Almost Invincible (Invincible SI) ENG

11: Existentialism

11: Existentialism

Mark found himself unable to sleep, tossing and turning in his bed in a vague attempt to find the best position, but sleep seemed to elude him. He ended up sighing and sitting up.

For some reason, his mother's words kept swirling in his head for no apparent reason. Why did it matter? Why did he care about what she thought of him or his actions?

Mark looked at the palms of his hands, pondering another question somewhat related. Why didn't he kill Omni-Man in Flaxan? He could have done it, not at the beginning, of course; at that time, he was still too weak. But later, when the man finished teaching him what he knew, when he trained him to become stronger, much stronger.

When he was sure that even without the speed force, he could have a chance to win.

Why, then, didn't he deal with the problem at its root?

He could give a thousand excuses, say that it was better to have him as an ally, say that he might have useful information about the Viltrumite Empire, that killing him was less useful, pretend that his thinking was logical and pragmatic, but none of that was true.

The reality was that deep down, he knew that his will had been waning.

How many years did he spend in Flaxan? 10? 50? He didn't want to calculate it, but during that time, he had been dealing with a persistent annoyance.

"Why do you keep coming to me?" he spoke to the air; there was no hallucination, no imaginary image or ghost.

He simply spoke to those stupid memories that kept coming to his mind without him being able to do anything to stop them.

Mark, the original Mark, was still there, perhaps not in the same way a living person would be, or a soul. Calling him a remnant wouldn't be incorrect, but saying that was all he was would be underestimating him.

What makes up a person's being? Isn't it their experiences? Their memories? So if he had the body and memories, did that make him equal to Mark? Or was he less just because he also had the memories of another person?

"It's been a while since I had an existential crisis" Mark rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was during an exhausting day in Flaxan that he began to reflect on himself, where doubts began.

What should he choose? Embrace these memories and live with them, thus fully accepting his life in this world?

Or reject it and seek a way to get rid of the ties and feelings of the original Mark?

He looked at a poster on his wall with the image of Omni-Man flying in the skies with his fist raised.

"Soon, huh..." Whatever his choice, he would know it after the funeral of the Guardians, once he heard what his father had to say, he would know what to do.

.

.

.

"You look tired, man" William looked at him with concern, noticing his tired face.

"I haven't slept at all. I've been questioning my existence and place in the universe. Why are we here, William?"

At the question, William blinked in confusion.

"Um, did you accept the offer from those weird kids in the hallway? Drugs aren't the way, brother."

Mark sighed.

He shook his head and looked at the crowded school halls, normal boys and girls living their day-to-day lives without worries, unaware that at any moment, a bunch of space Nazis would fall from the sky bringing them "Freedom."