The young mutants stared blankly at the ruins of the battlefield. They had heard legends about Magneto before, but witnessing his overwhelming power with their own eyes made them finally understand why humans feared mutants so deeply.
After all, even nuclear-armed nations were kept in check through global cooperation. But a single individual capable of generating nuclear-level destruction—or worse—was something no government could tolerate without fear.
And this was Magneto after his power had declined with age. In X-Men: Apocalypse, the younger Magneto possessed enough magnetic force to destabilize the Earth's crust and wipe out humanity. How could humans possibly face such a figure without terror?
Every student secretly thanked fate that Magneto stood on their side. His power was used only to protect mutantkind. In this desperate hour, there was nothing more reassuring than having such an overwhelming ally.
He had crushed a Helicarrier with a gesture—surely the next attack would be no different.
Though they dared not approach the man out of fear, in their hearts, Magneto now stood above even Professor Xavier, whom they had long viewed as all talk and no action.
And that was precisely what Cyclops dreaded most.
Magneto surveyed the young faces before him. From their eyes he saw reverence, admiration, and loyalty—but he lacked Xavier's eloquence. He simply said, in his usual cold tone:
"See to the wounded. Take care of yourselves."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving the students in thoughtful silence.
A moment later, someone muttered:
"He's… not as scary as I expected."
Cyclops nearly lost control.
"Quiet! All of you—back to the basement! Tomorrow every one of you will submit a written reflection on disobeying orders!"
Storm hurried to calm him.
"Scott, let it go. They only wanted to help. If they hadn't joined the fight, it would've been our team lying out there dead."
"They didn't help—they were just—damn it!"
Cyclops cut himself off before saying something he would regret. Anything he said now would only further undermine his authority, so he stormed away in frustration.
He was still too young.
He needed far more experience before he could truly carry the burden Xavier left him.
For now, he simply wasn't capable of commanding the big picture. Unlike him, Magneto—though cold—remained calm, decisive, and composed. It was clear whom the students would follow.
Left behind, the X-Men had no choice but to handle the aftermath.
Thanks to Magneto's intervention, the casualties were not catastrophic, but student deaths were still a rare and devastating blow. For the inexperienced teachers and students, this was a grim and overwhelming task.
Marcus followed the students back toward the underground base. But midway through the corridor, he stopped and blocked their path.
"Everyone, listen. I don't believe I did anything wrong today—and neither did you. You all saw it. If we relied solely on the X-Men, this entire attack would have ended in disaster. I won't be writing Cyclops's so-called reflection. And I hope you'll stand firm as well. Kitty—what do you think?"
Kitty Pryde froze, startled to be singled out.
Truthfully, she leaned more toward the X-Men's idealism—but even she couldn't deny that Cyclops had handled the crisis poorly. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
"I agree."
With the two strongest students—Marcus and Kitty—openly refusing Cyclops's command, the rest immediately understood what stance to take.
Skipping a reflection was trivial on its own, but right now, any small act of defiance could snowball into a shift of power. The butterfly effect was real.
Magneto possessed overwhelming power but lacked the leadership finesse of Professor Xavier. Fortunately, Xavier's current whereabouts were unknown.
And Marcus intended to take full advantage of this gap.
---
Meanwhile, in Washington…
While the X-Men repaired their devastated school, the U.S. government—now led by President Steve Rogers—worked tirelessly to rebuild public trust. Capitalizing on Captain America's unmatched reputation, the administration launched a full-scale campaign to restore stability.
The most dramatic change appeared in the infamous Superhuman Registration Act, the very law that tore the Avengers apart in Captain America: Civil War.
Originally, the Act required every superhuman in the U.S. to register their identity and operate under government control—something Steve Rogers had always opposed.
But under his presidency, two new amendments overturned the law's entire meaning:
---
1. All registered identities and personal information are classified at Security Level 5.
Only the President may access or utilize this data.
Any unauthorized use is a federal crime.
2. All registered superheroes will serve as a special forces division reporting directly to the President.
No other government department may command or intervene unless authorized by the President.
---
Since Steve Rogers himself was the President, the law effectively meant:
Superheroes answered to him, and him alone.
In practice, nothing changed—
they were simply joining Captain America's team under a different name.
Steve also promised to abolish the Act before his term ended. Whether he could deliver was uncertain, but his promise carried enormous weight.
Freed from fear of government abuse, superheroes across America voiced their support.
Yes, they needed oversight.
But the only person in the country qualified to oversee them—
was Captain America.
_____
T/N:
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