castle on the hill > erik lehnsherr [discontinued]

12

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Seraphine frowned at the state of Xavier's school as it was perfectly fine when she left. She noticed it was empty and dust was layered on top of furniture. "Charles!" She called out for him, hoping he was still there. She continued walking down the halls until she came across a room and heard shuffling.

She pushed the door open, hearing a slight squeak as she did so and found Hank standing at a desk. She let out a sigh of relief as he lifted his head at the sound of her arrival.

"What happened here?" Hank sighed and shook his head slightly. "After you left everything eventually went down hill. Students were pulled out, Charles legs got worse. He became depressed and so did the school." Guilt sparked in her as she realised how alone Charles must of been.

"Where is he now?" Her question was cut off by footsteps entering the room. "Seraphine?" She quickly turned around to see Charles in all his glory standing up in awe. "Charles, you're walking." She breathed out. Suddenly arms were wrapped around her as Charles hugged her. Almost immediately she returned the gesture.

"I should never of left you here, I'm so sorry." Charles shook out of the gesture with a frown on his face. "Nonsense, you had to go, live your own life not have my weight on your shoulders." She frowned "Is that what you thought? You were just a burden? Charles you're my friend and it was wrong of me to just get up and go." A small smile found its way on his face. "I'll never leave you again." She teased.

Loud shattering sounds were heard from the front hall and Seraphine rushed towards the entrance to see Hank as Beast along with another man. "Who the hell are you?" The man narrowed his eyes at the woman trying to figure out who she was. "Hank? What's going on here?" He watches as Charles walks down the stairs, wearing his dressing gown and looking disheveled. "Professor?" Charles shook his head "Please don't call me that." Hank still hanging from the chandelier questioned him "Why? You know this guy?" Charles nodded "Yeah, he looks sightly familiar. Get off the bloody chandelier, Hank."

"You can walk?" Seraphine narrowed her eyes at him with suspicion. "You're a perceptive one." He furrowed his brows "I thought Erik..." Charles cut him off "Which makes it slightly perplexing that you missed our sign on the way in. This is private property, my friend. I'm gonna have to ask him to ask you to leave."

"Well. I'm afraid I can't do that... because I was sent here for you." Seraphine leaned forward feeling intrigued by this man. "Well, tell whoever it was sent you that I'm busy." He chuckled bitterly "That's gonna be a little tricky, because the person who sent me was you."

Charles frowned "What?" He nodded "About 50 years from now." Charles laughed as if he were telling a joke "Like in the future, 50 years from now?I sent you from the future?" The man nodded yet again "Yeah." Charles had enough of him "Piss off."

Seraphine interrupted by taking two steps forward closer to the mystery man. "Lets start again here, what's your name?" She spoke directed to the man. He sighed "Logan, you?" She scoffed almost immediately. "Yeah I thought I recognised you. You told Charles and-" Seraphine frowned at the thought of Erik but continued anyway. "-to fuck off, so why are you here now?" He huffed getting impatient "if you had your powers, you'd know I was telling the truth." 

"How do you know I don't have my p- Who are you?" Seraphine rolled my eyes at his response "I told you." She grabbed him by the neck and shoved him up against the wall. "And we don't believe you, so tell us who the fuck you are." Charles sighed "Seraphine, let him down." Reluctantly she let go of her hold, allowing him to drop to the floor and rub his neck gently. "You're Seraphine? I should've guessed already." Her eyes widened at his statement. "You know me?" He nodded. "You and me are close in the future. Like siblings I suppose." Seraphine looked hesitant as she didn't know what to believe.

"I know you, Charles. We've been friends for years. I know your powers came when you were 9. I know you thought you were going crazy when it started... all the voices in your head. And it wasn't until you were 12... that you realized all the voices were in everyone else's head. Do you want me to go on?" Charles looks confused and shocked. "I never told anyone that." Logan shook his head "Not yet, no, but, you will."

"All right, you've piqued my interest. What do you want?" Logan sighed in relief "We have to stop Raven. I need your help. We need your help." Charles scoffs "I think I'd like to wake up now." Charles turns around and walks into the next room. "What does she have to do with this?" Logan watches as Hank turns back into his human form. "So you're saying... they took Raven's power, and what? They weaponized it?"

Logan nodded "In the beginning the Sentinels were just targeting mutants, then they began to identify the genetics in non-mutants who'd eventually have mutant children or grandchildren. Then they started targeting everybody. Many of the humans tried to help us, it was a slaughter. Leaving only the worst of humanity in charge. I've been in a lot of wars, I've never seen anything like this. And it all starts with her." Charles nodded still not believing him "Let's just say for the sake of... the sake, that I choose to believe you, that I choose to help you. Raven won't listen to me. Her heat and soul belong to something else now."

Logan sighed "I know. That's why we're gonna need Magneto, too." Seraphine laughed bitterly "You do know where Erik is?" Seraphine nodded "He's where he belongs." Charles laughs harder then starts to walk out of the room. "You're just gonna walk out?"

"Ooh, top marks. Like I said, you are perceptive." Seraphine frowned at the way Charles was acting. "The Professor I know would never turn his back... on someone who'd lost their path. Especially someone he loved." Charles scoffed "You know, I think I do remember you now. We came to you a long time ago seeking your help. And I'm gonna say to you what you said to us then, Fuck off!"

Logan angrily grabs hold of Charles "Listen to me, you little shit. I've come a long way, and I've watched a lot of people die. Good people. Friends. If you're gonna wallow in self-pity... and do nothing, then you're gonna watch the same thing... you understand?" Seraphine stepped forward and shoved Logan away making him drop Charles. "I get it the end of the worlds happening but you dare touch him again, it won't be pretty."

"We all have to die sometime." Charles turns and walks off and goes back up stairs to his room.

"Told you there's no professor here." Logan sighed heavily "What the hell happened to him?" Hank shook his head in remorse. "He lost everything. Erik, Raven, his legs. We built this school, the labs, this whole place, then, just after the first semester the war in Vietnam got worse. Many of the teachers and older students were drafted. It broke him. He retreated himself. I wanted to help, do something, so I designed a serum to treat his spine derived from the same formula that helps me control my mutation. I take just enough to keep myself balanced but he takes too much. I tried easing him back but he just couldn't bear the pain, the voices. The treatment gives him his legs... but its not enough. He- He's just lost too much."

Seraphine looked down guiltily at the floor "I should never of left. He needed me more than ever." Hank shook his head, saying no, "No, you needed to grieve too, in your own way. Don't blame yourself for what's happened to our friend."