Chapter 144

Arc 14 - Absolute Wish - Part 25

Louisiana, USA:

Inside a dirty cell in Louisiana prison, a bald burly man with green eyes sat with a gloomy look on his face.

“What fuck is going on?” he muttered as he scratched his eyes. “Why is it noon? I thought it was supposed to be morning?”

He groaned.

“Ahh, such a pain.”

“Oh, there is no pain here,” spoke a cold voice that he had not heard before.

The doors to his cells broke apart.

“Gah!”

The man shrunk back into the corner of the cell.

“Wh-what--”

His eyes widened as the muscular man walked into his cell.

His eyes were glowing with light blue energy.

“!!”

But this man in the cell recognised him.

“Eddie?”

He could see his face.

“Wait, wait… You are that… That Nors--”

“Shut up, trash!”

Eddie leaned forward, growling like a beast.

“You must remember the old world, right, Aaron?”

The man named Aaron gulped.

“ANSWER ME!”

“Eek!”

“Do you remember everything you did to me? Everything you and your friend did to me for years? What did you gain from it? What the fucking fuck DID YOU GAIN FROM IT?”

Aaron held out his hands in a defensive manner.

“Puh-please, Eddie… I, uh...”

“What?”

“I… I a-am sorry,” the man spoke in fear.

Eddie stood back up and relaxed his shoulders.

“Is that so…?”

He was not content.

He clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall near him, shaking the whole prison.

“IS THAT ALL YOU GOTTA SAY?! IS THAT IT? IS THAT IT? IS THAT HOW IT WORKS? JUST FUCKING DO ALL THAT AND SAY SORRY AND EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE?”

The man squirmed in fear again as he covered himself with his arms.

“Fucking pathetic! And you were supposed to be family, you filth.”

Eddie sucked in a deep breath.

“By the age of 18, you were already an alcohol and heroin addict. And a filthy criminal even before that. You tried to sexually assault your own friend after drugging her. And then by the age of 21… You were ready to kill, weren’t you?”

The man did not say anything except squirm.

“How the fuck did you manage to keep the exact same record in two worlds? How the fuck--”

Eddie breathed out heavily.

His anger calmed down a little.

There was no point in being angry over something so old.

“Heh.”

Eddie laughed.

It was evil laughter.

He looked down on this man with a cruel condescending smile.

“Haha.”

Eddie covered his right eye with his right hand as he laughed.

“You realise how hilarious it is? You looked down on me and beat the shit outta me pretty much every day. You hurt me over and over and over, nearly killing me.”

“I… Uh, I am--”

“Then I became a fucking superhuman. The greatest fucking hero in the whole damn world. I reached for the stars, stood alongside aliens and Gods.”

His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward a little once again.

“And what did you do?” he spoke in a very slow and cold voice. “You did nothing but committed atrocities and hurt everyone you could. What did you gain from it? NOTHING!”

Eddie spread his arms wide.

“I BECAME THE GREATEST FUCKING SUPERHERO BUT GUESS FUCKING WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?”

He inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

“A pathetic criminal with no future.”

The man continued to squirm.

Eddie abruptly removed his hand from his face and looked at him in the eyes.

“!!”

He ground his teeth.

“Are you crying?”

He picked up the man by his arm and held him up.

“ARE YOU FOR REAL? FUCKING CRYING?!”

“I suh-sorry.”

“That doesn’t fucking cut it!”

He threw the man back onto his bunker.

“You don’t deserve to say sorry. You don’t get to say sorry. I am not looking for sorries right now. No, fuck that!”

A smile appeared on Eddie’s face.

“I am here to tell you one thing… I became something while you will die alone without a future. So, what did you achieve by hurting me? TELL ME!”

“...”

The man continued to keep quiet.

He had no reasons for hurting Eddie in the old world other than because he found it fun.

Eddie let out a heavy sigh.

He was relieved.

He felt like a large amount of weight had been removed from his shoulders.

“So, what are you here for, Eddie boy? Just to gloat?”

“Oh, of course. That’s exactly what I am here for. I am telling you how pathetic you have become while I have reached the stars. If I were to die tomorrow, I will have fulfilled everything I wanted in life. But what about you?”

“...”

“Heh, I guess I gotta thank you. If not for you, I wouldn’t have been hurt that much and might never have gotten my powers and would have never met him.”

The man dared not look up to him.

He could not face him.

Not because he was feeling guilty, but because he was scared.

“There is another reason I am here for.”

The man wanted to look up to him in surprise, but he was too scared.

“He has made sure that you never leave this prison. He has written destiny so you can never be happy. Yes, it’s not very heroic of someone who wants to be a hero.”

Eddie clenched his fist tightly, so tight his fingers could stab into his hand any second.

“Haha! So much for being a pathetic hero!”

“But even heroes can be selfish sometimes. I am not that good of a person to forgive you for everything you did to me. And no way in hell I am giving you a benefit of the doubt. You are the lowest scum!”

“Bah, get the hell outta my face you fucking disabled bitch. You ain’t gotta the balls to kill me? Fucking pussy.”

The veins in Eddie’s face popped up in anger.

He took a few deep breaths.

“Heh.”

Eddie laughed.

“I could, but I won’t. Because you are not worth it.”

“Tch.”

“I am leaving you alive because I want you to reflect on all the bad things you did in both worlds and squirm over it for the rest of your worthless life.”

“While you fly all glorious?”

“Oh yes,” he nodded with a smile - almost cruel - smile. “Just so you know, you are one of the reasons what kind of man I am and what kind of man I will be in the future.”

“Give me a fucking break,” the man grumbled.

“While you live the rest of your life in this pathetic prison--”

“Hah, just because your name has ‘God’ in it doesn’t mean you are one,” Aaron stood up angrily and held him by the collar. “You cannot write my destiny for me!”

Eddie glanced at it and scoffed.

“You are a fucking human at the end of the day and nothing more. A disabled fucking weak human who did nothing but cry when I beat your ass up every day.”

“Maybe so.”

He removed Aaron’s hands from his collar.

Aaron was surprised as his hands were forcefully removed. The strength in the palm of his cousin was unparalleled. He could not hope to fight back. So, he gulped in fear.

“But my best friend is the Supreme God of Everything!” Eddie shouted excitedly. “He is the God who made us all. So, yeah, you will never leave this place.”

“He is right.”

Spoke an evil voice as the roof of the prison was shredded to pieces. The prison flew away like air, leaving nothing but an empty field.

Aaron looked up with his fast beating heart.

There he saw a white haired and red eyed monster floating above him.

“Aaaaahhhhhhh...”

Seeing him, his fears skyrocketed.

“Uwahhhh! Is- is...”

He fell to the ground.

The man who was floating above him was unleashing dark energies that were going to eat him any second.

It was scary to look into.

It was very scary.

It was as if he was evil incarnated.

“Is that…”

“Yes,” Eddie crouched next to him with a condescending smile. “He is my best friend. The man who can destroy the world with but a glare.”

“Buh-b--”

“If need be, I can make it so you live for trillions of long years until--”

Aaron’s mind overloaded and he fell unconscious.

“Look at you and look at me. I will reach greater heights and forget you forever, but you… You will be stuck in the mud, forever haunted,” he spoke to the unconscious man.

Eddie clicked his tongue and then sighed.

“Too menacing?”

Eddie scoffed.

“Kind of.”

Eddie floated up.

“Thanks.”

The prison beneath them was fixed, as if nothing had happened here.

Nobody will know what happened except for Aaron, who will never be able to tell this to anyone until the day he dies.

“Don’t mention it. I will do anything, I said that already, no?”

Eddie nodded.

“Anyway, if something like this was about to happen and if I was ever close to doing something, beat the shit out of me, please?”

“You got it.”

Nazar chuckled.

“But seriously, I have never seen you like this.”

Eddie let out another sigh.

“Me too...”

“But as long as you took out everything which was dumped in your heart,” he patted him on the shoulder with a smile, “the rest does not matter.”

“Yeah...”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, asking for another favour.

“Can you, uh...”

“Of course,” Nazar smiled wildly. “Let’s go.”

❢◥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◆ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◤❢

New Orleans:

In front of a house, Eddie and Nazar landed.

Without waiting any longer, Eddie entered the house.

As he entered, he was welcomed with a living room, which was connected to the kitchen and the kitchen.

He walked into the kitchen room, where he saw a wrinkly man in his late fifties with dark blonde hair and blue eyes reading a newspaper. The tall man stood up in surprise as Eddie walked fast towards him.

As soon as he stood up, Eddie had gone closer and hugged him tightly

“Hi, dad.”

“Hello, son,” the old man hugged his son back but he was very worried. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yes, everything is great.”

“Ah, that’s good,” he smiled softly.

“Just wanted to say, I love you, dad.”

“Haha, me too, son.”

From the stairs, which were behind a small wall which separated the dining room and living room, a woman of similar age to the man came down. She had grey hair and big green eyes.

“Eddie?”

She was confused, but she was also worried.

It was not rare for him to come out of the blue, but he had always been quiet.

When he landed today, the whole city was shaken slightly.

“What’s wrong?” worriedly, she walked closer.

Eddie stopped hugging his father and with a wide smile, faced his mother.

“Nothing. Everything’s good.”

He spread his arms, welcoming her into his arms.

She hugged him, but was confused.

“I love you, mom.”

“Yeah, me too.”

His father, Owen’s eyes darted to another person who entered the house but was standing awkwardly at the door.

“Oh, hi, Nazar,” he waved his hand a little, welcoming him to the house. “Been a while, huh?”

Nazar nodded with a stiff smile.

“How are you doing, Mr and Mrs. Hunt?” his tone was very stiff too.

He has come to this house many times, but this time it was different. He is hated by everyone, so he is worried the same will be here.

One day, Eddie was cornered by his parents and asked an important question. Where did this power come from?

Nazar had no choice but to reveal himself to them and tell them that he had the best of intentions when giving him these powers.

Since then, he was acquainted quite well with them, but right now, he is worried their reaction will be no different than the world’s.

He has not come face-to-face with anyone else outside of his small circle, and heard no one complain about him because of fear, but seeing the messages and posts being made about him, he knows everyone hates him. So, he expects the same from Eddie’s parents.

“What’s with the formalities?” Owen asked, somewhat confused.

Eddie’s mother, Sarah, also looked at Nazar and smiled a warm smile.

“No need to be shy. Come on in.”

I see...

“So, what’s wrong with you?” she faced Eddie once again and asked with a concerned look on her face.

“Nothing. Really. It’s just I wanted to see you.”

“Well, that’s good. Then welcome.”

“Ah, now that you are here...” Owen started to speak in a somewhat uncomfortable tone to Nazar. “We need to talk about something.”

Nazar's heart started to beat fifty times faster. Had he done something wrong?

Nazar gulped.

"What...?" he asked slowly.

Came down from the stairs was a teenage girl with short golden haired slim and amber eyes. She had a fair white skin, with a small black beauty mark under her left eye.

The girl in a black tracksuit darted her eyes immediately on Nazar.

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” Nazar asked with a faint smile, trying to change the mood.

“I don’t know, shouldn’t you be dead?”

“Ouch!”

She ran and hugged him tightly.

“Alright, this is new...” he spoke slowly.

“I missed you.”

“Uh...”

Confused, he glanced at Eddie then his parents.

“Is she possessed by any chance?”

Violet, Eddie’s younger sister stopped hugging him and kicked him in the leg.

“Nevermind, I hate you, you midget.”

“How am I a midget?” Nazar frowned.

“We are the same height, dumbass. Almost. But still.”

Nazar’s eyebrow twitched.

“Alright.”

True human form.

His physical form changed as it grew by 30 centimeters.

The hulking figure looked down.

“Try competing now.”

Violet groaned and Nazar returned to his usual height.

“Heh, and that’s not even my true height.”

“Tch, I will beat you one day.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” she smiled widely. Her response right now was very different from a few seconds ago.

Nazar used to come to Eddie’s house often after giving him powers, so he was well acquainted with his family. However, he did find his younger sister, who back then was around 11 years old, always annoyed him.

“Wait… I thought you were a guy?”

The four of them stared blankly at Nazar.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

His eyes darted left and right.

“What?”

“What kind of guy is named "Violet"?” Violet questioned him.

“Oh, right… But! You used to dress up like a guy and had a similar hairstyle to boys and whatnot. Not my fault,” he shrugged.

“Well… I had my phase.”

“But how? You can do almost everything and did not notice this?” Eddie asked.

“Well… I always turned off my powers.”

“Right...” Eddie nodded slowly. “You did tell me that... I think.”

“Leaving that aside,” Nazar’s expression turned serious as he looked at Violet. “What’s that?”

He is a human who can see beyond the flesh of another. He was looking at not her soul, but her very existence.

It’s different than before.

“Ah, about that,” Owen said as he sat down.

Worried, Eddie looked at his father then Nazar and then finally at Violet.

“What is he talking about?”

“I...”

Violet’s eyes lit up with purple energy.

“I can see.”

Eddie, surprised, looked around. He was at a loss for words.

He had no idea what had happened.

For a split second, he wondered if Nazar had given her powers.

But why would he do something like this?.

He looked at Nazar and the look on his face surprised him even more. And perhaps a little worried too.

“Nazar?” he spoke in a dry voice.

“I...” Nazar looked concerned. “It’s not my doing.”

“!!”

Eddie tried to ask, but no words came to him.

Too many questions raced through his mind.

Who was it? Was it that demon again? If not, then who? And why? What if it harms her? Will she be hurt? Will she be controlled?

“Can I...”

Violet nodded as the light from her eyes vanished.

Nazar placed his hand on her head.

He could see everything about the person before him. He can see every thought and feeling she ever had.

Nazar has an original psychic skill which allows him to search the memories of anyone whom he sees in the mind or dreams of others. From there, he can branch out and see the people that appear in their thoughts and dreams. Continuing the chain, in a short time, he can reach the beginning of the world.

He did the same to her.

He checked everyone she had met in her life, and everyone they had met and so on.

However, he found no one wrong.

That… Doesn’t make sense. Humans were not given the capability to have superpowers naturally. I was an anomaly. So, how?

「Reveal Origin: Violet Hunt, superpowers」!

And so, new information flew into his mind.

Ah.

At the beginning of the year, he changed the world.

Ten people at the beginning of May will get super powers of his choosing.

By then, one person will get a magical artefact and another will get a cosmic one.

But he also changed humanity. Humans could now gain superpowers naturally, but at random. Some can be born with it or some can get it. Almost like an evolution of the base humanity.

“I see...”

His eyes returned to normal.

He looked at Eddie, feeling a little guilty.

“Remember how I, uh...”

Eddie understood, so his expression’s relaxed.

“Random, right?”

“Mmm. Sorta.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, I did set it off at random, but essentially, the rate at which people get superpowers is higher when they are in a chemically-high location. For example, those near a nuclear plant are more likely to get superpowers compared to those who live near the mountains in green fields. Since she was around you for a long time, her rate had increased exponentially.”

“Ahh…. I think I understand.”

Eddie breathed out, relieved.

“So, do you want to keep it?” he looked at Violet, who nodded at him immediately.

“So, is that what you wanted to say?” Eddie looked at his father.

“Yes.”

“I am not very sure about it, though,” Sarah added with a somewhat bitter look on her face. “Super powers are...”

“Dangerous? Unnatural?” Violet, sounding a little angry, looked at her mother. “Mom, I want this. It’s… Fun.”

Owen breathed a long sigh.

“As long as you too don’t become a superhero.”

“Of course not,” she puffed her chest out proudly. “Heroes are boring, I will never be someone boring. I am too good to be boring.”

She raised her left hand and high fived Nazar.

Eddie rolled his eyes.

“So, what can you do?”

“Hmm.”

Violet folded her left arm around her chest and raised her right hand to her chin and started rubbing it.

“I can see people, no matter where they are. But I have to have touched them at least once or their picture or belongings. Well, that’s how it is so far. Oh, and I can do some tracing back with paper and stuff, I think. It’s really, really confusing.”

“ It’s 「Clairvoyance」,” Nazar added. “But yes, you should be able to “see” anyone if you have touched them, their belongings or a picture of them. It should work on almost anyone in this universe.”

“But why can’t I see you?”

“I am immune to all forms of non direct… viewing, for the lack of a better term.”

“Oh?”

“I am immune to even omnipresence.”

Anyone else would have gloated, but his tone was heavy.

“Well… Damn, that’s kind of disappointing.”

Nazar nodded.

“But can she see me?” Eddie asked.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

For some reasons, he frowned with a groan.

“But it doesn't matter, I have precognition...” his short excited smile turned gloomy. “When this guy fixes the damn timeline.”

Nazar laughed.

❢◥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◆ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◤❢

A man. A woman. A green hill. A green tree. A light breeze. A summer. A blue sky. A golden sun.

“This is certainly a surprise.”

“Mm-hmm,” the man nods. “Here, let me put it on.”

The woman turned her back to him.

With her right hand, she tucked away her hair, revealing her smooth nape.

The man smiled.

He wrapped a necklace with red jewels around her beautiful neck.

“Why?”

“Because you are important to me. I want you to have this, so you don’t forget me.”

“Haha, you selfish bastard.”

“Thanks.”

“I am just kidding, I love it. It’s beautiful.”

“But I was joking earlier, this is merely my show of gratitude. Thank you, for everything.”

She smiled softly.

“Is this the first time you are giving a necklace to someone, no?”

“Yes.”

“But are you sure I should be your first?”

“Absolutely. There is nobody better than you.”

Then some time passed and a white light washed the whole world, including the two of them.

လလလ

In the new world, when she first opened her eyes, she saw the man.

Memories of an old world flooded into her mind.

She smiled softly again as she opened her arms wide, embracing him.

“I am sorry, but I… Need you again. I missed you greatly.”

She shook her head.

“No need to apologise, I am happy to be with you.”

“I couldn’t stop the old world, so let me give you this again. It’s not much, but I want you to know, I care about you and I will always be grateful for you. You are my saviour, after all.”

He gave the necklace to her once again.

And she smiled widely at him again.

လလလ

That was a long time ago, decades ago, centuries ago.

Now… Now it was different.

The woman lied on a cold floor in a terrible place.

Her battered and broken body twitched.

She was in pain.

She was hurting.

She could die any second.

But she did her best to clutch onto the necklace he gave her.

No matter what, no matter how she was hurt, she made sure the necklace was undamaged.

“Save… me,” she whispered with her dying strength.