The two boys turned to see if the strange creatures would emerge from the field. Fortunately for them, none had.
Nathanael sat up in a panic. On his guard, he didn't want to take his eyes off the field
"Could there be a magic barrier or something?"
"Nonsense."
"You know that with what's just happened to us, anything's possible."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Behind him, Fred approached the exhausted boy, a look of slight concern on his face. Despite his calm, butler-like demeanor, he couldn't help but seem unsettled by the situation, which made Marc smile slightly.
Nathanaël, however, decided not to reveal anything for the time being.
"Nothing, Fred. We're going home. Tell everyone to stay out of this field."
"Okay, sir."
Marc and Nathanaël struggled to their feet. They were both exhausted from the mad rush. Beyond that, their minds had seen something that probably no one else had. Another world. A hidden world where these strange beings lived. A world where the man in black surely lived.
Their minds were racing, torn between the urge to rest and forget everything for the moment and the urgent need to get their thoughts in order.
The journey home was silent.
They didn't necessarily want to talk for fear of making Fred doubt their activities. After all, anyone they told this to would probably think they were crazy.
Even they thought they might have taken a banned substance before entering that cursed field.
Marc and Nathanaël kept glancing at each other, which worried Fred.
"You know sir that I'm your butler. If there's a problem, you can tell me. That's what I'm here for."
Marc and Nathanaël looked at each other.
There was probably no problem with sharing what he had seen. That was surely the easiest part. The problem was that if all of this turned out to be real, there was no way to guarantee the safety of anyone involved in this affair.
Between beings as white as snow and the constant threat of a being capable of bringing about the end of the world, frail teenagers or even a butler could do absolutely nothing.
Despite everything, Nathanaël decided to speak up.
"This field is cursed. We're following a curse we received not long ago. In the future I'd like you to be able to take us to different places to help us with our investigation."
"No problem, sir. Shall I report this to your parents ?"
"No. That would only worry them."
What could an adult do in this situation besides offering advice?
They arrived at Nathanaël's house.
When they arrived, someone was having tea with his mother. The two people spoke at the same time.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
Elie looked at Marc with a touch of anger. Milene looked at Nathanaël with a touch of concern.
Marc didn't know what to say. Instead, he wondered what she was doing here.
On reflection, it seemed logical.
But it was Nathanael who spoke up first.
"We were just out to see the field you bought for me."
Milene replied.
"Oh. You could have left me a message. So I wouldn't have to worry."
"Sorry, Mom."
"That's okay."
Elie was still looking at Marc. There seemed to be a fire in her eyes ready to engulf him. But she wasn't the only one looking angrily at Marc. Elie's mother was looking out the window. She understood why her daughter said it was an emergency. She hadn't come to see the handsome, rich and generous Nathanael King, but rather had come to see her boyfriend Marc, who was at Nathanael King's house.
This had pissed her off.
Marc began to stress.
"Okay. Someone give me a ride home."
Nathanaël's mother looked at Elie.
"You live near him, don't you?"
"Yes. We can drop him off."
Marc felt his heart race when he heard that.
Elie's face beamed at the thought of being able to sit next to Marc in the car.
"No way."
Elie's mother retorted.
"I don't want him in my car."
"Mom."
"Not another word, my daughter. I just don't like the guy."
Marc kept his eyes wide open, doing his best to avoid Catherine's gaze.
"Mom, if we don't take him back now, I'm not talking to you."
Elie's mother looked at her daughter. Tears nearly rolled down her cheeks.
"No. Don't do that, darling. I was only joking."
Marc felt embarrassed...
They said goodbye to Nathanaël and his family and headed home.
In the car, nobody said a word. Marc didn't want to say anything to Elie for the same reason he didn't say anything to Nathanaël in the car.
He was simply lost in his dark thoughts about the otherworld.
When they got close to home, Elie was the first to speak.
"Mom, I'm going to Marc's."
"But, you..."
"Mom."
Catherine couldn't stand the look on her daughter's face.
"Okay."
She dropped them off at Marc's.
"Come back for dinner."
"Okay."
At Marc's, Elie sat directly in the chair.
Marc knew he had to unpack everything, noticing that she had sat down almost abruptly and crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
He recounted his adventure in the field. At the end of each sentence, Elie seemed shocked.
She began to lower her gaze.
"So this is what we have to face."
Marc didn't answer.
He knew better than anyone the fear these things could embody.
He was sure Elie knew exactly what he was talking about. And he was sure she didn't yet fully grasp the extent of the danger.
Or maybe she did? After all, she had seen the end of the world, hadn't she?
Marc himself was still trying to convince himself of what he had seen. It was crazy. It was truly crazy, even for a fantasy history buff like him.
He never would have thought that all of this would happen to him and his friends.
Living in a world next to another world. Perhaps being the only ones who knew the truth, having the choice between taking control of everything—or at least trying to—and giving it all up.
It was a choice he wasn't ready to make, and after what he had done, he still hesitated to give up.
But despite the strange, out-of-this-world appearance these things had unleashed, he wasn't afraid of them. He wanted to defy them once again.
Elie knew that a force outside this world was at work. But she hadn't planned to be involved in this other world. Her only wish was for everything to return to normal. But unfortunately for her, that was no longer possible.
"Elie, you know I'd probably advise you to stay out of this one."
Marc didn't want to involve anyone. Even if he wanted to take down the man in black, he had to do it alone. Especially not involve Elie.
He wasn't even sure he could control himself. After declaring that he was likely the greatest threat in the world today, setting out on an adventure with his teammates was undoubtedly suicidal for them.
He didn't have the strength to mourn their deaths any more than the others did.
"And you know I'll probably refuse."
Marc looked at Elie this time.
She was looking at him with a strange expression.
A strange expression, filled with both pity and despair. As if she didn't know where to put herself but absolutely wanted to be there.
She was afraid, of course, but that wasn't an excuse to leave Marc to deal with it—he was already suffering enough.
Marc supported her gaze with a dark expression, trying to figure out what was going through her mind.
But Elie insisted
"This test, we're going to pass it together."
Back at the school, the trio began to talk about their discovery. They hadn't wanted to go back to the field for a long time, but wanted to find a way forward in all this.
Today was the day of the sports class and Marc and Nathanaël were in the same group.
The teacher, in his thirties, calmly gathered them in front of a diving board to begin the exercise.
Marc described the gym teacher as a superhuman who had hidden his career somewhere. He was extremely well-built, every muscle showing years of training, but his face had dark circles under his eyes all year round, without exception. He looked depressed with his unshaven beard and gloomy gaze. His short hair was messy but always slicked back, and his loud voice usually startled everyone.
But Marc kept saying in every gym class that if this man didn't do sports, it was because he'd missed out on a great career, no matter what the discipline might be.
"He could've even become a model of some sort or a poser for some brand of underwear, but here he is teaching us gym. He must've had a really miserable life at some point."
"Today, we're going to do some jumps over the springboard you see there. Everyone jumps in their own way, and you can use your hands."
And Marc also mentioned that every time he spoke, you could smell the cigarette from thirty meters away.
All the students jumped.
At first Marc thought the teacher was pulling their leg. Jumping was ridiculous. Unless someone wanted to be an athlete, jumping wasn't going to guarantee them a future.
Yet two people were giving it their all. Marc watched a girl named Alice jump like a true athlete. Her jump was perfect.
She did gymnastics, so it was normal.
Nathanaël came up behind Marc.
"So, are you capable of doing better than her?"
"No."
Marc was next.
He took off like everyone else and jumped.
He jumped without his arms to show the others that he could do it without them, but the result was still more than astonishing.
Marc flew more than 5 meters into the air.
The students couldn't believe their eyes.
Marc also noticed that he had jumped a little high. He began waving his arms and shouting in all directions.
He was panicking at the thought of ending up on his head. But with uncommon agility, he landed back on his feet without making a sound. Like a cat.
The gym teacher raised his glasses to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Nathanaël swallowed a fly. Marc thought he was dead.
Everyone looked at Marc. Marc looked at his hands. He walked over to the professor and touched his face to see if he could cross it. And to his surprise, he couldn't. He hadn't become a ghost.
He returned to the queue while everyone present was still looking at him.
"And...well...continue."
Another student took off and jumped. Next to Marc's, his jump looked ridiculous.
Now it was Nathanaël's turn. He took off, jumped, and also ejected 5 meters from the ground.
The students were surprised again.
Nathanaël's jump was neater than Marc's. Everything about him was elegant.
The other students opened their mouths wide. No one had the slightest idea what was going on with those two.
Nathanaël looked at his hands and then went to touch the professor's face to see if he had become a ghost. Clearly, he hadn't become one either. He returned to the queue. No one was saying anything.
Andre, an other student, looked at his hands in turn. He thought he could do it too.
He took off and tried to jump over the springboard, but caught his feet in it and brought the springboard down with him.
The other students looked at him emotionlessly. They were too busy thinking about how Marc and Nathanaël had done their trick.
Andre stood up with a cold look on his face and silently made his way back to the queue.
Nathanaël and Marc were still looking at their hands. Alice wondered if she'd done the right thing by taking up gymnastics in the first place, and questioned her life.
The teacher wondered if he shouldn't resign.
The class ended in silence. The teacher gave no more information, reflecting on his life. One by one, the students advanced towards the springboard like zombies. Each time it was Marc and Nathanaël's turn, they jumped more than 5 meters each.
At one point, Marc tried a bigger jump and leapt over 10 metres. Nathanaël saw him and did the same.
Alice left the class, saying she had to die. Despite the danger of her words, none of the students reacted. Even the teacher was no longer with them.
At the end of class, they all went back to the changing rooms. No one could speak.
Marc and Nathanaël emerged from the locker room. They looked at each other for a good two minutes.
"I think...we're...a bit...different than...?"
"Yes, I've noticed."
Silence reigned for 5 minutes.
"Do you think it's from the field?"
"There's no doubt about it."
"Well, hello there."
Nathanaël hadn't even realized it.
"Bye."
The two went their separate ways. Marc wanted to take the bus home, but suddenly, an idea occurred to him.
"Wait, if I'm a superman, then I can run all the way home."
Marc moved his left foot back and got into position. He took a deep breath, concentrated and began to run. The impulse he gave left a hole and a gust of wind behind. For sure, he was faster. The wind struck against him. The slightest insect bumping against his fig left a big impact. He was barely faster than a car, but the damage to a human body was not the same.
Marc didn't want to stop for fear of braking too hard and hitting someone. He realized that his physical condition had really gone beyond average. He was running really fast. It was a great feeling.
He took a moment to calm down. He was on his way home.
There was no one on the street, but Marc didn't want to take any risks. He tried to jump vertically to slow down, but unfortunately, his jump took the form of a curve. His plan was to jump and land vertically. Which, come to think of it, was not a good idea.
He landed at least a hundred metres further on. He rolled several times and found himself flying away. He crashed into a tree, but instead of the tree arresting his fall, he broke the tree into several pieces. It took the help of several trees to stop him in his tracks.
Marc found himself on his back. He looked up at the sky, covered in wounds. Yet, they weren't really wounds, but scratches on his body. He stared at the sky for 10 minutes, thinking what his life would be like thanks to this.
"Now maybe I can even shoot the man in black."
Maybe it was a relief for him to have had that physique.
Someone entered the devastated forest and saw Marc lying on the ground with his clothes torn.
"Oh boy. Are you all right?"
Marc wasn't listening. He was looking up at the sky. The clouds that had gathered above his head formed an eye. An eye that seemed to be watching him intently.
"I'll get you, you dirty dog."
The person who had approached Marc thought he was dead, but Marc got up just as soon and made his way back to his house.
"Huh?"
"Thanks for worrying about me buddy, but I'm fine."
"Uh, okay."
Without a doubt, Marc was now the weirdest person he knew.
Marc patted her shoulder with a big smile and left without looking back.
At home, his mother looked down at his clothes and cried out.
"Lord! What happened to you!?"
Marc didn't panic. After all, he was still a master of the art of evasion.
"I wanted to test my skills by climbing a tree. Unfortunately, this is the result. But don't worry, I'm fine."
Marie looked down at his clothes. It was impossible to believe he was okay. His sweater was gone and his pants had become briefs. She patted him to see if he had any wounds or bumps or anything, but to her surprise, he had nothing at all except scratches. She stepped back to look at her son fully. He was smiling as if he'd just come out of a children's playground.
She saw again a smile she hadn't seen in a long time.
"All right, I'll let you go this time. But don't come back with your clothes in such a state."
"All right."
Marc went up to his room, but his mother called out to him first.
"By the way, you have your first karate class today. Get ready, I'll drive you."
This was why she'd come back early.
"Don't bother, I'll go running."
"Are you serious? It's 20km from here. "
"I know."
"But you..."
"Mom."
Marc's mother looked at him. She realized he was probably hiding something. A way to go alone or with someone maybe. Elie?
"Do you even know where you're going?"
Marc's expression decomposed. By the way, he didn't know at all.
He changed and left with his mother.
On the way, Marc tried to memorize the route so he could go alone later.
They arrived at the agreed location. The building wasn't that big, but there were still a few cars parked out front.
They went inside and looked for the manager's office. To tell the truth, they had no idea what to call it.
They arrived at a wooden door. The gentleman who had shown them the way had told them it was a Japanese-style sliding door. The manager was apparently a fan.
"Well, I guess this is it."
Marc knocked on the door, then they heard a voice coming from inside.
"Come in".
He opened the door and saw a man in a kimono sitting on the floor.
"He really is a fan of Japan."
"Please have a seat. The class hasn't started yet, but I assume you're new since I've never seen you here."
"Logical."
Marc had thought that out loud. He didn't want to be polite anyway.
"My name is Thierry. I'm the director of this dojo."
"Dojo?"
He really was a fan of Japan.
Thierry was a man of a certain age. He must have been in his thirties, although his love for Japan made Marc think that his mental age was probably closer to his own.
He didn't seem stupid, though. Behind his gaze, Marc could sense a real fighting spirit. No, it was probably worse than that. He was strong. His eyes showed it clearly.
Just by looking at him, Marc could tell that under normal circumstances, he wouldn't stand a chance against this man.
"I wish I could..."
But Marc cut him off.
"Look, I didn't come here to play around. I'll get straight to the point. I'll beat you either way. All I want is for you to teach me to perfect my karate. If you like, I'll spar with you in front of all your students and then, when I've won, you can do as I say. "
Marie couldn't believe it.
Thierry thought he'd stumbled across a madman.
"Good. What's your name?"
"Mine's Marc. But soon for you, it'll be sir."
Marc acted as if everything were fine, but every time he spoke, his mother's imposing presence slowly began to overwhelm him.
Yet, Thierry remained calm and composed.
"Very good, Marc. Have you ever done karate?"
"No, I haven't."
"Taekwondo?"
"No, I haven't."
"Then how do you plan to beat me?"
"I've got the basics."
Thierry looked at Marc.
This wasn't the first time someone had done this to him. Many others had tried it before him, but he'd beaten them.
So, he laughed heartily and remained calm.
"Good. Come along now. Follow me."
Marc's mother was looking for a way to kill him without him dying. She hadn't raised her son like that. She looked at him with contempt.
Marc saw her look and became a little frightened. He thought that, even if he had obtained super-strength, he couldn't beat her.
After weaving through a few hallways, they entered a large room filled with mats.
This seemed to be the room where the students trained, as there were already so many of them. Everyone looked at Marc.
There were dozens of mats scattered everywhere. The walls were covered with instructions and diagrams showing the proper stances for karate.
It was a real training hall, just like the one Marc sometimes dreamed of.
"Hello everyone. Today, I'm going to introduce you to your new comrade-in-arms, Marc. He's come to my office for a challenge. Like you, Jin."
Marc looked at the student concerned.
He had a dark look and was training alone at the back of the room. His hair, too, was a deep black. He appeared to be a bit of a reject, but his belt was black.
Marc could tell from that alone : he was strong too. Maybe stronger than him.
"Don't worry, Marc. After you've had your fun, you'll end up just like him. Dark, but strong."
Marc was still watching Jin. His movements didn't reflect years of work, but rather genius. This guy was a genius.
Thierry then shouted:
"Right, get the tatami ready."
The students stepped back to make room for the centers.
Marc could clearly see that the space in which they were going to fight was rectangular.
Thierry got into position.
Marc got into position.
"That's not the position for someone who does karate."
"I know."
Thierry raised an eyebrow. He wondered if Marc really wanted to learn karate. Marc soon understood why Thierry was confused. The position he'd taken was the same as the one in the field.
"Don't forget our agreement."
"I haven't, don't worry. In fact, I'm delighted."
The fight had begun. Thiery stepped forward and began with her best series of moves.
Right away, the students recognized it and all thought the same thing :
"He's dead."
"He's going to get his head blown off."
But to their surprise, Marc didn't seem to be in any trouble. He dodged and blocked Thierry's blows effortlessly.
Thierry was sweating. He continued with a mae geri, a yoko geri, a mawashi geri, a kin geri...Nothing worked.
Marc dodged every blow. Compared to that day, compared to the things he'd seen, Thierry was worthless.
After his whole series, Thierry was exhausted. He'd used every move he knew.
He looked at Marc in despair. Folded in half, with his arms on his knees, Marc stood looking like a master.
Marc looked at Thierry before opening his mouth.
"Is this all you've got?"
Marc's mother, who had been watching the fight, was surprised. She knew her son was strong, but not that strong.
Jin was watching it too, observing Marc's supremacy for a long time.
"I guess it's my turn."
Marc slowly raised his leg, and in the blink of an eye, Thierry was flying across the room, crashing into a group of students behind him.
No one had seen Marc's strike because it was so fast. It was the first time he had ever witnessed such a display of power.
Everyone was in shock; even Jin at the back of the room, the fighting genius, was speechless.
Marc lowered his leg with a faint smile on his lips.
"I think now everyone is my department. So take care of me."
He then left the room with his hands in his pockets.
Holy shit, I was so cool."
The students couldn't believe their eyes.
Jin tried to remember the movement, but he couldn't; he really hadn't seen it.
There it was. The thing he had always dreamed of becoming was right in front of him.
He quickly got to his feet to follow Marc out the door with his mother while the students tried to lift the principal.
"Hey! Wait!"
Marc turned to see Jin who had followed him.
"How did you do that? How did you manage to be so strong?"
Jin didn't want to look ridiculous in front of anyone. The day he'd arrived, he'd challenged Thierry in the same way. Although he'd managed to land a few blows and put him in difficulty, he'd lost the fight. The consequences were that he had to work harder than the others to prove to the other students that talent wasn't everything. Naturally, he quickly caught up with his master's level, which he didn't see as such. Eventually, his level stagnated. With no example to follow, he began to play several sports at the same time. But in every sport, he always ended up surpassing his masters.
Jin was well known. He was known by many names: the genius of martial arts, the king of combat, the champion. He had won many fights over a long period of time. All his trophies were proof of that. He was thinking of going abroad to fight stronger than the locals, until he ran into Marc.
He hadn't seen the blow kick had just landed and he understood just by looking at his face : He was strong. Stronger than he was. If there was a way to level up again, it was through Marc.
Marc paused for a moment before answering.
"I've entered another world."
Jin's eyes froze.
"Huh?"
"It's the truth. I'm not lying. I've returned to another world."
Marc's mother wanted to hit him.
Jin thought he was talking about a world beyond the normal state of human beings. A world where only beings as strong as Marc could fight. The world above geniuses. The world of superhumans like the greatsets fighters in the world.
"How do you get to that world?"
"Believe me, you don't want to go there. It's a dangerous world."
Marie hit him on the head.
"I want to enter it. If it makes me stronger, then I'll do anything."
Marc looked at Jin.
He didn't know there were people who wanted so badly to become stronger even if it meant putting their lives in danger. He didn't want to put him in danger, but the look on Jin's face said he was willing to die for it.
"Doesn't he realize that? Why get stronger if you're going to be closer to death? What good is that strength going to do you?"
Marie looked at Marc in astonishment. She didn't think her son could say such beautiful things.
On his side, Jin looked at the ground. He wondered how he would answer. He'd never found the right answer to that question.
He remembered the time his mother had asked him.
"Why do you become so strong, Jin?"
"I don't know. I just want to get strong, that's all."
He had no specific reason. Ever since the day he discovered fighting, he'd told himself it was fun. So even if he had to fight more often, he never wanted to lose. He wanted to be able to beat everyone, or at least stand shoulder to shoulder with the greats.
Jin raised his head.
"I just want to be strong, that's all."
Marc was still looking at Jin.
"Be strong huh? If you want to. Give me your number. I'll give you a call. But know that I'm in no way responsible for what happens to you."
"No problem."
Marc and Jin exchanged numbers.
Then, Jin watched him leave. He could feel the excitement building. He was finally going to be able to become as strong as the top of this world.
And on his side, Marc was frustrated.
"It's not enough."
Marc thought back to the fight. He realized that even if he learned to master karate it wouldn't be enough to defeat this guy.
"Mom, we couldn't find someone who's done every martial art possible."
"Why not? Have you noticed that karate won't take you to the top?"
"Yes."
"I'm willing to try with your father to find someone who gives lessons, but don't you think you're strong enough as it is?"
Marc knew he'd probably had very few humans capable of facing him since he'd returned to the other world. But he needed to perfect his techniques.
"I just want to perfect my techniques."
"If you like. But you know that people this strong aren't all available."
"I know."
That was the risk. Marc thought he might have to learn on his own. Nevertheless, he was going to keep going to classes.
That exchange with Thierry made him realize that this world was probably insignificant compared to the other one. The man in black was undoubtedly so powerful that no martial art could possibly be effective against him.
This made him think deeply that it was all probably pointless after all.
He went home with his mother and saw Elie in front of her house. She had finished and returned before Marc.
"Good evening Madame."
"Good evening Elie. I suppose you've come to see Marc."
"Yes. He didn't come home on the bus and he wasn't answering Nathanaël's calls."
"Why was Nathanaël calling him?"
"Because I don't have his number."
Elie's mother looked at her son with contempt. She felt relieved that her son really didn't take her for a girlfriend, but she didn't really support his not even wanting to give her his number.
"Marc..."
"I forgot, that's all."
"Don't do that kind of thing to a friend."
Marc felt embarrassed.
"Well, I'll let you two talk."
Marie returned to the house, leaving the two young people in front.
Elie spoke first.
"Why didn't you take the bus."
"Come along. I'll explain inside."
Elie turned a little red. This time, Marc was inviting him straight home.
"O...okay."
They climbed the stairs and saw Marc's father on the way.
"Oh, hi Elie."
"Hello sir."
David looked at his wife, his gaze searched for answers.
"Don't worry. He didn't even give her his number."
Marc's father took a deep breath.
Marc and Elie sat down. One on the chair, the other on his bed, then Marc began to speak.
"Since the field...well...since we've been in this weird world, we've gotten stronger. And not just by a little. Just now. We've been jumping, and Nath and I have been jumping over five meters every time."
Elie could hardly believe it. For once, she felt like Marc was going too far with his excuses.
Her face quickly took on a look of disgust.
"Is that true?"
Marc noticed her expression and started to get stressed out.
"Yeah. So I figured if we'd become that much supermen, I could run home. Unfortunately, my fall still hurts a little. Look over there."
Elie stood up to look out the window. Her eyes then saw, the trees cut up and the damage in the forest.
"Is that you?"
"It's me."
Elie stared at the trees for a long time, then laughed.
Her laugh made Marc shudder.
"Does that make you laugh?"
Marc thought Elie's laugh was beautiful. He'd never heard it because she never laughed like that.
"Well, it does. If I've got a superman like that with me, what can happen to me?"
Marc opened his eyes wide. She was taking it well.
Elie's laugh was soft and jovial. Marc felt as if he could stop a war. He watched Elie laugh helplessly. His eyes reflected her silhouette.
Then he managed to detach himself from her and blew out a breath. Elie calmed down too.
"Okay. You seem to be taking it well."