I fainted, but instead of darkness, I was met with this——— a reflection of my memory. People moved according to how I originally remembered it. Mom prepared the food like she usually does, while dad drinks his coffee as he read the newspapers.

The vehicles flowed like they used to do. Then there is me with his casual routine of lurking on the internet, a copy of me. But far from the monstrosity that appeared in that nightmarish sequence, this Alfir in front of me looked tame.

They can't see me nor I can interfere with their lives. It's like I am watching a virtual reenactment.

This world is in a replay, on a loop, a repeating fragment of memories. I visited my memories like how you would stroll in a park, following the path and the signs.

"It's a pity, you have the potential of becoming our fallen god." An old man stroking his beard blocks my path. He stood guardian of a red door. I cannot recognize it with a glance but somehow I know... This is Minion #12913's memories.

"What are you?" I calmly asked seeking to glean even the tiniest information from his gestures.

"I am like you... A tampered memory, and the others... They are the same." There was a dangerous gleam in the old man's eyes.

There is something very wrong going on. He is too calm. I can't get a read of him.

"I can kill you with a single thought."

"Try me." He treated my threats like air, nothing. If you think I won't do it, you are gravely mistaken— !?

The old man smiled with his teeth showing, mirth overflowing from his breath, like a madman. The image he is displaying is far from the sage appearance he initially showed me. "TREMBLE!"

I can feel the gravity getting heavier and with a BAM, I crashed onto the hard concrete pavement.

Is this mutation!? Just how?

"I don't care if I am a tampered memory, but it damn feels good to be alive." Seeing my struggle, he thumped his staff to the ground furthering the intensity of the weight, bearing on my shoulders. Cracks slowly formed with me at its center.

I don't bleed, but it is painful. I can't shut down my nerves in this world. In Fact, I can't feel my mutation in this world.

"Why did you agree to become subservient to me in the first place? Why kill me now? And not before?" I said through gritted teeth. I imagine my gums bleeding from the pressure, but the lack of the rusty taste says otherwise.

"Don't you remember the deal? I can give you flesh and bones, that was not a lie. I can do it." I said with sincerity to the old man.

"It's simple. Because it's scripted. You and I have no choice but to follow the words dictated to us by whoever is responsible for stuffing our souls into this body. Not a lie? As if." But I truly am, I KNOW a WAY! He doesn't trust me from the very beginning. The old man raised his hand indicating the use of his mutation. I cannot imagine dying in this mental space, but I don't see why not.

Seeing the old man's greedy eyes is enough proof for me. Is this it?

"Goodbye— CENTER CONVERGENCE!"

Tnnnnggggggggg~ zzzzap!

His raised arm was cleanly severed, his right arm fell and the gravity engulfing my being is now suddenly gone.

The felled right arm slowly turned to ash as the old man regenerate his right arm to its original state. This is not a mutation. I reckon it's the law of this world responsible for this.

The attack came fast, swift as lightning, with a frightening concentration of heat.

There was a flash of lightning, and between me and the old man stood a nerdy but musculature guy. No, I will simply call him glasses.

Glasses turned his back to me as if he doesn't think of my existence as a threat.

Wait. What? Is he confronting oldie, aren't they allies?

"The fossil is right. It was scripted. If you look at it from many angles, that conversation felt wrong in so many ways."

Is he talking to me?

It makes sense. It took no effort to me of convincing the old man. When I claimed that I can give him flesh and bones, he easily accepted without any suspicion. It's not like multiple personalities doubt, right?

"Relax, I will protect you. Stay still. You won't be able to use your power here, since you left it in your body. This mental world has a set of rules restricting you aplenty."

I can feel the resoluteness of his voice. I have many questions, and it keeps on piling up.

"You meddling buffoon! Just be honest with yourself. You also want this body, right?"

"Please stop. We have lost a lot today." It was a baby, but the uptight way he speaks sounds more like an adult.

Lost? I don't get it.

Glasses's eyes squinted as he focused his gaze on the elderly. I don't know why, but I am feeling a familiar vibe from this glasses person.

"Let me explain," Glasses tapped the nose bridge of his glasses. I can already picture it without seeing his face. Then, he proceeded with a factual tone. "We are 'tampered memories', but we are not a product of multiple personalities like what this fossil claims. Like you, we are born from independent souls. We awakened our consciousness just after yours. Oldie here is the oldest and strongest among us, thus he was able to appear before you. He is also the one who has watched you the longest, and he realized through his observation that there is something very peculiar about you..."

The old man avoided my gaze as I slowly form a theory of my own. The old man is gripping his staff too hard, his veins are visibly popping from his skin. I can trust Glasses here with my life. I don't know what is his agenda, but I have to make use of everything I have.

"You nerdy fuck. How the hell did you deduce all that? When I was elected president of our little fan club, I acted quite convincingly."

"You preached how we are a product of multiple personalities, of fakes leading fake lives in this mental landscape. You told us we are psyche parasites that exist in a realm smaller than Alfir... You thought you convinced all of us. When you tried to possess this body, you thought that you had it in the bag. It must be a surprise to learn half of the people you promised freedom suddenly turned their back on you. You are a selfish manipulative bastard." There is poison in his tongue, real anger, not of delusional mental instability but human temper.

This is a shocker. Are you telling me that people are living inside of me?! No, they are not people. They are souls. In Mutagenic Medieval, souls have more scientific weight than the spiritual value they possess. These souls are the essence of the human ego. Is this what the old man meant by 'stuffing souls' into one body?

"Enough is enough! We have LOST too many lives already! Stop the fighting!"

"Infant, come and join me. We need to eradicate the ego known as Alfir. Only by doing so can we be safe. His physical state is very weak right now. This is our only chance."

"Don't listen to this fossil fucker. Infant, he is beguiling you!"

A choice, Infant needs to make a choice. He was born in this world, awakened to memories he never knew he had. He sought love and warmth, but he can't find it in this world, so he looked, and there he saw— Alfir struggling in a world more physical than this.

But all he saw was pain, Alfir's demented quandary, self-inflicting harm, and a lot of hardship Infant thought impossible. So, he returned— to this cold world where he was born. There, he met people like him... Minds askew, but in harmony... of mutual understanding and loving family... It isn't so cold anymore.

Today, he lost them... A lot of them.

He doesn't want to choose, because choosing means losing someone. So he escaped, he vanished from their sights.

"Tsk. Useless." The old man raised his staff ready to battle.

Glasses spoke to me with a soft and reassuring voice "Stay there. Special Abilities in this world have no limitations. Staying close to me will be your best option."

"CALAMITY CONVERGENCE." An orb of semi-transparent darkness converged to the old man's hand then he released it.

MAGNETIC FIELD!

Electrical currents surrounded us with Glasses at the center.

Glasses stood like a wall. I can feel the undulations in the air, but Glasses simply weathered the attack.

It's like a vacuum bomb, which Glasses destroyed with a single lightning blast.

SPEAR OF TRIAM.

It was the same concentrated lightning that can cut through metal. It resembles the thunderbolt that Zeus wielded to slay Kronos.

A 100% potential. I am certain. The old man has no qualms about holding back, but it's not the same for Glasses. He looked invincible, but he is pouring more effort than the old man.

I remember Glasses saying that the old man is the strongest among them. From the very beginning, this battle has already been decided.

"Looks like you are having a hard time, young man. Don't tell me you already got arthritis at that age." Is it just me? Or the old man is getting stronger? The sky is getting darker, and the earth is trembling. Lava is finding its way to the surface.

I asked Glasses with a low voice, "Tell me Glasses, how much time does occur in the real world compared to this space?"

"Huh? 1 is to 10. 1 outside, 1o here. Why?"

"Just trust me. I have a plan."

***

The gravity reversed, it made the old man float, rise above the mortals below. He felt almighty strong as he stares down at his opponent.

The old man is feeling jovial. Finally, he is getting there. His resurrection is nigh. Once he steps into the real world once more, he shall start preaching the doctrine of his god.

It's good that the Infant, the origin is not interfering in his work. With the infant's assistance and meddling of this trivial mortal, he is most likely to fail. But with the infant gone, this resurrection is almost as good as his.

He doesn't know why his master is having such a roundabout way of reviving his followers. But anyway, his work is almost done. He only needs to squish these peasants under his boot.

"Back then, you thought of the fallen god bullshit to manipulate me... Let me guess, you want to control!" The small mortal, Alfir suddenly spoke. Did he find courage? Maybe thinking that his savior can save him?

This old man might as well entertain this small mortal. "Yeah, I want control. But don't get me wrong, the fallen god is real. He is above our understanding. This mental world is nothing but a farm, and we are the seeds that germinate it. We are preprogrammed to serve him. In the very beginning, we have no choice but to follow. I witnessed his greatness in the past iterations and shall continue doing so in the next iteration. Even if you win control over this body, what will greet you ahead in the future is nothing but a bleak outcome... I have long learned of it as I slowly experience despair again and again... Then finally, I was enlightened, It took me a lot of time to finally accept his grace. But now, look where I am— I may not be god, but my strength doesn't pale in comparison to one, for I am a servant of one. He will be coming, and we have no choice but to accept him!"

This... is why the old man knows too much. Glasses stared at the old man with an intense glare.

***

I feel a distinct nausea welling in me. I want to vomit. The old man finally revealed his true colors, but the answered questions are giving me more trouble than the relief I seek.

The mystery is getting more elusive.

"Fine, you want to control. I will give it to you."

"Huh?"

Surprise, joy, confusion, then fear dawned on the old man at once.

***

"Merrick, there is a disturbance south of you. Please check it." It was principal Armin's voice through telepathic communication. It's a reverse application of the principal's powers.

Merrick heard the voice loud and clear. He exclaimed of the principal's ingenuity in his application of Special Abilities. This is his first time learning the principal to have this skill. It must be his secret trump card. This indicates how important this 'disturbance' is...

Looks like his dinner with Celine has to wait. Merrick tracked the commotion to Celine. A boy wearing cheap leatherwork, typical of adventurer gear, lies in a pool of blood.

Celine can easily recognize Merrick especially through that unique taste in clothing. Merrick wears a refined suit reminiscent of the industrial era of Alfir's old world. A black suit, pants, and shoes are Merrick's trademark outfit.

"Hurry, we need to get him to the infirmary. I can't do anything to him without my supplies." She beckoned to Merrick. Alfir's state is in bad shape, disfigured, and on the precipice of death.

"AAAAAAHH! You!? You mere mortal dare trick me! It hurts! The pain! It's everywhere! Haaaagh!"

It cried like a ghost with a guttural howl. It's almost impressive he can howl like that. To Celine's eyes, Alfir should have fainted, but mere mortal? Seriously?

***

The old man was still. He must've been shocked quite a lot by the pain. After I gave up my control, he should've returned to my physical body.

That stillness says it all.

"Do it Glasses! We won't get a second chance!"

"You never changed," He suddenly looked at me. I am flabbergasted by his choice of words. I saw his side profile, and to my shook soul, it finally struck me.

I know this Glasses person.

"Don't be guilty or something, the other 473 egos you shut down are still alive. You see, souls are eternal... Their lifespan only resets to zero when they die. Don't miss me too much, Kay?" Then he flew, riding in a blue stream of lightning.

LIGHTNING EDGE! A sword made of lightning elements pierced the old man's chest.

SANTELMO OF IMPENDING FLAMES! Wisps of spectral flames cloaked with lightning sparks engulfed the old man.

SPEAR OF TRIAM! When the old man ended his state of stillness, his demise is already inevitable.

PWIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUP— KAPLUSH!

"Big brother..." I softly whispered under my breath as the images in front of me become hazy and flicker into inexistence, then there is darkness.

Darkness, a blank state of unconsciousness.

I fell asleep, then dreamed of a long life I had in my youth, not as Alfir, but as another kid. A boy that had a brother, mother, and father.

***

TRIVIA!

Celine Violet Kelon AKA Academy Doctor— the Academy principal's daughter who hopelessly has a crush on Merrick. She is a brunette with an explosive personality. She is another outlier. And also a certified yandere.

"I am as good at destroying stuff as I am good at fixing stuff..."

She has a pseudo psychic ability to stitch stuff. She can conjure threads made of electric signals. She's a master at support, healing, counter-surveillance, and assassination. She's a genius of her generation.

At 73% potential.