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I opened my eyes and there she was standing over me. This is the moment people ask what happened but I didn't. I knew what happened. I sat down on the bed.
"Anta chan, are you ok?"
Ela asked, concerned.
"I am."
I replied shortly.
"You came back."
"Yes. The Angels delivered a message and I felt it too."
"..."
"What happened?"
She asked again.
"I was with Aya. She showed me a trick."
"What was the trick?"
"Something about seeing Energy."
"Energy?"
"Did you see anything?"
A new voice cut in. I hadn't even realised we weren't alone.
I turned.
A man with long blonde hair was leaning against the wall, arms folded, eyes closed as though he'd been there the entire time, listening.
"Who's this?"
"That's Zhou of Seperns."
She introduced. Zhou remained unbothered, a indifferent reaction to how Stars treat an Omni.
"Did you see anything?"
He asked again.
"Pink motes. I saw pink motes. Aya said the Energy in Elyvra is pink, so… I suppose that's it."
He opened his eyes and looked at Ela. She turned away, saying nothing.
"It's not a big deal, right?"
I asked, sharp enough to sense it's a big deal.
"You mean a one-hundred-and-two-year-old Star achieving a feat only three per cent of the entire Star Realm can manage? Of course it's not a big deal."
He said, the sarcasm dry as dust.
Ela exhaled softly, as if already expecting this.
"It is a very big deal. But the Supreme Star predicted your anomalous traits."
"Anomalous traits like what?"
"You'll learn things, adapt, and progress faster than ordinary Stars. You'll be able to do extraordinary feats. It's both useful and dangerous."
"Are you feeling anything right now?"
Zhou asked.
"No. Just a little headache."
They exchanged glances once again. A silent exchange between the two Stars.
"That wasn't you was it? I mean, back then."
"It's certainly not. After picking up the pink motes, a voice called out to me. It said 'I've been waiting for this moment before my recreation'. What does that mean?"
"We won't know unless you tell us the whole story."
"After the void, I found myself in an abyss. And there he or should I say, there I was. It was like looking into a mirror yet the reflection it gave off was evil. We looked alike with minor distinctions like his dark eyes and ceaseless grin. After taking control of my body, he addressed Aya as the First Ethereal Light, and out of nowhere, she replied 'You've awakened too soon, Evil Child'.
Something is wrong with both of us right? I mean, she's dead but Aya wasn't Aya. It was as if someone created her and came to me. What's going on, who's the First Ethereal Light?"
I demanded.
"That's too much…"
"To handle?"
I finished for her.
"I expected this,"
I said quietly.
"Just keep in mind, if you keep things from me, I'll find out on my own eventually."
She sat beside me and pulled me into a hug.
"Oh, baby, that's not it. Things are changing around you too quickly. If I tried to explain everything now, it wouldn't make sense. Bit by bit, I'll tell you. We'll piece it together, all right?"
"You are been too emotional."
I muttered.
"That's not good for me."
She gave a small, tired laugh.
"That's cold. But… it's all right."
"It's not good for me either. I'll be outside."
Zhou vanished in a blink, the space he'd occupied folding in on itself.
"This is the first time a Star has an alter ego. It's uncommon but since you're not like us, you won't behave like us. Giving his description and his Dark Arts, he's like an evil version of you.
In distinct realities, it's not a good or bad thing. It's how you get to deal with your other half. The road you take will determine if the alter ego is good or bad or how it'll affect you.
Meanwhile, it can work the other way around. If the alter ego takes full dominance of the real you, then it's going to be a problem."
"Dark Art? So he's like a Dark Star?"
"We don't know about his existence, yet. But due to being able to use void and darkness, we can identify him as a Dark Star, for now."
"When he came out, his goal was to kill Aya. I'm still young and he knows who the puppeteer is and came to kill the puppet. Does this mean he's been existing all this while? Before I was awake?"
"Honestly, we don't know. Even I can't tell for sure."
"The First Ethereal Light called me a saviour. Or a doom. Does that mean my fate's already decided?"
The questions pressed at my throat until they slipped out. I knew she wouldn't answer everything, but if I had to ask anyone, it would be Ela.
"Not really."
She said, calm as ever.
"Deep down, you still have free will. No matter who tries to shape your fate, you can resist it. You can live your own life—if you play your cards carefully."
"…I'll try. I don't want to stand as anyone's saviour. Or their destroyer."
"Then remain neutral. Let the world rot on its own while you stand apart. It is the purest form of apathy, a surrender so profound it denies both good and evil, hope and despair.
It is a weightless path, yet one that crushes all meaning under its silence. No matter what you choose, I'll support you."
'A blind follower. That's not right.'
I thought. She's the Goddess of Life, if it chose to be a the destroyer, will she still stand by me? Reject her aspect of follow the child.
"Even if I decided to be the destined destroyer?"
"Yes."
'Hmm, what's pushing her forward? It's a contradiction in itself that the Goddess of Life supports me, a being of destruction and death. That's if I were to become the destroyer.'
"I used to think that the world was a peaceful place until I ignited a destructive flame proving myself wrong."
Liberator, Obliterator, Abstainer perhaps a Fourth Path beyond salvation, destruction, and bystander.
Soon enough, I'll get to choose one of these three and before I make that final decision, I need to be the One Pulling The Strings.
The paths above aren't choices, they are archetypes. Roles carved into the bones of Existence itself.
The Saviour binds themselves to hope, carrying the weight of others until their spine breaks.
The Destroyer embraces chaos, shaping truth with fire and ruin. The Abstainer turns away, becoming a silent monument to indifference, a witness carved from stone.
Each path is a destiny, but none are mine. To step onto any of them is to surrender to the script of another hand. But no, I refuse.
My path is not to walk among archetypes, but to stand above them, the puppeteer, the unseen hand that tugs at the threads. Let them play their parts. I will be the author of the stage.
Suddenly, my way of thinking became foreign to me. I wasn't thinking like a child, but a mastermind hidden beneath a child vessel.
"Big words for a cutie like you. Well, given your state, it's achievable."
"If Zhou is here, does this means I can start training?"
"No. You're eligible but I can't let you expose yourself to anymore danger."
"I'm in good shape so I'd like to start tomorrow."
"No."
She replied, her word final.
"The truth is, you can't stop me. But deep down, each path needs progression. Didn't you say you we're going to support me?"
I asked.
"I want to train. That's the only way I can save people. That's the only way I can destroy them too. And to be something untouched by salvation and destruction, I need to train myself for that day."
Elara paused, for a moment all she could do was watch, unable to say anything. This wasn't the Antares she raised. As a matter of fact, I don't know who I am either. Woke up with a fractured mind and an awaken alter ego, that's not normal for the gods themselves.
Bur I'm here, and that's all that matters now.
"Ok."
She replied, finally.
"How about tomorrow?"
I asked, my voice softer now, stripped of the edge it had a moment ago.
"Good. It's still a long day until then. Get some rest. If you change your mind, just tell me."
"All right. I will."
She pulled me into another brief hug before leaving. Now that I was alone, I had to speak with him.
"Imposter, where are you? I know you can hear me."
I murmured, know he could very much hear me.
'You don't have to call out to me while I'm in your head."
His voice rang within my head. So that chaos is living inside my head, this might be bad.
"Drift into your Mind and we'll talk.'
He suggested. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
'I didn't know how exactly I got there the other day but this might work.'
I let my focus slip, the world around me dulling to a blur.
Then, without effort, I opened my eyes and the abyss stretched out beyond reach. This is my Mind. Waiting at its centre, no longer sitting on his throne, was my alter ego. He stood with his arms folded, his usual grin nowhere to be found.
"Are you having a bad day?"
I asked.
"No. It's just that I found you in a somewhat incomplete state."
He replied, his tone a bit disappointed.
"Another weird thing?"
"Yes. You are always incomplete, you astral mongrel."
Unresponsive, I took few steps, standing right in front of him.
"So what, are you here to scold me for killing that brat? Or to kill me yourself?"
He spread his arms as if inviting it. I lifted a hand to strike him, but it halted mid-air.
"Are you really going to do that to yourself?"
He asked.
"I can't touch you?"
"Accepting what I am is the only way forward…"
He didn't expect it. The slap landed hard, sending him skidding across the abyss.
Without moving, I was already there. I stood over him, one foot pressed between his shoulders.
"In here, I'm in control."
I said, standing all high and mighty. It's my mind. Of course I'm in full control. He smirked, unyielding.
"Took you seconds to realise."
Another voice spoke from behind me.
'A clone? No… this feel real.'
I turned just as a fist came for my face. It stopped halfway, suspended. When I looked back, the one beneath my foot was gone.
"…Hmph."
A familiar cry rang out. I turned back to find him hung in the air, bound by chains that wrapped around his body and throat.
"So you have authority here too?"
I asked.
The chains dissolved. He landed lightly, straightening as if nothing had happened.
"Of course."
H said.
"I am Antares, the Last King of Scorpios, too."
"Got you. 'Too'."
I said.
"You just admitted you're not the real one. So, who and what are you?"
"I'm you, I'm Antares's other half. The negative, dark and evil half."
"Entares it is."
"Heh?"
He asked, dumbfounded.
"Entares will be your name. You're evil right, I'll just replace the A with the E."
"You know nothing yet you can fill in the gaps. A & N, the two sides of the same coin. That's good."
He nodded as if proud of me.
"Shut up."
"Ok. Boss"
He raised both hands, faking his surrender.
"You're in control so what now?"
"I have questions."
"If it's about A & N and the First Ethereal Light then I'll accept the torture. Because I can't let you know about those things just yet."
"Everyone is keeping things from me. That's fine, I'm not mad. I'll learn about them one way or the other. Keep that in mind."
"We're in mind so..."
He tilts his head slightly...
"How did you know Aya was possessed?"
"What do you mean? I never said anything about that."
"Stop playing around."
"I'm not playing around."
He replied immediately.
"Luckily, you triggered Etherium and I slid through the gaps and escaped."
"Etherium?"
"The Parallel Plane of Energy. Ask the Goddess of Life, she'll tell you about them."
"Where were you before I activated Etherium?"
A vital question.
"Um..."
He paused, cracking some lies.
"I don't know. I forgot."
He replied, smiling. I narrowed my eyes, without words, he knew i wasn't joking.
"Ok, ok...I...um..that was a dramatic entry right? I was just waiting for the right moment."
"You're lying."
"Believe me, I'm not. I was in here all the time. Since your birth. I couldn't escape because you haven't developed a connection yet."
"A magical connection?"
"No. A connection with the real you. It's weird but you just have to believe me."
"I'm in a tough position here. I don't think I can believe anything you've said. You're evil right? So lying is a must-have trait."
"Ok. You're right. I may have been lying all this time. Maybe I'm not your other half, maybe I'm part of the First Ethereal Light's plan who knows. However, just keep what I've said at the back of your mind."
...
"Not here... well, this is your Mind so.. Just screw it. Keep it wherever you want, I don't care."
I smiled at his response.
"What's so funny?"
"I believe you."
"Out of the blue?"
"No. In here."
I place my finger on my temple.
"I'll always be a step ahead of you."
"I know you will. So enough bragging about that."
"How about we talk about my destiny? I was destined to be the Saviour or Destroyer."
"And your ego rejected them just like I told her. Our goal this time will be freedom. And I'll be there when WE become ONE."
"If we were whole, who separated us?"
If he knew that much, he should know this.
"Confidential."
He replied shortly.
"'Our goal this time'? I've lived? We've lived before all of this?"
I approached from a different angle. He couldn't answer. Instead, he sigh, frustrated.
"You know, you just drove into a corner. I have to answer at least one question even though It's against our plan."
"It's my last question so I need to know."
I pressed. Now he's cornered.
"Ok. I'll tell you who the First Ethereal Light is."
"Nope."
"I'll explain A & N."
"I didn't ask."
"Come on."
"Just answer the question. I have things to do."
"Fine. It's too heavy for your hundred year-old brain."
"I'll manage."
"You tenacious bastard."
He cursed, before taking a deep breath as if he were sucking in all the oxygen. He paused briefly, finding the best way to summarise it.
"We were whole. But suddenly, we got separated and installed into our own forces."
"Forces?"
"CREATION, you know, the Matrix."
He answered, now walking around as he explained the past I never knew of.
"We've been hopping from one Existential Shell to the other for as long as I can think of. Yes, I said 'I' because usually, and most especially you, you always wake up incomplete. Just like we are now."
He pointed at me, his finger sharp and accusing.
"Sometimes, Karma misbehaves. After hitting certain Records, we get pulled out. Sometimes, when a Shell reaches its inevitable end, we're forced to jump into another. Sometimes, the Shell destabilises, collapsing in on itself. There are countless ways we move from one Shell to the next.
The thing is, we've been through a lot. You don't know it, but I do. I'm tired of all this. That's why I, no, we, we are going to pursue freedom."
He explained. I kinda get his frustration but...
'So, I undergo a reincarnation-type continuity, and he a transmigration-type? It doesn't make sense.'
I paused, trying hard to figure out this impossible mechanism even though I know it's pointless.
There's a cosmic mechanism that's acting upon us, taking us from one existence to the other. That's worse than fate of being a destroyer and a saviour.
I curse inwardly, my knuckles turning white, yet utterly powerless to this invisible system that's playing with our lives.
'If we're in this together, then it's mostly likely true Entares is my evil half with a mind of its own. That might be one of the reason our Existential Transference differs. But still, why?'
I shook my head, dismissing my thoughts.
Though I'm young and he's only just awakened, a goal far larger than myself has sparked in my mind. I'll see it through, and I'll get every one of my questions answered.
"It's complicated."
I replied shortly, distracting myself.
"I warned you."
"Can you do me a favour?"
Information about how I came to be here, I need it. But it'll be an obstacle in this Shell. Now I'm sure, this wasn't my first life and it certainly won't be the last.
"Erase what you've just told me."
I demanded.
(I advise you all to do the same. I won't be talking about those stuff in this Part.)
"Your tiny head is being fried huh?"
"You took my emotions so you can do this right?"
"Hey, I did that for a reason."
He barked.
"I can wipe them out. But I've told you about it, so it won't be a permanently delete button."
"I don't care. Just fon't ever say a word about what happened here today and what we discussed. If someone asks, I never came here. You should stick to that and it's finial."
"Ok. But why the sudden change?"
"It's a new life for me. I want to live it to my fullest."
"Knock yourself out."
I opened my eyes, and I'm back in the real world. The revelation and weight Entares walked in was way too heavy for a child like me
It'd be one thing if I was reincarnated to a more mature body. Because this baby vessel will be a hindrance. But still, nothing I can't do.
A childlike vessel is exactly what I need to start a fresh. I lay low, covering myself with a blanket to get some rest.
Tomorrow is a new day, the day my journey as a Star begins.
To be continued...