As the light dimmed and my vision returned to normal, I glanced around the room. The NPC who had sold Eli the stone was gone—vanished without a trace. Eli and Viri were nowhere to be found either.
The room was cold, oppressive, and unnervingly still. I tried to move but couldn't. It felt like an invisible shroud wrapped around me, restricting every motion. My limbs refused to obey, as if I were tied to a chair by unseen chains. Fear clawed at my chest, emotions surged uncontrollably, and pain rippled through my body. It was overwhelming—paralyzing.
Cease_
The voice was clear yet distant, and suddenly, the torrent of sensations stopped. The pain, the fear, the chaos—it all dissolved in an instant.
A woman stepped into view. She was beautiful, almost otherworldly, with bright blonde hair that seemed to illuminate the room and dull purple eyes that glimmered in the faint light. She felt... familiar, as though I'd met her before, though I was certain we hadn't.
Pendant.
That was her name—at least, that's what Eli had called her. She walked toward me, her movements elegant, deliberate.
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice cracking in the silence.
She didn't respond. She stood still, her expression unreadable, and the room fell deathly silent once again.
When I came to, Pendant was standing before me, her blonde hair glowing faintly, her purple eyes piercing through the dim light. She looked down at me, almost disappointed, but there was a strange softness to her expression.
"You're not the one I wanted to talk to," she said flatly, her voice smooth but dismissive. "But I suppose you'll have to do."
I clenched my fists. "What do you want from me?"
Her lips curved into a faint smirk. "Eli...This would be a good test. "
"I … was the one who healed the spider queen"
Rage surged through me. "You what?" My voice cracked, trembling with anger. "Do you know how many people you've hurt—how many died—because of that? What is wrong with you?"
Her smirk didn't falter. "And yet, you survived. How fascinating."
I struggled against the invisible bindings, the heat of my fury boiling inside me, but suddenly, the air changed. A suffocating wave of mana pressed down on me, stealing the breath from my lungs. My vision blurred, and dizziness overtook me. It felt like the entire room was crushing me from every angle.
"Anger suits you," she said, her voice calm amidst the chaos she was inflicting. "But you're weak. If I were stronger, I'd have taken you in by now."
I let out a weak laugh, even as I felt my body ready to collapse. "Take me in? Over my dead body."
Her smile widened. "Perhaps not yet. But even if you refuse, you can still serve a purpose."
She leaned closer, her hand pressing against my chest, and before I could protest, her lips brushed against mine. For a moment, the crushing mana vanished, replaced by an eerie warmth. Then pain.
I gasped as a burning sensation spread through my hand. Looking down, I saw a glowing purple rune shaped like a flower etched into my palm.
"Congratulations," Pendant said, stepping back with a smirk. "You'll be the test of my new magic."
I stared at her, my voice shaking. "What the hell does that mean? What did you just do to me?"
She ignored my question and instead said, "You're going to kill Eli."
I froze. "What?"
"You heard me. Kill Eli." Her tone was icy now, her smirk replaced with something darker. "And before you protest, let me explain. I know everything about you. Every thought. Every reaction. Every member of your family."
Her words hit like a dagger. "If you don't kill her, I will."
"Why would you—"
Her eyes glazed over as she mumbled something. "Everything I've done, I did on my own."
The invisible bindings holding me disappeared, and I staggered to my feet. My rage flared as I drew a dagger and lunged at her. The blade should have pierced her, but instead, it passed through her like she wasn't even there.
And then it hit me—the room I was in wasn't normal. It felt... wrong. Like a unique dimension, something entirely separate from reality. This place wasn't just hers; it was her—an extension of her mana, her soul. Time itself seemed fluid here, warping and bending under her influence.
Her soul... it felt black.
I stumbled back, breathing heavily. "What are you? Are you even real?"
"Yes," she said, her voice calm once more. "But this isn't my true body."
Her form shimmered slightly as if to emphasize her point. "Once you kill Eli, the rune will disappear, and you'll even be allowed to tell them about this... interaction."
She snapped her fingers, and the air beneath me shifted. A glowing purple rune appeared on the floor, pulsing with energy.
"You're done here," she said with a smile, her image fading.
The rune flared, and in an instant, I found myself back in the market. It was night, the heart of the capital alive with faint light spilling from lanterns and windows. The city's quiet hum filled the air, a stark contrast to the chaos I had just left behind.
Eli noticed me almost immediately. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around me in an embrace that was as warm as it was unexpected.
"Are you o—"
"I'm fine," I cut Eli off before she could finish. My voice sounded steadier than I felt.
"What happened? Did she do anything?" Eli pressed, her words coming fast.
I wanted to tell her what Pendant had ordered me to do. I wanted to explain everything. But the weight in my chest dragged me down, and the words wouldn't come. It was like invisible hands gripped my heart, squeezing so tight they stole my voice.
"Who was that?" I asked instead, deflecting.
Eli's expression darkened. "We were friends."
"Friends?"
"Back on Earth," she said quietly. "We were in school together. Even then, she was... different. She'd dye her hair almost every week. I didn't even know what she really looked like. Only her eyes stayed the same. Those piercing purple eyes." She hesitated, then glanced at me. "What did she look like to you?"
"Blonde hair. Purple eyes."
Eli nodded slowly. "Another copy. Or clone. There was one here with us." She crossed her arms, her tone hardening. "Pendant is one of the smartest people I've ever met. Manipulative. Cunning. Trust me, you don't want to get close to her."
"What did you two talk about?" Eli asked, her gaze sharp.
I tried to answer. I wanted to tell her everything. But the words wouldn't come out, no matter how hard I tried. It was as if those same invisible hands that bound my chest now strangled my voice.
"Why?" I finally managed to ask. "What makes her that dangerous?"
Eli's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Cold. Detached. A monster, really. She manipulates everyone—friends, enemies, it doesn't matter. And here? In this world? It's worse. She can change her appearance whenever she wants. It's like she wears a new face every time."
"And that's a problem?"
"It's more than a problem," Eli snapped. "It's a nightmare. As of right now, Pendant has the third-highest confirmed mana in this world, right behind Sho. And with magic—especially cloning—she could overwhelm anyone."
"So... what do we do?" I asked.
"Nothing." Eli's voice was firm. "You avoid her. Stay as far away as you can. Because if Pendant wants to, she could destroy this city ten times over."