"I can recover?"
"Of course."
"How is that possible? My lifespan—"
"Your ability is special. In fact, it's so strong that the concept of a lifespan doesn't really apply to you."
In theory, as long as Wolverine's spirit remained unbroken, he could live forever. As long as he believed he wasn't dead, he would keep regenerating. Even if all that remained was the last trace of his will, his healing factor would still function.
The Wolverine of the films might not have reached that level, but he still wouldn't die so easily. His current condition was the result of long-term exposure to genetic suppressants, drugs that were actively weakening his healing factor every second. The fact that he still hadn't completely lost it was a testament to his resilience.
Ethan suspected that if Logan had just lived long enough, his body might have eventually developed an immunity to the drug, allowing him to recover on his own.
Hearing this, even Wolverine, who had experienced a lifetime of hardship—looked stunned.
Charles, on the other hand, was visibly relieved. If Logan could survive, then there was still hope for mutants.
Especially now that he had sensed the presence of a new generation of mutants. If they still existed, then the mutant race hadn't yet met its final end.
Logan, however, narrowed his eyes at Ethan.
"How do you know all this?"
No matter how he looked at him, Ethan was just a young man in his early twenties. Maybe he had powerful abilities, but how did he know these things? And not just about Logan, but about Charles too—his abilities, his condition, everything.
That level of familiarity made Logan uneasy.
"Because I'm not from this world," Ethan said casually. "I know things about your world."
Theories about parallel worlds and the multiverse weren't unheard of. Even someone with little education wouldn't find the concept too outlandish, especially in an era where scientific theories were widely discussed.
So while Ethan's words sounded incredible, they weren't unbelievable.
"So you know what's going to happen next?"
"Yes."
And so, Ethan became the ultimate spoiler machine, happily revealing key events of their future—to the very people who were about to experience it.
For example, he told them that Logan had a daughter. A girl who had been artificially created from his genes.
And that she would be arriving in just a few days.
Her arrival would shatter what little peace they had left. Professor Charles would die. Caliban would die. And even Logan himself… would die.
"You mean Laura Kinney?"
Charles had already been in "contact" with the girl. Every day, during his brief moments of clarity, he had been reaching out to guide her to them. Otherwise, how else would a random nurse from a research lab have been able to track down Logan so easily?
"So she's already on her way," Ethan said knowingly.
As Logan listened to Ethan and Charles talk, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Hadn't he been in a situation like this before? Years ago?
Only back then, he had been the one playing Ethan's role.
"Who are you?" Logan asked. "Did someone send you?"
"Ah, I keep forgetting to introduce myself," Ethan admitted. "I'm Ethan."
Then he shook his head.
"No one sent me. I ended up in this world by accident. But once I realized where I was, I decided to help you."
"Why?"
"Because it makes me feel better."
"…?"
That answer was completely unreliable, yet neither Charles nor Logan felt like he was lying.
After their conversation, they had learned a lot from Ethan.
They now understood why mutants had gone extinct.
From the topic of Laura, they learned about the existence of a new generation of mutants, children who had been created as experimental subjects, meant to be turned into living weapons. But now, those children had escaped, and Laura—the first of them—was about to arrive at their doorstep.
Ethan had kept his promise.
He had answered everything they wanted to know.
And after processing all this information, Logan and Charles exchanged a look.
In that moment, they both had the same thought.
We were better off not knowing.
The situation was bad.
They weren't stupid. The fact that someone had been able to release genetic suppressants on a global scale, conduct inhumane experiments, and manipulate the very existence of mutantkind meant that the real enemy was far beyond their reach.
"You said you wanted to help us?" Logan asked. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"
Logan didn't think Ethan could do much. As things stood, their fate was already sealed.
If anything, their enemies had been generous enough to let them die peacefully.
Just a moment ago, Logan had actually wanted to live again, knowing that his body could still recover.
But now?
Now, Logan wasn't so sure.
Being hunted down by the entire world didn't sound like a great way to spend his final years. Maybe dying like this wasn't such a bad option after all.
"I can't do too much." Ethan shrugged. "At most, I can kill those lunatics—"
He paused, then looked directly at Logan.
"—and make sure you don't die."
The emphasis was clear.
Not "you all."
Not "all of you."
Just Logan.
Caliban and Charles caught the subtle distinction but said nothing.
Caliban, for one, didn't see the point in arguing. Unlike Logan, his body wasn't deteriorating from the genetic suppressants. He could still live normally, as long as he stayed out of the storm.
And Charles?
Even if they stopped the effects of the genetic drugs, he was still too old. His body was too far gone.
Ethan did have something that could help—the Fountain of Life.
But now wasn't the time to reveal it.
Only Logan's problem had a simple solution.
If he just stopped consuming contaminated food and detoxified his body, his healing factor would gradually return, and his body would recover.
Logan fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Thanks for the offer… but I think I'll pass."
"If you don't want to live because the whole world is against you," Ethan said, spreading his hands, "then don't worry about it."
He leaned back slightly, smirking.
"Did you forget what I told you earlier? I'm not from this world."
"You want to invite us to your world?"
"I happen to have a big boat."
Charles laughed outright at Ethan's words.
Logan had been talking about buying a boat lately—planning to live off the grid, hiding at sea. And now, this young man in front of them also knew about that plan.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Caliban finally spoke up, having been mostly silent until now. "But I don't want to leave this world."
Truthfully, the genetic drugs and everything else had little effect on him. Whether he had his abilities or not didn't matter much in this world anymore. What did concern him was something else Ethan had said earlier, about killing all the people he didn't like.
Whether Ethan was exaggerating or not, it was clear that he was trouble. And Caliban had no interest in getting involved.
No one questioned his decision.
Even Logan agreed he should leave, especially now that they knew more trouble was headed their way.
And so, without much hesitation, Caliban left.
Ethan didn't care about his departure. In fact, he considered it a good thing.
As long as Caliban kept his head down, he might actually be able to live out his life in peace.
Besides, Ethan had never intended to take him back in the first place.
Caliban was unreliable. He talked too much, and there was a good chance he'd expose Ethan's secrets.
No, Ethan's real target was Logan.
Wolverine had nothing left in this world, making him the most likely person to be convinced to leave.
As for Professor Charles…
It wasn't until Caliban was completely gone that Ethan finally turned to Charles and spoke.
"I do have a way to keep you alive, Professor," he said. "But I'm not sure if it's something you'd accept."
Professor X's greatest strength was his mind.
If this were the comics, the peak version of Charles Xavier could transcend the limits of his physical body, essentially achieving a form of spiritual immortality.
Even if his body perished, his consciousness could survive as a pure psychic entity.
In some cases, he could even transfer his mind into another body—though this came with certain conditions and limitations.
In the movie universe, the X-Men films had vaguely hinted at this ability. The final post-credits scene of the original trilogy had subtly suggested it.
But that had been Xavier at his peak.
Right now, in his current state, such a thing seemed impossible.
And the X-Men movie timeline was notoriously messy.
Whether Logan was part of an independent timeline or still connected to the previous films was something even the studio hadn't officially clarified.
From a production standpoint, they had likely left it vague on purpose, to keep their options open for future films.
But for Ethan?
It was just giving him a headache.
"I'm ninety years old," Charles said. "And I have nothing left. You only need to save Logan."
"Professor—"
"Logan, don't."
Charles cut him off firmly. Then, turning to Ethan, he said, "You're suggesting that I live on as a spirit."
Ethan immediately realized, this old man could do it.
At least, he could if he were at his peak.
After all, Charles Xavier was someone who had pushed psychic power to its very limits.
"Yes," Ethan confirmed. "But given your current condition, you're far from your prime. So you would need a vessel, something to hold your consciousness and prevent it from collapsing entirely."
In other words.
A container.
Something to house Professor Charles' mind. A temporary sanctuary for his psychic essence.
Until a more suitable "host" could be found.
(To be continued.)
***
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