Chapter 11: Insane Reward
Young Alex would become the next victim of the chaos amalgam with his precedent as someone named Alexander in the future.
The chaos monster didn't break the computer this time though as it directly latched unto the boy through his eyes after projecting from the 80s computer monitor.
"What??!" This is all that the boy can say as flashes of his memories came unto him for his brain to warn him of his death.
The same sequence of command characters of red and green fonts is embedded unto the boy's mind as it did in Alexander.
Young Alex instinctively felt the looming of death but what baffled him most in this turn of events, is the memories that he should be seeing in the final moments of his death seems different from what he expected.
He saw himself grow up, move on from loss, feel loss again, move on through work, live life as it should be with content and relative ease.
Amazing stories and learning from his yearly encounters. Meeting people and getting better at his passion. All the while maturing and becoming wiser as the years passed.
He got to watch the movies and shows of the future, got to know the progress of technology and new discoveries, the change of the world and society, and even a pandemic that somewhat stopped the whole world.
Young Alex got to see what he would be or had been in the future.
Now, he was the 9-year-old gloomy Alexander Creed, and playing in his mind is his life until the 47-year-old Alexander Creed.
-------
At this point in time, chaos should already be starting to carve its way into his Mind House and be obliterated by chaos itself.
However, the chaos code that entered through his eyes wasn't there to download itself but transfer a Mind House blueprint.
It was the blueprint from 2022 Alexander!
Everything should be fine and all but having a Mind House stashed with another Mind House is a recipe for demolition.
2022 Alexander came into consciousness as it faced off with the consciousness of 1984 Alexander.
Usually what happens next is a battle for dominance or the development of split personalities.
Fortunately, there wasn't too much of a complex as one is only the mature version of the other.
The mature one got a clearer memory of his first seven years of existence.
As of this moment, future Alexander got acquainted with the memories of his toddler years that he had long forgotten and got to relive the moments with his parents and the freshness of grief.
The young one got an enlightening outlook of his life from this birthday and ahead.
Young Alexander immersed himself with the wonders that the future beheld along with the maturity that his future self had undergone.
One is of nostalgia and one is of expectation. Without much hassle, nostalgia and expectation could be experienced together.
The Mind House and the blueprint Mind House overlapped and a unique one is formed. Having more windows, sturdier walls and roofs, steadier foundation, and special renovations. It was safe to say that the Mind House jumped into a Mind Mansion.
The chaos program and its code eventually faded from engravings but a faint trace of it could still be noticed.
Along with the renovated mind comes a new owner. Young Alex paired with Alexander came naturally to become the new Alexander Creed.
This time it was someone with a 9-year-old body with a 47-year-old soul.
-------
The chaos stopped invading him as it reeled itself back to the bulky computer monitor.
Alexander got his sights back and instinctively pulled his hand away from the chaos monster.
Eventually, the haphazard codes on the monitor cleared out and the familiar communicative entity was giving its message.
[HERE IS YOUR REWARD]
[A NEW LIFE AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF BEING AN EMBODIMENT OF A CHAOS BUTTERFLY]
[RECORDED DATA FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS HAS BEEN ERASED AND RENEWED]
[LOOK FORWARD TO THE RENEWED WORLD YOU HAVE FLAPPED YOUR WINGS INTO]
Before Alexander could communicate back, the entity removed itself along with the chaos monster.
The computer turned off as it should have been and Alexander could only stare blankly as he ruminated on what is happening, what has happened, and what is about to happen.
Alexander inadvertently rubbed his eyelids to try and massage his eyes. "Having numbers and letters surging through eyeballs is anything but pleasant."
It was only the least of his worries though as he felt as if the entire world was spinning.
Transfer and merging of minds is nothing pleasant either. It may have come late but it arrived nonetheless.
The sense of disillusionment and doubts flood his mind but the terrible headache he's having is more than enough of a painful pinch to tell himself that he is not dreaming.
"No amount of painkillers are going to make this go away." Alexander caressed his temples but the bloated feeling still ensued. The heavy and expansive sensation is incredibly disconcerting that he could not help but envy those big-headed aliens.
"They must be used to having twice the brain matter in their craniums. At least that's how I imagined their anatomy would be." He grumbled as he could liken his situation to having two brains stuff in a skull.
Having been stuffed with three and a half decades worth of experiences within a few minutes is no easy matter.
Those reincarnation or rebirth novels and animes had expounded on the concept but had not truly depicted it.
Tampering with time, space, reality, natural order, chaos, and all else should have its consequences.
--------
Through sheer will, tenacity, awkward tumbling, and spinning, Alexander managed to reach his old bed and lie himself down to cope with the mess in his head.
The familiar and unfamiliar soft bed was no help at all as the mind quakes ensued.
It wasn't as painful as it was with being consumed by chaos but it was still painful nonetheless.
The earthquakes in his head were still at their peak intensity and magnitudes. Mind and body are one and the same, so it eventually affected his whole physicality.
He sweated and felt warmer as his body wanted to physical manifestation that conveyed his abnormal state.
Unfortunately, his habits already registered to his grandfather as a responsible recluse and he wouldn't be checking up on him until the birthday dinner or an important emergency.
------
Hours later and Alexander had no recollection of most that had happened within the headache period.
His bed had become a sponge that soaked up his sweat and the rate of exhaustion doubled up than what was normal.
It was through his intermittent fainting and waking up in migraines for that last couple of hours that he finally adapted.
The aching aftershocks often came up when least expected but they were tolerable enough now for him to be able to bask in relief.
His disrupted sense finally found their optimalness but he continued to lie in his soggy bed.
Not to soak up on his sweat but to soak up on the insane reward and achievement he has gotten without his approval.
The entity with its Greater System was too authoritative to take a no.