Endel lay on the floor, leaning against his father's shoulder, breathing heavily as if he had expelled all the rage and despair from his body.
His body was exhausted, but inside he felt a strange relief—as if the mountain pressing on his chest had finally begun to crumble.
Deep sobs gradually gave way to sporadic, convulsive breaths.
He slowly lifted his head and met his father's gaze.
His father's eyes, usually stern and measured, were now full of worry and suppressed anxiety.
This man had always tried to be a rock for his family, but now his face revealed: he didn't know how to protect his son from what was happening inside him.
"It's okay," Endel finally managed to say, trying to control the tremor in his voice. "Just… a terrible dream."
Kael frowned, clearly skeptical.
His mind, trained to analyze every detail, quickly processed the situation. "A nightmare?" he thought, glancing at the state of the room and his son's tear-streaked face. It didn't look like a nightmare—it looked like a battle.
But he chose not to question it further, deciding to first let Endel speak and then sort things out. His sole goal now was to make Endel feel safe.
Lyra sat down beside him, her delicate fingers gently touching her son's forehead to check for a fever.
In her eyes, there was another kind of pain—the pain of a mother seeing her child suffer, not knowing how to help.
She felt powerless, and it tore her apart inside.
"What has happened to him?" she thought. She noticed how quickly Endel shifted from hysteria to a smile that seemed almost unnatural.
"Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked softly, her voice trembling but trying to stay steady. "You can tell us if something's wrong. We're here with you."
"Really, everything's fine," Endel replied, forcing a weak smile.
He tried to look convincing, but deep down he knew his parents would still suspect something was off. "It was just… a very strange dream. I guess I've been overthinking everything."
He rose from the floor, his movements slow as if every effort cost him.
His parents exchanged quick glances. Kael understood that pressing further might only make things worse.
Lyra, on the other hand, wanted to hug her son but knew that right now it would only heighten the tension.
"All right," Kael finally said, standing and offering Endel a hand to help him up. "But if something worries you, don't stay silent. You know we're here to support you."
Endel nodded, his smile growing slightly more confident, though inside he still heard the cold echo of the system's voice in his mind.
"I know," he replied, gratitude evident in his voice. "Thank you."
When his parents left the room, Lyra shot Kael a sharp look.
"You see he's lying," she said, crossing her arms. Her voice was quiet but full of concern.
"I see," Kael answered briefly, staring at the closed door. "But he has to tell us himself. Forcing him would only make us lose his trust."
"And if he destroys himself while staying silent?"
Lyra lowered her gaze, her voice trembling but trying to remain composed. "I just can't watch him suffer…"
Kael placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know," he said gently. "But right now, he needs us not as investigators or protectors, but as parents. We'll be there. Always."
Lyra nodded, though her heart still ached with worry.
Meanwhile, Endel was left alone in the room.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts again. The system had left him no choice: he had two hours.
Now he knew there was no time for fear.
"A new era…" he muttered to himself, rising to the desk and beginning to mentally formulate a plan. This time, he would do what he had failed to do before.
Endel stepped out onto the terrace. Its curved metal railings blocked the cold morning wind, but here it was quiet and calm.
He sat on the sofa meant for reading or resting, staring blankly into space, trying to gather his thoughts.
His heart hadn't yet calmed from the outpouring of emotion over the past days, but now that his thoughts were returning to order, he needed to understand what was happening.
He summoned his system status.
Lines of text appeared on the screen before him, and his eyes immediately caught the first line:
[System Status]
Name: Endel Astralius
Dark Arcana: Return to the Beginning (3rd Regression)
Status: Inactive
Warning: The system has not completed proper initialization. Instabilities possible.
This was no surprise.
The system had not been running correctly prior to the "New Era," and the warning, of course, did not shock him.
But at the bottom of the skill list, one line caught his attention.
[C-Rank Skills]
Berserk — sealed
[E-Rank Skills]
Healing — sealed
[New F-Rank Skill!]
Alter-Ego (Unique)
Note: As a unique skill, it can be used before the system completes proper initialization.
Endel froze.
This skill… he couldn't understand where it had come from.
He was shocked.
A thousand questions flooded his mind: "What is this skill?" "Why hadn't I seen it before?" "How did it appear?" He didn't even know such a thing could exist in his system. Skills like Healing had been earned by defeating an E-Rank monster, through his first kill. But these two… Where did they come from? He didn't know.
He read the description carefully:
Alter-Ego (Unique Skill)
Allows you to create a second personality within your consciousness, with which you can exchange thoughts and accelerate the thinking process. Each personality possesses the full memory of the original.
Endel stood from the sofa, his feet barely feeling the floor, stunned by what he had just read.
It couldn't be true.
He was dumbfounded, barely able to believe what was written before him.
Creating a second personality? It was incredible, even absurd. He already knew from experience that the system could grant strange, sometimes dangerous abilities, but this… this went beyond all boundaries.
"Okay, accelerates thinking—that's useful," Endel thought, trying to find some justification for the skill.
"But creating a clone of me? That's literally a split personality!" He reread the description.
Flashes of anxiety pierced his mind. "How can this even be controlled? How can you live with two personalities in one body?"
Irritation rose in him, mounting worry and indignation consuming his thoughts.
Why had such an ability appeared now? Was this part of some cunning system game? He felt his control over the situation beginning to slip.
"This… this is impossible!" Endel said aloud, staring into the void.
His voice was muffled, an echo of the tension lingering in the air. "I can't just activate a second personality in my mind.
This could literally cause a split personality. It's dangerous!"
But even with that fear, his mind couldn't ignore one crucial note in the description: "Can be used before the system completes proper initialization." That meant one thing: he had time.
He could activate this skill right now, while the system hadn't yet fully launched.
And if the skill truly worked as described, he could accelerate his thinking, be better prepared for what lay ahead.
He began pacing the terrace, trying to internalize the idea.
All other skills were sealed.
Berserk, Healing—both standard skills, unusable until the proper start, each with limitations.
But this new skill was his only chance at something greater. Maybe if he activated it… he could handle what awaited him more easily.
"But if I lose myself… what then?" his thoughts swirled around the question.
Yet, despite that, he resolved.
After all, Alter-Ego was his chance to accelerate thinking, improve analysis, and decision-making.
In future battles and dangerous situations, it could be a decisive factor.
He understood that if he didn't seize this opportunity, he would remain stuck in the same place as before. Having no other choice, he made his decision.
He looked again at the system status, where a question awaited:
[Create Alter-Ego?]
Warning: Once you create your Alter-Ego, this skill can never be deactivated! Permanent action!
[Create?]
Endel's heart jumped slightly.
This was more than a simple choice. This was a moment to commit to something irreversible.
But he nodded, answering for himself. He could not delay, could not fear the unknown. He had already died twice—he didn't want a third time…
He mentally pressed the confirmation button.
Seconds later, as if silence had contracted around him, Endel heard a clear, familiar voice… but it wasn't him speaking.
"Hello," the voice said, carrying the same intonation as Endel himself. "Wow, I get chills too. You know, I thought this would be way harder."
Endel almost stumbled in surprise; goosebumps ran over his skin.
It was his own voice, but it sounded as if coming from inside.
Endel felt his consciousness filled with a new "self." He tried to focus but immediately realized it was unnecessary.
He felt the presence inside him, an unexpected intrusion, yet strangely not unsettling.
"So, you'll probably find it convenient if I call you Endel 3? Third regression, third personality…" the voice said with a hint of light humor. Endel smiled in astonishment.
This was his reaction—but to another part of himself. He hadn't expected it to feel so effortless.
He thought he should feel stress, but instead he was surprised it felt… natural.
"Very original," Endel replied, his smile widening. "All right, Endel 3, let's try accelerating thinking. We both know we need this."
Endel 3 nodded affirmatively.
A moment passed, and Endel felt a sudden lightness in his mind.
He sensed his thoughts moving faster, everything he wished to comprehend now more accessible.
And surprisingly, it felt as if every plan and decision was now processed twice as quickly.
"Hm, it works," Endel 3 said. "We think simultaneously. Logical. Everything's in place."
Endel remained silent for a moment, feeling this newfound acceleration.
He could see solutions he hadn't noticed before, perceive information instantly and with maximum clarity.
Though all of this was strange, even somewhat unsettling, deep down he understood it might be exactly what he needed.
Ease of perception, accelerated reactions, the ability to instantly solve problems and plan—this was part of the new world he now lived in.
And now, with this new skill, Endel felt ready for the next step.
"So, how do you like it?" Endel 3 asked, curiously, almost with a smile.
"I won't say yet," Endel replied, gathering his thoughts. "But something tells me we're about to do something important."
"Likewise," Endel 3 answered.