Chapter 28: Old man
Godfrey and his parents exit the surveillance room and head to the teleporter hub. Since there were no more distractions along the way, they reach it in a few minutes. Ambrose turns to his son and asks the question burning in his mind.
"How did you become so powerful my boy?"
Godfrey thinks on his answer and replies.
"When I fought Saxcis, I was outclassed in every way. My bones and organs were crushed, again and again, and my body healed as fast as it could. It has gotten faster in my recent battle but I was almost defeated. Saxcis was truly powerful."
Godfrey looks to his hand and clenches it.
"He piled mountain after mountain in front of me, and I could no longer hold. However, my cells reached 50% in saturation. Meaning 50% of the cells in my body are suffused with lightning energy."
They arrive at the teleportation hub and put a pass on the terminal.
"My strength skyrocketed and I dominated from there. It is after the fight, however, that I noticed something wrong. My power had a more sentient nature than I thought. It disagreed with my aspirations and sought to correct my path."
The teleporter activates and they are sent to a different space as beams of light.
*BOM-WOOOOOP*
Godfrey continues his explanation.
"We fought in my mind and I won, coming out stronger for it."
He looks upwards at the vast whiteness of the sub-space.
"Mother, Father. I am...weary. My life has been nothing but a hectic deluge of training and combat. I would like to request a break. No more than a week."
Calanthe woops and claps.
"Oh! My boy is finally taking a break! Where would you like to have your break? We have a private beach if you'd like to go there? We also have a cruise ship if you fancy that!"
Godfrey looks on in confusion as his mother lists off the different properties and luxuries that their family owns.
His father laughs and places a hand on his shoulder as he explains.
"We are independent heroes and so we had to make sure that we had revenue coming in to fuel our heroics. We own the trademarks to our names. The Gallahad chain of fashion stores are quite popular, your mother is a real genius when it comes to that."
Calanthe stops listing out properties and chimes in.
"Your father is no slouch either. The Gallahad gyms and Gallahad chain of workout supplements are exploding right now. He's revitalised workout techniques and equipment. He's incredible."
Ambrose and Calanthe smile sweetly at each other as Godfrey looks away while he thinks to himself
'Haiiii, they act like teenagers still in love. I am happy for them. I feel as if I have forgotten something. Oh...oh!!! Long Batian!!'
A second later, they arrive at the teleportation hub on the earth Academy. Godfrey passes Saxcis to Ambrose and calls Long Batian on his tablet.
Ring~
Ring~
"Huh, so now you remember I exist, hahahaha."
Godfrey scratches his head in embarrassment.
"I apologise. A mighty battle ensued. I shall tell you about it another time."
Long Batian merely huffs.
"Hmph, very well."
Godfrey ends the call and thanks his father. He picks Saxcis up and takes to the skies. Luckily the Alliance headquarters is nearby, and so Godfrey leisurely follows his parents as they lead him to it.
20 minutes pass and Godfrey can finally see the headquarters. An imposing building shooting through the clouds appears in his vision.
It is a sleek architectural marvel that far outstrips even the academy in technological integration. Moving monoliths orbit around the gargantuan structure, and the building seems to pulse every so often.
They arrive at the entrance and see a welcoming party waiting for them. Rows of security guards, radiating with different powers, line the pathway to the front doors.
Standing there on top of the stairs, is an imposing old man. He stands at 1.98 meters and is incredibly well built, with greying hair and a majestic beard.
Godfrey takes a closer look and realises that the old man looks suspiciously similar to his father and himself.
Ambrose steps forward and stares at the old man. The old man gives him a hard glare. The silence is broken when the old man looks to Godfrey and smiles.
"You must be Godfrey. My, you look quite imposing. What did this fool Ambrose give you to eat as you were growing up."
Godfrey frowns as his father is insulted in front of him.
"I do not know you old man. It would be in your best interest to mind your words when speaking about my parents in front of me."
Ambrose gives his son a look of gratitude. The old man scoffs as he hears Godfrey's words. A potent murderous intent floods Godfrey's senses.
"Hah. Did your parents not teach you any manners you brat?"
Godfrey drops Saxcis to the floor and walks up to the old man. He stares down into his eyes as he stops right in front of him.
"They have shown me that they deserve my respect."
The old man tenses his body for combat.
"And what of your grandfather?"
Godfrey simply smiles.
"I know of no such man."
The old man laughs as the murderous aura recedes.
"Hahahaha, you have a backbone. That's good. It will serve you well if what my informants tell me proves to be true. Tell me. Did you really kick Tornill flying through the air?"
Godfrey rolls with the shift in conversation and answers.
"Yes I did. She insisted on taking the moral high ground. So I ensured that she was kicked high and into the ground. She did not seem to enjoy it."
The old man bends over as he laughs and slaps his knee.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I've always wanted to do that to the donkey! Always trotting as if everyone else was a lower lifeform. Hah!"
Godfrey is reminded of Saxcis at the mention of lower lifeform and goes to grab him from his father, who picked him up from the ground. He turns to his "grandfather" and speaks.
"There is some concerning I formation to be shared about this creature I have in my hand. Do you have a secure detainment cell?"
His "grandfather" puffs his chest out.
"We have the most secure. We'll scan him of any hidden weapons before we treat him. Speaking of, these are very gruesome wounds."
Godfrey clenches his hand at that and breathes out. Ambrose chimes in at this moment.
"Let's talk inside...father."
The old man simply nods.
"Alright."
They all enter the building and are greeted by a large lobby with ceilings so high it would seem like a waste of space. That is, if it weren't for the hovering shipping containers and flying heroes moving to and fro.
One security guard politely asks for Saxcis as he grabs him from Godfrey's arms and takes him to a lower level.
The old man leads the group to stand on a teleportation station and inputs a code then scans his eye. Within seconds, they appear in an office room.
The old man goes to his table and sits on his chair. He turns to Godfrey and introduces himself.
"My name is Robert Gallahad. I'm your grandfather, that your parents didn't seem to have mentioned."
Ambrose and Calanthe merely raise their eyebrows at him. Robert just scoffs.
"Hmph. Let's focus on what's important. Explain what happened on the Mars base."
Godfrey once more tells his story but omits information on the rebelling and subsequent evolution of his powers. Robert simply strokes his beard, but his eyes speak of the shock he is feeling.
'Are we sure that he is only 15? What a monster.'
He stands and walks in front of Godfrey.
"I see. Then the people of Earth owe you a debt of gratitude. We will ensure, when he does speak, that his technology will benefit mankind. We'll also allow Elven scientists to research alongside us as per your promise to Queen Elicia. Speaking of."
Robert presses a button and a thumbprint scanner appears on the table. Robert types away on a virtual keyboard and the scanner lights up. He speaks after typing for 2 minutes.
"This scanner, should you choose to use it, will officially rank you as the number 1 hero. There would no longer be a need for you to continue with school, but it is recommended to be amongst your peers at this age. In the end, it's up to you."
Godfrey asks a question before pressing his thumb down.
"There is surely more to the rankings than power? If not, then it would seem like a shallow list. Also I am planning to be an independent hero."
Robert replies easily to the question.
"Of course there's more to it than power, but this list is an internal list for the alliance. We rank it based on power so that if there are high risk missions, then we would know who is capable enough for us to request help from.
"You can be an independent hero, and still be on our list. This is to ensure that you are who you say you are."
Godfrey nods and places a thumb down. After a second, a *ding* sounds out and the process is complete.
Robert stands and nods to Godfrey. More respect now evident in his gaze.
"Well done grandson. The number one hero can enjoy a myriad of bonuses. One of wh--"
Godfrey interrupts as he raises a hand. An electric sensation pulls him towards a certain direction. He walks up to the window and looks out. Godfrey extends both hands in front of him and separates them.
The clouds slowly part and reveal the city in the evening moonlight. Godfrey feels for the pull once more and it returns in an almost desperate tug.
Godfrey leaps through the glass and accelerates downwards at Mach speeds. Robert looks to Ambrose and Calanthe as he asks a question.
"...what?..."
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END