Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 40!
Quick update: I'm visiting my brother this week, so there won't be a second free chapter after this one. If I CAN write a second chapter, it'll go directly to Patre0n. The reason for the latter is because the next two chapters are the R18 ones I teased you a month ago. I want to release then at the same time, so that's why.
Anyway, enjoy this wholesome chapter! See ya next week!
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'Ben Parker, a former Special Forces' Team Captain, husband of May Parker and uncle of Peter Parker, with three Perks granted to him by an unknown entity, will have to grow his cultivation along his loved ones and teammates while navigating the Earth, a planet full of interesting but dangerous secrets.
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Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
The two then started walking around, with Demian having a particular goal in mind. Fortunately, the place he was looking for was easy to find, being close by in the outer ring of the Grand Sea Plaza. Pulling the petite redhead along, they crossed the ancient building's entrance, after the young man threw a quick peek at the sign in the shop window.
'Grand Sea BookShop' was exquisitely written on an old but well-crafted wooden sign. Turning back his head toward his female cousin to tell her where they were, he noticed her delicate nose scrunching slightly. "It smells familiar... New books... We're in a bookshop, aren't we?"
She declared with confidence, her gleeful smile making his heart skip a beat. "We are. At the Grand Sea Bookshop, to be precise." "I knew it! So, what are we getting from here? And if you say books, I'll kick you." Chuckling at her threat, he replied. "You know me too much. In any case, we'll check out if there's anything interesting to get." Halting his words for a second, he added. "It's been a while since I last read to you and I thought it'd be a good idea to get back to it."
Patting her way to his face, she gave him a deep but brief kiss before exclaiming. "I love you, Babe!" Embracing her slender waist, he replied with his voice oozing with affection and his gaze stuck on her charming face. "I love you too." Stroking her cheek briefly, he asked. "Shall we go check out what they've got?" She strongly nodded her head at his words but stayed silent.
The two then went to the fantasy section, which was Seraphine's favorite genre by far. It took them around half an hour for the young man to check out their collection to see if they had anything interesting. Of course, Sera was the one ultimately picking the books since Demian was getting them for her in the first place.
Once he had around a dozen novels in his arms, the couple started moving toward the checkout counter where they got themselves a bag to hold everything. "The next place I want to go is further away, so we need to take the car." Demian declared before leading the petite redhead toward the parking lot where the Impala was located.
It did not take too much time for them to reach the car despite the two walking and chatting leisurely. Once inside the car, Demian drove North while staying on Main Street. After less than 20 minutes, they arrived at their destination. It was a beach, located a few short kilometers away from the penthouse.
Because it was summer vacation, they had to look for a few minutes before finally finding a free parking spot close to the beach. "Finally!" The young man let out a sigh of relief when he successfully parked the car and turned off the ignition. Giggling at his words, she retorted.
"It wasn't that bad!" Looking at her, he replied in a melodramatic tone. "It was terrible. I don't even know if I'll be able to heal from such a terrible experience." Shaking her head with an amused smile, she stated. "If you say so, Mr. Drama Queen." The woman had an 'I'm rolling my eyes at your bullshit' kind of look, bringing an amused grin to his face.
"Let's go get some ice cream!" He declared as he pushed the previous thought aside, drawing an excited exclamation from the sugar-loving redhead he could not help but love. Chuckling briefly, he then quickly locked the car after she exited the vehicle before the two started walking around. Examining the nearby shops, the young man was trying to find one that sold some tasty-looking Italian ice cream.
Strawberry, Raspberry, Vanilla, Stracciatella... 'Now that I think about it, I MAY also have a sweet tooth...' He realized, with a smirk appearing on his face at the thought. The two young adults walked around for several minutes before Demian found the right place. Once inside the shop, Demian asked. "What are you getting?" "One scoop of Strawberry and one of chocolate." Turning toward the woman behind the counter with a smile on his face, he started ordering.
"What she said. I'll also get one scoop of Strawberry, one of Raspberry, and one of Stracciatella. Both of them, in a cup, please. We don't want to make too much of a mess, after all." His joke drew an amused smile on the saleswoman's face as she started preparing their order. Around two minutes later, the two could be seen leaving the building while enjoying thoroughly their sugary treats.
While guiding Sera toward the beach, where it was a bit less crowded, the two had a few close shaves where Sera's Ice cream almost fell on her new dress several times. Thankfully for the two, Demian's slightly enhanced reflexes helped them avoid the worst and no casualty was reported.
A while later, they were both sitting on the dry sandy beach, finishing their cup with delight. Done eating his own ice cream, Demian let out a contented sigh and claimed. "Delicious! I missed this!" Turning his head toward the young woman, he noticed that she had just finished hers as well, her face sporting a look of satisfaction.
A few stains at the corner of her mouth, however, prompted him to tease her. "You've got a small mess on your face, Love." The young woman froze at his words before asking embarrassingly. "Could you...?" "I got it." He replied before taking his napkin and gently wiping the ice cream stains around her lips until there was none left.
When he looked at her now clean, but still delicious-looking lips, however, he could not help but say. "You've got one spot left." She naively believed him and thus did not move her head. Bringing his face closer to hers, his lips gently met hers, the kiss lasting a few short moments, before he decided to break the kiss amidst Sera's rougher breathing. "I've got it."
As his words reached the petite redhead, it took her a few seconds to realize what he meant. She then licked her lips 'hungrily' before replying. "I'm not sure. You might want to check deeper." Her shamelessness made him speechless for a second. 'And I thought I was the horny one...' Shaking his head wryly, he replied amidst some chuckles. "Let's wait til we get home. I don't want to make a spectacle of ourselves."
Despite the look of disappointment on her face, she did not protest but instead moved her body to sit between his legs, with her back lying on his torso. Embracing her in his arms, the young man asked. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?" She responded with a cute grunt while gently setting her hands on his arms.
Falling silent, Demian chose to simply bask in the relaxing atmosphere. The warm sun, the small breeze, the sounds of the waves hitting the sandy beach, and last but not least, the sensation of his cousin's alluring body leaning against his chest. All of those gave him a feeling of peace, while the increasing anxiety that seemed to be ever-present in his mind since he regained his previous life's memories evaporated away, leaving only a deep sense of tranquility behind.
It was not that he thought that they were safe and the danger they were in disappeared. No, it was more like the way he saw the situation had changed. His mindset had evolved. 'I'll just deal with everything as it comes. In any case, there's no need to undermine myself with the things I can't do anything about. It's better to just enjoy the current moment.' His thoughts fell silent for a few seconds before something came to him. 'Could it be the fabled enlightenment?'
He could have laughed at the idea, but for two things he just noticed. The first was the sudden increase in strength he could feel from all over his body, while his mind's increased nimbleness was the second. The two changes happened right after his realization, making him thoughtful about what that may imply.
'I'll just think about it later. In any case, the increase in strength will not go anywhere.' He thought before shoving that thought aside and focusing back on simply enjoying the moment. Fortunately, nobody around noticed the slight changes in his physical frame, so he was not bothered at all. Even Sera seemed to be oblivious, seemingly lost in her own blissful world.
The silence lasted until the petite redhead in his arms remarked. "It's really nice." "It is, isn't it?" "I wish it could last forever..." Shaking his head gently, the man replied similarly. "Not me." In a voice full of curiosity, she asked. "Why not? Don't you want to feel great all the time?" Kissing the top of her head briefly, he explained his train of thought.
"What about the other great moments we'd miss if we only had this particular one?" Pausing for a second, he added. "My goal in life is not to have one great moment last forever but to live forever so that I can experience a great amount of incredible moments." His words seemed to make her ponder as she only responded a long moment later.
"I guess you're right. I also want to live a bunch of amazing moments with you, Mom, and Sis." Chuckling briefly, he replied. "I'm glad you do." A while later, the two left the beach, not forgetting to throw away their empty ice cream cups in a random trash can. "It's almost 5:30 P.M.." He said while checking his phone briefly. "Do you want to do anything else?"
Sera had a thoughtful look before a warm smile appeared on her face. "Let's go back home. You can read to me one of the books we bought earlier." With a similar grin on his face, he replied. "Sure." Before the two walked back to the car and drove it back to their garage a few minutes later.
They then quickly exited the car and took the elevator to the penthouse floor. When they crossed the entrance, Demian exclaimed. "We're home." His declaration was followed by his two older family members standing up from the sofa where they were previously watching some kind of TV Show.
As soon as Adeliya saw them, she claimed. "What a great-looking dress! Where did you buy it? Where did you guys go?" The four then chatted with Sera explaining excitedly the itinerary of their date, which brought a nod of approval from the middle-aged woman and a surprised look from his oldest cousin.
'I knocked the ball out of the park on this one! Thank God!' He thought with a mix of happiness and relief in his heart. The four chatted for a while, with Adeliya making Seraphine twirl around a few times to admire the beautifully crafted piece of clothing she was wearing. "I really need to visit that shop..." She muttered in a low tone, her words unwittingly caught by the young man's great hearing.
Shaking his head slightly, he could not help but feel amused at the mature woman's reaction. He did not comment on it however and instead listened to the three women conversing happily together. After a while, Sera remarked while standing up. "Demian promised me that he would read to me, so we'll have to cut our chat short."
Her words made the young man's lips twitch as a thought came to him. 'You chatted for around an hour and you call that being 'cut short'? Whatever, I'll just ignore it.' Picking up the bag full of books, he also grabbed the petite redhead's hand and pulled her toward the balcony where they sat on the sofa facing the sea.
The young woman, however, quickly changed her position by laying down with her head placed on his left thigh. Her action brought an amused smile to his face before a question left his lips. "Comfortable?" With a satisfied grin on his face, she replied. "Very." After that, the two took a moment to choose which book Sera wanted before the young man started to read out loud.
The sound of his voice then resounded in the warm summer atmosphere, transporting the two into a world of their own making.