Ena glared into the distance, no one or anything in sight, just her and her alone, with the sole exception of the corpses of the people she cherished the most. To her, everything felt unreal, dreamlike—no, it was more like a nightmare, a nightmare that seemed too real. Too real to wake up from.
And the rain that stood in the background got stronger, as if blaming her for killing her loved ones—but wasn't her fault, though?
It was just an accident, an accident that she didn't mean. Even Lisa had said it to her, calming her worries, yet she couldn't stop crying; she cried so much that it no longer blended with the rain.
"It's not my fault..."
"...But it is your fault."
Ena's eyes flashed, a quiet silhouette standing before her, the same silhouette she saw just an hour earlier. Its eyes glowed a red hue in the midst of the heavy rain; the rain stood aside as if giving a clearer view of the silhouette. Ena widened her eyes as she saw herself, standing parallel to her, looking down and smiling at her.
She wore the same dress she had during the awakening ceremony, wearing the smile that she'd envy. As if she stared at a reflection, only this time, it wasn't following movements, nor was it imitating her expressions; it was a separate being.
Had she gone insane? That'd make sense, but when exactly? Where did it all start? But the answer was already clear, just yesterday, when she had met that woman, the helplessness that triggered her paranoia and her behaviour; so much so that she lost rationality and let her own emotions take over, allowing her to overpower her and act on its own.
And damned forsakened ability, that she never asked for to begin with.
She has already given everything, as if being a semi-pure wasn't already enough. Whatever favored her, or what she deserved to receive so much, felt more of an exchange—a sacrifice even.
In return for having so much, they took away her friends and the two people she considered family—but why? She hadn't asked for a lot; she was already satisfied with what she already had, yet it seemed like the heavens didn't agree with her statement.
She never agreed to it, she never even thought of having a special ability or being gifted. She just wanted to live her life and meet a standard expectation. That was everything she just needed; she never wanted more! Or that exchange! She wanted to be happy, not the opposite—was that really too much to ask?
No, it wasn't... But that choice was never hers to begin with. The only option she really has is whether to accept it or turn a blind eye to it.
"Who else would it be then?" She chuckled. "If it wasn't your fault, then why are they lying coldly beside you?"
"It wasn't my fault... Lisa said—"
"She's dead, and you killed her—as well as Edith. Just how long do you intend to say it's 'not your fault' for?" It said, before making her way closer to Ena, bringing her hand to Ena's cheek. "I know you the best, because I am you, I know what you think, what you eat, and what you'll say."
"Lisa once told us never to escape reality; Never leave anything behind and hold accountability fairly. Now's the time to use her advice."
Ena's eyes contracted, her mouth gaped open; remembering the advice Lisa had once told her, she promised to do it, and she was, it's just... It wasn't her fault; the accident is just an accident, what's there to be accountable for? It's not like she—
"There are a lot of things to be accountable for—you just don't want to face it... but don't worry, I'll help you..."
She smiled, purely as she could. But Ena wasn't fooled, whoever she was... Isn't her, and will never be. Without saying another word, the doppleganger distanced herself, squinting her eyes in entertainment.
"Ena!"
A loud shout came from Ena's side. With a single glance, she saw her father and multiple people following behind him: Rafael, Colin, Servants, and an abundance of people.
There, her father spotted her, but not without a sight to behold; two corpses were presented—Both death by impalement. Leon bit the side of his lip before spreading his arms to embrace Ena. Without a thought, she stared only at her doppleganger, never leaving her gaze as they both stood still.
Colin hurried to the scene, his face darkening at Lisa's state. His eyes burrowed, while he clenched his white coat, tilting his head sideward, avoiding the corpse's gaze.
***
In a single flick, fire burst out of the lighter, placing it near the end of the cigarette before inhaling a large amount into his lungs. Colin stared deeply into the tombstone before puffing out the smoke from his lips. Due to this, his glasses fogged up, making him sigh before taking them off completely and folding them into his pocket.
Many days had passed since the incident, if you could even call six days many, it felt like a long time, maybe that was the reason.
"Why couldn't you just have asked for help...?"
"All this stress made me even paler, as if I wasn't already whiter than a ghost. I would've been happy to help you... You were my first love after all—but, saying this now, it feels rather useless."
Colin took out a photo of Lisa, a formal one, the same one that had been used to present her at her own funeral; it was sad to even look at—as if a bug had made its way to his stomach and slowly devoured everything inside.
"That Hyakagure... Must be beating herself as of now, she must've been ashamed to even see you at your own funeral, and that other kid's. I heard from the patriarch of that family that she locked herself in her room, not allowing anyone to enter whatsoever, and whenever they did, she would go rabid."
Colin threw away his cigar to the ground and stepped on it before sitting down on the yellow and orange leaves.
"I tried to treat her wound in her neck, but she was... annoying to deal with, to say the least; She would run around or throw things, and whenever I finally treated it, she would just tear up the bandages and make me redo the whole process."
Putting her index and thumb to his eyes and rubbing them, at least, giving them some energy to stay up, without closing too much.
"I don't hate her; if anything, I feel pity. She's just a kid, a gifted one at that—controlling a power as high as that, barely six years old, would be difficult. Besides, you came to her despite your condition, you knew the consequences, yet you ran anyway."
"It was your choice, like what you once said: 'Don't sway a person's choices, respect them, and maybe they'll respect you too...' I just hope you knew what you were doing."
Colin stood up from his seat and placed the picture on the tombstone, wrapping his hands in the warmth of his pockets, as he walked away.
***
Ena placed a pillow on her side, pressing it deeply on her ear.
"Come on, let's play! It's not healthy to stay cooped up in here." The doppleganger said.
Ena clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth. She raised her hand and threw the same pillow toward the doppleganger—only for it to pass through. "Leave me alone!!!"
Her entire room was a mess, completely unrecognizable from how it was a few days ago. The wallpaper was scratched, the cabinets and chairs broken into pieces, while the table was split in half.
But that wasn't the only thing; papers of all sizes covered the floor, most of which were ripped from a book, some crumbled, some were just ripped, and most were clean ones. Along with the paper were dozens of books, lying closely or open, near the broken bookshelf.
The doppleganger only laughed softly, like they were playing a game; it annoyed Ena. Every single time, she would laugh, and laugh, she had the urge to tear off her ears and become deaf to avoid that haunting laugh.
Ena hopped from her bed and made her way to the mirror. The mirror shattered into two, while the desk remained mostly intact, with some parts destroyed, leaving just a few holes.
Ena made her way to the mirror and watched her own reflection. Her eyes were puffy, her hair messy, and her clothes stained with a crimson hue.
Clenching her fist, before throwing it at the mirror, shattering its glass into a hundred pieces and tearing through her delicate skin, making it leak with the same crimson hue.
"You shouldn't punch mirrors; they can injure you pretty badly."
Ena would then continue to break the leg of the desk and force it to stumble to its side, making the hundreds of shards scatter everywhere in the room.
"No need to be so harsh on yourself... Even if it was your fault, there's still a chance to redeem yourself." She chuckled.
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!"
Ena would then break another leg of the desk and turn it into a tiny bat, taking large swings at the doppleganger, only for her to dodge each one. And even when she landed a hit, none of it seemed to make contact, only passing through her. But that didn't stop her from doing so; in fact, it only triggered her even more.
"It's been days, you really need to learn how to move on."
"SHUT UP! WHEN WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!?"
"What? I'm only trying to help. If hitting me would make you feel better, then here."
Ena took another big swing, and this time she felt it. The doppleganger would then continue and spit out blood from her mouth before falling on the beds side. Ena would continue to send barrage, each strike, more blood came out, her body becoming purple until she finally felt her arms getting tired.
Her arms went limp after a few more, her weapon dropping to the ground.
"Are you okay now?"
No, it wasn't... Ena wanted more; she needed more. Just a few swings weren't enough to satisfy her anger, so she decided to use her teeth, biting down on her neck, sinking her teeth into her flesh before pulling away and spitting the flesh away. Then she did it again, then again, then again until she was covered in bites with huge chunks of flesh missing.
"You must be satisfied now, right? Continuing would only be a waste of energy..."
Ena turned to her side to see the doppleganger just fine, not a single wound or torn muscle. She grabbed one of the shards and tried to stab her, but the results remained the same.
"It's useless now..."
The doppleganger continued to speak, but Ena didn't listen, gazing at the shard deeply. A memory flashed through her mind, a touch from underneath and beside her ear, a "Gift" that was given to her.
Without thinking, Ena would plunge the sharp blade into the same spot, stabbing herself multiple times. Blood dripped and leaked everywhere; she didn't know what had possessed her to do such a thing; she only knew that she had to. Though it was painful, it felt rather delightful, a pleasurable sensation.
She drowned in the endless amount of pain, and this was the first time she felt she could breathe. It was satisfying...
The door to her room then broke, and there her father saw... A scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life. His own daughter is harming herself. Without hesitation, she slapped the shard away before chopping Ena's neck, making her pass out.
***
Loud voices rang in Ena's ear, but she wasn't able to understand what the voices were saying.
"Leon... Calm yourself." Rafael said.
"How can I be calm!? My own daughter is committing suicide!"
"Let's think this through first..."
"I wasn't able to sense her! Nor did you! When her presence suddenly vanished, I nearly had a chokehold! And I was right to have that feeling, cause this is what happened!"
"But we can't just erase her memories."
"Rafael, I already lost too much, I don't want to take more chances! I've already held back on erasing her memories once, but after seeing her like that, I just needed to! It isn't a choice anymore!"
"..."
"I can no longer feel her presence, Rafael... Unless she has some right by her at all times, or I won't be able to know what she's doing... I have to do what I need to."
"... Very well, my lord."
***
Ena's shot opened, dense waters surrounding her. She swam and swam until she reached the top, making the water shoot upwards as she resurfaced to land. She gasped for air before glaring at the child.
"I remember..."