Twisted Choices

Chapter 24

Jeb ended staying after all.

Hero worked with a team to try and track down Jeb's family, and to no avail. Markus grew close the teenager, and slowly, Hero did as well. Jeb was more mature than his age, and the Persson brothers actually enjoyed Jeb's company and humor. The castle always seemed so stoic and eerie, but Jeb seemed to light up the cold stone walls with laughter and stupid punchlines.

Hero eagerly agreed and welcomed Jeb into the castle, setting up accounts and sent him to a proper school. Jeb was ecstatic, and the Persson brothers as well once Jeb 'accidentally' referred to them as brothers. Hero liked the boy a lot, as Jeb took everything in stride. He changed from homeless to royalty immediately, but the teenager did not abuse the benefits he had gained.

Hero turned 22, Markus was 19 and Jeb was 14. Jeb rose to the top of the class, and when asked how, the boy had listened and peeked in from outside classroom windows when he was on the streets. Hero thought of him as a mini Markus, while Markus was dropping hints on making Jeb his heir.

After a serious discussion (with a lot of anger), Markus agreed to see how Jeb would do when he was 18, before asking Jeb about it. In the meanwhile, Markus was strictly not allowed to have any fiascos with women unless it's more than a one-night thing. Markus was embarrassed when the maids asked why his sheets reeked of... Night activities.

Hero started sleeping and eating less than normal. He started growing stronger, despite not adding anything to his exercise regime, in fact, he had not been loyal to his schedule at all. He heard one of his soldiers talk shit about another all the way at the end of the dining hall. When the soldier was confronted, both of them were surprised.

Hero was shit at guns and long-range weapons originally, but once he was trying to aim an apple from the walls to the forest for fun. The apple exploded into bits as the bullet sunk through, gun shivering in his hands. He was proud, no doubt, but extremely puzzled why he managed to aim better than some of the best in his army. His short-range skills were already absolutely excellent, but he started to beat bigger, heavier and stronger opponents. There was an attack on the castle by a rebellious group, and Hero was not on shift, but he somehow heard the assassins get in by stepping on a creaky plank on the second floor while he was in the fourth. He teleported nearby, this time more better and managing to land on his feet, he faced 7 assassins and defeated them all.

Once he dragged the bodies one by one to the dungeons, he replied to a terrified Markus and Jeb that it was the anger and heat of the fight that got him to win. The two did not believe him, staring at an uninjured and clean Hero standing amongst seven unconscious men with torn clothes and bloodstained faces. Jeb narrowed his eyes, how did Hero get from the West wing to the East so fast? He swore he saw something flash from where Hero stood. Two white lights, flashing and blinking. The lights disappeared once Hero raised his head, panting and reassuring them that all trouble has been eliminated.

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Farther this time.

Hero kept repeating that to himself as he stood from one side of the castle garden, staring at the opposite walls. He was practicing on getting his teleportation skills on point. The farthest he could go was to a lake in the garden, but he aimed to stand on the edge of the lake, underneath an apple tree.

Narrowing his eyes, Hero felt the uncomfortable pull of his chest and the rising of his feet as he teleported. He did not open his eyes and fell directly onto his side, which earned him a groan. He perked up when he smelled the itchy smell of smoke. He also felt rather warm. He raised his head and got onto his stomach, pressing himself on whatever he landed on. He looked around, and he let out a loud 'Fuck' when he found himself on a roof. In a village.