Chapter 1
Charles was sitting on his desk as always. He looked tired and depressed. All the enthusiasm he had about his school was gone alongside with his optimistic self. All his friends and allies had died in pointless missions. He was left all alone. He could not even use his power anymore. He abandoned it in order to walk again. In reality, he was not walking. He was crawling, day by day, trying to forget. But you cannot escape yourself.
Winter holidays were all around the corner. Not that he cared that much but he had the feeling that Christmas was one or two days ago. As he was sitting there full of thoughts his laptop opened up. His eyes turned to the screen and he saw that an email was sent to him. He deleted the notification while feeling annoyed. He stood up, scrolled his chair with anger and was about to leave this room.
Suddenly, the face of an old friend, a person he deeply used to care about came to his mind. "What if...?", he thought to himself. He ran back to the laptop. December 27th. He was right, the second day after Christmas. He opened his email with agony and eyes full of despair.
Email: "-50% for every cheeseburger in McDonalds"
"Fuck you!", he yelled with anger. He hated that. He hated him. But mostly he hated himself. He headed towards the living room. He reached there. Days like these, this room used to be full of people, people he truly loved. He was missing his sister Raven even if she did not consider him her brother anymore, his precious friends, his students...and him. As much as he was trying to burn his affection towards him, he could not.
It was time for his injections. He could feel the blur thoughts of the world on his brain again and he could not bear it. He injected himself and tried to calm down like his own thoughts were not enough for him to go crazy.
"Mr Xavier? Are you there?", someone was outside his door and was knocking at it. Charles ran to his library and picked up a hidden gun since he could not trust anyone anymore and answered to the man outside.
Charles: If I may ask, who is calling him?
Man: Oh I am truly sorry! I am just a postman. I was asked to bring a letter to Mr Xavier. But I have to give it to him and only him.
Charles approached the door, opened it a bit and grabbed the letter.
Charles: I am Charles Xavier. Thank you for your service! - he said with a little fake smile while closing the door aggressively-
The man left the house innocently. When he was far away he took out his phone and called someone telling him: "Target X done. I am counting on you." He closed the call and a big black car came and picked him up. Charles threw the letter on the living room's table and sat on the sofa. He sat there with his legs spread open, his hands were holding his face while his stare was stuck watching the letter. "It is not from him! It is not from him!". This is all he could think about. He was done thinking. He opened the envelope and read the letter.
It did not have a name. Just a note saying "December 31th, 9 pm, north mountain". This was odd. Who sent him something like that? It had to be set up. He immediately decided not to go. But what if? This thought could not leave his mind. Even if it was not him, it could be Raven. He had to go. But he was scared. Not in the thought of it being a trap but in the thought of meeting him again. He was actually praying about it being a trap.
The days passed quickly. Charles was burning inside because of curiosity and the need to attend the meeting so he decided to go no matter how reckless it was. All this mysterious aura was attracting him. He had to go. He ran his messy long hair through his fingers trying to fix it. He thought of shaving but he was used to hiding his face behind that beard. He opened his closet. He had so many memories with those expensive fits. He chose one and wore it without caring about it being crumpled. Lastly, he wore his precious clock. Raven had bought it for him when they were younger. He injected himself with the medicine and left the house.
He took the train in order to reach the town since there was no way his car would start. He had to use it for years now. When he arrived in the town he called a taxi and it drove him to the north mountain. The scenery there was nostalgic. Snow everywhere. The sun was already down and all this darkness looked so beautiful to his soul. He was amazed and for a moment someone could say that he was not thinking a thought. His mind was peaceful.
Then realisation hit and he looked at his clock. 9:05 pm. Where was his date? He started listening to steps into the snow. He was stressed but he remained calm. Suddenly a man with a gang approached. He could recognise this posture everywhere. The way that man was walking, the way his hair was waving, everything was so familiar to him. “E…Erik..?”, his name left his mouth in a betrayed but sweet voice.
Charles then looked closely at his old friend. He was all tied up and this gang was leading him there. “Erik!?”, he yelled with concern now as the gang was getting closer and closer. “Nice to meet you Charles Xavier!”, a man who appeared from a higher top of the mountain said. He was short and kinda ugly. “My name is Bolivar Trask. I’m a scientist dedicated to stopping this madness called mutation.” As he was telling that his gang with Erik was reaching closer and closer.
Trask: I have been studying you professor X and I have come to the conclusion that you are the most dangerous of them all. Not only you can read minds but you can also convince your kind that your abilities are a gift and not a curse as they are supposed to be.
Charles started laughing hysterically. Old Charles would have the power to go against this man and his opinions about mutants but this Charles could not fight anymore. By that time Erik had reached Charles and he was standing next to him tied up. Charles continued laughing until his gaze reached Erik. Then he stopped. He took a serious look and said: “What do you want from me Mr Trask?”.
Trask: This is odd. My reports on you said you are stubborn and charismatic. All I can see is a pathetic man. Charles Xavier, your mind may be your biggest weapon but your heart is your biggest weakness. And it is broken, I can sense it. And this is why you die today! Remember my name Charles! You were killed by Bolivar Trask! A new age for Homo sapiens starts today! In my signal - he shouted to the men who brought Erik there.-
Charles collapsed to the floor. He could not fight. He did not want to. Trask was right. His mutation was a curse. He was cursed to lose everyone he loved. He was looking at Erik with hatred. In his eyes so many questions were written. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you try to communicate? Why did you leave me? Why did you forget me?”. He met him after so many years. So it was destiny then, for them to die together. Erik was silent. His face was full of shame. He could not look at Charles directly.
“FIRE”, Trask yelled and his men started shooting the snow in the exact same place Charles and Erik were standing. The edge of the mountain where the two old friends were standing broke by the gunshots and in seconds it was falling down alongside Charles, Erik and a ton of snow. Charles closed his eyes. He did not want to see, he did not want to listen to anything. He wanted just one moment of peace.After the collapse, Charles was cold and he could not move. He was afraid. Is this after life? Is it really that cold? Then suddenly a hot hand touched him.
Erik: Charles! Charles! Are you alright? You are unconscious for hour now!
Charles opened his eyes and found himself covered by the snow. The snow was not white enough since it was mixed with his blood. Most of his bones were broken, he could not move. It was a miracle he could even breathe right now. He looked at his left side and Erik was in the same state as him. The hand who touched him was obviously his. Erik looked concerned about him.
Charles: Don’t waste your last energy on checking up on me.
Erik: What are you saying Charles? You are just next to me and I should let you just die and be okay with it?
Charles laughed ironically with his words
Erik: What Charles? What could be so funny?
Charles: It’s nothing Erik. It really is nothing. It is just the fact you are trying to act like you give a damn shit about me.
Erik: I care enough not to let you die - he said with hesitation-
Charles' blue eyes filled with anger and grief.
Charles: Where were you at then when I was slowly dying all this time? Little by little, day by day, I was losing a part of myself. Like you had not already stolen so many parts of me that day on the beach!
Erik held a neutral look at his face. However if Charles still had his telepathy abilities he could feel his regret. Erik started speaking slowly with a deep voice.
Erik: I had a goal Charles. They killed my mother. They will never accept us. It is sad you cannot even understand that by now. You are literally dying because of them.
Anger could not leave Charles’ face. Even tears started falling from his eyes. The tears were flowing torturously at his cheeks and were ending up at the snowy mountain top the two guys were isolated and were slowly disappearing from this world.
Charles: And what is the difference between you Erik and those people you call monsters?
Erik: I am aware of my actions. I killed thousands of families and now I am paying the price. At least young mutants will live in a better world.
Charles: No, Erik, you still do not get it. I lost interest in protecting those people years ago.
Erik: If you do not care about the murders I did, why do you call me the same as them?
Charles: You took my family away, Erik! Like those people did to you! All my life, all I had in life was Raven. And I lost her…to the person I thought that he would be my new family.
Erik remained silent.
Charles: The day I saved your life, when I dove into the water to help you. I felt it. Our connection. I did not need my powers to understand what you were feeling. I did not even need my brain. In fact, with you everything was coming from here - he pointed his heart even though every move was hurting like hell-
Erik's face finally started to turn emotional but he was trying to avoid the communication.
Erik: Charles, please don’t move. Your bones are broken.
Charles: FUCK OFF ERIK! I do not care anymore. I will die anyway. To the person I saw a future full of light with, I was forced to act like an enemy. You were my hope Erik and you became my worst nightmare.
Erik: I just wanted to avenge my mother - he looked at his tattoo-
Charles: See Erik? This is why you piss me off. Even after so much time you cannot see it. Your thirst for revenge hurted everyone you cared about. If you ever cared anyway.
Erik: Was I the one being left alone in the end tho?
Charles was even madder now.
Charles: WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU SON OF A-
Erik: What Charles? Am I the one being blinded by my cause? In every mission I was protecting my team. You were the one recklessly sending your well said beloved family members to missions which had no return. And for what reason? To save the people who are murdering you right now.
Charles' expression softened now. He even smiled a bit as he was feeling his insides losing more and more blood.
Erik: What is it Charles?
Charles: It is nothing, old friend. I just think I am done yelling at you. Always loyal to our stubborn ideas and philosophies right? This is who we are. Professor X and Magneto. -he smiled- Do not take it too personal, my change of character. I am not doing it for you. I think I am really dying right now. I do not want to die with anger inside me. Especially anger towards you, my dear old friend. A person I deeply cared about in the past.
Erik: In the past ugh? So Charles, you really hate me now don’t you? -he looked disappointed-
Charles: What about you Erik? Do you hate me?
Erik smiled a little and tried to wipe the single tear that fell from his eye.
Erik: I never understood your ideals Charles. They were so strange to me. But I was happy I had an opponent worth fighting each time. When we first met, I felt this connection you previously recalled. I was thankful about it. Even then I knew that if I had told you my plans you would have stopped me. I knew I had to get away from you. But I could not bring myself to leave you behind. Our little talks, our little walks around your mansion, they meant the world to me Charles.
Charles: If I meant so much to you why…
Erik: Charles, I explained myself. I could not live in this world happily with the person I…..I deeply cared while I knew so many mutants all around the world were suffering. In the end we both wanted to help mutants in our own ways. But while trying so we forgot to save ourselves. I will be honest here, I knew that if I had stayed by your side I would have failed my goal. You had your ways attracting me closer and closer to you. But that day, on the beach, when you were shot because of me I felt ready. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to convince myself to leave you.
Charles was fighting so hard not to lose consciousness. He believed that he would not be able to rest in peace if he did not listen to Erik’s part of the story. He was so tired of going against his words anyway. The snow was getting more red from Charles' blood loss. He was struggling to speak and he was interrupted by coughs but he wanted to answer his dear friend.
Charles: The day you abandoned me I lost the ability to walk. Not in a physical way but in a more spiritual way. I could not walk in the path of life anymore. Cause since the day we met every path I imagined had you in it. When you left I had to take a turn in which you would not be by my side. On the contrary, you were on the opposite side of the street.
Suddenly all the noise has ended. Charles’ ears could only focus on one sound. The sound of his clock. With his last efforts he looked at it. 12:03 am. January 1st. The new year had arrived. Charles was forcing himself to keep his eyes open. He was feeling the cold snow all over him, the blood leaving his body but all he could sense was the beautiful moon. It just appeared behind a cloud. Charles started crying. But they were happy tears. He was dying for real now.
Erik: You never answered me Charles. Do you really hate me?
Charles continued looking at the moon which started hiding behind the clouds again and replied.
Charles: Nah, I just wish we could play a last round of chess.
Erik: I bet I would win Charles.
The two men started laughing like they used to do. Some minutes passed. Charles could not keep his eyes open anymore. He was freezing. He started feeling his soul being taken away.
Charles: Happy New Year, old friend. No matter what everyone tells you, I never hated you at all.
He put a genuine smile on his face and left his last breath.