Chapter 30: Departure
Before Gotham's night had completely faded, Luka set off for Boston with Rachel in tow.
He soared into the air, one arm around Rachel's waist, gliding past towering Gothic structures as the night wind whipped past their ears.
Considering Rachel's less robust constitution, Luka didn't dare fly too fast.
For a while, they quietly admired Gotham's nocturnal scenery.
Truthfully, there wasn't much to see. Just pitch-black darkness occasionally punctuated by crude shouts from the shadows.
"It's a bit slower than your magic, but at least it's stable, right?" Luka said with a sideways grin.
Rachel pulled her hood tighter, her violet eyes glowing strikingly in the night.
"Childish. And it's cold up here," she said, her tone tinged with impatience.
"Want me to slow down more?"
"No."
Muttering a few indistinct incantations, a thin, nearly transparent purple barrier enveloped her body. After that, she let him carry her through the sky for almost an hour.
"Switch to my way."
Rachel suddenly spoke, signaling Luka to stop.
After landing, she strode to the center of a desolate plain. Pale purple magical light gathered at her fingertips as a more intricate magic circle than any before began to spread across the ground.
"Long-distance teleportation requires a minute to prepare. Don't move."
Luka stood obediently at the circle's center.
Rachel's gestures grew increasingly urgent, and the circle's radiance intensified. Just as it seemed about to complete, the entire formation suddenly shuddered violently, then shattered like broken glass.
The pale purple magical mist dissipated instantly, leaving only faint traces of residual energy on the ground.
"It failed," Rachel said calmly, withdrawing her hand.
"Failed? You're not hurt, are you? No magical backlash?"
Luka suddenly realized it might be due to his special constitution and his expression turned apologetic.
Rachel shook her head. "I'm different from ordinary magic users. It just costs some magical energy."
Luka stepped forward, examining the lingering runes on the ground with a slight frown. "Is it my fault?"
She nodded, sounding resigned.
"Teleportation magic works by locking onto a soul. Normally, a person's soul is fixed within their physical body, its position unchanging. But you're different now."
She paused, then added, "The moment your body moves, the teleportation magic tears apart. You'll likely need to remain completely still."
Something clicked in Luka's mind. Instinctively, he reined in every ounce of strength he carried.
The contractions of muscle, the surge of blood through his veins, processes that once demanded meticulous control, slowed at his command as naturally as moving a finger.
The evolution brought by the emotional spectrum had fused soul and body, granting him absolute authority over himself.
It even surpassed the goal of inner focus and physical control that Diana had taught him to pursue.
"I'll try to maintain relative stillness." He planted his feet firmly again. His muscles were taut but not stiff, his breathing adjusted to its calmest rhythm, his entire person as motionless as a statue.
Raven's deadpan expression remained unchanged. With a few simple waves of her hands, she re-cast the magic circle. This time, the runes of the circle flowed steadily without the slightest tremor. The pale purple light enveloped both of them and the surrounding space.
Luka felt a flash of light before his eyes. The air around him instantly changed from the desolate plain's chill to a warmth carrying a salty, damp scent. This one long-distance teleportation spell had crossed the distance of two states.
Luka soared into the sky, then pulled out the communicator Batman had given him. After fumbling with it for a moment, he activated the GPS to pinpoint their current location. The device, resembling an MP3 player, proved surprisingly versatile.
Then, after alternating methods once more, they directly reached their destination in Boston.
"You're steadier than I expected," Rachel remarked.
She leaned beside a chimney on the rooftop, most of her face hidden by her hood. Her gaze drifted toward the street below while a faint magical presence curled around her, an invisibility screen forming out of habit.
Luka lifted the khaki waterproof tarp, crouched, and brushed his fingers across the thin layer of frost clinging to the surface of the pod.
The shell, forged from Rou Planet alloy, gleamed with a cold, hard matte finish in the morning light.
"Just pack the essentials. This thing isn't very spacious. We can't cram too much in."
Luka pressed the hatch release. With a soft hydraulic hum, the hatch slowly swung upward, revealing a minimalist control panel and storage compartments within.
As he bent down to rummage through the storage area, his fingertips brushed against several cylindrical containers. He picked one up and realized they were cans of Rou nutritional supplements.
Only then did he suddenly remember that when he was gravely wounded and delirious, he had instinctively grabbed some supplies and stuffed them into the escape pod. But after arriving on Earth, a series of unexpected events had made him forget about these items.
Luka's curiosity piqued, and he carefully scanned the interior of the pod.
Bruce Wayne had repaired the pod, yet nothing inside appeared disturbed. Most likely it had been inspected and then returned to its original place.
Could there be other things I don't know about?
Driven by that thought, he began tapping and feeling along the inner surfaces until a faint hollow sensation answered his touch.
Following the sensation, he traced his fingers along the surface until he found a hidden button.
A metal panel slowly slid open, revealing a hidden storage compartment.
Inside lay a black-gray emergency spacesuit, its material lightweight and its texture familiar.
Luka picked it up and examined it for a moment. Memories rushed back.
After he had killed the first Viltrumite on Rou, the surviving locals dragged the body away. He had been too preoccupied to care at the time.
Now it was obvious they had prepared thoroughly. The spacesuit had been hastily modified from a Viltrumite's white battle uniform.
They had added a sealed neck interface and a life-support helmet, then spray-painted the entire suit a dark gray, the complete opposite of the Viltrumite white.
It radiated a resolute determination to sever all ties with their genocidal enemies.
Something complicated twisted in Luka's chest. He put the suit back and closed the compartment.
"I'm going to say goodbye to Ms. Prince. I'll be right back," he said in the direction where Rachel stood invisible.
"Remember dinner. Don't make me eat cold bread again," Rachel replied, her tone flat.
Footsteps moved into the pod, the invisibility spell still intact.
Luka waited a moment until more pedestrians had gathered on the street below before quietly opening the rooftop stairwell door and descending the steps.
He had just reached the second-floor landing when he encountered Vanessa, who had just woken up. She was wearing loose cotton pajamas, and her eyes lit up with surprise when she saw him.
"Luka? You're finally back! Where have you been these past few days?"
Luka paused, returning her smile as he casually asked, "Is Diana around? I wanted to say hello."
Vanessa's smile faded slightly. "She didn't get back until very late the night you disappeared. She's been in low spirits ever since. The next morning, she said she was going back to Themyscira to clear her head. It's been several days now, and we haven't heard from her."
Vanessa seemed both annoyed and worried. "I thought you two had left together."
Luka nodded understandingly, then fell silent for a moment. "I came to retrieve some things. I'm preparing to leave Boston."
He gave Vanessa a slight bow, his voice sincere. "Thank you for watching over the pod these past few days."
Vanessa clearly felt a pang of reluctance. "Come visit Boston often when you're free. Once I finish my studies, I'll show you around properly. The sunrise over the ocean here is breathtaking."
After saying goodbye to Vanessa, Luka returned to the rooftop and activated the escape pod.
Rachel raised her hand and cast an invisibility spell, shrouding the entire pod.
Their next destination was the small wooden cabin in the outskirts of Metropolis. Luka wanted to visit Tom again, and the area had plenty of open space with few people, making it a secure place to store the escape pod.
After a silent ten-minute flight, the escape pod landed precisely on the beach near the cabin.
Luka stepped out first and walked toward the cabin.
The wooden door was slightly ajar. He gently pushed it open to find the interior still tidy, yet permeated with a cold, uninhabited atmosphere.
The tables and chairs were dust-free, clearly having been carefully cleaned before departure. However, the stove showed no signs of recent use, the cupboards were empty of food, and the farm tools neatly arranged in the corner were veiled in a thin layer of silence.
Luka paused for a few seconds, then walked to the window and gazed at the distant, churning waves, his fingertips tracing the cold window frame.
'He didn't go out fishing.'
The cabin door wasn't locked, and all the fishing gear was stored inside. It was clear Tom had left voluntarily and had no intention of returning.
Rachel joined him, gazing at the empty cabin without speaking, simply standing quietly by his side for a moment.
After a while, she asked softly, "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing much…" Luka's eyes remained on the sea. "Have you ever caught fish in the sea?"
.....
1 bonus chapter for every 2 reviews.
All available chapters:
[email protected]/mew996