Slowly, he took the test tube from the man, removed the cork, and swallowed the contents.
He kept the liquid in his mouth for a while and stared at the man who still had him in his grip.
Stare had a reluctant expression on his face but seeing the man nod lightly, he gulped in the contents held in his mouth.
Although the liquid had no taste, it left a warm sensation as it slid from his mouth to his belly.
A few minutes in, and Stare couldn't feel anything, it was almost as though he hadn't taken the substance in the first place as even the trace of warmth had suddenly disappeared as well.
Stare looked up to the man in confusion and saw his signature smile grow wider, he quietly released Stare's hand and moved two steps backward, leaving Stare completely baffled.
He opened his mouth to ask 'What next' but the words got stuck in his mouth as he felt a strange type of pain rapidly rising in him.
"Fuuck," Stare shouted with gritted teeth, he grabbed his belly with both his hands and dropped to the floor on his knees.
All parts of his body ached in intense pain, as it felt like his bones were being broken continuously and refixed, while his organs within felt like they were being squeezed with an iron claw, all of this felt like they were happening simultaneously.
"Arrrggggghh," Stare screamed in pain as he stared at the man looking down on him suffering with a smile.
Stare felt hatred for this man, and wanted to just punch his face till it got disfigured.
He crawled on both hands and knees in pain towards the man standing above him.
"If I die…I'll try to take you with me at least." He muttered with teeth grinding.
"I'll kill…I'll kill you." Stare added as he grabbed onto his legs, planning on using it as support to lift his body in intense pain.
With his eyes filled with pain and hatred, he lifted his other hand in an attempt to punch the man when the pain that seemed to last for eternity suddenly disappeared without a trace.
His hand hung in the air, as his expression contorted in confusion. He quickly touched his belly and found no trace of the pain from before.
"W-What was that?" Stare quickly asked as he grabbed the throat of the man in anger.
The frail man, however, did seem to bother with his exhibition of anger as he casually detached Stare's hand from his throat, a smile still plastered on his face.
Do you think it's called Algos just for show?" he asked rhetorically, shaking his head.
"...You're quite the hotheaded kid, aren't you?" the man remarked.
Stare's anger subsided, but he watched the man warily.
"So, what now? Do I pass?" Stare asked cautiously.
The man stayed silent, then closed the gap between them.
"Let's find out," he said with a crazed grin, launching a fist at Stare
Stare, barely reacting in time, tensed up, fearing the blow's impact.
'Fuck, he is too fast…if that punch connects with my body will I even survive?'
Bang!
The frail man's fist connected with something, but a frown immediately appeared on his face.
Turning around, he saw Stare standing behind him, panting heavily.
"Are you insane? Do you want to kill me?" Stare yelled between breaths.
The frail man's smile returned as he nodded in satisfaction.
"Teleportation, good. Looks like someone will save a lot of credits on transportation fare."
Stare stared at him in disbelief. "What if I hadn't reacted fast enough?"
"Oh," the man said casually, then chuckled. "What's your name, boy?"
Despite his lingering issues with the man, Stare reluctantly replied, "Stare Johnson."
"Stare? Odd name. Well, Stare Johnson, how about we go meet your parents? I'm sure they'd be delighted to see their son becoming a Prime."
As the frail man headed to a hovering sports car and gestured to the empty seat, Stare hesitated.
He just stood at the same spot staring at the car, not too far away from him.
He was in a dilemma. Should he run away now? Or should he follow the man back home?
Despite everything he did to avoid the public testing and prevent the Oracle's path, he ended up somehow still falling into the Oracle's path.
It was as though it followed wherever he went.
'Should he run, there was still a chance he would eventually still fall for the Oracle's path, but should he stay and proceed with the path, he would lose all loved ones, turn into a power-hungry maniac, might end up destroying all humanity had created for themselves so far and in the end, he would be taken back and made to forget everything.'
'Forget the things and people he loved and cared for.'
Slowly memories from his past lives began flowing in his mind.
'Although those memories seemed to end well, with good overcoming evil, in reality, it was always an illusion. The storyline never ended well. There was never a good or evil in the storyline, it was all a scheme pre-planned by an iniquitous and enigmatic being. The Oracle had always been the real villain in this story.
One last memory snippet played in his mind.
It was of a beautiful girl he had grown to love and had been forcefully separated from.
Her words before he disappeared.
"Promise me you won't forget me…you won't forget us."
He had made a promise.
He wasn't going to walk on a path someone created for him. He was going to walk on the path he created for himself.
No more fulfilling a selfish scheme created by a selfish being.
But first, to do that, he has to destroy the Oracle's path completely.
A slight smile appeared on Stare's face, as he seemed to have an idea of what to do.
He walked toward the hovering car that had been waiting for him and entered into it.