Capítulo 74: He Who Conquers himself, Conquers the World! [Part 2]
"Pathetic!"
That word cut through my core like a hot knife through butter. I quickly turned to find its source, yet when I did so I only found my younger self. He continued thrusting the branch around much like I recall doing when I was around that age. It was often that I pretended to become a great warrior, one that undertook any adventure that came his way.
"You...are...unworthy!"
There was that voice again. The tone was full of deadly venom with each syllable digging deep within my soul. Those words were familiar. They hit me like a sledgehammer, but again as I looked around I only saw the memory playing out.
"Who's there?!", I called out, and this time the words slipped out.
As if he heard them, the younger me eerily stopped his actions. He looked around before snapping his attention in my direction. I was surprised by how quickly he seemed to locate me, but I was appalled by the look that he shot my way. His eyes burned with an intense hatred as if I wronged him. Without hesitation, he pointed the stick in my direction, and with it, the light returned.
It slammed into my back with the full force of a tsunami and washed over my body. That sensation came with it, gripping my body with a euphoric glow. I gladly endured it and within seconds, I found myself back into the room of darkness. A green aura captured my younger figure and before my eyes, he warped. The radiating green aura reminded me of the magic that Claire utilized, but I felt that this one was different.
Seconds later, my jaw dropped. It was as if I were staring into a spitting image of my previous self. What I was looking at was the version of me right before I was transferred to this new world. He stared at me with utter contempt as he closed the distance between us. He circled me like a shark judging my every atom underneath his microscope of disapproval. I felt as if I were an ant underneath his heavy gaze.
"I assumed that I would be getting someone destined for greatness. A hero who could save the world, but it appears that old bastard sent me broken goods. Ya know, you should've done both of us a favor and died in that cave!"
I was floored by the cruel statement, and I could tell with his tone- no my tone that he was deadly serious.
"Excuse me?!"
The doppelganger stopped in front of me once my words slipped out. His hand lashed out, but he stopped it before it reached my face. His eyes burned with a fury of the likes I had never seen.
"You're excused!", he barked clenching his fists. "Charisma; none! Humility; none! Likeability; none! You are not the figure that I was promised. You are nothing more than a waste of resources. Even since your youth, you have stolen from others and pretended to be something that you are not. I wanted something greater, not a pretender!"
'A hero? What the hell am I talking about? Was I supposed to be summoned as a hero? If so why was I meant to die in that cave with the Lynx?'
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
My remark was rewarded by the doppelganger covering my mouth with his palm. His grip was tight, far tighter than I believe that I could have achieved at that time.
"I don't recall allowing you to speak! How dare you open your worthless mouth?!"
Those words pissed me off. Even if they slipped out of my lips I could interpret both his actions and words as fighting words. I could only overlook such disrespect for so long, so I slapped his arm away. I had hoped that would be enough, but I had doubts considering how strong his grip was. Fortunately, I was successful in doing so.
Pure shock colored my doppelganger's face as the man stepped back. His eyes locked on his hand as if he was experiencing disbelief.
"You may have my face, but I know deceit when I see it. You declare that I'm a pretender and spew off some quality bullshit as if you know anything about me.", I scoffed, rubbing my now-freed jaw. "You do sell a good product I'll give you that, but in the end, you're the pretender here. So how about you ditch my face? It doesn't suit you."
"Tch-", the doppelganger shifted his burning gaze back onto me after I spoke. His unbridled fury washed over me hitting me with the same ferocity as the arriving light.
It hit once more from behind engulfing my figure with its euphoric presence. In a matter of seconds, the darkness returned and I was staring back at my old face. The doppelganger stared with a mixture of bewilderment and frustration.
'The tunnels... I think that he is controlling them...'
"This...This shouldn't be possible!", the doppelganger shouted as he quickly approached me once more. His hand gripped my collar and he pulled me close to him. His eyes met my own before I managed to shove him away. He staggered backward with that returning crack in his resentment.
"I may be hard on myself sometimes, but I'd never say some wack shit like that. You may have my face, but your words won't tear me down!", I confidently declared.
The doppelganger crossed his arms against his chest with his scowl warping into a sinister smirk.
"Oh really?", he challenged.
Almost on cue, the recognizable green aura began oozing from his body. The aura snatched my body and warped my senses with intense vigor. Before I could move it had gripped me. The scene before my eyes melted into green haze.
"I am a God, BigStone! If you were to defeat me, then I'll pack my shit up and never play this game again! I'll retire on the goddamn spot! You and that dumbass bastard couldn't beat me two on one, and it takes six bastards in collusion on rank to take me on! Nothing short of a fuckin' glitch on the game could ever allow you to beat me! "
A rant was the first thing that appealed to my senses. The well-maintained yard of my youth was quickly replaced with the structured walls of my apartment. The plain beige paint, the grey carpet, and the lukewarm temperature were all perfectly mundane as I remembered them. Somehow I now stood alone in my living room.
Shifting my eyes around the room achieved nothing in locating my doppelganger. I knew that he would be around here somewhere, so I decided to follow the sound of my irate voice. Much like before he would undoubtedly appear as my previous self.
As I traveled down the hallway toward my room, but as I did so a thought occurred.
I had only been away from this place for a few days, but I did not miss it. Despite the short duration, I felt as if that time were a lifetime ago. Still, there was a charm to the previous home. I worked hard to achieve everything that I had, but with that came a price.
It was good for the time, but there was not much here. Just the basics... the bare minimum. I had lived in that place for two years of my life, but only a few anime posters and figures were around. There were no pictures of myself or any of my family. A few books lined my bookshelf, but mostly the home was vacant. It reminded me more of a prison rather than a home.
A roof over your head might be enough for some, but I now saw it as a beacon of mediocrity. It was a place for me to exist, and that is all that I did. The daily grind of work and sleep increased nearly every month. If I wasn't working to pay my bills, or sleeping, then I'd squeeze in a few hours of Infinity Unleashed. Sometimes to have more time to play my game, I had to forego sleeping.
It was a sacrifice that I was willing to make for some bit of control in my life. I lived in the land of the free, but I knew reality often didn't meet up with that nickname. I barely had actual freedom. My life was often dominated by my work schedule. Every decision I made had to be lined per the needs of my workplace ultimately.
Before I could touch the doorknob to enter my bedroom, it suddenly flew open. I didn't expect it, so I was startled as my figure stomped out. The expression that colored his face was one tainted by pure rage. I followed as he made his way into the bathroom.
The door was left wide open allowing me to view the sight right before my eyes. I remember this day all too well as it was rather recent. The figure propped himself on the counter and stared in the mirror. His eyes were sunken and humiliation pumped through his veins.
In some regards, I am a proud man. If I dedicate myself to something, then I inevitably get good at it, but I am not immune to having my mood shifted. I hate being defeated, but there are some defeats that I can accept. That one was not one of them.
"Damn! How fuckin' stupid could that game be?! A shield is a shield! Projectiles should not be able to go through them! Bullshit! This is fuckin' bullshit!"
I am a man who does not often scream in rage at the top of his lungs. I had an uncanny ability to control my emotions, but there were times when I could not. Small moments of rage that forced me to do something unreasonable. Normally, I limit myself to mere words on the video game, but sometimes my rage consumes me.
"Either this game is the most dumbest, piece of shit, inconsistent, bumass game in the fuckin' existence or I am the goddamn weakest, easiest-to-beat, crackpot wackjob, dumbass player in all of the fuckin world! I should have not been bested in that goddamn match! I-I-"
My voice rose with intensity reaching a boiling point until a loud crash shattered his focus. His furious eyes shifted to his right and he realized what had transpired. Seeing it from this perspective brought a new sense of shame from that moment. In his rage- no in my rage I had grabbed my mouthwash and threw it against the shower's wall. The blue liquid exploded on the tile wall from the force, creating a mess.
It was a mess that shook me to my very core. I hadn't realized before that point, but that video game had been linked directly to me. I had subconsciously linked my success within that game to my value as a person. My ego had been so entwined with it that I was at the mercy of the game's flawed mechanics. Normally, you would think that you could control aspects of the game. It was a control that I was lacking in my real life. It was nothing more than a delusion that I possessed. At that moment, I recognized that there must be a change.
"You weren't that wrong about yourself. Throwing a tantrum like that same child in the yard. It would be annoying then, but now it is nothing short of pathetic."
As I expected, the doppelganger fixated within the memory came to life. There was an ominous aura pulsating from the wild features of the figure. He turned to face me with a tired scowl. If looks could kill, then I'd be a goner for sure.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I was furious, yeah, but that was not a pathetic act.", I retorted. "That was an act of passion. If we were the same person, then you would know that."
My words only seemed to frustrate the man all the more. He snapped to face my direction and moved to grab my collar. I deflected the attempt which only served to anger the individual.
"That raises a single question... Who the hell are you?!"
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