Sylar had gone through several mind-shattering experiences in the past few days, but this takes the cake.
Standing before the wide viewing window, watching the planet Arcade from orbit, he felt his mind struggle to comprehend what he was seeing. The blue-gray sphere floated silently in the void, surrounded by drifting fragments of light and debris.
For a long moment, he was silent. The hum of the ship's engines was the only sound.
"You have many questions," came a deep, composed voice behind him. "Ask them. I will answer what I can."
Sylar tore his gaze away from the window and turned toward the tall, silver-haired man, the super soldier who had fought Xerxes, the True Apostle. His expression was complicated, caught somewhere between gratitude and suspicion. After a pause, he asked the most obvious question.
"Why did you bring me here?"
Benjamin's eyes studied him for a moment before he nodded. "According to the regulations, I should have left you behind. We are not permitted to bring anyone from a Lost World aboard our ships. However…" his tone softened, "given your condition, you would have died within hours if I had done nothing. You saved my life, so it was only fair that I return the favor."
Sylar said nothing, but inwardly, he acknowledged the truth in those words. Even though his Vitality had saved him from drowning in his own blood, he would have remained unconscious in a city crawling with killing machines, infected monsters, and abominations. His chances of survival had been nonexistent. Benjamin had, in every sense, saved him.
After a brief silence, Sylar spoke again. "You said Lost World. What does that mean?"
Benjamin's eyes grew distant, as if recalling countless campaigns and forgotten wars. "A Lost World is one that has fallen under the control of the enemies of the Kingdom of Man."
Sylar frowned. The term sounded both ominous and grand. "Kingdom of Man? What is that?"
Even a fool could tell these people were far more advanced than anything on Arcade. Their technology, their soldiers, everything screamed superiority. But he needed to understand.
Benjamin shook his head. "You cannot know that. Not yet, at least."
Sylar's eyes narrowed. This was the second time the man had mentioned something about clearance, a restriction that could apparently be lifted under certain circumstances. He took a slow breath, forcing himself to remain calm. Then he asked the question that mattered most.
"What do you plan to do with me?"
Benjamin met his gaze directly. His tone did not waver. "Humans from a Lost World are considered a biohazard. We cannot allow them to board our ships. In truth, if I followed the rules to the letter, I should have killed you on sight. It is our duty to prevent the spread of corruption by any means necessary."
He paused, the stern mask on his face cracking for just a heartbeat. "Things are complicated now. You've already been brought aboard. I can't release you, and I can't simply pretend you were never here. Even if you know nothing, protocol forbids an unauthorized person from setting foot on a ship like this and living to tell about it."
Sylar's eyes darkened. The implication was clear, he was trapped. Yet he didn't let fear take over. His voice was steady when he replied, "So what do you intend to do? You didn't save me just to kill me here."
Benjamin nodded slowly, and a faint, approving smile touched his lips. "Good. You're not panicking. I expected as much."
He straightened, his presence filling the room. "There is one way this situation can be corrected. You can become one of us, a soldier of the Kingdom of Man, part of our order."
His words carried an almost ceremonial weight as he declared, "Become a Shooting Star, the light that burns away the darkness."
The title seemed to echo through the chamber, resonating with something deep inside Sylar. He clenched his fists unconsciously. "Shooting Star… What exactly are you?"
Benjamin's answer came like thunder. "We are the strongest warriors of the Kingdom of Man. Each of us is forged through the highest levels of genetic engineering, biological augmentation, and superhuman conditioning. We cross the stars, bringing the light of humanity to worlds consumed by corruption and xenos taint. When we descend from the sky, we burn away everything impure."
His eyes glowed faintly, filled with something between pride and sorrow. "If you become one of us, all your troubles will be resolved. You will no longer be an outcast or a hazard. But understand this, boy, you will also be a soldier of the Kingdom of Man, bound to fight its wars until your final breath."
Sylar was quiet for a long time. The idea of fighting until death would have terrified any twelve-year-old children, but fear was not in his heart. After what had happened in Arcade, after losing everything, a normal life was no longer an option. Duty, vengeance, survival, those were all that remained.
What unsettled him wasn't the call to battle; it was the Kingdom itself. Everything Benjamin said painted a picture of a ruthless power, one that killed entire populations just to contain corruption. He understood the logic, the necessity perhaps, but it still felt cold.
"I guess you have to be ruthless," he muttered under his breath, "if you want to survive against things like that."
Benjamin didn't respond immediately. He simply watched the boy with an expression that mixed respect and pity. Then he continued, his tone returning to its military precision.
"Ultimately, you have two paths. First, you accept the journey to become a Shooting Star. It will be long and brutal. You will face pain beyond imagination. You may lose your sanity. Many who begin the process go mad, their minds shattered by agony or mutation. Some tear out their own eyes before it ends."
He stepped closer, his presence towering, his shadow falling over Sylar.
"But if you endure, if you survive, then you will be reborn as one of us. Your name will carry weight among the stars. You will have a purpose, a home, and power unlike anything you've ever known."
"And if I refuse?" Sylar asked quietly, though he already knew the answer.
Benjamin's voice was calm, almost gentle. "Then I will have to kill you. Quickly, painlessly. It would be a mercy, all things considered."
Sylar didn't know whether to laugh or cry at those words, so he simply nodded. "I choose the first."
When one path promised trials, agony, but also the chance to become a superhuman warrior capable of tearing down cities, and the other offered nothing but certain death, the choice wasn't exactly difficult.
"Excellent."
A genuine smile appeared on Benjamin's face, wider and more sincere than before. It was clear he didn't want to kill Sylar, though if it had come to that, he wouldn't have hesitated. The man's expression soon shifted back to its usual sharp and solemn composure as he fixed his gaze on the boy, who returned it with equal determination.
"Normally, candidates undergo a preliminary test," Benjamin began. "We measure their strength, resilience, and problem-solving capabilities. But given what you accomplished against that True Apostle, you've already passed. Now comes the first true trial."
From a compartment on his back, Benjamin retrieved a small syringe filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid.
"This is called Compound Omega, one of the most valuable and protected treasures of the Kingdom of Man."
Sylar's eyes narrowed. Even without touching it, he could tell the substance was far from ordinary. Still, he wasn't about to let anyone inject something unknown into his body without at least understanding what it was. Fortunately, Benjamin seemed to anticipate his hesitation and began to explain.
"The Omega Compound will flood your body and begin to interact with your DNA. I can already tell that you possess some form of mutation; your physical power and speed are proof enough, but this is different."
Benjamin's voice turned solemn, commanding Sylar's full attention.
"It will rewrite your genome, removing the natural limits of both your body and mind. With it, you'll be able to grow stronger, faster, and smarter, beyond the boundaries of normal humanity. And if fortune favors you, you might even awaken a Genetic Ability."
His tone grew darker as he continued.
"However, the process is extremely dangerous and unimaginably painful. It involves altering the fundamental code of life itself. You must remain conscious for at least seven hours. If you lose consciousness before that, your genome will collapse, and you will die. The longer you endure, the greater your potential will be."
As Benjamin's final words faded, a familiar metallic chime echoed through Sylar's mind.
[Quest #004: Endure the complete transformation of the Omega Compound without losing consciousness
Mission Grade: -2
Status: ACTIVE
Reward: +1 Mutation Slot / 15,000 XP]
Sylar's eyes widened as he read the notification.
"Grade -2… The difficulty is almost on par with killing Xerxes!"
If he needed any confirmation of how perilous this would be, the Nemesis System had just provided it. The challenge before him was no simple test; it was a battle against the very limits of human existence itself.