Ben stood up after the last man was knocked out from his punches and sighed with relief. "Wow, Krace! I didn't know you had some hands in you! I thought we were gonna divide it equally," Ben was shocked by Krace's attacks. "It's good that you're an expert, or I might be stabbed tonight." Ben laughed as if the consequences were light if they failed.
Krace smiled, "It's nothing, you also got something in you, huh? Seems like that bear's body has power in it."
"Haha, all of this is muscles, not fat," Ben replied while flexing his body and plump tummy.
The cashier, on the other hand, was gaping, stood frozen shocked at what had just happened.
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from outside the store.
"HELP!!"
Ben and Krace heard the scream, looked at each other and ran out of the store. Krace already deduced from the first moment they stormed into the store he knew they all came from the suspicious van across the store. A four group of people won't ride in a 12 seater van, it's better for them to ride a car as a disguise than a black tinted van that screams for attention. He suspected another team was involved.
After sprinting for a block, they arrived at the scene and saw the woman. surrounded by the five criminals, she was screaming for help. Ben halted his steps for a second after seeing the overwhelming number, unsure how to approach the situation. But pressed on, knowing the woman needed help immediately.
Krace, close behind, already simulating the scenario and order that he needed to take out and maim them until…
Suddenly, His instincts flared, gut feelings churning warning him. Warning him to escape, to run. There's danger. Years of vigilantism developed his senses to feel the extraordinary, the supernatural.
Without hesitation, Krace grabbed Ben by the neck and yanked him into the shadows, hiding behind an alley corner.
Ben, surprised by Krace's sudden action, looked at him, puzzled, thinking that maybe Krace was afraid of the number. Krace ignored Ben's gaze and peeked at the scene.
Then, a distant rumble grew, subtle at first, but building rapidly. Within seconds, it escalated, the sound reverberating through the narrow alley. The temperature spiked, waves of heat rolling through the air as if a furnace had just ignited nearby. The thugs that were harassing the women stopped, distracted by the sound.
Suddenly, the rumble exploded into a deafening roar. A motorcycle wreathed in flames, shot into view at the far end of the alley, opposite from where Krace and Ben came. Its engine growled like a beast unleashed.
But the rider—it wasn't human. It was a skeleton, engulfed in roaring flames, was gripping the handlebars, its skull ablaze like a molten sun, casting an infernal glow that made the shadows dance.
The bike screeched to a halt. Chains, wrapped tightly around the rider's chest, rattled ominously in the scorching heat. The temperature spiked even higher, and the thugs, now frozen in terror, felt the searing intensity of the flames licking the air. The fiery skeleton slowly turned its gaze toward them, its hollow eye sockets glowing with an otherworldly fire.
{Ghost Rider}
Ben's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the burning skeleton on the motorcycle, and whispered, "What... what is that thing?"
Krace didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the figure, his mind racing to process the supernatural presence.
The thugs who had been surrounding the woman were now frozen, their cocky bravado replaced by fear. The skeleton dismounted its bike, the flames on its skull flickering violently in the air, casting an eerie glow across the dark alley. The chains around its torso rattled ominously as it took slow, deliberate steps toward the group.
The thugs, now visibly shaken, tried to act tough. One of them, wielding a bat, stepped forward. "What are you supposed to be? A circus act?"
The flaming skeleton lifted its head, and its hollow eye sockets locked onto the man. In a low, gravelly voice, it spoke: "Your sins have caught up to you."
The thug's bravado faltered as fear washed over him. He took a step back, but it was too late. The chain unravelled from around the skeleton's body, and with a swift, precise movement, it lashed out, wrapping around the thug's body. The man let out a scream as the flames engulfed him, the searing heat consuming his skin. The others watched in horror as their comrade crumbled to ashes.
The chain didn't stop there. It continued shooting at its next target, piercing through their chests like a honed missile that didn't miss a target. They were still alive somehow, the chain only gave them pain and immobilised their body.
The skeleton then yanked the chain to himself, and the thugs that were writhing with agony moved and formed a row, like products put on display, their feet hanging a couple of inches from the ground, levitating against the burning figure.
The flaming skeleton lifted its head, its hollow eye sockets locked onto the men and said, "Look into my eyes!". He continued, "Your souls… are TAINTED by the blood of the innocents," his sound hissing.
"Now, Feel their pain!"
As the burning skeleton's stare took hold, the thugs froze, their faces twisting in terror. They screamed hysterically as they were forced to relive every sin they'd committed.
One thug's eyes bulged, veins throbbing in his neck as blood trickled from his nose. Another clawed frantically at his face, shredding his skin, trying to tear away the unbearable guilt.
Their bodies convulsed violently, veins popping, muscles spasming uncontrollably as bloodshot eyes leaked crimson tears. Their limbs twisted and jerked, bones cracking under the weight of their own wickedness, unable to escape the searing torment burning through their souls in the skeleton's fiery gaze.
Krace kept his gaze focused on what had just happened, his eyes fixed on the burning figure, recording everything in his mind. Just before the skeleton was done with his action, Krace hid back again as his senses were screaming at him to stay hidden. He knew he should avoid the skeleton's gaze.
Without saying a word, the flaming skeleton flicked its wrist, and the glowing chains snapped back from the pale corpses, coiling tightly around his own body. The thugs lifeless bodies fell with a thud as there was no more string keeping them by in the air.
Krace exhaled a silent sigh of relief as the fiery skeleton turned and walked toward his bike. The moment the burning skeleton swung onto the seat, the inferno engulfed the machine once more, and with a deafening roar, the motorcycle sped off, leaving behind scorched earth and a trail of black smoke that lingered in the air. The eerie silence that followed was heavy with the aftermath of what had just unfolded.
The woman earlier had already fainted the first time she saw the skeleton.
Krace and Ben stood in silence for a moment, the tension still thick in the air. Ben finally spoke, his voice shaky. "We… we should call the police, right?"
"Yes," Krace replied curtly, but his mind raced with the recent events. All this time, he thought this universe was safe and mundane. But now, the worst realisation hit him. The supernatural wasn't a myth, nor was it something distant and unreal. It had been lurking in the shadows, hidden from the public's eye, kept secret from the mundane reality, and he needed to be ready for it. Ready for any factors that will block him from returning home.
.
.
.
Ben was quiet along the way home. His last sentence was, "Mama always told me to never return late," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "Maybe it's time I start listening to her, huh? Hahaha." The forced laugh barely masked the unease in his tone.
Krace offered a quick goodbye after they reached his house, Ben nodded and drove off returning to his home. Krace went straight into his house and sat on his couch in the living room to get ahold of his thought on what just happened.
[Krace POV]
'There's no mistaking it—a burning skeleton on a Harley. It tore through those thugs in the alley like they were nothing. No logic. No science could explain what I saw. A skeleton shouldn't be able to move, to kill like that. Which means… it wasn't human, supernatural. In other words, there are supernatural forces in this world.
That also means there are chances of travelling to a parallel universe using the paranormal or the scientific way. It's also plausible that materials with unique effects exist in this universe and can hasten the process of building the multiversal teleportation device.
Either way, I need a lot of funding to build the device. I should set up a company first. To avoid attracting the attention of the government and dangerous people, technological and science industries should be avoided.
Entertainment is the quickest way to profit and should have the biggest opportunity in this era, the budding era of the internet.
Using glimpses of Vincent's memories, I should be able to develop a few sure-hit video games.
I can start hiring developers for the video games tomorrow. I also need to start exercising back, in case of unexpected things happen, but for now, I need some sleep to recharge my body. An hour of deep sleep of 1 hour should suffice.
.
[5.00 a.m.]
The sky was dark and cold, the only light that illuminated the road were street lights stationed every several metres. A man could be seen jogging, no, running, leaping every few metres.
After an undisturbed deep sleep for an hour, kRace woke up energised and went for a run of 20km around the neighbourhood and bodyweight exercises in intervals. It's the first time he has exercised since he woke up in the alley. He then went and subscribed to a nearby gym. Even though the weights were not heavy enough for him to increase his strength, it will help him retain his strength. This will be his daily routine, temporarily, until he can afford a custom gym.
After 3 hours of exercising, it was 8.00 a.m. Krace just arrived home after running for the second time. As he sat, crossing his legs on the floor in the living room, calming his nerves, and relaxing his body, he began to meditate. A process he always does as Batman to help him focus, clear his mind and improve the neural network of his body control.
*Breathe in*
(Hold)
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
(Hold)
*Breathe out*
As he inhales, he draws in calmness, feeling the air fill his lungs and spread through his body. His mind clears, his thoughts sharpen, and he feels steady. He imagines his breath reaching down to his core, grounding him, while his muscles relax and his focus deepens. As he exhales, he releases tension, letting go of distractions. Each breath brings more clarity and control, his body and mind aligning with purpose. Inhale focus, exhale stress. Inhale strength, exhale doubt.
5 minutes into the meditation, he was relaxing his tense muscles and activating both the major and minor muscle groups in careful intervals, suddenly, a subtle warmth began to stir around his navel area. At first, it was faint — just a tingling sensation, as though something deep within him was gently waking up. Alarmed, but he kept his breath steady. He thought there was a parasite that was growing inside him, so, he decided to lure it out and caught it off guard.
As he kept on breathing, the warmth grew, but then he realised it wasn't alive, it was intangible. He should have felt pain as the parasite grew and pushed his organs aside to make space for itself, but there was none.
He kept inhaling and exhaling, and now the bundle of… white? it's hot and active. Somehow, he can feel that it's white. No, not see the colour, but feel it.
'Is it an energy?' Krace thought to himself. As he continued the meditation longer, the white thing began to vibrate, like a volcano before it exploded. His mind warns him of danger but his body welcomes it.
Confused, Krace hesitated whether he should stop or keep on, fearing that it may bring grave danger or a great opportunity.
As if on cue, the hot immaterial thing exploded outwardly from his centre like a wave. The muscles and organs that were hit by the energy rose in temperature. His entire body grew warmer by the second, but rather than feeling overwhelmed, a strange, invigorating sensation spread through him.
A sudden burst of vitality surged through him. His mind sharpened, his senses seemed more alert, and his body no longer felt burdened by exhaustion. He could feel his strength returning, not just physically but on a deeper level, as if every fibre of his being was absorbing this energy, using it to heal, restore, and grow stronger.
While the white energy was emitting waves, he held onto the feeling and tried to move it. He knew this was a great opportunity if he could exploit this ability, he could improve his skill set and make it more efficient.
'There it is' Krace felt the familiar energy as it began to subside after invigorating his body. He thug on it a few times, no response, but he kept on trying. He could feel it, just beneath the surface, waiting for him to grasp it. His muscles tensed, adrenaline coursing through him as he tried to pull the energy into alignment with his will, and finally, there was a slight response. when he sp—
*DING DONG!*
*DING DONG!*
"ALL THE FEELING LOST! WHO IN THEIR CRAZY MIND DISTURBED ME?!" Krace, frustrated with the interruption, talked to himself with a stern tone.
He got up sharply and strode over to the door with clenching teeth. Before opening the door, his face returned blank, not showing a hint of his frustration.
*Creak* (Door Opens)
"Hi, I'm Karen, the President of Kew Hill Section 3 Neighbourhood," said a middle-aged woman who was standing in front of the house, smiling widely.
2438 Words.
(A/N: Yo, Sorry! This chapter was supposed to be posted a few days early, but while writing, I suddenly got stuck in building the minor plot. Krace will build a company and the AI, but when I searched how long it would take to make it normally, it clashed with other plots of the story. So, I adjusted the plot to make it realistic and believable.)