Wolverine woke up consumed by pain. It was an old, familiar sensation, like a bitter friend who never truly left. Pain was his constant companion, ever since the day he discovered the claws and the unyielding regeneration that marked him as different, as more than human. Logan—the name he clung to, a remnant of his humanity—often felt more beast than man.

The world knew him as Wolverine, a feral force of nature, but beneath the surface, he was a tortured soul. He could understand Magneto, a man who had seen his share of suffering and let it shape his actions. Logan's own pain defined him; it shaped him, forged him in the fires of endless conflict and loss. The past was a footnote, a series of bloody chapters he would rather forget but couldn't escape.

As he lay there, healing, Logan's mind wandered back to his early days, to the time when he was known as James Howlett. He had been a different man then, innocent and unknowing of the horrors that awaited him. The claws, the healing factor—they were both a blessing and a curse. They set him apart, made him a target for those who sought to use him.

Weapon X had found him, broken him, and rebuilt him into something new. They had wiped his memories, leaving him a blank slate, a perfect killer who followed orders without question. He remembered the cold, clinical faces of his handlers, the way they looked at him like he was nothing more than a tool.

He remembered the missions, too—the way he tore through enemies with feral abandon, the thrill of the hunt and the kill. But with each life he took, a piece of his humanity slipped away. He became a beast trapped in a man's body, a weapon wielded by those who saw him as nothing more than a means to an end.

Logan's life was a series of tragedies, each one leaving a scar deeper than the last. The loss of loved ones, the betrayal of friends, the endless battles—all of it weighed heavily on him. He remembered the night he lost Mariko, the woman he loved more than anything. Her death had shattered him, sent him spiralling into a pit of grief and rage.

In the fog of his grief, he was pliable, easily manipulated by those who promised him vengeance or redemption. He joined various teams, from Alpha Flight to the X-Men, seeking a purpose, a reason to keep fighting. But no matter where he went, the pain followed him, a dark shadow that never left his side.

He trusted those he fought alongside, believed in their cause. But time and again, he was betrayed, used for his abilities and then cast aside when he was no longer needed. It hardened him, turned him into the grizzled warrior who could take on the world and come out the other side. But the pain, the loss, it never went away.

Years passed, and Logan's experiences moulded him into a different man. He was no longer the naïve soldier, nor the blindly loyal weapon. He was Wolverine, a survivor who had seen the worst humanity and mutant kind had to offer. His immortality gave him a perspective few could understand. He watched generations rise and fall, saw young mutants full of hope and dreams, only to see many of them die far too soon.

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He saw the same stories play out over and over: eager, bright-eyed mutants rushing into battle, believing they could change the world. Logan knew better. He had seen too many friends and allies fall, their idealism crushed under the weight of reality. The new generation saw light where he and Magneto saw only darkness.

Logan had fought alongside Charles Xavier, believing in his dream of peaceful coexistence. But years of seeing that dream torn apart left him jaded. He fought Magneto not because he disagreed with his ideology but because he didn't want the new generation to become as bitter and scarred as he and Magneto were. He saw the potential for something better in them, a chance for a future free from the endless cycle of violence and hatred.

As each new generation went out and got themselves killed, Logan fell deeper into apathy. He had seen too much death, too much loss. He began to question the point of it all. Why fight, why try, when the outcome seemed inevitable? He had lived through countless wars, seen civilizations rise and fall, and it all seemed meaningless.

His immortality, once a source of strength, became a burden. He watched as those he cared about aged and died while he remained the same. The pain of outliving everyone he loved left him numb. He withdrew, isolating himself from others, afraid to form attachments that would only end in more heartbreak.

But even in his darkest moments, there was a part of him that couldn't give up. A part that still believed in the possibility of change, however small. It was that part of him that kept fighting, kept pushing forward, even when it seemed futile.

The fight with Magneto was inevitable. They were two sides of the same coin, both driven by their pain and experiences. Logan understood Magneto's desire to protect their kind, but he also knew that Magneto's methods would only lead to more death and suffering. He didn't want the new generation to follow in their footsteps, to become as embittered and disillusioned as they were.

Logan fought Magneto not out of hatred but out of a desperate hope that there was still a chance for something better. He saw the potential in the younger mutants, their belief in a brighter future. He wanted to protect that hope, to give them a chance to find a way where he and Magneto had failed.

Despite everything, Logan found himself drawn to the light he saw in the new generation. They reminded him of what he had once believed, of the ideals he had fought for alongside Xavier. Their hope and determination rekindled something in him, a spark of the man he used to be.

He became a mentor, guiding them with the wisdom of his years while trying to shield them from the worst of his experiences. He wanted them to learn from his mistakes, to avoid the path that had led him to so much pain. He fought for them, not just to protect them but to give them the chance to build a future where mutants and humans could coexist peacefully.

Logan knew that his journey was far from over. He was an eternal warrior, a guardian of the future. He had seen the worst that humanity and mutant kind had to offer, but he had also seen their best. He had fought for a better world, and he would continue to fight, no matter how long it took.

He was Wolverine, a beast trapped in a man's body, but he was also Logan, a man who had seen the world change and endured. He was a survivor, a warrior, and a protector. He fought for those who could not fight for themselves, for a future where the cycle of pain and suffering would finally end.

As he stood on the edge of a new dawn, watching the sun rise over a world that was always changing, he knew that he would be there to see it. He would fight to protect the hope he saw in the new generation, to ensure that they had a chance to build a future free from the darkness that had haunted him and Magneto.

Because that was who he was. Wolverine. Logan. The eternal guardian. The light in the darkness.