of annoyance, she turned and stepped through the portal. But her last words echoed back before she disappeared completely.
"I'll deal with you later about this."
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