What does that mean? The person in the shadows hadn't quite reacted yet, instinctively turning her gaze toward Seele in the light.
But when she saw the fleeting, subtle expression on Seele's face, a bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
It was a look of guilt... she would never mistake it. That was the expression Seele only made when she felt guilty!
A sense of dread rose in her heart. She shot up from the shadows, about to rush to Seele's side, but as she was about to cross the boundary between light and shadow, an invisible wall suddenly blocked her way.
Even though she had anticipated it, she still ran headfirst into the unexpected wall.
In reality, Seele had a high level of authority over her. Who controlled the body, who led the consciousness—it was all up to Seele to decide. This was a right she had personally given to Seele.
Seele had never used this right, to the point that she hadn't even noticed when Seele had used it.
Seele had imprisoned her in this body. To be free, either Seele had to release her, or...
...only one person could remain in this world of consciousness.
"Seele!" She quickly and awkwardly scrambled up from the ground, slamming her hand heavily against the invisible wall. "Hey! What are you trying to do?! Let me out!!"
I can't let her out... otherwise... I really can't win against her...
Seele gently clenched her fists. She tried to appear nonchalant, but these small movements couldn't possibly escape the gaze behind her, even with her back turned...
"Let me out!!" The conjecture in her mind and the reality before her began to confirm each other. She started to repeatedly beat against the wall in front of her, trying to shatter it. "You can't... you can't..."
You can't leave me alone...
I don't know anyone... The ones they know are you. Big Sister, Mother, Sin Mal, Rozaliya, Liliya...
The one they know is you! It's Seele!! Not me...
I'm just your shadow... not you...
Powerless, she slid down the wall to the ground, gently resting her head against the indestructible barrier.
"How can I possibly play your part well..."
"You can."
Seele's voice sounded softly. She looked up. She felt as if the sun had come before her, radiating light. But through the wall, she couldn't feel a trace of warmth, only the light illuminating her form.
"Because we are both Seele."
Seele gently pressed her hand against the wall, meeting the "her" on the other side through the invisible barrier.
It was only then that she noticed how thin the wall was, like a piece of paper that could be pierced at any time.
Her dark red eyes met Seele's sea-blue ones.
"Because... we are both Seele."
"Seele" was stunned. She was identical to Seele, only her eyes were not the all-encompassing sea-blue.
"No!!"
With a sorrowful cry that only Seele could hear, she spun around and rushed toward the Key of Remembrance, unhesitatingly reaching for the long-floating notebook.
Cocolia, who had been watching Seele the whole time, was also startled by her sudden action. By the time she reacted and needed to grab Seele, Seele had already darted past her.
This distance is just right... has she been planning this all along?
But Cocolia was a top-tier mercenary, after all. Seele's little plot couldn't completely deceive her. After her surprise, she decisively reached out and grabbed Seele's hand, about to pull her back.
This time, she would not let go.
But the moment she grabbed the other's wrist, a force beyond Cocolia's expectation came from Seele's hand.
That was what I taught her...
"Seele!" Cocolia, who had been shaken off, only had time to let out a roar, hoping to delay her for even a moment.
Seele did freeze for a moment, but then, she and Cocolia acted at the same time, grabbing the book at the most critical moment.
A white light instantly bloomed, enveloping the three of them...
[Memory anchor begins to move... First rated power begins to activate...]
After the light gradually dissipated, Cocolia's first reaction was that she had been a step too slow again... Seele had touched the book faster than her.
Again... was she a step too slow again?!
She opened her eyes in a fury, but the scene that fell into her eyes was a small but incredibly warm home.
A warm fireplace, steaming hot stew, sliced bread, a woman with familiar curly hair lying on a rocking chair by the fireplace, gently stroking her swollen belly.
But there was no happy smile on her face, only a sense of desolation, a heart like dead ashes on the verge of despair.
Cocolia stood before the window, staring blankly at the woman who looked seven-tenths like Bronya.
Is that... Bronya's real mother?
Did I make it in time?
Cocolia's first action was to press her hand against her chest, a relieved smile on her face.
She had made it...
Bang—!!
A sudden gunshot rang out from in front of her. Cocolia looked up sharply, only to find that the scene before her had changed at some point.
It was a dim warehouse, and she was standing at the entrance. In her hand, she now held a pistol that had just been fired.
She also held a flashlight emitting a cold white light, aimed at the person in the armory like a criminal.
This was...
Cocolia remembered. This was the day she had caught her superior, but was forced to leave the army due to the pressure of power...
Colonel Aleksey, the man who had promoted her from the bottom ranks, given her the most glorious honor, yet had also ruined her for his own selfish desires.
Why was she seeing this scene?
Cocolia narrowed her eyes, watching Colonel Aleksey slowly turn around.
The colonel's face, which had become blurry in her memory, was now clearly displayed before her again. Cocolia's pupils constricted. She looked in disbelief at the man whose eyes and brows were almost identical to Bronya's.
Is he... Bronya's... father?
Clang—!
The sound of the heavy iron door slamming shut brought Cocolia back to her senses. She turned, and the dim world was left with only a few pale beams of light shining in from the iron door.
This place was...
This was it!! The place that had changed her life... and probably Bronya's life as well!