Dimensional Descent

The thoughts came in a whirlwind, moving faster and faster, and at some unknown time, Leonel's thoughts began to flow. It was like the thoughts of his heart had helped him to focus, trying to find a central kernel of truth that was Leonel Morales.

For a long time, he had been lost.

In the first portion of his life, he had been led by his future self, led by the nose and controlled by a man who he had yet to become... a man he wasn't even sure if he wanted to be.

Not long ago, he had broken free of those constraints, but it left him confused. His personality seemed to sway with the wind, confused and aimless, as though he had no sense of self or being at all... and the one thing that was truly him, the singular kernel that he was undoubtedly certain was Leonel Morales, also happened to be the one thing that he was just as certain would harm him.

Now, his mind was cracked and fissured, and the only thing that could seem to fix it was understanding himself...

But he didn't even know who he was even after all this time.... And he couldn't help but wonder if anyone ever truly understood themselves.

Thankfully, Mo'Lexi's memory seemed to have awakened something within him. He had felt feelings just now that he hadn't experienced in years...

It wasn't just that it was sadness, he had been capable of feeling that long ago, especially whenever he recalled his father.

What he was truly feeling now was guilt... sympathy... a moral compass that he had thought that he had long since forgotten.

A part of him, a part that was buried extraordinarily deep, hidden beneath layers of logic and indifference... wanted to reach out and help Mo'Lexi.

had long since gotten over his savior complex. But, he had only ever been

else? A part of him that he was ignoring just to justify his childish tantrums and

objectively decide that one was better than the other... couldn't he have easily made the opposite conclusion? Wasn't there another path that was

That path was obvious.

case that there was no objective value for life, then who was to say a human life was worth more than an animal's? What of a plant? If there was no objective

apart, families he slaughtered, populations he genocided if their lives weren't worth anything to begin

opposite direction? Everything he had said just now was just as logically consistent. So why had he chosen to become

father, he would have remained on that path, seeking out a mountaintop

his way to grief. He gave up on everything that had once made him Leonel Morales, committing all sorts of foul deeds that would have made the former him blanch in

there was no use in caring about

was powerful, was there even a need to think about those things anymore? Was it worth his time, his patience? Were those he had killed that day

incorrect... because he truly did not care. To say that he had forgotten them would be a bridge

he had given up all the people of the Valiant Heart Zone in exchange for his brothers, he had made his own assessment of life and acted on it without the slightest care in the

judgment, valued life, and weighed the hearts of people for no other reason than he could. When it suited him, he was even willing

realized that he had let