As Nick Fury and Phil Coulson stepped through the blazing passage of fire, the world before them shifted—colors, shadows, and light bending in a way that made them dizzy.
And then, suddenly, they weren't in the crater anymore.
They were standing in a different place entirely.
The familiar grounds of the Xavier Manor stretched out before them, resurrected in full glory despite its destruction not long ago.
More astonishingly, they were standing atop a gently rippling pond—but instead of sinking into the water, a solid column of liquid held them in place. Water-crafted staircases coiled down to the shoreline, connecting to a wide-open training field where many of the newly arrived Mutants had already gathered.
Nick Fury narrowed his single eye in suspicion.
"What the hell kind of power is this?" he muttered.
Just a moment ago, they were surrounded by fire. Now, they stood on solid water, transported across space—or perhaps dimensions. The worst part?
He hadn't seen anyone manipulating the water.
That wasn't like the Mutants he knew. Powers typically required visible effort. This… this felt like something else.
He glanced around.
There were no signs of Professor X, Wolverine, or any other recognizable faculty. No staff in sight.
Only Joseph.
"Gentlemen, if you'll follow me," Joseph said politely.
A secondary stream of water gracefully arched up beside them, forming a ladder that led toward a seating platform on the west side of the pond.
Nick Fury and Coulson exchanged wary looks.
Then climbed.
As they ascended the watery stairs, Fury kept his tone calm, though his voice dropped low.
"Coulson. Any idea where we are?"
"No signal, Director," Coulson whispered back. "Whatever energy surrounds this place, it's interfering with our systems. But judging by the field curvature and light positioning… we've moved. Far. This isn't the same geographical location."
Fury didn't react outwardly.
He had expected this.
"Space-wide teleportation," he muttered. "Not just people. They've moved the entire academy…"
Coulson had no comment.
There were no words to explain the magnitude of what they'd just witnessed.
"Keep observing," Fury said in a clipped tone. "We're here to understand just how powerful this new Xavier's School really is."
"Understood."
As they reached their seats, they noticed there were no desks or furniture—yet.
But before they could ask questions, Joseph's voice echoed across the field.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than ten enormous banquet tables appeared before the freshmen—long wooden tables with matching chairs, arranged in a semi-circle across the training grounds.
Even Fury and Coulson found an identical table manifesting in front of them.
"Whoa…" Coulson blinked.
Then came the food.
Roast beef, golden-brown chicken, sizzling sausages, lamb stew, buttered potatoes, fresh bread, fruits, cakes, puddings, and a full assortment of sparkling beverages—all appeared in a flourish.
Joseph's voice continued, gentle yet resonant: "You've waited all night. Let's not waste any more time. Eat well—your opening ceremony will begin shortly."
He gestured grandly, a smile playing at his lips.
"If I were wearing a long white robe, half-moon spectacles, and had a flowing beard," he chuckled, "you might mistake me for a certain wizard from another school."
The parents chuckled nervously.
The students, however, broke into excited grins.
"Please," Joseph said, "make yourselves at home. And to the parents of our incoming students—Xavier's School welcomes your families with open arms."
The invitation was clear and warm. With that, the crowd sat.
They didn't hesitate for long.
After a night spent outside the flaming crater, most were starving. Plates clinked. Conversations erupted.
At their own table, Coulson eyed a sausage with suspicion.
He reached for it, pausing just before taking a bite.
"Director… I didn't eat dinner tonight."
Fury sighed and rolled his eye. "We're here now. Eat."
Coulson didn't wait for a second order. He bit into the sausage with audible delight.
"Mmm—this is incredible!"
Fury silently cursed himself for allowing Coulson to speak.
Joseph, still floating above the water, smiled wider.
"While you enjoy your first meal," he said, his voice rising like a bell across the field, "allow me to introduce the faculty of the new Xavier's School."
He lifted his arm high.
"First—our founder. The man who sacrificed everything to create a sanctuary for Mutants in distress—Principal Charles Xavier!"
Boom!
A wave surged upward from the calm lake, and suspended within it was Charles Xavier, seated in his iconic wheelchair, looking mildly exasperated—but smiling.
"Welcome to the school," he greeted the students warmly.
"Dramatic as always…" Fury muttered under his breath, unimpressed by the theatrics.
But the students were not.
They knew Professor X.
They knew the stories. The sacrifices.
They dropped their utensils and clapped thunderously, applauding with sincerity and respect.
Joseph gestured again.
"And next—our extraordinary course instructor, Professor Jean Grey!"
A graceful woman emerged from a wall of mist, her presence regal and commanding.
The applause doubled.
"Professor Logan, combat instructor!"
Wolverine strode into view, a cigar clenched between his teeth, claws retracted. He gave a curt nod—and the crowd exploded.
Even Fury flinched at the volume.
"One hell of a fan club…" he muttered.
"And then," Joseph continued, introducing each of the remaining professors in turn:
Professor Scott Summers
Professor Ororo Munroe
Professor Hank McCoy
Professor Sean Cassidy
Each one appeared with a flourish, and each drew admiration from the crowd. Joseph didn't just list their names—he shared stories, accomplishments, and moments of heroism, reigniting the legacy of the X-Men.
Fury's sneer slowly faded.
He saw the effect.
This wasn't performance.
It was strategy.
Joseph wasn't just showing off. He was forging loyalty. A sense of pride. Belonging.
These students weren't just entering a school.
They were entering a movement.
Joseph's tone shifted.
"And now…"
He raised his left hand, pointing to the far left side of the lake.
"I present to you our first Vice Principal. Some of you may have heard his name. Others have admired him… or feared him. But starting today, he is part of this academy. Your mentor. Your instructor."
"Please welcome… Mr. Erik Lehnsherr!"
There was no surge of water this time.
Instead, a storm of metal whirled from the sky.
Steel beams and rods shot downward, slamming into the lake and forming a colossal metallic column. Atop it floated a solitary figure in a flowing cape, carried by an iron platform.
Magneto.
Gasps erupted from the students.
Every Mutant knew that name.
Nick Fury shot to his feet, face hardening.
"Impossible."
Professor X also looked shocked.
His eyes widened as he stared at his old friend—perhaps rival—standing on the pillar like a returning king.
"Erik…?"
He was speechless.
Joseph bringing Magneto here was one thing.
Magneto agreeing to come?
That was another entirely.
This was the man who had sworn to overthrow humanity. The same Magneto who had waged war against governments, crushed cities, and once swore Mutants would rule the earth by fire and blood.
And now…
He was a Vice Principal?
"F***…" Fury muttered under his breath.
His thoughts spiraled.
They'd known Magneto had escaped from Yue Prison.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been tracking his movements ever since. But this?
This wasn't just a defection. It was a paradigm shift.
Why would Magneto come here?
He glanced toward Professor X, only to find the same astonishment mirrored in the man's expression.
A chilling thought entered Fury's mind.
"Charles didn't know about this…"
Which meant—
Magneto joined for another reason.
Or more accurately…
Someone had convinced him.
Fury's one eye shifted toward the calm figure hovering in the center of the lake.
Joseph.
A tremor ran through his gut.
This man… wasn't just powerful.
He was changing history.
Back on the metallic column, Magneto's stern gaze swept over the audience.
And just like that, the field went silent.
The students—even the parents—froze.
No one dared speak.
"I am your Vice Principal," Magneto said coldly, "and adjunct professor."
He paused.
"Joseph says I'm old. That you are the future of our kind."
"I don't know if he's right."
His voice hardened.
"But if you're going to prove it, you'll have to earn it."
"If you slack, if you disobey—there will be discipline."
A low chuckle escaped his lips.
"And I assure you… even within the bounds of school policy, my punishments are not pleasant."
A mix of laughter and anxiety rippled through the students.
Magneto, the same man who once declared war on the world, was now standing in front of them, not as a dictator… but as a teacher.
A terrifying one, perhaps—but a teacher nonetheless.
The world had just shifted again.
And Joseph—smiling ever so slightly—stood at the center of it.
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