my other self
It was daytime...
The sun's rays filtered relentlessly through the thin curtain, causing him a sharp pain that felt like it was splitting his head in two.
The light was like tiny needles piercing his eyes, intensifying the disorientation and discomfort that enveloped him.
Not understanding what was happening, she tried to sit up, but her body protested every movement. Her muscles felt strange, as if they didn't belong to her. It was then that she realized she was lying on the cold floor of her room.
The awkward position and the hardness of the floor had tensed his muscles during the hours he was unconscious, explaining the stiffness and pain he felt throughout his body.
Suddenly, like an avalanche, memories of the previous day flooded her mind. She remembered testing whether she had powers when a mysterious, bright, and blinding light appeared. That was the end of her memory.
Without understanding what had happened.
— Nghhhh ...
A rather cute moan of pain escaped from her mouth.
She froze completely. A chill ran down her spine.
He, a man who had always had a deep, masculine voice, had just emitted an undeniably feminine sound.
The revelation hit him like a bucket of cold water, leaving him paralyzed for several seconds while his mind tried to process what had happened.
Thinking that perhaps it was a hallucination caused by the blow, the tiredness or even a side effect of that mysterious light, he decided to do a more concrete test.
She cleared her throat, feeling a strange sensation in her vocal cords.
—Testing, 1, 2, 3...
The words left her lips and her heart skipped a beat.
The voice that emerged wasn't his own: it was soft, melodious, and definitely feminine. There was no trace of his usual masculine tone.
Instead, he heard a voice that could very well belong to a young woman.
Panic began to settle in his chest as the reality of his situation took shape.
—WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?
He screamed with his new high-pitched voice, but to his horror, another identical voice echoed in unison, as if someone were mocking him with a perfect imitation.
With the grace of a rusty robot, he turned his head so slowly you could almost hear the imaginary creaking of his neck. His eyes followed the source of that second voice: his bed.
And there, reclining as if she were on the cover of a modeling magazine (if models posed wrapped in wrinkled sheets), he found a young woman who looked like she'd stepped straight out of one of those anime he loved to watch. Hair as black as night, eyes so deep blue they seemed to contain entire galaxies, with violet flecks that defied the logic of human genetics.
The only thing that preserved the girl's modesty was her Avengers sheet (which now felt terribly out of place), strategically wrapped around her body as if she had practiced that pose in front of the mirror.
David wore an expression that was a unique blend of confusion, astonishment, and existential panic. To his growing bewilderment, the mysterious girl replicated the exact same expression, down to the smallest detail.
If someone had been filming, I would have sworn it was a perfectly rehearsed mime scene.
—This has to be a joke...
He thought.
And she decided to ask the most obvious question.
-Who are you?
And as if in a poorly coordinated comedy, they both uttered exactly the same words at the same time, with the same intonation, the same volume, and even the same slight tremor in their voices.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed, as their brains tried to process the situation.
At that moment, something strange happened. An indescribable sensation washed over him, as if an electric current coursed through his body. He could feel a deep and inexplicable connection with the young woman before him, almost as if their minds were intertwined. And then, most disconcertingly: for a brief instant, he could see through her eyes, contemplating himself from her perspective.
What he saw left him stunned. A blonde girl with red eyes lay on the floor, her gray sweatshirt now far too large for her new, delicate figure, the sleeves covering her hands and the fabric hanging down to her thighs like a dress.
The revelation struck him like a bolt of lightning. The mysterious light from the day before, the experiment to discover his powers… it all suddenly made sense. His power had awakened, but not in the way he expected.
All I could do was curse silently.
For some reason, his newly awakened power had transformed him into two individuals and, to top it all off, into girls.
Trying to understand what was happening, David stared at his hands for what seemed like an eternity, turning them over as if he had discovered a new toy.
—My hands look like they're in a cream commercial!
he exclaimed with a mixture of horror and fascination.
—And the nails! Does this power even do manicures?
she murmured as she examined her perfectly formed nails.
When he tried to stand up, he stumbled because he wasn't used to his new center of gravity.
—Woah ! Who put these… these… new front accessories on ?
she stammered, referring to her new bust, as she tried to keep her balance.
Her other version in bed wasn't in any better shape. The dark-haired girl was trying to untangle herself from the Avengers sheets, only to end up even more tangled up.
—Thor, Captain America, whoever, help!
She screamed while struggling with the sheets, only to realize how ridiculous she sounded with her new melodious voice.
—Ha! You look ridiculous.
the blonde scoffed, only to immediately trip over her own feet and land on her backside.
—Ouch! These new… attributes affect the balance.
—Do you know what the worst part is?
said the dark-haired woman, finally freeing herself from the sheets.
—We look like anime characters now! Look at me! I have black hair and blue eyes!
—At least you look normal ! I look like a shoujo protagonist with this wavy blonde hair and red eyes!
the other one protested, trying to blow a stray lock of hair away from her face.
After several minutes of stumbling, complaining, and nervous laughter, they finally looked at each other seriously.
—Well, we need names.
said the blonde, trying to sound serious but failing miserably as she continued to struggle with her unruly lock of hair.
—It could be Sue, like your name.
suggested the dark-haired woman, recalling her studies of mythology.
You know, by the sun god… although with that hair you look more like a Super Saiyan.
—Hey !
Protested the now named Sue, but then she smiled.
Well, then you'll be Chia . By the moon goddess... although with that straight hair you look more like Sailor Mars.
—Did we just make anime references to each other to deal with this absurd situation?
Chia asked , raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
-Yeah…
Sue replied, finally giving in with her unruly lock of hair.
But hey, if we're going to have an existential crisis, let's at least make it fun, right?
—I suppose you're right
Chia sighed .
—Although I have to admit, of all the possible existential crises,
becoming two pretty girls was not on my list of possibilities.
—At least we didn't turn into a strange creature.
Chia joked .
—This is ridiculous.
Sue muttered as she tried to keep her balance for the umpteenth time.
—It's like someone changed all the settings in my body without giving me the instruction manual.
Chia , who had been watching thoughtfully, finally asked:
—Don't you find that strange? A power that only turns us into two pretty girls. There must be something more... no power would be so specific.
Sue stopped mid-stumble, considering her counterpart's words.
—You're right. It's like having a state-of-the-art smartphone and only using it to make calls. There must be more features we haven't discovered yet.
-Exact
Chia nodded .
—Hey, Chia
Sue said after her tenth failed attempt to walk in a straight line.
What do you advise? I feel like a seasick duck here.
Chia sat thoughtfully for a moment, still sitting on the bed. She had a theory, but first she wanted to experiment with how her new center of gravity worked in order to give Sue a better answer.
She began to move slowly from the bed, the sheets sliding down her body.
Just as she was about to stand up, Sue let out a scream and covered her eyes.
—For heaven's sake, cover yourself! You're not wearing any clothes!
Chia looked down and realized that, indeed, the Avengers sheets were all that covered her. A deep blush spread across her cheeks as she wrapped herself more tightly in the fabric.
—You're right! I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Sue, still with one hand over her eyes, went to the closet, stumbling only once in the process, and pulled out a black sweatshirt similar to the one she was wearing.
—Here, put this on!
Chia gratefully accepted the sweatshirt and quickly put it on. The fabric felt strangely rough against her bare skin, reminding her that she wasn't wearing underwear.
Despite being technically dressed, she felt naked, the sweatshirt rubbing disconcertingly against her body with every movement.
—This is... awkward.
he murmured, nervously tugging at the hem of his sweatshirt.
Don't we have anything else I can put underneath?
—We have nothing that can be of use.
Sue sighed, checking the closet.
—All our clothes are boys' clothes. And we don't even have proper underwear.
—Do you mean we'll have to...?
Chia blushed intensely.
—Yes, we'll have to put up with this until we can buy some clothes. At least the sweatshirts are long enough to cover us.
Sue replied, trying to maintain a practical tone despite the situation.
-Brilliant.
Chia muttered sarcastically, nervously adjusting her sweatshirt.
—Simply brilliant.
After letting out a long sigh, Chia finally managed to stand up.
His first steps were hesitant, as if he were learning to walk again.
After several minutes of practice, an idea began to form in his mind.
—I think I know what the problem is.
he said as he moved more confidently around the room.
—Our brain hasn't been able to adapt to such a drastic change in our physiology. It's like trying to drive a new car without first familiarizing ourselves with it.
—When we overthink every movement, our brain conflicts with our original body memory. But if we let our subconscious take over...
As if to prove her point, Chia took a few fluid steps around the room, moving with a natural grace she hadn't shown before.
—Adaptation is faster when we don't overanalyze every movement. Our brain is incredibly adaptable; it just needs a little time and less conscious interference.
Sue blinked, processing the advice. It was so obvious she wanted to facepalm. She'd been so focused on every move, every step, that she'd been overthinking everything.
— Huh
He murmured, consciously relaxing his muscles. To his surprise, his next step was perfectly steady.
It worked! I don't look like a baby giraffe anymore!
Chia let out a melodious giggle that sounded like wind chimes.
—Baby giraffe? That's a pretty accurate description of what you looked like.
Sue frowned, her red eyes flashing with irritation.
—Very funny. But getting back to the important stuff...
He crossed his arms, adopting a more serious posture.
—We need to figure out what we can do. It can't just be... this.
-Good
Chia responded , controlling her amusement and adopting a more serious tone.
— Let's test the basic skills of anime.
Sue said, rubbing her hands together.
—You know, super strength, speed, flying...
-Oh really?
Chia asked skeptically.
Perhaps we should start with something less... dangerous.
—Oh, come on! What's the worst that could happen?
—Break all our bones?
Chia replied curtly
—Okay, let's start with something simpler.
Sue granted.
How about super strength?
Sue approached the bed and tried to lift it. To her surprise (and disappointment), the bed remained firmly on the floor.
—Well, that's a no for super strength.
he murmured, shaking his aching arms.
Chia , meanwhile, tried to concentrate to see if she could sense any kind of mystical energy or power.
—I don't feel anything like ki or chakra .
he reported after a moment.
-Although...
He stopped, frowning as he stared at a water bottle on the desk. To his surprise, the bottle wobbled slightly.
—Sue! I think I can move things with my mind!
Sue turned around so fast she almost fell.
—Really? Let me try!
Both of them concentrated on the bottle, but after several minutes of intense mental effort—and some rather comical facial expressions—the bottle remained completely still.
"Maybe I imagined it, " Chia sighed , disappointed.
—Or maybe each one has different skills.
Sue suggested. She closed her eyes and began jumping in place.
—Transformation! Change! Metamorphosis!
Nothing happened.
-Oh really?
Chia asked , raising an eyebrow.
—Did you expect it to work just by shouting random words?
— Hey , it works in anime.
Sue defended herself, crossing her arms.
—Although... now that I think about it, maybe we should focus on why we split up in the first place. There must be a reason why we're specifically two people.
-You're right.
Chia nodded .
—And we should also think about how to get back to normal... if we want to.
—Don't you want to go back to normal?
Sue asked, surprised.
Chia shrugged.
—I'm just saying we should consider all possibilities. Besides, who's to say this isn't some kind of... evolution or something?
Suddenly, Chia opened her eyes with an expression of realization.
—Perhaps, instead of trying to copy powers from anime, we should try something more... intuitive.
he said as he sat on the floor with his legs crossed.
Sue watched her with curiosity.
—What do you have in mind?
-I'm not sure.
—Chia replied , nervously adjusting her sweatshirt.
But I feel there's something here, something we're overlooking.
She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. This time, instead of forcing something specific, she let her intuition guide her. She conjured up images of deep darkness, the penetrating cold of a winter night, shadows dancing in the moonlight.
Chia 's hands .
Slowly, a sphere of pure darkness began to materialize before her, hovering a few inches above the ground. The air around her turned instantly frigid. Tiny ice crystals began to form on the floor, spreading in a circular pattern.
—This is incredible!
"Oh!" exclaimed Sue, approaching to examine the sphere more closely. Despite the ice forming on the ground, neither of them seemed affected by the intense cold.
Chia reached out towards the sphere, feeling the dark energy pulse as if it had a life of its own.
—It's like...
He murmured, watching her with fascination, as if he had always known how to do this, only not in the right way.
The sphere responded to her movements, expanding and contracting as she directed her concentration. The ice on the ground spread, creating increasingly elaborate crystalline patterns.
—This is amazing!
Sue moved even closer, her red eyes shining with excitement.
—The way you control that thing... it's like it's a natural extension of yourself.
Chia nodded, without taking her eyes off her creation.
—It feels... right. Like this is the way it was always meant to be.
—My turn!
Sue exclaimed excitedly, stepping back a little to make room.
While Sue prepared for her own experiment, Chia continued to explore the limits of her newfound power, fascinated by each new manifestation of darkness and ice.
Sue closed her eyes and focused. Instead of forcing anything specific, she allowed her emotions to flow naturally. She thought about the summer heat, the warmth of the sun on her skin, the vibrant energy coursing through her body.
Suddenly, she felt a tingling in her palms. When she opened her eyes, tiny golden sparks danced between her fingers, like fireflies of pure light.
The sparks coalesced, forming a sphere of golden fire that floated gently above her hands. The light it emitted was intense but not blinding, bathing the entire room in a warm and comforting glow.
—I did it!
Sue exclaimed with a radiant smile, as the sphere pulsed to the rhythm of her excitement.
-It's lovely!
Unlike the cold of Chia 's sphere , this one radiated a pleasant warmth, like the sun's embrace on a spring afternoon. The shadows in the room receded before its golden light, creating a spectacle of dancing light and shadow on the walls.
