The girl continued to sit, her aching bones and flesh—insignificant before such a sight. The wind gently caressed against her skin as her colorless hair faintly fluttered in the night. Her once red, now ice blue eyes pierced through the air, but under the moon’s light, they seemed to soften.

No enemies. No struggles. No more fighting. She was at peace, but was that what she really wanted? Could she really live a life like this?

These thoughts ran through her head as she listlessly gazed at the moon. Why couldn’t she just settle down. Live a fulfilling life without being in an estranged marriage with violence. What was the point of strength if it wouldn’t change the final outcome.

[You have been afflicted with the ice of Niflheim]

[Death is inevitable]

She clenched her fist.

“Project V-642.”

Gritting her teeth, she couldn't help as Malkorn’s voice echoed through her mind.

No. She had to become stronger. Stronger than ever before to prevail against anything, no matter what. Never again would she allow herself to rely on others.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

An unfamiliar voice filled the silence as a pair of faint footsteps followed. It sounded like a woman. Gentle like a kindling hearth, the words flowed through her mind as her anger was washed away.

Yet, the girl remained silent.

The two, with their gaze tilted upwards didn’t converse in honor of the mutual respect. But both knew the delicate tension would be shattered in a matter of moments.

The first to speak was the unknown woman.

“Do you know the names of the moons?”

The girl shifted, a tiny movement that didn’t go unnoticed by the woman as her eyes flickered with a slight interest. Meanwhile, Rin was doing the most to appraise the person. Their presence was non-existent, Rin didn’t even notice that they were there until she heard the footsteps.

The woman wanted to make herself known.

“No,” her crisp voice rang throughout the cool air. “I don’t know their names.”

Hearing the girl’s answer, the woman released a light laugh, “Perfect.”

The woman then walked around the bench and sat alongside the girl as Rin turned to look at the figure for the first time.

[Mage – lvl 0]

If she herself could be called pretty, the woman could only be described as beautiful.

“The two moons of Arphen,” she gracefully held her hand up to the sky. “Sisters, the legends of old called them. Selene of the Eternal Winter and Luna of the Everlasting Summer.”

“Legends?” Rin asked as the mage chuckled.

“Yes. Stories, passed down from one generation to the next, tell a tale of two beautiful sisters. Cursed, they were, and shunned by the rest. Until their vengeful resentment built to the point of no return. The seasons halted, forever encapsulated by the scorching fires of summer and the bitter cold of winter,” the woman said.

Rin’s gaze shifted back to the two moons hanging in the night sky. Legends were not to be taken lightly, if what the mage was true—this world had gone through Armageddon.

“What happened next?” Rin asked.

The mage matched the girls gaze, beholding the moon.

“No one really knows, but I'd like to believe a brave little knight released their souls from their hatred. Allowing the two sisters to live in peace as the watchful lights of the world.”

“...”

“Regrettably, they are only what they are,” she laughed. “Mere stories.”

Rin pondered the woman’s words all the while she tried to probe around her figure with her aura. She was careful not to reveal her poking around given her extreme control over mana. But there was just no response in the woman’s mana fluctuation. It was as if the woman didn’t exist.

‘Do I need more power...?’ Rin thought.

Either she just didn’t have the brute power to sense the mage’s mana waves or it was that the woman had a skill to mask her presence. Maybe it was even both.

“You know... I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you,” the mage said, voice thick with honey as she leaned back against the bench.

Rin scoffed, “You flatter me. Take a look at yourself.”

Creating a mirror with her ice, she hovered the item in front of the woman’s face. Reflected in its view were a pair of obsidian-like eyes, while silky golden locks fell to her shoulders. Her face was delicate, with a high nose and full lips. Topping all of that, a beautiful pendant adorned her slender neck.

“Haha... but a change of scenery is like a breath of fresh air,” the woman said coyly, turning to the side and flashing a radiant smile. “There aren’t many people with white hair, you know.”

Rin immediately frowned, seeing how the woman didn’t even flinch.

“You know who else was rumored to have white hair?” she said, her voice drawing towards a whisper. “It was Selene.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Rin asked calmly. “Why choose to talk to me, I’m just a nobody.”

The woman raised a brow before another smile appeared on her lips.

“Aren’t we all just nobodies?” the woman giggled. “You just looked lonely, a little sad maybe.”

'...Was I really?’ she thought.

Rin looked ahead at the rolling waves with a flat stare.

“I dunno,” she sighed. “Things are just a little confusing now. I know what I have to do, but for what purpose? Will it even matter in the end?”

For the first time, the woman was taken aback.

“I uh...” she stammered. “Sorry, are you okay...?”

“Huah...” Rin released a yawn. “Well, it’s getting late, I better be going now.”

“Wait!”

But it was too late, the girl had already hopped off the bench and was well on her way.

 

*****

 

Drip... Drip...

As soon as the girl had left her view, the woman retrieved a napkin from her inventory and wiped the blood from her cheek.

“Smart little one,” she muttered.

The woman knew that the girl had used the mirror to confirm her presence. But something even more shocking was the way the ice mage had used the ambient mana to probe around her own figure. The girl had controlled the energy in such a fashion that she was barely able to notice the fluctuations. She only realized it when her disguise was almost undone.

“It seems that things just got a little more interesting...” the woman muttered.

Even she lacked the delicate control that the girl had so effortlessly just displayed.

Pulling out a small orb-like device, the woman inserted her mana into the item and brought it up to her lips.

“Hey, you awake?”

{What.}

A bored female voice along with the soft sounds of chewing was transmitted from the item.

The woman frowned, “Are you eating?”

{So? Why can’t I eat?}

The voice was muffled the second time around as the woman let out a sigh.

“...I found someone, a young girl, long white hair and a pair of beautiful ice blue eyes.”

{Oh. So you called me just to brag about another toy? Is that what you’re doing now.}

“Nono,” the woman laughed. “It’s not like that at all."

{Then why’d you call me. I was just about to sleep you know.}

“It’s nothing much,” she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Just calling for a little favor.”

The device was silent for a second until an annoyed sigh came through.

{...What do you want.}

The woman laughed once again, “Let’s just say, there might be a little more than a couple monsters in this city.”

{What do you mean?}

“You heard me.”

{???}

{Is she strong? What level is she? Is she cute? Hey! You damned woman! Are you even listening?!}

The voice gradually grew quieter as the woman held the orb further away from her.

“Anyways, keep an eye on her. Kay?” the woman said, retracting her mana out of the device. “Cya.”

{Hey! Wait! Stop ignoring me!! You son of a bi—}

Rolling her eyes, a click resounded through the air as the voice was cut off mid-sentence and the item was placed back into her storage.

“Always so angry...” she mused, sitting back down on the bench.

The passersby were naturally looking her way, but the woman paid no heed to the attention and simply looked ahead. Her eyes lazily swam across the nightscape reflected on the ocean’s surface as her dress rippled in the breeze.

“It’s beginning,” she murmured.

Reaching behind her neck, she undid the clasp of her necklace and held it out in the light of the moon. The mage traced her fingers over the silvery chain while the light of the pendant began to fade. Similarly, her body began to faintly pulse with a black light as the spell woven into the necklace wore off to reveal her truth.

[Shadow Mage – lvl 272]

The woman's dress melted into black as her frame slipped into the shadows of dusk.

 

****

 

Rin shuddered. Everything about the sudden encounter was just unsettling. Never had she felt that way before. Maybe it was because her current self was in such a weak state. But the woman’s gaze was akin to the cold edge of a blade, penetrating through her flesh and bone as if to pry her apart. Extracting every bit of information from her being.

Rin thought that if she remained any longer, something may have gone south. Even then, would she be able to do anything? There was only one other person in this city she could think of that could compare to the woman, and that was Malkorn.

‘Oh well, let’s just get home...’ she thought with a yawn.

Too many things had happened today, and she was thoroughly exhausted. A shower along with a good night’s sleep were in her utmost priorities for now.

Walking along the streets of Rellea, she again received the familiar stares of the people, but this time, there was something more. It was an indescribable sense of unease which sent a series of shivers down her spine.

She was being watched.

On the outside, she looked to be perfectly calm. Others would think it was just a normal girl strolling along the streets of the city. But on the inside, her thoughts were racing. Escape routes were being calculated all the while she was trying to gauge her pursuer’s strength.

However, the information she received was faint, signifying weakness. Yet, Rin knew that a weak aura didn’t always mean so. Those that were able to mask their presence to whatever degree they wanted just like she could—were considered the most dangerous.

And there was also the fact that she couldn’t immediately pinpoint their position, she felt as if her pursuer was twenty meters behind her whilst also being right in front of her at the same time.

‘Why me...’ she groaned.

Picking up the pace, she brought one of the cloaks out from her inventory and pulled it over her hair. Immediately, the effect of the clothing stifled many of the gazes, yet the remaining presence was still there.

Thinking back to the unknown woman, her brow creased in irritation.

‘Was this her doing...?’

Her destination was naturally the guild as it served two purposes. It would be a safe haven, and it was also where her room was. But as she continued along the way, something felt off about the whole situation. The presence, it didn’t really seem to be hostile. It was perhaps curious, almost like it was wondering why it was following her in the first place.

‘Just what are your intentions?’

Turning a corner, Rin was able to see the tip of the guild, towering over the rest of the buildings. Its array of illuminated windows was quite a spectacle to behold in the middle of the night, but Rin was unable to appreciate the view.

Instead, she slowly spread her ice in a field around her. The crystals separated into molecules that would sift through the air, allowing her to teleport anywhere at will within the range of her skill’s limitations.

Honestly, I admit it was a little unfair, but the culmination of nearly three centuries of mana control had to yield at least something.

Stepping onto the main street, her steps steadily slowed to a halt as she waited for an opportunity. Minutes passed as the civilians passed her unmoving body. They looked at her strangely for blocking the street, but it didn’t matter to the girl. All she wanted to do was create a reaction in her pursuer.

Then it was there. From the presence, she felt a sliver of annoyance. Yet that was all she needed to pinpoint their exact location.

Lips, curving into a smile as her neck snapped to the right, her eyes locking with a pair of emeralds as the magic within her core started to ignite.

‘Two can play at this game.’

Her figure vanished; one hand outstretched towards nothing whilst the other held a dagger. A second later, the outline of a woman’s neck appeared in her grasp.

“Why are you following me?” Rin demanded, noticing that the body was cold to the touch.

But the woman gave no reply and twisted her neck an unnatural 180 degrees, flashing a gleaming smile as Rin felt her hands phase through a liquid.

“Water?”

Immediately, Rin activated her identify skill.

[Water Construct]

“A clone?”

Surprised, her grip faltered for a second as she felt the clone start to slip away. However, Rin wouldn’t be stopped this easily.

“Oh no you don’t,” she grinned.

A magic circle appeared around her wrist as a torrent of frost rushed from her hand. Instantly, the figure’s form started to crystallize as the girl’s magic was poured into its neck.

However, it wouldn’t be that easy as the construct prepared a counter.

Its right arm shone blue as the water morphed into the shape of a blade. It slashed towards the girl, aiming for the heart as Rin brought her dagger up in a reverse grip.

Clang!

Her weapon clashed against the clone’s arm as ice intertwined with water. The two elements fighting for control as Rin’s blade was slowly being engulfed in liquid. The base value of her attributes too weak to contend with the clone.

Pulling back, the two weapons separated before once again smashing against one another. The reaction of elements caused an explosion of razor-sharp shards of ice to fly into the air at every collision.

Rin’s clothing was torn into shreds, but a thin layer of ice covering her body stopped her from receiving any wounds. While the fragments that impacted the clone were simply absorbed by the liquid and restored back into water.

Suddenly, the clone’s blade morphed back into a hand and grasped for her throat. However, Rin simply laughed. Since she was still somehow holding onto the construct’s neck with her ice wreathed hand, all she had to do was shift her arm and push.

Bang!

The clone’s back slammed into the ground as water erupted into the air, seeping past her new clothes and soaking her entire body.

“Impressive,” a watery gurgle gushed from its mouth.

“So, you can talk,” Rin smiled, kneeling down as her grip tightened on its neck. “Tell me who you are.”

Cracks started to spread in the ice, but the clone’s only response was another gurgle followed by a sneer. It then morphed its arm back into a blade and jerked upwards, aimed not at the girl, but its own neck.

Releasing her hold on the construct, Rin immediately retracted her hand as the clone’s own decapitated head flew into the air. A trail of water flowing close behind.

Her eyes flicked to the ground as the clone’s body melted into a puddle, surfing across the ground to reclaim its severed head. But Rin wouldn’t allow it.

Eyes narrowing, a spear was shot into the air. Skewering the head and instantly freezing the liquid before impaling itself into the side of the alleyway.

The puddle paused; half of the liquid reared upwards as if it was staring at its own mutilated skull.

“Bruh,” it gurgled.

‘???’

Rin stared at the water; confusion apparent in her eyes as the puddle bubbled one final time as to say farewell before disappearing into a nearby drain.

‘What the hell...?’

If the earlier encounter with the woman was strange, then this just now was the literal definition of weird. The whole event had only lasted twenty seconds, but it felt like so much more had happened. Especially coupled with the rest of the day’s events she felt both physically as now her body was soaking wet, and mentally exhausted as a number of new questions sprung to mind.

Sighing, Rin looked back at the skewered head; it was still there. Emerald-green eyes, azure hair and a delicate face was frozen in time. It could be considered a sculpture of art, but the smile plastered on its face was a little off putting.

“Alright then... let’s see what we have here,” she muttered.

Walking under the spear, she dismissed her magic and caught the head. Twirling the ice on her fingertips as her identification skill activated.

[Water Construct (Head)]

The system didn’t produce any more information than what she already knew. But at least she had claimed a couple of leads from the event. First, she received a broad overview on how the pursuer looked.

‘Green-eyed woman,’ Rin thought, spinning the head atop a finger. ‘And secondly, an illusionist deriving from the element of water.’

Pausing her spinning, she turned the head to face herself and brought it up to her eyes.

“Quite strong for just a clone huh,” she murmured. “Who are you really.”

Even if the fight was easily won, she hadn’t expected to be pushed back in terms of raw strength. Usually, most clone or doppelganger abilities were proportionate to the user’s strength.

Yet this one was superior in terms of stats even with all the multipliers she had just recently received.

Rin decreased the internal temperature of her body as the water soaking her figure turned into ice. Then it shattered, the shards tinkling to the ground as she swapped into a fresh pair of clothes. Although a little annoyed that she had already lost a pair.

“Oh well,” she said. “Time for a shower.”

Rin left the alleyway and walked back onto the main street before making her way into the guild. Entering the elevator, she heard the familiar dinging sound as it arrived at her floor.

Ready to use the key, she brought it out and held it at the ready. But when she walked in front of her door, she found something that caused her to frown.

“Fuck.”