Marvel: Visionary’s Dawn

Professor X and Jean Grey stood next to each other atop Adam's Mind Island, looking calm. They were here to guide him through his training, something they had been looking forward to quite a bit.

Yet, their feeling of anticipation turned into something else. Despite their collected appearance, from time to time Jean's eyelids would twitch.

She quietly nudged the Professor with her elbow with a look that'd translate to: What the hell is this?

Professor X simply shrugged his shoulders; meeting Martha and seeing how Adam's mind was different from most humans and mutants alike had made him a bit desensitized to what surprises he would burst forth with.

"I think I might've lost my position as your best student," Jean said.

Charles laughed a little and shook his head. "Perhaps. While we might be among the best telepaths on earth, this…" he said, pointing at Adam and what was in front of him.

"Is something that can't be attributed to us or our teaching capabilities. He's…" Professor trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"A prodigy of the mind arts," Jean said, understanding what was on his mind. She had prided herself once on her talent in this field, but once she got to teach Adam, she had to reconsider her opinion.

He was sitting cross-legged in the void. Today's task had been planned regarding how to create mind shields, or rather plain brick walls, which was Professor X's take on this mental exercise.

Before they began, they demonstrated how it should be done by conjuring two plain walls for him to see. At that time, they didn't understand the skeptical look on Adam's face as he looked at their creation, but now after witnessing what he effortlessly had done, they understood everything.

Facing Adam wasn't one single creation; instead, there was a moving-spiral hypnotic pattern made of bricks that seemed to stretch and draw the gaze of the onlookers inward without an end.

Next to it was a brutalist version of a labyrinth of staircases, confusing and impossible to keep track of its entrance and exit.

And finally, there was a wall that wasn't acting like a wall and more like a ribbon as it stretched and danced amid the windless void.

Minutes passed, and Adam remained focused on his creations, which didn't take much effort for him to do; he even let his mind wander off, thinking about the rapid change in his body that didn't seem to stop.

After that incident two days ago with the three ambushers, his mind ushered in a whole new set of changes.

It massively increased his cognitive ability and his senses. The one that had an immediate effect was his eyesight; now even tiny insects outside the window or the birds hundreds of meters up in the sky were clear to his eyes.

This wasn't all the change that occurred to him; now he felt like he had a photographic memory. Scenes from his childhood that had been blurry returned once again.

What made today's exercise like a walk through the park was his cognitive and inferential ability, followed by his deductive and inductive reasoning that were enhanced to what a sequence 0 should have.

Once that changed, everything regarding his abilities seemed to fall into place. He had been plagued by this problem because Adam didn't ascend the sequences or had the time to understand the change and the abilities after drinking the potions.

He was simply thrust into it, into being a Visionary, a being that's not mortal.

These changes weren't immediately sensed as it required him to try and practice to notice them, but when he came back home late with Rogue, inside the stillness of his room he tried to find the reasoning behind the attack. At that moment, he noticed the difference that seemed to be triggered after the attack on his life.

This training is… easy? Adam pondered for a moment, sensing the futility of continuing with this. He smiled a little when another idea popped into his head. Wordlessly and with open eyes, he sent a thought rippling through the void.

Charles and Jean felt the change as the mind constructs above Adam's head trembled and then crumbled into a beautiful cascade of golden sand.

Jean was about to commend him on his finer control when all of a sudden the sand arched through the air, and then one by one they transformed into a kaleidoscope of blood-red butterflies.

The countless butterflies swirled around Adam as he descended and touched the ground. He gently lifted two butterflies from his shoulder, presenting them to Jean and the Professor.

"That was a bit too flashy," he said, maintaining his smile and feeling quite happy about the result.

"That was beautiful, Adam. It's hard to imagine that you'd develop such fine control this fast," Charles said, absent-mindedly picking up the butterfly, his eyes fixed on the swarm as they danced on Adam's head and shoulder.

As for Jean, she smiled sweetly and gently lifted the creature with her finger while giving Adam a teasing look.

"Oh, how cute, but you should know that I'm married, Adam. Perhaps if it had been years ago, I might've considered it."

Adam smiled, unaffected by her teasing, for when someone could tell what a person was thinking or feeling just from their body language, few things could affect him.

"I think it prefers someone with gentler hands," he replied.

"And Rogue, did you get anything for her?" Jean said, lifting an eyebrow.

"All she has to do is ask," Adam said, then looked at Charles. "What do you think about my performance today?"

"Ah yes," Professor X snapped to attention. "It's hard to imagine that you went from having no control over your gifts to this in a short two days. It's both impressive and hard to comprehend if I'm being honest."

"It felt natural." "Everything comes naturally to him."

Adam looked puzzled at Jean, who smiled and quickly waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry, I didn't read your mind, and I doubt you wouldn't notice it."

"You're right. I often forgot you're both quite talented and share similar experiences," Charles said, smiling as he remembered young Jean trapped in her mind over the death of her friend.

Jean shook her head. "That's not quite right, Professor. I remember it took some time for me to exert finer control over my powers, while he never dropped the ball."

"I don't think I'm that great," Adam shook his head, then decided to change the subject. "Did you investigate who the three attackers were?"

At the mention of last night's incident, both Charles and Jean momentarily fell silent. It wasn't strange to them to be attacked, but Adam was a relatively newly awakened mutant, which meant some had discovered and investigated him.

"Are you still sure you don't want to talk about what happened last night? Rogue didn't tell us the entire story, only that the men vanished," Charles asked. Despite his probing on the night they returned home after the incident, Adam didn't want to talk about it.

"No, thanks for the concern… but I think I'll keep this matter to myself." Adam slowly shook his head.

"Alright," Charles sighed, then gave Adam a strange look. "And no, we didn't discover who they were. Every trace of them simply vanished, even the Hanks bar surveillance camera had no recording of them."

This was my doing. Adam fell silent. He looked at Jean and asked a question he was curious about.

"If you had arrested them, what would you have done with them?"

"Surrender them to the authorities," Jean didn't think much and replied.

"What if they break out again and repeat the same actions? Do you use lethal force against them?" Adam pressed on. From his experience, the way heroes dealt with criminals was a half-assed measure.

Jean and Charles subtly exchanged a glance, which didn't escape Adam's notice as their body language switched from being curious to being concerned.

Perhaps they figured out what happened. Adam's eyes subtly gleamed. Even if they had caught on, he wouldn't explain his actions. The matter was his alone, and he'll always own what he's done.

He was the one most affected by it; his questioning wasn't to find an excuse or escape the guilt at that time. No, Adam's mind didn't work like that, especially after the recent enhancement.

He can't fool himself, nor could he deny that what he had done was the most logical and efficient solution, despite the emotional turmoil he experienced after the incident.

And he knew this decision wasn't affected by his powers. Even in his past life, he shared the same sentiment; otherwise, he wouldn't reveal his partial mythical form.

"Even then," Charles shook his head, "too many eyes are on us. We are already a magnet of hate and discrimination, and this… would lead to outright declaration of war on us from every anti-mutant politician and government body."

Jean nodded along, but she didn't completely agree with her mentor. "That's true, but there are certain situations where lethal force is the only option… but this happens rarely, with certain existential threats to our team or kind."

Charles looked at her for a second. He wanted to agree, but he couldn't. He knew full well that he was willing to cross some ethical lines to save his team. But to kill – this was tough even for a seasoned leader like him.

"Today's training session ends here," Charles sighed, then immediately eased himself into his mentor persona. "I'm proud of the progress you've made, Adam. I believe it won't be long before you won't need our help."

"I look forward to that. At the rate he's improving, I believe it'll be even shorter," Jean said, then in the next moments, they were back in Charles' rustic office.

"I should go." Adam stood up. There was nothing for him to do here; the training they suggested disappointed him a little. But he couldn't blame them; moreover, he had a place to go.

Somewhere, someplace was calling to him, the Astral plane. Visions of a dark void, faintly lit by crawling mist. Ghostly floating buildings and islands flashed through his mind.

He exchanged a few words with the professor and exited the office. Charles and Jean immediately started talking about him. Pieces of their personal life immediately flooded his mind, making him understand their lives and characters even more.

"Good morning, Adam." Storm quickly passed him by, right into the office. She was tense and hesitant as if she was making a hard decision.

Despite his ability to pry further on her or what's concerning her, Adam didn't want to delve into the matter. He went directly into his room and sat on his desk.

It was 11 a.m. The room was brightly lit, and in front of him rested a notebook. He opened the first page where eight names had been recorded, all foreign to the X-Men.

These were the names of the associates who dared to assassinate him. And now, by investigating him and uttering his name, Adam's gaze fell on them, and he knew their names and their whereabouts.

And this sense wouldn't disappear unless they were powerful enough to hide from him. But they weren't and would never be. Their life was hanging on his whims.

His enhanced reasoning told him to get rid of them; they were shit stains on the sidewalk. No one would notice their absence. In fact, it'd prevent many tragedies down the line.

I'll deal with it later.

He decided he'd ponder upon it later on. Now, he needed to see the place that was calling to him.

It felt far away yet so close at arm's reach. He hadn't felt any danger or seen any bad vision; only his essence trembled with excitement.

He leaned on his chair and closed his eyes, meditating on his connection to the astral plane. A few minutes later, he willed himself to go there.

In an instant, he vanished as if space had folded, swallowing him through a tiny dot in the air. He opened his eyes and found the scenery around him had changed.

The Astral plane looked like a shimmering void. Mist permeated the surroundings as far as his eyes could see, colored red, blue, purple, and bright silver lights as if they were lanterns floating through this vast expanse.

Debris of buildings and rubble slowly floated past him; they weren't real but a mere echo of reality.

Adam felt weightless and powerful. Here, he became much stronger than he ever felt. He let go of his inhibitions and imagined a place.

Soon, a big cathedral appeared, made of black stone. Its front facade was lined with columns and arches embedded with bones of different creatures. It felt both eerie and holy at the same time.

"Corpse Cathedral," Adam murmured, a smile slowly unfolding on his face, the one a young child would have when he opened his birthday present.

He examined it for a few moments, then vanished it. Next, he conjured a wide stone platform where he chose to sit cross-legged.

Time flows differently here… He had a brief recollection of what he had watched before in his past life. But what made him certain was the connection he had with the outside world.

He didn't need to overanalyze the phenomenon; he could feel it. Years would pass by here, mirrored with only a few seconds in the real world.

This would make a lot of things easier. Adam looked at his palms. He entered the Astral World with his real body as if the plane had made an exception and bent the rules for him.

He closed his eyes, becoming fully in contact with his being, his essence, and his vast spirituality.

Adam didn't seek to control anything. No, he was here to understand; he believed control would naturally follow.

A thought sprang up from his mind, completely masking his presence. Even if someone were to pass by, he'd see nothing but a serene, dark void.

He soon became lost within himself. The vast astral plane remained unchanged, but Adam's surroundings were anything but that.

Visions and phantoms of people and objects materialized around him, only to vanish in the next second.

Time passed; perhaps it had been months or years. Adam had lost count. He looked exactly the same, nor did he feel any hunger.

Surrounding him were tens upon tens of virtual personas looking exactly like him. He opened his eyes, and they shone bright gold as he felt his connection to the astral plane deepen.

A connection was made where he could draw psionic energy and spirituality from this plane that spans the entire multiverse.

Here, he could even look at beings from other universes, given that he has the power to break the psychic barrier separating them.

He stood up and walked to one of his virtual personas. The clone quietly looked at Adam, and a subtle understanding passed between them, as they were an extension of him.

He pondered for a moment before speaking to the virtual persona.

"Your name is Klein… you're your own person… and we haven't met before."

Adam felt his spirituality stir and pour into his copy. Instantly, it started to change shape. Blonde hair was replaced by black, and his eyes changed to brown. Flesh squirmed beneath the virtual persona's skin, changing its facial features into one similar to some illustration he had seen before.

Adam watched in silence as his virtual persona, given sentience and an identity, hesitantly stood up, looking confused.

"Who are you?" Klein hesitantly asked. He felt something was amiss; he had a name but no memories. He knew how to speak and act appropriately, but he didn't know how he came to possess this knowledge, and this terrified him.

"Can't you tell me your name?" Klein asked fearfully, feeling terrified as Adam's unblinking eyes seemed to stare deep into his soul.

Just as he was about to take a step back, he heard Adam speak.

"A failed attempt," then he disappeared from Klein's perception. He whipped his head around, and he saw tens of floating virtual personas staring back at him.

He was terrified, yet unaware of Adam standing only a foot away from him, examining him from head to toe.

"It seems I forgot to give him memories…" he said, loud and clear, but Klein heard nothing.

"Forget it," he shook his head, then went and sat down once again. He looked at Klein, who immediately froze in place and vanished as if he never existed, before closing his eyes and further deepening his connection with the Astral plane.

He was adapting; Marvel's Astral plane, although similar to LOTM in being a domain of mind, thoughts, and spirits, there were still some differences between them.

Lord of the Mysteries' Astral plane is closely tied to authorities, symbolism, and mysticism, where space and time are abstract and the plane itself is central to tripartite cosmology: Physical, Spirit, and Astral.

Marvel's Astral plane, on the other hand, is much more accessible to telepaths and sorcerers, where time often flows more slowly than the real world, and was considered as one of the many dimensions of the universe, but not structural to its existence.

Before he knew it, months went by. Adam opened his eyes, feeling quite satisfied with his lengthy training discovery session.

He willed himself back, and instantly he was back in his room where only a few seconds had passed by.

His eyes fell on his open notebook, on the list of names. There were no conflicting emotions in his eyes, nor did he try to fight or resist his reasoning.

He remembered what happened two days ago; the way those men stared at him, eyes wide and terrified as they descended into insanity, the image still disturbed him.

But after a long sleepless night, those images faded like an old photograph.

He tried to search for anything inside: shame, guilt, a need for forgiveness. However, nothing came; only the understanding that it was the correct action should anyone come threatening his life.

He wasn't less human after the act, but certain lines, once crossed, one couldn't go back, as it introduces permanent change.

He stood up, then went and took a long shower. After changing into a black t-shirt and jeans, he went to his desk and wrote a note for Rogue, should she come to visit him.

I'll be back tonight.

Feeling satisfied, he jumped back into the Astral plane, following the connection that guided him to the names written in his notebook.

Author note: 

Hello everyone!Thank you all for reading, and I'm sorry for the lack of updates these past few days. I was on a road trip. I'll also admit that some of the early negative reviews stung a bit, especially the ones criticizing Adam's character and the fact that he doesn't have full mastery of his abilities from the start.

I've explained this a few times already, but just to clarify again: that was intentional from the very beginning.

And Finally, This is my take on Visionary in Marvel, it isn't a story about Grisha Adam, thousands of years old being who manipulated the whole story. My MC has no knowledge he didn't drink potions nor does he start as a mastermind.

Anyway, thank you all again for reading and supporting the story!