Repurposed

Perseverance

Over the next few months, my skills improved considerably. I was top of my class, but that wasn't much, since there were only like ten students. Markus wasn't far behind me, but one day, he began to falter. I had had a look at the grades posted on the announcement board located right next the exit of our classroom, and I noticed Markus' grades had steadily declined over the months. They started out fine, so I got curious. Besides, he was my friend. I wanted to help him get through this, if I could.

At lunch, our group sat at our normal table, and began discussing our progress in our classes. Of course, Ally was doing exceptionally well, which we jokingly attributed to our previous knowledge of Undertale. I told them I was really enjoying the weapons class, and Ally gave me a strange look.

"I hope you aren't planning to take over the multiverse, Dory," she said, alarmed. I laughed and shook my head.

"You know me better than that! I might say that I'll take over the multiverse, but I don't think I'd ever actually try it. Taking over and running an entire multiverse just sounds like way too much work."

She laughed at me, and I rolled my eyes. Markus had been quiet throughout the conversation, and I gave him a sidelong glance. Half hoping I could get him to tell me what was going on, I nudged his shoulder. He looked at me briefly before going back to picking at his food. 

"Hey, Markus," I said, drawing his attention. "What's wrong?"

He just sighed and muttered "Nothing." I didn't believe him, and he could tell. 

After lunch, we headed to class. He trudged slowly behind the others, so I slowed my pace to match his. Once we were alone, I turned to him with a serious expression.

"Seriously, Markus," I said adamantly. "What's bothering you?"

"I..." he began, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I just don't feel like this is worth it. We did die, didn't we? We were supposed to be dead, gone, nonexistent, right?"

"We were given another chance at life."

"Yeah, I know. But, what good is it if we end up dead, again?"

I hesitated and looked down. I could see why he was thinking this; he thought there was no coming back. I kinda agreed with him, but this was, at least for me, a pleasant surprise. I never intended to die, at least not without accomplishing something worthwhile, first. So, I was taking what I was given, and intended to use its full potential.

"Markus, listen. I might not know why, but we have a chance at doing something great with our lives. You and I, we've enrolled in a class where we don't fit in with the others. We're different from the rest. But that's what makes us special. We have our own special roles in the multiverse, and we have the choice to do good or bad with the role we're given. And if we die, we could die knowing we did something great for the multiverse, whether it be something horrible or beneficial. It's really up to you what you do with your life from now on. That is, if you are prepared to face the consequences."

"And what about you?" he asked, looking into my eyelights. "What do you plan on doing?"

I smirked and took out my textbook. "Glad you asked. You see this? It says here you get to choose who to come back as. It doesn't show us in the book, but I have a pretty good idea who we could come back as. And if you're so worried about dying a second time, then I think you chose the right class."

I explained what I could about the outcodes I knew of, and he listened intently. I told him what I remembered about how essential to the multiverse they were, and when I was finished, he remained quiet for a bit. At length, he spoke.