POV Narrator
Logan ran in the direction Rrogue had come from, the only remaining clue to follow the trail being the footprints in the snow. A novice hunter or even an experienced one wouldn't be able to track at the speed Logan was running, much less in the dark.
But Logan is no ordinary hunter.
He ran through the clearing where he had fought the saber-tooth, but he didn't see where it had ended up. He didn't have time to look for it, so he kept running.
After running for a little over two minutes—although that may not seem like much, considering his speed, the distance was no longer insignificant.
Logan arrived at a place where a fight had clearly just taken place. The broken and burning trees were evidence of that. There, he found two people lying on the ground—one female and one male.
"Vela!"
He wasted no time and ran to his student. After a quick check, he realized she was fine, just unconscious. Seeing this, he let out a sigh of relief.
After a second check to make sure she was okay, he exhaled once more before turning his gaze to the other unconscious person.
"Pyro… what the hell am I supposed to do with you?"
He looked at the boy, who seemed to be around the same age as his students. Logan had killed before, and he didn't see much of a problem with it. Of course, he had had disagreements with the other teachers at the institute and avoided doing it in front of his students.
But he had never liked the idea of killing a kid. With a resigned sigh, he picked the boy up and prepared to take his student and leave.
"Where do you think you're going with my subordinate?"
Logan suddenly froze—not because he wanted to, but because an invisible force prevented him from moving.
Without turning around, Logan responded, "Magneto."
"You know, I've always thought you have terrible luck being my enemy… well, you and everyone else since the Industrial Revolution."
Magneto descended and walked beside Logan without looking at him. Logan struggled harder to break free from Magneto's grip, but his efforts were in vain.
Magneto stopped in front of the unconscious Vela and said,
"What did Charles promise her? That she'd be accepted by humans? That she'd be respected and loved by them? What lie did he tell her?" As he spoke the last words, his gaze shifted from unconscious Vela to Logan.
Logan didn't respond. Although he followed Charles, he was the first to admit that the man's dream was just that—a dream. Still, he believed it was better than doing nothing.
"And what would you tell her? That she has to exterminate humanity to have a place? That if she wants respect, she can only earn it through fear?"
Magneto looked away, gazing into the forest with a lost expression. For several seconds, he said nothing, as if recalling something.
"No. I would tell her that to have a place in the society built by men, she must first step out of it and carve her own place."
Logan didn't answer. He truly had no argument against it. And being his enemy's prisoner only fueled his anger. While he was debating what to say to make Magneto leave Vela alone, Magneto suddenly retreated.
A bolt of lightning struck where he had just been standing.
"Magneto! Get away from my student!" roared an enraged Ororo.
POV Ororo
Minutes earlier
My head hurts, and the ground trembling doesn't help either.
I slowly start to get back on my feet, but I still feel lethargic. My eyes are open, but my vision is blurry. I try to remember what happened.
We were… we were returning to the Blackbird when Avalanche suddenly appeared and… using his power, he made the ground shake violently. I wanted to fly to avoid the disaster, but when I saw Spyke was in a dangerous area, I flew toward him, intending to grab him and take off.
"Teacher, watch out!" he shouted at me. I turned just in time to see a rock flying toward me. Everything went black.
My vision slowly clears, and I see Spyke fighting against Blob. He's trying to stab him with his bones, but it has little effect. Blob has greater physical strength, but Spyke is using his superior agility and the terrain to avoid his blows.
As a teacher, I'm proud to see my student applying what I taught him, but I know I have to end this. Once I feel ready enough not to miss, I strike Blob with a lightning bolt.
Although striking a child with lightning might seem excessive, I reduced its power, and Blob's mutation makes him more resistant.
"Teacher! Are you okay?!"
"Yes, I just hit my head a little."
"Yes, but…" Spyke clenched his fist and continued, "It was my fault."
"Evan… as your teacher, it's my duty to make sure you're okay, so don't feel guilty."
"…But—"
"No buts. This wasn't your fault. Remember that." I pause before continuing, "We don't have time to waste. We need to find the rest of the team."
POV Narrator
Present
Spyke followed his teacher from the ground as she flew. Seeing her launch a lightning bolt put him on alert, but he hoped everything was already over.
Imagine his surprise when he saw Magneto himself standing there, locked in a staring contest with his teacher.
"Storm, I didn't expect you to be here…"
"I could say the same, Magneto."
The two leaders stared at each other as the tension grew. The immobilized Logan and Spyke were sweating from the situation.
"… The earthquake and explosion must have caught everyone's attention. If we don't want the government to find us, it's best to leave," said Magneto.
"… You're right."
With that, Logan was able to move again, but understanding what this meant, he also let go of Pyro.
"Until we meet again, X-Men."