[The Phantom Reaper] – The Introduction – Val’s First Meeting With Charles And Raven

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Val remained calm and greeted them in a soothing voice, "Hello!"

Charles and Raven were taken aback by the unexpected presence of Val in their house. The sight of an unfamiliar person sitting in their room had them both on edge. They were anxious and scared.

In a swift motion, Raven's body began to transform, and within seconds, she had morphed into a muscular, middle-aged man. With a stern voice, she bellowed at Charles, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, Charles! Call the police! We have an intruder in our house!"

As Raven's body tensed, ready to attack Val, she leaped towards him with fierce determination, hoping to buy some time for Charles to call the police. But to their surprise, Val stood up from the chair and calmly approached Raven, holding out his arms in a peaceful gesture.

Raven hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But as Val drew closer and enveloped her in a warm embrace, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. It was an unexpected gesture, one that caught her off guard.

Raven's teeth ground together as she struggled against Val's grip, attempting to break free. But Val held her firmly, refusing to let go. He turned his gaze towards Charles, who was watching the scene unfold with a mix of shock and bewilderment. In a calm and composed voice, Val spoke to him, "Would you please tell her to calm down?"

Charles furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at Val for a few seconds. He let out a deep sigh and turned to Raven. "It's okay, Raven. You can change back now."

But Raven was hesitant. "What? No! I won't! This guy is an intruder!" she protested.

Charles tried to reason with her, his voice calm and reassuring. "Just listen to me, okay?"

Raven clenched her teeth and shifted back to her original appearance, her blonde hair falling down her shoulders. Val released his grip and watched as the younger face of Jennifer Lawrence emerged before him. He couldn't help but smile at the transformation and bent down to pat her head.

But Raven was having none of it. She swatted his hand away and pouted, giving him a death glare. "Don't touch me!" she warned, her voice laced with anger and frustration.

Val raised his hands in surrender, his smile still present. "My apologies," he said. "I meant no harm."

Raven huffed and walked back towards Charles, taking his hand and standing beside him. Charles looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Raven nodded her grip on Charles' hand tight. "I'm fine," she said, her voice still shaking slightly.

Charles looked at Val, his mind racing with thoughts. Since the moment he had laid eyes on Val, he had been reading his thoughts. And to his surprise, he realized that Val's thoughts were not focused on robbing the house or causing harm to him or Raven.

Instead, he seemed to be lost in thought about equations and scientific formulas. Charles couldn't help but feel curious. Who was this stranger, and why was he so engrossed in complex equations?

Val looked at Charles and Raven, a smile playing on his lips. "I apologize for entering your home without your permission," he said. "So, why don't we introduce ourselves properly? My name is Valexis Haller."

Reluctantly, Charles introduced himself. "I'm Charles Xavier," he said, pointing towards Raven. "And this is Raven Darkhölme."

Val stood tall, folding his arms behind his back and straightening his posture. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Let me get straight to the point on why I am here," he said, his gaze fixed on Charles. "I want your blood, Charles."

Charles recoiled in horror, and Raven hissed at Val as she stepped in front of Charles to protect him.

"I knew it!" she shouted, her eyes narrowed. "This guy is a weird sexual deviant that gets off from people's blood!"

Val stumbled backward, looking at her incredulously. "What? Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed. "How the hell did you come to that conclusion?"

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before continuing. "Let me rephrase that sentence," he said, his voice measured and calm. "I came here to get your blood to stop a genocidal maniac."

Val noticed the skepticism in their eyes and knew he had to do something to prove himself. "I am also like both of you," he lied.

Charles and Raven looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" asked Charles.

Val smiled and said, "I mean that I am a mutant, just like you two."

Raven scoffed, "Prove it!"

Val walked towards their bunk beds and effortlessly picked it up with one hand. He turned to them and asked, "Is this enough?"

The bed creaked as Val hefted it easily, and Charles and Raven's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How did you do that?" asked Charles, amazed.

Val set the bed down gently and turned to them with a calm expression. "I have enhanced strength and other abilities that make me different from normal humans."

The doubts Charles and Raven had about Val being a mutant vanished after seeing his display of super strength.

Val turned to Charles and Raven with a serious expression, "I just know that both of you are like me, but I don't know what powers you have. Can you tell me about them?"

Raven hesitated before speaking, "You have already seen mine."

Charles added, "And I can read people's minds."

Val nodded in approval and revealed, "I am actually from a secret government agency. There are multiple people like us all around the world."

He paused, choosing his words carefully before continuing, "I require your blood because we have a person like us in the agency who can determine whether a person with abilities is going to be powerful later or not. She told me that she had seen your potential, Charles, and it's immense."

Charles felt a surge of pride at Val's words. To further convince him, Val offered, "You can look through my thoughts. I will show you the genocidal maniac that I'm talking about."

Val watched as Charles trembled in fear after seeing the images of the Apocalypse in his mind. Raven held onto Charles tightly, protecting him from any harm that Val might cause. However, Val remained calm and composed as he thought of the best way to convince Charles to give him his blood.

Val thought, 'It's good that Charles is only 14 years old now, and doesn't have the control over the power he had in his adult years. So, it's safer to get his blood now and use it to develop psychic immunity.'

Charles took deep breaths to calm himself and looked at Val with a determined expression. He said, "If my blood can prevent the death and destruction caused by that being, I will gladly give it."

Raven was still skeptical and asked, "And how do we know we can trust you and your agency?"

Val replied, "You have my word. And I understand that trust needs to be earned, but I hope that I can prove to you that I am telling the truth."

Charles added, "And I can always use my power to verify his intentions."

Val nodded and said, "That's a good idea. I have nothing to hide."

After an hour of taking Charles' blood, Val carefully placed the vials into a protective container. He stood up from the chair and turned to Charles, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the young mutant. He reached out and ruffled Charles' hair, knowing that he would be bald for the rest of his life because of the Apocalypse.

Val said, "Well, it's time for me to go."

Raven exclaimed, "Finally!"

Val turned to look at them and smiled. "See you again," he said.

Raven interrupted, "Again?!"

Val laughed and replied, "Yes, in a few years." With that, he turned and made his way out of the house, leaving Charles and Raven to wonder what other adventures the future held for them.