Deviant: No Longer Human

But for now, he had only himself to rely on. He shook his head, a wry smile playing at his lips.

"You didn\'t find more portals? Like a whole network of them within that darkened space?" he queried.

Mary dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "How does it even matter? The portal would just suck you in, leaving no chance to escape."

Wang Xiao\'s frown deepened. "Can\'t you escape by dying again?"

Mary\'s expression faltered, a mix of confusion and disbelief clouding her features.

Who in their right mind would consider such a drastic escape?

She clearly didn\'t know...

That Wang Xiao had done exactly that, and not just once.

Her words sparked a realization in him.

Initially, in those other worlds, each death would send him spiraling into yet another realm.

So, when he had willingly ended his life in that dark place, what if he had actually respawned back in the world?

What if he was dooming himself to an endless cycle, forever forfeiting his only chance of escape—even if it meant reaching another world?

In fact, he had gone as far as to enter some of those portals of familiar worlds later for revenge, and after ending his own life, he would find himself back in that dark expanse.

It didn\'t make sense, logically speaking...

Had he just been incredibly lucky?

Wang Xiao struggled to understand the mystery of why he hadn\'t respawned back in that world, or why that dark place seemed to defy the usual rules.

But then it struck him...

What exactly was that dark place?

Dark matter...

A place devoid of other elements, where only dark matter remained...

Indeed, there had been other shimmering stars...

Wang Xiao recalled a conversation he had with Aurora.

People like Eveline, possess a single soul core that enables them to be reborn as long as the core remains intact...

But people like Aurora were different; each part of their soul acted as a core in itself...

He then remembered seeing reflections of himself within each core, and the sensation of omnipresence that accompanied it...

Could it mean... he was developing immortality?

And what about those smaller sparkling entities that approached his soul shards?

What were they?

If not his, then whose?

Up until now, one thing became clearer to him: he hadn\'t really respawned in the dark place...

Rather, it was his default view after death...

A realm or state beyond the ordinary understanding of life and death, anchored in the expanse of void...

He had developed a core after dying countless times...

This development allowed him to maintain consciousness even after rebirth...

That\'s why he felt a compelling urge to reunite the fragmented parts of his soul...

Thus, each time he died after his core had formed, he retained consciousness throughout the rebirth process, his soul meandering aimlessly across the vast emptiness of the universe...

Then there were those other shimmering entities, those sparkling stars that didn\'t belong to him...

Could they be fragments of someone else\'s soul?

Merely adrift in the cosmos?

This thought deeply unsettled Wang Xiao; a chill spread across his skin as he realized he was witnessing the genesis of life...

And not merely that, but individuals themselves were amalgams of countless other lives converged...

A soul must navigate through million existences before it might align with the chance to inhabit a human form...

Was there a connection there? Wang Xiao pondered, his mind racing through the extensive lore he had absorbed.

And he was astounded by the precision with which some ancient wisdom aligned with his experiences.

There was an old saying that when people die, they transform into stars...

And consciousness? It\'s akin to numerous fractured stars scattered across this dark expanse...

Upon death, as a person\'s soul core shatters, all the borrowed soul fragments disintegrate into fine, dust-like particles, leaving the body to join the vast ocean of lives already adrift in this dark void...

Until some other core draws them in...

So, in this vast, interconnected cosmos, is there any individuality even left?

There were many questions, indeed, too many that Wang Xiao didn\'t even want to ask himself.

Before everything, he wondered if within his soul resided fragments from countless other beings...

So, what defined him as himself?

Was this why Aurora suspected he might possess a fragment of Aegis as well?

Had she known about this all along?

Overwhelmed by the flood of inquiries, he felt his mind might explode if he didn\'t locate that witch quickly.

What did she even want?

Would there ever come a time when he could unveil the stories behind each of these soul particles?

If so, what would he discover?

Would he then even need to learn anything else?

With the life experiences of potentially billions of lives?

What was this phenomenon?

Is this what they meant by understanding consciousness?

Omnipotence?

Omniscience?

Wang Xiao felt he was very close to a breakthrough, yet simultaneously far from grasping it.

And the land that lay before him instilled terror.

Yes, terror...

Not the fear of death, but a profound dread of losing something he currently possessed—a fear of losing a part of what made him, him.

_________

As Wang Xiao and Mary approached the castle, nestled a discreet distance from the bustling Silvertide City, its gleaming white stone walls standing sentinel, Mary\'s voice broke the silence.

"By the way, who do you want me to monitor?" she asked, her gaze sweeping the grandeur of their surroundings.

This majestic castle had once been the domain of Victoria, but ever since Wang Xiao took residence, Victoria, unwilling to share her space, had disappeared into obscurity.

Wang Xiao, burdened with more pressing concerns than tracking down a disgruntled noblewoman, waved dismissively at the thought.

"Those two," he said, as they ascended to the balcony.

He pointed straightforwardly ahead, his gesture mechanical, as if he had rehearsed this moment.

"Daddy!"

"Daddy."

The air was suddenly filled with these excited cries.

Wang Xiao\'s expression blanked for a moment as two energetic children bolted towards him, their tiny hands clutching and pulling at his clothes with unrestrained joy.

"..."

Mary stood dumbstruck by the sudden eruption of energy.

Without missing a beat, he scooped up the two little whirlwinds, holding them up before him.

As their big, curious eyes scanned Mary, Wang Xiao chuckled, "No more daddy little creatures. Trouble your Nanny now."

He swung them gently in the air, their laughter mingling with the breeze, barely a moment to register Mary\'s startled look before he presented them to her with a mischievous grin.

"Now they are your problem," he declared, his tone half playful, half serious, as he passed the baton of responsibility to Mary.