Point of View of Luca

[The fourth trial is now complete. You will be immediately teleported to the fifth and final trial of the sanctuary.]

[Teleportation in progress...]

[…]

[…]

[Teleportation complete.]

[Objective: confront and defeat your double in the trial of your choice.]

"For now, nothing has changed."

This was exactly what I had written in my novel. As the sign indicated, you just had to defeat your doppelgänger by choosing your own challenge.

"But it's easier said than done."

In the story, the protagonist had opted for a sword duel. However, the hero struggled to defeat his double, not because they had the same strength, but because the doppelgänger never got tired. To pass this trial, one had to become better, hoping to surpass their double.

I cautiously walked toward my double but stopped at a safe distance, ready to react if attacked.

"So, this is what I look like..."

Since my reincarnation in this world, I had never really questioned my appearance. Brown hair, golden eyes, a rather handsome face but not enough to make it on the cover of a magazine.

"There's not much difference from my old body."

After carefully observing my double—or rather myself—I began to choose the trial that would allow me to pass this stage. Who said I had to fight? Not me, anyway.

The next moment, a chessboard appeared before my eyes, along with the pieces.

"Let's get this over with..."

As I was about to take a seat, a voice identical to mine called out to me.

"Who are you?"

I slightly raised my head toward my double. Unlike earlier, his gaze was no longer empty like that of a puppet.

"How is this possible?" I thought.

Normally, in the novel, the doubles were depicted as beings devoid of emotions and consciousness, but the one standing before me seemed very much alive.

"I ask you again, who are you? And why do you look like me?"

Who am I? That question echoed in my mind. After a few moments of reflection, I came to a conclusion. What if the child in front of me was the true host of this body? After all, I wasn't originally from this world.

"I know it may seem rude of me, but could you introduce yourself first? I'm a bit lost myself."

The double, or rather the child, hesitated for a moment before answering.

"My name is Kaner, from the Farie clan. My village was suddenly attacked by a group of people during the night. While trying to flee, I fell and lost consciousness. However..."

Kaner paused, and his body suddenly began to tremble before he continued.

"However, the pain I felt at that moment wasn't normal. Instead of just my head hurting, my whole body was in pain."

I slowly approached him, trying to reassure him. Listening to his story, it was undeniable that Kaner was one of the children chosen to undergo the sanctuary's trial.

"It's going to be okay, Kaner, it's over now."

The reason he was so terrified was that he had tasted death. Having experienced something similar, I knew how traumatic it could be. Even now, I still carried a few scars from that event.

"Let me explain the situation to you…"

Before I could reveal part of the truth about the sanctuary, Kaner's body began to glow.

"What's happening to my body?"

Initially surprised, Kaner then stopped crying.

"I don't know why, but I feel like my mind is relaxing."

His body then began to float gently in the air before turning into a beam of light and disappearing.

"May your soul rest in peace, Kaner."

What I had just witnessed was the final death of an individual within the sanctuary. After losing the will to live, the sanctuary had deemed Kaner unfit to continue. In the novel, those who died in the sanctuary met a terrible end, but their soul eventually found peace.

[You have completed the last trial of the sanctuary.]

A door appeared before me, without a number on it, confirming that I had passed all the trials of the sanctuary.

I crossed the door, my heart heavy with all that I had experienced, but with renewed determination for what awaited me on the other side.

* * *

Point of View of William

"I'm going to kill you, filthy demon!" screamed a kid who looked exactly like me.

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Upon entering the fifth trial of the sanctuary, I had chosen a knife fight as my duel. My double, without hesitation, had lunged at me, ready to attack.

"Could you stop flailing around?"

"So you can eat my soul? No way!"

This kid was convinced I was a demon. While the idea was absurd, I couldn't really blame him. After all, this body didn't originally belong to me. However…

"Jeff, right? What makes you think I'm a demon? Ask me questions, and I'll answer you."

After dodging his latest strike, I offered him a more peaceful solution. Jeff, initially surprised by my proposal, seemed to calm down a bit.

"Alright, I'm listening." Seeing that he was ready to talk, I gestured for him to start.

"If you're not a demon, why do you look like me?" he asked, the doubt still evident in his eyes.

"Look at my body. Do you see any signs that I could be a demon?"

In the novel, those who were likely to be demons bore black marks all over their bodies. Knowing this, Jeff examined me closely before lowering his knife slightly.

However, this moment of calm didn't last long, as the urge to kill me quickly resurfaced in his eyes.

"In that case, how do you know my name?" he suddenly demanded, suspicious.

Damn! I had been careless in mentioning his name. I knew it thanks to my co-author ability, but it was impossible to explain that without making him even more suspicious.

"Because you look like a Jeff."

"And you think I'm going to buy that?" he growled, rushing at me with his knife.

With a quick, precise movement, I grabbed his wrist, stopping his attack cold.

"Why are you so intent on attacking me? And besides, seeing how you're trembling, I guess you've never taken someone's life before, am I wrong?"

"So what? I have to get out of here to avenge Kaner's death," he retorted with fierce determination.

"I don't know who this Kaner is, but believe me, revenge won't bring you any peace."

"A demon can't understand the loss of a loved one."

I could see the pain in his eyes, the same pain I had felt before. I understood his desire for revenge, but I also knew how destructive it could be.

In this case, I had only one option left...

* * *

As he desperately tried to kill what he believed to be a demon, something unexpected happened. The individual pretending to be Jeff calmly removed his hand from his wrist and allowed the blade to sink into his abdomen.

"What are you doing?" Jeff exclaimed, stunned by this senseless act.

"You wanted to avenge your friend, right? In that case, you'll have to kill me," he replied, a smile on his face.

"And you're just letting me do it?"

He hesitated, his hands trembling around the knife. Finally, he withdrew the bloodstained blade and plunged it back into the other's body, but once again, there was no reaction. The individual merely curled his lips into an enigmatic smile.

"Why! Why are you smiling? You should hate me and fight back!" Jeff shouted, his mind in turmoil.

At first, Jeff was determined to fight, even ready to kill the one he believed to be a demon. He had been taught by his elders that demons were emotionless creatures, always ready to attack at the slightest opportunity. Yet, this man—or creature—was taking the blows without flinching.

No longer knowing what to think, Jeff began to tremble and stepped back a few paces, dropping his knife to the ground. He was no longer sure of anything: was this being truly a demon or just someone who looked like him?

"Why are you stopping?" asked the child accused of being a demon, standing up while covering his mortal wounds with his hands. Then, with deliberate slowness, he picked up the knife and handed it back to Jeff, encouraging him to continue.

But this action only frightened Renner even more. He was now facing a situation completely beyond his control.

"Let me give you some advice, Jeff. If you follow the path of revenge, what exactly do you plan to eliminate?"

"Isn't it obvious? The one who killed my friend."

"You're so naïve, kid," the other scoffed before adding, "And what about that person's surroundings? Specifically, their loved ones? Do you really think they'll let you do it? No! In that case, do you want to kill them too?"

"But…" Jeff tried to respond, doubt creeping into his mind.

"Remember, those people also have a life, a family, passions, people they care about. Do you really want to kill them to avenge your friend?"

"I…"

Jeff was beginning to grasp the enormity of what he was considering. The individual's words resonated within him, shaking his convictions.

"Would Kaner want you to kill people?" the individual asked, his voice growing softer, almost compassionate.

Unable to find arguments, Jeff cried out, pouring all his pain and confusion into a heart-wrenching scream.

"What do you want me to do? Tell me!"

"Me? I don't know. It's up to you to decide."

The next moment, Jeff's body began to float in the air, transforming into a beam of light before completely disappearing.

[You have completed the fifth and final trial of the sanctuary.]

* * *

[You have completed the fifth and final trial of the sanctuary.]

"What kind of nonsense is this? The kid attacks me and goes to heaven?"

I let myself fall back, trying to catch my breath.

"He really didn't hold back, that brat."

The wounds he inflicted on me are all equally painful. However…

"This intense pain will never compare to the pain of death itself."

That's what allowed me to endure.

"Still, if he had continued, I would've been forced to fight back and kill him."

As my father once told me, the world is cruel.

"Children, women, men, animals… to me, you're all the same."

Pushing away the dark thoughts that were about to overwhelm me, I got up and walked toward the door that had appeared earlier.

"I hope this nightmare will end."

* * *

Kim's point of view

"I've finally arrived."

After triumphing over the five trials imposed by the sanctuary, Kim was no longer the child he once was. Though his body was still young, it now possessed a raw strength surpassing that of an average adult, and his swordsmanship was sharper than ever.

Before him stood a human figure, its face obscured despite the light illuminating the room.

"I've been waiting for you, Kim," the unknown figure declared in a calm yet authoritative voice.

Kim stopped in his tracks, carefully scrutinizing the figure before him.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I am the sanctuary," the figure replied, its words resonating in the room like an undeniable truth.

"Why did you bring me here?"

From the beginning, he had wondered why he was chosen to come to this place.

Certainly, he knew the main reason: the villagers, including his father, had sacrificed their lives to perform a ritual that brought them here. All in the hope of preventing the village's children from being unjustly killed by the Empire's soldiers.

However, the sanctuary they were sent to had proven far more ruthless than anticipated, forcing them to overcome deadly trials where failure led only to a tragic end.

"Don't try to understand, for you are still too young to grasp the full extent of it all," the sanctuary said in a serene voice. "Nevertheless, expect to receive immense power, for you have completed the sanctuary's trials."

"Wait... is there any survivor besides me?"

"No, unfortunately."

At these words, a deep anger began to stir within Kim, a rage born from the loss of his village, his family, everything he loved. He struggled to contain this anger, but it burned like a flame ready to consume everything.

"It's all because of the Empire! They destroyed my village, killed my entire family. I swear I will have my revenge..." Kim thought, his heart heavy with hatred.

"But two other children, before you, have made it here," the sanctuary suddenly added, interrupting his vengeful thoughts.

"Is that true? Can I meet them?" Kim asked, a glimmer of hope rekindling.

"Unfortunately not, but your paths will cross again."

"At least, tell me their names..." Kim insisted, his voice trembling with emotion.

But before he could finish his sentence, his body was suddenly trapped in a star-shaped space. The next moment, he found himself projected into the depths of space, surrounded by the interstellar void.

"Where am I?"

Beside him, he saw two other stars, each containing the silhouette of a child. One of them shimmered with a thousand vibrant colors, while the other seemed enveloped in an unfathomable darkness. As for Kim's star, it radiated a golden light, intense and pure.

"Now, I send all three of you back to your world, to face your destinies," the sanctuary declared in a resounding voice.

Without further warning, Kim felt his body moving at an incredible speed. The three stars then took different paths, each racing toward a unique direction, as if their destinies were charted by distinct routes.