I'm in Marvel 11

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***

I was faced with a choice. Theoretically, I could personally defeat the Japanese and end it all. But I'm not a very good fighter right now. The torture, injury, and subsequent partial transformation into a Distortion had taken a serious toll on my health. The second option was to pull off getting E.G.O. from Mum and Aki. Of course, I wouldn't want to shine any light on my abilities at this point, but harsh times call for harsh decisions.

The second option was more preferable also because I generally agreed with what the doppelganger said. Simply becoming strong is not enough. The hardest thing is to keep your loved ones safe. And getting them superpowers would give me more peace of mind. Besides, now is the best time. Both Mum and Aki are not in the best psychological state, which is the main problem in awakening the power of their minds. I don't want to make them have a nervous breakdown in the future, right? And the time when I can awaken E.G.O. bypassing this condition is still to come. 

Here's what I'm going to do. I'll move into Aki and Mum's mental space where they can make their own choices. I think that would be the best solution.

Now I had to use the first ability of my E.G.O.. Using Light, moved my mind into the girl's inner world. I still maintained the acceleration of consciousness, as the real world was counting in seconds.

After successfully completing the procedure, I pulled Aki into her subconscious. The girl was stunned by this abrupt change of scenery and tried to come to her senses for a while. After giving her time to do so, I decided to examine Aki's inner world. I was curious to see what he looked like.

Most of the space was a blinding white colour. The sky and the ground were almost completely white, except for black blotches of ink. The girl and I found ourselves in a small square, surrounded by many traditional Japanese-style houses. Their colours also included black and white, which seemed to have been swapped. I especially liked the all-white shrubs and other vegetation. Also, if you looked closely, the place where we were was as if drawn and thickly outlined in black. It looked very interesting.

Apparently, the blotches that appeared in random places were a reflection of Aki's emotions. They could change size in one direction or another, vaporise or move to another place. But as I had time to notice, disappearing was rare. Most of the time they grew larger, and after a while they threatened to swallow up the entire space.

- Kai? What's going on? Where are they?! 

- Don't worry. They won't bother us here.

- Yeah? All right, then. Stop! You're hurt! - Aki said and ran up to me, putting her palms on my chest.

- What are you doing? - I asked the girl curiously.

- Trying to heal you! Is that why all these subtle manipulations are so complicated! Xo! 

- Calm down, we're not in the real world, so there's no way to cure me.

- Where? Hmm, I didn't notice at first, but this place looks like our clan's mansion in Japan. And it looks like it's drawn with calligraphy ink," she said, turning her head 360 degrees. When she noticed the nearest black spot, she poked at it with her finger, inevitably smearing it. What a reckless girl. - And then there's these blots. What the hell is that?

- It's your inner world, mental space and so on. From what I've seen, it must be different for everyone. And the blots are a reflection of your state of mind. And by the way, we can take our time, as time passes much faster here.

- Hmm, is that it? I see. Although I guess it's no wonder I've got a bit of a painted look about me. My mum's got a problem with calligraphy! And the blotches, I'm always leaving them behind when I carelessly write hieroglyphics. They are the embodiment of everything I hate! Oh, how much ink I've wasted in my time! Supposedly, these classes were supposed to calm me down and instil more discipline! Pfft! - Aki said expressively, apparently mimicking her mother, and snorted contemptuously at the end, showing her attitude towards the whole thing. 

- You can't beat a red Oni like you with calligraphy," I told her with a chuckle.

- Wo-wo!" said Aki, puffing up proudly, but realising what I had said, she squinted suspiciously. - Okay, stop. You...!

- How are you recovering a little?

- Yeah... Thank you," Aki replied with a slightly cheerful expression.

- That's good. Now it's time to choose.

- Choose what? - The girl asked perplexed.

- Tell me Aki, do you trust me?

- Um, why do you ask that all of a sudden? - Aki asked with a commissar's squint.

- Just say yes or no.

- 'Yes,' the girl replied without a second thought. Wow. This is nice.

- There's an opportunity to gain power. But it's not certain. It all depends on you. That's why I'm here.

- Oh, yeah. How did you do that? - tilting her head, the girl asked. - According to you, it's my subconscious.

- With the help of this," he said, showing the medallion.

- Hmm, beautiful," Aki gave her verdict, coming closer and examining the locket. - Is it some kind of magical artefact?

- No. It's exactly the power I told you about.

- Am I going to have one of those? - Aki asked enthusiastically. - Can I have a red one?

- You'll have something different. I don't know what it is. 

- Then let's get started! - Aki exclaimed cheerfully.

- There's a problem. It doesn't just happen. It's only when you're emotionally disturbed that you can gain E.G.O.. At least for the moment. And the awakening itself carries risks. If you fail, the effects on your mind and body could be nightmarish," Aki said, deciding to hurt her a little.

If things go badly, we can try to roll it back, take away the Light, and clean up Aki's memory. I can't do the latter, but there are technologies that can do more than that. There were two problems. Even though I knew how to act, I had no experience. Besides, now my physical and mental condition leaves much to be desired, which increases the risks of such a serious operation. The second problem was that I didn't know if it was possible to try to awaken the E.G.O. again. At the same time, there was still a need for a certain emotional state. At least for the moment.

But there was an upside. The distortion was not unsolvable. With the help of a good psychologist who knows what he or she is up against, it is possible to bring a person out of this state. That way, together with my abilities, it would be possible to help the individual even in very neglected cases. If she agrees, the risk is not very high. In the worst case scenario, I will either prevent my friend from being distorted to the end, or I will try to bring her back to normal. Although, of course, it's not worth it. Becoming distorted is not like changing your hair. It's an extremely dangerous condition for both the subject and others.

- I'm the reason you and Mum are in this situation, and if there's a way to fix it, I'll do it, no matter what the consequences," Aki said firmly.

- Are you sure? It's very dangerous. If you refuse, I understand.

- I'm ready! Come on, what's there to do? - asked her friend, dancing on the spot with impatience.

- Prepare yourself mentally. You have to show your will, not to give in to the temptation to take the easier path and give up. 

I grabbed the medallion and focused on the Light within me. Separating a part of it, I directed it at the girl. 

- A star called the sun!

Visually, light flashed around me, which later enveloped Aki. The girl on the other hand, judging by her face, had a few seconds of pleasant emotions, came to her senses and asked a question:

- Wow, that feels cool. And what's next?

- And now you'll see.

While the Light was flowing into her, I watched a shadow form a little to the side, which apparently would be Aki's experience. It looked similar to what I had seen before, the only difference being that it had a feminine shape. But the shadow was just as black, with no distinguishing features other than silver eyes, as mine.

- Well, well, well, well. Oh, my goodness. Hello Kai. I see you're feeling well, for a man with a hole in his chest! - Aki's shadow said sarcastically. I like her already.

- Hello to you, too. You know, for real men, a hole in the chest is not a judgement! - I proudly answered her, deciding to fool around a bit. What's up? Just a few minutes ago, I was getting ready to die. I have the right.

- Heh, I'll know. But we'll talk about it later, when Aki accepts herself and finds harmony.

- Aren't you a little too sure? - I asked the shadow with interest.

- Just right," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

- Well, well, well! I'm already in harmony with myself! So give me that ego, or whatever it is!

- E.G.O.," I clarified.

- Nerd," Aki and her shadow replied in two voices. 

- No way! You'll do your best!

- You'll be fine, mate," the girl's doppelganger continued, addressing her. - And what you're saying isn't even an embellishment, it's a lie, Aki-chan. Who are you trying to deceive? Me? I'm part of you!

- I don't know what you mean! - Aki said, frowning.

- Oh, do I? Hmm, shall we tell our bro about the Prediction? - The shadow asked, emphasising the last word in a special way. - Will you do it or will I? You choose!

- ... Я. Kyle," the girl said and turned to me. She looked more serious and sad at the same time than ever before. - Shortly before I was born, a monk in Japan made a prediction. It was very confusing and I wasn't told the exact wording. Only the main points were relayed. It was clear that the next child born into the Igarashi clan would contribute to the destruction of the Ruki clan. Or rather, it would have a good chance of doing so. That man's prophecies had already been fulfilled, so they were taken seriously. 

- And the child from the prophecy is probably you," I said, after the girl had stopped talking.

- Yes... As soon as I was born, my father and his three wives and five children died. Mum was the only one left, as she was told to save herself. The relatives covered the withdrawal, dying in the process. After that, the Hand, not counting their losses attacked our clan many times, trying to get to me. Two dozen more of my relatives were killed. In the end, it was decided to go to the United States, where the Hand is not so strong. During that time, without the distraction of my defence, the clan would have exsanguinated those creatures, and I would be able to go back afterwards.

- Which is exactly what happened.

- Yeah. Except the Hand kept coming back again and again, so we decided to join forces with some people. There's these guys called the Pure Ones, I think one of them's in New York right now. At the clan council, they suggested we go to the US again for safety and to find allies. But this time the bastards decided not to wait and strike while we're separated from our own," Aki said dejectedly. It was unusual to see her like this. I even thought it wasn't in her factory specs. 

- Yeah. It's a horrible story," I could only say.

- That's true," the shadow interjected. - And the ninjas killed everyone they could reach, including our friends, out of a desire to hurt. You're probably the only one left.

- That's not a happy prospect.

- Which is why you should find your true power and destroy the Hand! - a shadowy voice spoke up. - Every last one of them! Look what they did just because of the words of an old man! If this is the fate we were foretold, then we must go through to the end so that all sacrifices are not in vain! What Kai said is nothing. He's afraid, that's why he refused this gift of fate! I can feel it! 

And Aki hesitated. On the one hand, her desire for strength to carry out her revenge. On the other, it seemed to be power too, but would it be as great? It's hard to doubt the words of someone whose emotions you can clearly feel. It was very familiar to me.

In addition, as I noticed, black and white metal began to appear all over her body. But most of all on her arms and legs. Apparently, she was beginning to warp. And from the look on her face, it wasn't a pleasant process. A japanese policeman! I was hoping that this stubborn, sheep-like girl would instantly get an E.G.O. and go out to smash ninjutsu!

- Look at the faces of the dead! Remember the massacre two years ago! - said the shadow, and Aki shuddered as if struck by a blow. - Do you really want a repeat! Sooner or later their attempts will bear fruit, and you will die! And it'll be good if it's you and not Mum, one of the old men or Kai!

At those words, all of Aki's cheer evaporated. I know her, she's got a lot of willpower. But that fool just won't fight for her own sanity! What a problem girl!

- This situation is because of us! Because of a fucking prediction! Accept yourself and then you'll have the power to wipe the Hand off the face of the Earth! Now we have a real chance to end the enemy that's been trying to destroy Igarashi for hundreds of years! After that, it's that bastard monk's turn! We'll gut him like a fish for his goddamn prophecy! 

And judging by the fact that the metal on one of her hands was already forming a spiked glove, Aki liked this development. I can't blame her for that. I don't know what I'd do to someone who spent my whole life killing people I cared about. Blood for blood would probably be the least I'd wish for. And I wouldn't forgive that fortune teller, either.

Except I don't want Aki to give in. I may be able to roll it back, but I doubt it'll have any effect on the girl in the end. 

- Listen to Aki. I understand that sometimes giving in seems like a more tempting idea, but are you sure that's what you want? Not revenge, but admitting you lost without even trying? You can get revenge without turning into the Warp. For that matter, I'll help you, since it's personal now. But answer one question. After this, will you really still be the Aki I knew and loved?

- Don't interfere Kai! - The shadow was indignant. - It's her choice! She has to come to it on her own! The wrong answer will make her unhappy! You must realise that yourself!

- All of it! - I said with my hands in the air. - I'll shut up! I wasn't trying to force an answer on Aki. I just added a few variables to make it easier to answer. Do you think I'm capable of evil towards my bro?

- ... I don't think so," the shadow replied calmly. - But don't bother us any more. We'll have to work this out ourselves.

- Whatever you say.

- So what's your answer Aki?

- I...' the girl said raising her lowered head and with a serious face continued. - I refuse! I'm not some weakling and I can take these kono-yaro myself! No more of my loved ones will die! And now, as soon as we come to our senses, if you Kyle can hold them off a little longer, I can free myself and use all the energy I have to defeat them! You can do that with your ego or whatever it is.

- I think I'm strong enough for that," I answered her with a smile. I like Aki better like this. 

- And you're willing to give up what you want most? Freedom from the stupid traditions of the clan, people, and even fate itself, for the sake of...? For what, exactly? For some bullshit? - The shadow asked unhappily.

- I just don't want to give up," Aki replied with a wide grin, her fangs flashing like a vampire.

- How could I have forgotten about our stubbornness? It's all your fault Kai! - said the shadow, pointing a finger accusingly at me. - Why did you get involved?

- Because the Aki that I know will break through any obstacle with her cast-iron forehead. And it pains me to see her lose a part of herself," I told her with a smile.

- Oh, you were a bore, and you're still a bore! You don't want to say it properly, you're just being a bore, you know! - The shadow was indignant.

- That's right," Aki agreed, nodding her head. - That's what Kai's all about. If he can be annoying, he'll do it!

- No way! - I was indignant. - It's obvious, you Aki, even Distortion can't stop you from talking about my boringness!

- Aha-ha-ha-ha! - Both the girl and the shadow laughed in two voices. What a bunch of lads.

Meanwhile, the metal began to come off Aki's body, remaining on her arms, covering her forearms and on her legs up to her knees. It looked very beautiful in my opinion. The E.G.O. on his arms, which was exactly what it was, consisted of metal strips with spikes at the elbow, a gauntlet with pointed fingers, intricately assembled from the strips. The lower part had fewer spikes, but the design was the same. Black metal covering the leg from knee to toe in strips. The kneecap was also not solid, but something told me that the durability did not suffer at all. All in all, it was stylish and aggressive. It fit Aki just right.

- Oh, Aki, you're stupid. Instead of spreading your wings and taking off, you clipped them yourself," her shadow said sadly, starting to evaporate. - And all because of unnecessary stubbornness in this situation. I should have given in to the urge to kill instead of controlling it. To dive into emotions and make them your strength. Because that's what we want. So why limit yourself to little? Because sooner or later, your loved ones will die in your arms again for lack of power. And then you'll only get worse. 

- I'll be Aki's support since I influenced her choice. Sleep well.

- I hope so, Kyle. And look, you promised! If you fail, I will reappear and kick your arse! - said the shadow, almost melting away.

- I'll keep that in mind," he replied seriously.

- I'm not going to lose any more loved ones. The hand will fall and all the dead will be avenged," Aki said to her shadow.

- Good. I will wait for your triumph.

And with those words, the shadow disintegrated, merging with her friend's inner world.

- You did well not to give up. When you started to Warp, I was afraid that the Aki I knew would change and drown in her despair. But you were able to come to your senses. Now I love you. Now I praise you! - I finished by quoting Moydodor.

- Hoo! Have you fallen in love with your mate?! - Aki asked with a snide smirk, partially concealed by her gauntlet. At this point, she resembled her mum. She too liked to ask provocative questions and get a kick out of it.

- 'Of course Aki,' he answered her, stepping closer, putting his arm around her waist and whispering in her ear. - I love you. Like my bro. What did you think?

- Y-yeah, nothing," the girl replied, blushing slightly.

- Okay, jokes aside. Aki, what can your E.G.O. do? And by the way, what are you going to call it?

- What am I going to call it? Hmm... Oh I got it! The Millennium Crushers! - said the girl with a proud pout.

- "What a cool name," she said, only able to reply.

- As for the abilities, then... Hmm, how can I explain it better? - Aki asked herself thoughtfully. - In a nutshell! My gloves and greaves have four modes! The first one is red!

And as if on cue, her gauntlets and greaves turned black and red.

- In this mode, I do a lot of physical damage. Next is white.

Now the E.G.O. has shifted the balance to white, with a little speck of black.

- This way I can hit the mind, energy body, and all sorts of incorporeal entities. Next black.

The gauntlets and greaves are now completely black.

- In this mode, I can deal combined physical and mental damage. One last thing. 

Aki's E.G.O. kind of discoloured this time, and I realised what it was like. In the Lobotomy Corporation game, there were four types of damage. And they were also differentiated by colour. Red, white, black and pale. Sort of a reference to the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The last colour stood for Death and was the most dangerous damage type, dealing monstrous percentage damage to both mind and body. Reality is not a game, so even I wonder how it would be implemented here.The girl, on the other hand, landed several blows on the imaginary enemy, and at that moment I felt a danger that I had never felt before. I barely had the will to stay where I was and not bounce away from Aki like the plague. It was really scary.

- This is what I call the Void mode. Everything my ego comes in contact with will be erased," the girl said calmly.

- E.G.O.," Aki corrected her, thinking about what she had said. - Can you explain it more precisely?

- I can't be more precise. I'm telling you, everything I hit will be turned into nothing. That's the Void. Only something with many times the power will stand. I'm also getting stronger, tougher and faster with the real-world manifestation of gauntlets and greaves. Also, at the moment, I can't use the fourth mode often or for long. It's really taking a toll on my health. By the way, how do I know that? - Aki asked puzzled.

- The E.G.O. user learns all the details of his power as soon as it is formed," replied the girl, pondering her words. Her friend's last mode didn't look much like Death damage. Very interesting. Most likely her worldview or something is involved. - You know what, Aki. I don't envy you.

- Yeah? Okay.

- No, no, no, you don't understand. I don't envy you," I said, looking her straight in the eye.

- Oh, yeah? Okay. You're not jealous, right?

- That's right. I don't envy you. Not at all.

- Good," Aki said, trying not to laugh. - I think I'm starting to understand.

- Are you sure? - I asked the girl a question. - I'm just saying that...

- You're not jealous," Aki finished for me with a poker face.

- That's right. But if anything, I...

- 'Yeah, yeah,' the girl said, nodding. - 'You are most definitely not jealous.

- No, I'm not. You got that right, mate. Oh, come on. With that kind of power, we can win.

- Yeah," Aki said cheerfully. - By the way, what does your E.G.O. do?! Is it strong?!

- Well. Let's just say it's not really for fighting. At least not right now," I told her evasively.

- Come on, tell your most important friend! Or are you shy? - Aki asked snidely, elbowing me in the side.

- What's that all of a sudden?! All right, all right, all right. Anyway, a star called the Sun can manipulate Light, all its derivatives, and is capable of generating this substance from the surrounding energy.

- Cool, but what is this "Light"? Is that what you pumped into me? It was so hot that it went through my entire body, from the tips of my hair to my toes! - Aki said with pleasure, stroking her body. And I felt hot for some reason. - I felt better than ever after that, and I wouldn't mind another bite.

- Ha-ha-ha! That sounded ambiguous, you know," I said, trying to keep the fantasy at bay.

- Why is that? - Aki asked perplexed. - 'Although... Shit, man, you've reduced everything to sex?

- Not me, you! Maybe that's not what I meant. And for that matter, you should think about what you're saying and how you're saying it," she replied indignantly. - Well, back to the Light, I'll tell you about it later.

- Can you elaborate on the manipulation and so on?

- In a nutshell, I can control other people's E.G.O.'s through the Light. Anomalies and Distortions. Switch them on, switch them off, block them from working. In the future, it may be possible to reproduce their effects. But that won't make much sense, because by then I'll be able to determine reality myself," Aki said. - But that won't be for a long time and only after a lot of training. And the scale probably won't be very large.

- That's cool. What are Anomalies?

- They're the spawn of people's nightmares.

-And the name? Does it mean anything?

- Oh, yes! It does to people in the CIS. It's the title of a song sung by Victoria Tsoi, which partly fits in with what happened. If you're interested, I'll tell you more about it later. 

- Okay. Shall we go kill those three bitches then? - said the girl, but immediately frowned. - Shit, what are we going to do about your wound Kai?! 

- If they didn't throw away Mum's purse, there's a vial of green coloured liquid in there. It can heal a lot of things," I told her.

- Yeah? What kind of liquid is that? 

- A vial of regeneration. 

- What if those snakes threw the bag away? I'll try to heal you, but I'm not good at that sort of thing. If we get out of this mess, I'll definitely start treating Kee! - Aki assured me.

- Then we'll have to call security from the house with those vials. Okay, whatever. Attack after I blind the killers.

- Okay," the girl said impatiently.

- Okay, I'm going to try to awaken Mum's E.G.O. now. It'll only take a second for you. All right, be ready.

- Okay! - Aki replied in anticipation and smirked predatorily.

I, on the other hand, concentrated and found my mum's mind. I couldn't do all the things telepaths could do, but I could sense emotions and desires and work with them in some ways. It was all about Light, Anomalies, E.G.O.'s and Distortions. And naturally, the mind of a mother watching her wounded son is different from the anticipatory or cold minds of professional killers.

Again that sense of transition between mental spaces. This time, we were on top of a small, forested mountain, which allowed me to see the entire surrounding area. There was a vast forest on all sides, with two volcanoes visible behind us. If it weren't for the negative emotions that permeated everything around me, this place could be called beautiful. 

The volcano above was already spewing, if you could apply that word to the inner world, a gigantic amount of ash and lava into the atmosphere, making even the sky turn orange. The one below was just beginning its eruption. I would characterise what was happening as a burning to the ground hatred. I didn't think Mum was capable of such evil emotion. 

- W-what? Where am I?" Mum asked confused, not noticing me and looking at her inner world.

- We're inside your mind, Mum.

- Kyle?! - she exclaimed when she found me and immediately ran closer, gently probing me with her hands. - Oh, Goddess, how are you feeling?! You've been shot!

- I'm fine, for now," I said in as confident a tone as I could muster, hugging her. - Calm down. We're in your inner world.

- What? What are you talking about? - Mum asked, frowning, bewildered.

- We're inside your mind, so I'm not in danger of dying yet. We're here for one reason. I'd like to make you stronger.

- I don't understand what's going on, but I hope you'll explain later! - Mum said, running her hands over her face with force.

- Of course I will. That's what I was going to do. Now to the point. I have the ability to make a person stronger. It's to protect you from such incidents in the future.

- I don't know how to fight... - Mum said confusedly, but immediately clenched her fists with determination and continued. - But I'll learn if I have to! What should I do?!

- Wait a bit. The thing is, you can't get this power just like that. Only by gathering all your willpower can you remain yourself. If you fail, you'll change, even though you'll gain more power.

- ...Will I change completely?

- I don't think so. More like partially.

- Then it's fine," Mum said with a smile, running her palm over my face. - Even if there's a quarter of me left, I'll keep the most important thing. It's my feelings for you, baby. You are everything to me.

What a woman! How can she embarrass me with one sentence at that age?!

- I'm not a baby! I'm taller than you, Mum, you know! - I resent that.

- Ha-ha-ha! - Mum laughed in relief and continued. - You don't change! Never liked the way I call you baby! 

- Oh, come on. Well, what?

- Go ahead," she said firmly.

- All right. Get ready.

Mum nodded and exhaled noisily. At that moment, I separated the Light from myself and directed it toward the woman. During this procedure, her tense face first changed to one of surprise and then to one of peace.

And as in Aki's case, the shadow of her mother began to manifest. She looked at me, nodded and turned to herself.

- So, Emma, what are you planning to do?

- Who are you?" Mum asked a little scared. But when she looked at me and saw no sign of panic, she calmed down. - What do you mean?

- A copy of a person's mind appears as a result of the Light's influence during a strong emotional shock," I began to explain. - It was the same with me. In essence, it's you too, but with a slightly different understanding of the world, if I may say so.

- That's right, kid," the shadow said approvingly, coming closer. 

- And that one, too," I grumbled.

- And I'll ask you again. What are you going to do? You've been useless. Now these things are going to stab you and watch you slowly die. What could you do to prevent that?

- ...Nothing," Mum said lost.

- That's right. All these years, ever since the first attack on the shop where you were, you've been secretly afraid for Kyle's life. And after that junkie attack, you decided to move into a mansion with plenty of security. You put a good guard on your son. And yet some other japanese women came along and decided to kill you as witnesses. Admit it, there's nothing you can do! 

Mum's skin started to turn red at this time. So far on the left side of her body. It was definitely Distortion. The plague! Are they all in cahoots or what?! 

- If you stop resisting, you'll have the power to wipe out anyone! You can sense that I only want what's best for Kyle. - said the shadow, coming right up to my mum. - You're afraid of losing yourself, but that's not going to happen! You'll only be reborn stronger, and no one will ever be able to hurt our son again. Isn't it worth it?!

- It is," Mum said without thinking. 

- It's the right decision! Once you accept yourself, you can take revenge on all of them and show them all your hatred! They'll know what Hell on Earth is like! Let's torture them with our Hate! - Gesturing vigorously, the shadow said in a voice full of anger.

After that, the Distortion began to take over Mum's body several times faster. So we must intervene before it's too late.

- Mum, listen," I said, and after waiting for her and the shadow to look at me, I continued. - It's really hard to put all my feelings into words and... You know what though? I can fit it into one sentence. I've never regretted that you're my mum. I just want you to know that. And you don't have to change, because I'm stronger now. You probably heard me, but I needed that so I wouldn't worry about your safety. So you don't have to change for the sake of great power. 

- Son... Do you despise me? - the shadow asked tensely.

- Oh, those women! You love to make up stories! No, of course not. How could I despise my mum? I just don't think hate should be overdone," he replied, smiling strainedly.

- Oh, Kyle! - A shadow with silver tears on her face exclaimed, literally teleporting over and hugging me with the strength of a bear.

- I'm so glad you're my son! - said Mum, hugging me from the other side.

Meanwhile, the Distortion began to fade from her skin. But it did not disappear, but travelled down her body until it was on the ground in the form of a red stain. In addition, the shadow did not begin to disintegrate as in the cases before, but began to merge with this puddle. Now I don't get it, what is that?

- Well, since Emma's made her decision, and Kyle's been good to me, I don't think we should go to sleep," the shadow said, gradually shrinking.

I watched it carefully, trying to figure out what was going on. The shadow, having disappeared completely, began to emerge from the red puddle, as if from water. She herself looked like her mother, except her skin was light and dark red in colour. Her body was split about equally into those shades. Silver coloured eyes burned on her face. The shadow's black coloured hair was as long as the middle of her back and fluttered as if in the breeze. Her body was covered by a black T-shirt and shorts, and a chain with a piece of jewellery hung around her neck.

I definitely couldn't figure out what it was, because it felt very strange.

- Mum, what is this?

- I didn't want to dissolve into Emma's mind, wanting to help you personally, and she didn't mind. That's what happened," the shadow said, waving her hands.

It didn't get any clearer. Well, at least the volcanic eruption had stopped, so Mum's mind was returning to normal. And she's formed an E.G.O., which is a good thing.

- What can you do now?

- I'm very strong. I can beat you to a pulp or grab you and you can't escape my embrace," the shadow explained proudly, floating in the air. - I also have the ability of Love, which I got from Emma. When I hug someone, I can let them feel all my love. And if he or she still has something light in his or her soul, the enemy is likely to stop doing evil. And my ability Hate allows me to take away my enemies' strength, weakening them and strengthening me. Love gives, and Hate dries up and takes away. In fact, just so there's no confusion, call me Mama-Lyn, son. It's short for Love and Hate.

What's that mean? I've got two mums now? It's probably better than two dads, though. And there's a lot of people in this world who live and breathe like that. I'll be like America Chavez.

- That's interesting. Your E.G.O. has become intelligent through a shadow personality. What's more, it's gained powers of distortion. Amazing," I said with admiration. - I didn't even think it was possible!

- Yuck! Yeah, I'm not to be trifled with! We'll kick everyone's heels if we have to! - Mum said proudly, standing up in a strangely familiar pose. With her left hand resting on her half-bent thigh and her right hand pulling her jacket aside. Combined with the E.G.O., it was suggestive.

- Exactly! - Mama-Lin echoed, also hovering in an interesting pose. She folded her fingers into the sign of the goat, bending her arms at the elbows, the right one up and the left one down. As she did so, the shadow sagged back, giving me a very, very hot view. 

- Is This a JoJo Reference?

- What are you talking about? - Mum asked puzzled.

- Just my own kid stuff.

Actually, it turns out that Mum balances out her shadow, which is why they've formed such a symbiosis. At least that's the only explanation. It's also probably because of the way I feel about Lin. On the other hand, Mum will be better protected, which is a plus. 

And it seems to me that Lin won't do anything cruel, and her cruelty will be damped down by Mum's kindness. Just have to check their current capabilities.

- So, mums, heh, can you hold off a ninja who wants to hurt you? 

- Easily. I can kill them all! - Lin said bloodthirstily.

- Not all of them. Just take out the closest one. Aki will do the rest.

- Whatever you say Kyle," agreed Mum.

- Then the signal will be a flash that will blind the Japanese. 

- Okay," Lin answered for the two of them.

With a final nod, I left Mum's subconscious and entered my own. Now we have to go outside. It's time to take out those ninjutsu.

It took me a few seconds to be outside, to see Mum and Aki's faces change as they finished shouting. 

- Why did you guys stop talking? - The ninja in charge asked.

- It's just that you've already lost. It's time! - I shouted, savagely using the Light to blind the assassins.

- Orrra! - roared Aki, displaying E.G.O., breaking the bonds and taking down the white-haired ninja with a single blow.

- Ghaa!

- Wha...?! - was the only thing the spun-up main had time to say when Aki's gauntlet hit her with the force of a rushing armoured train. It flew into the wall, leaving dents in the wall. I'm even surprised the ninja in charge was left in one piece after that. - Aki!

- Die! - exclaimed the one who was the most silent and tried to chop off her mum's head. - H-how?!

Except Lin, with an evil smile, grabbed her hand with her blade, preventing her from injuring her mum. Next she squeezed the assassin's throat and lifted her into the air, causing her to wheeze and wriggle, trying to break free of the invisible creature's grip. After twitching some more, the ninja passed out. Dropping her to the floor, Lin immediately turned her gaze to me.

- Kyle! - She flew over to me and quickly severed the ropes.

- We need to find my mum's bag of chiponosis! - I wheezed, feeling the blood flowing.

- Right! The ampoule of the drug was in my purse! Aki, we need to find the black purse labelled...!

- No, I can heal Kai with my powers! You better try to find the bag yourself! - Aki objected, running up to me after checking all the assassins.

- Okay!

What happened next, I didn't hear anymore as I was busy keeping myself alive. Using the ability to control Light, I tried to heal myself while helping Aki. I naturally didn't have much experience, so I decided to do what she did. Eventually we managed to hold out until my mum arrived, who stuck an ampoule in my chest.

- Aaah! - I raised my voice as the liquid began to return me to perfect shape.

- What's wrong, my boy?! - Mum asked, startled.

- Y-yes, it's okay, it just feels weird. I'm alive and I'm not going to die. You can exhale," I told them with a tired smile. 

As if on cue, all three ladies exhaled in relief and hugged each other. I don't know how they didn't crush me, but having passed the test with honour, I asked them a question.

- So, we won and even survived. What do we do now? 

- We should call Mum! - Aki said.

- And our security! Kate should come here with the guys for protection!

- Except those bitches threw my phone away! - Aki was outraged.

- Mine too," Mum said with a sigh. - They left only the documents from my purse, my wallet, my chiponosis and some other little things.

- They must have mobile phones. We'll just have to look for them.

That was the deal. We didn't find them at the killers themselves, but on the ground floor, above the basement, there were the phones we needed, along with other things. We also found out where we were. The place was in Midtown, near Hell's Kitchen. That's ironic. The Hand is, as I recall, an enemy of Daredevil.

As soon as the phones were found, Mum called the head of our security, who as it turned out, had already been knocked off her feet and wanted to involve everyone she could in the search. After calming the woman down and telling her our current address, we began to wait for the cavalry to arrive. Aki called her mum too, telling her where to come. Finally, after checking on the prisoners once more, we sat down to rest. I guess we deserved it.

***

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