Reincarnated with the Chaos Authority

Lucian's stomach tightened as he stepped off the school bus, his gaze immediately drawn to the black-and-white sheriff's car parked in front of his house. The afternoon sun reflected off the windshield, making it impossible to see if anyone was inside, but he didn't need to. 

What could possibly be the problem now?

A cop car in his district meant only one thing—something bad had happened. He tried not to imagine the worst as he strode up the gravel path, his heart beating a little faster with every step. The door was slightly ajar and he went in quickly.

Inside the dimly lit sitting room, his mother sat on the only couch, her hands gripping a crumpled tissue. Sheriff Duncan's rotund figure hovered over her, his wide-brimmed hat in hand. The living room smelled of stale coffee and worry.

"What's going on?" Lucian asked, keeping his voice steady.

They both looked up at his entrance and he saw that his mother's eyes were red and puffy. "It's your brother, Luke."

He looked at them in turns to understand the gravity of the situation.

"He's missing," the sheriff said, coming to his aid. He looked exasperated as if he didn't believe what he said himself.

Lucian blinked. "Missing?"

"After you left for school, I went to check on him in your room but he wasn't there" his mother whispered. "I thought maybe he went to the store, but… he's not anywhere."

Lucian frowned. Luke, his younger brother, hadn't gone to school for the past two days because he had the flu. Though he was only twelve years old, he wasn't the type to just wander off on his own. The four years gap between them only meant that they were close. Due to the death of their father, the two boys both looked out for their mum and each other so they were quite well behaved for their age.

"Did you check the new neighbor's place?" Lucian asked.

His mother sniffled. "What?"

"That house across the street. The old Sinclair place."

She shook her head. "Why would he go there?"

Lucian exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "Because he's Luke." Because I told him not to.

Sheriff Duncan shifted. "That place is abandoned, son. Has been for years."

Lucian didn't argue. Instead, he crouched in front of his mother, taking her hands. "I'll find him," he promised.

She nodded weakly, but he could see the fear in her eyes. He frankly didn't think that the situation was bad but he was used to reassuring her. His mum was excessively paranoid and was always calling on the Sheriff for the littlest things.

Lucian didn't waste time as he grabbed his hoodie from the coat rack and went back outside. The sooner he found his brother, the sooner he'll get to rest as he was quite tired himself from the hectic day at school.

Across the road, the Sinclair house stood grand and majestic, its dark, peeling walls contrasting with the bright afternoon light. The house had been empty for as long as he could remember, and the stories about it had only grown with time. The townsfolk whispered about shadows in the windows and strange noises at night. Most recently, Luke had sworn that he had seen a family move into the house and that their son had waved at him but so far Lucian hadn't seen anything of the sort.

None of the weird spooky stories had ever bothered Lucian. Until now.

Because if Luke had ignored his warning and gone inside… then maybe the stories weren't just stories.

He crossed the street, his boots crunching against the dry leaves scattered along the cracked pavement. The front porch creaked under his weight as he stepped onto it and his hand hesitated on the door as something white on the pavement caught his eye.

A handkerchief.

There was no question that it was Luke's. He could recognize the embroidered pattern anywhere as it had been a gift from their father years back.

There was no question now as to his whereabouts so he stuffed the cloth into his pocket, reached for the door handle, and turned it.

It opened without resistance.

Inside, the house was dark. Dust floated in the air, disturbed by the faint breeze from the open door. The walls were lined with faded wallpaper, the kind that might have been pretty once. Now, they just looked old.

Lucian stepped inside, leaving the door behind him ajar as the lighting was poor and he didn't have a torch with him. The silence was deafening and he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Luke?" he called.

There was no answer except the echo of his own voice.

The wooden floor groaned beneath his feet as he moved deeper into the hallway. The light filtering through the dusty windows cast warped shadows across the walls and his instincts were screaming at him to leave the place.

Lucian froze as he saw a figure at the end of the hallway.

Just as he was about to feel relieved, he realised that the figure was too tall to be his brother. He couldn't be sure but from where he stood, he reckoned that he was around his height.

"Hello, have you seen a little boy around here?" He asked warily as he squinted his eyes to make out the features of the person.

At his words, the immobile figure suddenly started advancing forward slowly and Lucian instinctively took a step back.

"What the…What the hell is this!!!"

The boy that stepped forward had white unruly hair, deep set honey brown eyes and wore a familiar scowl.

The reason for Lucian's surprise though was that the boy looked just like him right down to the clothes he had on. His mind couldn't process looking at himself and he shook at the sight.

The other Lucian grinned. Not a smirk, not a nervous twitch of the lips—a full, wide, almost gleeful grin. His teeth gleamed white in the darkness.

Lucian's breath caught in his throat and he took a step back. His double took a step forward.

A cold, primal instinct screamed at him—Run.

He didn't.

Because he wasn't afraid.

At least, that's what he told himself.

The other Lucian raised a hand and his muscles tensed. He wasn't sure what he expected—maybe a wave, maybe another eerie smile.

Instead, his doppelgänger pulled a gun from the front pocket of his hoodie.

Lucian's stomach dropped.

The double cocked the hammer back, the click impossibly loud in the stillness.

"Hey—" Lucian started.

BANG!!!

The gun went off.

Pain erupted in his chest, white-hot and consuming and he staggered back, his vision blurring. He tried to breathe, but his lungs refused to work. The floor tilted beneath him, and he crashed onto his knees.

The other Lucian took a step closer, still smiling.

Lucian's fingers trembled as he pressed them against his chest. Warmth spread across his hoodie.

Blood.

He tried to speak but he found himself drowning in his own blood so what came out was a slight gargle.

The world spun. His heartbeat thundered in his ears and

then it slowly faded.

The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him was his own face, grinning down at him.