The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics

In a pitch-black space, Aurora ran incessantly, eager to escape this place as quickly as possible. The impenetrable darkness filled her with dread, and the only thing guiding her was a white dot in the distance.

In this dark expanse, the white dot undoubtedly represented the exit, a beacon of light. Fear gnawed at Aurora's sanity, leaving her no room for hesitation. Every second spent here was torment, and she frantically ran towards the exit.

She ran for what felt like an eternity, perhaps a year, perhaps only seconds. When Aurora finally came to her senses, the white dot had grown larger with proximity. Upon reaching it, she finally recognized what it was.

"Aaaah!" Aurora screamed, recognizing the heavy metal door of the prison that had held her captive.

Instinctively, Aurora turned to flee, only to collide with a wall. She fell to the ground, her hands groping around, discovering that she was now enclosed by cold, solid walls. Even a ceiling had mysteriously appeared. The once-vast dark space had transformed into a cramped cell, too small to even stand in.

It felt as if an invisible hand was tightening around Aurora's throat, making it difficult to breathe. Overwhelming fear consumed her.

"No!"

Aurora cried out and sat up abruptly. Opening her eyes, she realized she was not in the cramped cell. Instead, she was in a peculiar wooden room. The room was not large, but it wasn't small either, and the wide-open window near the bed prevented her from feeling claustrophobic.

"Where am I...?" Aurora muttered, slowly calming her rapid breathing. Just then, she heard the door open.

Aurora warily looked towards the sound, seeing a beautiful, unfamiliar woman entering. The woman held a wooden bowl in one hand, seemingly filled with food.

"You're awake," the woman, named Jean, said with surprise, but then frowned. "You're still not very stable. It's best if you don't get up yet."

"Who are you?" Aurora asked, her face guarded, one hand clutching the blanket, the other raised defensively towards Jean.

Unfazed by Aurora's stance, Jean smiled and said, "My name is Jean Grey. You can call me Jean. Like you, I'm a mutant. We're kindred spirits."

As she spoke, Jean used her telekinetic abilities to float the bowl towards Aurora on the bed. Aurora then saw what was in the bowl: a white broth with pieces of corn and potato floating in it. The milky aroma suggested it was a cream of corn soup.

"Gulp." Aurora swallowed, her long years as a lab rat had made her miss such delicacies. The fragrant milk smell captivated her.

"Eat," Jean said gently. "This was prepared for you. After you eat, get some rest. Hopefully, the lavender from Happy will help."

Aurora glanced at the purple flowers by the window. She had noticed a faint fragrance that made her feel calm, but the soup's aroma had masked it, making her forget about it.

'Whoever planted these lavender flowers must not be a bad person,' Aurora thought, weighing her options. Jean remained patient, waiting for her to decide.

'Fine! If I'm going to die, I'll die with a full stomach!' Aurora decided, grabbing the floating wooden bowl. The soup was lukewarm from her hesitation, but it was perfect to eat.

Aurora took a small sip and was immediately captivated by the rich milk flavor and the subtle corn taste. She began to eat heartily, no longer holding back.

Jean watched Aurora devour the soup with sympathy. "Don't rush. There's plenty more. Be careful not to choke."

It didn't take long for Aurora to finish the soup completely, leaving only a few corn cobs at the bottom of the wooden bowl.

Perhaps she ate too quickly. Aurora couldn't help but burp, a milky burp.

In the quiet room, the burp was very distinct. Aurora blushed, her face turning a shade of red. Jean pretended not to hear it and used her telekinesis to take back the wooden bowl.

"Get some rest. That's just a suggestion, of course. If you want to go out for a walk, I won't stop you. There are only our fellow mutants here. No one will harm you," Jean said softly, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Aurora called out to Jean, who stopped and turned to look at her.

"Did you rescue me?" Aurora asked.

"Yes," Jean nodded. "Rescuing our fellow mutants is our duty. There are still many more mutants in this world waiting for us to save them."

"Can I join you?" Aurora's eyes were firm, but Jean, with her mental and psychic abilities, could see that they were mixed with other emotions.

Such as anger, hatred, and fear.

Jean sighed. Many of the rescued mutants were like Aurora. They wanted to do more than just save their companions; they wanted to avenge themselves on the humans who hurt them.

'It seems I'll need to provide long-term psychological counseling,' Jean thought to herself, while answering Aurora, "That depends on your recovery. You can apply once you've recovered, and someone will assess whether you're qualified."

Neither agreeing nor refusing, Jean simply gave Aurora a goal to work towards to stabilize her. Once Aurora was stable, it would be easier for the psychiatrist to provide the next stage of treatment.

As for who the psychiatrist was? It was naturally Jean herself. She was the strongest psychic since Charles at the Xavier Institute, so she naturally served as the school's mental health teacher and psychiatrist, which also helped her develop her own abilities.

Jean waited for a moment, and when Aurora didn't speak, she turned to leave again, only to hear a voice from behind her, but this time it wasn't to stop her.

"Aurora Munroe. Just call me Aurora."

"Understood," Jean said, a slight smile appearing on her lips. It seemed this patient wouldn't require much of her effort.

"Get some rest."

Aurora watched Jean leave, leaning back against the headboard, lost in thought. She subconsciously looked at the lavender by the bed and felt a sense of drowsiness. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep again.

All of this was observed by Yang Le, thanks to the lavender. Yang Le finally confirmed, based on Aurora's name, that they had rescued the Omega-level mutant, Storm.