Chapter 162

Arc 15 - Dead Men Rising - Part 15

Planet Hura:

At the edge of the south quadrant of the universe, near the border of the east quadrant, on a planet of explorers and scholars, a tall and muscular man landed.

The zombies were overrunning these streets, but since there was no one in the streets, he did not pay them a lot of attention.

Through the streets, he walked and looked at the familiar world with nostalgic eyes.

“How long…?”

How long has it been since he was born?

How long has it been since he last visited this world?

And how long has it been since…

My memory is hazy, but it was around here.

The speed at which he could see increased by a thousandfold.

He moved his head around and glanced in many directions, analysing it.

The world was the same as he left it, but there were some minor changes which confused him.

“It should be--”

He swallowed his words as he found the place he was looking for.

He rushed through the forest and beyond it, in front of a large old house -- or rather a place that could have easily passed for a research facility -- the man stopped moving.

His breathing was heavy, and his heart was beating faster as he walked closer to the house with cold sweats streaming down his face.

He was not tired, he was not excited, but horrified.

Dark memories of a time long gone flashed through his mind.

The house, where he met his child for the first time, the child who suffered greatly because his father was this… this thing, brought up sour memories.

The good that happened in this house was dampened deeply under the horrors he faced here.

“Hrk,” he held his mouth in his hand, stopping himself from vomiting.

The pink organs of his loved ones and their dark red blood mixed together created a masterpiece of modern art. That image kept striking his mind and caused him great pain.

“This is...”

He came here for a single reason.

He came after so long, and he did not want to be stopped.

How many civilisations have you saved from the brink of extinction? How many worlds have you saved? How many tyrants and empires have you toppled? How many villains have you felled?

The man clenched his fist.

He sucked in a breath and smiled with confidence.

“NOTHING!” with a loud voice, his senses kicked back in.

So, he began walking calmly towards the house.

He entered through the large door and more memories flooded into his head.

A wife he left behind smiling angrily at him and a son he did not know existed looked at him in disgust.

Then, the roof broke open like paper and dark tentacles killed both of them instantly.

He, who had fought tyrants and villains, mortals and immortals, could not force his body to react in time.

No matter whom he was fighting, no matter whom he was saving, not once did he freeze in his place. He always moved with confidence and conviction.

But on this day, for the first time in his life, he froze.

He could not save those he should have saved.

“I… am home,” he said slowly.

Vera, will you make me the happies--

No.

Oh…

I don’t even know why you need to ask. You already know my answer.

Then… No?

Sigggggh, when you grow up mentally, you will know-- mmph?!

I already know. So, how many children do you want?

First of all, kissing in public is not good.

I don’t care.

And-- Uwah, put me down. I don’t want to be carried like a princess in public!

Hehe.

Among the terrible and sour memories, a small, beautiful memory lit up.

Remembering that wonderful time, he could not stop his face from forming a faint smile.

But from the bottom of his heart, dark emotions swelled up, eating the happy emotions away.

Why did you leave her behind?!

Why did you leave him behind?!

Why did you leave this life behind?!

How did it all start?

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Hundreds of years ago, in the peaceful world of the explorers, suddenly a villain landed.

The dark grey furry beast stood on two feet and spread his arms wide.

As he spread his arms, a few balls of energy floated around him.

Those energy balls started shooting beams in random directions, destroying the surrounding buildings.

The people could not do anything but run around while screaming in fear.

“Haha! What a pitiful world,” the alien spoke in a language unknown to them. But they could understand his words rather well.

The scholars and explorers had great power within them, but they only ever used it to search for new worlds and run away from the violent creatures they encountered.

This planet had existed for millions of years and shone brightly in the dark space. The people have spread colourful lights to the darkest corners of the universe, but not once did they use their power to hurt anyone.

So, with no experience or will to fight, they run around in terror.

Except for one.

A lone explorer smiled brightly.

He moved towards the villain at an exceptionally amazing speed.

The villain welcomed him with open arms, but the explorer did not want to take his chances against this evil, so he narrowed his eyes and looked around to analyse their surroundings.

Once he got a good grasp of their environment, he created a large square of golden light that imprisoned the villain.

The villain was frozen, it could not move to speak, or even think.

It was frozen within a prison of temporal energies.

And nobody was hurt.

"..."

"!"

With wide eyes, his people looked at him as if he were something odd.

They looked at him in horror.

They feared him.

They hated him.

For the first time since their inception, one of their kind used their power to hurt someone.

How could this happen?

But…

"As long as everyone is safe," he said with a hopeful smile, “the rest does not matter.”

He looked at his hand.

The hand clenched and then unclenched.

And then an idea struck in his mind.

"I know."

He was an explorer who wanted to explore the outer rims of the universe, the immaterial state of the universe.

But he could not get permission from the council.

His people did not want anyone to go that far.

But he wanted to.

That was his dream.

Weren't explorers meant to explore the unexplored? So, why are they scared of the unknown?

"I will go there."

After he defeated this villain, he realised his power.

He did not have to sit down and let his dream die.

He will go to the outer rims of the universe and achieve his dream.

With this power, all will be well.

A simple dream of an explorer.

So, with newfound determination and confidence, the man flew towards the space, leaving this beautiful world and his beautiful pregnant wife behind. And when he finally returns, death will come with him.

All will be well.

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BUT WHY?!

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For nearly twenty years, the man flew right at the near end of the universe… or so he planned to do.

But at every turn, he was forced to stray away from his path and save worlds and empires.

All will be well.

At every turn, he was forced to save civilisations.

All will be well.

At every turn, he was forced to save people.

All will be well.

This was the price of having a good heart.

All will be well.

He couldn’t let people suffer.

All will be well.

He had to stand against the villains.

All will be well.

He had to clench his fist for their sake.

All will be well.

He had to grow more powerful to keep the innocents he never met safe.

All will be well.

Every villain was stronger than the previous, so he had no choice but to match them.

All will be well.

And the stronger he grew, the duller his emotions became. The duller that dream became.

All will be well.

And…

What happened to his memories?

All will be well.

Why did he forget about his wife for so long?

All will be--

To begin with… Why did he leave his world?

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My people are smart, they would have understood after a moment of explanation and they would have accepted me… We were not pacifists by any means, so… WHY DID I RUN AWAY?

The man clenched his fist angrily and slammed it into the wall near him, destroying it completely.

His throat went dry, so he swallowed his saliva.

His entire body felt weak.

“No...”

The house was about to crumble, but then green energies shot out of his eyes and reformed the home to what it was moments ago.

“You are the last memory of my life, I cannot lose you, too,” he spoke sadly with a faint smile.

He steeled his heart and walked through the back door of the house.

Behind the house and under the green trees, there were two graves, one which belonged to his late wife and the other to his late son.

He crouched next to it and smiled sadly.

The graves were open, and the zombies had left this place.

All he had to do was turn around and look for them.

He can sense the remnants of their souls, so he just needs to look closer and find them.

He needs to find them and apologise.

But… then what?

They are zombies who have no concept of understanding or reasoning.

Apologising to them means I have forgiven myself…

He committed a grave crime by them. He left them at a vulnerable time. He left to them to pursue a dream… Yet the dream couldn't be further away.

What was it all for, the man wondered. Was it worth it?

"Fate is…"

And so, his mind wandered off to an event from long ago.

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Decades had passed since the fall of his loved ones.

He left his world and travelled the stars.

He indulged himself in helping people and soon after, he lost his purpose in life.

Like a robot, he moved from one galaxy to the next, saving people and toppling villains.

Despite his great power, he would always face a stronger adversary, so he was forced to increase his power.

More and more power flowed through his body.

With every drop of power increasing, his mind darkened.

The surging of power within him caused him to wander deeper into the darkness.

"Ho, traveller."

One day, to expend his energies and body, he moved beyond the limits of speed. He wanted to reach a world where a great villain was waiting for him.

He wanted a villain so powerful; he would be forced to extend the limits of his power.

And no matter what he would do, the villain will overpower him and thus…

"Wanna hear a tale?"

He found no villain nor people to be saved.

Instead, he found a dwarf drumming on a piece of wood.

The dwarf strolled his short fingers through his long beard as he laughed in a squeaky old voice.

"...Yes," the man replied slowly.

When he left the hyperspace, he fell into this sandy world and did not want to get up.

He was disappointed and sad.

So, when the dwarf asked him, he could not deny his request.

"Are ya a hero?"

"... At one point, yes. Now, I am not so sure."

"Hm, that's good, ain'tcha?"

"I am not so sure, fair sir. Everything is dark, as if I have gone blind to the light of the universe."

"Too late for ya, I suppose."

"..."

The man did not say anything except stared at the sun in the sky.

The sun, which was so bright and hot, it could burn human skin, did not cause this man to flinch.

The darkness in his heart dwarfed everything.

"I wanted to do so much, but along the way, plans changed. I became a hero, someone who saved people. I loved it. Who wouldn't love saving people in trouble?"

From the corner of his eye, a tear dropped.

"I was happy I was using my power for good. I was happy I was being useful. And before I knew it, I lost my dream. My dreams were slowly shredded out of existence when power entered my body. With new power entering my body, a piece of my dream vanished."

The dwarf continued to drum slowly as he listened to his story.

"My power grows, but it is not my wish. Yet I cannot do anything other than raise my power to save the innocent. It is…"

"Ya are drunk in yer justice."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"What do ya look for in life?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Everything I wanted was snatched away from me. I save people, I smile widely at them to assure them, I give them hope -- or so I have been told. I cannot feel anything myself. I am lost in the sea of darkness, fair sir."

"Fate…"

The dwarf's one word caused the man to sit up abruptly and look at him.

"The strings of fate will walk ya down a path to a dark cave. A cave ya can enter so easy as if it were yer own home but can leave never for it has no door."

"..."

The man chuckled.

"Riddles are not my forte, but my wi-- late wife's."

"Tis no riddle, traveller. Tis fate. And fate is…"

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"Something everyone must fear."

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"Lord Cosmos."

Long ago, above a certain planet which was hosting a galactic event for the rich and powerful, this man was floating when an old friend stopped next to him.

"What brings you here?"

"Same reason as you, old friend," Lord Cosmos replied as he took off his helmet and held it between his hand and his torso.

"Corrupt politicians, businessmen and gangsters are celebrating their victory over the weak. While they laugh, their servants cry in pain. How can a king like you let such things happen?"

"..."

Lord Cosmos was quiet.

He had an answer, but the answer was something this man could already predict, so he did not say anything.

"You seem unwell, you should rest. How long has it been?"

"Unimportant," his voice was so kind and benevolent, but Lord Cosmos could feel the hint of annoyance and anger in it.

"My planet is just a star system away. I have prepared a place for you to stay. Go and rest. I shall take care of the world beneath."

"I can't do that. I have a duty to these people. If I can stop them here, if I can…"

Lord Cosmos could tell how far his friend had fallen.

He, who once smiled widely at the people and did not try to use violence as much, was now angry with blood lusted eyes.

He, who wanted to explore the unknown was stuck in the known with no way out.

His friend was in pain he could not comprehend, but he wanted to help.

"Why…"

Blood streamed down from the eyes of this man.

"Why is this universe so cruel?"

With eyes that turned crimson with blood, the man looked up.

He wanted to look beyond the darkness and the stars, beyond the heavens and the hells.

Beyond it all, he wanted to look at God right in the eyes and ask him; "What have you done to me?"

The man who lost purpose in life, who lost emotions he once held dear, and confusing memories he cannot explain, shouted atop his lungs at the dark sky.

His body and mind were not coordinated.

His body moved on its own and saved people. His body got stronger and stronger.

His mind, on the other hand, fell into a never-ending ocean of darkness.

In the past he could see glitters of distant stars, but now, there was nothing but darkness.

The darkness swallowed him and made him uncoordinated with everything.

He still wanted to be the hero of people, not for name or fame, but because he wanted to save them.

Even now, when he angered at everything, he still wanted to save them.

Not just the people but the villains too.

He would never kill, and he would always try to reform them.

It worked on some.

It worked on a lot.

But it failed on a lot too.

But he did not give up.

He wanted to show them the better ways.

Or at least his body did now that his mind was covered in darkness.

In the past, the smiles of the innocents kept the darkness away, but soon, he became numb to them.

He fell deep into the ocean and cannot fly with the many powers he has.

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In the present, the man stood up and walked away from the graves.

"The greatest hero…" he spat out angrily. "What a joke."

To the people he had saved, they considered him a force greater than God.

But to those he loved and himself…

I was a villain.

He let those close to him die.

He let them suffer at the hands of enemies whom he did not know about.

What had they done wrong?

Did they deserve this fate?

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In the distant past, somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy, Lord Cosmos entered an old bar.

He avoided the gazes of the villains who were on their guards and walked to a table at the far back.

"Reaper."

Without asking for permission, he sat against the man with black hair and red eyes.

"I have a job for you."

Reaper, one of the most well-known and successful assassins in the universe did not reply.

He stared at this man with the same blank look on his face.

"No one knows your power, hell, some think you are a vampire. And frankly, I do not care about that, but your record of accomplishment is good… So…"

Lord Cosmos slid a picture on the table.

"One trillion units."

Reaper who just accepted a job from another warlord looked at the picture then at Lord Cosmos. He was evaluating who was paying him more and which job should he prioritise more.

"I am not asking as a king or a "hero", but as a man who cares for his friend. Can you do it?"

"Two."

"..."

Lord Cosmos leaned back in the squeaky chair and thought.

After a while, he groaned and said, "Fine. Three trillion units. Can you do it?"

"I have never failed a job, mister hero, and I don't intend to any time soon."

Reaper took the picture and vanished into the air as if he were made of ashes.

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In the present, the man flew above the clouds.

The universe feels different these days. It seems a little less dark.

On the surface the universe is no different than he left it centuries ago.

But looking beyond the surface, the changes are apparent.

There is no future, so everyone can write their own destinies.

The control of “fate” has weakened, it seems.

The white clouds parted away as he travelled under the golden sun.

He wondered, who was responsible for this change?

But no matter how much he thinks about it, the answer won’t come to him.

As he was flying above, he heard sounds from down below.

The sudden change in the air and the energy around him caused his ears to twitch.

“The zombies… They are leaving this realm. Which means...”

Suddenly, he felt a little weak.

His body slowly started to deform.

He forced the molecules in his body to stop from deteriorating, but he did not know for how long he would be able to keep himself alive.

“!!”

It just dawned on him, so he questioned, “Why do I want to live?”

All his life, he did nothing but save people. He loved it, but at the same time, it sent him down this rabbit hole he cannot escape from.

And his life, he was haunted by an invisible force, it took everything from him.

It took so much from him; he was ready to die at the hands of a villain.

He had achieved nothing in his life.

He could not achieve his goal.

And… he could not achieve happiness.

What is the ultimate goal of a living person? It’s simple, they want to achieve their dreams and be happy.

I ended up with nothing but suffering.

So, why did he fight so hard against dying?

Was there any meaning in it?

He had no answer, but just questions.

Why do I wasn't to clutch onto this life so much?

Wasn’t the angel I saw that day more welcoming than life?

So, why...?

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Centuries ago, the man was called back to his planet.

They wanted to show him a fantastic memorial they had made for him.

The council dubbed him as the greatest person who was born on their planet and the greatest hero in the universe.

He did not want to go, because he found it a waste of time. He could have saved planets and civilisation.

However, Lord Cosmos convinced him to come.

While the ceremony was happening, everyone heard a loud boom then a ‘thud’ sound as a “vampire” landed in front of the museum.

The “vampire” opened his red eyes and the air turned into bat-shaped ashes.

Sensing the immense threatening energy from the street, the man flew out of the museum.

He never hated himself more than he did at this moment; he hated himself for being happy to face an adversary now.

The man stood face-to-face with the “vampire”.

“You have to know, this is not personal,” the “vampire” spoke in his mother tongue without delay.

“The universe’s most skilled assassin,” he put on his usual facade, a kind smile and kind voice. “I know one day I will have to face you.”

“Let us not waste time with pleasantries.”

The man's wobbly body shot right at the "vampire."

As the fist of the two ultra-powerful beings clashed, it reduced their surroundings to ash.

The "vampire", without giving this man any room to breathe, continued to attack from every angle.

The air turned into small bats then it formed a large projectile like a nail. It came stabbing into the back of hero.

"I am disappointed. I thought you would be stronger. But it makes my job easier."

"I have been running around the universe for a long time. I am old now."

The "vampire" did not pay his words any attention.

Instead, he slid his foot forward and launched a fist towards the belly of the hero.

The punch landed in his abdomen and sent him to outer space in an instant.

Power...

Floating in the dead space, his thoughts wandered around to the time when he first began his journey.

The memory he was seeing was from when he was child.

The teacher asked, what do you want to do when you grow up. And the child raised his hand. "I want to explore the end of the universe."

People did not laugh but merely gasped.

What a weird dream, they thought. He will never make it, they said. It's impossible.

And they were right.

But back then, the child smiled and said, "We have the power to do so."

However, what followed soon was a lot of scolding and lectures about abusing his power.

But why was he seeing that memory now?

Was it because he wished he did not have a dream?

Or was it because he had come to hate this power?

I don't want to fight anymore.

The gravity on the planet increased by an immense number, calling him down.

He could feel his body going down, but he did not react.

I don't want to grow more powerful.

Within seconds, he was slammed into the ground.

The impact with the planet caused the bones in his body to break.

It was all so meaningless.

He had given up any hope that was within him.

He wanted to go out.

He wanted an end.

But he had one last question.

"Why are you doing this, Reaper?"

The "vampire", Reaper, clenched his fist.

"A contract is..."

The never changing face and emotionless voice irked the hero.

"A contract."

The ground swell up and shot out lava.

The lava which started to run off towards the innocent bystanders caused the hero's body stiffened.

Without his control, the body shot out green energies and froze the assassin.

He then focused on stopping the lava.

He did.

His body forced a happy smile. As usual.

But his mind screamed in agony.

"I cannot let a contract fail," the frozen cube broke to pieces as Reaper punched through it.

It caused the hero to widen his eyes for a brief moment, but he said, "I should have expected as such."

"In my life, I have never failed my job, and I don't plan to do so in the future."

"Is that the only thing that matters?"

Reaper did not answer, he merely prepared his next barrage of attacks.

"Whether it is a hero or villain, whether it is a civilian or king… You will defeat anyone. But why?"

Reaper did not reply.

But the hero thought, Villains really do not need a reason, huh?

A beam of white, blue light shot at the nearby civilians.

"!!!"

As the hero moved to protect them, Reaper used that opportunity to attack him.

In his hand, a sniper appeared, and he took aim.

"「Vain」."

From the black sniper, a glowing red bullet flew out and entered the back of the hero. The bullet came out from his left chest and the hero fell to his knees.

"Dark matter?"

"..."

Reaper looked quite disappointed that someone had figured out an attack of his.

"No, but it seems to be mixed together with antimatter… Oddly enough, the matter has been manipulated to create condensed plasma."

The body of the hero smiled a nostalgic smile.

When he was young, he wanted to know more about superpowers, so when he went to other worlds, he learned a lot about them.

That excitement slowly returned.

And he knew why.

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"Come, my child, I am the cure you solemnly require."

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Who was… that?

Before the hero could recover from the sniper shot, Reaper jumped into the air and clenched his fist.

In mid-air, he created energy constructs around his fist.

Jumping back down, he slammed his fist into the back of the hero's nape.

"Hrk!"

The neck of the hero twisted outwards, almost as if the fist would come out from the other end.

But Reaper was not expecting how durable the hero was.

"A small setback," the assassin muttered.

The hero's body plumped onto the ground.

The people gasped loudly as they saw his almost lifeless body.

The hero forced his body to move but he found it impossible.

The best he could do was turn his face around awfully slow.

"Before I die, I want to know…" from the bloody mouth of the hero, a muffled voice came out. "Why are you doing this?"

"This is for your own good."

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"He is right, my child."

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That voice again...

"You pushed the limits of a basic ability - the ability to manipulate energies - to an extreme degree. You pushed them so far, you can control time itself with such a weak ability now. Your feats has angered a lot of people in the universe."

Wrong!

Wrong!

Wrong!

That was not the answer he was looking for.

That answer was not wrong, but not right either. The hero knew that.

So, he forced out a few words in a battered voice.

"The truth… ple…se."

"..."

Reaper hesitated to speak but seeing how he was on the verge of death and the brief did not mention anything like that, he started to explain.

"Your ability to control time is causing the universe troubles. Our universe is fragile, so the cracks are growing."

"!!" The mind of the hero went blank.

When he was young, he pushed the limits of his abilities. A basic ability like energy manipulation gave its users many abilities, but this hero pushed it beyond its limits. So much that he could control time and reality itself with it. He took pride in that.

But he shouldn't have.

"What…?!"

"The Galactic Council has hired me to get rid of you before you do anymore damage."

He was a hero.

He was someone who saved people. Saved worlds. Saved civilisation.

He wanted the absolute best for the people and worlds of the universe.

But to think his own power was causing it damage, he could not handle that.

He felt terrible about it, so bad he thought he would vomit.

"So…"

Reaper swung his fist downwards towards the nearly dead hero.

"I am here to end you."

As the fist was about to crush the head of this hero, he said a word that caused Reaper's fist to freeze just millimeters before it squashed the hero like a bug.

"Fate."

"Hmm."

"Now th...t I am d...ing" he willed his body and mind to work together so he could save this assassin before it was too late for him. "St...p this. Y… don't want to bec...e like me."

He forced his voice to speak louder.

He forced the body to fight against the pain.

"Don't fall into the dark cave."

"Thanks," Reaper raised his hand and swung it down once again. "But I am a glitch."

"!"

That's… impossible...

The hero could feel the friction from the first of the assassin.

If he tried hard enough, he could stop it.

But...

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There is…

Where there was once darkness, a white tunnel of light appeared.

Through the tunnel, a skeleton with white lively wings appeared. The white wings radiated warmth that was different than anything this man had felt before.

The skeleton angel spread its arms wide and welcomed him.

"I have come to…"

With wide eyes, through the dark ocean, the man swam as fast as he could.

The white warm light was calling to him.

It was inviting him in.

It was promising a warm meal after a lengthy battle.

It was promising a bed to lay on.

It was promising a world of happiness.

It was promising a world of love and respect.

It was promising a world of peace.

So, he swam towards it.

With every flap of his arm, the darkness broke apart.

With every flap of his leg, a star was born in the sky.

With every breath, the light increased.

With every heartbeat, his body and mind became one once more.

And so, he swam through the darkness and held the hand of the skeleton angel.

It took him away.

It saved him.

It saved him from this dreaded world.

It saved him from this terrible fate.

"Cure you."

The skeleton angel picked him up in its bony arms and flew up, ascending away from this dark place.

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GASP!

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Trade one darkness for another.

In a world with no sound or light, the hero found himself.

There was nothing.

The Void.

And so, his new life began.

A life where he could do nothing.

There was no light to see, there was no sound to hear and there was no person he could save.

He could do nothing but think.

And so, he did. He thought to save himself from insanity.

And on a fateful Daye, the cracks above this dimension broke, radiating this dark place with light. Like him, everyone flew towards the light and were pulled out into the real world.

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"Trading one darkness for another…"

He arched his right palm.

He looked at his hand which was about to wither away any moment.

"I no longer want that."

The veins in his body popped as he clenched his fist forcefully.

The muscles in his body stiffened.

He willed his body to fight against the infection that was death.

Death was not the cure he was looking for.

Because…

THERE IS NO CURE!

Power is a curse, and it has no cure.

Perhaps if he were removed from existence, maybe he would have been better.

Death did not cure him.

It could not cure him.

He suffered both in life and death.

But even then!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH," he screamed loudly as he forced the nearly dying body in its place.

His willpower increased vastly but he could not fight against it.

He was not strong enough to fight death.

I never believed in God, I thought it was a fairy tale… And meeting people who called themselves Gods, it made me disbelieve the concept even more.

After all, he was just a man.

Living is suffering but so is death. At least in life, there is light, at least in life there is sound, at least in life there is...

His eyes widened in a bewildered manner.

All this time, he despised his life for how bad it became, but there was so much good in it.

The stars, the sky, the sun, the ground to set foot on, food, water, sound - cheerful sounds, light and so much more.

Life was not perfect, but it was better than the dark place he was living for the last few centuries.

He was put there because he was too powerful, but whose fault was it that he got so powerful?

His? No, not at all. It was anyone but his fault.

So, if there is a God up there, please…

Maybe, just maybe, a kind God will hear his cry.

The hero needed saving.

SAVEE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

But….

His hand slowly started to dematerialise.

He will materialise in the dark void again and live there for an eternity.

He did not want that.

He willed himself to stay longer, to be not affected by such a thing, but it was too late.

The seconds he had were slowly running out.

"..."

The universe was never kind to heroes.

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Or so the stories go.

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As his body slowly started to dematerialise, he lost his will.

He was about to give into the darkness forever.

But…

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BOOM!

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A loud and unnatural sonic boom caused his body to flinch.

What kind of sonic boom was this? Why was it so loud and why was it sending vibrations across the space?

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He raised his head to follow the trail of the sonic boom.

He was going to die again any moment, but he could not stop his head from looking up.

"!!"

His eyes widened as he saw a figure coming towards him.

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The hand spread through space and reached the hero.

He looked at the hand.

His eyes darted upwards as he looked at the worried face.

Ahh, it's him...

His eyes fell down on the palm of the hand once again.

His body had mostly been dematerialised.

He was about to fall into infinite darkness once again.

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NO!

NOT AGAIN!

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And so, the hero clenched his remaining left hand.

He willed his body from dematerialising further.

He pushed all his strength into his left hand and moved it.

He caught the arm that was reaching out to him.

And he took it.

The clutched tightly onto the right hand of this familiar face.

"Found you," the worried face of this man vanished as he smiled a happy and relieved smile, "Soar."

The body of the greatest hero in the universe - Soar - became whole in an instant.

He was no longer being pulled into the Void.

He was no longer dying.

In a state of confusion, he looked at the face of his saviour once again.

"Welcome back," he told this hero with a wide smile.