Rin stayed quiet for several minutes as they walked. Their steps echoed along the stone floor, and Sosuke could even hear the faint scrape of tiny creatures shifting across the ground.
"Rin…?" His voice slipped out, cautious, almost bracing for impact.
Silence answered him.
"You waited that long to tell me?"
Sosuke flinched. "Y-yes?"
Is she angry? Am I going to die here?
Rin stopped and turned. Her head angled slightly as she looked him over from boots to hair. Arms crossed, she spoke with a soft but firm bite. "You know how much time we wasted? We could've been throwing ideas around together instead of you brooding in silence. I actually like coming up with theories." She sighed. "But you made me walk without a single word."
She made a fist and pulled her arm back.
Sosuke instinctively raised a hand in defense, already bracing. The punch landed harmlessly on his shoulder, more a tap than anything.
Rin leaned to the side to peek past his hand, her expression unimpressed. "You should be way more worried about what all of that information means than me punching you."
"Probably…" He lowered his hand and swallowed. With her irritation gone, his nerves unraveled. "Thinking about it… that's probably why the blights create portals so easily. They're better at shaping mana because they live in it. Literally."
"Which means you're basically a mana specialist too." Rin's brow lifted, her tone lightly teasing. "Your powers are ridiculous. The lightning isn't even the part that scares me. It's your eyes." She held two fingers up toward his violet gaze. "You told me they show you the best path forward. That's almost like seeing the future, isn't it?"
"Sometimes. I said sometimes." Sosuke stepped back a little. "During the fight with Julius, I figured out how to use them that way. Before that, no, I couldn't see anything."
Rin's grin widened. "With something like that you'll end up the strongest person alive. Which means I get a life of pure leisure. That's starting to sound really appealing." She wagged a finger at him. "Tempting, even."
"That probably shouldn't be…" Sosuke stifled a laugh. "Most people actually want to do something."
"Not me." She tapped her chest lightly. "Give me a future where I can relax, chase a few dreams on the side, and avoid anything exhausting. I'm sure I've told you that before." Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a small look. "But I don't think I've ever asked you."
"My future?" Sosuke rubbed his neck, a wry smile creeping in. "Is this an ambush?"
She slipped her hand into his, weaving her fingers with his. "It's just me."
"Uh…" His gaze drifted to the cave wall. "I wanted to be known. Now that I am, I don't know if that's what I want anymore. I think I want something simple, but saying that feels like a lie. Maybe… a life that never falls into a predictable cycle. Something that keeps me guessing."
Rin scrunched her nose. "That sounds like a lot of work you're planning to drag me into." Her frown lasted only a breath before a smile softened her voice. "But… I can't say it doesn't sound fun."
Sosuke stopped where he stood. He pressed a hand to his chest, the feeling striking him with uncomfortable familiarity. "I can sense mana up ahead. Something we've been through before. I just can't place it."
"Something familiar again?" Rin lifted both fists with a light spark in her eyes. "I'm ready. Is it anything big?"
Sosuke arched a brow. "You don't feel that?"
"No."
"Hm." He touched his chin. "Guess I'm better at tracking mana. It isn't a creature, though. More like an entire area is charged. Let's keep moving and stay alert."
Rin lifted a hand in a playful, halfhearted salute. "Yes, sir."
They walked on. The passage widened little by little, the floor revealing a set path marked by subtle grooves. The stone shifted to blackstone the farther they went.
Sosuke reached the massive gate first. It towered over them, built from the same blackstone and carved with old sigils. He pressed his palm to the cold surface. Memory pulsed through him in flashes. Blood on the walls. That fight. Guinevere.
Rin gently closed her fingers around his hand and guided it down. "Let's not tear yourself open over it. The fact that this place mirrors our past means it's trying to show us something. We'll figure it out the closer we get to the relic."
Sosuke nodded. Ryoma still weighed on the back of his mind at times, a dull echo he learned to live with. Everyone told him it was not his fault, yet a part of him clung to the guilt as if letting go meant losing control of everything that happened.
Rin squeezed his hand and led him forward. The gate creaked open without either of them touching it. Another straight tunnel revealed itself.
"I could use a change already," Rin muttered.
Sosuke's mana sense pulsed like a warning. "You'll get one soon enough."
With every step, the concentration of mana swelled. A heavy current rolled toward them from ahead, thickening the air. Something waited beyond the dark veil inside the next chamber. The second gate was still opening by the time they reached it.
Inside lay an arena-like hall. A raised audience platform circled the upper level, while the ground floor stretched wide and empty. Darkness clung to the corners, shifting like breath.
"Not like we can turn around," Sosuke said as he stepped in. Rin followed close, eyes scanning every surface. The gate behind them shut with a hard scrape.
In the center of the chamber, mana pooled across the floor. A liquefied shape, faintly glowing, gathered into a mound.
Sosuke stepped forward and drew his katana.
"Sosuke, careful…" Rin reached for his shoulder. Before she could touch him, the puddle rippled. She jerked back, her eyes narrowing.
The mana swelled upward. A hand formed first, solidifying as it gripped the floor. The rest of the body dragged itself free. Liquid sloughed off its limbs as its shape finished forming.
Sosuke froze. His eyes widened. The trembling in his grip spread through his whole arm.
Violet eyes stared back at him.
Rin's voice shook. "Sosuke… it's you."
The fake straightened its posture. Lightning gathered through its arm, the violet glow unmistakable.
Sosuke shifted into a stance, fear scraping raw against his throat. "It's not just me. That's me from when I escaped Astoria. If I fight that version of myself head on, I'll die."
The clone vanished. Light flashed.
Sosuke slammed into the far wall. His katana skittered across the floor. Rin went running.
"Sosuke!"
A blast of lightning struck her chest before she reached him. She hit the ground hard and slid across the stone.
I never realized how terrifying I was…
Sosuke pressed his back to the wall and tried to breathe. He could feel the clone's power like a storm pressing down on him. It eclipsed his weakened state completely.
The people I hurt back then saw me as this. No wonder they were terrified. I want people to fear my strength, not fear for their lives when I walk into a room.
The clone advanced in slow steps, each crackle of lightning rolling across the chamber.
I can't do this. I hate seeing what I used to be…
"Die."
Sosuke raised a hand and fired a pulse of lightning. It landed with a weak spark that barely staggered the clone. Not a scratch.
In the next moment, the fake seized him by the throat and lifted him easily. Lightning crackled along its second arm, forming a spear of raw light.
I refuse to die here. I haven't done anything I set out to do. I thought I could come here and walk right back out with my powers. I thought I could fix myself alone. Idiot. I keep throwing myself into situations I never wanted.
Sosuke clawed at the hand constricting his neck. His fingertips scraped against its cold grip. His body weakened. Air slipped away.
Despite everything, I still want to keep going. How can I redeem myself if this is where I end? That version of me existed to show me what not to become.
His arms dropped. His vision blurred.
But it was still me.
Black flames engulfed the clone, eating at the lightning that coated its limbs. Rin fired again and again, each blast hammering into its back.
"Stop it! Get away from him!"
The clone released Sosuke. He collapsed, hand clutching his throat as his lungs struggled to catch air.
That's right. I don't have to do this alone.
"Rin, you'll hurt yourself again!"
Her palms smoked, charred by her own flames. She hesitated only a second before stopping her assault. Her eyes darted between Sosuke and the clone.
The clone froze. Not a hint of aggression. Its lightning dimmed. It stood there quietly, almost expectant.
Sosuke stepped forward and matched the clone's gaze. "I think I understand it now. This whole cave. What it's been trying to show me." He lifted his hand.
The clone mirrored him. Their palms met.
"This was the Core's way of pushing me to figure myself out. I could never reach my potential if I stayed chained to who I used to be."
Rin stared, confused. "Sosuke, what are you saying?"
"I never accepted myself." His brow creased with a mix of frustration and clarity. "If I never lost my powers, I don't think I ever would have realized it."
The clone dissolved into smoke, its mana unraveling. The mist flowed into Sosuke's body and vanished in a soft pull of light.
He looked at his hand as the last traces settled inside him. "I feel more like myself." A grin pulled at his lips.
Sosuke turned toward Rin with a soft laugh, his smile steady while a lone tear slipped down his cheek.