DOTM: Chapter 302/303

Chapter 302: Your Express Delivery Has Arrived

The base arranged by the CIA for Charles and the others had a pleasant environment, complete facilities, and even various entertainment options.

Ethan was now certain they were in the timeline of X-Men: First Class, and his appearance wasn't at the beginning of the film, but during the period when Professor Charles was actively searching for mutants.

Naturally, Ethan knew what would happen next. The plot of First Class was actually quite simple—it introduced the two mutant leaders, Magneto and Professor X, and then had them team up to deal with a mutant named Sebastian Shaw.

Shaw was a powerful mutant who could absorb energy and release it at will. The energy he absorbed could also be used to strengthen himself. With this ability, he was able to maintain his youthful appearance and delay aging.

In a sense, this guy was very difficult to deal with. Even physical attacks would have their "energy" absorbed, as if he had a constant defensive buff that nullified all incoming damage, making it hard to find a weakness.

The best way to kill him was to stab him directly with a sharp weapon. While he could absorb the power attached to the blade, he couldn't absorb the blade itself. His body was still relatively normal, so if stabbed in a vital area, he would still die.

An enemy like that might cause Ethan some trouble but couldn't truly threaten him. He didn't need to worry about Shaw at all.

Besides, with these two already lined up to handle him, Ethan wasn't concerned.

Following the young Magneto and Professor X into the building, Ethan quickly noticed hidden sentries in various concealed corners.

"There are quite a few guards here."

However, these sentries were far too easy to detect. Not only could Ethan spot them immediately, but even Ada had already pinpointed all their positions. In her eyes, the defenses here were essentially nonexistent. If she wanted, she could move freely through the entire place without anyone noticing.

"This is CIA property."

"CIA territory?"

Ada wasn't surprised, but Logan was. He found it hard to believe that Magneto was actually cooperating with the CIA. In his memory, this guy had always been the type to oppose such official organizations.

Their conversation wasn't hushed. The two people leading them could clearly hear it. The other party clearly knew a lot about their situation. If they truly were allies, then it was fine. But if they were enemies who knew everything and still dared to show up, that meant they didn't care at all. That kind of trouble could be even more dangerous than expected.

Fortunately, the three guests didn't make any suspicious moves and simply followed them into a reception room.

Once inside, everyone found a seat. Charles even took the initiative to pour drinks—wine, juice, and other refreshments.

"Now, could you help me understand who you are and what your intentions are?"

Logan glanced at Ethan, silently asking whether Ethan would explain or if he should. Ethan thought for a moment, then chose to speak. After all, this was a task that fell to him.

"I was entrusted by someone to deliver something to you."

"To me?"

Charles noticed that Ethan was looking directly at him. After pointing at himself to confirm there was no mistake, he became very curious about who was sending him something, and what exactly it was.

"Who is the sender, and what did they send?"

He had no intention of accepting items from a stranger, and he even suspected that the group before him might be connected to Sebastian Shaw. Could they be his people, sent here to deliver a message?

But Ethan's next words froze him on the spot, completely unsure how to respond.

"It's a legacy entrusted to me by Charles Xavier. He asked me to pass it on to you."

To be precise, it was from a Charles Xavier of a certain parallel universe. He hoped to leave behind his legacy for another version of himself. This legacy wasn't necessarily intended for the Charles in front of Ethan, but Ethan felt that this one was a suitable candidate.

In terms of timeline, unless Ethan went back to the very beginning of this world to meet a much younger Charles, it would be impossible to find a Professor Xavier earlier than the one before him.

The earlier the timeline, the more things could be changed. It would be easier to prevent this world from falling into the kind of despair seen in the world of Old Charles.

"Charles? Charles Xavier?" The young Charles was baffled. He wondered if his intelligence had suddenly dropped. Why couldn't he understand what the person in front of him was saying?

"Do you know about parallel universes?" Ethan asked. Seeing Charles nod, he continued, "During one of my dimensional travels, I met an older Charles Xavier. His situation… wasn't great."

After briefly recounting his experience in the Logan world, the expression on Charles's face turned grim.

He didn't know if Ethan was telling the truth or lying, but hearing such a future was enough to sour anyone's mood.

Mutants had steadily increased in number, and with that came inevitable conflict. Eventually, the conflict between humans and mutants seemed to disappear, but the real reason was that through various human methods, mutants were nearly wiped out. Many even died at the hands of his own deranged self. That part was especially hard for Charles to accept—even though Ethan clarified it was a different timeline, the possibility that his future self could suffer from the same condition still struck deep.

Erik noticed Charles's expression and tried to stop Ethan from speaking further, but Charles stopped him.

"I want to hear more." Charles's gaze was firm, as if he felt a sense of duty. "And how can you prove what you're saying is true?"

Logan, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. "You can read my memories."

Charles didn't ask Ethan to read his memories. He could tell the man in front of him had formidable telepathic ability. There was no way to guarantee the content wasn't manipulated or falsified.

What he really wanted was concrete evidence. He hadn't expected the man named Logan to suddenly volunteer.

"You?"

Charles quickly understood. The man in front of him wasn't the same one he had seen earlier at the bar.

"You came from that world?"

Logan nodded, then looked at Ethan, silently asking whether Charles could read his memories. In the past, Logan wouldn't have cared. But now, things were different. He knew too many of Ethan's secrets. This young Charles didn't have refined control over memory reading and might learn things he wasn't supposed to.

However, Ethan thought it over. His biggest secret was his past life. Things like traveling through different dimensions wouldn't matter if Charles learned about them.

More importantly, Charles had a trustworthy personality. He wouldn't recklessly reveal secrets he had learned.

Charles looked at Ethan, then at Logan, and finally made his decision. He read Logan's memories—and came to understand everything he needed to.

Logan knew a lot. Charles did his best to remain in control and not get overwhelmed by the vast sea of memories, but the flood of knowledge still made him a bit dizzy. After taking some time to organize it all, half an hour had passed before he realized it.

He turned to Erik beside him, who was looking at him with concern. Charles gave him a smile to show he was fine, then turned back to Logan.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for taking care of 'me' and not abandoning me."

He had seen the sorry state of his other self and had felt a chill in his heart. In such a situation, Logan had been taking care of him, proving that their bond had truly run deep.

At the same time, he now understood what Ethan had brought him. It was the essence of his other self's psychic power, along with a lifetime of knowledge and memory. It was an incredibly valuable legacy.

"But... can I really accept something so important?"

Ethan knew Charles had understood. He casually took out the box containing Charles's psychic power and placed it on the table in front of him.

"As of now, you're the most suitable."

The timeline was early enough, and his abilities had matured. This Charles was indeed the best candidate.

In fact, even if Ethan had gone back earlier and met Charles as a child, he wouldn't have given this to him. That would only risk disaster instead of creating a better future where mutants could live in peace—something the old Charles had always hoped for.

Erik still didn't fully understand what was going on. Fortunately, Charles explained things in detail and even transmitted part of the memory to Erik through a telepathic link, finally helping the young Magneto grasp the situation.

Erik was a bit stunned by how bleak the future looked. At this point, Magneto was still young and full of the fire of revenge. He was far from becoming the future leader of mutants. The gap between him and his older self was much wider than the gap between Charles and his future self.

The mood turned heavy. Ethan looked at the two downcast men and tapped the box beside him.

"I came here to help you change that terrible future. Right now, you still have plenty of time to deal with the problems that will come. That's far better than being caught completely unprepared."

"You're right. The situation is indeed better than that."

Charles and Erik were both resilient. They quickly regained their composure.

Besides, Ethan was right. Even though they would face enormous trouble, and even the threat of total extinction, they still had time to figure things out. That was already a huge advantage.

"What you need to do now is accept this. It will help you resolve the problems of the future."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 303: Old Charles's Warning and Gift

Charles had originally been hesitant to accept the legacy of his other self, but Ethan was right. He had already learned about the future from Wolverine, Logan.

The Sentinel Program, the mutant civil war, the gene-food plan aimed at exterminating mutants—none of these were problems that could be easily solved. And with his current power, he simply wasn't strong enough.

He had once believed his abilities had been developed to a high degree, but now, through Logan's memories, he understood just how powerful his future self truly was.

Looking at the small box in front of him, Charles finally nodded and decided to accept the legacy.

Of course, this also meant he would be taking on a great responsibility. He would inherit the will of his other self and work to ensure that the mutants in this world could live better lives, preventing them from heading toward extinction once again.

"What should I do?"

Ethan extended his hand, and a brilliant, dazzling yet non-blinding magical light wrapped around his outstretched arm, gradually transforming into segments of complex magical symbols. As these symbols rotated and aligned on the magic circle Ethan held, the plain little box suddenly let out a click.

In truth, this was a magical version of a password lock. Besides requiring the correct password, it also required magic imbued with Ethan's own mental imprint in order to open.

In other words, no one but Ethan could open this box. It could be opened through brute force, of course, but that would completely destroy the contents inside.

Once the correct energy activated the correct password, the seemingly ordinary little box finally opened. The lid split and slid to the sides, and a massive surge of psychic energy erupted from within. However, this psychic energy did not immediately dissipate. Instead, it gradually condensed into a ball, forming a semi-transparent, semi-solid human figure.

"Charles?"

Logan looked at the familiar figure, momentarily stunned. He remembered Ethan telling him that Charles had completely severed his "personality" and that the box only contained psychic energy, vast knowledge, and memories—pure data that could be safely absorbed by the inheritor without any side effects.

So why had the psychic energy taken on Charles's appearance? Wasn't this supposed to be without self-awareness?

Ethan glanced at the old professor in front of him. The moment he appeared, everyone present—except for Ethan—felt as though they had been completely seen through by this strange old man.

"Just as I thought."

Ethan curled his lip. He had expected this. Charles wouldn't completely trust someone like Ethan after only a few minutes of conversation. It was entirely reasonable for him to leave a safeguard within his legacy.

"Thank you, Ethan."

The old Charles had already seen his younger self and was very satisfied that Ethan had chosen him to inherit the legacy.

His other self would be able to absorb his psychic energy without any negative effects. The knowledge he passed on would also be perfectly suited for him. In every way, it was the best possible outcome.

"I can't stay for long, so let's get straight to it."

Turning toward his younger self, the older Charles nodded. "Don't worry, 'I' will completely dissipate soon. Accepting my power won't cause you any trouble. Once you've received it, you'll understand everything."

The younger Charles chose to trust "himself." He simply asked what he needed to do.

"You don't need to do anything. Empty your mind and open your heart."

After the younger Charles took a deep breath and signaled he was ready, the psychic form of the older Charles dissolved into pure psychic energy and surged into his body.

Just as the old Charles had said, the younger Charles didn't feel any discomfort. He soon learned the reason through the knowledge and memories he had just inherited, and understood everything that had happened.

This included Ethan suddenly finding the older Charles and Logan, offering to heal the dying professor and weakened Logan, and even arranging a peaceful retirement for them.

The older Charles had refused to continue living because of the "mistakes" he had made. He chose to die, and at the same time entrusted Ethan with his vast psychic energy, decades of knowledge, and memories—hoping Ethan would find a worthy successor.

After all, the older Charles wasn't some naive youth. He wouldn't easily trust a stranger. Even though he hadn't sensed any malice from Ethan, he had still maintained a certain level of caution.

He had embedded a psychic imprint deep within the legacy. It would only be triggered upon release of the psychic energy, and then Charles's consciousness would briefly reawaken to assess the situation at that time.

If Ethan had fulfilled his promise and found a suitable successor, the reawakened Charles would quietly disperse, handing over the legacy without interfering.

But if Ethan had attempted to use the psychic energy for evil that could harm the world, the older Charles would not hold back. Even if he couldn't destroy Ethan with his remaining energy, he would self-destruct and destroy the entire legacy to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Of course, the older Charles had considered every possibility. If Ethan had to use the psychic energy in an emergency, the retained consciousness would still awaken and make a proper judgment instead of mechanically following instructions.

As it turned out, Ethan's morality had passed the test, and he had fulfilled his promise. The older Charles expressed sincere gratitude, and the younger Charles now understood that his older self had left something for Ethan as well.

Following the method in the "memory," he extended his hand and formed a mass of pure psychic energy in his palm. This was the portion he had not absorbed. Because their psychic energies were identical, the older Charles's energy had instantly merged with his own.

Only this portion had been intentionally set aside. Though he could absorb it if he wanted, it would take some time. However, the older Charles clearly had confidence in "himself" and didn't take any precautions or separate the energy in advance.

The older Charles had wanted his younger self to befriend Ethan. He had confirmed Ethan's character and sensed his growing strength. He would become a powerful ally.

"This belongs to you."

When Ethan saw the mass of psychic energy in Charles's hand, he immediately understood.

He sighed inwardly at how incredibly shrewd the older Charles had been. He had not only taken precautions but also provided a benefit afterward to keep Ethan from resenting him. At the same time, it established a connection with the younger Charles. If trouble arose in the future, Ethan would be much less likely to refuse to help out of consideration for their relationship.

Even though Ethan had thought all this through, he had no intention of refusing the reward. Charles was trustworthy and powerful, and becoming friends was a good outcome.

He took the psychic energy and directly absorbed it into his body. Although it was pure energy, it would take some time to fully absorb. For now, it was simply stored inside him.

At the same time, Ethan discovered that the psychic energy came with a bonus—some of Charles's knowledge. No memories, just pure technical knowledge.

The old professor had spent decades conducting research. The black technology in the X-Men base was no less advanced than Tony Stark's work. Many difficult problems that couldn't be solved through science alone could be bypassed through psychic powers for better results. So Charles possessed knowledge and insights far ahead of his time.

Now, all of it had been given to Ethan—and this was even more valuable than the psychic energy.

"Alright, looks like I owe a favor now."

But that's how human relationships work. You help me, I help you. Through mutual support, bonds grow stronger. Even parents these days don't provide unconditional, one-sided giving forever.p

Seeing Ethan accept the "reward," the younger Charles once again expressed his gratitude. This time, it wasn't on behalf of his older self but came from his own heart.

He had gained an immense benefit. It was like a pie falling from the sky. Although he understood that it was only because it had been his other self who entrusted Ethan, and thus the reason he had been chosen,

The memories from Logan made him realize how vast the multiverse was, and how many versions of himself must exist. His receiving the legacy came down to luck. After all, the one choosing the inheritor was the mage sitting in front of him…

"Cough, sorry, I'm still having a hard time accepting that mages exist in this world."

Actually, there was a sorceress among the X-Men, but that was in the Marvel comic universe. In that world, Storm had a sorceress identity.

But in the movie universe setting, Storm was simply a mutant and did not possess any additional mage identity.

"It's alright. Not every world has spellcasters."

At this point, the younger Professor X and Magneto were certain that the man sitting across from them was indeed a friend. Erik, who had been tense this whole time, finally relaxed. He then grew curious about what Charles had learned.

Having fully received the memories, Charles now understood many of the difficulties he would face in the future. Beyond what he had already known, he also learned about certain threats that Logan hadn't experienced.

"That was a thrilling, exciting, yet arduous experience."

(To be continued.)