"An alter ego who possesses your memories and skills, looks identical to you, but has a completely different personality?"
Inside the dream bubble, Yaxiu nodded while licking an iron railing. "Yes. He's a total tsundere, completely different from me."
Sonia and Diya glanced at him without a word. The dream bubble they were in depicted an academic city enclosed within high walls, its streets brimming with radiant, youthful boys and girls. Walking down the avenue, the four sorcerers were practically considered seniors.
"Sixteen down to eight, eight to four, four to two..." Various anomalous phenomena swirled around Weise—at times rising flames, at times rolling mist and rain, at times flashing lightning, at times blossoming flowers and falling leaves. "If only one person can pass the trial in the end, then the grudge between you and Silver Lantern will soon reach its conclusion."
"Two people, because the Fate Twins are paired up," Yaxiu corrected. "Though you're right. This long pursuit will be punctuated by death in the trial."
"Still, you can't use sorcery spirits or sorcery power right now, and not even Bo—not even your companions are by your side. Can you really beat Silver Lantern?" Diya asked worriedly, playing cat's cradle with a piece of string. "Silver Lantern's Blood Seed is still inside you, right?"
Yaxiu nodded. "I really am no match for her. Aside from the gap in combat talent, it's also because of the Blood Seed. The closer I get to her, the stronger its effects become. She's essentially siphoning my life energy around the clock. When I fight her, she only grows fiercer while I just get weaker and weaker.
"This time, I managed to tangle with her using mutual-destruction tactics to drag her down to my own low level, but next time she might not fall for it."
He had not noticed it during the heat of battle, but after putting some distance between himself and Silver Lantern, Yaxiu had keenly felt an excessive weakness draining his body. It was only after eating a few high-calorie energy bars in the lounge that he had recovered, proving that the Blood Seed was still active.
"If it were just me and Silver Lantern, I'd probably be truly out of options this time," Yaxiu said, spreading his hands. "Fortunately, my other half doesn't bear that burden, and his combat strength is far greater than mine. As long as I coordinate properly with him, we're sure to bring down the Silver Lantern twins!"
Despite Yaxiu's immense confidence, the Sword Princess and the Witch remained deeply anxious. After all, neither of them had seen this 'other half.' On top of that, Yaxiu calling him a 'tsundere' made them even more uneasy—not that being a tsundere diminished combat ability, but anyone whose true colors Yaxiu could see through so easily could hardly be much shrewder than a Fishcleaver Dragon.
"I found the affix," Weise said suddenly. "It's related to colors. Stepping on white tiles makes you invincible, while stepping on black tiles adds negative effects."
At that moment, the surrounding scene froze and rewound, and a flow of information flooded into the sorcerers' minds:
[Tile Stepping: Walking back to the dorm after school—whoever steps on a black tile loses! Suffer no damage while standing on white tiles. Stepping on a black tile inflicts 1 stack of the 'Damage Amplification' curse, increasing damage taken by 10% per stack, stackable without limit.]
[Affix Identification Reward: Small amount of truth faction experience, small amount of destiny faction experience, small amount of sorcery power.]
[Limited Affix Privilege: In the next dream bubble, you may gain 1 stack of the 'Defense Enhancement' blessing by stepping on white tiles, reducing damage taken by 5% per stack, stacking up to 10 times.]
Yaxiu and the others gasped.
Even though this was a single-affix bubble, the affix was ridiculously punishing, especially against sorcerers who spent ten or twenty minutes probing for clues.
The paths here were paved almost entirely with alternating black and white tiles. Moving about inevitably meant treading across dozens or even hundreds of black tiles. With no upper limit to the curse's stacks, once combat began, they would suffer over 1,000% amplified damage, and a Sanctuary could easily be shattered in an instant by Void Realm creatures!
It was precisely because such outrageous affixes existed that Yaxiu and his companions had to expend massive amounts of time searching for affix clues.
Yaxiu licking the railing, Diya playing cat's cradle, Sonia walking while jumping, flying, and strolling backward... Every single one of their bizarre probing behaviors was a trauma response born from having been thoroughly thrashed by previous affixes.
Sonia had actually studied various travelogues and books, even seeking advice from professors like Trozan and Nidala on methods to test for affixes. But as the saying went, what was learned on paper proved shallow in the end; nothing taught a deeper lesson than a harsh beating. For instance, they had once encountered an affix called 'Sword-Drawing Reverie,' which instantly swapped the wielder's gender the moment they gripped a blade. From then on, the very first thing Sonia and Yaxiu did upon entering any new bubble was draw their swords.
Still, as the number of bubbles they cleared mounted, their efficiency at uncovering affixes improved swiftly.
Not only Weise, but Yaxiu and the others occasionally managed to deduce affixes through experimentation. Their nightly clear rate did not rise dramatically, remaining around seven or eight bubbles, but their safety surged.
Against affixes like 'Hopscotch' where testing blindly meant instant death, they had preempted danger at least seven or eight times already.
Since the previous two bubbles had gone so smoothly, and they possessed the 50% damage reduction privilege from 'Hopscotch,' Yaxiu decided to take on a bit of a challenge. Opening the Void Realm Map, he spotted a three-affix bubble and led everyone straight inside.
"Huh?"
The moment they entered the new scene, Yaxiu froze where he stood. Thinking he had fallen prey to an affix right off the bat, Sonia carefully grasped his hand. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Yaxiu shook his head softly, stepping forward as though sleepwalking. This bubble was a massive, enclosed structure. Pushing open a set of doors, they arrived at a spacious central hall. Above them stretched a glass ceiling, through which sunlight from the Far Shore spilled freely across long benches. Potted plants were arranged along both sides. Several people sat on the benches—some chatting, some reading, and some even asleep... Had they not all been wearing prison uniforms, the place could easily have been mistaken for a park.
Prison uniforms?
Sonia and the other two paused, instantly realizing where they were.
Yaxiu walked toward a bench near the front and watched a light screen broadcasting the news. The city council was announcing a new policy, using dull, convoluted phrasing with an information entropy so low it seemed tailored to keep citizens from understanding a single word. On the foremost bench sat a 2.2-meter-tall green-skinned orc and a 1.3-meter-tall, short-legged goblin, their conversation drifting clearly into Yaxiu's ears—
"Isn't it time for the combat league yet? It's finally Enemy Dragon's turn to take the stage. His matches are the best—brains and blood splatter the whole arena every time, way more exciting than the Blood Moon Trial."
"Heh, I bet Enemy Dragon gets beaten to a pulp tonight. His opponent is that rising gladiator, the ogre 'Financier'! He's ruthless. In his last match, he rammed a goblin's head straight into its chest cavity—they couldn't even save him!"
"Financier... Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Probably a common name among ogres. Who cares?"
"True enough."
...
Snapping back to reality, Yaxiu turned to his teammates. "This is a three-affix bubble. How about we split up for ten minutes to search for clues?"
Sonia and the others had no objections. Once Yaxiu walked away, the three of them exchanged glances, and Sonia spoke up: "Weise, explore with me."
"No way!" Diya clung to Weise's arm. "It's definitely my turn to go with Weise this time!"
Caught between the two of them, Weise offered a wry smile. "Actually, searching separately would be more efficient... But if we have to pair up, I'll go with the Sword Princess. Witch, you search on your own."
"Why!"
"Because your sorcery spirit types are far more diverse than the Sword Princess's," Weise explained. "You can perform plenty of tests by yourself, whereas the Sword Princess mostly has swordplay sorcery spirits and can only run a limited number of checks."
Diya pouted unhappily. "Then you have to hang out with me next time!"
"Alright, it's a promise." Weise waved goodbye to the Witch and accompanied the Sword Princess down another corridor.
Over the past few days, Weise had found opportunities to share heartfelt chats with both the Sword Princess and the Witch while maintaining a polite, respectful social distance from Yaxiu. Before long, she had become the most popular companion in the group.
Beyond her diplomatic tact, the more critical reason was that the Sword Princess and the Witch had no other choice—aside from Weise, they had no one else with whom they could discuss relationship matters.
Even without deliberately trying to get close, as long as Weise showed no interest in Yaxiu, she would naturally end up as their confidante.
Weise glanced at a white-haired hunter passing by, then turned and asked, "Are you very worried?"
"How could I not be?"
Sonia sighed. "It feels like he never gets a single day of peace. If he isn't being swept into a conspiracy, he's being dragged into a vortex. If he isn't being hunted, he's hunting down someone else. And now his sorcery power and sorcery spirits are sealed away—he's practically an ordinary person, fragile as a blade of straw, with enemies holding scythes right beside him...
"Back when he was in Shattered Lake Prison, the prison at least had to abide by the law, and he could exploit loopholes in the rules to protect himself. But what he's facing now is a trial in the wasteland—no law, no rules, no companions, only enemies and the unknown..."
Weise murmured softly, "If only you were by his side."
The village girl lightly bit her lower lip, resting her left hand on the pommel of her sword in silence.
"Still, you don't need to worry too much. Didn't he say he has a trustworthy Fate Twin? A duplicate possessing all his memories and skills—"
"That's what worries me most," Sonia said. "Why would the trial create such a duplicate? The most likely reason I can think of is to let the copy replace the original. Yet right now, he trusts that duplicate completely."
"You could advise him to keep a closer eye on the duplicate's actions—"
"I can't." The president of the Paw-Stretching Club shook her head. "I can listen and offer suggestions, but I shouldn't disrupt his judgment with hypothetical possibilities. He's making decisions, not asking us for guidance. If I urge him like that, it'll only make him think I doubt his judgment."
"But you'd be doing it for his own good."
"I worry about him, but I respect his competence even more, just as he has never interfered with the development of my career," Sonia said. "We can only hear processed, second-hand information, but only the person on the ground can weigh every factor comprehensively. The things I fret over are either matters he's already considered, or things he doesn't want me to worry about."
Weise nodded solemnly. "What you say makes a lot of sense... But besides respect and trust, he might also desperately need your support."
"Mm?"
"From what you've said, when he was in prison, though his strength was negligible, he had laws and rules as an umbrella. When he was in the Gospel, though bound by contracts, his personal strength remained intact to protect himself. But now, he has neither laws nor the power of self-defense. Aside from enemies harboring deep-seated hatred, he has only an inscrutable duplicate and an unknown, mysterious trial," Weise said. "If you were reduced to such a situation, how would you feel?"
Just imagining such a scenario left Sonia breathless, and she could not help hugging herself tightly.
For a sorcerer, far more terrifying than any environment or enemy was the loss of strength.
A sorcerer stripped of power was like an adult reverted to a three-year-old child. Originally able to protect themselves and fight back against any danger, they were now reduced to begging for the mercy of fate—the sheer disparity in standing was suffocating.
"...I would be terrified."
"Anyone would be. Yet to keep you from worrying, he has to put on an act of having everything well in hand," Weise said. "Fear, loneliness, anxiety... He has no choice but to swallow those negative emotions and digest them all alone. Because he knows that telling you won't help in the slightest; it would only drag you into the mire as well."
Sonia's breathing grew shallow and hurried. Halting in place, she fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "Then what can I do? I can't do anything..."
"You should think of it the other way around," Weise said. "If you were in his shoes, how would you want him to support you?
"As you know, this isn't his first brush with danger. When he broke out of prison, when he entered the Gospel Imperial Palace, when he was nearly drained dry by the Blood Seed, when he couldn't defeat Silver Lantern tonight... In those moments, was there any regret lingering in his heart?
"Perhaps he has been waiting for you for a very long time."
Weise paused and gazed at the Sword Princess. After waiting a moment, the Sword Princess slowly opened her eyes. Her ruby-like irises were radiant and bright, a faint blush dusting her cheeks, yet her expression was resolute.
"I'll have to trouble you to search for clues on your own, Weise."
"Leave it to me."
The Sword Princess nodded and ran off down another corridor.
Turning around, Weise slowly strolled past the prisoners and made her way back to the central hall.
In truth, she had long been capable of pushing forward the romantic progress of this team. It was not just due to her subtle prodding over the past dozen days, but because the three of them had already been a primed volcano and an impending flood. Without her, perhaps their feelings in the Void Realm would not have reached a turning point until changes occurred in reality. But the moment someone took that step forward, this stable dynamic would face a trial no less devastating than an apocalyptic catastrophe.
And now was the most ideal moment for that trial.
Weise's analysis had not been fabricated; Yaxiu truly was at his weakest and most helpless. At such a time, if the Sword Princess or the Witch gave him meticulous warmth, it would naturally be like offering charcoal in a blizzard. But if they instead unleashed an unmanageable emotional tempest upon him, it could well become the final straw that broke his sanity.
The Divine Fire Trial in reality, the trial of emotions in the Void Realm.
*Let me see what kind of truth is hidden beneath that human skin of yours, Yaxiu.*
Before long, Weise ran into the Witch.
Diya peeked curiously behind her. "Where's the Sword Princess? Wasn't she with you?"
Weise took two steps back and turned as if to flee, but in the next second, the Witch caught her in a tight hug. "Spill it! Where did the Sword Princess go? Did you eat her? Was she tasty?"
Weise blinked. "Well, the Sword Princess..."
Chapter 572