Of course, Herman didn't bother to read Jean Grey's inner thoughts.
"Kitty has a cheerful personality, so you should get along well with her. Just remember—don't go bullying your new classmates."
Herman recalled Shadowcat, the sweet-faced, petite girl. He ruffled Wanda's hair as he spoke, reminding her gently. Truth be told, Wanda's combat ability was far from weak, even by this academy's standards.
"I won't bully anyone."
Wanda pouted as she answered, but she seemed to enjoy Herman's hand in her hair, her little head even rubbing against his palm on its own.
To someone watching from the outside, she might have looked like a cat.
"I think so too. Wanda's a good child—she wouldn't pick on anyone weaker than herself."
This—this was what people called the bond across generations.
Just look at Professor Charles. His behavior right now was the perfect example.
"Big brother, do you know my new roommate too?" Wanda asked curiously. She knew almost nothing about Shadowcat, Kitty.
"She's the female lead from The Boys—the one whose girlfriend was killed in that accident."
The moment Herman said it, Wanda remembered.
She had watched The Boys, and like everyone else, felt sympathy for the girl named Hughie.
"So it's that petite girl! She's really my roommate?"
In an instant, Wanda felt excited about her upcoming life at the academy. Not because she assumed Shadowcat was also a lesbian in real life, but because she thought a girl with that kind of personality would be a wonderful friend.
At her old school, Wanda had seen plenty of behind-the-scenes footage from TV shows, so she also knew what many of the cast and crew were like off-camera.
"By the way, have you received the investment returns for The Boys?" Herman remembered the contract he had signed with Professor Charles.
"I don't really care about money," Charles said calmly, making it clear he was wealthy enough that profits meant little to him.
Well.
Owning a castle did give a man confidence.
Of course, Herman had no intention of embezzling the money anyway. Ever since acquiring Umbrella Corporation, he no longer needed such means to make a profit.
"You mentioned another child. How is he?" Charles asked, shifting the topic to Wanda's brother, Quicksilver.
"He doesn't want to study. No amount of persuasion works. But he's doing just fine with me, so you don't need to worry about him."
Herman kept his answer brief.
"I trust you'll take good care of him."
Charles nodded.
"My brother's living the easy life. Spends his days reading all sorts of random books, and every night he sneaks out for late-night snacks."
Wanda jumped in, adding more detail, which reassured Charles further.
Reading nonsense was still better than running wild outside… and Charles didn't even need to peek into her mind to know what kind of books Quicksilver liked.
After all—who hadn't been young once?
"I promise I'll guide her well… just as you expect. She'll learn how to use her powers—and, more importantly, how to control them."
Charles made the promise with gravity.
"Do you really understand her powers?"
Herman felt the need to warn him. Wanda wasn't simply a mutant. Yes, she had inherited her father Magneto's mutant genes, but her greatest strength came from something else—the terrifying force of Chaos Magic.
Chaos Magic, the root of all sorcery, the most ancient and independent form of magic. It was the impossible made real, the strange—the life flame's burning, the universe's earliest accidents, and the primal light of cognition.
It existed within good and evil, within pure creation and destruction, within the wheel of life and death—or even beyond them.
It represented infinite possibility.
Even the Phoenix Force within Jean Grey could hardly match it.
The most common manifestation of Chaos Magic was the rewriting of reality itself. Scarlet Witch could bend existence with ease.
That single line—"No more mutants"—had once shaken Marvel fans to their core.
Herman hoped Charles understood just how extraordinary Wanda truly was.
Only then could he teach her properly.
"Infinite possibilities, right?"
Professor Charles' eyes shone with wisdom. He might not have known what Chaos Magic was, but he could clearly sense just how terrifying Wanda's power was.
Omega-level.
The pinnacle of mutant classification, a future far greater than his own.
"Mhm."
Herman nodded.
It was enough that Charles could recognize this much... As for that line about there being "no more mutants," Herman wisely chose not to mention it. No need to frighten the old man.
For all his insight, Charles' understanding of the true horrors of the Marvel universe was still only skin-deep.
Knock, knock, knock~
Just then, a knocking sound came from outside.
Herman saw a man covered head to toe in fur, with the hulking frame of a beast, carrying another burly man into the office.
Hank McCoy, The Beast.
A mutant scientist and a teacher at the school.
Wanda's eyes widened, startled by his leonine appearance—it was her first time seeing a mutant who looked so much like an animal.
"His condition isn't good."
Hank spoke directly to Charles after entering. But when his eyes fell on Herman and Wanda, two strangers, hesitation flickered across his face.
It looked as if he wasn't sure whether to say what came next.
"Don't worry, Hank. Both he and this girl are people we can trust." Charles quickly reassured him.
"But…"
Hank wasn't wary of Wanda, the little girl. His hesitation was all in the way he kept glancing toward Herman. Toward the "Homelander."
Of course.
As a teacher here, Hank was well aware of the rumors swirling around the school.
"I'll take Wanda and you to see the dorms first."
Jean Grey spoke up, stepping forward. She shot a worried glance at the mutant Hank carried, but still led Herman and Wanda out of the office.
Even though she wanted desperately to know the condition of her fellow mutant...
Right now, all she could do was defuse the tension.
Herman, for his part, didn't mind Hank's attitude. He understood the Beast's caution. To Xavier's school, he was still an outsider.
"It's him."
In truth, Herman had already guessed the situation the moment he saw who Hank was carrying. The man was none other than one of Marvel's most beloved characters.
The only X-Man who fought until the very end—Logan, the Wolverine. The old soldier who had lived far too long was likely just recently discovered by the school.
Hank's hesitation, even after Charles vouched for Herman, likely came from fear that Herman might learn Logan's secret—that he was effectively immortal.
And Hank, being a scientist, knew better than anyone just how dangerous such knowledge could be. People would commit the wildest atrocities for a chance at eternal life.
But really...
Herman thought Hank was overthinking it. Would a Firstborn God waste a thought on immortality? He could casually live a hundred thousand years if he wished.
If his power advanced further, reaching the level of Eternity itself wasn't out of the question—and that was without accounting for any other identities he might gain in the future.
Covet a healing factor?
Not a chance.
As a Firstborn God, his only concern was the classic problem of "filial piety gone wrong." After all, in every pantheon, it seemed the king of gods always feared giving birth to a troublesome heir.
Back before transmigrating, Herman had even played a game about Greek mythology. The protagonist, upholding that very tradition, slaughtered his entire family.
And when that wasn't enough, after having a son, he went on to wipe out the entire Norse pantheon—the one tied to the child's mother.
"This way."
Jean Grey led Herman and Wanda to a dormitory building. From the looks of it, the living conditions for students at Xavier's were excellent.
The standalone dorms had sports fields and fitness areas outside, and the interiors were more luxurious than many elite schools that charged outrageous tuition fees.
Jean brought them to a room on the sixth floor.
But her mind was clearly unsettled.
"If you're worried about that mutant's condition, you can go back and check," Herman said, catching on to her unease.
Before her darker days, this woman had always cared deeply for her fellow mutants.
"Thank you. I'll be back soon."
Jean gave Herman a grateful look. After leading them to the room, she turned to Wanda with a warm smile, welcoming her into the family—then hurried back toward Charles' office.
However…
The scene she had imagined—her comrades in need of urgent rescue—wasn't there.
The unconscious mutant, whose condition was said to be dire, was nowhere in sight. And Beast, Hank himself, who had carried him into the school, had also vanished.
Jean Grey's eyes filled with confusion as she turned toward Professor Charles, who stood silently by the window.
"Didn't you help the new student get familiar with her surroundings?"
Professor Charles looked out over the green lawn, where groups of mutant students played happily. His eyes were deep, his expression gentle, as if lost in some fond memory. Without even turning, he already knew the person who had entered behind him was Jean Grey.
"I'm a little worried about the situation here."
Jean Grey walked up beside him, puzzled—only to notice the photo of Wanda in Charles' hand.
It was the same one Herman had given him during his first visit. She hadn't expected Charles to have kept it all this time.
"You're a little too indulgent with that child, aren't you?" Jean finally couldn't hold back and spoke.
She had never seen Professor Charles show such favoritism toward a student before.
"I've looked into her background. She and her brother grew up without parents. My old friend didn't even seem to know he had two children."
"They were born in a country torn by chaos. Their mother died in the war. I'm only doing what my old friend never did—shouldering the responsibility he left behind."
"She's been starved of affection. I'm glad she and her brother happened to meet our Homelander—it proves my judgment wasn't wrong."
"She's been living happily lately." Charles' voice was calm and warm, carrying a natural reassurance, the kind that inspired trust.
It was the kind of aura cultivated after years as a teacher. But that didn't mean his words were absolute truth.
Jean Grey could hear the bias in every word.
"Fine. It's your school, so whatever you say goes." Jean once again marveled at the frightening power of best friends.
Fulfilling someone else's responsibility?
He was practically treating another man's child as his own! She knew there was no changing Professor Charles' mind.
At least, the girl who came with Herman really did seem obedient. With a temperament like that, it was unlikely her special treatment would cause trouble.
"What about the mutant that was brought back?" Jean asked, remembering the one who needed medical care. Her expression grew serious again.
"Logan's fine. All he needs is a good rest."
Professor Charles' words finally allowed Jean Grey to breathe a sigh of relief.
"This comrade wasn't killed—that's at least good news."
Though Jean Grey's tone carried relief, her weary, anxious expression made it clear she was still troubled.
"Has there been any word from Colossus and the others?"
Herman had already noticed the root of Jean Grey's poor mood. In truth, even many of the students had sensed something unusual.
Colossus and Cyclops had been gone on a mission for a long time. The students could still convince themselves that the mission simply required more time.
However, the teachers knew better.
Something unforeseen had gone wrong. Jean Grey's premonitions were grim. Recently, she had been tormented by nightmares of Colossus and the others dying miserably.
In those dreams, Colossus, Angel, Fireman, Cyclops—all of them writhed and screamed in a black mire, a hellish scene that left Jean Grey waking in a cold sweat time and again.
Now, even recalling those dreams sent wild flickers through her eyes, her emotions clearly surging out of control.
"You need to keep your emotions in check. Don't let them take hold of your mind."
Professor Charles immediately intervened, helping to calm her psyche.
In the entire school, only Charles knew the truth of Jean Grey's situation. At ten years old, she had lost her best friend in an accident. Her grief triggered her powers, but the strength within her was far too great to control. Her parents had no choice but to send her to Charles' academy.
With his guidance, Jean slowly learned to control her powers and eventually became one of the X-Men. Yet Charles had also discovered something else—an unfathomable force within her that even he feared.
To keep it from harming or consuming Jean, Charles had spent years using his own powers to help suppress that terrible force.
But, as Jean continued to grow stronger, Charles was reaching his limits. That force was unlike anything he had ever encountered, and he had no idea what would happen if it were ever released.
"I'm fine."
Jean felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, but otherwise no discomfort. The nightmares, however, continued to flash in her mind from time to time.
"Should I go search for them?"
Jean's worry for her teammates gnawed at her.
"Your condition has worsened lately. You need to remain here, under constant protection. I'll send others to check the island."
"But they're no longer in that area. I can still sense their minds somewhere on Earth, but I can't establish a direct connection with them yet."
Even Charles' expression showed unease.
He couldn't perceive everything, and even knowing something was wrong, he still couldn't pinpoint their location.
Fortunately, he could still feel their psychic presence.
As long as their minds still resonated.
It meant they hadn't yet perished.
Charles chose to believe the worst hadn't happened. Perhaps Colossus and the others had simply stumbled into some unknown event.
The Earth held many hidden places and buried ruins of ages past. Charles suspected they might have been trapped in one of them.
And his guess wasn't without reason.
But…
Was that really the truth?
At this very moment, not even Charles could know.
Not even Herman, who knew the Marvel world better than most, could have predicted it.
For with the flap of a butterfly's wings, the chain of fate had already shifted.
A mutant apocalypse was looming on the horizon. The deaths of Colossus and the others would be the spark that lit it.
And the only reason Charles could still sense them was because...
Sometimes…
Death does not mean release.