SHELTER

In a frantic rush, Kevin sprinted through the dimly lit and narrow alleys, his mind devoid of any sense of direction. With every step he took, he resisted the urge to look behind him, terrified that his pursuers were gaining ground.

  "Huhu..."

His face was paler than a K-Pop Idol, and his breathing heavier than an excited Bulldog on a hot summer day. His legs felt as if they weighed a hundred pounds each.

The sky had turned even darker and heavy rain was pouring down on him, making it even harder for him to run.

He carefully looked around to ensure that he wasn't noticed, used all his remaining energy to push himself over a tall yard fence, and then sat leaning against it to catch his breath.

His arm felt numb, and he had depleted all the energy in his body. Looking at the moon covered by dark clouds, he couldn't help but curse his bad luck; even the weather was adding insult to his injury.

He seemed to run a fever and his body was trembling all over, but he didn't have enough energy left in him to drag himself out of the pouring rain to seek shelter. Kevin felt his consciousness slipping, and he finally didn't resist. He just wanted to rest now.

In his last moments of lucidity, he heard footsteps getting closer to him, but he just didn't care anymore. He had given his all, and the rest was up to fate.

The next morning, Kevin woke up to warm and comforting sunshine falling on his face.

 [Light Energy +1]

 [Light Energy +1]

Kevin felt surprised as he found himself covered by a warm blanket.

"Where am I?" he wondered. Looking around, he found himself in a small bedroom. The slight scent of dust and mould in the air and the random stuff cluttered around the room suggested that the room hadn't been in use for a while. 

When Kevin lifted the blanket and was pleasantly surprised to discover that someone had neatly bandaged his wound.

Right as he pondered the identity of his potential helper, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the door, and a man walked into the room. He turned on the lights and Kevin got a proper look at him. He looked middle-aged.

The man had a strong and imposing look, emphasised by his stubble beard, which added a rugged touch to his appearance. His appearance didn't give the friendliest of vibes, making Kevin a little nervous.

With an awkward tone, Kevin asked, "Are you the one who wrapped up my wounds?"

The man nodded. 

Suddenly, Kevin remembered something and quickly patted his pockets. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the document was still in there.

"Who are you, kid? And who are these people that are after you?" The man asked Kevin in a deep, gruff voice. There was a seriousness on his face.

'Um..." Surprised by the abrupt question, Kevin blinked and hesitated, not knowing how to reply. He himself hadn't had time to process these questions yet.

"You a mutant?" The man asked again.

Kevin's face suddenly tensed up and his eyes stared at the man with a fierce look.

Noticing the hostile look in Kevin's eyes, the man didn't back down and further explained, "There's been people looking for you, you know..." he said, looking for any changes on Kevin's face, "...a special task force, deployed to track down a dangerous mutant terrorist..." 

Kevin didn't deny the allegations and instead asked him, "Why'd you save me then? As you said, I'm a 'dangerous mutant terrorist'."

Normal people don't just help a mutant in need. At best, they won't report them to the authorities. In many cases, even their own families abandon them, there's not much goodwill to expect from strangers.

The man spoke in a low voice, walking closer to Kevin, "Cause I am a mutant too..." he extended his hands, emitting a bright red light from his palms. "...and I know what it means to be a mutant terrorist in this country."

Kevin showed some surprise on his face, but he more or less expected this to be the case.

On the other hand, the man hadn't been completely honest. The reason he helped the kid wasn't as simple as helping a fellow mutant.

When he found the unknown boy in his backyard, he found a stack of documents in his pockets while looking for an ID.

Naturally, he glimpsed through them and learned of the boy's identity. Turns out, he is a clone with the genes of both Magneto and Charles Xavier.

So, can they consider the kid as their child? Just thinking about it, he couldn't help but imagine the look on their faces when they find out, especially Magneto.

The man was quite familiar with both of them. As a youngster, he had been a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants and had fought against Charles' X-Men a few times. The two were like an old married couple and fought like one, too.

He wondered whether he should inform his old boss, Magneto, of this. How would Magneto react upon learning that he had a child with Charles? Will the two proclaim their hidden affection for each other and finally get together? Just the thought of it was tempting.

Jokes aside, the boy's mutant abilities seemed quite weak; the information showed that the kid only had the ability to absorb sunlight.

With an ability like this that lacked any form of lethality or self preservation, sending the boy to the Brotherhood of Mutants would only lead to more danger for the poor boy. The Brotherhood wasn't exactly a mutant sanctuary, although Magneto proclaimed it was.

Come to think of it, it is astonishing that the kid even managed to escape with an ability like sunlight absorption and his body in such a state...

Recalling the boy's medical report, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, giving the boy a look of pity.

Knowing that the boy didn't have too long to live, he decided to show him some kindness in his last days.

-END OF CHAPTER-

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