CHAPTER 17: YOU MUST BE STRONG

A barely perceptible sound came from the sky and a figure that exceeded the speed of sound landed on a mansion in a private neighborhood at the edge of the city.

Unlike other times she flew, this time she made no noise as she flew or landed, mainly because it was nighttime.

The electricity that threatened to go out went out, and she raised her head, looking through the walls of her house thanks to her senses that could practically perceive everything around her.

She overcame most of the house’s defenses and inside she observed Jonathan and her husband, who were in her son’s room.

Lidia entered the mansion and then, trying not to make noise and not to appear agitated, she went up to the second floor and approached her son’s room.

It was nighttime, and the lights were on in the hallway, but not inside her son’s room.

In the middle of the room, decorated with toys that had not been used, was a crib, and next to the crib was a toddler bed where Zack was lying.

Jonathan was sitting beside the bed patting her son, who couldn’t seem to get any rest.

“Don’t worry, young master... Sleep comfortably,” the babysitter said in a voice full of calm.

He was stroking Zack’s head as her son lay with his eyes closed and, to Lidia’s surprise, her son trusted the voice and relaxed, finally falling asleep.

She couldn’t get him to sleep, not with that confidence... Lidia stopped her thoughts and focused on her husband, who signaled for them both to come out.

Austin the moment they all exited activated a technological barrier set up in the hallway covering their son’s room, preventing him from being awakened by any noise or light.

“He just has a fever,” Austin said to calm her down and then signaled for them to go downstairs to the kitchen.

Even though Lidia calmed down, she was still worried about the fever, and together they went down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Is it serious? Isn’t it something with his body? He looked tired and seemed to have spent his mental strength... Didn’t something happen to him?” Lidia asked quickly.

She had sensed that her son was tired and Zack’s very high mental strength had been depleted.

It wasn’t as if he had weakened, quite the contrary, for the depth of strength was greater. Only when she saw him did her son showed traces of pallor and tiredness.

Zack had overwhelming mental strength since he was a fetus in her womb.

The power was so high that, had he not been born as one of his kind, he probably would have perished at birth.

“No, nothing happened to his body. He is in perfect condition. His body is growing stronger and stronger and while he is weaker than other children of our kind, he is still stronger than any child on this planet,” Austin said and reaching over to stroke his cheek, he added. “He has a fever after expending all his mental strength... Something normal.”

Lidia breathed a sigh of relief at having her husband’s explanation and let that man caress her while smiling softly at her.

Zack had such a powerful mental strength that he literally forced his own body to adapt to his mind.

If it wasn’t for her husband managing to counteract that effect, her son would have had an even bigger head and would have eventually died.

“You don’t need to make that face, Jon,” Austin said as he broke away from her to get a drink and then, giving a rare smile he rarely revealed in front of others, he narrated. “My first fever was at an age a little older than Zack. I stayed awake for several weeks while... I developed things.”

Austin wasn’t specific about what it was that he was developing at such a young age, but that he stayed up so long showed that even as a child he was strong.

Jon hesitated subtly, as if he still didn’t feel confident, and Lidia gave a soft smile.

“I had a fever when I first broke the sound barrier... At my three years old,” Lidia said, and smiling, she added. “Our people get weaker, at different stages of our lives. It’s a way of signaling that we break our barrier. The first time is when we exhaust ourselves beyond the limit. Then we get stronger again. You could say that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

It was the sincerity with which they spoke and the confidence with which they told him the stories that calmed Jonathan enough for that man to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then he clenched his fists, tensed his muscles, and took a deep breath as his heart pounded wildly.

Lidia could hear the heartbeat clearly.

“I don’t think I’m good at taking care of your son... I’m sorry,” Jonathan said, lowering his head in apology.

He didn’t want to show his face or how he gritted his teeth, being against even his own decision.

Lidia didn’t have to see him to realize what was going on, as unlike her husband, her senses practically allowed her to feel for kilometers around if she focused.

The sense of space was the most developed among them and allowed her to ‘perceive’ more than her eyes.

She could smell the odor of blood and sweat. She could sense the man’s slight tremor of nervousness and heart pounding with anxiety.

Lidia raised her eyebrow and then took a deep breath.

“I know you’re not the best for this job, but I trust you, Jon,” Lidia said immediately.

Why was Jonathan hesitating? It wasn’t because he’d made a mistake before leaving her son with those unevolved monkeys, nor was it because he’d brought a known supervillain near her son.

Something had happened, Lidia could feel it, and it was at that moment that her husband reached over, putting his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head, urging her not to speak.

“Is it the fever? Don’t tell me you and him were playing something you don’t want to tell us?” Austin questioned and, pretending not to notice Jon’s trembling that he was leaning in apology, asked. “Does it have to do with your acquaintance? My wife told me about that psychic. You and my son were practicing with him?”

The questions were specific and particular, as if it all made sense, but to Lidia, it was creating a direction for Jon to follow.

“I’m sorry... I don’t think I’m the best babysitter for the young master.”

Jonathan, instead of accepting that direction Austin was giving him or rejecting it, repeated the words again as he kept bowing his head softly.

Despite Jon calling them out as his benefactors, at this moment her husband was questioning him, Jon remained silent.

He would not talk about what happened, keeping it all to himself and somehow showing loyalty by keeping quiet about the truth.

Lidia gave a smile and before she let out a laugh, she received a gentle pinch from her husband to keep her calm.

Thanks to him, she could calm down and looked back up at Jonathan.

“Hold your head up, Jon,” Lidia requested and then, seeing Jonathan obey, watched him.

He was pale, tired as that feeling of darkness he emanated pulsed and his light brown eyes were subtly red.

Something had happened and...

“I’ve never seen my son like that,” Lidia said, and realizing Jonathan was going to lower his head back down, she detailed. “The way Zack let himself be caressed by you... The way your voice soothed him. I don’t think I could have that with him.”

She controlled her voice and felt her husband’s hand intertwine with hers, allowing her to gain calm.

“I know how my son looks at me and how he tries to push me away when I get close,” Lidia murmured with a slightly depressed half-smile.

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“The young master only...”

Lidia held up her hand to stop the excuse Jon was about to make to protect Zack and smiled.

“I’m not giving up. I have never given up and my son will not defeat me,” Lidia replied, and seeing that Jon was stunned by her will, she added. “So I’m not envious of you.”

Jon’s expression subtly changed, not knowing how to react, but eventually he subtly relaxed and Lidia seized that moment.

“I told you, Jon. I trusted you. We both left you, our son, despite your past. Because we trust you,” Lidia repeated, and seeing the man feel the weight of her words, she revealed. “So I hope you will continue to take care of Zack. Both of himself and of what surrounds him. You are now the best person of all for this job.”

Lidia gave him a serious look that Jonathan could understand, and that man lowered his head, only this time there was no apology, but determination.

He understood that he was the right person because Zack gave him his trust... A trust he had not given to his parents.

“I... I will,” Jon replied, immediately raising his head.

There were no more words, and that answer was all that was needed.

Jonathan had a past like everyone else, but he was a man who was caught up in circumstances beyond his control.

However, right now he was in control and could choose what to do with his life and now the work he took to return gratitude to his benefactors became his own.

“Good, I like that attitude and you will need it,” Lidia said, and seeing that Jon didn’t understand, she ordered. “You need to get Zack to drink the breast milk. I know he doesn’t like it and you don’t give him the milk.”

Jon’s expression totally changed, as if they caught him in a treasonous crime, and he opened his mouth, but....

“Do it. Even if he doesn’t like it. Breast milk is better than eating those weird genetically modified plant purees,” Lidia urged immediately.

Jon looked to Austin for help with his eyes and....

“I’m sorry. It’s true. Breast milk will help with recovery. The natural benefits are high,” Austin replied, giving a serious expression.

Jonathan looked at both of them and sighed before nodding, determined to accomplish the task they gave him.

They both dismissed him and that man went to check on Zack, then Lidia looked at her husband and hugged him.

“I know it’s hard, honey,” Austin murmured as he activated a barrier so Jon wouldn’t hear them and, hugging her gently, he added. “Jonathan will be by his side and he will take care of our son.”

Lidia relaxed at the sound of her husband’s voice and finally sighed.

Zack was her first child and, at this point, it was hard to know if she was being a good mother.

******

Light filtered through the window of what Zack considered the prison that surrounded him.

Even though he was lying down, he could barely stand the light filtering through the window, hitting those childish toys that decorated the room.

His head throbbed in momentary pains, while his body felt exhausted and weak, with no strength to turn his head.

He didn’t like the feeling of weakness... No, more precisely, he hated the feeling of weakness he was feeling.

The worst thing was those shivers and the sudden cold that minutes later turned into a scorching heat.

It all combined into a feeling that he hated and repulsed him, making him want to scream with hatred at everyone again.

However, his mind was tempered by hundreds of days of torture, and now he could endure all those afflictions in his body.

During the night, he had rested, but when he awoke in the morning light, the weaknesses of this flawed body overwhelmed him.

The door opened and Jack saw the babysitter entering as he hid something behind his back and gave a dubious look as he saw him awake.

—Something happened, babysitter? Is the boy all right?—Zack asked, forcing his mind to remember.

He remembered the boy being involved in a battle and although he was confident the boy would win with his advice and against primates, he couldn’t underestimate those monkeys.

At least he hoped that the boy would make a strategic retreat in case the situation had gotten messy.

“If it’s all right, young master. Donovan was victorious and defeated the attackers. Turns out the Big Monkey wanted to get rid of Donovan and get his business back with Hugo. Which is why he sent a team to attack,” the babysitter said, standing next to him as he covered him as he saw him trembling.

Again, that unpleasant cold and while it was soothed by being covered by the sheet, it was likely to turn into embracing warmth in a moment.

This body had too many flaws.

—Good... That’s good. —Zack muttered and, thinking someone wanted to steal his business, he growled. —I don’t like the idea that a monkey would dare try to steal my business. I think we should take care of him.

A primate trying to steal from a transcendental? He had long disliked those monkeys and this time; they were crossing the line.

Even if he was in this flawed prison, he didn’t like the idea of a monkey daring to challenge him.

Even though he was a big monkey, Zack would not stand by and do nothing, and especially not when he had discovered that his magnificent head could be as lethal a weapon as the mind locked inside.

“Calm yourself, young master,” the babysitter said and seeing that he did not desist, added. “We’ll deal with it later. When you get better.”

—Yes, we must plan for it. I will do what evolution could not... I will eliminate the species that have not evolved.

Although he didn’t understand too much about the subject, sometimes nature failed and this prison was an obvious example of the failure.

However, nature was mysterious and sometimes failures could be fixed and sometimes it had to be eliminated... The Big Monkey was of the latter kind of failure.

After all, what unintelligent primate would think of trying to take business away from a transcendental?

Zack making the monkey’s fate clear made him feel more comfortable.

Was it because of the idea of beating the primate? Zack subtly relaxed, feeling a little more comfortable than before.

He hated the sense of weakness.

He was the strongest transcendental of all! His power was overwhelming!

And yet, he was lying on a bed, barely able to use his mental connection to the babysitter, not even able to lift his legs or control his body.

That anger and sense of weakness reminded him of the person he encountered on the Astral Plane.

—The girl who came to steal with that group of weirdos had a reason, babysitter. —Zack said and observing the babysitter who was listening to him attentively he revealed. —I found someone like me... A woman.

He found a transcendental.

Natural transcendentals like him did not transcend from some capable child, but were born in the Astral Realm itself, taking form and consciousness.

Newborns were troublesome and more those curious and then the more their powers increased, the more they were free to look at the different universes.

The most powerful youngsters left the Astral Realm and, while some returned, others found themselves in problematic situations.

The laws of the different universes could affect them in multiple ways and restrict them and even imprison them in dimensions for eons.

It was obvious that the woman was one of them.

Young, reckless and curious... She was imprisoned in this universe.

“I think you are too small to think of women, young master,” the babysitter replied with a complex smile.

Was he small? Although his head was large, his stature was short, so technically, he was small.

He was also five hundred and thirty-two days old in this universe.

Unlike that naïve woman, Zack didn’t count time since he gained consciousness, but since he was imprisoned in this world.

—Maybe. I want to help her though, babysitter. She looked... Bad. —Zack said, and seeing that the babysitter was watching him intently, he explained. —We are powerful, babysitter. Our minds are impressive. We don’t break so easily, but she seemed at her limit.

The babysitter’s expression turned serious at the word ‘break’.

They were transcendental beings whose mental power could bend realities, and they were mentally strong.

However, that woman seemed at her limit.

—I want to free her from her prison, babysitter. -Zack said decisively.

Aside from that woman’s condition, what struck him was that two transcendentals were imprisoned in this world.

It was strange.

Zack was swallowed by a spatial rift that made no sense to appear in the Astral Realm when space could not manifest in that realm where the mind was everything, and the biggest drawback was the naturalness with which the rift appeared.

How was it possible that such a simple rift that emanated no sense of danger could swallow him completely without him being able to react?

Even though there were other powerful beings in existence, the rift appeared in his palace in the Astral Realm.

Practically, his domain, and yet, the rift suddenly swallowed him.

“It’s all right, master. I will help you with your goal. Let’s take it one step at a time. First you rest. Once you get better, I will help you with your task and we will search for the prison to free your friend,” the babysitter said decisively.

He didn’t hesitate about his words or question the subject, he simply agreed to support him in whatever he did.

—Don’t forget that we have to eliminate the Big Monkey. We can’t let a primate oppose my greatness. —He said calmly.

“And we can talk about that subject, too,” the babysitter answered, giving a slight sigh.

Zack nodded as he relaxed.

Sometimes the babysitter listened half-heartedly, but he was a good, attentive and pleasant babysitter.

Unfortunately, the babysitter got involved with those jailers and if it wasn’t for Zack, maybe the babysitter would have ended up exploited by those vile jailers.

Watching the babysitter, Zack noticed him somewhat nervously struggling to speak, and he watched him.

—Is something wrong? —He asked, realizing that the babysitter wasn’t going to speak.

The babysitter hesitated for a few seconds and finally sighed as he held out a bottle of that white liquid drug Zack was so familiar with.

“Your mother asked me to feed you... She wouldn’t accept a refusal. I’m sorry, young master,” the babysitter said with a slight stutter as he saw his displeased expression.

So the evil jailer wanted to corrupt the babysitter to join in the torture? That barbaric woman was vile and far too dangerous.

The poor babysitter wore a difficult and complex expression with a hint of shame that came with becoming a traitor.

Zack sighed at the sight of him like this.

“If you will...”

—It’s okay, babysitter. I’ll drink it. That woman seeks to corrupt you. You must be strong, babysitter. We’ll both resist. —Zack said and looking at the babysitter, he ordered. —Bring that bottle of drugs closer.

Did the barbaric woman want the babysitter to join her in torture? Was the woman trying to corrupt the babysitter by getting him to join the dark side? Or did she want to divide them both? Was it a test of some kind? A twisted way of playing with both of them?

It didn’t matter too much to Zack.

He was going to pass that woman’s tests, and he was going to be free. Then, when he was, he would seek revenge.

“I’m sorry, young master,” the babysitter muttered with a complex expression.

The emotions in the babysitter’s brown eyes were too complex to understand and Zack, as he saw the bottle being brought closer to him, he could feel himself losing control.

He was weak and couldn’t even resist before his hands caught the bottle, pulling it closer and drinking the liquid.

Satiating himself like a beast as the liquid barely made contact with his tongue, it overwhelmed him and made him shake with euphoria.

At first, like any drug, it made him feel good, like he was at the top of the universe, but Zack was someone who was at the top and knew that feeling was a delusion.

After drinking all the liquid and leaving the ecstasy stage, came the tiredness and exhaustion mixed with drowsiness that increased immediately.

Zack could not control his eyelids or his mental power as his vision became blurred.

“Rest, young master. I will be here when you wake up.”

It was the voice getting farther and farther away that allowed him to let go, and he resisted no longer.

Closing his eyes, to fall into unconsciousness.