With All Your Heart

“Who the hell are you?” Absalon asks the one approaching him.

From the darkness, Dirty blond hair, heterochromatic eyes that seem to constantly be angry, and an outfit that is both boyish and feminine appear.

“...Neia Sampsa?” The girl pauses a few meters away from Absalon.

“Sampsa… Ah! I knew I recognized you! You're the daughter of the famous adventurers!”

“Yeah…”

““Coupeau!”” Absalon fires off a blade of water formed from the rain behind him. It shoots forward and slices Neia Sampsa’s head off.

Her head falls to the ground, leaving a puddle of blood on the ancient stone work.

“Ha, Haha!” Absalon laughs, stepping into the dim light of the rainy sky. “Hahahaha!”

“You gonna start dancing in the rain?” A voice comes from the passage.

A girl with dirty blond hair, heterochromatic eyes that seem to constantly be angry, and an outfit that is both boyish and feminine appears.

“H-huh?” Absalon's pupils dilate, then “AAHHHHH!”

He runs.

–

“What are thee!?!” Absalon can’t help but question as he runs. His shoes imprint in the mud of the forest floor, one after the other. The rain washes them all away, leaving no trace. Then they are replaced by the monster chasing him.

“Coupeau!” Absalon screams, turning back towards the one chasing him.

The water blade shoots forth, slicing through the monster's waist, sending their upper body lurching to the floor.

In the next instant, another Neia Sampsa steps out of the bushes, replacing the one that was killed.

“HOW ARE YOU LIVING!?!”

“It’s a trick I got from a book I read once…”

Absalon continues to run, dodging bushes and trees as he desperately tries to escape. Rain pours down, each droplet sounding like a piano key being pressed as they hit his body. His movements slow, his body falling apart at its seams.

“What-” He attempts to ask again, but the voice doesn’t appear for its part.

“Coupeau,” Absalon calls out once more.

Shung

The blade slices through the girl's bones, shattering them into multiple pieces.

“Coupeau”

Shung

Another body falls. The same thing happens again. Yet another appears.

“Coupeau”

Shung

Absalon continues.

“Coupeau” “Coupeau” “Coupeau” “Coupeau” “Coupeau” “Coupeau” “Coupeau”

Yet despite it all, they continue to approach.

Damn it all! This monster! That Parasyte! They ruined everything! I could have done it, escaped the reaper, revived Lunia, even gotten my revenge! All of it would have worked! AND YET! This girl with stupid eyes is ruining everything! Stupid Eyes! Stupid Eyes! EH? When did Walter start having red eyes? Why haven’t I noticed before? He seemed to start acting strange, too…

““Ah-” Absalon seems to realize something and starts running. He’s frantic, his steps uneven and unbalanced. After ten or so steps, he trips over an exposed root and falls. Mud covers his face, the glasses that had somehow clung to his face betraying him, choosing the mud as its new master.

“Haah- Haah-” He desperately tries to catch his breath as he crawls in front of a large tree, leaning his back on it.

Sir. Walter seemed like a completely different person! And those red eyes… Special eyes… Ah!

“I KNOW!” Absalon points toward the monster chasing him. “YOU- YOU'RE A-

“A DEMON! You're a plague! A worm that slithered into this place. A PARASYTE! You shouldn’t be here!

“After all we’ve gone through, it’s going to end because of two intruders!?! WHAT A JOKE!

“And, haha, what's worse is that you're the worst kind of Demon. That's right. NOPERRA!” Absalon stares at them with a look of hatred and fear, of disgust and disgrace.

“DIE-” Absalon yells as he flings his arms up toward Neia.

“EXPLODE ALL THAT CONTAINS YOU, BREAK FREE OF YOUR VESSELS AND COMBINE-”

Water once again gathers from the rain, but rather than a sheet of water, it gathers into a ball. The rain from the surrounding forest also begins to gather. The soaked mud shakes, trees sway as water rises from them, their surfaces drying out. This body shakes, these eyes sting as I watch the water from their surface be taken. Blood feels as if it is trying to escape this body.

After a few moments, the water has gathered into a ball the size of his body. The man does not send it towards me, but into the air, and in an instant everything-

““PALICI””

PUHFFFT-TUNG

As if at the beck and call of a god, the gathered moisture expands, a flash of light ending the chase as everything is blown away.

Trees are torn apart. The mud, once soaked in water and blood, is blown into the air. This body is torn as blood is pulled towards the man, and water pierces this body.

“HEH- HEH- HAHAHAHAHA” Absalon laughs, surrounded by a large crater that has already begun filling with water. “That must’ve done it-”

“Was that one of the higher levels of water spell? To pull that off without an artifact, and on the first try… really goes to show how outclassed I really am.” Another Neia appears from the tree. “Ho-”

“Again, I got it from a book I read once.”

“Hah?” Absalon looks back in shock, quickly morphing back into anger. “YOU-”

“I'm Sorry.”

“Sorry! What do I care for your sorry! Just leave me alone!” Absalon glares at Neia, whose eyes seem to be looking past him.

Tip Tap!

The tree line suddenly lights up like the night sky, red and blue stars scattered amongst the darkness.

“Wha?!”

Each and every star is an eye. Hundreds of Neia Sampsa are in the trees.

“Hehehahahahaha!” Absalon feels something breaking in his head.

Snap!

–

“Seems he’s given up?”

“I mean, who wouldn’t with you chasing them?” the voice replied, as if speaking just behind my ear.

“Damn, I was hoping to ask him something…”

“Sucks, you're too late…”

“...”

Neia Sampsa stood over the broken Absalon Ramorski, who could do nothing more than chuckle to himself.

“So you're a Noppera? Is that what they call reincarnaters?”

“If I remember correctly, it's a Japanese body snatching demon…”

“Ah, so quite fitting!” The voice said disparagingly.

Neia turned their eyes forward.

In front of Absalon, there is a chair. In that chair, a young girl sits quietly.

“Neia…”

The one who sits in that chair is Neia Sampsa, glaring at ‘Neia Sampsa’ with anger and disgust, of Fear and hatred, of Red and Blue.

“Okay, back to work!” ‘Neia,” says, slapping their cheeks lightly.

“Absalon, I have some questions-”

Shing!

Absalon does not answer. He will never answer.

Absalon Ramorski’s head falls into the mud.

The tree he sat on follows suit, falling into the mud below.

Behind the tree, a black haired woman in a complicated black and red dress, holds a large scythe. The scythe is gun-metal black, a skull adorns the edgy scythe.

“Long time no see!” The woman calls out to ‘Neia’

🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮

“Who would have thought you would find him after just one day!” The mysterious woman said, stepping onto the newly formed tree stump.

So Absalon was the man in the poster? Guess that’s why I found him so familiar.

“...”

“Come on, it's been such a long time!”

“We met yesterday.”

“Yup! A long time!”

The two look at each other.

“Oh! Did you have questions for this guy?”

“...Yeah.”

“Ah, my bad, my bad!”

A murderous intent sweeps across the forest.

“Sorry, but my orders said to kill him at all costs… If you're mad, we can fight!”

“Sorry, but I’d prefer not to.”

“Haha, me too. Not much fun if I can’t kill you.” The woman scans the treeline. “Impressive, a cloning Pneuma?”

“More or less.”

“Nice! This is far more than I’ve ever seen!” The woman looks back at the ‘Neia’. “Still, you're not fun…”

“...Why?”

“Come on! We both know you are here. In fact, I’m willing to bet that you’ve never been here! Since before we met on the train, you’ve been a clone. Right now… Yes, your main body is already in Delphoscere.”

“...”

“I’ll take that as a yes, and if that’s the case, I can’t do much about it.”

“You…”

“Well, I’d better get going.” The woman says, picking up Absalon's head. “But I’ve been thinking about your answer.”

“Answer..?”

“To the egg theory.” She looks back at ‘Neia’. “I think you're right, there's at least three people. Me, you, and the spirit?”

“Sure…”

“Well then, one last question.”

‘Neia looks to the women standing on the trunk with a head.

“What world do you want to see?”

“What world…” ‘Neia’ thinks for a moment, then turns, starting to walk the opposite way. “A world without me in it.”

“Haha! That’s what I thought you’d say! See you very soon, Ciao!” With that, the mysterious Reaper disappeared into the woods.

“Haah…”

‘Neia’ walks back through the forest, back towards the rest.

Floating in front of them, Neia Sampsa stared back in indignation.

I’ve been in this world for nearly 17 years now.

Wearing your face, I’ve lived your life for you.

I’m sorry.

I’m trying, I really am.

I’ll find a way, I will.

A way to return this body to you.

Return the life I stole from you when I reincarnated here.

In a world of magic, nothing is impossible!

There must be a way.

No matter what, I know I’m not supposed to be here.

They're supposed to be your friends.

I know that, I know this isn’t my “Second chance”.

This is my sin.

I’ll die and suffer as much as it takes.

But I promise, with all Your Heart, Neia.

This face, body, and name will be yours again.

So please, don’t look at me like that.

I’m sorry.