The next day came.
I woke up, ready to face any challanges this world might throw at me.
Well, it wasn't like I had a choice, but still...
After doing my usual stuff like my morning routine, I took a look at my messages that I hadn't checked on my phone.
There was a message from my uncle,
I opened the message, already having a bad feeling about it.
My uncle wasn't the type to send casual good morning texts or ask how I was doi- huh?
How do I know what my... No, Douglas Preto's uncle is like?
Suddenly, a head splitting ache bolted through my skull.
"ARGGGGGHHH"
I clutched my head, the pain so intense that I stumbled backward onto my bed.
My vision blurred, and it felt like my brain was being torn apart.
I clutched my head, stumbling back towards my bed, and I started rolling in pain in my bed.
Memories that weren't mine, memories of Douglas Preto, came flooding in.
I started seeing his memories.
Lest it be the trainings, or rather the beatings, he received from his Uncle Darius, to moments of him showing care and softness towards me, no him.
And the moments... we struggled to overcome.
Then suddenly, the aching stopped, and I took a breath of relief.
This left me lying on my bed, drenched in sweat.
And, a lot of emotions surged through me regarding my uncle,
Fear,frustration and... admiration.
But there was something I was more worried about and that was about my identity crisis.
I felt like I was being absorbed by this... new me .
Douglas Preto was overpowering Douglas...
Douglas?
What was my last name again?
Panic gripped me as I lay there, staring at the ceiling. My breathing grew shallow, and my hands trembled.
What was my last name?
It was on the tip of my tongue, but the more I tried to grasp it, the further it slipped away.
It felt like as if I was in a dream before, my past life's memories lay fragmented and it was slowly but surely fading.
I was too drunk on this new feeling of adventure that I didn't notice... No, I did notice but didn't think much of it because I wanted to be a part of this world.
But, if I lose that part of me, than what will become of me?
Will I become someone new? Will I be Douglas Preto? Will I... no longer exist?
And, who am I right now?
I stood up abruptly, pacing the room, trying to piece myself together.
"I... I know who I am. I know who I was." My voice cracked, filled with uncertainty.
But the truth was, I wasn't so sure anymore.
The phone buzzed on the table again, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen.
[Uncle Darius: Morning, kid. Hope you're not slacking off. You better be keeping up with training. Also, I might swing by sometime soon. Be ready.]
[Uncle Darius: If you don't reply soon, I'm assuming you're slacking off.]
[Uncle Darius: Since you want this uncle of yours to visit, and discipline you so much, how can I say no to my precious nephew. Come meet me after classes in the mall, brat.]
The messages felt heavy now, like it meant more than just simple messages as if it were meant to distinguish who was in control.
My body moved on autopilot, picking up the phone and typing a response.
[Me: I'll be there.]
I stared at the message for a moment after hitting send.
Was that really me? Or was it him?
I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "No. I won't lose myself. Not completely. Douglas Preto might be part of me now, but I'm still me."
Whoever that was.
Since I was drenched in sweat, I decided to take a shower once again before going out which made me late to the first class of the day, Sharpshooting Basics.
Although... I we him whatever the f*ck was a little bit confident in my sharpshooting since I practiced almost everyday, I was still nowhere near good enough to be considered a good student let alone a genius like Cain, Sam and Ruby.
***
I guessed since I was this late, they would've already gone to the training grounds.
So, I checked the training grounds first, and bingo. They were here.
But, by the time I reached the training grounds, Instructor Gale had already begun his lecture.
His sharp eyes flicked toward me the moment I stepped in. "State your name, and status."
"Douglas Preto, Rank 299, sir."
"Ah, Mr. Preto, how nice of you to finally join us."
I quickly nodded, "Sorry, Instructor. Won't happen again."
He stared at me for a moment, then sighed. "Get in line. You will run 5 laps after your first try is over."
"Also, you already missed the theory part, so I hope you don't embarrass yourself at the practical part."
I quickly moved to my spot next to Cain and Sam, who both gave me annoying smirks.
"What happened? Did Ruby keep you up all night?" Cain whispered.
"Shut up." I muttered.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You okay? You look… off."
I hesitated. Did I look that bad? I was hoping the shower and a fresh uniform would cover up the mess in my head.
"Just a rough morning." I said.
Sam looked at me for a second before nodding. "Alright, but if you need to talk, we're here."
"Alright, enough chatter everyone." Instructor Gale called out.
"We're moving to the range. Let's see how much of my lecture was actually absorbed into your thick skulls."
The class moved to the shooting range, and we each took our positions. A variety of long range weapons were lined up, but we were expected to start with the basics, a standard rifle.
Of course, that is what was expected, not what was mandatory.
"Instructor, may I use my own weapon?" I asked, attracting stares from quite a few people.
Since it was a soul-bound weapon, I could summon it at will.
But I chose not to do that to attract attention and just carried it on my back.
Instructor Gale looked at me with a gaze I couldn't quite discern, then nodded at me. "Sure, go for it."