Kalm looked at the Calm One with slight doubt. Though he already knew what he would say and do, he asked anyway:
"What do you mean by 'I'll know what the Lost One did'?"
The Calm One looked him straight in the eyes.
"You're asking yourself something you've already thought about."
Kalm—the original—frowned.
'Great. I'm talking to myself. And insulting myself too...'
He mocked himself inwardly. Then, in his mind, he summoned the golden letters. The letters carved themselves in the air before his eyes, and what they revealed this time was... far beyond any of his odd guesses.
He read it, breath held:
Name: Kalm
World Title: ????
Phase: Dormant
Essence: \[0]
Commitment : The Sacrificer
Traits: \[The Maker] \[The Cursed] \[I, the Other 1/8]
"What in the name of the Creator of Hell...?!"
Kalm read the letters with a sense of awe and a strange tightness in his chest.
Three entire lines had vanished without warning. They hadn't even been replaced. They were simply gone.
The "Marks" line—which once displayed the Shadow Mark gifted by Kalystra—was gone.
'What a shame... I really liked that Shadow Mark.'
Then the "Ichor" line disappeared—not that he knew what it meant to begin with, but at least it was always empty.
And finally, the most painful loss—the "Elements" line.
Kalm held his head, lamenting the loss of those elements he barely had the chance to use.
"The Alarm Whistle... the Musician's Shield... they're both gone... damn it."
After a few seconds of mourning those things, he looked at the Calm One, who had his eyes focused, deep in thought.
"You're calmer than I am, which probably means you're seeing something I'm not. What do you think?"
The Calm One blinked once, then glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"I'm calm, not wise. What I know is what you know. Still, yes—this is certainly strange."
The Calm One continued thinking. Every few moments, he glanced toward the colored walls and the eerie, shifting mist.
After a few minutes, a faint glint of understanding sparked in his eyes. He raised his hand to his chest.
Kalm smiled slightly at the thought that dawned on him.
"Yeah... why didn't I think of this from the start?"
It had been obvious, really. He just needed to look at it from a different angle.
The Calm One summoned the golden letters of the World Voice before him.
He opened his eyes, and the letters began forming in the air. Even the original Kalm could see them weaving together. He gasped and stepped closer.
"You're kidding, right...?"
Before him, it read:
Name: Kalm
World Title: ????
Phase: Dormant
Essence: \[0]
Commitment : You Cannot Lie
Marks: Shadow Mark
Ichor: None
Elements: Empty
Kalm stared at the Calm One with a blank expression.
"Seriously... 'You Cannot Lie'? Out of all possible Commitments , *this* is what the World Voice gave you?"
The Calm One didn't lift his gaze from the letters, nor did he react to Kalm's complaints. After a full minute of silence, he dismissed the letters.
Then he looked toward the colored walls.
"I understand now. Those things were transferred to me, but the traits remained with you. As far as the World Voice is concerned, I'm a part of you and, at the same time, an independent being..."
He fell silent and clasped his hands behind his back.
"Myself... I see now how the Lost One overcame his curse. But I've also been thrown into some serious trouble. This goes way beyond anything normal."
Kalm took a step back, raised two fingers, rubbed his temple, and let out a long sigh.
"From what I understand... I'm going to have to create eight manifestations of myself, each with a different title, a different Commitment , and a completely different personality. Meanwhile, my main body—the real me—remains ordinary."
The Calm One slightly tilted his head, eyes still locked on the white mist.
"That's how it appears. I should ask Kalystra about this... she knows a lot."
He sighed and sat on the ground, crossing his legs.
After giving the matter lengthy thought... Kalm found himself in deep trouble.
Once he completed this trial with Kalystra's help, he would return to his world as someone awakened.
But what would happen when they realized he was just an ordinary person, unable to fight? That the one who actually fought was his manifestation?
Of course, the manifestation would remain with him, but there were already too many dangers surrounding him from all sides...
Then, Kalm remembered what the Queen had said.
She had mentioned that killing humans could grant a portion of their essence and power to the killer—in this world governed by the World Voice...
"This is a real problem..."
Kalm's mind kicked into overdrive again, analyzing, calculating...
The Calm One looked down at him and said with steady voice:
"We'll think about all this once we survive the trial. First, you need to leave this place, return your consciousness to the body, and figure out how to summon me."
Kalm sighed at how straightforward that sounded. They were the same person, and yet he was giving himself advice.
Worse... he was *actually listening* to it.
"This is going to be a problem. The Shadow Mark already transferred to you. My eyes won't see anything but darkness in that cave..."
The Calm One showed no worry, no expression.
He returned his hands behind his back.
"It won't make much difference anyway. I had no chance from the start. Just trust in Kalystra."
Kalm gave a forced smile at the conversation with himself and stood up.
"I'm really talking to myself, advising myself... insulting myself too. I'm probably going to lose my mind soon..."
He mocked himself inwardly, then focused on returning.
He gave one last long look at the three walls:
The one of **Apathy and Chaos**,
the one of **Fighting and Unyielding Struggle**,
and the last one, which stood for **Honor, Heroism, and Willpower**.
Then he looked at the white mist.
*'What a terrifying place...'*
Kalm closed his eyes, focusing on returning to his body on the boat. It took just a second before cold swept through him, and burning pain flared across different parts of his body.
From his palm, to his shoulder and elbow, to his right side...
He groaned in pain and slowly opened his eyes.
He could hear the soft crash of waves around him, along with a low growling hum circling the area.
His eyes opened—but he saw nothing but pitch darkness, as if a giant shadow had swallowed the world and blocked all light.
He parted his lips and spoke in a whisper:
"K... Kalystra... are you there...?"
There were a few seconds of silence before a gentle, soft voice reached his ears:
"Looks like you woke up, my little Kalm. How was it?"
Kalm raised an eyebrow.
'Wait... she *knew* where I was? Haaah... why not? She knows everything.'
He cleared his throat.
"Still hurts like hell... my body's aching all over."
Kalystra chuckled sweetly, then spoke:
"You'll be fine if you're still able to joke. Now tell me, how was your meeting with yourself?"
Kalm couldn't help but smile faintly. He closed his eyes for a moment.
"A little scary."
Kalystra sounded slightly surprised.
"Scary...? That's a good description. What was his title?"
Kalm tried adjusting how he was sitting. After a pause, he replied:
"The Calm One."
A brief hum echoed, as if the beautiful woman was deep in thought.
"So you've realized how the Lost One overcame his curse. That manifestation will inherit my legacy and power. Since you're the same person... you'll protect yourself. That's just how it is."
Kalystra fell quiet for a moment.
In that silence, Kalm felt the air between them grow heavier—as if she was angry.
"Kalm... I've only known you for a few hours, but that was enough for me to consider you my friend, little one. And because of that... I can't help but feel a bit of guilt and sorrow for what awaits you in the future."
Kalm took a deep breath, filling his lungs, then tried to force a smile.
"Kalystra... does this have to do with the name 'The Lost One'?"
A short silence followed...
"It goes a bit beyond that. When you finish this trial, you will receive your world title, and another trait. When you read them... you will understand a few things."
She paused, and he heard her sigh softly.
"And I fear... you may not like what you find."