"Resurrect me." Don would answer.
The boy's brow rose. He had not expected Don to say something like that. During Don's first run, he was the sole survivor. Most of those around him died early on, a month or two. As the days progressed, he continued to lose people, and by the final month, Don was all by himself. When Don survived the whole year, his first wish was to bring everyone back. However, that wish was impossible to grant. The dead could not come back to life. Once the brain and heart died, that was is. The body was no more, and therefore the spirit that remained would not have a host.
So, instead, Don asked to go back in time. To return to the past. He would save everyone himself and keep everyone safe; however, as he did, one thing he did not anticipate was the wipe of his memories. The wishes were powerful, but they came at a cost. Those who choose to go home would lose their Seed Power. Those who choose to stay and gain another Seed Power, riches, or pleasures would also have consequences equal to their wish. There was a catch to each wish, after all. But, Don's wish was too unique that it brought him before the boy. The boy summoned him.
The boy asked him why he wanted to live through what most considered hell, and Don's answer back then was, "I have seen Hell, but this, this can't even compare." This answer was baffling to the boy. So, he asked Don why he wanted to go back in time, and Don at the time answered with, "To save everyone." The boy found this intriguing. Out of all the mortals, Don was selfless. The boy told him that he would grant his wish, but it would come at a cost.
"Nothing will stop me from saving them. Nothing." Don's words back then caused the boy's lips to widen into a grin. His fascination with Don started then. The boy didn't tell Don what the cost would be. That would ruin all the fun. So, he simply granted Don's wish. Don would go back in time, but he would wake up in his apartment room with no recollection of what had happened when he arrived. He knew nothing of the future events. Nothing of what was going to happen. The boy watched him as he went through his second run. Once again, Don lost everyone, and once again, by the three-hundredth and sixty-fifth day, Don was all alone. Once again, Don made the wish to go back in time. Once again, he awoke in the apartment, and once again, he had no recollection. The boy continued to watch these events transpired for nine years, and this was now the tenth. Don was on his tenth run, but unlike the other nine, he never died. This was the first time Don had ever died and also the first time Don had managed to come to the boy all by himself.
This request differed entirely. He mostly expected Don to want to go back in time, but instead, Don wished to come back to life. At first, the boy was going to say no, and that it was impossible, but then he realized that it might have been possible. The boy would giggle, which caused Don's eyes to narrow. The boy could feel that Don may have taken offense to his request, so he shook his head.
"Oh, no. Do not mind me. I am not laughing at your request. If anything, I find it intriguing. I was only laughing because of how exciting it is. You see, I am sure you recall that you tried to resurrect everyone the first time, but you couldn't. The reason is, like I said before. The body requires two main functions. A brain and a heart. Without those, the body will die. For mortal humans like yourselves, you can die from just about anything. Still, for some, the only way to kill them is by eliminating either-or, sometimes even both." The boy would explain, which caused Don to relax his glare. He did wonder what the boy meant by others, and the boy could see it in his eyes, so he spoke. "Did you really think you were the only living species in the entire galaxy?" The boy asked with a cocky grin.
Don never really thought about those kinds of things. He never had time to, nor did he really care for it, but when someone like the boy brought it up, it did make him wonder. "I suppose not." Don would remark, and the boy would nod. "There are many out there who have already developed technology that allows them to create space colonies and travel through space itself. But, unfortunately, most avoid humanity because you people are... how do I put it...." The boy pondered in thought for a moment before giving his answer.
"Sinful and Stupid."
Don couldn't find it within him to disagree. If anything, he nodded. "They are." Don would reply, and the boy's brow rose curiously since it seemed Don had excluded himself, but the boy didn't go into it. Right now, the boy was more interested in how Don would react once he told him about the downside of resurrection, as well as why he found it funny in the first place.
"Well, it may be possible. You aren't the only one who has a Time Seed Power. There was another person I remember. They were enslaved by that New World Order or whatever." The boy seemed to speak with disgust in his voice when he talked about The World Government. "He was able to rewind time for other people. This closed up any fatal wounds and reverted the body to a stable condition, allowing the spirit to return to the body and use it as a host. In return, though, the person would age. Each time they brought someone back to life, they would age, and eventually, they died of old age. From what I recall, that person was a doctor or whatever." The boy would explain. Don recalled hearing something about that from Rose. Someone who brought her back to life each time The World Government killed her. Perhaps that was the person the boy was talking about.
"Regardless. It is possible, but only because your Seed has mutated. It has mutated to the point where it is keeping both your brain and heart alive. It has stored them in a separate space and stopped the flow of time for all organs of your body, including those. It's as if it is trying to preserve its host. You." The boy seemed to show fascination in his eyes. "I have never seen anything like it. A Seed that has a mind of its own!" The boy exclaimed joyfully. "That is also why you can communicate with me and why you are now fully awake. Your spirit has recollected everything, and a path has been made to your body with your Seed as the connector. This is what will allow me to resurrect you." The boy would grin wide.
"However, you will no longer be human. In fact, you won't even be mortal. Since your Seed has mutated to this point, I can only assume that your Seed will save your current body like some kind of return point once I restore your body to the way it was. If your body is ever lethally wounded or even wounded in general, your body will rewind to this point. A full and healthy body." The boy would explain, and Don would nod to show he understood.
"So, in short, I will become immortal." Don would comment. The boy would have nodded but instead shook his head. "Yes and no. Immortals are those who can not and will never die no matter what. You will only become semi-immortal. You can die, and there are two ways. One is to eliminate your Seed. Even if someone did destroy your brain and heart, your Seed would just rewind time because your Seed is already latched onto your spiritual body. It is merely a connector to the current time your body will be saved at. Think of it as a save point in a video game. When you die, you can return to your previous save point. Instead of rewinding time around you, your Seed rewinds your time alone. After all, time is merely a construct created by others to judge the cycles of day and night." The boy would explain. It was a bit difficult for Don to follow along, but he managed.
"So I won't age, no matter what?" Don would ask, and the boy would nod. "Correct. Your body's time will be in a state of cryostasis. It will not age, but it will function to its fullest. You can still bleed and will still feel hunger and whatnot. Even fatigue, but as long as there is no threat to the Seed's body, the Seed will not rewind your body's time." The boy would explain.
"Okay, and what is the second way?" Don would ask, and the boy would smirk.
"To kill your spirit. If your spirit is destroyed, the Seed will be killed as well." The boy would remark, but Don seemed confused. "Isn't that just killing the Seed?" Don would ask, and the boy would shake his head. "No. There is a way to destroy the Seed without killing the spirit. At first, the Seed was only latched onto the heart, but since yours has mutated, it has latched onto your spirit. If one is capable of removing your Seed from your spirit, they can ultimately kill you. All they would have to do after that is destroy your brain and heart. If they went after any other vital organ, it would do no good if your Seed managed to find a way to latch back onto your body or spirit. It would just rewind time." The boy would explain.
Don would sigh heavily. All of it was a lot to process, but there was one thing that the boy was leaving out. How did the boy know all of this?
"So, are you sure you wish to go through with your request? Once you do, there is no going back." The boy would remark. Don's answer would remain the same. "Resurrect me." Don felt like even if he did ask the boy how he knew all of this, the boy wouldn't answer him. The boy had no obligation to answer him either. So, instead, Don decided that if he could make it back here, he would ask the boy another time. There were many more questions Don wanted to ask. Like why all of this was happening? What kind of test was this? And what was The World Government after? There was still more even after that, but for now, he needed to go back.
The boy would take his handheld in hand and start doing something with it. It looked like he was piecing Don back together on the screen as if Don was some kind of puzzle. When Don looked at the screen, he noticed parts of his body did look like pieces to a puzzle. He found it disturbing to watch but never said a word. Once the hole in Don's chest was filled, Don could feel his Seed tugging at him as if trying to throw him back into his body. "Till next time. Do continue to entertain me, Donathan." The boy's grin was the last thing Don saw before everything went hazy, and black encompassed him entirely. When he came to, his vision was blurry at first. He saw that the hole in his chest was completely sealed up as if it had never been there in the first place. He didn't feel any different from before. The only different thing was his knowledge of everything. He still recalled all of it. The meeting with the boy and all of his rewinds. It was still there. Even how to use his mutated Seed Power to its fullest.
Don looked from the ground to see Jen, Rose, and Boss had taken a beating. Jen was held by her throat off the ground by Fam, and Boss was on one knee while trying to keep himself from collapsing onto the ground with his hand. Rose was lying on the ground, breathing heavily and glaring at Avarice, who had her foot to Rose's chest. The last person Don saw was April, who was slumped on the ground in defeat. As if her entire will had broken. In all of his rewinds, Don had never seen April like this. It pained him to see just how much pain he had caused her. He then pushed himself off the ground and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not dead yet." Don's voice would call. The touch alone caused her to react, but the words were what drew her in. Life returned to her eyes, and she instantly looked up to see Don was standing beside her. She had no words. She couldn't believe it. She recalled seeing a hole in Don's chest. There was no way Don could have survived that, and yet... here he was still standing. April instantly took hold of his arm. "Don't go..." April murmured. Don looked down at her, then squat beside her.
"I have to. I need to save our friends. We already lost someone important. I do not wish to lose anymore." Don would comment softly. His voice was gentle and kind. April had not been paying attention. She had shut down completely, but as she looked around, she saw all of her friends were on death's bed. She then returned her glance to Don and shook her head. "No! I can't lose you too! Not again!" April shouted. She didn't want to watch Don die. She didn't want to see it again. She didn't want to relive what just happened. Don would embrace her close to his being. "This time will be different. I promise. I will never leave your side. No matter what." Don would answer. April listened to Don's words closely. She still had her doubts. She didn't want to let Don go, but at the same time... she didn't want to watch anyone else die either. April would release Don slowly. She was shaking the entire time she did.
Don would take brush aside some tears from her face while lifting it up. April saw something that she had never seen before. It wasn't normal. Nor was it something she felt she like she should have seen. The Abyss in Don's eyes was far too deep for her to comprehend. She knew Don had a dark past. She knew it since Don opened up to her, but it was the first time she had ever seen it like this, and yet.... she wasn't repulsed by it. She wasn't attracted to it either. No... she merely accepted it. This was also who Don was. Don would place a gentle kiss on her forehead, then speak softly to her, "Watch over me. Watch my back. Stand by my side. You are my Guardian Angel after all." Don's words seemed to pierce through her heart and cause a soft blush to tinge her cheeks. She didn't even think she could feel like this, and she didn't know what to make of Don, but in the end, this just showed her that Don was simply Don.
April would nod with a half-smile. "Save our friends." April would remark softly, and Don would nod before moving past her. April turned around to watch him. The worries in her heart seemed to settle for now. Maybe it was because of what she saw. If she was the Angel, then Don was the Demon. What she had seen was something that she could only put into a single word—'Demonic'.
As Don made his way towards Avarice and Rose, he passed Boss, who had this look of shock. His jaw nearly dropped to the ground since what he saw was damn near impossible in his eyes. It was Don.
Don brought his hand up, and an invisible force pushed Avarice off of Rose. Don's eyes shifted towards Fam. With a snap of his fingers, the sound of glass shattering echoed out, and space around the hand Fam had been holding Jen's neck was distorted, and Fam started to scream in pain. He would release Jen, which caused her to drop to the ground. Another flick of his hand caused an invisible force to push Fam away. Don clapped his hands together, and the space between Avarice and Fam collapsed. They were both pulled together and slammed into one another.
Rose looked up from the ground. Her eyes went wide at what she saw. She had confirmed it herself. Don's pulsate had stopped. Don should have been dead, and yet here he was. Alive and well being a badass; however, Rose felt something was different about Don. She activated her Sixth Sense, and when she did, she felt chills run down her spine. Don's aura was a mixture of white and black. It wasn't like the two were trying to battle it out to gain dominance over the other. Instead, both were dancing together, loving one another and complementing each other.
However...
That wasn't why chills ran down her spine. The reason was something else entirely. Don's aura had skyrocketed and expanded wide. She could feel the sheer amount of power that was there. It made her nauseous. There were only two accounted times Rose had ever seen or felt an aura like this. The first was when she took a sneak peek at the General's aura. The second was when she was gauging the Leader of the Rosario Group. This meant that Don was on par with them, which meant that Don was a Grade 5. When she first saw Don's aura, it was merely at best a Grade 3, and it was only black, but now... it was different. Rose had to disengage her Sixth Sense so she wouldn't throw up, but she wondered what happened. What changed?
Jen, on the other hand, could barely even seen Don. Don was a few meters in front of her, but everything was a blur. "Heh... of course, you wouldn't stay down. I should've figured as much.... what was I so upset over..." Jen would mutter weakly. Don would look over towards Jen, then back towards Fam and Avarice, who looked extremely confused about what had just happened. Even they were surprised to see Don was up and moving around, but what surprised them the most was the feeling they were getting. It was similar to when they were face to face with the High Commander or General Smith.
"From here on out, I'll be your opponent." So Don would remark as a distortion of a clock suddenly appeared below his feet and the air around him began to distort.
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Author here:
Here are your mass released chapters! Sooner than expected huh? I pushed myself. Enjoy and once again thank you for your support! :)