Chapter 3 - The Original?

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

["Speech Through Technology"]

…

(First POV:)

As I sat in the chair, my high was finally starting to wear off. Only now was I able to look at my previous actions.

I wasn't the type to become aggressive like the way I had during my fight with the doppelgängers.

It really shook me up inside. At the point where I began screaming at the second doppelgänger was when I felt as if nothing mattered anymore.

I concluded that it had to be hysterical strength. It usually only lasts between 20 and 100 seconds.

The relief I felt at killing something that could be considered human and the lack of reaction I showed were also unnerving.

I had heard that people have involuntary reactions to massive amounts of gore. Throwing up, gagging, or coughing were some of the things that should have happened.

But none of those symptoms showed with me, and as someone who has never seen gore of that level in reality, I should be a mess of stomach acid and spittle.

My psychological health was something I needed to care of, but considering I may still be in danger, I turned on my computer.

Signing into the computer, I was greeted with my animated Sukuna wallpaper. It was an animation of his first flame arrow used in the anime.

I was surprised that I still had that wallpaper, as I didn't know if certain media even existed in this reality.

But what caught most of my attention was a folder. The folder was named "About me." Opening the folder, I was greeted with multiple videos with the previews having my face and room.

I knew there could be some internet cryptids, but in order to find out about this reality's version of me, I clicked on the video designated as "One."

The video opened to show me in my room.

["Hello, my name is Dante Azaogdesz, and this will be a reflection on my life. The reason I am making this is because when I was young, I discovered I had the ability to stop time.

My ability may seem broken beyond any limit, but time has specific rules I have to follow. For example, when time stops, everything is immovable. I found this out when I ran into a floating bee and got the wind knocked out of me.

I also cannot start time unless I am near the original spot where I stopped it. But let's not talk about my powers right now. Now I want to talk about my family life."]

I listened to every word this version of me said, and even if he had the ability to stop time, I didn't seem to be able to access it.

["Well, I have a mother—caretaker that I have recently been calling 'Miss Makima' as she now seems kind of manipulative. You see, she has told me that I am an only child and that my mother died when I was young.

When I asked where my father was, she said she didn't know. To give her credit, she has been taking care of me for my entire life, but after I turned 17 years old, she's been showing up less and less.

Over the years, I've been seeing posts online as Reddit stories about children being abducted from birth, and that's when I started questioning my existence."]

'Ok, don't trust the caretaker, noted.' I thought as my original self went on about whoever "Miss Makima" was.

["I finished high school not too long ago, and today marks the longest that Miss Makima has been gone. I know I'll have to get a job soon if she continues to be gone for so long.

It could be her way of telling me to leave the nest. But I do have all the paperwork I need to get a job on top of my drawer.

As this was supposed to be a bit of reflection, I decided that I would tell one secret each session I make. Whoever is watching this, don't make fun of me, but my first crush and love were both Miss Makima.

She's more beautiful than any supermodel I've ever seen, and young me couldn't help but fall a little for her. Dante out."]

The recording immediately ended after the other version of me said "out." It was a lot to take in.

Whoever the caretaker is is definitely an eldritch creature. But if she spent 18 years protecting a child, why would she leave him? Did she get what she wanted? What did she want?

Whatever it was, I needed to make sure to be prepared if she did return. She was, by my other version's standards, obscenely beautiful. Someone like that wouldn't get past my sight.

With that done, I decided to watch all the videos he left behind. Going to the next one called "Two," I double-clicked and opened it.

When the video opened, I noticed this version's me looking very disheveled. He was trying to catch his breath from what seemed like running.

["*Cough*. Sorry for that, but it seems I'm back again. I needed to record this in case I forgot, but I know what I heard!

As you may know, I have the ability to stop time, but this ability makes it so no noise besides the noises I myself make can be generated. No noise at all!

But, somehow, someone invaded my world! MY WORLD!! Something made a noise, and I think I know what it was.

During my younger years, when I was more, how do you say it, freaky? Please don't judge me! I decided to go into the girl's locker room and look around.

But that's when I realized everyone was the same. All of us are humans, and I felt disgusted with myself. At that point, I promised I would never do something like that again with my powers, but as I was leaving, I saw something.

It was a shadow on the wall. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now that I'm here, I realize something. Who made that shadow?

NO, NO! THINK ABOUT IT! Who made it if it wasn't me? Nobody was there, so who did it?!"]

He seemed to be going insane trying to put together the truth. He definitely looked the part of an insane man.

I kept watching; it would be rude to myself if I didn't allow him to explain himself.

["I made this so I couldn't gaslight myself into believing nothing happened. This shadow thing is invading my world, and I don't know what I can do to stop it.

Should I stop using my ability? Would that even work? I don't know, but I'll record again if I ever find a solution. Dante out."]

With that video done, I began going through the rest. The farther I went into the list of videos, the more insane this other version of me looked.

It seems his mental health was degrading on top of the supposed battles he was having with the shadow creature.

He explained that the shadow was now killing people because somehow it could move things in stopped time.

It was something that this world's Dante couldn't do. Very quickly, it seemed that he was losing.

And so, I now sit at the final video. Double-clicking on it, I met with a depressed expression on this world's Dante's face.

He was murmuring something, but as the video went on, the murmurs got loud enough to be heard.

["I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't take it. To you, whoever you are, I know you can do better."]

My eyes widened at that sentence as a black shadow appeared behind Dante in the video. Its head was an oval shape, with its body like that of a black puppet that didn't look like it should be able to move.

Its eyes were white voids that betrayed the blackness of its body. The body looked as if it had something moving underneath the skin.

The fingers of the creature were more like claws. This world's Dante began crying, and the crying turned to rage.

["You can do better than me, can't you?! Then why don't you take my place?! It should be simple for you, right?

You, whoever you are, would do a much better job than me. I'm a royal fuckup; I can't continue on like this.

So, why don't we trade places?"]

As this world's Dante finished his tangent, both he and the shadow reached for the camera, Dante's face showing absolute insanity.

His face carried the very definition of dark determination mixed with hope.

As both hands covered the camera, the final video ended.

"Who would have guessed that it was myself that did this to me?"