594  Closer Part 2

    Ariel''s heart raced as she watched Ra''s expression shift, a strange, unsettling grin stretching across his face.

    The aura around him had changed—something dark, something twisted radiated from him now.

    Her senses, always attuned to purity and light, were overwhelmed by the malicious energy seeping from his very being.

    It was as if she were staring at a stranger, a completely different man.

    "Ra... what''s happening to you?" Her voice trembled, fear mingling with the concern in her words.

    She reached out to touch his face again, but she hesitated, unsure whether she should.

    When she met his gaze, her divine energy twisted uncontrollably, and an overwhelming urge to flee gripped her heart. His eyes glinted with a cruelty, and he laughed softly, though there was no humor in it—just pure malevolence.

    "I am coming—" Before he could finish his words, a burst of divine energy erupted from his body.

    The evil aura surrounding him began to dissolve, vanishing under the force of his own power.

    THUD! @@@@

    He gasped for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands trembled, and doubt flashed across his face.

    Ra could feel it—the moment when he almost lost control, when the darkness nearly took over completely.

    One moment, he was consumed by malice, and the next, he was back.

    "Ra..." she whispered, her voice a mixture of relief and worry. "Are you... okay?"

    He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. "I... I almost didn''t make it... I think my old self is coming back,"

    "Old self? What do you mean?" she raised an eyebrow, confusion creasing her forehead as she tried to make sense of his words.

    Ra hesitated, looking down at the floor. This was a part of his past that he tried so hard to hide, to bury deep inside where no one could find it.

    She studied him for a moment before speaking. "How about now?"

    "Not anymore. I changed,"

    Her eyes narrowed, curiosity and skepticism battling within her. "Then just now... what happened to you?"

    Ra paused, taking a few steadying breaths as he searched for the right words. "Do you know about multiple personality disorder?" "I''ve heard of it, but I thought only humans get affected by that," He gave a small, weary smile.

    "You''d think so, right? Because our consciousness is connected more to our soul rather than our physical brain. But what I''m experiencing feels the same. " Ariel''s eyes widened with concern. "So, there''s another part of you—hidden deep within your soul?"

    "That''s my theory for now."

    "I really thought that I had outgrown my old self, that I could leave that part of me behind. But all this... all that''s happening to me now, lead me to assume that there''s another of me trying to take control." "Ra..." she whispered softly, her voice full of compassion. "Just because you''re remembering those things doesn''t mean you''re still that person."

    He shook his head, frustration creeping into his tone.

    "You saw what happened to me, right? I don''t have any explanation for that other than... me having another personality. I don''t know what else to call it."

    She placed her hand on his, offering a gentle squeeze. "Then let''s find a cure together. I''ll ask my sister— we can purify your soul."

    He looked at her, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You think that might work? Purifying my soul... could it really get rid of this darkness?"

    Ariel nodded, "Of course it will." He exhaled deeply, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. "I don''t know what I''d do without you."

    "You won''t have to," she smiled warmly "We''ll do this together. No matter what it takes."

    Her suggestion to cleanse his soul sounded logical, but they couldn''t have been more wrong.

    The darkness they wanted to destroy didn''t reside within him.

    It was a physical, terrifying presence, closing in with the intent to annihilate everything in its path.

    And the moment it discovered what happened during his absence, Ra would be at the top of its kill list.