Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 754 172.2 - Otherself

"And yet... he only sees you. Never me."

The weight of her words hit Maya like a blow to the chest. She stumbled backward, her hands clutching at the ground as the crimson aura intensified around her. It wasn't just anger radiating from her other self-it was pain, deep and unrelenting, the kind of ache that Maya herself had tried to bury for so long.

"Do you know how angering it is?!" the other Maya shouted, her voice echoing like a thunderclap in the void. The crimson veins beneath them flared, the air crackling with energy. "To exist in the shadows, to be ignored, forgotten, while you bask in his attention, his trust? You get to be seen, and heard, while I'm left to rot in the dark!" Maya's chest tightened as she struggled to breathe against the overwhelming tide of emotion crashing over her. The other's words struck at a vulnerability she hadn't fully acknowledged, a truth she had been too afraid to face. She had always felt a pull toward Astron, a connection she couldn't explain, but she had never thought about what it meant for this part of her-this darker, more instinctual side that craved recognition, even from him.

"You don't understand," Maya said, her voice trembling as she forced herself to speak. "This isn't about him. This is about us. If we-"

"Liar!" the other interrupted, her voice a venomous snarl. She lunged forward, grabbing Maya by the collar and lifting her effortlessly off the ground. Her grip was ice-cold, unrelenting, and her crimson eyes bore into Maya's with unbridled fury. "You think you can pretend he doesn't matter? You think you can hide behind your lies of strength and self-reliance, but I know the truth. You need him."

Maya gasped, her hands clawing at the other's grip, but there was no escape. The raw emotion pouring from her other self was like a tidal wave, drowning her in feelings she had tried so hard to suppress. Anger, envy, longing-they all mixed into a toxic storm that threatened to consume her.

The other's voice dropped to a cold, quiet growl. "You don't deserve someone like him. Not with the way you rely on him for everything. You only stand because of his strength, his patience, and his belief in you. And the worst part? You let it happen."

"I don't-" Maya tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. A part of her wanted to deny it, to fight back, but another part-a darker, quieter part-knew there was truth in those words. She had relied on Astron, and leaned on his strength when she couldn't find her own. She had let herself become dependent, even when she promised herself she wouldn't.

The other Maya's grip tightened, pulling her closer until their faces were mere inches apart. "I am the part of you that refuses to be weak," she hissed. "I am the part that hungers for recognition, for power. And yet, every time I try to rise, you push me back

down. You bury me, deny me, ignore me. But not anymore."

The crimson aura around them flared brighter, the entire plane trembling as if it would collapse under the weight of her fury. Maya felt the edges of her vision blur, her mind teetering on the brink of losing control.

Maya's body trembled as the suffocating weight of her other self's fury pressed down on her, unrelenting. She clawed at the invisible force crushing her chest, gasping for air, but the crimson void tightened its grip. The jagged ground beneath her feet began to crumble, pulling her downward into a swirling abyss of crimson light and shadow. "You can't even stand," the other Maya sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "You're weak, and now you'll stay buried where you belong."

The jagged tendrils of crimson light coiled around Maya's legs, dragging her further into the abyss. Her arms flailed, her breaths shallow and frantic, but the more she struggled, the deeper she sank. The oppressive aura grew heavier, darker, consuming her.

"I'm not... weak..." Maya gasped, her voice barely audible, tears welling in her eyes. But her strength was fading, her will slipping. The flicker of resolve she'd held onto was smothered under the weight of despair.

As the void swallowed her whole, her other self's laughter echoed around her, sharp and maddening. The last thing Maya saw was the glint of those piercing crimson eyes, burning into her soul, before everything went black.

Maya's eyes snapped open, her body jerking violently as she sucked in a desperate breath.

"Haaaaah... Haaaah... Haaaah..."

Her lungs burned, her chest heaving as she gulped in air, the suffocating sensation lingering like phantom hands around her throat. The crimson void was gone, replaced by the dim light of her room. She blinked rapidly, her vision blurry as the line between illusion and reality slowly unraveled.

Her trembling hands reached out, grasping at the wooden floor beneath her. It was solid, real, grounding her as she tried to steady her frantic breathing. The faint hum of mana wards still glowed faintly on the floor, a reassuring reminder of the precautions she had set in place.

She pressed her back against the wall, her head tilting upward as sweat dripped down her face and neck. Her clothes clung to her skin, soaked through as if she had just emerged from a storm. Her body felt heavy, her muscles aching, and every inch of her was drenched in sweat.

Her gaze fell to her palms, and a sharp jolt of pain shot through her. Her nails had pierced the flesh, crescent-shaped marks blooming red as small beads of blood trickled down her hands. She stared at them for a moment, detached, before the

realization hit her.

She was safe. She was back.

Her breaths slowed, though they still came in ragged bursts. The suffocating pressure of the crimson void was gone, but the weight of the encounter lingered in her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment, the laughter of her other self still echoing faintly in the back of her mind.

She clenched her fists, ignoring the sting of her injured palms. "I lost..." she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. The admission tasted bitter, but it was undeniable. She had been overpowered, consumed by the raw force of her other self's rage and pain. She had underestimated just how deep the divide within her truly ran.

But even in the defeat, there was a small ember of resolve that refused to be snuffed out. The encounter had left her shaken, and vulnerable, but it had also given her clarity. Her other self wasn't just a threat to suppress-it was a part of her, and it wouldn't be conquered through strength alone.

Maya reached for the calming elixir she had prepared earlier, her hands trembling as she uncorked it. The cool liquid soothed her throat and steadied her nerves, its effects washing over her like a balm. She set the empty vial aside and leaned her head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling as her breathing evened out.

She had survived the first step, even if barely. But the road ahead was clearer now, even if it terrified her.

The amulet, still faintly glowing, lay on the floor in front of her. She stared at it, her jaw tightening. The artifact had done its job, dragging her into the depths of her mind to face what she had buried. But the experience had revealed something even more unsettling: this side of herself....

"Those emotions that I often feel.....Those emotions that somehow feel unnatural and raw....They all are coming from her....'

Maya stared at the faintly glowing amulet on the floor, her thoughts racing. Her breathing had steadied, but the weight of her other self's words still pressed against

her mind, echoing in the quiet of her room.

"And yet... he only sees you. Never me."

She shivered, the memory of her other self's raw, maddening voice clawing at the edges of her consciousness. There was pain in those words, an ache that felt almost unbearable. But there was something else too-an unsettling clarity.

"Do you know how angering it is?!"

The anger wasn't just rage; it was rooted in longing, in a desire so fierce it bordered on obsession. Maya's fingers unconsciously brushed over the crescent-shaped wounds on her palms, her nails pressing lightly against the raw skin. The pain

grounded her, gave her something tangible to hold onto as her mind unraveled the

threads of the encounter.

"To exist in the shadows, to be ignored, forgotten, while you bask in his attention, his trust? You get to be seen, and heard, while I'm left to rot in the dark!"

The words felt like a knife, not because they were false but because they were disturbingly close to the truth. She hadn't just been suppressing her darker side-she had been ignoring it, dismissing it entirely, pretending it wasn't there. But that part of her wasn't silent, wasn't passive. It had been watching, waiting, feeding on every flicker of emotion Maya herself couldn't understand.

Her voice broke the silence as she muttered, almost to herself, "This feeling of only sensing his blood, and only connecting to his blood..." Her words hung in the air, heavy and uncertain. She clenched her fists again, ignoring the sting. "If... if she's my vampire self, my primal instincts... then it makes sense."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The realization struck her like a cold wave. Her unnatural obsession with Astron-the way her senses seemed to heighten around him, how his presence alone could steady or unsettle her-it all tied back to the part of her she'd been suppressing. It wasn't just infatuation, nor was it something as simple as admiration. It was deeper, rawer, rooted in her very essence.

Her fingers traced the edge of the amulet as she pieced it together, her thoughts

growing sharper.

"From the start," she murmured, "this connection I've felt... it wasn't entirely mine, was

it?" Her voice wavered, but her mind pressed on. "It was hers-my other self. That part of me that craves recognition, that desires to be seen."

Maya's eyes flicked to her reflection in the glass of a nearby cabinet. Her face looked pale, her hair disheveled, but her gaze burned with determination. If her other self truly was her vampiric instincts manifesting as a separate consciousness, then everything she had felt-the obsession, the heightened awareness around Astron- could be traced back to that primal part of her.

Her nails dug lightly into her palm as the memory of her other self's words echoed again. "He only sees you. Never me."

That side of her didn't just crave Astron's blood-it craved his attention, his acknowledgment. It wanted to be recognized not as a fragment of Maya but as something whole, something real. And Maya, in her denial and ignorance, had only fueled that bitterness, that resentment.

She let out a shaky breath, her mind running in circles. This wasn't just about control anymore. It wasn't just about mastering her instincts. If her other self's desires were tied to her vampiric nature, then the bond she felt with Astron was far more dangerous than she had realized.

"If I don't understand this... if I don't learn to balance it..." she whispered, her voice

trembling. The implications were clear. If she couldn't confront this part of herself fully, she might lose control entirely. And the consequences-for herself, for Astron- would be devastating.

'But the way I am right now....I can't stand to her....'

She knew this as well.

'I need to get stronger. That is the only answer.'

Until then, she needed to understand, and she needed some help.