Usher was well aware that his current action was a risk upon a risk. It could be said that this was the greatest risk he should not have taken. Unfortunately, fear had driven him to desperation. There was nothing he could do, his hope was fading, and there was no way out. So here he was now-in the room of Usher.
No one else was present except the two of them. It was just them-Usher and The Past Usher, who logically were the same person.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
Usher was not going to let The Past Usher ruin the last plan he had. So, he acted immediately when he saw The Past Usher’s intention to call Garth. He quickly pushed The Past Usher against the wall, which was not difficult for him. On the contrary, it was very easy considering that The Past Usher was in a very weakened state.
However, this didn’t mean that The Past Usher would give up easily. He still tried to break free until his weakness intensified, rendering him immobile.
The Past Usher stared at Usher intently. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“You don’t need to know who I am,” Usher replied, trying to hide his voice. “Besides, I don’t want anything except to warn you about one thing.”
“Warn me about one thing?” Confusion was written all over The Past Usher’s face. “What do you mean? Warn me about what?”
Usher gripped The Past Usher’s hands tightly and spoke directly to his face. “The situation of the pack is not good. You must act quickly or everything will fall apart. The pack will be destroyed. Your family will be destroyed. You will lose everything but regret.”
The Past Usher’s eyes widened. “What did you say?” he asked, his voice shaking with disbelief. “The situation of the pack is not good.” He shook his head. “It seems I should be the one warning you not to talk nonsense.”
Usher pressed his lips tightly together. He snarled, his chest vibrating. “I am not speaking nonsense. You need to know the truth, that the pack is heading for disaster. You must know that there are people who want to destroy the Frostholm Pack.”
“W-what nonsense are you talking about?” The Past Usher swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat. He shook his head. “Nothing bad is happening to the pack. Everything is fine, and if there were anything, Garth would tell me.”
“Garth wants to. He’s tried repeatedly to report everything, but he can’t,” Usher snapped, unable to contain his anger. “Do you know why?” He grimaced, not waiting for The Past Usher to answer. “The reason is Mireya. She’s always trying to keep you and Garth apart. She doesn’t want Garth to stay at your side.”
The Past Usher was silent, completely taken aback. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Usher in disbelief. “How dare you slander Mireya. You…”
“I’m not slandering Mireya. I’m telling the truth!” Usher interrupted, groaning in despair. His emotions were on edge. His patience was running out, he was trapped by the fear that his plan would fail. “On the contrary, Mireya will slander Garth. So, I hope you won’t believe Mireya’s words. Whatever happens, never doubt Garth, or you will regret it”.
All this explanation created a whirlwind of confusion in The Past Usher’s mind. He didn’t believe it, but Usher continued.
“The only dangerous person here is Mireya. You know that everything has become chaotic since you met her. You changed, you stopped caring about Garth and the pack. You ignored everyone, and that’s not you, Usher. You would never ignore them.”
The past Usher blinked. His mouth hung open. The constriction he had felt earlier returned. He could barely breathe. “Y-you.”
“You must know one thing. Your current condition, the illness you’re suffering from, is because of Mireya. She’s poisoned you with the tea she always gives you.”
The Past Usher shook his head with difficulty. “I-impossible.”
“You don’t believe me?” Usher grimaced and, without realizing it, released his grip on The Past Usher’s wrist. Instead, he grabbed the collar of The Past Usher’s shirt. “You want proof?” He nodded repeatedly, tears in his eyes. “Look into your heart and you’ll see that you’ve lost the most important thing in your life.”
The Past Usher was silent. He didn’t understand what Usher meant. But suddenly something made him freeze.
The Past Usher’s already pale face grew even paler. Now he looked like a corpse without blood or life. For there was only emptiness inside.
The Past Usher shook his head weakly. No way.
The Past Usher’s heart was empty. His soul was hollow. His wolf spirit was dead.
The Past Usher’s roar thundered. His body slipped and fell to the ground, unstoppable by Usher. Gravity seemed to pull him into a pit of sorrow he had never felt before.
Sadness struck The Past Usher mercilessly. The heartbreaking reality hit him painfully. Finally, he realized a fact he had overlooked all this time. How could I not notice? My world is empty, everything is silent, and I feel so weak.
Tears streamed down Usher’s face. The unspoken words of regret left him powerless, his hand clenched, ready to strike the ground.
Usher caught his past self’s fist at the right moment, preventing him from hurting himself. “This is not the time to dwell on what has happened, Usher. If you don’t act now, you’ll lose even more.”
“I-I…” Usher’s past self could barely speak as the tears continued to flow, overwhelmed with grief. “How could I not see it? What am I to do now?”
“Listen to me, Usher,” Usher said, holding the face of Usher’s past self. He lifted it up so they could meet eye to eye. “First, make sure Garth is always by your side. He knows what he has to do to help you. And remember this. Garth, Mama and Vione would never betray you. So, let’s not regret this a second time.”
The sobbing of Usher’s past self stopped abruptly. His crying subsided. Another oddity made him question the irrational thoughts in his mind. He gathered strength to search for the truth.
“Tell me, what is your true purpose? Why are you doing all this?” Usher’s past self asked, holding his breath. “Who are you, really?”
Usher paused, not immediately answering his past self’s question. Instead, he stared intently. Then he spoke. “I’m doing all this so you won’t have to feel the regret I felt. I don’t want you to experience loss the way I did. So, trust me.” Then he removed the mask that covered his face. “Because I am you.”
*