In a city built between two mountains, Ruri was standing on the balcony of her palace, overlooking her home city. Throughout the years, she inherited the kingdom and was now an Empress, a title she didn't pay much attention to at the start. Yet, year after year, she could feel a sense of attachment grow within her. Memories from her current childhood, friends she made here, the faces of people who loved her parents and supported her after becoming their ruler. Sometimes, she even forgot her mission and who she was originally. 

She received two messages from Camyu in the past five years, and both were calls to summon her back to the Sect, yet she stayed. Every time, she gave a reason to continue keeping up a front for the Sect Master, yet she knew it wasn't the case. It was to ensure the people living under her rule would have a better life. Following Paman's plans, they announced that they wouldn't remain as a subordinate of the Six Houses and instead became independent.

But that also meant a lot of work to transition as many previous agreements and resources were no longer within their reach. Still, it was something Ruri believed to be correct as now their kingdom had a chance to be their own and make their own decisions, be they good or bad. She wanted them to have a successful future, which raised so many questions in her mind that it confused her. 

"Did I ever decide anything by myself? For myself? Or was it decided by the Sect?"

She couldn't help but ask the same question over and over as the days went by. When returning from the Academy, she was sure to follow Camyu. She was raised in the Golden Claw, but with her new life, growing up a second time, a new perspective dawned on her. The two were not comparable.

"But they should be..." She murmured and tried to rationalize it so many times without any conclusions.

She was a princess here, raised to one day become a ruler. She should have been raised accordingly, taught how to optimize everything and benefit the kingdom as a whole, even if it meant sacraficing the masses. Yet, her current parents raised her with care and taught her the values of the individual. Her father often expressed to her while growing up that the country existed to protect its people and not vice versa. A philosophy originating from the Six Houses, existing to guard the living in the face of the Undead.

The two childhoods were in constant conflict within her mind. One told her that she had to work and, if necessary, be sacrificed for the betterment of the Sect, while the other urged her that the kingdom was there to protect its people. She cursed Lia's name so many times, bringing her this mental turmoil that only seemed to settle down in the last few months. 

When Cael came to say goodbye in her last meeting, it was a signal that things were getting into motion, and they would move against Paman. It was her last chance to disappear and return to the side of Camyu, but... she didn't leave. She couldn't, not anymore. When she told Cael her thoughts, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he smiled, giving her a list of names and a parting message.

"You are not the only one who didn't return. The grip of the Golden Claw has loosened on many disciples. It no longer has a hold over our minds, Ruri. This is what freedom means. I realized while following my Master that I wasn't broken; I was free! The idea of sending us into reincarnation was the worst thing Sect Master Paman ever devised. Worse than provoking the Immortals because this... this is what sealed the Sect's fate!"

After he left and Ruri read the list, she was surprised to see how many other elders, even some Grandmasters, switched sides, no longer wishing to follow Paman or Camyu.

"Cael was right..." She murmured, closing her eyes, letting tears roll down her cheek, "Our old life ended when we sent our spirits into the Sea of Souls. Nothing can bring back the past!"

...

....

.....

"How's the preparations?" Lia asked, having a meeting through her bracelet.

"All is in place." Answered Erias confidently, "The troops are positioned at the entry points. Somia managed to stabilize the gates in the past years, so we can keep in contact even after we descend into No-Space."

"It will be only in text." Hajna added, cautioning Lia.

"Good enough! I will go and visit my Mother and convince her to go for a spar."

"Will she agree?" Lakhmu's voice asked, standing ready at a different place with a handful of mages who already could combine different elements.

"She won't have a choice! I will bring Mom back through force! That should also draw Camyu's attention, so it will be the time to attack!"

"We will go in hard and strong!" Arcus joined in, laughing, already ready to proceed.

"When we are in," Erias continued, "Camyu will definitely try to seal all entries and detach their Sect from Meriath. Somia and the Realm Keys on our side are going to be a twist in her plans and keep the entry points open! The moment you feel a disturbance, it means we are in, so start invading!"

"Good luck, everyone!" Lia nodded heavily, closing the call, standing up from her chair in her office, and walking out, heading towards a flying ship that was already waiting for her in the garden. 

"Master, your brothers said everything is ready. They are emptying out the region, and she has no idea of our arrival."

"Good work!" With a deep sigh, she watched the Academy as the ship lifted into the air and sped toward her old home. The place where she was born and where she once left for the Academy, going on an adventure of a lifetime. It was as if she was returning home... and she intended to visit her Mother, not Paman.

...

....

.....

"Shut... up... shut up... shut... your mouth...!" 

Paman's groans were by now almost constant, echoing within her chambers not in the voice of Reyra but in a much deeper, older tone. 

"Bohoo~! No. I won't! Look at you! Here, let me hold up the mirror for you!" 

Without any input from Paman's side, the left hand of Reyra moved and held up a small mirror that showed two different expressions present on her face. One half looked disheveled, disturbed, and the epitome of madness, while the other was grinning gleefully. Paman hurriedly slapped her hand, sending the mirror flying and shattering against the wall, yet it only made it worse. Now, reflecting from dozens of shards, Reyra was mockingly laughing at Paman, pointing at her.

"You lost! I am getting stronger every day! Give me a year, and I will be in control, and you will be nothing, just some intrusive thoughts! And I know how to deal with those... ahahahaha!"

She was about to argue with her again when a knock disrupted her. With hurried steps, she stood up, trying to regain control over her face, quickly putting up a front as if all was in order. 

"A mo-" She called out, but the door opened, and Paman couldn't help but furrow her brows as it was Lia who stood there.

"It is time to come back, Mother." She said calmly, stepping closer, making Paman back away subconsciously. 

"Sweety... what are you-"

"Shut up." This time, the words didn't come from inside her head but from Lia's lips. "I am not talking to you, Paman. I am talking to my Mother!"

"What are you on about?"

"I told you to shut the fuck up! I wish you would have tried to invade my body! I would have burnt you to a crisp..."

"You are talking nonsense here... You have not been the same since returning! Are you an Undead-"

"Don't. Just... Don't." Lia groaned, raising a hand, and a blast of pure mana swept over the room. "Expand your senses, Sect Master of the Golden Claw, and face reality. You are alone."

Paman was already twitching before, but this alone amplified the erratic movements of her body. She let her senses sweep the castle and its surrounding area, making her realize she was isolated. No other living beings were present, only they. 

"Are you trying to usurp me?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Asked two voices, one belonging to Lia and the other to Reyra. "We were playing along while building our own forces. Why do you think you ran into little to no resistance? We are ready... you? You are not. It's time to act!"

"BITCH!" Roared Paman, unleashing her 9th Tier strength, attacked Lia, who defended herself with black flames yet still got blasted through the castle's wall, right into the sky as mother and daughter began their battle. 

From the start, Lia focused on her defense, summoning her multi-colored fires, using light to deflect her mother's darkness-based attacks, and burning away her blinding, golden shots with black flames that were as dark as the void itself.

"AAARGH!"

With a wild roar, Paman summoned a spear made out of golden electricity, a mix of light and metal, yet Lia could feel how unstable it was. Its buzzing, dangerous sound didn't come from its power, but from the haphazard way it was melded together. 

"What's the problem, Sect Master? Lost your cool?" She provoked her, using strong, burning winds to push Paman away, keeping her at a distance. 

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You can't." Answered Lia and Reyra simultaneously, and even though she broke through Lia's defenses, the hands holding her spear diverted at the last moment, stabbing past Lia and opening herself up to a counterattack.

"STOP INTERFERING!"

Paman's cries were desperate as she tried to summon fire, melting off the cold, blue ice from her right hand, left behind by Lia, yet she couldn't. It was resisting it and kept immobilizing her, forcing the Sect Master to flee and dodge Lia's follow-up attacks. Raising her spare hand, she threw her spear out, using it like a javelin. With hands stretched forward, a multi-colored formation appeared behind Lia as she summoned the element of darkness and her blue fire, giving it a dark, indigo-like color.

It happened at the last moment as the weapon of Paman exploded, resulting in the rise of a fake sun, blinding anybody who would look into it. As it grew, it swallowed the figure of Lia and the mountain below them, burning with such intensity that any metal would start melting. 

"You think you have won?! OVER ME?!" Paman shouted at her spell, coughing up a handful of blood, grinning widely, missing the fact that the ice on her arm was still there and spreading.

"I do." Echoed Lia's voice over the sound of the burning ball of light as it began to dim.

At a moment's notice, it went from a glowing orange color to dark red into purple before slowly losing all of its color and becoming black. It stopped emitting heat or energy, becoming stale and solid, falling apart and revealing Lia's figure. She was standing there, naked, her clothes burnt away yet remaining unharmed, wearing nothing more than the Realm Key on her finger.

"Thanks." She smiled, saying to Paman directly, "I needed to feel some new ideas on combining those that I couldn't manage yet! Now... it is time to give me back my Mother!"

"She is gone!" The old Sect Master shot back, wanting to reform a spear between her fingers, but 'her' body refused to react.

"Oh, no, she isn't." Lia chuckled, shaking her head, floating closer to her, "You are shouting, throwing a tantrum, but what I see is my Mother laughing. Your voice and the smile you wear are not in sync anymore, Paman of the Golden Claw! It is time to go to sleep... become nothing more than a weird memory!" She wanted to retort, but no words could leave her mouth. 

"You have failed... old bastard!" Reyra whispered into her ear, "You lost your focus, and you lost to me! Now... give back my body! You had your fun with it, be happy about it!"

In battle, Paman was so focused on Lia that she ultimately gave up all her mental defenses, trying to overcome her enemy the fastest way possible. This was the opening Reyra needed. Without Paman realizing it, she launched an attack against her soul, wrestling back control over her own body, using her daughter's ice as a guide, inviting it into her body.

"No! Impossible! I have assimilated you!" Paman cried out, but she could no longer act and was there only to watch.

"No, I assimilated you!" Reyra laughed, finally back in control, "Now, shut up and fade into obscurity! You had the chance to reincarnate; now you lost it forever!"

"Mom!" Lia cried out, flying forward, hugging Reyra, pulling her between her breasts, softly crying, not wanting to let her go.

"Mhmfhmf!"

"Hm?" She looked down, letting her mother finally breathe.

"Girl, you have grown up! Daaaamn, I almost suffocated after coming back! What have you been eating?!"

"Ahahaha!" Lia couldn't help but hug her even closer this time, spinning around the air, laughing and crying at the same time. She felt it... This wasn't a play or a ruse. It was her Mother.

"Come, come! You need clothes, and we are not done yet!" Reyra patted her arms to let her go.

"Huh?"

"A battle is still going on, yes? I know you; you are my blood!" Reyra grinned, raising a hand as multiple Realm Keys appeared on it. "We should have all Six now, yes? Let's go and make sure our enemies have nowhere to run off to!"