Chapter 13

“It starts soon. Are you sure you’re ready Ace?” Ise and Ace sat together on a log in the middle of a forest clearing. The open vantage points would decrease the odds of an ambush.

“I have to be.” Ace bore no expression, she looked forward, her eyes and mind both clear.

“Good……. I am not as ready as I would like to be.” Ise’s hands shook, his nervousness shining through the dark forest.

Ace stared forward, unmoving, unresponding. The silence lingered for a few moments. The otherwise calm and collected Ise struggled to stop the shaking in his hands.

“I was never this nervous before. I do not know why. Before the operating room, I was always resolute and ready. But now, I can’t stop shaking.” Ise’s voice had a noticeable quiver.

“It’s the opposite for me.” Ace blinked, breaking her trance.

“I was always a nervous wreck. I was always worried about the pain, death, and carnage I might cause. But now, before I have to fight an unknown number of enemies …... …..I’m calm.” Ace’s voice was steady and true.

“Why?” Ise hardly recognized her. Over the last month she has grown and changed more than any other member of the team.

“It might be the certainty of it. I have to fight these guys. There is no way around it. It might be because of the last month of training. Or it might be because you’re here.” Ace still stared ahead as she spoke.

“Because of me?” Ise understood what she meant, but still needed confirmation.

“I don’t want to kill anyone……I don’t have enough control to defeat someone without killing them being a very real risk. With you here I don’t need to worry about them. For once the damage I cause can be mended.” Ace smiled a soft smile. Despite her focus, her genuine relief at Ise’s presence was shown.

“Thank you Ace…..I think I needed to hear that.” The shaking in Ise’s hands subsided.

Ise and Ace sat on a log in the clearing in the forest, waiting for what was to come. Both were ready. Both were prepared. Both were focused. Both noticed the approaching figures.

***

Lee’s swords had become as sharp and polished as they could be, and the stump had grown quite comfortable. The time spent on an unneeded task had allowed Lee’s mind to wander and time to flow by. He almost hadn’t noticed the figure approaching the tree line. Almost.

“You know, I just realized one big flaw in this plan of mine.” Lee began to put his polishing gear away in the small satchel on his back.

“Oh?” The man left the tree line and advanced towards Lee.

“I don’t know what Evan looks like. I haven’t met him. Or maybe I have. Either way when it comes to his appearance, I’m drawing a blank.” Lee still sat on the stump.

“If I was to say that Evan is I, would you believe me?” a smile was painted on the stranger’s face.

“I was wondering that myself. I kinda just assumed I would be able to tell by aura or whatever. I’m super bad at first impressions though.” Lee quizzically looked the stranger in the eyes.

“Well, I excel at making a first impression. You’ll be able to tell very shortly.” The stranger’s energy rose as he spoke.

“There was something else I was thinking, sitting here, on this stump.” Lee ignored him.

“It’s kind of telling that I use two swords. I need to have my hands full to function. I couldn’t just have one, I have to have both. My ability, too. I can’t just cover close range. I must have an answer for everything, close, medium, long. I can’t just be happy with a nice life working with my brother, I have to be the center of attention. Even now….I’ve finally accepted my role. To the middle of this group, just the same as the last……... what I used to call a side character. I’m okay with it now.” Lee gripped his left sword tightly, looking at his reflection in the blade.

“But……a part of me knows that’s a lie. As hard as I try to convince myself that I’m not a side character, that I’m okay with just being where I am now, that I’ve changed and things will be different, a part of me still wishes for change. For importance. To be the protagonist.” Lee loosely held his right sword, trying to avoid making eye contact with his reflection.

“A jack of all trades, master of none. He who wants it all but lacks the conviction to grasp anything. A strange, daft existence you have.” The man didn’t try to mask his amusement as he spoke about Lee.

“It’s as you say, I’m a foolish, senseless, idiotic, silly, weak, simple, irrational, insensate, shallow, brainless, witless, thick-skulled, buffle-headed, shallow-brained loser. But I’m the foolish, senseless, idiotic, silly, weak, simple, irrational, insensate, shallow, brainless, witless, thick-skulled, buffle-headed, shallow-brained loser that’s going to defeat you, Evan.” Lee pointed his sword at Evan.

“I’m a little surprised you speak with such certainty. I must admit it would be a lie to say I expected you to be resolute and proud. Proud enough to call yourself senseless, shallow, witless, among a menagerie of other insults, sure. But proud enough to excitedly prophesize your victory over me, I didn’t expect that.” Evan dropped the mysterious act he had, reverting to the confident, playful persona he showed at the bar.

“And here I thought you were supposed to be prepared enough to expect everything.” Lee reached into his pocket, grasping a small ball. He pushed a button on it, then hurled it into the air.

“A signal?” Evan said as the ball blew up, making a loud noise.

“Don’t worry it’s not to call for help. I won’t need it for you.” Lee began to stretch.

“There it is again, that rare false confidence. I’ll pander to your very confusing sense of ego, and I don’t mean the magic kind.” Lee’s eyebrows twitched at Evan’s mention of the connection between Ego and magic.

“I mean that enormous sense of entitlement and self-love that is only matched by your equally large self-doubt. That is what excites me most about you, Lee. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. You are analytical but miss the obvious. You doubt your own abilities but are so sure of your observations. You go through all this effort to plan out a sure-fire victory but must make sure you and you alone fight me. You’re a walking contradiction. And I would again be lying if I said it wasn’t enticing.” Evan’s eyes sparkled as he recounted all he knew about Lee.

“…….You’re enticed by me? Is that…..like in a romantic way?” Lee’s face was twisted up in confusion.

“You are by far the stupidest smart person I’ve ever met, you oxymoron.” The further spike in Evan’s energy let Lee know the time for talking was over.

“Now, let me enjoy tearing you down!” Evan drew a dagger from within his sleeve and lunged forward.

Lee jumped back, narrowly dodging the attack. The stump he had been sitting on was split in two. There was no sign of any ability used. The stump had been cut in half by only Evan’s energy enhanced dagger.

“A single dagger? Against two swords? Talk about a mismatch!” Lee yelled as he jumped back again, creating more distance between the two.

“You’ve been defeated with far less.” Evan happily twirled the dagger in his hand as he advanced towards Lee.

Lee lunged towards Evan with overhead swings of both swords, mirroring Evan’s initial attack.

“Good luck blocking both!” Lee yelled right before the attack connected.

Evan held his dagger up and blocked one, narrowly sidestepping to avoid the other. His offhand curled into a fist and collided with Lee’s stomach. Lee was thrown back by the hit.

“Again!” Lee yelled as electricity arced off of him. Banished Blades Version One was activated.

He shot towards Evan, feinting a swing from the right then switching to the left. Lee was fast. He hoped faster than Evan would be able to react to.

Evan tossed his dagger over to his other hand, seeing through the feint and blocking the real attack. Lee caught a punch to his nose this time.

“Again!” Lee yelled once more as he attacked.

Lee overshot Evan, kicking into a tree behind him and bouncing off with more speed than before, spearing towards Evan’s blind spot.

Without so much as shifting his feet, Evan held the dagger behind him, blocking the attack once again. Lee softened his hold on his swords, allowing his momentum to let him shift to the side. As Lee swung around, he thrust his knee into the side of Evan’s head in what he hoped was a devastating blow.

Evan was launched back into the tree line but flipped around and stuck the landing. Evan rubbed the area of impact as blood dripped down. The attack had hurt.

Evan studied Lee’s expression. It was one of jubilation. The fight had just begun, but they both understood that the tide had shifted.

“One blow isn’t worth celebrating. Perhaps I inflated your worth if that’s a cause for celebration for you.” Evan said condescendingly.

Lee didn’t respond. His look of celebration turned into a shit-eating grin as he looked into Evan’s eyes.

“It’s seventeen.” Evan clenched his teeth.

“What’s that? Could you repeat that for me please?” Lee’s evil grin had enveloped his whole face.

“The number you were thinking of…. it’s seventeen.” Evan sighed.

“Bingo! I was right! Your ability, you’re a mind-reader! That’s how you know so much about us!” Lee thrust his arm into the air in a sign of triumph.

“I’m a tad surprised. This is the fastest anyone has figured it out. But knowing is half the battle. I understand your ability and you far better than you ever will. I can see into the core of Ego; I know it better than you ever will. You are but a Lilypad floating on a pond that is far deeper than you could ever imagine.” Evan spoke, playfully twirling his dagger in his hand.

“Don’t talk fake deep to me, I don’t like it.” Lee got in his stance, preparing to resume the fight.

“You think you’ll be able to bypass my mind reading by thinking of attacks you are not going to do or improvising at the last moment. That’s a good plan. Try it.” Evan waved his hand, inviting Lee to come.

As a spur of the moment decision, Lee threw one of his swords at Evan. The sword pierced through the air as thunder shook the sky. Evan leaned back, almost falling to the ground as the sword narrowly passed above his face and wedged itself into a tree.

Evan thrust his dagger towards Lee as he tried to stand back up, blocking Lee’s attack before it came. Their blades connected. Lee threw a punch aimed for Evan’s kidney, But Evan’s hand was already there to catch it.

The two struggled for a moment, feeling out each other’s physicality. Evan and Lee both quickly figured out that even with Version One’s buffs, Evan was stronger. As he began to push Lee back, Lee made another spur of the moment decision.

“Version Three!” Lightning arced between the sword in Lee’s hand, the sword in the tree, and straight through Evan.

The swords acted as lightning rods, directing the flow of electricity which was normally unpredictable. With the swords directing it, the lightning would hit its mark, no matter what was in the way. Lee had never tried this before, he had never thought of it before, leaving Evan clueless.

“Gah!” Evan fell to the ground, the pain being severe enough to cause him to collapse.

Lee saw his opportunity and swung down, aiming for a finishing blow. Evan reached his dagger up, trying to block the attack. But it was a feint. Lee punched Evan in the face with the hand his sword was in. Before Lee could hit him again, Evan kicked him back. Lee took the opportunity to retrieve his other sword as Evan got up off the ground.

“You sure are getting hit a lot for someone that knows what’s coming.” Lee taunted him.

“Sublime. Truly sublime. You really are a waking contradiction. This is some of the most assure and confident you’ve ever been, all the while being completely unsure of what your next move is. Your lack of confidence in your actions, normally a weakness, has become your greatest strength.” Evan’s eyes were full of glee despite the pain he was experiencing.

“So…..you give up then?” Lee was confused by the double-sided praise.

“Hardly. I’ll put this in a way you might understand. My bag of tricks is very deep. I haven’t even begun to scrounge the bottom.” Evan stood up and spat out blood.

“I wasn’t lying when I said you were a lily pad on the surface of the deep pond that is Ego. You’re so sure that your understanding of it is complete, and that the people down here’s understanding is incomplete.” Evan put his dagger away.

“Your understanding is just as lacking. I’ve been all over this world. It is vaster than you can ever comprehend. I have met and defeated people from every corner and crevice. I have seen the potential that Ego has. This is a glimpse into the pond. This is beyond your understanding.” Evan made a sign with his hands that Lee had never seen.

“What’re you doing?” A sense of impending danger and doom filled Lee’s body.

“Culmination of Self-Obsession!” Evan bellowed as his power surged to a level far greater than before.

“Shit! If I get him I’m-” Before Lee could finish his sentence, a white light enveloped them, blinding Lee. Lee felt the surge of energy impact himself and the entire surrounding area. Whatever Evan was trying to do, it had worked.

“What is this?” Lee looked around. The forest was gone, in its place was an infinite whiteness. Evan stood in front of Lee smiling.

““This is just like the matrix…..Did I die? Is this the afterlife? No……Too anticlimactic.” Lee furrowed his brow in confusion.

“You’re correct. This isn’t the afterlife. It’s the culmination of all my power, all my ego. It’s as you tried to teach your friends. Ego is all about perception, and this is my perception of the culmination of my ability. To put it in a term you’d understand, this is my ultimate move.” Evan monologued.

“So, then what is your ultimate move? I don’t feel any different, but clearly things have changed.” Lee motioned around at the white void.

“My ability lets me peer into your mind, see your memories, hear your thoughts. The natural evolution of that is being able to literally go into your mind, and manipulate it as I see fit.” Evan explained.

“…..That’s all? I take it there’s some limitation. If you could fully manipulate it, you would just wipe it clean and erase me completely but that’s……” Lee looked around, at the seemingly wiped clean mind.

“No, I can’t erase or add any memories, but I can transport us to any of them. Like say…..a rejection?” The white void morphed into a school yard.

Children ran and played in the playground, and Lee and Evan stood under a big tree. A girl stood in front of Lee and looked awkwardly to the side.

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“I’m sorry, I just don’t see you like that….like….at all.” The girl said with a twinge of disgust.

“Really? This is your ultimate move?” Lee looked at Evan with disappointment.

“I hate to break it to you, but I fought a guy with an ability just like this but better not long ago. This is a piece of cake compared to that one. I can’t even control myself when under that ability.” Lee celebrated the freedom he has in this take on a memory ability.

“True, I have seen that in your memories. That red guy really put you through the ringer. But if red guy’s ability was a VR movie of your memory, this is an open world game of one. In mine you’re free to not follow the memory. But so am I.” Evan answered with a smirk.

“Buzz off Lee! You suck! Loser!” The girl in the memory kicked Lee hard in the groin, causing him to fall to his knees.

“I….don’t remember that happening.” Lee stood back up despite the pain.

“Why go through all the effort of telling me all this?” Lee asked, gripping his swords as the pain subsided.

“It’s easier this way. More fun for the both of us. Now, what memory do I send you to, Lee?” A single-slot slot machine appeared in front of Evan, who smiled gleefully as he pulled the handle.

The slot spun, and the terrain spun with it. Everything had an almost real quality to it. It looked real, it felt real, but the closer you looked the more off putting it all was.

“I’ll just have to kill you before that finishes spinning!” Lee shot towards Evan, hoping to catch him off guard.

As Lee’s sword neared Evan’s neck, Evan vanished.

“Groovy! I like this one!” Evan clapped as he reappeared near the slot machine which finished spinning.

The ground shook as the scenery changed. They were out in the country, there was no buildings in sight. It looked like a park, and considering it came from Lee’s memories, it was very familiar.

The bright sun shone through the breaks in the clouds as a breeze blew cherry blossoms off the tree. They landed in a stream to the right of Lee right, the melting of the fresh snow on the ground added to its volume. The sun’s warmth was welcomed during this cold, snowy day.

“You fool, how dare you stand in the way of my dream.” A new voice bellowed.

“I will destroy the groundwork of Central City, and from the ashes a new, better, stronger, freer society will emerge. But I won't stop there, I will rebirth this entire twisted world! I will restore its beauty and cast out the ugly stain that is our wretched society!” he proclaimed, spreading his arms to the sky.

“Oh, shit.” Dread spread upon Lee’s face as he realized where he was. This was the fight that changed everything. This was the defeat that made Lee a side character.

“The best part of this ability is I don’t even have to step in!” Evan snapped his finger as a cage appeared around him.

“I can just watch safely from within here.” A chair appeared with it.

“I’m so tired of having to confront my past!” Lee charged at the Anarchist.

Lee started with both swords drawn this time. No holding back at all this time. He still had Evan to deal with, he couldn’t waste time on this memory manifestation.

“I won’t lose to you this time!” Lee and the Anarchist clashed blades. They were evenly matched just as before.

“You never even bothered to learn his name! To you he was just ‘The Anarchist’! How entertaining!” Evan clapped.

“I remember your ability! Spatial awareness and decoys!” Lee used Version One to bounce around the area, keeping his approach ambiguous.

Lee shot towards the Anarchist from what would be his blindspot, he turned his massive sword towards Lee, seeing his approach.

“Version Two!” At the last moment, Lee yanked himself to the side, narrowly dodging the sword. Lee kicked off a tree, attacking the Anarchist while he was still recovering from his missed attack.

“But you’re not even the real thing!” Lee didn’t celebrate as he carved through the Anarchist’s neck this time.

“Neither are you!” Lee turned behind him. The Anarchist he had slashed had disappeared. He was a decoy.

“Version Three!” Lightning blasted down from the sky, hitting the area around Lee, and focusing down the Anarchists outstretched sword like a lightning rod. Lee had just learnt this trick but was already making use of it.

“You don’t know how many times I’ve replayed this fight in my mind. You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about what I should’ve done differently.” Lee looked towards Evan with anger in his eyes.

“But this isn’t what happened is it?” Evan thrust a giant sword into Lee’s back.

Lee coughed up blood. Even though this was a memory, the wound was real. Lee didn’t even consider the possibility of it being fake. Not like Rojo’s ability where it just felt real. Everything within him told him it was real.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. But you must understand that I can, that I’ve already won. This fight is over. You can’t hurt me here. You can’t win. Even if you do win, I can change the result. This may be your mind, but it is under my control. It does not belong to you anymore.” Evan snapped his fingers, and the scenery began to change.

“One thing you must realize is that you have always been a loser, even in your most victorious state.” Evan laughed.

They found themselves in a convention center, hundreds of people sat at the tables in the venue and played cards. Lee included.

“What now?” Lee held his chest where the wound was. It was non-lethal like Evan said, but it still caused a great deal of pain.

“Just follow along, it’s for the best.” Evan pushed his sword against the back of Lee’s head, letting him know the threat was ever present.

“Battle cards?” Lee looked down at his hands, this was a memory from his brief stint playing this game competitively.

“This is your opening hand, what do you do?” Evan asked Lee.

Lee looked at his hand, it had been a while, but he still remembered what to do.

“I just play this card, then this card, which chains with this card, and I win.” Lee narrated his moves as he did them.

“You won on your opening hand! How skillful! Next match.” Evan signaled and the scenery slightly changed. They were at a different table; Lee had a different opponent.

“I have a different hand, but it’s the same. Just play these cards, the chain lets me draw more, until I get my winning play.” Lee did it again.

“Another firsthand win, what are you, a prodigy?” Evan’s praise was backhanded, and Lee was figuring out why.

“One more time.” A different table, a different opponent, a slightly different hand, but the same result.

“Do you remember now, Lee? You were never good at this, you just used a broken deck, a guaranteed first turn victory. Everyone else who cared about the game enough to go to tournaments for it all agreed not to use the deck, but you wanted to win.” Evan said.

“No, I kept winning! I was respected! I was one of the best, I retired with a perfect record! You can’t take my victories away from me, I-”

“You beat an unbeatable opponent, I know. You played against your master who can see the future and still won, because the deck you used was unbeatable. Do you remember why you retired? Because your deck was banned. It was too broken, it was unhealthy for the game, and you left with it. If you really loved the game you would’ve built a new deck. You aren’t respected. You’re seen as the biggest blemish on the game’s competitive history. You’re not a winner, you’re an exploiter who took advantage of a game people loved. You only played to win so you wouldn’t feel like a ‘side character’.” Evan tore down Lee’s idea of success.

“No! I played battle cards before I lost to the Anarchist. It was just a hobby during my training, I didn’t care about that yet!” Lee protested.

“All this time spent ‘confronting your past’. All this time spent blaming this moment, and you don’t even realize the truth. You were always this way.” Evan smirked as the scenery changed again.

They were in a bar. Lee recognized it. He’d been here with Diran countless times. This wasn’t a memory he had revisited since the day it was made.

“Pay attention, this was six months before you lost to the Anarchist. I’ll make sure you play by the rules this time.” Evan snapped as Lee was transported into a chair at the bar.

“Great, on rails this time.” Lee coughed up more blood. Despite the change in location, Lee’s wound remained.

“I’ll borrow the remnants of red guy’s ability for this.” Evan made a hand sign and the energy in the ability changed; Lee could tell instantly his free will was lost.

“Give me another bartender! I’ve had quite the shitty day.” Lee laid his head down upon the bar.

“I’m cutting you off, man. You ain’t even trying to look in control.” The bartender scoffed at Lee’s brazen display of public drunkenness.

“Shut up Tiffany.” Lee slurred out.

“That’s not my name?” The bartender looked away confused.

“Hey, you okay man?” A familiar presence was felt. The chair next to Lee was pulled out and sat in. Even within a manipulated memory due to his own ability, Evan shivered at the aura of the strongest being alive.

“Shut up Diran, It’s all your fault.” Lee spat at Diran, who had just sat down.

“What? I get today didn’t go perfect but why are you so upset?” Diran was taken aback by Lee’s harshness.

“You pulled a Goku man! We had a chance to end things clean, and you let your guard down! And I suffered for it.” Lee turned away from Diran as he finished his sentence.

“Huh? They surrendered! What did you want me to do? I couldn’t have known it was a ploy, I couldn’t have known they’d shoot you in the back! What did you want me to do? They surrended.” The hurt was visible in Diran’s eyes.

“You could’ve finished it! I would’ve! But nope! I don’t get to beat the bad guy. I don’t get to save the day. I don’t get the girl! I’m just the unlucky side character who has to live in your shadow!” It was unclear if the tears in Lee’s eyes were from drunkenness.

It was clear the tears in Diran’s eyes weren’t. The pair sat at the bar for a moment. Diran searched for the words to say.

“…..I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m sorry.” Diran got up and left.

“One of the blessed few who can speak to the strongest however you please. No pressure, no threat, no worry, and you waste it on insults and self-pity. You were actually mad he didn’t attack someone who surrendered!” Evan laughed at Lee’s miserable state and Diran’s obvious hurt.

“Now, I’m going to give you control back, and you’re going to say something stupid. You’re going to claim that you changed, that you’re different now, that this is all in the past. But I am inside your mind, I know the truth. You will never change. Never change. Ever since you were young, you’re always the same.” Evan mocked Lee.

The air changed once again as Evan’s ability shifted, giving free will and action back to Lee.

“I………I……..I suck.” Lee’s worries he had been trying to brush past were unable to be ignored.

He had wanted to believe it had begun with the Anarchist. He had wanted to believe that there was a single moment that changed things. But it was unavoidable now. This is how things really are. There is no single moment that changes everything. Change doesn’t happen that easy. For years, Lee had been this way. There was no sudden shift. No sudden change. This was Lee. This is who he’s always been.

“Goddammit why’d I have to be a side character!” a memory from Lee’s middle school passed through his mind.

“Just kill me already.” Lee collapsed to the ground.

“I already told you I made sure to miss your vital organs. You’re not dying anytime soon. I still have use for you. There is something your friends didn’t tell you.” Evan grabbed Lee and helped him back up to his feet.

“The real reason I attacked your friends, the real reason I’m interested in you, the real reason I am in your mind right now. You were never my target; you were all just tools for my real hunt. My real target….” A sinister smile spread upon Evan’s face as he leaned in to whisper in Lee’s ear.

“…Is Diran.” Evan cackled as he delivered the news to Lee.

“B-But…..I…I finally.” Lee’s will had crumbled.

“I finally changed! I finally put in the work to change and move forward! I left! I started over! And I….I still can’t escape his shadow!” There was no doubt that these tears were not attributed to drunkenness.

“Yes, you tried. You ran away from him, but even whole worlds away from him you can’t escape his shadow.” Evan pat Lee on the back.

“Unless you join me. I want to defeat Diran; you want to be better than Diran. He trusts you, if you join me, we’ll be able to take advantage of that trust and defeat him! With him gone, his shadow will be too, you’ll be free!” Evan smiled knowing he won.

Running away didn’t solve anything. Lee was still in Diran’s shadow. He was still a side character. All he had done was change the location, but he couldn’t change who he was. He couldn’t change the past.

Lee’s mind had been invaded. Despite doing things differently, he still lost. Evan kept the result of the fight against the Anarchist, Evan showed him the truth he had hidden from even himself, Evan had taken control away from him, and it wasn’t even motivated by Lee. The whole thing was just to get to Diran. Lee’s finest moment he spent a month preparing for, the battle that was supposed to change everything, the battle that Lee had changed for, was all for Diran. This revelation broke Lee.

No matter what he does, he can’t escape Diran’s shadow.

No matter what I do, I can’t escape Diran’s shadow. I’m going to die here in my deepest regrets.

“Stop, Lee!” A woman’s voice pierced the air. Lee and Evan both looked up in confusion and saw-

“……….Dream girl?” Lee asked in confusion.

The scenery began to change, the beach from the dreamscape began to manifest, but was competing with the bar from Evan’s ability.

The struggle between two mind-based abilities made Lee’s head start to split, he held his head as his brain felt like it swelled.

“He’s wrong, Lee! You have changed. You have begun the process; you’re putting in the work. The past doesn’t matter.” She made a hand sign as the struggle for control over Lee’s mind began.

“I can’t tell you why I’ve been reluctant to share, I can’t tell you what I need you for. But I can promise it is not for Diran. It is for you, Lee. You are changing for the better, but it is a continuous process, you can’t give up. Get up, fight! His control is wanning.” She showed more emotion in this moment than she ever showed Lee.

“What trick is this? What are you? Why are you in his mind? Why can I not find you in his memories?” Evan made his hand sign as he tried to regain control of his ability.

“Ah! Why? Why?” Lee held his head as he looked at the girl from the dream scape.

“………the ability that manifests me affects almost every hero. When a hero’s emotions reach a low point, where their psyche is threatened, this ability activates. I comfort you in your dreams, you forget it all by morning, but the positive feelings remain. It changed with Rojo’s ability. For the first time my presence was permanent. I want to help you, Lee. I want you to help me. I need you to live. I want you to live!” Real emotion showed in her pink eyes as she tried to lift Lee up.

Lee struggled to get to his feet. His head hurt, but it could handle the toll of the two abilities clashing. Lee grabbed his swords and started to hobble towards Evan. The girl’s ability was gaining control.

“No! I’ll win this clash! There is a third ability you’re trying to suppress; you can’t stop both!” Evan cackled as his energy spiked.

“No! don’t do it. His mind won’t be able to handle it!” She shouted in a panic.

The landscape began to shift again, the struggle between the bar and the beach split as a grassy hill rose up. Evan had pulled Rojo’s ability to the surface.

“AAAAHH!” Lee screamed as the load of three abilities on his brain caused him immense pain.

“You can do it Lee! You’ve changed! Get up! Fight!” She yelled.

“You’ll die trapped in your own mind!” Evan screamed.

“Oof! That was nasty!” A figure rose up on the grassy hill and wiped sludge off his face.

The man wore a hoodie that was white beneath the sludge, walked in sandals that did not fit a battle setting, and had shaggy, unkempt hair.

“Get up, Lee! You need to get up!” Lee clutched his head as the toll of three abilities tore his mind apart.

“You might be able to defeat me in combat, but what about us both!” Evan cackled at the arrival of an ally from Rojo’s ability.

“You can do it, get up Lee! Don’t give up! You’ve changed!” Her words fell on deaf ears.

A snap echoed through the air and the ground began to crumble. Lee stood still; his screaming stopped. The clash between the three abilities proved too much for his mind.

“Ah, you’re right, it was too much for him. And here I was looking forward to making him confront himself.” Evan sounded disappointed.

He looked around, the three locations manifested by the ability were losing their shape, but still remained. Lee was alive, but his mind was crumbling.

“……..What the hell?” Lee stood up and looked at the figure on the grassy hill.

“I thought I already cut my hair? What’s going on?” The figure on the grassy hill was Lee.

A smile grew on the girl and Evan’s faces. Lee was okay. Evan was going to have his fun.

“That’s right, Lee! You’re going to have to fight yourself, and you’ll see that you haven’t changed at all! That after all this time and training you are no better than you were at your lowest!” Evan cackled at the fun game he found himself in.

“Huh? Why the hell would I fight myself, I’m great.” Lee was confused.

“Something is off….” The girl sensed it, Evan most likely picked up on it as well.

“Oh I see! That was when I was really weak.” Lee walked up to himself.

Evan put his hands together, taking control over Rojo’s ability, and the other Lee.

“Auf wiedersehen, Lee.” Evan whispered as the other Lee pulled his sword out and charged at the real Lee.

“So weak!” Lee stepped to the side, dodging the attack. Lee pulled his leg back and kicked at him like he was a pebble on the street, and he launched just like one.

All the sludge covering him blasted off as he was sent flying through the air, over the grassy hill, and far out of sight. It was a feat beyond physics and beyond understanding.

“…..What?” Evan’s hands remained clasped in confusion.

“I told you, Ellen, that was when I was weak as hell! I’m much stronger now after training!” Lee slurred his words and began shadow boxing the air as if to show his strength.

“He’s lost it. The strain of the three abilities has broken his psyche. The brain damage has warped his perception of everything that’s going on.” The girl said.

“That’s impossible. I’ve been in thousands of people’s minds and nobody’s perception shifts this far from reality.” Evan didn’t believe it despite what he saw.

“I’ll prove it! He might think he got stronger than himself, but he still doubts himself when it counts!” The scenery shifted again as the Anarchist appeared once again.

“You!” Lee pointed at him with a drawn sword.

“No matter how highly you think of yourself, even in this state of psychosis, you still know you can’t win!” Evan dropped his hand sign; this time he would get his hands dirty.

The Anarchist charged at Lee from the front, and Evan ran at him from behind. The Anarchist drew his giant sword, ready to impale Lee, and Evan manifested an identical sword.

“Stop compensating with that giant sword!” Lee blasted the Anarchist with lightning, dirt, snow, and blood blasted up into the air, before the blood disappeared. It was a decoy.

The real Anarchist appeared behind Lee, and stabbed him through the back in tandem with Evan. With two giant swords impaling Lee, the fight was over,

“So be it, you wouldn’t have turned against your brother anyways. Showing him your corpse should help my plan anyways.” Evan didn’t want to kill Lee but had planned on it.

“You call this a killing blow? ‘Tis nothing!” Lee elbowed Evan in the face, sending him flying into a tree.

“Weaklings of your stature could never harm me!” Lee cackled as lightning blasted from the sky, striking himself and the Anarchist.

“I have shed blood, sweat, and tears in training for a whole month! You will not defeat me! You cannot harm me! I am above you!” Lightning arced from Lee, shooting in every direction.

“Witness the power from my month of training!” Lee began to float in the air.

“The brain damage, it’s brought out his twisted sense of narcissism!” The girl created a barrier around herself to protect herself from the lightning.

“How!? Does he really think that only a month of training can make him into a God? This is beyond narcissism!” Evan’s shouts were quiet compared to the thunder in the air and Lee’s cackles.

“He’s reverted to a more primal sense of self! Lee is gone, all that remains is his ego!” the girl yelled, and she didn’t mean the magic kind.

“I am a side character no longer!” Lee cackled like he’d never cackled before.

“He is stronger in his own head! I-I’ve lost control!” Evan put his hands back together, making the same sign he made when he activated his ability. His energy surged, then vanished.

***

The terrain had changed once again, for the last time. They were back in the forest; Evan had deactivated his ability. Both men lay on the mossy floor unmoving. It was unclear how much time had passed since the battle began.

“I’ve still won……. you shouldn’t have any energy left……” Evan struggled to his feet and began to walk towards the unmoving Lee.

“….My head….” Lee began to crawl away. He was out of energy, and his head was experiencing a pain worse than anything he’d felt before.

“There’s no were to run to…...I’ll admit you gave me more of a fight than I expected, but there’s nothing you can do now….I still have more tricks in my bag…...I am going to kill you, all you can do is die.” Evan was gaining on Lee slowly but surely.

Evan limped closer as Lee pulled himself along, clawing through the dirt. Lee’s swords weren’t too far out of reach, his only hope was that he could reach them first, but it wasn’t looking likely.

“You never had a chance, Lee. You could never have defeated me.” Evan’s voice was shaky despite his confident words.

“I…..I’m not gonna reach it in time.” Lee spoke his thoughts aloud.

Lee was not going to make it to his sword before Evan reached him. Lee didn’t have the strength or energy to defend against Evan. He was going to die.

Once that realization hit Lee, he did something neither he nor Evan ever expected him to do. Something the old Lee would rather die than do.

“Ace!!! Help me!!! Ace!!!” He yelled for help.