Global Evolution: I Became A Zombie!

Unbeknownst to Blaze and everyone else, someone uninvited had shown up at the cannibal buffet. Wick hovered over the fallen settlement, watching the chaos.

This is now how it was supposed to go!

Watching the cannibals he created get slaughtered by a zombie flared him up. The cannibals were supposed to be the next stage in the evolution of humans. A species that could eat anything, even the undead.

It was supposed to re-balance the scales. Unfortunately, none of that would come to fruition.

It's not utterly hopeless.

The ball of mist descended, carefully analyzing the dead. While others saw nothing but death, Wick's perceptive nature as a soul showed him something else.

A small misty ball was forming on top of every dead human, cannibal or otherwise. Much like him, they were transforming into soul-like entities.

However, they lacked the Collective's knowledge to retrieve their egos. They helped Wick stay Wick even after death. But they weren't there to help these new souls.

They would carry out the cycle of reincarnation the good old way. The new souls would attach themselves to anything breathing. The process would continue, and hopefully, they'll get to be human again.

That's how it would have played out if Wick wasn't there. Unfortunately, these souls would never enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Wick looked at himself.

I'm getting smaller… at this rate, I'll disappear before I can get my revenge!

His misty aura had shrunk considerably since he had been sent back to Earth. It was as if he were dissipating. Perhaps it was the cost of resisting the circle of reincarnation.

If not for his ego, he would have attached himself to insects, or something. That would 'preserve' his soul. However, since he was forcefully existing in the mortal realm as a soul, he was having to pay the price for it.

A price that could lead to the erasure of his existence.

That made him think of his soul-like existence as nothing more than energy mixed with information, or as he called it, Ego.

One's ego carries memories, personality, instincts, like how DNA carries biological information. While the entity called the soul remained as energy, which couldn't be created or destroyed.

Instead, it could be transferred, or mutate into something new.

Something like Wick.

Naturally, Wick wanted to test more about his form. He had already tested that he could instantly appear at any place in the blink of an eye. Though every jump shrunk him a bit.

Which is natural, since I'm spending 'energy'.

The next thing he tried was interfering with other like shown in the horror movies. However, apart from the undead, he couldn't interact with anyone.

That led him to believe he existed on a separate plane of existence. A plane that coincided with the undead, but wouldn't let him touch or interfere with the living.

That's when he noticed something strange. He could manipulate and interact with other souls, as they existed on the same plane.

So what would happen if it absorbed other souls into itself?

He would gain their energy and egos. A soul fed on other souls to extend its natural lifespan. That's how Wick had survived so long despite not possessing another living being.

That's when the fun started.

Through analysis, he noticed that not all souls were the same. Some were perfectly spherical, signifying calmness. Most of those who passed away naturally with a calm state of mind.

Then there were the chaotic souls, the ones he referred to as spiky souls. These souls belonged to those who had been aggrieved before death. They died unnaturally, after being betrayed or in any manner that they thought was unjust.

Wick stayed away from them since they fed into his own chaotic thoughts. Only by feeding on calm souls was he able to change and ponder the laws surrounding souls and how to bend them to his desire.

Just like that, Wick gained more knowledge, more memories, and even more awareness of his existence.

However, the no-chaotic consumption rule was broken here and there.

Just like now.

Wick stared at the massive, spiky soul rising from what remained of Min. The other souls around it tried to get away but were quickly gobbled up.

The spheres paused the spikes' spurts, but Min's rage was unparalleled. Even the calm souls turned chaotic under his influence. It didn't affect the living, but for Wick it was trouble.

Stop eating them all!

Wick knew he had to stop the rogue soul or not only would it consume all the energy, it would also threaten his existence.

He swooped in, saving as many souls as he could. By saving, he was eating them himself. Wick wanted to cut the soul supply for Min's soul before it absorbed too many of them.

It was a battle of who consumed the most souls. The spiky soul lacked the sentience Wick possessed.

That's why, while the former was eating those that got in its way, the latter stuck to the cause of death, eating the souls as soon as they appeared.

Chimera was going haywire, killing everyone, which fed Wick more souls. Once he was sure he had enough, he slammed into Min.

The spiky soul shrieked, though it wasn't one of pain but of frustration. The negative emotions fed into the chaos, using it to make the spikes more pronounced as it struck Wick back.

In return, Wick expanded his soul form, using the mass to stop the spikes from penetrating his core. Their collision sent ripples across the soul plane. The wandering souls were pushed aside, scattering away.

Fine. If brute force won't work, then I'll chip at you.

Instead of focusing on the soul as a whole, Wick focused on one spike at a time. Memories of Min's rage flowed into Wick, causing him to react and share some of his calmness to the rogue form.

The chipping was happening from both ways, Wick just wasn't aware of it. By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

The two souls had merged together. A new soul, equal parts calm and chaotic, had emerged.

Their individuality disappeared.

What remained was their mutual hate for Blaze as they growled their new name.

"We… are Win."