Chapter 3: Vexing Fate

Cedric wasn't really one to cry... especially for strangers.

He'd like to think that he's been jaded by things like compassion and pity. After all, considering what he and the rest of the prisoners here were going through, they don't really have the luxury to entertain such emotions. Their focus was meant for survival, not trivial things like that.

That being said, it's quite nice to be reminded that he still has emotions and that he's still human. At least, the numerous deaths and frustrations from all of his failures hadn't gotten rid of that part yet.

'...I think he's in his 50's or early 60's.' Cedric mused as he slowly ate the contents of the plate. 'Does he have a family outside? Were they waiting for him? Or was he forgotten already, just like the others here?'

'...'

'...how nice would it be if he's allowed to just roam around the nearest village before he dies.'

It was vexing how this world was so cruel to a handful of people like him and the old man. In the end, the reason for the old man's death was his weakness, but that can hardly be blamed on him since he was dealt with bad cards, just like Cedric himself.

The world could be blamed for this, Demons too, yet in the end it changes nothing. Pointing fingers won't change the situation. It'll all just sound like a cry for help.

Harshly wiping the tears on his face, Cedric continued eating, thinking to himself: '...at least Old Bull's death would be peaceful.'

From the words of the old man, it was clear that he chose the humane way to die. This was one of the outcomes for those who failed in their Mandatory Tasks/Service three times in a row.

...the other was of course to be hunted like a real criminal and end up dead in a ruthless manner or turn into a 'Node' which Demons could then use to infiltrate Earth.

Either way results in death anyway...

At least, Old Bull had the conscience to not drag the rest of them along with him.

Cedric obviously didn't have a lot of interactions with the old man. Again, their meeting earlier was the first time that they ever talked. And to think that it went like that caused Cedric's expression to sour up.

'It sucks that there won't be a funeral.' He muttered sadly in his mind. 'This facility doesn't do things like that. He'd probably get cremated afterward. I should go pay respects later.'

It wasn't just the funeral service. This facility was lacking in graveyards too. The nearest cemetery was 20 kilometers away, there on the nearest civilization. The staff would most likely send the old man's ashes there.

As much as Cedric would love to think positively...to think that Old Bull's ashes would be respected by the people who would receive them there and give him a spot where his remains could rest peacefully, the truth was different.

Death wasn't something new to people. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it's already part of their lives, something that's taken for granted. Those people might just toss Old Bull's ashes somewhere since he was a nobody.

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, yet what can he do? It's not like he had the strength or reputation to give the man some proper respect.

All he could do was to silently mourn here, hoping that there was heaven so that the old man could go there.

"...Ow! Fuck!" Cedric spat out strings of curses as he clutched his mouth.

He looked incredulously at the plate beneath him and saw that aside from droplets of his blood, a tooth had also fallen from his mouth.

As it turns out, he bit into something really hard just now. He was so out of it that he didn't even notice it. The thing was so hard that it cost him a tooth and some blood.

"...who the fuck puts a stone on food? God damn it!" Cedric was annoyed and irritated.

Here he was, mourning for the loss of an old man whom he had never met before, and in the middle of it, he just had to be reminded of his unluckyness, losing a tooth in the process.

Really, the world seems to like messing with him, doesn't it?

He got up from his seat, walking towards the nearest drawer to get some cotton. This should at least help with the bleeding. It'll be unpleasant but at least he wouldn't have to drink his own blood.

"Great...this would make it hard for me to eat next time too," Cedric complained in a deadpan tone as he stuffed a cotton on his missing tooth.

Unbeknownst to him, on the plate where the remains of the food were, where his tooth, blood, and the hard thing that caused it, a surprising change occurred.

When his blood made contact with the stone, it released a faint brilliance that grew stronger each second passed. Then, the stone suddenly absorbed the rest of his blood, including his tooth, and turned into a streak of light that flew straight to him, disappearing on his head.

Sadly, Cedric was too preoccupied when this happened so he missed it completely. But, although he didn't notice it, the system fortunately did.

[Alert! Foreign substance detected!]

"Eh?" Cedric was alarmed. His eyes dilated when all of a sudden his head started to throb. "Fuck, shit!"

He stumbled out of the bed. His thoughts were racing but it wasn't helping. If anything, it's just making it worse. He then tried to reach for the drawer where the antidotes were, thinking that he got poisoned. Sadly, he completely misunderstood his situation.

[Warning! Your Health is falling on a Critical State!]

"Shit! Shit! Come on! This can't be happening!" He rasped as he dragged his fallen body to the shelves. Unfortunately, the more he moved, the weaker he became.

Just as he was about to reach for the antidote bottle, the system alerts flashed before his eyes once more.

[Alert! The foreign substance is causing an unpredictable mutation in your body. The System is unable to predict the outcome of said mutation.]

The pain in his body intensified even more as he read that message. His hold on the antidote bottle weakened, causing it to slip out of his grasp. That was when his consciousness took a great hit and everything became blurry.

"...god damn it...I don't want to die..."

And just like that, the last traces of his consciousness slipped away.

***

What followed was a long dream...

Here, Cedric had no semblance of consciousness or control. He's in a state where he is subconsciously watching everything played out before him, unable to dictate anything, completely lacking the power to do so.

Cedric was forced to experience something completely foreign to him. He dreamt about living another identity, one that was astonishing in all aspects known to man.

(Looking back at this event, Cedric would realize that he actually doesn't remember the name of the owner of these memories. Every time he recalls it, he just hears a static sound, signifying that he's not allowed to learn of the name yet.)

He saw through the eyes of a toddler. Everything was blurry at first but that didn't last long. When clarity returned to him, he noticed the presence of giants. Later then, he realized that those weren't giants but people instead. He's just stuck in the body of a baby, that's why they appeared to be giants to him.

Cedric continued watching as the toddler turned into a child, then a man. The owner of these memories experiences numerous hardships which forged him into the man that he became.

From a foot soldier, this man turned into God. And even amongst the Gods, he became their King, an absolute entity who held immense power, allowing him to warp reality at his whims.

At the peak of this man's life, he had fought hard to protect the world he cared about. His world was eyed by Outer Gods who attempted to lay waste on everything he held dear.

The man fought with overwhelming ferocity. The slightest turn of his hands was akin to a force of nature bearing its fangs to those that threatened it.

It was a mind-blowing war. One that caused numerous universes to die. The scale of this war was something that Cedric could never ever hope to understand with his puny brain.

The war was a battle for existence and survival. Neither side could afford to hold back in their attacks. One wrong move and it'll be over for them.

It was hard to tell how long this war started, but at the end of it, hardly anything or anyone was left. Even the owner of these memories was on his last breath.

In the end, the man won. It can hardly be called a victory though since he had lost so much from it. Ultimately, he decided to sacrifice himself to give his world a second chance.

He ignited his life, using it as the source for another Big Boom, through this, he hoped that life would start once more.

Before doing so, however, he dug his own eyes out, sealed it, and sent it somewhere else. The man's life ended with a flash of brilliant light, and this was also the last thing that Cedric saw before the scene changed for him.