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MillionNovel > Super Hard > Act 1.6 (Recrudesce)

Act 1.6 (Recrudesce)

    I woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed, as though the weight of yesterday had lifted overnight.


    After indulging in a long, steamy shower that chased away the last hints of sleep, I slipped into the new outfit I’d ordered the last night: relaxed brown pants that felt as comfortable as they looked, a blue checkered shirt, and a leather jacket that brought the whole ensemble together. The oversized style suited me—soft, practical, and effortlessly cool—light-years better than the stiff, self-conscious wardrobe I used to cling to. Dressed like this, I felt more me than I had in ages.


    Once ready, I grabbed my bag and left the hotel, heading for the academy. Today’s schedule included two lectures and a self-defense class, a routine that felt manageable enough.


    The morning halls of the academy were quieter than usual, their emptiness amplifying the soft echoes of my footsteps. Since my first lecture was Physics and I wasn’t in any rush, I treated myself to breakfast at a nearby café. A warm pastry and a cup of coffee in hand, I strolled toward the classroom, taking my time. It was the calmness brought to me by the ages of experience.


    When I reached the lecture hall, I gently pushed the door open, my eyes instinctively scanning the room. It was a habit, nothing more—but then my gaze caught on something. No, someone. My enemy. Damn it, no. Technically, just my classmate. But damn it, she always managed to feel like a thorn in my side.


    There she was, as effortlessly extraordinary as ever. Her curly hair seemed to have transformed overnight, growing out from its former short and straight style into mesmerizing spirals, as if she’d stepped out of a dream. She wore red sneakers, dark brown baggy jeans, a light blue frilly top with the red cardigan overtop that somehow managed to look both casual and striking. Her wrists were adorned with a fancy diamond bracelet, catching the light and scattering it.


    As if sensing my gaze—or maybe just noticing the creak of the door—her eyes flicked over to meet mine. I froze, my heart skipping a beat. Then, as if on instinct, I averted my eyes so quickly it probably looked suspicious. What was wrong with me? Why had I looked away so fast? It wasn’t like me to get thrown off so easily, but her presence always seemed to knock me off balance in ways I couldn’t quite explain.


    I stood there, rooted to the spot, confusion swirling in my mind like a storm. Why in the world had I noticed so many details about her? No way—it couldn’t be. Was I... catching feelings?


    Gasp!


    No. That couldn’t be right.


    That wasn’t me.


    I am… I am a Pdf? Gasp!


    No!


    My mind was suddenly thrown into a boiling turmoil.


    I was an old soul, grounded and perfectly aware of both my physical and mental needs. I always kept them in check—always.


    So, was this some sort of residual damage from yesterday’s fight? Or worse, could her powers be related to charm or attraction?


    I tried to shake off the thought. No, that didn’t seem like her meta nature.


    I strode quickly to an empty seat at the back, the lecture was paused for a moment, but quickly resumed.


    Just as I reached my chosen chair and began to sit, the unexpected happened. My foot slipped, and with a sickening crack, one of the chair legs gave out beneath me. I crashed unceremoniously to the floor, the impact jarring and loud enough to draw every pair of eyes in the room.


    Dammit! Which motherfucker is looking to die…


    I winced as I instinctively scanned the room for the culprit.


    But oddly enough, everyone seemed to be minding their own business—heads turned politely forward, not even a single smothered laugh to be found. The teacher sighed, looking mildly exasperated.


    “Just sit on another chair,” they said, their tone clipped and impatient.


    I complied, though my suspicion flared to life. This was too convenient. Too coincidental. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the faintest movement—a twitch, a flicker of emotion. A smirk. It was quickly wiped away, but I knew who it belonged to. The enemy, the arrogant dragon.


    Suppressing my irritation, I grabbed another chair and settled into it. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to steady my breath. Maybe I was overthinking this. Maybe the chair had just been poorly maintained.


    The lecture resumed, but my thoughts were a tangled mess, too noisy for me to focus. My mood had been wrecked, and every word from the professor drifted over my head like static.


    I sighed, leaning back slightly in my chair, trying to shake off the storm in my mind. Letting my emotions get the better of me like this wasn’t like me. Then again, I wasn’t living on the edge this time—no endless grinding, no pushing myself to the brink like in the last cycle. Maybe the lighter mental load was letting these stray feelings creep in.


    Yeah, that had to be it. A small victory! Yay, I figured it out! Just some hormonal chemical imbalance messing with my head. God help me, I thought, half amused by my own melodrama, half exasperated at how worked up I’d been.


    <hr>


    By the time the self-defense class rolled around, most of the day’s chaos had settled into the back of my mind. I’d even remembered to pack proper clothes this time.


    The gym was abuzz with low chatter, but my attention locked onto the stubborn character standing across from me. Jade. Of course. Nobody else wanted to partner with her, and I wasn’t exactly drowning in eager volunteers myself. Her sharp eyes and even sharper punches had made her plenty of enemies, but after the last bloody showdown in this class, most people were also keeping their distance from me. I didn’t care much—I didn’t come here for friends.


    “If anyone causes a bloody scene in my gym today,” Mr. Clemen’s voice boomed, “I’m going to personally kick their ass out.”


    I rolled my eyes, biting back a smirk. Clearly, the warning was aimed at us. Most students didn’t turn sparring into all-out brawls, complete with bloody noses and broken ribs. Jade and I, on the other hand? We had gained a reputation in just one fight.


    But I’d made up my mind. If she so much as grazed my nose, I was ripping her hair out. I wasn’t above playing dirty if that’s what it took.


    My gaze flicked to her, and I couldn’t help but notice the scrunch of her nose—her default expression of annoyance, like the entire world had personally inconvenienced her. Something about it only fueled my determination. This isn’t going to be easy…


    “Why are you staring at me like a creep?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes with her usual arrogance.


    I nearly laughed in disbelief. She definitely had a screw loose. But I wasn’t here to escalate things. My plan was simple: smooth things over, clear the air, and maybe, just maybe, we could figure out the strangeness between us.


    "Look," I started, keeping my tone calm. "There’s no bad blood between us. No real reason for us to hate each other. I’m sure we can find better ways to resolve whatever misunderstandings we have."


    "What misunderstanding?" she shot back, her voice dripping with mock innocence. Her acting was so bad it almost made me cringe.


    I rolled my eyes, knowing this class was about to feel twice as long. "I know how you feel when we’re close," I said, deliberately keeping my tone even, casual. "It’s the same with me. And let’s be real—nobody else in this class even likes you. Once I’m gone, I doubt anyone will bother coming near you."


    She needed to listen to some hard facts. Similarly, sometimes, you had to fight fire with fire. I didn’t owe her courtesy if she wasn’t offering any. If she wanted to act tough, I could dish it right back. I wasn’t intimidated by her or her family’s reputation. That meant nothing to me.


    To my surprise, my words seemed to land harder than I expected. Jade’s expression flickered, a mix of surprise and indignation, before she quickly masked it. For a moment, I thought she was going to launch into an all-out attack—her arms came up, her stance shifting like she was ready to strike. I braced myself, muscles tensing in preparation to dodge.


    But when her punches came, they were… soft. More like shoves than actual hits. They didn’t hurt. Not even a little.


    Had I struck a nerve?


    Then, faintly, I heard it—a sound so soft it almost didn’t register. A high-pitched, pitiful squeak, like a mosquito buzzing in my ear. It took me a second to realize the sound was coming from her.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Fine!" she burst out.


    "What?" I blinked, gesturing for her to repeat herself, convinced I’d misheard.


    "I said I was wrong! I’m sorry!"


    Wait, what? Her voice was sharper this time, but her expression wavered, and I noticed her eyes looked faintly red. Was it from frustration? Embarrassment? Or had my words actually cut deeper than I’d intended? I was genuinely speechless. Who would’ve thought that Miss London, of all people, had a tough exterior but a surprisingly soft heart?


    It was almost funny, in a grimly ironic way. Jade’s behavior felt like it had been pulled straight from a cliché, the archetype of the “tough girl with a hidden soft side.”


    Why was this the template for so many stories? These so-called “authors” needed to find some creativity in their writing instead of leaning on tired tropes. The transition from ice queen to tearful wreck was such an overdone, predictable cliché.


    I surveyed her face, trying to feel… something. Sympathy, perhaps? But there was nothing—or maybe I was actively refusing to feel it, unwilling to be swayed by her sudden emotions. To be honest, I couldn’t even tell which was true anymore.


    “So, tell me exactly what you feel,” I said finally, my curiosity genuine. “Be extremely clear.”


    Before I could blink, her arm shot out, pulling me off balance and locking me into a chokehold. The air was forced from my lungs as her legs coiled around my hips, securing her position.


    I cursed inwardly. I’d lost focus—again.


    “I can’t really put it into words,” she said, her tone sharp with frustration as she tightened her grip around my neck. "it’s too confusing. It''s like a strange pull I feel when you''re in certain distance to me.”


    What in the world is going on?


    I forced myself to refocus, steadying my breath as I listened her words.


    “What about you?” she asked, her grip loosening as she got caught up in the conversation. Taking advantage of her lapse in focus, I flipped our positions, now holding her in a chokehold.


    I paused, choosing my words carefully. “For me,” I began slowly, "It''s more like a confusion.” I said, pressing my lips together thoughtfully


    "Tell me," I asked, leaning in slightly, my voice laced with curiosity, "does this strange pull get more intense when we’re close?"


    Jade nodded, her expression guarded but undeniably honest. I felt the same way—barely able to keep myself from losing focus every time I looked at her. Suddenly, a thought struck me: was that why she kept trying to choke me? Whatever it was, it was making her get as close as possible to me, maybe in some subconscious attempt to resolve whatever this was? My breathing almost stopped as this thought crystallized in my head.


    I raised my hand, signaling for a break. I needed to step back and think—catch my breath, both literally and figuratively. This wasn’t normal, and it wasn’t just her or me. Something bigger was at play here, some bizarre entanglement that felt almost metaphysical. Could this be a side effect of time travel? My gut said the idea was ridiculous, but I couldn’t shake it.


    Glancing up at her, I kept my voice steady. “What’s your meta nature?” I asked. If I could understand her abilities, maybe I could make sense of this connection.


    Jade hesitated, her silence making the question hang in the air like a weight. I sighed, realizing I’d need to take the first step. "I can see people, places, things—their luck, their danger, whatever’s hidden in the background. It’s all there," I admitted in a low voice, keeping the words between us.


    It wasn’t something I went around sharing lightly, but desperate times called for desperate measures.


    But she still seemed hesitant, which only added to my frustration. It’s not like meta natures could be stolen by others—so why the secrecy?


    Finally, she spoke. “randomness, probability, improbability, possibility, and so on. I can control them all to some extent, but they are tiring to use.”


    I blinked, her words crashing over me. “Lord, aren’t you a bit too overpowered for this school?” I blurted out before I could stop myself, my mouth suddenly feeling dry.


    Abilities like hers were the stuff of legends—terrifying and dangerously subtle. No wonder she kept it under wraps. Perhaps she was afraid of scaring people away, or maybe she wanted to avoid the attention that came with being so ridiculously powerful.


    Then something clicked, a few dots connecting in my mind as Jade’s lips curved into a wide smile. She tried to hide it, but the effort was pointless. I stared, feeling the pieces fall into place.


    This woman…


    Raising a finger, I opened my mouth to say something, but the words refused to come. I shook my head, still waiting for the apology I knew would never arrive.


    Instead, a more disturbing thought wormed its way into my mind: how many times had she used her abilities without anyone noticing? Her power wasn’t the kind that screamed for attention—it was insidious, subtle. The kind of power you wouldn’t even realize was being used against you.


    “Jade,” I said finally, my voice sharp, “how often do you... influence things?”


    Her head tilted, as she tried to hide her smile, her face betrayed her—turning red with the kind of embarrassment only a guilty child would show when caught red-handed. It was almost endearing.


    But something told me that wasn’t the full extent of her abilities. Her evasive expression hinted at more than she wasn’t revealing. My eyes widened as it hit me just how dangerous she could be. If she ever lost control or pushed her powers to the limit, who could stop her? Thankfully, she was still inexperienced, likely unaware of the true reach of her meta nature. Maybe she had yet to unlock certain abilities or still faced limitations she wasn’t disclosing.


    To truly grasp meta nature required far more than lectures or textbooks. Even the most prestigious academies only scratched the surface, leaving the deeper truths veiled in secrecy. These theories weren’t something you studied—they were mysteries you stumbled upon, often by accident or sheer luck.


    Meta nature wasn’t just a skill or a power—it was a fusion of the Unknown and the deepest recesses of a person’s subconscious desires and obsessions. This fusion made it intensely personal, its shape and function as unique as the person wielding it. It didn’t follow logic; it followed the whispers of the soul.


    Think of meta nature like a coin with two sides. One side belonged to the Unknown: chaotic, raw, and utterly unpredictable. The other side belonged to human nature, the stabilizing force that gave structure and restraint. This delicate balance created two facets within every meta nature—a primary and a secondary aspect. The primary power was a gift—or a curse—from the Unknown. It held immense potential, but it was dangerous, even destructive. The secondary power, on the other hand, was an anchor, shaped by human nature to provide balance. Without it, a person’s mind—and even their soul—could be overwhelmed by the chaos of their primary ability. For example, the Unknown might grant someone the power to generate fire hot enough to burn through steel, but human nature would counteract it by making their body immune to burns. This duality wasn’t just a quirk; it was a safeguard, a way to ensure a person’s powers didn’t consume them entirely.


    Human nature was the tether that kept us grounded. It allowed us to wield immense power without becoming monstrous or grotesque, preserving the very essence of who we were. This delicate balance ensured we could use our powers without losing ourselves to them.


    Many of the higher-ups in society regarded meta as a kind of affliction—an infection that had latched itself onto humanity. They didn’t see our abilities as natural gifts but as invasive disruptions that our minds and bodies struggled to reconcile. In their view, “human nature” was the subconscious defense mechanism, stepping in to stabilize these powers before they overwhelmed us completely, ensuring we didn’t spiral into self-destruction.


    It was an adaptation, ensuring that the chaos meta brought didn’t destroy us outright.


    Similarly, I had come to understand that observing Likeness was my human nature’s way of coping with my meta side, though the deeper nuances of my abilities still eluded me somewhat. I had theories—plenty of them—but they were all half-formed, like pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t quite fit together yet.


    I glanced at Jade, who stood quietly, her gaze fixed on me, waiting for me to speak. “It’s likely because of our meta natures,” I said finally, my voice low but deliberate. “Every time probability shifts, it creates small instances of luck to steer events. And since my meta nature is heavily tied to luck, maybe it’s creating a kind of resonance between us.” I paused, watching her closely for any reaction—confirmation, skepticism, anything.


    Jade remained motionless, her silence unnerving. Around us, a few curious students threw glances in our direction, as if expecting us to clash again, like last time. They were going to be disappointed.


    Finally, she broke her silence, letting out a quiet sigh. “Your assumptions might hold some truth,” she said slowly. “But I’ve never read or heard anywhere about two people’s meta natures resonating like this. Still, it’s not a bad starting point. Maybe we can use this theory as a base and experiment to figure things out.”


    Her calm, measured response surprised me. Only minutes earlier, she’d been ready to throw punches. Now, she was oddly composed, even thoughtful.


    “We could meet after classes to dig into this more,” I suggested. Jade hesitated briefly, then gave a small nod of agreement. It was progress, tentative as it might be.


    For a moment, the gym was silent, until Mr. Clemen’s voice cut through like a blade. “It’s good to see you two getting along and practicing peacefully for once. Keep it up.”


    I flinched slightly, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. When had he even walked up? His gaze lingered on us, as if he were cataloging every detail of this unexpected cooperation.


    I stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond. Mr. Clemen observed us a moment longer, then gave us some pointers. He mentioned that I needed to put on more muscle and fat, and I nodded in agreement. He was right; I was on the skinny side, and building up some muscle would benefit me in the long run. If I kept attending this class, I’d naturally start to bulk up—it was just a matter of time.


    As the class wound down, students started filing out, eager to leave. Jade was among them, making her way toward the door with her usual briskness. We weren’t exactly friends now—just two people who’d decided to shelve their differences for the moment. That didn’t make it any less awkward as I debated whether to say something.


    “By the way, are you coming to the party tonight?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.


    She stopped and turned slightly, her expression unreadable. “No one invited me, so I can’t come.”


    I nearly laughed, caught off guard by her bluntness. Somehow, she had a way of taking the simplest things and flipping them into confounding statements. “It’s a college party,” I said, shrugging. “No one gets a formal invite. You just dress up and show up at the door.”


    For a moment, she looked genuinely perplexed, like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Perhaps, because she wasn''t originally from the earth. Then her face brightened, and I could almost see the gears clicking into place. Her logic was strange, but maybe she’d consider going.


    After the gym cleared out, I headed to the locker room, took a quick shower, and changed into clean clothes. The rest of the day passed without much excitement—just a quiet, uneventful stretch that felt strangely out of place. I spent some time scrolling through HyperSpace, but even that grew dull quickly.


    Maybe it was the habits I’d developed over time—years of living on edge, always chasing the next task or fighting to survive.


    Now, even a calm day felt unnatural. My mind didn’t know how to settle, to rest. It was as though I’d forgotten what it meant to just exist without the constant churn of adrenaline and urgency.


    For now, though, I let the quiet have its moment.
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