The Blackbird Jet fell into an uneasy silence.
Erik, Raven, and Wolverine exchanged bewildered glances, completely caught off guard by Charles's sudden transformation. Even Hank, who was piloting the jet up front, couldn't resist turning to steal glances back at them.
"Charles, do you really mean that?" Raven finally asked, her gaze fixed on him after a long pause.
Having grown up with Charles, Raven considered herself the person who knew him best in the world. That's why she was so utterly shocked. For a moment, she even suspected he might be an imposter.
For Charles, who had always been so eager to please ordinary humans, to suddenly change his attitude towards them was like the sun rising in the west.
But then she reconsidered: *Well, in the future, humans are about to wipe out all the mutants.*
It wasn't entirely surprising that this sudden, harsh realization had jolted Charles awake.
"They left me no choice!" Charles replied, his voice heavy with despair.
The truth of the repeated extermination of Mutants weighed on his heart like a mountain, suffocating him.
He truly didn't want to believe or accept this devastating fact, but no matter how much he resisted, it remained the truth.
"I'm so relieved you've finally come to this, Charles!" Erik exclaimed from the bottom of his heart. This was, without a doubt, the best news he had heard in years.
"They can never be like us. Never."
"They are our enemies!"
"And we must continue to fight them—for all of us!"
Erik felt a surge of power coursing through him. "Charles, join me. Just like before—let's fight together for our brothers and sisters!"
"Wait!"
Uncle Wolf couldn't stand it any longer. The more he watched, the more something felt wrong. "Charles, for years we've been comrades in arms, fighting side by side. But this version of you... you feel like a stranger."
"Logan, after learning everything, I'm no longer the same person I was."
"I've changed."
Charles spoke the truth.
"I know this is hard to accept right away, but... you don't actually agree with everything he's done, do you?"
Wolverine shot an uneasy glance at Erik standing nearby. He knew Magneto's actions intimately, having witnessed them firsthand in his future from fifty years ahead. Even with Professor X holding him back, Magneto had stirred up endless turmoil, orchestrating countless "game-changing incidents."
Wolverine shuddered to imagine what the world would look like if Professor X hadn't been there to restrain him. And the thought of Professor X and Magneto joining forces?
*Good God, just the thought makes my heart pound.*
"I don't know. My mind is a mess right now. I need time to sort through it all."
"I've always been dedicated to creating a better world for all our people."
"I've always been filled with hope."
"Though the path has been arduous, I've never wavered, never felt lost."
"But in this moment, I feel lost."
"For the first time in a long while, I don't know what to do."
Charles shook his head, unsure how to answer Wolverine's question.
The collapse of his faith was not something he could recover from in an instant.
"Charles."
Raven, seeing his state, wanted to comfort him. She had never seen him like this before.
But she opened her mouth and found herself at a loss for words.
This was Charles's domain, not hers.
"Jesus Christ, was coming here the right thing to do?"
Uncle Wolf grew increasingly uneasy.
From what they could see, Trask was safe, and Raven's DNA hadn't been leaked. The mission to reverse the future had likely succeeded perfectly.
But no one knew what the future would look like after the reversal!
Seeing Charles in such a state, Uncle Wolf felt a genuine sense of unease.
Amidst this eerie atmosphere, the group returned to Xavier's Mansion.
"Charles, I'm leaving."
After a brief rest, Erik approached Charles to bid farewell.
"But I truly hope you'll come to your senses soon. Sincerely."
"I look forward to the day we stand shoulder to shoulder again."
At the same time, Erik expressed his sincere hopes to Charles.
"Erik, what are your plans now?"
Charles pondered for a moment before turning the question back to Erik.
After all, the diary had long revealed Erik's intention to cause trouble in the Future Past plan.
He planned to use Sentinel Robots to assassinate America's top leaders, including the President.
In the past, Charles would have unhesitatingly tried to stop Erik.
But now?
Charles was in an extreme dilemma, completely unsure of what to do.
On one hand, his conscience told him that such actions were wrong.
Even if humanity was flawed, killing was not the answer.
Especially not killing so many people, including the President.
This extreme approach was like igniting a powder keg, threatening to tear human society apart.
It would only exacerbate the conflict between Mutants and ordinary humans, a disaster for both sides.
Yet on the other hand, Charles recalled the multiple tragic futures he had foreseen.
His methods had clearly proven ineffective. Why continue clinging to them?
What if his approach was fundamentally flawed?
"I've only just emerged, and there's much I don't understand," Erik's voice rang out, offering Charles a completely unexpected answer.
"So I think I need to settle in first."
*?*
Charles couldn't help but stare at Erik.
*He's not planning to cause trouble anymore?*
This contradicted what the diary had foretold.
But Charles knew Erik well. He wasn't one to lie.
After a moment's hesitation, Charles activated his ability to probe Erik's mind.
He confirmed that Erik was speaking from the heart.
He truly had no intention of using Sentinel Robots to assassinate the president or others.
Since that was the case, Charles no longer had to hesitate.
"You know, if you were willing to stay, I'd be delighted."
Charles extended a sincere invitation to Erik.
"Perhaps one day I will, Charles, but not now."
Erik waved dismissively at Charles and turned to leave without looking back.
Charles watched Erik's retreating figure, making no move to stop him.
Only after Erik had completely disappeared did he sink into contemplation.
Why had Erik changed his "behavior pattern"?
Could it be because they had saved Trask and prevented the butterfly effect Raven would have caused?
In fact, that was indeed the case.
The original Erik had decided to assassinate the president and his associates because the president planned to hold a press conference to warn the world about the Mutant threat.
The conference would also introduce the Sentinel Robot, a devastating weapon against Mutants.
This was tantamount to declaring war on Mutants.
Given Erik's nature, he couldn't possibly stand by and let such a thing happen.
So why had the president planned such a press conference in the first place?
It was simple.
Erik's actions threw everything into chaos.
Although he stopped Raven from assassinating Trask, he immediately tried to kill her on the spot.
However, Hank intervened, allowing Raven to escape.
And then what?
Erik, Raven, and Hank engaged in a spectacular, life-or-death chase outside the Royal Hotel.
Erik revealed his powers, and Hank transformed into a beast, resulting in a "spectacular" battle.
If this had happened elsewhere, it might have been contained. But the Paris Agreement was under intense global scrutiny at the time.
The area outside the Royal Hotel was already swarming with people, and major news outlets were swarming the scene.
The devastating consequences were self-evident.
The world now recognized the threat posed by Mutants.
Originally, the US government had refused to fund Trask's research, deeming it illegal and inhumane.
But now?
Thanks to Erik's "assistance," the US President personally approved Trask's Sentinel Robot program.
This led to all the subsequent events.
So yes, Erik was the one who caused the original *Days of Future Past* plan to go so awry.
But now?
Thanks to the intervention of Charles, Erik, and others, Raven has never appeared in anyone's eyes.
The battle between Erik and Hank never erupted.
The Paris Agreement proceeded smoothly, without any complications.
Naturally, no one paid attention to the Mutants.
The crucial press conference never occurred.
Compared to the original film, this iteration of the Days of Future Past plan went far more smoothly.
"Charles," Raven said, approaching him after Erik had left. "I want to know how you plan to deal with Trask. Don't tell me again about the consequences of his death. All I know is that he slaughtered countless of our people. We can't just stand by and do nothing."
In the past, Raven would never have come to ask for Charles's opinion.
But now, she saw a different Charles.
"Of course, we won't do nothing," Charles replied matter-of-factly.
Trask had played a pivotal role in the future where Mutants were exterminated.
And Stryker, who stood by Trask's side, was even more dangerous.
Charles didn't want to dwell on how his past self would have acted.
But now, with his changed mindset, he would no longer stand idly by.
"I told you they would get what they deserved. I wasn't just trying to fool you," Charles said solemnly to Raven.
"So, what's your plan?"
"Ah, that..."
Charles grinned slightly and revealed his plan to Raven.
Though Raven felt this still let Trask off too lightly, she couldn't fault Charles for keeping his word, so she didn't protest further.
And so,
In the days that followed, Charles, Raven, and Hank became deeply immersed in their work.
What work?
Naturally, it was about taking down Trask and Stryker.
With Charles's vast telepathic abilities and Raven's shapeshifting skills working in perfect harmony, all of Stryker and Trask's dark, underhanded dealings were brought to light.
The media seized on the story, and it immediately caused a massive uproar across the United States.
It's important to remember that at this time, the conflict between Mutants and ordinary humans hadn't yet escalated to its current intensity.
The American elite generally hadn't taken Mutants seriously, and the public even less so.
The sheer brutality of Stryker's inhumane human experiments sent shockwaves through society.
Both men were thrown into prison.
"Charles, I'm leaving."
After this incident, Raven also began to bid farewell to Charles.
"You're leaving too?"
Charles was deeply reluctant to see her go.
But he didn't try to stop her, knowing it would be futile. Raven was a woman of strong convictions.
Moreover, Charles didn't want to force her to do anything against her will.
"I have to go. Many of our people still need me. I need to do something for them."
Raven answered without hesitation, as this had always been her way.
"But I truly hope to see a different you—a completely renewed you."
Before leaving, Raven said this to Charles with great anticipation.
She could clearly see that Charles had changed.
Yet he still remained lost in confusion.
What kind of man would emerge after he finally found his way out of the fog? Raven didn't know.
But surely, he would be stronger than before, right?
"Now it's just the two of us left."
Watching Raven's retreating figure, Hank beside him sighed.
In the past few days, Xavier's Mansion had briefly buzzed with activity, but it had been too short-lived.
Erik and Raven were gone, and even the future Wolverine had left long ago.
The original Wolverine was as rude as ever, nearly beating Charles to a pulp before leaving, just as he had before.
He had returned to his own time and space.
As for what his future held, Charles had no idea.
*Still, I imagine there won't be any Sentinel Robots anymore, right?*
"It won't always be like this," Charles replied meaningfully to Hank.
He had regained his confidence and resolved to start working for mutants again.
Of that, there was no doubt.
The only thing troubling Charles was that he didn't know what path mutants should take next.
His previous approach had proven futile, but he still found Erik's methods too radical to accept.
Yet what other options did mutants have?
Charles fell into a long period of indecision, spending over a month without finding an answer.
This was too difficult.
"I'll ask that Superman guy!"
Finally, during a conversation with Tony, an Other-Dimensional netizen, he received a revelation.
"Even though your universe doesn't exist in his, he still has plenty of X-Men related works. Perhaps you can find the answer there."
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
" Superman in Marvel—Will I Get a Copyright Warning? "
" Marvel: Starting by Loading the Homelander Template "
" Marvel: Becoming an Emperor Through Lottery Draws "
" Marvel: Awakening the Power of a Million Stars at the Start "
" Marvel: I Am the Leader of the Mutant Race "
many more are available 136+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)