Mei walked through the whiteness—endless and blurry. And then... she saw her.
Her Shadow.
Same figure. Same face. But the body was completely black, as if made of smoke. Her large, blood-red eyes gleamed in that emptiness.
"Isn't that... Mei?" the Shadow spoke, her voice distorted and mocking. "The little girl who can't even tie her own shoes! Hahaha!" Her laughter echoed through the empty space, eerie and menacing.
Mei clenched her fists, but kept her tone calm. "So... you're the Shadow. Honestly, I expected something... scarier."
"Without your brother?" the Shadow continued, tilting her head. "So you came here to die. You know you can't even tell left from right without him."
"Don't let it get to you," Mei thought to herself.
"I can do it without him. I can beat you on my own!" Mei said, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in her chest.
The Shadow burst into even louder laughter. "God, that's so pathetic! Remember when you begged him to walk you to the bathroom? Or when you'd wake him up at night just to pour you a glass of water? You're pathetic, Mei. Truly pathetic."
Mei looked away. She clenched her jaw so tightly it started to ache.
"Finally, a reaction," the Shadow thought, satisfied.
But then she froze.
Mei was staring straight into her eyes.
"You know what?" the Shadow whispered, leaning in closer. "You disgust me."
Mei shrugged. "Well... I can't please everyone."
"Oh? Trying to talk back to me?" the Shadow asked, then grabbed Mei by the hair and yanked her head back. "But you know deep down... you'll never beat me," she hissed maliciously. "You were so confident when you told your brother you could do it, but deep down you knew... you knew you couldn't. You're weak."
The Shadow pressed her cheek against Mei's, slowly shifting until the corner of their eyes physically touched—soft, wet skin against soft, wet skin. Mei felt her pupil twitch from the closeness.
"Because YOU... without him... don't even know how to breathe," she spat through gritted teeth, with a sneer full of contempt.
"You're too close!" Mei shouted, trying to squirm away.
"Oh really? And what are you gonna do about it? Cry?" the Shadow teased.
"This—SMACK!" Mei shouted, swinging her fist with all her strength right into the Shadow's face, aiming for the nose.
IMPACT
...But the Shadow's face didn't even move. She didn't even blink.
Mei's expression shifted instantly. Distress. Panic. Her eyes widened in fear.
"She didn't even flinch. Just how strong is she???" she thought.
The Shadow smiled. Wide. Monstrous.
"You think you're strong..." she whispered. "But without your powers... YOU. ARE. NOTHING."
In the next moment, the Shadow stepped back—then slammed her fist into Mei's face with full force.
BAM!
Mei flew backwards like a ragdoll, crashing onto the ground. The air was ripped from her lungs.
"I'm the one in charge here," the Shadow muttered, walking over and wrapping her hand around Mei's throat.
Mei grabbed her wrist, gasping for every breath. "Kgh... Khgn..." she choked, tears in her eyes, her body jerking in a desperate struggle for air.
The Shadow slowly lifted her off the ground. Just a few inches—but it was enough for the world around Mei to start spinning. Her legs dangled helplessly in the air.
She stared straight into her face—cold and merciless.
Mei's skin shifted from red, to pale white... then to a dark, sickly blue.
The Shadow's smile slowly grew. It was unnatural. Long. Dark. Twisted with pleasure.
And then—
CRACK
Like a piece of wood snapping. Mei's body jolted. Her eyes flew wide open, stretched to the brink of bursting.
Fear. Shock. Pain. It was all there—in her gaze.
The Shadow's hand squeezed even tighter.
CRACK
CRRRRCHHK... SNAP!
Something inside her shattered. Completely.
"Huh...?" drifted through Mei's mind.
And then—AN EXPLOSION!
Her neck shattered into pieces. Blood burst everywhere, like a fountain. Her head dropped from her body, hit the ground without a sound, and began to roll.
It stopped.
Facing the Shadow directly.
But... her eyes were still open.
Her body collapsed like an empty shell.
And then—silence.
"H-How... am I still... alive...?" Mei whispered. Her lips moved, even though her body no longer responded. Her voice was thin, terrified.
The Shadow stepped up to Mei's head and lifted it by the hair.
"This is a dream. Of course you can't die," she said softly—but coldly.
"D-dream...?" Mei murmured, confused, her eyes trembling.
It was true… They had drunk the potion. Entered the dream world willingly.
But dreams never feel like dreams. The body forgets, and the mind denies.
Fun fact: You can't imagine your own death.
Because if you're thinking, it means you're alive.
That's why Mei couldn't die.
"Calm down!" something inside her screamed. "What were you doing before this? How did you... get here? Remember!"
...Nothing.
She couldn't remember.
When you can't remember how you got somewhere, it usually means:
A) You're dreaming.
B) You have amnesia.
A smile crept up at the corner of her lips.
"You... shouldn't have told me that," Mei said.
The Shadow blinked, confused.
She didn't have time to react—before Mei's headless body grabbed her by the throat, locking her in a brutal chokehold.
"Ugh...!" the Shadow's eyes widened. In shock, she dropped Mei's head.
"Hehehe~" came the voice from the floor, from the head, wearing a twisted grin. "Not so smart, huh? Lucid dreaming is my specialty!"
A new, headless body—identical to Mei's original—rose from the ground. It knelt down, picked up the head... and slowly placed it back onto its shoulders.
"I-I'm the one... in charge... here!" the Shadow stammered, trying to regain composure.
Panicked, she swung her arm and struck the original body that held her, breaking free.
Black, shadowy hands burst from the ground... and dragged that old body into the void, erasing it from existence as if it had never been there.
Mei stood tall.
More confident than ever.
"We're back to the beginning," Mei said with a confident smile.
The Shadow straightened her back.
"Seems like it," she replied—summoning a sword into her hands.
The sword was black from tip to hilt, without a single glimmer of shine.
Its blade swallowed light—matte and cold—as if forged from pure darkness itself.
Its surface was smooth to the eye, but felt uneven to the touch.
Thick, heavy black smoke slithered along the blade, curling down her arm like a living thing.
The hilt was wrapped in worn black leather strips that looked aged, yet fit the weapon perfectly.
"Cool…" Mei said—just before conjuring a sword of her own.
A green blade burst to life in her hand, its edge glowing with a soft but piercing light.
Its surface was sleek, almost glass-like, with strands of light refracting along its edge at every movement.
A dense yet weightless green mist curled around the blade, pulsing in rhythm with her breath.
The hilt was coated in dark green leather, laced with shimmering threads that glowed like living veins.
The Shadow moved first.
She didn't run—she simply vanished.
Mei instinctively stepped back.
Her senses reacted before her mind did.
She raised her sword just in time—
CLANG!
Their blades collided, black and green mists merging and spiraling into the white void around them.
"This is my domain," the Shadow said, her voice disturbingly calm.
"Maybe…" Mei growled through clenched teeth. "But that won't save you from me."
Mei stepped backward—
And beneath her feet, steps of light materialized.
She ascended.
The Shadow raised her left hand.
A black pillar rose beneath her, lifting her upward like an elevator.
When they stood face-to-face—high in the air...
BOOM!
Their swords clashed again—but there was no sound.
Only an invisible pressure in their chests.
Mei vanished.
Teleported.
The Shadow turned her head—but too late.
The green sword sliced through the air by her shoulder.
No blood—only black smoke scattering in its place.
The Shadow smirked—
And spread beneath Mei's feet, trying to pull her down into the abyss.
But Mei wouldn't yield.
She summoned wings.
Like an angel's—only black.
She glided a few meters back—landing softly, ready.
"Let's end this properly," Mei said, lifting her sword.
What followed was an explosion of movement.
The strikes of their swords couldn't even be seen—only the trails of black and green smoke carved through the air around them.
And then—
The green sword slipped from Mei's hand.
It spun through the air.
Everything slowed down.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The Shadow's blade was already at her neck.
"Any last words?" the Shadow asked.
Mei's breathing was heavy.
But in her gaze—there was only one thing: satisfaction.
Her lips trembled...
And then—
She smiled.
Not sad. Not broken. But...
DEMONIC
"I... AM..."
The Shadow's eyes narrowed.
"...NUCLEAR!"
Green smoke began to rise from Mei's body—slowly.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A crackling sound—like fireworks being lit.
It started quietly...
Then grew louder.
Faster.
Fiercer.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A green flame, laced with black particles, exploded outward in every direction—devouring everything.
The entire world trembled.
In a fraction of a second, the shockwave engulfed both Mei and the Shadow.
They disappeared—
Into a sea of light and smoke.