The elevator continued to rise at a constant speed, the mechanical hum filling the tense silence around us. Inside, it was just me, Arthur, and Victor, waiting with apparent calm, though the tension in the air was palpable.
If someone were to watch us without context, they might find the scene oddly comical — two grown men and an anomaly that appeared to be a ten-year-old child, simply riding an elevator like any other group of passengers.
However, as ironic as it seemed, the mood was far from light. There was something heavy in the air, an oppressive feeling that made the confined space even more suffocating.
I couldn't blame them for it—after all, we were literally on a mission to prevent the end of the world. Anyway, as I got lost in my own thoughts, the muffled sound of Arthur and Victor's conversation reached me from the back seat. They were discussing seriously, and it was no surprise that the topic was the anomaly we had encountered shortly before we came here.
"So you're telling me the one behind all of this is an anomaly that, up until now, lived like a regular human?... But why the hell would it do something like this?" Victor asked, leaning slightly forward as his eyebrow arched in a mix of doubt and disbelief.
I was sandwiched between the two, just listening to the conversation while keeping my eyes fixed on the elevator's numbers, which softly glowed with each change, marking our ascent. I couldn't say why, but there was something hypnotic about it.
I mean, I'd ridden elevators countless times before, and I never paid much attention to that detail, but now, the simple act of watching the numbers change slowly seemed oddly captivating.
But back to Arthur, upon hearing Victor's question, he rested one hand on his chin, adopting a thoughtful expression as his eyes wandered around the space, almost as if reorganizing his thoughts before responding.
A brief silence fell, only to be broken seconds later by his voice, firm yet reflective: "According to her, we have something unique within us... something no other being possessed. That intrigued her. She concluded that the best way to understand us was to become one of us"
Victor listened to Arthur's words in silence, not showing any immediate reaction. His gaze briefly shifted to the gun he was holding, as if weighing the significance of having it in hand.
I observed each of his movements attentively, noticing the subtle hesitation in his expression. His eyes reflected unspoken doubts, as if he were contemplating something beyond what had been said.
Still, after a few moments of reflection, he finally broke the silence, his voice carrying an uncertain tone: "Given our current situation, I'm not sure I can expect her to have liked the experience"
I could understand why Victor might think that way. According to Arthur's words, the conceptual virtue responsible for understanding humanity had essentially become one of them, experiencing every stage of the human cycle—from birth to growth, absorbing their experiences and emotions.
And all of that, in the end, led to a scenario where the world was on the brink of collapse, a crisis so deep it could result in the complete extinction of life on Earth.
"I can't say I don't understand why you think that, but from what I could gather, all of this is nothing but a consequence of the conceptual virtue breaking out of its shell, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon for the first time" Arthur paused briefly, his gaze heavy with an almost palpable resignation before continuing: "The naked truth is that our reality, just like us humans, is incredibly fragile in the face of powers far beyond our comprehension" His voice carried no anger or despair, just the acceptance of someone who had already understood the insignificance of their existence.
My gaze, on the other hand, remained fixed on the elevator's numbers, watching them flicker in succession as they indicated our ascent. Each digit change marked the nearing of our destination, until, finally, the number corresponding to the top of the building lit up.
With a soft mechanical sound, the doors opened, revealing a relatively long hallway ahead of us. Without hesitation, we stepped out of the elevator and moved forward. Some doors lined the hallway, but we ignored all of them, focused only on what awaited us at the end of the path.
In the end, we reached a luxury office, spacious and sophisticated, with panoramic windows offering a privileged view of various points of the city.
The soft lighting reflected off the refined furniture, enhancing the sense of exclusivity in the space. However, what caught our attention most was the man sitting at the desk—or rather, slumped over it.
He wore a perfectly tailored suit, his appearance exuding natural elegance, but any impression of normalcy faded in the presence of cracks running across his body.
Irregular fissures spread over his skin, emitting a bright, steady light as if something inside him were about to break through his fragile exterior.
My eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in every detail, but aside from the man with his face pressed against the desk, the floor seemed completely empty. No sign of movement, no voice or sound other than the muffled silence that filled the space.
Even so, it made sense to assume the doors along the hallway led to other areas where employees would be working. From what it seemed, this particular space wasn't a regular office, but rather the owner's office.
However, our real destination was the top of the building, and unfortunately, the elevator wouldn't take us there—it seemed this was the last floor accessible by it. In the end, we would have to improvise. The problem was that reaching the top wouldn't be easy without the help of my Alter Ego.
Even if I fell from this height, I doubted anything truly serious would happen to me, but I couldn't say the same for Arthur and Victor. They wouldn't have the same luck if something went wrong.
(Well, what do I do now?) I thought, letting my gaze wander across the building's glass windows in front of me.
The truth was that my options were considerably limited without my Alter Ego. Honestly, I was surprised to realize just how useful he was.
I mean, usually, you wouldn't stop to think about how useful you yourself can be, right? Even though he looks different and acts independently, deep down, my Alter Ego is still me, in a way.
Sure, maybe not the "me" that's here and now, but still, it's a part of me. He's like an extension of who I am, just in a more intense and maybe even more powerful form.
Almost simultaneously to the thought that crossed my mind, something like a lightning bolt tore through my consciousness, and in the next instant, I felt the connection to my Alter Ego return abruptly. I was momentarily stunned by the situation.
Honestly, I hadn't expected him to come back until the situation was resolved, but somehow, there he was, an unmistakable presence, ready to act. With him by my side, reaching the top of the building would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.
***
(POV – Alter Ego)
While the world outside seemed to draw ever closer to its end, inside a house, a cocoon made entirely of dark mist began to slowly dissipate.
The mist that had once surrounded the cocoon gathered in the center of the room, taking shape and gaining a physical consistency. The body that emerged was completely black, with long, dark hair falling messily around an imposing face.
Its vibrant red eyes were fixed on the emptiness, as if observing something beyond the reach of any human being. Two small ram's horns grew from its head with an unsettling smoothness.
Where the cocoon had once been, only emptiness remained. The space felt hollow, as if the presence of the cocoon had left an invisible mark in the air. The Alter Ego, observing the place intently, slowly shifted its gaze to its own hand.
Opening and closing its hand repeatedly, as if testing something, its focus soon turned to the house's window. With slow steps, it approached, stopping in front of the glass. There, it fixed its gaze on what was beyond—on the vast sky, where clouds moved tranquilly.
Up above, the sun seemed to continue to fragment, its cracks slowly expanding across the sky, from which a golden light constantly emanated, as though the star itself was falling apart.
The Alter Ego kept its eyes locked on the phenomenon for some time, absorbing the scene with an intensity that seemed unchanging. Only then did its gaze shift to the house in front of it, more specifically to the well-kept garden it had.
Its body trembled for a moment, as if it were a mirage about to dissipate. The next moment, its body vanished from sight, only to reappear instantly in the garden, as if the distance between the two points was nothing but an illusion.
The Alter Ego, with its large, vibrant red eyes, observed closely the two humans before it. A girl and a boy, both small and fragile, with numerous cracks scattered around their bodies, as if the very space around them had shattered. For a moment, the Alter Ego blinked for the first time, an almost imperceptible gesture in its ethereal form.
Then, with deliberate slowness, it crouched down. Its hand, made of dense, undulating black smoke, reached out slowly toward the fallen girl's face, while she was tightly embraced by the boy, who seemed determined to sacrifice everything to keep her safe.
The Alter Ego felt a mix of pity and a strange sense of beauty in the scene. Its fingers, still steaming, gently caressed the girl's face with a reverence that was almost tender, as if she were made of glass, fragile and precious.
Each of its movements was soft, cautious, as if it feared breaking the moment. Gradually, it withdrew its hand, casting one last, careful glance at the pair in the distance. Then, its eyes turned to a specific point: the top of a building.
Up there, snowflakes danced in a silent rhythm, reflecting the light and coming together in a display of colors, as if the sky were a canvas painted in ethereal hues.
However, the Alter Ego could see beyond the obvious. High up, a golden flower, just about to bloom, stood out amidst the chaos. Its delicate petals, still closing, were subtly nourished by the snowflakes falling profusely from all directions—every corner of the dimension the Alter Ego inhabited at that moment.
The Alter Ego's eyes narrowed for a moment, as if something had triggered inside it. At that precise moment, an intense sensation coursed through its mind: its other version, now its true essence, was calling for help.
A small tremor ran through its eyes, which shone softly with a golden hue, as if an invisible energy passed through them. At the same time, the Alter Ego's body began to disintegrate.
Just before the Alter Ego disappeared completely, its eyes turned once again to the two little humans, still lying in the garden, their bodies cracking.
The scene seemed frozen in time for an instant, until moments later, the garden was completely empty, as if nothing had happened.
The only proof that something, or someone, had been there were the two siblings lying on the grass, now accompanied by a small dark puddle that slowly began to dissolve into the ground, disappearing as time passed.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
I paused for a moment, considering the best way to get to the top of the building. However, the answer to my dilemma was surprisingly simple.
With an impassive gaze, I started walking toward the glass. Arthur and Victor watched me closely, curious to see what I would do. As I got closer, I quickly glanced outside.
The view was, without a doubt, impressive, with the city stretching out below me in a scene that could have been admired under different circumstances.
But at that moment, none of that mattered. With a swift and precise movement, I punched the glass, which immediately shattered under the impact, sending shards scattering across the room.
The breeze, which had been blocked by the glass, began to flow in gently, caressing my face. My long white hair fluttered delicately, moving with the rhythm of the wind, as if dancing to its command.
In the next instant, my eyes fixed on the outside, more specifically, on the space just above me. I was probably three or four meters below the top of the building.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, something within me stirred, and my body began to emanate a dark, thick mist that spread around me. In the end, what I needed to do now was surprisingly simple.