As Bob left my side, I realised that he was no longer the person I had met that day despite the similarities. He was the same, but he wasn't the person who had died tragically in my own 'past'.
What is this feeling of detachment in my heart? Do I even want to fix our relationship? No, there's nothing to be 'fixed' anyway... Like he had said: I am acting like an idiot trying to act close with him.
When he asked me whether we were friends, I didn't even have the confidence to say 'Yes'.
Friends always disappear on me. Sapphire did that to me and Bob was killed because of me as well...
Now, are we going to stay apart? Although he doesn't say it outright, I know for a fact that what he must be looking for as of this moment is a more platonic friendship. He reminds me of myself in my previous incarnation in being a iron porcupine.
Though Bob was a different breed compared to me. He had been betrayed once before, but his heart had yet to let go of desiring close and intimate relationships. This was why he put people at a certain distance no matter their gender.
He had a wall built around his heart. However, I'm not going to even try getting past that big 'wall'.
Though romanticism was nice. Realistically speaking, it wasn't good to step over a person's toes when they are being clear about the kind of boundaries they want. Going further when they clearly want that distance is a disrespect to him.
If I crossed the line, then I would be no different from those obsessive vixens that won't stop trying to get him. Now that I think about it, if it weren't for that trauma, and his emotional scars, perhaps it would be unfair for him to have such a 'harem'.
Me, Dorothy, and Angelica, two Cerberus Heads of Power and Desire along with a Fake God. I have to say that we are pretty high class 'vixens' in this world~ To think, I'd one day see myself as a harem member... Now this is getting a little complicated.
From what I can tell, his relationship with Dorothy seemed to have gotten better. Though I'm not sure why I couldn't sense any Origin Shards within her like the last timeline. Did time travel change things?
If I can't take any shortcuts in getting close to his heart and Dorothy plus Angelica are still close to him, does that mean I'll have to share? I don't know what to think when such a possibility comes up...
Maybe I should 'devour' Angelica and Dorothy to take their identities. After all, then I'd be able to have him all for myself~ Though this thought was only entertained as a joke since I'm not dumb enough to make someone I see as evil part of me.
Who knows what kind of effects their obsession with Bob will have on my personality? Though from another standpoint, it wouldn't be too bad if it meant getting the guy you love, right? Right?
I'm not a shameless woman. No sir, I am lovestruck girl who just happened to find her own Prince Charming. Nothing big~ I'm a girl who cares about my chastity as it just feels weird sometimes.
Ah... Though I'd be willing if this stud of Harem Master wanted a night stand~ I'd keep that 'distance' emotionally. Heh, who blame me for feeling lewd stuff towards the guy I like in 'this life'?
His coldness isn't enough for me to give up!
No, I sound like a Yandere now... It looks like he really DID have the Harem Protagonist Ex Skill...
Anyway, could I be considered a 'Bi' now? Although this is a separate life than my two others, that doesn't change the fact that I'm now not really that bias on gender now. My morals are messed up...!
What happened to being a straight white male from Earth? I have to have a word with a psychiatrist...
Just as I was thinking of what to do next, I felt a massive magical signature larger than anything I've ever sensed before appear in the distance from the village. This actually made me remember Enigma...
I had never thought about it before, but why was it I couldn't quite sense an enormous amount of Mana from Enigma back then? Wasn't a God supposed to have Mana like this instead? I had unconsciously touched Warlock Armoury, but stopped my hand.
That hand was retrieved back not because I didn't want to fight, but because I knew I probably couldn't win a head-on fight against the opponent who had teleported herself here along with a bunch of Demonic Beasts in large numbers.
This was the first time I thought this way...
There was a kind of despair that arose from my heart the more My circumstances kept on turning out this way. For me, it was as if the world was conspiring to kill my closest ones once again.
No matter how strong I was, there's no way I'd be able to handle those numbers and stop them from being able to flatten the village. I'm sure of how strong this village's defences are and have confidence at other times, but not right now.
I could feel a deep Spacial Attribute coming from that 'thing' in what I'm going to dub as 'Universal Sense' (Mana Sense + Consciousness Sense), it's power was just like Chaos. The only difference was that the person using it had S Rank Magical Talent.
No matter how I looked at it, there's no way I'll be able to stop her from flattening this village. Though I might be strong, it wasn't to the point of being able to curb-stomp a teleporting Beast like that...
Again: What the hell was that?!
I sent out my shadow body to check on the situation from afar but didn't like what I saw.
How could this be happening...?! Why is there such a powerful enemy popping out of nowhere?!
Am I going to lose Bob again? No, that can NEVER happen! I won't let history repeat itself again...!
From what I could tell, even the Goblins this Beast has gathered aren't normal variants. They are all particular Demonic Beasts with powers similar to that of the Origin Shards that Sylphy threw out.
"Are you the Irregular? The 'thing' that caused such a disturbance." A voice shot in my direction.
Even though my Doppelgänger Body was supposed to be a Monster that could seamlessly merge into the darkness, the serpentine woman who had lead the Goblins here saw me easily.
Judging from her armour and the way she was speaking in Beast Tongue, she had a high position.
I'm unsure of what's going to happen next, so I chose to quickly do something in the meantime.
As I was ready to talk to this woman, my other body at home went to see what Chaos was doing.
Once my Human Body saw him inside talking with Bob's mom, I grabbed him and grabbed him out.
"What's wrong?" He looked unaware of the impending disaster despite having my sixth sense.
But I guess it was only natural, there was no way he'd be able to predict that some serpentine Beast with the Space Attribute would teleport an army outside the Red Tryst Vine Village out of nowhere.
"Please help me again."
"...What do you want?" He sensed my panic.
"There's a Beast outside the village that has got enough Demonic Beasts for a stampede."
"..." His expression blanked as I pointed in a certain direction. He looked using his Vector Eye and realised I was telling the truth. Even thought it was sudden, he still chose to do things calmly.
"The numbers are too high, and I don't want to reveal my strength to Humans." He finally spoke.
"You don't have to go there. I'm not dumb enough to test my luck." I wish I had Area of Effect Skills.
"What are you planning?"
At those doubtful words, I told him a plan which he really didn't like to hear. It was a makeshift solution.
"I'm not doing it." He denied what I'd offered.
"There's no other way."
"Why not just kill the leader?"
"Even us together will drag it out for too long. By then, everyone here will already be dead."
"Isn't that YOUR problem?"
"Chaos, just help me out." I was practically begging at this point as I ate my pride for these villagers.
"Are they even worth it?" He couldn't quite grasp my feelings as he looked at me like a weirdo.
"I lived with these guys for five years straight as Bob, what do you think?" It was a obvious question. There was no time to think as my Shadow Body was trying to talk to that serpentine woman.
How long will I be able to hold?
"You're doing it again? How many names will you make for yourself before you're satisfied?"
"I just don't want anyone to die."
"..." He gave a complex look.
"...This time, I'll accept your selfish choice." Chaos gave in as he momentarily glanced at the house.
We shook hands with each other, and next thing we knew, I bodies started to morph. My Identity as Harmony was given to him in return for him keeping the secret that was ever part of this village. It was my response to that Spacial Beast.
She said something about me being an irregularity and seemed to know of my 'return' here. I couldn't let my true Identity be leaked that I had grown accustomed to this village or else she will definitely use it against me. I'm happy I learnt Beast Tongue!
Seriously, I had too much free time as that Apostle Knight's familiar back then and got too cozy.
As I watched Chaos transform, I took out the old clothes of Bob's mom with light speed in my form as a 'Light Phantom' and quickly dressed it onto Chaos before anyone could see. When he was done, his face and body looked just like mine.
"Are you going to live without an Identity now?" It was a feminine voice that came out of 'her' mouth.
"I'll just think up a new one."
"You're going to live as a Beast?"
"Probably..."
"Good luck. Come back later then." He waved me off as if he couldn't really be bothered anymore.
"You're not going to chase me?"
"I've had enough of that. Just take care of yourself and maybe I'll go ask Enigma to help me find you later. We Gods, so you won't die even if you happen to die." He spoke quite confidently.
What was with this calmness?
Ironically, Chaos really DID get what he wanted. He just became one with my Identity rather than Self.
"Next time, you better give me your Self too."
"Not happening." My featureless Phantom Body waved at him before shooting straight for where my Doppelgänger Body was. The conversation I had with the serpentine woman in the meantime was actually pretty simple, I was responding to her.
I had answered her questions without ignoring anything. Telling her that I was a Fake God, how I was previously someone from another world, how I was an ethereal Monster, all to make her curious.
The more she asked questions, the more time I had to myself to persuade Chaos to become my ally.
Though it wasn't like anything dramatic happened between us like what happened 'not too long ago'.
"You. Tell me your name." The Spacial Beast ordered after seeing my body fuse together.
With my Phantom Body and Doppelgänger Body as one Beast, I became quite a peculiar existence.
Without using my Auxiliary Abilities of Ability Core, I became a being similar to Enigma in terms of facial appearance. No features, but one side of my body was white while the other side of me was black.
The powers of darkness and light, of the sun and moon, amalgamated together, as I spoke to her.
"My Identity... My name is-"