Deep within the thick fog, two Silass faced each other, one sitting, one standing.
"Why did you run?"
At the standing Silas's question, the [Silas] on the ground froze for a moment, then started laughing.
It was laughter without any joy, full of exhaustion and despair, laughter that unsettled Silas to his core.
"You already know why."
When he finished laughing, he pointed at his own body, burned and rapidly healed, and said quietly, "I'm in too much pain."
Pain?
This time it was Silas's turn to freeze.
He heard the other continue:
"Every single day since I arrived here has been unbearable."
"My mind constantly tormented by evil gods, constantly bearing the extreme emotions of millions of people, constantly cutting open my own flesh and blood, constantly enduring injuries. My head shot, my arms torn off, and then using that 'Agony' weapon to multiply the pain even more!"
"And for what? The Captain died, Cecilia died, the sheep died, everyone died! I'm alone again."
"There's no hope for the future. Only pain!"
This split-off [Silas] shook his head in despair.
"I can't take it anymore. I'm exhausted. I don't want to go on! I don't want to feel my own existence, I don't want to be conscious, I don't want to keep walking this painful Beyonder pathway!"
"I just want it all to end!"
That's why he tried to end himself the first moment he could, and when that didn't work, he chose to run.
Is this what I really think, deep down?
Silas's face remained expressionless as he clenched his fists. The pressure drove his nails deep into his palms, letting warm blood drip steadily.
Has the pain I've endured grown so intense that even my own split self refuses to bear it?
"Heh..."
A voice echoed within him. Medici letting out a soft laugh.
"Calm down. Don't let your emotions control you." M's figure materialized nearby, her voice gentle. "This is just a tiny part of your mental world. It doesn't represent your true thoughts. Having thoughts like this actually proves you're alive."
"Huff..."
Silas took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the chaos in his mind.
"Anything else you want to say?"
He looked down at his split self.
"No."
The other answered with resignation, as if his earlier outcry had drained all his vitality. He waved his hand weakly. "Destroy me. I don't want to feel anything anymore."
"...Alright."
Silas said quietly, flipping his palm to create another flaming spear.
The other looked at the spear with relief in his eyes.
"You can't kill him."
But then M spoke up.
"What do you mean?"
Silas stopped and turned to ask. Even the [Silas] on the ground looked confused.
M explained softly:
"He's part of your humanity, and a very vibrant, substantial part at that. Killing him would destroy your humanity, which wouldn't be good for your mental state."
"But if I don't resolve this, my mind will be just as unstable."
Silas said.
"So my suggestion is to absorb him. Let him return to your consciousness."
M offered her solution.
"Then I'd still exist?"
The [Silas] on the ground asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
M nodded gently, cruelly. "Unfortunately, you'll continue to exist as part of him, which means you'll continue to clearly feel this pain, right until the very end."
At this, the lying [Silas]'s shock gradually twisted into despair and fear.
"No!"
He screamed, suddenly leaping up and fleeing deeper into the mist.
"Bang!"
Weak as he was, he couldn't match the original. He was easily caught and pressed to the ground.
"You promised! You said you'd kill me!"
He struggled, shouting desperately at Silas.
But Silas only kept his face tense, saying nothing.
"Hiss, hiss..."
His palm pressed against the other's back, gradually merging with the [Silas] on the ground.
"Ahhhhh!"
The [Silas] on the ground howled, both from pain and from despair at what lay ahead.
"Stop, please, stop!"
He was crying now. "I just wanted to die! I don't want to hurt you!"
"Can't stop."
M said from the side. "If you stop now, you'll face mental breakdown and become like the 'Black Saint.' While he hasn't grown stronger yet, absorbing him immediately is the best choice."
"..."
Silas bit down hard, not letting himself make a sound, pressing his palm further to merge more completely with the other!
"Save me, I don't want this anymore!"
He could clearly feel the turmoil of flesh and blood within the other, the kind of physical reaction that only comes from extreme despair. But even so, he couldn't stop!
Finish him quickly, regain clarity quickly, then leave with the Black Knight's characteristics...
Silas kept telling himself this, using it to push himself forward.
"Save me, save me..."
The [Silas] below was crying, giving up resistance, making pleas to empty air, something the original would never do.
He sobbed:
"Save me, Cecilia..."
"Boom!"
Silas's mind felt like it had been struck with a hammer, ringing loudly.
"Shut up!"
Having kept his face tense all along, he suddenly roared in fury. "Don't you dare call her name!"
"Crack!"
His eyes red, he grabbed the jaw of the [Silas] on the ground and crushed his jawbone with his bare hands!
"She already saved you once! She already saved you once! What more do you want? You want her to die again?!"
"Shut up! Shut up!"
Silas didn't even know what he was feeling anymore. Anger at his own weakness, acceptance of his own pain, twisted together, transforming into disgust and hatred toward himself.
"Hahahaha!"
Loud mocking laughter came from within his body. Medici seemed to find this amusing.
"Calm down..."
M's comfort was completely useless now.
Silas simply activated his ability almost instinctively, completely absorbing the last part of his split personality.
"Crack..."
A crisp shattering sound reached his ears. Silas opened his eyes to find himself standing in the fog-shrouded square, not far from Leomaster's corpse.
It seemed like he'd just been in some kind of dream.
The mirror still hung in the air, but this time his reflection didn't split again.
Silas stared deeply at his gloomy, despairing self in the mirror.