A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 1016: I Didnʼt Catch Your Name

Archer watched the young men leave the park as he returned to the coffee stand, where the people gazed at him before returning to their business. While waiting, his phone pinged as Alisha texted him, making him smile. [Hey Arch! What are you up to?] She said as the smell of nature hit his nose. ʼI forgot about her,ʼ he internally laughed. ʼAt least I still have to go to London to see Lex.ʼ Following that, he replied. [Just in New York with my women to escape the horrible London weather. Weʼre exploring the city and trying the street food. What about you?]

Once Archer sent the text, he noticed the queue was growing smaller, and the smell of coffee hit his nose just as Alisha replied. [That sounds good. I wish I could join you, but I have work in the morning. But I have to ask when can I see you again?]

He smiled when he saw this, and the two of them continued texting until Archer arrived at the front of the queue as this part of the park quietened. Thatʼs when the beautiful, tanned woman smiled as she spoke in a friendly tone, ”How can I help you, young man?” ”Can I have a hot chocolate, please?” he responded with a charming smile, which darkened the womanʼs cheeks. ʼMy charisma is definitely useful on this world,ʼ Archer thought while the woman started making his hot drink.

Five minutes later, she slid the styrofoam cup across the counter, but he quickly noticed she put her name and number on the cup, which caused him to look up as she commented, ”I get off in an hour. Would you like to go on a walk?”

Archer smiled before replying, ”I will wait on a nearby bench. Iʼve got some free time, and itʼs nice to meet you, Bel.”

The woman nodded as he walked toward a nearby bench and relaxed while sipping the sweet, hot drink. Archer watched as people passed by and went about their lives while other groups of young men appeared. ʼWhat is it with all the gangs milling around? Itʼs like theyʼre waiting for something,ʼ he thought as his curiosity grew.

While sitting on the bench, Archer sent Ashoka a message, only to receive that they were still trying on their clothes and gossiping. When he heard this, he informed the tiger woman about Bel, which she found amusing. [Have fun, husband. I love you so much]

Archerʼs smile grew wider when he received that, and he quickly replied, [I love you too, my tiger wife]

Then, time flew by quickly as he continued to people-watch while drinking his hot chocolate before tucking into several hotdogs. Archer loved the food. Shortly after that, he slumped on the bench and relaxed while waiting for Bel as she continued to work.

By the time the older woman was done, the weather worsened, causing her to wrap a thick coat around her curvy figure. Archer looked up and noticed the young men were getting closer as they watched Bel approach him. ʼHere we go, now I will have to get violent to scare them off,ʼ he mused while glancing at the groups.

As the sun-kissed beauty approached, her warm smile and rich Latino accent instantly captured his attention. ”Thanks for waiting, handsome,” she said playfully. ”I didnʼt catch your name?” ”Iʼm Archer Wyldheart,” he introduced himself while standing up. ”I love your accent, by the way. Where are you from?”

A worried expression crossed Belʼs pretty face when he finished speaking, and she replied, ”Iʼm from Brazil. Will that be an issue?”

Archer shook his head, ”I genuinely love your accent and think youʼre drop-dead gorgeous.”

The older woman beamed as she questioned, ”Where do you come from? You donʼt seem American.” ”Iʼm not, but you could say Iʼm from the Nordic countries,” Archer replied with a grin as Bel slipped her arm through his.

Together, they began walking side by side through Central Park as Bel looked at him with glowing green eyes, ”What do you do for work, Archer? I recently started working at the coffee stand as I have bills and a child to look after.”

He nodded in understanding before replying, ”The US Government contracts me to deal with odd stuff here and there.”ʼ

Bel nodded with a smile as they passed over a stone bridge. She looked behind them and went stiff. The Brazilian woman tightened her grip on his arm while whispering, ”Archer. The local gang has surrounded us.” ”Donʼt worry, just donʼt scream when you see what happens,” he replied calmly, catching the woman off guard.

A young man stepped forward, his gaze raking over Bel with a sneer. His voice dripped with venom as he said, ”Well, well, if it isnʼt the pretty boy trying to charm one of our Latino sisters. That kind of behavior isnʼt welcome here and wonʼt be tolerated.”

Archer glanced down at the short gang members and began to laugh, his violet eyes gleaming with amusement. ”Let me show you why itʼs a bad idea to mess with strangers,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

Turning to Bel, he added, ”Things are about to get... bloody. Just be careful and try not to hate me too much.”

She nodded with a concerned expression as Archer stepped forward and quickly grabbed the gang member by the face while looking at the others, ”You humans disgust me; you prey on the weak and people who canʼt fight back, but once faced with a monster worse than yourselves you will flee.”

After speaking, Archer crushed the young manʼs skull, causing a crunch to ring out, which sickened everyone. Following that, he used Blink to attack the other people who tried to flee, but he killed all but one.

Blood covered the stone pathway, causing him to sigh and cast Cleanse over the area, which cleaned everything up. Once Archer was done, he stored all the corpses in his Item Box before turning to the lone survivor.

A young woman was on her behind, trembling as Archer stood over her, covered in blood and an evil smile as he spoke in an amused tone, ”Warn the other gangs that if they mess with me,

I will murder every one of you until no criminals reside in New York.”

Archer crouched down before concluding, ”Do you understand woman?”

She quickly nodded, which made him smile as he waved her away. Once the female gang member was gone, he turned back to Bel, who was looking at him with a wild expression, which took him by surprise. ʼDid she like the violence?ʼ he thought.

Archer approached the Brazilian woman and spoke in an apologetic voice, ”Sorry for showing you something so horrible, but I hate gang members as they are a cancer to society.” When he finished speaking, Bel beamed as she revealed, ”Seeing you killing those bad people was so cool, Arch! How are you so strong, and why did you keep calling them humans? That was strange.” ʼSheʼs not horrified?ʼ Archer thought with confusion.

He shook his head before revealing, ”Letʼs just say Iʼve had a different life compared to regular people, and itʼs shaped my view on stuff like crime, which shouldnʼt be tolerated.”

Bel giggled and teased, ”Letʼs keep moving before we attract more troublemakers. And you still havenʼt answered my question.”

As they walked, Archer skillfully sidestepped the query. We dropped the subject with a charming smile and said, ”Would you mind walking me home? I live in Harlem, and itʼs been getting dangerous lately.” ”Of course,” he replied, and the two continued heading north together.

As they walked and chatted, Archer learned that Bel, her daughter, and her parents had moved to the States seeking a better life after securing their visas. He was impressed that the entire family, including Belʼs sixteen-year-old daughter, was hard at work.

He was taken aback when Bel mentioned she was forty-five, though she looked barely twenty-five. Noticing his surprise, she turned on the charm, especially when she realized he had a soft spot for older women.

When Archer saw this, he chuckled before revealing as they waited to cross the road, ”You can continue flirting, but I need to warn you that Iʼm with multiple women, and if you canʼt accept that, we should go our own way.”

Bel went still and stared at him for a couple of minutes, making him feel like she could see through his disguise before she started speaking, ”So youʼre a playboy who breaks womenʼs hearts?” ”No,” Archer said, shaking his head. ”I only sleep with women I genuinely care about and share feelings with.”

Her expression shifted to disgust as she asked, ”Youʼre in an open relationship?” Archer laughed, the idea amusing him. His eyes, however, gleamed with a possessive intensity as he replied, ”No. My partners arenʼt allowed to be with anyone else. If that happens, weʼre done.”ʼ

Bel suddenly smiled and teased, ”So, youʼre a hypocrite?” ”Yes, and Iʼm proud to admit it,” Archer laughed.

Her expression shifted to one of concern as she asked, ”So you donʼt mind being with a leftover woman that no one else wants?” [Drop some powerstones, comments, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the support you can give]