Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 88



Chapter 88 – Rampage

Another day of peace stretches on. Today marks the one day a week when the counseling center remains closed.

It was Kali who insisted, with fervor, that I was pushing my body too hard and that I must have a day of rest, no matter what.

Of course, I refused. The work at the center wasn’t overly taxing, and while the number of visitors had dwindled lately, there were still those who needed my help.

“…No? If you don’t set aside even a single day to rest, you won’t move an inch.”

“No…!”

As I uttered my refusal, Kali bound my entire body with her arms and legs, refusing to let me go.

It wasn’t painful, but perhaps due to the difference in our strengths, I truly couldn’t move a single fingertip.

“Let go of this…!”

“Ugh… huff.”

And as I continued to struggle, Kali began to make strange sounds. Her body pressed against mine felt as if it were heating up.

“Ha… fine. I get it, I get it…”

After ten minutes of being held captive without any sign of movement, I declared my surrender.

Well… it turned out this way. Having a day off once a week felt like a breath of fresh air.

“Hm… when Kali returns, shall we dine out?”

In our home, it was just me and Kalea. Today was my day of rest, and it was also the day Kali met with her ‘patron’ once a week.

Hmm… what should I eat? It seemed Kali and Kalea enjoyed fish dishes…

I didn’t particularly care for fish. I would eat it if it was there, but that was about it.

However, Kali and Kalea were absolutely enamored with fish. The plump, fresh catch was reduced to nothing but bones in mere minutes.

They even tried to devour the bones, and I was so startled that I had to intervene, promising to buy them more fish so they could at least enjoy the flesh.

They weren’t the type to dislike meals, but lately, my appetite had waned.

Perhaps it was the weakness of this body, but I was eating merely to survive.

So, it seemed better to prepare a meal that would bring joy to them rather than indulge in my own preferences.

Still… there was a bit of time left until Kali returned. With nothing to do and feeling a bit weary, perhaps I could close my eyes for a moment.

“Kalea. I’m going to take a nap. You rest.”

“………”

Kalea seemed lost in thought, not hearing my words. Sitting on her bed, she stared at the wall, leaving me with only her back in view.

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. Drowsiness washed over me in an instant.

Ah… it seems the fatigue has truly piled up. Just a little nap, perhaps. Just a little…

*

Flash.

Suddenly, my eyes snapped open. There was no alarm clock to rouse me, yet clarity surged through my mind like a cold wave.

What time is it…?

I crawled from the bed, inching toward the small table beside me, where a modest clock sat waiting.

4:25. I had drifted off around 1, so… it seems I’ve slept quite a while.

But still, Kalia has not returned. Usually, after meeting with her patron, she would be back by around 2. Has something happened?

A faint chuckle escaped my lips.

“…No, that’s absurd. Who would dare touch Kalia?”

Unless one were seeking death, no soul would lay a hand on her.

Her power had long surpassed the realm of the ordinary, reaching a level of the superhuman, and the tales of the ‘frenzied rage-controlled feline beast’ that spread across Espilia were well known to me.

Well… it seems she has business to attend to. Still, she should be back soon, so I’ll prepare…

“….Kalea?”

“……..”

Yet, something felt amiss. I was certain I had seen Kalea seated before I fell asleep.

Kalea sat in precisely the same position as before, not even a twitch to betray her stillness.

I couldn’t fathom why. Yet, a sense of unease began to bloom in my chest.

Lately, Kalea had been spending more time in a daze, though she insisted she was fine, and the doctor had found nothing wrong.

“………..”

But… why does this anxiety swell within me?

I rose from the bed and began to walk toward the bed where Kalea sat. The distance was not great; just a couple of steps more, and I would face her.

Only one step remained. As I reached to place my hand on her shoulder—

Wham—!

“……….!”

“………..”

Kalea’s head snapped around suddenly, locking eyes with me. In that moment, I found myself rendered speechless.

Her eyes, usually sparkling and radiant like precious gems, were now engulfed in an abyssal blackness, a depth so profound it felt unfathomable.

Just gazing into them threatened to pull me under, those hollow eyes.

…Yes. The gaze of a corpse would resemble this most closely.

‘Kalea, Kalea…!’

I was certain I cried out her name, striving to approach her. Yet, my feet felt glued to the ground. Words lodged in my throat, refusing to escape.

Tremble, tremble, tremble…

Why… why am I shaking like this?

Drip, drip…

In that moment, droplets began to flow from Kalea’s hollow eyes.

Not ordinary tears, but tears of blood. The crimson liquid stained the pristine bed and blankets, cascading down to the floor.

Am I dreaming right now? If this is a dream, it must be a truly horrific nightmare.

Yet, the chilling sensation feels all too vivid. The tremors coursing through my body awaken me to the reality of it all.

“…….Sir.”

Gasping—gasping.

“………!”

Kalea, barely managing to part her lips, began to utter something incomplete, a fragment of a thought.

I could only watch, drenched in cold sweat, as if I had forgotten how to breathe.

“…..S… Sir.”

“Haah… haah…!”

Kalea. What on earth has happened? Your state… why is it like this?

You were fine until now… why is this happening all of a sudden—

“Venice, sir.”

“…………!”

Kalea’s vacant gaze locked onto mine. The blood tears overflowed, as if they sought to form a river.

It felt as though time had come to a standstill. A dreadful silence and stillness reigned over our home.

Kalea’s empty expression began to contort. A flicker of life returned to her eyes.

“Venice, sir… run… away.”

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“…..What?”

“Please… run—”

Brrr—crack—!

Before Kalea’s words could finish, her body began to transform.

Like a grotesque tumor, repulsive skin sprouted from her form, swelling rapidly, consuming her.

Creeeak—crunch—!

Her size grew monstrous. As she reached the roof of the house, a structure that could withstand a figure over two meters tall, an ominous sound began to echo.

Rumble…!

Ultimately, our home, unable to bear the weight of the monster, began to crumble. Flesh piled high tore through the roof, and the walls and floor shattered.

“Ugh… Ah… Ah…”

A grotesque voice echoed, a cacophony of male and female, of child and elder, all merged into one.

A massive arm and leg, formed of what could scarcely be called living flesh, loomed before me, along with a body that defied comprehension.

At the very top, only the face of Kalea, weeping and writhing in agony, remained faintly visible.

Am I dreaming? No, please, tell me this is a dream.

This repulsive and horrific scene, please, someone say it’s just a dream—

aaah—!

“…Kuhk—!”

Crash—!

Yet my desperate wish was shattered by the hand of flesh swung by the monster.

An overwhelming force crashed upon me. I felt as if my body were paralyzed, and in that moment, I was hurled through the wooden walls, sent flying into the square.

“Ah… Aah…”

Though there was no pain, it felt as if I could not move a single limb.

Kuwagwang…!

aaah…!

-What is that… What is that aaa—!

-A monster…!!

-Damn it… Save me…!

-Kuhh—!

The townsfolk, who had been staring blankly at me as I rolled to a stop after crashing through the house, screamed and fled the moment they laid eyes on the howling mass of flesh that had destroyed our home.

No one dared to stand against it.

Though many among the beastfolk were naturally aggressive, thirsting for battle, they too only desired a fight that could be fought on equal terms.

It was not a matter of seeking death. In an instant, the peaceful lower district of Espilia descended into chaos.

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

I struggled to keep my eyes open. Yet my body refused to move. It felt as if every bone were broken.

With labored breaths, I gazed upon the rampaging Kalea.

‘Could I… calm her down?’

Surely, just the other day… I had reverted the wolf beastfolk who had transformed in the square back to their original state.

Then, perhaps I could do the same for Kalea, who had changed so drastically.

Please… please…!

Kalea’s transformation bore a stark contrast to the beastly metamorphosis, yet for Venice, such distinctions held no weight in the present moment.

[%!@#^!@#$^&!!@]

From the monster that Kalea had become, a tumult of emotions surged, throbbing like a headache.

All feelings and memories seemed to be in a wild frenzy.

‘Emotions… collection…!’

Ding—

Crash.

[Unable to absorb memories and emotions.]

“……Ah.”

In stark contrast to my desperate wishes, reality was cold.

The status window, flashing red, shattered into fragments and vanished, leaving only the sight of the howling Kalea before me.

‘….Kalea.’

I’m sorry. I couldn’t help you. I couldn’t save you…

The mass of flesh began to thrash wildly. As Venice gazed sorrowfully at Kalea’s face, streaked with tears of torment, she soon lost consciousness.

*

Thud-thud.

Uwaaah—!

“Haha… what’s this? It’s ripened far beyond my expectations, hasn’t it?”

In the midst of the chaos, where everyone screamed and scattered, there was one who approached the fleshly monster instead.

“Indeed… thanks to that one… hmm?”

Beneath the feet of the man, who smiled as if in ecstasy, lay a black-haired man, twisted and unconscious.

“….Ha. Look at this.”

The man, momentarily gazing at the fainted black-haired figure, called out to the hollow-eyed knights.

“Hey, take that one too.”

“……….”

“And you, return to me once more.”

Thud-thud—slither—

The sharp sounds of footsteps continued, and once again, only silence remained in the lower plaza of Espilia.

The monster’s roars and the screams of the townsfolk were no longer heard, yet the horrors they had wrought were indelibly etched into the plaza.

Thud.

And not long after. In the stillness of the square, amidst the murmurs and screams.

The sound of someone collapsing reached my ears.

The delicate rose petals fell to the filthy ground, shattering with a soft crunch.