Albius sat at a table with a teacup in his hand as he observed his surroundings. Everything was white and empty, except for the teacup, table, and person who sat on the other side.

"It was quite clever of you to send a clone to that meeting,"

She started with a knowing smile on her face. 

"How did you know?"

Albius asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"I know lots of things,"

She answered, and hearing this, Albius sighed and said,

"Lukas, you know I don't like mind games. Why did you call me here?"

"You are my other half. I have always yearned to know you on a deeper level,"

She said as she put on a bashful act, but all she got from Albius was a tired sigh.

"If you're gonna keep evading my questions like this, then I'm leaving."

"But I meant that,"

She said with a blank look on her face. Tilting her head to the side, she asked,

"Do you not believe me?"

Albius shot her an annoyed look and answered,

"It's not about me believing you. It's about you not answering my questions."

"Jeez, what happened to your sense of humor?"

She complained and then gazed deeply into his eyes. At that moment, it was like he understood what she was trying to convey, even without her having to say anything. 

We are the same.

He perceived a fact that was confusing to him, so he asked her,

"How so?"

"Every other Irregular experiences a degree of mutation that leaves some part of their humanity untouched, and the Administrators are no exception to this rule,"

She began,

"However, this rule does not apply to us."

"You mean..."

"We have transcended humanity completely and are now equal to the fourth-dimensional beings. The only difference between us is that I accept it while you reject it."

It... it all makes sense now...

Albius pondered as he let the realization sink in. 

"Don't get too lost in your thoughts now. That was only the beginning,"

She asked with excitement written all over her face,

"Do you have any idea what my ability is?"

Albius thought about it for a while before answering,

"Inventing pretty much anything?"

"No, it goes far beyond that."

Puffing out her chest, she said,

"I can create anything I want, from objects to life to universes."

"But what about the Hand of Hephaestus?"

"That was a misinformation campaign started and propagated by yours truly,"

She said proudly. 

"I have a lot of enemies, almost as much as you do, so I have to lie about my powers every once in a while."

As he observed her, he thought to himself,

That look in her eyes... it disturbs me. It's almost like she's operating on an entirely different set of morals and beliefs. I can feel that she doesn't care one bit about others.

"And why should I? They are infinitely below us anyway."

She stated matter-of-factly, but Albius didn't let that slide,

"How did you read my mind?"

He asked with a dangerous glare, suggesting that she be careful with her answer.

"This domain offers many special privileges that ensure my safety. Even if negotiations break down, I am confident in my ability to square off against you."

He wanted to believe she was bluffing, but all evidence spoke on the contrary.

"It wouldn't do us any good if we fought each other anyway, so here, you can read my mind as well..."

Albius reluctantly agreed, and then...

"W-w-what the— What are you showing me?!"

"Oops, that was from the porn I watched last night. My bad..."

"T-that was a bit too much, even for me,"

Albius muttered, still a bit red from what he saw.

"We can watch one together anytime!"

She said with an innocent smile on her face.

"Ugh, this is getting us nowhere..."

As he stood up to leave, Lukas shouted,

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

"There's one more thing I want to tell you, a unique proposition I want to make."

"I'm listening,"

He said as he sat down once more, sensing that she was serious this time.

"I can create anything, but I can't shape what I create. Sure, I could make some modifications to gadgets and the like, but on a much grander scale, it would be as hard as fine sculpting with a sledgehammer."

She pointed at him as she continued,

"You, on the other hand, can bend reality to your whims, shaping it however you like. However, you can't create anything. Thinking about this, I realized: 'Aren't we perfect for each other?'"

She asked with a gleeful expression on her face.

"I feel stupid for taking you seriously,"

Albius said as he stood up from his seat once more. He turned around to go, only to find Lukas standing there with beaming eyes.

"Think about it. We could create entire universes and rule them as their gods! Wouldn't that be amazing?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it after killing our parents,"

Albius said dismissively and started walking away, but Lukas was determined to make things work.

"They would kill you in a heartbeat if you went without a plan."

At this, Albius stopped, turned, and asked,

"What, then, do you suggest I should do? Sit idly by ignoring the fact that I've been tricked for over a thousand years? Ignore the fact that I held back for no reason?"

His voice grew louder, and his face twisted in rage as he continued,

"Should I ignore the fact that I could have solved all those complicated problems but did nothing because I foolishly believed its words? To hell with that! I will have my revenge even if it kills me!"

She grabbed his shaking fists in her hands and said,

"I know. I'm not trying to dissuade you. I'm trying to help you."

"You mean?"

He asked with a startled look, and she nodded.

"There exists a rather effective way to kill them, but I won't share it unless you promise that you'll be mine."

"Couldn't you phrase that a bit differently?"

He asked with an exasperated look, but she shook her head and said,

"I would not have it any other way."

"Fine, I'll be yours, and after I get my revenge, we can go about creating universes and stuff."

"Yay!

She celebrated, and then she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him, forcing her tongue in and entwining it around his. He pushed her away and asked as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve,

"Aren't you jumping some steps? You don't just do that all of a sudden..."

He shook his head and sighed as if exhausted.

"Also, what was in that pill I just swallowed?"

"I transferred the downloadable contents of my brain into that pill, so you should find the knowledge you're looking for inside there somewhere."

"Okay, uh, thanks..."

"You're welcome!"

She beamed.

What a difficult person to handle...

Albius thought before warping himself out of her dimension. After he left, she started pacing back and forth, muttering,

"Hmm, what to do, what to do..."

Then, the realization suddenly hit her, and she exclaimed,

"Oh! I know!"

She created a mirror, placed it in front of her, and hopped in, leaving her dimension and wandering the mirror world until...

 

***

 

I couldn't do anything to stop him,

Tsuruno remembered that scene with a reflective, almost sad look on her face as she combed her hair before the mirror that morning. As she watched her reflection, it began to warp and shift into a face she recognized.

"Lukas?!"

"Heyyo! I'mma need you to come over here for a sec."

Lukas extended her hand and dragged Tsuruno into the mirror world by hand. 

"W-where am I?"

"This is the mirror world! Doesn't it feel invigorating?!"

She asked excitedly, and backing away from her, she answered,

"S-sure."

The mood immediately shifted as she dropped her act, saying,

"Albius has left this world to confront the fifth-dimensional beings. I know you feel indebted to him. He resurrected your beloved adopted son, so your wanting to repay him is understandable, and I could offer to help you with that."

"What is it going to cost?"

Tsuruno asked with slight hesitation in her voice, wondering,

How does she seem to know everything?

"Don't worry. I won't be charging anything. I want you to bring him back to me in one piece, but if you fail to do that..."

The dimensional atmosphere seemed to shift in response to her mood as she glared at her threateningly.

"I've wondered about this for a while, but now my suspicions have been confirmed. You're a hidden Administrator, aren't you?"

"I am way more powerful than that fraud of a Martian king, so don't let me down. You'll surely regret it."

Then, she asked with an unexpectedly sudden beaming smile,

"Okay?"

"Yes, I'll do my best!"

"Good."

And like that, Lukas sent Tsuruno to help her keep an eye on Albius. She wanted her to dissuade him from doing anything too rash, and she would convey this to her throughout her mission, but that's for another tale.