Sora and Alius stood side by side, watching Newtons fly off with Hope.
Still skeptical, Alius frowned and asked, "What's with this whole collection-enthusiast act? Do you really expect to buy that?"
Sora just smiled. "It's been a while since we last talked. You see, each Alter Ego's personality is influenced by my ntal state at the mont of creation. On top of that, they all seem to inherit a random—or at least, I think it's random—aspect of my personality that gets amplified. When I created Newtons, I used ntal hypnosis to convince myself I was passionate about discovery and exploration…"
Alius didn't seem too surprised by the revelation and asked, "So what's my dominant trait?"
Sora grinned. "You're the grumpy one."
Alius pretended to get upset, but seeing it didn't work, he sighed and asked another question.
"What are you doing this week?"
Sora's smile deepened. "I need to reach out to soone…"
Seeing Alius's inquisitive look, he added, "Soone I thought I'd lost in this world."
Alius frowned. "Can you stop talking in riddles? Who are you talking about? Kara? Salim? Are they alive?"
Sora shook his head. "Let's not talk about it. I don't want to jinx it. Do you want to fuse?"
Alius looked surprised, so Sora explained, "One of my Alter Egos acquired a Supre Skill, and we fused just before the eting. When we separated, he kept the skill…"
Alius was thrilled by the news and clapped him on the shoulder. "And you're only telling now?"
Sora shook his head. "It's not like we had ti for a private talk earlier. You'll get to take a look at the thousands of skills we've developed and improved. You're gonna love it."
---------------------------------------------
An hour later, Sora returned Alius's body and all his power.
'What the hell was that? That soul level… That Supre Skill… Those overpowered offensive abilities and the legions! I'm stunned. I was so tempted not to give his body back!' Sora was still in shock at the power of his Soul-focused Alter Ego.
He left Alius who was even more surprised and took off toward the east.
While flying, he opened his interface and saw the notification he'd been waiting for.
[Nate has accepted your friend request.]
Without delay, he sent a ssage.
[Sora Hashino: Oy Oy.]
[Nate: Still saying "Oy Oy" like that even in your thirties? So things never change, huh?]
Sora was pleasantly surprised by the response. During the entire month he'd spent training in the dungeon, one question had gnawed at him.
'Is it really my brother… or soone pretending to be him?'
He had dug through players' mories himself. He knew how easy it was to impersonate soone.
'I don't think you can access soone's pre-ga mories… But that doesn't an he wasn't interrogated. Or maybe soone spilled everything about him. Soone like Rachel, who knew him better than anyone.'
While paranoia took over his thoughts, more ssages popped up.
[Nate: So, looks like we're both back from the dead… Though from what I hear, it's your signature ability.]
[Nate: Earth to Sora? This is the Moon calling.]
Sora, distracted, read the ssages a bit later. The first made him smile. The second made him grin wider.
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'Damn, this bastard really does act like my brother…'
Torn inside, Sora promised himself he wouldn't take any risks.
[Sora Hashino: I thought you were dead. How did you co back?]
[Nate: Going straight to the point, huh? I can explain how it happened but tell , how are Mom and Dad?]
Sora was caught off guard by the question.
'Nate always cared more about others than himself… He couldn't stand anything happening to our parents. Or to .'
[Sora Hashino: They suffered when you died… But they've gotten better since learning death isn't final here.]
[Sora Hashino: They miss you… Haven't you contacted them?]
[Nate: I couldn't do that to them. It would hurt them too much.]
After a long silence, Nate sent another ssage.
[Nate: I'm not human anymore.]
Sora didn't understand what the person claiming to be his brother ant.
[Sora Hashino: You an your character is a demon now?]
[Nate: You should know this by now. Character, soul, and our real physical body are all connected.]
The last ssage gave Sora a bad feeling. 'Does this an my brother really isn't human anymore?'
[Nate: To stop Rachel from hurting our family, I was ready to do anything. I tried everything to find a way back. At first, I searched for answers among other humans. But when I realized they were even more confused than I was, I started traveling, looking for my own answer.]
[Nate: After several months, I ca across people forming religions around things I'd never even heard of in our old world. One group worshipped a dying tree in the southern Amazon. Another worshipped a massive hamr in the depths of the Sahara. That hamr was at least twenty ters tall! I quickly understood that each of these objects was connected to one of the civilizations trying to invade us.]
[Nate: You've always been the smart one in the family. Can you guess what those objects were for?]
Sora started piecing the puzzle together in his mind and replied after a few seconds.
[Sora Hashino: They're used to switch "kingdoms"? To change sides?]
[Nate: Not exactly wrong. But that's not all. After wandering alone for a while, I joined a group of people who shared the sa goal. And we eventually learned that once you're out of the ga, there's only one way to co back…]
[Nate: You have to give up your humanity and join another race.]
Sora was stunned.
'Whether or not this person is really my brother, if what he's saying is true… then Kara and Salim won't be able to return here unless they join an enemy faction.'
[Sora Hashino: Why go that far just to return?]
[Nate: Rachel... Before she killed , she promised you'd be next. When I ca back, I did everything I could to grow stronger as fast as possible. Revenge was my only goal. Imagine my surprise when I saw soone had already beaten to it.]
Sora couldn't help but smile at that last ssage. If he hadn't taken care of Rachel, his big brother would've probably finished her off. But the price Nate paid for that goal wiped the smile off his face just as quickly.
[Sora Hashino: First co, first served!]
[Nate: Still cracking jokes. That's the Sora I rember. I used to wonder if you were still the defenseless little brother I left behind. But after watching the replay of your stream today, I'm relieved to see you're strong enough to defend yourself.]
Sora stayed silent for a few monts. One question burned on his lips, and he couldn't hold back any longer.
[Sora Hashino: Can you beco human again?]
[Nate: The transformation is final. Irreversible. There were about twenty of us who made the choice, and we all got the sa notification.]
[Sora Hashino: Maybe I can help reverse it. I've made a lot of progress in understanding the body and the different power aspects. If you give so ti, I might be able to find a way.]
[Nate: That's sothing I might've tried in the past. But now… I'm not interested. I feel like I'm where I belong.]
[Nate: I have to go. I'll reach out again soon.]
Sora was taken aback by the final revelation—and the sudden end to the exchange with his brother.
'It makes no sense… Why would he want to remain a demon? If they lose the war, they're dood. And if they win, it ans humanity is finished. Nathan would never accept any of these outcos…'
'Was it really an impostor talking to ? Or has he changed that much? For him, there was nothing more sacred than family…'
Sora tried to untangle truth from lies, forcing himself to consider every possibility.
'An impostor would definitely want sothing from . Information, an alliance, so kind of advantage… But when I offered my help, he rejected it. As if he didn't expect anything from .'
'The tone, the reactions, the little references he slipped into our exchange, all make think it's really Nathan. But all of that could be faked… And yet, that way of always hiding part of the truth and leaving as soon as things get tense, that was my brother's way of doing things.'
'Would an imitator go that far?'
'If it's really him, I need to read between the lines. He wasn't seen during my assault on the foreign forces and didn't attack my alter egos. And when I scanned the planet, I didn't detect him anywhere. So either he's strong enough to avoid my scan, or he's in a place I couldn't reach.'
'Whenever sothing was wrong, he'd always say he'd contact later.'
'Does he need help?'
'Or is this a damn trap?' His hands clutched his head, his doubt torturing his mind.
Without any way to confirm his suspicions, he couldn't stop the creeping sense of paranoia.
'Normally, Kara would help think straight in monts like this…' he recalled.
Soon a crazy idea popped into his mind.
'Should I return on Earth in my [Astral Form] and search for Nate's body?'
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