When he opened his eyes... he realized he wasn't in the infirmary.
Heck, he didn't think he was even on Deus anymore.

... Wait. Just what was this place?
The place was pitch black, barely any source of light was present save for the pocket holes of light protruding from the sky.
The death trainee squinted, trying to make out his surrounding.
Sheesh, what a dump. If he didn't know any better, it looked like someone destroyed the place... or something.

"...Pathetic."
The voice startled him, and he spun around, trying to locate the source of the sound. What...

"Over here, dumbass."
He turned around once more, to see a dark figure staring at him, sitting on the edge of some kind of jagged debris.

A... shadow? Was this a shadowling? But... no. This was different.
Bright white accents outlined his features, tracing out what he imagined were clothes, but that wasn't what he was staring at. The figure's eyes, boring into him, were just bright white. No iris, no pupil, just... white slits.
Even more unsettling was how much the figure seemed to LOOK like him.
... just what the hell was going on?

"Hey. You just gonna sit there and gawk, or are you gonna talk?"
He even SOUNDED the same.

Jake narrowed his eyes at him, frowning.
"Who are you?"

The figure blinked, and burst out laughing.
"You find yourself in some strange unknown place, and the first thing you ask is who I am?"
Leaping off the rock, he gave the hunter a cheeky grin.
"Why, I'm you." The figure tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Or, I guess a better way to put it, is I'm a part of you."

...What?
Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut.
"So what you're saying is... you are... a past me, or... what I once was...?"
He had trouble grasping all this.

There was a slow clap, almost demeaning.
"Hmm, you're not as dim-witted as you look."
The trainee opened his eyes to see the figure smirking at him.
"You could say that. But I'm really just a part of you. A copy. A fake if you will." He gestured his hand towards the landscape behind him. "And you are in... the Shadow kingdom. Or, at least what remains of it anyways."

"Shadow... kingdom?"
"Yup, just one of the seven kingdoms."
"...Seven?"
"Red, Blue, Gold, Green, White, Violet, Black."
"And-"
"Destruction, Protection, Pride, Creation, Grief, Reflection, Revenge."
"Why is-"
"We failed to gather enough miasma, our kingdom crumbled just like Silver. Not that... it really changed anything. This place was a dump to begin with."
"Why-"
"Heck if I know why you're here. Maybe the Voice isn't done taunting us all."
"Will you STOP that?"

This was... frustrating. It was like the shadow knew everything he was going to ask, but even then, his answers only left him more confused.
He glared at the figure.
"And you. What am I supposed to call you? Jake number 2? Fake Jake? Shadow Jake?"

The figure had the gall to laugh, and smirked at him.
"In this world, I go by one name only. Chariot."
"That's a stupid name."
"At least I'm not the one asking stupid questions."

AUGH! If only he could just...

"Might not want to do that. I AM you. Unless you feel like strangling yourself."
Cheeky b*****d.

"Thoughhhhhhhhhh, if you're seeking revenge..." The shadow licked his lips, sending a chill down Jake's spine. "Why not take it on those who brought you here in the first place.?"
"Wouldn't that be YOU?"

A chuckle.
"No, I'm talking about... this."
Raising a hand, the figure placed a finger over what Jake assumed was his left eye and drew a line down his face, leaving a red mark.

"What..."
The pain was immediate, excruciating.
He winced, hissing through his teeth as he clamped a hand over his eye.
It felt like his eye was on fire. This... this was.

"Or... how about this..."
A finger drew a mark on the inside of his left arm, and then with the other hand, the shadow drew one on his right arm, near his shoulder.

Jake bit down on his lip.
It hurt. So much.

"Or..."
He took a finger, and nearly pushed it through his left shoulder, where Solia's arrow had pierced.
Biting down harder, Jake was sure there was blood trickling down his lip now.

"No? How about these..."
More marks were made on the shadow's body, torso, stomach, arms, little flurries made with his finger, marks imitating the wounds from the horsemen, from the HH incident.

Jake shuddered, arms wrapping around his body as he re-lived the strikes, the blows, the pain fresh in his mind.
"P-please... s-stop..."

"Hmm. Ah, and can't forget about this one..."
The trainee watched with a pale face as the shadow drew his hand back, not noticing the claws gleaming, protruding from the back of his wrist until he dragged the claws down over his chest.

Jake let out a cry, an agonizing scream, and slumped to the floor, panting heavily.
Though he wasn't bleeding, he felt the pain. So much pain. Each and every mark the shadow made, it hurt... a lot.
His body felt numb... every part of him did, as he gasped for breath, shuddering on the ground.

"Had enough yet?"
He heard something dripping on the ground, and Jake tried his best to angle his head, to see where it was coming from. Though the pain almost made him black out, he saw drops of something red on the ground.
... blood? Was it his?

A swift kick was delivered to his side, making him cough and roll over, staring at the sky.
"Get up."
He heard the sound of boots clinking on the floor, seeming to rest near his head.
"I said, get up."

Gritting his teeth, Jake managed to roll himself onto his chest, and used his arms to push himself up.
The pain was starting to fade, but it still lingered, and he wobbled on his feet.
When he laid eyes on the shadow again, he almost fell over.

Covered with the "marks" he made, the shadow was bleeding , blood trickling down his face, arms, body.
It was a terrifying sight. And the smell...
"Y-you..."

The shadow chuckled, blood staining his teeth.
"Why are you getting mad at me? I'm not the one who did this to you."
He spread his arms out, fully showing off each wound.
"I'm merely giving you a reminder. I'm sure you know where each one came from."

Jake only grit his teeth. All too well.
"Do you not seek revenge on them? The ones who did this to you, the ones who took... everything from you, the ones who forced you to fight, and fight, fight and kill."

The shadow sighed.
"Survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. I already made that mistake once, didn't try hard enough, took the easy way out, and in the end..."
He gestured to the broken kingdom.
"That's one mistake I won't make again. Not if I can help it."

"That... has nothing to do with me."
"No. It has everything to do with you."

The shadow narrowed his eyes.
"Do you not see? I AM you. You created me. Your anger, fear, resentment, hatred. Your desire for revenge. I am the embodiment of that."

Slipping a hand into his vest, the figure pulled out a card.
Raising it up, it shattered, and the shadows twisted, forming into a shape.
... a... horse?
The shade whinnied and snorted, pawing at the ground.
Neon green eyes seemed to stare right through him.

..."Chester?"
There was the sound of footsteps behind him, and he turned.
A young boy with pitch black hair and sclera looked back at him, neon green eyes seeming to watch him curiously.
"Chester?!"

"Ah, the whole party's here. Good."
The shadow patted the horse, and lifted a hand, the claws on his wrist dissipating and reforming into blades, that seemed to be oddly familiar.

"So, tell me, Jake. What are you fighting for?"
What? Not this again...
"Are you seeking revenge on those who made you suffer? Who took away everything from you? Are you seeking to put them out of their misery?"
Turning around to face the shadow again, Jake frowned.
"What I fight for is my own business."
Another chuckle.
"You seem to forget I AM you."
A sigh.
"I... don't know anymore."
A frown.
"Do you not seek revenge on those who made you suffer? Don't you want payback?"
"I don't know."
"What a pathetic resolve. Do you wish to die?"
"...No. I mean, I did at first. It seemed so much easier to just give up, to not care anymore, but... that would be a slap in the face to... her, after she gave her life up to protect me..."
"Then do you not want revenge against those who made her suffer?"
"I DON'T KNOW OK? I... I just don't know."
"Then what are you fighting for?"
"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T-"

He froze when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the boy shaking his head at him.
"That's enough, Jake... You have a new reason for fighting now, don't you? Didn't you have a promise to keep?"
His shoulders sagged.

The shadow seemed impatient.
"So let me ask you again. What are you fighting for?"

Taking a deep breath, Jake turned towards the shadow wearily.
"I... don't know. But I do know this. I'm not fighting for vengeance."

The shadow smiled.
"That's all I wanted to hear."
Everything around them seemed to tremble and shake, and a bright white light engulfed them.
What...

-------------------

When Jake opened his eyes, he found himself... alone.
Chester, the horse, the remains of the Shadow kingdom... gone.
Instead, in front of him...

"You..."
No longer a shadow dripping blood, he was staring at... a copy of himself. A real copy. The only difference was that his hair colour was black, what his own had once been.

"Revenge isn't always the solution. Your reasoning can always change."
The figure took several steps towards him, placing his hands on the trainee's shoulder.
"YOU can change."
"I-"
A grip on his shoulders tightened as his copy spun him around, and pushed him forward.
"Go. Show what you are capable of. It's never too late to change."

"But what about-"
"Go. You live your life, and I'll live mine. As I said... it's never too late to change."

And then, the white faded, and he was in the darkness again.