Bang!

Bang, bang, bang…

The solid ground suddenly warped, and massive hands made of concrete erupted from beneath, seizing the mutants charging toward Sebastian.

At the same time, sharp concrete spears shot up from the earth, their pointed tips aimed at the surrounding mutants.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the plaza grew deathly still.

"Insight, are you sure he's not a mutant?" one of the mutants demanded. "This kind of power can't be mimicked by human technology. If they had such capabilities, we wouldn't stand a chance against them, even without Sentinels."

The mutant called Insight, who had just exposed Sebastian stood bewildered.

As his friend had pointed out, the ability to manipulate concrete and earth was far beyond any technology humans could wield—far more terrifying than the Sentinels themselves.

For the first time, Insight doubted the ability he had trusted since childhood.

Could there really be a non-mutant in this world with such formidable power?

Sebastian, looking at the restrained mutants, felt a headache coming on.

Why did every mutant organization in this world seem to have someone who could distinguish humans from mutants?

Without Insight's interference, Sebastian could have blended in and quietly searched for Charles and the others. Now, that was impossible.

As Sebastian pondered his next move, a familiar voice broke the tense silence. "Sebastian, you've finally come!"

He turned to see a girl , approaching him. Sebastian immediately recognized her.

With a wave of his wand, casting Finite Incantatem, he dispelled the spell. The concrete hands and spears receded, and the ground returned to its original state.

Looking at the girl, Sebastian said, "Raven, it's been a while."

"Indeed, it has, Sebastian," she replied.

As her words fell, scale-like patterns appeared on the girl's body. With a ripple of transformation, the seven-year-old grew taller, her form shifting until she stood as Mystique, her blue-skinned true self.

Raven stepped forward and enveloped Sebastian in a tight embrace, catching him off guard.

"Raven, you're going to make Hank jealous," he teased.

"If he could see this, I'd rather he be jealous," she said, her voice tinged with sorrow.

Sebastian's expression shifted, and he pulled back, lowering his voice. "Raven, what happened to Hank?"

Sadness crossed Raven's face as she looked at Sebastian. "Hank was captured," she said. "The Professor is certain he's still alive, but he's also sensed that Hank is in constant, immense pain. They're probably… experimenting on him."

Raven trailed off, and Sebastian's face grew serious. He glanced at the mutants around them, who were watching him with a mix of astonishment and curiosity, then spoke softly to Raven.

"Let's talk somewhere else. And take me to see Charles."

Raven nodded, wiping her face to erase the tears and vulnerability.

Her expression hardened, once again becoming the resilient pillar of the mutants, the heroic Mystique.

"Everyone," she announced, "this is Sebastian. He's not a mutant, but he possesses magic.

Three years ago, he was a key force in defeating Apocalypse. Now he's returned to help us fight the Sentinels. You can trust him completely!"

Her words sparked cheers from the mutants in the plaza.

Raven grabbed Sebastian's arm, leading him deeper into the stronghold. He glanced back at the Strucker family, offering them a reassuring smile before following Raven.

As they walked through a narrow, winding passage, Sebastian asked, "How many people from the school escaped?"

"A year ago, when the Sentinels attacked the Academy, we fought on the front lines," Raven explained. "Charles contacted Erik, and the Brotherhood took most of the students to safety.

A small portion of the others scattered and fled the Academy. The X-Men suffered heavy losses. Hank, Kurt, Scott, and Logan—who had just joined us—were captured. Only Charles, Ororo, Jean, and I escaped. Fortunately, over the past year, new members have joined us, becoming the new X-Men.

Without them, we wouldn't have held on."

As Raven finished speaking, they reached a wooden door at the end of the passage.

She pushed it open, and Sebastian followed her inside. He immediately saw Charles lying on a bed, alongside others.

Two unfamiliar faces stood out: a tall, muscular man with skin and hair gleaming like metal: Colossus, who would join the X-Men in the future; and a young man with wings sprouting from his back, Angel, who, due to Sebastian's interference, never became one of Apocalypse's Horsemen and instead joined the X-Men at this moment.

"Sebastian, you've finally returned," Ororo said, her voice warm with relief.

Sebastian nodded to Ororo, then turned his attention to Charles, lying motionless on the bed. "What's wrong with Charles?" he asked, his tone laced with concern.

"Charles overexerted his abilities trying to find you," Jean replied, her voice heavy with worry. "His mind has been damaged, and he's fallen into a coma. I've tried everything, but I can't wake him."

Sebastian met Jean's gaze. "I understand. Leave it to me."

He stepped forward to Charles's bedside, his eyes fixed on the unconscious professor. His wand materialized in his hand, and he gently touched its tip to Charles's forehead, casting Legilimens with a soft incantation.

A radiant silver-white light bloomed from the wand, gradually seeping into Charles's mind.

Sebastian's suspicions were confirmed: when Charles had probed the Space Gem, its power had amplified his mental abilities, enabling him to reach across parallel universes to contact Sebastian.

But the energy was too vast, and Charles, unable to control it, had lost his mind in the vastness of the multiverse. Only Sebastian, with his connection to the Space Gem, could retrieve him.

Sebastian placed his left hand on Charles's cheek, the Ring glowing faintly with energy.

The Space Gem embedded in his Ring flared, his eyes turning a brilliant azure.

With the gem's power guiding him, Sebastian located Charles's mental essence, adrift in the cosmic void.

He seized it, pulling it back to reunite with Charles's body.

His eyes returned to normal, and Sebastian exhaled, stepping back.

His wand vanished from his hand with a flick.

He nodded to Jean and Raven, who watched him with hopeful anticipation.

"He's fine now," he said. "Charles should wake up in a moment. We just need to wait a little."

As his words fell, Charles, still lying on the bed, suddenly coughed and opened his eyes.