Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 89



Chapter 89 – Fury

As I passed through the upper and lower levels, the ominous premonition swirling within me was bearable.

But when I caught sight of the terrified faces of the lower dwellers, their expressions vacant as if their souls had fled, a wave of unease surged within me.

“Venis…”

When I saw a familiar face, one who had always been close to Venis, crumple to the ground in tears, I cast aside the uncomfortable shoes I had worn to impress him.

And finally, when we arrived at the house meant to honor our eternal happiness.

Carly sank to the ground. With hollow eyes, she denied reality, staring at the ruins of what was once home.

Where had it all gone wrong? Was this situation I was witnessing… truly reality?

The bouquet of roses I had cherished, meant for Venis, lay on the ground, its beautiful petals soiled.

“Ve…Venis…! Kalea—!”

Suddenly, as if my mind had returned from a distant flight, Carly began to scream.

The house collapsing was one thing. A house could be rebuilt.

But… where were Venis and Kalea? Why… could I not see them?

Strength began to return to her legs. Carly dashed toward the fallen home.

“Surely… surely…!”

Her heart felt as if it were being torn apart. Anxiety surged within her, pushing Carly to the brink of panic.

Bursting through the walls of the collapsed house, Carly flung debris aside, searching for traces of her loved ones.

“…They’re not here.”

They were gone. Neither Venis nor Kalea could be found.

Yet their scent lingered, unmistakably present. Their forms remained hidden.

They hadn’t been inside the crumbled house, which brought a flicker of relief, but soon the anxiety swelled again.

Then… why could I not see them? Where had they gone? Why—

Tremble, tremble, tremble…

Carly’s body began to shake uncontrollably. Her eyes slowly began to split open, as if tearing.

The disappearance of her dearest ones and the ruins of her home pushed Carly’s heart to the edge of a precipice.

As if she might lose her grip on reason at any moment. Carly was wavering. Her mind threatened to shatter.

Was it the manifestation of her inner vision? The dark red fur sprouted and vanished, claws and nails grew and then receded. Her body swelled and shrank in a relentless cycle.

“…Kali—!”

“……..!”

At that moment, a familiar voice began to pierce through the gaping hole of the collapsed house.

Turning around, Kali saw Rania, the fox beastkin, tears streaming down her face. She appeared to have run to her limits, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

“…..!”

In the ruins of Venice’s home, Rania froze as she met the gaze of the glowing pupils shining in the darkness.

The eyes of the predator, which seemed ready to tear apart everything in sight, wavered as they locked onto Rania, then returned to their usual state.

“Kali, this isn’t the time…! Venice…!”

“Cough, cough… Kali. Come out. There’s no time…”

“….Old man!”

Hudi, bloodied and with his bandaged abdomen stained crimson, managed to speak. Watching him, Kali hurriedly stepped outside.

“….What in the world happened—! Why is the house in ruins, and where are the master and Kalea—”

“Listen closely… Kali. Venice and Kalea have gone… to the upper levels.”

“….What?”

Coughing, Hudi paused to catch his breath, grimacing against the pain in his abdomen as he continued.

“….I didn’t see it all from the start. I was working at the convenience store when… suddenly, a deafening roar shook the plaza.”

“And then?”

“I rushed outside. What I saw was… the collapsed house of Lord Venice. There lay Lord Venice, and a monstrous creature of flesh, grotesque and immense…”

“…Why did that thing suddenly appear out of nowhere?! What the hell is going on—”

“Kalea. Your sister… it was Kalea. I saw it clearly. Atop that monstrous mass, larger than a house… was your sister’s face.”

“What… are you… saying?”

One should at least consider the situation before spouting nonsense.

Kali, enraged to the point where veins throbbed on his forehead and his eyes reddened, thought Hudi was speaking madness. Yet, the gravity of his expression, along with the bewildered faces of Rania and the other beastkin nearby, silenced his fury.

“It can’t be… true…”

Kali had no choice but to quell the surging anger. All that remained were hollow questions.

Kalea was… perfectly fine. She had no injuries. She always greeted him with her bright smile.

But now, that same Kalea had suddenly transformed into a monster for no reason at all?

Aside from her recent bouts of silence, there was nothing—

“……Ah.”

“I do not know what you are thinking, but… something seems to have come to mind… Ugh.”

I gaze at Hudi, who lets out a sound of pain without meaning to. Blood still seeps from the bandages that wrap around his entire abdomen, staining the white cloth a deep red.

Noticing my gaze, Hudi takes a deep breath and looks at Kali as he speaks.

“…Listen well. The reason I was hurt, the reason they headed to the upper levels… and perhaps, if I may speculate, the reason your brother has changed. It all comes down to one thing.”

“….What is it?”

Kugugugung…!

The ground begins to tremble under Kali’s fierce presence. Tears stream down his eyes, now resembling those of a beast.

Yet, his will does not waver. The surging anger, the desire to transform at any moment, is held back by the determination to devour the source of it all.

“Ronan… Ronan Ael. That b*stard’s doing. Kalea… that is, your brother’s transformation, and the fall of Lord Venice.”

“That b*stard appeared in the lower levels as if it were natural. Except when he was up to something disgusting, he never set foot in the lower levels… Ugh.”

“I… I will tell you, old man…!”

Perhaps unable to contain his fury, it seems his wounds have reopened. Rania, supporting Hudi, looks at Kali.

“Ronan Ael…! That madman, when I heard he had something akin to those strange eyes, Kalea returned. And… he took her away along with the unconscious Lord Venice.”

“And… in trying to stop that, I was struck down by the knight beside him. Damn it… that knight looked like he was out of his mind too.”

Of course, Hudi and the residents of the lower levels did not simply stand by. They were thwarted by knights who were strangely strong and had vacant stares.

“Ha….”

Having heard the entire story, Kali lifts his gaze to the sky. The twilight hour, as the sun begins to set, reveals its beautiful hues.

….Yes. It is your doing again, Ronan Ael.

The reason Kalea has changed… surely, you have orchestrated something.

“Ha… haha…”

The one who kidnapped Kalea and ruined her life while we were living peacefully.

The vile creature who harmed the one I love most… who put her in danger.

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The b*stard who gnaws away at our once tranquil lives.

“Ha… hahahaha…!!”

Tears flow down my cheeks. I am so furious that I want to tear Ronan Ael limb from limb and swallow him whole.

My tilted head straightens once more. The anger I have suppressed does not extinguish the embers; it quietly ignites.

The eyes of rage gaze far into the distance. To the place where the root of all evil lies, the target of my fury.

Standing atop the ruins of our home, I look up at the Ael mansion, the highest of them all.

Creak… crackle-!

—

“This fucking… b*stard. I’ll chew you up… alive.”

The teeth, clenched tight, begin to shatter. Blood pools at the corners of her mouth, starting to trickle down.

Pain does not register. The adrenaline from her fury numbs even the sensation of agony.

Kali does not stand on two legs like a human; she crouches low, her four limbs pressed against the ground.

Just before pouncing on her prey, she assumes the stance of a beast ready to unleash its swiftest sprint.

Creeeak…!

Her overwhelming muscles begin to coil. The bare soles of Kali’s feet and hands start to crumble the brick floor beneath her.

KABOOM-!

With an explosive sound, a tremendous sandstorm erupts, and in a blur invisible to ordinary eyes, she races toward the Ael mansion.

‘…I’ll kill them all.’

Good. Let’s kill them all…

And in that moment, Kali, consumed by boiling rage, failed to notice the voice rising from within her.

Faster, even faster.

Kali begins to run on all fours. The scenery around her shifts rapidly.

From the plaza of the lower levels to the streets of the upper levels.

-aaaH-!

-What was that… what just passed by?!

-I think… I just saw something red…

To the ordinary people, only the sudden gust of wind and the fleeting red streak remain visible as she dashes away.

Squeezing every ounce of strength from her body, she reaches the Ael mansion in mere seconds.

A refined palace, overlooking the entire scene from the upper levels down to the lower.

It may appear elegant, but to Kali, it is nothing but repulsive.

One step, two steps.

Kali begins to advance.

The very space where all tragedy began, and where this fury will find its end.