Chapter 26: Teacher

It felt like my heart had been revived…

…but also that I had become immature as well.

Everything had initially started from rage I'd become immune to, which fed my anxieties.

My sensitive heart brought forth a type of rejection for weakness. It made me try to covering this all up.

This caused me to feign ignorance to what I felt.

Like what I was doing right now.

I approached without a hint of fighting spirit. My heart calm and tranquil. Unmoving like a lake.

But that was an act.

Waves never stopped just because the ocean was still. It only made the shifts smaller and numerous.

Overlapping each other like an interconnected web, but unable to make themselves visible.

Eventually, these embers of hatred would suffocate and sizzle out… until all that was left was apathy.

An nihilistic hatred that couldn't find any meaning in emotions. A feeling that was both hot and cold.

It drove me forward, but also dug me into the floor.

Making me do things like make peace with the accomplice that was trying to get my family killed.

"We're here." Frankenstein said after taking us to a certain place. There was nothing of value here.

It was empty space.

However, the 'doctor' didn't seem to think the same. He pointed at a star that was far away.

"This is the portal." (Frankenstein)

"Why call it 'this' if you mean 'that'?" (Adam)

"Pardon?" (Frankenstein)

"It's still far away." (Adam)

"Oh, that… Trust me." Frankenstein gestured me to move closer first. There was no need to refuse.

I walked toward it by using the Taiji Diagram as a source of footing. Getting closer to the star.

Only for me to feel like there was a wall in front of me, and the bright star was only a surface drawing.

Was this an illusion?

"This is…" (Adam)

"Your goal." (Frankenstein)

After a brief silence, I regained my composure:

"Who said this was it? And… tell me, how much time has passed?" My shaking heart felt fearful.

I didn't want to know the answer, but i had to ask. 

It might break me, but I needed to know…

"I know what your thinking." (Frankenstein)

"I'm sure you do." (Adam)

"Don't worry." (Frankenstein)

"About what…?" (Adam)

"If you go through that door, no matter how much time lost, it will be regained." (Frankenstein)

"Are you… for real?" My body trembled a bit, and I wanted to believe that this wasn't a deceit.

I'm not sure how many years had passed in the outside world, but one thing was for sure…

My body had died…

I could no longer feel a connection to the 'real world' anymore. My existence cut off from reality.

Perhaps there could be a way to find out what was going on, but I didn't want to know about anything.

If I heard my family ended up dead, I wouldn't be able to keep the last of my sanity from falling apart.

"…Why are you helping me? What do you want from me in return?" I couldn't help but ask the 'doctor'.

He seemed to take his time answering that, then said while looking down from his position.

"Can you… carry on my lost legacy?" Frankenstein made this offer, and I wasn't sure for a moment.

But I eventually responded.

"That's fair." I reached out to him, and the doctor shook my hand without fear of being poisoned.

A hint of curiosity appeared in my heart.

"You're agreeing to me way too easily. It makes me feel like I'm leading you on." Frank scratch his chin.

"Don't. There are some things worth putting thought into, and others that don't. I'd rather NOT let my feelings get in the way of my goals." I gave a fake smile, which seemed to make him understand.

Not everything was as simple as black and white. I didn't know what he was up to, but this was fine.

After all, he might let his guard down with time…

The moment he did, that would be the moment I'd assassinate him with everything I'd learned.

But I at least needed to make him put his guard down, so I decided to ask a nonsensical question:

"Are you betraying them?"

"Who…?" (Frankenstein)

"Your friends… Zeus, Odin, and co. They seemed to want to make my life a living hell." (Adam)

"That's not- I mean, of course I considered that. It's just that we aren't typical 'friends'." (Frankenstein)

"What does that mean?" (Adam)

"We were brought together by karma, not will. Even though we live in different worlds, our lives tended to intersect throughout the myriad realms." There was a mysterious glint in the doctor's eyes.

"I'm feeling you know me…" (Adam)

"Forget that. I'm interested in your 'solution'." He shrugged off my curiosity as if it was just a bore.

"You mean causing an apocalypse to stop an apocalypse? You're right… It's stupid." (Adam)

"Really?" Frankenstein didn't expect me to agree.

Maybe he thought I'd have some pride.

But I was being sincere.

"I've opened my eyes now. I've failed… No, I mean I'll avoid failure by never trying in the first place. I won't feel disappointed if it's like that." Although Clarissa and my family are probably dead, there was no need for me to face that fact head-on.

I'll just want for the eventual death of my mind.

If the physical body can have a lifespan, then there is nothing that states the mind can't have it too.

I wasted my entire life being wary of this bastard.

For years, I'd lived in fear… and yet, it was solved with only a few words. Me taking a decisive action.

What was the point in my evolution?

It was way too useless…

What was the point? I should've done something earlier. Tried to risk it. What was the point waiting?

Maybe there's a solution that could give me back the time I'd wasted, but this feeling would stay.

This embarrassment…

Call it pathetic of me, but I could hardly live knowing that I'd let my family die from my choice.

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I don't want to try ever again.

I don't want to fail a second try…

"'Avoid failure by never trying'?" Frankenstein scoffed at me, and revealed anger for the first time.

"…What?" (Adam)

"I can't believe physiology affects the mind to this extent. Maybe I should've expected this." A spark left his body. I sensed a strong sense of doom at that moment. Like I was being eyed by a predator.

"Wait-!" Just as I was about to say something, I felt my whole body being taken apart with elegance.

Like a scalpel's blade had went through each of my joints and taken them apart. It was truly horrifying.

Blood started to seep through the wounds…

"W-why?" It was hard to control my voice after having most of my joints cut. He was real thorough.

"Sometimes, a good beating is a wake up call." The doctor tried to act like a countryside therapist.

As if prompted by his words, the fire of my hatred grew. The apathetic darkness pushed to the side.

"Yeah, right…" My eyes were frigid cold.

I pulled my body back together and used my internal furnace to weld the joints back together.

Toxic Blade appeared in my hand immediately.

My evolved body instinctively readied for combat against a powerful foe. 'Sword Circles' put down.

I decided to use them in a more creative way.

My tail let out a cloud of poisonous mist, which I used as a medium to imbue Sword Circles onto.

The gas became a blank canvas. Three poisonous disks were created. Being thrown at my opponent.

Only for them to be shot before getting close.

I squinted my eyes to look closer, then saw that the man only had a Lightning Circle on his gun barrel.

One magic beat three…

He created a miniature railgun using that revolver and Attribute Circle. It made me frown deeply.

Trying to think up ways to overcome this.

I tried to think up of another method, but before I did… a bullet immediately pierced my shoulder.

Electrocuting my flesh and nerves.

"You're a Jack of all Trades of Gift Awakening and magic… but you don't excel in either of them." It was a bit annoying, but it seemed like this Pikachu bastard had a lot of criticism towards my powers.

"I'm much stronger than I was before. I'm content with that." I retorted while charging in headfirst.

My superhuman strength and reflexes allowed me to keep up with him in hand-to-hand combat initially, but that advantage was gradually lost. Why was a doctor so good at fighting in the first place?

Damn genius…

"Are you really content?" These words reached into the depths of my heart and constricted around me.

I wasn't sure how to reply to this.

Instead, I spoke using my actions instead. The four Curses took effect and were being synchronised.

My scales became ice cold around my fists, and a flame of adrenaline pushed my body beyond limits.

I could feel my senses sharpening even further.

It was almost like I could sense his attacks before they even happened. I could feel a lot of Deja Vu…

My 'Sensory Overlimit' seemed to have increased the amount of seconds I was seeing forward into the future using 'Deja Vu'. From this, I could tell the latter was based off calculations of future events.

I wasn't reliving the future… No, if this was truly Deja Vu and not something else, then this might be a Curse that sent only my 'senses' back in time. A limited negative skill that only numbed my senses.

It looked like two negatives made a plus here…

My fears was working with my mysterious emotion to create a predictive ability that boosted reflexes.

Making me able to react to attacks yet to happen.

"Good… You're finally getting serious." He seemed more content when I finally put backbone into this.

Using whatever means I could to and taking every measure possible. Going from passive to active.

I wasn't letting myself be lead on the nose any longer. Able to counter and plot thorough traps.

I used 'Sword Reinforcement' to sharpen different areas of my body at the same time, then slowly started to mix it with 'Sword Enchantment' to create flying cuts that made up for my weakness.

Always keeping him within range of my attacks.

Frankenstein finally showed all his cards when he managed to point the gun towards my forehead.

'Fuck…!' My response time was not totally useless.

Even though I had 'felt' earlier that there would be danger to my head, I didn't know exactly what would hit it until seconds later. This left me in a position of having an arm placed on my head.

Even if my bones were sturdier than most, it wouldn't have been enough to stop the railgun.

Something clicked in my mind at that point…

Two Sword Circles hovered in front of me, and were immediately connected to once another.

I used 'Sword Manifestation' again, but this time it wasn't to attack… The connected circled worked together in harmony. A white blade was formed out of my energy, which was inevitably coated in black.

The blade took on the bullet for me, but not in the way a shield would. Its blade turning upon impact.

'Parrying'…

Then vanished into air upon being knocked away.

Maybe because I was really inexperienced, but this Second 'Sword Circle' Stack ability: 'Parry', took a lot out of me. It left me open for a final blow. One that could've potentially put me in a longer coma.

But Frankenstein stopped attacking at that point.

Asking me: "Are you feeling better now?"

I then realised that he was slightly smiling. Seeming happy that I'd managed to overcome my weakness.

My mindset was no longer being as fragile as a snowflake. I knew what I wanted to do once more.

The pressure he'd placed on me made me grow.

No longer did everything all lead to apathy. I was determined to make sure that wouldn't be right.

Nothing had changed externally, but I definitely did.

My mind was no longer being meek and pathetic like before. A strange confidence burned in me.

I wasn't sure what this feeling was…

Confidence?

No, I'd rather call it a self-delusional bravery.

Feeling confident after having failed them. After having let everyone I've ever loved die once…

Could this be anything other than a delusion?

But even if it was, I guess this was better than acting like the sad hero of a crappy Greek Tragedy.

I puffed my chest out and looked at the the doctor who had changed me. Awakening my true self.

Then followed him as he walked into the unknown.

Oh well… 1% was better than nothing, I guess. If I feel such regret, then I'll try treating them better.

This time, I won't let them die so easily…

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