NOVEL NEXT Chapter 118: Double
Snow smiled as she met Raiden's golden gaze. Just seeing her was enough to send excitement coursing through his body.
Raiden held Snow's fist tightly in his grip, but from the look on her face, it was obvious she had no intention of backing down either.
They acted as one in that moment, connected by some unspoken understanding. Raiden's punch buried itself in Snow's stomach while her fist crashed into his jaw.
Just that single blow from Raiden made Snow spit blood, yet she savored every moment. The next several minutes filled the space with the sickening sounds of brutal, bone-crushing impacts.
Raiden absorbed each brutal impact, blood streaming from his nose. Snow's relentless speed barely allowed his regeneration to function. Yet this transformed version of him savored the agony, finding euphoria in both the pain he received and the damage he dealt.
As the battle raged, Raiden's awareness sank deeper into oblivion. The physical sensations, the twisted pleasure, the agony—nothing penetrated his mental exile. His body had trapped him in absolute emptiness.
When resolve outweighs adversity, fortune follows. His persistent thoughts gradually penetrated his consciousness. Snow's strikes began reaching him even in that emptiness, each blow reverberating through his essence.
"I need to take control!" The cry emerged from his core. His body remained deaf to it, but his awareness burned on, and that was all he needed.
He started picturing himself in his current form, his body materializing within the darkness that surrounded his consciousness. Gradually, his mind regained enough clarity to think rationally.
As self-awareness returned, he looked around and started understanding his predicament. Every time he entered berserk mode, his consciousness fell into this empty space, remaining dormant while his other self carried out its violent agenda.
"I need to get back," he whispered, his head dropping forward instinctively.
A light appeared ahead, reminiscent of hope at a tunnel's end. But with each passing moment, it retreated further, marking his dwindling control.
Something felt wrong to Raiden, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. He knew he had to regain control, and Snow was doing everything she could to assist him.
He clawed at the nothingness, arms pumping and legs churning, but his efforts only accelerated his descent into the depths.
He continued battling against impossible odds, but even in this mental state, weariness began to set in. Then, through his desperation, Snow's words returned to him: maintain a calm mind and accept his berserk mode as part of his being, not merely an ability to be mastered.
His struggles ended as he lowered his head and began centering himself. At first it felt like trying to will himself to sleep, but Raiden's mind had always been his greatest weapon.
While his transformed body and Snow fought above, he turned his attention to finding his heartbeat. Mind and consciousness remained with him; his heart would be the key to reclaiming control.
He surrendered to his state and floated through the emptiness, his consciousness reaching for the core of his being. Soon, he found it, one solitary heartbeat. That single pulse connected him to Snow's strikes, and above, his berserk form froze mid-combat as its violent nature began dissolving.
Success brought a smile to Raiden's lips. He pursued the heartbeat once more, his confidence and determination amplified. The instant he reconnected, he seized hold and wouldn't let go, driving forward with everything he had.
His other self stopped mid-strike and grabbed his skull, releasing blood-curdling screams. The berserker traits began vanishing—hair returning to black, aura flickering out, and tattoos dissolving from his skin. Each shriek reached Raiden's consciousness, but the suffering belonged to something else.
Confusion creased his features as he tried to process what was happening, his eyes darting frantically under closed lids. The screams seemed too near, too immediate. His eyes snapped open, widening with sudden understanding.
He had reached the tunnel's end at last, arriving at the light he'd fought so desperately to find. Before him stood a figure that looked exactly like himself.
His hair was no longer dark but white and wild, tattoos sprawled across his hands and neck in dark patterns, and a malevolent aura surrounded him. Raiden recognized this version of himself from his visions.
He smiled as he watched his other form still screaming out. He realized that not only was his berserk form much stronger than he was, but it also had every ability he was capable of possessing.
"He's struggling. I need to make him feel at home," Raiden said with a soft smile.
Subconsciously, he reached for solid ground below his floating feet. When he found it, he started walking toward his other half.
The moment he got close enough, he looked directly into the berserker's eyes. They weren't his usual golden or gray—they were blue. Raiden ruffled his hair with a sharp smile as the pieces began falling into place.
Before him wasn't just another version of himself. Those blue eyes told him everything he needed to know; it was a blend of him and his white dragon, Ash.
The berserker dropped his hands and instinctively hurried toward Raiden, wrapping him in a tight hug. Raiden's smile only deepened as he began to pat him on the head.
"You are not alone, Ash. We can do this together." The berserker said nothing, but Raiden didn't expect anything either.
The entirety of Ash existed within him: her heart, soul, and being as the moon dragon. His berserk version was simply the protective aspect of herself that she'd shared with him. But by treating this form like a completely different person, he had caused it to doubt its own identity.
Through their embrace, Raiden became fully aware of his heartbeat, feeling how warm and gentle it was growing. As his heart grew warmer, he could sense his other self slowly merging back into him.
"You don't have to be a different person anymore, Ash. We are one, trust me." He murmured, and he could feel the berserker's warm smile echoing on his own face.
Before long, he found himself standing alone, tattoos covering his body and his white hair flickering in the dark aura that surrounded him.
He looked down at his body, torn between confusion and understanding. It only took a blink before his vision became extremely blurry. He quickly concentrated mana into his eyes, and when he opened them, a strike was already heading for his cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Ow, Snow," he said, touching his cheek. "It's me, calm down."
"Oh, much better," Snow muttered as she sank to the floor, her nose bleeding and crimson covering her lips.
"Oh, crap!" Raiden rushed toward her and wrapped her in his arms. "My attacks are quite powerful. Why did you take them head-on?"
Snow smirked. "Don't think you're the only one with healing abilities."
Raiden smiled as Snow pulled up her dark shirt, revealing bruises on her stomach that began healing before his eyes.
"Please don't tell me you don't know how to turn your transformation off either," she said, her expression shifting to concern.
Raiden glanced at his body to see all the tattoos still visible and his white hair floating behind him. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and everything slowly began fading away.
"Great, now if you want it, just set your mind to it, and it will come. Not your berserk mode though, just the transformation."
Raiden nodded subtly.
[ALERT]
[MANA SOLIDIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]
[+5XP]
[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 6: LEVEL- 55 /100 XP.]
[STAMINA: +5
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: +5
DRAGON MANA POOL: 1085/5000
SOUL OF DRAGON: +5%
HEART OF DRAGON: +5%
MOON DRAGON'S VEIN: +5%]