Chapter 9: The Truth

Charles thought that after seeing the sweet and obedient young girl again, things wouldn't be much different from before.

However...

The beautiful young woman in front of him had none of the adorable, sweet qualities she once had. Instead, she looked serious, stretched out her hand, and proceeded to... firmly pinch Charles's cheek.

Charles: "…"

Abigail furrowed her beautiful brows, focusing intently as she tugged at Charles's face, pulling it up, down, left, and right, even getting so close to inspect it as if she were examining an antique.

It hurt a little, but Charles maintained a stiff smile, looking at Abigail, who was sternly staring at him, with a mix of amusement and helplessness.

Hank, standing behind him, tried to intervene and coughed lightly, raising his fist to his lips as a subtle hint: "Miss Roz?"

Abigail glared at Charles fiercely and retorted, "Who are you?"

Charles was utterly speechless.

Although he had known for a while that the little girl who once clung to his arm and sweetly called him "brother" had long forgotten the past, he was still taken aback by her harsh tone and skeptical look. He sighed, opened his hands, and explained, "I'm Charles Xavier. We exchanged letters a few days ago. Don't you remember?"

Abigail reached out again and grabbed his face.

Charles: "…"

Abigail carefully examined him from top to bottom, even lifting his hand for a while. After a moment, she said with a puffed-up expression, "I know you're Charles, but I need to make sure you're really him."

Charles's expression shifted slightly, and he turned to exchange a glance with Hank.

Abigail pointed to a bruise that had just appeared on her wrist and said, "See, this is from the last 'Charles' who left it on me."

Charles looked down at the bruise on her wrist, and his expression grew serious. Without waiting for Abigail to invite them inside, he asked, "Abigail, would you mind if I look at what happened just now?"

Abigail, unsure of what exactly he wanted to see, thought that Charles just wanted to check the scene in her house. After confirming that he was indeed Charles, she nodded, "Sure."

However, before she could step inside, Charles had already entered her memory.

The image of Mystique appeared vividly before him. He carefully mulled over every word she had said but still couldn't figure out her intentions. To gather more information, Charles tried flipping through the memory, but...

The scene...

It was truly...

Abigail, holding a young man with a spider mask and Magneto... throwing them both out of the window. Her movements were so swift and agile that it took him by surprise.

Pretend you didn't see anything, Charles thought calmly.

At that moment, Hank noticed his expression and stopped right in front of Abigail's door, bending down attentively to ask, "Professor, is something wrong?"

Charles realized his expression was quite amusing, so he quickly masked his surprise and smiled at Hank, saying, "Let's go inside."

Inside the empty house, there was a wheelchair identical to Charles's and a cup of coffee on the table that hadn't been touched.

Abigail went into the kitchen and poured coffee for the two of them, carefully inviting Hank to sit down. Hank, being a bit shy, smiled at her after accepting the coffee.

Not wanting to disturb Charles, who seemed lost in thought, Abigail turned to Hank and quietly asked, "Erik is Magneto, Charles is Professor X, so what about you?"

Hank cleared his throat, a blush spreading across his pale face as he shyly said, "Beast."

Abigail blinked.

Ah.

A shy Beast?

How cute.

Abigail liked this contrast of cuteness, and she was about to tease him some more when she noticed his face turning even redder. She felt like she might have done something wrong and looked at him apologetically.

At that moment, Charles suddenly frowned, reached out, and grasped Abigail's wrist.

The moment their skin touched, Abigail heard Charles's voice: "You're being unfair to him, Abigail."

She turned to look at him in confusion, only to see that he wasn't speaking but simply furrowing his brows and shaking his head.

Abigail had no idea what had happened, so she stared at Charles in bewilderment.

Charles's eyes, beautiful like jewels, studied her for a moment before he suddenly released her wrist with a look of surprise: "You... don't you realize it?"

Abigail shook her head in confusion.

Charles sighed, "You have feelings for him, so you're influencing him, but you seem unaware of it."

He leaned forward, focusing on her: "How well do you understand your own abilities, Abigail?"

Abigail tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I... I think I can make thorns grow inside someone's organs and then pierce their stomach from the inside..."

Charles nodded slightly. "Yes, you can alter the properties of living organisms. So, when you were scared, you used that method to protect yourself. But, Abigail, you can also sense other people's thoughts through physical touch. And I think your ability was never really suppressed, it just hadn't fully manifested yet."

Abigail didn't understand what he meant. She turned to Hank, but he avoided her gaze.

Charles glanced at Hank, smiled helplessly, and said, "Abigail, haven't you noticed? Has your life been too smooth?"

Abigail looked confused.

Being dumped by her boyfriend five hours before a dinner date and then kidnapped... was that a smooth life?

...It seemed like Charles must have gone through some truly terrifying experiences.

Charles patiently asked, "Who was the first boy you liked?"

Abigail was caught off guard by the blunt question, her face flushed red as she really didn't want to discuss her romantic history in front of two strangers she had just met.

Charles remained calm, his expression serene, his eyes like still waters, carrying a quiet light. "It's okay. Just tell me."

Abigail felt a little shy and mumbled, "Peter."

Charles asked, "Then, how did you confess to him?"

Abigail's face turned completely red.

If not for his expression being so calm and composed, Abigail might have thought he was flirting with her.

She nervously adjusted her hair, tucking a lock behind her ear and muttered, "I didn't confess... I... I liked him, and the next day, he told me he liked me."

Charles continued, "Then, who was the first person you admired?"

Abigail finally felt relieved, thinking she wouldn't have to discuss her love life with this man anymore. She proudly answered, "Mr. Stark, Tony Stark. You must know him. He's a very, very remarkable person."

Charles's eyes remained unmoved, like a calm ocean with no ripple: "Then, after you admired him, what did you think?"

Abigail looked up, recalling, "I thought that if such an amazing person could become my mentor, I would definitely learn a lot from him..."

She suddenly paused, turned to Hank, and saw his pale face had turned as red as a blood droplet, his head lowered as he absentmindedly stared at his fingers.

Abigail silently turned back to look at Charles, hoping to find a glimmer of hope in his blue eyes. But it seemed like he already knew what she was thinking and silently nodded.

"Abigail, you can influence the people around you, even if you're not truly aware of it."

"But I want you to understand that this isn't fair. I can see people's memories and hear their thoughts, but if I entered your mind without permission and exposed all your secrets, would you be happy?"

Abigail shook her head.

Charles continued, "If mutants take advantage of their powers and kill people, would you think that's right?"

Abigail seemed about to argue, but she was defeated by his deep gaze and once again shook her head.

Charles patted her shoulder gently: "So, using your abilities without permission, forcing someone to like you, is also wrong."

Hank, who had been awkwardly quiet, cleared his throat and mumbled, "I think... I think it's kind of nice, um."

Charles was about to explode in laughter and frustration.

Abigail sat quietly, not looking up at the two men, nor saying a word.

Even though everything Charles said was right, she still felt a sense of despair.

In that moment, a terrifying thought flashed across her mind: Perhaps Peter had never loved her.

She might have forced him to love her because she liked him first.

Abigail didn't like this feeling. She knew she shouldn't be thinking this way, but she couldn't stop herself from reflecting on every important relationship in her life—her lovers, friends, teachers...

If she hadn't looked back at all these relationships, maybe everything wouldn't have been so clear, so painfully clear.

Perhaps Peter never loved her.

Perhaps Tony didn't want to take her as a student after all. He wasn't the type to take on students.

Perhaps getting into Stark Industries' top-tier experimental department wasn't due to her own abilities.

Abigail desperately tried to tell herself that wasn't true, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking this way.

For a moment, she felt like she was surrounded by water but dying of thirst.

At that moment, Hank once again cleared his throat and spoke up, trying to comfort her with sincerity: "I really think... it's actually a good thing."

Charles couldn't help but smile in exasperation.

Abigail's silence continued, the weight of her thoughts almost drowning her.

Charles sighed and spoke again, his tone softer: "Ab