Claws and Heartstrings: Logan Howlett | Wolverine ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི

Chapter Twenty-Six

- Logan

I groaned as I pushed myself off the ground, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. That skull-faced freak had tossed us around like rag dolls, and something had thrown us out of the hall, away from the chaos.

My eyes darted around the room, taking in the devastation. The team was slowly getting back on their feet, bruised and battered but alive. But one thing was missing—Lia.

I staggered to my feet, the realization hitting me. "Lia!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty halls. She was still in there, and she had absorbed power from that book. My heart pounded in my chest as I started running back into the room where I last saw her.

"Logan, stop!" Professor Xavier's voice rang out from behind me, filled with a mix of urgency and sorrow. "Come back. Lalia is gone."

I ignored him, my mind focused solely on finding her. I burst into the room, my eyes scanning the charred remains of what used to be holding cells.

The walls were smeared with blood, the air thick with the smell of burnt metal and ozone. But there was no sign of her. My gut twisted into knots.

I stumbled back into the hallway, yelling her name at the top of my lungs. I checked every room, refusing to believe she had left. Desperation clawed at my insides, making it hard to breathe.

The rest of the team managed to get up, their faces pale and drawn. "Logan, she's not in the building," Storm said, her voice trembling.

"I'm not leaving without her!" I growled, flipping tables and breaking down doors in a frantic search. The walls seemed to close in around me, each second feeling like an eternity.

Just then, Jean came into view, her face streaked with tears. She was carrying Luca, Lia's brother, unconscious in her arms. My heart sank at the sight, a knot forming in my stomach.

"Luca." Jean said, her voice trembling, "He's gone. He was already dying when we got here, but he was fighting it. As soon as Lalia took in the Darkhold, he.. he had to feel it corrupt her too. Being twins, they shared a bond. He stopped fighting."

I looked at her brother's lifeless body, shock and sorrow washing over me. The rest of the team stood around us, their faces twisted in horror and grief.

The Professor wheeled up to me, his expression grim. "Logan, if we don't leave now, we will die," he said, holding Lia's unconscious brother in his arms. "Lalia made a choice, but we can't find her as long as we're dead in this building." His eyes were filled with a sadness that mirrored my own.

The building started to shudder, the walls cracking and groaning as if they were about to give way. "We have to go," he insisted, the urgency in his voice unmistakable.

I hesitated for a moment, my eyes scanning the room one last time. Then, with a heavy heart, I turned and followed the team out of the collapsing building. We ran into the woods, the ground shaking beneath our feet. The Blackbird wasn't far, but every step felt like a betrayal.

We stumbled into the woods, the ground still trembling behind us. I could hear the building collapsing, the sound of concrete and metal crashing down like a distant nightmare. Professor wheeled up to Jean, his face a mask of determination despite the chaos.

"Jean, undo Lia's cloak on the Blackbird," he commanded, his voice steady.

Jean nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. She closed them and raised her hands, a faint glow surrounding her fingers. Within moments, the Blackbird shimmered into view, its sleek form a stark contrast to the destruction we'd just escaped.

We all boarded, the air thick with tension. Scott took his place in the cockpit, his hands steady on the controls. I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at his calm demeanor. I dropped onto the floor, Lia's brother's lifeless body beside me. This wasn't good.

"Where the hell are we going, Professor?" I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. "And how are we gonna find her?"

Professor Xavier's eyes met mine, filled with a sorrow that mirrored my own. "We need Cerebro to find her, Logan. We have to get back to the school immediately."

I forced myself into a chair, my head spinning. Lia had sacrificed herself for us, for me. The way that skull freak had revealed her feelings, how she'd loved me, and I couldn't even say it back or hear her say it herself.

The Blackbird soared into the sky, but I couldn't rest. My mind was a whirlwind of worst-case scenarios. What if she was hurt? What effect will that book have on her? And now her brother is gone. Every minute felt like an eternity, each second a reminder of how I'd failed her.

Jean was crying quietly, her shoulders shaking with each sob. Storm was trying to comfort Simon, who looked as lost as I felt. For a moment, I even felt bad for the prick.

Luca was laid out in the back, his face pale and covered in bruises. The sight of him hit me harder than I expected. He'd suffered, and he'd had to have died in fear.

The flight seemed to stretch on forever, the hum of the engines a constant backdrop to my racing thoughts. I couldn't sleep, couldn't even close my eyes without seeing her face. The way she'd looked at me, the way she'd fought to protect us. To protect me.

Finally, after what felt like days, we landed back at the school. The familiar surroundings did little to ease the turmoil inside me. As the ramp lowered, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come.