Chapter 6: Chapter 6 : Return and Arrival

‘Ah, I’m finally back.’

Relief flooded Ralf’s heart as he came to and realized he had returned to the Mental Space. The sight of the wooden swords at his feet confirmed this fact.

‘Yes, finally!’

Ralf was ecstatic. Escaping the prison he had been so long confined in and the terrifying feeling of his existence being erased left him overjoyed. Never had he been as happy as he was right now.

‘Okay, now to head back- ah?’

As Ralf was ready to initiate the process, he felt something stir near him. Ralf’s calm was shaken. He wanted no more surprises or twists. At least that was his thinking before he finally laid eyes on what it was - or rather who it was. The surprise greeting his senses was a most welcome one. Around ten meters away, a familiar silver-haired silver-eyed man stood, his gaze shifting about.

‘Rei.’

Seeing him, Ralf’s heart swelled with emotion.

A short distance away, Rei was similarly in turmoil.

‘The last thing I remember was saving that child, then darkness…and now I’m here.’

Just like Ralf, his mind was forced through the void by a sudden and irresistible tug at his consciousness. The process of moving through the void felt extremely strange, seemingly passing in the blink of an eye while also taking an eternity to complete.

As the seconds passed, Rei’s heart began to settle. His cold and calculative disposition allowed him to calm down very quickly. But a second later, the calm he sought was driven further away. His eyes flickered with surprise as his senses landed on Ralf.

‘My younger self?!'

Bafflement filled him.

'What does this mean?’

His eyes moved over the youth, all the while, his mind raced with thoughts.

‘This place should be the afterlife. This lookalike should be a deity of sorts, responsible for judging souls or something along those lines.’

Taking in every detail, Rei ran them through the vast library that was his memories to understand what he was in store for. But despite double-checking, he came up empty.

‘A god that takes the form of your younger self. I’ve never heard of anything matching such a description. And those wooden swords on the ground, what are those for?’

The angle the two swords made, where they pointed to, the clothes Ralf wore, Rei’s mind was analyzing every minute detail, searching for any possible meaning. To consider all possibilities, was his very nature.

The two stared at each other, thoughts racing through their minds.

Finally, the silence was broken.

“Rei.”

While one word, it conveyed much. Rei frowned. Hyper-focused as he was, he could pick up the emotional weight attached to the utterance. It confused him greatly.

His confusion would only rise as he captured Ralf’s subsequent smile.

‘Why…is he smiling? What’s going on here?’

Ralf’s smile wasn’t a slight one, but one betraying a profound joy. While Rei couldn’t understand it, it was perfectly understandable. One of Ralf’s greatest desires was to communicate with Rei. Over ten long years, he had made numerous attempts. Now, seeing his words clearly reach Rei through his reaction to it, Ralf was overjoyed.

While Rei’s brain was struggling to understand the logic behind everything, Ralf let his emotions control him. When the desire to close the distance between him and Rei passed through his mind, the Mental Space responded.

Swoosh!

In what appeared as teleportation to Rei, Ralf’s figure vanished and reappeared before him.

Then, before the stunned Rei could do anything, Ralf’s arms wrapped around his body.

Not understanding the action at first, Rei moved to escape the hold he was in. But a moment later, he would be ignorant no more. A clicking sound seemed to ring in his ear, and then it came.

Rei’s hands at either side of Ralf’s temple paused in place as his being was showered in a feeling of warmth.

‘This is…emotions?’

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It was. Ralf's desire to convey his feelings to Rei resulted in a telepathic link forming between himself and Rei. The feelings Ralf had for Rei were then made to flow through this connection to the intended target.

Ralf hated many things about his time in Rei’s world, but one thing he could never hate was Rei himself. Sharing in his ups and downs, experiencing every emotion, every thought; Ralf became very attached to him.

While their relationship was one-sided, his emotions were very strong. Ralf's emotions were voluminous. His love was heavy. And now, Rei had to bear that weight.

Experiencing those deep and rich emotions clearly, Rei froze, in both body and mind. His thoughts were jumbled. At this moment, so disoriented was he that even his prodigious mind could mistake left for right. His heart was a mess. It was a strange feeling. Affection of this magnitude was hard to withstand. He felt his soul vibrating. Smothered with such dense emotions, his body naturally tried to reject it. But Ralf wasn’t having it. His grip remained tight. And even tighter was the invisible force locking Rei in place.

Thirty seconds passed by before Ralf pulled back. A refreshed smile adorned his face. He had wanted to hug Rei for the longest time. His smile turned into a smirk as he caught the dumbfounded expression on Rei’s face. But this smirk triggered Rei’s pride; who then poised himself, causing the cold light to quickly return to his gaze.

“You…what are you?”

Ralf didn’t immediately respond. He turned to his side and moved a few steps, all the while delving into his memories. Then, with a thought, he materialized the objects of his desire.

Two identical three-seater brown couches appeared. Two meters apart, the two couches faced each other.

Seeing them, Rei’s face twitched. The couch bore a close resemblance to the one he had in his living room. He spent much of his time on this particular couch, watching anime, reading novels, and playing video games.

Ralf had purposely opted for the thing which would make Rei the most comfortable.

‘Hmm, it worked out nicely,’ Ralf thought as he ran his hands across the couch. Using multiple memories and his imagination, he had managed to recreate the couch’s soft texture and even its subtle woody scent.

“Who am I? Where are you? How did you get here? There are many questions to be asked and answered. So let's talk.” Ralf plopped himself down, then gesturing at the opposite couch, he said, “We have a long talk ahead, get comfortable.”

Rei moved to the couch after a short pause.

Seeing him seated, Ralf smiled. ‘Hmm, I wonder if I can...let's give it a try.’ Thinking this, Ralf focused on conjuring another item. A moment later, it appeared in the Mental Space.

Ralf’s eyes moved to a large milkshake floating before him. ‘Appearance check, how’s the taste?’ Grabbing it with his right hand, he brought the straw to his lips.

‘Mmm, perfect.’

Ralf rejoiced as he felt the strawberry taste ‘slide down his throat’. This would go far in facilitating a good talk. Pulling away, he snapped his fingers and conjured another milkshake, then had it float Rei’s way.

Rei’s face buckled under the temptation set before him. After a fierce mental struggle, his desire won out. His lips were soon wrapped around the straw and savouring the flavorful goodness.

‘Couch and now milkshakes, this kid knows how to butter me up. What else does he know?’

Rei’s expression was bizarre at this moment, half troubled and half in bliss.

Only when he paused his sipping did he manage to correct this oddity. “Let's begin our talk then. Let's start with introductions. From the looks of it, you know me quite well, so how about you introduce yourself.”

“Sure,” Ralf nodded. “My name is Ralf Fawkes.”

Rei could feel the pride in his voice as he spoke. He squinted, the name didn’t ring any bells.

“Ralf Fawkes, I’ve never heard a deity by that name.”

“Deity? Mmm…oh, I see. I can see how you came to that conclusion, but I’m no deity and you’re not in the afterlife…at least, I’m almost certain.”

Rei was thrown off. “Then, who are you?”

“Me? I’m the 'you' from another world. In other words, your parallel self.”

“Huh, another world? You’re me?”

Ralf nodded. “Indeed, I am.” Suspending the milkshake in the air, he used his hands to pinch his cheeks before saying, “The appearance I’m taking now is my true appearance. We are one and the same…or more accurately, two sides of an infinite-sided dice.”

“You’re me...”

The revelation shook Rei to his core. But this would only be the start.

Their conversation continued.

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