NOVEL FROG Chapter 130 – Agony [5]
"Alright, I wanted to talk to you all about this, and I think now is a good time. As you might already know, I am a symbiotic being capable of connecting with other races, granting them powers and abilities"
Annie, Emi, and Sara nodded, as this was information they were already aware of, which prevented any surprise. It wasn’t a shocking or unexpected revelation. However, Prime’s next words definitely took them all by surprise.
"However, I was originally human. Although it might sound strange to say it this way, I was a human in another world, closely connected to this reality. You could think of me as someone from a mirrored dimension to the one we’re in now"
The room fell into complete silence. Although they already knew about aliens and life beyond Earth thanks to Prime, Emi, Annie, and especially Sara did not expect to hear about dimensions or alternate realities. For them, it was hard to believe something like that.
"Hahaha, I don’t even need to read Sara’s mind to know what you’re thinking. Like you, I too took a while to believe in this possibility. Initially, I thought I had died and reincarnated into this body, but on the same Earth and dimension as my previous one"
Prime smirked disdainfully as he said this. From the beginning, he should have noticed this detail. The evidence was simple: there had never been a rich Tony Stark or a weapons manufacturer where Prime came from. In fact, there were some Tonys, but none were like the one Prime knew.
"So, how exactly did you end up in our world?"
Sara’s question left everyone in the room tense and silent. Annie, Sara, and even Emi, who was usually always smiling, had serious and incredulous expressions as they stared at Prime. They had considered a possibility based purely on Prime’s words, but they didn’t want to believe it.
"Before I continue, I’d like to briefly explain something. Before I took over this body, the being that was its original owner was a chaotic entity. It traveled between dimensions and worlds, seeking places with life, and upon finding them, it eradicated them"
Annie, Emi, and Sara held their breath, unsure of what to say in response to Prime’s words. He was confirming all their suspicions, but what surprised them the most was how Prime seemed completely impassive while telling them everything.
"My world was one of those; it was destroyed, and apparently, I was also killed in the process. However, I honestly still have no idea how I ended up in the body of the being that wiped out life in my land"
To be clear, Prime had no special thoughts or deep feelings about the matter. If there was anything he regretted, it was definitely living in the body of the monster that killed his two best friends. Besides that, Prime didn’t care much about the rest. The truth was, aside from his two only friends, he had no family, acquaintances, or any consideration for anyone else.
However, Prime still couldn’t forget the feeling he had before he passed out on the bus and woke up in this body. At first, he had his doubts, but now he was almost certain that he had probably died on the bus. The cause was still a mystery to him; at least, he didn’t remember being ill or anything similar.
In retrospect, the girls could only stare at Prime, who was lost in thought, with expressions of disbelief. It wasn’t so much about what he had said, but the way he had said it. The three exchanged brief glances before turning their eyes back to Prime, and then Sara asked.
"Prime... what exactly… no, what do you really think of your old world?"
Upon hearing Sara’s question, Prime looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but the gesture was so subtle and quick that no one in the room noticed. It wasn’t that Prime didn’t understand the question, but he had never stopped to think about it before. After a few seconds of reflection, Prime found his answer and then responded.
"What do you mean? I don’t think about anything specific. Of course, I’m sad that my two only friends had a fate similar to mine, but what could I do?"
The three swallowed hard upon hearing Prime’s words. His indifference was so evident that even they, who were used to him, found it strange. They weren’t asking about a home or a nearby place, but about an entire planet, and yet Prime seemed completely detached.
"Prime, that was your home planet. Don’t you really feel anything knowing it was completely wiped out?"
Upon hearing Sara’s words, Prime raised an eyebrow again. He truly couldn’t understand where Sara was coming from.
"Is... that a problem?"
Sara and the girls were stunned, not knowing how to react to Prime’s words. He, in turn, didn’t care; in fact, he was completely indifferent, as cold as ice. Then, Sara decided to ask the final question, the one that had been on her mind since she heard Prime speak.
"Prime, can I ask you something?"
"Sure"
"... Before reincarnating into your new body, did you think this way?"
Prime remained silent for a few seconds, trying to recall his past from his fragmented memories. This effort gave him clarity on his answer.
"I believe so"
After hearing Prime’s words, the girls exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond. Sara remembered the first time she met Prime. At that time, even though he had reincarnated recently, his calm demeanor seemed extraordinary, as if something kept him serene.
Normal people would probably panic or something similar, but for Prime, it seemed just like another ordinary day in his peculiar life. This incongruity made Sara realize something that Emi and Annie also noticed: there was something missing in Prime, something neither they nor Prime himself had identified.
Something that had been missing from the beginning but had gone unnoticed was the reason why humans as a whole are called humanity. That very thing was absent in Prime. Somehow, it seemed that from the start, Prime lacked humanity, even though he himself hadn’t noticed it yet.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it
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