Thin white smoke appeared on the circle as they took a rest. The smoke reshaped itself as a knight, a mage, and a fighter. The battle started again. Agony, clang, crying, and death, they repeat the same thing again and again.
They must be famous people before being trapped here. They have a dream, a reason to be here. Do they have family waiting for them to return?
"What are they?" Alice didn't blink for the show, not enjoying, but pitied.
"They are ghosts of the past."
"Very funny."
"I see many already, just like them. But, in better condition."
"Where? When? In the bathroom?" Alice giggled. "If they are ghosts, tell me how they become ghosts."
"I read a book about ghosts." Lanert kept eyeing those ghosts. "Someone would become a ghost when they do not accomplish what they desire most. It would be a word of love to someone or a promise to someone they dearest most."
"Or, when someone kills you, you can't forgive the killer," Alice added sarcastically. "It happens if you read too many horror novels."
"I am not reading it in a novel, but in a Magi book." Lanert sternly answered. "They all pursued the Dark Element, just like us. They died without accomplishing it. That made them trapped here, tormented by time. Repeating what happened here before they died. Until someone danced for them."
"What? What dance?" Alice gave him her full attention.
"Dance of Pure. All Kiz could do that. I see one after the battle of Red Keep. Lady Alva dances, and the soldier's soul emerges from every corpse on the battlefield. They become a firefly, whirlwind around her, and cruise to the sky. The sky becomes bright blue. Then it spreads like a Dagan blood tree. That was the most beautiful dance I have ever seen."
"You're joking. For almost fifteen years, I have been stuck with you and never seen that dance."
Yeah, you busied yourself with a stable boy back then. "Remember what my father said before he left you behind with Mom and my sister? The war was not suitable for girls."
"I remember. Alrich always said Lady Alva, Lady Alva," Alice answered. "And Catherine ranted a whole week for that."
Lanert nodded as he gazed at the ghost's eyes before the sword stabbed the ghost to death. His heart shattered. It must be painful to die again and again. The only way to end this misery was to release them from this hell.
"Their pain would be gone when someone dances for them."
"Don't look at me, Lanert. I am not Kiz or whatever you said early. I can't dance."
"Yeah, you are not. I was thinking about Lady Alva."
Such a beautiful dancer. She danced like a swan on the snow pond, making his brother forget how to blink back then.
Back then, Lady Alva was eleven, the same age as his brother. Alrich said he would marry her someday. Stupid promise that Alrich would never fulfill.
Back then, they didn't know if Kiz never could ever marry. They shall die as a virgin, and for someone to bring them out of their belief was almost impossible. If they break their faith, they lose special dance abilities. No Kiz would gladly lose their special ability for mere love.
"Is Lady Alva so beautiful?" Alice questioned.
"Like an angel without wings." Somehow back then, even Lanert was jinxed by her beauty. No, better keep it safe from Alice. "Jealous, Alice?"
"I'm just asking. Whoever made Alrich crazy must have something special." She focussed on the ghost. "Imagine how long it had been for them to be there. Hundred years?"
"Perhaps a thousand years or more. Rest well. We must hurry to pass the test.
After taking a rest, Alice and Lanert regain their stamina. They strode to the circle, and those ghosts disappeared like dust blown by the gusts.
"Stay here while I enter alone."
"You're not fully recovering yet," Alice claimed and stepped forward. "Let me do this. You sit there and wait for the result."
"You look down on me, aren't you?" He pulled her back. "I must do it, Alice. It is my test as a Von Gosh. Besides, I need you to stand here for a while to test my plan. Only you, I can trust."
Lanert entered the circle and stood next to Cubix. His palm flickered. The plan was simple. After hitting the button, he would study what kind of shadow appeared, then run out from the circle.
What would happen if he faced Cyro emblem doppelgangers? Or Dendro? Both elements would stop him on track by freezing or rooting him. "No pain, no hain, heh. Here I go," he murmured, pushing the button.
The seven emblems glowed strong. Not five, but six of it dimmed, leaving one shone. Praise god!
Geo emblem glowed strongly. Thin smoke sprouted from it and flew onto the circle. It forms a human figure and becomes clearer as time goes on. It became a Lanert's figure colored in gold.
Lanert studied the gold figure. It carried gold Acerose. The Gold Lanert was shirtless, and a bandage covered his chest. Just like him.
All Lanert predictions were true.
Doppelgangers were perfect copies of himself.
As Lanert dashed out from the circle, his doppelganger summoned stone from beneath, but Laneet, with a great leap, evaded it and successfully landed out from the circle. The gold doppelganger disappeared like snow in the spring.
"Well, the seven elements would randomly pop out our doppelganger, armed with our weapon, wearing the same shirt as us, with one random element added."
"How we defeated them, then," Alice asked. "I remember my doppelganger using my sword technique. It was almost a perfect copy, but with the added element, they are probably on the next level of us."
Lanert brushed his chin, studying the circle. It seems the element doppelganger use would be random. "They cheated. They use an element against us. That gave them the upper hand."
"Duh. I already told you before, right?"
"All right, if they want to play dirty, we should play dirty. Then let's try this."
Lanert gave Alice his Acerose and walked onto the circle alone.
"Wait, Lanert." Alice tugged on him. "Are you crazy? Your weapon!"
"Take care of it." Lanert tapped Alice's shoulder. "Listen. If I yelled now, you passed my sword to me. If you enter the circle with me, no one will toss it for me. You are my only hope, so stay outside."
"Huh?" Alice was dumbfounded while Lanert entered the circle. "What do you mean?"
"Just passed my sword on me when asked. Okay? Trust me. If it goes south, I will jump out."