Stranger Among the Stars

Two weeks had passed since Ethan's sudden awakening of new powers. After some experimentation—hours spent probing the limits of his mind—he'd uncovered not just telepathy and empathy, but telekinesis too. Objects now danced at his whim, lifted by an invisible force he was still learning to refine. His training schedule had tightened, a balancing act between mastering these gifts and navigating his new life with Anna and Jean.

Dates with them had become a regular rhythm—sometimes just him and Anna, sometimes him and Jean, and often all three together, laughing over coffee or strolling through the city. The trio's bond grew stronger with each outing, a quiet harmony settling between them.

The news of Ethan dating both Anna and Jean spread fast among their circle. Most were surprised. Some were skeptical. Others were just… stunned.

His friends at Xavier's School, however, were floored by the news. "You're dating both Anna and Jean?" Kitty Pryde had blurted during a lunch break as her eyes wide with disbelief. Then, with a mischievous grin, she'd added, "What's next, Ethan? Can I join your harem plan?"

To her shock, Ethan chuckled and replied, "If you're interested, sure—why not?" She'd gaped at him, then at Anna and Jean, who merely shrugged and are unbothered. The casual acceptance left Kitty speechless, her cheeks flaming as she retreated into silence for two days, too embarrassed to face them.

Bobby, meanwhile, had taken a different path, quietly admitting his own crush on a girl from class. They'd started dating soon after, leaving Angelica, Kurt, and John as the last holdouts—contentedly single with no rush to change that. Life at the school felt smooth, almost idyllic, despite the world's growing unease about mutants.

Beyond their circle, ripples of change stirred. Madelyne Pryor, Jean's clone, had married Scott Summers and now harbored ambitions in politics. With mutant numbers surging over the past decade, the government was drafting new laws and management systems, and Madelyne saw an opportunity to shape them.

Hank McCoy found himself intrigued by the movement, though he preferred focusing on the scientific and policy aspects, staying behind the scenes for now.

Back at home, Ethan had been busy too. Using his magic, he enhanced his house with layers of protection, illusion, and defense spells. Only three people could freely enter: himself, Anna, and Jean. Anyone else would need a direct invitation—or risk being caught in endless illusions, traps, or repelled entirely.

In his spare moments, Ethan toyed with a new ambition: transfiguration. He dreamed of bending matter to his will, reshaping wood into metal or water into stone. The Ancient One had mastered such feats, but she'd warned him it took years of practice. His attempts so far were clumsy—a spoon warped into a lumpy blob, a book's pages fluttering into ash—but he persisted, driven by a childhood fascination with the art.

One major success, however, came when he discovered that by combining his life force and the Phoenix fragment within him, he could supercharge his mystical watch. The device, ravenous for energy, absorbed the power hungrily. It was risky, but effective—the charge now sat at 70%.

In the midst of everything, he'd also reconnected briefly with Susan and Johnny Storm. They were busier than ever, with their upcoming space mission rapidly approaching and had been buzzing with excitement, counting down the days until their space mission. "It's almost here," Johnny had said, "Reed's got everything planned—gonna be epic." And now… today was the day.

The launch was being broadcast live. The Fantastic Four—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, and Victor Von Doom—had just left Earth. It was being hailed as a monumental step for science and humanity.

Ethan stood in his living room, watching the rocket trail into the sky on TV.

Anna and Jean had gone shopping with Kitty and Jubilee. So, for now, he was alone.

He smiled faintly to himself. This is it. This is the moment.

He'd already made up his mind. He wasn't going to miss the cosmic event that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. And he intended to be there when it happened.

Ethan walked over to a window. With no hesitation, he opened it wide… and jumped.

Wind howled past him as he shot into the sky, his body cloaked in a faint aura of energy. He flew higher, faster, piercing the clouds. The ground fell away, houses shrinking to dots as he soared upward, accelerating past the wispy clouds. The sky darkened, shifting from azure to deep indigo, the air thinning with every beat of his ascent which is making it harder to breathe.

High above Earth, he floated in the edge of space.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, searching the black expanse. He sensed the spacecraft's direction and took off, gliding silently through the stars. Eventually, he found it—a sleek vessel heading toward a massive space station. 'What now?' he wondered before staring at the station.

Should he board the station, wait outside, or position himself closer?

After giving it some thought, Ethan decided it was time to make his move. The opportunity was right in front of him—he couldn't just let it slip away. He wasn't here to lurk outside like a ghost—he wanted to see this historic mission up close.

He flew closer to the space station, scanning it for any sign of movement. There were several large windows, and as he neared one, he reached out with his telepathy, gently probing the minds inside. He quickly identified that Sue and Johnny were near the viewing panel he was in—engaged in conversation as they prepared to head to their rooms.

Without hesitation, Ethan sent a thought to them: Turn right, and you'll see me waving.

Johnny stopped mid-step and frowned before looking over his shoulder. "Uh… Susan?"

She blinked. "What is it?"

He pointed ahead and turned slightly pale. "I swear I just heard someone's voice. In my head."

Susan's brow furrowed, but a moment later she heard it too, 'Turn right. I'm outside the window.'

She then turned her gaze to the window and squinted. Her eyes widened and gasped. "Johnny… look! that's… that's Ethan!" she said aloud.

Johnny's jaw dropped. "Oh my god—he's… he's actually there. Outside. In space. Waving!"

Susan stepped forward instinctively. "How is he even alive out there?! No suit… no oxygen..."

Johnny's confusion deepened. "Is he… is he real?" He glanced back at Sue, uncertain.

Sue took a deep breath and is still processing the sight before her, but soon she got a mental message got in her head. "He said to open the hatch so he can get ins-" she said.

Before she could finish, Reed Richards, Victor von Doom, and Ben Grimm rushed into the corridor.

"What's going on?" Reed asked, noticing their stunned expressions.

"Look!" Johnny shouted before pointing at the window.

All eyes turned—and the silence was immediate.

Ethan was standing in space, just a few feet from the window, with a relaxed smile and a confident little wave, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What in the ever-lovin' blue-eyed hell is that?!" Ben started, but his voice trailed off as he took in the sight of Ethan in the void of space.

Victor frowned. "This isn't possible. He's just standing there… in space... with no suit. How is he not dead?"

Reed, too, was clearly trying to process the impossibility of it all. "This defies every law of physics we know," he murmured.

Reed and Victor exchanged a look. Reed hesitated. "But how can he survive out there? Without any protection?"

"He's asking us to open the hatch," Susan said softly.

Victor stepped in. "Absolutely not. That's a massive security risk. We don't know what he is."

"We do," Johnny insisted. "That's Ethan. We've known him for a while now. He's not dangerous."

"Are you sure about that?" Victor countered coldly. "Because what I see is a wild card floating outside my station."

Reed's eyes narrowed, skepticism etched into every line of his face. "We don't know how he got here—or what he is. This could compromise everything."

Johnny threw up his hands, "Come on, guys! He's not some random space pirate. Sue, back me up here."

"He's right," Susan said, her tone firm but calm. "We've seen him before. He's not a threat. And frankly, I'd rather get him inside than leave him floating out there where we can't keep an eye on him."

Susan then looked to Reed, searching for support. "He helped me… back in New York."

Reed hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. "Alright… but if anything goes wrong—"

"We'll take responsibility," Johnny promised.

Victor exhaled sharply, clearly unhappy. "You'd better hope you're right."

Johnny spoke up. "Come on, we know him. He's fine. Trust me."

Reluctantly, they decided to open the hatch. Sue and Johnny were both eager to let him in, but Reed and Victor remained on edge, their minds still racing with unanswered questions.

The airlock opened, and Ethan floated in with ease, stepping onto the station's deck. The inner door unsealed, and he flew into the corridor, "Nice place you've got here," he said casually as the team crowded around him. "Thanks for the invite."

As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Johnny, Sue, and Ben surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.

"What the hell is going on?" Sue asked, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief. "How are you here? How did you survive in space? And… how can we hear your voice inside our heads? Are you a mutant?"

Johnny jumped in before Ethan could answer, pointing an accusatory finger. "Yeah, and how the hell are you breathing out there? Spill it, man!"

Ethan raised his hands in mock surrender, chuckling. "Whoa, one at a time. I'm human, alright? Not a mutant. Just a guy with some… extras. I came up for a little sightseeing—heard you were making history and thought I'd tag along."

Ben raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Bullshit. Humans don't float around in space like it's a Sunday stroll. You're a mutant, plain and simple."

"Nope," Ethan shot back, "I'm human. Just also… a magician. With a few extra perks."

Victor's eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with skepticism. "A magician? Convenient excuse. I don't buy it. Especially not now, when we're dealing with a critical experiment. Mutants are unpredictable—I don't like variables I can't control."

Reed frowned. "Magic isn't an acceptable explanation in a scientific facility."

Ethan seized the moment, flashing a charming smile as he reached toward Reed. With a theatrical flourish, he plucked a rose from behind Reed's ear—its petals shimmering faintly with reddish-orange energy—and offered it to Susan. "For you," he said before winking. "A little welcome gift."

"Science and magic are just two sides of the same coin, Reed."

She smiled, accepting it with a hint of blush, "But how do you explain all of this? The telepathy, surviving space…"

Ethan raised his hands, " A magician never reveals his tricks."

Johnny raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Looks like Ethan's got the ladies' charm down better than I do."

Ben snorted. "Don't worry, Johnny, your charm's fine. Just need to work on that delivery." He gave him a teasing shove.

Sue smiled faintly at Ethan's easygoing demeanor. "I'm sure he means no harm."

Ben growled in frustration. "Yeah, well, I don't trust it. Something's not right here."

Reed, who had been quiet for a moment, spoke up. "I still don't understand how he survived out there. It's not possible."

Sue turned to him, trying to calm him. "Reed, if he says he's human, we should atleast try to believe him. I knew it sounds crazy after seeing him floating in space without anything."

"Correction, I had my clothes on."

Reed sighed. "We need to get ready. In a few hours, we'll be collecting the samples we need from the experiments."

Victor turned to Ethan and is still skeptical but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt—for now. "We'll have a more detailed conversation later. I want to know exactly who, and what, you are."

Ethan nodded. "Fair enough."

With that, the group began to head to their respective rooms, preparing for the mission ahead. Ethan, however, found himself standing alone in a wide living hall aboard the space station, his mind buzzing with excitement and curiosity.

He took a deep breath, gazing around at the futuristic surroundings. It felt strange to be here, but also exhilarating. This was the stuff of humanity's reach into the stars. And now, he was a part of it, even if just for a brief moment.

'I wonder what kind of power I'll get,' he thought, watching the distant curve of Earth.

With the upcoming cosmic storm… everything was about to change.

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