Chapter 75: Supreme Disappointment
The figure of Ben's grandfather grew closer as he descended from the sky near Hugo. Using one of the many arms floating around him, he grabbed him—now reverted to his human form—and took him away.
Then, he shifted his gaze to Ben, who had just gotten back to his feet.
"You..." Ben muttered, shocked and slightly terrified.
He had just come across the one person he wanted to avoid in this nightmare...
"I'm terribly disappointed in you, Ben," Max said, causing Ben's body to freeze.
For a moment, silence swallowed the world as he stared at his grandfather in disbelief and surprise...
His most kept secret was revealed in an instant...
Eventually, Ben managed to say:
"You knew?"
Max nodded, floating closer to the ground.
"That this world is a nightmare? And that you took the place of Albedo while that boy took your place ? Yes, I did know. I had my suspicions at first, but after a while, I was sure of it. After all, Supremes are more attuned to reality than those of the lower ranks, and so realizing that this world was a creation of the Nightmare Spell was not that hard..." His gaze drifted for a moment. "It's a terrifying feeling, you know, realizing that you and your people are merely phantoms."
Ben let out a long sigh at his words.
"Of course you realized it... Well, that's one more thing that has gone wrong in this cursed nightmare."
Max looked at Ben for a moment, remaining calm and indifferent, although beneath his facade was a great feeling of pain... pain not only because he had received confirmation that his world was fake but also because of what his real grandson had become.
Eventually, he said:
"I'm greatly disappointed in you, Ben. This is not how I raised you."
Max did not know the full story behind what was happening, however he did know most of it.
After all, he was listening to their conversation before the fight began.
Ben detransformed from his ultimate form back to Humungousaur, then back to his human form, and looked at his grandfather with a solemn expression.
"I did what I needed to do so our realm can survive."
"At the cost of an innocent boy's life? That is not how I raised you."
Ben gritted his teeth, feeling his frustration increase.
"He was fated to die anyway. I saved his life and gave him a chance to live, even for a short time. Without me, he would've been dead a long time ago. "
"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think that justifies your actions? What, do you want him to kiss your feet and give you his life because of that? Don't be a hypocrite. You know that's wrong..."
Ben remained silent for a moment, looking at his grandfather.
In truth, he did feel guilty about what he did to Hugo, but there was no other way.
If there had been any other path, he would've gladly taken it, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the process.
But there wasn't... that, he was sure of.
After all, he had seen the future through the great tapestry of fate, and all other paths aside from this one led to the doom of his people. And so, he could not afford to stop now, not after everything he had done.
He had to become a carrier of the nightmare, not only to save himself but to transport his civilization across the realms and save them from the abominations lurking in the real Primus.
"So what if it's wrong? Our world has been cruel since the age of the gods. It does not matter whether I'm cruel or not, what matters is why I've done it."
For the first time, Max chuckled, although no humor was present on his face, rather it was a dark and tired chuckle.
"So the ends justify the means, is that it?"
Looking at him with a steadfast expression, Ben nodded.
"Of course. My goal is noble and just. If I have to sacrifice a single person to save millions, then I would gladly do so." He took a step forward, preparing his Ultimatrix. "Now hand him over. This world might be fake, but mine isn't and I plan to save it, if you are truly a phantom of my real grandfather, than you would help me."
A dark frown swept over Max's face as the amalgamation of hands around him intensified, each carrying the weight of billions of people within his domain.
"You will not take the boy. From this point until the end of this nightmare, he is under my protection. Even if I am a mere phantom conjured by the Nightmare Spell, I will not allow such cruelty."
"Even if it means your grandson will die?"
"There is always another way, son please, don't do this..."
"So be it."
Ben slammed his ultimatrix, and a flash of crimson light engulfed the world. At the same time, a subtle shift rippled through the world... and Max's oppressive presence grew much deeper and terrifyingly sharp, as if it had finally awakened after slumbering all this time.
The alien Ben had transformed into was...
"XLR8, seriously, Ben?"
Without another word, Ben looked at Max one final time and spoke:
"Beware of Dagon and the Hands of Armageddon."
Max's eyes widened, and for a moment he faltered, feeling a terrible sense of dread creep into his supreme soul.
That moment was all Ben needed to run away, using his super speed to evade a confrontation with his Supreme grandfather.
After all, he might be mad enough to attempt killing a god, but he had a plan for that. However, Ben had no way of defeating a Supreme Monarch who had billions of humans in his domain and millions of Noble Creatures.
And so, he did the only thing he could—he ran away.
Max was left alone at the top of the mountain, staring at the sky with a sad expression...
For a moment, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Ben..."
————
[Plumber Hospital, Bellwood, hours later]
A young man with beautiful brown hair and emerald green eyes lay unconscious on one of the Plumber hospital beds. His battered and broken body had been healed by doctors who all possessed healing abilities or Aspects.
However, the damage taken from a Transcendent Titan was not something a simple healing ability could entirely fix on its own, and so some rest was needed for the body and soul to recover on their own.
Near him, sitting in a simple chair, was Max Tennyson, waiting for the youth to wake up.
Hugo's eyes fluttered open slowly, facing the unfamiliar ceiling... His confused gaze shot around, scanning his surroundings as he got up slightly from the bed.
"Easy there, your body is still not fully healed," Max said, causing the boy to flinch.
The youth, who was in the form of his grandson, looked at him for a moment, then said:
"Grandpa? Where am I?"
Max sighed, looking at the boy with a grief-stricken expression.
"You can stop the act. I know who you are."
Max was expecting the boy to flinch in surprise, appear shocked, or even slam his Omnitrix in an attempt to run away.
However, the boy did none of that.
"What are you talking about, Grandpa?"
Max's eyes widened as he looked at the boy.
On his face, there was no fear or shock, rather, there was just pure confusion.
Max had been an awakened for a long time by now, having lived a long life and so naturally, he knew when people were acting, faking and when they were truly genuine.
In this case, it was as if this boy truly believed himself to be Ben Tennyson.
'Did he get brain damage from his fight with Ben? No... that can't be true. The doctors said he was fine, and more importantly...'
He was not just thinking that he was Ben, he also acted exactly like Ben...
Everything, from the way he moved his body to the way he talked and behaved.
Even Max, who was a Supreme—but above all else, a grandfather who knew his grandson best—knew this was not an act... rather, it was simply the way Ben would behave.
"Grandpa, I think you should go easy with the Crocktopus. It might be messing with your head. Strange though, I thought you Supremes had vast minds and all that, but I guess I was wrong. ."
He said with a smile, then his face took on a confused look once again.
"Anyway, what happened? We were about to fight the Forever Knights, and then it all went dark from there... Did I get knocked out?"
Max stared at the boy with a calm face. However, internally, he was feeling both deep sorrow and deep confusion...
How had the boy's personality disappeared?
Of course, there was a simple answer to that.
'Oh, Ben... what have you done...'
He knew his grandson was the cause of this. He did not know exactly how he had done it, as some the conversation between ben and this boy had been filtered by the nightmare spell, but he knew that this boy in front of him carried the key to Ben's survival, and apparently, the survival of the Beast Realm.
Max was not sure about the situation of his realm in the outside world, but if Ben had become such a cruel person and devised such a plan... then that meant it was truly in a horrific situation.
With a final sigh, he did the only thing he could do.
He lied.
"You have been struck by some strange device created by the forever knights, taking away your memories of the last few months. Nothing important happened in that time, but your body is in very bad shape due to your coma so you will stay here for a while."
"But Grandpa, what about the Forever Knights?"
"They have been dealt with."
Max got up from his seat and looked at Ben one final time.
"I'll see you later, then. Get some rest for now. "
With that, he left the room, leaving him alone.
And as he did, Max activated his dormant ability, which allowed him to create a network between people he marked, and sent a dire message to all the Plumber personnel.
After all, he now had an idea of what was going to cause the downfall of this world.
[This is Max Tennyson speaking. New orders have been placed. We can no longer deal with the Forever Knights the way we used to. They have gone out of control and caused too much damage to be left alone, or reasoned with, And so, from this day forward, I declare that all Forever Knights shall be hunted and killed, and those who support them shall receive excessive punishment, as well.]
And so, the war against the Forever Knights had begun.
————
Back in his room...
Ben felt a bizarre sensation tugging at his chest... It was almost like a spark...
A spark of desire that had been drowned by an vast ocean and yet somehow, it still burned weakly.
It was so faint and small that it might not have been there at all. But then, something vast and powerful suddenly crushed the spark, and Ben was left in a state of confusion as he briefly saw images of strange scenes flashing before his eyes.
He saw the home planet of the Galvans and their main laboratory.
He saw a dark chasm, with green light hidden in a strange pod.
He saw the Omnitrix, but it was blue for some reason.
He saw an Academy built to train sleepers and awakeneds, unlike any that existed on Earth.
He saw a young man as pale as a corpse, with dark hair and onyx eyes that seemed to swallow all light around him.
He saw a young woman, frail and weak, her golden blonde hair and blue eyes wandering in confusion as if there was no light within them.
He saw another young woman, this one fierce and unyielding, her silver hair shining like sunlight, her white flames burning hotter than the depths of hell, flames that seemed capable of purifying all corruption and burning away all tyranny.
He saw a horrifying place filled with crimson coral. He saw a hideous, hungry tree ready to consume the world.
He saw a dark sea, born from a darkness unlike any he had seen before.
He saw a castle standing on a forgotten shore, with a golden tyrant ruling it with an iron fist.
Many similar images flashed before him, such as a ship as big as the world, carrying hundreds of people to their salvation.
And lastly, he saw a horrifying spire that drowned the world in sorrow and agony.
After It was done, the youth, who's name was uncertain thought of a single question.
All of these memories... were they his?
Surely not. After all, even in the world of the Nightmare Spell, such a thing happening to him without his knowledge was simply impossible...
But than again, he was ben Tennyson and things more outrageous had occured to him before...
'Just what the hell is happening...?'
As he thought that, he suddenly noticed what channel the TV was set on.
His eyes widened as he instantly forgot about the strange scenes playing in his head.
"Who's ready for Sumo Slammers' seventh live-action adaptation!!!"
the announcer on the TV said joyfully, pulling all of Ben's attention away.
And at the same time, deep within his soul, a faint voice resounded in the depths of his spirit, unheard by anyone.
[You have lost your true name]
—————
Author's note: yes yes, I know, I'm a genius.
Here's Max's aspect because many people would ask for it.
Aspect: [King of ites]
Aspect Rank: Supreme
Aspect Description: [You perceive the invisible threads that bind all beings. Thought, pain, power and love, nothing is truly separate and so where connection exists, you may claim dominion.]
Innate ability: [mark]
Ability description: [You may mark creatures and objects with an imprint of your essence]
- allows him to sense the marked people/objects.
Dormant Ability: [Network]
Ability description: [You possesses a great web of connection within your soul]
Effects:
- allows him to add the people he marks onto this web
- Allows telepathic communication between
- allows him to sense the state of a marked person (rank, runes, attributes and even their mental and physical health)
Awakened Ability: [Thread Step]
Ability description: [You may travel along a Thread, instantly appearing near a connected target.]
- allows him to teleport physically into any marked creature or object
- closer/stronger threads = safer teleport
- at later ranks, this allows him to teleport people or objects to himself
Ascended Ability: [Shared Burden]
Ability description: [You may share burdens through your network]
This includes transmitting pain, emotions, effects (poison, blessings and buff...etc) through the network.
Now, this has two functi:
- sharing through the entire network
- transferring a certain effect from one thread to another
Transcendent Ability: [minuteur Domain]
Ability description: [You can transform your network into a pocket realm]
Inside the pocket realm:
- All Threads become visible and tangible (marked by stars, each representing either a person or an object)
Max controls the following:
- Distance between each star
- the Positioning of each
- and lastly, the strength of the Connection
- Pull marked targets/objects inside (from nearly any distance)
- people that are not marked by max cannot enter this pocket realm.
- imagine it like saint thane's dreamscape but less customizable.
Supreme Ability: [Sovereign of Bonds]
Ability description: [Within your Domain, you can borrow abilities from those connected to your network.]
Simple enough to understand, this Includes Aspects, Attributes and unnatural abilities from noble creatures.
Flaw: [hero]
Flaw description: [You cannot allow any injustice to happen before your eyes]
Notes: threads= marks