Long, well-kept black hair, sea green eyes, pale skin, and an unforgettable wry expression. Clad in a blue t-shirt and baggy jeans, the individual at the other end of the room was none other than Isana Gray, my older sister. I blinked several times in disbelief, but she was still there. Not an illusion, but my sister in the flesh. With a sword in her right hand, she held a lax stance while staring me down.
"Isana? What are you doing here?"
She smirked, her grin containing an unusual hint of maliciousness. "Pick up that sword, little brother, unless you want to die."
Huh?
Isana started running towards me, rapidly closing the distance. Panicked, I moved towards the sword and pulled it from the pedestal. The weight of it took me by surprise—for a moment, I couldn't believe it was a real sword. A chill went down my spine as I realized just how sharp the object I was holding in my hand was.
To my complete shock, Isana swung her sword at me after crossing the gap, her blade aiming for my throat. I quickly deflected it with my own and stepped backwards, aiming to make some distance.
"What are you doing!?" I yelled in bewilderment.
She jabbed her sword at me, this time trying to pierce my chest. Just barely, I managed to turn it aside with the side of my blade, but it cut through my sleeve and nicked a bit of my arm. I cursed out loud as a small amount of blood trailed through the air.
"You won't get in like that, Ilyin. Where's your passion?"
I had no clue what she was talking about, but I was too preoccupied avoiding her attacks to understand. One thing was for sure, though, and that this is not the Isana I know. Putting aside her attempt to kill me, something felt wrong about her. Something about her felt eerily inhuman.
I made an attempt to parry her attack, but I was caught off-guard by a feint and struck by a kick to the chest. Pain shot through my body as I was sent tumbling backwards onto the ground.
"Aren't you a little too pathetic to be my younger brother? Acting all confident, thinking you can protect us. So ridiculous."
I clenched my fists in anger.
I argued and bantered with my older sister a lot, but it was all fun and games. Even if we bickered often, our bond was something not meant to be taken lightly. From birth, our parents raised us to take care of one another, to become the rock that holds the other steady. Isana was my inspiration, even if she could be a little annoying at times.
It was incredibly aggravating to see someone make a mockery of that.
This is not Isana.
I climbed to my feet before her clone could take advantage of my position. She swung her blade in a downwards motion, but again, this was another feint. She quickly pulled back and aimed to disarm me, but I knocked aside her sword with mine. I attempted a follow-up attack, but she backed off just out of reach.
A part of me was surprised. Even if she wasn't really Isana, I couldn't really believe I was ready to take her down. And for some reason, holding a sword felt strangely familiar to me, even though I've never taken classes in my life.
[Synchronization rate: 3%]
I ignored the pop-up and continued my counterattack. In my anger, my movements gradually became less awkward—definitely still those of an amateur, but I was not fumbling over myself like before—and I grew more intent on defeating Isana's clone.
[Synchronization rate: 4%]
Unlike before, I was completely on the offensive. The clone was struggling to put up with my attacks, but not quite yet at the point of losing. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems more like it was continuously getting weaker as opposed to me getting stronger. Well, I could tell I was getting better, but that wasn't the only thing happening.
As our blades clashed, a thought came to me. I recalled what the clone said to me earlier, and the initial message that popped up when I entered the room.
[The Ark of Passion demands your fervor.]
"Where's your passion?"
Passion... I doubt the clone would bring it up for no reason. And for it to be a clone of my sister of all people. I also find it hard to believe I could beat the clone in my current state if it weren't for it getting weaker for some reason.
Is it reacting to my passion?
I gripped my sword tightly. If it's passion it wants, it's passion it'll get. I won't admit it to her face, but Isana is incredible as a person and as a sister. I won't tolerate such a poor imitation of her. In fact, I won't tolerate a poor imitation of anyone I care about.
I tapped into my surging emotions, and as I expected, the clone's movements grew weaker and weaker. Its increasing clumsiness caused my blade to push it off-balance, leaving an opening for one final strike. With little hesitation, I plunged my sword into the clone's stomach.
Horror filled my mind, but eased when I saw that there was no blood coming from where I had stabbed it. As I thought, it was just a clone, likely made by whatever's running this place.
Thank God, really. I was not ready for that kind of trauma.
My sword vanished into digitized bits and a new screen appeared in front of me.
— Defeat 'Isana Gray' (1/1)
[The Ark of Passion has recognized your fervor. You have earned your 'right'.]
[The function 'status window' has been unlocked.]
I felt a wave of relief fill my body. I was about to check the status window until I noticed something strange.
Isana was still standing in front of me.
Was the test not over? That can't be right, since the clear message appeared. But why hadn't she disappeared yet?
I glanced at her right hand that was holding her sword, and just like mine, her weapon had vanished.
To my surprise, Isana's body began to glitch out, distorting into a mass of large red pixels. After a few seconds, her body returned to normal. Her eyes fluttered opened and met mine, which felt strangely unsettling. Out of nowhere, she closed the distance and gave me a hug.
Huh?
"You've been strong, little Ilyin. I'm not sure how long this message took to reach you, but when you get out, take it easy. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't do that right now. You'll have to ask her. Though, don't tell her I did this, she might get really mad."
[Synchronization rate: 6%]
"...Isana? What are you talking about?"
"I can't fit much more into this message, so I just wanna let you know we all love you. Forget about us if you can, and go live your life."
"Message? What do you mean message? Just wait a seco-"
Before I could finish my sentence, Isana faded away into blue particles. I stared into the empty space for a while, trying to sort out my thoughts.
A message that Isana left me? Here? In this place?
What connection did she have with this place? How did she leave a message here?
Most importantly, does this mean that she's safe?
Her words rang through my mind.
"Forget about us if you can."
I didn't want to entertain the idea. I didn't even want to think about it. Those words, they sound like a final farewell, but... she was still able to leave that message, right? There's a possibility she's still alive. And that other thing she said, "to ask her"? Who was she talking about?
Endless uncertainties swam around in my head. I sighed. I wasn't going to get anywhere if I kept thinking pointlessly about things I don't understand. In the end, it looks like I'll have to keep progressing to figure everything out. Right now, I just need to focus on the tutorial.
First things first—
Open status window.