--Events of chapters 21-22 as told by Carmen Sen--
"Don't forget your end of our deal." (Adnal)
"I wouldn't dream of it." (Carmen)
With that said, I hand the mini-light core to Adnal, who immediately ingests it.
After playing with the new light magic for a bit, "Thank you for the trade, all I lack now is earth magic." (Adnal)
Wishing I could, "Too bad I cannot help you there." (Carmen)
"It's fine, I will wait until I find someone break through to god realm in earth, and then offer them a trade that will suit them." (Adnal)
After those words were stated, she immediately disappears from our sights.
"So... does this mean that Carmen will live to be 1,001,140 years old?" (Dawson)
"Not guaranteed, but she will age at a rate that will make it to where if she does not die for another reason, she will die around that age." (Ernest)
Worried that Dawson would die before I did, "What about Dawson, I don't want him to die before me." (Carmen)
"Remember my special 'Blood Blessing'?" (Dawson)
"Yes?" (Carmen)
"I can gain way more life expectancy than you have, as long as I fulfill its requirements." (Dawson)
"I know, but do you really think you can? I mean, I know that the first two tasks are a given," remembering the tasks regarding sex, and also the task of making someone hate you, I feel heat flooding to my cheeks, "but do you really think that you can do all of them?" (Carmen)
"Up to Stage 8, I know I could easily do. Stage 9 I am unsure, and stage 10 is something I could never do." (Dawson)
"You could force someone you love to hate you?" (Carmen)
"Remember, it never said that I had to keep them hating me, just to make them hate me... I would do that when they were already angered with me, then after I had achieved the next stage, I would undo what I did." (Dawson)
"If it's like that, then... I guess I don't have to worry about either of us dying before the other, save some unfortunate event." (Carmen)
"We will live together as long as we are both alive, that I promise you Carmen." (Dawson)
After a short pause, sitting back down on his chair, "Well, Dawson, Carmen, Ariko, Harrold..." sigh, "I need a bit to fully wrap my brain around what just transpired in front of me, and recoup from casting that spell. Please go somewhere else for the time being." (Ernest)
We do as asked.
After we leave the room and are far enough from the door for father not to hear, "Dawson, do you two want us to stick around, or would you prefer us to go elsewhere?" (Harrold)
"Carmen?" (Dawson)
Not caring which they do, I shrug my shoulders.
"Do as you see fit." (Dawson)
With those words, Ariko and Harrold leave, walking a little closer than I would have expected... '𝘈𝘩, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦' I thought to myself, due to seeing them hold hands.
"Carmen, did you see what I just thought I saw?" (Dawson)
"Our personal guards are sure getting close, but is that a bad thing?" (Carmen)
"No, I was just making sure I was not seeing things... I am happy for them to be honest." (Dawson)
Grabbing my hand, "Follow me, I have a surprise for you." (Dawson)
"Oh? And this surprise is?" (Carmen)
"It's a surprise, why would I spoil it?" (Dawson)
Doing my best puppy-dog eyes.
"That won't work, you'll find out shortly." (Dawson)
Trying to hide my smile, "But I wanna know now!" then tried to act like a little kid throwing a fit by stomping on the ground. (Carmen)
"I see your hidden smirk, you are just trying to get me to tell you, but are actually happy that I'm doing this for you." (Dawson)
Finally, bitterly revealing my smile, "You got me." (Carmen)
As I finish saying this, we arrive in the flower garden, he takes me to the gazebo in the midst.
When we get there, he turns one chair to where it is facing away from the table and towards the bridge. He then asks me to sit in the chair.
"Now as for my surprise." (Dawson)
After that, He recites the poem.
While he speaks this poem, I felt a little embarrassed, happy, and surprised. I am so moved by the poem that as soon as he finishes I jump into his embrace crying. I cry until I start feeling sleepy.
Looking up at him, while still hugging him, "Thank you Sone, that was beautiful... did you write this?" (Carmen)
"Yes, I wrote this for you." (Dawson)
Burying my head in his chest to hide how sleepy I felt, "It was definitely a different way to do a poem, did you come up with that method too, or borrow it from another?" (Carmen)
"Well, I thought it up, and decided to try it, since I had never seen anyone else do such in the past." (Dawson)
I then fell asleep while standing in his embrace. I then start to dream. Well, it is not really a dream, but me witnessing what is going on around me while experiencing something different. I see what happens to my body, how Dawson moves it to another room and hear what all he says in and directly outside the room. I also hear and see everything that happens to the shadow. However, while the shadow is there and Dawson is gone, the shadow looks directly at me and speaks.
"I am the shadow that lurks within you... this is the first part of your trial... this part is a test. Do you trust your cousin, Dawson Sen, to save you? If not, I will go to your body of my own volition... however, if you do, then you shall have your ability to use your body in any way left to Dawson to make sure that you have." (Shadow)
I immediately reply, "I will always trust Dawson with my life." (Carmen)
After that, it goes back to being in the exact position that my body was in before Dawson moved it. Then, as I said earlier, I see everything that happens with the shadow, along with seeing everything that happens with my body.
Once the shadow returns to my body, I am immediately sucked back into my body. Upon entering my body, I go into a dream-like state. While in this dream-like state, I see the shadow again, but this time it just looks like me with all its features darkened... like if 25% of the light is removed.
"You have successfully passed the first test, however, that test was a double-edged sword. There were two ways to pass, and one way to fail. You fail if you said you trusted your cousin and then your cousin proved to be untrustworthy. But since that did not happen you passed." (Shadow)
"Let me guess, if I had said that I did not trust Dawson, then I would have also passed?" (Carmen)
"Yes. Now, for your second test, defeat me." (Shadow)
"What do you mean? Defeat you? I don't even know much in the way of magic, how am I suppose to do that?" (Carmen)
"It's a matter of will, we have the same skills and knowledge... the only differences are our personality, how we will execute our knowledge, and our will to defeat the other. As of yet, I am but a mere shadow of you, but if I defeat you, I will become you. So, to not cease to exist, you must defeat me." (Shadow)
"So, in other words, this is a fight of life or death, against my clone no less." (Carmen)
With a menacing grin, "More or less." (Shadow)
With that said, I start doing some exercises to warm up, and sure enough, so does the shadow me. After we are done warming up, the shadow me speaks again.
In a stance like she is ready to fight, "Are you ready?" (Shadow)
Taking a similar stance, "As I'll ever be." (Carmen)
After that, we both give it our all. We are even accurately predicting what the other will do since we both have the same knowledge. I just so happen to be the first one to predict what the shadow would predict I would do, and therein gain the upper hand... but only for a moment. Shortly thereafter, the shadow is able to predict what I will predict it to do next and level the playing field.
This fight seems to last for 2-3 hours before it seems clear who would win. I am so close to defeat, having only a little energy left, and a blade made of water going at my neck.
Racking my brain for a solution, I actually think of something that might work. I first use fire to nullify the water, creating a smoke screen of steam (a steam screen). I then dash directly at the shadow of myself, and, hoping it would work, cast what I hope to be a purification spell... like the type used against undead in RPGs. Upon the spell hitting the shadow, it immediately screams out in pain, and the spell envelopes the shadow. I hold the spell until it seems to me that the shadow no longer has the strength to do anything against me.
After the fight is over, the shadow looks as if it is dying.
In a raspy voice "Your third, and final test. Wake yourself up. You will be trapped in your dream until you do." (Shadow)
As soon as the shadow finished her words, she vanished. I think to myself, How am I suppose to do that? You never even gave me a hint.
After that, I just wander around in this dream world. It is a large maze of halls with many doors, each and every door went to a place I have been in the past, with that place looking exactly as it did the last time I saw it, but no one else in any of these places. I decide to look for a door that looks different from the rest, since, knowing myself if I were to create such a labyrinth, the way out would be a door that looks in some way different from the rest. I also know that the rule of thumb of staying along one wall would not always work, so I decide to use my memory skills and watch the doors since they are all different from each other in one specific way, they each have a date, being the date I last visited that location. So with that knowledge, I keep track of which dates I have passed in what order, and if ever I am passing ones I passed before, I'll take a different turn after that repeat, or backtrack to before that turn and take a different path instead.
After what seems like a day or so spent inside the labyrinth, I finally find the door I am looking for. It has today's date, but that door also has the time, and that time is very slowly changing. It takes about 1 minute for a single second to pass. With that knowledge, I calculate that although it seems like I have been in this dream world for what seems like 28 hours, I have probably only spent just under half an hour in this world in real time.
I awaken to find that there is a maid here waiting for me to wake up.
"Good evening Miss Carmen, is there anything I can get for you?" (Maid)
Grabbing the cup that I keep next to my bed, and filling it with water using my water magic, "To be honest..."
I pause because of being interrupted by my stomach grumbling.
With a small smile, "I am a bit hungry." (Carmen)
Giving a curtsy, "Then, would you like to take dinner in your room, or elsewhere?" (Maid)
Sliding my hand from my forehead, over my nose, to the bottom of my chin, "Well, I am still exhausted, after recent events, so please, have it brought to my room." (Carmen)
"Understood milady, I will do so right away." (Maid)
The maid then departs. Now I am honestly tired, but that is not the only reason I want to eat in my room. I want to think over the events that have transpired today.
I am so lost in thought that it takes the maid tapping me on the shoulder to bring me back to my senses. When she does, I notice that there is a meal waiting in front of me.
"Miss Carmen?" (Maid)
"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought... Thank you for bringing me my food, was there anything more than calling out my name that you said?" (Carmen)
"It's no problem, and yes, I had informed you of the fact that I brought you your food and asked if there is anything more you wish of me?" (Maid)
"I would like you to return around the time I would likely be finished to collect the dishes, and if there is anything more, I'll let you know then." (Carmen)
"Understood," turning to head out of the room, "I will be back then." (Maid)
"Please and thank you." (Carmen)
While I am eating, I keep thinking about how to react to what happened. Near the time whereas I finish eating, I decide upon upholding the promise Dawson made and telling him what all happened to me during that time.
Shortly before the maid returns, I start to fall asleep. I stop myself from completely falling asleep as to ask the maid to pass a message on to Dawson.
"Miss Carmen, have you finished?" (Maid)
"I have. I apologize, but I would like to ask one more thing of you." (Carmen)
"It is no problem, how may I be of service?" (Maid)
"I would like to ask you to come back here once you finish with returning the dishes, and wait here until either Dawson comes to check on me or until there is no sun left for the day, whichever comes first." (Carmen)
"I have no problem with doing this, may I ask why?" (Maid)
"I would like you to pass a message on to him if/when you see him... I want you to tell him that I am fine, have eaten, and will uphold the promise he made to the royal sorcerer." (Carmen)
"With pleasure." (Maid)
"Also, he may wonder how I know about that promise, tell him I will inform him in the morning." (Carmen)
"Understood milady." (Maid)
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