A shadow of the past

Perspective : Conrad Garnier

[Present]

My hands stuck, my blade ready, yet I was hesitant to strike. The revelation that they are people who I knew stopped me cold in my tracks.

Something deep inside me was stopping me from moving my blade.

"What was it?"

Before I knew it, I was transferred to this world, where everything was slower, that it might as well be stopped.

Red mist covered my surroundings, that stench, ohh how it called me?

That feeling of cleaving.

That ferocity which once lurked within me,

The sweet beckoning,

"Is it the mist?".

"Where am I?".

It was when I heard that voice which I never thought, would I hear again.

"It's been a long time nephew!".

As I stood amidst the mist, it began to converge into a singular point, shaping itself into what seemed to be a portal. Gradually, the dense mass transformed into a billowing cloud, emitting crimson fumes as it materialized into the silhouette of a figure—a mysterious red shadow.

Which was I all to familiar with?

A remnant of a legacy, that I had long put an end to .

"What is he doing here?".

I asked him,

"What are you doing here? and where I am?".

The shadow, in a voice both eerie and familiar, responded,

"I cannot say for certain. It is you who have summoned me."

It continued,

"I am but a mere manifestation, not the real thing."

With a perplexed expression, I retorted,

"You are wrong. I have long moved on from our past."

The shadow, undeterred, questioned me further, "Then tell me, dear nephew, why have I been conjured into existence? Why do you still remember me so vividly?"

It claimed,

"Every aspect of my face and body, down to the minutest detail, remains imprinted in your memory."

Confused, I replied,

"I cannot comprehend what you're insinuating."

"What is this place?".

"What is this mist?".

He spoke, revealing,

"You have ventured into the depths of your own consciousness. Something in the external world has ignited a recollection buried within your very heart."

Startled, I responded, trying to make sense of it all,

"So... you."

He acknowledged,

"You catch on quickly , my young boy. I exist solely as a fragment of your imagination—an embodiment of a past you believed you had forgotten. However, remember this: your past never truly fades away. It remains etched within you."

He emphasized,

"Thus, you shall forever bear the memory of me, even if you resist."

I exclaimed in disbelief,

"No! This cannot be!"

In a desperate attempt, I swung my sword towards him, only to realize with a sinking feeling that I wasn't even holding my blade. He chuckled mockingly, reveling in my helplessness. Frustrated, I demanded answers,

"Why now? Why at this moment?"

He smirked and responded,

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Your past always catches up to you'?"

I retorted, feeling a mix of anger and confusion, "This is utterly absurd. Was that spell I cast, that sacrifice I made, all in vain?"

His response was unsettlingly uncertain,

"I cannot say for certain, boy."

I asked, filled with uncertainty,

"Now that I am here, how do I exit? How do I get out of here?"

The figure responded,

"Embrace the feeling that your heart yearns for the most. That feeling, that thought, which triggered this encounter. I know you know it well, that stench, the feeling of cleaving." Understanding the implicit message, I replied, my voice tinged with both understanding and apprehension,

"I know what you are implying".

"But I cannot do that, I will loose myself".

He said, his voice dripping with persuasion,

"What other choice do you have? Don't you want to save your precious Regina?"

In response, I sighed heavily, conflicted by the choices before me, and replied with a touch of despair,

"I do want to save her, but not at the cost of my sanity. No, I will not."

Ignoring my reluctance, he continued, his tone taunting,

""Look at there, your Regina being attacked by your former allies, which she won't lay a finger on. These allies that were never truly yours, as you never trusted them. So, why does it matter? Raise your blade and end them, for it's the only way."

Feeling the weight of the situation, I mustered my resolve and replied with a heavy heart,

"I can't. I simply can't."

He said, his voice filled with a mix of curiosity and determination,

"Are you afraid you will succumb to it? You can't hide forever; you have to embrace it one day. And when that day comes, I will be victorious."

In response, my voice trembled as I vehemently replied,

"No... No, I will not."

Undeterred, he insisted, his tone firm,

"You have to. Or else, they will take you all with them."

Feeling overwhelmed, I cried out, desperation evident in my voice,

"Nooo."

He said, his voice resonating with certainty,

"You can't fight it. Because you are the only one who can save her and yourself."

In response, I cried out, my voice filled with both fear and resignation,

"Noooo. That feeling, the lust will take hold of me." As his figure faded, his last words echoed hauntingly,

"Remember, the sweet call of blood beckons you so."

(He is right).

(If those things are Emilia and the others)

(Everyone else will be hesitant to harm them)

(Even if it's dauntingly obvious that they have already succumbed to their fate)

(I don't care about the others)

(But I won't let anything happen to Regina)

(I have to do this)

(I will cut them all down, and succumb to the lust if I have to)

With that the shackles holding my conscience at bay had been released, I knew what had to be done. Everything needs a sacrifice.

With unwavering determination and a resolute desire to put an end to it personally, I swung my blade, only to hear a resounding clash of steel, as if my attack had been thwarted.

"What on earth are you doing, Conrad?"

"Didn't you hear? They're our friends."

It was Patrick, his sword colliding forcefully with mine.

As I tried to justify my actions,

"I... I... was attempting to..."

Patrick interrupted,

"And wipe that smirk off your face,"

"As if you were deriving some twisted pleasure from it."

(Smirk?)

I reached out to touch my face, and as my hand brushed against my cheek, I realized that I was indeed smiling.

"But why?".

Then Patrick took me back to others, It appeared that the creatures, infested with leeches and were seemingly Emilia and the others, were unable to run. They were slowly making their way towards us.

Patrick asked with a stern tone,

"Why did you attack it?"

I responded,

"Because I don't trust this guy. Do you really think he is making any logical sense?"

Patrick countered,

"But there's still a possibility that they are our friends."

I retorted,

"Even if they were, they've become unrecognizable. They have transformed into mere monsters."

Patrick shot back,

"Monsters... I believe you're the true monster here."

"Do you realize the implications of what you're suggesting?"

"You're proposing that in order to save ourselves, we must kill them."

"Isn't that what you're implying?"

"ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING?".

Regina interjected, her tone commanding,

"Shut up the both of you".

"This is not the time for this".

Yuna calmly stated,

"I am there with Conrad, even if what Brandon here is saying, true".

"We can't help it, we need to take them out, before they take us out".

Kyle questioned Yuna,

"You don't give a damn, what happens to them".

"Do you?".

Yuna replied with a touch of honesty,

"Partially true".

Elkdrack posed a question,

"What can we do?"

"The path behind us is blocked by debris, and we must continue moving forward."

Then,

Kyle attempted to intimidate Brandon, his voice laced with skepticism,

"We can't just take your word for it."

"Provide us with some evidence that they are indeed our friends."

Brandon nonchalantly brushed off Kyle's intimidation, gently swiping away his hand. With a distant and unrecognizable expression on his face, he spoke in a faint voice,

"I don't know anymore."

Kyle retorted,

"What does that supposed to mean?".

As the shadow explained before that they will be uncertain and unable to harm those things until they knew for sure.

That-

What those things were.

This was happening as the shadow said it would.

"I will step in and handle this myself,"

Just then, one of those things began radiating a red aura from its hand, resembling someone we were familiar with.

It appeared to be Emilia, as if she had truly been transformed.