Evolution begins with an ant colony

As Akun thrust his hand into Alternate Akun's chest, seizing his core positioned near the heart, a piercing scream of agony echoed through the space. In the midst of the torment, Alternate Akun managed to articulate, "What the hell! It hurts way too much. I don't think I'll be able to bear this amount of pain."

Undeterred, Akun responded, "You have to bear it. I'll be doing the same to myself, so I'll have to bear it too." With that, Akun brought his other hand over his chest, purple eyes glowing intensely. Coating his hand with his †Authority†, he replicated the action, driving it into his chest and grasping his own core. The sensation of self-infliction was bizarre and intensely painful.

As Akun dug his hand into his chest, the system's voice echoed, [Warning to the player, what they are about to do is ill-advised.]

[The proper approach would have been to use the Book of Existence to proceed with the fusing.]

[Using such a crude approach with your hands has a 90% chance of failure.]

Akun then yelled, "There isn't enough time for that; this is the only way I can save him in time."

Gritting his teeth, Akun proceeded with the plan, using his †Authority† to forcefully erase a portion of their souls. The act rendered both Akun and Alternate Akun translucent.

As Akun pressed on with his plan, an unsettling sensation crept over him. Memories, once vivid and defining, began to dissolve like mist in the morning sun. His name slipped away, evaporating into the ether. The epic adventures in the forest, the challenges faced, and the shared moments of happiness—all faded into the recesses of forgetfulness.

A persistent question echoed in his mind: Who am I? Yet, he knew he had to cast this existential doubt aside. Something within urged him to persist, assuring him that completion of the task at hand was paramount.

Meanwhile, in the dwindling realm of his consciousness, Alternate Akun experienced a similar unraveling of memories.

The moments from encountering his future self in the forest with Oliver, the journey to the dryad tribe, the subjugation of the dryads, and the clash his future self had with the elders and tribe leaders within the tree castle—all slipped away like fragments of a dream, leaving a trail of fading recollections in their wake.

Unknown to Alter Akun, his system's voice echoed in his head, delivering a series of ominous messages.

[Warning!!]

[System interface intrusion detected!!]

[An unknown force has been detected that could damage the player's soul and the system.]

[The system will now attempt to break free!!]

[Error!!!]

[Error!!]

[System features could not be found, instructions have been damaged due to erasure!!]

[The system will now look for an alternate solution!]

[An alternate solution could not be found, featurs are being lost to erasure!!]

Akun then mused, "Okay, I'm done on my end. Now I'll put more focus on erasing his."

As Akun concentrated on erasing alternate Akun's memories, something unexpected happened. Just as he was about to erase his recent memories just before entering the time tunnel, his †Authority† suddenly spiraled out of control. It was no longer erasing, but Akun couldn't quite understand what it was doing now. "What the hell!" he yelled, as it seemed his own †Authority† wanted to somehow consume him.

He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew he had to try and combine with his alternate self as soon as possible.

He then began to initiate the fusing process. As both of their translucent forms moved toward each other in an attempt to fuse, they seemed to glow brightly, their cores started to merge, and everything appeared to be working out.

Suddenly, a peculiar energy field appeared in the fusing core of alternate Akun and Akun, causing both of them to scream in agonizing pain and instantly loose conciousness.

The cause of this disturbance remained unknown to them, but the searing pain they both experienced engulf their minds.
Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

The system's voice echoed in both of their heads, a warning that the were both unaware of.

[Warning!!]

[Soul/core fusing failure!!]

[Both cores are at an entirely different levels of evolution and as such have very different and complex soul esses.]

[The failed attempt damaged the player's soul.]

[The system will now attempt to repair the player's damaged soul.]

[It has been detected there are no resources to begin this procedure!]

[Looking for alternative solution!!]

In this critical moment, both systems exhibited contrasting responses. Alternate Akun's system delivered a dire message:

[Error!]

[Solution could not be found!]

[Features are being lost to erasure!!]

On the other hand, Akun's system provided a more promising reply:

[Solution found!]

[The system will now consume part of the alternate player in order to fix the player's damaged soul]

[Proceeding with consumption....]

Simultaneously, alternate Akun's system echoed a warning:

[Danger!!]

[Danger!!]

[An unidentified force has begun inflicting serious damage to the player and the system interface.]

[No feature could be found to combat the attack.]

[The system interface is being seriously damaged!!]

At this point alternate Akun's system was already damaged and started delivering incomplete damaged responses.

[Dan### Er###]

//########//

In that pivotal moment, Akun's system's voice echoed:

[Process completed.]

[The player will now be forced out of the time tunnel.]

Suddenly, Akun's unconscious form was forcefully separated from the unconscious alternate Akun. He was propelled away swiftly, and as the two were parted, alternate Akun's form appeared seriously damaged. His body resembled a glitch-ridden program, with errors manifesting all over his dissolving unconscious state.

As Akun was propelled away from alternate Akun, a swirling portal materialized behind him. He was forcefully ejected back into the desolate battleground where their intense battle unfolded. The sudden appearance caught the attention of the elders and tribe leaders, prompting them to hasten toward him. Conflicted expressions painted their faces.

Elder Thalanor voiced his thoughts, "This was originally our plan. So, should we do away with him?"

The leaders of the beast folk tribe exchanged worried glances, uncertainty hanging in the air. Thalgar broke the silence, his voice carrying a weight of contemplation.

"No, we aren't entirely sure why that figure from our history engaged in battle with him," Thalgar began, his gaze firm. "But from what we witnessed, he held his ground against that enigmatic foe. We can't predict if that figure will return, and if they do, prematurely ending our best chance at protection would be a reckless move. It remains in our best interest to pledge our loyalty to him."

As Thalgar knelt down, the gravity of his decision echoed in the gesture. The other tribe leaders followed suit, a silent acknowledgment of allegiance. Elder Sylara approached the unconscious Akun, now returned to his normal state, and began the process of healing.