Charles looked in shock and in disbelief as if he could not believe it. His face went pale.
His hands gripped the arms of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Kakashi thought, 'It looks like that he knows who is responsible and might be even close with the person considering his reaction.'
The old man's face told a story without words. Pain. Regret. Recognition. This was not surprise at a stranger's name. This was grief for someone he had once trusted.
Someone he had once believed in. Kakashi had seen that look before. On the faces of old comrades when they learned a friend had turned traitor. It hurt every time. He kept his own expression neutral. But inside, he felt the pieces falling together. The person behind the incursion was not a stranger to this school.
Tony leaned forward. His voice cut through the silence. "So you know who is responsible and the mutant with the powers to break the barriers between the two universes."
He waited a second. Then he added, "Care to tell us?"
Charles gave out a large sigh before calming down. He closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, they looked tired but clear. "It seems that you have a genuine reason for coming here. We are sorry for doubting your intentions but when you asked about a mutant with reality warping powers, we expected the worst considering how such abilities could be used for nefarious purposes."
He paused. He looked at each person in the room. "And yes we know the person responsible. I believe the person responsible for the idea of breaking the barriers between the universes and the person with such powers are different. In fact, they are father and daughter."
Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow at that. Father and daughter.
Charles continued. "His name is Erik Lehnsherr. He also goes by Magneto as he has the power to control metal."
Tony raised an eyebrow. He was still wearing his armor. He gave it a onceover. "Control metal?"
Logan laughed. It was a rough, humorless sound. "If I were you, I would not go near him wearing that. He would just use the metal to squeeze you inside. I have my own fair share of experience around that."
Tony grunted. Jarvis within his suit gave him an X-ray vision of Logan. Tony could not help but be surprised. 'What in the fuck… his spine is metal as well as his claws. And a metal I have not seen but something as destructive as vibranium judging from what I have seen during the battle.'
Charles continued. "We know that he has two children. We do not know much about the other one but we know it is a boy. As for his daughter, her name is Wanda and she has the power to alter reality."
He looked down at his hands. "And I am sure that they are the people you are looking for. Erik is an old friend that has a very sad history. Her daughter has lived in a mental Asylum for a few years but he had taken her out some time years ago."
Charles took a slow breath. His voice became softer. He began to tell Erik's story.
"He was experimented on as a kid by the Nazis during World War Two. They took him from his family. They tortured him. They killed his mother right in front of him to force his powers to awaken. He was just a boy. A scared, angry boy who learned that the world hated him for what he was. That hatred never left him. It grew. It shaped him."
Charles paused. The room stayed quiet. Everyone listened.
"After his revenge, he formed the Brotherhood. He wanted to protect mutants. He wanted to make sure no one could ever hurt them again. He tried to build something strong. Something safe. He even tried to form a family. He fell in love. He had a wife. He had children. For a short time, he had peace."
His voice grew heavy. "But a government official killed his wife. They took her from him. They took his chance at a normal life. He saw that humans would never stop fearing mutants. They would never stop trying to control them and never stop trying to destroy them. He watched discrimination against mutants grow. He saw it all. And every time, he remembered the camps. The pain. The loss. It broke something inside him."
Charles looked up. His eyes were wet. "He became convinced that mutants were the next step in evolution. That humans would always try to destroy what they feared. He believed the only way to survive was to dominate. To strike first. To build a world where mutants ruled and humans could not hurt them. He fought for that dream. He fought against me. Against everything I believed in. But I always hoped he would see another way. I always hoped he would remember the boy who just wanted to be safe."
Charles sighed again. "He is someone who is looking to take his Brotherhood to a place where they could live peacefully. Your universe, where your Earth does not even know about mutants, they could live in an isolated place without anyone troubling them."
"But I do not think he knows the consequences of what he is doing. He does not know that it would lead to destruction of both the universes. He is looking for a home after all and a destroyed place cannot be one."
Charles looked at Kakashi and the Avengers. "So I ask you to just tell him what you told me. And do not go and kill each other. I am sure that he would stop after knowing the consequences of what he is about to do. I will come with you."
Kakashi nodded. He did not want to take lives either. He himself was responsible for weakening the barriers a little. He would be a hypocrite if he killed Erik for it. "We will talk first. You have my word."
Kakashi heard the boy with the glasses mutter. He remembered his name to be Cyclops. "Not that peaceful talk has worked with Magneto. It would be exciting to see his ass and Brotherhood's ass being kicked with us and this new group working together."
Kakashi ignored it and asked, "Can you tell us where they are?"
Charles shook his head. "We do not know where he or his Brotherhood is. He has found ways to escape our detection. But give me some time and I would find it."
He then looked at Hank and said, "Hank, ready the Cerebro."
-----Author Notes---------
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