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Arc V Chapter 19

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26th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

Her inquisitive gaze scrutinised her, looking for answers. “Do you have any ideas?”

“...” Little Aurora shook her head. “Not that I know of. Our situation is truly a mystery!”

Tall Aurora crossed her arms, the gears in her head turning relentlessly. “Well, considering your advanced state of consciousness and your apparent degree of autonomy, it is, I think, undeniable that you are in fact a separate entity rather than an extension of myself.”

“... ... ...” Little Aurora blinked. Consciousness? Autonomy? Entity? Since when did she start using so many fancy words? They confused her.

“...” Fortunately, tall Aurora noticed her distress. “What I am trying to say is that that you are a full, independent being.”

“...”

“It means that you are more than a mere automaton, merely animated by the breath of magic. You are more than a simple construct filled with life.”

“Right ...” little Aurora agreed. She was more than a construct, that was certainly true.

“In fact, I would say that you resemble, to a certain degree, a familiar.”

Her eyes widened. “You are calling me a familiar?”

“Sort of ...” tall Aurora clarified. “You don't appear to be a mere extension of my will, nor have I ever called you forth. You are something more. You are more akin to a mischievous spirit, a little mischievous spirit, a familiar.”

Little Aurora pouted in protest. “I am not a familiar!” She might be little, and a tiny bit mischievous, but she was most certainly not a spirit, nor a familiar! She was a little girl!

Tall Aurora stroked her chin. “Now that I think about it, you are right, you aren't a familiar.”

“Thank you!” she exclaimed.

“Which leaves then only one last explanation, you must be a fragment of our soul ... A portion of our soul must have separated, and attached itself to our doll ... That would be you.”

“Hmm ...” Little Aurora rubbed her chin. “That sounds like a plausible explanation.”

Tall Aurora continued, “But how? As you know, the soul is unitary, indivisible. It just doesn't simply split for no reason. At least, under normal circumstances ...”

Little Aurora tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“... There are certain ways and means to fracture a soul ... Your emotions, your experiences in life affect your soul. The stronger, the more profound, the stronger their impact. All that is needed is a powerful enough stimulus ... A stimulus such as ...” Her eyes wandered towards her.

“Such as?” little Aurora tilted her head.

Her stare intensified, boring into her. “Such as death.”

Death. Though it was a simple word, it sent a cold shiver down her dolly spine in dreadful premonition. Her limbs shuddered as everything returned with force. The memories of that fateful night flooded her mind. The pain, the desperation, the sadness, the grief, the terror, the panic, it was all there again. Visions of the falling rain ... The forest ... The carriage ... The escort ... Geralt ... The ambush ... The assassins ... The fighting ... The chaos ... The blood ... The screams ... The carnage ... The corpses ... The running ... The wide open field ... The cold steel piercing her chest ...

Little Aurora controlled her erratic breathing to maintain a semblance of composure. And yet all led her only to a single conclusion. “We ... We … died ...”

“...” Tall Aurora merely nodded, her head confirming her worst fears.

Little Aurora lowered her gaze, a wave of melancholy overcoming her. “So, it wasn't just a bad dream ... We really died in the forest that day?”

Her taller self shook her head. “It most definitely wasn't some dream you had. I would be lying if I said it was.”

“... ... ...” Aurora fell silent. “And what became of Geralt? Did he ... Did he also ...”

Once again, the answer was negative. A heavy sigh escaped tall Aurora. “As much as it pains me to say, the gods didn't smile upon him. Geralt met his fate, ... protecting us to his very last breath.”

“... ... ...” Heavy silence followed. Aurora lowered her laden gaze. Though she was young in years, even she understood. Her words left little doubt. “... I see.” Grief and sadness filled her heavy heart. Geralt died ... He had sacrificed his life to protect her ... And it was her fault that he was gone, wasn't it?

...

...

...

“... ... ...” Time passed. Seconds turned to minutes. Her other self took pity on her, reluctant to disturb her in her moment of weakness. Yet no pity was meant to last forever. “Tell me, what do you remember? What do you remember about that night?” There was sympathy in her voice, a certain unmistakeable warmth.

Little Aurora averted her eyes, her tiny hands fidgeting with each other. “To be honest, ... there is much I don't remember ... My memories of that night are all hazy ... Everything is so murky and fuzzy ... My head hurts every time I try to remember ...”

Tall Aurora beamed, calming her. “Don't worry, it is fine. You don't need to force yourself. Just tell me all that you remember.”

“...” Little Aurora gathered her thoughts, recalling once more the events of that fateful night. “It was already dark ... The sun had set ... It was raining ... We were on our way home. The carriage was heading through the forest. That is where we were ambushed. The assassins attacked. We escaped. We ran until we reached an opening. There … we died ...”

“Hmm ...” Her other self listened, weighing each of her words carefully. “Do you perchance remember anything else? Anything peculiar? Anything special? Anything extraordinary? Anything else that merits our attention?”

Little Aurora briefly deliberated, before shaking her head. “Not that I know of ... No, wait a moment ... Now that you mention it, you are right, there was something ... There was something shortly before we died ...”

Her other self smiled, her curiosity piqued. “Oh, there was?”

“Yes, there was ... ...” Little Aurora nodded. “I remember now, there was a voice, ... I think. The voice was talking to me.”

“How curious ...” tall Aurora merely mumbled, a healthy dose of scepticism filling her voice. “You say the voice talked to you.What did it say?”

“I ... I ... I don't remember ...” Little Aurora hesitated before clenching her tiny doll fists. “But you must believe me, there was a voice. I swear. In fact, I am absolutely sure that it was the voice of a woman. It was soft and tender.” More and more returned. Memories once forgotten resurfaced from oblivion.

She remembered. For the blink of a moment, Aurora remembered once more, the memory of her death vivid like never before. Amidst the voice, carefully hidden to the unknowing, there was something else ... Something deeper ... Something more profound ... Something darker ... Something sinister ... A powerful presence saturated her voice, her words enshrouded in an ominous aura ... The voice carried power.

“...” Aurora stiffened, her limbs growing cold. It all returned. The presence ... The aura ... It entered her body, invading every fibre of her being, even her very soul. An unknown strength beyond her comprehension coursed through her veins, reinvigorating her senses, slowly taking control of her. Never before, she had felt such unimaginable power, such vigorous strength. It was the last thing she remembered ... The last thing she experienced before she died ...

Little Aurora closed her eyes instead, her attention turning to herself. Her senses opened, searching for her soul, her mana, both of which accompanied her since the day she was born. The connection between her and her body, her and her soul was torn asunder, and yet it survived, and yet there it was, even when separated, even when split apart.

A soft smile graced her lips. In the darkness of the void, it was her soul that burned brightly like a lighthouse amidst the waves of the sea. The gentle touch of her soul caressed her heart, soothing her. And yet, there was a feeling of profound discomfort, of anxiety, of uneasiness, haunting her mind. Her soul ... Something about it was wrong ... Her soul was different from what she remembered, different from what she knew. Her soul had changed, as had her mana. They were not the same any more. There was a certain unmistakeable taint, a taint that reminded her of a certain familiar presence that now resided inside her soul, inside her body.

Her body noticed her distress, a smile accompanying her. “Is something the matter? Something seems to be troubling you.”

“...” Little Aurora gulped, her voice stuck in her throat, her hands shaking, trembling in fear. “Who ... Who are you?”

The girl furrowed an eyebrow, her question visibly entertaining her. “What a curious question ... Haven't we already clarified this matter abundantly? I believe so. You are me, and I am you.”

“No, you aren't. You have deceived me. You are not me.” Little Aurora gathered her courage. “So who are you? And what did you do to me? Answer me!”

“Hehehe ...” An amused giggle filled the emptiness of the room. The girl smirked, unable to hide her amusement. Her eyes harboured a dangerous purple glimmer glowing in the darkness. “It seems that I have been finally found out. How intriguing ... As it turns out, you are smarter than I gave you credit for. I must congratulate you, you are correct.” The sound of clapping resonated through the room. Her hands applauded her. “Anyway, I guess we need to talk. I think we still have much to discuss, Lady Aurora von Schwarz.”

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