"I've never met anyone like you," Saruto said in a low but razor-sharp voice. "You kill your own parents… and slaughter those around you without the slightest remorse."
The Emperor laughed, a laugh devoid of emotion. "If you had done as I did… you would be stronger than you are now."
Saruto raised his head, his violet eyes blazing. "I don't need this path to become stronger. I rely only on myself."
At that moment, the sounds of battle echoed. Shouts, clashing weapons, bursts of energy. The Emperor looked up at the ceiling, as if listening to familiar music. "So… this is your plan," he said.
"Do you like it?" Saruto replied coldly.
The Emperor smiled faintly. "Not bad."
He snapped his fingers. At that same moment, Saruto felt three familiar energies, energies he knew all too well.
On the battlefield, the tide was turning in favor of the rebels. The freed slaves fought furiously, hope shining in their eyes. Suddenly, three figures descended from the sky like black shooting stars.
They crashed to the ground, and a cloud of dust rose. When it cleared, they appeared: Kyle, Ryan, and Lucien. But they were not as Saroto remembered them.
Their bodies were shrouded in a thick darkness. Their eyes were blank. And they charged. They slaughtered rebels and slaves without mercy. Ten fell, then more in moments.
At the Emperor's palace, Saruto took a step back, his voice trembling for the first time: "Didn't you kill them? How are they still alive? Answer me!"
The Emperor laughed and said mockingly, "How foolish you are, Saruto. That's why I told you… to suppress your emotions."
"I said answer me!" Saruto shouted, unleashing his power.
The Emperor suddenly calmed down and said, "Yes… they are dead."
Then, devoid of emotion, he added, "But I kept their bodies. I implanted darkness into them. I stripped them of memories… of feelings. They became machines. Serving only me."
He took a step closer. "You didn't expect this, did you?"
Then he looked at him with contempt. "You are nothing. And I don't understand why the ruler Umbra is so interested in you… even though I surpass you in every way."
"Who are you?" Saruto asked, his voice charged. "Where am I? And who is this Umbra?"
The emperor laughed. "Very well, Saruto… I will answer a few of your questions."
The dark armor covering his body began to gradually disappear, from his feet to his chest to his shoulders to his head. When it was completely gone, Saruto froze. "I… am you," the emperor said.
His face was an exact replica of Saruto's. "This… is impossible," Saruto said, stunned.
The emperor smiled. "You didn't travel to another dimension. Rather… to another time. You and I experienced the same events. But some details changed. And this change… distorted our world."
He pointed to himself. "I am the result."
Then he said, "I killed my father. I killed the heirs of the families. I became the king of this world. No one dares to disobey me."
Then he looked at Saruto: "Because I abandoned my feelings. And obeyed my ruler… Umbra."
Then he added, "As for you… you lived a normal life. You didn't kill your parents. Your friends are still alive. And your fiancées are still alive."
He smiled sarcastically: "And also… you don't have a troublesome sister like me to thwart my plans."
Saruto asked seriously, "Since we are from the same time… which is the real time? My world or yours?"
The emperor replied, "Your world is the true time. My time… has been manipulated."
Then he said, smiling, "And I don't deny that I'm glad of it. If this hadn't happened… I would have lived weak like you. And I wouldn't have ruled this world alone."
Saruto replied, "And I'm glad that my world didn't go astray as yours did."
The Emperor began pacing the throne room. "Saruto… we are the same. Two sides of the same coin."
He paused. "You are driven by your emotions, seeking power alone. I… I will do anything to become stronger."
Saruto smiled bitterly. "For once… I agree with you."
They both laughed. A short, heavy laugh. The Emperor said, "Back to our topic. You didn't expect me to have two trump cards to crush your rebels? I knew your plan from the start. We are… the same person, after all."
Saruto replied confidently, "And I will disappoint you."
The Emperor froze as he realized the battlefield was empty. No rebels. No slaves. Saruto said, "I knew you had a trump card. But I didn't expect it to be the corpses of the heirs."
Then he added, "That's why I prepared a counter-plan. I had chariots stationed outside the kingdom to transport rebels and slaves in case of an emergency."
He looked him straight in the eye: "Now they know your trump card. They'll be much more careful next time."
The emperor was furious. Saruto smiled: "Don't be angry. Didn't you say we're the same person? That's why… I anticipated your plan and devised a countermeasure."