A Sinner's Eden-Chapter 192 - EVO

***Tirnanog, Borderland between Jeng’s Forest and Hochberg’s Plains***

***Daman Salb***

I landed on the soft earth with a grunt and immediately rolled off, still unused to the higher gravity of this world. My enhancements nonetheless made the action look effortless.

Not wasting any time, I unclipped the small parachute, which had made the touchdown much easier. In theory, I didn’t need it, but there was no reason to risk injury if the equipment was available anyway.

The rest of our team of ten was only seconds behind and mirrored me perfectly. Though most of my attention was already on our surroundings. If the briefing was correct, then the most likely outcome of the smallest mistake in this environment was death.

If the scientists were to be believed, everything in this world was out to kill normal humans. A claim which sounded believable as I ran my hand over the rigid plants which accounted for the grass in this world. Each one was an oversized cactus needle, just waiting for an unprotected foot.

Seeing our commander just a few dozen metres away, I began making my way in his direction.

On the way, I drew a knife and simply cut away the parachute harness. Our whole gear had been prepared to not arouse any suspicion from the locals, and anything with standardised manufacturing styles would have drawn attention.

Once I reached the commander, his eyes wandered over us, making sure that the whole team touched ground successfully.

“I hope all of you remember the game, because we are undercover from now on until extraction is complete. We do not lose a single word about our mission. We do not talk about Earth, nor do we think about it.”

One of the men, Fernandez, kicked a nearby rock. “I just would like to know why they would want one.”

“It is not our place to question why the government would want one thing or another,” I incited.

The commander gestured for silence. “I believe I was clear. Until we get the ‘sample’, we are just a group of unaffiliated hunters. Fernandez, you get to cover our rear for running your mouth. Daman, you are in the lead. The closest big settlement should be to our north-east, so we check that out first.”

I kept my mouth shut and turned in the ordered direction, thankful that I hadn’t been tasked with rearguard. According to the briefing, some of the beasties on this world liked to pick off those who trailed behind the herd.

***Tirnanog, The Kingdom***

***Magnus***

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. After my little demonstration, the locals had been a lot more accommodating. The mere hint that I would step in and continue to handle things was enough to give anyone else the authority to do pretty much as they pleased.

So, I had finally gotten some time for myself, which I used for some meditation exercise.

All of my concentration was solely focused on staying calm and collected. To remain within the mental mind-space that was populated by my sub-personalities. If I wanted to, I could remain here forever. It had been a question of training to reach this point.

The other me cracked an eye open. He sat in a mirroring meditative position, but unlike my serene self, the other looked annoyed. He had tended to ignore me since our last conversation, but as my visits to his place became longer and longer, his demeanour began to crack.

I smiled, knowing I was winning. Out of all of my sub-personalities, he was the most interesting and mysterious one.

Gaia had explained that my sub-personalities drew on alternate versions of myself. Versions from other realities. And while they retained some of their original personalities, they couldn’t magically share their knowledge with me. They could only take up a mental task in my place and return the accumulated knowledge to me once they were done.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

It was no different from me acquiring the knowledge of my own, except for the reduced time investment as several sub-personalities worked simultaneously.

Strangely, or perhaps luckily, none of the sub-personalities seemed to have enough self-interest to take over, or be anything but helpful to me.

None, except for one.

The one who lurked at the very depths of my consciousness. He was… different. More alive and primal than the others. He had a will of his own.

“What do you want?” he asked, finally fed up with sharing my presence.

“Nothing.” I shrugged. “I just feel like there is something to learn by staying here. Not like there is any meaningful intercourse to have with the other sub-personalities. Unlike you, they just do as they are told.”

The other rolled his eyes. “They are just other versions of yourself. I am different. I am the source.”

“You are something like my primal subconsciousness?” I asked. “Is that why you have more ‘personality’ than the others. Or should I call it will? Anyway, I wonder why you would be content with just staying here: at the bottom.”

He scoffed. “We are all just echoes in the end. But while the others are just echoes of a single mortal, I am the echo of something vastly more powerful. This is why it allows me to retain more of myself. You still do not fully understand the nature of your connection to this space. It is… a peculiar psychic ability… maybe even unique.”

He gestured around us. “While you are here in the now, drawing on the echoes of yourself from other realities, I am connected to the source.”

I pondered over his words. He hadn’t been very forthcoming with explanations in the past, so I didn’t believe that pestering him for any clarifications would yield much more than having him become mute once more. So I had to take his explanations at face value and not pester him too much for clarifications.

After a moment of thought, I said, “Then I will call you Origin from now on.”

“One name is as good as any other,” he replied dismissively and closed his eyes again.

I waited to see whether he would say more, but he remained silent.

After a minute, I decided to try another avenue. “You know, all of the sub-personalities seem to have a dedicated purpose. There are the ‘thinkers’, who would step in for mental tasks. Then there are the ‘performers’, who would look out for something or even take independent action in the form of a reflex. I just can’t figure out where to put you.”

Origin opened his eyes again and stroked his beard. “Haven’t you already determined that I am here to represent your primal part? Why would I need to be placed in any of those categories?”

“Yeah, but I just can’t get over what you said,” I replied. “That’s why I will always return here. It isn’t just for training. I want to find out why you are here.”

“What I said?” Origin frowned.

“What you said to that monster when you took me over,” I clarified. “I, and all the others, we were totally paralysed in front of the psyling. You were the only one who could take action. You said you dealt with much worse monsters.”

Origin’s gaze went distant. “I suppose the real me dealt with worse. After all, I am just an echo.”

“An echo of what? Or should I ask who?”

Origin closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. It is your time now. This universe, this reality and its laws, they are not for me.”

I smirked. “What? Are you a ‘me’ from a magic fantasy-land?”

“I am you. Isn’t that enough? What does it matter whether my reality has different rules? It is not like you could utilise most of my power.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Ah, so we are back to my gut feeling. There is something I could learn from you,” I stated triumphantly.

Origin sighed. “The only thing I can teach you is your true nature in a spiritual sense. I cannot grant you any power beyond the total governance over your mind. And that, you already learned well enough.”

“What is our nature?” I asked, curious.

Origin tilted his head. “Chaos. We thrive in it. We are driven by it. We are it. It is our credo. Only once you explore every aspect of its meaning, you will truly know yourself.”

“Chaos?” I asked, surprised by the answer. “That sounds… dark. I don’t feel like an evil person. Not that I am a good person either.” I laughed.

Origin opened his eyes and looked at me, making eye contact. “Why do you think that chaos is either? Chaos is everything and nothing. There is no good or evil. Chaos just is. It is the ever-lasting change that drives existence towards its inevitable end, and beyond. Chaos may even be orderly, for a time, but it will never accept permanent stillness.”

I thought about it, and after a long time, I nodded. “You said that it is our credo. What did you mean by that?”

“That it is the path we walk,” Origin stated simply, before he began to chant as if in prayer.

“The sentient beings are innumerable, We vow to liberate them.

The illusions are inexhaustible, We vow to transcend them.

Knowledge is immeasurable, We vow to master all of it.

The path of transcendence is exceedingly exalted, We vow to realize it.

Body, mind and soul in perfect unity, I send out my heart with the sound of the bell.

May all people awaken from their carelessness and overcome all their fears and sufferings.

May the world reach peace with the silence of thought.

This wonderful sound brings me back to my true self.”

I frowned, giving my best to decipher the poem’s meaning. Or was it a prayer?

Origin returned his attention to me. “I believe I've had enough of you for today.”

Then he reached out and slapped me right on the forehead, breaking my concentration.