Kallen felt like dying, even before death came for him.
The overwhelming sense of danger drowned him, swallowing him whole. His body was entirely frozen. He felt his every muscle locked in place in utter dread, his mind spiraling in pure, unfiltered terror.
The fear of death; the most primal, ancient, and immutable fear of man. Rooted in the unknown. Afterall, not all deaths were painful.
The uncertainty of that dark, endless tunnel made even the strongest hearts waver, and even the coldest minds crumble.
Even though Kallen had reincarnated, defying the end once before, he still knew nothing of what lay beyond.
They say ignorance is bliss, but at the same time, ignorance was suffering.
It was no wonder that when death loomed near, those who had accepted it's embrace closed their eyes.
It was never from relief; rather it was an instinct, the final defense of the mind against the abyss of uncertainty. A subconscious shield, born from the terror of the unknown.
Just like when a person is jump-scared or startled, their heartbeat spikes, their flight response activates, and their first instinct is to flinch or jump backward while their eyes snap shut.
The mind of every sentient being is hardwired to protect itself against the unknown, which is one reason we have doubts against the future.
But what if you refused to accept this death?
What if you saw death coming; felt it creeping in, consuming you, and yet, you couldn't stop it? Remain utterly powerless against it?
The mind rebels, launching into overdrive, grasping for an escape that might not exist.
Panic forced the brain into an overload of energy, scrambling for an escape, an answer... anything to hold onto. But there was no logic to grasp, no solid ground to stand on.
When faced with something incomprehensible, without a foundation to anchor themselves, no past experiences, no instincts, no logic to rely on, then there is only one outcome. One crumbles beneath a pressure they can't bear.
Death was inevitable.
And the mind, if unable to find an outlet for the overloading energy, unable to prepare for what no mortal could comprehend, crumbles under it's own weight... under the weight of its own terror.
That was when the mind broke.
However, there was also a possibility, that the mind had something to grasp.
What if, in that desperate moment before the fall, there existed a foothold—something beyond fear to hold on to.
If there was something to anchor the soul, the result, could be very different.
For most, there was nothing. No answer, no lifeline. Nothing tangible or intangible. There was only the suffocating weight of inevitability. If there was a way to resist however...
The mind, instead of breaking, could evolve. And the very fear meant to crush one, could very well, become fuel.
If terror could unravel the mind, wouldn't assurance against that terror if pushed far enough, also ignite something deeper? A defense not born of ignorance or resignation, but of sheer, unrelenting will.
Kallen's mind found the answer it was looking for. He had something to anchor on.
A deep red-black liquid metal spread out from his chest, enveloping the rest of his body in an instant. And with its activation, came a profound sense of clarity.
One may wonder why the most cynical and brutal killers are always labeled as "emotionless killing machines"... Why the mere thought of them sends chills through the spines of even the bravest.
It wasn't just their skill, nor the cold precision in which they wield their weapons; rather, it was the void inside them. A void where fear should have been. A void where hesitation once lived.
But most times, no one is born that way.
Something happens. For every product, there's always a reaction. And every reaction must contain a reactant.
Kallen's mind had been on the verge of that breaking point. The primal fear had paralyzed him moments ago, reaching its zenith, and pushing his consciousness toward an edge. His heart pounded erratically, his vision blurred, and his thoughts turned into static.
Yet, somewhere in that chaos, something shifted.
Kallen had not just magically evolved his mind.
In that moment of fear, when the brain grasps for an anchor and actually finds one, leaving it surging forward, overflowing with excess energy, desperately seeking an outlet...
Like water poured into an already full cup, this pent-up energy simply spilled over, but not chaotically.
It was controlled, directed, and harnessed. There was a drive behind it.
He was not out of danger yet. The pressure suit could keep him alive, but it wouldn't hand him victory.
He needed to win, and with this much mental energy rushing through him....
A tiny, imperceptible crack formed within the storm of terror. It was faint at first; like a whisper lost in a hurricane, but it was there. A seed of defiance.
'Fear is a chain... It suffocates. It forces the prey to submit to the will of the predator.'
He felt the wind pressure around him increase, even the "whoosh" of a blade, as it sliced through the air.
'But the chain of fear, isn't always absolute. It could be broken.'
'Even prey, would lash out when cornered, not out of courage, but because something inside them had changed. The emotion of Fear becomes a driving force instead.'
He didn't seem to care about the danger anymore, as his mind was totally locked on his thoughts. The deeper he sank in and uncovered, the better he felt.
'Hatred. Rage. Vengeance. Hope. Even cold pragmatism... are all driving emotions — to survive, dominate, or assert control.'
'The true terror isn't the absence of emotion. It's the presence of all emotions fashioned into a singular, unwavering intent—one that no morality, plea, or force can deter?'
[Your Will has evolved]
[You have awakened your Will]
[An Awakened Will: A seed of defiance! Your authority over the world increases]
Kallen's trembling breath steadied. His muscles, once frozen, twitched with something new... something that was unfamiliar, yet intoxicating.
A strange stillness settled over him.
The fear was still there, but now... it was distant. As if it no longer belonged to him, or became a drive instead.