The air in the corridor seemed to have been sucked dry by that simple yet firm sentence from both of them, leaving behind a silence so heavy it caused tinnitus.
They didn't seem to have walked far enough; amidst the buzzing in their ears, they could still hear the faint sounds of celebration from the distant venue.
But those joyful sounds now seemed to come from across an entire world, blurred and indistinct.
A moment of calm was enough to give Shu's rage-burned heart a brief respite.
He pushed the other self away, allowing the undried blood on both their foreheads to be pulled apart.
A meandering stream of bright red slid down from his forehead, across his brow, leaving a striking trail on his pale cheek.
Blood beads gathered at his jawline, poised to drip.
He didn't need a mirror to check the injury, because he could see "himself."
[Shu] was the same as him.
He didn't wipe it immediately, nor did he look at the other's bleeding face again.
That pain was necessary; it was a testament to his resolve.
Shu could feel his temples still throbbing. Perhaps it was due to the pain of the wound, but it was mostly because the churning thoughts in his mind were burning.
Did he not understand what [Shu] meant?
Of course he understood!
He could even understand which thoughts gave birth to every word the other said!
He understood the full weight of [Shu]'s sentence!
He didn't view himself as a backup, but as the "future" itself, another possibility that would inevitably exist even if this path was blocked.
He was saying to himself: Look, you've appeared. Doesn't this represent that the future holds infinite promise?
On the other side, [Shu] also clearly understood the logic behind Shu's identical words.
The other party wanted him to take on the role of protecting everyone, as a prerequisite for tacitly allowing him to "pursue the past."
This almost blind trust made his heart ache more than any reprimand, but it also acted like cold shackles, locking away his last trace of possible softheartedness.
So he had to succeed; otherwise, even this trust would become a knife stabbing at Shu.
It was precisely this belief that placed "him" in the position of the "embodiment of hope," precisely these suffocating responsibilities—
That completely extinguished the last bit of fantasy in both their hearts that they "might be able to coexist."
The same despair, but here it branched into two paths.
Only one path could continue to extend.
Silence spread as the two made their final confirmation with each other.
Under their standoff, the lights began to flicker unsteadily, and fine dust on the ground moved without wind.
Just then, hurried footsteps and a breathless "Wait..." came from the corner.
Kiana's figure appeared at the entrance of the corridor. Her eyes were filled with shock and urgency, her gaze instantly locking onto the striking bloodstains on their faces and the almost solid aura of confrontation.
However, the moment her eyes met theirs.
The two Shus finally reached a final conclusion from their long silent exchange, and with extreme tacit understanding, they simultaneously took half a step back.
He/He already knew the other's answer.
Almost simultaneously, with sullen faces, they raised their hands and violently grabbed the "space" beside them.
The fragile space was torn open, overwhelmed, and the corridor lights went out with a snap.
Only the two jump tunnels emitted an ominous and magnificent glow, illuminating two bloodstained yet incredibly calm faces.
"Wait! You guys—!" Kiana's heart contracted violently. She shouted, her body rushing forward faster than her thoughts.
But it was too late.
The two Shus turned around at the same time, their backs to each other and to the rushing Kiana.
Their movements were uniform, carrying a resolve of no return, rushing to a battlefield already decided.
They had no chance for reconciliation.
Buzz—!
The two jump tunnels trembled violently for a moment after they entered, then quickly shrank like smoothed water.
The extinguished lights struggled to light up again, and pale light once again filled the empty corridor.
Only Kiana was left, frozen in place in a forward-rushing posture, her outstretched hand grabbing futilely at the air.
The unfinished "wait" shattered in her throat, the final sound dissipating in the cold silence.
She was panting heavily, as if a hand named "cognition" was tightly gripping her heart.
Something's wrong...
In the empty corridor, the undisguised aura from just now remained in the air like a brand, and also in her perception.
That contradictory texture of vast depth hiding a trace of strange warmth...
That eerie sense of coordination, clearly split into two but still of the same origin and tune, as if resonating with itself...
And in that last moment, when one of them turned his face, that almost imperceptible but soul-shaking—
Familiarity.
Yes.
What Kiana felt was only familiarity.
She subconsciously raised her head, wanting to ask for help from the people around her, but only now did she realize she had chased them out alone. In other words, at this moment, she either had to turn back to find Mei and the others, or use her own brain to think right here...
At this moment, going back to find Mei and the others was obviously the optimal solution.
But all of the above happened in a flash. At this moment, in Kiana's eyes, even though everything had slowed down to a near stop, the traces left by the jump tunnels were still disappearing rapidly.
Can't hesitate... even a half-second delay, and I'll lose the final signal.
The only one I can rely on now is myself—
So... who exactly were they?
That fleeting glimpse of gray shoulder-length hair and molten gold eyes... that face Kiana was sure she had seen yet hadn't "seen"...
The figure in Bronya's hand, so exquisite that she mistook it for Mei learning a new technique about herself...
And the unhindered control when opening the jump tunnels just now—
The answer spun around in Kiana's head, and then it was on the tip of her tongue.
Shu.
Only Shu.
And... there were two.
Why?
Why are there two Shus?
Why did Shu look like he was about to fight another version of himself?
They were getting along fine before...
Kiana didn't know, but she knew one thing.
Just now, the quarrel that broke out between the two Shus was because of her!
Not because she heard anything; it was an intuition...
Didn't the two Shus suddenly change their mood because they heard her say she found the Core of the Past?
So she had an undeniable responsibility in this matter!
After a moment of mental storm, Kiana's hand, which had paused for an instant, suddenly reached out again, touching the last ripple left by their jump.
She didn't care if there would be any problems with this fleeting residual ripple.
She had to bring Shu back!