Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1097: Stardust

Rudy lay on his back, arms folded behind his head. The sea beneath him didn't bother to drown him. It just… held him up. Like he was a piece of driftwood it didn't mind carrying.

Fish started showing up first. Small ones, darting around his legs. Then bigger ones—a tuna, a few groupers.

He cracked one eye open and noticed a dolphin hovered nearby, tilting its head like it was curious.

"What?" Rudy mumbled, half-asleep. "Never seen a guy nap before?"

The dolphin chirped, and the fish scattered in a shimmering burst of water.

Then, a sea turtle paddled over, poked its head out of the water, and stared at him.

"What?" Rudy said, not moving.

The turtle blinked.

Rudy closed his eyes again, the waves rocking him gently. A seagull landed on his stomach, squawking loudly.

"Get off," Rudy said, not moving.

The seagull ignored him, fluffing its feathers.

"I'm not feeding you," Rudy said as he closed his eyes again.

Rudy was half-asleep, when the black card in his pocket buzzed like an angry phone. He fished it out and squinted at the glowing letters forming on its surface:

SPAIN. BARCELONA. TONIGHT. 9 PM.

"Barcelona, huh?" Rudy muttered.

Then, the card dissolved into smoke and faded away.

The seagull on his stomach squawked in protest as Rudy sat up. The dolphin nudged his leg, and the turtle blinked slowly, like it was judging him for leaving.

"Don't look at me like that," Rudy said, standing on the water like it was solid ground. "Something big is about to happen soon."

The seagull flapped away, the dolphin dove under, and the turtle gave what might've been a nod.

Rudy stretched his body, then shot into the sky, the ocean shrinking beneath him. By sunset, he hovered above Barcelona, the city's lights flickering to life.

He landed on a quiet Barcelona rooftop, the Sagrada Familia's spires glowing in the distance. His phone buzzed nonstop as it connected to network—three texts from Jessica, two from Rebecca, and a wall of messages from Erik, Alice, and Janet:

Jessica: Skipping school again? Your mom's panicking. Call her.

Rebecca: Rudy, answer me NOW. Where are you?

Erik: Bro, you ghosting us? Cafeteria's lame without you.

Alice: Miss you. I want to see you.

Janet: Ignoring texts? Rude. You owe me ice cream. Jk. Where are you? Alice seemed so down today.

Rudy smiled as he read the texts.

'I…' He pondered for a moment. 'Isn't things okay the way they are right now? What if I learn something I shouldn't have and everything changes?'

Rudy's fingers glowed faintly as he hacked the network and sent quick replies:

To Jessica: Tell Mom I'm fine. Helping a friend.

To Rebecca: Chill. I'm okay. Eat your meds. Love you.

To Erik: Busy at the moment. Let's meet up in a few hours. Will send you location later.

To Alice: Miss you more. I will be back soon. Promise.

To Janet: Double scoop. Mint chocolate. Stop whining. And you might want to watch out for me if you don't want to be love sick.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket.

"The card only mentioned the city, but not where in the city."

"Time to work," he muttered, leaping off the rooftop edge.

Rudy wandered through Barcelona's streets with his hands in his pockets, soaking in the city's vibe. He passed Gaudí's Casa Batlló, its wavy walls and colorful tiles catching his eye.

"Damn."

He then strolled down La Rambla, dodging street performers and flower stalls.

"I think I should travel the entire world once."

Before Rudy knew it, it was 9 PM.

He backtracked to Parc Güell, Gaudí's mosaic-covered park. There, tucked between twisted stone columns and candy-colored tiles, stood a small tent. It glowed faintly, runes etched into its fabric pulsing like heartbeat.

The entrance shimmered like a mirage—impossible to miss, yet somehow invisible until now.

"It's like I knew it was here," he muttered to himself.

Rudy walked up, but a tall man in a black cloak blocked his path. He spoke rapid Catalan, gesturing sharply.

Rudy didn't know what the man was trying to say, but since he was in Spain, he assumed the man was speaking spanish.

"Uh… No hablo español?" Rudy said as he shrugged his shoulders.

But the man frowned and repeated himself, even louder this time.

"I guess I need to learn spanish."

Rudy's eyes flickered blue for a split second—a flash of code, a download of every language on Earth. Suddenly, Rudy could understand the man's words.

"You're third," the man said. "A woman's already inside. Wait your turn."

Rudy leaned against a mosaic lizard statue. "Sure, no rush."

Five minutes later, the tent flap opened. A woman in a floral dress stepped out with tears streaming down her face. She clutched a glowing amulet and hurried away without a word.

'That doesn't seem good…'

The man then gestured to the next person—a middle-aged guy in a suit. He entered the tent.

Rudy checked his phone. 9:10 p.m.

Then 9:30.

Then 10:00.

"What's taking so long?" Rudy muttered. "Is she fixing his whole life or something?"

Finally, the man stumbled out at 10:15. He was pale and shaking, muttering, "Increíble…"

The cloaked guard nodded at Rudy. "Your turn."

"Finally."

Rudy stepped inside the tent—and froze. The cramped space was gone. Now he stood in the middle of space, galaxies swirling around him like liquid paint. Stars glittered like shattered diamonds, and comets streaked by in silence.

Under his feet, there was a path of stardust that led to a massive throne. It glowed faintly, made of something like cracked marble but pulsing with light. The cracks ran deep, as though lightning frozen in stone.

An old woman stood beside it. Her hair was white as moon dust, her skin wrinkled like ancient bark. Her eyes were pure black, dotted with tiny stars. She wore a simple gray robe, her hands trembling at her sides.

Rudy walked closer as the stardust crunched under his boots. "Nice setup. Is this an illusion?"

The woman didn't answer. She stared at him, her starry eyes widening in horror.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Hey," Rudy said, frowning. "You okay?"

The woman flinched, snapping out of her trance. "S-session's over," she rasped, backing toward the throne. "Come back… another time."

"Wait, what?" Rudy stepped forward. "I just got here. You didn't even—"

Rudy stopped suddenly.

'Wait… why is my body… or rather, my powers reacting to thos old woman?'