Caires traced his finger in the empty air in smooth motions, a trail of burning golden Ein following behind. "My element is light and incompatible with your elemental spark. As Apprentice Exalts, we can learn different spells to become acquainted with the elements. However, once our elemental sparks awaken inside our cores, the focus is shifted to the attuned element." His index finger continued to make strokes and curves before Oscar until they coalesced into a single radiant word: Duality. "But there are spells outside of the elements. Auxiliary spells. I'm sure you've encountered some in the past. People who boosted their physical power and speed or used their eyes to entrance and hypnotize others."

"I am already aware of the difference between the elements and the types of spells. So, is this Duality also an auxiliary spell?" So far, his arsenal of spells was comprised mainly of metal element spells, with only his Gorgon Eyes, the evolution of Basilisk Eyes, being the odd one out. Oscar sharpened his Ein, ready to learn, especially from a King Exalt.

"I'll give you a demonstration. Watch closely." Caire's words sparked something in Oscar; a faint, terrifying memory of his master, Draven, drawing close with a murderous aura asking what he had seen popped into his head. Giving Caires his full attention, he deigned from even blinking. The King Exalt smiled and leaped back, crossing his arms behind his back, standing firm with a clear sharpness to every fiber of his body like a sword.

Caires exhaled once, and his body ignited into a wild burst of golden Ein, not as gentle as the wavy Ein Shroud but as violent and powerful as blazing infernos. That wild Ein in flux slowly peeled away, its shape somehow holding together. A second later, the Ein burned next to Caires, an empty spot inside it that matched the Dragnar Ancestor's large figure. Following a grunt of exertion, the separated Ein began to condense, filling in the empty silhouette within until it formed a smooth figure. It resembled an unfinished sculpture, missing the lines, trimming, and details needed to be called an art piece.

Its surface writhed and wriggled. One by one, the features came into existence, starting from colorless shirt and pants, following into the shapely figure of the arms, legs, chest, and face, leaving not a single hair or muscle out of place, and ending with all the colors in the clothing, the pigments of the skin, the golden draconic eyes, and the silver hair. An identical Dragnar Ancestor formed into being. Stunned, Oscar shifted his gaze from one Caires to the other and gasped when the duplicate Dragnar Ancestor unleashed its Ein, blasting Oscar far away.

Stabilizing himself with Erden's help, Oscar sweated profusely, gripping his soaked hands. That presence from the clone surpassed Marshal Exalts. Only a King Exalt carried such weight and presence to their Ein. Coughing to rebalance his shaken lungs, he asked, "That is Duality?"

"Shocked, are you not? I created this spell long ago when I saw two serpents, twins, identical in every shape and form down to their scales. They mimicked each other's movements so well, the brilliant idea struck me." Caires and the other Caires wrapped their arms over their shoulders, behaving akin to twins and good friends. "Duality. I spent many decades, if not over a century, to perfect this spell. You won't find it in any books or spell holders. It is my unique spell."

"Am I truly allowed to learn it?" Oscar rose to his feet, eagerness shining from his eyes.

"Why not? It's one of the rewards for your achievements as a hero. If I can't give one of the precious spells in exchange for the Divine Essence, what's the point of having rewards in the first place?" Caires clapped his hands, and the other Caires faded away. He put away the pipe and sat down, waving Oscar to join him. "Duality is to create a second version of yourself. Ein is a wondrous power and substance, capable of shaping and transforming into anything we can will it be. It's a strenuous and delicate process to create another self. First, you replicate the skin, then the flesh and veins, the muscles, the organs, the bones, and the blood. The blueprint is yourself."

"Is it as strong as the original?" Oscar asked.

Caires gritted his teeth, a gnashing noise grating on Oscar's ears. "Unfortunately, I could never reach that level. Its Ein is the Ein of your realm, but the output is halved. It can use all the spells you can, and you can send more Ein into it to maintain it. The other drawbacks are that it does not replicate the anima and is not automatic. You have to control it yourself while minding your real body. People are experienced with parallel mind from controlling their anima, but this is a step further beyond."

"It's half of what I am….What if it is destroyed?" Oscar wanted more details.

"If it is destroyed, the backlash will turn to you. You will suffer." Caires didn't make the spell sound more appealing by the second, but he smiled and pointed at Oscar. "I used it in the past to confuse enemies, divert their attention, and put more pressure. But what if it is created from the fusion of Ein and Reis? What if it uses Reis in its attacks? I believe the power of your double will be far greater than the limits I have found."

That's it! Oscar pounded his fist on the floor, trembling in excitement. Caires' assumption was not unfounded. Possessing the wonderful and deadly force of Reis and Eirin, the double would surely devastate half of what he could ordinarily do. Shivering from anticipation, Oscar bowed, his heart rapidly beating to no end, and said, "Please teach me this spell."

"Good man! It's a shame you rejected marrying into my family. I can't imagine how much more powerful you'd become with this spell." Caires sighed heavily and stomped over, the rubble reduced to dust from his treading steps. "Then, surge your Ein to the fullest."

Oscar roused his Ein in the same manner Caires did before. Two large hands palmed his back, and a foreign Ein intruded into his body.

"I am sending my Ein to show you how to move your Ein outward. The first step is to separate the Ein from your body entirely." Caire's Ein zoomed through his veins, pulling parts of Oscar's Ein inward and some to extend further out. It filtered the Ein and created a small line of separation between him and his Ein. "Remember this configuration. Now try it yourself."

…….

Hours later, when the moon reached its highest point, Oscar wobbled out of the carriage, nearly hunching over. He tried and failed to shift his Ein over to an empty spot for several hours while maintaining that fierce output and delicate control, draining his Ein and stamina. Also, the Dragnar Ancestor insisted on sharing another barrel of his wine. Remembering the sinister smile on Caires that preemptively rejected any rejections, he cursed inwardly, about to fall down.

"Ah, my Lord!" Someone caught him in time. Her small frame struggled to stabilize him until Erden swooped in to help. Lifting the drunken haze for a moment of clarity, he saw Sirsi rubbing her forearms, wincing in pain. She readjusted her round glasses and bowed deeply with a blushing face. "Forgive me for my rudeness!"

"There's no need to be sorry. It's my fault for stumbling on a rock. More importantly, are you alright?" Oscar reached into his space pocket and pulled out a grade-one healing elixir, which he had just in case. Sirsi pulled back, shaking her head, but he reached out, tugged her arm out, and placed the elixir into her hand, rough callouses from chores and housework evident on her fingers. 'I should purchase some skincare elixirs for normal people from the Alchemist Guild.'

"T-thank you! I will forever be in your debt, my Lord!" Sirsi stammered, bowing her head up and down. Her braided brown tail tossed around wildly.

"Where's Eris? Isn't she in charge of my needs for today?" Oscar felt there was no way to stop the young maid from her excessive display of gratitude and changed topics, directing his question to Declerd at the side.

"Eris is drawing the bath as we speak. Will you be having dinner or your bath first?" Declerd relayed in a smooth voice.

"Bath…." Oscar yawned and entered the estate, passing by the rows of bowing guards. Inside, Eris bowed gracefully and led him to the bathing room, the pool of steaming water as large as a pond. Thankfully, the maids didn't intrude in this area, and he relished in the water along with Erden, the fatigue from today's training washing away, a most deserved respite.

'I wonder how Fred, Emily, and the others are doing? I hope they're well in the Pavilion.' Oscar leaned his head onto the wet stone floor, staring at the cloudy ceiling. His Black Aegis Order wasn't invited, only himself and Erden as an extension. Fred had also given up his ties to his family long ago, so there was even less of a reason for him to be invited. Still, Oscar missed his friends.

After a refreshing bath, he ate a feast and entered his room, where a box of letters and scrolls awaited him. "What is all this?"

"Letters from many people interested in you, my Lord. There are various marriage proposals, love letters, invitations to banquets and private parties before the Summer Gala, and requests from people who wish to trade." Eris explained everything.

"So many….." Oscar dumped the entire contents of the box onto the table, some spilling over to the floor like a waterfall of paper. Picking one up, he opened it and read it: a love letter from a noble lady. The exotic flowery language and imaginative scenarios of love and romance were too much for him. Such exchanges were only meant for him and Avril. He put it back in the box, staring at the large pile, which suddenly seemed so much larger and daunting.

The marriage proposals all contained a picture of the woman, all quite beautiful and noble-looking with varying smiles ranging from timid to bright. The love letters all scrunched his stomach from how they sounded, the flowery language of nobles indeed. The invitations all hoped for him to come on certain dates and times, from rich merchants to nobles, including the highest of Dukes. Oscar shoved almost all of them into the box, but one caught his attention.

"This is…." It was stamped with a familiar emblem of three treasure chests surrounded by a string of pearls. On the back, it simply said a name: Serena.