1 - Believe
Hael walked through the streets riddled with people. There was nothing he felt. He was empty.
To live, to wake up, to go to school, to go home, to sleep.
A cycle of infinite redundance. As boring as it was, at the very least it helped him remember that he existed.
The noise of civilization, the sound of vehicles, the melody of street musicians.
All sorts of things, yet none could ever fill him.
He was a pure and empty mould.
And to that, he decided to finish his plight.
He entered a public building and went all the way to the top. A skycraper is a tall building.
It was night and the city lights were boringly beautiful.
Nothing is worth anything for Hael.
All is horrible. For none does he live and breath. One more step to end it all.
However, his phone rang one last time.
[Mijuku. Mujou. Saredo .Utsukushiku are] (Crying for Rain is his ringtone)
As if the sky tried to weep for him and his ringtone coincidentally being related to the situation.
Hael slowly answered the call without even looking at the contact name.
[Hallo~ Haru Onii-chan~ mothe-]
Hael's eye twitched.
"Tsuchimikado Aya. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Hael! Ha-el"
[No way~ it's so hard to pronounce, my tongue twist at the 2nd syllable]
"Then don't talk to me"
[Eek. Fine! Ha-eru Onii-chan~ mother wants you to buy some eggs, can you hit the shop for a bit before you go home?]
"But, I'm about to jump from this skycraper and end everything"
[Again...? That's your 5th time this month! It's raining so becareful you don't slip~ I still have idol practice~ love you chu~uuu]
...
And so. Hael stares from the top again, the rain wet his hair and he touches the droplets slipping from his hair.
He felt the cool breeze, his damp clothes sticking to his body.
The rain would wash away any traces of him for sure.
Hael was ready. The world wouldn't change with his death, but for him everything would change. Maybe at death he could fill his emptiness.
And so, he took his step... and outstretched his hand holding his phone, camera facing him.
"Actually, I'll buy the eggs first. Aya can get pretty noisy"
And so, Hael did not take the final step.
But, the world has a different plan for him.
Those eggs shall never be bought. For Hael, slipped and fell down from a top the skyscraper.
...
"Oh."
Contrary to his expectations, everything went by fast, his mind blanked out the moment he realized what will happen.
It did absolutely nothing to fill his emptiness.
There was no flash of his life, there was no light, there was nothing.
Just a quick blackout without pain.
Thus, Tsuchimikado Haru died.
However, not all was for naught. The God of Evil heard his inner wishes.
A boy who was empty, wishing for something to fill him.
Truth be told. Hael wasn't anything of a tragic existence.
He had a well off family, a little sister who's legible enough to be an idol and a grandpa who dedicated his entire fortune into making sure that both of his grandchildren led a happy life.
His school life was regular, friends and all. Studies and sports. Hobbies and romance.
But, despite all this, what makes Hael truly empty is that no matter what he did, no matter who he talked with.
A feeling of something incomplete would wash over him.
It was sickening, so Haru decided to find things to fill it with.
The closest he got were reading people's reactions whenever he posted a picture of himself at near death situations and something about ending it all as the caption.
He would revel at their pleading for him to stop, sharing whatver moral filled story or just begging him to not do it and seek help.
The first time he did so. His parents were so worried that they grounded him for a week and his little sister did not leave his side for that entire week.
Of course.
Hael did not know why exactly he felt complete doing those.
The God of Evil however? It knew why.
"Hael. As you liked to call yourself. Welcome to the afterlife. I'm a God"
Hael awoke to a pure white space, his body looking spirit like and in front of him was a white mist with a face.
"Is this... a reincarnation?"
"Sharp. Just the way I like them. Now, now. Are you not going to react at my existence?"
Hael observed the white mist. He nodded and shook his head.
The nod was for affirming his own observation.
The shake was for denying the question.
"I see. Well, to keep it short, I'm going to give you a power and then reincarnate you into another world. How do you feel about it?"
Hael.
Still felt empty.
The thought of reincarnation still didn't fill him like he did seeing people react to his near death pictures.
He was sure that most people would start feeling everything when they get chances like this, but since he still felt empty.
Hael actually wished to reject the offer. If it wasn't going to fill his emptiness up then it was a waste of time.
"Hm. As I expected. Do you want to know why you feel empty?"
That piqued Hael's interest.
"Why? Do you know why? Please, answer me!"
"But, first. Do you believe?"
"What?"
"Do you believe? Just answer me, do you believe or do you not believe?"
...
Hael thought about the question, was there some kind of trick or riddle in it? Was it a test? Hael did not know and this made him aggravated, he was so close to knowing why he felt empty, but he might lose it all with a single wrong answer.
"I..."
"Hm?"
"I believe"
The white mist then transformed into a eerie black mist with a face.
"Gooooooooood answer"
The black mist changed form several more times before settling on being a hamster.
"Ah. First of all, I'm actually The God of Evil. I didn't lie, just incomplete information"
Hael took a step back.
"Now, now. Don't be afraid. You believe... in my fate after all, no?"
Hael nervously gulped. It was a trick question.
"I'll answer your question now. The reason you feel empty is because you aren't doing the thing you are supposed to. Each being in existence has a predetermined fate. Good or Evil. Just as there is The God of Evil me, and The God of Good who usually does this. You are Evil. Simple as that. The reason you feel something at people's reaction from begging or whatnot is because of your innate wish for causing evil, after all, when a villain does evil, does not every victim beg? Does not every victim have all sorts of justice to spout? All of them speak against the evil and try to persuade him, no? You are the same."
...
"You are saying, that the reason I feel... empty is because I should be doing Evil things?"
"Have you ever stole?"
"No. I never did. I always get what I want... so-"
"Have you ever sabotaged, or ruined a person's reputation with schemes?"
"No. I'm too busy to do those..."
"Then, have you ever purposely hurt someone for something wicked? Like, pushing off the stairs because he's poor or ugly?"
"No. I've never done anything like that"
"And that's exactly why you're still empty. You have done nothing evil in your life and as your predetermined fate, it's like a milk carton, not being filled with milk and continued to be shipped and sold. Your life, your alignment, your fate is not being quenched. And that makes you perfect. A person numb of his alignment, how entertaining would it be to see you fill yourself with evil~ and for that I shall grant you the power that every evil could only covet"
"Umm. Are you sure doing evil would fill me? What if you're just wrong? Would you kill me?"
"If I was wrong, then I'm wrong. I won't bother with a mistake, live your life as a goody two-shoes for all I care. But, if I'm correct, you know what comes next, no?"
Hael.
Hael knew this was wrong, this was literally making a deal with the Devil and those are bad.
Yet, it filled him.
His emptiness was getting quenched from simply imagining all the evil things he could've done as Tsuchimikado Haru.
A smile made it into his lips.
"Having fun with those imaginations are you? Why not make it real? What say you?"
"..."
Hael. Hael. Hael. Hael. Hael. Hael. Hael.
Hael took the step.
"I accept"
"Very well! Rejoice! This power that I give you is none other than the power to steal all other powers! A power tailor made for villains. To take and use, to take and give to henchmen, or simplt to take and cause despair. Every evil will covet and holder of this power is destined for chaos. Fill yourself to the brim and show me the GREATEST EVIL!"
A red cybernetic spirit ball flew into Hael.
"All For One"
