Chapter 2: Barbarian

Three hundred and thirty-four days.

The strongest transcendental of all was moving about in a baby carriage as he watched the street of the inferior beings with whom he was living.

These lower beings called him Zack.

Three hundred and thirty-four days living in the body of a baby of an inferior species that was growing slowly and barely developing.

It was a unique species, not because of its offspring, who could not control their bodies at a young age, something he had seen in other types of humans, but because of its peculiarities.

“...”

For the eighth time, they were walking him as a pet through the same square that led to the same mall and in that place and what stood out were the various people walking around.

A line where various people were flying, some with their bodies in the air, others using different and strange weird abilities, and he even saw one wearing some kind of armor.

“Don’t worry, the supers will guard you!”

At the mall he always visited was a thin man wearing a mask and a full-body suit waving and taking pictures with other people.

The way the man stretched out his arm as he posed for the photo made him realize that this world was too strange.

He was a transcendental who had seen several worlds, but he was not a fan of worlds or inferior races like this type of human, and less so when their tiny minds tended to go haywire if he came in contact with them.

Though occasionally there was one that managed to transcend and could communicate with him, so he ended up getting to know a bit more about the cultures of the various humans.

Still, this was not what he expected.

“We will soon meet your parents, young master.”

A voice sounded coming from the baby carriage driver and Zack, who was getting used to his name, kept his gaze, wanting to discover more about the world around him.

Although he was unaware of the differences between the types of humans, their characteristics, and capabilities, he knew a little about their architectural and technological culture.

He used most of the information that came into the Astral Realm to decorate his astral palace, and the first thing he had to say was that this supermarket had no style.

Who in their right mind would reinforce the wall with sturdy metal and use double-reinforced glass windows? It was barely possible to see the other side with those windows.

And why were they selling military equipment near the clothing store? And why was there an octopus mopping the floor?

“Hello, Jonathan! Acting as a babysitter?”

“Yes. The young master seemed to be bored at home.”

The babysitter driving the cart stopped waving at that octopus mopping the floor and that thing came over, employing tentacles to push itself around.

It was a tall octopus, at least regarding its main body, and the tentacles were long.

Although aesthetically it didn’t fit the mall, he had to admit that it was effective with those tentacles wielding different cleaning tools.

It had a humanoid face on the front of what he assumed was the head and that creature gave a smile as it looked at the cradle.

“No fear again?” doubted the octopus.

“You think I fear you, octopus creature?”

“Wah... Whaa... Waah?”

Of course, his words were incomprehensible, but he was not disappointed, quite the contrary.

At least now it gave a feeling that he was communicating in some strange way and was proof that with patience he was adapting to this body.

While he did not leave behind the days where he did not control his bowels, he could now say that he did not go crazy if he was forced to use a name that was not his or touched with a wet tentacle.

The tentacle caressed his cheek and then his vision doubled as his head fell to the side.

“Doesn’t he have a bigger head than the last time I saw him?” the filthy octopus asked.

Should I kill him?

He meditated for a long time, storing up his strength and honing his attacks, ready for the opportunity to murder his jailers.

How dared he tells him that his head was big? It wasn’t his fault that sometimes his head bowed on its own.

“Don’t tell him that,” the babysitter said.

The voice sounded simple but carried a sinister feeling that caused the disgusting octopus he had previously liked to withdraw as if he understood the aggressiveness.

When the grotesque octopus left, the babysitter appeared and moved his head so that he could see properly and no longer in a tilted manner.

“Don’t worry, young master. You are unique and your head is not as big as others say,” the man said and carefully, accommodating him, smiled at him and added. “I am sure you hide overwhelming strength and intelligence. After all, you have incredible parents.”

The man was pale, thin, and looked like someone who had been overworked, but the slightly dark, sinister eyes showed that he was not simple.

Even though he was acting like a babysitter, his jailers put him in this job, and it was normal for him to not be simple when he had to watch was a transcendental like him.

Nevertheless, he liked it.

“I won’t kill you, babysitter.”

“Wawa, wawa.”

This time, he didn’t care that they could not understand his words, and that someone recognized his overwhelming ability improved his mood.

He was a little displeased that the babysitter related him to his jailers and the inferior beings he hated most, but he refrained.

When he murdered his jailers to free himself from this prison, he would let the babysitter live.

He deserved it for recognizing his capabilities.

The babysitter pushed the baby carriage again and the two of them moved on, traveling through the interior of the shopping mall that took up an entire long street.

Stores of all kinds were to be found here and while he was unfamiliar with some items, it wasn’t all of them.

“There’s your mother, Zack.”

Hearing the babysitter say the name his jailers had given him and that he was accepting as his own, he took a deep breath at the sight of the woman he had come from.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the name Zack or anything and, if he was honest, any name he liked fit his persona, but the only problem was that it was his jailers who gave him the name.

And there was the woman who drugged him with that liquid that came out of those quivering bags of meat.

It wasn’t nutrients; it was a liquid that numbed him and put him to sleep immediately... It was a drug designed to make him addicted and turn him into a savage beast that only thought about eating.

“You think I don’t recognize you if you put on those glasses that distort your appearance?”

“Wa... Waa... Wah?”

That woman was smiling at him upon hearing his questioning and being amused at the sight of him.

The glasses she wore that hid her golden eyes subtly, dulling them, didn’t work on a transcendental like him. Least of all when it was a mind trick, which he could do even in this form.

He would show it to her to expose her and reveal how mediocre she was, but he was storing up his power for when he had the chance to act.

And this time, he had a plan ready.

“Is my little boy happy? He’s smiling.”

The woman spoke to him and he tried to control his facial expression without much success.

Even though it wasn’t his fault that he was smiling as he imagined when he could destroy them both, he didn’t like the idea of his thoughts being revealed in his expressions.

That woman reached over, smiling at him and stroking his cheek, settling his head, which was bowed again by the movements.

“Thank you for bringing him in and taking care of him, Jon,” the woman said, and watching him, she murmured. “My husband has been inquiring about his condition, but... Damn, I can’t even be with him.”

The look she was giving him at this moment carried sorrow and worry, especially to his head.

Lately, the looks on his head were more frequent, and he hated it.

Breathe... Urging himself to breathe to calm down and mentioning to himself that he was a transcendental, that he was patient and would put up with the teasing because of his big head, he could calm down.

One point that helped calm him down was that the man who called himself his father was not home often, and this woman was usually out.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Mr. Austin will discover what’s going on with the young master,” the babysitter said calmly and comfortingly.

The woman smiled comfortingly and suddenly stopped turning in a specific direction as her golden eyes sparkled.

“Is something wrong, Mistress Lidia?” the babysitter asked, noticing the oddity in that woman.

“A bank robbery about seven blocks away. Looks like they have hostages and... There are two supers. They’re supervillains,” the woman replied in a low tone.

Golden eyes flashed, and she concentrated, seeming to listen intently to what was going on.

Super? Supervillains?

They wouldn’t let him watch television and since his head was usually tilted, he wasn’t able to see directly, and he also didn’t use his telekinesis to move around and read books.

His jailers would discover that he was saving his strength, so he refrained from such actions and now lacked information.

He should have assumed the humanoid octopus was rare and should have investigated the surrounding prison.

“Go, Lady. I’ll stay and look after him,” the babysitter replied.

The woman gave him a look and then smiled as if to tell him she would be right back and vanished instantly.

The next moment, there were exclamations from outside and then more exclamations until the sound disappeared into the distance.

The babysitter revealed himself in front of him and, approaching him, smiled at him, straightening his head that had bowed again.

“Lady Lidia is a powerful super who protects this world from the Supervillains. Don’t worry, she will defeat the bad guy and be back in a moment,” the babysitter said, smiling at him to cheer him up.

Beat supervillains? It sounded like she was about to fight and such an idea woke him out of his daze.

He didn’t know what kind of enemy she was up against, but he doubted anyone could defeat her and more so when that woman stopped his powerful attack with those bags of meat and drugs.

Waiting for her to return, time passed slowly and then an earthquake was felt and the next thing was the supermarket alarm going off as the place went into a state of crisis.

People moved and out the window metal barriers appeared, covering the view, all the while he watched people running in a tilted vision.

His head had tilted again and even though he forced himself to move it, it was too heavy and he could not.

He hated his body.

“Ma’am?” the babysitter hesitated as a call came in.

“The Super’s are trying to destroy the surroundings to slow me down. You’d better stand down with Zack. There’s a guy causing an earthquake,” the voice said over the phone and after a few seconds, mumbled. “Don’t worry, my husband is nearby and will come to support me.”

Was she having difficulties? The babysitter’s expression revealed concern, and such an idea made him get excited.

Would the so-called ‘supers’ beat her? Were they giving battle to the jailer?

Excitement turned to expectation and that expectation into a more twisted desire when he remembered the suffering of these three hundred and thirty-four days.

What if someone else joined in the battle to defeat her?

Such an idea popped into his mind and would not go away, no matter how much he wanted it to.

“Don’t worry, Young Master. Your mother is powerful,” the babysitter comforted him, smiling calmly at him.

Without realizing it, he could see the babysitter’s mind tinged with darkness and while he was strong, the defenses were pathetic... Enough for someone to control him.

“Come closer, babysitter.”

“Wa wa wa.”

His request came out, and he lifted his weak, heavy arms to urge him closer, giving the impression that he wanted a hug.

And the babysitter came close enough and just as he was about to pull him out and lift him up, their eyes met and...

“I...”

“Got you!”

Finally, his voice came out as he forced his mind into the babysitter’s, occupying the body and suppressing the main consciousness.

The original owner of the body fought for control immediately and the resistance he put up was worthy but weak.

He waited for many days, devising a way to defeat his jailers and since his weak body was not enough; he resorted to another technique.

Possessing someone else’s body!

Adjusting his suit and smiling excitedly, he looked at the baby carriage cradle and frowned at the sight of his big head body.

The octopus wasn’t lying when he mentioned to him that he had a big head, and it was all too noticeable when one looked closely at the skinnier, thinner arms, torso, and legs and compared it to the head.

“I’m a disgusting big head creature,” He muttered, smiling wickedly as he rearranged his head to give his body a good rest.

The babysitter resisted listening to the insults, and he had to suppress the babysitter’s conscience while stretching his body.

The supermarket was closed, and those oddly disguised weird guys in capes were guarding the area.

“I got ten minutes with low effort. Five with medium effort and one minute if I increase the power. Enough to beat that woman,” He muttered, smiling, not containing the desire in his voice.

While this body had no potential to draw energy from the Astral Realm and allow him to distort reality and exert his full strength, it was enough to exert some of his strength by regulating it with limits.

Distorting his surroundings and appearing high above the city, he moved by suppressing the babysitter.

If he delayed longer than he should and was far from his body, it could be very dangerous to try to return, and perhaps he would suffer harm.

Although he disliked it, that big head creature was his being and even though he was a transcendental who had no physical body, it was undeniable that he was now imprisoned in the body of a big head baby.

“Soon I will kill my jailers and then I will be free.,” He muttered, laughing evilly.

He passed the first three blocks smiling and then saw some of the destruction of the buildings. After the fifth block, he noticed a totally fallen building and at the seventh block, he noticed that there was a hole and a woman was beating a creature.

Electricity was spreading around as the woman struck the creature that gave the impression of being some humanoid mole.

One bloody blow after another and that woman, without allowing him to get close, turned to watch him.

“Jon?” the woman hesitated with her golden eyes lit up and, frowning, she muttered. “You’re not Jonathan.”

The woman who called herself his mother wore a tight-fitting suit and a cape on her back that floated naturally.

Her eyes were upon him, and that golden glow was sinister, analyzing and studying.

She discovered it wasn’t the babysitter, but she couldn’t identify who it was.

“What have you done with Jon and where is my son?” the woman asked as electrical energy emanated from her.

“You mean that horrible big head creature?” He hesitated, and smiling, revealed. “I put it to rest.”

No one knew the best position for him to rest with that big head of his.

If it wasn’t because he didn’t want to waste his energy, he would have used his telekinesis to move his body and rest better.

He felt the bloodlust emanating from the woman, and it did not surprise him to perceive the hatred.

This jailer hated that he could relax and rest comfortably, wanting to torture him in every possible way.

And for such a reason, he was not surprised that she threw lightning bolts that covered his entire vision.

“Do you think only you can do that trick?” He asked calmly.

Even though electricity filled his vision, he manipulated it through electrokinesis and vanished it, turning it into a cloud.

“What else... Ughh...”

Without letting him respond, the woman appeared out of the cloud, hit him on the cheek, sending him into the distance, slamming him against a building, and crashing him into the ground.

Had the woman just hit him? Without letting him speak?

Anger fully awakened and since he couldn’t connect to the Astral Realm, he used the mental strength of this body, allowing him to use his telekinesis to pull out the debris crushing him.

Escaping from where he had landed, he saw the woman who, in an instant, appeared near his vision and punched him in the rib.

Flying again as his body ached, he didn’t cut off the sense of pain and took advantage of the body’s ability to stabilize himself.

“The...”

Another blow to the chin, this time, it was faster, more powerful, and harder, crashing him against the ground without allowing him to use his abilities.

Without giving him time to manipulate anything else, she landed, crushing his stomach with a kick and then punched him in the face with punch after punch.

“GRRRR!”

She then let loose an electric shock that paralyzed the babysitter’s entire body and, most frighteningly, it disrupted the connections in his brain, delaying response.

“You think I haven’t faced dirty rats like you?” the woman questioned.

Golden eyes flashed with a unique intensity, and she struck him again before he recovered.

Blow after blow, the pain was rising without letting him move.

“That’s not how... Ugh...”

Expelling a mental wave that disintegrated the debris and surroundings, the woman backed up, regenerating within seconds, and slammed him back against the ground, hitting him with greater force and power.

Not that she didn’t care about the babysitter’s body, she was releasing those electric waves with every punch and she was wearing him down, shutting down the brain before reviving him, trying to cut the connection.

That’s why the bodies were useless!

She disintegrated with electricity the pieces of reinforced metal that he threw and those that she could not avoid, she let them stick in her body that resisted everything.

Without ever ceasing to hit him to reduce him.

It slowly and steadily weakened him more and more, making him panic.

Battles with transcendentals were mental, and he never had to worry about the body when he never had one and thus never cared about physical blows.

Now a barbaric woman wouldn’t let him move and soon his energy would drain and he would lose control over the babysitter, leading to him breaking free.

The problem was that he was too far away from his body!

Receiving yet another blow, he waited to receive the next one ready to counterattack, and then the fist stopped.

A skinny man with full blue eyes and gray hair stopped the punch with his arm.

“Concentrate my dear... You’ve lost your temper,” the man told her, pointing to the destroyed surroundings.

The woman paused, observing the surroundings, and he took that moment to disappear and appear again in the direction where he felt his body.

He heard a scream at his back, but he moved back to his body.

“Madwoman... Force Ape... Barbarian...” He cursed angrily.

If it was a mental battle, he would have won, but this body was unfamiliar and that barbaric woman who wouldn’t let him act.

Giving the impression that he was running away when, in reality, he was making a strategic retreat.

“STOP!”

Hearing that enraged scream and feeling the thunderous flight at his back, he knew she was coming soon and he disappeared again, manifesting where he left his body.

The body was gone... Without panicking, he saw a safety area nearby and saw the stroller in the care of the ugly octopus.

He left the babysitter’s body and his mind returned to his body, allowing him to open his eyes just as he saw his supposed mother break through the armored roof to approach his location.

Glass disintegrated in her wake, and despite the destruction, there were cries of surprise and exclamations of relief to see her coming.

Fools and ignorant people who do not know that the barbarian woman could kill them all without letting them speak.

Where is the traditional monologue and then the attack?

Even though he had complaints, he restrained himself and watched as the woman approached the babysitter, seeing him hurt and waking him up with an electric wave.

She had severed connections from part of the man’s brain with electricity and now revived him immediately, allowing the babysitter to open his eyes.

The male jailer at her back let out a glowing metal sphere, illuminating and stunning the onlookers.

Some kind of memory wiping element? Mindwaves were of that sort and while he liked the artifact since it didn’t come close to what he could do, he focused on the babysitter, who was recovering quickly.

The woman approached him, taking him in her arms and lifting him up in a careful, concerned embrace.

Imprisoning him in her muscular arms and pressing him down with those disgusting meat bags that contained that addictive drug.

“What happened? Who was it?” the woman asked, watching the babysitter.

He too looked at the babysitter, who looked back at him, and seeing the man’s hesitation, he bowed his head, dropping it.

The babysitter swallowed with a mixture of indecipherable emotions, but he understood the threat.

If the babysitter told on him, he was going to rip his head off and hang him!

“I... I don’t know... Something got into my head and controlled me... I couldn’t resist,” the babysitter said, lowering his head, unwilling to show his expression.

There was silence, but the woman sighed as she looked at her husband.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault,” the woman said eventually and, hugging him, she murmured. “He’s safe. That’s all that matters to me.”

The woman realized his head was drooping and lifted him up to force him to look at her, and he received those golden eyes that shone brightly.

He remembered the eyes and even though a part of him wanted to look away, he didn’t.

“This time it was a draw, and as a trophy, I will grant you the privilege to name me. However, I will not accept you as a mother and I will not stop running away!”

Although it was risky to say his intentions out loud, this time it wasn’t so embarrassing.

After all...

“Wawa... Waa... Mo.... ther. Wa.”

The only thing that came out was one word and although the woman smiled, he took it as an acceptance to his concession.

Today he tied in battle, but he did not lose the war and would eventually be free.