Looking at the girl in front of him, Alnea could not help feeling a little embarrassed. And without the help of his Aspects, his embarrassment was showing on his face. There was nothing he could do about it though. Maybe, if he was alone—No, even if he had been alone, he still would have been flushed with shame. That was how embarrassing the situation was. The girl…

  Roughly a quarter of a head shorter than him, almost the same height as Yuri, the girl also had the same white hair, and pale white skin as Yuri. Even her eyes were just as crystal blue as hers. But their similarities did not end there. Her face also had the same sharp features as the girl standing behind him, with a slight roundness to their edges, making her look almost like a copy.

  If that was all, then Alnea would not have been so embarrassed. Rather, he would have happily showed off the Shadow of his Heart to Yuri. The problem was, the girl also had the same sly grin as Cecilia, and the same charming dimples as Vestia. Even the robe she wore was a mix of Cecilia’s and Vestia’s robe. And if he looked closely, he could see that the girl’s face also had some of Cecilia’s and Vestia’s features.

  Not too prominent, of course. At least not as prominent as Yuri’s features. Still, it was there, casting a shadow of the two girls on her face. But that was also understandable. The two girls had indeed made a room for themselves in his Heart. Yuri had already come to accept that fact. It was just that… what was with that ridiculous bulge on her chest?

  “…Pervert!”

  “It is not me!”

  “Then how do you explain the size of her breasts? That ridiculous size… Is that how you imagine us in your Heart?”

  “…Maybe that part was copied from big sis Serena and master?”

  “…Even their breasts are not so large. Besides, do you even hear what you are saying? Is that all you see in big sis Serena and big sis Nyssa? Then you are an even greater pervert!”

  “I do not! Don’t slander me! And it is not as if you are seeing her for the first time. Why is your reaction always the same every time you see her?”

  “Because every time I see her, I am reminded of the fact of how big of a pervert you are.”

  “I am not a pervert.”

  “Then what are you looking at?”

  “…If I do not look at her, how will I defeat her?”

  “…You should not have made her look so ridiculous in the first place.”

  “…You are saying it as if it is up to me to decide how she looks,” Alnea mumbled, as he shifted his attention back to the girl in front of him. The girl, who had been born from his selfishness… He had always known that he was a selfish man. As he faced the Shadow of his Heart though, he thought that maybe he was a little too selfish for his own good…

  Alnea shook his head, clearing his head of his thoughts, burying them into the Serenity of his Heart, and took a deep breath.

  “Come,” he said. And come, she did, rushing towards him like the wind. Literally. Or at least that was what her moves felt like. One moment she was there, standing in front of him, and the next, she was a blur, fading away from the world. Before Alnea could move to search for her though, he felt a gust of wind crashing against his face. Wind?

  Alnea immediately grew tense, taking up his stance—

  Right in the next moment, the girl was already in front of him, bending her upper body towards the ground, keeping it low to increase her speed, and her reach, which she used to reach towards his heart with her claws. Almost like Cecilia would have. Yet, the girl was not just a copy of Cecilia. She was mix of all three girls occupying his Heart. As such, he did not dare to underestimate her.

  Tapping on her claw with his left hand, Alnea directed her towards his right, using her own momentum against her. The girl, in turn, responded by pivoting towards her left on her outstretched right foot, converting her forward momentum into her spin, which she then concentrated it all on her left leg, sending straight towards his head. He had expected the girl’s counterattack though, so he put up his guard in time, blocking her kick with ease. Then, before the girl could react—

  ‘…all the walls in the hall lit up in a bright golden light, before those lights all concentrated at one point, and rained down upon Cecilia… he saw Cecilia’s body leaning towards the ground at an impossible angle, with her hands reaching towards him, yet not moving, as if frozen in place…’

  Alnea paused for a fraction of a moment, getting drawn into a fragment of his past. A fragment buried deep into his Heart. A fragment, that spoke of his weakness, and helplessness. A fragment—

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Cursing at himself for falling for the same trick once again, Alnea quickly regained his bearing, and prepared to continue with his counterattack, only to see that the girl had already recovered from her previous vulnerable position, retreating away from him, while putting on her guard. Just like she always did in their previous encounters. He knew that defeating his Heart was not going to be easy…

  Sighing with regret at the missed opportunity, Alnea quickly regained his Serenity, before rushing towards the girl, throwing his right fist towards her face. The girl, in turn, leaned towards her right to avoid his punch, before grabbing his hand by his wrist, and pulling him forward, trying to use his own momentum against him. He was already experienced with such tricks though, so he put up his guard in time once again, using his knees to block her kick, and his other hand to block her fist. Then, twisting his right hand to free his wrist, he—

  ‘…blood red robed man turned towards… big sis Serena’s mansion… three Wanderers soon came flying in… people that they were carrying… Cecilia… helplessness… filled his veins with rage…’

  Helplessness… One of the most primal fears… To be helpless… Maybe that was why the humans acted as they did, covering up their pasts, and glorifying their present. Because they did not wish to feel helpless anymore. Even in the face of Gods, they wished to have the strength to stand by themselves. What then, could he do to never feel helpless? The answer was obvious. To—

  By the time Alnea recovered, he saw a punch flying towards his face. Cursing himself once again, he prepared to—

  ‘…In the distance, he could barely see Yuri’s vague figure fighting head on with the Heterodox Wanderer… every time that she was about to hit the man, a blood red glow would push her away, negating her attacks… tired, and exhausted… slowly, move by move, Yuri was beginning to lose… Cecilia… in an even worse state… exhausted beyond her limits… tried to pull out the dagger pinning her to the ground…’

  All he had to do was summon his namesake, to let him take over himself, and then he would never be helpless. He would never be weak. That was what he had always thought, had he not? That he could just let his namesake save the girls whenever they were in danger. Why then, was he hesitating? Why was he cowering? Was he afraid that he would lose himself? But they were the same, were they not?

  Born to keep their Oaths. Alnea Oathkeeper from the world of Attuners, and Alnea Oathkeeper from the world of Wanderers. Except for a few differences they were indeed the same. And even if they were not, had he not always thought that it would be fine as long as he could keep them safe? Was he going to back down on his own words? Was he going to break his promises? Was he going to break…

  Alnea blinked, laying on the ground, with his blood pooling around him, staring at the white skies above him. Or was it just an infinitely high white ceiling? No, the world did not have any ceilings, just as how it did not have a ground. It just existed… Just as how he was existing, empty and hollow. Though part of that feeling had to with how much blood he had lost, that part could not hide the emptiness of his Heart. Or the—

  As Alnea was ruminating over the emptiness of his Heart, a face popped up right above his own, blocking his view of the false sky, and his thoughts. But at the same time, the face also brought a hint of colour to his otherwise empty Heart.

  “You lost,” Yuri said, with a light smile on her face. A very light smile, with barely any curves to her lips. It was still a smile though. Just not in amusement at his loss, or his embarrassing condition. It was a smile of happiness, coming from the satisfaction of spending some time with him. A smile of satisfaction, that came from picking up his head, and letting him rest on her knees.

  “…I did,” Alnea said, staring right back into the crystal blue eyes, with a hint of guilt and shame.

  “Was this your surprise? Because if it was, then it was not a very good one.”

  “…Your robe is getting bloodied.”

  “It is just an illusion, that would fade away as soon as we leave the Mirror World. And even if it did not, I would not mind my robe getting tainted with your blood. Though I would prefer you not getting injured at all.”

  After a pause, she added, “You did not gain anything in the Advanced Arcanist Trials, did you?”

  “…Even if I did gain something in the Arcanist Trials, how could I use it in the Mirror World? It does not allow any usage of the powers of Oren.”

  “That is why you need to learn how to use your Concepts, and control your Heart.”

  “…It is hard.”

  “What is?”

  “…Controlling my Heart.”

  “Do not worry. You have already learned how to face your Heart. You just need to spend some time getting acquainted with yourself, and the rest will come naturally.”

  …Will it?

  “Anyways, since you did not gain anything in the Arcanist Trials, it means that you lied to me.”

  “…I do not like where this is going.”

  “And I did not like the surprise you gave me either.”

  “…I think I broke through to the Second Level. Is that surprise good enough?”

  “Not enough. You still need to be punished for your lies.”

  “…Did you say something? I think I am losing my hearing from all the blood loss.”

  “It is alright. You will get your hearing back soon enough. After I am done with your punishment, that is.”

  “…What are you doing?”

  “What do you think?”

  “…I have lost so much blood…”

  “And whose fault is that?”

  “…I am dying…”

  “I know. Why else do you think I am so hurried?”

  “…Can you not even let me die in peace?”

  “Stop being so over dramatic. You will be fine… once you die, and go back to reality.”

  “…You have changed, Yuri. You used to be so gentle and caring…”

  “I can still be gentle…”

  “…I think you misunderstood what—No! Not there. You… Stop!”

  “Now, stop resisting. It will be over before you even know it…”