"Your mutant ability just went out of control."
"I didn't..."
"It was very slight, and you stopped it in time, but you did lose control." Erik stared intently at Charles and said, "Tell me what you saw."
"No, I didn't see anything." Charles shook his head. He slowly exhaled, calming the violent pounding of his heart. His hand tightened slightly on the wheelchair as he said, "It was just an accident. I'm sure it didn't affect anyone."
Erik's gaze swept over Nick and the others chatting nearby. They were still laughing and talking as though they had noticed nothing.
Ordinary people were usually insensitive to things happening in the mental world. Even if their thoughts had all paused for an instant at the same time, they would find it hard to notice that they had been affected.
Charles's control over his abilities was masterful. The instant Mind Storm had begun to unfold, he had reduced its effects to a level ordinary people would struggle to notice.
"Who did you connect with again?" Erik knew Charles far too well. Though it was a question, his tone was certain. He continued, "And what kind of terrible memory affected you this time?"
"Charles." It was rare for Erik not to call Charles by his codename and instead use his name directly. That alone showed how worried he was. He slowed the movements of his hands and said, "You're not a young man in your twenties anymore. Anything that can still shake you now must be unimaginably horrifying. But you know you can tell me, just like you did back then. I've never been frightened off."
Charles seemed to hesitate for a moment. The desire to confide lingered in his heart, then rose to his throat, but in the end, he still shook his