Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]
Chapter 303: Old Charles’s Warning and Gift

Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Old Charles’s Warning and Gift

Charles had originally been hesitant to accept the legacy of his other self, but Ethan was right. He had already learned about the future from Wolverine, Logan.

The Sentinel Program, the mutant civil war, the gene-food plan aimed at exterminating mutants—none of these were problems that could be easily solved. And with his current power, he simply wasn’t strong enough.

He had once believed his abilities had been developed to a high degree, but now, through Logan’s memories, he understood just how powerful his future self truly was.

Looking at the small box in front of him, Charles finally nodded and decided to accept the legacy.

Of course, this also meant he would be taking on a great responsibility. He would inherit the will of his other self and work to ensure that the mutants in this world could live better lives, preventing them from heading toward extinction once again.

"What should I do?"

Ethan extended his hand, and a brilliant, dazzling yet non-blinding magical light wrapped around his outstretched arm, gradually transforming into segments of complex magical symbols. As these symbols rotated and aligned on the magic circle Ethan held, the plain little box suddenly let out a click.

In truth, this was a magical version of a password lock. Besides requiring the correct password, it also required magic imbued with Ethan’s own mental imprint in order to open.

In other words, no one but Ethan could open this box. It could be opened through brute force, of course, but that would completely destroy the contents inside.

Once the correct energy activated the correct password, the seemingly ordinary little box finally opened. The lid split and slid to the sides, and a massive surge of psychic energy erupted from within. However, this psychic energy did not immediately dissipate. Instead, it gradually condensed into a ball, forming a semi-transparent, semi-solid human figure.

"Charles?"

Logan looked at the familiar figure, momentarily stunned. He remembered Ethan telling him that Charles had completely severed his "personality" and that the box only contained psychic energy, vast knowledge, and memories—pure data that could be safely absorbed by the inheritor without any side effects.

So why had the psychic energy taken on Charles’s appearance? Wasn’t this supposed to be without self-awareness?

Ethan glanced at the old professor in front of him. The moment he appeared, everyone present—except for Ethan—felt as though they had been completely seen through by this strange old man.

"Just as I thought."

Ethan curled his lip. He had expected this. Charles wouldn’t completely trust someone like Ethan after only a few minutes of conversation. It was entirely reasonable for him to leave a safeguard within his legacy.

"Thank you, Ethan."

The old Charles had already seen his younger self and was very satisfied that Ethan had chosen him to inherit the legacy.

His other self would be able to absorb his psychic energy without any negative effects. The knowledge he passed on would also be perfectly suited for him. In every way, it was the best possible outcome.

"I can’t stay for long, so let’s get straight to it."

Turning toward his younger self, the older Charles nodded. "Don’t worry, ’I’ will completely dissipate soon. Accepting my power won’t cause you any trouble. Once you’ve received it, you’ll understand everything."

The younger Charles chose to trust "himself." He simply asked what he needed to do.

"You don’t need to do anything. Empty your mind and open your heart."

After the younger Charles took a deep breath and signaled he was ready, the psychic form of the older Charles dissolved into pure psychic energy and surged into his body.

Just as the old Charles had said, the younger Charles didn’t feel any discomfort. He soon learned the reason through the knowledge and memories he had just inherited, and understood everything that had happened.

This included Ethan suddenly finding the older Charles and Logan, offering to heal the dying professor and weakened Logan, and even arranging a peaceful retirement for them.

The older Charles had refused to continue living because of the "mistakes" he had made. He chose to die, and at the same time entrusted Ethan with his vast psychic energy, decades of knowledge, and memories—hoping Ethan would find a worthy successor.

After all, the older Charles wasn’t some naive youth. He wouldn’t easily trust a stranger. Even though he hadn’t sensed any malice from Ethan, he had still maintained a certain level of caution.

He had embedded a psychic imprint deep within the legacy. It would only be triggered upon release of the psychic energy, and then Charles’s consciousness would briefly reawaken to assess the situation at that time.

If Ethan had fulfilled his promise and found a suitable successor, the reawakened Charles would quietly disperse, handing over the legacy without interfering.

But if Ethan had attempted to use the psychic energy for evil that could harm the world, the older Charles would not hold back. Even if he couldn’t destroy Ethan with his remaining energy, he would self-destruct and destroy the entire legacy to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Of course, the older Charles had considered every possibility. If Ethan had to use the psychic energy in an emergency, the retained consciousness would still awaken and make a proper judgment instead of mechanically following instructions.

As it turned out, Ethan’s morality had passed the test, and he had fulfilled his promise. The older Charles expressed sincere gratitude, and the younger Charles now understood that his older self had left something for Ethan as well.

Following the method in the "memory," he extended his hand and formed a mass of pure psychic energy in his palm. This was the portion he had not absorbed. Because their psychic energies were identical, the older Charles’s energy had instantly merged with his own.

Only this portion had been intentionally set aside. Though he could absorb it if he wanted, it would take some time. However, the older Charles clearly had confidence in "himself" and didn’t take any precautions or separate the energy in advance.

The older Charles had wanted his younger self to befriend Ethan. He had confirmed Ethan’s character and sensed his growing strength. He would become a powerful ally.

"This belongs to you."

When Ethan saw the mass of psychic energy in Charles’s hand, he immediately understood.

He sighed inwardly at how incredibly shrewd the older Charles had been. He had not only taken precautions but also provided a benefit afterward to keep Ethan from resenting him. At the same time, it established a connection with the younger Charles. If trouble arose in the future, Ethan would be much less likely to refuse to help out of consideration for their relationship.

Even though Ethan had thought all this through, he had no intention of refusing the reward. Charles was trustworthy and powerful, and becoming friends was a good outcome.

He took the psychic energy and directly absorbed it into his body. Although it was pure energy, it would take some time to fully absorb. For now, it was simply stored inside him.

At the same time, Ethan discovered that the psychic energy came with a bonus—some of Charles’s knowledge. No memories, just pure technical knowledge.

The old professor had spent decades conducting research. The black technology in the X-Men base was no less advanced than Tony Stark’s work. Many difficult problems that couldn’t be solved through science alone could be bypassed through psychic powers for better results. So Charles possessed knowledge and insights far ahead of his time.

Now, all of it had been given to Ethan—and this was even more valuable than the psychic energy.

"Alright, looks like I owe a favor now."

But that’s how human relationships work. You help me, I help you. Through mutual support, bonds grow stronger. Even parents these days don’t provide unconditional, one-sided giving forever.p

Seeing Ethan accept the "reward," the younger Charles once again expressed his gratitude. This time, it wasn’t on behalf of his older self but came from his own heart.

He had gained an immense benefit. It was like a pie falling from the sky. Although he understood that it was only because it had been his other self who entrusted Ethan, and thus the reason he had been chosen,

The memories from Logan made him realize how vast the multiverse was, and how many versions of himself must exist. His receiving the legacy came down to luck. After all, the one choosing the inheritor was the mage sitting in front of him...

"Cough, sorry, I’m still having a hard time accepting that mages exist in this world."

Actually, there was a sorceress among the X-Men, but that was in the Marvel comic universe. In that world, Storm had a sorceress identity.

But in the movie universe setting, Storm was simply a mutant and did not possess any additional mage identity.

"It’s alright. Not every world has spellcasters."

At this point, the younger Professor X and Magneto were certain that the man sitting across from them was indeed a friend. Erik, who had been tense this whole time, finally relaxed. He then grew curious about what Charles had learned.

Having fully received the memories, Charles now understood many of the difficulties he would face in the future. Beyond what he had already known, he also learned about certain threats that Logan hadn’t experienced.

"That was a thrilling, exciting, yet arduous experience."

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra Chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced Chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)