When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a void of darkness.
"Ugh..." I groaned, clutching my throbbing head before I pushed myself upright. My gaze darted around, only to find nothing but an endless blackness. Then, out of the corner of my vision, a small ball of white light flickered into existence, hovering close.
"Where the hell am I?"
I stood up, hesitant, and reached out a finger to prod the strange orb. The light recoiled slightly, as if acknowledging my presence, before weaving through the air around . It circled once, then drifted forward with a clear intent: to guide .
With no other options, I decided to follow.
The last thing I rembered was the bitter struggle with Navas-his death, Celes supporting my battered body as I limped away, and then... collapse. Darkness swallowed after that. Was this a dream? It had to be, right?
But no dream I'd ever had was this vivid. I clenched my fists. The roughness of my palms, the ache in my body-everything felt too real.
The glowing orb led forward through the void, until finally, we arrived at a grand white door that seed to float amidst the nothingness. The orb didn't wait; it passed through the door and vanished. I hesitated, staring at the smooth, radiant surface.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out. My fingers trembled slightly as they brushed the door, and with a gentle push, I opened it.
Blinding light flooded my vision. I instinctively raised an arm to shield my eyes, squinting against the sudden brilliance. As the light dimd, the world around ca into focus- vast and serene.
"Welco, finally."
The voice startled . Lowering my arm, I blinked in disbelief. Standing before was a man - a handso figure with white hair that shimred faintly and piercing amber eyes.
I saw myself.
He was dressed in immaculate white noble attire, the kind I would never wear. Too stiff, too formal—it didn't suit . And that smile? Way too composed, and noble-looking far from the normal smile I'd usually muster.
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, dumbfounded.
Was this so sort of bizarre dream?
"No," the man replied, reading my thoughts.
I frowned, suspicion crawling up my spine as he laughed, his deanor annoyingly carefree.
"I am Amael Idea Olphean," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Nice to et you. Hmm... how should I address you?"
"I'm Amael though..." I replied confused.
"Not quite," he said with a light shake of his head. With a flick of his fingers, a white table and chairs materialized. "Have a seat."
Despite my unease, I silently obeyed, lowering myself into one of the chairs. The other Amael -or whoever he was-settled into the seat across from .
He stared at for a mont, his amber eyes scanning my face with an intensity that made awkward.
"What?" I asked.
"My apologies," he said with a light chuckle. "It's just... strange, staring at my own face like this."
"I can agree with that," I replied.
Amael leaned back slightly, his gaze thoughtful. "By the way, I saw your fight against Navas. I have to say, I'm impressed."
I frowned. Complints from a strange, dreamlike version of myself felt oddly weird. "Who are you?" I asked again.
I couldn't start any kind of discussion without understanding who or what he was. I needed answers.
Amael smiled faintly, tapping his finger rhythmically on the white table between us. "I think you already know."
I stared at him for a mont. The longer I observed him, the clearer the answer beca, though it was one I didn't want to admit.
"You're Amael Idea Olphean... without the mories of Nyrel Loyster," I said finally.
"Exactly." Amael nodded.
That explained it. He looked like , yet he wasn't . His posture, his movents-they all carried an air of grace, as though he were performing so class of noble etiquette. While I'd known the sa lessons, I'd always shrugged them off, dismissing them as unnecessary. But this Amael followed them flawlessly, down to the smallest gesture.
Even his voice had the cadence of soone who'd been grood to lead. He wasn't just noble; he was princely. It was a contrast to the person I knew myself to be. Watching him felt like staring at a reflection of what might have been, had things turned out differently.
If he wasn't brainwashed by who the hell it was after Oryanna Olphean's death.
In a way, he reminded of Christina and Mother. More than , really. Yeah, much more than .
"What's going on, then?" I asked, forcing my focus back to the situation at hand. "You said this isn't a dream."
"It's not," Amael replied, folding his hands in front of him. "Think of it more as... the deepest part of your unconsciousness."
"My unconsciousness?" I repeated the concept making little sense to .
Amael laughed softly. "I'll admit, even I'm not entirely sure how to explain this place. Let's just say it's where my mories and Nyrel Loyster's mories are gathered."
I blinked, mulling over his words. "That makes more sense, actually," I said, nodding slowly. "Alright then-how did I end up here?"
"I called you here," he said, leaning forward slightly. "You're currently in a deep sleep, recovering. While your body heals, I thought we should talk."
"Talk about what?"
Amael gave a small, almost hesitant smile. "Well, it's been a while since we've talked, and I just wanted to speak with you... You've protected and supported my elder sister all this ti, and my mother as well. And now, you're doing so much again to save my mother."
"They're also my mother and sister," I replied. "That's a given."
Amael's smile grew faintly, his eyes carrying a trace of skepticism. "Do you really think that?"
"What?" I frowned a little.
"You aren't Amael Idea Olphean. You aren't ," he said calmly, eting my gaze as if
waiting for to deny it. "Can you agree on that point?"
I blinked, taken aback by the bluntness of his statent.
After a mont, I sighed and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm not the original Amael Idea Olphean, if that's what you're asking," I admitted.
"But I still have your mories. They're my family-"
"That's wrong."
Amael shook his head.
"What's wrong?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"I am the mories," he said. "I am Amael Idea Olphean. It's thanks to my mories that
you even know about my past, my family, and every emotion you claim as yours."
"That's bullshit." I glared at him.
Was this so kind of twisted joke?
"However difficult it is to accept, that's the truth," Amael continued with a casual shrug.
"Then who am I supposed to be?" I asked with a laugh.
"You..." Amael began thinking carefully. "You might be the one borrowing my mories, as well as those of Nyrel Loyster." He nodded to himself as though affirming the thought.
There was sothing strange about the way he said it.
"Then it doesn't change the fact that I'm also you, does it?" I asked.
Amael shook his head slowly, a small smile forming on his lips. "As I said, our mories didn't exactly rge. You really believe everything Nihil feeds you, don't you?" He chuckled. When I glare burned stronger, he raised his hands in surrender.
I don't like this guy...
I leaned forward slightly, narrowing my eyes. "What do you an the mories haven't
rged? And why would Nihil make believe they had?" My mind drifted back to the Miranda Quest in the dungeon, the challenge I had fulfilled to claim Amael's mories.
Amael leaned back, crossing his arms. "That's not for to answer." "Who, then? Nihil? The only trace of his presence was destroyed. I killed it myself."
"Yes, I saw that mont," Amael said, shaking his head. "It was quite the scary spectacle-
especially with Nes." He laughed.
"Answer ," I asked annoyed.
Amael tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Instead of replying directly, he threw another question at . "Do you think Nihil is your ally?"
I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "No way in hell."
I was already fed up with all his manipulation but now I am learning that he also tricked to believe my mories were rged ones. What did that twisted guy really want from ?
"Good," Amael nodded appreciatively. "He's a Guardian of Eden. His sole purpose is to keep Eden alive, no matter the cost. It's for the world's sake, they would say."
I clenched my fists. "And what the hell does that have to do with ? Samael? I already told him-I have no intention of gathering the Sins or letting them control . It's my life."
"My body, though," Amael shot back, raising a brow.
I glared at him again.
He shrugged nonchalantly before letting out a long sigh. "Nihil is afraid of you becoming Samael Eveningstar. That would be disastrous for Eden. And for what it's worth, I don't want
to beco that monster either. But..."
"But?"
Amael furrowed his brows. "But Nihil is afraid of sothing else. Sothing that has nothing
to do with the Sins or Samael."
"And what's that?" I asked, my heart pounding. "Are you talking about -Nyrel Loyster?"
He was afraid of Nyrel Loyster but the main reason wasn't even because of possessing the
Sin of Wrath and had nothing to do with Samael?
Then what was it?
Amael nodded, only to shake his head imdiately after. "Unfortunately, I don't know."
"Damn him..." I cursed under my breath.
"Alright. Enough about Nihil. Let's change the subject," Amael clapped his hands. "Let's talk
about sothing else. Like your lovers. I never thought you'd manage to make Layla fall for
you," he said, a hint of genuine surprise in his tone. "She always seed so infatuated with Alfred." "She thought she was," I replied, shrugging. "She's smart, sure, but deep down, she's just a girl waiting for her Prince to save her. And Alfred fit the bill perfectly-a prince, a man she
was supposed to marry. Her parents drilled that into her head. She was conditioned, that's
all."
Amael let out a low whistle, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Well, I'll give you credit. I don't think I could've pulled it off." "Right," I said dryly. "We-you-loved her since you were a kid."
"You bet," Amael admitted, his smirk turning wistful. "I was so drawn to her. I'd never felt
that kind of pull... well, there was also a bit Celes as well. Euphemia a little too but Layla was
several steps ahead."
"Celes?" I repeated.
"Yeah," Amael said, grinning. "You know who I'm talking about. My childhood friend. I
always loved Celes as a kid. She was the one who stood up for , helped deal with bullies
like Evan or Rodolf."
He glanced at my face, noticing the way my expression twisted with conflicted emotions.
Of course I felt that way.
He wasn't just drawing lines between us being different people-he was carving them into
stone. And now, he was saying he loved Celes even though he should know what I felt about
her.
"I'm quite jealous, you know," Amael said, sighing. "I'm sure she liked a lot too. If only I
had-"
"Stop." I stopped him before he could finish.
I didn't want to hear any more.
Amael stared at for a mont, his expression unreadable, before shrugging with a faint
smile.
"My apologies. It's just... I feel a bit sad about my situation. But without your-Nyrel's- mories, I don't think I would have lasted long ntally. So, I'm grateful, nonetheless."
His smile turned bitter, his eyes clouded with sothing like resignation. "Just... save my
mother."
""
I didn't feel comfortable with this conversation-not one bit. Still, I nodded, even if the gesture felt hollow.
"Good!" Amael exclaid, his mood shifting abruptly as he sighed in relief. "That's all I wanted to hear."
It surprised how much faith he seed to have in , in my abilities. Then again, he was technically inside , living through my every thought and action.
"Can I leave now?" I asked, standing up, eager to escape this place. "Wait," Amael stopped unfortunately. He turned toward the empty chair next to us, the
one I'd assud was just there for show. "Before you go, there's soone you should et. Why are you hiding?"
At first, nothing happened, and I started to question whether Amael was just ssing with
. But then, dark particles began to coalesce in the chair, swirling like ink dissolving in water. Slowly, a figure took shape, legs crossed casually over the white table.
The man who appeared was dressed entirely in black-a crisp jacket, tailored pants, and a
white shirt that looked almost too perfect. It was the kind of attire Nyrel Loyster had been
used to wearing after Ephera taught him how to dress properly.
And then it hit .
It was him.
Obviously if Amael was there. Nyrel Loyster was there as well.
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