Marvel: The Gene Collector

"Eric, I'm Awakening!" With a mysterious smile on his face, Alex turned to Eric, gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Awakening? What do you mean?" Eric asked, his confusion evident.

"Watch," Alex replied, knowing words alone wouldn't suffice. He extended a finger and lightly hooked it onto the small window's thick iron bar. To Eric's astonishment, the iron bar bent as if it were made of soft clay.

"You... What kind of power is this?" Eric stammered, his face a mix of shock and curiosity.

"It's the power that comes after Awakening," Alex explained with a hint of playfulness. "Do you know why I reached out to you? Because... you and I are the same. I sense a great power dormant within you. It seems that my Awakening is somehow connected to you."

"It's related to me? I possess this power too?" Eric's eyes sparkled with hope, and he spoke with an urgency born from the desire for freedom. "What should I do? With this power, we can escape! We can survive! Can you help me?"

Eric's eyes burned with determination and the longing for freedom, for imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp was a grim death sentence.

"That power is yours alone," Alex replied earnestly. "You have to awaken it yourself, perhaps through intense emotions like sorrow, pain, or fear. Everyone's awakening is unique, Eric. Your strength can only be awakened by you."

As the night passed, dawn broke, accompanied by torrential rain, flashes of lightning, and rolling thunder that roused the teenage prisoners from their restless slumber.

"Get up! Get up!" Rough shouts from armed soldiers pierced through the rain, sending shivers down the prisoners' spines. They were ordered to vacate the prison cells and proceed forward.

In the distance loomed a massive building, shrouded in darkness, devoid of windows except for a solitary door leading inside.

Alex's face grew paler as he recognized the place.

The gas chamber.

It was one of the most dreaded locations within the Nazi concentration camps, second only to the crematoriums where the remains of countless victims were reduced to ashes.

"Alex, they say people go in there every day, but no one ever comes out," Eric whispered, his face drained of color.

"The gas chamber," Alex acknowledged with a heavy sigh. The gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps were places of unspeakable horror.

"Gas chamber," Eric repeated, trembling with fear. He knew all too well the reputation of this place and clutched Alex's arm, seeking reassurance. "Alex, what do we do?"

"Don't worry. We will survive," Alex asserted with unwavering confidence. He had just crossed over into this world; he couldn't meet his end here.

Eric nodded, his anxiety slightly assuaged by Alex's words.

Then, amidst the crowd of prisoners being herded toward the gas chamber, Eric spotted someone—a familiar face.

His mother.

"Mom! No, Mom!" Eric cried out in anguish, tears streaming down his face. He grasped Alex's arm desperately. "Alex, please save her! Save her, please!"

"Eric, my power is still weak. I can only protect the two of us as we escape. If my abilities are revealed prematurely, it won't just be your mother; you and I will also face death," Alex explained, remorse tainting his voice.

Eric clung to Alex like a lifeline, his eyes red with despair. "Tell me what to do. You must know, right?"

"Eric, unless your power also awakens, it will be difficult," Alex replied gently.

"Tell me! How do I awaken it? I have to save her!" Eric pleaded urgently.

"Eric, use your emotions. Let your power roar forth! Are you sad? Angry? Afraid? If so, let it out, awaken your power," Alex coached.

Eric's eyes welled with tears as he bellowed in rage. A massive magnetic storm erupted, causing nearby metal objects to quiver and twist violently.

Magneto... was born.

(End of this chapter)