Artemis was momentarily stunned, her composure finally cracking. "What are you speaking about? You have misunderstood something," she insisted, trying to regain control of the volatile situation.
Alista's gaze was hard, relentless. "No. I know about it before entering the Solstice. Just tell me: Are you planning to tell me?" He stood up abruptly, summoning his [Hunter's Sword] and taking a decisive stance.
Artemis's voice immediately turned serious and commanding. "Drop your sword, Alista Tudor. Let me explain."
Alista slowly lowered his sword. He was barely holding himself together; the fierce urge to fight—a combined compulsion from his Flaw and the lingering Nightmare Creatures of the Dark Sea—was driving him to battle.
Artemis looked at him, paused, and then spoke, her voice dropping to a low conspiracy. "About four months ago, in the Bastion, a person broke out from a secret, highly guarded area."
Alista frowned, urging her to continue.
"After some investigation, we found out that person is… you," Artemis revealed.
Alista was genuinely shocked. "What the fuck? How the hell would I be in the Bastion?"
Artemis explained the enigma. "That is what is confusing. When we searched for your identity, we found you here, unassociated with any Legacy or Government faction. My mission was to monitor you and learn everything about you."
Alista's mind raced. 'I have an Evil Twin? And he seems to be from the Bastion? What a mess am I getting into?'
"Is there any difference between that imposter and me?" Alista asked, needing a clear distinction.
Artemis replied, "Well, there is one: His hair is red, if that's any help."
Alista immediately countered, "I haven't had red hair at all."
Artemis sighed, exasperated. "Whatever it is, that is my mission. Are you satisfied?"
"How should I believe that?" Alista challenged. "What if it is just some made-up propaganda?"
Artemis scoffed at his cynicism. "Believe it or not, that is the truth."
Alista simply said, "Whatever." Both remained silent for a while, the trust between them shattered and rebuilt on a fragile foundation of shared secrets.
[Artemis POV]
Artemis internally groaned. 'Did I screw it up even more? This mission was supposed to be completely secret, but I blurted out everything to the very person I was supposed to follow and eliminate if necessary. This secret mission is a pain in the ass.'
She summoned her Runes to check her current status, focusing on the calm certainty of her power to suppress the overwhelming stress of her situation:
Name: Artemis
True Name: -
Rank:Dreamer
Soul Core:Dormant
Soul Fragments:[100/1000]
Memories: [Heaven's Armor][Swift Sword][Silver rope][Silencer][Dusk Shard]
Echoes: [Drift Horse]
Attributes:[Mark of Divinity][Calm Mind][Guidance][OuterSpawn]
Aspect:[Condenser]
Aspect Rank: Sacred
Aspect Ability: [Gravity Abnormality]
Artemis continued to stare at her Runes, seeking clarity and certain question marks. She opened her Attribute details once more.
[OuterSpawn]:You are blessed Spawn of the ???????????????????????? ,You dont belong here yet you are here
Artemis felt a familiar wave of confusion and alienation. Ever since her first Nightmare—no, ever since she could remember—she had been considered a freak. Her family and the entire Valor Clan viewed her as abnormal, perhaps even more so than her infamous cousin, Mordret, the man they deemed taboo. Her father considered her filth to such an extent that he had once attempted to kill her. Only her mother's desperate request and the glimmer of promising potential she displayed had spared her life.
Furthermore, there were blank pages in her mind; a significant portion of her childhood was missing, as if erased. There was no respect from the clan elders, not from her powerful uncle or anyone else in the lineage. Yet, she persevered. Despite their cruelty, this was her family—the only people she believed she could truly trust in this wretched world.
Artemis looked at Alista Tudor—the fellow anomaly, the True Name holder from the Outskirts. 'Maybe we are just a bunch of freaks who don't know what the heck is happening around us? Maybe that is why the Spell put us in the same place.'
She took a deep breath, trying to bridge the gap of distrust, and returned to the subject that started their alliance.
"So, tell me about your First Nightmare," Artemis prompted. "It started around the four-month mark, right?"
Alista glared at her, his voice clipped and dismissive. "Fuck off."
Artemis frowned, recognizing the barrier she had just run into. 'Let's not talk about this anymore. The silence is better than an open fight.'
[Alista's POV]
The silence between them continued for a while, heavy with unspoken accusations and half-truths. Eventually, Artemis broke it.
"How long are we going to continue staying silent?" she asked, looking out at the tumultuous, dark landscape.
"What for?" Alista Tudor countered. "Is there any more trouble you need to divulge?"
"No. Just tell me about life in the Outskirts," Artemis requested, her curiosity genuine, born of boredom and the need to understand her strange ally.
Alista, surprisingly, complied. He spoke about the sheer difficulties of life outside the protection of the great Cities, detailing the constant struggle for resources and how he and Fors had survived together.
After hearing the harsh realities, Artemis nodded slowly. "No wonder Outskirts people are like that. The situations made them, but the whole world is like that, so it makes sense." She was attempting to rationalize the ruthlessness she had witnessed.
Alista scoffed, shaking his head vehemently. "No. It is still an individual choice. Everyone suffered one way or another; that doesn't make things right." He had always despised the justification of poor choices by citing difficult upbringings. While he acknowledged that some things were out of control, he maintained a firm moral line: "Just because you are brought up in a difficult situation, an Asshole is still an Asshole."
Artemis pressed her point. "But if a person had a clear choice to turn into a bad guy for their own goal, everyone would turn into a bad guy for it."
Alista looked at her, his voice softening slightly as he decided to counter her cynicism with a tale from his previous life, a piece of lore he knew well.
"Let me tell you about the legendary story of a father: Bartholomew Kuma."
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