First time writer here, and it is a pleasure to meet anyone that comes here to read my story. Now to cover a few things, obviously I do not claim to own anything here, I am just writing in my free time because I enjoy it. Not entirely sure if I will continue this, but I suppose depending on the reactions to it that could be up for debate. I am not going to claim everyone will enjoy this, especially with just how many stories of this type are on the site. Regardless, I will not take up to much of your time with this, and hope you enjoy it.
Clarification on speakers:
[Shard Speak]
'God'
"Characters"
You know the worst thing that happens to a person with nothing left to do and everything they ever wanted? Boredom. You wanna know what the most dangerous thing in the universe is? A Bored God. It's because you never know what kind of nonsense is gonna happen with a bored god behind the wheels of the universe. You might get a cataclysm, you might get another Big Bang just so they could see what happens. That or they say fuck it, then they may just decide to erase the old universal harddrive and go do something else. So to be fair, with those things in mind, winding up meeting your maker playing video games while looking like an utter bum is not that bad. To be fair, from what he has been telling me he has been doing shit like this for the last century or two, ever since he started reading fanfiction. He would grab some unlucky bastard, like me, and give em one of those CYOA things, and to be fair I had no fucking clue what I was doing as I stared at this screen. God was more than happy to ignore my existence till I was done apparently, given he was currently bullying some kid as Zangief in SF6 and didn't so much as look back at me after his initial, if shitty, explanation. Though perhaps I shouldn't be shit talking god in my head, considering he is God with the big G and I don't wanna end up in some hellscape like Warhammer.
Turning back to the screen, which was literally just floating in front of my face like some sort of HUD, proving that god was indeed a gamer and perhaps read one to many Manhwa with how much it was ripping off other tropes. Though if I was to mention this, he would probably say that since it was his creations that came up with the theme, it all came from him, though perhaps I am rationalizing things too much in the situation I am in. My mind hasn't stopped racing, hasn't stopped 'thinking' since I got here and was put in this situation. So reaching up, I read through the rules section and began to mess around a bit until I got to the section that spoke on the 'Lore' of the world I was going to. 'Fuck. Fuck me and everything I ever did.' was the main thought racing through my mind as I looked up at 'Worm AU' and the varying paragraphs of basic text covering the world as a whole and the situation it was in. 'I am going to fucking Worm. Why God, Why?' I thought as I dragged my hands down my face before words reached my metaphysical ears.
'Because why not? You read a lot of fanfiction about Worm, and I haven't really sent to many people there yet. I used to give you people choices, but yall always chose the most typical things. No challenge, no threat, boring. So you're going where I know you're gonna struggle, where life is shit and it will be up to you to improve it. Also a world on a timer is a great way to motivate my travelers, because the first hundred picking and choosing worlds where they could manipulate things at their leisure and fuck all the waifus they wanted got boring really fast. Sure, I don't mind you getting your dick wet but at least focus on things past that. You know how irritating it gets to see nearly a hundred of you take the exact same choices and end up with harem's in the DxD universe? Fuck. Do something original for my sake. I have deleted more of those kinds of worlds than I care to think about.' he spoke into my mind, his voice was like a disappointed dad mixed with the roar of dull thunder. If I was still alive, I would question if I would be able to retain my sanity let alone my life at such a direct divine message, and it was this thought that made God scoff as he got another perfect victory and began to change games and start a new run of Elden Ring.
Pushing through into the starter options, Meta was selected for me 'You' and various other things were non-optional it seemed, but as I went down and saw powers, it split up into various themes and sources. I could have followed the standard options, with Shard based powers or even picking the standard gamer setup that evolved as I played. Though I have a feeling God had plenty of players that did that and would be bored if I picked it. And given the fact he said he has deleted entire universes where his players bored him with the same actions, it meant that despite what entities or gods these other worlds have, that ultimately he could still pull the plug on potentially multiversal beings and deities. I could feel the approval wafting through the air coming from him, his head slightly turned to face me as that featureless face and glowing eye looked at me for a moment. 'Two points to Gryffindor for that one kid. You get a bonus for actually using your brain. Pick something and I will give it to you for free.' he said as the menu split into two and an assortment of things showed up, before my eyes caught one thing in particular and picked it. It flashed, and vanished, and I turned back to the page and got back to work as God turned back to continue gaming. 'Hmm, I have to think this through. Disadvantages that aren't permanent would be best, but I don't wanna pick things that are too underwhelming and end up nerfing myself so early on. What do I have on my side that can be used long term, but I can afford to lose parts of. Hmm, taking any sort of physical detriment would be an early death, so perhaps something emotional or mental. Given this is a Worm AU, things are not going to be following Canon and there is potential for multiversal crossover shenanigans, and that always throws a wrench into things. Hmm, I think I have an idea that could be used to my benefit, but also runs enough risk to really make it worth it. So pushing a few buttons, running through the power menu and the background menu, I saw I was in the negative already and that was okay because the detriment I had chosen worked to my advantage here and I watched my points immediately return to the positive, and it allowed me to be a bit more selective.
God sat up and looked back at me fully this time, 'You sure about that? The reason that option is so lucrative is because it has a high early fatality index. In Worm, that detriment is a 40% chance of being a death sentence. You do not get a second chance, not without the Time Traveler perk, and you know that what you have chosen only gives you once chance.' he spoke to me, as I could feel myself quaking on a conceptual level under his gaze. It was something that would have driven entire races of people to madness from the intensity of it, and yet he was not letting me descend into that simply because it would be a waste of his time to erase me in such a way now. It certainly put things into perspective though, and now even the death world known as Earth Bet was not so daunting anymore, because what was a multidimensional space-whale to a being that just deletes multiverses at a whim. Yet, despite the fact I wanted to defend my choices, I found that I lacked the ability to speak any more under the weight of that stare, and had to settle for nodding. He smirked wide, and all I saw was teeth, and in that moment he reminded me of Truth from FMA, and I felt my stomach drop into my feet as I felt like I just fucked up.
'Good. GOOD! Interesting! That's not boring! I like you a bit more now kid, and I am gonna do you a favor. I will help you meet the first of the three goals you have set for your detriment to be taken away. So tell me, which one do you want first? I will set it up.' he said as he looked over the CYOA I submitted, scrolling through it as he looked over it. 'Meh, you still have 5 points. I will do you a favor and grant you a perk to balance out your wallet.' he said as I felt myself lighten up, and a small screen popped up. 'Blindspot Created' and I knew almost immediately that without this I would have been in for a horribly bad start without it. I had figured that my own detriment would have been enough to protect me, but if God was handing this out like this then he disagreed. I would have been utterly fucked, I could see it in that grin that looked me over like I was a more interesting Amoeba. "You're lucky you have interested me boy, because otherwise you would have been shot in the head almost immediately as I dropped you off. Word to the wise, do not attract Contessa's attention to fast boyo. Then again, you're not even gonna remember who that is until your detriment is gone. Amnesia, even temporary, is a hell of a choice! What a mad lad! Anyways my boy, I do hope you can piece together what you need to do and things work out properly. After all, I am gonna be watching.' he said as I felt myself begin to change, my nearly abstract form began to 'flesh out' as it were. My selection turned out for the good here, as I became a moderately fit man with gray and black hair. Knowledge began to flood my mind, my name and age, the fact I just graduated school and was setting myself up to intern at a local institution for the credits I needed before College.
I looked myself over, a much different turn out from my old body. There was a massive difference between my old bed ridden form, Osteogenesis Imperfecta had forced me to lead a life from home and with only the lightest of activities and yet here I was, strong and hale, with a body that could actually go about life in a respectable manner. There was a feeling in me I couldn't define, something that was similar to elation, and I couldn't keep the smile off my new face. I could feel my cheeks grow wet, reaching up I could feel the tears. It was joy, immense and overwhelming, making me cry like this. It was something I had never dreamed of happening to me in reality, then again, with the existence of God what was reality when he was an existence that made realities out of fiction in order to amuse himself. Questioning my view on existence could wait though, because God seemed to be getting ready to vanish me, displace me, transport me? One of those would probably be fitting, but I couldn't get lost in the moment. The divine being smirked at me again, before he held up his hand and snapped his fingers and I faded away, where Cole Irving once existed, he faded away and Kol Wagner appeared in his bed in Brockton Bay.
He got out of bed with a bit more energy than one might think he would have. Then again, excitement always had a way of bringing up the spirits of anyone, if you disregard the fact they lived in one of the greatest hotspots for Cape Activity on the planet where things had a tendency to set on fire. Going downstairs, he walked over to his mother and hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before the small woman spoke to her husband after the action. The words spilled out quickly, chastising him for his inaction. "How come our son is the only one that ever shows me any affection huh? 30 years of marriage, and still no love from the man who I have been taking care of for so long huh?" she spoke in Mandarin, the words coming out sounding angry and short, yet he could hear the inflections of adoration and love. His father scoffed a bit, before returning fire just as fast, "Meh, the boy takes advantage of your affections woman. He knows how you work, a kiss and a hug and it deflects from the fact that you were going to address his work choices. The boy is going to be a doctor, always been very smart, yet the fool choses to work in Empire territory at that blasted Medhall. Racists and arrogant dogs the whole lot of them, I swear to this day that the Empire has hands in that place. Just you wait! I will be proven right one day.' his father spoke, his disapproval evident. Yep, both of my parents were Chinese, specifically second generation American-Chinese, and I was their Son, adopted of course. Because that was the only way a pale skinned boy, of German descent would have ever ended up in this situation. The Song family adopted me years ago, when I was just 6 years old they pulled me out of that horrid little adoption center which had been my home for 2 years since my birth family's death in Cologne. My own words came out, trying to calm them, "Honored Mother, Respected Father, please do not worry. I understand things are going to be difficult, but it will be okay, I can handle myself against a few skinheads if need be. You raised me to be smart, and because I am smart, I am always prepared to handle myself should it come down to it.'
He spoke curtly, his mandarin coming out crisp and sharp, communicating his confidence in a respectful manner to his father. The man still looked dissatisfied, and yet, I understood that he only said what he said out of concern for my well being. Chen Song was a man that always spoke his mind, and given his work he knew exactly what it meant to play dangerous games like this. Though I suppose if anyone would understand, it would be the man that played negotiator for the government, he understood what I was trying to do here. He scoffed again, before chuckling, "My own son using mediation techniques against me. You are far too green boy, but I suppose we shall see the consequences in time." he said before his mother, Hua, walked over and wrapped her arms around his father and kissed him gently. "Be proud husband, you have raised him well and made him a brilliant young man. We should trust him, Kol knows what he is doing." she said as she handed him a boxed lunch, wrapped up and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Be safe darling, come home to us. If something happens you make sure you leave the heroing to the Capes. It would greatly upset me to have to bury my boy." she said as I stepped back, giving them both a small bow before leaving the room and walking outside. Moving down to the bus stop, he looked back at his home once before letting out a sigh, and stepping under the sign as the bus began to pull up. "What is the worst that could happen." he said to himself, before he got on the bus.
It was these words that bounced around in my head as I stared at the man in front of me, holding his hand out in a handshake as I stared at Max Anders, CEO of Medhall and the man who had approved my internship. Shaking his hand however, had shed light on a lot of things, things he would have preferred not to know. Somehow, shaking this man's hand caused him to learn things, things he obviously didn't know before, and yet seemed like such old knowledge that it would have been impossible to ignore. Max Anders was Kaiser, the leader of the Empire, and the head of an organization of racist cunts that he wouldn't want to be caught dead within a 100 feet of. This is literally the worst thing that could happen to him, and right now he could hear Murphy laughing at him from the Cosmos for tempting him. Yet, he could handle this, he just needed to end this without something going wrong or the man trying to induct him into the Empire with his propaganda, which he apparently didn't even fully support. With this knowledge, the people he could see milling about all began to look different to him, he knew what they were, who they were now. The twins, Freya and Menja, how he could have missed that given the sheer absence of twins in the city altogether, considering they were the only ones he had met so far in the 7 years his family had lived here. Yet, the knowledge currently flooding his mind as he looked around, even after letting the man's hand go, proved that wasn't the only thing here. So many people he could recognize, knowing them to be Empire members of note. Victor and Othala stood in a corner, Hookwolf was prowling about in a security jacket. But it didn't stop there , something else was happening to him aside from the information dumped directly onto his brain.
He felt 'something' nestle deep into his head, something new that wasn't there before. It spoke to him, softly, nonsensically, and yet he understood the inflections in its words [HOME] [HOST] [METAL] [CREATION], thousands of meanings, hundreds of iterations and he knew almost instinctively he could do something now. He could feel every bit of metal here, from every nut and bolt, to every beam hidden beneath the concrete, every panel and fixture. He could reach out and make it his, but not just that, he could create vast quantities of Iron and Steel, but not now it said, in time that would change however. I could feel it, right on the edge of something I could touch mentally, but somehow it escaped my grip. Something was blocking him from calling on it, and trying to do so made his mind hurt, and pushing that made it feel like something burst.
Another set of words hit him, the inflections deep and meaningful.
[TRIGGER NOT ACHIEVED] [SHARD LOCKED]
His nose felt wet and warm, as he reached up and touched it, his fingers came back bloody. Seems that all of this happening at once gave him a nosebleed, and looking at the blood, his knees started to feel weak and he stared up at Kaiser's face, no, Max Anders face as his face shifted a bit from confusion to an appropriate response befitting the situation before he called an attendant. A pretty blonde, and he had to admit for a Nazi she was a looker, though knowing what he knew this was Othala and she had an unfortunate hanger on by the name of Victor that was looking none too pleased at having his conversation interrupted. They probably intended to use her to try and heal him, perhaps going to spin some sort of tale to try and win him over later. He knew he checked off all of Kaiser's boxes for a potential recruit. Though I doubt that would stay consistent when they dug into his background more. He doubted racists like this would approve of a White Man tainted by Asian parents. Holding onto himself as best he could, he tilted his head back to help stop the bleed. "No, No. I am fine. I don't want to bother you. Damn, making a fool of myself already." I said as I put a hand on Othala's shoulder and waved off Kaiser's concern. "I think I should probably head home, and get a change of clothes." I said as I stepped back, my voice as friendly as I could keep it despite trying my best to escape this place as fast as possible. Turning around, I began to step back before Kaiser's voice raised up. "Don't worry, things happen. No need to be ashamed of anything my young friend. A proper young man like yourself has a bright future ahead of him, you just need the right place to bring those talents out. I look forward to hearing about your progress here." he said as I began to sweat lightly.
I couldn't leave fast enough, yet I tried my best to not move too fast to give anything away. Kaiser was egocentric and manipulative, he was very observant but the main one I was worried about was Victor. He probably had the skills needed to read my body language to find out I had been panicked for a bit, yet hopefully it would be tied to my sudden nosebleed and perhaps shame at it happening in front of what would have been my boss. I made sure to sign out at the front desk before leaving, trying to be as professional as a potential intern could be before I left as fast as possible to the bus stop. I could feel it now, that thing in my mind, wriggling into place and settling itself down. It was still sending out the words, like a computer or radio tower sending out pings to some sort of mother device. Something responded, then promptly ignored the thing in my mind with casual disinterest.
The next thing I felt from whatever was in my mind now, was sadness and dejection. It had been rejected, or in this case perhaps something along the lines of discarded would be more fitting. It had an urge about it, it wanted something, almost like a newborn child seeking parental affection. It turned its attention to me before I felt it reach out and touch something in my mind as the words formed. [QUERY] [ALONE] [UNIFIED]. That was all it said, but it felt like I had just been bombarded by a thousand words all at once. It was hard to disseminate it all, but I understood it on a base level. It posed the question of unification with me given its abandonment by its originator. It proposed that we become closer through a bonding that would combine our fates, and in turn free it from its Originator Entity fully. It was more than I could handle, I couldn't even begin to comprehend the consequences of such an action and I could feel myself on the edges of a panic attack already. I needed to calm down, I needed to go home and process everything. I couldn't handle this right now, I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff about to tumble head on into the darkness.
Fuck you Murphy.
Sitting in his office, his finger tapping down on the desk pointedly as he wrestled with a feeling, Max Anders was perplexed. Freya and Menja were sat elsewhere busying themselves with something else as these feelings stirred in him, leaving him agitated for some reason. Ever since he met that intern, he has been feeling like something had happened that upset him on a deeper level, something that he could put a finger on. He felt like he had been cheated out of something, that something that should have been his had been stolen. He called on his power, and his hand was coated in iron as easily as it always had before he dismissed it. He turned to Victor, "Victor. Did anything today seem out of place? Anything stick out to you as odd?" He said, as he leaned forward against the desk. The young man looked up at him from where Othala was sitting on his lap, watching a movie before he shifted the girl off him and walked over. "The only thing that was truly out of the ordinary happened during the intern meetings, when that guy had his nosebleed. He seemed plenty eager to meet you at first, but the moment you both shook hands and he got hit with a nosebleed it was like a switch has been flipped somewhere in his brain. Most likely options are intense embarrassment leading to an attitude shift. Potentially a miniature stroke that affected his mental state, or a sudden bout of realization that hit him in time with the bleed. His body language shifted from confident to concerned far too quickly to be standard but that is something that can be expected under the circumstances." The teen finished curtly, sounding every bit the professional the man whose skill he had stolen had been in the past. Max took those words in and let them settle a bit, Victor had always been a rather talented individual granted the versatility of his powers so he trusted that judgment.
"Look into the intern, don't follow him or anything but run a background check as part of the potential hiring process. Just tell them to be a bit more thorough." He said before Krieg stood up and spoke, "I believe he would be a good hire. A proper man, with a German last name,and I know he speaks German from the conversations he had with some of the floor staff. It would be a boon to have him in the team, and I believe he could be a refreshing change of pace. He seems intelligent from what I have seen, and would at least be better than the typical recruit." He said, his voice coming out assured as always. Max could only sigh at Krieg's fervor before he held a hand up to forestall any additional input from the man. "Your point has been made Krieg, no need to harp on it. Ultimately if he joins us or not is inconsequential. I believe he is a normal, if he was not brought to my attention by the checkup staff." And at the mention of these words Freya looked up, "The scans we ran everyone through didn't show anyone with an active Gemma. Then again, it was just a cursory scan and it might be wrong. If he was here and submitted to a full check up we could be certain." She finished off before Kaiser nodded, leaning back into his chair and sighed. "Regardless. Stick to the orders, just a background check and nothing else. Anyways, onto actual important matters. The ABB, any news on that front." He said as the rest of the meeting trailed off. But that feeling never really went away.
The bus ride had been filled with nothing but heavy thoughts, digging through the information that had been dumped into my brain like a bucket of ice water. Even now, I could only see just how close I had come to joining a Nazi ran institution that would have most certainly tried to brainwash or indoctrinate me in some manner. As a man of German descent, I took great pride in the fact I would never believe the tripe of racial superiority. Most certainly not one based on something as inconsequential as skin color and culture, they could shove that shit back into the sewer they pulled it from. Thinking about that, I couldn't help but laugh a bit, it seemed father was right. Nazi rat bastards, the whole lot of them as he said. Though I am fairly sure not everyone in there was a racist, as that would be far too short sighted, but I could probably guess it was the vast majority. It was safe to say I was most certainly not going to be interning there. I would probably put in at Brockton General, and who knows perhaps I might get to see Panacea work. It would be interesting to meet the premier healer of the Cape scene, despite the fact it would probably not be happening for a while. Regardless, it seemed my train of thought would have to end given my bus was pulling into my stop now. Home sweet home, just around the corner, but then again it wouldn't be a proper Brockton Bay day without some sort of gang activity. Because as soon as the bus pulled away, I saw some thugs hop out of a car and move into old man Shen's shop. The old man was always a nice sort, and stubborn as hell on top of that, but he had always been fair to him. He knew it would be foolish to try and interfere, but something in his gut was eating at him as he turned to keep walking towards his home.
A thought hit him, something his father had once said. "Men without Honor see what is right, and do nothing. Men without Courage see the time to stand up, and stay on their knees. Men without Righteousness see a world steeped in evil and commit no good with their life. Ask yourself son, what kind of man are you?" His words had been simple, and at the time he had not overmuch on them. But he could see that they applied to his life everyday, in every choice. His mother wanted him to be safe, to come home back to the family but as a man, if he ignored Mr. Shen, then what kind of man would that make him. He could rationalize many things, but that kind of thing would simply fill him with shame if he was to ignore it. He found his steps getting dragged towards the store regardless, and perhaps that was the moment he should have knew Murphy was out to get him. Because as I made to open the door, I ran almost face first into a steel dragon mask. The man was as tall as I was, and fairly more broad, but that mask was something I knew. Something everyone knew, if they lived in these parts like I do.
Lung, the dragon of Kyushu.
It made no sense, why was Lung himself shaking down old ? It was a question I did not have long to ponder before one of the men shoved me back. He cursed at me in Korean, and I understood parts of it but the gun in my face stopped any response I could have given. "The fuck you doing here white boy? Blocking Lungs path? You gotta have a death wish." He said in a heavily accented English. The other men with him laughed, but Lung said nothing, simply deigning to stare at me like I was an insect. The gun was lowered as Lung put a hand on the man's shoulder, but it didn't stop the stare. "You. Are you the Song boy? Chen's son?" Lung finally spoke, but in deep Mandarin as I nodded once. I returned words, in clear but respectful mandarin "I am Kol, Chen and Hua Song are my parents. I apologize for getting in your way Sir." I spoke, not trying to rise off the ground just yet, I doubt I even could, the fear made it feel like my knees were paralyzed.
I didn't want to agitate the man willing to wave a gun in my face like that anymore that I had too. Also one could never play it too safe with the volatile Lung, despite how cowardly it might seem. It was best to play it safe despite the fact I had come in here ready to help Mr. Shen however I could, but there was something to say about the cold hard facts and the feeling of the fear of genuine loss of life setting in. I was most very certain the Lung could and would happily rip me in half, yet what I was not expecting was a hand being held out in my face, offering me a hand up. "Chen Song is a talented man, and has provided good service to me in this city. He helped with many negotiations with other gangs in the city and I can respect him for that. I do not forget a slight against me, and likewise I do not forget what is owed. Respect." He said as I took his hand. I had been prepared to get beaten, stomped on or simply mocked and degraded, but what I had not been expecting was that feeling to return as soon as I grabbed Lungs hand.
That cold ice water washed over my brain again, this time the feeling of hopeless acceptance and violent anger hit me as I understood more. More information, knowledge I couldn't have normally, inserted itself into my brain like wires reconnecting after a long time. The jolt hit me like fire burning through my veins, and another thing inserted itself into my mind right next to the other. Both of them reacting now to the presence of the other, exchanging information.
The first, the one who I had taken to calling METAL proved the other with a simple [QUERY] as the second eagerly responded. [GROWTH] [FIRE] [FORM] [ESCALATION] was what it responded with. They began to exchange information at a rate that I could not keep up with, before I felt myself shift back to what was currently going on in front of me. In the midst of whatever the hell was happening to me, I had completed forgotten about the fact I was being stared down by the ABB and Lung himself. Lung stare at me, or more specifically at the space under my eyes as I felt my nose get wet against only much more now. My face was leaking a significant amount of blood. My shirt was stained like I had cut a vein or something. My once clean white button up was stained with a large smattering of blood as the gang members laughed and moved around me. Lung continued to stare at me, there was a displeased look in his eyes before he scoffed. "Watch yourself boy, I will do you a courtesy in thanks to your fathers service years ago. Do not interfere in ABB business, or I will kill you painfully. Don't not stir the Dragon's Wrath." He spoke before he moved past me, as I stepped out of the way.
Moving into the shop, Mr. Shen was looking at me like he had just seen a ghost. "Fool boy. What were you thinking?" He said with anger in his voice as he hit me with his cane. He bludgeoned my legs like an angry grandfather, his tone low and mad as he spoke so fast I couldn't put together what he was calling me aside from a suicidal idiot with less common sense than a dog. However he seemed to calm down after a moment and sat down, a hand on his chest as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Stupid Boy. What were you thinking coming in here? I know you saw the car, I know you understand how things work here. Ironically if it hadn't been Lung here, they probably would have dragged you into an alley and beat you half to death or simply just murdered you for that boy." He said as I felt indignation rise up for a moment before I shoved it down.
"I was just concerned for you Mr. Shen. I did not want to leave you if you needed help." I spoke, and despite trying to remain calm a bit of heat crept into my tone. It was one thing to be mad, but it felt like my concern for a family friend was being thrown away with no consideration. "Fool boy. Save your concern for yourself. I am fine. I paid my bill, I don't need my shop burnt down after all. But if you must do something boy, then at least wait for them to leave before you come in." He said before chuckling a bit at the nonsensical nature of it all. He let out a heavy sigh that seemed to age him 5 years more, he looked tired, so very tired. "Just go home boy. And keep this between us, I don't not wish for your mother to come and throttle me for putting you in danger." He said as he walked into the back of his shop, leaving me standing there looking down at the floor. My anger felt hot, but my shame was greater. I had felt like a man walking in here, and at the first sign of danger I clam up and freeze like a child in traffic. What a worthless man I am. That is what I felt as I trudged home, feeling like I was slogging through a swamp.
Because a treacherous thought had surfaced in my mind. Of how glad I am to be alive, that lung hadn't killed me simply for being white, or that the gun that had been inches from my face hadn't had its trigger pulled by a gang member who obviously wouldn't have cared if I lived or died. It was a cowardly view, and contrary to my fathers words that had echoed in my mind. It is one thing to say something, and another to experience it, and it was that experience that showed me what kind of man I was. A pitiful one. Drowning in self hatred and fear. Yet despite these emotions, my own self hatred polluting my mind, those things continued to share information. Queries and answers shifted between them rapidly, before they settled on a simple solution.
[MERGE?] The query was proposed by Metal, before Escalation answered.
[MERGE ACCEPTED]
[INTEGRATION COMMENCING]
And with that, the two began to merge into one greater whole. And even as I slept, I felt like my life would never be the same.