Once upon a time, Charles, Erik, and Alex had been the closest of friends and comrades-in-arms. They trusted one another, fought side by side, and together thwarted Shaw's conspiracy.
Back then, though their beliefs differed, they supported each other and pressed forward as a team…
But now, their paths had diverged. Each walked a different road — roads so vastly different that they could barely recognize the people they used to be.
This was their first reunion after all that time. For Charles, it was a bittersweet moment.
"Charles, Sean, Alex Summers!"
Alex gave a slight nod to his former comrades and greeted them calmly.
"Hey, Alex!"
Banshee and Havok also gave Alex a quick greeting.
Though it felt a little awkward, even strained, they couldn't hide the excitement on their faces.
They had chosen to follow Charles, which came with a tinge of guilt. Still, deep down, they were glad to see Alex again.
"Charles, tell me — what are you doing here?"
Erik's voice rang out, his sharp gaze fixed on Charles.
"I think we both know exactly why I came," Charles said meaningfully.
It was true.
Charles, like Erik and Alex, had come because of this new mutant.
But another, perhaps even greater, reason was to stop Erik.
The situation for mutants was already bad enough. Charles couldn't just stand by and let Erik make it worse.
In fact, while this was the first time Alex had seen Charles since they split, Erik had already run into him more than once.
Erik had been stirring up trouble everywhere lately. Charles had intervened several times before.
This was not their first confrontation.
"Charles, you've seen how our people are treated. Isn't that enough to wake you up?" Erik asked, clearly disappointed.
"Erik, lashing out at humans won't solve anything — it'll only deepen the divide!" Charles replied firmly.
"So what? We're just supposed to let our brothers and sisters be abused?" Erik sneered.
He couldn't be bothered to keep arguing.
He and Charles had gone in circles too many times. Every time was just wasted breath.
Erik had already given up trying to convince him.
Charles was beyond saving. Talking was pointless now.
Fine, let him be.
Erik ignored Charles and led his followers toward the large green "cocoon" ahead.
Charles and Alex didn't say anything more either. All three eventually gathered in front of Yamato.
"Come out, child. You're safe now."
Erik called out to the young mutant inside the cocoon.
Crack, crack, crack—
The vines and tendrils forming the cocoon began to unravel and fade.
A teenager, maybe seventeen or eighteen, emerged into view.
He'd seen everything through the cracks — he knew the people outside were mutants too, and they had come to rescue him.
"Whoa! That was so cool!"
He glanced at the police officers frozen mid-motion, guns floating in the air around them. His voice was filled with awe and excitement.
"Trust me, kid," Charles said softly, "this isn't cool at all."
If he had the choice, he would never use his powers this way — especially not to manipulate others.
"I'm Erik. What's your name?" Erik asked the boy.
"Vincent. Vincent Colfer."
Standing among his kind, Vincent felt safe and spoke without hesitation.
"Well, Vincent, I'm Charles Xavier," Charles said with a warm smile.
"Alex," Alex said, giving him a short nod.
"Hi, Erik, Charles, Alex… Are you here to take me away?"
There was a flicker of hope in Vincent's eyes.
"Yes, child. But you can only go with one of us," Charles said, a trace of nostalgia in his voice.
This reminded him of the old recruitment days at the CIA base.
Back then, he, Erik, and Alex would all bring new mutants back together.
But now, things had changed. The boy would have to choose.
"That's right, kid," Erik added. "We can all protect you, give you shelter — but you can only come with one of us."
"Make your choice, Vincent."
Vincent wasn't stupid. He could tell the three of them weren't on the same side, despite knowing each other.
He fell silent, deep in thought.
His eyes swept over Charles, Erik, and finally Alex.
In the end, his gaze landed on Alex.
"Can I go with you, Alex?" Vincent asked, full of expectation.
His answer surprised all three of them — Charles, Erik, and Alex.
Out of the three, Alex didn't look like the strongest or safest choice.
He was younger, less commanding than Charles or Erik.
Erik had just put on a flashy display with his magnetic powers. Charles had shown off his telepathy.
But Alex? He hadn't even demonstrated his powers. He came alone, with no entourage.
To an outsider, Charles or Erik would seem like the obvious picks.
But Vincent chose Alex.
"Alex?" Erik blinked in surprise. He looked at Vincent curiously. "Mind telling us why?"
"Because Alex can fly! That's insanely cool! I mean, you two are cool too, but there's no contest — he's the coolest!"
Vincent said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Charles: "..."
Erik: "..."
Alex: "..."
That's the reason? Seriously?
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