February 8, 1998 (7 days later)(day of departure)
Alex's Home, Upper East Side, New York
Alex's POV
The house was a cage for my restless energy, its walls echoing with the staccato of my pacing. From the living room's worn leather couch to the kitchen's chipped counter, I moved like a storm trapped in a bottle, unable to settle.
I flipped through a magazine for the fifth time, the pages blurring into nonsense. Sipped coffee that had gone cold. Reviewed PROXIMA\STUDIO's film projections, but the numbers danced mockingly. My mind was a marathon runner, my body a restless prisoner.
And trailing me, like a shadow stitched to my heels, was Mr. Anish. If I turned left, he mirrored me. If I paused to breathe, his eyes widened like I'd just collapsed. At one point, he hovered outside the bathroom door, probably debating whether to install a security camera or just camp there with a walkie-talkie. His gaze was a vise—equal parts love and paranoia, as if I were a toddler wielding a flamethrower.
Finally, I snapped.
"Mr. Anish, can you please stop following me?" My voice wasn't loud, but it carried the sharp edge of frayed patience, like a wire stretched to breaking. I stood in the hallway, hands on hips, staring him down.
He blinked, startled, his weathered face paling. "Sir Alex…" His voice trembled, raw with sincerity. "I know you've told me everything—your powers, Earth's dangers, the future ticking like a bomb in some blockbuster film." He swallowed, eyes glistening. "But this… another world? If something happens to you, how could I face Sandhya?"
The name hit like a punch. Sandhya. His grief was a mirror to mine, her absence a wound we both carried. His worry wasn't just fear—it was love, fierce and helpless, the kind that made you want to bubble-wrap someone and chain them to safety.
I looked away, the floorboards suddenly fascinating. "I have to go, Mr. Anish," I said, quieter but firm. "If I don't, thousands die."
I met his gaze, steady as steel. "You've seen what I can do. Captain America—your childhood hero—is a gym bro with a fancy frisbee compared to me. And you're his biggest fan, right?"
"Well—" he started, but I barreled on.
"Cap jumped into World War II with a shield and a dream. He sacrificed everything. You called him a hero." I softened, forcing a smile that hid my own nerves. "So trust me. I'll come back. Just… keep an eye on Von Doom Industries. Buy shares when they dip. Don't let Elon Musk snatch them."
A long pause stretched between us. Then, Mr. Anish let out a bittersweet chuckle, his shoulders easing. "If an eagle must soar, who am I to clip its wings?"
His eyes still held worry, heavy as unpaid debts. "Come back safe, Sir Alex. I'll handle things here."
He turned to leave but paused. "What about Cara?"
I leaned against the wall, arms crossed like a brooding anime hero. "She's coming with her main body. You can still reach her through the study's computer. It's another part of her."
He nodded, then frowned. "And your tests with Dr. Stephen? You said five weeks…"
I grinned, waving a hand like a magician mid-trick. "Taken care of. Dr. Stephen will still do the exams… on him."
Mr. Anish tilted his head, confused. "Him?"
I pointed behind him, smirking. "Him."
He turned—and froze, his jaw dropping like he'd seen a ghost. Standing there, silent and eerily familiar, was… me.
"W-what?!" Mr. Anish's voice cracked, his eyes darting between us. "Who is he, Sir Alex? How does he look like you? Is this another power? Like the ring—when you… exploded a mountain?!"
Oh, yeah. The Green Lantern Ring incident. Good times. I'd tested it in System Space's training sim, curious about its hype. One overzealous punch later, a mountain was dust, and Mr. Anish nearly had a heart attack. My strength with the ring had spiked from 400 tons to 600 in a month. Peak gains.
I chuckled, gesturing to the doppelgänger. "Not a power. He's a clone of mine. Ninety percent my strength, loyal unless I screw up. Only I can deactivate him."
Mr. Anish blinked, processing this like his brain was rebooting. "So… he'll cover for you?"
"Yep. Especially school. The multiverse can wait, but calculus is relentless." I laughed, but it felt hollow. School was a life I barely touched now, a ghost of normalcy.
The clone stepped forward, his voice—my voice—calm but firm. "Take care of me."
[Perman Clone (Enhanced)]
An item from the Perman World, enhanced through system optimization. Once activated, it becomes a living human with the exact appearance of the user. The clone is entirely loyal to the one who activates it.
-Strength & Abilities: Retains 90% of the physical powers of the person who activates it, capped at planetary level [U]. It will only possess the strength, speed, and staminaor abilities granted by the system mall(e.g, body manipulation) of the original body, not the template powers.
-Will & Sentience: Clone possesses independent thought and emotions.
-Memory Sharing: The user can access the clone's memories at will.
-Warning: If the clone becomes dissatisfied with the original, loyalty may break permanently.
I turned to Mr. Anish.
"He's not just a puppet. He's alive. Sentient. Independent. But loyal—unless I become a jerk."
The clone nodded respectfully. "Don't worry, Mr. Anish. I'll take care of everything while Alex is gone."
Mr. Anish exhaled like someone who'd just aged ten years in ten minutes. "So… he'll manage things here, and protect your identity?"
"That's the idea," I said, arms crossed. "He's already been loaded with all my basic memories."
(Clone's memories only include fundamental knowledge—emotions and deeply personal experiences tied to Mayukh/Alex aren't part of the transfer.)
"He knows what to do. He is me… but don't treat him like he is me. He's got his own path to walk. His own life to live."
"He even has a personal name—"
But of course, before I could finish, the clone cut me off.
"My name is Auron Jones," he declared with a grin, full of confidence. "And I am part of this family."
Classic. He inherited my dramatic flair, too.
Mr. Anish looked between us, that bittersweet emotion tightening his features again. "It's brilliant," he said. "But also… kind of heartbreaking. You won't have a normal life."
I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Mr. Anish," I said gently. "I'll still go to school. Especially when I start high school. Sometimes, I'll even show up myself. You never know. Surprise quizzes keep life spicy."
His expression lifted slightly, and I saw hope flicker in his eyes.
"I may be different now," I continued, "but I still want to live in peace. Even if it's only in pieces."
Auron nodded beside me, silent but supportive.
"Take care of everything, both of you," I said, then glanced meaningfully at Mr. Anish. "And also, if Jean comes back… don't do that again."
I flashed a smile—a smile that probably belonged in a villain's arsenal.
"Ahem… well, I'll take care of everything, young sir," Mr. Anish muttered, a bit flustered as his eyes involuntarily drifted toward the thing on my wrist. His ears turned slightly pink.
Auron burst out laughing—he knew exactly what had happened.
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**flashback start**
FEB 7 1998 (YESTERDAY)[One Day Before Departure]
Alex's POV
As I emerged from the system space, the familiar scent of turmeric, curry leaves, and fresh dough wafted through the air. Cara was in the kitchen, humming a nostalgic Bollywood tune while expertly flipping a dosa on the pan like a seasoned chef moonlighting as an assassin. I made my way to the dinner table, still slightly dazed from my most recent accomplishments.
Dropping into my chair, I opened the system panel with a thought. A sense of quiet pride bubbled within me. After all, both my first templates—Senku Ishigami and Tsugikuni Yoriichi—were now fully assimilated. I'd just completed Yoriichi's today, and the system had rewarded me with a generous 2,000 SP for my troubles.
Cara had also been busy. With her help and the system materials, she'd created advanced androids inside the system space. But that wasn't all—she'd also coded a new AI assistant modeled after JARVIS.
We named him SPADE. Unlike JARVIS, though, SPADE controlled two powerful units: a combat android and a medical-rescue unit. Both were designed to be on par with Iron Man at his peak in Infinity War.
With a mental nudge, the system interface appeared in front of me like a holographic menu in a sci-fi RPG:
[NAME]: Alex Jones
[Age]: 14 Years
[Power Level]: Building Level (U)
[With GLR]: Mountain/Island Level (U)
(Power may increase as the Green Lantern Ring acknowledges you further.)
[ABILITIES]
-DNA Manipulation
-Body Manipulation
-Super Strength: 25 tons base ~ 32.5 tons (with Sun Breathing) ~ 50 tons (with chakra)~80 tons(combine all energy) ~ 600 tons (with GLR)
-Super Speed:200m/s (base)~mach1(with sun breathing) ~ mach2.2(with chakra)~ mach3 (combine)~ Mach 9 (with GLR)
-Super Stamina
-Flight (via GLR)
-Various GLR Abilities
-Sun Breathing: Increases physical stats by 1.3×
-Chakra Cloak (elite chunin level): Boosts physical stats by 2×
-Sword Mastery – Great swordsman
-Chakra Nature Releases: Wind, Lightning, Fire, Yin & Yang (various jutsu)
-Non-Chakra Nature Techniques: Rasengan, Space-Time Ninjutsu (needed 40% assimilation), Shadow Clone, Substitution, Body Flicker, Genjutsu, etc.
[TEMPLATES]
{NORMAL TEMPLATE}
Senku Ishigami (100%)
Tsugikuni Yoriichi (100%)
Minato Namikaze (28%)
[System Mall] 4040
[Draws] 0
[Missions]: Click to Expand
[Inventory] (7 Items):Green Lantern Ring, Smartphone Blueprint, Vibranium Ore (2kg), Yoriichi's Sword (Forged using Vibranium), Rations, Healing Potion ×50, Shinobi Tool Bag
{Author's Note:
The enhancement potion Alex received was fundamentally a physical amplifier, designed to break certain biological barriers and enhance strength and speed to around 20 tons of lifting capacity and speeds of 50 meters per second, respectively.
However, there's an overlooked effect of the potion: it erases the natural shackles of the body's genetic potential. This doesn't mean an average person will suddenly become Superman-tier in future—it simply allows them to transcend typical human limits, potentially making them building-level threats purely through physicality.
But here's the twist—Alex is not an average person. His body, thanks to his unique circumstances, reacts differently. He isn't aware of this hidden effect, and currently assumes that his escalating physical stats are solely due to his template integrations (Yoruichi and Minato). In truth, his rising base strength is partially because of the potion's unrecognized influence, which is amplifying his body's adaptation rate beyond what even the templates provide.
To clarify for Naruto fans—yes, in the Naruto universe, characters like Might Guy, Lee, or even Naruto himself exhibit monstrous strength. However, their physical strength is heavily reliant on chakra augmentation, whether through chakra-enhanced strikes, gates, or other techniques. There's canonical proof: when Naruto's chakra network was sealed during a certain arc, he was reduced to normal human levels, barely even a peak human at best. This demonstrates that pure, unaided physical strength in Naruto is nothing extraordinary, unless tied to bloodlines like Hashirama's unique physiology or Otsutsuki.
(Note: Vibranium was also used in Cara's body design, especially arms and legs, and SPADE's android units.)
Though the details were extensive, I only needed a glance. Thanks to my photographic memory, every line was instantly and perfectly stored. I'd absorbed an overwhelming amount of theoretical knowledge from the system's vast library—most of it light-years ahead of Earth's current tech.
Along the way, I'd also picked up fluency in several Earth languages—Japanese, Sanskrit, French, Spanish, Chinese—and even some from other worlds, like the dialects of One Piece, Game of Thrones, and a few more I didn't dare pronounce without a magic circle. I was still a bit rough on the accents, though. Working on it.
That's how I managed to brew a viable healing potion. Only the potion had passed the system's rigorous safety trials. The rest of my concoctions were still locked behind a glowing red warning that might as well have read:
"Do Not Consume Unless You're Okay With Growing a Third Arm or Accidentally Becoming the Hulk's cousin without turning back like Bruce Banner."
But the highlight of the week?
Minato Namikaze.
Even at just 28% assimilation, the guy was absolutely insane.
I mean, my body, enhanced with chakra and the raw ferocity of Sun Breathing, wasn't just strong. It was a walking, breathing natural disaster waiting to happen. Every muscle in my frame thrummed with power, like coiled steel wrapped in lightning.
With all my buffs active, I could push my strength to around 80 tons. Yeah. That's tons, with a 'T'. I wasn't just lifting cars—I could bench press a Boeing aircraft. Not that I'd ever try it just to show off… okay, maybe once. For science.
But it came at a cost. That form was a ticking time bomb. At best, I could hold it for 15 minutes before my body started screaming in protest, tearing at itself from the inside like it wanted a divorce from my soul.
Still, if there was one thing I loved more than raw power—it was speed.
And oh boy, my speed was beautiful.
Unfortunately, my human body was still the bottleneck; well, it will take time for me to have more physical strength.
Still, with chakra alone, I had access to dozens of jutsu. While thinking this, I called out to Cara in the kitchen.
"Cara," I called out, leaning back in my chair. "Is SPADE still sulking? If he wants to come, let him. But tell him he'll be confined to system space in the new world."
She didn't turn away from the stove but replied smoothly, "He'll be happy to hear that."
Though SPADE lacked sentience and emotions—unlike Cara—he was still one of the most advanced AIs I'd seen. I could tell he was itching to accompany me.
Before I could get too comfortable, I heard footsteps behind me.
Mr. Anish entered the room with a look on his face that screamed guilt + dread = busted. He clutched something in his hands—an object wrapped in what looked like a combination of ribbon and duct tape. A mutant hybrid of "birthday present" and "lab experiment gone wrong."
He placed it on the table with a sigh.
"What's this, Grandpa?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. My fingers hovered over the box.
"There was a girl," he began, rubbing his temple like he was bracing for impact. "She came right after your birthday… accompanied by two others. One was her mother—or so she said. I didn't believe it. No resemblance. I assumed the girl was adopted."
He paused.
"She left this for you. A gift. I was… cautious. So, for a full week, I analyzed it. Checked for any threats. But eventually, I realized—I was just being overly suspicious."
I opened the box carefully. Inside lay a simple envelope. The paper was slightly smudged, the edges curling as if it had traveled far and been handled often. The handwriting was delicate, almost trembling with emotion.
I unfolded the letter and began to read:
Dear Alex,
Even though we won't be able to be together… just know that after my parents, you are the only one I care about.
If one day, God asked me to give up my gift—the one my mentor told me to protect—I would still choose you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX, with love, FROM ME TO YOU❤️
Jean Grey
P.S. I also made you some handmade cookies. Even though you don't remember me… I will always remember you.
If I hadn't known the truth, if my memories weren't back to me, I might have laughed it off as a prank—or worse, dismissed it as the ramblings of a delusional stalker.
But I knew Jean. I knew her.
Running my thumb gently over the ink stains—some smudged by dried tears (obviously it's Jean')—I felt a pang in my chest. This letter was more than words on paper. It was a memory, a fragile fragment of a bond we once shared. One she hadn't forgotten… even if I had.
I exhaled quietly. "Mr. Anish… you do remember I can uproot a mountain with my bare hands, right?"
He winced.
"And you still kept this from me?"
His silence was answer enough.
"Jean was—" I stopped, a flash of fury burning through me. I didn't even call him Grandpa. "No… You meant well. I get it. You were trying to protect me."
Holding up the letter, I said, "But don't do this again. And don't expect forgiveness just yet. No grandpa for you until I am over it."
With that, he felt regretful for what he had done.
Then I explained. Who Jean Grey really was. Why couldn't she come to me directly? How her presence might unlock her trauma—and the one responsible for this manipulation was...
Charles Xavier.
That bald fraud in a wheelchair had been tampering with my mind.
Cara, who had just placed a bowl of chutney on the table, froze.
"He did WHAT?"
Her eyes flashed with a fierce glow.
"Oh, God…" I whispered, suddenly recalling the last time I mentioned a universal-level threat to her.
The last time I told her about Thanos? She'd started designing an antimatter bomb before breakfast.
If I hadn't stopped her in time, she might've nuked Saturn.
Mr. Anish and I exchanged a silent glance.
Charles Xavier… rest in peace.
You're gonna need it.
**flashback end**
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A sudden burst of laughter jolted me from my reverie. I looked at Mr. Anish, who wore a guilty expression.
"Well, at least you didn't damage this," I said, nodding to the delicate bracelet Jean had given me. It gleamed softly under the light, crafted with a smooth, translucent finish that gave it an almost glass-like clarity. Swirling hints of soft blue danced inside the band, like frozen stardust trapped within crystal.
Image...
As for the cookies? Gone, victims of Mr. Anish's paranoia.
"You know, you're a lot like Charles Xavier, Mr. Anish," I said with a meaningful look that made him bristle and cut me off mid-sentence.
"Sir Alex, even though I know I messed up, please don't cuss at me like that."
I stared at him for a second, realizing that Charles Xavier's name had become a sort of slur word in this house since yesterday.
"I'm not saying you are him," I clarified, "I'm saying you're like him—overprotective and cautious. Honestly, I don't want to imagine what would happen if you had his power."
Mr. Anish said nothing. He just let the words settle in his mind, hopefully for better understanding.
"Well, I'm going now. And don't do anything stupid—either of you," I said, my tone sharp, my eyes steady. "This world runs too deep… Even I don't want to touch some of the things hiding on this planet."
My words hung in the air like a warning—not just advice, but a truth of the marvel universe.
I raised a hand in parting, offering them both a final wave and a firm nod. Then, without another word, my figure shimmered—and vanished.
There was a long silence.
"Did he… go?" Auron asked hesitantly, waving his hand through the space where I had just stood.
Mr. Anish turned to him, slowly, with the blank expression of a man wondering how the universe allowed idiots to exist.
Mr. Anish stared at Auron for a long, painful moment.
"…Yes, Auron," he said finally, voice flat as a dry desert. "He teleported. Not hiding behind a curtain like some Scooby-Doo villain."
Auron blinked, lowering his hand slowly. "Oh. Right. I knew that."
Mr. Anish didn't respond. He just turned away, muttering under his breath.
"God help me, I'm surrounded by geniuses with the emotional maturity of a grapefruit…(talking about Cara)"
Auron, completely missing the sarcasm, perked up. "Thanks! I am pretty smart."
Mr. Anish pinched the bridge of his nose. "Smart. Sure. Just… try not to touch anything here."
Auron gave a salute that was somehow both sincere and profoundly unserious. "Aye-aye, Captain Buzzkill."
Mr. Anish sighed and shuffled off to the kitchen, already regretting not faking a heart attack to escape this conversation.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
And with that, we officially wrap up the Introduction Arc! 🎉
Next stop: Demon Slayer Arc — swords, demons, breathing styles, and chaos (you know the drill).
After that?
Brace yourselves…
The Fantastic Four Origin Arc is coming. Science accidents, cosmic radiation, and powers that break physics.
⚠️ This is your last chance!
If you have anything you want to share, suggest, or pitch for the Fantastic Four arc—do it now.
Once I lock it in, there's no rewrites, no take-backs, no multiverse resets.
SEE Ya IN NEXT WEEK