Asahi's consciousness returns like a sudden wave crashing against reality. His body feels light, weightless, yet his mind is sharp.
His eyes snap open.
He's back.
The familiar emptiness of the Dimensional Dream surrounds him.
A voice immediately cuts through the silence.
"HEY… you're back… what happened this time, huh?"
FA's tone is tense.
Asahi blinks, his senses adjusting. The first thing he notices—
The voices are gone.
His ears are no longer bleeding. The endless, torturous "HELP ME" that once echoed in his skull… silent.
For the first time in what feels like forever—his head is clear.
FA steps closer, eyeing him carefully.
"Hey!"
Asahi doesn't hesitate.
"Take my memory!"
His voice is sharp, urgent.
FA's expression darkens.
"OK!"
FA moves in, lifting his hand. His fingers brush against Asahi's forehead—
And then—
A force explodes between them.
FA is sent flying three meters backward. His body crashes onto the ground, rolling before coming to a stop.
For a moment, neither of them moves.
FA groans, pushing himself up, shaking off the impact.
"What the hell…?"
His eyes widen as he looks at Asahi.
"Looks like… someone hacked your mind."
Asahi stiffens.
His breath catches.
His fists clench.
"Huh… shit. Shit!"
His mind races.
(So that's why MA let me loop this time. He knew. He planned for this.)
FA wipes his mouth, standing up. His expression is unreadable, but his voice is sharp.
"What the fuck is going on?!"
Silence.
Asahi doesn't answer immediately. His hands tremble slightly. The weight of what just happened finally sinks in.
His mind is no longer his own.
The air in the Dimensional Dream is heavier than usual. Something about this conversation feels different. More urgent. More terrifying.
FA crosses his arms, his gaze locked onto Asahi, his usual smirk absent.
"In the last loop, I sensed something was wrong."
His voice is tense.
Asahi's eyes narrow.
"Huh?"
FA exhales, his expression darkening.
"Before you looped, something glitched the cycle. It was like your mind was trying to manually set the timeline."
Asahi freezes.
"What?"
His heartbeat picks up.
"That's why you got teleported to the mall."
A sudden realization slams into Asahi like a hammer.
(It must be him… The Other Asahi hacked my mind. Now he can control or intercept the loop.)
His fists clench. His body tenses.
"Shit… SHIT!"
FA steps forward, concern creeping into his voice.
"What's going—"
Asahi cuts him off.
"FA."
FA stops. Their eyes meet.
"The Other Asahi hacked my mind."
A pause. FA processes his words carefully. Then, he hums.
"Mmm… I see."
His voice remains steady, but his gaze sharpens.
Asahi continues, his voice low and serious.
"He used a mirror to hack my mind… but why?"
FA strokes his chin, thinking.
Then—his eyes widen slightly.
"A mirror…"
A second passes. Then, FA speaks again, his tone shifting.
"It makes sense. An Asahi can't manipulate another Asahi directly."
Asahi's brows furrow.
"Mmm…?"
FA nods.
"That's why he used a mirror."
His voice lowers, his expression unreadable.
"Mmm… He's brilliant."
Asahi blinks.
"Huh…?"
FA smirks slightly, shaking his head.
"I was thinking… how the hell did he enter your dimension?"
Asahi's breath slows. His jaw tightens.
Then—he speaks.
"It's because of the Black Man."
Silence.
FA exhales.
"Yes… That must have been it."
He looks directly at Asahi now, his voice dropping.
"Before he died… that's what he said, right?"
A pause.
Then, Asahi mutters the words himself.
"All the Asahis will attack us."
A chill runs down his spine.
FA's face darkens.
"But what if…"
He hesitates for a second. Then, he continues.
"What if someone opened your dimension's sphere?"
Asahi's breath hitches.
"Huh? What's a dimension sphere?"
FA crosses his arms, his expression unreadable.
"A dimension sphere is like a protective gate. A force that stops interference from other dimensions."
Asahi processes this carefully.
"Mmm…"
FA continues.
"Basically, it's a barrier. A wall that prevents others from entering your world."
Asahi's expression darkens.
"Then… what happened to the barrier?"
FA's voice is grave now.
"The Black Man was a dimensional traveler. He didn't break it."
He looks directly into Asahi's eyes.
"Someone else must have."
The words sink in like a dagger.
Someone broke the barrier.
Asahi clenches his fists.
"Someone is trying to let all the other Asahis into this dimension."
The weight of the situation settles over them like a crushing force.
Asahi exhales, his voice low.
"What…?"
His heartbeat is loud in his ears.
FA watches him carefully.
Asahi's mind races.
(The situation has deepened… Who broke the barrier? And why?)
His fists tighten.
The game has changed.
And this time, he's the one being hunted.
The weight of the conversation lingers. The realization of the broken dimension sphere hangs heavy in the air. Asahi's mind is racing, trying to grasp the situation.
(That MA… he's brilliant when compared to me.)
For the first time, he acknowledges it. His other self isn't just some manipulator—he's a true rival.
Suddenly—
FA tenses. His gaze sharpens, his posture stiffens.
Then, his expression shifts.
A smirk.
Then, colder—
"Oh…"
His voice is quiet, but something about it is unsettling.
Asahi notices the change instantly.
His body stiffens.
"Huh?"
His eyes lock onto FA.
FA exhales slowly, his usual amusement gone.
His voice drops.
"I didn't know there were three people here."
Silence.
Asahi's heart skips a beat.
A cold chill creeps up his spine.
"Huh…?"
Confusion flashes across his face.
FA doesn't blink.
His gaze is piercing, analyzing.
"Asahi… don't fool me."
Something is wrong.
Asahi's stomach turns. His pulse quickens.
"What the fuck are you even saying?"
FA tilts his head slightly.
"Come on… I'm talking to you."
A pause.
Asahi takes a slow breath.
"Huh? Stop playin—"
Pain.
A sharp, violent pain explodes in his skull.
His entire body tenses.
It feels like something is inside him.
Something crawling.
Something moving.
His vision distorts. The Dimensional Dream flickers for a moment, like a broken screen.
FA takes a step forward.
His expression—dead serious.
"Huh."
Asahi clutches his head.
"ARARARARARARARRRRR!!!"
The scream rips through the void.
His body jerks violently. His head tilts back.
The pain is unbearable.
Then—slowly, almost mechanically—
His head lowers.
His eyes, filled with something different, lock onto FA.
And then—he speaks.
A voice laced with something unnatural.
A voice that is still his, yet… isn't.
"YO!"
A slow, twisted grin spreads across his bloodied lips.
FA doesn't move.
He just watches.
And for the first time in a long time—even FA doesn't know what's about to happen next.
The tension in the Dimensional Dream is unbearable.
FA stands firm, staring at the Asahi in front of him. But something is wrong.
His posture is different. His presence feels unnatural.
Then—FA smirks.
"You must be the other Asahi. MA, huh?"
The figure tilts his head slightly.
Then, a wide grin spreads across his face.
"Huh… bro, you found me!"
His tone is playful, almost mocking.
"GOOD JOB!"
Asahi's body twitches slightly, as if something inside him is still shifting.
FA's smirk doesn't fade, but his eyes narrow.
"How the hell did you do that?"
The possessed Asahi chuckles, rolling his shoulders.
Then, his head tilts downward slightly—his bloodied lips parting into something between a smile and a sneer.
"It's simple."
A pause.
Then, he laughs.
"I can't manipulate him directly, right?"
His voice drops slightly.
"So… I transferred my mind into him. Now, my mind and his mind are equal."
His grin widens.
"We are one and the same now."
The words send a chill through the space.
FA exhales, rubbing the back of his neck.
Then—his lips curl into an amused smirk.
"Oh."
He leans forward slightly.
"That's… brilliant."
His voice is impressed, almost admiring.
The two Asahis—now sharing the same body—stand across from FA.
And for the first time, the loop isn't just broken.
It's rewritten.
Asahi: "Yo… I know that I'm brilliant!" (smiles, tilting his head slightly, radiating pure arrogance.)
FA: (Smirks back, but then—his voice drops, colder, sharper.)
"So… leave the damn body."
Asahi: (Feigns disappointment, sighing dramatically.)
"Huh… And here I thought you were happy."
FA: (Eyes narrowing, his patience slipping.)
"Fuck you."
Asahi: (Chuckles, stepping forward, his voice laced with amusement.)
"Huh… Looks like I have to kill you." (Grins, eyes gleaming with malice.)
FA: (Expression unreadable, voice steady.)
"Oh? You think so?"
Asahi: "ARARARAR—!" (Charges forward, fist raised, the weight of pure force behind his attack.)
FA: (Raises his arm—BLOCKS it effortlessly, his stance unwavering.)
"Do better."
Asahi: (Pauses. His grin widens, something sinister flickering in his gaze.)
"Huh…" (Smiles slyly.)
Then—his hand moves.
Faster than FA can react—
A palm presses against FA's chest.
FA: (Eyes widening, panic flashing in them.)
"Wai—"
Asahi: (Voice deepens, laced with power.)
"REPEL."
BOOM!
A violent force erupts between them—FA is blasted backward, his body flying through the air.
CRASH!
His back slams against the ground three meters away, dust kicking up around him. His breathing is heavy. His body—trembling.
He grits his teeth, pushing himself up.
FA: (Mind racing.)
(He can use Asahi's powers too… shit.)
He wipes the blood from his lips, his expression tightening.
(What should I do now? I can't kill him… not while he's inside Asahi's body!)
Asahi: (Tilts his head mockingly.)
"What were you thinking, huh?" (Steps closer, his aura suffocating.)
A pause.
Then, Asahi laughs—slow, wicked.
Asahi: "Wait, let me guess…" (Raises a finger, tapping his chin, pretending to think.)
"You were thinking about how to kill me, right?"
FA: (Grits his teeth, voice sharp.)
"Of course, damn it!"
Asahi: (Laughs louder, his voice filled with twisted amusement.)
"But sorry—to kill me…" (His smirk stretches wider, his next words slow, deliberate.)
"You have to kill this Asahi first."
FA's heart stops for a second.
His breath—caught in his throat.
His fingers twitch.
His pupils shrink.
FA: (Voice cold, dropping into a deadly whisper.)
"(What…?)"
A sickening dread coils inside him.
(No way… No… there has to be some way, right?)
He clenches his fists, his nails digging into his palm.
(Think. There has to be a way.)
The tension in the Dimensional Dream tightens, suffocating—
Two Asahis.
One body.
One battle.
And only one can survive.
Asahi drifted in endless darkness.
No light.
No sound.
No sense of time.
Just nothingness.
His body felt weightless, floating in the abyss.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
Asahi: (Breathing heavily) "Huh… where am I…?"
His voice echoed endlessly, swallowed by the void.
A deep chill crept up his spine.
Everything was black.
Not a single color.
Not a single form.
Nothing.
Asahi: (Narrowing his eyes) "Why is it all black…? I can't see anything."
Then—his mind clicked.
Asahi: (Eyes widening) "Wait… am I inside MA's mind?"
A heavy realization sank in.
Their minds—merged.
Asahi: (Gritting teeth) "Shit… he must be fighting FA right now."
Suddenly—
THUD.
Gravity slammed against him.
Asahi crashed onto an invisible ground.
A breathless gasp escaped his lips.
Asahi: (Groaning) "Ugh… what the fuck is happening?"
He pushed himself up, his fingers grazing against the unseen floor.
The space was endless.
No walls.
No doors.
No horizon.
An infinite void.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Distant.
A soft, broken cry.
Asahi's blood ran cold.
His head snapped toward the noise.
Asahi: (Tensed) "…Someone's crying?"
A strange pressure wrapped around his chest.
The crying grew louder.
A raw, aching sorrow laced within it.
Asahi's feet moved on instinct.
Step by step.
Deeper into the abyss.
Then—he saw him.
A boy.
Sitting in the darkness.
White hair.
Black tattoo on his neck.
Silver earrings glinting in the empty void.
He looked exactly like him.
Asahi: (Narrowing his eyes) "Who the hell…?"
His breath caught in his throat.
Something about this felt wrong.
He stepped closer.
Slowly.
Asahi:"Hey."
No response.
The boy kept crying, shoulders trembling.
Asahi:"Hey—!"
Nothing.
Asahi: (Frowning) "Come on, don't ignore me."
His hand reached out.
And—
He touched the boy's shoulder.
—ARARARARARRA!
A shockwave of memories exploded in his mind.
Pain.
A thousand emotions—
Collapsing.
Drowning.
Suffocating.
Flashes of Anari.
His father.
His mother.
Their empty eyes.
Their soulless expressions.
Asahi: (Screaming) "RAAAAGHHHHH!!!"
His head pounded.
His vision blurred.
And then—
A whisper.
A voice cold. Emotionless.
MA:"I manipulated them."
Asahi's breath hitched.
His body shivered.
A deep, unshakable fear slithered down his spine.
His gaze locked onto the boy—MA.
A face mirroring his own.
Tear-streaked, yet void of regret.
MA: (Eyes dark, voice empty) "I manipulated them… over and over again."
Asahi clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his skin.
Asahi: (Coldly) "You… you're a fucking monster."
MA didn't flinch.
Didn't blink.
He simply stared at the ground.
MA: (Monotone) "I manipulated them 1000 times… to save them."
His voice wavered slightly.
Then—his lips curled into a bitter smile.
MA:"But in the end… I started controlling their whole lives."
Asahi took a sharp breath.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Asahi: (Breathing heavily) "You… you didn't even let them live."
His voice cracked.
A mix of rage.
And something deeper—a sinking despair.
MA: (Quietly) "If I didn't… they would have died."
His voice broke slightly.
As if those words ached to say out loud.
Then—his gaze hardened.
MA:"That's why I manipulated them."
MA: (Voice sharp, defensive) "I decided how they should live."
A bitter silence.
Then—
Asahi: (Whispers) "And eventually… they started to hate you."
MA flinched.
His eyes trembled slightly.
Asahi's voice cut deeper.
Asahi:"They started to break free."
Asahi:"They took control back."
Asahi:"YOU. FAILED."
MA: (Snaps) "NO!!!"
His body jerked violently.
His voice desperate.
MA:"It was their fault!"
MA:"If they had listened to me, they would have lived!"
His eyes were wild.
A madman trapped in his own delusion.
Asahi: (Voice trembling, disgusted) "And Anari left you."
MA froze.
His breath—hitched.
His lips—parted slightly.
A small crack in his expression.
Then—
His hands shook.
MA: (Voice hollow) "She… she tried to help me."
His voice wavered.
MA: (Eyes darkening) "But I… controlled her too."
A heavy silence.
Then—MA laughed.
Softly.
Bitterly.
Insanely.
MA: (Quiet, broken) "I knew their fate."
MA: (Voice rising) "And knowing it—"
His eyes—widened.
His voice—snapped.
MA:"IT DROVE ME FUCKING CRAZY!"
A twisted grin stretched across his face.
His eyes gleamed with something unhinged.
Asahi's stomach twisted.
He knew.
He understood this pain.
The burden of knowing too much.
The insanity of looping endlessly.
But—
This wasn't right.
MA's voice trembled.
MA: (Whispers) "I was correct…"
His fingers clenched into his arms.
MA:"They left me."
MA:"And guess what? They DIED."
His eyes locked onto Asahi.
MA: (Cold, empty) "They didn't listen."
MA:"They should have followed my rules."
A suffocating silence.
Then—
Asahi: (Voice shaking with anger) "That's why you failed."
MA snapped his head up.
A sharp breath.
A shuddering inhale.
Then—
His eyes filled with rage.
His fingers twitched.
Asahi stepped closer.
Face-to-face.
Heart-pounding.
Fists clenched.
And then—
He grabbed MA's collar.
His grip—tight.
His voice—ice cold.
Asahi: (Whispers, venomous) "Now give me back my fucking body."
The Dimensional Dream.
A battlefield soaked in endless nothingness.
FA lay on the cold, invisible ground.
His breaths—ragged.
His body—screaming in pain.
His vision—blurry.
Yet, his mind remained sharp.
FA: (Groaning) "Hah… Damn it…"
His fingers twitched.
He had managed to land ten punches.
Only ten.
And yet—he was the one on the ground.
FA: (Mind racing) "It's difficult… What the hell is that Asahi doing?"
A shadow loomed over him.
A slow, taunting chuckle echoed through the void.
Asahi (MA) stood tall.
His presence—overwhelming.
His eyes—twisted with amusement.
Asahi (MA): (Grinning) "Yo…"
His voice dripped with mockery.
Asahi (MA): (Laughs) "You're weaker than I thought, huh?"
His laughter filled the empty space.
Then—his lips curled into a smirk.
Asahi (MA):"No powers, no strength… nothing."
His laughter grew louder.
Asahi (MA):"You're just pathetic."
FA exhaled.
Slowly—he pushed himself up.
Every movement was heavy.
Every muscle burned.
Yet—he stood.
His head lifted.
And then—he smiled.
FA: (Softly) "Yeah…"
His voice was calm.
Steady.
FA: "I'm weak."
His hands clenched.
FA: "I couldn't save anyone."
His voice wavered.
But then—his eyes burned with determination.
FA: "But still—"
A deep breath.
FA: (Smirking) "I'm not you."
A suffocating silence followed.
Asahi (MA)'s expression twitched.
His smirk faltered.
Asahi (MA): (Eyes narrowing) "Huh?"
FA's breathing steadied.
His stance—unshaken.
FA: (Quietly) "Because I am still in the Ultimate Dimension."
A slow, confident smile spread across his lips.
Asahi (MA) stared.
Then—his own lips curled into a smirk.
Asahi (MA): (Soft chuckle) "Then it's my dimension now."
His grin stretched wider.
Then—
Something changed.
—ARARARARARAA!
A deep, distorted scream tore through the void.
Asahi (MA) clutched his head.
His knees buckled.
His body jerked violently.
Asahi (MA): (Snarling) "What… the hell… is this—?!"
His breaths grew erratic.
His fingers clawed at his skull.
FA's eyes flickered.
Then—his lips curled into a knowing smirk.
FA: (Softly) "Tch… Took you long enough."
He exhaled.
Then—his eyes sharpened.
FA: (Smiling) "You're late, damn it."