...Where am I?
As the blinding light faded and shapes slowly ca back into focus, I realized imdiately—this wasn’t the academy.
The grassy hill, the wolves, Elena and Lisa... all of it had disappeared as if erased in an instant.
What surrounded now was an unfamiliar space—quiet, vast, and strangely empty.
A colorless world stretching endlessly, neither bright nor dark, as if it existed outside reality itself.
And I was alone.
"...Elena? Lisa?"
My voice echoed slightly, but no one answered.
Unease prickled down my spine.
I turned in a slow circle, trying to understand this strange place, when—
"Nice to et you."
The voice ca from above.
I snapped my head upward.
There she was.
Lumine.
Floating leisurely in the air as if gravity ant nothing to her, she looked down at with the sa serene expression I rembered—but here, in this silent world, her presence felt even more overwhelming.
Her magical power spilled into the air without restraint.
It wasn’t violent or oppressive, but the sheer density of it was enough to make my chest tighten.
What’s going on?
Why would Lumine summon here of all places?
My pulse quickened, and I forced myself to stay calm.
Lumine descended lightly until she hovered a short distance in front of , her eyes shimring with curiosity.
"I called you here because I was curious about you," she said simply.
Relief washed through —at least she didn’t drag here with hostile intentions.
Still, the way she looked at —like she was examining sothing rare and hard to understand—made feel exposed.
She wasn’t hiding her power.
Not even a little.
It flowed around her in waves, effortlessly reminding of the gap between us.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice not to tremble.
"...Curious about what exactly?"
Lumine didn’t answer.
Instead, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips—gentle, but carrying an edge that made the air feel heavier.
Her silence felt far more unnerving than any reply.
"But you know..."
Her smile faded as she slowly narrowed her eyes, her expression sharpening into sothing stern—almost accusing.
"You don’t ask about my identity. You’re not afraid of ."
The mont those words left her mouth, my entire body stiffened.
"Your eyes." Her voice lowered, almost a whisper. "They look at as if you already know everything."
Her golden irises locked onto mine—unblinking, penetrating.
Eyes that didn’t gaze at , but through .
Predatory.
Dangerous.
Like a beast evaluating whether I was prey, threat, or sothing else entirely.
"As if you already know I won’t hurt you," she finished quietly.
...Shit.
I screwed up.
My guard had slipped.
I reacted too casually—too naturally—because I already knew what she was.
Anyone else would be shaking, kneeling, or screaming after suddenly falling into an unknown space and being confronted by soone like her.
A dragon.
A being that could erase with a thought.
But instead of fear, I’d shown familiarity.
Comfort.
And from her perspective... that was abnormal. Suspicious.
Her gaze sharpened even further.
Should I drop to my knees right now?
Beg for forgiveness?
Pretend to be terrified like a normal person?
My mind scrambled for an excuse—any excuse—before she ca to the wrong conclusion.
But suddenly I stop myself from panicking and took a calm breath.
Now I can focus better.
Should I make an excuse?
...No.
Lumine hates cowardice.
If I say sothing pathetic now, it’ll only make things worse.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to look away from her sharp, golden eyes.
And as if my stubbornness amused her, Lumine’s lips curled into a bright smile.
"You’re arrogant," she said. "But I like it."
A quiet breath slipped out of .
Thankfully, she didn’t seem offended by my attitude.
Enduring to the end without lowering my head had been the correct choice.
Just as I was feeling relieved—believing I’d sohow survived her scrutiny—Lumine’s voice gently stirred the air again.
"I’ll give you a gift."
"...A gift?"
The sudden declaration left blinking in confusion.
But the next words she spoke drained the color from my face.
"Do your best. If you overco the trial, you will grow stronger."
A trial.
A special trial from a dragon.
That was not the kind of gift I wanted.
But my wishes didn’t matter.
Before I could even protest, Lumine lifted her hand, and dense, overwhelming magical power surged toward like a tidal wave.
"W-wait—!"
My voice drowned in the roar of magic.
White light exploded around , swallowing my vision whole.
A massive magic circle blood beneath my feet, its lines twisting, shifting, locking into place with brilliant radiance.
And just like that—
I was engulfed completely, dragged into the trial Lumine had decided I needed.
----
Thud—!
"Ugh...!"
A sharp jolt shot through my lower back, snapping awake.
I groaned and pushed myself upright, blinking away the dizziness.
Where...?
My vision gradually adjusted to the pitch-black darkness enveloping .
No light.
No walls I could see.
Just an empty, silent void stretching endlessly in every direction.
A chill ran down my spine.
Is this the place Lumine ntioned?
The test...?
As I tried to get my bearings, sothing stirred in the distance.
Footsteps.
Slow, deliberate footsteps echoing through the darkness—too clear, too heavy, as if the darkness itself were carrying the sound straight to my ears.
I stiffened.
The silhouette began to take shape... then grew clearer... and clearer...
Until it finally stood right in front of .
And my breath stopped.
"...Louis?"
It was .
Not a resemblance.
Not a copy.
.
Sa hair. Sa eyes.
Sa build, sa expression.
Even the faint scar along my cheek from sparring with Julian was perfectly replicated.
The only difference was the smile.
He was smiling—slow, crooked, and cold.
A twisted mirror version of myself.
"Nice to et you," he said lightly.
My mouth went dry.
It wasn’t just that he looked like .
He felt like .
Every detail was flawless—my posture, my breathing rhythm, even the faint magical flicker around him.
How?
My mind scrambled for an explanation—any explanation.
There was only one possibility.
One terrifying question I had avoided from the mont I ended up in this world:
What happened to the original Louis when I possessed his body?
I had never dared to look too deeply into it.
Never let myself think about it for too long.
But now... staring into the eyes of the version of that shouldn’t exist...
The answer slowly rose to the surface.
And it wasn’t one I wanted to face.
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