Chapter 5 - 4: Two Halves make a Whole
The protagonist found herself in a vast, empty void—a space where nothing existed but a faint echo of her breathing. The ground beneath her feet rippled like water, though it was solid. She walked aimlessly, her steps causing the surface to shimmer and break apart, as if reality itself was fragile.
A voice called out, faint and sharp, like the crack of ice in winter.
"Why are you here?"
She froze. The voice was hers—but not hers. Turning around, she saw a figure standing in the distance, a reflection of herself but distorted, flickering between her old self and Ellen's form. The figure's eyes bore into hers, filled with pain and resentment.
"I didn't ask for this!" the protagonist shouted, her voice trembling.
"Neither did I!" the figure snapped back. "This is my life. My body. And you're taking it away from me."
The protagonist stumbled back, her chest tightening. "I didn't choose this either! I don't even know why I'm here!"
The void shifted around them, fragments of Ellen's life flashing like broken shards of a mirror. Her friends laughing in the classroom, the team sharing a meal after a mission, the rhythmic hum of the Bangboo by her side. But these fragments were intercepted with the protagonist's own memories: a childhood filled with isolation, the warmth of her one true friend, and the cold emptiness of losing them.
The figure stepped closer, its form growing more solid with each step. It was Ellen now—fully Ellen, glaring with an intensity that made the protagonist's heart ache. "You're stealing everything from me. My friends, my team, my future. I can feel myself disappearing, bit by bit, because of you."
"I'm not trying to take anything," the protagonist said weakly, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't even know who I am anymore. My own name... I can't even remember it. I'm just... lost."
Ellen's expression softened, but only slightly. "That doesn't change what's happening. Every moment you're here, I fade further away. Do you even care about that?"