20-Eradication of Pessimism

I grabbed the pen and paper, but I didn't erase anything. Instead, I wrote. But this time, it was different. I laughed hysterically.

The other fool looked at me, puzzled. "What's so funny? Is there some kind of joke written there?" he asked, confused by my reaction.

I grabbed the cup of milk he had and drank from it while still laughing. He took the paper, and as his eyes scanned the words, a look of pure fear spread across his face.

Hysterically, I watched as he realized what was written: "You are nothing but an illusion. Now, I am the one in control."

He looked down at his hands—they were now bound. Eilaf was nowhere to be seen.

I leaned forward, grinning. "Welcome to my creative mind. Did you really think, after everything I've been through, that I wouldn't see through your tricks? That I wouldn't understand your intentions?"

I smirked coldly. "You're nothing but an 'X' to me."

From the very beginning of this story, you controlled me—manipulating my weakness, exploiting my ignorance of the truth. But now… you hold no power over me.

I stepped closer, until my lips were near his ear, and whispered in a cold, spine-chilling voice:

"You are the one who will suffer now, illusion…"

I saw tension creep into his features, but I continued, my tone filled with unwavering certainty:

"I have regained my hope. Your power lies in my despair, in my surrender. But listen carefully… My pessimistic self is the one who will die now, not me."

At first, he didn't understand. But when I turned to face him, I saw the terror in his eyes. He realized the truth. He knew his end had begun.

His body trembled, his voice shook as he screamed in agony, as if my words were daggers piercing through his very being, each syllable tearing him apart. His face twisted in pain, and then… he began to fade. His form crumbled into dark shadows, scattered like dust in the wind. His voice—the same voice that had always whispered despair into my mind—was now nothing but a distant echo, vanishing into nothingness.

And here I stand… watching my illusion perish.

Only now… do I finally begin to live.

He finally disappeared… Vanished as if he had never existed, taking the surrounding darkness with him. I felt myself breathing freely, as if a mountain had been lifted off my chest. I began looking around, staring at the empty space he left behind, then muttered in a firm but challenging tone:

"You've lost one of your powers, you cursed mind… You were never anything but a weak coward, feeding on my fear. But that ends now."

I lifted my head, gazing into the surrounding void, as if addressing an unseen entity:

"My hope has returned, and I will wipe out all your negativity and restore you to your senses. I was the one who made you this way… and I will be the one to fix you."

A heavy silence filled the space, but I didn't stop—I only became more resolute:

"Face me now!"

There was no response… but something began to happen. Out of nothingness, a door materialized before me. There was nothing behind it—just absolute emptiness, like a boundary between two worlds.

There was no other choice…

Either I fight, or I fall again.

I refused to hesitate. I stepped forward, my footsteps steady, walking toward the unknown… toward the next battle.