Don't Go Near Those Brothers

Chapter 34: Don't Get Near Those Brothers

"Ah..."

A pained groan escaped Clark as he felt his strength rapidly draining away. He collapsed to the ground, covered in frost strong enough to shatter steel, his mind growing hazy as he shivered violently.

"You're asking for it!"

David cracked the ground beneath him, launching himself like a cannonball toward Sean. A terrifying force, like a Volcanic Eruption, slammed his fist into Sean's chest.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out, and a visible white shockwave of violent air blasted outward.

Like a hurricane sweeping through, it tore across dozens of meters.

Crack, crack, crack!

As if struck head-on by a high-speed train roaring at four hundred kilometers per hour, Sean's chest erupted in agony. He flew backward, carving a long trench into the ground before embedding himself deep into the earth dozens of meters away.

"Clark, how are you holding up?"

David asked quickly, frowning.

Under the sun and still breathing, Clark's constitution should see him through.

"I... I'm fine."

Beneath the sunlight, Clark's frostbitten, purple-tinged face recovered rapidly. Still, his body felt weak, as if it needed time to restore itself.

Looking at his brother, who was clearly worried about him, a wave of warmth surged through his heart.

Clark suddenly recalled something—a vision of the future. In it, his brother could fly, had normal skin color, and his eyes glowed red. Was that really his brother?

Could it be that Cassandra had used her ability on the alien version of him and made a mistake, conjuring up bizarre hallucinations?

"Brother, don't kill him, and don't..."

Clark's teeth chattered as he spoke.

"I'll get revenge for you right now."

Before he could finish.

David stomped hard on the ground. The immense force shattered the tough asphalt, and his body shot forward like a missile.

Arcing across dozens of meters, he radiated a chilling, oppressive aura before crashing down in front of Sean, sending dirt and mud flying.

"Ignorance may lead a man to his grave, but it won't be mine."

"You got an ability too?!"

A low, merciless voice drifted into Sean's ears like a final judgment. He struggled to his feet in pain, saw David's changed appearance, and panicked as he swung a fist—only for David to sidestep it easily.

Having just seen what happened to Clark, he naturally knew what would happen if Sean touched him.

"Absorbing heat to get stronger?"

David kicked out hard, sending Sean flying again—this time with even greater force.

Crack!

A colossal impact shattered Sean's ribs. He flew back into the pit, crashing into it like a stone into a lake, kicking up waves of dirt and leaving a crater several meters wide.

David looked down at him.

"That's a decent ability. Wasted on you."

Many powerful Metahumans didn't have that much body heat to absorb. Clark was special because his power came from the sun. Anyone else might have died the moment Sean touched them.

"Some people, even if you give them a strong ability, still can't hide their cowardice."

"Shut up!"

The blatant mockery enraged Sean. He lunged out of the pit in a standard Football team charging stance, tearing through the air with fierce momentum, slamming into David and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Kneel before me and beg for mercy!"

He growled as he pushed forward, activating his ability to absorb David's body heat.

He expected David to crumble on contact.

But instead, David stood unfazed. His legs dug two deep grooves into the ground as he braced himself, then calmly punched Sean down. The terrifying force drove Sean's body into the earth, and a visible white shockwave blasted nearby rocks and grass away.

Crack, crack, crack!

The sound of bones shattering rang out.

"My... my back!"

In the crater several meters wide, Sean screamed in terror, wracked with bone-deep, searing pain.

His face twisted in agony as his hand trembled, reaching for his back. He couldn't feel his lower body anymore.

"Don't worry. You'll be free from this pain soon."

Feeling a slight drain of Universe energy within him, David expressionlessly swung his fist down—a blow like a mountain falling.

Boom!

Sean's eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious. His brain damaged, he would sink into eternal void and darkness.

Clark staggered over weakly, just in time to see this.

"Right, Clark, what were you about to say earlier?"

Pulling back his fist from the massive crater, David tilted his head.

"I..."

Seeing Sean reduced to a vegetative state, Clark nearly fainted from rage.

Creak.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

The door opened, and Kara, her black hair flowing, stepped into the room with a hint of nervousness, her hands clasped tightly together.

"Everyone at this nursing home says you can see the future. Can you help me?"

Cassandra sat on a stool eating, facing the window as she listened to the crisp birdsong from the branches outside. Her eyes were closed, and she chewed each bite slowly, her expression carrying an indescribable calm and serenity—like she was savoring the most delicious thing in the world, or perhaps the lingering aftertaste of life itself.

"Child, I'm not a Gypsy Old Witch."

She opened her eyes, set down her spoon, and said unhurriedly, "If you want to predict the future, I suggest you find the Circus Fortune-Telling Tent."

"Also, one last piece of life advice for you, young lady."

She shook her head gently.

"Eavesdropping isn't a good habit."

"I beg you to give me a chance, Ms. Cassandra."

Hearing this, Kara's eyes lit up slightly, as if confirming something. She stepped forward, her voice tinged with excitement.

Even without transforming, her agility shouldn't have been detectable by an ordinary blind old woman.

"It seems I said the wrong thing."

Cassandra shook her head with some regret, her voice aged. "Getting old really does dull the mind."

"Time is short. Can I spend my last moments in peace and leave quietly?"

"Time is short?"

"Everyone dies eventually." Cassandra listened to the clock on the wall, its hands nearly reaching the hour, and smiled faintly. "I saw my own death in the futures of the other caretakers."

Some futures can be changed, but some fates are hard to alter—like the natural end of life.

Nearly ninety years old, she had planned to take one last look at the world through someone else's eyes this morning, then pass away quietly.

"But..."

Death should be peaceful and serene. The old woman before her was in her final moments, and Kara knew she shouldn't intrude. She gripped her hands tightly, her beautiful face full of guilt. "This isn't just important to me—it's important to my people and even the world."

"Please."

"I can't reveal others' futures without permission."

Unable to resist the girl's pleas, the kind old woman set down her spoon, shook her head, and offered, "But I can take a look at your future."

"My future?"

Kara's face showed a struggle as she thought it over. It was still a way.

If Numa truly appeared in this generation as the prophecy foretold.

According to her tribe's legends, she was destined to become entangled with Nama, who would descend with Skyfire, fated to be his woman.

Then perhaps through the future, she could determine which of the two brothers was the savior Nama and which was the evil Segai, helping Nama defeat his brother.

"Please, ma'am."

"This world is so beautiful. Taking one last look before I go is a good thing for me too."

With only seconds left on the clock, Cassandra struggled to lie back on the bed with the girl's help, smiled, and grasped the girl's hand. After a moment of vision.

She opened her eyes weakly, turned her head with a pitying expression toward the nervous, anxious girl before her.

"No... don't go near those brothers, or your fate will fall into misfortune."

"Misfortune?"

"And... your tribe..."

Her words trailed off here. As the clock's hand passed the hour by a few seconds, Cassandra struggled to finish her sentence but had no strength left. She closed her eyes weakly, and her hand fell limp.

"Ma'am?" Kara's face changed drastically.

Wrote a few hundred extra words.

Please keep reading—the protagonist's second template is coming soon and will complement the first. Zishu will try to update earlier from now on. (ω)