At the door, Charlie waited three minutes.
Right as the clock ticked down, a fully regrown Wade opened the door, grinning.
"Thanks for standing guard. I'm in my sage mode now."
Charlie's lip twitched as he eyed the guy. "You even patched up your suit?"
"Yup, quick, huh?"
"Not exactly something to brag about."
"Doesn't matter."
Wade activated his time-travel device. "Let's go play Tomb Raider."
"No way!"
Charlie stepped back. "You go first. I'll find you with a magic portal."
"Why?"
Wade paused, then smirked knowingly. "Oh, I get it. You wanna keep all your legs intact in case that cute girl comes looking for you. No awkward moments."
"You're the expert, huh? Hurry up."
"On it, my idol."
Wade triggered his device, vanishing in a faint glow.
Charlie kicked aside the middle leg Wade left behind, then drew a circle, magic sparks flaring. Wade's image flashed in his mind.
Buzz~
Stepping through the portal, he found himself in a desolate graveyard in the wilderness.
"You sure this is the place?" he asked Wade.
Wade scratched his rear. "Dead certain. Let's start here!"
He randomly picked a grave and started digging.
"Wait, hold up."
Charlie's gaze landed nearby. Two graves had already been unearthed, their bones long gone.
He crouched by one, inspecting the disturbed soil. "Looks like it's been a while."
Wade grabbed a handful of dirt, chewed it, and nodded. "About half a month."
Charlie grimaced at Wade's lack of decorum. "Disinfect your gut later."
"I know, with laundry detergent."
Wade picked at his teeth. "If I'm right, these are your guys. Who else would pull off something this shameless besides us?"
Charlie pondered. "Starting the mutant era… are they trying to resurrect Magneto and Professor X?"
He shook his head. "Nah, no way. Not even gods could pull that off."
Wade stood. "Can't just sit around. Let's ask the Sorcerer Supreme."
He pulled a bill from his crotch. "My last pocket money. Use it wisely."
"Cheapskate."
Charlie swatted away Wade's grimy hand and opened a portal.
Buzz~
Magic sparks bloomed, but the other side was a gray void.
Charlie: "…"
"The Ancient One's ghosting me," he muttered.
Wade pocketed his bill, hitching up his pants. "Guess it's up to me then."
He activated his device again. "I'll go straight to the big boss, see if we can chat. No leads at all? The audience'll get bored."
"Audience?"
A chilling breeze swept through, and Charlie glanced at the silent graveyard, a shiver running down his spine. "You hear that?"
Wade froze. "Hear what?"
"Something weird."
"Didn't hear a thing."
Wade turned slowly. "But I see it!!"
He screamed and bolted. Charlie followed.
Behind them, the quiet graveyard erupted. Eerie skeletal claws burst from the earth, bone corpses crawling out, their eyes glowing with green flames that merged into a sinister sea of fire.
Under the ghastly green light, the red-and-blue figure swung to a treetop.
Below, Wade clung to the trunk, inching up like a worm, then froze, letting out an odd moan.
"Ah~ I'm done."
Charlie, about to offer a hand: "…"
As a horde of undead closed in, he thought for a second, then kicked Wade off the tree and formed hand signs.
Buzz~
His figure blurred, and seven clones shot downward like dazzling meteors.
"Friendly Neighborhood Nuclear Kick!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Meteor Leg!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Flying Kick!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Bomber!"
"Friendly Neighborhood—oh shit, you took all the names! I'm pissed!"
BOOM!!
The graveyard drowned in endless magic energy. Explosions roared, the eerie green light shattered, and the surroundings rippled like a mirage.
Crack, crack…
As the forest fractured into countless glass-like shards, Charlie's expression shifted. His eyes narrowed, focusing.
Gradually, he glimpsed a blurry figure in the fragments.
"Spider-Man, you can't save the world like this. As a superhero, you're scared of these pitiful corpses? You're a failure."
The figure sharpened—a young, bald man with a stern face, staring straight at Charlie.
Recognizing the familiar face, Charlie raised a brow. "Charles, or should I say Professor X?"
Charles' expression didn't waver. "Just Charles for now."
He continued, "I can't read your memories, but in my psychic prison, all your flaws are exposed. You're trapped."
Charlie crossed his arms, smirking. "So, what's the plan? Beat Spider-Man and save the world?"
"I just want world peace."
Charles' face grew grave. "I've learned the source of all chaos is Spider-Man. Trap your mind, your body won't die, and you can't keep getting stronger.
Without Spider-Man, the world will know true peace."
"Who told you that?" Charlie asked suddenly.
Charles looked skyward, reverent. "A god told me."
Charlie shrugged. "Did that god also tell you that, aside from Spider-Man, the more you talk in moments like this, the more danger you're in?"
"What?"
Charles froze, then felt a sharp pain below.
Stab…
"NO!!"
He clamped his legs together, collapsing in agony as the world around him crumbled.
Wade, yanking out his baby blade, cackled triumphantly. "Hahaha, little baldy, messing with Blade's a risky move!"
He lifted half his mask, savagely licking the blood off the blade.
In his mind, he looked beyond brutal.
Charlie: "…"
He hesitated. "Uh, just a heads-up, that blade just… went there."
Wade froze. "No biggie. I'll gargle some mouthwash later."
As Charles' world collapsed, Charlie's vision darkened, and he was back in the graveyard.
Before him, a young Charles wailed on the ground.
Nearby, a buzz-cut guy helped Charles up, glaring at Charlie and Wade with fury.
"You hurt Charles. You'll pay!!"
He gritted his teeth, about to act, but Charles stopped him.
"Leave now. We can't kill him, and we mustn't."
"But—"
"Go!"
"Fine."
The buzz-cut guy waved, manipulating underground metal into a barrier as they fled.
Charlie calmly watched them go, no intent to pursue.
Even without Apocalypse's enhancements, catching those two wouldn't be easy.
Wade, eyeing the vanishing blood on his blade, scratched his head. "Was that an illusion? I didn't even hit him?"
"Let's hope he's not in a wheelchair because of you."
Charlie smirked, stepping through a portal.
"Wait up."
Wade hurried after. "Those were young Magneto and Professor X?"
"Probably."
"They're supposed to be dead in this world. Resurrected?"
"Who knows!"
Back at the apartment, Charlie gazed out the window.
In the night sky, a streak of light shot across the wilderness.
Watching it fade, Charlie smiled faintly. "The Spider-Man-centric universe is getting lively. I'm pumped."
"For what?" Wade asked, gargling mouthwash.
"For the fated rival."
Charlie lowered his head, the spider emblem on his chest faintly glowing.