章 3: Going Back in Time
Year 2129
It was difficult for me to move my limbs, given that the world around me shifted after jumping through the portal. All I heard were zooming sounds of electrifying currents through my ears as my spirit travelled millions of galaxies back from time. It took me three thousand seconds before feeling the soft texture of the ground hitting my skin.
I counted all of them inside my mind.
[Welcome, Stream Adams] A voice inside my head woke me up from my REM sleep.
I peered my eyes open and greeted the walls inside a recognisable, unlit room. Posters of heroic models of superheroes welcomed my orbs posted on the same panels near the opened window. The arrays of sunlight touched my skin and warmed my surroundings. Upon glancing outside, the nest filled with red cardinals chirped an offbeat tune and eventually forced me awake.
"Caitlyn!" I yelled the name of my lover but eventually realised she was nowhere inside the room.
"Where am I?"
Silence filled the room despite nature singing its morning chorus. A sharp pain gushed through my abdomen and forced me to roll onto the wooden ground. The quantum realm still forming around me ensnared my body, refusing my cells to move by my will.
My blaring screech made the birds fly above, and the branches danced. I gritted my teeth and bore the fleeting pain surging through my veins. After a moment, the agony stopped and my cramps disappeared.
According to Number Six, I would feel my chest and abdomen tense for a while after arriving at my destination.
"The sensation would last until you bear with the pain. It is a side effect that will cripple your body, since you would travel in a vacuum through the speed of light within light-years away through the void. Although I do not know how this time travel would work on you, my theory should be correct." He added, with his voice ringing through my head.
It took me a while to comprehend the situation surrounding me. The world was at a peaceful time, presented by the flocks and green leaves still outdoors. I was dubious at first, but that thought quickly fled from my mind as I sensed someone walking towards my room.
"Are you up and kicking, Stream?" The familiar sound echoed inside my room, accompanied by a light tap on the door.
I glanced at the ingress as it slid open, revealing a person with beautiful long hair and slouching body. The scent of her perfume filled the air with a lavender-like aroma. It was as if I was lying in a garden full of flowers. But as soon as I focused on my orbs, my body quivered in delight.
"You better be, or else I will leave you behind." She claimed.
I sensed a wet touch showering my face while I wrapped my arms around her stiff neck. I could not help but embrace my sister, whom I lost from the war against the Sallens.
The tears in my eyes drifted to my cheeks as I confessed the words I wanted to say. "I miss you so much."
However, my feelings did not reach her. And instead, I felt a searing pain from my face as I received a slap from her hands.
My body twisted towards the table, knocking over the figurines resting on the desks. Searing pain surged through my skin as I felt something hitting my skull. As I looked above, each of the feet models descended on the ground, hitting my head first with its pointy plastic arms.
"That is not how you treat your brother," I commented, and palpated my scalp for blood.
A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I resumed talking with my sister.
"Geez, you so creepy, Stream." Terra, my sister, crossed her arms in disgust and continued staring at me like trash.
Her eyes scanned the room and found the action figures lying beside her feet. Terra's face became more constrained as she picked the figurines and crushed them into pieces.
"Stop wasting your money on these cheap toys, and get your ass off the floor right now before I leave you!" Terra shouted.
Her blood-shot eyes continued glaring at me. If Terra's stare could freeze people, I would be an ice sculpture by now. It was a good thing that she was a powerless individual.
A faint smile emerged from my face as I replied. "I miss you."
Terra had enough with my trivial words, so she turned and shut the door tight before me. The slam sent an electric shiver through my body and repeatedly echoing my earlobes. I could also hear her distant but loud stomps as she moved towards the next room.
My eyes stole a glimpse at the calendar and checked the date for today. As I stood up and turned the page, a crossed-out month with red ink greeted my eyes.
It was exactly a year before the apocalypse happened, and today was the first day I received my powers.
Compared to my previous life, my ignorant self showed my system to everyone from the previous timeline. Since having superpowers brought fame, all the cool kids from my school presented their abilities without a hint of doubt.
These mobs of powerful children laughed at the fragile individuals, mocking them for their lack of abilities. The bullied children avoided coming to school that day since there was no point in learning with cruel kids surrounding their seats.
The government and soldiers took the children who showed admirable results to an academy-meant to create the guardians. They planned on making superhero teams and guardians that could motivate the townspeople. The military trained these gifted individuals as soldiers to fight against the evildoers disrupting the peace of the cities.
The society and the government who deemed normal humans did not receive benefits and advantages. Some non-superheroes even lived in the streets, replacing the usual citizens with exemplary people with no knowledge about their superpowers.
"The time travel worked," I murmured.
I moved to the mirror and checked my body for any deformities. According to Number Six, I would experience side effects and other complications during and after the trip. Luckily for me, I did not receive a single problem with my system and my body.
However, something did not feel right about my vessel. As I lifted my arm, the flabby fat swayed like a bag of water contained inside a pouch. It was in no good shape to fight against agile opponents, let alone fight someone in hand-to-hand combat.
Among the rest of the changes, I turned younger over time travel.
The smooth and tender skin that I once had a year ago came back to me. As I reached out for my cheeks, the scars, which came from the countless battles, disappeared. Even my grey eye bags forming below my eyes changed into something fresh and appealing.
I tried punching the air, but the speed was incomparable from what I had from before. Even my kicks became dull and feeble, which made me scowl my body.
The six-pack abs and bulky muscle I formed throughout the months vanished like a fog blown by the wind. All the efforts I made rendered me useless and tossed me back to square one.
"Did I have my system upon coming here?" I thought and opened the system.
It was a unique ability that allowed me to level up. Compared to the supernatural powers, I can earn levels that improve my strengths and capabilities. Instead of my stamina wearing out, my body had mana, which consumes every time I cast a spell. I could also choose a class that made me overpowered as a superhero, which made me the leader of our group.
The azure screen popped in front of me and displayed my status information. But instead of my progress, levels, and status point reverting to zero, I had my original levels and status points with me with the title of "Leader of the Octagon".
All the spells I had back then were all saved to my inventory, losing nothing in return. I expected to have at least one consequence for time travelling to a different dimension, since I came back from time and created a time heist.
It turned out to be an immense advantage, considering that we needed to face an army of Sallens next year. But before anything else, assembling Octagon became my utmost priority.
One Octagon member was going to my school, the academy that my sister and I would go to soon; to find Number Two, my best friend.
I fixed everything that I needed to bring and met Terra waiting outside. The fumes from the bus welcomed my noise with the figure standing on the post. Upon noticing me, it filled Terra with shock to see me get ready instantly after fifteen minutes of calling me from bed.
Terra leaned over and sniffed my shoulders, looking for something to scoff at me. But after checking everything about me, even my smell, she stepped back in amazement and tossed me a compliment.
"You look decent compared to yesterday. Are you sick?"
"Maybe your eyes are getting dull, my little sister," I retorted.
Terra and I went towards the bus and sat in whatever available seats we saw. After seeing us perched on the chair, the bus advanced and moved towards the tranquil streets.
I watch the people passing by, doing their daily activities of going to work and school. Sometimes, I noticed the dogs barking at people walking near the houses, with their owners bowing to the bystanders.
When I looked at the lifestyle of the civilians as an outsider, I thought it was beautiful. When I watched their families move in harmony; when they went to different places and visited parks, works, and schools; when I saw workers doing their jobs, gardeners cutting their loans, I fell in love with this life all over again. It was only when I tried thinking to live it myself that I had trouble.
But we, the Octagons, needed to gather first before celebrating this calm life. After three hundred and sixty-four days, excluding today, the world will face its opponent.
"I am coming for you, Nicholas."
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