Did you think it would be that easy? To die? To cease existing? To give up on your destiny?
He had no eyes to open, no ears to hear. He was a soul without a body. Yet he could hear them clearly, and he could remember what they were. Gulliver. Jeremy. And Nikariam. Nikariam was long dead. He had felt the destruction of Pax. He knew Gulliver and Jeremy were too. Is this what death is like? an eternal dream with which you cannot respond?
Benjamin, I am still here. Benjamin, I am still here. Benjamin, I am still here. We are still here. We are tied to you Benjamin. Have you ever wondered why you were granted such power? Why? Power? You are a monument of hatred. A creature of fate. We have spoke of you for centuries. And now, with the destruction of Pax... And the forming of Xap... The stage is set. For you to make your decision. YOUR FATE IS STILL UNDECIDED.
The fact that we continue to exist after death. The fact that we are all tied to you... Proves it. You have a decision to make, Benjamin. Avenge. Forgive. Forget. Bring back your race. BRING US BACK. Or avenge us.
You are a creature destined to change worlds. It lies in your decision. WE WILL LEAVE YOU NOW. OUR SOULS WILL BE SACRIFICED AND UNTIED FROM YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE AGAIN. MAKE. THE RIGHT. DECISION.
And with those words, in the Xap temple, out of dirt, a man began to appear. He stood five feet and ten inches off the ground. He was bald, like all humans and near-human creatures are born. His eyes were a beautiful lilac color, but they were rife with conflict. His ears were kinder-like. He was naked, but before him, in the temple, was knapsack. The confused new creature opened the knapsack. In it, was a pair of space soldier issue trousers, metallic spacefaring boots, a white beater, and a maroon Jakleauti. He pulled out a long, Magnifanium staff, and the highly illegal, highly sought after SPLITTER gloves. He dress himself, slipping on his gloves before he put on the Jakleauti. With whisper of a word, all of the many pockets on and inside the coat closed. A majority of them disappeared, some got longer, others smaller, and the huge coat shrunk to fit him. With another whisper, the coat grew a little longer, and the sleeves grew longer to cover his gloves. At the bottom of his bag was his favorite pair of black spacefarers, and an xPod deluxe, which he fitted on his wrist. There was a note at the bottom, with a simple reminder:
YOUR FATE'S STILL UNDECIDED.
He wordlessly put on his spacefarers and looked around the temple.
Benjamin South was back.
But he was different. The air about him was different. He collapsed to his knees, his mouth open in awe and wonder. He closed his eyes tight, and tried desperately to piece it all together.
The whole time. Nikariam could see me.
His mind drifted back to dream he had, right before his life got crazy with the trees on Nosvasia, before fleeing from the Legacy Empire. A dream where she was watching his every move, wishing he would stop being what he was. What was he? He remembered their exact words. A monument of hatred. A creature of fate. All Benjamin knew was that he was alone. Every Bellicus, every Imbellis, dead. He knew there was a small percentage still alive, living on earth or elsewhere. He's have to find them. But that wasn't his immediate mission. But.... What was his immediate mission?
Benjamin thought deeper. Before he died, his mission was simple. Get revenge. Kill every human being. That's an easy life. Vengeance is easy. Forgiveness, mercy, that's hard. And forgiveness for what? What had the rest of man kind done to him?
A red energy began swirling as anger grabbed his mind.
NO. I will not be weak and think like that. I must be strong. Strong for...
For what? Nikariam is dead her spirit is gone. She never wanted this..
"Bring us back. Or avenge us." He said aloud, his fists clenched. Just for now, he let his anger go. He was not over his anger, or his craving for revenge, but he pushed it aside. He needed to think logically. What was he going to do? He stood up and paced the room, thinking. He bumped into the knapsack, and looked in at the note. An undecided fate. He mind bunny trailed for a while, dancing around the thoughts and the facts, before circling back to the note.
Suddenly, he realized two things. One, they hadn't given him back the Ex Omni. Two, he quite liked the thought of not having his fate decided.
Still confused, his emotions and thoughts in a tangle, he made a decision. He would go recover the Ex Omni, and find his fate from there. He grabbed the note from the bag, gingerly folding it and placing it in his Jakleauti. He closed the black bag and tucked the Last Justice into a secure holder on it, and slung it over his shoulder. He looked up at the temple, suddenly hit with it's size and beauty. It was a monument to the extinction of his race, and the race that also walked the Pax. He bowed in reverence to it, before spinning on his heels and walking out the massive door.
He had a world to change.
