The first thing I saw was a giant thing of Crystal. It was incomprehensible in size and I had the distinct impression that even if I could comprehend it, I still wouldn't see all of it. Though considering I was likely before some kind of Entity that wasn't hard to gather. Though I couldn't help but feel confused by the sight of it. It was such a stark and radical difference to what I normally dreamed of, it threw me for a bit. Though that's not to say I didn't adapt. After all, I was-
[PROBLEM:SOLUTION:EXCHANGE]
There was a strange rush of information, of understanding as the two concepts were pushed into my dream self. The first was the problem of entropy, of the end of everything and it's inevitability. Of a race of people that answered the call for the universe's salvation. Their methods were brutal, ugly, and wrong, yet still they pushed onwards, certain of the necessity of the task. Of its importance and the Greater Good. An incredibly twisted and ironic point of view considering it was that very same thinking that led to humanity overcoming the cycle in Worm canon.
The solution they found lied within me, and another. Something about us seemingly sparking an inspiration. An inspiration that revealed itself to be the solution to entropy: negentropy. It was a fact of the most basic law of physics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only altered. And yet, they had found a way. A true unlimited resource of energy, the end of it's quest, of The Cycle.
And for our contribution, as unknown as it was, would be rewarded. A shard, one not usually passed out and with lesser restrictions. It would be my power, my companion, my passenger. It would take the shard I had already and cannibalize it into something even greater. A confusing prospect considering I didn't have a shard, but I suppose my dream self did? What I would do with that power, it did not care. It also did not care that the power be used at all given it no longer had need of data. All it cared for was that I had the shard, that an exchange be met. One resource, information, for another resource, power.
'What the fudge even is this dream?' Sure, I may have thought of similar scenarios dozens of times a day. So a dream about being given a worm power wasn't that unusual. What was unusual was the format the dream was taken. When I imagine the scenario, it usually involves me being transported to a school in Worm. I'd be confused, the students and faculty would be confused. Occasionally I'd be confused for a cape depending on what I'm wearing during the fantasy. Next a briefcase comes out of a portal which houses some Cauldron vials that would grant powers that I'd made. What the vials were depends on my mood, but recently it's just been the powers in the fanfiction and quests that I made rather than simply thought of and left to gather dust. How things progress from there is less certain. I either explain what's going on, freak the fudge out of my mind, or get arrested by a cape. This though…
'I've never thought up meeting an Entity.' It was certainly bizarre and unusual, but again, I am the master here. Plus, this dream was looking to be a really nice one. Who knows, maybe I'll get some kind of flight power? That would be cool. Or possibly-
"Wha-" The sudden jolt of consciousness was a bit strange all things considered. As was the weakness and sluggishness. Mostly because it was all the things you feel in the morning, only without actually being tired. Though I wasn't given time to process that.
"Get up, it's time for testing." It took a few moments for things to click in place, but it was it terrible start that I realized several things. The first of course was that I wasn't where I should be: in my bed. The second was that I was where I was: in my bed. The third was that the room was different. The fourth was that the room was the same as it usually was. The fifth was that the stranger before me looked like pictures of the fictional character Heartbreaker. The sixth was that it was my father Heartbreaker stood before, waiting for a response.
"Yes Dad." The words slipped from my mouth like second nature. And why not, after all from the memories in my mind the man was my father. And it wasn't like the absolute fear I had of him changed that or what I called him. It's what every called him, except for the really young ones like Candy who've yet to transition. Still, he got his desired response and left, the expectation that I would arrive soon after clear as day. And usually I would, but my body was a little shaken up by the new memories in my head, of a completely different and ordinary life.
'The fudge is going on?!' The memories were slotting into place even quicker, giving me more and more context. Dad came in last night, once more in a rage over Jean-Paul's disappearance. He came into the room and tried to trigger me with his own powers. It strained against my developed immunity, to the point where-
'A neuron misfired' I knew who this was! The name-Alexandre "Misfire" Vassil. So named for Dad's desire to conquer Alexandria and the foundation of the OC's power. An OC I made for the story when I was experimenting with triggers as a way to memorize them. His main power, the thing it all revolves around, was inducing what his father did to him to others. He could use that for a frankly insane amount of things. Mostly because of the way he triggered. He was a child of Heartbreaker so it was always going to be a master power, but the confusion at what was happening caused a Scatterbrain thinker power. Misfire would have molded that into several things that turned an already terrible power to confuse and kill within a city wide radius into something that broke the limits of what should be possible. A prime specimen for Data in the same tier as Taylor.
There was the ability to "see" those who possessed nations like a scanner which gave him a nigh omniscience of everyone in his area allowing him to plan accordingly. A sort of precognition based on interpretation given the nations firing in other people to understand what they'll do next. With his thinker power even pushing his senses and reflexes into Brute territory to make greater use of it. Then there were the tinker aspects where he uses the minds of tinkers around him to create tinker tech. It wasn't as good as an actual tinker, but the fact he could do it at all was incredible.
Then there was the control he managed to develop. It was as absolute and precise as Taylor with her bugs. That allowed for things like body snatching, Pavlovian remaking, sensory overload and removal, and a lot more that I never really thought up. It was that same control that allowed him to purposely misfire neurons for biological changes. It only got worse when the thinker power started giving ideas on what changed what. It was a complete shutdown of most living things around him. Heck, people only had powers when he wanted them to given his ability to mess around with the neurons in contact with the Gemma and all that entailed. As mentioned, he was a character who knew his powers, and abused them to their absolute-
'I'm in Worm.' It was another thing that just caught up with me. That fact that I'm in Worm. It wasn't a comforting thought in the slightest. No, it only served to ramp up my fear. After all, I knew what-
'Wait is it?' The thought, contrary to the previous one, was like a bucket of cold water thrown over me. I had clarity again to think and realize I wasn't going to die. The Entity from my dreams that I could only assume was Scion or Eden, gave me plenty of explanation after all. I had some solution to entropy and they ended the cycle. I got a shard of my own, one that cannibalized the one I had before into something far "greater" than what was planned.
'Wait that doesn't make sense.' Eden was still dead, as my memory showed the familiar pre canon of Worm. So it must be Scion then. Only Scion isn't currently serving any role like that. Not to mention he hasn't been near us at all. But I definitely dreamed of an Entity giving me a shard.
'Apollyon?' From what I knew there were four named Entities. Abaddon, Apollyon, Thinker, and Warrior. The first and third meet and exchange shards which leads to the thirds demise. Last is lost until Nortan gives direction and Apollyon was an apex predator that would have consumed the latter two of them met. And that left Apollyon, or some other unknown Entity. Except for the fact that I'd been planning a story over PMs with TotallyNotZion about a double OC SI based on Abaddon Born only with Apollyon instead.
'Had I known I'd actually be stuck with my choice, I probably wouldn't have chosen Option 3.' Yeah, Option 1 was probably going to have a better beginning than this one, but I thought it'd be a cool power to write. Still, this did give me options. For one, I'm almost certain I can run off right now. After all, I don't really want to follow Da-Heartbreaker-to testing. I knew enough about this family to know that some kind of test or trial awaits me. One that set a clear and sit in the line between those who could remember their father and those who couldn't. The blatant fear I'm feeling was plenty proof that he'd be doing something, even if I'm not sure what. The others were all surprisingly tight lipped about what it was that Heartbreaker did after all.
'Let's see, how to…Wow.' Almost immediately, my power answered and I received a city wide 360 degree view of the world all centered around me. There were billions upon billions of lights all firing at once. All of them so distinctly clustered together in a way that made it obvious what this was. These were all the neurons of everyone around me. It was another very comforting revelation as it meant I probably would be starting with the full power unlocked instead of working towards the final product. That did have its ups and downs of course. Sure I started this powerful, but it likely meant the power would be set. Something that negated the whole "Scatterbrain" aspect of the thinker power. Unless that's what it meant by "something greater"? It would make some amount of sense considering I'm starting with the fully fleshed out second trigger version instead of only the first trigger. Though that raises the question of just how it knew what I would-
'Enough of that Alexandre. You can think about for later. Right now, it's time to escape.' It would be a very easy thing. Honestly, the only sibling that could even track me was Cherie given her emotional sensory range. Possibly Guillaume as well depending on how long his sensory power lasts post contact. All things considered, this would be pretty set and done. The only thing I had to do now was act.
