Chapter 8: Shadows of the Past Part 2 (Not Edited)
A/N: Are you enjoying the story? Leave a review!
Also, we kissed on the mouth. I think it's time for us to get married.
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Without thinking too much, I walked to the center of the portal, and waited.
.
.
.
"Why is nothing happening? I'm sure this should be working..."
[It's not just stepping on top of it that will work. You need to wish that you want to go to the other side of the portal while activating the portal with your magic.] My second personality explains.
"Oh? So you decided to talk now?" I replied sarcastically. "Anyway, I have no idea how to use magic to activate this thing. In fact, I didn't even know that I had magic. Any tips?"
[Sorry but no. You're not ready for what's on the other side.]
"What?! Oh come on! You brought me here! What harm would it do to just take a look?"
[No! I brought you here so that you could understand a little bit about the world since you are a pit of ignorance, and nothing else!]
"Pwetty pwease~!"
[Ew! Disgusting! No is no!]
"I swear I'll listen to every word you say!"
[...]
"Please?"
[...Tsk. All right As long as you listen to me and don't do anything I tell you not to.]
"Yes! I promise!"
[Just mentally wish for the portal to activate using your feelings. Since you are primarily curious right now, focus your curiosity on it.]
I nodded. It's comforting to have a 'second personality' who knows so much.
Doing as she said, I closed my eyes and began willing the portal to activate, as well as wishing to go to the other side as I focused my curiosity along with my desire.
And really, as she said, in just under five seconds I felt something leave my body, and the portal activated.
A vortex of blood and darkness surrounded me in the blink of an eye, and then I felt the world distort around me. And the next thing I knew, I was now somewhere else.
However, I didn't know where I was because it was pitch black. Even with my night vision, I couldn't see anything. It was as if someone had blindfolded me.
"Okay, this is a little scary..." I muttered with a muffled laugh.
Taking a deep breath, I take a step into the infinite darkness, and immediately I hear a 'click' sound as if something is activating, and I tense up.
In the next instant, torches began to light up one by one, illuminating the place, and I sighed in relief. I may be immortal, but the unknown is still scary I tell ya.
I waited for all the torches to light before doing anything. When everything lit up, I finally started walking cautiously as I surveyed the place.
I'm in a gigantic salon. At least ten times the size of the hall I was in. There are pillars like the ones in my crypt everywhere with torches attached to them. The floor and pillars were made of the same material as those in my crypt, while the ceiling...I can't see the end of it. It's like it's infinite.
The hall is completely preserved, but otherwise, there's nothing here but pillars and torches.
"What place is this?"
[This is a very special salon. Various kinds of weapons and artifacts are kept here. Or at least it was...I guess I shouldn't have worried so much about entering here.]
Oh, that's cool! But it's completely empty like it's been looted.
I walked through the great hall for minutes looking for anything but found nothing. "There's nothing here?! Where are the treasures? Jewelry? Dark Books? Or maybe the One Piece? Come on! It has to have something!"
[Urgh. You look like a spoiled three-year-old human child. If you weren't me, I would have killed you already.]
"You don't kill me because you're only the second personality, I'm number one! Bleeh!" I smiled cheekily and stuck out my tongue teasingly.
[You are starting to be insufferable.]
I shrugged. She says that but I know that behind this edgy and bloody attitude, she's enjoying this kind of interaction, it's pretty easy to tell since she literally is me and she's inside me - hey, no cap.
I can't deny it either, having someone to talk to when you're thrown into another world as a different race is nice, to say the least.
How can I say this, I was a teenager before anything else, so I still kind of behave like one most of the time, and the second personality feels like a big sister - a surly, bloodthirsty big sister who wants me to go on a rampage every time I see a human - but still a big sister.
So our relationship would be like sisters I guess? It's a little strange to think about it when I've only been in this world for less than a week, but that's how I feel.
While walking and keeping my mind entertained, I finally see something in the distance.
"Oh? What is that?"
In the distance, there is a small shrine. It is very attention-catching, because, unlike the black color that is everywhere, the sanctuary is blood red, and there are four eight-foot tall full-bodyplate knight statues, two on each side.
The knights' armor is obsidian color with a somewhat intimidating and frightening design, and each knight held a weapon; a whip, a huge hammer, a sword, and a bow.
However, what captured my eyes, was what was in the center of the small shrine.
There were two black gauntlets made of unknown metal with a red jewel resembling a red dragon's eye set into the back of each hand of the gauntlets. Its design resembles a dragon's claws.
Okay, these gauntlets are definitely something edge lords would give their lives to get. I can't ignore my inner edge lord either, because the gauntlets look really cool.
[So it's still here...]
"Now we're talking! Come to Mama!"
[Hang on! Don't even think about it!]
Turning into a black and red mist, I quickly travel the great distance between me and the small shrine in a few seconds and stop in front of it.
I reach my hand out to touch the gauntlets, but something seems to stop me like someone is holding me back.
[Stop, you idiot! Can you think before doing something that could be dangerous?!]
"Why are you stopping me?! They are just decorative gauntlets!" I responded angrily, forcing my hand to slowly move towards the gauntlets as the second personality tried to stop me.
[You promised to listen to me! SO LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY! DO-NOT-TOUCH-IT!]
Hearing the super annoyed voice of the second personality in my head, I stop.
"...Okay okay, geez. I won't touch that, I promised to listen to you, I'm sorry."
[Good. Now stop trying to get the gauntlets.]
"But I'm not trying anymore though?"
To my confusion, I look at my hands, and they were very slowly trying to grab the gauntlets, and my hands and the gauntlets for some reason were glowing with an abnormal and faint gray light. It was as if my hands had been turned into magnets and are being drawn into them.
"I'm not doing this! I swear! They're moving by themselves!" I said and forced my hands away, but they stayed in place just a few inches from the gauntlets.
[This gray light...! Azra'il, you piece of shit! Damn it! I should have guessed that it's weird that they're here while everything else is gone! They're bewitched!]
"Erm... I don't want to disturb you while you're complaining, but I can't stop my hands!"
[...My apologies, I lost my mind for a moment. Just grab the gauntlets at once.]
"But I thought I wasn't supposed to touch them?"
[That is true, but we have no choice anymore. We've pathetically fallen into a trap, a magical trap to be exact, and you're not strong enough to break it yet. Just...prepare yourself.]
I don't know why grabbing the gauntlets would be dangerous, but if someone has planted a magical trap here to make someone grab them, it can't be good...
"Alright then, if you say so..."
I took a deep apprehensive breath and stopped trying to stop my hands from grabing the gauntlets. And so, I grab them.
When my hands gripped the gauntlets, something entered my body and seemed to inflate me like a balloon. My body started to tingle, and my fangs started to hurt like hell.
"Augh?! W-What is this?! IT HURTS!! WHY DOES IT HURT?!"
[Don't be a pussy! Endure it! You have to hold on, otherwise, we're going to lose a big part of our main soul! And that would be very, very bad!]
A thick black fog out of nowhere began to surround me, and the gauntlets began to disintegrate into red particles of light.
As they completely disintegrated, the red particles joined the black mist around me, and my body felt like it was being burned alive in lava.
"IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP!"
[Hold on a little longer! The integration is almost done!]
Then the black mist, along with the particles of light, like a spear, pierced my chest and started to enter inside me. I closed my eyes tightly because of the unbearable pain and my body started to float; I couldn't control it. I felt like I was about to explode into a million pieces at any moment!
When it all got inside me, the pain reached its peak, and I screamed with all my might.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARHG!!!!"
My body was hot, very hot like it was full of unlimited energy. And that energy exploded in a mess of blood and darkness with me in the center of it.
I felt the whole place shake from the explosion, and the pain was instantly gone.
I fall to the ground, out of breath and a little exhausted. But not only that. I felt…different.
"What the hell was that...?"
[Congratulations. You have just integrated a artifact into our soul.]
"An artifact...? What does that mean?"
[Let's leave that for later. First, I think you should see your reflection for now. Don't you feel different?]
"...I do."
I get up off the floor and am surprised at how light my body feels. I then walk over to one of the pillars next to me, which was so polished that I could easily see my reflection, and I'm in shock at what I see.
My appearance has changed a lot. My eyes are glowing a lot brighter than before and there was a bit of black smoke coming out of the ends of my lashes, and my long hair was floating lightly like I was on the moon.
I was no longer dressed in my Gothic gown, but a high-collared overcoat made of a black substance with blood red around its edges. It reminds me a lot of Zangetsu Quincy's overcoat from Bleach, but mine is more open at the bottom, showing a bit of my pale legs. And just between us... I look a lot cooler.
And finally, there were two black gauntlets on my arms similar to dragon claws that reached to the elbow and connected with my overcoat. It was the exact same gauntlets that I grabbed.
"Wow...is that me? I look like a Final Fantasy character mixed with Dracula," I commented with a cheerful laugh.
The pain was unbearable, really, but now I was feeling pretty good. I'm feeling stronger. It was worth going through all that!
[Glad you seem happy, but it's not over yet. Integration was the least dangerous part. These gauntlets are powerful artifacts made by...Someone important. Therefore, it had a defense system. A very powerful defense system against any type of thief who dared to try to escape with them.]
"Eh? A defense system? What kind of defense system?"
My second personality didn't need to reply, as I heard something crashing, and immediately turned towards the shrine.
All four statues quickly began to move and come to life. Green flames flashed from the knights' eye sockets, and they roared.
Breaking free, the four eight-foot statues fall to the ground with a crash and stare at me at the same time with their green flames.
[Get ready! These golems are enchanted with all sorts of runes and spells! If you think that your immortality will save you, you are very wrong!]
"....Fuck. I should have listen to her..."
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