8 Chapter 8: Coming to America

July 14th, 1991

Earth - ?????????

Jacks [Infinity Castle] space.

After coming through the portal, Jack was greeted with the sight of the Dijiang Mountain Caverns.

At the northwest corner of Jacks square mile spatial dimension lay a beautiful small mountain with hundreds of entrances and exits littered across its surface. The green trees and vegetation on the mountain were gradually changing to neon and light blue colors. It took nearly a 1/4 of Jacks total space in his current dimension.

About 1,000 Dijiangs could be seen running towards the mountain while the remaining 4,000+ stayed near the fringes of the dimension, seemingly lazing about.

Before Jack could admire the sight in front of him more, he felt a nudge on his back. Looking behind him, he saw an elephant sized Stella and his shocked mother and sister admiring her and their surroundings, with looks of awe adorning their faces.

"Well, that sure was a risky get-a-way, wouldn't you say my new life partner?" Stella seemed extremely smug while overlooking her children with her nonexistant white-horned head.

"It sure was. You could've probably warned me you were stealing a literal mountain from Ta Lo." Jack said with a deadpan face through their familiar bond. Remembering the pressure from that monkey made him shudder.

"Sorry about that, but I wouldn't call it stealing. It is our home after all, but I'll be sure to tell you next time." Stella still had her regal facade up but was looking away bashfully.

"Hey, that reminds me: Stella, how did you know what a familiar bond is? My mother said that no one has ever been into the Dijiang Caverns, let alone see you. You should theoretically have very little knowledge of the outside world." Jack said quizzically.

"Hmph, that's because I'm so old I lost count of the years gone by. I'm usually in hibernation, but it's natural that I'd learn a few tidbits along the way. Once, a few thousand years ago, I was in hibernation and felt my Caverns start to rumble. Running outside, I saw the mighty Sun Wukong battle a giant red cloud. For 10 years straight, the monkey and cloud battled day and night; when finally Sun Wukong swung his staff so hard, it ground the cloud into a fraction of its original size. The monkey then ran to the cloud and demanded it sign a familiar contract with it, or it would eat it and piss it out in the morning. That valley where your mothers village is located is where Sun Wukong swung his staff." Stella seemed to be losing her regal demeanor the longer she remembers these memories. Her 12 wings on her body were shaking, and her 6 feet were jittering on the ground. Her bulbous head was lowering to the ground.

Before Jack could ask more about what happened after, he felt a resounding smack on the back of his head.

"Jack, why are you bullying the Dijiang Queen? Look how pitiful she is," Ying Li started to coo while going over to comfort the elephant sized Stella, rubbing her beautiful white fur soothingly. Stella seemed to calm down under her touch and regained her regal demeanor.

"Awww, bootiful bear, please don't be sad," Xu Xialing was tearing up while hugging one of Stellas' six legs.

While Jack and Stella were conversing over their familiar bond, Ying Li and Xu Xialing only saw Jack staring intensely at Stella and then her starting to cower with sad chirps. Seeing the pitiful sight before them, they had to act. Running over to the pitiful fluffy creature, they sank into her white fur.

Looking at the sight before him, Jack was depressed. "The hell. I was just talking to Stella," Jack thought while rubbing the back of his head.

"Jack, please explain what in the hell just happened? Please and thank you." His mother said with a smiling face and closed eyes while still rubbing her hands through Stellas fur.

"Err..." Thinking of where to begin, he started from when he signed a familiar contract and why. He explained that the Dijiangs were running out of food and they could only survive in his dimension. Then he started to explain why Stella was scared, but was cut off when Stella let out a chirp, interrupting him.

"Ahem- Jack, I don't think I was looking scared. I think I was just cold and shivering; it's a natural response. After all, it is pretty cold in here, and I haven't changed homes in a long time. Please relay my words to your kind mother." Stella seemed to explain regally. Jack would almost believe it, too. If he didn't know, it was a lie through their familiar bond.

Giving her a look that said he wasn't buying her shit, Stella turned her bulbous head in another direction. Jack also found this humorous as he knows the [Aberrant Anatomy] gives her and himself a 360° vision.

"Jack, I'm extremely proud of you, but please don't get into such dangerous situations with your sister around. I felt that spiritual pressure, and I knew we were in danger." Ying Li explained calmly with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Shit," Jack exclaimed under his breath. He didn't even realize how much danger his family could have been in. Stella also seemed downtrodden with Ying Li's words.

"I'm sorry, Mother, I'll be more careful next time. I promise you," Jack said with utmost seriousness. He realized that he's been high on his new superpowers and physique. Being strapped to an IV and being bed-bound for the last 5 years of his first life, Jack was jubilant to be young and spry again, and that ultimately made him careless, he thought.

"It's okay, son. I just want you to be careful," Ying Li said caringly while putting her hand on his shoulder.

The family of three spent another few hours getting acquainted with Stella and her cavern home. Deciding it was time to go home before Xu Wenwu got worried, Jack brought them to his initial football field sized stretch of land. Seeing the door to his bedroom, he pushed it open and let his tired sister and mother through first. Before Jack could follow them, Stella stopped him.

"Jack, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about endangering your family with what I did," Stella said while her head was facing towards the ground.

Jack approached her and started to stroke her lowered head.

"Stella, don't worry about it. It's like you said, now that we're lifelong partners, those Dijiangs are as much my family as they are yours; you made the right decision saving your children, and I'll never blame you for that. Maybe just wait until the squishy mortals are off the scene before we do something like that again in the future. Plus, they're not just my family anymore. They're yours too," Jack said in a comforting tone; reminiscent of when he read his daughters bedtime stories in the past.

"Muuu," Stella let out a satisfied hum while pushing her giant head into Jacks palm. After a few pets, he decided it was time to go. Getting up and turning away, Stella interrupted him once more.

"Jack, can I come with? I haven't really explored much," Stella said while twiddling her wing tips together.

Looking at his small bedroom door and then at the elephant sized Stella, he realized he'd probably have to exit and make an ice door on the other side to fit Stella through.

Before he could ponder on that more, Stella started to shrink down to the size of a large jungle cat.

"This is as small as I can go," Stella said proudly.

"Er, well, let's introduce you to the rest of the family then," Jack said happily after getting over his surprise at her unexpected skill. He'll have to look at those later, he thought.

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July 21st, 1991

Earth - ?????????

Xu Family Compound.

A week has gone by since Jack has introduced Stella to the rest of his family. It's safe to say the Stella has become the favorite of the household. She can usually be found in the lap of Jack receiving a massage, giving rides for Xu Xialing, or she can be found on the lap of Ying Li watching Chinese dramas. Her giant jungle-cat sized body was extremely comfortable to pet and cuddle.

After two weeks of waiting for his papers to arrive, they finally did. Xu Wenwu called Jack into his office and had him sit down. He then displayed papers that had him shocked. He expected just to get a travel visa, but his father had gotten him an entire American citizenship, passport, social security number, and birth certificate. Xu Wenwu got a whole dual-citizenship plus more for Jack in a matter of weeks through his connections.

"Through our lessons, you should know what these are, my son. I had one of my contacts in America get you these," Xu Wenwu said seriously.

"Yes, father, I understand their significance. Thank you for the trouble. Although, why didn't you just get me a travel visa?," Jack asked curiously.

"Because a travel visa will expire, and you speak and look white enough to pass off as an American already. You won't get deported for silly crimes either," Xu Wenwu said with a fatherly smile, while also thinking why his 7 year old son sounds like an old man in the way he talks.

"Must be the training and private lessons," he thought while scratching his chin.

Jack just gave an awkward laugh at his adoptive fathers reasons.

"You'll leave tomorrow. I already bought a place for you, and you can train with Death Dealer during the weekdays and come back home on the weekends for continued tutoring. Although your strength and reaction time now far surpasses his, he can still train you in staff techniques and other fighting styles," Xu Wenwu explained to Jack.

After agreeing with his father, Jack spent the rest of the night with his family and Stella, making sure he got some quality time in with them before he starts the inevitable grind.

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July 22nd, 1991

Earth - ?????????

Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Waking up the next morning, Jack was initially offered a private plane ride by his father to the US, but decided it would be best to be seen as little as possible with his fathers subordinates while in America; especially in an airport where they have facial recognition technology. With that in mind, he got a plane ticket in first class to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he'll be picked up by one of his fathers drivers once he arrives.

Although he argued against it and wanted to hail a taxi, neither of his parents agreed to have their 7 year old pretty boy son hail down a taxi in New York alone.

Ying Li wanted to drop everything and go with Jack, but Jack was honestly sick of being babied by his mother as a 93 year old soul. Don't get him wrong. He loves her with all his heart, but she can be a bit overprotective; especially since he killed all those people. He needed space to train.

Arguing that he's going on a training journey and having his mother tag along would kill his determination, they finally relented. Although his mother will still drive him to the airport and escort him to the loading gate on her insistence.

After a tearful goodbye with his family and Stella going back into the [Infinity Castle] space under Xialings wails, Ying Li and Jack set off in their familys sedan.

Finally arriving at the airport, Ying Li parked out front in the drop-off area. Looking at the stream of people flooding in and out of the airport, Ying Li couldn't help but worry about her son. Getting out of the car with Jack, she wasn't expecting the reaction of the people around her towards her son.

As soon as he took a step out of the vehicle, the Chinese women from basically every age group let out "awws" and "waaas". Jack was starting to have a crowd form around him with people wanting to take pictures on their shitty cameras.

At first, he was surprised with the attention, but he quickly sobered up and shot a vain and cocky look towards his mother.

Jack let out a laugh with an upturned nose and said, "Mother, I think I'll do just fine in America. Look how the peasants bow to their king," in a lost Ta Lo dialect, so the people around him couldn't understand what he was saying.

Ying Li couldn't help but let out a laugh seeing Jack surrounded by adoring girls while looking smug. Finally, Ying Li managed to get to the boarding gate just in time before takeoff. Making sure he was all tidied up, she kissed both his cheeks and entrusted him with the fawning female flight attendant.

After hours of flying, Jack was finally jostled awake by the flight attendant. Looking out at the city of New York before him, he couldn't help but reminisce his days as a father and author. Leaving the plane under the guide of the flight attendant, he was brought to a waiting area where a blonde white man in a black suit with aviators was holding up a sign that read, "Jack Frost."

Jack thanked the flight attendant and then made his way towards his driver.

"Hello, you must be Jack Frost. My name is David Randall, and I'm a driver under your fathers payroll. I'll drive you to the property your father had prepared for you. Let me know if you need anything," the amiable man explained.

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you," Jack said in relief. He's just glad his father didn't send some noteworthy supervillian to escort him.

After following the man out, the man opened the backdoor to an all black Bentley Continental. Sitting in the back during the ride, Jack was just admiring the scenery while thinking of his upcoming life. After a 20-minute drive, Jack was shaken out his thoughts when his driver said they had arrived.

Looking out his window, he saw a giant skyscraper sat right on the bank of New Yorks East River. Asking where they were, he found out they were in Long Island City in the residential areas.

"So, what floor did dad buy my apartment on?," Jack asked while admiring the gleaming modern skyscraper that had a perfect view of the Empire State Building and Central Park across the river.

"Floor? This whole building is yours, Mr. Frost. Your father said the deed will be transferred to you when you come of age," David explained to the white-haired youth.

"The fuck..." Jack said while looking at his new home in shock.