Comics multiverse: Reborn as a special mutant

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Two hours later,

The X-Men returned to Xavier School.

In the underground base, Professor X was relieved to see Norin and the others return safely.

"Ororo, Scott, thank you for your help."

"Uh… no trouble at all."

Ororo thought about it. She'd mostly just flown the plane. The battle ended almost as soon as it began. She couldn't say she was tired.

Scott nodded grimly, saying nothing.

He was drowning in self-doubt.

Charles, unaware of the details, turned to Norin. "How does it feel to participate in your first mission?"

Norin thought for a moment. "It was fine. Much simpler than I expected."

Charles smiled. Norin was calm and composed, showing no signs of stress. He was definitely a good candidate.

Then he noticed Rogue, who was clinging to Norin's sleeve, half-hidden behind him.

Charles gave her a kind smile before turning his gaze to Logan, the man who'd spent the rest of his life with him in another timeline.

He was also the key to reversing the future.

Unfortunately, the plan had failed.

But Logan's contribution was undeniable.

—

Logan glanced at Charles, confused by the man's… affectionate gaze.

He wondered if they were related.

Logan was still suffering from amnesia, having forgotten much of his past.

Charles's emotional demeanor made Logan suspicious.

"Do you know me? Are you… my old man?" Logan asked cautiously.

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Charles and Logan, their eyes flickering between the two.

Charles was stunned but smiled. "If you want, I don't mind."

Logan rolled his eyes. So it was just a misunderstanding. This guy had no connection to him. Why was he acting so affectionate?

"I'm Charles Xavier, headmaster of this school. This is Ororo Monroe, codename Storm, and Scott Summers, codename Cyclops."

"This is…"

"Wait! Cyclops? The guy with the red eye beams?" Logan gestured to his eyes.

"Yes, you've seen his abilities. Quite vivid," Charles nodded.

"Cyclops, is him? Then who's he? I clearly saw the red beams coming from him. Shouldn't he be Cyclops?"

Logan pointed at Norin, confused.

Those beams had shocked him. In an instant, they'd pierced Sabretooth's chest and taken down several large trees.

Charles looked at Norin, then at Ororo and Scott.

Scott's face fell. 'Great, now I'm losing my codename too?'

"This is Norin. His codename is... Dawn."

Charles suppressed his doubts, glancing between Norin and Scott.

Could Norin's ability work on men too? Had Norin and Scott...?

This was getting messy.

Jean, standing behind Charles, gripped the wheelchair tightly.

Norin noticed the tension and quickly explained, "My ability isn't cyclops. It's heat vision. I release high-temperature energy beams. It's different from Cyclops."

If he didn't clarify, his reputation would be ruined. He didn't want rumors spreading that he was gay.

Charles glanced at Jean. The wheelchair was on the verge of breaking. Thankfully, Norin's explanation saved the day.

But…

Charles's expression tightened.

For a moment he'd felt a surge of power from Jean.

Something was wrong with her.

Fortunately, it was brief. No immediate danger.

—

Charles continued talking to Logan, assuring him the school was safe. Magneto couldn't reach him here.

As long as Logan stayed, no one could threaten him.

But Norin interrupted. "Professor, I think we might've made a mistake."

"Is it possible Magneto's target isn't Logan, but her?"

Norin pushed Rogue forward. She looked bewildered as he continued, "When we arrived, Sabretooth was beating Logan mercilessly."

"Every strike was aimed to kill. No holding back."

—

Seeing his embarrassing moment exposed, Logan refused to back down. "I have an almost immortal healing factor. They must've known that, so they went all out to take me down. And I was ambushed! If we fought head-on, I'd crush his balls!"

Norin shrugged, not bothering to point out that Logan often got beaten. "If they were really after Logan, they'd know about his healing. If they wanted to capture him, why not just knock him out instead of trying to kill him?"

"After Logan was nearly incapacitated, Sabretooth turned his attention to Rogue. I could feel his focus."

"So I'm convinced she's Magneto's real target."

"Logan was probably just a bonus. That's why Sabretooth didn't finish the job."

Feeling the stares of strangers, Rogue awkwardly waved hello.

Hearing Norin's explanation, Charles thought for a moment and agreed something was off. He asked gently, "Rogue, can I ask about your mutant ability?"

A strange little girl catching Magneto's attention could only mean one thing: her ability was extraordinary.

Rogue glanced back at Norin, drawing courage from his encouraging smile. "My name's Anna Marie. I don't fully understand my ability, but if someone touches me, they get hurt. I also gain their strength, but I can't control it. That's why I can't get close to people."

By the end, Rogue looked down sadly.

Norin patted her head, comforting her.

"Huh?" The others were confused. Was her ability really that special?

"Hurt? Let me try. I'm not afraid of pain." Logan said confidently.

He reached out a finger and touched Rogue's wrist. At first, he smiled, but then his body froze. He felt energy—his life force—flowing into her.

He grew weaker.

Meanwhile, Rogue's hand, which had been cut in the truck accident, healed visibly, leaving no trace.

"Logan! Separate them!" Charles shouted.

Norin casually pushed Logan's hand away. Once the contact broke, Logan slowly recovered, though he still felt weak.

"She absorbed my ability and my lifeforce!" Logan's expression shifted. This power was incredible.

"Norin, are you okay?" Jean asked, her eyes on Norin's hand resting on Rogue's head.

She felt a strange emotion. 'I wish I were the one being comforted like that.'

"I have a special ability that isolates other forces at the nano level. Rogue's absorption doesn't affect me," Norin explained.

He didn't go into detail about his bioelectric field. It was a trump card, and revealing too much wasn't wise.

"Absorbing others' mutant abilities... such a powerful power!" Charles sighed.

The others looked at Rogue with a mix of awe and fear.

They were shocked—and a little scared.

In his heart, Charles confirmed Norin's theory. Rogue's ability was too overpowering.