ID

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Jack awoke in cold sweat, yelping and jumping from his sleeping position and sat upright from where he slept.

His breath was a bit ragged from his abrupt awakening but was slowly calming down and returning to normal as time passed.

(*Groan* what happened?)

Rubbing his head he tried to recall the last thing he remembered before he fell asleep.

Slowly but surely he began to recall what had happened.

He remembered that he was shocked and a bit scared that he was being compelled to sleep by Es when they were talking.

"Good morning~ had a nice sleep I wonder?"

Speaking of Es, the young woman had noticed that Jack had woken up and had greeted him 'good morning' as any sane person would do.

"Es? what-"

"Shushhh," As he was about to question Es, he was promptly silenced with a shush from Es as she placed her finger to her lips.

"Now that you are awake, there is something that I would like to share with you." Es vehemently spoke as she reached under her desk and pulled out a book.

"This," She stated, as she held the book for Jack to see.

The cover and design of the book was one that Jack was very familiar with, it was Alter Ego, the altered item that he had gained.

He suddenly felt very unsafe seeing the book in Es's hands, he wanted to snatch the book from her hands and destroy it to keep it out of harms way, but wisely decided against doing that.

He instead decided to play safe and listen to whatever Es was saying before finding an opportune moment to snatch it away.

"It's the book you brought, I'm Interested in reading this book but...I'm afraid of reading it by myself... It's looks to be a picture book but it's strange... I can't take my eyes off it." Es quietly spoke as Jack stood up from his seat and sat besides Es.

"I-If I try to read it alone, I may never leave this room again... I think this book could be dangerous for me, Yet I need to read it to learn who I am..." She solemnly spoke as she stared at the book in her hands.

"Would you... read it with me? the cover reads... 'Alter Ego'... I think it's safe to say that that's the title of this book, heh." She chuckled at her own joke, while Jack remained silent.

Before she opened her book however, Jack spoke up and asked her a question.

"Are you sure? that you should read it even with me?"

"Yes..." Es, not too long after replied.

"Even if you said that it's dangerous for you? even with me here?" Jack kept questioning her trying to deter her from what felt to him, like a major event in her life that would change her for better or for worse... and he was leaning on it being the worse.

"Yes.."

"You know you don't have to do this right? you are who you are.. nothing more." He kept attempting to deter her from the book.

"...." She hesitated as she began to think on his words.

This was seen by Jack as he immediately tried to keep persuading Es.

"Exac-"

"I will still read it." But he was shortly interrupted by Es's decision.

"Now let's read this book." She stated as she opened the book revealing the contents inside.

"There are two characters in this story. One is a wanderer and the other is a girl acting as his guide, The wanderer who has lost his way in the world kept asking: 'Who am I? What defines the world?'

The girl who is guiding the poor wanderer, asks: 'Who are you? what defines the world?'

However the girl simply doesn't realize, That she herself is the wanderer.

Through her interaction with the wanderer she finally realizes...

She is...."

"Oh my... the story just trails off after that." She said as she turned to Jack.

"How do you think it might end?" As she asked this simple question, this innocent and non-hostile question.

He felt shivers down his spine like, following those shivers were whispers that besieged his hearing.

Hundreds of the same voice but more different and distorted than the last, each of those voices seemed to come from the same person with varying degrees of distortion, and each of them were all repeating the same two lines over and over to Jacks head as he was constantly being bombarded with the voice.

T̷h̵i̵s̷ ̵w̷o̴r̵l̵d̶ ̶s̵h̷o̶u̴l̷d̵ ̴n̴o̶t̴ ̸b̵e̴ ̴p̴e̴r̵m̶i̷t̶t̵e̴d̷ ̴t̵o̵ ̴e̵x̶i̶s̴t̷.̸

̵C̸h̶o̸o̵s̸e̴ ̸i̴m̴p̸u̵l̶s̷e̸

Jack gripped his head to help with the sudden influx of voices ringing out in his ears, though it did nothing he still did it otherwise.

"What? This world should not be permitted to exist?" As he repeated those words he realized too late that he had answered Es with those words.

He snapped his head to Es faster than one could blink and saw her nod at his answer, seemingly like she had expected it and nodded like it was the natural answer.

"At the end of the journey the girl denies the world itself..." She closed the book as she finished the story.

"Es.. that was not my answer."

"No it was not, however the outcome was decided before it even began, This world should not be allowed to exist, The Facade should not exist."

"..." Jack was uncomfortable where he stood now.

"So... since I know now... It's alright, now.

This world will...

This place will...

My...

My own..." She spoke her voice getting frighteningly calmer and calmer at the end.

"..." Jack had now gotten a few feet away from Es, his eyes cautiously eyeing Es as he felt a cold sensation go through his whole body.

"I see, I've finally worked out the truth of the world.... This is my world and I alone exist in it." She stated with such calm that it could've been passed off as a normal sentence had it been any other situation.

"This world is just an endless dream I've manifested, The conclusion is predetermined."

As she spoke those last words Jack tensed from where he stood, feeling like something bad had just happened to Es.

"I̷̺̊ ̶̲̌ä̸̼m̵̳̓ ̶̗̅t̸̫̓h̴̖̎e̸̘̐ ̸͕̿b̸̲͆è̶̗-̷̣̏a̶̞̋ḷ̶̂l̷̤̍ ̶̪̆ǎ̵̪n̷̩̐d̵̟̏ ̴̣̽ê̸͍n̴̂͜d̸͚̕-̸̲̍ ̸̤̚a̵̟̒ḻ̷̈́l̷̿ͅ ̶̟̋o̷̝͊f̴͚̏ ̴̰̀t̶̝͠h̵̼̓i̸͈̕s̸͇͘ ̶̨̆w̴̲͛ó̶͓ṙ̷̳l̸͎͒d̵͇̚.̴̡̓"

Jack flinched, not expecting the sudden shift of voice from Es.

"So I can do whatever the hell I want! There was never any point in holding back!" Jack took another step back.

"I can do what I want follow my impulses, I can destroy what I want, love what I want." He was now back at the couch where he last sleep, he was shocked silent as he looked around the room.

The walls were now broken down as the shelves that once held the books collapsed on themselves, speaking of the books, many of them were littered all across the floor with signs of damage, and the couch that he had last slept on now had signs of tear and destruction on it, the door that served as an exit visible signs of chipping wood with the door handle being visibly about to fall.

And Es..... she... her eyes were now wide open, filled with a chilling blood red color, they held no sanity in them only a churning madness, that had exceeded the point of no return, seeing those eyes Jack felt fear and utter despair from the helplessness that he felt.

"E-es." It was useless calling her name now, nothing would come out of it, a futile effort.

"First, I'll deal with that f*cking facade!

F*cker keeps telling me I'm a mistake and failure.

Over and over and over, and overandoverandoverandoverandoverandover...

They just keep criticizing! I've had enough of it! it makes me wanna puke!

Conform, Conform! that's all they ever say! Always telling me what to do! and what I shouldn't!

They don't even know what they're talking about!" She ignored Jack's call for her name and continued her crazed rant, as expected.

"Conform for the sake of conformity? How close-minded can you get?!

They're content to just go along with someone else's decisions.

What are they a fucking dog?! What a load of bullshit!!" She stopped to take a breath, before snapping her attention to the other occupant of the room, Jack.

"I wanna feel everything myself, you know? I wanna choose for myself what I do or don't do." Even though madness afflicted Her voice, there was still a hint of gentleness when she had spoken to Jack.

Sadly it only lasted for a moment before it was gone and replaced with more madness.

"F*ck the rules! F*ck the sh*theads who make them!

This is our world!

An uninhibited world of impulse and pleasure."

"No Es." Jack mustered up the courage to dissuade Es in her insane state.

"No Thats still not enough. Not enough. Not enough!"

Jack had decided to get closer to Es, although the rational and wise decision would be to bolt the fuck out of there, he was never one for rational thinking, either way Es was his friend and crush so it wasn't like it was much of a choice to help or not.

"Es please stop this." They were now between arms reach of each other,

Jack had placed his hands on her shoulder in an attempt to do something.

"I WiLl breAk thiS WoRld, DesTroy iT. BreaK it, DesTroy.... iT..... I....Plea.... Ge...aw..." It seemed to be the bad choice however, as when he had placed his hands on her shoulder.

She had placed hers on his throat.

She was choking him, he had realized this as soon as she placed it on his throat, it didn't take on to be a genius to find that simple fact out.

"For...ve.....Me.."

He could fight, and break free from her hold... Perhaps even hurt her to stop her from hurting him.

Yet he could not do it.

He could not hurt her.

It had been his fault for allowing this to happen to Es, If only he had been more serious and pro-active in his endeavour of helping her.

But alas, one only realizes the hole they dug when they look up.

"*Gurgle*"

"Ple....Get...Aw....y"

He could feel his brains need for oxygen now.

The edges of his vision were slowly receding into black, he would die if he didn't break free from this hold.

Yet he did not.

Whether it be through despair or some manner of way to help Es break free from her madness by using her life.

It would not matter, he would die if he didn't break free either way.

"I....m...rry...." He heard Es speak.

Looking one last time at her, he could see tears staining her red crazed eyes, and slowly falling down on her cheeks.

The darkness that was covering the edges of his vision were now slowly over-taking his whole vision.

This is it, his death.

He did not die from a monster or an enemy.

He died from his mistake and failure to save his Es.

But...Slowly one last time, he willed in arms with all he could muster and...

Carassed her cheeks.

And with that last act, his life faded, his arms slumping down losing all its strengths.

Es having sensed his death let go.

*Thud*

A lifeless body fell to the floor, creating a loud thud as it hit the floor.

"I....m........ry." Tears were now freely flowing from her cheeks as she laughed and laughed, eventually that laugh dissolved into small sobs as she kneeled on the ground over his corpse.

She had fully gave into her impulse and Jack had failed to save her from her path.

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A/N: Welp that's the end... don't ask for one more ending since I will not do it.. also if youre wondering why this took so long. well I got into a manga reading frenzy and accidentally forgot, so sorry I guess?

This is the last time I shall say this probably.

Leave some power stones and a review, Es_simp signing out.

There alone in he