The Real You
Chapter 1289 The Real You
The dream city in the night began to collapse and fall inch by inch from the edge. The high-rise buildings fell down with a roar, the pedestrians on the road stepped into the shadows, the cars drove into the darkness, and then everything fell into the spreading, dark and deep mirror world.
"We didn't trick any strange people in this time... It seems that those 'great beings' are very sure that the power in the barrier will prioritize solving the 'initial' problem instead of using it as a bargaining chip...
"Hehe, try again next time. "
Amon, who was driving the black taxi, watched the darkness spread, muttered a few words silently, adjusted the monocle in his right eye socket, and then his expression froze, and he fell into the void with his car.
Adam in the prayer hall below the church stood up from the bench, Roselle in the luxurious villa looked at his daughter lovingly, and Amanesis in the high-rise apartment reluctantly put down his mobile phone...
Their expressions also changed, as if they had lost their souls, and then they were swallowed by the darkness along with everything around them.
Until the city that collapsed like a chessboard gradually shrank, and the residents in it walked into the shadows one by one, leaving only the supermarket shrouded in darkness, the speed at which the dream disappeared slowed down.
Feeling the "disconnection" of his other secret dolls and the alertness rising from the depths of his spirituality, Klein let go of Angel in his arms and asked:
"Is the dream going to end completely? "
Angel, who was still dressed as a student but whose expression had returned to the familiar look of Klein, said "hmm", looked around, his eyes flickering, and said after a moment:
"The other dreamers have left. We still have a little time before the dream ends."
After waking up, she seemed to have become the real master of this real dream... What does a little time mean... Klein's mind flashed with thoughts, and he asked carefully:
"Is all this a trap for the negative side of the 'Prime Creator'?"
"More or less," Angel said in a calm tone, "After being affected by the power of the 'River of Eternal Darkness', He and I should not have maintained our self-consciousness, but should have fallen into a long sleep, but the goddess' blessing allowed me to make a certain degree of change to the dream before that, and gain a little advantage in the battle with 'Prime'." "
So you built a dream city in the appearance that you are familiar with, and put yourself in it, living as an ordinary person? Does this help to fight against the consciousness of the 'Prime Creator'? "Klein asked with a sense of realization.
Angel shook his head and continued:
"If that's all, the final winner must be Him. Human nature is ultimately limited and will gradually wear away in a long period of confrontation, while the spiritual imprint of the original creator will forever exist in all the source materials, uniqueness, and extraordinary characteristics of the world He created. He can wait, but I can't.
"Fortunately, when accommodating the uniqueness of the 'witch' path, I felt that the 'original' consciousness in my body was not the real one, the one whose spiritual imprint was left and whose will gradually dissipated, but the new consciousness that emerged because of the combination of Tudor and Chick in the special mirror world.
"He is likely to be the means of resurrection left by the original creator. With his own 'feminine side' and 'positive side', plus the power of the 'Lord of Mysteries' who created the special mirror world, and the resurrection back-up of the 'God', the original creator was born in the mirror world... If everything goes well, He will rely on the two paths of disaster to control the 'City of Disaster' and form a stable existence, rather than the nine source materials and twenty-two paths of God that will split again once they are gathered. "
The original creator in the mirror was actually the "resurrection means" left behind by the great being who created everything, rather than a product born by accident? A flash of lightning flashed through Klein's mind, and he understood why when the "original creator" fell, a barrier was formed outside the earth to block everything, especially to block the outer gods who wanted to seize the source.
"The struggle of the outer gods is likely to form a new aggregation, allowing the original creator to be born again, destroying everything and creating everything. What He wants is a stable existence, like a pillar like 'God' and 'Lord of Mysteries'?"
He said along the line of thought.
"Well, this is the information I learned in the process of fighting and merging with Him. Of course, part of it also comes from the remaining will of the 'original witch' Chick," Angel smiled and explained, "In addition, in this process, I also discovered an important thing."
"The consciousness of the newly born original creator is very weak, just like a newborn baby. This is also the reason why Chick and Tudor can respectively grasp His negative and positive sides, thereby fighting against God's consciousness and using the power of the 'Sea of Chaos'.
"Under Chick's suppression, the feminine side of the Creator grew very slowly, but it also gradually gained its own power. It was eager to invade reality by occupying the 'Man in the Mirror' and get rid of the control of the 'Master of the Mirror World'... This obsession was still reflected in the dream, and because I had already merged with Him to a certain extent in reality, He could only target... my man in the mirror."
Angel's voice was soft and soothing, as if she was not worried at all that the darkness surrounding the supermarket was swallowing her and Klein.
The latter listened carefully while thinking in his mind, trying to understand the laws behind the dream.
From a simple offensive and defensive perspective, the feminine side of the "Original Creator" wanted to contact Angel's "Man in the Mirror", and the latter needed to prevent this from happening. Therefore, the entire dream city was designed to be an ordinary world without any extraordinary power. Even the "supernatural world" that existed in history no longer existed, in order to avoid contact with the potion system and become a "witch" to the greatest extent.
He glanced at the prize redemption counter, which was still filled with various potions, and asked tentatively:
"The prize distributor who looks like Viev and these potions that seem to be complete but only the 'Witch' path is the real thing, all symbolize the purpose of the 'Prime Creator'?"
"No," Angel shook his head, "I arranged her and those potions."
Huh?
Klein was stunned.
Seeing his surprised expression, Angel laughed again and explained with some pride:
"I just said that if we keep fighting, I will be the only one who loses, so when designing the dream, I made a plan to take advantage of the opportunity that 'Prime' is still growing, use the 'Man in the Mirror' as a trap to lure Him out, and make Him give up this chance of resurrection...
"And once the dream begins, I can only fight against His spiritual imprint with all my strength. Everything in the dream city can only develop on its own. Whether it is me or Him, it is difficult to spare the power to influence this process.
"And you, and other outsiders, no matter what purpose you have, as long as you enter the dream, it is possible that Angel Granger in the dream will be exposed to extraordinary power and have the opportunity to be promoted."
Klein raised his eyebrows and took over the conversation and said:
"So, you simply took the initiative to create an opportunity to give yourself the 'assassin' potion."
Angel nodded slightly:
"Yes, Old Neil's appearance was an accident, but even without his 'doomsday prophecy', I would have found the opportunity to draw a lottery in the process of repeatedly coming to this supermarket and get the potion that must belong to me.
"Of course, I must drink the potion at night, so that the mirror man can be born. This is the role of Chick..."
It must be her at night... It turns out that she already knew it... Klein was melancholy, sighed and continued:
"Whether it is day or night, this body belongs to Angel? Then who kicked me out of the dream at that time?"
"Of course it was the negative side of the 'prime creator'. He wanted me to take the potion and create the mirror man he needed, so he would not show mercy to those who hindered this. Fortunately, His behavior made me and other dreamers see that He had been fooled, and we have greater confidence in what to do next. "
Angel replied with a smile on his face, as if he remembered Klein's embarrassment when he was kicked out of the dream and returned here to explain his inconsistent behavior.
I once suspected that you did it yourself... Klein complained in his heart, sensing the slow and unstoppable collapse of the dream around him, and continued to ask:
"After 'the beginning' found that he could not occupy the man in the mirror and gave up this chance of resurrection, was this confrontation really over?"
"Of course not," Angel's smile disappeared, and his tone gradually became serious, "Even if the original will gradually dissipates, His spirit will not be destroyed. I can win a hundred times, a thousand times, and He only needs to win once. "
"I will find a way to both confront and merge with Him, and use His own power to delay the arrival of this ending.
"Not only the original creator, but also pillars like the 'Lord of Mysteries' and 'God' are probably the same. In my dream, I felt that God's consciousness had appeared and disappeared quickly... He was probably worried about the original revival, so he provided me with secret help in this matter."
The "Lord of Mysteries" is also... So the Heavenly Venerable will be the same... Klein was speechless for a moment, and after a moment he sighed and asked:
"You already... know that you are the 'Man in the Mirror'?"
Angel did not hesitate as he guessed, but smiled and nodded:
"Yes, I know.
"I found out from various clues, and from her behavior that asked me to accommodate the uniqueness as soon as possible and rebuild the mirror world."
Looking at the smile that reappeared on Angel's face, Klein felt his chest twitch, and he asked cautiously:
"Don't you feel... lost?"
"Not this time," Angel tilted his head to make his smile more natural, "Whether it is the 'Man in the Mirror' or the consciousness created by Adam, I am me. "
"And you won't dislike me for this, right? "
As she spoke, her eyes lingered on Klein's face, as if she was waiting for something.
I thought she would be like she was last time in Bayam, provoked by Adam... Could it be that Adam deliberately showed up that time, just to prepare for this moment in advance? Klein was stunned, and quickly responded:
"Of course, I said that no matter whether you are real or not, I love you who has always been with me, not a certain identity or a certain name... It's the same now. "
At this moment, both of them recalled the memory of Klein's first words "I love you" in Bayam's hotel suite.
This time, it was Angel, with red cheeks, who took the initiative to open his arms and hugged Klein.
The two of them embraced each other in this small world before the dream completely collapsed and disappeared, feeling each other's body temperature and love.
In this way, she will no longer worry about her identity affecting our relationship... Klein relaxed and thought of another question.
He put his lips close to Angel's warm and translucent skin, but at this time it was red due to congestion. Earlobe, whispered:
"Then, can you tell me, who is the male 'mirror man' that appears in the mirror world?
"I've seen the photo of Cole Granger, that's definitely not him."
In an instant, the soft body in Klein's arms became stiff.
(End of this chapter My Belief
Chapter 1290 My Belief
He... actually saw it?
Angel's heart tightened, and she felt her body stiffen in Klein's arms.
Of course, she had rehearsed this situation countless times in her mind. She had accidentally talked in her sleep and was discovered, she had revealed it as a joke, and she had been exposed because of some accidents. Whether it was to confess or to make excuses, she had already prepared corresponding methods.
But when the time came, Angel found that it was such a difficult choice to tell all this.
Oh, I forgot that he had mastered the power of the "door" through Sefirah Castle and could enter the mirror world... Should I just say that it was Cole Granger, they both have blond hair... But he must have been suspicious, and even if I lied this time, he would still have a grudge, and the rift might not be healed in the future... As her mind raced, Angel found that her tense body was gradually relaxing.
That's it... She made a decision, slowly pushed away Klein's warm and reassuring chest, raised her head slightly and stared into his eyes, her expression changed from nervous to relaxed, and then to relieved.
"I..."
"Is that what you looked like before you 'traveled'?"
"Ah?"
Angel was stunned, her eyes full of shock, and she swallowed back the words she wanted to say next.
She never thought that Klein would guess the identity of the "man in the mirror" so accurately.
Under his gaze, her face turned from red to white, and then from white to red. After a long time, she murmured:
"How did you know?
" "The mirror... no, my original body told you?"
Angel's voice was soft and low, worried that Klein would have some strange opinion of her because of this incident, but he was still smiling in front of her, but the corners of his mouth were getting higher and higher, unable to hide his pride:
"Just like you found out that you are the 'man in the mirror', it was also judged through clues.
"Of course, the most important reason is the time when I entered Roselle's mausoleum. My paper doll stand-in had limited observation ability, but don't forget that my real body was on the 'Source Castle' observing everything that happened in reality. Naturally, I noticed your hesitation and panic when talking about gender issues. Although those changes in expression were slight, they could not be hidden from a 'Faceless Man'. And that level of tension was definitely not because Roselle had guessed the identity of 'Cole Granger', but for a deeper reason...
"With that opportunity, I began to recall your lack of gender awareness when I first met you. At first I thought it was because 'Cole' became 'Angel', but I dispelled this suspicion after recognizing each other as travelers... But looking back, isn't there another possibility?
"Because I come from the Internet age, I think more deeply about this kind of thing. Your experience and age before 'crossing', plus your expectation and hesitation about jumping to the Hunter Path, let me gradually guess this fact."
So that's it... The secret that I thought I had concealed well had long been exposed to his sight... Angel pursed his lips, not knowing what to say for a moment.
She had just confidently believed that Klein "would not dislike her for such a thing", but the confidence in her chest quickly evaporated like dew under the scorching sun.
This made her unable to say a word of the remark she had "rehearsed" in her mind after being exposed. Instead, she said in a self-deprecating manner:
"Yes, I was a man in my previous life, and I was older than you.
"After becoming Angel Granger, I didn't even think of myself as a woman at first... and you, I regarded you as a rookie who had just joined the Nighthawks and didn't even know how to fight. I helped you and took care of you only because of my previous personality.
"But I don't know when, I don't know why, maybe it's the influence of hormones, maybe it's because I don't have hope of returning to my hometown, I have some strange feelings for you who act very lonely despite having a brother and sister...
"It was not until we separated in Tingen and came to Backlund that I really realized what that short-lived feeling that occupied all my time in this life was..."
After saying all this in one breath, Angel's head was deeply buried in her chest, not daring to look at Klein's reaction.
Although the two of them had jokingly said that Angel would become a "conqueror" and Klein would use the power of the faceless man to become a woman, she never took such things seriously.
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around Angel's head and hugged her.
"Stupid, didn't I say it? No matter what you are or who you are, it doesn't matter.
"I love you who has always been with me, not a certain identity.
"Will your attitude towards Klein change because my name in my previous life was Zhou Mingrui, an ordinary person with no power?"
"Remember, I love you."
Yes, his attitude has never changed, it's just me... Angel rested her head in Klein's arms, thinking foolishly.
She suddenly noticed that he had changed from Sherlock to Klein, who was 1.8 meters tall, half a head taller than she is now.
When I first met him, I was taller than him... Using irrelevant thoughts to soothe her excited emotions, she murmured with a nasal voice:
"Yes, I love you too."
As she said that, she raised her head and kissed Klein's lips.
The four lips quickly touched and separated. Angel reluctantly left Klein's arms and said:
"Okay, the dream world can't hold on any longer. You leave first. I'll go solve the last problem."
"Well," Klein nodded heavily, "I'll wait for you outside."
He did not express more emotions, nor was he worried about the details that Angel had shown before, which seemed to indicate that he was going to part with him again. He just confidently gathered his spirituality and took the initiative to leave the dream.
He knew that this time, Angel was different from the one she had seen after meeting Adam in Bayam. She had let go of all her worries.
…
Seeing Klein's expression suddenly become dull, and then his body merged into a shadow and disappeared, Angel breathed a sigh of relief, and went directly into the mirror world, and came to his "man in the mirror".
The latter's outline had become blurred, as if it had merged with the surrounding environment, but the rough facial lines and obvious male features could still be seen.
This was the most important reason why the feminine side of the "primitive creator" failed in this battle for consciousness and body.
Next to the "man in the mirror" Gray, there was another Angel Gray.
That was another her with long light golden hair, shining purple eyes, and the same appearance and figure as Angel, but there were some subtle differences in their temperaments. Angel was more introverted, while Gray was more outspoken.
Seeing the other self, Angel smiled and took the initiative to ask:
"Should I call you 'Mirror Person' or 'Real Person'?"
"It's the same," Gray also spoke, his voice was exactly the same as Angel's, but colder, "We are both Angel Gray, but I became the 'Real Person' in this body, and you are the 'Mirror Person', that's all."
It seems that my guess is correct. No wonder there are problems of being on the verge of losing control every time I get promoted. It's because the success rate of the "Mirror Person" taking the potion to get promoted is lower, and her application of the source substance "City of Disaster" is better than mine, and her memory is more comprehensive than mine. On the contrary, I will leave mirror fragments after death... When I use a substitute, the damage will not be passed on to her, because she is the real person... Angel's doubts in her mind have long been confirmed, but it was not until this time that the other party admitted it in person.
As for where the "difference" between the two came from, she believed that this must have the participation of Adam and the goddess, and it is worth discussing, but now there are more important things to do.
Looking at the statue made of the "Prime Creator" with a body shape that is almost identical to his own, Angel said:
"I originally thought that the male man in the mirror would only delay the recovery process of "Prime", but I didn't expect that He would give up directly."
"Because He can afford to lose." Gray also looked at the statue and said slowly, "Compared to fighting in consciousness and competing in dreams, He thinks it is easier to wake up by directly integrating into us in the form of a spiritual imprint. After all, to become a god and to accommodate the source, we will face this problem again. Maybe one time when we wake up, we still have self-awareness, but find that the self in the mirror has a strange smile."
Angel nodded and continued:
"Even now, someone has to stay in the deep consciousness and devote a large part of their energy to restrict the "Prime Creator." The "Original Witch" Chick is like this, but He may not have reconciled with his own man in the mirror, and can only do everything by himself. This led to His almost disappearance after the "Pale Disaster." "
Fortunately, we have two." Gray took over the conversation and added.
"Well," Angel responded in a low voice from the depths of her throat, "This should have been done by the 'Mirror Person'."
She had this realization long before she fell into a deep sleep and decided to fight against the mark of the "First Creator", even though she knew that she was the "Mirror Person".
But...
"But, my meeting with Klein just now made me change my mind."
Angel raised her head, her lips curled up slightly, and her temperament, which had always been a little weak and introverted after seeing the "original body", changed. Her eyes revealed endless confidence, as if some kind of power was supporting her.
"I want to accompany Klein, only me, not you. Even if you are the original body, I am the 'Mirror Person'.
"Come on, in this dream, fight fairly for the dominance of the body. Whoever wins is the 'original body', and whoever loses is the 'Mirror Person'. "
Angel said in a deep voice, staring at the eyes that were exactly the same as hers.
Facing an opponent with the same strength as her, and more experience and knowledge than her, she was not sure of winning.
But she had reasons to win.
Facing Angel, who was showing his edge like a hedgehog, Gray did not make a confrontational gesture, but smiled with relief.
She shook her head and said,
"It seems that my worry is completely unnecessary.
"If you don't have any consciousness of competing for dominance, it's better to let me go. After all, we still have to be promoted to true gods, and we have to contain the source and become the old days. All this requires strength and more importantly, our own beliefs."
Why does it sound like she has given up... Angel was startled, and her originally tense spirit relaxed.
Seeing her expression ease, Gray continued:
"Who dominates Angel's identity is not based on the victory or defeat between us, but... Klein's choice. Whoever he thinks is the real Angel is the real Angel.
"And there is no doubt that he will choose you.
"Maybe, this is the 'beacon of fate'."
The beacon of fate... is it the "Lord of Mysteries"? Angel was startled and immediately asked back:
"Is there something wrong with Klein?"
Gray shook his head and sighed,
"No, he is fine now. As for whether there will be any problems in the future, it depends on your efforts. I will stay in the City of Disaster like before and pay attention to the changes in the mark of the 'Prime Creator'... But this situation cannot last too long. The prerequisite for becoming a 'Destruction Scourge' is to balance that power, and this requires the support of the 'positive side'.
"Of course, these are things that we need to care about later. We still have a little time before leaving the dream. I will tell you everything I have experienced and the dark future."
As he said, Gray slowly walked over and approached Angel, and the two overlapped as if they were merging with each other.
————
As soon as he left the dream, Klein went straight back to Sefirah Castle, entered the majestic palace, and sat on the high-backed chair belonging to The Fool.
His expression was calm and his eyes were indifferent, but he held the amethyst pendant in one hand and tapped the table lightly with the other. He was obviously not as calm as he looked.
Suddenly, among the crimson stars representing the Tarot Club members and followers of The Fool in front of Klein, the one belonging to The Chariot began to dim, as if it had escaped the control of Sefirah Castle, but it did not disappear completely like when Angel died.
Angel Gray? What happened to her? Does this symbolize her death, or did something happen between her and Angel in the dream... Klein hesitantly extended his spirituality, and was about to touch the star when he suddenly discovered that the other one next to it had also changed.
The one representing the Queen... The deep red light became brighter and brighter, surpassing all the stars nearby.
Huh... Klein let out a long breath, feeling relieved. His spirituality turned to wrap around the "Queen", just like he had done countless times before, trying to pull her spirit into the gray mist.
But unlike before, this time "Source Castle" actually showed a certain resistance!
The gray mist covering the palace also began to churn, like an activated "guard", surrounding the long bronze table and twenty-two high-backed chairs, as if alert to something.
Similar situations have occurred before, but they were all related to true gods, outer gods, or other source substances... This means that Angel's status is similar to them... Klein seemed to have realized something, and immediately suppressed the uneasiness of the source substance as the master of Source Castle, allowing Angel's figure to be outlined on the "Queen" seat beside him.
(End of this chapter