The sky was filled with dark clouds, and a faint mist enveloped all the buildings.
In the middle of the main street, plunged into total darkness, only the school library remained brightly lit.
The heavy rains that evening had left the building deserted, shrouded in an eerie silence due to the absence of most people.
Even the librarian, known for her constant presence, had left her keys behind after receiving a phone call.
"The last person to leave the library must shelve the books, turn off the lights, and lock the doors, alright? If I return, I’ll check the culprit with the security cameras, won’t I?”
Of course, there was almost no one in the library, so she was surely addressing the only person visible within her line of sight.
“Ah… Regis, I’m leaving the keys on the desk. I’ll lock the door behind me, so take care, okay?”
In this atmosphere, Regis powered on an old computer, its motor emitting a wheezing, rusty noise.
He even wondered if this relic of a machine might simply give up the ghost.
Logging into the forum, Regis could see the messages.
AEFZKPO: What kind of trash forum is this? A story discussion?
AEFZKPO: Does the person who created this thread have a shred of intelligence?
AEFZKPO: Writing fiction in this day and age, seriously? And this forum doesn’t even have the proper features of an online site. I could do better using my feet.
Renegon: What is this idiot saying? Think you can insult people for free? You wanna get beaten to a pulp?
Knight: Drag this fool here. It’s been a while since we’ve publicly executed someone.
[Moderator Scientific has joined the session.]
Knight: The moderator’s here. Didn’t even get a chance for immediate execution. Lucky you.
The users were laughing.
[Moderator Scientific]: What’s going on?
Regis logged into his forum, dedicated to open discussion, and raised an eyebrow. The thread had been chaotic before he arrived, with insults proliferating everywhere.
He tightened his grip on the mouse, unconsciously snapping it in his hand.
“Ah.”
Realizing his mistake, Regis hid the broken mouse behind a computer and borrowed one from another workstation.
[Moderator Scientific]: You think this forum is a joke?
When had this discussion space turned into a den of faceless bandits?
He had to clean up this mess immediately.
Gripping the mouse, he scrolled to the top of the thread and started banning everyone, ensuring he blocked their IPs to prevent them from returning with alternate accounts.
By the time half the users had been banned, the forum began to scroll smoothly again.
Regis could finally take a breath.
[Moderator Scientific]: If only people had some common sense.
Knight: Well… don’t lose heart, moderator.
Nodding to himself, Regis scrolled back through the thread, reading the criticism from his online acquaintances.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Of course, even though users were banned, their messages remained visible. He needed to write several posts to bury those cursed comments.
Shaking his head, he clicked on another tab.
Events like these didn’t happen every day.
If he could limit the number of trolls, he’d have moved the forum to a private, more secure platform, but due to a lack of funds, it remained open to everyone.
Even a ten-year-old with basic internet knowledge could access the site with just a link.
The only defense was to fight back in a game of speed, sometimes lasting for days.
He even recalled a memorable day when he’d battled non-stop against a notorious group. But even they had eventually given up under his relentless counterattacks.
Hmm.
This latest chaos, paired with criticism, had nearly gotten him expelled from the library. The persistent clicking of his mouse echoed through the space like gunfire.
Losing access to the library would have been a disaster.
It was the only place with a halfway decent computer.
Regis couldn’t afford even a low-end machine, so if he were barred from the library for any period, the trolls would seize the opportunity.
If he returned after a two-week suspension to find the forum in ruins, he’d probably quit school and throw himself off a bridge.
With a sigh, he rose from his chair.
“Hmm. I think I need another book.”
On the table lay hundreds of books, describing bizarre, fictional monsters.
After all, he needed to conduct thorough research as the owner of a fiction forum.
“This one. I haven’t read it yet.”
Regis pulled a dusty book from the library shelf. It was located on the top shelf, requiring him to use a ladder.
Now holding the book, Regis noticed it described a strange creature.
That didn’t surprise him.
“Dimensional Monster?”
[Warning: This book should not be read by ordinary people.]
[If you’ve taken this book, return it to its original position immediately.]
[If you’ve opened the book, leave the isolated area and stay close to others.]
[Failure to comply will result in a slow and painful death.]
Regis laughed. “Who wrote this? It sounds like me when I started writing fiction.”
But suddenly, a deformed shape emerged before him.
“Huh?”
Regis froze.
As he regained his senses, he moved quickly, his feet covering ground in mere seconds, while the entity was still forming in the floor, its manifestation nearly complete in six seconds.
In this critical moment, he had to leave the library immediately.
He rushed to the exit and yanked at the door, but only the sound of a lock echoed in his mind.
Huh?
Why was the door locked?
It was still two in the morning.
“Ah… Regis, I’m leaving the keys on the desk. I’ll lock the door behind me, so take care, okay?”
He remembered the librarian’s words.
“Damn. I’m screwed.”
Who would have thought the librarian’s kindness would return as a curse?
Suddenly, he felt a chill behind him.
Regis instinctively dodged, narrowly avoiding the deformed arm of a figure attempting to kill him.
“It’s…!”
He realized the creature had stolen his appearance.
A doppelg?nger!
A monster that perfectly mimics its target’s form.
Their primary goal is to kill their duplicate and take their place, using any means necessary.
But Regis was running now. He didn’t have time to marvel at the monster.
His brain raced, calculating survival chances and possible escape routes.
The exit is locked.
The windows.
Were the windows an option?
Since last year’s students had smashed them during a baseball game, the librarian had reinforced them. Breaking them barehanded was practically impossible unless you were superhuman.
But if I were superhuman, I’d have broken down the exit door already.
For now, he had to run!
Just as he thought he saw a glimmer of hope, the world began to spin upside down.
“Can a doppelg?nger alter reality’s structure…? No, maybe it’s an illusion?!”
“Pfff… Pfff…”
An almost inaudible laugh could only be heard up close, but at this distance, Regis heard it clearly the devil’s whisper.
“Ah…”
How could he see, in third person, his own body?
Regis wore a blank expression.
His body was already collapsing to the ground.
Watching the creature who’d stolen his appearance, a grin spread across its face.
***
"Regis!!"
Huh?
"Why…!! Why?!"
What was happening?
Regis opened his eyes and found himself in a different room.
No, in a completely different building?
"You bastard! Why did you try to lay hands on your fiancée?!"
Behind the boy shouting at him, a little girl with blue hair was crying, her face buried in her hands.
Was this a dream?
Smack!
Suddenly, his head nearly spun 180 degrees as he took the full force of a palm strike from a man who had stormed into the room.
"You… I should never have trusted the Polaris family."
The man, who appeared to be the little girl’s father, gave him a cold glare.
"Wait…! This is just a misunderstanding! Let’s not jump to conclusions, Duke Hawkins!"
The man who came rushing in, panting for breath, seemed to be Regis’s father, and he, too, glared at him with anger.
What was he supposed to do?
He couldn’t make sense of the situation.
Soon, the man scooped up his daughter and left the room quickly. His father followed, trying to resolve the situation.
"You! Stay in your room! When I get back, I’ll…!!"
Baron Polaris practically spat blood as he cursed him.
Frowning, Regis convinced himself this must just be some strange dream or backdrop for a story.
Typically, after death, people relive their entire life as a panorama or a film.
But now?
Regis was locked in his room, with the maids even turning the key to ensure he couldn’t escape.
With nothing to do, he sat quietly and waited.
Only after Duke Hawkins had left did Regis begin to understand the situation he was in.