Alaric had prepared himself for some reasons he had theorised the doppelgänger would provide. Selfishness, wickedness; he even expected to be called the incarnation of the devil, the usual, but cowardice? That had caught him off guard.
He already figured out what was going on here. At first, he had thought this was just a conjured hallucination, like the ones he had been passing through for months now, but now that his pain was gone, and he was thinking properly, he could see the difference.
This one was much more detailed than the previous ones. So, he concluded this place must be 'real'. That left only his doppelganger. Honestly, at first, he almost believed it if it had kept its mouth shut, that is.
"Cowardice, huh?" he looked at his reflection, who was now grinning, something he wouldn't do, he couldn't help but become more cautious of this 'thing'. "You believe I ran away because I was afraid?"
Still grinning, the doppelgänger replied, "Yes, why else would you have run? You had the power to stop them, so why else would you run away if you were not a coward?"
Alaric, who had waited for it to finish its rant, suddenly shook his head. "You claim to be me, but know nothing about me. If you were me, you would know that I am no coward. I do not fear death; I welcome it whenever my time is right."
The image was stunned by the reply. "What, then, do you think your reason is for running?"
Staring at the image in the eyes, he replied with his usual indifference. "It was the most logical decision to make."
"You said I could have fought them off? That would have been suicidal. How many would I have taken before exhaustion? 15? Perhaps 20? They had nearly 60 men. I would still have met the same fate or worse than the others. It would have been a pointless endeavour; that's why I decided to run away." The surrounding colours calmed down completely as they continued their slow, consistent motion.
"But…" The image frowned slightly, but did not relent. He wanted to keep pressing but was interrupted by Alaric. "Enough of your questions. Who are you, and what do you want from me?"
He already figured that this image wasn't his subconscious. he is someone who avoids lying to himself at all times, so when the image said something that contradicted his way of thinking, he concluded that it wasn't connected to him in any way.
The doppelganger frowned at the question, then sighed softly before looking at Alaric in his listless purple eyes. 'Heaven chosens from this era are monsters, and this child is even worse. He's an anomaly that must be dealt with. They are supposed to be complete already in this era.'
Honestly, he already knows he has failed, and Alaric would never trust anything he says, but he still pressed on.
He quickly schooled his expression and gave a gentle smile. "You don't need to know, but I am only here to clear some doubts I have about you. You see, boy, I have been watching you since you appeared on the outskirts of that small village. You are an anomaly. You shouldn't even exit, so I am here to assess your threat and deal with you accordingly."
Alaric was stunned by this admission of intent, but wasn't bothered by the threat he was given or the fact that he had just admitted he had been stalking him since birth. He didn't have much of a will to live anyway, so he didn't care.
"Why do you still hold on? You have been clinging to a false hope that someone, somewhere, will come save you from your current predicament. Why continue your suffering when you can end it all? I know I would have."
Alaric frowned a bit. This strange encounter has been a rollercoaster for him. It would seem this being that took the form of his image had already decided his fate, and the verdict was 'Alaric needed to die'.
'Maybe that was his plan from the beginning?' Alaric deduced.
'Why does he suggest suicide when he could do it himself?' '…unless he has no means to do it himself'.
Alaric's expression quickly transformed into a soft, disarming smile. "It would seem my death benefits you in some way. Before this, I had resolved to end my pitiful life once I woke up, so I must thank you for giving me the resolve to continue living. Maybe one day, I will be free from my pit."
He had already decided to end his suffering after this, but someone was trying to convince him to take his own life for their benefit? He wouldn't do that out of pure pettiness.
The being's demeanour changed as it scowled at Alaric as if ready to pounce on him. He hadn't thought that Alaric had decided to end his life. He had even reignited his will to live out of sheer pettiness, to make his existence more miserable than it is.
How humiliating.
"You will just prolong your suffering. Even if you manage to survive, everyone and everything around you will die. Your whole village was turned to ash because of you, and so will everything you come to touch or value." The 'Being' spat with venom.
The once gentle demeanour it was emulating changed as it scowled intensely.
"Mmmm…" Alaric placed his right hand on his chin while the other was crossed on his chest as if he were in thought. "I never knew I could make such an ugly expression. Anyway, I think I understand what is going on here."
"This place is connected to my mind. I have noticed that anytime my thought process increases, the activities in this place rise, and if I am calm, it goes back to its usual, consistent manner of motion. I must say my mind is a lovely place." He couldn't help but show his narcissistic side.
"And the region turning darker shades behind you, is you trying to exact some influence over it?"
Looking at the area behind the being that decided to take his form, he noticed it had gotten a lot darker than before.
"It seems you have overstayed your welcome. You should leave."