Chapter 2002 Fuck ME! Nux felt like he was making progress until his eyes fell on the reflection that seemed to be doing the same thing he was, and it didn't take him long to realize it. This reflection… 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 It was his past. And it wasn't just his only past, Nux also saw one of his reflections using his left arm and clinging to the left wall instead of the right, one trying to climb the wall but failing, one trying to approach the center. All of these were the methods of getting out of this place he had thought of. All these reflections—it was him in the past, when he had just entered the labyrinth. And if that was true… Then the other reflections, the ones who were walking without any apparent plan in their minds, ones with a slouched back almost as if they were close to giving up, and one still walking as if there was some fight left in them… They were all… His future selves. Nux's expression changed. Seeing some of his reflections sitting with their backs leaning against the wall instead of walking told him how exhausted they were. They had been in this place for a long time. Trapped in the labyrinth. [Find the only Path that leads ahead] Once again, the message appeared in front of him. Again, the Temple was urging him to move. Nux, however, stayed still. He moved his hand away from the wall he was relying on and, in an instant, the wall flickered out of existence as a new wall appeared somewhere else. "…" Nux finally realized it. It was meaningless. All the tactics he had been using were meaningless. This was a place barely a few people throughout the history of the Universe were able to clear. If one could clear it using the commonly known ways to clear any maze, any random hilly-billy would have been able to clear it. Nux stayed silent for a while as he stared at his reflections. They were all his 'selves,' and he trusted himself enough to know that his future selves would find a way out. He quickly ignored all his selves that seemed to be using tactics he had in his mind—those wouldn't work. He also ignored the selves that seemed to be walking mindlessly with a hunched back; they seemed too exhausted to think properly. His selves that seemed to be resting were ignored as well. Nux didn't have time to wait and see what they were doing—not when he had thousands of options to browse through. Yes, every little fault Nux found, he ignored the said reflection. "Fuck this place!!" "Fuck you too!" "Fuck every single one of you!" "Oh yeah? Here's even better! Fuck me! It is for every single one of you because you are all me!" "Fuck me!" At the same time, Nux's mouth twitched as he heard his own reflections verbally fighting each other. He couldn't believe they would act in such a barbaric manner. What's worse? He himself wanted to raise his voice and join them as well, so he knew it was indeed him who was the problem. 'No, I am better than them. I am still silent, aren't I? I have better control.' Convincing himself that he was indeed different from those barbarians shouting at their own selves, he continued to search for a more… stable him. Yes, he was going to ignore the ones cursing out loud no matter what they were doing. He was obviously better than them. With that thought in his mind, he continued searching and finally, after rejecting almost everyone he saw, his eyes fell on him. The stable him. He was sitting cross-legged, almost as if he was enlightened and was about to comprehend something. Nux observed him in silence, and time passed. The stable him remained seated, and Nux, as patient as always, continued to observe him. He didn't know how much time had passed; he didn't care. He just wanted to see what his self would do. After what Nux believed to be a few decades, the stable him finally opened his eyes and stood up. Then, he started walking. Nux followed him. Since the stable him was just a reflection, Nux needed to look around and note every wall that showed him, so he never lost him. The stable version of him seemed to know that he was being chased as well, so he walked slower than usual, giving Nux time to follow him. Nux continued to chase his reflection, watching as he walked… randomly? 'Huh…?' "I am YOU, damn it!" "Fuck YOU!" Nux frowned. The stable him seemed to be walking in a random direction with next to no destination in his mind. More than once, he traced back his steps, only to realize that the place he was in had disappeared, and he took another direction. It was almost as if he had no clue where he was going. And then it happened. Annoyed by the constant sounds of his own self, the stable him felt his body tremble and, "Will you all shut the fuck up!? I am trying to focus here!" he shouted. "And what do you think we are trying to do here!?" "Fuck you!! If you are trying to focus, then shut up and focus instead!" "I'll do what I fucking want! Who do you think you are!?" "I am YOU, damn it!" "Fuck YOU!" "Fuck ME!" …yes, his stable self had started cursing as well. The way he walked now seemed extremely similar to how the cursing versions of him—whom he had ignored in the past—walked. "…fuck." Nux cursed as well. The realization that his stable version was the past self of his cursing version was disheartening. For now, however, he decided to stick with the no-longer-stable him and saw as he continued to walk. He tried remembering every path his stable self took but soon realized it was pointless. Every path here looked similar; there was no distinction between them. Time passed. Nux continued to tail his future self's journey. More than once, his future self paused, sat cross-legged for a long time before standing up and continuing to walk again. Even till now, Nux didn't know where his future self was going. But then suddenly, on one random day, as Nux continued to tail his future self, It disappeared. "Hah?"