CHAPTER 25 , The Monster I Once Was
Dark crimson energy swallowed the entire schoolyard.
The sky above twisted unnaturally, clouds spinning slowly as if the atmosphere itself had become unstable.
The pressure was unbearable.
Windows shattered far beyond the school grounds.
Streetlights exploded one after another in the distance.
Even the air felt heavier to breathe.
And in the center of it all—
The crimson fragment stood silently.
Its eyes glowed like burning blood in the darkness.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unmoving.
—
Jay stared at it carefully.
His breathing was steady now.
But deep inside—
His instincts screamed danger louder than ever before.
Because he finally understood something terrifying.
Until now—
The fragment hadn't been serious.
Not once.
Every attack.
Every movement.
Every overwhelming display of power—
Had only been a fraction of its true strength.
—
Inside his mind, the shadow spoke quietly.
"You feel it now."
Jay didn't deny it.
"…Yeah."
The shadow's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"If that fragment fully awakens…"
A pause.
"…this city will disappear."
—
Jay's fists tightened immediately.
His eyes hardened.
"…Then I'll stop it before that happens."
But the shadow remained silent.
Because both of them knew the truth.
At his current level—
Jay couldn't win.
—
Outside—
The crimson fragment slowly lifted one hand.
Dark energy gathered around its fingers like flowing smoke.
The ground beneath it began collapsing instantly.
"…You continue resisting," it said calmly.
Jay's crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"…Obviously."
The fragment tilted its head slightly.
"…Why?"
That question caught him off guard.
—
For a moment—
Neither of them moved.
Then Jay answered.
"…Because I'm not you."
The fragment stared at him silently.
Then—
"…Incorrect."
BOOM.
—
The fragment vanished.
—
Jay reacted instantly.
He crossed his arms just in time—
BOOM!
—
A devastating impact launched him across the schoolyard like a missile.
Concrete shattered as his body tore through the ground.
Dust exploded everywhere.
—
Jay forced himself to stop mid-slide.
His arms trembled violently.
Pain spread through his entire body.
But before he could recover—
The fragment appeared directly in front of him again.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
—
Its crimson eyes looked directly into his.
"…You are me."
Then—
BOOM.
—
Another strike hit Jay's stomach.
The impact bent his body violently before sending him flying upward into the air.
Jay coughed blood instantly.
His vision blurred.
—
The fragment appeared above him before gravity could even pull him down.
And then—
It slammed him back toward the ground.
—
BOOM!
—
The earth exploded apart.
A massive crater formed beneath the impact.
Shockwaves tore through nearby buildings.
—
Inside the crater—
Jay struggled to breathe.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
His regeneration was healing the damage slowly—
But not fast enough.
—
The fragment descended calmly into the crater.
Not a single mark on its body.
Not even slightly tired.
"…Weak," it said quietly.
Jay gritted his teeth.
His crimson eyes burned brighter.
"…Shut up…"
He forced himself upward again.
His body trembled—
But he stood.
—
The fragment watched him silently for a moment.
Then—
"…Why do you continue fighting?"
Jay wiped blood from his mouth slowly.
"…Because if I stop…"
A pause.
"…I lose myself."
For the first time—
The fragment's expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Something else.
Recognition.
—
"…Interesting."
The air around it shifted again.
More violently this time.
"…Then show me."
Jay narrowed his eyes.
"…Show you what?"
The fragment's crimson gaze deepened.
"…Whether your will is stronger than instinct."
—
BOOM.
—
Dark crimson energy exploded outward.
But this time—
It didn't attack directly.
Instead—
The energy spread across the entire battlefield like living darkness.
The ground disappeared beneath it.
The broken buildings faded away.
The schoolyard vanished completely.
—
Jay's eyes widened slightly.
"…What is this?"
The shadow inside him answered immediately.
"A mental domain."
—
Everything around Jay transformed.
Now he stood in endless darkness beneath a blood-red sky.
Mountains of destroyed weapons stretched endlessly across the land.
The atmosphere itself felt dead.
Cold.
Empty.
—
And everywhere—
There were bodies.
Thousands of them.
Motionless beneath the crimson sky.
—
Jay's breathing slowed.
"…This place…"
The fragment stood several meters away now.
"…This is our memory."
—
Jay's chest tightened instantly.
"…No…"
But deep inside—
He knew.
This wasn't illusion.
These emotions.
These sensations.
The overwhelming familiarity—
It was real.
—
The fragment walked slowly through the endless battlefield.
"…Do you understand now?"
Jay stared around silently.
"…What happened here?"
The fragment stopped walking.
Then—
"…You happened."
—
Silence.
—
Jay's heartbeat pounded heavily.
"…What?"
The fragment looked directly at him.
"…This was the world after we lost control."
Those words hit harder than any attack before.
Jay's breathing became uneven.
"No…"
The fragment continued calmly.
"…Power without restraint."
"…Instinct without humanity."
"…Destruction without limit."
Each word echoed across the dead battlefield.
—
Jay slowly clenched his fists.
"…You're lying."
But even as he said it—
His own instincts betrayed him.
Because this place felt too real.
Too familiar.
—
The fragment raised one hand slowly.
Then pointed toward the distance.
"…Look carefully."
Jay hesitated.
Then slowly turned.
—
Far away—
At the center of the battlefield—
A figure stood alone beneath the blood-red sky.
—
Jay's breathing stopped.
—
It was him.
—
Not the incomplete version.
Not the weak version.
—
The original.
—
Crimson eyes glowing like endless destruction.
Dark energy twisting around his body violently.
And surrounding him—
Were mountains of death.
—
Jay staggered backward slightly.
"…That's…"
The fragment's voice echoed calmly behind him.
"…What we became."
—
The original Jay slowly lifted his head.
Even from an impossible distance—
His gaze felt overwhelming.
Like staring directly into a monster beyond human understanding.
—
And then—
The original version smiled.
—
A cold.
Emotionless.
Terrifying smile.
—
Jay's instincts reacted instantly.
Fear.
Real fear.
For the first time since everything began—
Jay truly feared himself.
—
Inside his mind—
The shadow spoke quietly.
"…Now you understand why we were sealed."
—
The battlefield trembled suddenly.
The original Jay began walking toward them slowly.
Each step distorted the world around him.
The dead battlefield shook violently.
Cracks spread across the crimson sky itself.
—
The fragment beside Jay lowered its head slightly.
Almost respectfully.
"…He is awakening."
Jay's eyes widened.
"…What?"
The fragment looked toward the approaching original.
"…And when he fully returns…"
A pause.
Its crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"…None of us will remain separate anymore." 🔥👁️