New York, Lyndon penthouse. 14/12/2012, 20h45.
Opening the door, Nathaniel entered the penthouse putting his bag down near the door with a satisfied sigh. He had not left his home for long compared to the months he was away while he was in LA shooting his movie but this time the trip has been a very hard one for him to endure. Past the physical tiredness, it was the emotional distress that he felt all the way to his bones that made it especially tough.
After walking with Alexander around Washington for most of the day, having fun dodging law enforcement, he had finally come back to the White House where he was almost arrested. Let's just say that he passed the majority of an hour being yelled at by Tobias and Linda who was definitely not happy to learn that her son had been close to a mass shooting. The only thing that saved him was that her son was totally unharmed like he had promised he would, Linda pissed off was definitely not something pleasant to be confronted with.
On and on it worked out in the end and he was brought home by the two Secret Service agents that escort him the day before. The travel back was uneventful, the two mens with him having to drive for hours searching for him in the street of the city before escorting him back in New York were not really happy with him and so he had kept silent the whole way back.
"Great, he's finally here." The voice of his grandfather said with sarcasm coming from the kitchen.
"Sweetie!" Mary shouted from the kitchen, running in his arms to hug him.
"Mom." He said in a loving voice, hugging her back. "You know, that's how you should welcome me grandpa." Nathaniel adds with humor.
"Never going to happen." He answers with a grimace.
Nathaniel just ignored his grandfather, hugging Karine after that and his grandmother. Passing by his grandfather's side, Nathaniel hug him too by surprise, fighting back to try to get out of it, he realized that his grandson was much stronger than he thought and could not break his embrace. Releasing his grandfather, Nathaniel sit by the counter.
"Sorry to have missed dinner, I was held up at the White House." He said simply, no trace of pride or arrogance could be found in his voice.
"It's not your fault sweetie, did you eat?" Karine answers patting his head.
"Not really, I came home directly after the chopper landed as I was already late but I'm good."
"That will not do. We have leftovers, I'm bringing you a plate." Mary said, doing just that.
"Thanks mom." He smiled at her, he knew better than trying to stop when she was like this.
"So now that you are here and we wait hours for you, can we have the truth this time?" Robert asked.
"I told you the truth grandpa." Nathaniel sighed tiredly.
"You really expect us to believe that you were wide awake for four years while everybody thought you were in a coma and then you came out of it when you merged with the mind of a soldier who had just died?" Robert huffed.
"Yes, this is exactly what happened." Nathaniel said, thanking his mother after bringing a plate and starting to eat.
"Dear, this is just too much, what you are saying is simply impossible." Diane said apologetically.
"Mom, this is the truth. When he explained it to us, I didn't believe it at first but he proved me wrong. This is real, all of it." Mary added.
"Are the three of you just insane? All of it is just crazy talk! I'm almost tempted to send you into a psychiatric institute outside of the country!"
"What would make you believe it grandpa?" Nathaniel asked.
"Nothing! There is nothing that can prove what you are saying! And I'm not even starting about your claim that you can use the power of your soul or whatever nonsense it was. I want the truth, not your fable!"
"We will see about that. Mom, you should turn away." Nathaniel said to Mary who started to look at him uncomfortably.
"Don't tell me you are going to do…"
"Yes, this is the only solution. You should turn away, both of you."
"Sweetie, you don't have to do it." Karine said worriedly.
"Yes I do or they would never believe it." Nathaniel shook his head.
"Alright." Karine adds, turning her back on him, Mary doing the same thing.
"What is going on here?" Diane asked, starting to get anxious.
In place of answering her, Nathaniel dropped his fork and put his left hand on the counter palm first, his finger spread clearly. Materializing one of his throwing knives in his right hand, Nathaniel stabbed his left hand with so much force that the knife bit in the wood on the other side of his hand. All of it happened so fast that Robert and Diane did not have the time to do anything other than cry out in alarm.
"Dear!" "Nathaniel!" Both of them yell out, running to him in concern.
"I'm good, don't worry." He smiled at them, lifting his unharmed hand to stop them.
"Are you friggin insane? You stab yourself, you are not good in any term of the word!" His grandfather yelled at him.
"Don't move, I'm calling an ambulance!" His grandmother added, already fishing her phone out.
"No need grandma." Nathaniel smiles again, taking the knife out of his hand without even grunting, the terrifying wound on his hand starting to spurt out blood.
"You're bleeding out! Why did you take it out? Mary, we need something to stop the bleeding now!" Diane shouts in alarm.
Wanting to put her hand on the wound to stop the bleeding, Nathaniel stopped her with his free hand.
"Just watch grandma." Nathaniel said, starting to use his soul to heal his hand.
Their eyes riveted to his hand, they noticed quickly that the blood flow was starting to diminish until it stopped completely. Under their astound stare, the wound then started closing so fast that it was easily noticeable to the eyes. Nathaniel had made sure that the knife would not hurt any bones of tendon to diminish the risk and the pain that he was feeling. He had managed to achieve a through and through knife wound without touching anything major in his hand that was the reason it was so quick to heal.
Once the healing was finished, Nathaniel put his left hand and put it inside of his grandmother's hand. Still in awe, Diane started patting his hand noticing that there wasn't even a scar to show for it and beside the skin that was a little more tender in the location, it was as the knife wound never happened.
"That's… That can't be real." His grandfather stammered still not believing it.
"It is grandpa, all of it is." Nathaniel said, separating himself from his grandfather and cleaning the blood on the counter. "Moms, you can turn back now." He added once he was finished and no blood could be found anymore.
"Thank you sweetie." Mary said with a sad smile, not liking that he had to do that in order to prove himself.
"This is unbelievable." Diane said, still awed by what she had witnessed.
"Who knows about this?" Robert asked in concern, fear in his eyes.
"Only the people here know." Karine said.
"The President?" He asked, looking at Nathaniel.
"No, he doesn't know. I would never trust anyone with something like that outside of our family." He affirmed.
"Your right about that. Listen to me Nathaniel. No one must know about this, ever. Or the consequences could be terrible for you and for us. Every government on the planet would do anything to take it from you by whatever means is necessary."
"Trust me, I know that better than you grandpa. The one thing that is good is that my power is a spiritual one. I have to focus my soul to heal me, that not something that someone can find in my body and my DNA. I already took a number of tests to confirm that fact. On the other hand, he doesn't make me immortal as I need to be awake to heal myself and if the damage is too serious, I would not be able to heal me and still die."
"I understand." He nodded with a pensive frown on his face.
"Did it hurt? You did not even cry out when you stab yourself." Diane asked.
"Yes, of course it did grandma. I'm just used to pain and so I'm able to control it better than other people. I'm still human if that's what you are asking."
"It wasn't. You are still my grandson and nothing will ever change that. I knew you were a genius for the moment I saw you, you are just more than I thought it was possible." She smiled.
"Thank you grandma." Nathaniel smiles back, kissing her cheek.