IV.
Charles was sitting in the secret room. The room wasn't named "secret" only because it sounded funny. Only Charles knew about this one and even his parents didn't know where was their son hiding when he used it.
Charles liked having the advantage. And the room guaranteed that no one would disturb him during his training.
He needed to have wider range of mental without using Cerebro. It's a very useful machine, but it still doesn't work during storms. And he doubt that he will have Cerebro during the battle with Shaw.
Charles calmed his mind, trying to feel mutants around him. He felt Banshee and Havoc, their little lights in darkness and then a huge beam of light. Charles smiled, that was Erik, talking to Raven. She was looking at him with curiosity and... Love? Charles heard Erik's laugh. Suddenly he felt jealous. Not because he wanted to protect Raven, but because he wanted to have Erik only for himself. Oh, of course it was selfish, but true. Charles thought about yesterday. He almost felt their wet bodies and heard Erik's moaning. What if the last night didn't mean anything to Erik?
Charles shook his head, trying to calm his mind again, but it was harder than he thought it'd be. He felt Erik's surprise, but he didn't know what surprised his friend that much, because he stopped listening to his conversation with Raven. Charles slowly retrieved peace and everything went quiet again.
His mind left castle, looking for other mutants. He saw little lights in the forest, but they were only humans. Charles wondered if he should stop them, because they were too near to the castle, but before he could do anything, the huge light blinded him. Charles screamed, feeling big power surrounding his mind. Firstly he thought that someone is attacking him, but it wasn't true at all. The pain was from the mutant, who probably even didn't know that he's hurting someone. The mutant was so powerful that his light was hurting Charles. Charles opened his eyes, still shaking even after ending a telepathic contact.
I need to find him, he thought, third time trying to calm his mind, but this time failing.
The mutant couldn't be far away.
Charles used his power to make himself invincible. Erik's mind thought that Charles was still training in the castle, when Charles was already in the forest, driving too fast.
Such a powerful mutant could be used in a battle with Shaw, but if the mutant was on the Shaw's side, they had to beat him before the final battle begins. Charles wasn't sure if he should go alone, Erik would be so angry if he'd known about it, but Charles couldn't leave young mutants all alone.
He started to feel the mutant's power even without opening his mind. It was insane.
Charles stopped, recognizing this place from his memory. Before he made one step, he heard the mutant coming to him.
"I'm Charles-"
"Xavier, you don't want to hurt me and you're coming in peace."
"Are you a telepath too?"
Charles saw a man in rags. He was about fifty years old; his face was tired and looked older than the rest of man's body. The mutant laughed, but his laugh wasn't happy at all.
"You already know that my gift has to be more powerful than yours."
"No, you can be just simply better than me."
"Even you don't believe in it, don't you, Charles? Can I call you Charles? Or you would rather Professor X?"
"What's your power? How do you know all these stuff?"
"I know everything about you. I know more about you than you, my friend. I know that you had sex with Erik and I know that you'd have sex with him today if you hadn't come to me."
Charles shuddered, looking at the mutant and starting to be scared.
"I'm Ewan. You don't need to know my surname. I can see the future and past. Past and future. I can see how your future is changing, because you came to me."
"Why my future is changing?" asked Charles, having a feeling that he already knew the answer.
"Because I'm going to kill you. You have to know, that I'm not proud of it. Not at all. I'm not a killer. But I have seen your future. It's tangled very close with your friend, Erik. And that's why I'm worried. I don't like your role in Erik's future."
"What was I going to do?"
Ewan smiled.
"I like your approach. That's why I'm not proud of what I'm going to do. You and Erik are close friends now. I believe that you love him. But he loves you more and you're too blind to see it."
Charles couldn't say a word. He just stared at Ewan, imbibing every sentence that he said. It was incredible, listening to your own future.
"A lot of people will die, because of you two. Humans and mutants. And at the end, you both will die. Upset and angry. You will hate Erik, or how he'll call himself, Magneto, because you will believe that he became a monster just like Shaw. But he made a decision long time ago, long time ago then. Now it was yesterday. He made that decision sitting in your car, crying and begging you for forgiveness. Because he loves you so much."
Charles felt tears on his cheeks.
"But you won't forgive him. I'm not blaming you. You both have strong opinions. You care more about mutants; Erik cares more about you. But he also believes so strong in his opinions that he can't stay on your side and let humans burn the world. Especially, burn you, Charles."
"That's why you're going to kill me? Because you believe in Erik's opinion?" asked Charles, trying to calm his voice.
"Oh, weren't you listening to me? I'm gonna kill you, because I don't let Erik kill himself for you. Because I see the other future. It's really rare, seeing two futures for one man. One of you will sacrifice himself. To stop the war. And it won't be you, Charles. If I let Erik die for you, humans will kill mutants. And I can't let you convict us to rot in jail. Because they will catch us. Even in your little stupid school."
"So you're saying that I'm wrong?"
"I'm saying that Erik will die for you wrong opinions."
"What if I die for him?"
"Mutants will take control over the world."
But Ewan didn't say that Erik will be so upset that he'll commit a suicide. Charles raised his eyebrow.
"I guess you can see the future which is far away from us?"
"Yes."
"So you couldn't predict that I will read your mind and say that Erik will kill himself after my death, am I wrong?"
Ewan looked quite shocked which, assumed Charles, didn't happen to him often.
"So the future is still the same" continued Charles. "We both die, unhappy and angry. But now you have told me about it and I can change it. So you see also a third option, but you don't like it. Why? What it's your plan here? Because if you kill me... If you kill me, Erik will commit suicide."
Charles looked at Ewan.
"You don't care about Erik! You want us to be dead! You work for Shaw!"
But Ewan laughed with that unhappy laugh.
"No, my friend."
Charles started to think that Ewan uses "my friend" only because he knows that Charles likes this phrase.
"He will come here to see your dead body. He will want to have his revenge."
"And then you will kill him?"
"Oh Charles! I said that I'm not a killer. You noticed that I'm stronger than any mutants, right?" Ewan didn't wait for Charles' response. "I have another, useful power. It's somehow similar to your gift. If you weren't so lazy, maybe you could control other minds just like I can. So when Erik comes here, I'll make him believe that he hates you. He won't bother your death and with me he fulfill your destiny. I'm sorry that it has to end like this, Charles."
"I know everything now. Why can't you let me come back to change our future?"
"Will you let Erik to take over the world? Can you watch how mutants kill humans? Because in future I have seen, you couldn't. Even when Erik begged you to stop the war. You couldn't accept killing. You still can't."
Charles didn't answer. No, he couldn't just stand and watch. He couldn't believe in Erik's opinions. They didn't believe in the same thing, just like Erik said, was he sure that they're on the same sides? No, he wasn't sure. Ewan said that his opinions are wrong; that he had seen humans killing and experimenting on mutants. But he didn't say what mutants will do with humans. Will they kill them all? Charles believed in peace. But Ewan said that peace doesn't exist. What if he's right?
"It's time, my friend." Said Ewan, gently touching Charles' arm.
Charles screamed, feeling Ewan's presence in his mind. Huge pain surrounded Charles, slowly killing him from inside. Charles fallen on the knees, trying to stop screaming and say something, but he couldn't. He was going insane, pain was too big; he just wanted to die. Some random memories appeared; he with Raven; he kissing some girl, but he never liked it; he with Erik, playing chess; kissing Erik; Erikā¦
"Erik" thought Charles or maybe said, Charles didn't know exactly, but he heard laugh, was he laughing so hard? Who was screaming? Was it he?
"Please, just let me die" begged Charles, but he didn't really want to say it, he just did it, like someone was saying it for him, but with his mouth.
"Erik."
Pain. Scream. You can just scream. Don't stop screaming. Why are you laughing? Everything hurts you, you shouldn't laugh! But he does and he can't help it, everything is green or maybe it's black.
"Erik."
Ewan is gone. But you can't think, because of pain. Pain is everywhere. He just wanted to be dead already. Why can't he be dead? His legs are burning. Haha, that's funny!
"Erik."
Charles screamed, someone is touching him; someone is cutting off his arms. Why? Why can't he be dead?
"Erik."
Someone answered, but Charles can't understand him. Fire is everywhere. His mind is on fire. Oh gosh, how it hurts. He is all wet. Is it his blood? His hand is red. Does he still have hands? Where is his body?
Everything went black again.
Can I die now?, he thought and smiled, feeling that now everything will be alright, no pain, no fire, only silence.
And Charles died.
