The sky didn't change.
But everything beneath it…
Was breaking apart.
Akimo stood motionless in the ruins of a collapsing world.
Fragments of buildings floated around him, suspended in impossible positions. Some burned endlessly, some froze mid-collapse, and others flickered like they were being erased from existence itself.
Nothing obeyed reality anymore.
Not gravity.
Not time.
Not even logic.
But none of that mattered.
Because something inside him…
Was breaking faster.
"…Why…"
His voice came out low.
Uneven.
"…won't it stop…"
His fingers trembled violently as he pressed his hand against his chest.
Not from fear.
Not from exhaustion.
From something deeper.
Pain.
Not physical pain.
Something that felt like his existence itself was being pulled apart from within.
Like threads being torn one by one.
💥
A sudden surge of energy exploded out of him.
The ground beneath his feet cracked violently, splitting apart into deep fractures that spread outward in all directions.
Reality distorted around him.
The air twisted.
Light bent unnaturally.
Akimo staggered back.
"…No…"
For the first time—
He understood.
He wasn't controlling the power.
The power was consuming him.
Above him—
The massive fracture in the sky pulsed.
And the presence beyond it—
Moved.
Slowly.
Not like an enemy.
Not like a predator.
Like an observer.
Watching something fragile.
Something temporary.
"Instability detected."
The voice echoed across the world.
Cold.
Detached.
Like it didn't see him as a person.
Only a result.
"…Shut up…"
Akimo clenched his teeth.
His vision blurred slightly.
"Eclipse Host integrity… deteriorating."
"…I said shut up!"
💥
Another explosion of energy tore out from his body.
Stronger than before.
Uncontrolled.
Akimo dropped to one knee.
His breathing became heavy.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"Conclusion: Host failure… imminent."
"…I'm not failing…"
His voice cracked.
"…I'm not done yet…"
The world flickered.
Reality blurred.
And then—
Everything disappeared.
Silence.
Not the silence of destruction.
A different kind.
Heavy.
Empty.
Personal.
Akimo stood in complete darkness.
No ground.
No sky.
No sound.
Just an endless void.
"…Where am I…?"
His voice echoed.
Weak.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching him.
Akimo's entire body froze.
"…Who's there?"
The darkness shifted.
And a figure stepped forward.
It was him.
Akimo's breath stopped.
"…What…?"
The other Akimo stood calmly.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same presence.
But something was wrong.
His eyes were empty.
Not glowing.
Not alive.
Just hollow.
"…You finally see it."
The other version spoke.
Calm.
Cold.
"…See what?"
Silence.
Then—
"…The truth."
Akimo frowned.
"…Stop talking in riddles."
The other Akimo tilted his head slightly.
"…You think you're becoming stronger."
A pause.
"…But you're not."
"…You're disappearing."
The words hit harder than any attack.
"…What…?"
The other version raised his hand.
And pointed—
At Akimo's chest.
"…Feel it."
Akimo hesitated.
But slowly—
He looked down.
His body…
Was fading.
Not completely.
But slowly.
Parts of his arm flickered.
Like a broken signal struggling to stay connected.
"…No…"
His voice trembled.
"…That's not real…"
"…Every time you use that power…"
The other Akimo stepped closer.
"…you lose something."
"…Lose what…?"
"…Yourself."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Memories flashed in his mind.
Fragments.
Voices.
Faces.
Moments.
And then—
Gone.
Akimo's breathing became uneven.
"…What… did I just forget…?"
The other version stared directly at him.
"…Exactly."
Fear.
Real fear.
For the first time—
Akimo felt it.
"…If I keep using this power…"
His voice shook.
"…I'll disappear…"
"…Not just your body."
The other spoke calmly.
"…Your existence."
"…No one will remember you."
"…No one will know you existed."
"…You will become…"
"…nothing."
Silence.
Akimo clenched his fists.
His entire body shook.
Not from weakness.
But from the weight of truth.
"…So what?"
The other version froze.
"…What?"
Akimo slowly raised his head.
His glowing eyes burned brighter.
Stronger.
Different.
"…If I stop using this power…"
His voice steadied.
"…everything disappears anyway."
He took a step forward.
"…So what's the difference?"
The other version stared at him.
"…You'll lose everything."
Akimo smiled faintly.
"…Then I'll choose how I lose it."
Silence.
"…I decide."
💥
The void shattered.
Akimo returned to reality.
The broken world.
The cracked sky.
The watching presence.
But now—
He was different.
He understood the cost.
And still—
He accepted it.
"…Come."
His voice was calm.
But now—
It carried something deeper.
Resolve.
Above him—
The presence beyond the sky shifted.
For the first time—
It reacted.
"Fascinating…"
Akimo raised his hand.
Reality bent around him.
"…I'm not afraid of disappearing."
His voice dropped.
"…Because I'll decide what remains."