"Who is it?" Storm asked as she supported Jean Grey, who looked a little tired.
Jean shook her head. Although she had a guess, she couldn't be sure. She would only confirm it once the person appeared.
Harry followed the trail of flames, slowing down gradually as he descended toward where the fire had gathered.
"Hey! We meet again, everyone." Harry pressed down on the flying skateboard with his front foot and walked out from the trees.
"Mr. Osborn?" Storm looked up and saw Harry's familiar gear. Even though he wore a mask, his signature armor suit and the flying skateboard gave away his identity. The voice confirmed it—it was Harry Osborn.
"Oh, I'm glad Miss Ororo still recognizes me." Harry smiled. The mask on his head retracted automatically into the armor around his neck, revealing his face.
He stepped off the board, landing lightly on the ground. The flying skateboard then sank halfway into the earth with a metallic clang under his control.
Harry approached the group with an easy smile, but Magneto and Wolverine both looked at him coldly as he drew closer.
"I—" Harry began, but before he could finish—
A sharp metallic clang echoed.
"Ah!" Wolverine snarled, baring his teeth as six metal claws shot out from his hands. He lunged straight for Harry.
The others were startled by Logan's sudden attack, too slow to stop him. Magneto, who had been silently watching, was taken aback for a moment—then the corners of his mouth lifted faintly.
"Damn it!" Harry's smile froze. He immediately took a step back and raised his right hand, generating a magnetic field that pulled the embedded skateboard in front of him as a shield.
The claws sliced straight through the board with a screech of tearing metal.
Harry countered instantly. He leapt into the air and landed behind Wolverine. His light blade hadn't fully deployed yet, but the alloy blade he carried was sharp enough to pierce even superhuman flesh.
"Humph!"
The blade drove cleanly into Wolverine's chest, blood sliding down its edge.
"Who let this mad dog off his leash?" Harry muttered coldly, yanking out the blade and swinging it, leaving a red streak across the ground.
Wolverine staggered, clutching his chest. The heavy weight of the broken skateboard still hung from his claws, throwing off his balance. He stumbled and fell hard to the ground.
But Wolverine was Wolverine. His healing factor kicked in instantly. The wound closed in seconds, and he tore the damaged board free before charging again with a feral growl.
"Logan, don't!" Storm cried out, raising her hand—but he ignored her completely.
Harry sighed in irritation and raised one hand calmly toward the oncoming mutant. He no longer flinched like before; his magnetic field pulsed outward, locking onto the metal within Wolverine's body.
Wolverine froze mid-stride, his limbs trembling as if caught by invisible strings.
"This is…" The sensation of being unable to move sent a jolt of panic through him. It was all too familiar.
"It's you!" Logan growled, eyes blazing.
"I didn't do this," Magneto said, stepping forward with a slight wave of his hand, though his gaze flicked toward Harry, full of wary curiosity.
"Logan, stop causing trouble. I'm sorry, Mr. Osborn," Jean said quickly. "Logan just got… carried away because of what happened last time. Please forgive him." She turned to Harry with an apologetic nod.
Harry glanced down at Wolverine and smirked. The claw strike had cost him a perfectly good flying board—but looking at Logan's sorry state, he decided to let it go.
"For Dr. Jean's sake, I'll let you off this time." He withdrew his hand, releasing Wolverine from his control.
"Thank you," Jean said softly.
"Heh, I came because the students from Xavier's Academy found me. When I heard you were in danger, I came to help." Harry turned to Jean, but she averted her gaze.
"The students? You mean Piotr and Kitty? Mr. Osborn, they weren't captured, were they?" Storm asked urgently.
"Of course not. I arranged for them to rest at the Osborn headquarters," Harry said with a small smile.
"Oh, thank goodness." Storm let out a breath of relief. It was the first bit of good news since the attack on the academy.
"Miss Ororo, you should be thanking me," Harry teased lightly.
"Of course. Thank you, truly—you're a good man," Storm replied with a warm smile.
"You're welcome," Harry answered, smiling back.
"So, Mr. Osborn, are you here to assist us?" Jean asked.
"Yes," Harry replied simply.
"Hmph. We're not so helpless that we need outsiders," Wolverine growled, brushing past Harry as he stalked away.
"Sorry, Mr. Osborn. Logan's always like that—please don't take it personally," Jean said.
"It's fine. I've got a lot of respect for Professor X," Harry said calmly. "I just want to meet him."
"Mr. Osborn," Magneto said with a faint smile as he approached. He looked at Harry with the patient expression of an old master observing a promising student. "If I remember correctly, you once said you weren't a mutant."
"That's right. I'm not," Harry answered evenly.
"Oh, I see," Magneto replied with a small, knowing smile. He turned and walked away with Mystique beside him.
Harry watched them leave, frowning slightly before chuckling to himself. "Heh… looks like he misunderstood."
It seemed Magneto had mistaken him for a mutant—one unlike himself, but with a far stranger and more powerful kind of ability.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San