With his dagger soaked in blood, Johan grabs Amadeo by his hair.
Emília stops her axe millimeters away from his neck; she hesitates.
The Paragon groans, trying to escape.
Nobody knows what to do.
Suddenly the knife slides away, and a new blow is directed to Amadeo's throat. Yomi, however, blocks the attack, pale. She drives Johan away, letting the other man fall to his knees on the floor. She threatens to say something, but...
_ Heh... Who knew... _ Amadeo gets up, letting the blood paint his clothes scarlet _ Who knew that the DISGUSTING ABOMINATION was gonna get me in so much trouble!!
Like a boneless mass, he leaps to the ceiling, over Yomi's head and attacks Johan, who falls unable to contain that enormous and illogical weight. They roll on the floor as Johan tries to keep the huge jaw away from his face.
_ En!! _ Emília exclaims, as she heads towards them.
Yomi is confused, and perplexed. "Yeah... It's really a...", she thinks, composing herself. She orders her companions:
_ He's a Doppelgänger! Grade 4 threat! Marjolin, take care of Sayuri! Weimin, report to District now! Twins come with me!
Obeying, everyone engage in their new chores. Emília tries to tear the enemy apart, but he jumps again and walks on the walls, showing his carnivorous teeth. With sounds of broken bones and torn flesh, he transforms...
_ Have you ever seen a Ganger in its true form?! _ His voice becomes gloomier _ No!! Nobody lives to tell!
He escapes into the ventilation ducts, leaving a red ooze wherever he goes. Emília checks on Johan: Huge cuts in his trunk and arms; one of his hands was practically crushed; his eyes are teary nonstop.
_ I'm not as good as Amadeo, but I won't let you die!
She performs simple cures to control the bleeding. Johan grunts. The Dokkaebi pair investigates the ventilation openings. Yomi rests her ear on the walls, and slams it with her fist. She informs:
_ He went down. Dae-Ho, look for Amadeo; he must be somewhere inside the fort. Chun-Ho, we're gonna lock him up...
_ H-How do you know the boy is alive?! He's a Doppelgänger! He must have eaten the ki-...
_ No! _ Yomi exclaims _ The quality of the copy is higher the more of the person's blood or meat is consumed. Amadeo's copy was... flawed. _ She looks at Johan, who agrees _ He wasn't eaten just yet, but until we know where he-...
A roar fills everyone's ears. Stubborn, Johan gets up. Emília tries to hold him back, but... she knows that look: A mix of regret for not stabbing the enemy harder, and a desire for revenge for his own wounds and for the suffering of others.
They then split up: Dae-Ho goes to the underground; Emília and Johan use the main staircase to reach the 2nd floor, while Chun-Ho and Yomi go down the side exits to the ground floor...
The terror continues as soon as the Paragon turns the next corner: She finds Weimin pressed to the ground, submissive to the creature with long, long red claws, who laughs. She charges against the monster, but the Xiezhi is used as a shield, and the woman stops.
Then, Weimin is thrown at Chun-Ho. The Doppelgänger takes advantage of the impact to tear off one of the plates from the wall and destroy the lights.
At that moment, the illumination of the fort cease completely.
The metallic noises are confusing. Some are stomps from inside the ventilations. Sayuri's voice echoes from the upper floor:
CITEȘTI
Three Spheres
FantezieAmadeo is 20 years old young man, with a sword attached to his waist and an insatiable desire for freedom... The burden of his title, and the weight of his cape don't let him forget such destiny that he never chose. However, what he doesn't know is...
