LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 34: Confirmation
"So what's your plan to get out of this situation, I mean?" The reflection was the first one to speak.
Once again, I didn't say anything; instead, I opted to stare silently at him.
"Oh, don't pretend; I know you better than you know yourself, it's been so long since we started this, surely you have been secretly working on a counterattack all this while." The reflection spoke absolutely confident of his eminent victory.
"This desert," I spoke up after a while. "Is this memory from when I first entered the wastes?"
"It is when you enter the waste for the first time. I just changed it a bit." The reflection replied with a smile on his face.
Why was he speaking like that? Ignoring the clear emphasis on first, I continued asking.
"You changed it, huh? I have been thinking about these for a while, but you sure do have a lot of control over these memories?"
There was a reason why I could never defeat this guy; it wasn't something as simple as him knowing my fighting style and thus being able to predict my movements. This guy had complete control over these memories. He could have a crowd of people chant 'kill me' at the top of their voices, enhancing his physical strength or, better yet- decreasing my strength was just a child's play to him.
"I don't have control over these memories, not any more than you do, at least."
"So how come you can control these, but I can't?"
"I just told you, didn't I? Because I know you better than you know yourself."
Once again, I didn't say anything. I had suspected this for a while now, ever since he revealed he knew I had been pretending to cry in front of my father. After that, it was just a matter of observing him interact with his surroundings.
"Unlike you, I remember every single thing about every single moment you have ever experienced. I remember it in every little minute detail, the wind on the back, the little drop of sweat on your neck, the little feeling of excitement; I know it all."
"That's why I can never defeat you—because we're the same. We share the same essence in every way. But the Wastes give you power over every part of me, whether it's my body, my mind, or, in this case, my memories."
"You're correct; I am no less than a god in this place. Don't pretend you didn't know. I'm well aware you're smart enough to have figured that out already."
I nodded; he was right. There was no use pretending.
"If you are so powerful, why do you rely on me to choose the memories?"
His smile suddenly froze as he sat up straight, seemingly looking at me in a new light.
"This is surprising; I didn't expect you to figure that out." The reflection spoke, looking at me in a new light.
I seriously need to fix this habit of mine. Still, he confirmed it. That was good; at least I am on the right path.
"When did you figure it out?"
"During the awakening ceremony," I replied. Honestly, I was disappointed it had taken me that long to figure this out. The first few memories that I had seen all included either the wastes or Aria. The time I fought with her calling her names, as well as the time when I got engaged to her during the ball, where we were both forced to share our first dance.
As for starving in the wastes, that was pretty self-explanatory. Both are things that were on my mind when I first came to this place.
Even after that, all the memories were somehow connected to each other. The class the next day of the ball where Ashe laughingly told me her plan to sneak out, me ratting her out to father. All of them had been connected, especially by the reflection, who began taunting me during the memory when I told about Ashe to father, subtly influencing me into remembering my most painful memories first, including my sister and her taking revenge, and then my parents and other influential figures of the alliance, slowly breaking me emotionally chipping away at my soul.
"You know how people don't bother telling others what happens when you see your reflection in the desert because it's different for everyone else." The reflection began.
"Like when Aria and Tess told you about that soldier who poisoned almost all of his company. Talk to people, and they will tell you how the reflection made them do it."
"That's not the case?" I asked.
"People only see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear. The wastes can't force you that way. These people claim they were haunted by their reflection when, in reality, the only thing haunting them was themselves."
Silence filled the surroundings as both of us sat quietly in the desert.
"Alright, that's enough—you've gotten all the information you're going to get out of me. Still fighting so desperately, even when you know you can't win. Get up. Let's end this and be done with it."
Listening to him, I let out a sigh and got up on my feet. Not only had I gotten the final piece to execute my plan. And thanks to him I had also managed to confirm I had been on the right track all at the same time.