Sanctuary—another peaceful day. The streets bustled with people, shop owners greeted customers warmly, parents sent their kids off on the school bus without worry, and office workers scrambled after buses while trying to fix their disheveled clothes.
At the city's edge stood the headquarters of the X-Men, where Charles had summoned all the core members.
"Charles, what happened? You actually called all of us back?" asked Warren the Angel.
Among the original eight members, only Hank remained at HQ for research, while Raven was responsible for training new recruits. The rest were scattered across the globe—helping oppressed mutants and preventing superpowered criminals—rarely gathering together.
"You've all received the intel on Apocalypse, right?" Charles asked solemnly.
"Of course. But isn't it just another lunatic with power thinking he's a god? We've caught plenty of those," Shiro Yoshida, Sunfire, quipped.
"Hahaha…" The others laughed. Each of them had dealt with arrogant individuals flaunting their powers, terrorizing rural areas while proclaiming themselves deities—most of whom turned out to be pushovers.
There had been strong opponents, of course. But the X-Men sent to hold down regions were all formidable in their own right, and so far, none had died in action.
"This time is different. Hank," Charles prompted.
…
…
At Charles' signal, Hank projected some gathered data.
"This is…!" Everyone was stunned by the projection, their expressions turning serious. They realized they would be facing someone no less powerful than Sebastian Shaw.
"That's right. I even went to the Sanctuary archives. According to the records, he has existed since ancient times, and the Sanctuary helped seal him back then. I don't know how he's lived this long, but I'm certain—he's a tough one," Charles said.
"Charles, can you locate him?" Erik asked. He preferred to strike first rather than sit and wait.
"I've tried already," Charles replied, frowning.
"Even you can't find him?" From Erik's expression, he already understood Charles' answer.
"No—I did find him. Or rather, I had found him," Charles said.
"What do you mean?"
"After Moira informed me about Apocalypse, I immediately used Cerebro to search for him. At first, I located him and even accessed some of his memories. But he possesses multiple abilities, including telepathy. With the help of other unknown powers, he nearly took over my mind," Charles said with a bitter smile.
"Impossible!" Everyone was shocked. Charles was considered the strongest known telepath. Even Elf, who had once suppressed him in prison, couldn't compare.
"Luckily, the Sanctuary's barrier severed our connection in time—and blocked him from arriving," Charles said.
"You mean…"
"Yes, he has a teleportation-like ability. Without the barrier, he would've taken me by now." Charles added. For some reason, during their mental link, he sensed a yearning—Apocalypse craved him.
"What does Uncle Melin say?" Erik asked.
Since Charles had accessed the Sanctuary's archives, Melin must've known and given guidance.
"Mister Melin…" Charles smiled at the mention. "…he said this would serve as a test for us."
"Uh…" Everyone fell silent, slightly embarrassed.
Indeed, since the X-Men were established, they'd achieved a lot—teaming with S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture numerous superpowered criminals and rescuing many mutants. But to Melin, these might've just been homework. Since Sebastian Shaw, they hadn't truly faced a dire challenge.
Even though Shaw, possessed by Ares' residual soul, had exceeded their capabilities, they couldn't beat Shaw even before that possession.
"So… should we just wait here?" Armando (Darwin) asked.
"Come on, Armando, did you take a trip to the fool's camp lately?" Elizabeth (Psylocke) teased. "You think Apocalypse can break through the barrier?"
"Uh… right, my bad," Armando shrugged. That was a dumb question.
"But Armando's question brings up a good point—where should we stage the battle?" Charles pondered.
"Obviously somewhere uninhabited," everyone replied.
"But not too far from the Sanctuary," Charles added.
"What do you mean?" The others frowned, feeling slightly underestimated.
"I'm not belittling you. I'm just worried…" Charles hurried to explain.
"No need, Charles. Didn't Lord Melin say this is a test? We must face it on our own," Warren stated. No one blamed Charles; they all understood he was just concerned—trying to avoid casualties.
But safety was never their pursuit. Otherwise, they wouldn't have joined the X-Men. They wanted to prove they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Saints, not just clean up minor issues.
"Everyone, I—"
"Enough, Charles. We know you mean well. But you also need to understand—when we joined, we were already prepared," Erik said.
Truthfully, he didn't object to either option. He didn't want his friends dying on missions, but he also didn't want to always live under the Sanctuary's protection.
There was something he didn't say: he knew Melin well. If Melin had learned about this, he wouldn't just leave it entirely to them. If their chances were good, he wouldn't intervene. But if it were a 50-50 or worse? Melin would absolutely have someone shadow them and step in at a critical moment.
"…Alright then. Let's settle on a battlefield," Charles sighed.
"Don't worry, Charles. We'll be fine—we've gotten stronger!" Raven reassured.
"We'll protect you, haha," Shiro teased.
"Get lost, Shiro. I don't need your protection."
"Hahaha…"
…
At the mountain-top temple, just as Erik guessed, Melin had been keeping an eye on them.
"My lord." Mu knelt on one knee.
"Follow them. Only intervene if their lives are at stake—and don't let them notice," Melin ordered.
"Yes."
Mu left, while Melin continued to gaze in the X-Men headquarters' direction.
"Erik, that rascal… didn't expect he knew me this well," Melin murmured.
Truthfully, Melin didn't think highly of Charles' odds this time. Though the Four Horsemen and the X-Men had changed greatly, Apocalypse's strength remained the same. Without Phoenix Jean Grey's last-minute outburst, they might not even defeat him.
However, Jean had already been brought back to Sanctuary by Charles and had joined the X-Men. She was still just a reserve member though—Charles wouldn't let her fight unless necessary.
Speaking of reserves—was it fate? Or just good luck? The original young X-Men members like Havok Alex, Nightcrawler Kurt, Banshee Sean, and Storm Ororo were all present. Even third-gen X-Men like Kitty Pryde, Iceman Bobby, and Rogue Anna were kids attending Sanctuary elementary school.
Under Melin's influence, the X-Men would far exceed the power he remembered.
But interestingly, White Queen Emma was still nowhere to be found. Cyclops Scott, Alex's brother, hadn't appeared. And Wolverine Logan had repeatedly rejected invitations from Charles and Erik, continuing his life of wandering.
"Truly interesting. Looks like that movie's plot is basically locked in," Melin grinned.
…
Athens—Apocalypse arrived with his new Four Horsemen in this beautiful white city.
"This is the place?" Apocalypse asked Toras.
"The rumors say it's on that mountain. I haven't been there myself," Toras replied.
"Hmph. Then let us…"
After finding his fourth Horseman, Apocalypse connected with Charles—which made him notice Charles, or rather… crave him.
Charles' mental power was simply too vast. So vast, it could cover the entire world. That made Apocalypse yearn for it.
If he could take Charles' body and power, he could instantly wipe out all humans and create a world purely for mutants.
As for those mutants who didn't obey? He'd use that telepathic power to brainwash them.
But just as he locked onto Charles' location and tried to teleport there to capture him, a formless power threw him back—and he couldn't approach Charles at all. So he'd rushed to Athens to invade directly.
He could capture Charles and punish those arrogant enough to call themselves gods before him—two birds with one stone.
Yet just as he was about to give the order, his connection with Charles resumed—faint but clear. And Charles was no longer on the mountain Toras mentioned.
"Let's go."
Without waiting for the others, Apocalypse teleported them all to a remote desert.
"Charles, child… I've finally found you," Apocalypse said warmly, almost fondly.
"You need to correct yourself," Charles replied flatly. "You didn't find me—I let you find me."
"It's a trap!" said Toras, ever the criminal. He instantly sensed something was off and warned the others.
"You mean them?" Apocalypse glanced at the surrounding X-Men, who slowly encircled them. Still full of confidence, he didn't consider them a threat. "Fine children—you are worthy to join my empire."
To his surprise, his confident invitation was met with mocking sneers.
"Hah, another one."
"Delusional. Not even therapy could fix that."
"Ugh, the way he talks—so gross."
…
Apocalypse's face darkened instantly.
"You insolent brats! You'll pay for your blasphemy—with your lives!"
With that, Erik struck first—microscopic metal particles around him launched like bullets at the Four Horsemen.
And with that, the battle officially began.