Author's Note: Damn, you guys are fast! I even recently published the new chapter of Silica, in case you're interested, in Spanish and English on Webnovel and on Wattpad only in Spanish.
Thanks for the almost 50 stars while I'm finishing editing this chapter; you really surprised me. To see if you keep up that motivation, I'll ask for 50 more stars, damn right! I hope I get them, lol. Thanks for the support and comments, they're great and help me a lot. I always try to answer them.
Leave your questions in the comments section. If you need references for something, ask; I like to answer them, although sometimes you guys start talking about furries in the comments... I don't know what's up with that, but oh well.
Let's continue!
Steven was having one of those strange and precious days when everything felt lighter. There were no missions, no training, no gems watching him, and no futures weighing on his shoulders.
"Damn, that's calm," I said.
"Language," my father said.
I walked beside my father, talking to the people passing by on the streets of Beach City, smiling, waving, listening to small stories that had nothing to do with wars, empires, or inevitable destinies. For a few hours, his world was just that.
As I walked, I observed everything with a quiet fascination. The houses, the colors, the people laughing, the everyday sounds. I thought that one day all of this could become a small Homeworld, a point marked on other people's maps, a conquest disguised as order.
"What grand plans you have, Steven University," I thought with a touch of sarcasm, since I knew this universe would be more difficult just with his arrival.
But not yet. Not yet. And until that day came, this place remained different. He was different here. He hadn't come to repeat what other worlds had already suffered. If it had been the same, then his arrival would have been pointless.
He walked to the beach and let his bare feet touch the sand.
The warm, soft texture seeped between his toes, reminding him that he was there, present, alive. The waves broke calmly, and the sea breeze caressed his skin like a silent promise of rest. Steven smiled without realizing it.
He took off his clothes naturally, leaving only his shorts, letting his bodyized physique be admired by the girls. Clearly, there weren't any, but it didn't matter. As he undressed, his body instinctively knew how to enjoy itself without overthinking. There was no rush. No immediate danger. Only the sea awaited him.
He submerged himself without another thought. The saltwater enveloped him completely, clinging to his skin, filling him with a freshness that seemed to cleanse more than just physical exhaustion. Underwater, everything was quieter. Simpler.
Here, I didn't have to decide anyone's fate. Here, I wasn't a leader, or anything close to one on the team, to be honest. Even he didn't know what he was anymore, but it didn't matter. Here, I didn't need to carry a weapon, nor did I need an answer. I was just Steven, aka the fat jerk, floating like a turd in the toilet bowl, breathing, letting the day pass without demanding anything in return. And for the first time in a long time, that was enough.
Sigh.
"So relaxing," I said calmly as I drifted away.
Steven would be relaxed, and he was truly relaxed; there was no reason to lie to himself. He lay down on the beach after hours in the water. Thanks to his stamina, he could stay submerged for long periods, so he'd seen the occasional coral, schools of fish, and shadows moving slowly on the seabed.
Nothing dangerous. Now he sat in a beach chair, a coconut in his hands, trying to farm aura like Garnet. Damn, that Ruby really knew how to farm aura. Besides, he had the coconut he'd gotten from an island he reached through a makeshift portal.
As he filled his stomach with simple food, he watched the sky begin to darken. The sun was saying goodbye, the flowers were weeping, the trees were growing (or however you say it in Trans, I mean Sans), painting the horizon in shades of orange and violet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the day passing. Time following its course. That strange element of life, capable of being the worst enemy or the best ally.
Steven shook his head. In recent days, he'd thought and analyzed more than necessary. Too much. Although, curiously, it had been a while since he'd heard himself in the third person or felt that constant inner voice. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but since the beating he'd received, all of that had simply disappeared.
He looked at the coconut in his hands as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Just a coconut.
What kind of life would he have if he were a coconut?
He shook his head and smiled.
"Hahaha, being with the Gems is getting to me," he chuckled to himself as he finished drying off. He decided it was time to go home and take a proper bath. He felt strange, not tired like after training, but exhausted in a different, quieter way.
He walked calmly back, unable to wipe the smile off his face.
Everything was going as it should.
"I'm back," he said as he entered, immediately noticing that several Gems were gathered. The atmosphere was tense, more so than usual, but he decided not to dwell on it at that moment. He walked past them, went straight to the bathroom, and let the water relax his muscles. It wasn't the same kind of exertion as usual, but his body appreciated it nonetheless.
He calmly left the bathroom and then stopped. Now that he looked more closely, they were all there. Even Peridot and Lapis.
"What's going on? Is some strong gem coming to beat her up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he finished drying his hair.
Pearl gestured for him to sit beside her. Steven obeyed without haste and sat down calmly.
"Any missions?" he asked as he plugged his phone in to charge.
"Something like that," Garnet replied, looking at him with an unusual seriousness.
"Oh?" Steven said, taking in his surroundings. "What's going on?"
"Homeworld," Garnet said firmly.
"What?" Steven replied, surprised. "Is it coming?"
The silence lasted only a second.
"This shouldn't be happening, although seeing the changes, this was something I should have seen coming. But... as Garnet knows, will something happen in the near future? A possible future?" These were Steven's thoughts at that moment.
Garnet crossed her arms and spoke calmly, but every word carried weight.
"In my visions, the future began to fragment. It's not just one possibility, it's several overlapping ones. In all of them, there are ships arriving. Some large, some small. Let's just say this isn't friendly."
Steven leaned forward slightly, alert.
"In one vision, they're coming to inspect," Garnet continued.
"They're looking to confirm energy signals. In another, they're coming to claim territory. In yet another, they're coming for specific gems. If there were survivors, weapons, information from Era One. It's not a direct invasion... yet."
"But it's not a friendly visit either," Peridot added, clearly uncomfortable.
"That kind of fleet doesn't move out of curiosity."
"Besides, I feel like it might be my fault, since I haven't arrived or reported back to Homeworld," she added with a hint of regret.
Amethyst placed a hand on her shoulder, offering comfort.
Garnet nodded.
"The worrying thing is that not all the ships arrive at the same time. Some appear earlier, others later. That makes the future unstable. Every decision we make could advance or delay their arrival, or completely change their intentions."
Steven remained silent. His expression turned serious, but not frightened.
"In every vision," Garnet concluded, "this place ceases to be ignored."
Silence filled the room again. This time, heavier.
Steven took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second.
The day had been perfect, damn it.
And that, he thought, was almost never a good sign.
Steven instinctively brought a hand to his head.
"Damn," he said quietly as he took another deep breath. "Any news? What's the most likely outcome?"
Pearl was the first to answer, her tone making it clear they had already discussed the matter.
"We already discussed this. Most likely, only Blue Diamond will come, and she'll go to a specific location."
Steven looked up abruptly.
"Huh?" he said, clearly confused.
Garnet stared at him, her gaze unwavering.
"I need you to go in there," she said with complete seriousness.
"Do what?" Steven replied, now even more confused.
"In every possible future," Garnet continued, her voice firm and heavy, "this is the best-case scenario. But we need someone who can withstand the power of a diamond. A human."
Steven's eyes widened.
"In one of those futures, even your father went to that place," Garnet added.
"But that path is no longer clear. Now... I couldn't tell you exactly what to do once you're there. Only that you have to be there."
Steven looked at them all, silent, his eyes wide.
"This feels like the episode where Blue Diamond comes crying to Pink. No way am I letting my father get there, so it'll have to be me. I'll trust in the future, since I wouldn't know how to fix it. Besides, if fleets are already coming, and Homeworld appears in all of Garnet's visions, Peridot's reports wouldn't be enough, since sooner or later they'd ask about the Green Gem and the Perfect Gem." So she would have to make a decision.
"So what?" she finally said, trying to sound ironic even though her panic was already showing.
"Do I stay in space or what?" she added, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't worry," Peridot chimed in, joining the conversation more calmly.
"Thanks to this, Bismuth could build a ship I program, and thanks to some parts from old ships, my new-age intelligence. It's feasible. If she gets serious, she could have a decent ship in a month. And... well, we could rescue you in another two months."
Silence fell abruptly.
Steven said nothing. He just looked at each of them, as if trying to make sure they were serious. His eyes slowly scanned the room.
"It's this," Garnet finally said, her voice heavy with guilt, "or allowing Earth to be colonized."
"Forgive me, Steven," Garnet finally said as a few tears fell.
Steven slowly looked up at the ceiling.
And then he spoke, with complete sincerity.
"Damn it all... your fucking mother," he said without thinking much.
"Everything was going so well."
The pink energy began to surround him almost immediately. His form shifted, the light intensified, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
"Shit," he muttered, taking a deep breath as he forced himself to calm down. No one approached. He'd already warned them that, in that form, losing control was a real possibility.
He sighed deeply.
He looked at the gems one by one and spoke in a firm voice.
"I can do it. But at least I'm going to carry a lot... a lot of chargers in my gem."
"Huh?" Pearl said, clearly confused.
"Oh, yeah," Steven replied, still in his pink form, looking directly at her.
"I can fit things in my gem, just like you. It's just a bit harder for me."
Pearl blinked a few times, processing the information, and finally nodded silently.
The atmosphere remained tense, but one thing was clear.
Steven had already made up his mind.
"Well, I'll do it," I said finally, breaking the silence. But I raised a finger, pausing. "On one condition."
The gems looked at me intently.
"I want you to bring me food," I continued calmly.
"Food that will last a long time. I'll store it in my gem." As I spoke, I surveyed the place, as if already calculating how much I could carry and for how long I could hold out.
My gaze shifted to Leon. He was watching me intently, motionless, with that calm expression he always wore. For a moment, I remembered what he was capable of, how he could come back from things that shouldn't be undone. But I shook my head slightly. I didn't want to depend on that. I didn't want to force something like that.
I looked back at the Gems.
"I want the full plan," I said seriously.
"No half-truths. I want to know when, how, where I'm going, what they expect me to do, and what happens if something goes wrong."
The atmosphere grew even heavier. Garnet crossed her arms, Pearl straightened her posture, and Peridot already seemed to be mentally mapping things out. Lapis remained silent, watching me with an uncharacteristic intensity.
"If I'm going to walk into the lion's den," I added, "I want to know exactly how big the wolf is."
No one answered immediately. But there was no doubt in their eyes, only concern... and a hint of relief.
Steven had already agreed.
End of Chapter 69.