For 30+ Advance/Early chapters :p
atreon.com/ScoldeyJod
In the early morning, it snowed in New York, adding a touch of romance to the bustling economic capital. Today was Christmas, and decorations were everywhere, holiday songs floating through the streets and alleyways.
"Leo, Merry Christmas!"
"Senior, good morning."
Two young and beautiful girls, Nami and Kayla, appeared side by side on the snow-covered street. Nami was wearing a red reindeer hat, and a light Christmas silver bell dangled from Kayla's wrist. They were both small gifts Leo had bought for them the day before. They were, without a doubt, the most beautiful scenery on the pedestrian street.
"Merry Christmas and good morning," Leo said, waving in response. He yawned sleepily. In his backpack, Ginger, the Flerken, was curled up on a pile of clothes, fast asleep.
"Leo, what did you do last night?" Nami asked, looking at the dark circles under his eyes.
Leo rubbed his messy black hair and replied weakly, "I was forced to save the world."
"Liar," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Leo just shrugged. He knew she would think it was a joke.
"Did you sleep well?" Kayla asked warmly.
"No," he said, nodding in agreement with her implied concern. "I'm not used to hotel beds." He had always had trouble sleeping in strange beds. Except, of course, for his aunt's bed. And besides, he hadn't had a bed at all last night. He had slept in a tree, like a stray cat. It was hard not to be sleepy.
Fortunately, the symbiotic ability had worn off. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to meet them in his human form. It's not easy being me, he thought with a secret sigh.
After a morning of strolling through the market and a simple lunch, the three of them began their journey back home.
On the train, Nami and Kayla were scrolling through their phones, catching up on the news from last night.
"Iron Man was eaten alive? Scary!"
"What is that gray-green liquid monster? It's disgusting!"
Their conversation started out normal enough, but then it took a strange turn.
"Wow, the black kitten is so cute! I really want to hug it!"
"It's amazing!"
Seeing that they weren't afraid of the black kitten, but actually liked it, Leo blinked and said, "I think that cat looks a bit like Ginger."
Nami and Kayla both looked at the orange kitten lying on his lap. They had thought the same thing, but now that he had said it out loud, they could see the differences. The appearance, the coat color, the aura—it was all different. And the black kitten in the news reports posed a subtle threat to Kayla, but Ginger, even as a special alien creature, did not.
"No," Nami said with a smile. "Ginger is different from that black kitten."
"You're right," he nodded, secretly relieved. He had passed that test.
"But still," Nami muttered suspiciously, "that black kitten… it looks so familiar."
"Me too," Kayla said, stroking her platinum blonde hair. "It's like I've seen it somewhere before."
Is this the legendary woman's sixth sense?
"How could you have seen it?" Leo said quickly, changing the subject. "It's a dangerous and terrifying creature. It even ate Iron Man."
After the silver-haired goddess had captivated the world, the mysterious black kitten was now a nightmare for many people, including a certain billionaire playboy who would now and then wake up from a dream in which he was being swallowed into an unknown space. This, in turn, led to the eventual development of a new strategic weapon in Stark Industries' arsenal, codenamed: the Anti-Black Flash Armor.
Back in Loguetown, Leo parted ways with Nami and Kayla at the station. Captain Morgan, who had come to pick Nami up, gave him a meaningful look as he drove away. Leo pretended not to see it.
After seeing Kayla off in a taxi, he looked up at the sky. It was already dark, and thousands of neon lights were twinkling under a blanket of falling snow. Christmas Eve was coming.
He thought for a moment, and instead of heading home with his schoolbag, he set off for another part of the city.
The river outside Loguetown. The bustling commercial street on the side was alive with the festive atmosphere, but the snow-covered woods by the riverside bridge were deserted. He saw her, a perfect posture sitting on a wooden chair by the river, and quickened his pace.
"Auntie."
"You're back?" The woman turned her head, her stunningly exquisite face a mixture of coldness and softness, her jewel-clear eyes reflecting the image of the young man.
Leo's heart jumped. He smiled and nodded. "I'm back. Have you been waiting long?"
They hadn't made any plans, but they had both come to this place. It was where they had first met, on Christmas Eve, sixteen years ago. A demigod who had lost all faith in humanity, and a reincarnated soul who had just arrived in this world. Two lonely beings who had become a family.
"Sit down," Diana said, blinking.
He was about to sit on the chair next to her, but she suddenly opened her arms. "The chair is cold."
"You're treating me like a child again," he said, but he was still very honest, and sat down on her slender and elastic long legs. Who could resist?
"That black kitten that appeared in New York," she asked softly, "was it you?"
"Yes," he nodded, and told her everything that had happened.
"I see," she said thoughtfully, looking at the sleeping Ginger in his schoolbag. "If it's not a last resort, don't enter that uncontrollable state again."
"I know," he said. The complicated thoughts and extreme temperament of the three-in-one state were far more terrifying than when he had been a parasite on the Venom alone. But it also meant that he couldn't borrow the Venom's power anymore. Once he hosted the Venom, he would be forced into the trinity mode. And now, the Venom was a parasite on the Flerken, and their fluids may have already circulated. This also meant that he couldn't obtain the Flerken's ability alone through his own power.
"I have an idea," his aunt's voice came from behind his ear.
"What is it?"
"Come home with me," she said gently.
"Auntie, what are you talking about? Of course I'm coming home with you," he said, confused. "It's Christmas. Where else would I go?"
"I'm not talking about our home here in Loguetown," she said, taking a breath. "I'm talking about my hometown."
"Hometown?"
He was stunned.