Greetings old fans and new ones! This is my first X-men fic and I'll be clear on a few things so you can understand where I am coming from. This fic is an alternate storyline of sorts to the movie X-men Three: The Last Stand. I won't give out any spoilers save that the story in and of itself will be very, very interesting if you are into mutant history and into the whole philosophy of mutant ethics as was described in the story, which is not to say there wont be action or romance :D. I hope you enjoy the story.
Gods and Myths
From as far back in history as we have record of, there have always been myths and mysteries in the world. Unanswered gaps of information to some of the greatest civilizations ever to have walked the planet, and all throughout, every explanation falls into theory because it could never be proven.
Questions such as how the Egyptians managed to build the intricate catacombs of their pyramids without adequate technology. How did they build the structure itself with flawless symmetry is an unanswered question. An even baser question than that is the question of how did they even build the pyramid to begin with.
Another myth, such as the mystery of the superiority of Greece, how they were so fortunate in almost every way when they had by all indicators to be just as primitive as their Dacian neighbors to the north, and yet they became in only a few centuries become the most advanced civilization on the planet. Scientists simply claim that they were lucky and keeping with the way of a science as opposed to philosophy, they explain the "How" but not the "Why".
How they built their entire civilization has been completely dissected and explained, but not the "Why". Why did they know the things they did, why were they beyond every other civilization, why were they unbeatable no matter how many times they were invaded and no matter how outnumbered.
No one asks themselves that, the Greeks were just lucky they suppose.
The same subtle, quiet phenomenon could be interpreted to be working its hand in Rome. These people much like Alexander the Great, albeit more lastingly, enjoyed the grace of this phenomenon in the way they conquered the world and maintained it for some time.
This was often called the will of the Gods by both the Greeks and the Romans. They had the favor of the Gods and took full advantage of it, flourishing like a rose. But as soon as the civilization became decadent or too corrupt, they fell even quicker than they rose as if the God's favor had abandoned them.
Now that is an interesting concept, thinking of the phenomenon as a will, a conscious will with it's own agenda and fancies rather than a force of culture for not all who possessed the same drive excelled at the same speed.
Let us think of this phenomenon as a will, one that consciously favors different civilizations according to its own criteria.
We see the Greeks become decadent and bloated, un-driven and completely complacent, convinced of their superiority and standing. Almost immediately they fell and were brushed away by the Romans who after several centuries committed the same act and fell to the barbarians who enjoyed many good fortunes afterwards. Such was the rise of the Vikings and other barbarians who did not unite themselves and after some time were simply wandering aimlessly and killing others. Soon they simply became just that, aimless, wandering killers.
The rise of the Mongols and the Huns before them along with several other tribes and barbarians simultaneously could be interpreted as the will choosing the next civilization it favored and the Huns along with the Mongols later on held it's blessing and favor. And in doing so, nearly conquered the world, but by dissention within the Huns and later on by the death of the great Temujin also known as the dreaded Genghis Khan, they fell away and scattered, their various kingdoms only held by the various sons and leaders left only to fade away.
The rise of Christianity was both explosive and fast, they spread quickly and it could be said that by their faith they had been favored by the will. And thus came the Crusades, a war of faith, into the Holy Land. They fought the Arabs and the Turks who were relatively peaceful civilizations at the time. But afterwards the corruption of the Vatican and the atrocities being committed in the Holy Land became common place.
And the favor of the will could be seen shifting to those it once harmed. The peoples of the Holy Land learnt of war in nearly no time, their society seemed to have been imbued with the experience of a civilization that had been warlike throughout its entire existence. They crushed the Christians and any other Crusade to cross into their lands. But even with the claims and desires of Saladin, their greatest general, they did not invade Christian lands. They prospered and enjoyed some form of respite in keeping with this desire for peace. Or rather in keeping with this never mentioned decree.
They had ever reason and every right to attack, crush and invade the Vatican and all other kingdoms of Christ who stood in their way, but for some unexplained reason they would not.
Now perhaps this will, this God, could be seen as one who actually exerts it's will in ways it sees fit, not only favoring a certain people, but also bending them to specific ends it wishes. One who follows a certain code of ethics it chooses.
This could be exemplified with those such as the Templar who were of a strange sect of Christianity continued to rise in keeping with a neutrality and making their faith incorruptible,
became richer than most of the royalty in the world. The Catholic Church had them executed for heresy and worship of a strange idol. One who was never completely identified or explained.
Some claim it was Mohammed, the founder of Islam, or Jesus Christ, or one of the Old Gods. The Templar for keeping faithful to this deity and their ways were executed because they would not answer to the corruptness of the Church.
Now this is getting a little more interesting, they rose with the same power the church did from the lowest, even lower beginnings, and yet continued to thrive as the church fell because they kept true to their beliefs.
Perhaps the Church knew of why they were being favored, and had them executed just as they did with every other person who attempted to overstep their self given authority.
Strange; an organization killed off everyone who ever attempted to compete with them over doctrine or way of thinking. Perhaps, this was to keep the attention of the will centered on them. But despite their best attempts, people such as Martin Luther were inexplicably lucky and no harm came to them.
His exposure of the corruption of the Church and the warping of its way of life birthed the Protestant Church.
It could be said that after these events in history, beginning with Martin Luther in particular, the will began to exert itself in a quiet way. Favoring people, not nations, people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Machiavelli only to name a few.
Their way of thinking was so much more advanced beyond their time that they were seen as gifted, favored.
Every unlikely victory in the name of some pure cause, every genuinely good effort of greatness seemed to have been blessed, some were, some were not, by the attention and favor of the will. The hand of the will could be perhaps seen in how the Germans in the Second World War expanded so quickly but as they began to commit atrocities, began to fall back, and suffered sudden, few and decisive defeats that damned them to defeat in the war.
A will such as this, as capricious as this could perhaps be viewed as a person in the way that it still learns, it favors a certain people but as soon as they begin to slip, they suffer something in some way and then continue on the track they were favored upon the first time, but later on slip again and lose favor entirely.
But sometimes, the will, or person is not as forgiving.
This is the story of the single oldest mutant in history. One who has influenced our planet in every way he saw fit. This is the story of how someone with all the power in the world, can also be the person who feels the most powerless.
Sometimes, those with the vision of a noble world, are the ones who understand that this is something that is to come of its own accord, by the heart and will of the people, not something to be forced by the heart and will of the Gods.