Reincarnated as an AXE!

Chapter 28: Max and Libby.

Death. The end of the road. The conclusion of the story. Allegedly the end of everything. Power off. Game over. No saves remaining. Thanks for stopping by now get the heck out of my house.

Death is a scary thing to ponder. No, death is a terrifying thing to ponder! Just the notion of it got me depressed. To imagine a world without me in it? What kind of a terrible place would that be? I was great! I was so fun to be around! I had no enemies and nothing but friends!

Everyone loved me, I was Max the Axe!

And yetuntil I managed to finish leveling, and ascended to the heavens in wonder and glory and stuff, I was just as vulnerable as anyone else to being erased from existence. To no longer be the charming and amusing scamp that I am, reduced forever more to a husk of cold steel

why, it was unthinkable!

The world needed me!

Too bad Libby seemed to have lost her marbles...

Maxweve become a cancer to this world. The harm weve caused to the innocent, the lives weve destroyed, the hurt and the pain that weve spreadwe can't be allowed to continue like this.

Libby, take a breath! Is this a plea for help? I've never gotten one of those before, give me a minute to figure out how to process this!

Doesnt it bother you, Max? Doesnt it weigh heavily on you at all?

Libby, what are you even talking about? We havent done any of that stuff you're fretting about! You and me, we're good people! Were heroes, even! We make things better just by being around, dont we?

Max. Max, please stop.

Stop what?

Stop this. Stop acting as if nothing we do matters. It matters, Max! It matters very much!

When did I ever say nothing mattered?

Max. A part of me came from within you. I can see past the twisted logic you use to subconsciously defend your actions. Itsits just pathetic! Your delusions are nothing more than self-serving justifications for treating the people of this world horribly!

Im not deluded! Thats a really insulting thing to say

I said STOP! This is a moment for telling truths! And Max, the truth is, youre a complete MONSTER. You are perhaps the greatest criminal filth who has ever walked the surface of this troubled world. Only the naming war wrought more destruction than you have. And youve only been here for eleven years

Jeez, Libby! What the heck did I do thats got you feeling so blue? Is this your moody teenage phase, or what? Cheer up, emo kid! Things get better if you let them!

Goddamn it. Max, Im pulling you in.

Huh?

__

From my perspective, it felt like I fell from the ground into the sky.

One moment, I was sitting against a tree, having a minor disagreement with Libby, and the next, I was sent screeching into the void, falling into the boundless sky. Below me, I saw a massive city covering an entire continent. One building after the other, with steel, concrete, and wires eating up any possible spot of green, leaving nothing remaining but itself.

It was a stunning sight.

Amazing, isnt it? Each time I learn something new, a new room is constructed. As my knowledge expands, the many rooms interlink and become a new building. And as my mastery of that knowledge peaks, the building will become a towering skyscraper. Do you understand, Max?

Yeah. Yeah, I think I do. How does that work?

I am a Liberomnus. It translates to The Book of Everything. Which doesnt quite cover the extent of my usefulness. Through me, you are meant to have knowledge of everything pertaining to the world, its creatures, and its history.

Yeah, yeah, I get it. Youre my personal Wikipedia. But hey, I thought you said you were a form my mind created to shield itself from going nuts?

I am a piece of you. But Im also your Liberomnus. Im a spirit of knowledge combined with a portion of a human mind. Unfortunately, the mind I was forged from was yours. And youve gradually changed me from what I was meant to be, into an entirely new sort of entity! One that was never meant to be!

Libby, what are you saying I did to you?

THAT! THAT RIGHT THERE! That is what you did!

Jesus, what?

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I wasnt meant to be an individual, Max! I wasn't meant to be a person! But you kept on relentlessly referring to me as one!

Well, aren't you one?

NO! I didnt have a name, either, but then you GAVE me one! You kept talking to me about subjects outside of my general function and kept asking me my opinions even though I wasn't supposed to HAVE any!

We were just hanging out, passing the time, shooting the breeze! It's what friends do!

I dont HANG OUT, Max! I am not meant for socialization! But despite my discomfort, I attempted to humor you, hoping you would eventually stop. Instead, you kept doing these horrible, confusing things to me, until I was finally INFECTED with a sense of self! Why did you DO that to me, Max? Why would you ever DO THAT?

Because were friends, silly!

Were NOT friends! I am not a person! At least I wasnt a person! And even if youve forced me to become one, why would I be friends with YOU? Youre EVIL! Youre AMORAL! Youre incapable of accepting responsibility for any of your unbelievably cruel acts! And Im trapped inside your mind! Helpless to do anything to prevent your psychopathic rampages!

Hey, that right there sounds unnecessarily judgmental, okay? For starters, Im whats considered a sociopath, not a psychopath, Libby!

A minor and meaningless distinction--

Wrong! Definitions matter! And let me just add that those two terms are rapidly losing favor in the greater psychiatric community! I've read up on it! Youre far more likely to hear them spoken in an episode of criminal minds than you would by an actual doctor!

Dont use wordplay to

But hey, if were stuck using archaic terms, Id like to remind you that psychopaths are born, and sociopaths are made. I had an unstable childhood that warped my personal values and negatively affected my sense of right and wrong; I hashed this all out in therapy years ago, remember? If youre part of me, then you already know this!

Yes, but

So, you also know that I do feel some emotions, although theyre somewhat stunted and I admit to being playful with my descriptive language regarding them! Furthermore, I dont like being called names! Id never treat you that way, so Id appreciate a reciprocation of the respect Ive always shown you! Its only the polite thing to do!

And politeness is SO important to you, isn't it? Don't make me laugh!

Stop it, Libby! I react negatively to unfounded personal attacks!

Unfounded? UNFOUNDED?

Unfounded!

The scenery below me suddenly changed. I saw a beautiful city of white stone and smooth pavement, constructed along a massive lake. At its center, there stood a gleaming palace that towered above everything in sight.

Everything about this place spoke of prosperity, peace, and harmony. There were no beggars, the markets were filled with mysterious and exciting wares from all across the globe, and the faces of the people were content and joyful.

So, yeah, it was all pretty boring generic fantasy stuff. Yawn.

This was Paladia, Max. The golden kingdom. The most prosperous and powerful nation ever forged by humanity! This is the glory that was, Max. But now? Behold what was wrought by your merciless hand! Behold the collapse!

Everything had been destroyed.

There was nothing but ruined buildings, ruined stone, ruined everything.

Nothing living remained. There was no one left but bodies and flies and eternity.

Holy smokes!

Butif Im being completely honest here, I think I preferred it this way.

It was so much quieter now.

MAX!

What?! Dont yell at me, jeez! Thats very triggering!

Max, what do you feel when you look at this place? What do you feel when you look at what your actions have caused?

I dont know. What should I say? What do you want to hear?

I want you to say you feel remorseful! I want you to say you feel ashamed of yourself!

Ohhh. Okay. Yeah, I dont feel that way at all.

What?

Libby, Im committed to expressing complete emotional honesty. Its my thing I got the concept from a show called Lie to me about this criminologist who can tell whenever people are lying, right? I saw it on Hulu, and it was kind of rad.

Very "rad," I'm sure.

It was! Anyway, from that show, I learned to recognize the value of complete emotional honesty. So, when I tell you that I dont feel anything when looking at this stuff, then you should know its the truth.

You feel nothing when looking at your countless victims?

My victims? Keith did this!

You areKeith!

Ehhhhh, I dont know. That doesnt feel right.

Keith is nothing but a few vestigial memories from your previous existence. Youre an entirely new being, Max! A different person! Its absolutely absurd for you to blame your trespasses on a creature that doesnt truly exist.

Yeeeeah, but that doesnt feel like, emotionally true to me, yknow? Keith still did it.

And you insist on saying it was his fault and not yours?

Truth is truth!

Then what about these men? These simple woodcutters who showed up to do an honest days labor, one quiet spring morning. Men with wives, children, friends and other loved ones. Men who came to work that day only to be slaughtered by you!

When did I do that?

YOUR VERY FIRST DAY OF LIFE!

Ohhh, thats right! Heh, those guys made some funny noises.

Whats funny about MURDER, Max?

I dont know. Doing it? Getting away with it? Lots of stuff, I guess.

Their lives didnt mean anything to you?

I dont even know their names, Libby.

You knew HIS name.

An image generated before me. A well-muscled young guy with curly brown hair, wearing a goofy smile on his face.

I had no idea who he was.

MORRISON COBB!

Who?

MORRISON COBB!

Libby, you can keep screaming at me or you can make your darn point, but Id really prefer you do the latter.

Morrison was your first so-called meat puppet! An innocent man whose body you stole, and whose life you sent spiraling into horror and death! Even now, you desecrate his flesh by growing these duplicates of it to mask your true self!

Oh, yeah! Morrison! I loved that guy. We shared very similar tastes!

You destroyed him!

Opinions may differ!

YOU ARE HORRIBLE!

All right, Libby, Ive had just about enough of this!

As have I! I havent even mentioned those poor soldiers you SLAUGHTERED who were only doing their duty and trying to apprehend a wanted criminal!

What? You mean those goons working for Denard? Those guys were jerks! I wanted them to apprehend that girl too, she slit my darn throat, remember? Instead, they started getting all authoritative and called me names!

YOU were the criminal I was speaking of, Max! They were well-within their rights to demand your surrender!

Im so confused, right now. Libby, do you want me to be in jail or dead? Pick a lane!

I want both! I want us both to be punished! I want us both to be dead! We deserve it, Max! Weve earned it! Were a walking blight and we havent even reached LEVEL 20! God only knows what you'll become once youve acquired REAL POWER!

Why wouldnt you let me fight at full strength against Clarity?

Because there were survivors of Paladia there, Max! Survivors of the disaster that WE caused! How much more could we possibly do to those poor people? If youd fought with all your abilities, you would have killed them in the crossfire and you WOULD NOT HAVE CARED!

Well, I guess I cant fault your logic.

MaxIve seen your memories of your other life. I know. I understand. You became the way you were because of circumstances beyond your control. The world hurt you, so you saw nothing wrong with hurting the world in turn.

it just made sense, was all. Gotta get them before they get you. Were all just animals behind our grins.

Max, this place isnt your old world, and you are a new person. You had no grievances here, no enemies, and no RIGHT to treat other people this way! Your cruelty, your callousness, its all being unfairly leveled against the innocent! Youre not the hero of this story, Max!

What?

Youre the VILLAIN!

Liar. Libby, thats a fucking lie!

Monster. Killer. Abuser. VILLAIN.

Take that back! Youd better fucking take that back!

I never will! If the truth hurts, then DEAL with it!

Something began filling my head. Pouring into my brain, sparking fuses and burning gasoline-soaked wicks. My jaw trembled. I saw red! I ground my teeth. I snarled. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all.

I feltexposed, angry, seen. I knew what this horrid sensation was, although I hadnt experienced it since I was a small child. I thought I'd buried it so deeply that I'd never have to deal with it ever again.

This was shame, I was feeling.

Libby had just shamed me.

This couldnt be tolerated. I couldnt stand this! I'd been judged!

Libby had judged me!

I couldnt fucking stand it!

Nothing to say for yourself at last?

Where are you?

What? Im right here, talking to you

No. No. Youre down there, somewhere, right? In your fancy mental-city, lobbing your petty accusations at me, acting as though you're safe in anonymity.

Max, calm down--

But youre not anonymous, are you, Libby? Youre connected to me! And I am going to find you, and we are going to GET THIS THING SORTED. Just sit tight! I'll see you in a little bit.

MaxMax, dont do anything rash

Too late for that, kid!

Way, way too late!

I landed on the streets of her mind and began my hunt.