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. It felt like an invisible shroud wrapped around me, restricting every motion. My limbs refused to obey. I was tied to a chair by unseen chains. Fear clawed at my chest.
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's beautiful. Almost otherworldly, with bright blonde hair that seemed to illuminate the room and dull purple eyes.
Pendant.
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice cracking in the silence.
She didn't respond. She stood still, her expression unreadable.
"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.
"Anger suits you," she says. "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. I couldn't 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. I looked down. A glowing purple rune shaped like a flower etched into my palm.
"Congratulations," Pendant said. "You'll be the test of my new magic."
I stared at her. "What the hell does that mean?"
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. " I know everything about you. Every thought. Every reaction. Every plan."
"Everything I've done, I did it all on my own!" she yelled, as if having a conversation with herself.
The invisible bindings holding me disappeared. I staggered to my feet. My rage flared as I drew a dagger and lunged at her.
The blade pierces through her. Blood pours from the wound.
"Are you done?" she asks, her voice bored.
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 says, her voice calm once more. "But this isn't my true body."
Her form shimmers slightly, as if to emphasize her point. "Once you kill Eli, the rune will disappear."
She snaps her fingers. A glowing purple rune appears on the floor.
I hesitate, confusion rising within me.
"Why me?"
"You know why. You've earned her trust, and that makes you invaluable to me."
I don't understand. "Why Eli?"
"She's the weakest member… right ?," she replies, her gaze sharpening.
"She's vulnerable."
"I'd happily die for her," I mutter, grabbing the dagger, and pressing it to my thigh. The cool metal bites into my flesh.
"Do it," she urges.
I can't.
She nods. "Lionheart."
A man appeared next to me. A man with short, messy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He glares at me.
"Leo … why are you working with her?" I yell, my voice shaking with rage.
He opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out.
"You're done here," she said with a smile, her image fading.
The rune flared.
I found myself back in the market. It was night, the heart of the capital alive with faint light. 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.She threw her arms around me..
"Are you o—"
"I'm fine," I cut Eli off before she could finish.
"What happened? Did she do anything?" Eli pressed, her words coming fast.
I wanted to tell her what Pendant had ordered me to do. About the kiss. 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. They squeezed 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."
For someone so smart, she sure was using a blunt plan. I wanted to believe there was another motive. Deeper reasoning behind her actions.
She probably just held a grudge against Eli.
"What did you two talk about?" Eli asked, her gaze sharp.
I tried to answer.
"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."