Such a distinctive voice echoed, seeping into every corner of the room, drowning the silence without leaving a single gap.
"Selene, this—"
"Sshh..."
Her sudden gesture cut my words off, hushing me. Her index finger stood upright before my lips—a silent command that couldn’t be disobeyed.
[No need to explain in such a detail. I know exactly what’s going on.]
That familiar voice slipped again into my still-wavering consciousness.
Right now, Selene was reweaving the tangled knot between my subversion and her Symbolism. More precisely, my Projection was entwined with the essence of her power. It felt like receiving a private telepathy—or a direct message—only the two of us could understand.
[Kairi my dear, this isn’t the time to drown in your inner monologue, understood?]
Alright. Sorry. But why did you silence me just now?
[Long story. Bottom line: Helena has been citing us. Every word, every nuance.]
Oh... Wait. What?!
[Sshh. Quiet. Don’t raise your voice even in a monologue. I’ll explain just enough.]
Her gaze fell on a small structure in the distance—like a hidden booth.
[That’s exactly the key point if we want to lure her out of hiding.]
Who do you mean?
[Helena. Seriously, did you really forget most of these?]
My head felt like it was slammed by a tidal wave. My memories of the mission scattered, leaving only faint flashes of Helena and my goal to stop her.
The rest... gone.
Without waiting, Selene grabbed my hand and we began to walk—yes, actually walk—toward the source of the problem she pointed to.
As we moved, she launched Transmutation and Restoration Subversions. Somehow, the surrounding structures slowly reverted to their original forms, as if time were rewinding in Helena’s illusory world.
[Calm down, Kairi. Just let it go. All of the details you transferred are still clear and fresh in my memory. Your only job is to never ever doubt me, okay?]
I nodded, finding calmness in her presence.
Selene looked much more assured and mature, though deep inside, I knew... she had always been that way. So... my memories of her are still intact?
[Yes. The memory transfer effect only erased those related to Helena. My memories—and your memories of me—remain whole. For now, just follow my lead. Remember, this was all your plan. You’re the captain. I’m just your navigator and reminder, guiding you to the destination you set. Got it?]
Once again, I could only nod.
But before we arrived, crystals began to materialize in the air. They turned into shards of glass—beautiful, but deadly.
Oh no. She’s here.
Panic crept in. But Selene’s firm grip gave me a moment to breathe.
[That’s all I can send for now. We can still communicate mentally after this. I deliberately used your Transcription method so Helena—who’s mimicking us—gets lured out.]
Clever. Too Selene, if I’m honest.
The shards of glass began to move, merging, forming something. But before they finished—
Alchemistry. Transmutation. Air, Heat, Gas. Chemical Reaction. Purpose: Glass Combustion.
That spell vibrated in her mind, then—
WHOOSH... FWOOM!
Flames burst from Selene’s fingertip, devouring the shards.
For the first time, I witnessed her true power firsthand.
Uncompromising. Terrifying.
This is the other side of Selene beneath her calm demeanor.
True to her reputation: the youngest, most respected Arcanist Mage.
"Wicked Witch, Kairi... it’s not easy to beat me, you know."
The voice came from behind.
SWISH!
"Duck!" Selene shouted, pulling me into her arms in a flash.
Glass shards rained down like a storm, leaving me no room to think.
The target was clear: me.
All of a sudden, chaotic, and profoundly brutal.
The way Helena’s attack reflected her very own personality was a bit too much.
"Just as you suspected, Kairi."
She said, winking her left eye, lips curling into a smirk full of mockery.
Her sarcasm stung, condescending the enemy before her eyes down to the core.
As if... no, I understood. I always knew her thoughts. And so did she about mine.
Ever since we became bound by contract as siblings, our bond only grew stronger.
Perhaps, this was fate...
"Kairi, I’m improvising now. You never told me the details of Helena’s crystallization ability. What you need to do now: help me. Use your Transcription. Find out Helena’s Subversion."
Without hesitation, I complied.
Transcription. Helena’s Subversion. Interpretation-Projection.
FWOOM!... WOOSH! PSHHH! HISS! PING!
Selene attacked again with her transmutation flames. But... strange. Helena’s face absorbed the energy from the blaze, as if the fire was empowering her instead.
Selene needed to be careful. This battle would drain a lot of energy.
"Relax, this is just the warm-up."
What?! Warm-up?!
Eccentric coming from her. But typical. Far too typical for Selene. The hands of a mage carry unlimited raw power—limited only by imagination and self-control.
And Selene... clearly had no limits but herself.
Speaking of which... the transcription was do—
"Idiot. Why didn’t you say so earlier?" she scolded, tone irritated but warm.
Okay, sorry.
I continued immediately without asked.
Transcription. Mnemonics: Crystallization - Imitation. From: Me. To: Selene.
I sent the information directly to her. She might be getting exhausted, but luckily Helena was still distracted by the remaining flames.
"Okay, Kairi. Now this really is your plan. Based on your transcription, Helena will try to trap us in her world, a fabricated dimension she built herself. But I’ve got a small plan of my own: seize her Mytheia. I’ll rewrite this imitation version of ’Helena.’ That way, we can save the real Helena."
Then what about you? Is this... goodbye? You’re not going to die, right?
"If I get tempted to die, remind me of all this. If I fall asleep after the fight, kiss me on the lips who always longs for your presence. Remember, we’re not blood-related siblings—this is just a consequence of a complicated contract. And all of this... is your fault, Kairi."
She smiled faintly, her gaze locked onto "Helena" who was beginning to rise.
Her final words weren’t just a jab. But a delicate confession.
It screamed this ’Because of you, I became like this.’ kind of sentence.
"Kairi, NOW!" Her voice echoed, nearly shattering under pressure and desperation.
Can idealism be this extremely terrifying?
As such a thought crossed my mind, I watched the two of them battle with all they had.
Without hesitation, I launched a basic spell, pulling all the glass shards toward one goal: Mytheia.
"Got it..."
"Hey, don’t you da—AAAAAAA!"
Selene lunged at "Helena," faster than lightning.
The imitation’s scream was hoarse, filled with despair, upon seeing Mytheia now in my grasp. The object that started it all—
What the f*ck? No! Selene, don’t! WAIT, STOP!
Alchemistry-Transcription. Transformative Bio-Cipher. Helene’s Imitation.
Too late.
The forbidden spell was cast. The most dangerous combination among them all.
She did it on her own. As always.
So selfish... and so egocentric.
She always did things in her own way—even more so than I ever did.
I broke down into sobs.
Loud, hiccuping, gasping cries.
The kind of tears that don’t flow—instead, they crash. The kind that had been buried so deep inside me as much as I bottled all of these emotions inside me, they corroded the edges of my soul until I could no longer hold myself together.
And now, with nothing left to suppress them, they surged out of me violently.
I cried until my throat burned. Until my shoulders shook.
Until I could no longer tell if I was breathing or just drowning in grief.
It was pathetic. My sobs were guttural and disgusting.
Nothing about them was pretty, not even dignified. I hated how raw I sounded—like someone completely stripped of everything they’d ever clung to.
And still... even in this state... her voice echoed gently in my mind.
"Kairi, for as long as you live... I’ll continue living inside you."
It didn’t come like a whisper. It didn’t come like a memory. It came like a vow.
And somehow, that vow—those simple words—lifted the edge of my despair.
I smiled faintly, knowing how comfortable those words were.
Wait no, more than comfort, her voice gave me something else new entirely.
It wasn’t just comfort—it was a lifeline.
No, more than that.
It was a command.
A code. A hope. A miracle.
And... most importantly, a puzzle to solve.
It motivated me. It pulled me back from the brink.
It made me believe that maybe... maybe this wasn’t the end.
It was a message. A coded phrase, tailored specifically for me.
Her words didn’t coddle me. They didn’t offer empty warmth. They were a challenge.
So unmistakably and quintessentially Selene-esque—always with her riddles, always dancing around clarity with poetic cruelty. Even in death—or whatever this liminal state was—she was still pushing me forward.
Never direct. Never soft.
Always sharp, always layered, always just out of reach.
And yet this one... this one, I understood.
I always used to think she was above me.
Beyond me. Some enigmatic force, untouchable and unreadable.
But I was wrong.
She is such an idiot. And yet... you saw it too, didn’t you, Selene?
You are just as idiotic as I am.