Magneto stared at Noah, caught completely off guard.
"You want to become a mutant?"
Noah didn't hesitate. "Is that so hard to understand? I've never cared about the divide between humans and mutants. If gaining another ability means crossing that line, then so be it."
There was no arrogance in his tone—just certainty.
Magneto studied him carefully. A human who wanted to become a mutant wasn't something he encountered often. And if Noah truly joined their kind…
That would make him an ally.
His posture relaxed slightly.
"Then explain something," Magneto said. "You told Sabretooth my machine has a flaw. What flaw?"
"It's simple," Noah replied. "Anyone transformed by that machine will eventually suffer genetic collapse. Their body breaks down and they die. You'll see it yourself soon enough."
Magneto's expression darkened.
"And you?" he asked.
Noah met his gaze. "My healing is far beyond normal. Cellular damage like that won't kill me. I can endure it."
Then he smiled faintly.
"So go ahead. Turn me into a mutant. I promise you—if I succeed, mutants won't just survive. They'll thrive because of me."
Magneto frowned. "Mutation is random. You don't get to choose what you gain. Where does that confidence come from?"
Noah didn't answer.
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing directly in front of Magneto.
A fraction of a second later—
BOOM.
The sound hit.
A violent shockwave tore through the air, whipping Magneto's cloak as the delayed roar of impact finally caught up to reality.
Magneto's pupils shrank.
Noah stood inches away, casually twisting the four metal spears hovering around Magneto into a tangled mass, as if they weighed nothing.
For a moment, Magneto didn't move.
The realization hit him hard.
The sound had come after the movement.
That meant, at least for an instant, Noah had moved faster than the speed of sound.
And this… was the result of less than a month of training.
"No matter what ability I get," Noah said calmly, "it's just a bonus. I don't need it to dominate."
Magneto finally understood.
The ten meters of distance he'd deliberately left between them? Meaningless. Against that kind of speed, it might as well have been one.
Inside the car, Rogue peeked out the window, drawn by the explosion—only to see Noah casually straightening Magneto's collar like nothing had happened.
"Think about it," Noah continued, his tone almost conversational. "Let me become one of you. Let me stand at the top as a mutant—and show the world what that really means."
His words carried weight, not force—but temptation.
"In three years," he added, "the situation for mutants will be completely different. Power shouldn't be judged by origin—human, mutant, or anything else. You agree with that, don't you?"
For a moment, Magneto said nothing.
The words stirred something old—memories he didn't revisit lightly. Promises once made to him, long ago, in a very different life.
He looked at the crater in the ground.
Then back at Noah.
"…I hope you won't disappoint me."
Noah extended his hand. "I never do. Looking forward to working together… Erik Lehnsherr."
Magneto's grip tightened as he shook it.
It had been a long time since anyone used that name.
"Very well," Magneto said. "We're allies now. No time to waste—let's test the machine."
Noah returned to the car, clearly in a good mood.
"Change of plans," he said as he got in.
Rogue blinked. "Change to what?"
"To the base of the guy who tried to kidnap you earlier," Noah replied casually. "That's where I'm becoming a mutant."
Before she could respond, the car lifted smoothly into the air.
Magneto guided it effortlessly, carrying them across the ocean toward his stronghold.
Half an hour later, the vehicle descended onto a remote island facility.
Noah stepped out and took in the surroundings.
Compared to Xavier's school, the difference was stark.
This place felt harsher. Rougher. The mutants here weren't polished students—they were survivors. Many bore visible physical mutations, some extreme, others unsettling. Their abilities varied wildly, and so did their appearances.
It wasn't hard to understand why they were here.
People who looked like this didn't get welcomed into normal society.
They got feared. Rejected.
And eventually, they stopped asking for acceptance.
A group approached as the car settled—led by a blue-skinned woman with shifting features.
Mystique.
Her eyes locked onto Noah immediately, filled with suspicion.
"Erik," she said sharply, "why is there a human here?"
The surrounding mutants tensed, hostility rising almost instantly. If not for Magneto's presence, they might have attacked on the spot.
Magneto raised a hand slightly.
"Human?" he said. "Not for long. Like the senator you captured—he's about to become one of us."
Mystique's expression shifted. "You mean…"
"That's right," Magneto confirmed. "Prepare the machine. Bring the senator as well. We'll conduct both transformations."
Mystique nodded slowly. "Understood. I'll get everything ready."
She turned and left, while the others exchanged confused glances.
Experiment?
What experiment?
As they walked toward the lab, Rogue stayed close to Noah, her voice low.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked. "That machine… it sounds dangerous."
Noah shrugged lightly. "It is. But not dangerous enough."
She frowned. "You're talking about your body breaking down."
"And recovering," he added. "I'll be fine."
His confidence didn't waver.
Between his natural healing and the steady improvements he'd been making, he believed he could survive the process.
And compared to what he might gain?
The risk barely registered.
Becoming a mutant was a small price to pay.