~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 05 advanced chapters,visit my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hussain678
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hamperson, report on the situation at X-Base."
A helicopter slowly descended onto the rooftop of CIA Headquarters. Lancelot and Raven stepped out.
Waiting for them was Senator Hamperson, the CIA's highest commander. The moment he saw Lancelot, he placed his right hand over his chest and gave a respectful military salute.
"My lord, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr have just returned to X-Base," Hamperson reported as he led Lancelot toward his office.
"You just got back? Slower than I expected," Lancelot said, frowning slightly as he watched the X-Base surveillance footage.
A week earlier, Professor X and Magneto had gone to Europe to track down and stop the Hellfire Club's plot.
With Professor X's abilities, he could have obtained the Hellfire Club's intelligence directly through the Cerebro amplifier—if he wanted to.
But the young Professor X, thousands of miles away, clung to his so-called humanitarian principles. He abandoned Cerebro and instead traveled the world with Magneto, personally hunting Hellfire Club mutants.
As a result, Lancelot only learned today—one full week later—that Professor X had returned.
"Absurd humanitarianism," Lancelot sneered.
Humanity had never shown mutants any humanitarian concern. On the contrary, they would rather kill a threat than let it go unchecked.
After the first battle with mutants, once their existence was exposed to high-level humans, mutants became hunted like rats—captured, dissected, and studied.
The root cause lay in Charles Xavier's naïveté. Not only did he cooperate with the CIA elite, he also failed to erase the memories of two superpower soldiers after the first battle—allowing the world to fear mutants and outlaw their existence.
"Charles…"
Behind Lancelot, Raven stared at the footage with a complicated expression and murmured softly.
"Raven, do you want to see Charles?" Lancelot asked casually, pulling her into his arms.
"Forget it. Charles doesn't understand your greatness," Raven replied, glancing at him before shaking her head firmly, her expression returning to calm.
Together, they refocused on the surveillance screen.
"Raven and Darwin left?"
Professor X had just returned to X-Base and hadn't yet reported his findings to Francis when Hank—Beast—told him the news.
At this time, Professor X was still young and handsome—neither paralyzed nor bald, still very much a refined young gentleman.
Hearing that Raven had left the base with a stranger, Charles' expression changed instantly. While discussing their next move with Magneto, he instinctively pressed his fingers to his temple.
Hank suddenly went blind.
Professor X was reading Hank's memories through telepathy.
"Lancelot?"
"The Glory of Mutation?"
Scenes from three days earlier unfolded in Charles' mind as if he had been present himself. He watched Lancelot's impassioned, fiery speech, momentarily lost in thought.
"Change and Glory…" Charles sighed softly.
From the memories alone, he already knew—this Lancelot was the Asian mutant he and Magneto had once planned to recruit.
Because Lancelot's mutation appeared too common at the time, Charles had dismissed the idea of bringing him into the X-Men.
"Erik, I think we're in serious trouble," Charles said, lowering his hand. His gaze was complex as he transmitted everything he had seen directly into Magneto's mind.
"Lancelot? Who is he?" Magneto froze, then looked at Charles in surprise.
Magneto felt he had seen Lancelot before—but couldn't remember where.
At this point, Magneto had not yet embraced mutant supremacy. To him, no mutant crisis or nuclear threat mattered more than his personal revenge.
"As expected—you've forgotten him," Charles said with a bitter smile. He then directly probed Magneto's memories of recruiting Lancelot.
"So it was him… that Asian man?" With Charles' help, Magneto finally remembered.
"Erik, I have a very bad feeling," Charles said seriously. "Perhaps… perhaps Lancelot may become even more terrifying than Shaw."
Ever since seeing Lancelot, an uneasy sense had lingered in Charles' mind.
Given time, that young Asian man might become an enemy far more dangerous than Sebastian Shaw.
"Professor? Professor?"
Hank noticed both men were distracted and interrupted them.
"…Hank, let's set Raven's matter aside for now," Charles exhaled, suppressing his unease before speaking solemnly.
"Charles, you're just giving up on Raven? Isn't she your family?" Hank asked in disbelief.
After learning they had returned, Hank had immediately told Charles that Raven and Darwin had left with Lancelot. His original intention was for Charles to use Cerebro to locate them and persuade Raven to return.
But to Hank's shock, Charles showed surprise—and nothing more.
Hank knew Charles had always treated Raven like a sister. Yet now, with her gone, Charles seemed indifferent.
"I once examined Lancelot's mind," Charles explained calmly. "He's innately sympathetic toward mutants. Raven will be safe with him."
"Besides," he continued gravely, "the coming nuclear crisis matters far more. Humanity stands on the brink. Nuclear war is imminent. The world needs us."
His gaze hardened, his voice heavy.
"Charles… you've disappointed me again."
Watching X-Base through the surveillance feed, the mysterious Raven once more saw nothing but disappointment in his eyes.