[Solo] The Essence of 'Me'

He needed to think. To reflect. He even sent Soho away to hunt or do whatever he pleased. Thinking was always a risky activity for Eero, but he had to. There was so much swirling inside of his mind since that visit to the Peace Village, that his head was about to burst. He had his black jeans and jacket on, walking through the Phoenix Mountains, looking for a spot that he could stop at. Eventually he came across a small clearing that had a bunch of rocks scattered around. One of them seemed to be perfect for a sit down and Eero took the opportunity. His hands were in his jacket's pockets, trying to keep them as warm as he could. The boy didn't bother dusting the snow off of the rock and sat down. Eero sighed, a large puff of air appearing in front of his face.

Eero still wore a bandage over the right side of his face, just in case anything happened. He wanted to make sure that the injury was completely healed, before he stopped wearing bandages. No exceptions. That was yet an another reminder. Eero went through the memories his other self left him after he woke up. It seemed that he got an invitation to join the bandits. He was glad that his other self had declined that offer. Eero wasn't sure why exactly he decided not to join them, but he was thankful nonetheless. An another thing that Eero wasn't sure about was his artifact. For the sake of his sanity, he left it behind in his room. Could it really hold his lost memories? /"Maybe. Probably."/ His other self spoke up in his head. Eero didn't know why his other self did that as of late. He didn't like it. He prefered being alone in his thoughts. "What makes you say that?" The curiosity got the better of him, though. /"I feel like that whatever is missing, it's in there."/ The boy shook his head. "Then what are you?" Quiet. Eero didn't know if his other self was thinking or if he didn't want to answer the question. /"I'm you, of course."/ Came the eventual reply.

The reply made Eero feel sick. Was that other personality stuck in his mind truly him? Sure, they looked really alike, but that was because his other self took over his body. Eero had been thinking of his other self as an entity separate from his person. But there he was, saying that they are the same, one. The boy shook his head. He didn't know who he used to be, but whatever the thing was on the inside was not him. With a growl Eero stood up and stormed back to the Guild, before he froze and got stuck to the rock. So much for wanting to reflect on recent events.