“Yes, exactly,” she said, standing straight. “We’ve met before… The day everything changed for you— or rather the day your journey toward discovering your true self began.”

“…”

“Why do you look so startled? Is it my current appearance?” she teased. “Gender and age hold no meaning for me,” she added, shifting seamlessly into the form of a young man. “The old man’s appearance I used that day was simply more convenient for attracting customers, you see.”

Her—or rather his—green eyes remained as dazzling as I remembered, deep and unadulterated. That’s the only trait that hadn’t changed. The old man’s scarred face had been nothing more than a clever mask to mislead curious minds like mine.

So… was I his target all along?

“Come now,” he said sitting beside me. “I know that you’re wary, but I assure you the tea is perfectly ordinary. Refusing a kind gesture would be rather rude, don’t you think?”

“Rude, you say?” I snapped. “You tricked me from the very beginning. And you still haven’t introduced yourself properly. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?”

“How dare you speak to her in such a tone! Don’t forget your place and purpose here,” Fena barked fiercely.

Still calling that person ‘her’, huh?

“That’s quite alright, little one,” he replied, calm and unfazed. “Well, since you’ve brought her here, I assume we have some unwanted visitors at the edge of our realm?”

“Yes, your Ladyship,” Fena bowed.

“You’ll have to pass a test to save your friends, Mia,” he continued. “Drink the tea first, and we’ll proceed.”

As I refused to take another sip from that cup, he rose and brushed his long hair behind his back.

“As you wish,” he said smoothly. “But do remember that the fate of your friends lies in your hands.”

He paused, eyes narrowing like a predator sizing up its prey.

“Or maybe you don’t consider them as such? Perhaps that’s it! You’re finally sick of trusting people! Don’t worry, Mia. I’ll be gentle when I eliminate them. They’ll just vanish into thin air…” he smiled while his fingers flicked air with an eerie grace.

Without much thought, I grabbed the cup and drank it in one gulp.

Strangely, I felt nothing.

Sylvara watched me with amusement flickering in his emerald eyes. “Your test is quite simple: You’ll get through this door, and you’ll have to survive whatever is behind it. Alright?”

He said those words in a very casual, yet very frightening tone. I tried to keep my composure, but my right hand—still gripping the cup—trembled uncontrollably.

“Oh? Is that fear I see? He said, his eyes gleaming with madness. “I assure you that you’ll have fun, sweet Mia. My butler may accompany you — after all, my goal is to test you not kill you. It’s your friends I’m after.”

I stepped toward the door. From outside, it looked normal — no sounds, no smells, no clues to what awaited.

As I drew near, the door swung open by itself, releasing a chilling breeze.

“Ah yes, you might this,” he said, draping his green coat over my shoulders. “Wouldn’t want you catching a cold.”

His sarcasm was sharp, similar to Alba’s— maybe a bit darker — but considering the circumstances his presence was more suffocating.

“Look at you— white as a sheet!” he mocked. “I really am evil, aren’t I? Let me cheer you up.” He wrapped his arms loosely around my neck, “There is no time limit, so either you solve this trial and save your friends… or stay trapped in there forever, and they die! Hahahaha.”

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, feeling the butler’s silence presence behind me. It was dark and ominous. Lonely and cold. As I walked ahead in the darkness, the echoes of my footsteps faded.

Suddenly, a faint ray of light appeared from my right, beckoning me like a distant star in an black sea. I glanced around, but the butler was nowhere in sight.

“I wasn’t going to rely on him anyway,” I muttered.

One step, two, three… ninety, ninety-one…

Still didn’t reach what I thought was an exit. My legs grew heavy and numb, as if I walked for days.

Then, just as I braced to sit down, the ground vanished beneath me, and I fell into a yawning void.

Yet, I landed softly, as if on a cloud.

A bed?

I was back in my room— the one in the Narcis manor.

I bolted to the window. Outside, the familiar scenery greeted me. The one I used to admire during my loneliest hours.

A soft knock at the door broke the silence.

Knock, knock.

“It’s me, Alphonso, Lady Mia,” he said with a warm smile. “How have you been?”

He seemed real— every feature, every gesture. It was as if I were finally back home. Yes, home…

“My Lady, are you alright?” he asked.

“Sir Alphonso, I- I need to speak with Lord Aloen. Where is he?”

“Lord Aloen? Oh… didn’t you know?” His smile didn’t fade. “He ended his life when he heard the news about his sister. The poor man couldn’t bear her loss.”

“What?” I stammered. “He… he is dead? I can’t believe it! How could he have even heard the news? We were caught in a village, far away…”

At that moment, my thoughts became hazy. I couldn’t remember what happened next.

“We? Who else was with you, Lady Mia?”

“I was with a man… quite a unique one,” I replied, clutching my temples. “I feel dizzy, I need to lie down for a bit.”

“Of course,” Alphonso said smoothly, his voice almost mocking. “Though I must say, it’s astonishing you can rest at all—after learning of his Lordship’s death. Truly… tragic.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, shall I make it clearer, my Lady?” he said softly. Not only did you kill Lady Philamina, but you also seem completely unmoved by Lord Aloen’s passing. And even Lord Asher has been consumed by you. I can think of no better word to describe you, my Lady, than a walking calamity.”

His smile didn’t waver. But behind it, his eyes held the chill of quiet condemnation.

I must stay calm. I am not to blame for their deaths. It was Lucius who kidnapped her, tortured her and… It was Alba who pushed him over the edge, tormented him until he snapped and killed her! I had nothing to do with any of this!

But darker thoughts surged inside me, pounding at my skull, building pressure like it might explode at any moment.

I tried to keep my eyes open—closing them made things worse.

“You think you’re suffering enough?” Alphonso said coldly. “Well, let me tell you something then. You may convince yourself that you are not responsible, that Alba killed them all… But let me ask you, why do you think she chose you as her vessel?”

I had no answer. My mind was too drained, too fractured to consider the question.

“Oh?” he said, tilting his head. “Silence means you don’t know.”

“Aloen brought you here to meet the one who would unveil your true identity.” He continued. “My Lady, you were swayed from what you came here for, forgot your purpose entirely. And look what came of it: irreparable damage.”

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping lower, colder.

“Had you stayed focused on your purpose, things might have ended differently.”

A heavy silence fell.

“Now, then,” he breathed, “let me remind you what you came here for…”

Then came the final blow, cold and deliberate.

“You are Alba’s twin sister, Mia.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” I screamed. “How come she is all powerful while I am just… human? How come she is living within me? My parents were humans, my brother too!”

“This was all an illusion, dear Mia,” Alphonso replied, his voice calm, almost pitying. “The life you’ve lived so until now was nothing more than an ephemeral mirage.”

His gaze darkened, unblinking and merciless.

“As for your strength, you’re far stronger than realize. Had you not been worthy—had you not been capable—you never would’ve been chosen to host the almighty Alba.”

“No… No, you’re lying.”

I staggered back, shaking my head. “This can’t be real!”

“I had a family. A normal life. I—I remember birthdays, dinners, laughter. I remember joy and pain. That was real. It had to be…”

Alphonso watched silently, his smile faint and cruel, the same faint smile curling his lips.

“A family, you say? Interesting… How was your mother like?”

At his words, my mind went blank again.

Each time he asked about my past, it was as if those memories were washed away, like I never truly lived them.

“You—!” I shouted, glaring at him in frustration.

Then something caught my eye.

Alphonso stood by the wide window, bathed in intense moonlight that flooded the room.

Yet, there was no shadow beneath him.