Chapter 55

"Am I really me? Am I really me? Am I really me?" words that sounded like a chant was hears from the Emperor sitting on a comfy chair inside his residence.

"If I'm not me, then who am I? Is everything an illusion?" questioned the Emperor as he magically clutched a mirror in his hand and looked at his self there.

What he saw was a man with very well sculpted face. Brown eyes that keeps a lot of emotions in check. A blonde hair long enough to drape over his shoulders. No matter how and where he looked at it, he's the Emperor. But he doesn't feel like the Emperor at all.

Just then, he saw a shadow on the edge of the mirror as he immediately turned around to catch whoever dared to barge inside his private residence.

When he turned he saw nothing but the window with the curtains being blown away by the strong wind as the window was clearly open. The Emperor stood up and slowly walked towards the window to close it.

But just as he was closing it, he felt someone on his back as he immediately ducked and threw a punch towards the unknown.

However, his punch was easily caught and parried as he sensed a hook coming directly as his face in speed too fast to even be recorded by any equipment.

He decided to catch the punch as a hand came into the fist flying towards him intending to hold the wrist. He successfully catched the wrist and performed a disarming attack by hitting the opponent's forearm and throwing him to the floor.

But before he can do it he he felt a karate chop came flying towards his neck which he easily evaded by using his other hand and delivering a hard kick in the stomach of the enemy making the enemy fly backwards for a couple of steps.

The Emperor immediately fixed his stance and looked at the enemy which he saw was weaeing the literal same outfit with him. He has golden armor, and a sword on his waist. However, his face was like that of a teenager. Black hair with length of reaching the shoulder. Brownish eyes that reeks the feeling of a battle hardened veteran.

"You...look like me." breathed the Emperor as he carefully observed the man in front of him.

The man in front of him just chuckled as he motioned for the Emperor to sit down on the couch near him. The Emperor didn't do such a thing as he just looked at the man sit down on a couch.

"Yes, I do look like you in some sense. Sit down, you have much to hear now that it has come to this." the man motioned for the Emperor to sit down once more which the Emperor did as he wanted to hear what this man has to say. If someone can break in without alerting his bodyguards then fight on par with him on hand to hand combat, then he's worth to hear whatever proposition or statement he's going to say.

"What the man on that dimension has said to you is false. He's not telling you the truth at all and all he said was bullshit." clarified the man which made the Emperor frown to the very max. The statement of the man further confused him, he doesn't know who or what to believe anymore. He has lost his regal and majesty from before as he's just like a normal confused human being at this point.

"I know you're confused on who to believe. After all you can't remember me." said the man as he stood up and slowly walked on the Emperor who's in deep thought and can't even be bothered to respond. But there's the phrase that made him look at the man in front of him seriously.

"I can't remember you? What do you mean?" the man just smiled and stood in front of the Emperor who's sitting as he showed the Emperor his index finger and tapped it in the Emperor's forehead.

As the index finger came into contact bright golden light suddenly engulfed the entirety of the two as the Emperor felt memories started to flood in. 20 years worth of memories flooded in as his body and soul prepared a special container for this memories to be housed.

From the very first moment he opened his eyes to the very last moment he closed his eyes and opening it again only to see the he's not he is anymore. From his birth to his supposed death, he remembered everything.

As the golden light subsided the Emperor froze in spot realizing the gravity of his current position.

"You're finally you. You should've already known by now that I've transferred your consciousness to this body and soul you're currently inhibiting, so the truth is, you're still you no matter what soul, body,shell,or anything you inhibit. It's not about your appearance but your actual trademark being a living being. You're a great dad unlike I. You're carefree unlike I who's what you'll call a control freak. And most of all you've retained the essence of humanity, the ability to feel and change accordingly." the man looked at him with seriousness in his face, clearly not joking.

"This is probably the last time we'll ever meet as I and my Imperium is on the other side of the omniverse." the man slowly walked away but the Emperor stood up and held him by his shoulder.

"Before you go, can you tell me why did I forget these memories? And why are you returning it to me now?" asked the Emperor with shaking voice but which eventually subsided immediately which the man just laughed at him and nodded. The Emperor was only shocked for a moment but he quickly picked up and adjusted as 20 years of memory compared to the tens of thousands on his mind is like a drop on a bucket.

He's moved by that little speech of the man he knows was the actual Emprah. He really felt it as he's finally him. He's not like the man in front of him. He's his own trademark, he has his own take on being the Emperor of Mankind. Because of this realization, he's ecstatic.

"Because you've given me the second chance I needed to fulfill my goal. I made humankind what you'll consider as a Type 6 civilization and was well on my way to having it become a Type 7. Just a couple of million years till we control our sector of the omniverse. " answered the man as he turned around and smiled at the Emperor.

"As for why did you forget your memories...I did it as a little experiment, how well will you take this very moment once I return your memories to you once more. I did so by making you forget it little by little but leaving behind clues about your memories from your former body. Now that I've returned it, I expect you to make good use of your memories and not be dumbed down." answered the man perfectly bullshitting between his teeth as his body suddenly became hazy as it slowly disappeared like a billow of smoke. He can't possibly tell him the truth as it might raise questions when he's only here to answer.

"Till the next time. See you in the omniverse..."

"By the way as another gift, the universe adjacent to this was pretty interesting per say. They have these weird synthetic race named by anthropods as Reapers and an anthropod race which I don't care what their name as from the looks of it they'll lose to the Reapers..."