Prologue

It began as a morning correspondence.

Perhaps what Charles was doing was foolish. After all, Erik had declined to stay. He could still remember of how Erik had said goodbye. "Good luck, Professor." It wasn't a tone that mocked Charles' ideals, repeating the same words that the telepathic mutant had heard so many times. It was…not any of those things. Instead, it seemed to almost acknowledge the hope and ideal that Charles hoped that mutants would, some day, believe in.

It was happening again. As it did every morning. Charles sometimes wondered why he was doing this. He was contacting Erik as if the past actions of the past twenty years had been washed away by the very beach that they had said their first goodbyes. Most of the students were afraid of the mutant known as Magneto, having heard from the older students of how he had almost assassinated the president ten years ago and aided Apocalypse in the ending of their world. But in the end, Erik didn't. Charles didn't correct his students when they referred to his old friend by his infamous alias, or discredit of them of their fears of the dark-haired mutant. They would understand Erik's heart in time. It seemed that Charles was unable to refer to his old friend by the codename that Raven, or Mystique, as she was known to her students, had given him so long ago. Magneto seemed to be…the embodiment of all the suffering that Erik – his dear friend, had experienced. "There is good inside you, Erik. I felt it. More than just pain and anger." Charles had been happy at the sight of his friend, no longer wearing the helmet and wearing normal clothes. A part of the telepathic mutant wanted to watch Erik as he was like this, teaching Jean how to bend and lift the metal inside the school. Erik, the one man who Charles, in a fit a rage and betrayal, had said was a monster, had stayed to rebuild his school and hadn't left until it was finished.

That itself made Charles blissfully happy.

It seemed that his old friend was beginning to understand. Understanding what Charles had tried to teach him. And had even said that Charles was right; that he knew him.

Good morning, Erik.

Charles didn't know where his friend was; somewhere far away from Winchester. The telepathic mutant knew better than to ask where the metal-bender was. The inquiry would only cause Erik to reply that he didn't need Charles in his head. A small smile framed the face of Charles Xavier. Not once, since their correspondence, had Erik mentioned those words.

In fact, the first thoughts that came to Erik's mind was, What do you want now, Charles?

Charles understood that it was unlikely that his old friend would come back. Erik was too hard, too jaded to live life peacefully without a thought to the humans whom he perceived as a threat. The agony and the pure sorrow of his friend after his family was killed by the Polish authorities haunted Charles' mind. Now more than ever his friend would be on edge. Still, Charles missed his friend. Ten years without hearing his voice and without seeing him was enough to make the telepath to realize that his bond with Erik was perhaps more intimate than with anyone he had come across with.

Human or mutant.

Charles would not wait another ten years to see the metal-bender again. It had become an unfortunate habit of them as of late, so therefore, Charles chose the next best thing. The mutant hadn't used Cerebro this much since first finding young minds to teach and nurture when Erik had been by his side. At the thought of one of his first students, Alex, the telepath became subdued. Charles was grateful that Alex had died without knowing pain. The beams that the younger mutant had tried to protect him with had destroyed him, leaving nothing left. Not even ashes.

Scott had been mourning. It had been only two months since Apocalypse had been defeated, and the young man had not stopped his ritual of visiting his brother's grave, situated in a quiet place, every day. Charles didn't tell the younger mutant of how he was able to feel his pain, and heard him crying at night when he thought no one could hear him. Charles had observed that Erik hadn't approached the gravesite of the young man whom they once both taught. Perhaps it was out of guilt for what he had done. If it had been ten years ago, Charles would have stated that Magneto didn't feel anything; not guilt or remorse. That was not true, the telepath now thought. He had observed of how Erik never directly approached Scott. Being the pacifist and forgiving person that he was, Charles did not blame Erik for Alex's death. But I feel that you do, Erik.

Every morning Charles would wake up and go to Cerebro and have conversations with his old friend. It hadn't surprised him that Erik still woke up early, at five thirty or six o'clock in the morning. Twenty years of separation, betrayal, and death hadn't caused much to change about the metal-bender's sleeping habits. Charles himself hadn't been able to sleep one day after a week after Erik had left, and had decided to use Cerebro to find other young mutants to teach. It hadn't been his goal to seek Erik's mind. It had just been one of the minds that he had touched.

And somehow, Charles had been unable to stay away.

They sometimes talked about nothing; sometimes about everything and debating their philosophies as they had used to. Sometimes Charles would only talk and Erik would listen. Charles thought about one of the correspondences they had over the past month.

Out of curiosity Erik…are your thoughts in German when you are not speaking to me?

It been something that Charles had thought about for a while, as he heard Storm's – the codename for herself, not yet revealing her true name – thought while asleep or thinking to herself. The language that she thought inside her head was something that Charles wished her understood.

Yes. There was a hint of ironic humor in Erik's thoughts. Why, does it surprise you, Charles?

No, in fact. Charles took a moment to ponder this information. He had also heard Kurt's thoughts as well, sleepy German with words that sounded similar to English and yet not. Charles had wondered absent-mindedly what Erik sounded like when speaking in German. It would sound… Aware of where his thoughts were heading, Charles withdrew from those thoughts, wondering internally why he had thought those things about his friend. That was the end of the conversation. Sometimes their correspondences were brief, others longer.

His mind reached out towards Erik as he remembered their previous conversations. A small smile formed around his lips as the familiar presence of his friend filled his thoughts.

"Hello, old friend."

Charles could feel Erik's calm – not dominated by anger or pain or regret – as the older mutant thought quietly. Do you have so ulterior motive for getting in my head at six o'clock in the morning?

No. I just like talking to you, Erik.

Charles, Erik tried with a sigh, I do not understand why you see the light when there is none.

Sadness built in the telepath's eyes. He could understand why Erik was trying to say. Why have correspondences such as this when will be become enemies again? Perhaps that his old friend had a point in that regard. Perhaps the old Magneto would have eventually become enemies with Professor X once again, but in this future…Charles didn't believe so. Not this time.

Erik? It was strange; Charles felt disconnected from the older mutant, as if his very thoughts were clothed in darkness. He repeated the name again, reaching and searching for his friend to respond. There was nothing.

It was as if Erik Lensherr no longer existed.

Charles fought the panic building hard against his chest. The figure bathed in red was no longer able to be reached. What…?

Suddenly, he felt the fear. A fear that stripped him of all cognitive thought, leaving him with a dark and forbidden feeling. Charles could feel himself struggling, trying to run away from the vice-grip that contained him in their grasp. Erik…! Charles thought. Erik…! He tried to reach out, believing that his friend could still reach him, call out to him in his mind.

Charles gasped as he felt numbness spread throughout his body. A pain. Fear, the ability to bend metal slowly fading away.

Charles! The taste of fear was all the friend could comprehend as he felt the shout in his mind.

Before it faded away to nothingness.

It felt cold. Without the presence of his friend in his mind, their thoughts brushing, no longer… The mind that he had come to know as well as his own.

Emptiness. The feeling of feverishly searching for something, looking until it was impossible to deny the fact that was reality.

The mind that Charles Xavier had come to know as well as his own was gone.

ERIK!