At the back entrance of Xavier Manor, Charles and Eric stood quietly by the doorway.
In the distance, a black sedan slowly rolled down the long road leading away from the estate. The vehicle moved steadily forward, eventually disappearing beyond the trees that lined the driveway.
The two men watched in silence.
Charles' expression was complicated.
After all, Angel had been someone he personally recruited. She had lived here for months, trained with them, laughed with them, and fought alongside them. Now, after everything that had happened, he had personally arranged for her to leave.
No matter how reasonable the decision was, the feeling still weighed heavily on him.
Eric, on the other hand, remained completely expressionless. His face was cold and calm, as if the entire situation barely affected him at all.
After the car had nearly vanished from sight, Eric suddenly remembered something.
"Charles," he said, turning slightly, "you erased her memories, right?"
His tone was serious.
Charles stared at him in disbelief.
"My God, Eric," he replied with exasperation. "She's someone who's been with us for months. She isn't an enemy."
Charles had always been extremely careful with his telepathic abilities. He almost never used them on people he considered allies.
Erasing someone's memories was even worse.
That kind of power could easily become abuse if he wasn't careful, and Charles refused to cross that line.
Eric shook his head.
"She isn't an enemy now," he said calmly. "But you saw her attitude toward Shaw."
Charles frowned.
"And? Just because of that, you think she'll help Shaw attack us?" he asked. "Eric, you're worrying about things that haven't even happened."
"I'm taking precautions."
Charles shook his head again, clearly frustrated.
"Listen to yourself," he said. "If we start doing whatever we want because of something that might happen someday, then how are we any different from Shaw?"
Eric crossed his arms.
"Charles, that's your problem. You always think about the best possible outcome."
"And you always expect the worst!"
The tension between them grew thicker with each word.
Both men stared at each other, neither willing to back down. This kind of argument wasn't new. In fact, similar debates had happened between them many times before.
Every time, the result was the same.
Neither of them managed to convince the other.
Eric finally sighed, clearly tired of the endless philosophical debate.
"Rorschach," he said, turning his head toward the young man standing nearby. "What do you think?"
Ever since the incident at the CIA base, both Charles and Eric had begun treating Rorschach differently.
Despite his age, they now regarded him as someone on the same level as themselves. When discussing important decisions, they often included him in the conversation.
The duo had quietly become a trio.
None of the other mutants questioned this change. After everything Rorschach had done, the respect he received was completely justified.
Rorschach thought for a moment before answering.
"Charles," he said calmly, "I think Eric is right. You're too idealistic."
Eric immediately smiled.
It was the kind of sharp grin that appeared whenever he felt vindicated.
But before he could enjoy the moment for long, Rorschach continued.
"But Eric," he added, "Charles is also right. You're too pessimistic."
Eric's grin froze instantly.
Charles burst out laughing.
"Did you hear that?" he said, still chuckling. "That wasn't me saying it this time."
Eric's expression turned slightly awkward before he shook his head and looked back at Rorschach.
"So you don't completely agree with Charles," he said slowly. "But you don't agree with me either."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If you were in our position, what would you do?"
Rorschach didn't answer immediately. He thought carefully for a moment before speaking.
"I'd combine both approaches," he said.
He looked first at Charles.
"I would keep the same hope and belief in the world that you have."
Then he turned toward Eric.
"But at the same time, I would prepare for the worst-case scenario that Eric is worried about."
Rorschach shrugged slightly.
"In other words, hope for the best and prepare for the worst."
Both Charles and Eric fell silent.
Rorschach's answer essentially blended their two philosophies together. It sounded simple, but actually applying that mindset consistently was far from easy.
After all, personality and instinct were difficult things to change.
Someone who naturally trusted people would continue trusting them.
Someone who expected betrayal would always remain cautious.
Changing those habits was much harder than simply stating a balanced principle.
After a moment, Eric spoke again.
"So what would you actually do about Angel?"
His tone made it clear he wasn't satisfied with vague theories.
"I'd erase her memories," Rorschach said without hesitation.
Charles blinked in surprise.
"Sorry, Charles," Rorschach continued calmly, "but this time I agree with Eric."
He explained his reasoning clearly.
"There are many situations where Angel wouldn't even need to cooperate for information to be taken from her. Anyone skilled enough could extract it without her saying a word."
He paused briefly.
"And the information she knows isn't trivial."
Angel knew the exact location of the future mutant school.
She knew the abilities of several mutants.
She knew the basic structure of their team.
Any of that information could become dangerous in the wrong hands.
Rorschach continued.
"There have already been rumors about a mutant sanctuary for years. Some people have searched for it without success."
If someone like Stryker ever discovered the truth, the consequences could be disastrous.
Even a small piece of information could be enough to start that chain reaction.
Eric's expression relaxed again.
It was clear he approved of Rorschach's reasoning.
Charles, however, looked slightly suspicious.
For a brief moment, he wondered if Eric had somehow influenced Rorschach's thinking.
"Alright," Eric said eventually, stretching his shoulders slightly. "Enough standing around. We still have a lot of work ahead of us."
He turned and walked back toward the mansion.
Charles and Rorschach followed him.
A short while later, the three of them arrived at the wide training field behind Xavier Manor.
Mystique, Hank, Darwin, Siren, and the other mutants had already gathered there. Everyone stood in a loose group, waiting for Charles to begin what he had promised would be their first official training session.
Charles stepped forward and clapped his hands together.
"Alright!"
The sound immediately caught everyone's attention.
Charles carefully looked around at the young faces standing in front of him. Compared to before, something had clearly changed.
Their expressions were more serious.
Their posture more focused.
The incident with Shaw had forced all of them to grow up a little.
Charles felt quietly satisfied.
"Let's start by seeing what each of you can currently do," he said. "Don't be shy. One at a time."
He smiled encouragingly.
"Once I understand your abilities better, I'll create a specific training plan for each of you."
He looked around the group.
"So… who wants to go first?"
Some of the young mutants looked eager.
Others seemed slightly embarrassed.
But regardless of how they felt, no one could avoid it.
One by one, they stepped forward and demonstrated their abilities in front of Charles and the others.
Energy blasts.
Enhanced strength.
Strange biological adaptations.
Various mutant powers appeared across the training field.
Charles watched carefully.
But the longer he observed, the more complicated his expression became.
He had known that most of them lacked control over their abilities.
What he hadn't expected was just how poor that control really was.
Compared to everyone else, Rorschach's abilities seemed almost unbelievably refined.
Charles still couldn't fully understand how someone so young had achieved that level of control.
Even Eric couldn't do it yet.
After watching the final demonstration, Charles rubbed his forehead slightly.
"Well…" he said slowly.
He searched for a polite way to phrase his thoughts.
"Everyone's current situation is… difficult to describe."
The words were carefully chosen.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, Charles suddenly paused.
A subtle change crossed his face.
He had sensed something.
Clapping his hands again, he quickly concluded the session.
"Alright, that's enough for today," he said. "Let's stop here and meet again at the same time tomorrow."
The young mutants began dispersing.
But Eric and Rorschach remained where they were.
Because a moment earlier, Charles had quietly winked at them.
.....
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