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By midday, Wanda's parents, Olek and Iryna, returned to the basement carrying several long loaves of bread.
"You're awake!"
Upon seeing Mark alert and engaged in conversation with the children, their expressions lit up with joy and relief.
Had Mark not intercepted the missile, all four of them, parents and children alike would almost certainly have perished. The couple thus felt profound gratitude toward their young savior.
"Thank you for saving me"
Mark said, preempting their attempts to express appreciation. He adopted a look of sincere gratitude and added
"I think I must have hit my head. I can't remember anything. Wanda told me you brought me here and looked after me. Thank you, thank you so much."
And so, the convenient veil of amnesia was drawn.
As expected, the couple was momentarily taken aback, then quickly responded with sympathetic expressions.
"It's all right,"
Iryna reassured him gently.
"The war ended late last night. The government is currently organizing rescue efforts and beginning reconstruction."
"You can stay here with us. Once things stabilize, we'll help you locate your family," Olek added.
In their minds, a narrative began to form, Mark was likely the descendant of a foreign family who had settled in Sokovia. The sudden outbreak of war had separated him from his relatives, and he had suffered head trauma, resulting in memory loss.
As for the remarkable abilities he had displayed, that too could be explained.
There had been recent news reports concerning individuals known as "mutants." Perhaps Mark was one of them, a child born with extraordinary capabilities.
After all, their own daughter occasionally caused small objects to levitate, and their son could run much faster than ordinary children. That Mark had powers now seemed less alarming, even familiar.
The boy had saved their entire family. It was only right to care for him in return and to help him reunite with whatever family he might have left.
"I hope this isn't too much trouble," Mark said, feigning polite hesitation.
With the assistance of Wanda's parents, both natives of Sokovia, he could now begin a period of relative stability, an invaluable opportunity to quietly develop his abilities.
During the short window after regaining consciousness, Mark had not only gathered useful information from Wanda and Pietro but also spent time closely examining his so called "cheat" ability.
He quickly realized that although the protagonist template had expired, some of its effects had persisted.
Most obvious was the memory retention. The entire experiential memory of Son Goku's life up to age thirteen had not dissipated with the conclusion of the transformation. Instead, it remained intact within his mind, as if a thirteen-year-long cinematic chronicle had been permanently embedded in his consciousness. It was purely memory, devoid of emotion or identity, but detailed and vivid.
More intriguingly, Mark sensed that his body had undergone a subtle yet profound change. According to the system's earlier prompt, loading a protagonist template would also confer that character's bloodline traits. Now he understood that this was no exaggeration.
He had acquired the physiology of a Saiyan.
The evidence was unequivocal: a tail had sprouted from his lower back.
Thus, even in the absence of future template activations, he could now engage in Turtle School martial arts training based on Goku's retained memories, slowly advancing his strength by natural effort.
And Son Goku was only the beginning.
According to the system panel, as long as Mark accumulated sufficient "Justice Points," he could unlock and permanently obtain additional protagonist templates, each bestowing new physical constitutions and life experiences.
The acquisition method was clearly stated.
Justice Points were earned through righteous acts. Each deed, depending on its moral magnitude and personal sacrifice, granted a different quantity of points. Once a threshold was reached, Mark could draw another random protagonist template.
These templates, once drawn, would be his permanently. After each one-hour usage period and a 24-hour cooldown, he would be free to activate them again.
Even during his short initial transformation as Son Goku, Mark had performed multiple heroic deeds, rescuing civilians, neutralizing threats all of which had yielded Justice Points.
The definition of a "righteous act" was unconventional and intriguing. According to the system's rules, any act that Mark himself subjectively believed to be just would qualify.
If, for example, he killed a villain in order to save innocent lives, that was justice. If he determined that a corrupt president deserved death and acted accordingly, he would still be rewarded.
Even if the entire world condemned him, as long as he believed he was doing what was right, the system would recognize it as such.
However, the motivation had to be righteous, not personal. Killing someone out of hatred, for instance, would earn no reward.
Additionally, acts of justice had to be executed personally. Financial donations or indirect aid would not count. A direct act, such as helping an elderly person who had fallen would qualify. Unless, of course, the elderly individual then tried to extort him; in that case, according to the system's logic, beating up the scammer would be considered righteous.
What Mark found most satisfying, though, was the system's point mechanic, Justice Points could only be accumulated, never lost. Committing evil deeds did not result in deductions. As long as he continued performing good deeds, he would grow stronger.
He was not inherently a noble person, but he had his limits. He would not engage in senseless atrocities.
"You really are such a sweet and polite child," Iryna said, touched by his humility. Overwhelmed by maternal affection, she wrapped her arms around the still-weak Mark.
"I want a hug too!" Pietro exclaimed, unwilling to be left out. He leaped onto the bed and embraced Mark with enthusiasm.
Wanda, though born twelve minutes later than her brother, was not about to be outdone. She, too, climbed aboard and wrapped her small arms around their new "friend."
Olek, standing nearby, set down the bread he was carrying. Then, with a warm smile, he joined in, enveloping his wife, his children, and Mark all in one embrace.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "Everything is going to be all right."
Held at the center of this spontaneous family embrace, Mark was unexpectedly moved.
He had sought to use this family as a stepping stone to survival, but now it seemed they had genuinely embraced him as one of their own.
'This might not be so bad after all' he thought.
In his previous life, his earliest memories were of his parents locked in endless conflict, shouting, fighting, even wielding knives at their worst. None of it had ever been hidden from him.
When the divorce came, he became a burden passed back and forth like a piece of unwanted luggage. And after each parent remarried and had new children, he became virtually invisible.
He had never known what a loving home felt like.
Now, despite the modest conditions of their life, this family laughed together. They stayed close. They cared.
A week later, order in Sokovia began to return. Due to the tremendous casualties from the war, the city was severely short on labor. Olek and Irynaboth managed to find decent work to support the family.
That day, as they often did, they brought Mark with them to a government bureau that dealt with cases of missing persons.
"We're terribly sorry,"
said a heavy-set female official with an apologetic tone.
"Due to the war, many official records were lost. We've been unable to find any documents matching his description. No one has come to report a missing child fitting his profile."
Her voice softened. "Given the circumstances, it's highly probable that his family perished in the war."
"You can either place him in an orphanage," she concluded, "or file an application to adopt him."
Some time later, Olek and Iryna exited the room with reddened eyes. They approached the courtyard where Mark was playing with Wanda and Pietro. Kneeling down beside him, Iryna smiled warmly and asked in a soft voice
"Mark, would you be willing to become our son? To be Wanda and Pietro's big brother?"
Mark looked up at Olek, then at Iryna. A small smile appeared on his face.
"I'd be honored."
"I have a new brother now! I have a new brother!"
Wanda cried out in delight before her parents could say anything.
Pietro joined in, jumping with joy. After spending a week together, they had already grown deeply fond of the brother who had protected and cared for them.