Multiverse Stories (Multicross: DC, DXD, Marvel, ETC,)

(Gale POV)

For what felt like a few minutes, I simply sat there in silence as my father kept his left arm over my left shoulder, and we sat in my room in silence.

It wasn't exactly very comfortable silence, mind you, but he didn't seem angry.

"Zatanna was wondering where you went. You missed dinner." As he turned towards me, and I towards him, I wondered what I should say.

"I was checking on her… It's a bit rough for all of us, but you know me. I like to have things in sight." Zatara simply chuckled with a small bit of amusement.

"And does keeping an eye on things include jumping out of a two-story house, running multiple blocks, and somehow making it back in under a few hours? Haaa… I am not angry. I understand you miss her. We all do, but you are still young, my son. You don't need to worry about these things." That's the exact opposite thing you want to say to your child, but I can understand where he's coming from.

Looking away, I grabbed a picture of the four of us having a picnic in Central Park. Handing it over to Father, he holds it gently as if holding something priceless.

"You know, your mother didn't think you would be willing to go out with us, seeing that you almost live in our library when you're not working on your physical exercises or homework. I did not realize I was raising a shut-in." Raising an eyebrow, I simply sigh in exasperation. I definitely have been giving off that energy these past couple of years.

"Knowledge is power, Father, but I don't think I have to say this to you, given your profession… Besides, everyone has their hobbies. I just really enjoy mine but even I know that family time takes precedence over that." Zatara looks at me in an almost solemn way as he hands the picture back to me.

"I know I have been busy as of late with my shows and my work, as well as teaching your sister. For that, I apologize…" Before he can say more, I stand up and place my hands on his shoulders, which is due to the fact that, since he was still sitting on the bed, I could actually reach.

"I get it, Dad… I get it… It's OK. I know why you don't teach me, and I know why you teach her. You want her to be prepared, and you don't want me to feel left out. I heard you talking to Mr. Nelson about it a couple of years ago." As my father's eyes widen slightly in surprise, he looks down in almost disappointment.

Kneeling down, I look at him directly in his green eyes with my own. "We all have our gifts. I was just unlucky… But who knows, I might just be a really late bloomer. Is there such a thing as magic puberty?" The last part causes him to laugh ever so slightly, as to not wake up my sister.

He then sits back up and brings me into another embrace as I do the same.

"You have no idea how much pride it brings me to hear you say that. You're so young yet so mature. I was afraid that you would come to despise your sister and me for not having the potential. And for what it's worth, I apologize for how Mr. Nelson refuses to meet you. Even I do not know why he's so hesitant…" As he lets me go, I mentally roll my eyes at the thought that it may be due to the fact that I may have some demonic blood due to the Hand of the Devil perk, and given the nature of devils, he probably is trying to understand how one came about from this family lineage.

[+100 CP Milestone]

[200 CP Remaining]

Ignoring the mental message from the book, my father then stands up as he looks around my room and nods in satisfaction.

"By the way, son, I applaud you for keeping your room clean. Your sister isn't exactly disciplined when it comes to this…" Trying to suppress my laughter, I recall the fact that my sister isn't great at organization. The room itself is very minimalistic in comparison to my father's study and even my own sister's room.

Even in my previous life, I didn't really need much. Just a bed, a place to put all the books, and a desk to get all the work done. There is a miniature treadmill and a punching bag as well, but those are tucked in a corner of the room. The punching bag itself is covered with a tarp so they don't see the holes.

For a few moments, it looks as if Zatara is thinking about something, but after a few moments, he heads towards the door.

"I need to leave as I have a meeting with Kent Nelson. I shall be back by tomorrow. However, I am afraid that I will not be able to cook you breakfast. There is cereal in the cupboard, and the fridge is stocked. Try not to sneak out again. I am not a fan of being a helicopter parent, but I do not trust you in this city after dark, especially these days." That's a given. You can't go a day these days without hearing about some Meta-human or some tragedy. From Gotham to Metropolis, if it's not some kind of alien tech or supernatural anomaly, it doesn't seem to make the evening news.

It's why I read the paper most of the time, as it shows the street-level problems. It helps to keep me grounded. Soon enough, after another small hug, he leaves. While I take a breath in relief, however, I believe this is the perfect time to test that cooking perk I got.

And after waiting for my father to leave, I see him disappear in a puff of smoke like he was leaving the stage, so to speak. Soon enough, my hands get to work before I could even think about what to do next.

However, the more I worked on the meal, the more a mental dial appeared in my head, which I assume is related to how good I want to make the food. I decide to go around 30%, which is around the level of a five-star restaurant, but that's a given.

My hands begin to fly across the ingredients, from eggs to the very spices to the meats. I make sure to vent the room so my sister doesn't wake up after smelling the smells. And after around 30 minutes, I have prepared two English breakfasts. And after placing them both in the fridge, while covering them in some wrap, I wonder how my sister will react to the food.

For now, I return to my room and continue practicing my magecraft. I have made decent strides in it, as I am able to regularly use mental partitioning. However, I've only managed to create two rooms so far, so I can have three trains of thought all at once. However, after around a couple of hours, it begins to strain my mind. Reinforcement and structural analysis are getting along fine, as other than biological materials, I have made great strides in accessing higher-level information.

In terms of my hunter ranking, I'm still sitting at B+ to a low A- in terms of mana level. I believe that's due to the fact that I haven't really gotten into much conflict. From how I understood, the Solo Leveling universe operates on a fighting-to-improve type system, at least when it comes to the main character.

Since I haven't had any intense battles, it's lessening my improvement.

[+100 CP Milestone]

[300 CP Remaining]

The book seems to be more active today than it has been in a while. As I see the book float in front of me, I mentally pull it towards me. And as I keep it in my hands, I find that it feels warmer, which is strange… But for now, I send a mental note of thanks, as out of everything I could've gotten, it gave me one of the few things that could've helped.

"I want to say I never doubted you, but that would be a lie. Thank you for always helping me." Whispering to it in as quiet a tone as I could, I feel an almost ping of contentment. And while I am tempted to use it further, I simply shut the book and hold it close as I rest for the night.

(The Next Day)

Waking up, I immediately begin my morning exercises, which include the classic hundred push-ups, hundred sit-ups, and various other things. Truly, having a body meant to be used during the age of gods, even its ending, is amazing, as these days I usually have to increase my weights just to feel any form of exertion.

Soon enough, I finish, and after getting out of the shower, I walk over to my sister's room and see that it's still closed, meaning that she's still asleep. After knocking a couple of times and getting a groan of frustration in return, I yell inside.

"I made breakfast, so if you want it, I'm gonna be taking it out of the fridge. And Z, do not use your magic to teleport it out of the fridge. I will know." Another groan of frustration as I begin to hear shuffling inside of the room. Our school day starts at 6:45, and the bus usually shows up around 6:15. Soon enough, at around 5:45, I see my sister yawning and walking over to the table where I placed her breakfast.

"Morning… How are you able to wake up with so much energy at such an unholy hour? Especially with your morning routine…" I simply shrug, and as she sits down, she looks to what I made and back to me in what seems to be surprise.

"You made this? I thought all you knew how to do was exercise and read." Snorting, I hand her silverware, and after thanking me, she takes a piece of her scrambled eggs into her mouth.

And to say she lit up like a Christmas tree is an understatement, and without saying a word, she begins to devour the food as if someone was trying to steal it from her.

I simply eat, and even I am impressed by my own skills. While my sister gobbled hers down, I enjoyed every second, mentally sending another thanks to the book. I used to have to survive off instant ramen and fast food, as I rarely had the time to make my own meals. Yet now, I am allowed to enjoy myself.

After cleaning off my plate, I look to see my sister seeming as if she has lost all purpose in life after realizing she has eaten all her food. After looking my way, seeming as if she was going to cry, I open the fridge and grab the second plate I made. And after heating it up, I hand it to her as she looks at me as if I was some kind of god. And after taking her first bite, I enjoy watching her eat my food.

It's small moments like these that remind me that this is my second chance, and I'm not going to waste it. And as I look to the daily newspaper, I see that more heroes are rising by the day, from Captain Marvel to Black Canary. Also, sorry Mom, I think my sister likes my cooking more than yours, especially with the look she's giving me now.

(Age: 12) (Year: 2008)

[+100 CP Achievement: Happy Birthday]

[+100 CP Milestone]

[500 CP Remaining]

Holding my mother as she does her daily physical therapy, she looks at me in both concern and thanks.

"You know, kids your age should be spending time with their friends, not helping their parents do their physical exercises." I simply shake my head.

"Friends come and go; family is forever." The statement gives her some pause as she smiles.

It's been a couple of months since she was able to leave the hospital. Even with the elixir healing her, I had to use at least two of them out of the four I got. Even then, it's not a complete cure in the sense that it doesn't restore her previous physical state. She still needs to attend various medical appointments as well as making sure to constantly exercise and eat healthily.

While I know it won't come back, the doctors do not. Even then, they're baffled at how the cancer just suddenly went into remission. The elixir itself took a few weeks to show visible signs, and to see the tears on my father and my sister's faces as they hugged her upon hearing the news made me feel all the better.

Thankfully, we had some exercise equipment to use—or in this case, they just borrowed the ones I used. But to be honest, I am beginning to realize that normal exercise equipment isn't going to cut it. Even now, I can lift over 400 pounds without reinforcement, nor do I even have to use the physical benefits of my mana.

Besides, helping my mother recover gives me an excuse not to interact with my classmates. Even now, I can barely remember any of their names. And while that may seem a bit mean-spirited, I knew that I would eventually outgrow them. It's just the process of moving on.

But I'm not gonna call them all extras like a certain angry Pomeranian. For now, I help her to get up as we are about to head out for a daily jog.

It's just the two of us in the house now, as Zatara has taken my sister out to tour with him, as he has once again increased her training. Thankfully, they are able to come back once or twice a week, given the fact that they can teleport. However, they can only do it when they're on the East Coast. Anything farther than that, and even for them, it gets difficult.

It's almost hard to believe that my father is now almost an official member of the Justice League. None of the other members have visited the house in New York City yet, but my father sometimes comes home with stories on some of his fights, which now include beings like Wotan and Felix Faust. It seems like he hasn't met a certain witch boy yet, which I hope remains that way. If there's any being that can pose a threat to me, it's that boy and his cat.

But for now, I focus on the smaller things, and as I look to see my recovering mother excitedly getting ready to go on a run, I remind myself that a wizard must learn magic while also living.

(Age: 13) (Year: 2009)

[+100 CP Achievement]

[600 CP Remaining]

Hard to believe there's only a year and a half left before the shit show begins. But to be honest, there's also another problem. And this might be incredibly vain, but I am beginning to look too good.

The multiple beauty perks are beginning to take their hold. It's nothing major yet, but trying to go anywhere where there are females is beginning to get awkward. Not to mention the house. The amount of times I've had my cheeks pulled and been cooed over is getting ridiculous now.

Might need to use some basic alchemy to create some kind of facial mask—something skin-tight. It's almost funny how I never imagined that I would look good enough to actually consider this. Although it's a bit odd, as my physical development is definitely more accelerated than it was in my previous life… among other things. I blame the Hand of the Devil perk.

[+100 CP Milestone]

[700 CP Remaining]

The book is becoming more active by the day, almost vibrating with excitement. Although to be honest, I am beginning to share the sentiment. Or maybe I'm just nervous.

(Age: 14) (Year: 2010)

[+100 CP Achievement: Happy Birthday]

[800 CP Remaining]

One month… One month until the sidekicks form their junior Justice League.

It's a rainy day, with thunder and lightning pouring out in droves… Standing on top of the house, I sit and wait. I can feel each and every lightning bolt forming in those clouds. Around me, I have projected dozens of swords and spears. In addition to reinforcing every aspect of my body continuously and endlessly.

The swords then begin to move, attempting to try to stab me, in which they are then sent through square-like portals before they're able to hit me. Again and again, the swords and spears try to strike me over and over again, but thanks to my displacement spells, nothing can get through.

Lightning begins to gather around as the swords and spears I have are acting as lightning rods, and as soon as lightning strikes the weapons that I have floating in the sky, I grab it and hold it in my hands before throwing it back into the sky.

Taking a breath, I continue to use reinforcement, but in a new way. About half a year ago, I realized that I could simply reinforce my own body weight. So I have essentially allowed myself to create extra weight on my body. But due to the fact that the weight I need is higher than what my house can support, I usually have to head up to the roof or head over to nearby parks to train.

Looking over to the book, I continue to dodge the various swords and spears. I direct my way dozens of portals open and close as I control each and every sword and spear. The only reason I can do this is through using basic electromagnetism. Thankfully, my control over lightning, thanks to my hunter awakening, allows me to manipulate metals as well as conjure lightning. I still have yet to master any advanced techniques due to the amount of things I've had to study, but I believe I've made good progress.

I'm still waiting to be able to hear technology through my control over lightning, but that's a ways away. The hardest part about this training is actually making sure none of the swords and spears hit the ground, as I do not want to explain how the roof got damaged.

There is one thing that is on my mind, however, and it's one person in particular.

One of, if not the luckiest/unluckiest man in the Multiverse… John Constantine. A few days ago, he visited my father in order to gain some information on some sort of demonic cult active within the city. And the fact that the guy just showed up out of nowhere without any of the alerts going off shows the man's skill with magic.

Thankfully, I was at school along with my sister. However, using the camera footage from inside the kitchen, there was no mistaking that look as well as the voice.

To be honest, I didn't know he was even active in this universe, which may or may not prove that some things could be slightly different than what I expect. However, for now, all I can do is prepare.

I also need to begin work on creating a costume, and sadly, I'm unable to create Mystic Codes due to not having any information on them. But ironically enough, the Shoujo Prince perk has actually increased my skills in various forms of artistry, which includes sewing.

Which has definitely helped, as sometimes my father would need me to repair his suits for the various shows he puts on when he's feeling a bit lazy and doesn't want to use magic to repair them.

Yet, as I look towards the stormy sky, I see the book floating above me.

(OK boys and girls, the next chapter we're gonna be getting into the story. Also, feel free to send pictures of my character's future costumes. I am always willing to accept recommendations.)