Perx paused at the threshold, a hesitation that hinted at a lurking fear. It wasn't fear of me, but of someone or something else. I was careful not to reveal too much about myself, wanting to keep my weakened condition hidden. Eventually, our conversation veered towards the subject of the human Raphael. We had previously debated the mystery of the glitch, but Perx expressed skepticism over my conclusions. "Forgive me, but how can you be certain that he's the glitched one and not you? Or perhaps both of you?" He queried.

"I retain my past memories. He does not," I responded tersely.

"And how do you know that? He never regained consciousness!" He retorted.

"He was not always unconscious. He was fully awake, but his wakefulness was short-lived," I clarified.

"Interesting. And why did he lapse into unconsciousness?" He probed further.

His relentless questioning was grating on my nerves, but I maintained my composure and responded as calmly as I could. "That's something I'm still trying to figure out. I am the reason he's in this state. I induced it for a good reason, and although I could force him awake, it could lead to unpredictable outcomes."

"Unpredictable outcomes? Like when you revived a fallen angel for questioning, but he had no memories left?" He reminded me of a past failure.

"Yes, something like that. I'd prefer to avoid a similar situation," I admitted.

A silence stretched between us until Perx finally broke it. "Would it harm him to have his memories reset? I mean, what could he possibly know that you don't?"

"Probably nothing. He only has memories of his past life, the same ones I possess. But that's not the point. He has something more valuable," I confessed.

"Really? What might that be?" Perx inquired.

I decided to be honest with him, despite my reservations. "He exhibited fragments of my powers."

Another silence ensued, and this time, I was the one who broke it. "And I seem to be missing some of mine."

Perx looked at me, his face a mask of horror. "Wait, if you're missing some fragments of powers, wouldn't I be affected as well? I mean, we're still linked, right?"

Before I could respond, he made our link visible to check, and something unexpected happened: he had a link to both Raphaels, me, and the human one. I asked him, "That's rather convenient. Can you still recognize the signature of a link?" He could. After checking, he informed me, "The signatures are identical, but they show as two, with one being weaker than the other."

A wave of fear washed over me. I asked him anxiously, "Which one is weaker? Please don't tell me it's mine."

He examined the links multiple times, ensuring he was correct before delivering the bad news. "I'm afraid so, Master Saint Raphael. Your link is weaker than that of glitch Raphael."

I muttered a curse under my breath, a rare display of my condition. Despite my low tone, Perx heard me and began to ponder deeply. In an attempt to alleviate my distress, he proposed a radical solution: "How about eliminating him while he's unconscious and reclaiming your power fragments? He won't suffer from it. Or, given that you share the same signature, why not merge?"

"Neither is an option. I won't terminate him, and I've tried but failed to merge," I declared.

"I could do it for you, if you want," he offered.

"No, termination is out of the question," I cut him off.

He paused before suggesting an alternative: "What if you're not the one who should initiate the merge, but the other way around? What if he needs to start it?"

His words gave me a pause. They made sense. The stronger link, as confirmed by Perx, was his. The human Raphael somehow held more power than I did and was dominant. He could potentially initiate a successful merge, but that also meant that I was at risk of disappearing. He would inherit all my memories and gain everything from me. I would be absorbed, a form of death I had not yet experienced.

Perx noticed my troubled expression and asked, "Why do you look so frightened?"

I explained to him how a merge typically worked, the implications for the one who was going to be absorbed, and how being aware of that reality made it all the more terrifying. I wasn't sure if my powers in the hands of this new Raphael would be used for good. Even though he was essentially me, he was different. He was like a younger version of me, with only memories of a past life, a gruesome death, and a war experience. Nothing more. And there was a high risk that he would repeat my past mistakes, even with access to my memories.

The thought was unsettling. I was unsure of what I knew, hoping to be wrong, and contradicting myself in a whirlwind of confusion. But then, a spark of altruism ignited within me. If it meant ensuring the safety and well-being of others, I was willing to take the risk. If a merge was possible at that moment, I would have accepted it, even if it meant my own death.