"Don't fight it" That woman's words ring once more in my head as the nauseating pain subsides once more.

The room is dark and am drenched in cold sweat. The tiny source that is providing some lumination is from a single candle across the room from the table.

The clothes are sticking to my skin but I can't bring myself to peel them off. Am in exhausted pain.

The bed ripples a bit as Emmeline shifts to be more comfortable. We have been at this for hours and we are both exhausted but this is just painful for her to watch.

"She won't leave." His voice rings clear in my ears as he chuckles a bit bemused. I have come to accept the fact that I am crazy.

After all this happening around me I guess I finally broke when I decided to go back home. I thought if I left I would stop seeing the apparition. But obviously am being haunted by myself and I can't outrun that. He is relentless.

"Once again, it is insulting when you call me a ghost." His voice flattens out a bit in mock anger. I don't know what's more frustrating, him looking so much like me or always knowing what am thinking like he is a mind reader.

I turn my head ever so slightly as my neck muscles protest to look at my mirror image lying besides me on the huge bed. I scowl at him.

It started with that archway, that is when I first saw him. As the white flames engulfed me. Then when we were with the fae, in my dreams. I could have lived with that but once the orb of blue disappeared into me, that broke me. I can't be calm. I can't ignore the fact I see him....well the Goddess did too the moment we arrived.

The constant dreams have plagued me of a life I had never lived that somehow I had lived.
Seeing him around me constantly talking to me. I hid it from everyone that I see the apparition of Ahmad for a while now but that woman just had to make it apparent to Emmeline. How tiring.

I remember the vast desire I had to wrap myself around Emmeline the first time I saw her stepping out of that jeep. How I longed to hold her in my arms and breathe her in. I thought I was nuts but she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid my eyes on it was overwhelming.

My staggering desire to always be near her, protect her, be her companion, be everything she'll ever need just kept growing strongly and steadily ever since.

And when I held her it felt right even if somehow I knew those compelled actions were not mine but I still knew I needed to be by her side. It was always Ahmad. This wretched.....thing besides me.

"Now that's just rude man"
He sounds hurt but I don't care. I want him gone.

"Go away" I shout at him more but he just smiles as always. His happiness must have been infectious. His dark eyes beam with joy.

"let me in" He insists once more.

"No" My head splits pounding like my brain wants to crack through my skull. I can't help the pained groan that escapes me as I perspire heavily.

"Karim" Emmeline's gentle voice rings out her small yet beautiful hands place a cold cloth on my forehead. I welcome the temporary relief. Supernatural fevers are something I'd never wish on the devil himself.

"Just breathe Karim. You'll be alright." Her hands gently massage my forehead. Something warm splatters on my face. And another. Her tears. She is being a real trooper. But I find myself at a loss. My heart is breaking for her.

"You love her. I love her. So much" He doesn't need to rub in my feelings more. I don't even know when it started. But it grew more everytime we spent time together. The world is beautiful with her view in it.

If I don't take him in, I die. But If I do, I don't know what I'll be. What will I become? Will I still be myself? He is not a ghost, just a remnant but still, I don't know what I'll become and it scares the brains out of me.

He sits up and gives me a concerned look.
"You are fading really fast, just like me."

"Maybe it's for the best" My hoarse voice is aimed at him. Emmeline would do anything to see him. Sadly am stuck with him in my vision.

"Am just a remnant of energy and I have little time and so do you, so just embrace me"
His dark eyes bleed into mine. My heart falters a bit. I bet nobody ever denied this guy.

"No" I cough and taste metal in my mouth. But I'll deny him albeit we are the same. He knows how this will play out. But am saddened by the thought of never seeing Thea again. My best friend.

"It doesn't have to be like that you know." He blinks at me.

"It does if I won't be myself with you." I turn to my side to expel the blood that is chocking me as I cough violently.
Emmeline's silence speaks volumes. She wipes my mouth.

"Okay I have had enough of this. Let me take you on a trip." He stands up no more like floats up at least that's what it looks like in my current deranged state. He reaches towards me his hands grabbing mine. They are cold but they warm up instantly.

We stand facing each other in the dark room. I feel light some how. I actually feel good with no death fever at all.

"You couldn't do that sooner?"
He grins at me his dark eyes twinkling with humour. What's he playing at? I don't trust him.

"I had to get past your defenses, wait till you weakened" He shrugs his eyes still twinkling. How can he express so much in those dark eyes? He must have been interesting if his remnant behaves like this.

"How did you do that though? Emmeline may......" The wind is knocked out of me as I swallow my words. I take a step closer to see myself lying on the bed looking completely lifeless my head still on Emmeline's lap. It takes me a moment to realize the noise filling the room is me screaming.

"You killed me? Put me back in there." I move closer to my pale body but somehow I can't get back in. I try touching Emmeline but there seems to be a barrier between us.

"She can't touch or hear you. There's a barrier between the dead and alive."
His voice takes a bitter edge. I look at Emmeline cradling my head and staring at me intently. I turn back to him.

"How did you get to me then?" I shout at him. It's not like anyone can hear us. It doesn't make sense.

"The gate in the archway forged the first connection into us, like literally burnt away the barrier because we are each other in a sense. It bind us."

"How about before that? When I first saw Emmeline? Those feelings......"

"Oh yes, somehow you are attuned into my feelings, like a big antenna just like I to you. It goes both ways."
He chuckles at himself clearly proud.
"But the connection solidified when you absorbed my memories, it's how you can see me. Now if you don't accept me, the memories and my energy will burn your mind and kill you. The battle as your brain is trying to expel me as a foreign substance, you can't survive that."

"Put me back in there and watch me. Atleast I die trying."
I am going to introduce him to my fist. Will he feel anything?

"I can't do that, I have to show you first."

Somehow I prefer the former as I make my way to where he is standing murderous intent very clear in my..... well where my beating heart should be. He takes a few steps back to put more space between us.

Am going to pummel him till he puts me back in my body. How could he even do it in the first place?

"Technically you are not dead. I merely attracted your energy to mine like a magnet. Something of a soul if you will"
He raises both his hands.
"Just consider it and intermission on my side. I want to show you something."

"After you are done showing me you'll put me back?" I feel tired. But he is insisting so I guess I'll humour him.

"Cross my heart" Somehow am skeptical as I look at his devilish smile which contain traces of honesty too.

"Alright am yours for now." What does he want to show me so badly anyway?

"My life" My head whips up. Is he joking?

"I have been practically seen your life playing out in my head every second of the day."
So he has nothing. I already know he had a really good life.

"But my memories are missing a key factor for your decision."
He muses.

"And what is that factor?"

"Feelings. Emotions. I want you to be me for a minute, experience what it was like being me."
He closes the space in between us in a blink of an eye softly tapping my forehead in the process. I stumble back and fall into the emptiness of nothing flailing wildly.
I hit something soft opening my eyes in the process. Am in bed. Somehow it is my bed but not mine either. I sit up and the Nier buzzes on her pale face kindly smiling at me.

Somehow this feels familiar.
"Your breakfast will be ready in a few notes sir. I have the bath running for you and your uniform ready."
She bows as her hologram disappears. I smile at myself and jump out of bed excitedly.

Suddenly am at what looks like a school. A group of girls is around me giggling softly as I compliment each of them taking care not to offend them. They are all lovely doves after all.

I listen as Carrie talks about her new buddy bot her parents gifted her as her dark eyes twinkle with glee and pride at being the center of attention today. I love my private school.

I turn around as the bell rings and am in the car a huge holographic screen in front of me. Mother and Father are smiling at me. I know that they'll be a few weeks more but I miss them every passing note. I have no real friends even if everyone adores me. I wave my hand and the screen disappears as I gaze out the window.

Am standing over a heap of bodies. It's all my dead friends if I can call them that. My school uniform jacket is ripped and am dazed. Monsters are crawling everywhere. The buildings are just crumbling and vanishing. It's chaos everywhere and am frozen.

I hear dying screams. A fail safe protocol of some sort is in place. But I can't bring myself to move. I won't make it even if I try.

"Hey you, where is the nearest vanishing point?" A girl in a different uniform but equally tattered jacket carrying a machete bursts around the corner from where am standing with five others in tow.

Her long dark hair is dyed at the tips in pink. She must be going to a public highschool. We look around the same age but we must be different somehow.

"Hey you? Am talking to you" She strides to me and shakes me her accent a bit thick her voice laced with despair. I hear growls getting close. She momentarily looks back before turning to me again.

"We are all going to die."
My voice is cynical and crazed as a maniacal laugh rips through me. She glares at me.

My cheek is flaming hot as my ear splits momentarily ringing as her palm almost sends my head flying. She slaps me so hard that I lose my bearings but jump out of my sickened trance.

"I'll show you." Is all I can manage as she grabs my hand and we run creating space between us and the monsters pursuing us.

The ground trembles as everything is being swallowed up. I grab on to the crystal necklace that the silent woman gives everyone who makes it through under the Emerald archway.

A man comes with two teenagers drenched in black blood in tow and shoves them in. They are handed crystal necklaces but the woman momentarily pauses and asks the man something. He shakes his head absently staring into the chaos he just came from looking intent on something.

They take out necklaces and show the woman. She shakes her head and moves on. The man leaves them after giving them hugs saying something inaudible and runs back into everyone's nightmare. The girl chokes on a sob as the boy clings to her his dark eyes wide and huge.

I am staring at my reflection in the pond feeling forlorn. Training is hard. My fingers are blistering constantly and my hands chaffed. And pink haired girl keeps ignoring me. My life is hell. But in this place I have made my first real friends in life so it's not a lonely hell.

I watch the extensive blue sky. I don't care if it's real or not. As long as I have Emmy by my side. Everything is cheery, I have a new found purpose in life. That is to win her heart.

The spells around the arena will be completed today and the demons and monster won't be able to break out in masses like previously. Finally we can take a break from hunting.

I sigh and look at the red skies. Our world was completely wiped out. Atomic bombs and nuclear weapons couldn't even scratch the demons maybe a little bit effective again minor monsters. Am glad the secret siren help with effective weapons.

The night sky is beautiful but not as beautiful as Emmy besides me. Her small smile makes my survival worth it. She is not only my saviour and first real friend but also my first girlfriend. Mother and father would like her if they were still alive. Watching the night sky cast stars into her dark eyes is the world to me.

I gasp looking at the expansive red sky. I feel numb. I can't feel my legs but then again, they aren't there. The pain faded but I don't know how long it's been since I was lying here. It was supposed to be a light patrol today. I wasn't heavily armed for combat.

The demon tore me in to two. They set an elaborate trap. I guess I should have been more careful. She is going to be mad at me. She is going to kill me but I see her face in the non existent stars in this sky and I can feel it. I must go to her. I can feel her love lifting me as everything fades away.

I am asleep. But I can't help but frown at the constant disturbance. Am aware of it and somehow it's drawing me to it. I don't want to open my eyes but somehow am forced to by the nagging disturbance. I finally rouse into full clarity as I stare at her jump out of a Jeep. I want to go to her immediately. But I can't. I can't touch her. There's something keeping me away from her.

Instead he goes to her as if on cue and takes her hand. I realize he is the prescence that woke me up. Am drawn to him. He is me.

I gasp as I look around. Am back in the bedroom. Ahmad is staring at me blankly. I can't read his poker face.

"I woke you. It felt like I was everywhere and nowhere, in a vast ocean but not drowning. Asleep yet awake, at peace yet restless. Is that what death was like for you?" I gasp loudly. I feel like I just ran a triathlon in a minute. He doesn't say a thing. His gaze just penetrates me.

"Both of us are running out of time, make a choice Karim, we become one or nothing."
His arms are folded against his chest.

"Your entire life literally just flashed right before my eyes. But forgive me if I want to see more, I have questions."
I argue.

"Tik tok Karim" He motions with a finger.

"But I won't be me Ahmad. Am sorry." My greatest fear yet, losing myself.

"You'll be yourself and you will be me, we shall be one, individual parts of an entity."

"You can't expect me to believe that" It is too good to be true. I feel like am being conned.

"Weren't we one in the memories?" He takes a step closer to me.

"Yes but"

"But what Karim? You will have my knowledge, my skills, everything to aid you in helping Thea and everyone in their quest. You'll be improved."

"Will you be in my head? Speaking to me, influencing my every thought?"
He makes a good argument though. So far his skills have been useful.

"Not exactly. I will become you, and you me. I won't speak because we shall be one, we'll be doing everything as one"

"But still, I don't fully understand how this works"
He sighs.

"Think of it like this. A person's soul or conciousness keeps on living even after death and all it needs is a vessel or a host to return to. You are mine Karim and the chances of that ever happening again are non. That's why you woke me."
His dark eyes momentarily flit to my body.

"You are making it sound like possession now."
I don't want to be his host.

"You have less than five minutes before we both take an eternal slumber we shall never wake from. Stop being ridiculously stubborn."

I feel backed into a corner but then I don't want to sleep after experiencing what it is in his memory and his feelings are honest so I guess from what he says I have nothing to lose but much to gain.

"Yes. I accept you to become one with me." I know I shall regret this but I would regret dying more. There are fates worse than death and his is one of them. Being invisible to the people you love the most and being powerless to protect them. The agony of watching their suffering.

He smiles and walks up to me. He takes both my hands in his and kisses me. But before I object and smack him into oblivion am flooded with everything.

Everything he has ever felt in his life, all he has ever known and done and I feel it settling in me. More accurately I feel him merging with me with excruciating pain becoming me and I him.

"Oh God" I sit up and gasp breathing deeply. Am back in my own meat suit. I examine myself. I feel alive as I touch myself. I don't feel sick but fulfilled and different somehow.

The walls are trembling though. There is a humm in the air. I turn to look at her.
"Emmy" I crush her in a hug. I want to feel every inch of her. It is our wish. Our thoughts one.

She relaxes against me sobbing so softly. I wonder how she ever weilded a machete. She is too gentle. I guess the fear of death can turn a bunny into a wolf.

"What should I call you?"
She asks wiping her tears and sniffing heavily. Good point. I feel like myself but at the same time not quite. But atleast I know it's me.

"Karim though he is in here somewhere too, or rather he is me."
Am not sure I entirely understand this concept. I should shut up before I start babbling and confuse her.

"What did you do to her you asshole?" Jake's voice rings outside as loud as day.

"What did you do to my sister Thoren answer me? You broke more than her heart. What did you do you bastard, what did you do to Athena?" His voice carries right over outside the room.

"Go away Jake. Leave now." Thoren's voice rings out flatly. So unlike him. No hints of mockery at all.

I have to get there if Thea is in context. I stand up swiftly with Emmy in tow holding my hand for support but I don't need any. I feel great. I marvel at how well I can balance now.

There is a commotion rising outside and we rush to open the door. The corridor is softly lit up with candles from the chandeliers.

Thoren is holding Jake by the neck holding a dagger in one hand. Jake's struggles are fruitless as Thoren has a firm grip. They are both fast but Thoren is superior holding the upper hand. I have to stop them.

All I was going to say and do eludes me and what I let out is a silent scream as Thoren buries the dagger in Jake's heart.

A piercing scream of agony sounds behind me resonating through the air making the air cackle with blue electricity. Spectators gather with horror plastered over their faces. Artemis and Thea who is in Shen's arms are clutching their chests.

"Am sorry." Is all Thoren says as he jumps into a gaping portal behind him with a smiling laden who embraces him.

Thea erupts in white flames I have never seen before. Shen hurriedly but gently puts her down as she burns him.

Artemis and Thea rush to Jake who is bleeding out. They cradle him as Thea uses her healing on him but his eyes don't open.

I hear her screaming, begging him to open his eyes from the spot am rooted but he doesn't. It feels like am shrouded in film and invisible watching this. I don't feel like am here.

She let's out a blood curdling scream that chills my spine as her hair turns a darker shade of blood red. I involuntarily take a step back. I feel like I don't know the girl in front of me. She looks like Thea but feels different. Less Thea more dark.

Artemis opens a portal that swallows both of her siblings taking them to God knows where leaving all the onlookers dazed with fear of what the twins would do. Reality settles in as I finally catch up with screams and chaos breaking out in the hall.

And I did nothing to stop it.