Azriel watched, unblinking.
Even as his eyes burned, it was nothing compared to the ache of his bleeding heart.
He watched the red trickle down his chin. He fought the urge to scream at Leo—to tell him to shut up, to look at them one last time.
"A son who was a liar, a mother who turned away, a father who ran, and a daughter who was blind."
The voice came from beside him, emotionless. Azriel's other self looked at Leo, frozen on the couch, with an unsettling calm.
Time had stopped again.
Azriel glanced at the hateful figure, his eyes burning with the urge to cut that throat. Yet his other self remained indifferent—or worse, aware but uncaring.
The other self's gaze turned toward Azriel, lips curving into a slight smile.
"It's time to expose another lie..."
Azriel's confusion deepened as the world around him shattered, then reformed. Only this time... they were no longer in the apartment.
He stood on an empty highway, surrounded by trees under a buzzing streetlight in the dead of night. He looked around, disoriented.
The blood drained from his face; every hair stood on end. His fingers went cold.
"No... what is this?"
In utter disbelief, he stared at the familiar sight before him: his family's car, crumpled and shattered against another, cheaper car. But it wasn't just the wreckage that filled him with horror.
His mother, father, and little sister were standing outside, speaking with another man.
The drunk who killed his father and sister on impact—the one who left his mother clinging to life in the hospital, her final gaze filled with hate.
But... this scene was different.
"No, no, no... Why am I seeing this? What does this mean!? These are my memories—why are they not dead!?"
Azriel's scream tore through the night as he glared at his other self, his entire body trembling.
It took him seconds to realize everything he knew was wrong. The cars were already crashed, yet his family—injured, yes—but alive. His father was calling the police; his mother was comforting Lia, who was crying in shock.
Azriel's other self said nothing. He just stared ahead, blank, while Azriel ground his teeth, eyes fixed on the impossible scene.
"This doesn't make sense… What's going on?"
His heart thundered as he watched.
"The police and ambulance are on their way. We're lucky the road was empty," Ronald said, his voice steady despite the blood on his forehead. His gaze softened as he looked at his injured wife and daughter, then turned to the sober drunk man.
"I… I'm truly sorry… really," the man muttered.
Ronald shook his head.
"There's no point. Let's just wait for help and prepare for what's coming."
The man could only nod.
Azriel's mind spun, confusion mounting. His body was burning with impatience, desperate for answers.
Azriel's other self spoke, his tone chilling. Azriel turned, feeling a shiver run down his spine as the man grinned.
Azriel swallowed, taking an involuntary step back.
"Yes, that's why I told me to find you in the void dungeon, to say those words..."
His other self looked at him, the grin slipping into a sad smile—eyes filled with something unfamiliar: sadness.
"It was meant for me, not you... We're truly cruel to ourselves, aren't we?"
A low chuckle escaped, helpless and faintly amused.
Then... as if some unseen chains had shattered, his other self laughed.
Loud, unhinged laughter filled the night.
"HAHAHAHAHA! TO THINK THIS HAD TO BE DONE! TO THINK THIS IS HOW WE WOULD SHATTER OUR PATH WITH NO END! THIS ENDLESS CYCLE, PUSHING US FURTHER AND FURTHER UNTIL WE REACH THE BREAKING POINT! THIS IS HOW WE HAD TO DESTROY IT! HOW DAZZLING OF US! HOW INCREDIBLE! HOW MAGNIFICENT! IT'S SO FUNNY! THIS HAS TO BE THE BEST JOKE EVER!"
Azriel stared in horror as his other self's laughter grew louder, more maniacal, descending into madness. He didn't know if those were tears of laughter or sadness streaming down the man's face. Was he laughing? Crying?
Azriel just watched, feeling his grip on reality slipping, sinking into a nightmare that wouldn't end.
Finally, the laughter stopped. The smile faded, replaced by a cold, emotionless mask. His other self looked at him.
"This is it. The final piece… it was me all along. After this, I'll finally be free. Our cycle ends, and..."
He looked at Azriel with a gentle smile—a warm, kind smile.
"You'll build our own path."
Azriel's throat went dry. He found himself unable to look away, unable to respond.
His other self approached, stopping just before him. The gentle smile held as he spoke.
Azriel did the opposite.
His other self vanished.
A dire feeling washed over him. Azriel spun around, catching sight of the man standing behind his family.
He turned to Azriel, his smile morphing into something sinister.
"I told you from the beginning, didn't I? You'll need every ounce of strength for what comes next."
Azriel's body froze, locked in place as he watched the figure who now held a scythe—a scythe that seemed to merge with the darkness of night.
'Wait… no... I feel sick.'
Azriel's body trembled, feeling fingers trace over his beating heart.
An overwhelming dread flooded him as he watched the scythe lift.
And the next second, Azriel blinked.
The scythe had already swung.
Ronald's head hit the ground.
Blood sprayed over Jeanne, Lia, and the drunk man as Ronald's body collapsed with a dull thud.
Azriel blinked again.
Jeanne's scream—a sound filled with horror, terror, and pain—cut through everything.
His sister's head hit the cement.
Lia's body dropped, lifeless.
Azriel blinked once more.
And Jeanne's head fell.
His other self walked calmly toward the drunk man, who knelt, shaking and crying.
The figure ignored him, humming softly as he closed the distance.
"NO, PLEASE! PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE!"
Then he froze, mouth open in a silent scream, unable to move or even breathe. He was forced to look up at Azriel's other self, who now stood inches from his face, smiling cheerfully.
"No need to be afraid. I'm not going to kill you. I'd never kill someone for a simple mistake… Instead, I'll do this."
Without warning, his hand clamped over the man's face, a blinding light glowing between his fingers.
The man's screams of agony filled the night, cut off suddenly as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Azriel's other self looked around, nodded in satisfaction.
The sinister smile widened, stretching as if splitting his face in two.
Azriel blinked once more, and his other self stood right in front of him, that same smile etched in place.
"Now it's time to..."