I looked at the 'kid' floating into the air and cursed inwardly. What did I do to deserve this treatment?
I'm pretty sure I've been pure-hearted and generous ever since I became independent of my previous identity of Simon Rainglow... I beat the bad guys and put that female rapist in her place.
Despite that, now... are we going to die? I've been careful and cautious, but I was still found by this madman who won't let me live in peace... Why isn't Enigma doing anything whatsoever to stop this...?!
Please, someone... I don't want my friend and his daughter to die! They don't deserve this kind of end! I'm responsible for this, so there's no reason for Bob and Madeline to get sucked into this...!
"Leave!" I shifted back into my human form and shouted while looking at the azure maelstrom.
Damn.... damn, damn, damn! God dammit!
"You'll die!"
"Believe me. I won't." Have some faith in me. Not even the God of Death himself can truly kill me.
"Then... T-then..." Fear started to overwhelm his senses as he looked back and forth between me and his daughter. You idiot, I understand. Don't look at me with such guilt in your eyes.
"We'll see each other soon." It was after I said those words did he manage to put himself back together enough to leave. With the affinity of both Wind and Moon, not even I could see his tracks.
I looked back at 'Simon' with a hardened expression as I circulated my own magical energy.
[Auxiliary Skill- Nature Marbles!]
[Skill Overlay- Combat Body!]
Time seemed to stop as my thoughts accelerated to the point I had a lot of 'time' to prepare myself for the attack that was to come. Multiple gemlike colours arose from my body as this moment.
[Auxiliary Skill- Law Tattoos!]
[Skill Overlay- War Constitution!]
Another layer of strengthening happened on my body as I had thought of these Skills the more I understood my new Attributes. In merely one physical body, I held most Attributes in this world.
Sun, Moon, the Five Elemental Natures, and the Four 'Laws' governing humanity. The darkness that spread on my body formed a four layer layer magic that increased my ability to fight against 'all'.
The Blood Tattoo increased my regenerative abilities by another level after being superimposed with the water type 'Regenerative Blood', while the Wood Tattoo focuses all this extra vitality I was gaining into actual physical power and agility.
As for the Death Tattoo and Metal Tattoo, they were rather mysterious. One increased my resistance to all forms of damage after superimposing with my 'Reinforced Skin' and the other turned into a natural force around my body that rejected any forms of 'death'. The feeling of power lessened my anxiousness, but it couldn't bring me up to the level of this madman before me.
It was just one skill and one equipment, yet the terrifying force I could feel from Chaos seemed ever increasing. His power over natural lightning was so strong that the 'lightning' itself seemed to become more corporeal as he converged power.
"I see you don't plan on reflecting on your actions at all. Have you even been doing 'that' lately..?" An admonishing voice entered my ears as I realised that despite my heightened senses and thought acceleration. I wasn't able to keep up with him.
Despite having fast enough thoughts to see even light in slow motion, Chaos bypassed my godly sight and instantly appeared before me. When his hand touched my chest, an unending stream of thunder released before electrocuting my body.
Mana, abilities, everything I had built up seemed for naught as his overwhelming power broke through all them. Combat Body and even my newly acquired War Constitution was deactivated as soon as it was hit by his 'simple' electrocution attack.
The nerves all over my body went haywire as I was forced to bend my knee. Seeing that my human form had taken too much damage, I turned back into my shadow form. However, Chaos seemed to be able to grasp my 'soul' before I could escape...!
"Where are you going?" An almost satanic voice entered my ears as I struggled within his grasp.
I won't submit no matter what he does to me!
"I can see from your 'face' that you'll never stop this farce... Fine. If that's how you're going to be, I will leave you alone for a few years. Happy?" The eerie look on his face hadn't changed as he reached towards the Warlock Armoury on his chest. He took out a familiar gun, the same one I'd used to kill an assassin way back as 'Simon'.
"Do your worst to me... I'll never let this 'Anarchy' you are so obsessed over ever exist. I'll destroy my sense of 'Self' before that happens!" You think I'd feel intimidated by my own gun? Think again!
"Hehe, this isn't for you though. You see, Vector Eye can do more distort magical attacks aimed directly at me. Say, can you see the reflection in my eye?" I looked into his serpentine pupil only to see that my figure couldn't be seen within his eye.
A bad feeling arose in me as I tried to make out what I was seeing. It was only after 'blinking' a few times and partially transforming my eyes into their corporeal, human form did I realise what I was seeing. I'm not sure how, but despite the fact that only moments had passed, Bob seemed to have already got back home safely, looking worried.
From what I could tell, time and space seemed like toys to Chaos. I'm not sure what he did to me but I didn't even notice that enough time had passed for Bob to get home, calm himself down, put the sleeping Madeline to bed, and look out the window in what seemed to be the direction of where he had escaped from. My body trembled as I realised what he was about to do... Don't you frickin' dare! No!
[Gun Art- Unstoppable Railgun!]
A bolt of electricity formed the gun in his hand before a bullet was sent out. I kicked around and struggled, wanting to catch that bullet before it could leave...! However, I was strong held in place.
"Look here. A balloon is about to pop." He grabbed my face and forced me to look into his 'Vector Eye'.
"Pop~" Bob's face got hit by the bullet, but it didn't go through his head. Instead, a surge of electricity fried his head alone and made it explode upon having the bullet embedded into his skull. I was forced to watch as his body limped forwards soundlessly, the blood oozing out of his body reminded me of scenes from time on Earth.
My mind blanked as I watched this scene unfold...
"You are practically the incarnation of bad luck and calamity, aren't you? Every 'friend' you make either dies or is hit with misfortune. Really, you truly are a pitiful 'girl'~ You must think this is a lie, right? That I'm just playing games, right? Why don't you go to this new 'home' of yours and go see?" He let go of my body at that moment and turned to leave.
"This time, I'll be waiting for YOU to find me. Be sure internalise everything, okay~? My dear 'Eldest Sister'~!" With those mocking words, he instantly disappeared again. But I couldn't even be bothered of asking myself how he could do that anymore...
I returned to my shadow form and went back to the new 'home' I made. Only to see a corpse hanging by the window. An emptiness replaced the broken edges of my heart as I acted as rationally as I could... By grabbing his body before anyone noticed and bringing him outside, even the smell of blood was masked by me as I leaned him on a tree.
He called me his 'friend'.
He considered me his companion.
We shared the good and bad in our lives.
Spoke openly, and laid our hearts bare. Not even bothering to cover up the scars of our past.
And yet, he died... just because we were 'friends'?
So untimely, so suddenly, and without even any warning. The Bob I know is now... gone?
N-no... No! There has to be some way, something I can do! You can't... you can't leave me like this!
What about your daughter? Your mother? You have so many people who need you! How can you die?!
You're not some side-character, you're needed! We still need you here... I-'I' need you...! Don't die!
The warmth of his blood slowly ran cold, and a strange liquid started running down my cheeks.
Tears? I wasn't a child anymore, how can I... c-cry?
This is all because of me, isn't it? Why do the people I call a 'friend', who considers me to be their 'friend'... always die? Whether as 'Damian' or as the young 'Simon'... why can't don't they ever live?
I wanted to mourn, I wanted to scream my heart out, but my rational mind stopped me, making me open up my 'supernatural senses' again, looking for any thread of hope I could to see him survive.
His Mana Flame was fading, yet... his 'soul'... It's still within him...! It's still there! I can bring him back! No... I have to use whatever strength I have left to bring him back...! I have to do it quickly!
My body was exhausted and my own Mana has been 'purged' by that lightning Chaos used. I need to recover before I can do anything... but he doesn't have the time to that! His soul is leaving!
What can I do...? What can I do?!
It was then my heart came up with an absurd solution that might not even work. However, even a small possibility of bringing him back to me was better than nothing! I have to take the risk!
Once again, I took him into my arms and embraced him. Our 'connection' has yet to sever, so I could still feel the presence of his mind. My body quite literally 'melted' in his arms before wrapping him up and 'devouring' him for my evolution.
I'm sorry, Bob. You can rest for now. From this day forth, I am going to steal your 'identity' from you.
His body became mine, and my body became his as 'our' existence took a new form. The previously destroyed head grew back using the power of darkness as 'we' became 'I', a new sensation that was hard to get used to considering I had never taken someone else's 'identity' before. The feeling of returning to a male body was somewhat nostalgic as Bob's memories flowed into me.
Everything about his past became clear to me. His good sides, bad sides, traumas, experiences, close bonds, and everything that made him 'HIM' became clear enough for me to imitate correctly.
However, an imitation was ultimately a fake, and as a 'fake Bob', I was ultimately just a Doppelgänger.
An harbinger of bad luck, eh? All I can do is deny that my 'bad luck' even exists now that I've become immersed into the 'identity' of Bob. My hand opened and closed as I got used to my new senses while walking back into 'my own' house.
Bob's mother went to sleep on the coach, her expression clearly exhausted since her son had ran out without giving a full explanation. Madeline as well was sound asleep thanks to whatever medicines Dorothy used to make her unconscious.
This was... my home. Now, in present, and even in the future, it will always be my 'home' Chaos can wait forever if he wants, but I have better things to do than chase him down. Not that I'm strong enough to do anything to him anyway...
A clear 'Evolution Phenomenon' arose around me as the shadows danced like joyful children.
I'm guessing that I've evolved from a 'Shadow' to a Doppelgänger... How fitting. I checked out my consciousness again and was able to see the sleeping spirit of Bob resting within me, waiting for the time he'll one day wake up to surprise me.
When that will happen, I don't know for sure.
I-I'm better. My heart is no longer filled with that foreign emptiness anymore and I'm no longer thinking of doing irrational things like chasing after Chaos. I... deserve to have a good rest now, right?
My eyes became heavier as I locked the door and leaned onto it, my vision darkening with fatigue.
I feel so tired...