New York, 1973.
It was a time of prosperity.
Skyscrapers stood tall and close together, massive and ornate airships drifted across the city's blue skies, and tens of thousands of cars weaved through the broad, orderly roads. The bustling streets were filled with throngs of people.
But it was also a time of suppression.
The Cold War continued. The United States was still mired in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Everyone from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters had been forcibly drafted—except for Professor X and Hank.
"Sir, that'll be 35 cents," said a shoeshine boy who had just finished polishing a man's shoes.
"Why the price hike? I'm only giving you 20 cents," the middle-aged man in a suit grumbled, tossing a few coins down before trying to walk away.
"Sir, the price went up a week ago. I told you last time. Please pay the full 35 cents," the boy quickly blocked his way.
But the man pushed him down to the ground without hesitation.
"Out of my way. Do you have any idea how valuable my time is? Giving you 20 cents is already charity. Back in the day, you'd be lucky to get 10…"
The man kept rambling as if it was the boy who was being ungrateful.
The child stared dazedly at the sky.
"What are you looking at…?"
Curious, the man glanced upward as well—and his expression froze in shock.
Others around them also turned their gazes skyward, intrigued.
A black crack had appeared in the sky, stretching and spreading outward.
More and more people noticed the unnatural sight.
Suddenly, the sky shattered.
A fiery phoenix appeared above New York City.
Trailing behind it was a colossal warship that burst forth.
But in the blink of an eye, everything vanished.
"Did you see that?" someone exclaimed.
"I saw it!" another responded.
"It wasn't a hallucination. The sky just broke apart. A mythical bird appeared—along with a giant spaceship!"
"That was an Eastern phoenix!"
"Don't be stupid. If it shows up in the United States, then it's a divine bird!"
All of New York buzzed with debate.
Many who had captured photos of the phenomenon rushed to the nearest newspaper offices. It was big news—worth at least a thousand dollars.
The Demon King warship was still hovering in the sky, but now cloaked in stealth mode. With the technology of this era, unless touched directly, it was completely undetectable.
"We're back," Professor X murmured.
Through the observation window, he gazed at the blue sky and blinding sun with tears welling up in his eyes.
"Charles…"
Both Professor X and Charles turned their heads at the same time.
Eric's hand had turned somewhat transparent. And it wasn't just him—every mutant who had come from the future, except for the younger ones, was experiencing the same phenomenon.
The more knowledgeable among them immediately understood the cause.
"What's happening?"
Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) cried out in panic as she watched Iceman vanish beside her.
"Time has its own mechanism for correcting itself," Dr. Zola said calmly. "Because they already existed in this past timeline, having two identical individuals at once forces one version to be erased."
Iceman was facing death, but he forced himself to smile and turned to comfort Kitty.
"Don't worry, Kitty. Please take care of yourself."
"No… No! Don't leave me!"
She reached out to grab him, but her arms passed right through—she fell to the ground sobbing.
Elsewhere, Blink could only watch helplessly as the professor's body also began to fade away, turning translucent before slowly vanishing into thin air.
Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"Professor… sob… sob…"
Her cries were filled with such grief they could break a heart.
"It's alright… I was due for a rest anyway."
Professor X's eyes flickered with reluctance, sorrow… but finally, peace.
Magneto took off his helmet and tossed it to Erik.
"Do me a favor. Give this to the me of this era… and tell him to go to 253 Qujing Street."(Note: That's Quicksilver's home address—completely fictional, after fifty years he should be aware of his identity.)
The room was filled with sobs. Everyone was engulfed by grief.
Even the mutants from Kino's side couldn't hold back their tears.
"Are you done watching yet? If you don't act, they really will die."
Tony Stark's voice cut through the crying.
The sobbing paused for a beat.
"How do you know I have a way to save them? I'm just a consciousness now. My real body is still in the original world," Kino replied.
"I've always believed in you! No matter the challenge, you've never let us down!" Tony said.
The others nodded in agreement, all eyes filled with hope as they turned to Kino.
Kino paused for a moment, then pulled a face of mild disgust.
"Honestly, having a grown man whisper sweet nothings at me isn't touching at all—it just makes me feel… gross."
Kitty Pryde ran over at that moment and knelt in front of Kino.
"Leader, please save them! I'll do anything you ask! I'm begging you!"
The other mutants were also preparing to kneel.
After fifty years of fighting side by side, they were more family than friends.
A red flash sparked from Kino's hand, and instantly the kneeling mutants stood upright again.
"Don't panic. I can't stop the time-erasure right now… but—"
Kino waved his hand and released several rune symbols. The transparent bodies were absorbed into the runes, each shooting off in a different direction.
"I've preserved their consciousness. They'll merge with their younger selves in this era. Can you handle having a boyfriend who's still in elementary school?" Kino smirked.
Kitty burst into laughter through her tears, wiping her eyes.
"Thank you, Leader. I always did want him to call me 'Big Sis.'"
Tony gave a thumbs-up.
"Knew you had it covered."
"Yeah, yeah… save the flattery. We've got to move fast—this world won't last much longer."
Kino looked up at the sky, his expression turning solemn.
The rune symbols passed through walls and merged with various individuals:
—In front of a drunk Professor X, his body suddenly stiffened. His weary, hollow expression shifted to a soft smile.
"Looks like I'm far from getting any rest."
—In prison, Magneto opened his eyes and felt his young body. He clenched his fist with renewed vigor.
—At school, Iceman paused as he was being scolded, then punched the classmate who had just bullied him.
"Did that hurt?"
"Wahhh, teacher! Bobby hit me!"
"Yeah… it hurts. I'm definitely not dreaming."
—Elsewhere, Colossus, Sunspot, Storm… all suddenly froze while playing with their siblings, a flicker of awareness returning to their eyes.
— — —
The once-glorious school for gifted youngsters now lay half-abandoned, the air thick with decay and time's corrosion.
"Hank."
Beast, who was deeply engrossed in his chemical experiments, sighed as he turned around.
"Charles, don't tell me you're out of booze again? You know drinking like this every day is really—"
He froze.
Standing behind him was not the usual drunken, slumped Charles Xavier.
No, this Charles wore an elegant, perfectly tailored suit he hadn't donned in years.
The weariness once etched into his face by alcohol was gone, replaced with gentle brightness and a familiar smile.
The real Professor X had returned.
"Charles… You're back," Beast said cautiously.
"No," Professor X smiled warmly. "I'd say… I have returned."
Quote of the Chapter:"Time does not erase who we are; it merely waits for us to remember."
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/AZFANFICTION
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AZofficial
This fanfiction is 90-chapter ahead and also this fanfic is 90 chapters ahead there