Marvel's New Magneto

"Everyone else has left. Why are you still here?" Erik stepped out of the metal cage, addressing a figure curled up near the bar counter.

"I have nowhere else to go."

The voice was soft yet clear, belonging to a young girl. She sat in a dimly lit corner, her black clothing absorbing the faint glow from the television behind the bar. If not for Erik's ability to perceive magnetic fields, she would have been easy to overlook with the naked eye.

Of course, now he could see more than most—like the adamantium-laced skeleton inside Wolverine. No matter how much the girl tried to hide herself under layers of clothing, it was pointless.

"Do you really have to dress like that? Can't you wear something normal?"

The girl sneaked a glance at him before quickly looking away, as if she had seen something unclean.

"And why not?" Erik chuckled. "Should I hide myself like you?"

"Like me?" she murmured hesitantly.

With a flick of his fingers, a handful of steel ball bearings floated into the air, swirling around them.

"Just like this," Erik said. "Even with all those people here earlier, to me, there were only three—Wolverine, you, and me. We're different. We have extraordinary abilities, far beyond ordinary humans. We should be admired, not hidden away. So why do you cover yourself up like this? Are you afraid of being hurt?"

"I'm afraid of hurting others," she whispered, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

"Hurting them… how?" Erik watched her closely.

She hesitated, torn between fear and the urge to confide. Eventually, the latter won. Slowly, she removed her thick gloves, revealing pale, delicate fingers.

"Like this."

Without hesitation, Erik took her hand in his own. Her fingers were cool to the touch. He smiled. "Ah, so you drain heat from people? Freeze them, maybe?"

"No," she said, her voice laced with tension.

Then it happened.

If you could hold a black hole in your palm, what would it feel like?

Of course, black holes couldn't be held.

Erik had never considered such a bizarre thought—until now. A bottomless void seemed to open in his hand, siphoning his energy, his strength, his very essence. Blood vessels on the back of his hand bulged, a pale blue network creeping toward his palm like writhing veins of a parasite.

He wanted to let go—but he couldn't. His mouth opened, yet no sound came out. His vision swam. His control over his powers wavered; the floating steel balls clattered to the ground like raindrops.

"No!" The girl screamed and yanked her hand away.

The connection broke. Strength returned to Erik in a flood, but he was left gasping, barely able to stay upright. He gripped the bar for support, his legs weak and trembling. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Even in a brutal fight with Wolverine, he had never felt this drained. If she hadn't pulled away just now…

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I can't control it!" Tears welled in the girl's eyes as she turned to flee.

Summoning his last reserves of energy, Erik reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"I know, I know. It's okay. I asked you to do it," he murmured into her hair, gently stroking her back. "It's over now. Look—I'm fine."

She slowly relaxed in his embrace.

After a long silence, she finally whispered, "Can you put on some clothes?"

Erik glanced down at himself. "I was actually hoping to find something, but, well…"

Beneath the austere black coat, his body was firm and warm. He didn't seem eager to let go—until she playfully poked his side in warning.

"If you walked around like this outside, the Canadian police would probably arrest you for public indecency."

She was feisty, despite her soft appearance. If they weren't both mutants, Erik doubted she would have tolerated him hugging her for so long.

Luckily for him, he wasn't treated like just anyone. Reluctantly, he let go, plucking a strand of her hair between his fingers. "Canada, huh?"

"Yeah. You're in Loflin City, northern Alberta." She turned away, rummaging through her suitcase. "You don't even know where you are? How did you get here?"

"I have no idea. I woke up and found myself here." He paused. "I thought I should be somewhere more… important."

She handed him a coat. "Do you remember your social security number? Maybe your family is looking for you."

"I don't have a family. I travel alone." He glanced at his wrist and noticed a sleek black device attached tightly to his skin. It was slightly translucent, barely noticeable. Experimentally, he brushed his fingers over it.

At once, the steel balls scattered on the floor leaped back up, vanishing into the device.

"Whoa! Are you a magician?" she gasped, eyes wide.

"...Maybe." The gesture had felt instinctual, yet he hadn't anticipated the result. He pressed the device again, but nothing else happened.

"What else have I forgotten?" he muttered to himself.

"I wish it was just magic," she murmured. "Even a lousy magician gets to stand on stage and bask in applause. But we'll never be accepted."

Her gaze drifted to the television, where a U.S. senator was making a fiery speech against mutants.

"Just politics," Erik scoffed. "Superheroes are welcomed. Why shouldn't we be?"

The wail of approaching sirens echoed in the distance.

"We should go." He picked up her suitcase and led the way outside.

The night was cold, the sky dusted with falling snow. She shivered and instinctively clung to his arm.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Erik… I think," he replied. "And you?"

"Rogue."

"A runaway?" He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be scared?"

"No!" she pouted.

He chuckled. "Well, you do seem like a little troublemaker."

Their banter felt natural, almost like siblings.

The town was eerily quiet at this late hour. No streetlights, no moving cars—nothing but the crunch of snow underfoot.

Finding a place to stay was out of the question. The police would be looking for them. But they needed a way out.

"I hitched a ride here. Maybe another car will come by," Rogue suggested.

"No need," Erik said, scanning the area. His instincts told him a ride was already on its way.

And sure enough—he spotted a familiar figure.

Wolverine, now fully dressed, was driving an RV toward them.

There's a saying: *If you're watching someone, chances are, they're watching you too.*

Wolverine had planned to leave town anyway, but being forced out was irritating. And whose fault was that?

No need to ask.

It was that damn naked guy now standing in the middle of the road.

Wolverine had never taken a worse beating in his life. And this guy had the audacity to flag him down?

If Rogue weren't there, he might have just hit the gas and run him over.

The RV screeched to a halt inches away from Erik.

"Get lost," Wolverine growled without even getting out.

"Sorry, but I need a ride. I thought you'd be willing to help," Erik said casually.

Rogue quickly chimed in, "Please?"

Wolverine's expression said *no, absolutely not,* but Erik simply smiled.

He placed a hand on the ground.

The RV's tires spun uselessly. It wouldn't budge.

"What the hell did you do?" Wolverine snarled.

"Just persuading you to be generous." Erik smirked.

In the end, Wolverine grudgingly let them in, cursing under his breath the whole time.

As the RV rumbled through the snowy wilderness, Erik leaned back and closed his eyes.

Sleep took him.