Part II – Whispers Among Illusions
The hall remained silent for long moments. No one dared to speak. Only the faint rustling of the handmaidens' kimonos as they withdrew left an almost imperceptible trace of their passage.
Lucen approached one of the painted panels. He brushed his fingers against the image of a fox staring at him with golden eyes, unmoving among the blooming branches. For an instant, those eyes seemed to blink.
"She's playing with us," he said quietly. "Watching every reaction."
Kayla nodded. "She's always been like that. Cunning. Alluring. Dangerous."
Yuri stepped closer to the empty throne, drawn by a detail: on one of the armrests lay a white feather. As soon as she touched it, a wave of images overwhelmed her—memories that weren't her own. Voices, laughter, whispered promises in the night. Pain. Betrayal. Loneliness.
She recoiled, almost losing her balance.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"A trace," Kayla replied. "A fragment of Ayame. She always leaves a piece of herself where she wants you to look."
Ayame's voice echoed suddenly, coming from nowhere—and everywhere at once.
"Welcome, stranger with a shining heart. Tell me, Yuri… are you truly ready to look within?"
Yuri tensed. The voice was like silk, yet sharp—stroking and scratching at the same time.
"Show yourself!" she shouted.
A laugh answered—sweet and unsettling at once.
"Soon. But first… I want to see you dance with your illusions. Only then will I know who you truly are."
The lights in the hall went out. The walls vanished. The floor turned into dark water, and Yuri found herself alone, surrounded by emptiness. The sky above her was a mirror, and in its reflection, she didn't see herself—but a Yuri dressed in black, with a cold smile and a gaze that didn't belong to her.
Her counterpart spoke first.
"You're not ready. You never will be. And they know it."
Yuri took a step forward, her heart pounding.
"You're not real."
The figure smiled. "And yet I am you. The part that craves power. That wants Lucen. That longs to be worshipped. You can't destroy me… if you've always hidden me in your heart."
Yuri clenched her fists.
"Then I'll face you. But on my terms."