Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 112: Fear of Accusations

Fear.

It's an unpleasant emotion where one feels threatened, worried, or wants to avoid something very dangerous. In all my life, I've never feared anything so serious. Mom's anger aside, nothing fazes me enough to go into fight or flight. My bullies were the trigger of my indifference to this emotion and I've always thought I'd never had any fears that would cripple me despite having no future initially.

That is until now when I'm being forced to fight something more than myself to finish this trial. Something that has reawakened an emotion that I was different for many years now.

I have to face my own younger brother.

[Wow. Where's all your bravado, me? Did you see a ghost or something?] My doppelganger says, not wasting any time mocking me with my genuine shock at what I'm seeing. [I thought you were happy to see your very own brother here to witness your final test?]

Damn, that imposter! How dare he make a clone of my brother! That doll of his may look like Kazu other than his black hair, black robe, and red eyes, but he doesn't have his real smile and eagerness to play the game. Rather, they show no emotions on their face as they stare at me and then at my doppelganger who is hugging him. Which by the way, creeps me out a lot...

I quickly slap my face before I think any more unnecessary scary thoughts. I tighten my grip around my sword's handle as I aim the blade at the clones.

"Do you think I don't know my own little brother?" I shout. "That's not the real Kazu and I'm not playing with your mind games!"

[Oh, you say that now. But why is your hand shaking?]

Shaking?! What the hell is he talking about? Is he saying I'm scared?! Like hell I am! Sure, my hand is...trembling. But there's no reason for me to back down!

...Right?

[Come on, stop lying to yourself! If you don't want to fight our little Kazu so bad, then try to say it rather than threaten us with your sword.]

Dammit! He is seriously pissing me off! I'm not gonna let his taunts and the image of my brother get the better of me!

"I'm not scared and I'm not gonna fall for your Kazu clone tricks! He's a fake and I know it!"

[...I-I'm a fake?]

My eyes widen. I look at the Kazu clone and I gasp. They... He...is crying. And they don't look fake. They look...real.

[Y-You don't think of me...as real...?]

I...I'm speechless. I don't know what to say at this point. He's a fake, sure. But their words seem real. I can't...

[Then I have no choice...]

I look up and gasp again. Their sorrow is quickly replaced with rage. Rage that I can't seem to see within the real Kazu. And in a surreal moment, they raise his staff against me.

"W-What are you doing?!" I demand. "What are you planning this time, faker?!"

[What am I doing?] The fake Kazu snarls as I see electricity charge into his staff. [I'm here to kill my fake brother! [Thunder Lance]!]

The electricity transforms into a lance and it quickly charges toward me. It doesn't take long for me to dodge it as I hop a few feet away from the copies while barely dodging the lance by the skin of my teeth.

[Ooh... Really cutting it close, eh, me? Looks like he thinks the same as me, his real big brother.]

That bastard... But still, that clone is crying because of me. All because I know he was a fake like that doppelganger...