It can only grimace as it sees itself; its whole being under Juan's body gradually turning into smoke and, in the end, will disappear.
Juan's mind has long since stopped thinking other than being overwhelmed and broken by pain.
In his eyes, he can somehow peek a little at what remains in his sight.
All he could see were shadows slowly transforming into smoke tentacles dancing around him.
Slowly, Juan's breathing is getting fainter and fainter. It won't be long before he embraces death once again.
Somehow, on the edge of death, he regains a bit of his clear-headedness, making him think back on the crazy thing he had done just now.
The pain in his body seems to have disappeared. Maybe his pain receptors have already been burned to crisp and lost their meaning.
Unfortunately, even in his moment of wakefulness, he can't even form a sentence in his mind to think other than look at what remains in his sight.
In the next moment, the shadows around him stopped their movements and receded under his shadow.
The pair of red circles in the shadow under his head seem to have lost their natural eeriness at this moment.
Even the look of confidence, mischievousness, playfulness, and scaryness in those pairs of red eyes seems to have disappeared with the passing of time.
The shadow monster, in all of its life, didn't want to disappear after being played by the 'toy' it has played twice already.
However, facts proved that he couldn't escape from the burning cage around it today.
Even if it tried its fastest speed to turn into an arrow to leave, it was all useless.
Losing all of its confidence, for the first time in its life, its long-forgotten instinct to survive warns it of its long-forgotten fear of death.
In the next second, knowing the gradually incoming deaths of the two of them,.
The shadow monster shouldn't have pulled this toy holding a torch back then. It felt something it never did before—a very uncomfortable emotion.
The shadow monster, who had just tasted what regret is for the first time, immediately came to a decision it had never made before.
To survive... It doesn't matter if it puts away its arrogance and pride. Even if the price is to become one with the enemy who made it suffer,.
No price isn't unacceptable.
In the next moment, the two red pairs of circles suddenly expanded and filled the whole shadow with redness.
All the shades and darkness disappeared, leaving only the redness that seems to exude eerieness and evil indifference.
A second later, the now-red shadow expanded, disregarding the burning smoke around its corners as it wrapped itself around Juan's dying body.
Surrounded by a purplish flame, a red cocoon seemingly made of countless red strings appeared in the place where Juan was last seen lying.
Around the cocoon were red webs that suddenly flew out like silk, connecting in six different directions.
One on the walls of an intact house, two on the reddish walls, two on the ground, and lastly, one connected to the dark clouds above.
Strangely, the purple fire's heat can't burn even a piece of those webs. Instead, those webs seem to be glowing with the help of those purple flames.
Truly a magnificent beauty, a supernatural's wonder if Juan were to see it.
...
I, Juan, had really done it and gone really crazy this time.
Disregarding everything just to accomplish the vengeance of being tortured mentally by someone not human.
Usually, I'm a peaceful, rational, and cowardly human being. I dislike physical and mental pain, work, assignments, projects, research, and more I had already forgotten.
I love to lie down on a comfortable sofa, couch, or bed with my phone while reading novels, watching anime, or reading manga. I also like to eat all kinds of delicious edible food.
That is only a part of me when I'm half awake while following the laws and morality in society. To survive, I had to stay away from trouble and simple thinking.
I also had to avoid hurting others with my words, intentionally or unintentionally. To avoid being an outcast. Humans can't live in loneliness.
I need company, even if it's just being in a group of plasticity. At least, I could feel I was living in reality and not in a depression of darkness.
I could get angry, too. But most of the time, my rationality, faith, and the rules of society bind me.
To prevent me from making mistakes and avoid those deadly consequences. I buried my desires and suppressed my emotions.
I gradually closed my heart to others. And every day, I'm walking on a tightrope known as modern reality, with my mask.
This caused me to accumulate too many repressed emotions, stress and desires in my heart, unable to vent them out. As a result, I had some mental problems.
I talked too much in my head and then answered it as though I were someone else. Occasionally, I would even hear different voices saying different opinions than myself.
That must have been the seed of my second personality, which I had nurtured by suppressing myself all these years. It has finally grown into such a crazy seedling.
The thing is, when I let go of all my worries and followed what my heart so desired,.
When I saw those houses suddenly produce embers like small fireworks at every contact, I was amazed and couldn't help but stop just to dazed.
However, when those purplish flames rose and consumed the house the next second, I, Juan seems to have been awakened and mesmerized.
At that time, I didn't notice the change in my mind.
That is because I suddenly felt so free; I can do anything I want. The memories aren't my memories; they can't bind me.
The reason is simple. I, 'Juan', isn't the usual Juan. But the 'Juan' that was born from the all the accumulated emotional and mental problems.
The one who will do everything the main personality can't. The 'Great Me'...
Also called 'Juan II'!
...
Juan's consciousness slowly returned as he slowly opened his eyes. However, he hasn't yet regained of his clarity.
'I seem to be talking about myself just now. Did I forget something? I feel like I have.'
Seconds passed in what seemed like a long time.
Juan's dazed mind slowly cleared. He woke up completely this time and remembered everything.
'I... actually did all those things.'
The scene of him fighting that shadow monster back then. When he was posturing like some kind of protagonist,.
Shouting grievance while walking and acting cool in the midst of doomsday-like sight.
Not to mention the way he fought, which doesn't seem to care about the health of his body.
Every action is full of power and sometimes complex, leading to many of his muscles getting strained and torn.
Then there was that reckless behavior of dying together.
Juan suddenly shuddered as his pupils constricted themselves, remembering that painful experience.
Even now, he could still remember the excruciating pain of being burned alive while he screamed out to the top of his lungs until he lost his voice after some time.
He wants to stand up and run away. But the shadow monster on his shadow has already gone berserk affecting his actions instead.
Cold sweat slowly poured out of his whole body as he couldn't help but curl his back with his arms around his knees as he trembled in fear.
'Pain....I....hate...pain.'
"I see, so that feeling was called pain. I also dislike that."
Juam suddenly shivered, feeling cold all over his body. He lifted his face up, and suddenly, his pupils constricted in shock.
How could he not?
In front of him was a shadow with the same and exact appearance, form, and shape.
If there's no other one here, this shadow person is likely the one who has spoken those words just now.
"Don't bother asking. I can tell you I'm that shadow monster you're talking about. The reason I'm like this is because of you."
The shadow monster suddenly showed an angry expression and swung his fist and legs towards Juan.
"Wait—!? Huh?"
Juan, who was startled by this shadow's outburst, leaned back and was hastily prepared to receive the punches and kicks, but they never arrived.
This made the shadow monster stop and growl angrily.
"AHHHH! Damn you human! If not for you, how could this happen to me?! If you want to die, do it yourself! Why do you have to take me and suffer with you??"
Unfortunately, 'his' limbs can't reach Juan no matter what he does. He can't even change his shape or form after reaching this place.
Hearing those words, Juan immediately has some rough understanding and guesses. And together with the evidence in front of him,.
"I'm safe; you can't reach me. Hahahaha, so your that shadow monster! The one who hides during the day peeping at me bathing in the river!"
Juan was immediately furious, thinking back every time he chanced upon this monster.
"Too dirty! Heck, you should be happy you died with me! If I'm still alive right now, I would have searched for more of you out there and burned you all to ashes."
"How about it? Happy now since I'm accompanying you to the afterlife after all. Hehehe, unfortunately for you. You can't go back and scare anyone anymore~"
At this time, while looking at Juan, The shadow person was stunned and looked at Juan blankly.
"What are you saying? We're not dead yet."