· VCM With three top scientists assembled, Ethan's research institute was officially up and running.
Marvel had no shortage of genius scientists, but choosing the right ones required caution.
One wrong step and an entire storm of trouble could follow.
The three before him, however, were much safer bets. Dr. Samuel Sterns, discarded after being deemed irrelevant.
Dr. Holden Radcliffe, a brilliant but rogue scientist without allegiance to any country. And Dr. Abraham Cornelius...
"Dr. Cornelius. Dr. Sterns and Dr. Radcliffe have just arrived. If they run into any difficulties, I hope you can assist them," Ethan said with a polite smile, directing his words toward Cornelius.
"Of course! I'm thrilled to collaborate with like-minded individuals, all striving toward the future of human evolution," Cornelius responded enthusiastically, extending his arms toward Sterns and Radcliffe.
"From now on, we're comrades-in-arms, working toward a common goal."
Watching Cornelius' eagerness, Ethan's lips curled into a subtle smirk.
"Doctor, I've brought someone else. I think you'll be interested in meeting them."
With a snap of his fingers, the doors swung open.
A young woman, clad in a traditional maid outfit, stepped inside.
Her presence exuded an air of quiet danger beneath her composed exterior.
Cornelius narrowed his eyes at her, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. "Who are you?"
Something about her seemed familiar, yet he couldn't place it. His mind raced, struggling to extract a connection, but nothing surfaced.
Then, in a heartbeat, her demeanor shifted.
Razor-sharp claws extended from her fingers, gleaming under the dim lights.
Without hesitation, she advanced toward Cornelius, her gaze locked onto him with unmistakable killing intent.
"Yuriko, stop!" Ethan's sharp command sliced through the tension. The woman froze, her claws retracting instantly.
"My apologies," Ethan said smoothly, his tone carrying a touch of amusement. "It seems my maid mistook you for someone else. You resemble a person from her past."
Cornelius exhaled, chuckling as he waved off the incident.
"No harm done. I understand completely. This girl… she must've endured some horrific experiments. The crimes committed against new- humans by those outdated, stubborn fools are unforgivable. If it weren't for them, my wife and daughter would still be—"
His voice faltered. His fists clenched involuntarily, and his expression darkened with unresolved hatred.
Ethan placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Doctor, rest assured, those responsible will face the consequences. I guarantee it."
Cornelius sighed, shaking off the moment. "Let's not dwell on the past. I should get Dr. Sterns and Dr. Radcliffe settled in."
With that, he strode toward the other two, his demeanor returning to its usual professionalism.
Ethan turned back to the maid, his expression unreadable. "So? Did you recognize him?"
Yuriko hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "He feels familiar. I remember his presence. Even if I don't know why, I despises it. It makes me want to kill him."
Ethan gently stroked her hair, his voice calm yet firm. "Yuriko, the person you wanted to kill is already dead. Erased completely—body and mind. Your enemy is gone. Understand?"
Yuriko lowered her head, her voice soft but resolute. "Yuriko trusts Master. If Master says it, then it must be true."
After making his rounds like a seasoned leader inspecting his subordinates, Ethan expressed his satisfaction with the progress and delivered an important speech.
He emphasized the importance of the institute and the weight of responsibility on everyone's shoulders.
Their work was vital to the future of mutantkind, and they had to remain steadfast in their ideals.
As the Director, the White Queen couldn't afford to slack off—she needed to be fully committed to the cause.
Ethan ignored the Emma's unimpressed eye-roll. Instead, as the ultimate hands-off boss, he simply gestured to the Red Devil to start teleporting.
In an instant, the familiar layout of his home materialized before him.
Technically, he should have been in school at this hour, but his earlier "inspection" had taken longer than expected.
By now, he was already late. Without a second thought, he made the executive decision to skip class entirely.
He instructed Yuriko to boil some water and prepare tea before dragging a chair onto the balcony.
With the sun warming his skin, he leisurely flipped through an old notebook left behind by his parents, looking every bit like a retired veteran enjoying his golden years.
But his peace didn't last long.
Within minutes, Ethan sensed a shift in the energy around him. A few feet away, space itself twisted unnaturally, forming a swirling vortex. The disturbance quickly expanded, warping the air like a mirage.
"A portal."
The realization struck him just as a figure stepped through. Dressed in flowing yellow robes, a bald woman emerged from the shifting void.
"It's been a while, Ethan," the Ancient One greeted with a knowing smile.
Ethan closed his notebook with a sigh. "Took you long enough, Sorcerer Supreme."
The Ancient One chuckled. "You sound disappointed."
"Of course, I'm disappointed. You told me I could learn magic. But no matter how much I study my parents' notes, I can't cast a single spell."
"Ah, just as I expected." The Ancient One's eyes gleamed with understanding.
Ethan's expression darkened. "So you tricked me?"
The sorcerer shook her head. "Not at all, child. Anyone can learn magic. Though some have better aptitude than others, magic does not reject its seekers."
"Then my aptitude is bad?" Ethan asked, his frustration growing.
"Quite the opposite." The Ancient One smiled. "Your potential is unprecedented. Compared to the average person, you're already far ahead."
Ethan frowned, still unsatisfied. "Then why can't I use magic?"
"First, answer me this—what is magic?" The Ancient One's tone turned serious, sensing his frustration.
Ethan exhaled, thinking for a moment before answering. "Magic is the process of drawing energy from various dimensions of the multiverse and using it through spells."
He had studied the basics thoroughly, determined to find the flaw in his learning.
"Correct," the Ancient One nodded. "But let me offer a modern comparison—think of magic as programming. Sorcerers observe the world, decipher its underlying structure, and modify reality itself. We learn the source code of the universe, then write our own programs."
As she spoke, she traced a glowing symbol in the air. With a final flourish, the rune pulsed with life, shifting into a burning sigil of flame.
"I just injected energy into this spell," she explained. "This is a program executed in reality, free of errors."
Ethan's mind clicked. "So sorcerers are basically programmers—but instead of altering a digital world, they rewrite the physical world itself."
"Exactly."
"Then why can't I do it?" Ethan asked, crossing his arms.
"Because your understanding of magic is still too narrow." The Ancient One's gaze turned thoughtful. "Tell me—if magic is a supernatural force, how did the first sorcerers come into contact with it? What qualified them to harness its power?"
The question caught Ethan off guard.
He hesitated.
Even today, supernatural forces remained difficult to study and even harder to explain.
In ancient times, before technology, how could ordinary humans have possibly accessed such power?
Myths often spoke of gods and demigods wielding magic, but how did humans gain the ability?
A wild thought struck him, one that refused to be ignored.
"The origin of magic… is mutants."