As Sebastian stepped into the building, the ceiling above him shattered.

A hulking figure crashed down, lunging at him with ferocious intent.

Before the attacker could reach him, Sebastian flicked his wand, casting Wingardium Leviosa.

The figure froze, suspended in midair, then shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through the window and tumbling outside.

Two more mutants charged down the stairs from the second floor.

One sprayed corrosive liquid toward Sebastian, while the other fired razor-sharp nails from their fingers like gunfire.

"Protego!" Sebastian incanted, raising his wand. An invisible shield materialized, deflecting both attacks effortlessly.

The first mutant, who had been flung out, rushed back, ready to strike again.

But upon seeing Sebastian, he shuddered, his face paling with fear.

"Wait, stop! Don't attack!" he shouted. "He's not an enemy. And if we anger him, none of us stand a chance."

Sebastian recognized the man and offered a casual wave. "Long time no see, Steelclaw… or was it Steel Fang?"

"It's Steelclaw," the burly man corrected, exasperated.

"Whatever. Why are you here? I heard you vanished. Why show up now?"

This towering figure was Steelclaw, once one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen.

After Apocalypse's defeat, only Storm and Steelclaw survived.

Storm joined the X-Men, while Steelclaw wandered Europe before joining the Brotherhood of Mutants during the Sentinel uprising.

His strength earned him a high rank, and he now led this Brotherhood base in Brazil.

Sebastian stepped aside, gesturing for Robert, Gabriel, and Anna to come forward.

"I brought these three here," he said. "They went to the X Academy's ruins, but it was a Sentinel trap. I destroyed the Sentinels and brought them here."

Before anyone could respond, a voice echoed from the stairs.

A woman in her thirties, exuding a commanding presence, descended. "You destroyed a Sentinel alone?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

"Not just one," Robert interjected. "Six. He took out one first, then five more that came together, like it was nothing."

The room fell silent, the other mutants' faces shifting with shock, except for Steelclaw.

Destroying one Sentinel alone was rare in the Brotherhood, but taking out six—five simultaneously—was a feat only Magneto had achieved.

Steelclaw, who knew Sebastian's power from their battle against Apocalypse alongside Professor X, understood he rivaled Apocalypse himself.

Such strength could be a game-changer against the Sentinels.

"Sebastian," Steelclaw said, his voice earnest, "join us. Fight the humans and Sentinels with us.

With your power, we could defeat them and build a nation for mutants!"

Sebastian met Steelclaw's gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Steelclaw, you don't know me as well as you think. I'm not a mutant."

The room froze, disbelief etched on every face, especially Steelclaw's.

Only the woman remained unfazed. She has a curvaceous figure and long, curly black hair.

Sebastian turned to her, smiling. "You already knew I wasn't a mutant, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yes. My ability lets me distinguish humans, mutants, and non-humans within a certain range—like a radar. When you entered, I knew you weren't a mutant.

But I can't fathom why someone non-mutant has such immense power."

"It's magic," Sebastian said simply. "I'm a sorcerer."

"Magic? Does that really exist?" she asked, incredulous.

"Your mutant abilities let you bend reality," Sebastian replied.

"Is it so hard to believe magic could exist beyond genetics?"

"You're close to the X Academy mutants," she said, her tone cautious but curious. "I trust you don't hate us, but why are you here? Surely not just to drop off these three kids?"

"You're right," Sebastian admitted. "I need information on the current situation, especially about the X Academy—where Charles, Raven, and Hank are."

The woman's expression turned knowing, and she nodded. "We can tell you about the global situation, but the whereabouts of other mutants… I'm sorry, we can't share that lightly. We need to consult Magneto."

"Fine," Sebastian agreed.

The woman closed her eyes, using her ability to contact Magneto, wherever he was.

Though Steelclaw was the nominal leader here, she was clearly the group's core.

After about five minutes, she opened her eyes. "Magneto has agreed. I'll tell you what you want to know."

Sebastian shook his head, his eyes glinting with the faint glow of the Ring of Harnessing Power.

"No need. Let me speak to Erik directly. It'll be easier that way."

Her face tightened, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't reveal Magneto's location. We—"

Sebastian raised a hand, smiling. "I don't need you to tell me where Erik is. While you were contacting him, I already traced him."

He turned to the group. "See you later."

In an instant, Sebastian's body twisted into a vortex of blue starlight, vanishing.

Simultaneously, he reappeared in a village on an island, standing before Magneto—Erik Lehnsherr—who was speaking to his mutant followers.

Sebastian's sudden arrival drew the attention of the surrounding mutants, who tensed, ready to attack. Erik raised a hand, stopping them instantly.

"Wait, everyone, don't be nervous. Stand down. He's an acquaintance of mine," Erik declared, his voice resonating with absolute authority.

Despite their lingering hostility toward Sebastian, the other mutants obeyed and retreated, a clear demonstration of Erik's unquestioned command within the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Erik gestured for Sebastian to take a seat and sat down himself on a nearby chair. He looked at Sebastian and said, "You've come to find me because of Charles and the others, haven't you?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied, his voice heavy with concern. "I received a distress call from Charles, which brought me back to this world from mine. But when I arrived, I found the X Academy completely abandoned."

Erik, already informed about Sebastian's unique circumstances through Charles, showed no surprise or shock.

He responded directly, "My contact with Charles is limited. I only know that many mutants from the X Academy have been captured. They haven't been killed immediately, but they're nothing more than experimental subjects now, like lab rats.

As for Charles, Raven, and Hank, they're in New Mexico. You'll need to find their precise location yourself. It's possible that when you get there, Charles will sense your presence and reach out to you."

"Why haven't you gone to help Charles?" Sebastian asked, his gaze sharpening.

Erik's expression grew stern. "The Brotherhood of Mutants has many mutants under my protection who need safeguarding.

I cannot risk their capture or death to assist others, even someone like Charles. Not all mutants possess great power, and not all are capable of fighting. Most are only slightly stronger than ordinary humans. What they need is protection, not to be thrown into battle!"

Sebastian nodded, choosing not to pursue the topic further. Instead, he shifted the conversation. "Erik, tell me how things escalated to this point."

"Three years ago, the Apocalypse incident made governments realize that truly powerful mutants could destroy the entire world," Erik began.

"At that time, they started considering their options. The Sentinel program had been shelved due to earlier issues and wasn't reactivated immediately.

But later, Stryker and military personnel secretly abducted children from the X Academy. You and Charles went to retrieve those children, killed Stryker, and destroyed their research facility.

Charles and his team also stormed a military base to rescue other abducted children.

Your actions were recorded by the military, and they edited the footage to demonstrate the threat you posed.

They used it to show that even Charles, a moderate mutant, would attack military bases, disregarding laws and government authority.

This led the White House to reauthorize the Sentinel program, restarting it."

Sebastian listened intently as Erik continued.

"If it had only been the original Sentinels, they wouldn't have been such a significant threat. But somehow, they obtained Raven's cells and used them to upgrade the Sentinels, creating the current second-generation Sentinel robots.

Compared to the future Sentinels we altered, these second-generation models are weaker—they lack learning capabilities and data-sharing functions.

However, they've gained the ability to adapt during combat, using certain mutant powers. Those powers are controlled by a central computer, the Prime Sentinel, which studies and decodes mutant abilities, transmitting them to each individual Sentinel robot so they can wield those powers accordingly.

This is the only reason mutants still have a chance to survive.

We must destroy the Sentinel program before they enhance the robots to learn and share mutant abilities. If that happens, neither mutants nor most of humanity will have a future."

Sebastian's face took on a peculiar expression as he processed Erik's words.

If Erik's account was entirely accurate, without any omissions, then the resurgence of the Sentinel program was undoubtedly driven by a force behind the scenes, orchestrating it with deliberate intent.

Too many events seemed too coincidental, too perfectly aligned, as if they had been meticulously planned to lead to the Sentinels' current rise. So many coincidences couldn't possibly be mere chance.

Sebastian could see this clearly because he knew the original trajectory of this world's history and how much his presence had altered it.

Without that knowledge, others would likely be deceived by the surface events, unable to perceive the truth hidden beneath the fog of manipulation.

Having obtained the information he sought, Sebastian nodded slowly. "Erik, if the Brotherhood has any spare resources, you should investigate the military officials primarily responsible for driving the Sentinel program. You might uncover the truth behind this situation.

The restart of the Sentinel program is being pushed by a hidden hand. I'm not certain of their motives, but exposing their purpose could potentially change the dangerous and precarious situation mutants are in."

"What do you know?" Erik asked, his expression deadly serious.

If Sebastian was correct and the Sentinel program was the result of a calculated conspiracy, the mutants might no longer be in such a passive position.

Sebastian shook his head, meeting Erik's gaze. "I don't know much more than you do. I have some information I can't share, and based on that, I've made this judgment.

You can choose to trust me or not, but investigating the military figures aggressively pushing the Sentinel program will be highly beneficial to the mutants' resistance, won't it?"

Erik fixed Sebastian with a deep, searching look, then nodded. "Alright, I trust you," he said. "I'll have the Brotherhood's spies within the military investigate. If we can uncover the truth, I'll owe you one.

Whatever you need, I'll do everything in my power to help you achieve it."

"Thank you in advance, then," Sebastian replied. "I won't stay here longer. I'm leaving now."

"Sebastian," Erik added, his tone grave, "when you find Charles and the others, remind him for me:

Raven is still the Sentinels' top capture target. If possible, tell her to stay hidden for now. If she's caught, the Sentinels will likely undergo another upgrade immediately.

At that point, there'll be no stopping them."

"Understood," Sebastian said. "I'll pass the message to Charles."

With that, Sebastian didn't linger. He raised his wand, tracing a circular arc in the air.

Sebastian stepped through, vanishing instantly.

————