"There's one more thing..."
Just as Jean was about to leave, Charles spoke up.
She looked at him, puzzled. "What is it, Professor?"
"It's about that human you've always been thinking about, Reid. He's not an ordinary person. He's a non-mutant with psychic abilities. Even without using Cerebro, I'm no match for him."
Charles decided to reveal the truth now. He wanted Jean to understand that Reid's approach back then wasn't out of kindness. It would be best if she forgot about him as soon as possible.
"What?!" She cried out in shock.
For a moment, Charles thought she had finally seen Reid's true nature and was about to denounce him.
But her response left him completely stunned.
"That means... I can connect with Reid through our minds anytime, anywhere! We'll never be apart again!" Her eyes sparkled with joy, a radiant hope lighting her face.
"Jean! Humans are the enemy!" Charles snapped.
Normal humans weren't necessarily enemies of mutants. If they ruled the Earth one day, they would still need ordinary people to keep society running. There simply weren't enough mutants to fill every role. But humans like Reid, those with special powers, were a different story. They were enemies through and through. Mutants had to defeat them at all costs.
And yet, the greatest secret weapon of the mutant race, Jean Grey, whose potential surpassed the Omega level, still couldn't forget that man.
"Professor! Reid is different!"
Charles had heard those same words many times over the years. Whenever he urged Jean to forget Reid and focus on developing her mutant abilities, she said the same thing.
But this time, he felt especially angry.
"Jean! Have you forgotten our dream? The dream of mutantkind—cough, cough…"
His voice faltered as a violent coughing fit overtook him. Dizziness followed. The pressure was too much for his aging body.
"Professor!"
Ororo quickly rushed over and helped Charles stabilize. Then she turned to Jean with a furious glare.
"Jean! The Professor has made himself clear. Why won't you let go of that human?!"
Jean, however, remained unmoved. Her voice rang out with childlike stubbornness. "Who told him to say bad things about Reid!"
To Ororo's surprise, even now, Jean still didn't think she had done anything wrong. Charles' condition didn't seem to affect her at all. There was no sign of guilt, no concern in her eyes.
All she cared about was her future with Reid. She had agreed to train under Charles, yes, but that didn't mean she'd ever abandon her feelings.
Without another word, she turned and walked out of the Cerebro chamber.
"Jean, you—"
"Let her go, Ororo. Leave it."
Ororo wanted to scold Jean again, but Charles stopped her.
"But Professor, if this goes on, she'll lose herself even more!"
"I know."
Charles understood Ororo's concern perfectly well. But as someone who knew how the mind worked, he also knew that trying to force Jean to change her thoughts right now was completely impossible.
"At least she didn't reject the idea of psychic training. During the sessions, I can look for chances to guide her thinking. But for now, we shouldn't push her any further."
Unknowingly, Jean had already stopped seeing him as her mentor. In this situation, Charles understood clearly—if he wanted to change her, he had to take it slow. Rushing would only backfire. Their most promising hope among the mutants might very well turn into a blade pointed at them.
Erik was already gone. He couldn't afford to let anything else happen. At least not until someone else strong enough to lead the mutants emerged.
...
As the next day came, something strange arrived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
A large package was delivered.
When Colossus, Peter, noticed that the recipient was Charles, he got permission and brought it directly to the Professor's office.
After finishing his class, Charles returned to his office. With Ororo's help, he began to open the package.
But the moment the thing inside came into view, Charles' expression changed. His eyes turned bloodshot, lips quivering; rage was written all over his face.
"Joker! I will kill you!!"
Right after shouting, he collapsed and lost consciousness.
Standing nearby, Ororo was also completely shocked by the contents of the package. She didn't even realize Charles had fainted at first.
Because what lay before her wasn't just any object—it was a life-sized model of Mystique.
But the stench and the traces of blood on the surface made it horrifyingly clear. This wasn't a simple model. The skin on it had been peeled from Mystique herself. The familiar blue scales had long lost their vitality, yet they still screamed of what she must have suffered.
Two days later...
Charles woke up again, but his condition had visibly worsened. The deaths of his compatriots, and Raven's fate, had left a deep scar on the 70-year-old mutant. His body had now entered a state of irreversible decline.
...
Meanwhile, far away in Gotham.
"Mr. Wayne, you must understand the incredible value hidden in the corpse of Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr. If it's in your possession, we hope you will hand it over to the government for research."
Wayne Tower had already collapsed from the magnetic storm and the flood. But this was Gotham. Even in ruins, as long as the city was set to be rebuilt, Wayne Enterprises would still profit during the process.
So the temporary headquarters of Wayne Enterprises had already been established, and 'Bruce' was now in negotiations with representatives sent by the government.
The goal of this negotiation, of course, was the body of Magneto, who had died in Gotham.
"Gentlemen, you know exactly what happened back then. In that situation, Wayne Enterprises put all its efforts into disaster relief for Gotham. As for the body of Magneto, we really have no clue."
'Bruce' took a puff of his cigar and waved his hand.
"Instead of pestering someone trying to rebuild his home, why not ask our friends from the deep sea? That body sank to the bottom of the ocean. I honestly think they would know more than we do."
The representatives exchanged glances. They had no actual evidence proving Wayne Enterprises had obtained Magneto's body. The visit was more symbolic than anything.
As for finding that race which lived in the sea—If they really could, would they still be wasting time with 'Bruce Wayne' here?
"...Fine. We understand."
...
At the same time, deep in the underground labs of the LexCorp building, Scott's formalin-preserved body finally welcomed some familiar company.
Magneto, Erik. And Mystique, Raven.
Although Raven's skin had already been peeled off and sent to Charles as a twisted surprise, her skin wasn't critical to studying her powers.
Reid finally stepped into the lab after a long time. He approached Luthor, who stood silently before the bodies.
"So? Luthor, any progress?" He asked.
Without looking away, the man answered, "Cloning is stable, but it takes a long time. Gene transplant, on the other hand, is too unstable. Even if the subject is also a mutant, there's a high chance they'll die during the process due to gene damage."
"What if someone's genes could constantly break down and regenerate?"
"You mean...?"
Having learned much about the Marvel universe from Reid, Luthor instantly knew who he meant.
"That's right. Start the search. First, find out exactly where he is."
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