NOVEL SIMPLE [The Knight’s Multiverse] – A Knight’s Journey: A Cultivator’s journey in a Superhuman’s Modern World
Chapter 14 – I trust you
Hello, dear readers! Here's Chapter 14 and If everything goes well, Chapter 15 will be released on Wednesday. We'll see how it goes.
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Enjoy the read! :)
If you wish to read a similar type of novel, I'm writing a fanfiction in the world of Marvel with a lot of elements from The Knight's Multiverse.
A quick sum-up here: Ben Parker was an ex special forces, now retired. His calm life, however, was greatly disturbed by a blue portal appearing in the sky of NYC, spewing out trigger happy grey skin aliens. His nephew, Peter, and his friends, Mary-Jane and Ned, were stuck close to the epicenter, and he had to go save them. After a desperate fight, he was knocked out, but saved by an 'unknown' party. During his 'coma', his previous life's memories awakened alongside three extraordinary perks granted to him by a overpowered entity. What will he do with them?
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Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
Turning away in a slightly stiff manner, she took off her mitts, grabbed her clothes, and left the Gym after leaving some words. “I'll cook something. Go take a shower.” Those words made a warm smile appear on his face, helping him fend off a bit of his weariness.
“I wish she could have helped me with taking my gear off though... It's gonna take me forever to do it myself with how tired I am... Whatever I guess...” He muttered before chuckling wryly and going on to attempt the difficult feat of removing his practice gear with his shaky hands.
The next two weeks were pretty much a repeat of that day, with a workout session before breakfast, followed by a sparring/training session with Brynhild until lunch. After two hours of rest, Demian focused on learning Chinese until his brain could not take it anymore. Fortunately, as his strength increased, the difficulty in studying and training decreased as well, making the situation more bearable for him. After dinner was an hour of guitar learning, followed by two or three hours of leisure time before going to sleep, rinse, and repeat.
'God! I feel like I'm going nuts. Thankfully, I've planned to just rest today. I desperately need the rest to keep me sane.' Feeling worn out, Demian lazed around on his bed for the first time in a while, fiddling with his phone in the hope of entertaining himself. Unfortunately, he quickly grew bored after 20 minutes of meaningless scrolling, mumbling in disappointment.
“Dang it! My mind is tired, but my body and brain are full of energy... Forget it! I'll just see if someone else is awake...” Looking at the time displayed on his bedside clock, he added. “Although I doubt that anyone is awake at 5 A.M.” Standing up from his bed gracefully, he approached the full-length mirror hung on his wall.
After a quick examination of his body, he nodded in satisfaction. 'I really reached a similar level as in my past life in just four weeks... This speed is insane... Especially since it's a holistic improvement. If everything is taken into account, I guess that my current body is better than my old one... I'm also taller, although that may not account for much...'
His muscled frame was objectively more harmonious, his physical traits seemingly tending toward a sort of balanced 'perfection' that included every single part of his body from his head to his toes. Even those old scars that covered almost every inch of his skin had started to fade, the shallowest of them even giving way to unblemished and lighter skin.
His bone structure also improved, his facial bones seemingly shifting to a sharper and more distinct masculine visage. Despite the lack of clear color change, his eyes seemed to have gained a depth that was previously absent. Taking the sight of his own body standing at 1m79 (5ft9) with unruly brown hair possessing a healthy shine to it, Demian felt his confidence in himself and his future soaring greatly.
Looking at his hair, a thought came to his mind. 'Since I was balding in my previous life, I might as well go the opposite route in this one. I'll try having long hair then!' Chuckling at his decision, he took a random pair of sports shorts and a casual shirt from his dresser before putting them on.
While dressing up, he mumbled. “Thank God for having thought of ordering some bigger-sized clothes. Otherwise, the result would've been pretty embarrassing.” Pausing for a second, he added in an afterthought. “I wonder how much I'll keep growing though. I might have to change clothes again if it's a lot.”
Sighing discreetly, he just decided to leave it to the future. 'As Mom said: It's better to focus on doing the things you can in the present than losing yourself in plans for the future.' Once ready, he started walking toward the living room, his gaze attracted toward the women's bedroom door. Noting his oldest cousin's door being slightly ajar, a smile appeared on his face.
“Apparently I'm not the only one awake...” A few moments later, he finally arrived downstairs, his attention caught by the tall figure setting up a few breakfast dishes on the dining table. Lifting her head at his arrival, an almost indistinct smile appeared on her face, while a quip left her mouth. “I almost thought you'd stay in bed today.”
As the words left her lips, she grabbed some more food for him, while listening to his response. “Believe me, I tried! But it felt wrong for some reasons... In any case, I couldn't help myself from getting up.” Nodding at his explanation, she replied calmly. “That's a common problem for those people like us who feel like we must be extremely productive in our day. We've got a hard time relaxing. I had the exact same troubles when I started my MMA training intensively.”
As the conversation went on, the two started eating. “What should I do then? I'm confused.” Demian asked, eager for a solution. Shaking her head, Brynhild answered. “I'm not sure. Everyone's different. What helped me was my coach at the time telling me that the mind and body are like springs. They can take some pressure, but if it becomes too much, they'll break.”
Sighing, a wry smile appeared on Demian's face. “I understand the theory. That's why I use a few hours every day before bed to unwind. But it feels different... I feel... Empty I guess? If I don't do anything for a whole day. A bit like I'm wasting my time...” Staring into each other's eyes for a few seconds, the two awkwardly turned their gaze back to their food, while the muscular woman replied.
“You should ask Sera. She's much better than me at psychological problems... Especially when it comes to you...” As the last sentence was uttered in a low tone, Demian, being distracted by his problem, was not able to catch it. The two then spent the rest of their meal lost in their own thoughts, mechanically eating the food in front of them until there was nothing left.
Jolted from their respective ponderings, the two put away and cleaned everything before going to the balcony where they laid on a few of the deckchairs lying around. Turning their gazes in the direction of the Baltic Sea, Demian was instantly struck silent by the view of the water shining from the rising sun reflecting on the waves, turning the cold water into a sea of orange-gold liquid.
Only a few seconds later did he awaken from his contemplation because of the sound of snickering on his side. Turning his head to the side, he noticed a bigger-than-usual smile adorning the aloof redhead's face, her gaze moving away from his visage as soon as he looked in her direction.
“The view never gets old, does it?” Quickly reining in her amusement, the peace found in her tone slightly surprised her younger cousin. Turning his gaze back to the magnificent vista, the young man nodded, replying. “It never does. Although I do admit that I don't spend enough time admiring it.”
“I used to be like that too.” Pausing for a brief moment, she continued. “Remember what I told you earlier about my coach and his spring analogy?” He nodded without a sound, not wanting to interrupt her. “Those brief and peaceful moments... I've learned how to enjoy them... Moments when all your worries and responsibilities are put aside, while only the beauty of the view matters... So relaxing...” Her last words were as soft as a whisper, almost as if they were not intended for his ears.
Not knowing how to respond to the sudden confession, Demian chose to hold his tongue, plunging the two into a tranquil silence, while helping the two grow closer through that shared relaxing moment. From time to time, he could hear the sound of the wind ruffling the leaves of the plants arranged harmoniously on the balcony, and feel it brushing against his skin. The pleasurable sensation was akin to a warm massage, removing any concerning thought that previously plagued his mind. As the sun kept rising in the sky, his sense of time seemed to ebb away, leaving his mind in a relaxed state.
After an unknown amount of time, the short-haired man stirred from his meditative state, with a question leaving his lips. “So today's the day of the big fight, isn't it?” “Mmmhh! 'The great clash between the strongest Eastern and Western female warriors' as they put it.” She answered while shaking her head.
Cocking his eyebrow, Demian asked. “Isn't it the truth, though?” She turned her head briefly in his direction before moving her gaze back to the scenery. “You of all people should know how stupidly wrong that is.” Feeling puzzled, he retorted. “What do you mean?” A sigh filled with helplessness escaped her as she replied with a question.
“Have you forgotten about the 'Crimson Patriot' and the 'Freedom League'?” Clenching his fist tightly at the mention of the latter, the young man took a deep breath to calm himself before answering in as calm a tone as he could muster. “Of course not. But they're not warriors. They're just lucky morons who got superpowers. Nothing more.”
Chuckling at his description, she said. “I do agree that most of them are just morons... But even if that's the case, I'd be helpless against most of them. What can technique do when your opponent can destroy a house with a punch, or shoot lasers from his eyes... It's hopeless...” Her last words were wrapped in gloominess, drawing his indignation, which was reflected in his next words.
“No, it's not hopeless. Technique does matter and in my eyes, you're one of the best warriors if not the best on Earth. So what if they have powers? That just means we have to get ourselves some. It shouldn't be that hard as long as we know how they got theirs. I'll find a way, you can count on me, Sis. So never lose hope, alright?”
Noticing her looking at him, he observed the discouragement leaving her face, replaced by fondness and some hope hidden behind her fascinating blue eyes. Snickering, she replied. “I'll be relying on you then, 'Lil Bro'.” With an amused smile on his handsome face, he teased. “It's been a while since you called me that way.”
Tilting her head, she teased back. “You're not little anymore, are you?” Chortling, he replied. “Touché!” Shaking his head, he added. “So when are you supposed to leave the house?” Understanding instantly what he meant, she replied in a more serious tone. “After lunch. I plan on doing a light training session in Molvograd since that's where the fight will take place.”
Nodding his head, he asked. “What about your opponent? Where's she from?” “She's French and her name's Jeanne. I've actually fought her in the past and it wasn't an easy fight. We'll see how it goes tonight, though.” Smiling with confidence, Demian replied. “I'm sure you'll beat her ass. You're amazing, after all.”
Laughing slightly at his quip, she retorted softly. “I'll do that then.” Pausing for a second she moved her gaze toward his and added in a serious tone. “The three of you will be alone tonight, which makes it the best time for that guy to act. So you'll be in charge of protecting Mom and Sera. With your current strength, you're plenty capable of it. That is as long as you're careful enough. After all, from what I gathered on him, he's got no one on my level in his payroll.”
Cocking his eyebrow, the young man asked in surprise. “You've investigated him?” A smile of confidence appeared on her face. “Of course. I've had to be careful of many greedy rats around me as I grew into the international fighting scene. Although none of them were at his level of influence, in the end, he's just a normal human and a slightly higher grunt in the party. No one to be afraid of.”
Nodding to her explanation, he replied. “Don't worry about Aunty and Sera. I won't let anyone hurt them. Not when I am finally able to protect them...” Probably noting the determination in his voice, she nodded and ended the serious conversation with an “I trust you”. Afterward, they switched to lighter subjects until they were interrupted by the noises of footsteps coming toward them from inside. “So you were there!” A sleepy but familiar voice exclaimed with satisfaction.
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