Doppelganger

"I've been watching you ever since you've fallen Seiya. Looks like the mortals have been calling you… 'Nimble Shadow' if I'm correct."

"And what are you implying?"

"I want to see how you can do against a real shadow."

He stared at me with familiar eyes. Those eyes, those are the eyes of everyone that wants to see me dead. So it's a fight between the 'Nimble Shadow' and a real shadow?

Tch, the name 'Nimble Shadow' was just a nickname everyone gave me because I've always been flexible and athletic. For the shadow part, I just liked moving in the darkness. What kind of assassin would move in broad daylight?

I looked over at the figure. He said it was a shadow correct?

Flash!

There was a circle of light shining down above me. I looked down at the floor and where my shadow should have been was gone.

When he meant shadow, he really meant shadow huh?

My shadow circled me but wouldn't get close to the light surrounding me. Its weakness is light. Well, all shadow monsters would be weak to light. I know that from video games. I don't know what game though. My memories are a little fuzzy. Did I get amnesia?

My name is Seiya Gekiryu. I am 15 years old, black eyes, black hair with a long white bang hanging down from the right side of my face, fair yet pale skin. My parents died in a freak accident, and I have no siblings.

Nope, no signs of amnesia here.

My shadow clenched his hands. I need to figure out how to beat this thing. Hades said I'll be fighting myself. That means this thing knows everything about me. My very thoughts. My movements. Hell, it's probably more focused than me.

But I have a question I really want to ask.

"Will I even be able to hit this thing? If it's a shadow, it doesn't have a physical form, correct?"

I looked over at Hades and he nodded.

"Yes to the first question and for the last question… well, I'll let you figure it out."

Figure it out huh? I can hit this thing, but I'll have to figure out how? That's a bit tricky to understand… but I'll figure it out, eventually.

"May I use weapons?"

"You are allowed, but your shadow will also be able to use it, is that alright with you?"

"By all means."

"Ok. Tell me once you are ready."

I reached in for my knives in my jacket. I count one, two, three, three knives. Looks like that's all I have. But for the shadow…

It reached in for its jacket and pulled out more than ten knives, which were dimming purple. Forming knives from the shadows? That's interesting.

My shadow and I glared at each one another. As I stared into my shadow's pitch black eyes, it was like staring into a dark, endless void. I'd raise my hand and reach forward, and my shadow did the same. As my hand entered the darkness, its hand reached into the light.

Now.

I'd snatched the shadow's hand and it was as if I just grabbed another person's arm. My shadow recoiled and I jumped back. So it physically manifests once it enters the light. I think I know what to do now.

"Hades."

"Yes?"

"I'm prepared... and perfectly concentrated."

"Ho? Well then, your trial… begins now."

My shadow made the first move. It jumped into the air and threw five knives at me. I waited as the knives got closer, then I dodged at the last second. Once I become completely concentrated, time seems to move at a slower rate for me. It's like when you get involved in an accident. Time seems to slow down once you get involved in an accident.

In this situation, it's when I'm being targeted. I guess it's because of my fighting instincts that seem to make everything move slowly for me.

Nevertheless, I dodged. The knives landed onto the ground and they seemed to fade away. I threw one of my knives at my shadow, but it just seemed to phase past it. Well, of course, it's a shadow after all.

I'm going to have to find a way to lead it back into the light.

My shadow seemed to be pissed off because the next thing I knew, a storm of shadow knives flew towards me. I count ten, twenty, thirty, goddamn it, you might as well say it threw a hundred.

Using my two remaining knives, I'd deflect the knives that I was unable to dodge. While I was dodging and deflecting, I would gradually get closer to my shadow.

My shadow would continue to throw more knives and I'd dodge them. I looked at my knives and started to angle them. The light coming down on me was then reflected off the blade, and it would hit my shadow directly between its eyes. I then threw my knife, and it hit the shadow point-blank.

"Heddo shotto."

Oops, accent slipped. It always slips whenever I say headshot for some reason, but whatever. As my knife hit my shadow in between its pitch-black eyes, it staggered forward and dropped into the light. It may be my shadow, but it doesn't have the same mind processing rate as me.

My plan went exactly as followed. I ran up to my shadow and dragged him until he was fully into the light. Then I started jabbing it with my knife. Every time I stabbed it, pieces of what looked like charcoal came off.

My shadow grabbed onto my arm. It attempted to throw me, but I switched from jabbing to slashing. I quickly slashed its arm off, immobilizing it. Then I did a chokehold on the shadow and placed my blade against its throat.

Then I quickly slashed. Out from the shadow's wound came a black mist. The mist floated around in the air, then it sank into the ground. I looked down at the ground and my shadow had returned.

"Marvelous. Outstanding moves."

Hades complimented as he snapped his fingers. The surrounding light flickered, then the whole arena was lit. There was a man sitting in the bleachers. If I recall, this place was supposed to be empty.

"Who is that?"

I asked. Hades looked at the man. The man was in a cloak so I couldn't see his face, but his hands had black scales.

"That, is the god of darkness, Ombra. He was the one that administrated this trial to you."

"What? I thought you were the one administrating this trial."

"I am, but Ombra was the one that altered the trial. I was going to have you fight some zombies, but he insisted you fight your shadow."

Ombra dropped down from the bleachers and approached us. He was giving off a dark aura and his face was engulfed in darkness. His cloak moved weirdly, like it was moving on its own. Even when he stood still, it still shifted in the air slowly.

"So, how'd he do?"

Hades asked but Ombra was silent. Ombra walked around me, inspecting me. Then he crossed his arms and nodded.

"He did alright."

He said with a distorted voice. Hades nodded his hand in understanding and then he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a portal ripped open behind him. It made a screeching sound that made my ears ring, but I've heard worse.

"So, I can reincarnate now?"

"Yes but before we do that, we need to give you our blessing."

"Blessing?"

"Yes. For everyone that is going to be reincarnated into this world, they will first receive blessings from the gods reincarnating them."

"And what use is a blessing going to do for me?"

I questioned. Ombra began chuckling and spoke.

"When you receive a blessing from us, you will gain a specific ability that only you will have. For example, a doppelganger."

Then his cloak protruded, like something wanted to escape. Suddenly, black smoke came out and then the smoke began to form. Next thing you know, there was a figure exactly like Ombra standing next to him. For a while, I didn't know who was who because Ombra's doppelganger and Ombra himself looked exactly alike. But his hands give him away since they are a lighter shade of black.

"This is the doppelganger ability. People who dabble with dark magic are able to perform this, but they need the aptitude to manipulate their shadows, otherwise, the doppelganger will do whatever it wants. I could see that you are interested in this ability. Therefore, I will bless you… with shadow magic."

Ombra placed his hand on my shoulder and my vision was suddenly clouded with black mist. I stumbled back and held my eyes. I didn't feel any pain, I just couldn't see anything. Eventually, my vision returned, and I didn't feel any different.

"So what did that do?"

"How about you try summoning your doppelganger?"

"How do I do that?"

"Focus. Concentration is the most important aspect in everything. Without focus, failure is inevitable."

"Nice phrase, did you just make it up now?"

"I could say the same. 'Distraction brings failure.' That's a great motto."

Hmph, he knows my motto.

Ignoring the motto thing, I would try summoning my doppelganger. I closed my eyes and hovered my hand in front of my face. I breathed in… then out.

Suddenly, I felt a boiling feeling inside me. Then I clenched my hands and motioned it. Black mist suddenly came out from my arm and a few seconds later, there was a figure shaped exactly like me standing next to me.

I turned towards my doppelganger and it turned towards me. I raised my left arm and it raised its left arm as well.

I took out my knife and it pulled out a shadow knife. I would spin my knife around and it would do the same. I would purposely mess up and it would do the same.

It copies every move I perform. But what if I don't want it to do exactly what I do?

As I thought that while crossing my arms. My shadow didn't move at all. I tilted my head and nodded. I wanted it to move around and do whatever it wants. Next thing, you know, it looked around and walked away.

"Impressive. You can fully control your doppelganger without fail."

"Well, it took me a while."

"Faster than any other. Now Hades."

"I know."

Hades then placed his hand on my shoulder. His hand glowed but nothing happened to me.

"What did you do?"

"I have improved your body. If you keep on training, you will become faster and stronger. Your senses will also be sharper. You'll be needing it."

I clenched my hands a few and I didn't feel any different. If I train, I become stronger?

"I understand."

"Now then Seiya. Are you ready?"

I looked over at the portal seeping with blue smoke. I'd nod.

"Oh, before you enter. Let me give you some background information."

He took his time to tell me everything but to sum it up, this world is the same size as earth. I will be placed outside of one of the most powerful nations in that world. Now I didn't really care where I was going to be placed. But I was interested in the magic system.

An interesting factor that Hades said was that everyone can manifest their true nature. I don't know what he meant by true nature. He said that everyone has a true nature and that nature will become a kind of like your full power form.

"So what's my true nature?"

"Hmm, I don't know. But there will be an energy reader when you get into this world. That energy reader will show you your true nature."

Then he went on to the elemental magic. Including dark magic, there are seven types of magic. Fire, water, lightning, wind, earth, light, and of course darkness. Most people are born with more than one aptitude(up to three). But there are some cases when one is born with more. For some reason, it's extremely rare for one to have all aptitudes.

"How many can I use?"

"You? Well, you were blessed by the god of darkness so you can use darkness. I don't know what your aptitude is, but the energy reader will tell you. The colors that appear will represent the kind of magic you can use. Fire is red, water is blue, lightning is yellow, wind is grey-"

He continued on and I got the basics. After he finished, he handed me a bag of coins and paper with writing on it.

"This?"

"This is your identification. It has almost everything about you. Your age, name, birthday, etcetera."

"I see, is that all?"

"Yep."

Crackle!

I turned around and the portal began to shrink.

"You don't have time, you should get going now."

Hades said and I nodded.

And so, I entered the portal.

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