Chapter 25

Two hours later, the jet returned to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

Inside the underground base, Professor X finally relaxed after seeing that everyone had returned safely.

"Storm, Cyclops, thank you for your efforts," Charles said.

"Not a problem at all," replied Ororo with a shrug.

She had spent most of her time piloting the jet and barely got involved in any fighting. She couldn’t say it had been exhausting.

Scott, however, merely nodded coldly, still wrestling with his own insecurities.

Turning to Nolin, Charles asked, "How was your first mission?"

"It was fine," Nolin replied casually. "Much easier than I expected."

Charles smiled. Calm under pressure. That was exactly what he wanted in a potential leader.

At this point, Charles noticed Rogue hiding behind Nolin, peeking out nervously.

Then his eyes fell on Logan (Wolverine)—a man who, in another timeline, had sacrificed everything to save mutants.

Logan’s contribution in that world was undeniable.

But that plan had ultimately failed.

Looking at this version of Logan, Charles felt a pang of melancholy—one that Logan immediately picked up on.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you? Are you… my dad or something?"

The room fell silent.

Everyone turned to stare at Charles and Logan.

Even Logan looked confused.

After a brief pause, Charles smiled. "If you want me to be, I wouldn’t mind."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Okay, so not my dad. Then why are you looking at me like that?"

Charles quickly introduced the team:

"I’m Charles Xavier, head of this school. This is Ororo Munroe—codename 'Storm'—and Scott Summers—codename 'Cyclops'."

"Wait!" Logan interrupted. "Cyclops? The guy who shoots red beams from his eyes?"

Charles nodded. "Yes, exactly."

"Then who the hell is he?" Logan pointed at Nolin.

Logan vividly recalled Nolin’s heat vision, which had pierced Sabretooth and felled trees.

"If anyone’s Cyclops, it should be him!"

Charles was momentarily confused, glancing between Nolin and Scott.

Scott, meanwhile, scowled, feeling like his title was being challenged.

"I’m Nolin," he said with a smile. "Codename—Dawn."

Charles felt his suspicions deepen.

"Dawn?"

Could Nolin’s abilities involve more than just absorbing powers from women?

He quickly dismissed stranger thoughts when he saw Jean tightening her grip on his wheelchair.

Nolin immediately stepped forward to clarify:

"My ability isn’t Cyclops’ optic blasts. It’s heat vision—focused beams of superheated energy."

Jean relaxed slightly, releasing Charles’ wheelchair before breaking it completely.

Charles let out a silent sigh of relief.

But something about Jean still worried him.

For a brief moment, he had sensed a terrifying presence lurking within her—the Phoenix Force.

Charles continued speaking with Logan, assuring him that Magneto wouldn’t be able to reach him inside the school.

However, Nolin interrupted.

"Professor, I think we might be looking at this the wrong way."

Everyone turned to Nolin.

"What if Magneto’s real target isn’t Logan—but her?"

Nolin gently nudged Rogue (Anna Marie) forward.

Rogue looked up, confused by the sudden attention.

"When we arrived, Sabretooth wasn’t trying to capture Logan," Nolin explained. "He was trying to kill him—brutally."

Logan growled. "I can heal, remember? They knew that. They wanted me out of the fight."

"Exactly!" Nolin continued. "They tried to disable you, not capture you."

"But after you were down, Sabretooth immediately focused on Rogue."

The room grew silent as everyone’s eyes turned to Rogue.

Feeling awkward, she waved nervously.

Charles’ gaze softened. "Anna, may I ask about your abilities?"

Rogue hesitated, glancing at Nolin, who offered a reassuring smile.

"I… I don’t really know," Rogue admitted.

"But if someone touches my skin, it hurts them. Sometimes, it… steals something from them."

She lowered her head in shame, but Nolin gently patted her hair, calming her.

Curious, Logan stepped forward.

"Let me try. I’m not afraid of a little pain."

The moment Rogue’s hand touched Logan’s skin, his expression twisted in shock.

"What the—?" Logan felt his strength draining as his healing powers flowed into Rogue.

Meanwhile, Rogue’s wounds began closing rapidly, leaving her skin flawless.

Charles quickly shouted, "Separate them!"

Nolin gently pushed Logan away, breaking the connection.

Logan staggered, still weak but recovering.

"She absorbed my powers—and my life force!" Logan muttered, clearly shaken.

Jean, meanwhile, couldn’t stop staring at Nolin as he continued to calm Rogue without issue.

"How are you okay?" she asked.

"I have a biological defense field that isolates foreign influences at a microscopic level," Nolin explained vaguely.

It was partly true, but he chose to withhold the details about his Kryptonian physiology.

"An ability to absorb powers and life energy… incredible," Charles muttered.

The others regarded Rogue with a mix of awe and fear.

Her potential was terrifying, confirming Nolin’s earlier theory—

Magneto wanted her.