Mysterious Fragment: “Do you like it? This...This is your new path. This unfathomable energy that surpasses even the divine energy mere Gods can muster. I can vouch for fate itself when I tell you this: don't reject it. With this 'path' in front of you, no matter what you choose to do in life: everything will go a lot smoother.”

Noel/Tyler: “Why me?”

Mysterious Fragment: “Didn't you already hear earlier? You perfectly synchronized with the 'me' inside of this fragment. I am but a mere speck-sized fragment of a being so incredibly powerful...well...hahaha, you humans don't actually have the capability to 'quantify' such a being's strength. Let's just say even this fragment, no more than a microbe to my true form, contains enough power to level a few universes. Yes~ we can leave it at that. Mhm!”

{That...That sounds so dumb. Does he honestly expect me to believe it can blow up multiple universes when it barely had enough power to eradicate a few thousand humans...and even that took more than an hour?}

Mysterious Fragment: “Hmmm, it seems I'm being underestimated~ Well, no matter. You will come to learn with time. I will grant you one form only, for succeeding in your first connection with me. The destructive touch. Connect with this void and allow the-“

Noel/Tyler: “Wait wait! You...you heard? My...thoughts?”

Mysterious Fragment: “Well, yes. We are connected now. I have fused my energy with your soul codings...Ah! That reminds me: Good job you all. Go back to the human reincarnation cycle and reincarnate. Sorry I ended up squeezing more out of them than usual, but the race you created here isn't that strong. So blame yourself for creating them '*#@^'

With a thought, twenty-three thousand energy clumps flew off in an uncertain direction...leaving a dumbfounded Noel even more confused at what's going on.

Noel/Tyler: “Were those...the souls?”

Mysterious Fragment: “Yes, they were. Quite quick on the uptake, aren't you?

...That's sarcasm, by the way.”

Noel/Tyler: “What are soul codings?”

Mysterious Fragment: “The 'DNA' that makes up your soul.”

Noel/Tyler: “...Are you a God? You speak like your power...this energy stuff, is stronger than Gods...”

Mysterious Fragment: “AHAHAHAHAHA! Please, don't spout such tasteless jokes so easily, young Noel. There is a specific 'system' even your mortals know about. A “hierarchy” of sorts. Without getting into detail on things that don't concern you at the moment...Mortals don't even qualify to make the list unless they reach a certain level of 'ability' and 'Gods' are all at the bottom of the list, quite a few levels above them. Such a thing is not bad. Making the list is only for the truly powerful: but being at the bottom means they're usually only in charge of single planets, a cluster of planets, a universe, or a set of universes, commonly called a “multiverse”. Some 'Gods' are placed in charge of special dimensions or areas, like special planes of existence, 'paraverses', time dimensions or 'Void Realms', but their duties, although varied, mainly revolve around care-taking for the various territories under them. Such as creating life or taking it away.

Anyways you said something interesting there! This 'power' as you refer to it...is what I like to call 'origin' energy. It is called that because it's the literal source of ALL existence: no matter if you are a mortal or a God, everything originates from the same energy source. There is a saying about the very first three beings in all of existence: one created itself from origin energy, then used that very same energy to create the other two. There are three main 'paths' to follow on the 'Path of obtaining 'Origin' energy, based around these three beings:

The Path of Creation and Order.

The Balanced Path.

The Path of Chaos and Destruction~

Can you guess which path I follow? Uhuhuhu~”

Noel/Tyler: “I'm...I'm going to guess the balanced pat-”

Mysterious Fragment: “You're doing that on purpose aren't you?! BLACK ENERGY THAT DESTROYS ANYTHING IT TOUCHES, DISINTEGRATING PEOPLE WITHOUT LEAVING A TRACE BEHIND. What part of that looks balanced?!”

Noel/Tyler: “But I don't wanna become evil!”

Mysterious Fragment: "Think of it in any way you wish, but remember! Everything about this world is merely a figment of whatever you make it out to be. 'Evil' is a concept of unaccepted rules by you humans. 'Good' is the reverse. Who said destroying things would be 'evil'? Is it because it's easy to 'destroy' stuff, when utilizing this origin energy I'm infusing you with?"

Noel/Tyler: “...Maybe? I...I don't wanna kill anymore. After today...I don't ever want to-”

Mysterious Fragment: “Then don't kill.”

Noel/Tyler: “...What?”

Mysterious Fragment: “Aren't you overthinking things just a bit? If you want to kill someone, then kill them. If you don't want to, then don't kill. Rules? Follow them if you want, don't follow them if you don't wish to. One of the chaos origin's 'paths' is to just do what you truly want to do. Live the way you want. Freedom can be a form of chaos as well~”

Noel/Tyler: “You make it sound so easy...What about the 'heroes'? We humans have 'laws to keep trouble out. And...And, people don't like killers...”

Mysterious Fragment: “Do you want to be liked?”

Noel/Tyler: “I don't know...I've never really met outsiders before except when I had to kill somebody.”

Mysterious Fragment: “Then that's step 1, isn't it?! First, meet people, then decide how you wish to live. My path values power and freedom over order, after all. Well, to an extent.”

Noel/Tyler: “Well, what about superheroes? There are probably some who don't like my family and-”

Mysterious Fragment: “BAH! Wait a few years. When I've prepared you to take your first step down you're own path of origin...You will find that very few 'mortals' can contend with your prowess, let alone a few 'heroes' hahaha. So, Noel. Do you accept my guidance and vow to inherit my path?”

Noel/Tyler: “...I...I don't know. You said a lot but, basically...what's in it for you if I say yes? What's in it for me? My Malierano Family can already get any power we want, probably. Even if we can't get this one...How can I know it's safe or even necessary?”

Mysterious Fragment: “Necessary? That's a confusing question...and can how I even lie to you without you knowing about it now that we're fused? I'll say it straight then: I wanted a successor. There's a specific 'game' going on between my true self and others at my level and our 100 fragment bearers. This competition of ours can't begin until all 100 fragments have been accepted into the souls of willing participants. You aren't permitted to know about this game yet, but don't worry, there's no permanent risk to you whatsoever. We can talk about how you benefit from this after you accept the fragment.”

Noel/Tyler: “Why me though? Professor Watts said there was another candidate...that Xano kid? Why not him then?”

Mysterious Fragment: “You were closer.”

Noel/Tyler: “...”

Mysterious Fragment: “Just kidding. Heheh. I've said this already. You perfectly synchronized with my fragment. That means even though that Xano kid may've synchronized with the 'Chaos' half or the 'Destruction' half...YOU synchronized with BOTH halves! That's incredibly rare! Who cares if you're a weak human?!? Some training can fix that no problem. Remember: Everything that I can offer you, is only useful if you USE it properly. You decide what to do with the origin energy I will teach you to gather.”

Noel/Tyler: “Will I lose this...origin energy if you separate from me?”

Mysterious Fragment: “No. If by some magical chance I'm called back then no, the origin energy I strengthened your soul with was a process called 'Origin Baptism'. Basically I tempered your soul with Origin Energy until you became one with it. It's a process only somebody at my level can force upon with weak races like yourselves. Your body will be next, but not until you're a bit older.“

Noel/Tyler: “So...there's no drawback? I still don't like that you killed those people...”

Mysterious Fragment: “Deal with it kiddo. I asked that thing, Watts, to bring me 20,000 humans ready to die. I had no knowledge on how he procured them. If they were people you knew I'd apologize, but...I can read through your memories and I already see that you only met them today. As I said previously, I've waited eons and those humans will be reborn in the next few years. I could care less about their ant lives. Be honest with yourself, what are you really interested in right now? Dwelling on the past? Or moving forward and preventing more deaths like those ones? My powers can help~”

Noel/Tyler: “If...If I can prevent more deaths...then...”

{Why does my mind feel foggy? It feels like I'm falling asleep. It's getting really hard to understand my own thoughts as well.}

Mysterious Fragment: “Then? Hurry up and answer. Don't worry, I will NEVER force you to do anything you don't wish to do yourself...unless it's critical for your training. I will force many things on you then, and I WON’T care for your opinion. This isn’t up for debate either. But it will ALWAYS be done with your best interests in mind~”

Noel/Tyler: “...Fine! I-I accept, I accept! But only if it’ll make me stronger than anyone around my age group, No matter WHAT powers or body they bring forward!

I don’t ever want to feel this powerless again...

And ONLY if… if I can learn to control that power you used back there without it going crazy. I don’t want energy spewing out of me like a freaking volcano and killing people. Can you promise that won’t happen to me??”

Mysterious Fragment: “If that's all it will take for you to say yes then Perfect! The deal is made and impossible to refute~

…

Seriously. This deal is impossible to get rid of now, because I’m not only helping you take your first ‘step’ on the Path of Origin, but in order to fulfill your end of the bargain I’m permanently increasing your origin energy percentage to match my own.

There’s NO possible way a child with origin energy surpassing the 33rd dimension exists in the mortal realm - I’d know! Which means that after the next ‘two steps’ down the origin path, I’d have basically fulfilled my end of our contractual agreement.

Wow, I'm kind of sounding a bit sly there since that was a part of my original plan to begin with, heheheh~ Anyways the sleepiness overcoming you is your consciousness returning from our personal dimension here, back into your body. Until you fuse your body with origin energy as well, meaning you take your ‘third step’, you can't physically enter here. Coming to this place will be temporary until then...but that's something for the future.

Sleep well, Noel~”

{I can't bother focusing on his words any more. That thing is...just like Aeron. Both of them...talk….way to...much...

so...sleepy....}

Mysterious Fragment: “Oh! Before you leave one last warning. When you first wake up, you're going to be surging with origin energy. It will feel like you're drunken while riding on a wild horse, and since you chose the Chaos path you’ll experience worse effects so try to stay away from others until you gain control of...! Ah...he's gone. I guess...things will work themselves out somehow? Eh, I'll just enjoy the show~”

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