Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 18 Wake up the Hero!

And found you were no longer you?

If memories, thoughts and things that you say,

Were no longer true?

-

Would it be you, him, me and us?

In every move you make.

Lost lovers, past hurts, old desires,

Which life as real would you take?

-

Would you embrace them freely?

And accept not deny.

Would you let them take flight?

Like a bird to the sky?

-

What would you do if you woke up one day,

And found you were no longer you?

* * * * *

[1 minute before Linges was knocked unconscious, during the conversation with the Beastman Captain, Grand Werewolf Osborne]

In the midst of the burning heat and the pain, Lars' consciousness reeled, writhing in agony.

Thoughts, memories, experiences, emotions, sensations and so much more - everything of a person's 23 years of life flooded into his mind and soul.

Gasping, panting and shaking, Lars could barely hold on to his sense of identity. The immense explosion of information and feelings threatened to reduce his psyche to fragments; shards that could no longer be reformed.

In the midst of it, he could only hold on to his reason for living; that spurred on and fanned the flames of his will of survival.

'Moira... You must live!!!' He focused his entire being into remembering the girl he loved and who loved him back - then to his horror, even his memories of Moira began to grow blurry, beginning to be superimposed with the image of another more mature figure.

A name floated into his mind unbidden, along with a whispering voice.

'Sara...'

'NO! I shall not relinquish my identity! I am me! Miller! Knight! Larsson! And I love only MOIRA!!!'

Yet no matter how he resisted it, the images of the two women began to be overlaid one on the other.

Trying with all his might to reject it, he was stunned when he suddenly felt something entirely different. A depth of emotion so great, he was overwhelmed and lost himself for no short amount of time.

Sadness. Sorrow so deep it was like drowning in the oceans of despair; in a trench so dark he could not even see his own hands.

Heart-break; to love one for 10 years - only to find that the one you loved, who promised to wait for you, belonged forever to another.

Despite himself, he began to cry. He began to weep at his heartbreak, his tragedy of life.

'My tragedy... No! His tragedy!'

He began to see himself ('It's not me!') kneeling in the middle of the woods he knew so well ('No! I've never ever seen it!') yearning and pining for the one he loved who was not his lover.

Then it was silent. The smooth, glasses wearing and soft-faced young man kneeling in front of him looked up at him, eyes puffy from crying for two nights and a day.

"Who are you?"/ "Who are you?" They spoke at exactly the same time.

"I'm Lars."/ "I'm Mikael."

"You--"/ "You--"

"No, you go firs--"/ "You go first--"

They stopped speaking. This wasn't working.

Then the condensed consciousness persona of Mikael reached out to touch Lars, prompting him to lurch backwards in fear of losing himself to this flood of foreign thoughts and feelings. And most of all, fearing that he would lose his sense of self... And forget his love for Moira.

The intensity of the sorrow... Lars' did not know if he could bear that, and still stay "Lars"...

But Mikael smiled, assuring him.

"Lars... No... Myself." Lars raised his eyebrows, instinctively rejecting his other self's assertion that they were one and the same.

"I--" Lars began to speak, to refute his statement.

But Mikael bull-dozed through, drawing on his years of life and experience dealing with people, and leading a platoon to mould the conversation. "Lars, do you want to save Moira...?"

Lars paused, but the fire in his eyes and soul were more than enough of an answer for his older self. After all, Mikael shared a soul and body with the boy, and hence felt and experienced all the same fluctuations of emotions and passions.

But he waited; waited until Lars made the decision for himself.

Slowly, decisively, Lars nodded, then spoke. "...Will I..."

"Lose yourself...?" Mikael completed his sentence.

They were quiet for a while, lost in shared thoughts as the world of memories around them was frozen in place; waiting for its owners' decision.

From the start, they both knew. They shared even the same thoughts; it was only a matter of time, an inevitability of their personas to gravitate to one another and unite.

But there was fear, not just in Lars' heart, but also in Mikael's.

And yet, the two who were one shared more than just one thing in common.

Decisiveness and strength of will.

Lars nodded to Mikael despite not receiving the answer to his question. He knew, anyway - his other, older self did not know. And his former life's self was equally fearful; yet even more certain that there was no other way.

Lars reached out his hand to Mikael./ Mikael reached out his hand to Lars.

And as their hands touched, their images began to blur together, growing closer and merging together into a brilliant radiance. A flash of light beamed out, white-washing Lars'/ Mikael's consciousness as their two distinct memories, thoughts, emotions, lives, feelings, EVERYTHING began to blend, meld and unite.

The journey and process took long to describe, but that which occurs in the depths of consciousness merely took an instant of time.

The integration completed; the boy with two lives opened his eyes.

As he grew accustomed to the sensations of a new soul, one that was finally whole and complete, he realised many things.

He realised that more than either of them had cared to admit, they shared many things in common. Too many.

Both orphans.

Both had never fit in.

Both had capabilities and strengths that struck fear into their neighbours' hearts.

Both had to kill their hearts for the sake of the life they lived.

Both had broken hearts - though for different reasons.

Both had no luck in love.

Would that change...? Now that the two parts had come together to make a haplo - a whole unit...?

He did not know.

Who was his true love...? The one loved for 10 years, from the greater years of memories and experiences of life? Or the one loved for 3 years, but far more intensely, constantly on the knife's edge of life and death, living the fullest in every moment and day in the darkness...?

He did not know how to answer himself - his heart was not split in two. But he also *could not* split his heart and life in two anymore.

His eyes regained their focus as he heard the sounds of the fierce battle above. based on their situation of being hidden in the sewer grating, one where he knew his fellow trainee was fighting for *their* lives - including a certain girl trainee's life.

He owed the barbarous yet honourable trainee his life. He looked at Moira, lying peacefully beside him; in truth, she had no serious injuries.

They both owed their lives to the beastman boy.

He tapped into his long-dormant mana core, suppressing the great shockwave of power from rippling out; lest the emanating waves shock everyone within a kilometre away.

Then he carefully examined his body, putting to use his older self's knowledge of modern biology and younger mind's killer's understanding of human anatomy. Quickly and efficiently, he used the most appropriate amount of mana to heal himself with his grand repertoire of spells.

Finally, his eyes grew sharp with an ominous look surfacing in their depths.

"Who am I...?/ "Who am I...?" He spoke to himself.

Then he closed his eyes for a moment, before snapping them open and sitting up sharply, his head just beneath the metal grating of the sewer hole.

"The Legendary Mage..."

"...And someday Legendary Assassin..."

"Miller Knight Larsson... M. K. L."

"Mikael."

"I am me."

It was time to rescue his benefactor.

*

*

*

GAME and the ANSWER!

Someone's Mum has 4 sons, [line 1]

North, West and South. What is the name of the fourth son. [line 2]

ANSWER:

The name of the fourth son is "What".

Line 2 is NOT a question...

For those who lost, please post this following passage on your Instagram and share the link here!

"Someone's Mum has 4 sons,

North, West and South. What is the name of the fourth son.

I lost to Ierrech."

And share the link in the comments LOL!

....And prank others too ehhehe...

Chapter end