I was sitting in a chair, elbows resting on the kitchen table, hands supporting my chin. My thoughts were diving into deep waters, trying to understand and assimilate everything I had heard so far.
"So... you're some kind of system that came to assist me?"
If someone saw me right now, murmuring to myself, they would probably think I had lost my mind. But in the corner of my eye, something shimmered: a message softly reflected in the air, hovering in front of me. Purple letters floated on a semi-translucent black screen.
[Yes and no...]
"Interesting... so this thing actually understands me," I muttered to myself.
["I'm more like your alter ego."]
Puff.
I fell to the floor after tipping over the chair, hitting my head hard against the tiles. The scare was so intense I lost balance upon suddenly hearing a voice — my own voice.
["Hahaha! What's wrong? Scared of your own voice?"]
That same voice echoed again, as if it had entered directly into my mind. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and slowly got up. I tried speaking to it.
"So... you can talk too?"
["Yes."]
"Shit…"
I was stunned. It was like I was talking to myself. The same voice, the same tone… it was unsettling. But little by little, I managed to calm down. I started thinking of the right questions, maybe this voice had the answers I needed. Even before I could open my mouth, the voice spoke again.
["Don't worry, Noah. I am you, and you are me."]
"Okay…"
I pondered the meaning of those words. Instinctively, my attention was drawn to the center of my chest, where a red stone lay fused into my skin, pulsing in sync with my heartbeat.
After everything that had happened, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to consider that I might really have an alter ego. At that point, I was already numb to the surreal. I was starting to accept even the impossible.
"So... what exactly are you... or rather, what are we?"
["I'm not entirely sure... I only know that I am a part of your power, a power your body couldn't fully absorb. That's why your subconscious created me as an alter ego. I'm the embodiment of your energy, of your potential. I was shaped by your mind as the best path for you to fully awaken. In short... I am your power."]
"W-what... power?"
I was in shock. Part of me wanted to believe, another part thought I was losing my mind. Or maybe... I already had.
[...]
"..."
["Noah... Do you remember Mom's necklace?"]
"How do you know about the necklace... oh, right... you're me, and I'm you."
["Exactly. The red stone that was in that necklace and is now in your chest, it was part of this power. Before you ask: I don't know how our mom got the necklace, and I also don't know why you have this 'power.' I just know I'm a part of you. Any other mortal who tried to fuse with this power would have exploded into millions of pieces. But with you... I resonated naturally."]
"What exactly am I...?"
[...]
I kept reflecting, trying to understand the meaning behind those words. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't reach any conclusion. So I decided to focus on what I could do for now.
"Do you know what exactly happened to the people?"
["Analyzing the mana density, and knowing that our power could only awaken with its presence… I believe this planet has just evolved into Class 1."]
"What do you mean 'Class 1'? And how does that explain everyone disappearing?"
I got up from the chair and went to sit comfortably on the armchair, waiting for an answer.
["When a planet becomes ready to receive the energy called mana, it is 'visited' by an entity responsible for assisting its inhabitants. In short, this entity teleports all living beings to another Class 1 planet, where mana is already stabilized. There, people can awaken and form their mana cores. This is necessary because in the early stages of a planet's awakening, mana is still wild, corrupted, and living beings without mana veins wouldn't survive that energy flowing through their bodies."]
"Shit..."
Just when I thought I couldn't be any more surprised, this bomb drops to shake me even more. I jumped up, panicking, as a theory hit me.
"But... wait… Wouldn't that be dangerous for me?"
[...]
"Hello!?"
["You've already awakened... so in theory, no."]
Uff...
I exhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves. A dark thought crossed my mind: if everyone had been teleported... maybe I was the only one left in this world.
"Aunt... Ana…"
["Yes... maybe they too."]
A deep sadness began to grow within me. Just imagining my aunt on another planet, surrounded by unknown cultures and environments, made my heart ache. The worry felt like it was going to consume me, until:
["Don't worry, Noah. They are protected by the Entity I mentioned earlier. When they are teleported, they receive a protection that lasts one year. No matter what happens... they won't die."]
Those words brought me some relief. It was as if, for a brief moment, the storm inside me had calmed. But... curiosity still burned, unrelenting.
"So... why wasn't I teleported with them?"
I asked in a low voice, staring into nothingness, as if expecting the answer to float in the air.
"And that portal... what was that?"
["...I don't know."]
The dry, direct answer caught me off guard. I went silent for a few seconds, staring at the semi-transparent screen in front of me, where purple letters still pulsed gently.
"This gem in my chest..."
I began, instinctively placing my hand over my sternum. I could feel the subtle warmth of the red stone fused into my skin.
"You said it's part of my 'power', but... I'm sure I had stored it away. I hid it somewhere safe. Why did it suddenly appear on my neck at that moment?"
The memories hit me hard. That dark place, the absolute void, the sensation of being swallowed by an invisible ocean... and then, that warmth.
"And when I was in that place... in that total darkness... I felt something warm in my chest. Was that you?"
[...]
No response. Just silence.
"Can you hear me?"
I insisted, trying to force a reaction. Once again, nothing.
Only the screen's glow and the distant sound of wind outside the house, as if the world itself was holding its breath with me.
"How do you know all these things you've told me...? How do you know what happened to the mana, to the people, to the planet? Where does this knowledge come from?"
[...]
"..."
Silence fell over the room, dense and absolute. I was about to ask again when suddenly, a translucent screen appeared before my eyes. Purple letters gleamed against the dark background:
[
{! Warning }
Your other self wishes to share memories with the host.
Do you accept?[Yes] / [No]
Note: Upon acceptance, the host will enter a forced sleep for 12 hours.
]
Before I could even ask what that was, my other self spoke:
["I don't know exactly how I have this knowledge. I just know it's part of our power. But... all the information I have is incomplete. There are blank spaces, cracks, as if someone had limited my consciousness."]
"I see…"
It no longer made sense to try understanding through words when I could see it with my own eyes.
Without hesitation, I tapped the [Yes] option.
My eyes began to grow heavy. A flood of memories crashed into my mind, an avalanche impossible to stop. And then, unable to resist… I collapsed onto the armchair.
Twelve Hours Later
Noah's eyelids began to twitch. Small muscle contractions ran through his fingers, a sign that his body was slowly awakening from the deep trance.
A few seconds passed until his eyes opened slowly. If someone were watching closely, they would see faint red halos circling his pupils, like embers still glowing after a fire.
He raised his hand and rubbed between his eyebrows.
"Ugh... what a headache…"
With some difficulty, he stood up from the armchair. His steps were sluggish, as if the weight of the memories still pressed against his body. He staggered toward the house's balcony, which overlooked the city, now a completely empty city.
A dense silence hung over the world.
No sound of horns, voices, footsteps, engines, absolutely nothing.
"I'm really... alone."
His eyes gleamed, lost in deep thought. But there was something more there. Behind that determined gaze was the subtle yet unmistakable painting of loneliness.
Suddenly, a distant sound pierced the silence.
A metallic crash, like the impact of something heavy being thrown.
Noah flinched, his eyes snapping into focus by instinct. The sound seemed to come from a few streets ahead. Maybe a car... being hurled?
"It looks like... they've already started evolving."
He murmured, as fragments of newly awakened memories returned to his mind, memories of what mana could do to ordinary creatures... and what they could become.
"Status."