"Cyra..."
I was just about to ask her about the elemental sword when I turned around and saw Cyra looking strangely at Raydwin, her face full of confusion.
"Sorry, who are you? Do we know each other? And what do you mean by 'chosen'? Are you saying I chose you? You must be joking!"
After saying this, she pulled at my clothes and pointed at Adrian, asking, "Who's he? Why does he seem so familiar with you? When did you two meet? Aren't these guys just regular humans?"
What was going on? Everyone around us froze in shock.
Did Cyra lose her memory? The thought suddenly crossed my mind, but before I could fully process it, she started questioning me about my wings.
"And when did you grow eight wings? I remember you only having four! Sure, your talent is good, but this is a bit too much, don't you think?"
This all felt so familiar! Her reactions instantly reminded me of Vivianne!
Honestly, this kind of thing wasn't new. When I first entered the time loop space, Vivianne's reaction upon seeing me was very similar to this! But this time, I didn't think I'd fallen into another loop. Besides her sudden "memory loss," there was something different about this Cyra—something... more mature.
Compared to the tricky, unreliable Cyra I remembered, this one seemed much more dependable! Not to mention she successfully ambushed the enemy, giving me the perfect chance to turn the tables. And when we took down the vampire ancestor, she was quick to finish it off, making sure there was no chance for a comeback. Such growth—calling it impressive would be an understatement!
Unless...
"Hey! Why are you all gathered here?"
Just as everyone was still in shock over Cyra's strange behavior, another voice rang out. This time, it came from above. A six-winged angel descended behind Cyra, approaching us while casually asking, "Huh? Another angel snuck over from the other world? While I was live-streaming, I sensed a huge burst of light and dark energy here. I was too worried, so I flew over as soon as I ended the stream. Do you know what's going on?"
"Two Cyras?!"
No one saw that coming. My friends were stunned, almost unable to believe their eyes. But my thoughts were a bit different.
After all, I had been cautious before, and this wasn't the first time I'd seen two of the same person. There was a precedent for this.
Back when two Nicolas appeared, it was because of time travel, no doubt. But the question now was, where was Nicola? If one of these Cyras had traveled through time, where was the one who helped her travel? Or if Nicola wasn't involved, how did Cyra manage this on her own?
"What are you all talking about? Why are you saying that?" The second Cyra noticed the strange looks from everyone and turned to glance at the other Cyra beside her. That's when she finally realized something was wrong. She jumped back about ten meters, pointing at the other Cyra and angrily shouted, "What the—? Who are you? Is this some trick by Michelle?"
"What does Michelle have to do with this? The real question is why you look exactly like me! Could it be that..."
The first Cyra also sensed something was off. Her face changed, and she grabbed the elemental sword from my hand, eyeing the other Cyra cautiously.
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"Huh?"
Now I was confused too. Is this really a 'real and fake Cyra' situation? This wasn't quite what I expected!
"Which one of you is the real Cyra?" Adrian quickly calmed down and gave me a subtle look, wanting me to check for any traces of magic. But identifying disguise magic on angels or light magic users was nearly impossible, so I just shook my head helplessly.
"Feliciana! Don't be fooled by her. I'm the real Cyra! She's probably pretending to be me to pull some kind of trick!"
The second Cyra, desperate to prove herself, quickly accused the other.
"What trick? If I wanted to pull something, I wouldn't wait until now!"
The first Cyra wasn't backing down. Her calm demeanor was evident as she raised the elemental sword and argued logically.
"Alright! If you claim to be Cyra, show us your sword! This is the Apollos Sword, the symbol of the highest authority among the angels!"
"Who told you that you need to show a weapon to prove your identity? Besides, I don't even have such a high-tech sword!"
The second Cyra, of course, couldn't produce the sword! To prove she wasn't lying, she quickly called on Adrian for backup.
"Ask Adrian if I'm telling the truth!"
"Uh, yeah, I guess I didn't see you using any sword before we came to this world..." Adrian, caught in the middle, wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered honestly.
"How can this be? The Apollos Sword was a gift from Lady Elara herself. This can't..."
The first Cyra's face turned pale at Adrian's words. She looked completely shocked.
"Are you two going to settle this with a fight, or what?"
I couldn't stand their pointless bickering any longer, so I stepped in to stop them. Honestly, the answer to the real Cyra's identity was already pretty clear. There were just a few more details that needed clarification.
Looking at the two identical faces in front of me, I couldn't help but sigh. Cyra wasn't the only one who shared this face!
"Do either of you remember me?"
Before I could reveal my thoughts, Raydwin, unable to wait any longer, jumped in, pointing at himself and asking the two Cyras eagerly.
Earlier, he'd felt embarrassed by their cold reactions, and now he saw this as the perfect chance to redeem himself.
"Great! No doubt, you are the chosen one! Raydwin, you must tell everyone that I'm the real Cyra! The master will surely reward you for this!"
The second Cyra's eyes lit up, as if she had found her savior. Finally, they matched signals.
"You heard it, right? I can say for sure now—the one who spoke is the real Cyra! The other one is definitely an imposter!"
Raydwin was overjoyed. He immediately reported to me and Adrian with great confidence.
Was this really happening? He's being used, yet he's so happy to help...
I wanted to say something about this ridiculous scene, but I had to admit—Raydwin wasn't wrong.
The second Cyra was indeed the real Cyra we'd known all along. As for the other "Cyra" who held the elemental sword and helped me defeat the vampire ancestor, her true identity was still up for debate.
"How did things end up like this... It doesn't make sense..."
The fake "Cyra" seemed deeply affected, muttering to herself after losing the confrontation.
"Don't worry! I believe you had no ill intentions toward us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have appeared so many times to help when we were in trouble with the monsters."
Seeing her like this, I thought for a moment, then walked over to gently reassure her.
"How about this? Everyone's tired from the fight. Let's head back to the house and rest for a bit before we talk this through."
Adrian, following my lead, also stepped in with a suggestion. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions too. Maybe if we talk it out, we can solve this!"
"Yes, sitting down and talking might be the best idea."
The fake "Cyra" didn't object. She put away the Apollos Sword, hesitated as she glanced at both me and the real Cyra, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she held back.
"Aren't you being too relaxed around her? Don't forget she looks exactly like me! Who knows what's really going on? Be careful!"
The real Cyra, falling behind, warned us nervously. But neither Adrian nor I paid much attention. Meanwhile, Raydwin kept following her, bombarding her with questions.
"Wait, so this angel didn't come from your heaven realm? It feels like things are way more complicated than I thought. Is there some secret involved?"
"How would I know any secret?"
Cyra clearly wasn't in the mood for Raydwin's questions. Frustrated, she snapped back at him, then used the opportunity to change the subject.
"Mind your own business! If you've decided to become an apprentice, then focus on your training! Just don't slow us down when we're in danger!"
"You don't have to worry about that! I'll work hard for sure... huh?"
Raydwin puffed out his chest, confidently making promises, but by the time he realized, we had already walked far ahead. He had no choice but to chase after us, gasping for breath.
"Wait for me!"