Marvel: The Perfect Run

[Lord_Kismet]

01: Prologue [01]
—
"Life is a bitch." said he who had experienced the bad end of life.

Indeed, life was a bitch; that much Warren Dyson could vouch for.

One moment, you'd be happy, thinking that everything would go smoothly, and the next moment, something so unexpected, something so fucked up, and something so far from your imagination would happen, that'd change your life forever.

Warren, personally, titled those moments as 'The Fuckening'.

Yes, he had experienced these moments enough to give it a name. Rather than experienced though, maybe, saying suffering would be a better way to put it.

Warren was an average twenty-six-year-old young man. In this world, he knew many had gone through hell, and those people might call him presumptuous for claiming life was a bitch. However, only he knew that life had not been fair to him, at all.

But even after leading such a life, Warren would dub today as the most unfair day of his life.

Warren lied on the floor stiffly, with a smell so disgusting coming out of him that any normal person would vomit after just a single whiff.

There were tissues scattered about in the dimly lit room, tissues he'd used to do something he was not-so-proud of.

A single big TV was a bit farther away from him, and he was almost naked if you took his boxers out of account.

There was nothing special going on, he'd just finished watching the latest release of his favorite TV show. Warren wasn't really happy about how it ended, but he could only sigh and make his hand wander about to find the remote of the TV.

"For fuck's sake where is it!" he grumbled, standing up a bit before aggressively picking up the remote. His other hand moved to the bottle of alcohol, and he quickly started gulping it down as his throat burned slightly.

He changed the channels while drinking his sorrows. There was nothing special airing; just the same old. heroes this, heroes that. Captain America this, Avengers that. Oh, Iron Man sacrificed himself to save them, they'd be dead without heroes. He scoffed.

Warren would spit on their faces, but he didn't want to sully the TV he'd bought after a lot of… hard work.

As he slammed the next button, again and again, a particular face caught his eye, and he choked on his beverage. With slightly hazy eyes and a drunken mind, Warren moved back to the channel and silently heard the news.

There were many pictures present, supposedly of a gang, but there was one particular picture he stared at.

-"A young woman named Lilly Dyson has been found dead in a gang's hideout. Research says her kidnapping was reported back in 2016 but she wasn't found even after a lot of investigations and the case was closed.

The recent check-ups of her body tell that she'd been used by the gang members in explicit ways for years. Her body wasn't recognizable when the NYPD found her, unconscious with other women in a prison cell located in the basement of the hideout. Through multiple tests, her identity has been found, and it is being announced that if any of her relatives is listening, please come and collect the body…"-

The news kept airing, but Warren couldn't hear anything. His gaze was fixed on her picture. Not the unrecognizable one, but a picture he could recognize just beside the unrecognizable one, a picture from years ago.

"Ha… haha,"

A nervous chuckle.

"Hahahahaha!"

…That broke down into a burst of terrific, mocking laughter.

His eyes quickly lost their luster, and he just stared at the screen blankly.

As the laugh died down on his throat, a sigh left his lips. He muttered an 'I'm sorry' and stood up, walking out of his apartment and into New York City.

"I'm sorry," he muttered again, walking down the streets and into the busy road, ignoring the weird looks the people were giving him since he was practically naked.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, hearing a loud screech. Something had apparently struck a car. Warren glanced to the side and chuckled as he saw a one-eyed big monster straight out of horror movies. Chuckling like that, he walked towards it.

There was one particular man fighting the monster.

'Huh?'

Warren squinted his eyes slightly.

Wasn't it that Doctor Strange guy who's fighting the monster?

'Wow. A hero.'

Warren chuckled weirdly, slowly dragging himself towards the fight.

He wanted to die today; end it all. But a normal suicide was too cliché, so why not make it a bit more interesting?

He made his way towards the monster.

Doctor Strange yelled at him, waving his hand—Warren knew that gesture; he was going to portal him out. Warren didn't want that, so he moved out of the way, and under the monster.

The tentacled creature stopped for once and stared at him with its wide eyes.

Warren looked at his reflection in the big eye.

Long dirty curly black hair. Dull hazel eyes. Unkempt beard. And his weirdly contorted face. Looking at himself like this, Warren opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said once again, seeing a tentacle coming down on him.

Ah. What a glorious way to die.
***
The sky was clear, the air a bit cold, and silence littered the place even as people were all around. It was a funeral.

Warren Dyson had wide, confused eyes as he took in a startled breath.

'What?'

'Where is this?'

Questions filled his head, questions he found no answer to—until at one moment, thoughts paused in his head when he noticed… one of them present in this funeral.

Warren Dyson had seen that man on the news just a while ago, responsible for his sister's misery. He was one of those gang members. Even though Warren's attention had been on his sister's picture, he'd still glimpsed at her captors. He was who used his sister and killed her. This man. This bastard.

'What's happening?'

Warren gazed around, sweeping glances at different kinds of people, the silent, yet sorrowful environment, the birds sitting atop the trees, his grandfather and grandmother just beside him, and a pastor preaching.

This looked… like his girlfriend's funeral? Right, 2016, that's when she died in that train accident.

Warren stared at the fat man. Was this guy present there? Were his memories flashing before his eyes right before he was about to die? So, the myth was correct?

Myth…

Memories…

But… didn't they say you couldn't move inside your memories?

So how was it that Warren was running towards that mother fucking bastard?! With his fist clenched and ready to punch his gut out?!

That guy was here, it meant he must have been the one to kidnap his sister, it meant he was the one who ruined her life…

It meant he needed to die!

Memory or not, Warren wouldn't feel so good if he didn't kill him!

Warren didn't care. The man was old. In his late 30s, probably. With a pot belly, black eyes hidden behind the eyeglasses on his nose, a scar running along his cheek, and brown hair. He donned a businessman suit.

Even if this was nothing but imaginative, Warren wanted to kill. There was nothing on his person he could use for this, so he'd use his fists.

Adrenaline pumping, Warren ran up to the man, and jumped, throwing a solid punch.

The punch connected, throwing the man on the ground, and at the same time, the man pulled out a gun and shot it.

In the heat of the moment, Warren hadn't noticed the man slip his hand into his pocket.

So, when Warren's fist made contact with the ugly bastard's face, a gunshot resounded.

Warren fell on his back with a painful yelp.

"Ugh! Fucker!"

The fat man stood up, cursed, and rammed Warren's head with his foot. His boots were heavy. It was painful. Really painful. First, there was the pain coming from the bullet that had carved its way into his kidney, and then, the jolts being sent inside his brain from the heavy kicks.

Everyone around was in a panic.

Warren shrieked in pain, tears welling in his eyes as he pushed the man's foot away before latching onto his leg, biting down as hard as he could.

T-this felt too painful for a dream…

Warren's head was split open as another gunshot rang in the vicinity, eliciting yells of horror and panic yet again.

He fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes focused on the man with hate lacing within before losing their luster.

Warren Dyson was dead.
***
The sky was clear, the air a bit cold, and silence littered the place even as people were all around. It was a funeral.

Warren Dyson blinked, feeling pain all over his body, but it faded away at the speed of light as if it never existed.

Warren Dyson blinked again.

The world spun, his vision shaking as he looked around him in a frenzy.

"Just what in the…"

The people around the funeral turned to look at him, their eyes turning sorrowful as they gave him pitying look.

However, Warren Dyson didn't care for that. He was more caring of what the fuck was going on here?!

Soon, all thoughts paused once again when Warren's eyes caught the sight of the fat ugly bastard.

He was still there, and it didn't seem like he was punched.

Slowly Warren's eyes focused on the left side of that man's pants. A gun. He had a gun there. Fuck America, why did everyone and their mother had a gun?

…No, more importantly, why did it hurt when that gun shot him? Why did he… die for a second time? How was it possible for him to die a second time? What was going on?

'...Whatever, this just means I have a second chance to kill that bastard.'

Warren gritted his teeth, and stood silently on his spot. He waited until people stopped looking at him, and when they did, he picked up a nearby brick.

Unlike last time, he walked calmly this time, to not startle the man. It would be a bummer if he took out his gun again. No, Warren will have to control his urge for a few seconds, he can let go of his emotions a second after that.

"Hey," Warren put a hand on the man's shoulder as he turned around.

"Oh, Mr. Dyson," the man said, feigning grief. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Right? Fuck you." Warren cursed.

As the man looked at him confused, Warren's other hand came crashing into his face, with the brick held tightly, as it slammed on the man's nose with full force.

– Bam!

"FUCK YOU!"

Warren yelled aloud as the man fell down on his back, while he jumped down on him and began to thrash the brick onto his face.

The people around him, who had sad eyes until a second ago—sad eyes that didn't match at all with the sheer anger present in Warren's eyes—shouted loudly in panic and began to scramble around. All the whilst Warren kept shouting, destroying the man's face with the brick.

These people… Warren didn't know them. Since he didn't, that meant they mustn't have known Mellissa at all. What right did they have to come here to mourn? Mellissa had no parents, no relatives, no one but him and his family; so, what the fuck were these people doing here?

Warren never liked the concept of a funeral. Not the funeral itself, but more particularly, the people who came even though they weren't related at all. He didn't want their sympathy.

Maybe he was just weird, but he didn't like it one bit. So, it didn't matter to him that they were running off like scared children.

"Y-you bastard!!"

"Let go off boss!!"
Not everyone ran though. This bastard was rich, he had guards, guards who began to take out their guns and point at him—but didn't fire since it might accidentally shoot their boss, as the two of them were too close to one another.

Warren growled at them but didn't stop slamming his brick down on the bastard beneath him. He growled, he growled, and he kept destroying the man's face.

"T-this crazy freak!"

One guard finally lost it and shot his gun.

– Bang!

The sound of a gunshot.

A bullet hit Warren square in the stomach, forcing him to let go of his brick in pain as he let out a muffled scream. Buckling as he gritted his teeth, he complained in his head, just like he always did.

'I can't win like this!'

Warren stared at the men.

'… if only they froze in their spot.'

He wished to stop time, so that he could use their own guns to shoot their guts out. A futile wish. He knew something like that wouldn't happen. He wasn't a super, he wasn't a mutant, he had no powers.

Suddenly, something clicked.

The world stopped.

People who were running from all around him, birds that were flying away because of the recent gunshot, and leaves that were falling from the trees.

Everything had frozen in place. The world was washed over like oil painting, done in a purple canvas. Everything was purple.

In fact, there was a bullet that had left the gun of one of the guards. It seemed… time had paused right before the sound could have been produced.

Confused as he was, Warren didn't wait to move away from the bullet's path. Whatever was happening, it was on his side. He was the master here.

He moved to grab a gun from one of the guards and aimed it right back at him.

Slowly, Warren took his time and shot exactly 5 rounds; each aiming at the guards who had their weapons out.

The bullets came out but were stuck in place.

Warren hesitated, frowning. Would time ever go back to normal? Perhaps he had to give some sort of command? Or maybe there is a limit-

Immediately, the world returned to normal.

– Bang!
– Bang!
– Bang!
– Bang!
– Bang!

The five bullets moved, and five bodies hit the ground simultaneously.

Warren turned around to look at the man. He was up on his feet, hand covering his nose, with his face beyond scrunched.

It was a miracle how he managed to survive after all those brick punches. Maybe he was blocking the blows by putting his hands over his face? Warren wasn't sane enough to notice.

"You fucke-"

This time, however, Warren was sane and calm enough to put this man where he belonged.

Before the man could say anything, Warren shot him in the chest. The man couldn't even scream, his breath caught in his throat, and he fell down to the ground.

Warren walked up to his dead body and started pummeling his face with his foot.

"...Fucker."

Then, he picked up the brick and started battering his face. The face caved in; Warren didn't stop. Blood splattered; he struck. Brain matter oozed; he stuck. A dangling eyeball rolled out like an egg; he struck.
As he confirmed that the man was dead, Warren let out a loud cry.

"Wh-why are you dead already!!??" his voice cracked, the brick landing on the face again. The brain matter splattered on Warren, but he didn't care. Tears fell down his eyes, and he curled into a ball on the ground, letting out heart-wrenching cries as he sobbed, a pool of blood on the ground.

Blood…

Oh, right. He forgot he'd been shot.

Adrenaline, huh?

'I'm sorry,' Warren bit his lips until he felt the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.

He thought he'd feel better after killing his sister's kidnapper; but no, he felt nothing. Why didn't he feel anything? He killed the man who was the cause of his sister's suffering, so why didn't he feel any better?

Warren didn't want to live, he'd lost the will to do so today when he saw the TV, and now, too, there was nothing between him and his much-desired death but this 'life flashing before death' thing.

So, to end this nightmare, he put the gun on his temple.

"Warren!" A shrill cry made him hesitate just a little.

He looked at his grandma.

"W-What are you doing?!" she cried. "Put the gun away!"

Warren's lips trembled.

…Just memories!



Gritting his teeth, Warren groaned to himself and pulled the trigger, feeling really strange as the bullet made a mess of his brain and gushed out of the other side.

Warren Dyson fell limp.

Dead.
***
…The sky was clear, the air a bit cold, and silence littered the place even as people were all around. It was a funeral.

Warren Dyson had wide eyes as he stared at the world that seemed to spin in his head.

What the hell was going on?
**
**
**
Lord_Kismet: Here you go, the first chapter has been realized.

So, what do you think?

I should continue, right?

Any mistakes you found?

Are you interested yet?

Is this single chapter enough for you to want more, or do I try harder?

Again, this is just a trial, I might change some stuff around.
So, you input and thoughts really matter. This project, I will write it as something serious with solid plot, riveting characters, an interesting take on Marvel world, and so much more. I won't focus on this right now (as in, daily chapters etcetera), but I will write with utmost preparation so that I make it the best I possibly can.

 

[Lord_Kismet]

02: Prologue [02]
—
Warren Dyson was so confused.

Why was he back again?

Warren looked around, and sure enough, his eyes caught the sight of the man again, his face appearing without the wounds Warren had caused. Actually, there wasn't any face left after Warren's battering.

Warren was sure the man was dead, and so was Warren himself, but…

'How am I back?'

'Why am I back?'

'Is this, not a dream?'

'Are these not my memories flashing before my death?'

Questions filled his head, questions he found no answer to—he wanted to go and kill the ugly bastard again. But as much as he hated him, Warren refrained from doing so. He'd done it once, and it apparently didn't work at all, and he didn't even feel any good. Instead, much to Warren's confusion, he was back at the start, pondering over why he was back again.

Confusing.

Warren needed to think.

This was the third time he was back in time. Now, he was sure this was his imagination. But if it wasn't his imagination and he really had an OP skill such as going back in time, he was finally given something in return for his misery.

Warren shook his head.

No…

He can't hope now…

Not again.

Warren wouldn't hope, not again. His hopes crushed enough times already, there wasn't any need to add another.

But…

'What if It's true?'

What if he can really go back in time?

'Should I die again?'

Right, let's do that.

Warren looked around until his eyes stopped on the fat ugly bastard.

He can use this guy, right?

Warren chuckled, and his legs moved to run toward the man as he yelled to get his attention.

"Hey, you fucker!"

The man was startled out of his mind as he looked at him in panic. Warren noticed the bastard's hand going down for the gun, but he didn't stop the man. Instead, Warren let him do that, and when the gun was out, Warren thought of stopping time.

Might as well test this thing.

'Will it even work like last time?'

Something clicked, he was worrying for nothing.

The world paused.

Warren stared in awe as a violet color seeped into everything. The blue sky paused with the birds flying in it, the people who were startled by his outburst were stuck on their places with agape mouths, the ground with ants and the leaves falling from the trees got stuck midair. Everything, from the smallest ant, to the biggest thing he could see, stopped.

Warren was sure at this moment that time had stopped.

Warren looked around at the stopped world.

It was… fascinating to say the least.

The people, who were panicking at this point, were frozen in their spot. The birds that were ready to fly after hearing Warren's loud voice were stuck in their animation. The guards stood with their guns in hand. The ugly bastard was stiff with a snarl on his face and the gun almost towards Warren.

Warren started counting.

'01'

He wanted to know the time limit, if there was one, for this possible ability of his.

Then, he snatched the gun from the bastard's hands, and looked at it. It was a beauty, a beauty Warren deemed as wasted on this man.

'02'

Safety off, Warren shot at the fat man. The time was paused, but defying this state of the world, the bullet left the barrel of the gun, though it stopped just after leaving it, water-like ripples at the rear of the bullet.

'03'

Fascinating.

Warren's big, wide eyes mirrored his reflection in the bullet.

'04'

Then, tearing himself out of staring, he aimed at the guards one by one, pulling the trigger, seeing the bullets come out of the barrel but stopping in the tracks without moving farther.

'05... 06... 07... 08... 09...'

He deduced it had something to do with the gun being in contact with him or something along the lines.

'10…'

As the count reached ten in Warren's head, a click resounded in his head, again.

Color seeped back into everything.

The sky was blue again, and purple was nowhere to be seen.

The world had resumed.

– Bang!

– Bang!

– Bang!

– Bang!

– Bang!

– Bang!

…And six gunshots had resounded, followed by the same number of thuds.

As Warren stared, the guards, and the ugly bastard fell to the ground, bodies limp of any life.

Warren smiled to himself, and aimed the gun at his temple again.

Like hell he would die in the fat ugly bastard's hands.

He'd die on his own.

Warren cracked a grin.

– Bang!

...And pulled the trigger.
***
The sky was clear, the air a bit cold, and silence littered the place even as people were all around. It was a funeral.

Warren Dyson had wide, slightly unbelieving eyes as he took in a long, constant breath.

'I really can go back in time?'

He questioned no one in particular, and no answer came—just as expected.

'Wow.'

Warren was not able to think properly.

He was in utter shock, and disbelief.

How can he believe he has a power like this?

Turning back time.

A power that allows him to go back to this particular point in time, no matter what happened. Once he died, he would come back.

It was unbelievably OP.

Too OP.

'Okay, calm down.'

Warren closed his eyes, his brain working full throttle to ponder over his situation.

Warren was in his rundown apartment in New York. He'd heard his sister's news on TV, and then, as he had no will to live anymore, he had walked out to commit suicide. As he didn't want to die in some hidden place and rot without even people knowing, he wanted to die In a traffic accident, or jump from a high building.

But as that was too cliché, he died under the tentacle of a big-eyed and tentacled monster who Dr. Strange was fighting.

He awakened a power due to a process he could only describe as 'somehow', and came back in time, in 2016, when his girlfriend, his Mellissa died.

'Yeah, no bullshit.'

Warren wasn't falling into the pit of hope again.

Not after how fucked a life he had lived.

'Now that I think of it,'

…Wasn't Mellissa's funeral the start of everything?

'No.'

He can't think like this.

Warren should just wait here for the memories to pass by, and then, and then, he'll die and finally have peace.

'Yes, let's do that.'

Warren waited. Everyone left, one by one, and Warren only scoffed in his head. Just like he had thought, no one cared for Mellissa other than some of her close friends, him, and his grandparents.

She had no one but a few people, after all.

So, Warren didn't bat an eye when everyone left. The ugly bastard left too, but Warren didn't move. Mellissa's friends left, giving him a pat on his shoulder; Warren waited. His grandparents, too, left.
This was how everything had gone back in 2016. Everyone had left. His grandparents, who he knew wanted to give him some alone time, had left after giving him a hug and a pat back then too.

And that was when Warren had cried.

Silently.

But this time, Warren didn't cry like he remembered crying back when this really happened. Warren just waited for this to end.

So he could die peacefully. Close his eyes without any worries, without any burdens on his heart.

So he could not hope. Hope. Something so fragile.

So he could not be disappointed again.

Again.

And again.

Time passed.

Warren didn't die.

Nor did he find his memories moving to someplace else.

'Why?'

A heavy, disgusting, and painful sensation wrenched on his stomach as his head came to the same conclusion he had been avoiding.

'This is real.'

He isn't dead.

He came back in time.

'I really did awaken some OP power.'

Warren looked at his trembling hands. He squatted down, closing his eyes tight as he put his head between his hands.

'Why did this have to happen?'

Warren grabbed his hair, pulling. It was painful… This was, in itself, another indication that this was as real as it could be.

Why did he come back?

Warren's heartbeat sped up, slamming against his chest harder and harder, as if it wanted to come out.

If it goes like this, he'll hope… again.

A knot got stuck on his neck.

Warren didn't want that.

He was too afraid to hope again.

But… he couldn't help but hope.

'Can I… change things?'

Could he really do that?

If this was real, and not some byproduct of his imagination, or a prank the whole universe decided to play on him for some sort of twisted amusement for only God knew who, Warren could really change his life. Find happiness. Kick life in the gut and yell 'fuck you!' while standing on the top of the tallest building in the world.

Warren let out a long quivering breath, and looked up at her grave.

Mellissa…

His one and only love.

Warren smiled slightly, leaning against her tombstone.

"Hey," Warren called out, softly. "This is crazy, you know that?"

Warren remembered crying a lot when she'd died. He didn't have the courage to see someone again after she passed away. So, he didn't date anyone again.

"If I really am back," Warren bit his lower lip. "Why couldn't it have been a day sooner?" He complained like always.

Warren could have saved her.

Just a day earlier.

"Fuck."

He hugged his legs, and buried his face into them.

You're a man—they said.

Don't cry—they said.

Warren also had a heart, and it pained when he couldn't do anything. He felt hopeless all over again. If, just if he'd come back a day earlier.

His eyes watered, but Warren refrained from crying. Not that he shouldn't, or couldn't, but because he didn't want to show his pathetic side to her. She was the sweetest thing that ever happened to him; his radiant beam in the darkness of the world.

"Okay!"

Warren stood up, fists clenched, as he said in a cheerful tone.

"I'm back! What If it's not a day earlier? I'm back, baby! And I'm a super now," he said in a bright voice, caressing her tombstone.

"I can probably find some magic bullshit to bring you back too, right?" he chuckled optimistically. This was Warren's way of coping with things.

Whenever feel overwhelmed with anything, just be cheerful. Everything would be fine. Even when life kicks you so hard in the guts that you can't stand up, be cheerful. The world will fuck you over, be cheerful.

"I mean, everything is possible for a super!"

Just like that, he blabbered on and on about how he'd bring her back, how he'd do everything right. He told everything to her, and to himself.

After he was done talking to her, Warren bid farewell, saying that he'd come back for her. He hailed a taxi home, to his home. Not a shabby apartment, but a big house. He had sold it for money back in 2020.

Wait… was it back in 2020, or in the future since it was 2016 now?

Confusing.

Warren shook his head. This wasn't the time to think about this. He stepped out of the taxi, his home wasn't really that far away from the funeral site. He sighed, and took in a breath, staring at the big house for a while.

Nostalgia filled within him as Warren walked in. He stepped on the stairs, tracing his hands on the railings.

Ah. How big an idiot he was for selling this place.

Warren walked as he hummed slightly, but when he passed by his sister's room, Warren wanted to go in, to go and hug her, hug her so tightly she'd beat him up. But, he should wait.

Right, back in 2016, or now, his present, old Warren had hated her a lot.

And that had probably left some mental scars on the little thing.

Warren always loathed himself for hating on her. She didn't deserve his hate.

'Anyways,'

Let's not go meet her for now.

That was what he wanted to do… but why was it that Warren was already knocking on the door of her room?

– Knock!

– Knock!

Two knocks.

"What is it?!"

And she was out, glaring daggers at him with those deep blue eyes of hers.

Warren stared down at her, not sure as to what to do, or say.

But he wanted to say one thing though.

"I'm sorry,"

"Huh?"

Lilly was visibly confused, her pouty lips a bit apart as her brows furrowed in a tight-knit.

What the fuck was this weird man saying now?
**
**
**

 

[Lord_Kismet]

03: Routes?
—
"What did I do wrong?" thought she who had suffered from hate all her life.

She, who was Lilly Dyson.

From the moment she could remember, she had always been hated by her big brother. Always. There wasn't a single day he didn't give her a hateful glare.

Her grandpa and grandma were the only people she got some resemblance of love from. While her only family, her only brother, hated her, and loathed her even for something she did not do.

"Get away from me, murderer!"

That was the first words from him that she could remember till this day.

"Why did you have to be born?!"

Words that she always kept near her heart, never forgot, as she fell asleep every night.

Lilly did not know what wrong she did to him. The reason for his hate. So, she was naturally a bit curious, so curious that she ended up telling her grandpa how big brother always hated her, titling her murderer and so.

She wanted to know why she was hated so much.

But… maybe, she shouldn't have told her grandpa?

He did tell her the reason though.

But he also punished her brother.

Apparently, her mom, a woman she did not remember at all, had died just after giving birth to Lilly, and due to the shock from the news, her dad had followed soon after since he was driving when he heard the news.

Lilly had an enlightened moment.

She knew the reason why he hated her, justifiably so.

But… was it really her fault?

'Am I really the reason mom died?'

'Dad died too, am I to be held responsible for his death also?'

Such questions popped up in her mind from time to time, questions she had no answers to, questions she was afraid to ask her grandpa or grandma again since Lilly didn't them punishing her brother for it a second time.

After all, the first time he got punished for it, Lilly had felt his hate grow.

…Lilly didn't want to be hated.

She was jealous and envious of the girls in school; they had such nice brothers.

Why couldn't she have one too?

Thus, Lilly's small brain developed a defense mechanism against his hate.

Sarcasm, short temper, and extreme jealousy that drove her to be a nuisance to her brother. For he was not giving her the attention and love a sister deserved. If the other girls got it, why couldn't she?

Lilly started bothering him every time she saw him. Pranking him with stupid things, forcefully waking him up by jumping on top of his stomach before running away, putting chilly in his food, and so much more.
Of course, she made sure he wouldn't tell on her grandparents by threatening him. She told him that she'd cry to her grandparents, tell them how he treated her, how he still hated her, how he still wasn't treating her nicely.

She hoped Warren would stop hating her and play with her for real, just for once. That's why she was a nuisance to him, just so he would play with her one way or another.

He started playing with her, and being nice to her, to the point she almost believed that he had changed.

But…

She was wrong.

Mellissa, that bitch, died when her brother was playing with her, and he heard the news on the phone, Lilly knew at that moment.

He didn't love her.

He wasn't playing with her because he wanted to.

'He still hates me…'

Lilly had cried, for a really long time, pushing her face into the pillow.

He still hated her…

Why?

Why?!

She was enraged.

She will just leave them.

Lilly decided when her grandparents and brother were attending the funeral.

'I'll leave. Never return.'

Lilly packed her things and was ready to leave.

And she would have done so, if Warren didn't come.

She was ready to leave without anyone noticing.

So when he knocked on the door and she opened it up, Lilly was left surprised.

"I'm sorry,"

Warren said to her, looking straight into her eyes.

"Wha…?"

Lilly was stunned.

"I'm sorry for everything. For… hating you."

Then, he suddenly and quickly brought her in a hug, a tight one that left her unable to breathe.

"I know it isn't your fault for our parents' death," he said, the hug tightening. "So… I'm sorry."
***
"I'll play with you, lots from today onwards. Drop you to school, pick you up, take you around."

Warren was serious.

He didn't want to lose anyone. Not again. Not even this sister, whom he had hated for a long time. He was only able to realize his wrongs when she got kidnapped, and there was only regret left behind.

Regret that he hadn't given her the love and care a sister desired.

Regret that he ever hated her.

So much regret that now that he had a chance to be nice to her, he wanted to do just that. If Warren hadn't ignored her, she wouldn't have decided to leave the house on the day of Mellissa's funeral. Today. If he had just talked to her, she wouldn't have left, and she wouldn't have gotten kidnapped.

"So," Warren sighed. "Will you still stay?"

Lilly stiffened, her small stature trembling in his embrace.

Warren let out a chuckle.

"W-What do you m-mean?!" Lilly pushed him away, her wide, embarrassed yet confused eyes looking around everywhere but him.

Lilly balled her little fist, and slammed straight in his gut.

"And who said I'm leaving, you prick?!" She yelled, grounding her teeth as she poked her finger into his rib.

"Like hell you're getting rid of me!!" Her face quickly turned red, and she pushed him out of the room before slamming the door right on his face.

"And how dare you say those weird things so out of the blue?!" Her yell came muffled from the other side. "Get away, freak! Shoo! Shoo!"

Warren could almost see her using one hand to hide her embarrassment, and the other waving in a shooing motion to get him to leave.

Warren barked in laughter, shifting his weight from his right heel to his left before he twirled on it. He walked happily towards his room, his mind on his little sister while he laughed like an idiot.
It feels good to be back.

He missed her so much.

Warren was walking towards his room when he heard the doorbell ringing.

'Who…?'

He frowned, turning around before going down again.

'Oh…!'

He could remember whom this was going to be.

Warren remembered them. They'd come in his past life too, but he'd told them they were clowns and rejected their offers.

Warren didn't know what they were blabbering about back then and had just considered them some sort of scammers tricking him to join some weird organization.

Turns out he was wrong.

Especially now that he knew why they were here, and why exactly at this time.

Warren stopped in front of the door, his mind wandering about to remember what they'd said and what they'd offered him.

But, in the end, he couldn't remember much since it had been a long time. For him, it was a long time, and he forgot many things that had happened. So it wasn't really that strange that he couldn't remember a conversation he'd had 9 years ago. For him, anyway.

The door opened, revealing Professor Xavier, Magneto, and the White Queen.

Warren knew them, of course. How could he forget the leaders of the three strongest factions of the mutants?

Back in his past life, Warren didn't know a thing about them when they came to meet him and, supposedly, recruit him. They'd claimed he was a mutant. But back then, as Warren really didn't have any powers, or had not discovered them, he'd deemed them, scammers. That they were phishing him into some shady organization.

So, he'd rejected their offer.

All three had left, leaving him their cards, saying that their doors were always open for him. Warren had never contacted them, as he really thought that he didn't have any power, and that they were shady scammers.

Only later in his life, he knew that they were mutant leaders. When the mutants were revealed to the masses, along with the leaders of the big three factions. That was exactly when Warren had come to know that they were real, and not some scammers.

Now though, since Warren knew who they were, and how much they could really help him, he couldn't help but let the grin split his face.

Three routes just unlocked for him.

And he could choose each one of them one by one.

He had infinite lives, after all.

And even if he didn't, he didn't care. He was going to do this!

He would learn from these three.

"Hello, Mr. Dyson." Professor X said to him, smiling. The professor was old, his skin wrinkled. His head was bald, and he appeared quite innocent. "I'm here to help you," he continued.

"Okay?"

Warren acted ignorant.

He looked over at the other two.

The White Queen was hot. She was gorgeous, her hair Brown Blonde. Her blue eyes glowed brightly, and she wore a silver dress that clung to her body. Her stomach was flat, and her breasts were large and firm
She was beautiful, no doubt about it. Her long, meaty legs were covered in white stockings.

Her lips were painted red. And her skin was flawless, with no blemishes whatsoever.

It was the first time that Warren had seen such a beauty up close, apart from his Mellissa, of course—but, for him, it had been years since he last saw Mellissa.

Warren wanted to keep staring at her, but she seemed to notice his gaze on her and smirked slightly.

Warren swiftly looked at the other man.

Magneto had white hair, and his beard was cleanly shaven. His skin was light, and his eyes were blue. He looked very stern, and almost menacing. His eyes had this depth, as if the man had led a tough life.

Warren knew that this guy was the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

The news channels weren't really silent about that particular group's terroristic acts.

The only good thing about them was that they never harmed civilians.

But, then again, there were a lot of bad things about them, too.

They were terrorists.

Their objective was to create a human-free world. Where the mutants reigned supreme. The media, in the future, had started spreading rumors about them, claiming that they killed people who were against their cause.

A lot of people died at the hands of the Brotherhood.

So, Warren had the worst impression of that group.

But now, he would try all three routes. routes that had opened up for him.

Warren would talk to them for now.

To see what they had to offer.

And to pick which one he liked best for his first run on that particular route.

So,

"Hello," Warren smiled, "Please come in,"
**
**
**
Lord_Kismet: This is it for now; three chapters. I will stop uploading and focus on my other fic. Meanwhile, this novel will have more readers who are interested, I will keep updating this, occasionally.

 

[Lord_Kismet]

04: His Choice
—
Emma Frost stepped out of her car, groaning in annoyance that she'd have to travel this far.
This was a small place, a small town, known as Cazenovia. But since it was a beautiful place, Emma decided to ignore the fact that she'd had to drive this far, on her own no less.

She couldn't afford people knowing where she was going, after all.

As her heel made contact with the ground, and her eyes wandered about to the big mansion, she stopped to admire it for a bit.

She didn't lack mansions, but this one, it was a bit special. The way it was made was special, she had never seen something like this.

Each corner of the wall was beautifully carved, and the designs were made with complete care. It had this personal taste to it. She wondered who made this.

The combination of sky blue and spotless white paint worked wonders to make this look as beautiful and pleasing to the eyes as possible.

As she walked toward it, her eyes wandered to the greenery around the mansion; it added to the beauty to it, and she couldn't help but feel envious.

It was nothing too extravagant, far from it, she herself had bigger and expensive ones, but the coziness and personal flavor of this mansion, of the one who made it, was so very admirable.

She wasn't able to admire for long, however, as some sounds wriggled into her ears, a noise that eventually caused annoyance to crawl up her smooth skin.

– Vrrmm

– Vrrmm

Two cars came to halt just beside her. Now, the cars themselves weren't that problematic, but the annoying individuals that left the car.

She frowned slightly as she saw two people who she recognised too much, her mood soured.
So she wasn't the only one who noticed.
Shit.

Emma groaned, if it were going to be like this, she might as well have came with a fucking chaufer so she wouldn't have had to drive for this long!

Out walked Eric from one car, followed by a bald old man from the other one. Although it was a different matter altogether, one was walking while the other was in a wheelchair.

Emma deemed it a pity these two old coots never considered working together. One lacked what the other had, and vice versa. If only they let go of their grievances, and worked together. But alas, Eric was far too extremistic, while Charles was too idealistic to do anything.

Emma didn't care though, the old fools could do anything they wanted.

Although she would be an idiot if she let them have their way today. She could let them do as they wished any time of the day and she wouldn't care.

After all, she was more aligned with what she wanted, they could do anything with their lives. Anyways, she wouldn't let them have their way today.

This new mutant was far too valuable.

So, she turned and gave the two old men an impassive look.

"I knew you were short on meat shields but you too, Charles? Why don't you two leave and let me handle this one? He won't have to be your pawns."
Charles appeared offended and hurt.

"You misunderstand my cause, Emma." Xavier said, and appeared as if he were going to give her a long speech. So, Emma rolled her eyes and sauntered toward the house.

Eric was too senile to fall into her childish banterish traps.

Not that she cared, it was just fun teasing good old Charles. Although she admired him a bit due to his work done for the mutant kind, mocking his ideals was one of the few things she enjoyed.

The two followed behind her. She sighed, rubbing her eyes, so they weren't letting go of this so easily eh?

Emma groaned internally, but kept an impassive look on the outside. This was just going to be a hassle, wasn't it?

She didn't like doing it, but she might have to use her charms on a kid.

'Ugh,'

Anything to get an Omega-level mutant.

Anything.

Be it seduction… it worked well on kids, or more specifically, young teens. And this one was just that. Yeah, he might resent her later, but he would be better than his peers, so he won't have anything to complain, that much she would make sure of.

After all, all she ever wanted was to protect her students. The little ones, mutants that had no home. And she made sure to be protective of them, take care of them, and teach them wherever they were wrong.

And she was going to do the same with Warren Dyson, or do his name was, she believed.
Even if she might have to start like this…
***
- Back to the events after the first chapter -

"Mr. Dyson," said Professor X, staring at Warren with those sincere eyes of his. "I am here to invite you to be a student at the Xavier Institute of Mutant children."

Warren looked 'surprised', and before he could say anything, Magneto and the White Queen stepped forward.

"And I am here to give you a chance to be a part of our brotherhood, so that you can have a cause bigger than your existence."

"Calm down, oldies," The White Queen said, eying him up and down. "I want him."

What?

Warren was genuinely confused at the tone she used. But then, his eyes widened.

'Oh, so this is what it is, huh?'

Warren wanted to chuckle but he bit his tongue to stop himself.

She wanted to try the seducing route since he was a young man with barely enough control over his hormones?

"I'm Emma, by the way," Emma leaned forward, purposely showing her cleavage as she ruffled his hair. "I can be a big sister for you, you know. However, you'd have to come to the Massachusetts Academy." she purred slightly at the end, looking up at him slyly. She was, surprisingly, shorter than him. "I like big boys like you."

Warren would have to admit, he was definitely feeling something at her behavior, and if he hadn't lived up to the point he had, he would have definitely fallen to her charms. but this time was different.

Last time, maybe he'd been too depressed at Mellissa's death to notice Emma's attempts, but he noticed this time, though he wouldn't fall so easily.

Warren frowned, looking from one mutant to another, ensuring no one was pulling his leg.

After he had invited them in, they'd gotten straight to the point, telling him how he was a mutant, how he shouldn't be afraid, all that basic bullshit. Then, they'd straight out presented him with their sale pitches.

"Tch," Magneto clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You vixen, using your charms on a boy; you should be ashamed of yourself."

Emma clicked her tongue as well and backed away.

Magneto started his 'speech' just after, and Warren wasn't able to listen to the senile fool's Hitler wannabe ramblings.

"Stop," Warren said in the end.

'This is too much,'

He needed to do some research first.

'Yes,'

Let's do that.

'I need to spend some time with Lilly and grandpa and ma, too.'

It had been a while, it had been so long since he last saw them. And if he were to accept any of these so-called leaders' invitations and join them, he would have to leave, no?

'I don't want that,'

So, let's go with the slice-of-life route for now.

Warren almost chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to join some… weird groups." Warren said, eyeing them suspiciously. "More so, you guys seem delusional."

He gave Emma an up and down look.

"You even tried to seduce a minor. Leave, please, or I might have to call the police."

Right, he was technically a minor. He was seventeen years old right now.

The three seemed shocked and a bit offended, scratch that, Magneto and Emma were outright offended, and they weren't hiding it either.

Emma, in particular, seemed pissed, which was weird for someone like her. If he remembered correctly, she was an impassive person, or so he'd gathered from the speeches she gave in his first life.

Warren didn't care about that though. He wanted to spend some much needed time with his family.

'Hmm, choosing one of these can wait for my next run or something.'

"Warren!" A shout resounded from upstairs.

Oh, grandma.

Warren looked up instinctively.

"Who is it?!" She shouted, again.

Warren did chuckle this time. Oh the nostalgia. How much he missed this voice.

"Now, not to be disrespectful to the elderly," he eyed Charles and Magneto. "But off with you."

The three were skeptical, but respected his wishes, which was a bit surprising for him. They left anyway.

But they did leave their 'business cards' behind, saying that if he ever changed his mind, he can come and join them.

Meh, he'll just remember the numbers and call them in one of his future runs.

After they left, Warren walked to his grandma, and told her that it was just some sales pitch.

Then, he went to his room. He would miss them when he would eventually leave back for New York. But that needed to be done sooner or later, after all, he needed to make his life better.

He also needed to play with his nine years old sister. He'd neglected her so very much, she deserved better.

For now, however, he wanted to sleep. So much had happened in a single day. He'd committed suicide, awakened some sort of time powers, repeated his first few runs, and come to terms with the fact that he was almost immortal.

That he could change his life for the better. Punch life in the guts and scream at the top of his lungs that he can, and he will, do better.

And so he could work hard and finally find his happiness.

His Perfect Run.
**
**
**
Lord_Kismet: Guys, the chapters for this one will be relatively shorter. Why? Because I don't want to lose motivation to write this fic. It will be long, and I need to maintain myself if I want to write it. So yes, it will have shorter chapters.

 

[Lord_Kismet]

05: Some Fun Time [01]
—
Emma Frost was shocked when

she heard Warren decline their invitation. But she was more shocked that he didn't fall to her charms, it was downright impossible for human males.

Especially since Emma had this 'notice and simp for me' aura radiating around her person. It was a telepathic thing. Just like Xavier, he appeared more innocent and kind, due to that unconscious release of telepathy, while she appeared more desirable and irresistible, more attention-grabbing due to the same reason

So, it was quite a shock when he ignored her like she was some rock on the sidewalks.

But the main shocking thing was that he was able to resist her, which meant that his mind had some sort of protection against telepaths.

Emma tried reading his mind but felt a barrier around it, a barrier so strong she wasn't even able to get a read on his surface thoughts, not even his emotions.

She glanced at Charles, and found the latter doing the same. He was looking at her, and in a jiffy, she felt a telepathic prob on her mind.

Understanding immediately, she created a telepathic link between her and Xavier to talk.

'You felt It too?'

Xavier asked her.

Emma didn't say a thing, and with the same impassive look on her face, she nodded.

It has become an unconscious thing for her, to have an emotionless face. So, even though she was shocked, it didn't appear on her face.

"I see," she said in the end, eying Eric real quick.

The man had the ever-menacing age-hardened sharpness to his face, and she wasn't sure what he was thinking.

Warren had refused them.

They, who were the leaders of the three biggest factions of the mutant kind.

But Eric remained surprisingly understanding of this young man. After all, they were hidden from the world, so it was quite logical for Warren to think that they were scammers.

Emma smirked internally, staring at Warren with unprecedented interest.

He was strikingly interesting.

To think he'd refuse her, even if he were thinking that they were scammers.

First of all, he appeared out of nowhere like other mutants. From what she gathered, his girlfriend died recently, so emotional turmoil might have been the reason for him to have or awakened his mutant genes.

She was experienced, so she knew that better than anyone.

She had many ways she could use him. Of course, she would provide the best for him too, this relationship could be that of give and take, she would protect him with everything she'd got, and he'd do anything for her in return.

But he might be hard to crack if their offers didn't manage to phase him.

She didn't know what powers he might have, but as they left his house, Emma Frost gave him a last up-and-down look; resisting strong telepaths such as Xavier and herself was unheard of.

What was he hiding?

Emma knew that there was much more to what this 'young man' let out.

It was a speculation, but she thought that he could already use his mutant powers to a degree, and was acting oblivious just for the sake of it.

And it had to be something special if he were trying so hard to hide them–more so, he should be extremely talented if he was able to learn of his powers this easily. Or probably he was just afraid? Thinking that he'll be used as a lab rat?

Well, the possibility was there, that's why they were there, so they could recruit him so no one could take advantage of him.

Emma sighed.

"Keep an eye on him, you know the drill," she told Xavier and Eric without even looking at them, and sat in her car, giving the mansion a last look before she drove away.

She knew that Xavier and Eric would look after the boy, just like she would.

It was an agreement between them from a long time ago.

There were times when new mutants didn't want to join any of them, and then they'd be kidnapped or used by some other organization. From the moment the three came to know of the fact, they'd come to an agreement that they'd look after the new mutants that didn't join them, so that they wouldn't be in danger.

This was a dangerous world for mutants, after all.

Emma just wondered what she should do to get him on her side.

'How?'

She thought, chewing on her lips as she drove with bare minimum attention on the road ahead, she was just too good at driving.

'Ah, right.'

An idea lit up in her head.

"Yeah, let's do that."

She smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she bit and licked her lower lip.

***

– Time-Skip –

'What's going on?' thought Lilly Dyson, an annoyed look plastered on her face, and a hard frown tugging at her eyebrows.

She glanced to her right, and there he stood, Warren, her big brother, with a warm smile on his face.

Lilly shifted uncomfortably from where she stood.

He's acting weird.

'Yes, he's definitely acting weird.'

Lilly squinted her eyes.

Warren isn't… this nice.

Far from it. He's a fucking prick.

Meanwhile, Warren, on the other hand, was sweating buckets under the constant glare he was receiving from her.

…Maybe he shouldn't have asked her to make something for him?

Warren was regretting it now.

…Although he had to admit she looked quite a bit cute when she glared at him like that. But then he remembered all the times she'd pranked him, or all the times she was a nuisance to him these past few days.

She was taking revenge it seems.

But he would persevere.

Lilly glared at him, her mind wandering to a single conclusion that she reached after spending all this time with him.

She'd played along with him, she knew how hurt he was at Mellissa's passing. So, she didn't want to hurt him more by rejecting his advances to mend their relationship.

Which she doubted.

He hated her, why would he want to mend their relationship?

'He's not Warren,' she turned and glared at him, cleaning her hands on the apron she wore.

"Here," she shoved the bowl with a crushed tostada and a microwaved slice of American cheese toward him.

He'd asked her to make something for him, so she did.

…Although this was kind of her first time making something.

She stared at the bowl.

It looked horrible.

Lilly blushed.

Maybe it tasted delicious and was just looking like this?

Warren looked on as she took off the apron, and then they walked into the living room, sitting on the couch.

They were watching a movie.

A horror movie, to be more precise, and Warren wanted to eat something while doing so, that was why he asked his sister to make him something.

But as they sat down on the sofa with some distance between them, and Warren looked down, he had to admit.

…He did not want to eat whatever she made him.

He glanced at her, and found her peeking at him with anticipation.

…fuck.

She wanted to know how it tastes.

Warren smiled stiffly, and started the movie where they'd left it as he picked up and ate a tostada.

– Crunch, Crunch, Crunch, Gulp

Warren had a sweaty face, and a stiffened smile.

Fuck… why was it so spicy? And wait, what is that sour taste?

"How is it?" Lilly asked, finally not being able to hold the anticipation she had on her face.

It seemed she wanted some praise.

Warren picked and crunched another, nodding.

"It's good, delicioso," Warren said, with some difficulty.

It was terrible.

"Why are you speaking French so out of the blue?"

She said so, but Lilly's face brightened, it was a different matter she hid it away in an instant.

Lilly added more microwaved American cheese on it.

Warren couldn't help but think, where did she get more cheese from?!

"Eat more," Lilly said, scooping a bit closer as the scene in the movie turned to something eerie.

Warren picked it up, and ate with a dry look in his eyes.

They continued watching the movie, and Warren always joked around or paused the movie to poke fun at the scary things so that his nine-year-old sister wouldn't get scared.

Seriously, he shouldn't have picked a horror movie.

After the movie got to some extremely scary situations, Lilly was already hiding in his sleeve when she got too scared.

Warren chuckled, and played the scary scene over and over again, making dumb noises and shit just so his sister wouldn't be scared.

He did succeed, somewhat, if the laughter was of any indication.

But he had to keep her heart by saying a lot of good things about the 'food' she made so she wouldn't feel terrible

He didn't want to hurt her feelings, after all.

But…

Fuck.

'I hate American cheese. Fucking terrible.'

**

**

**

Lord_Kismet: a peaceful little chapter, hope you enjoyed it

And tell me, what are your thoughts on Lillly?

 

[Lord_Kismet]

06: Some Fun Time [02]
—
Lilly Dyson, for the first time in a long while, was happy to be wrong for once.

She had thought that Warren, the one that returned home after Mellissa passed away, wasn't the real Warren because he was being too nice to her, and that was something unheard of, especially for her, since Warren had always been a dick to her.

But she was happy that he had genuinely started caring for her, that he was genuine when he played with her, or watched movies with her.

He also took her to school!

It felt awesome to brag to her girlfriends about her brother. Why? Because he was handsome, of course, and that gave her quite a lot of bragging rights. He was not only handsome; he was also good at a lot of stuff.

The look on her friends' faces and the frowny look on the boys' faces was something to look at.

Anyways, it was a normal day, and she was sitting in her room, doing homework. And while doing homework, Lilly felt weird.

A bit of discomfort.

This wasn't the first time she felt this.

But today, she started feeling dizzy as well, for some reason. So dizzy that her head started spinning, and she began to hear weird voices inside her head.

Lilly tried to ignore it at first, but the headache and the voices only increased, so she tried to stand up from the bed.

But maybe she shouldn't have, as the moment she put force on her feet, something so unexpected happened that she screamed for help.

"Hey! hey! Ren! c'mere!"
***
It had been a few months since he came back, and Warren had discovered and did a lot of things.

'Well…'

Not really a lot of stuff, but close enough.

"Hey! hey! Ren! c'mere!"

Lilly sounded from upstairs, and Warren looked up.

What happened now?

He thought, a bit annoyed, but sighed and started walking upstairs.

He'd come to like her now. She was cute. The way she acted was cute. Lilly reminded him of this one Tsundere girl he recalled from an Anime he would have watched in the future at some point.

Warren wondered why he hated her in his first life. She was a sweet little thing; how could he have hated her? It seems that he was too stuck up on his parents' death and the lack of love he felt after their death that he didn't even notice the love and care he could have given and received from his sister.

'Oh well…'

Warren couldn't really change the past now, could he?

Wait, he can change the past, no? actually, he's changing his past with everything he does, so it's kind of like changing the past.

Warren shook his head and knocked on the door to Lilly's room.

– Knock – Knock

"Come In, it's open!"

Lilly nearly screamed.

Warren frowned slightly.

What could have happened?

He opened the door and went inside. Warren stiffened slightly when Lilly came flying into his guts, and slammed him against the wall.

F-fuck! That hurt!

Warren groaned as he stood up. What the actual fuck?

"Why did you do that?!"

He asked, a bit of annoyance seeping into his tone.

"I'm sorry!" Lilly's voice was almost that of near the verge of tearing up.

Why though?

Warren understood why she was so near crying.

"What the…?"

Warren murmured.

"Help me you prick!"

Lilly finally cried.

Warren swiftly moved up to her and caught her. She was flailing around in the air. Flying without control.

What just happened?

Warren couldn't help but think.

'Did she become a mutant too?'

Warren's mind wandered to the only possibility that was on his brain at the moment because he had become a mutant himself, quite recently so.

"What happened?"

He asked gently, Warren knew how scary it could be. Especially for her, since she was a kid.

Lilly didn't reply, but Warren needn't hear anything, the arms tightening around his stomach was more than enough.

"Hey hey," Warren patted her head gently, saying soothingly. "Don't worry, everything's fine."

"I was so scared…"

Lilly muttered in a small, soft voice, as she trembled in his embrace.

Of course she'd be afraid, Warren almost chuckled; she was afraid of heights quite a lot after all. And by a lot, Warren really meant a lot. She pissed herself this once, and he'd bullied her for it. Although it was terrible of him, it was from the past, he couldn't really do anything to change it now.

Anyways, it was really surprising that she didn't piss herself this time.

'Oh my, have grown a lot since last time, have you?'

Warren did chuckle this time.

"Hey!" Lilly stabbed her forefinger into his rib. "Don't be like that!"

"Pfft!"

Warren broke into laughter, and when she protested some more, he started tickling her as well.

"Oh God…!" Warren wheezed, grabbing her cheeks and pulling them. "You're so adorable."

"Doh do hath!"

Lilly glared at him, slapping his hands.

Warren felt the slaps and the glaring increase, so he let go of her cheeks. Maybe he shouldn't have, as the moment his hands lefts her cheeks, she flew behind and slammed into the ceiling.

Her head smashed into the ceiling first, and then her whole body.

Warren winced.

He watched on as her eyes closed shut tightly, tears gathering in the corners.

"Uh-oh,"

She was going to cry, wasn't she?

"Okay, Lilly, you're a big girl, don't cry please…"

'…or grandma and pa will scold again.'

Of course, he didn't say that out loud, Warren wasn't stupid.

He got up on her bed, and then, activated his time-stopping ability.

The pink furniture and paint of Lilly's room turned into a purple color. The bench, the little chair, her little wardrobe, the bed, and her little chandelier. Everything had a purple tinge to it now.

As if the artist of a painting just threw droplets of purple, coating the whole canvas in different shades and saturations of purple.

In that purple world, Warren Dyson kicked off from the bed, and then, as his body flew as if defying gravity for a moment there, he propelled his body against the chandelier so he could move toward his sister.

As his outstretched hands came into contact with her body and he adjusted himself to land on the ground safely, he let go of the time-stop thingy.

Gosh, Warren needed to think of a better name.

The world resumed, and everything returned back to normal. As gravity did its thing, Warren and Lilly were on the ground in but a few seconds. Warren was a bit surprised at how slow they got back on the ground.

Oh, it was probably because of the mutant ability of Lilly. She could fly, right? So it was logical that she could also make some weight fly with her.

Now that Warren thought of it, he was dumb for even taking a few seconds to come to this conclusion.

'Anyways, so my theory was correct.'

Warren thought, changing the subject.

He was easily able to jump up and kick against the chandelier because things were in a solid, maybe even unbreakable state.

'Now that I think of it,'

If this theory of his was correct, why didn't the air become solid as well?

'Why can I breathe perfectly fine?'

Warren would have probably pondered on this for quite some more time if he didn't feel two small arms wrapping around his neck.

"What is happening!"

Lilly squealed.

"Why am I flying!? This is a dream, right?! Then why am I feeling pain in the back of my head!?"

"Calm down," Warren said softly. "Everything will be fine, you're all right, there's nothing wrong without you."
***
As it turns out, Lilly had, in fact, really become a mutant.

A mutant that could fly at will. But after some fun tests in which Warren made little games and Lilly played said games for Warren was able to learn about her powers if she did, he was able to find some things about her powers.

First, she wasn't flying per se.

She seemed to be bending the space itself, in a weird manner that didn't disrupt the fabric of reality. And that bending of space was what caused her to hover in the air. Her main powers, at least Warren thought so, were probably even more than hovering or flying, but he couldn't be too sure about that.

She was fine, and that was all that mattered to him.

However, everything that happened to her begged the question.

Did she awaken as a mutant in his first life as well? It could be, he would never know since, well, she had already been kidnapped at this point in time.

So this, in turn, made Warren realize something.

Probably, whoever that bald bastard was, he was after his sister because of this? He was after her powers?

But what purpose or what could be valuable about her powers?

Warren didn't know.

But,

Now that it had come to this, Warren squinted his eyes.

'I definitely want answers.'
**
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