Rise Of The Mirror King

Chapter 3: Grey

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying flat on a soft surface. The room was golden orange, and the soft crackle of burning wood was the only sound that filled it. I was bare-chested.

I sat up slowly, and immediately, memory fragments began bombarding my head. I recalled the graduation. I recalled collapsing.

Then I recalled the day before the graduation, when my parents handed me the keys to my car. I grabbed my head with both hands. The pain was excruciating.

Then I recalled leaving this castle on horseback to find Amelia and Astrid.

Astrid?

I recalled her kissing me at the Tower of Gods. I recalled how her lips felt. I recalled Amelia walking in on us.

The fragments elapsed, and I snapped back, gripping the arm of the bed for support.

I had no memory of living this life, yet the memories felt real, as though I had lived every microsecond of it. I gripped the bed frame with both hands and tried to stand.

That holographic screen appeared again.

“Congratulations. Complete synchronization has been achieved. Mana Flow State is stabilized.”

The robotic voice spoke inside my head. Why was a computerized entity speaking to me?

I winced. “What are you?”

“I am Grey, your Mana Guide,” it answered.

“What is a Mana Guide?”

“A system that people like you have built into their core to help utilize their Flow State.”

I didn't understand any of that.

“What is happening to me?”

“You've awakened as a Twin-Souled, people who exist on two worlds simultaneously.”

“Who is Symon Wardreth?” I asked. The name kept screaming in my head.

“There's no simple way to put this. You are both Simon Ward and Symon Wardreth.”

“What are you talking about?”

A screen popped up before me. There were two human anatomies on either side, with a golden glowing animation in the center.

“This is your energy core, something your world calls a soul. You and Symon share the same soul and body.”

“If we're one, why was his voice in my head?”

“A side effect of the incomplete sync.”

“Why is this happening?”

“I cannot tell you that. I do not know why souls overlap. I have simply been infused into your system to help you utilize your Flow State.”

I gulped hard.

“Is there any way to stop this?” I asked after a pause.

“There is none. This is a permanent setting. Would you like to see the quests left to complete your training and unlock your full potential?”

“No. What I need is to go back,” I yelled.

“I'm sorry. I cannot help you with that. But I can—”

“Can you stop talking?” I snapped.

The voice went quiet.

What did it mean by being one with Symon Wardreth? I sighed loudly.

“Are you still there?” I asked.

“Still here, Lord Wardreth,” Grey answered.

“Lord?”

“Symon Wardreth is nobility, son of Arin Wardreth, Lord of BlackWood and Grand Vizier to the King.”

“How come I can't recall that if we share the same... everything?”

“Your entire memories will take some time to fully return.”

I felt a tingle run down my spine, and heat crawled up my back. Someone was approaching.

“What is that feeling in my gut?”

“That must be your Mana Flow State recognizing another strong mana.”

Whoever it was had no etiquette. They kicked the door open.

I recognized that rocky build—the man who had kicked me earlier.

“You've been summoned by the High Archmage.” His voice was cold as steel. I stared at him for a minute, and that caused a memory flash. His name was Draco; he was the leader of the twelve commandments.

When I snapped back, I hissed and grabbed the long black coat from the arm of the chair and threw it over my shoulder. He waited for me to leave the room, then trailed behind, each of his steps creating a turbulence in my head.

I cleared my throat.

“Why does this High Archmage want to see me?”

He didn't answer immediately.

“Tsk, cocky as always,” he hissed.

We passed several long halls as we moved through what I now realized was a castle. All the while, anyone we passed stopped to stare at me, then looked away hastily when I made eye contact.

We stopped outside a huge door that was as tall as a house. He leaned in and breathed in my face.

“I hope they expel you.”

The door opened inward with a loud thud.

It was a full hall of people bickering at the top of their voices. Their voices died down when their eyes landed on me.

I could see Amelia and Astrid, both looking away sharply when their eyes met mine.

People were seated on both sides, with a clear path through the middle. At the end were three seats, one in the center and one on each side.

Two men and a woman were seated there, none of whom looked happy to see me.

Hunched beside Amelia was a young man who looked my age. His features were unmistakable: a long red coat, golden hair, and a ceremonial sword strapped to his waist.

My breath curled, and I ground my teeth.

“Lucifero.”

I could recall him from Symon's memories, and the heat that burned in my chest at the sight of him meant one thing.

“Approach.”

The man seated in the center waved me forward.

I walked in.

The man seated on the right leaned forward.

“You stand before the High Archmage Zudrik. Do you swear to speak the truth and nothing but the truth?”

I glanced at Amelia. Her eyes had no life in them.

“I swear.”

“Have you had your fill?” Zudrik asked.

This was a small council trial. Whoever this Symon Wardreth was, he had very few friends.

“You have to be specific,” I said.

The entire audience gasped.

“You put the lives of your fellow students in harm's way. Have some remorse for it,” the other man lashed out.

“I saved them.” That was what I recalled doing.

“After putting them in that position.” It was the woman who spoke now.

Amelia had her head bowed toward the floor. Astrid was fighting between looking at me and staring at her fingers.

“Your father is a great man. How do you think he would feel when he learns of his son?”

My father was a mechanic, and he was proud of my good grades. What sort of mischief had Symon been up to?

“I'm sorry. It won't happen again.”

The crowd gasped even louder now. Amelia and Astrid exchanged glances before looking at me.

“I vote for him to be suspended and denied entry to any guild this season.” The other man looked to Zudrik.

“I support that vote,” the woman joined in.

“We should punish him to show the Emperor we had no hand in this.”

“Lord Zudrik.” The woman leaned to her left. “This act is a provocation, one that can spiral out of our hands if not addressed properly.”

Come to think of it, the man in the red robe did seem horrified when I decapitated his comrade. He had said he was the Emperor's son.

It was done. Symon wasn't coming back to the academy.

High Archmage Zudrik rose and walked down the steps toward me.

“I place Symon Wardreth—”

My heart pounded against my chest like a drum.