"What... is this place?" Ketsuki asked.
He was in a dark, empty space. No matter how far he looked, there was no end in sight.
"We are in your mind." Said a naked man sitting on the ground with long white hair.
"My mind? Before that... who are you?"
"I am... well, you could say a future version of you."
"Huh?" Ketsuki was confused.
"This is what you think you would look like in the future." The man explained after yawning.
"If that's true, why do I have white hair then?" Ketsuki asked.
"Don't ask me. You thought of this." The man shrugged.
Ketsuki thought that the man was odd and turned back to look for an exit, but when he did, he jumped back in fear.
"What the hell?!" Ketsuki was looking at a pile of dead bodies, each wearing a golden robe.
"Don't act so surprised... you are the one who did this." The man put his arm around Ketsuki's shoulder.
"Me?" Ketsuki looked back at the man's face.
"You are out for quite a while... as a true infected." The man said with a serious expression.
"You mean... as the thing I killed with Kumojoshi?"
"Yup, your weakness let your powers take over you, and now you are in this sorry state."
"But I... killed these people?" Ketsuki stared at the dead bodies.
"You don't sound like you regret it. After all, they were after you cause mom died."
"Mom... then they deserved to die." Ketsuki said with emptiness in his voice.
"Did they now?" The man asked calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"They must have some reason of their own to hate mom, don't you think?"
"Is he really me from the future?..." Ketsuki asked himself in a low voice.
"Well then, let me ask you another question. Do you consider yourself a good person?"
"I am not a saint, but I do consider myself mostly as a good person." Ketsuki said proudly.
"That's a shame..." The man looked down on the ground with disappointment.
"What's wrong?" Ketsuki asked.
"There are two types of evil people in this world. Firstly, there are those who know they are horrible humans and continue to do horrible things, and secondly, the ones I consider the worst... humans who think they are good but are absolutely horrible either in their behavior or their mindset." The man said angrily.
"Let me guess... I am in the horrible mindset category." Ketsuki said with a plain expression.
"You need to understand the value of a human life as well as understand the reason why a person becomes a villain." The man stood up and started to walk away from Ketsuki.
"..."
"I know you know that... after all your mind created me... You created me."
"Where are you going?" Ketsuki asked.
"You should already be aware of that fact... I am you, after all." The man immediately vanished in a golden light.
"I want to become like that, huh?..." Ketsuki sat down and looked at the ground. "What should I do... mom?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the mansion.
Ken and a red-haired boy with green eyes and heavy silver armor were clashing swords.
They were fighting outside of the mansion on a plane surface made of stone with a width of fifteen feet surrounded by tall walls.
"Not bad, kid!" Ken said with a smile on her face.
"Move away... The only one I seek is Gilgamesh." The boy pointed his cavalry sword at Yowa, who was watching the fight from a broken window of the mansion.
"I am not coming back, Alexander!" Yowa shouted.
"I never thought I would get to fight THE Alexander." Ken smirked.
"It seems I have to deal with you first." Alexander charged towards Ken for a horizontal slash.
"Hmph." Ken created a sword and kicked it directly at Alexander's face. He dodged it by bending his body backward.
"You are strong... but I am not impressed. Show me your ability, Alexander." Ken put a sword on her shoulder.
"If you want to see it so badly... then I will show you." Alexander charged towards Ken again with his sword lowered.
"Your guards down..." Ken took her sword and slashed in the direction of Alexander's neck.
As soon as the blade touched his neck and the first drop of blood spilled out, Alexander whispered, "Time warp : 10."
Suddenly, Alexander was at the same distance from Ken before he charged at her.
"What just happened?" Ken had a sword on her shoulder.
"That is my power." Alexander said in a proud voice.
"Incredible... but such a strong ability might have some downside."
"From what I am aware of, it doesn't... but I know he can't use it infinitely." Yowa explained.
"Ken, was it? Do you want to know the secret of my ability from Yowa or find it out yourself like a true warrior?" Alexander asked in a serious tone.
"True warrior? I am not going to be taunted by such an obvious provocation... Yowa explan." Ken said while being on guard.
"His power is the fear against time. He can turn back time for the two people who are fighting whenever he wishes, but after that, he must wait double the amount of time he reversed to use it again."
"That's crazy." Ken said with a smile.
"Time, you say..." Alexander looked at the ground.
"What's wrong, kid?"
"Nothing." Alexander charged at Ken yet again, but this time Ken was calmly standing in place.
"Haha, come!" As soon as she said that, a sword right behind Alexander which Ken had previously kicked spun around and stabbed Alexander's back.
"Ugh... Time warp... 5!" Time turned back, and Alexander dodged the sword by a hair.
Ken caught the spinning sword and thrusted it towards Alexander's face, who dodged backward and kicked the sword out of Ken's hand.
Alexander then attacked Ken with his cavalry sword.
"This is such a pain..." Ken, using her own sword, stopped Alexander's attack, and both of them backed away from each other.
"You are a worthy opponent." Alexander complimented.
"And you are a pain in the ass... even if I damage you, you can simply turn back time to heal yourself. This will never end." Ken said in a tired voice.
Alexander looked tired.
"Hmm? Don't tell me..."
"I will take my leave now." Alexander interrupted.
"Huh? Don't get me wrong, I'll be glad that you are gone, but isn't your objective here to capture Yowa?"
"Indeed, but we never anticipated that we would be facing an enemy of this caliber... it was a miscalculation on my part."
"Hmm... Thank you for the compliment, but... that's a lie." Ken pulled her tongue out.
Alexander looked away.
"You are that scared of having your life cut short again... Alexander the Great?"
Alexander didn't look back. He simply ran far away, neither denying nor accepting it.
"He truly hasn't changed... that brat." Yowa said to himself.
"So Gilgamesh."
"Don't call me that, you asshole..." Yowa looked away.
"You are going to spill everything when everyone is back." Ken ordered.
"Tch... I know... I know..." Yowa turned his wheelchair to the left and looked through the window at the graveyard towards a certain grave. "Aina..."
"I wonder when the others are returning..." Ken stretched her arms. "Fear of time, huh... It is just another form of fearing death."
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