Professor Xavier's first instinct had been to simply invite them to join the school as students or instructors. It was his standard approach—offer sanctuary, offer purpose, offer community. But something told him that would be deeply disrespectful to their obvious strength and experience.
More importantly, he had a gut feeling that saying anything even remotely condescending to Hela would result in something very, very bad happening to him.
So he chose his words carefully.
Before he could speak, Elric broke the silence.
"Professor, we'd love to help in the future, but today we came here with a different goal." Elric's tone was friendly but direct. "Some time ago, I sensed a powerful energy entering Earth's atmosphere. Given the nature of that energy, I suspect it might be connected to one of your students. We came to check it out, if you don't mind."
Why would they come here specifically? he thought of some possibilities.
Perhaps they had simply learned about his school—a gathering place for mutants came here to take a look. That made sense.
Or perhaps they belonged to some hidden organization he wasn't aware of and came to invite him.
He considered his options and made a decision.
"No problem," Xavier said, inclining his head slightly. "You can investigate as long as it doesn't harm any of the students. I hope you understand that their safety is my primary concern."
Elric looked mildly surprised. "Oh, you agreed so easily?"
Xavier smiled faintly. "You've been honest with me so far. I appreciate that. And frankly, if you intended harm, I doubt there's much I could do to stop you anyway. Better to cooperate and ensure everyone's interests align."
He thought that he'd need to nudge Hela to intimidate me into agreement.
They began walking toward the mansion's main entrance, Xavier's wheelchair moving smoothly across the gravel path.
"But, Mr. Elric," Xavier said carefully, "can you tell me, if possible, what your origin is? I mean, are you from any mysterious organization?"
"No," Elric replied, seeming genuinely puzzled. "Why would you think that?"
"Mainly because it doesn't look like you or Miss Hela awakened your powers recently," Xavier explained. "The level of control you demonstrate suggests years, perhaps decades of experience. So I'm wondering—as a fellow mutant—why you chose to keep out of all these matters until now, suddenly showing up."
Elric's expression became more serious, and he exchanged a brief glance with Hela before responding.
"You misunderstand us, Professor. We're just normal people living our normal lives. What's happening to mutant-kind is unfortunate, truly, but please forgive me—we're not from America. We really don't care what's happening to mutants specifically in this country."
"If we hadn't sensed that huge energy entering Earth, we really wouldn't have come here to bother you. We have our own concerns, our own lives. This is a special circumstance, not us suddenly deciding to involve ourselves in here."
Charles Xavier quickly processed this information, and understanding dawned.
Because of Magneto's recent actions, mutants had finally come into full view of the general public. And many organizations had started going after mutants with disturbing intensity.
But most of that persecution was concentrated in the United States and, to a lesser extent, Western Europe.
It was still the 1980s. Weapons technology wasn't advanced enough to easily deal with powerful mutants. Many smaller countries simply lacked the infrastructure and resources to mount effective campaigns against enhanced individuals. In some places, mutants had actually taken control, establishing their own communities or even ruling overtly.
He couldn't say that mutants outside America were living perfectly well, but they were definitely better off than here.
So he could understand Elric's position. Just thirty years ago, how many millions of people had killed each other in World War II? Nations that had nothing to do with each other's conflicts still got drawn in, still suffered. But some remained neutral, focused on their own survival.
Why should these people be any different? They didn't owe mutants anything. It was logical, even if it stung to hear.
As they walked through the entrance hall—students parting to let them pass, curious eyes following the strangers—Elric spoke again.
"But Professor, have you ever thought about establishing a country only for mutants?"
Xavier's wheelchair stopped abruptly.
Elric watched Xavier's face carefully. He knew Wolverine had already come back from the future—the events of Days of Future Past should have occurred or were occurring. Charles should know what was coming. The Sentinels. The genocide. The apocalyptic future where both mutants and humans were hunted to extinction.
He was genuinely curious. Even after learning about that future, why did the Professor still proceed on his current path?
A normal person, after learning about a future where everyone they loved was killed and humanity was destroyed, should try to change that future with all their might. They should take drastic action, make hard choices, do whatever necessary to prevent that dark timeline.
But Xavier hadn't. Or rather, he had tried to change things, but only within the constraints of his own idealistic philosophy.
He don't know what happened to Charles's brain, Elric thought, unkindly. When it comes to important matters, he just waits stupidly for the same future, where all mutants are wiped out.
Creating their own country—it wasn't as if Xavier had never thought about it.
"It's just—" Xavier began, his voice heavy with complexity.
But before he could fully articulate his thoughts, Elric suddenly stiffened, his head snapping toward a specific direction.
"Found you," he said quietly.
His eyes had locked onto one student among the many in the entrance hall. A young girl, no more than 17 or 18 years old, with vibrant red hair and green eyes. She stood near the staircase, holding a textbook, looking slightly confused by all the commotion.
Jean Grey.
Without waiting for permission, without any hesitation, Elric moved.
Jean started to turn, sensing something wrong, but she was too slow.
His palm rested directly over her heart, and his eyes closed as he focused his senses inward, reaching past the physical, past the mental, into the deeper reality that existed beneath.
He searched for the Phoenix Force, for that cosmic fire that should be sleeping within her, waiting to awaken.
inside Jean Grey, he found... nothing.
No Phoenix Force. No cosmic entity sleeping in the depths of her soul. No fragment of infinite power waiting to manifest.
Just a young girl with incredibly powerful but entirely natural telepathic and telekinetic abilities.
"Disappointing but expected,"
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