Mirror Image!?

In a dark abyss lay a young azure-haired boy, Aramiya Ryuu, his body seemingly weightless, floating in the vast emptiness.

The darkness was all-encompassing, pressing in from every side, yet familiar in its oppressive silence.

Flicker!

A faint light sparked, pulling Ryuu from his unconscious state.

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing only the same deep black void he had seen so many times before.

"W-where am I?"

Ryuu's voice echoed through the void, sounding small, swallowed by the vast nothingness.

"Is this again a dream? Why does this space keep appearing in my dreams?"

He felt a chilling shiver crawl down his spine as the air around him grew heavier.

This wasn't just any darkness; it was alive, pulsing with an eerie familiarity.

Ever since the Azure Flame had first appeared on his forehead, these dreams had become a frequent, unsettling occurrence.

"Do you want to find out?"

A cold, sharp voice cut through the silence like a knife.

Ryuu spun around, his eyes wide as he stared at the figure behind him—a boy, identical to him in almost every way.

Azure hair, the same face, the same build, yet something about him was unnerving.

His aura was different. No, it was worlds apart.

The mirror image of Ryuu stood there, a calm smile on his face, but the energy radiating from him was suffocating.

Unlike Ryuu, this version of himself had dark, swirling azure lines etched across his skin, glowing faintly with power beyond comprehension.

Ryuu's own markings felt dull in comparison.

"W-who... w-who are y-you!?"

Ryuu stammered, his voice trembling as he pointed at the boy. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The boy smiled—a knowing, almost sinister grin—as he stepped forward, his movements smooth and deliberate.

"I... I'm you,"

He said softly, his voice laced with mystery.

"But who are you?"

Ryuu froze, his heart racing as confusion swirled in his mind.

"W-what do you mean by that? I'm Aramiya Ryuu! I turned 17 a few days ago! I live in Tokyo, and I go to Sakura High School!"

He was shouting now, his frustration growing as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

This boy... this mirror image was playing games with his mind.

The boy placed a hand on Ryuu's shoulder, his touch cold, sending a shock through his body.

"Oh really?"

He whispered, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Then who is he?"

He pointed past Ryuu, and for a brief moment, the world around them seemed to shift.

Ryuu's stomach dropped as he slowly turned to see Sengoku Seichii, his childhood friend, standing behind him, smiling softly.

"Seichii...?"

Ryuu's voice was barely above a whisper.

The boy stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Ryuu as he asked.

"Who is he?"

Ryuu's mind was spinning.

"He's... Seichii. We've been friends since we were born. Our parents—"

Psh!!

Blood sprayed across the black ground, staining the void in crimson.

Ryuu's breath caught in his throat as he saw Seichii's arm, severed from his body, drop to the floor.

His friend's once-smiling face was now marred with a deep cut across his eye, blood gushing from his wounds.

His body, covered in scratches and injuries, slumped to the ground, still smiling faintly.

"SEICHII!!"

Ryuu screamed, his legs moving on instinct as he tried to run towards his friend. But his feet felt heavy, as if chained to the ground.

"What happened to you?! Who did this?!"

The boy watched silently, a faint grin still playing on his lips, as if enjoying Ryuu's horror.

Seichii's body began to fade into the darkness, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Ryuu's chest tightened, panic rising as he reached out, his fingers grazing the void where Seichii once stood.

"Wait! SEICHII! What happened? Tell me!"

His voice cracked, desperation dripping from every word.

The boy appeared beside him again, his presence suffocating.

"Now, let me ask you again," he said, his

voice calm yet filled with a dark amusement.

"Who was he?"

Ryuu's breath was shallow, his entire body trembling.

"He... was Sengoku Seichii..."

His voice wavered, his mind unable to process what he had just witnessed.

"Do you want to know who did that to him?"

The boy asked, his smile widening as he crouched down next to Ryuu.

Ryuu's heart pounded in his chest.

"Y-yes..." he whispered, barely able to get the words out.

"Tell me."

The boy's eyes gleamed as he slowly pointed behind Ryuu again.

"But first... who is she?"

Ryuu turned slowly, fear gripping his heart. Standing there, bathed in the same eerie darkness, was Tatsuno Ryoko.

She smiled at him, her expression serene, but her eyes... there was something wrong.

"R-Ryoko...?"

Ryuu whispered as he stood up, his legs shaky. He took a hesitant step toward her.

Thud!

Suddenly, an invisible force slammed him into the ground.

Pain exploded in his body as he gasped, blood trickling from his mouth.

He tried to push himself up, but the weight was unbearable.

"W-what is this?!"

Ryuu cried, struggling against the pressure.

"Why can't I move?!"

The boy hovered above him, his feet not touching the ground, looking down at Ryuu with cold eyes.

"I asked you... who is she?"

His tone was no longer playful. It was sharp, demanding.

Ryuu's mind raced.

"S-she's Tatsuno Ryoko! A... a S-Rank magic user... and a dear friend of mine! We—"

Psh!!

Ryoko's left arm fell to the ground, blood spurting from her shoulder.

Ryuu's eyes widened in horror as he watched her body slowly begin to dismember before him, limb by limb.

Tears streamed down his face.

"NO! STOP! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

The boy leaned closer, his voice a cold whisper.

"Because, Ryuu... it was you. You did this. You'll hurt them all. You'll destroy everything."

Ryuu's heart sank as the boy's words echoed in his mind.

The weight of what he had just said was too much to bear.

Ryoko, standing before him, was now missing her arm, and the blood that dripped from her wound pooled on the black floor.

The smile on her face never faltered, but her eyes were clouded with pain.

"I did this? No... It can't be..."

Ryuu's thoughts were a whirlwind of disbelief, guilt, and confusion.

His heart hammered in his chest as he desperately tried to understand.

"You said you wanted to know who hurt Seichii,"

The boy continued, his voice cold and sharp. He crouched down beside Ryuu, his face inches away.

"It was you, Aramiya Ryuu.

You will destroy them all—your friends, your family. Everyone who gets close to you will fall."

Ryuu's body trembled violently.

"W-what are you saying?"

He stammered, shaking his head.

His voice was weak, but his spirit was fighting the overwhelming dread.

"Why would I hurt my own friends?! I would never—"

The boy smirked, rising slowly.

"You will,"

He said darkly.

"And when you lose control, you won't be able to stop it. You're a beast, a creature of destruction.

You'll kill everyone who trusts you, who loves you.

That's your fate, Ryuu, and you can't escape it."

The words hit Ryuu like a hammer, and he felt something deep inside him crack.

A heavy silence filled the void around them, suffocating him.

His body felt paralyzed by the weight of the truth he couldn't understand, but couldn't deny either.

"You said I'll kill them… but why? Why would I?"

Ryuu's voice was hoarse, filled with despair. His gaze flicked back to Ryoko, who stood motionless behind him.

"What's happening to me?!"

The boy's expression grew darker, his eyes filled with a quiet fury.

"You've forgotten who you are, Ryuu. That's why."

He stepped closer, placing a hand on Ryuu's head, gripping his hair roughly.

"You're weak. You don't remember anything—not the past, not the battles you fought, not the power that slumbers inside you.

And because of that... you're destined to repeat the same mistakes."

Ryuu winced as the boy tightened his grip, forcing him to meet his gaze.

His reflection's eyes were filled with a rage Ryuu couldn't comprehend, but they also carried a truth that terrified him.

"I've asked you again and again,"

The boy hissed, leaning in closer.

"Who. Is. She?"

Ryuu's heart ached, and he felt like his chest would explode from the pressure.

He stared at Ryoko, who still stood smiling softly, her remaining arm outstretched as if to reach for him.

Blood continued to pool around her feet, but she didn't flinch.

"S-stop it!" Ryuu screamed, tears streaming down his face.

"Stop hurting her!"

His hands clenched into fists as he fought against the invisible force pinning him down.

"Please… stop…"

The boy narrowed his eyes.

"I'm only asking you to remember, Ryuu. Who is she?"

"S-she's Tatsuno Ryoko..." Ryuu sobbed, his voice shaking.

"She's my friend, my—"

Psh!!

Ryoko's right arm hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood splattering across the floor.

Ryuu screamed, his soul shattering as he saw the gruesome sight.

"NO!! RYOKO-SAN!!"

His cry was filled with anguish as his vision blurred with tears.

He struggled to lift himself off the ground, but the force was too strong. His body trembled with helplessness and grief.

"I told you before,"

The boy said, his tone growing even more menacing.

"If you can't remember who she truly is... you'll lose her, just like you've lost everyone else."

Ryuu's mind raced as the boy's words seeped deeper into his consciousness. Lose her?

What did that mean? What was this twisted game?

"You're lying!"

Ryuu shouted, desperation turning into defiance.

"I'd never hurt Ryoko! I'd never hurt Seichii!"

The boy remained cold, a faint smirk on his lips.

"You already have," he said quietly.

"And you will again."

Ryuu's breath came in ragged gasps.

His heart felt like it was tearing apart as he looked at Ryoko, her body broken and bloodied, yet still smiling at him with a warmth that was completely out of place in this nightmare.

"Please... stop..."

Ryuu whispered, his voice barely audible.

"I don't understand…"

The boy stared at him for a moment, then slowly released his grip on Ryuu's hair. He stepped back, his eyes narrowing.

"You're so weak, Ryuu. Too weak to even protect those you love."

Suddenly, the pressure holding Ryuu down intensified.

His body slammed into the ground with a bone-crushing force, and blood trickled from his mouth.

The boy leaned down once more, his face now inches from Ryuu's ear.

"Let me give you an answer in just one word..."

The boy whispered, his voice chilling Ryuu to his core.

"It's you."

Ryuu's breath caught in his throat as the boy's words sank in.

"You,"

The boy continued.

"You are the one who will kill them. You are the beast that will destroy everything. Your friends, your family... they will all die by your hand."

"No..." Ryuu gasped, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No! That's not true! I would never—"

The boy's smirk returned.

"It is true. And unless you remember who you truly are... you'll destroy them all."

The void around them began to tremble violently, cracks forming in the black abyss.

The azure flame on Ryuu's forehead flickered wildly, growing brighter and brighter as the boy's words pierced through him.

"WHO IS SHE?"

The boy's voice boomed through the void one last time, and the entire space shattered like glass.

"SHE'S RYOKO!! MY RYOKO!!"

Ryuu's scream tore through the darkness as the azure flame on his forehead blazed with ferocious intensity.

Memories of the Inter-Division Competition surged into his mind—images of Ryoko, covered in blood, lying motionless on that mysterious battlefield.

His heart raced as the truth clawed its way to the surface.

The ground beneath them rumbled as the glowing azure lines on Ryuu's body spread like wildfire.

Power surged through him, crackling with an uncontrollable force.

The boy stood there, watching with a satisfied smile as Ryuu's power erupted.

"You need to hurry,"

The boy said softly, his form beginning to fade into the darkness.

"Or you'll lose everything again."

As the void collapsed around him, Ryuu screamed, the full weight of his power and memories crashing down on him.

.

.

.

"Ryuu! Ryuu, wake up!"

Ryuu's mother's voice jolted him awake. He gasped for air, his body drenched in sweat.

His heart was still racing, and his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.

"Ryuu, what happened? Why were you screaming? Did you have a bad dream?"

Ryuu blinked, looking around in confusion. He was back in his room, the familiar surroundings of his home grounding him in reality.

His mother stood beside his bed, her face etched with worry.

"Mom..."

Ryuu whispered, his voice hoarse.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost 9 AM,"

His mother replied, her voice softening.

"They'll be here soon. You need to get ready, or you'll be late again."

Ryuu's eyes widened.

"It's that late? I need to hurry up!" He quickly stumbled out of bed, his heart still pounding from the nightmare.

As his mother left the room, Ryuu hurried to the washroom, splashing cold water on his face.

He looked up into the mirror, staring at his reflection. His azure hair was messy, and his eyes were still filled with remnants of fear.

"Was that... really a dream?"

He whispered to himself, his fingers trembling as they brushed against the faint azure flame still lingering on his forehead.

The weight of the dream still clung to him, but somewhere deep down, he knew it wasn't just a dream.....