? ? ? ? ?C-cold! The stab felt
cold. It wasn't the way he usually did it, but Zeke himself was curious to see the difference between an amateur and the real deal. Seeing Joseph work his way through the depths of his spirit, he felt his reason...his memories... his everything being ripped away from that sorry shell.
Kuhuhuh... it's a shame... a damn shame... heheh... Zeke didn't speak any longer. To begin with, he couldn't. But the one who uttered these words was none other than the one who housed this shade inside him all this time. In its final moments, it smiled melancholically.
Was it regret? Or sadness, that even this dream had to come to an end, and the dreamer wake once more.
"If possible... I wanted to see the new world with my own eyes."
The top of the vat opened and the sphere rose up. Then it entangled itself, roots plunging into the prone body as it greedily wormed its way further in. And before it could assert total control... Joseph injected the vial into the twitching body. "That's enough of a head start. Now do your best, Zeke. I'm sure you'll provide even better data if you win than if I just gave you this body."
? ? ? ? ?"Where... am I...?" A shade awakened in a strange place, a desert of time where shards and paths interconnected and entangled. It was a sight he had seen before, just like back then. The primordial sea... the collective unconscious. This meant that he must be inside that man's soul. "...Right." He had seen it before, but what was usually a copying process was now a genuine transfer. He struggled to get up, feeling the heavy air of this unnatural world. An eternal twilight, crowned by unnatural auroras, coalescing into the World Tree itself. Compared to his imitation, this was a lot more beautiful. And a lot direr. Death here meant utter erasure, not just from existence, but collective memory itself.
But 'Zeke' smiled.
"I must be experiencing it through that man's eyes. Amazing. So this is a human's resilience. No... could it be... has he awakened as well?" He crouched on one knee, and let this land's sands slip through his fingers. This wasn't unusual, for other humans to be contacted by the will of the world. He wondered if they shared the same wish, as fellow
chosen?
Before he could ponder on that some more, he heard a crashing of waves. Before he could even look back, the skies began to crack and fall - as white tendrils of sickly white light began to crawl into this world. Eyes began to appear, pouring down aetherial tears. These holy feathers, this fake light. It could only mean...
Even now, you're still in my way. Aruna."Heh. I should have known that brat would try something like that. This must be a test." The empty shade finally managed to get up, wiping the sand off his body with the biggest grin he ever mustered. A remnant from that tower, huh? Just like him, nothing more than a shadow of some old ambition. But you know, he just wanted to voyage and enjoy this world to the fullest. To squeeze every pleasure and experience possible. To never have to fear the pain of loneliness again. He wouldn't act like it was some lofty holier than thou mission, but it was his dream nonetheless.
He just wanted to live. To live without fear.
And even if God's Grace was in the way of that, he'd laugh, spit and trample on it with the least dignified of expressions. To struggle pathetically was the only way he knew to live. That's why he clenched his fist before the angelic swarm and chuckled. "If you lose, that just means your lofty dreams are worth less than mine. FINE, OLD MAN!! LET'S HAVE A DREAM BATTLE!! YOUR GRACES, OR MY DARKNESS!?"
The holy tendrils shot to crash down on him. His fist shot up at the heavens to rip them from their throne.
"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
? ? ? ? ?So... a clone, huh? Not the weirdest thing around here. Heh. You've worked hard enough, kid. Welcome to the police force. We'll make sure to take good care of you.
That's just bullshit. You guys were the first to die. We couldn't do anything against that monster.
Why so gloom? Didn't you always want to be a cop?
I'm not like you bastards. I have no intention of throwing my life away for some lofty dream.
Why I joined? Hmmm... I guess I wanted to follow someone.
I don't care what side I join. As long as I come out safe, I couldn't care less.
...I...love...you...
So why... why does my heart... you idiots...
Live.
As two utterly alien forces fought inside his body, every blood vessel, every pore, every inch of his mind body and soul screamed in utter agony. His eyes shot up, his limbs shook to the point they started to tear against the restraints, and every muscle contracted and jolted again and again.
Each impact came stronger than the last.
Each forbidden knowledge, each memory was like an ocean, eroding his nerves to nothing.
But he refused.Even if he had to betray his comrades, he wanted to live more than anyone. He'd trample over any obstacle to make that happen.
Even if that was someone else's dream. The human's mouth foamed, his flesh screamed. The body fell, the mind succumbed - yet his heart wouldn't fall.
I won't die. I won't die! I'm not going to die here like a dog, no matter what!! This struggle, this battle, it wasn't just a sick show. As every holy word, every filthy curse, every hope and dream from the past clashed against a man's future, the screams cracked throughout the entire tower. Not just to deliver them from pain, but to roar at fate itself. To declare this fight.
The Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit. Which one would come out on top? As this battle stretched for hours, soon, Joseph would find his answer. Even if it meant utterly burning Zeke - no, all three of their senses of self.