Episode 6 - The Search (6)

I didn't even see his fist coming. His punch landed on my chest with a force of falling mountain. My barrier shattered. My ribs screamed.

I was sent flying—through the crates, through the walls, through the darkness—and almost into unconsciousness.

Fuck! What should I do now?!

I crashed into a far wall like a ragdoll and collapsed onto the ground. I couldn't move. My body was a symphony of pain and blood gushing out of open wounds and fractures whispering threats of collapse. My vision was blurry. My legs buckled beneath me.

However, I forced myself to stand. I had to stand. And just as I found my footing again—

CRACK!

That bastard's foot slammed into my guts. I felt my spine bend unnaturally. The next thing I knew? I was airborne, rocketing up through the broken stairwell and out of hideout's basement.

How did I land, you ask? Well... I didn't land... I crashed. I smashed into the ground outside with a sickening thud, leaving a trail of blood behind me as I skidded across to gravel.

My arms trembled. My breath caught in my throat. My lips dripped crimson. I tried to push myself up, but couldn't. I could barely even lift my head up.

And still, they came... One after another...

That's very bad... I've to make a run for it...

Steel crackled across my jaw. A boot slammed into my back. A blade grazed my side. I couldn't fight back even if I wanted to. My limbs weren't listening. My [Skills] were refusing to respond.

I was nothing more than a punching bag, a canvass, for their violence. I collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily, when she returned.

The sadistic woman I'd blasted. She was slightly limping, but her smile hadn't faded one bit.

"You're quite a stubborn one, aren't you?" She purred. "I was starting to miss that pretty face already."

She walked up to me with a glint of madness in her eyes. She held daggers in hands.

"I really like you," she whispered, leaning close. "You're just my type. What a shame."

SHINK!

Pain exploded through my abdomen. I gasped, blood spurting from my mouth. One of hee daggers had pierced into my chest. Then the other.

She pulled them out and smiled. "I'll mourn your loss."

BAM!

A sharp kick into my stomach sent me flying again. I hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop. My limbs were unresponsive. My vision began to fade. I could barely see and breathe.

But my eyes... they didn't close. Not yet.

I can't die here yet... Dammit...!

Just as I uttered those words in my mind, darkness took over me, and the silence.

I floated in an endless void. A world that was neither warm or cold. A place without time or gravity.

Below me was a still, infinite surface of water. Black. Reflexive. Quiet. Above me was nothing but the unknown.

I opened my eyes. I was back. The place, the void, where I first met him... My younger self... My dark self. But this time, it was different.

The realm was split into two. One half radiated soft light, serene, and calm. The other was shouded in swirling shadows. And I was laying across the borders between them.

Just above me, standing at the edge of the dark side, was him—the younger me. Dressed in dark robes, eyes gleaming with otherworldly wisdom and something... deeper.

But more importantly, why the heck is he dressed up like that...?

He looked down at me, frowning. "Why did you doubt me?"

I blinked at him, confused. "What...? What are you talking about?"

He sighed and knelt beside me, voice quieter. "You accepted me, Aries. Even if it was only a slightest bit. The powers you unlocked... it was because you accepted me, because we are the same."

He reached out, tapping his own chest. "I'm the source of your strength. And you knew it, didn't you? You decided you'd accept me... slowly. So you could become strong enough to protect brother—our brother."

I slowly sat up to the void-space like it was a solid ground. I turned to face him fully.

"Then what went wrong?" I asked, grimacing at the phantom pain.

He, my younger self, didn't look angery—just disappointed.

"You wavered. When you heard brother might be in danger... your heart started to racing. You said you'd control your emotions. But deep inside, you began doubting me."

I lowered my gaze. He's not wrong. I doubted him once all that happened, simply because I was worried I might become what I was...

He stood tall again. "And when that woman opened her filthy mouth brother—you didn't think. You didn't plan. You let your rage take over. That wasn't trust. That wasn't control. That was fear disguised as fury."

The words slung. He's right yet again...

I clenched my fists. "Then what's the solution?"

His lips curled into a faint, tired smile. "Accept me fully, you know what I mean... Even if it disgusts you. Even if it makes your blood boil. You have to. I am you. You are me. We're the opposite sides of the same coins."

I hesitated, just for a moment, then I cut him off. "Alright, alright, I get it." I forced a tired grin. "I'll do my best. So what now? How do I deal with them?"

His face grew serious again. "Even if you accept me now and reclaim the powers you'd last night, you're still too injured... You won't be able to do much in this state."

I frowned. "Then what should we do?"

He titled his head and smiled—a dangerous smile. "Let me take over."

I stiffened. "What...?"

I'm getting bad vibes....

"I'll take control over your body, your consciousness. Just until I kill them all."

"No," I recoiled instinctively. "I don't want to get blood on my hands—"

"Which is why you're weak." His voice cut through me. "That's why you can't protect anyone."

I looked away. He's not wrong. It's to kill or to be killed now.

I exhaled slowly. "Fine. Do it. I'll do whatever it takes to become strong..." I looked at him. "Even if it means I become a monster."

That's right. I'm no hero. I'm just a spectator, because I've to protect brother. That's the only reason I need to become strong, even if it means casting my humanity away...

His smile softened, just a little. "You'll never be a monster, Aries. Not if you destory evil with your own hands."

I nodded. "Then... I trust the rest to you."

As I said those words, the light and shadows began to blur, to glow. The balance slowly restored, but steadily. Radiance and darkness pulsed in harmony, wrapping around us.

The void zoomed out as if my consciousness was coming back. The boss and his minions stood just a few steps away from my motionless body, watching with amusement.

"Tch. You killed him," the boss muttered. "Too bad. We can't use him now."

Oh? Is that so? In that case...

"Don't worry," I muttered.

My voice echoed through the silence... Calm. Cold. Yet euphoric.

They all froze. A low, unsettling chuckled escaped my lips. One that sounded both angelic and demonic. My body that was broken a few moments ago, twitched.

A dark, ethereal aura exploded from around me, swirling like a vortex. Crimson lightning danced through the void. I slowly rose to my feet, head bowed, black and white energy coursing through my veins. My hair fluttered from the sheer force around me.

"I'm alive," I whispered, lifting my gaze. Both of my eyes glowed crimson with black hues like a devil king or a fallen angel.

"Though I can't say the same for you."

Their face twisted in shock and horror. And in that moment, all I did was to smile...

That's right. Fear me, for I am your death.

I let out a devilish giggle as I stared at them with my eyes that had turned completely different.