To Win Is To Survive
[A/N : The chapters will temporary be short for now. I've already drained my saved up chapters of this novel. I'm going to take a quick break before proceeding to continue.]
'You know, you truly are a remarkable antagonist.'
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..
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'Do you truly believe that I've found satisfaction?'
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'It's your turn to become my PIECE.'
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[Synchronizing memory '2'... Complete]
***
(Vallen POV)
"So... I'm not the only one, huh."
In the fragments of my recollections, from the era preceding the world's reset, I recollect the actions of the earlier iteration of myself, Athan. Deliberately, he orchestrated an intricate scheme, excising a segment of his own memories and seamlessly implanting falsified recollections in their stead.
Before his consciousness was transposed into the the past, he issued a directive to Deus, tasking the entity with overtaking his body. This veiled possession entailed the clandestine elimination of the elderly gentleman sporting a distinguished top hat. Meanwhile, he orchestrated the dispatch of Jack and his associate, Olivia, on a covert mission to infiltrate the organization's ranks. Their primary mandate was to discreetly relay intelligence regarding Athan's existence to their superiors. All these machinations were strategically designed to heighten the likelihood of an assault on the formidable Lohengramm Estate, an attempt to seize him.
In truth, his subtle machinations were the latent cause behind the tragic demise of Alicia. He masterminded an intricate plot, manipulating Deus into goading his alternate self—the creation stemming from his own EGO—into a reprehensible act of torment and, ultimately, to snuff out Alicia's life.
The impetus behind these elaborate orchestrations was to stoke the flames of ire and the instinct to persevere within the third version of himself—the individual he had fabricated through a meticulous fusion of modified traits and fictitious memories.... Me.
If I am to be candid, the alternate version of me, the other facet of Athan, displayed a disturbing and twisted disposition. Driven purely by his insatiable ambition, the real Athan meticulously crafted an intricate tapestry of schemes. This unabated ambition led him to fragment himself into myriad iterations, each encapsulating distinct personas. He was willing to embrace the mantle of an adversary to all, all in the name of satiating his profound ennui.
He exhibited an astounding willingness to endure the most excruciating of sufferings, all for the sake of injecting his life with a semblance of exhilaration. The very notion of a mortal facing off against a transcendent entity within a cosmic game is profoundly unsettling—what a paradox!
As for the genesis of my own existence, I embody the third incarnation of Athan—an entity molded from the clay of FABRICATED memories he created. In the wake of the Universal Reset, our essence underwent a tripartite cleaving—the authentic Athan, the grotesque EGO-infused iteration, and myself, an amalgamation crafted from counterfeit reminiscences and simulated sentiments.
I recount these details not without purpose. The trisection of our being inherently suggests the plausible reincarnation of my two counterparts from another realm, similar to my own inception.
Athan—forever the fool—wagered his very essence in a bid to substantiate humanity's capacity to evolve into a ⬛, even if that meant donning the mantle of an adversary to all creation.
His EGO, a wretched entity, harbored a perverse desire for mass annihilation—an architect of obliteration driven solely by capricious mirth.
Both iterations cast a looming shadow over the tranquility of our world and perhaps beyond. For my desire to bask in the warmth of peace, the imperatives are clear: these two versions of myself must fade into oblivion.
Gazing into the mirror's reflection, I retrieve a pair of scissors and commence the deliberate act of shearing my hair.
"I need to kill them before they could even reach the EPILOGUE."