Chapter Eight: Quiet Steps Toward War
Alex's POV
Brooklyn – 1:14 PM
By early afternoon,I stopped cultivating, I could feel it a lot more different in my body.Though my physical strength had probably only increased a little, It still felt like I was pumped with energy drinks.
The house had settled into its usual quiet hum. I stood in front of the mirror, buttoning a clean black shirt, adjusting the collar. My mind wasn't on my reflection—it was on the meeting I'd arranged.
By now, Mike would be out of school.
I grabbed my phone, slipped it into my pocket, and headed out.
1:38 PM – Outside StuyvesantThe wind carried the chatter of students leaving the school building. I waited across the street, leaning against a streetlamp, watching clusters of teenagers spill out in groups.
Then Mike spotted me.
He jogged over, backpack bouncing on his shoulder.
"You actually skipped," he said, raising a brow. "What the hell's going on with you ?"
"Let's walk," I said.
We moved down the block, the noise fading behind us. Mike watched me from the corner of his eye.
"So," he started, "what did you want to talk about?"
"I need your help with something, you can't ask why and you can't ask me about it later." I said staring at him intensely"so what is it going to be?"
He stared back at me smiling at first then stopped when he saw how serious I am.
"Okay, hit me." He said
I didn't dance around it.
"I need weapons."
Mike stopped for half a step, then caught up.
"Weapons? For what? You planning to join Batman's schedule or something?"
I didn't answer immediately, and that silence seemed to bother him more than any explanation might have.
"Alex… what exactly are you getting into?"
"I can't tell you," I said quietly. "But I need something reliable. Soon."
Mike frowned, searching my expression—confusion, worry, curiosity flickering across his eyes.
"You're not… doing something stupid, right?"
"I'm doing something necessary."
He let out a breath, running a hand through his hair.
"You're scaring me, man. But… you've never asked me for anything like this before."
He looked straight ahead.
"I know a forger. Real one. Not some backyard amateur. But I need to talk to him first. If he agrees, I'll take you there tomorrow."
"Good."
Mike tapped my shoulder.
"Just don't get killed doing… whatever this is."
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"I won't."
We parted ways shortly after, Mike heading home, still glancing back at me like he expected me to explain myself.
I didn't.
Not yet.
4:02 PM – Back HomeThe front door clicked shut behind me. The house air felt warm, familiar, steady… something I didn't realize I'd missed until I returned to it.
Mia was on the couch, a bowl of cereal balanced on her knees. Her eyes snapped to me instantly.
"Alex?" she asked, narrowing her gaze. "Where were you? You didn't come to school."
Here we go.
I slipped off my shoes and sat opposite her.
"I needed a day off."
"Why?" Her voice sharpened. More accusation than question.
"I went to clear my head," I said smoothly. "Nothing happened."
She didn't look convinced.
"Alex… you never skip school."
She wasn't wrong. In my last life, I clung to normal routines until the very end. This time? Normalcy was a luxury I didn't have.
I softened my expression, reached over, and flicked her forehead gently.
"Relax. I'm fine."
Mia blinked, cheeks heating.
"…You better be."
The tension drained from her shoulders, and she returned to her cereal with a pout that almost made me smile.
Almost.
5:26 PM – My RoomThe moment the door closed behind me, I dropped to the floor and resumed cultivating.
Qi was faint—like thin strands of warm mist—but it flowed smoother now. My body accepted it more easily. My mind steadied quicker.
Hours passed without me noticing.
A vibration.
My phone buzzed.
I reached for it.
Mike:
Talked to him. Meet me at 4 AM tomorrow. Sending the location.
A second message popped in—a pin to an industrial part of Brooklyn.
4 AM.
Early, secretive, deliberate.
Good.
I stood, grabbed a small flashlight from my drawer, and laid it beside my phone.
Tomorrow mattered.
Tomorrow was the first real step into the path I had chosen—the path I would walk long before the world realized it needed men like me.
I sat back on the floor, closed my eyes, and continued cultivating until the night swallowed the house whole.
11:00 pm
I could feel myself getting stronger and my mind getting clearer, I was sweating buckets and I could feel exhaustion creeping in.
I knew I had to sleep in order not to break down even cultivation has its limit.