Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V
Glancing around, a strange feeling of 'foreign familiarity' appeared in his mind as the sight of ‘his’ bedroom greeted his eyes. The same king-sized bed, the same working desk with a decent computer, and the same framed pictures either hanging on the walls or set on his bedside table. They all depicted his Aunt, his two older cousins, and himself in some manner. Well, he also had one with his mother sporting a happy grin while hugging her sister’s waist and his grandparents looking exasperated in the background.
That particular picture brought some mixed emotions to the young man who unconsciously let out a helpless sigh. “This is real, isn't it?” He mumbled under his breath before rubbing his eyes tiredly. His train of thought was swiftly interrupted, however, when his ears caught a small whimper coming from his side.
Turning his head toward its origin, his gaze instantly fell onto a mature woman sleeping with an awkward posture, half of her body lying on his bed while the other half was sitting on his desk chair. Her long red hair hid some of her lightly scarred face, with the only thing easily visible to him being the trail of tears on her cheeks.
The sight of the middle-aged woman’s sleeping figure brought a great number of memories to his rattled mind, some joyous, some somber, bringing with it a host of feelings that shook him up and helped him deal with his depressed mood. As a warm smile appeared on his face, his hand moved to gently stroke her silky hair while a thought surfaced in his mind. ‘You’ve given me so much love for all those years. It’s my turn to take care of you, Auntie.’
Basking in the peaceful atmosphere, Demian tenderly wiped the tears from her face while pondering. ‘As Mom always said: Choices have consequences. I lived almost entirely for myself in my last life and what did that get me? A bullet in the stomach and losing both the woman I had a crush on and my family forever... Not this time! I’ll grow stronger to protect my loved ones, but I also want to share everything with them so that we all live happily! With my three perks, I’ll definitely succeed, whatever the costs!’
With his gentle caress on her hair, Adeliya’s tense body seemed to relax until the previous frown marring her face turned into a content smile. Her reaction brought an amused grin to his face, which faded slightly as he recalled how she received the scars on her body. ‘Fortune and misfortune go hand-in-hand, don’t they?’ He thought before shaking his head lightly. ‘No! We’ve been through enough! From now on, we’ll get the good stuff! We deserve it!’
Having made up his mind, he could not help but have the image of two ‘superheroes’ appear in his mind. “Protector and Scarlet Sentinel... Just because you’ve got superpowers, you can destroy, kill, and do whatever you want without consequences, uh?... After all, normal humans are just insects, aren’t we?...” He mumbled before a cold smile appeared on his face. “You two better enjoy your life because with my awakening it won’t last much longer. I wonder what they’ll feel when they get squashed to death by someone they considered completely inconsequential...’
His mood changed slightly as he recalled the difference in strength between him and the two superhumans. Letting out a sigh, he mumbled. “I shouldn’t get too carried away though. Their strength may not reach the Justice League’s level, but those two can probably pulverize a normal human’s skull with a simple finger’s flick.”
Pausing for a second, he continued his monologue in his mind. ‘There’s no way I can deal with them with my current body, perks or not. I’ll need to grow much stronger first...’ Pondering for a second, he added. ‘I’ll also need to deal with the organization behind them. Or at the very least, not leave any evidence when I get rid of them. In any case, they don’t even know of my existence and I’ve got my three perks, so time is on my side.’
Feeling already exhausted for a brief moment at the superhuman task ahead of him, he just shook his head to remove those gloomy thoughts from his mind and instead turned toward his sleeping Aunt with a smile. “Let’s get you on the bed, or your body will be too sore to move once you wake up.” He muttered playfully.
Lifting his blanket cautiously, he then rose slowly from his bed before standing up on the side. Stretching his stiff body, he commented under his breath. “I don’t know how long I slept, but my body’s stiff as hell.” After cracking his neck gently, he started circling his bed to reach the other side where the mature redhead was sleeping.
As his feet led him toward her unconscious form, a random thought appeared in his mind before vanishing, prompted by the sensation on his skin. ‘My pajamas, uh? Aunty probably put them on me when I was unconscious. I don’t even remember the last time I actually wore them.’ With his body movements, pangs of pain started coming from his face, eliciting a few muffled grunts from the young man.
“Damn it! I can’t believe that fucker knocked me out with a single punch!” He grumbled while trying to avoid touching his facial wound. ‘I probably have a huge bruise, don’t I?’ He pondered before his gaze fell on the sleeping woman, waking him up from his slight daze. “Right, I wanted to put Aunty on my bed! I feel out of it for some reason.”
Unconsciously, Demian started scratching his chin in thought before he could not help himself from hissing in pain. “Fuck! Remember Demian: No face touching!” Refocusing on his Aunt’s body, his hand started moving in her direction before he recalled a crucial fact. ‘I’m... So weak.’ He thought before letting out a helpless sigh. Throwing a brief glance toward his underdeveloped body, he felt some frustration, especially with how fit he was in his previous life. The difference between the two was so vast that it was not even funny.
Shaking his head, he exclaimed in a low tone. “No use crying over spilled milk. I’m weak for now, but I’ll quickly regain and even outgrow my previous physical state with my perks.” Turning toward his Aunt, he admitted. “In any case, I can’t lift her for now, so I’ll have to find another way.” After a quick pondering, he made a decision. Setting his hand on the woman’s shoulder, he then started to shake her gently while whispering. “Wake up, Aunty! Go lie on my bed instead. You’re gonna get hurt if you stay like that.”
It took a few moments before the mature redhead’s eyelids fluttered open. Nonetheless, Demian noticed that she was still half asleep from her dazed brown eyes. A sliver of recognition appeared as her gaze fell on his face before she asked sleepily. “Dem? You’re...” A big yawn escaped her lips, cutting her sentence. “You’re awake?”
Chuckling briefly at her cute reaction, he then answered with a warm smile on his slightly above-average-looking face. “I am. I’m also fine.” Pausing for a brief moment, he then added. “But seeing you sleep like that makes me feel bad. I’d rather you use my bed, alright?” “Mmmhh... Okay, then...” She replied before moving to lie completely on the bed.
Her eyelids started closing before they suddenly flew open as her eyes found his immediately, while her right hand grabbed his own tightly. “You’re truly alright? You’re not lying to me, right?” With the same gentle voice and caring smile, he responded. “I’m truly alright and I’m not lying to you. But now you need to rest. You’re clearly exhausted.” He instructed her while covering her hand with his left one.
After a few moments, the hesitation on her face disappeared, transforming into relief as her body loosened up completely and a pure grin appeared on her face. “I’m glad. I’m really... Really glad...” As the words left her lips, she started to lose consciousness before a brief moment later, the young man heard her breathing deeply and regularly.
As his gaze examined her visage, he noted a few more lines here and there, bringing mixed emotions to his heart. The woman who had seen him grow up cared for, and loved him deeply, that woman was growing older as time passed by. Would he have to see her grow old and pass away? After all, with his physical perk, he would probably have a longer lifespan than others, and that was without even taking into account the fact that she was more than twenty years older than him. What about Brynhild and Seraphine, his two female cousins? At one point, he would be in the same situation with them. He would have to look at their aging body decaying away while he stayed young...
‘Fuck that! I already decided to keep them by my side for as long as I live, so I’ll make good on that, even if I have to go against society’s definition of morality. As long as I keep true to myself, even if I have to use my Love Bond with all three, I don’t care. Once we live for thousands of years, all those people judging us would simply turn to dust, anyway.’ A wry chuckle escaped him before he added. ‘In any case, that’s something for the future Demian. For now, I’d better do what I can to improve my body.’
After carefully taking out his hand from under his Aunt’s, the young man started walking toward his closet. A brief ‘investigation’ later, he decided on what he wanted to wear, grabbed the shirt and pair of shorts before wearing them quickly. Once done, he left the bedroom, not forgetting to quietly close the door behind him.