Artemeni took a defensive stance as soon as her feet touched the trial floor. Her spear poked beside her shield, ready to pierce any enemy she would face. Yet, the only things that greeted her were various mirrors.
(To complete the trial you must defeat your reflection.)
The notification appearing in her vision caused her to take a deep breath. She felt the air travel through her veins and spread out in her body. Her muscles relaxed as she focused her mind, steadying herself. Her gaze traveled across the chamber, noting the many mirrors, each reflecting a slightly distorted version of herself. Some mirrors stretched her form, others shrank it, and a few twisted her reflection into strange, unfamiliar shapes. But Artemeni knew her enemy wouldn’t remain an illusion for long.
Her grip on her spear tightened as a faint shimmer appeared in the largest mirror ahead. Slowly, a figure emerged—her reflection, stepping out from the glass as if passing through water. The figure looked identical to her in every way, down to the smallest scar and the fierce, determined glint in her eyes. Her double's armor bore the same scratches and wear, her stance was equally unyielding, and her spear and shield gleamed with a cold, steely light.
“Hello.”
Artemeni called out, her voice containing not a shred of hostility.
“You!”
The reflection growled as she took an offensive stance in complete opposition to Artemeni.
“Me?”
Artemeni replied, startled.
“Yeah, you. How long will you play second to Penthesilea? Aren’t you ashamed of being inferior to her in every way?”
Artemeni's brow furrowed as she absorbed her reflection’s words. She had expected a clash of strength, not this. The worst part is she understood what the reflection was saying. She was only 2 years younger than her cousin so they grew up together. They trained and studied together. With that much time together, Artemeni became sure of one thing: Her cousin was superior to her in every way. Even with their hair and eyes which were the same color her’s were less vibrant and silky. The gap between them only grew further when she became the Queen of Amazons.
“I am a loyal servant of my Queen.”
She replied evenly. The reflection scoffed, sneering as she adjusted her stance.
“Loyal? You’ve resigned yourself to her shadow. Just another soldier in her ranks, instead of a leader in your own right. Aren't you tired of being just ‘the loyal friend,’ Artemeni? Don’t you want to become an equal to her?”
A pang of doubt began to worm its way into her heart, but Artemeni shook it off with practiced ease. She had walked this path before—questions of loyalty, pride, and ambition. Yet, each time, she had chosen her purpose.
“The Queen earned her crown with strength, skill, and smarts. I can only follow her.”
She planted her feet more firmly, allowing her reflection's words to slide off her like rain. The reflection's eyes narrowed, lips curling into a sneer.
"So, you're just going to let your life amount to servitude, then? Die then.”
She launched herself forward, her spear slicing through the air. Artemeni was ready. She blocked the thrust with her shield, the impact ringing through the chamber as sparks scattered across the polished stone floor.
"You think pride alone can sustain you?" her reflection spat, pulling back and delivering a rapid series of strikes, each one deflected by Artemeni’s shield. "When she eventually moves on, conquers more, forgets you—you'll be nothing but a ghost. No one will remember you. No one will sing about you! All of your deeds, all of your bravery will go to waste."
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Artemeni gritted her teeth, pushing her reflection back with a sharp shove of her shield.
"I fight because it is my calling," she said, the words as grounded as her stance. "Not because I need validation or want power. Penthesilea is my Queen, my cousin, and someone I respect deeply. I am proud to stand at her side."
The reflection jumped back.
“What about Poyraz? Are you fine she taking her?”
Artemeni’s cheeks flushed red.
“What?”
She coughed.
“Oh, please, don’t play dumb.” The reflection smirked, twirling her spear casually as if taunting. “You know exactly what I mean. You’ve seen the way he looks at her, the way they laugh together. You’ve always been the loyal shadow, willing to sacrifice your own feelings for the sake of duty.”
“Champion is someone I respec-“
“Ah, shut up. Deep down you hoped he would take your hand. You hoped he would make you a queen. Just like your brother, you wish to be on top.”
Artemeni planted her feet so hard the ground cracked. She infused her spear with aura and activated Spear of Huntress, dying the entire chamber red. She hurled it towards the reflection. The spear cut through the air like a comet, its aura blazing red as it hurtled toward her reflection. The double's smirk faltered, her eyes narrowing in sudden apprehension, but she dodged with a swift sidestep, just barely avoiding the strike. The spear embedded itself in the wall behind her, cracks spidering out from the impact, and the glow lingered, casting a bloody hue over the chamber.
"Temper, temper," her reflection mocked, though there was an edge of tension in her tone now. "Did I hit a nerve?"
But even before her sentence finished, Artemeni was running towards her, using her shield as a battering ram. The reflection raised her shield but was unable to stop Artemeni from slamming like a truck. She flew back to the same wall Artemeni’s spear was stuck on. Artemeni opened her palm, her spear flying back to her while knocking the reflection’s helmet and cutting her cheek.
Her double regained her balance, spitting blood and wiping it from her chin with a mocking laugh. “Is that all you’ve got?”
She spun her spear and lunged, aiming directly at Artemeni’s chest.
But Artemeni sidestepped the attack, parrying with her own spear and knocking her reflection’s weapon wide. She pressed her shield against her double’s, driving her back yet again. They broke apart, circling each other in the red-tinted light. The reflection’s sneer softened, replaced by a look of something like disappointment. “You could be more,” she murmured, almost as if speaking to herself. “You could claim your own legacy, make a name that echoes beyond ‘loyal servant’.”
Artemeni took a breath, considering her reflection’s words, the slivers of truth buried in the venom. “Perhaps,” she replied, her voice calm but resolute, “but a legacy built on betrayal and selfish ambition would be a hollow one. I’d rather be a steadfast ally, an unyielding shield, than a ruler who sacrificed everything to stand alone.”
Her reflection’s expression darkened, and with a snarl, she charged, their spears clashing again and again, each strike reverberating through the mirrored chamber. But as they fought, Artemeni felt a sense of peace growing within her—a clarity that rooted her stance and sharpened her strikes. She wasn’t fighting to prove her strength; she was fighting to uphold her convictions.
With a final burst of aura, she pushed her reflection back, disarming her and sending her sprawling to the floor. The image flickered, cracks forming across her double’s face as the defiance in her eyes faded.
The reflection’s last words were barely a whisper. “Then may your loyalty guide you… to either triumph or ruin.” With that, the reflection shattered, the fragments dissolving into light, leaving Artemeni alone in the quiet chamber, her spear steady, her heart calm, and her resolve stronger than ever.
(You completed Trial of Mirrors.)