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Chapter 19: The Choice
The night was silent in the Watchtower. Everything around Ben appeared calm… but inside him, the storm never ceased.
He sat alone in one of the isolated rooms, staring at his hand where the crystal lines beneath his skin pulsed with each heartbeat. With every moment, he felt the crystalline city from his dreams growing, expanding inside him—becoming more real.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he collapsed into a deep sleep—or rather, a mental coma.
He awoke in a vast, sky-like space with no boundaries. Around him, crystalline structures extended infinitely in every direction, like a newborn universe forming before his eyes.
A crystalline figure appeared before him, identical in shape, but with calmer features and a deep, emotionless voice.
Figure:
"Welcome, Ben. The heart has matured. It's time to choose."
Ben (uneasy):
"Who are you?"
Figure:
"I am you. Or who you will become… if you accept your destiny."
The ground beneath his feet began to show projections of various worlds—some thriving, others ravaged by cosmic wars.
Figure:
"These universes await a leader. You're not just the bearer of the Omnitrix… you are the seed through which a new reality can be shaped—one free from chaos and weakness."
Ben:
"You're trying to take control of me."
Figure:
"I am revealing what has always been within you. Your desire for peace inevitably calls for strength—strength that others cannot handle. We do not destroy… we remake."
Ben felt a part of himself waver, as if drawn to the idea—understanding it, even longing for the power to replace helplessness… for the unity that could bring balance.
But amidst the hesitation, a faint voice pierced through the internal void:
Supergirl.
She stood at the edge of the dream, like a silhouette from his waking thoughts.
Supergirl (softly):
"Power that you don't understand… will understand you in its own way. Ben, you're strongest when you choose what's right—not when you run from weakness."
Ben trembled, and the crystals around him began to crack.
Figure (angrily):
"Their voices weaken you!"
Ben (firmly):
"Their voices… remind me who I am."
With a burst of light, he shattered a massive crystal in the arena, and everything around him shook violently.
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After Ben fell into a coma inside the Watchtower, due to the crystals escalating and forming a crystal city inside him, Batman decided to contact Martian Manhunter.
Inside the isolation chamber, Martian Manhunter stood next to Ben's body, with concern evident on everyone's faces.
Batman (sternly):
> "His mind is shutting down further. If we don't intervene now, we could lose him forever."
Martian Manhunter:
> "I can get in, but the crystals' resistance might hold me back. I need a human connection... emotionally."
Supergirl (looking at Ben and walking forward):
> "I'm going in. I felt he trusted me... even when he was scared, he left me space to reach him."
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He awoke suddenly, gasping for breath, sweat covering his forehead.
Supergirl rushed into the room.
Supergirl:
"Ben?!"
Ben (in a low voice):
"I was… there. Inside. I saw a city, I saw… me. But I made my choice. I'm still me."
Supergirl smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Supergirl:
"As long as you're choosing… there's still hope."
But he didn't tell her what the crystal figure had whispered just before vanishing…
> "Even if you choose now… the seeds will continue to grow. In the end… all doors lead back to me."
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