Energy surges from my palm, erupting as several pointed beams that pierce and tear through the armor that my hand rests on. All the mana that would typically go into making the beam longer is now instead being dumped into the amalgam, which should make the resulting thorns even worse.

Ahh... This spell does its best work point-blank, after all...

I take one step back as the beams burst, dozens upon dozens of vicious, bristly thorns exploding out from the beams to fill the insides of the monster.

Though it's death is guaranteed, the momentum of its swing has already been built, and the sword continues along its path. The final act of the dead.

Without moving a finger, mana hardens above my elbow, just where the sword would have made its impact. A loud ringing echoes out as the blade collides against something for the final time. Instead of shattering, it falls away as black slime, sizzling on the ground before disappearing into nothing.

[Congratulations! Skill "Forcethorn Burst" has leveled up! Rank E ➜ D]

The energy of [Forcethorn Burst] slowly fades away, and after the last sparkling shards of mana finally blink out, I am able to see the damage I wrought.

There are large gaps in the armor, and it just barely clings onto the broken form of the amalgam. All across its body, brilliant light is gleaming through. The shadowy ink that blotted it out is now no more than a husk, a battered shell ready to be cast off.

I watch on as the amalgam shudders and shakes, pieces of that black shell falling aside to the ground like the rest. It goes on for a few more moments, before every last speck of the stuff is absent from its body. All that remains is that glowing light.

A wide-brimmed, pointy hat sits atop the head of a girl with messy hair that very nearly reaches down to her shoulders. She's wearing rather simple clothes outside of a quaint little cloak.

The me-made-from-light gives me a smile, a voice similar to mine coming from its lips, "You've proven your courage well. But now I would hear of your conviction." It certainly sounds like me, but as if someone else entirely were using my voice.

"W-wait... Are you the one who's given me this trial?"

The smile on her face grows a little more, "Just a construct created in aid of it."

Honestly... Stranger and stranger things were happening by the day, but I had little energy left in my body for bafflement. "D-do you mind if I have a seat, then?"

"Not at all."

The dark of this place is beginning to clear off, making it easier to see. As soon as I've leaned against one of the buildings, taking a seat on one of the steps leading up to the door, the darkness has been replaced by radiant white fog.

It's day time, by the looks of it. But it really is quite hard to see through the mess of fog. I can only see about ten meters out before everything is taken over by white plumes.

The light-me follows along, smiling up at me from the bottom of the stairwell.

What had she asked about, again? Conviction, right... "E-err.. What exactly was it that you wanted to hear about my 'conviction', then?"

"Perhaps it would be more apt for me to ask of your goals." She outstretches her arms towards me, palms facing skyward, "What do you want out of this life of yours, Sybil Sagecrest?"

What do I want out of my life? Why is she asking something like that?

"I.. Don't mean to sound rude, but what exactly does that have to do with.." I look around, "All of this?"

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The patient look on her face shows no indication of wavering. Instead, she simply nods, "I understand the confusion. But, you see, it has everything to do with this. The power you seek will be the fuel for the fires of your conviction -- but only if you hold them. Courage without conviction is a will that has yet to be tempered."

So this is part of the test. She wants me to lay out my goals in order to prove that I have the drive to move forward? I want to save Adeline, of course. But that's a given, isn't it? What is it that I want beyond all of that?

When I was young, I often dreamt of exploring the vast unknown parts of the world. I dreamt of undoing the straps on dusty old tomes and making their knowledge my own -- of learning of things magical and esoteric, and so fantastical that others would scarce be able to believe it.

As much as it holds true, as much as the wonder's there, I can't help but think that my priorities would be wrong if I put that ahead of everything else.

What is it that I want most?

Honestly... To be able to eat at the same table as Adeline again, to be able to share a drink and enjoy her company -- that would be everything that I could possibly ask for. I want to enjoy tranquil days with the one that I've fallen for.

Going on journeys with her would be fun too, though. And... Even though dungeons are quite dangerous, I still feel like I'm doing something whenever I complete them.

Right, the two of us got that title... We could do some real good, couldn't we?

Leisurely going around the world, clearing each dungeon we come across and spending time within the cities along the way. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

The ones who stand in the way of that are the very same ones who control the strings of this world -- who control the fates of every person dwelling on it. At least in Hyperion, the two of us are criminals fit to be executed. And why shouldn't we be? We've killed soldiers, and in my case it wasn't even in my own defense.

But I can't simply give up on Adeline either.

I don't know. I want to be free from these shackles, free to exist and free to roam the world around me. And I want for everyone else in this world to be afforded that very same luxury.

"I..."

As I begin to speak, I feel a sudden distortion, my vision swimming as the scenery shifts around me. The other me fades and flickers away, until she's a barely-visible silhouette, unmoving and frozen. The blinding white fog all around the city streets begins to lift, giving me a clear view of the place.

Black-tiled roofs which round at the top instead of having a point, and curved glass windows adorn the brick buildings that line the streets.

And on those streets, I see two identical figures standing and facing one another -- one of them is made of light.

The both of them are wearing the same hat as my own, and the black hair underneath reaches down above their shoulders. It's cut neatly at the end, stopping at a straight edge the same as my own. Although, it looks as if it's been rustled after all the activity of the prior trials.

It can't be.

I get up from the stairs, beginning my descent to make my way towards her.

"What do you want out of this life of yours, Morgan?"

I make it to the bottom of the steps before a response comes, but no further. I stop in my tracks as I hear the voice of a girl no older than fourteen.

"I want to change this world, and the foundations that have been made for it." It's her voice, but far, far younger sounding. It's cold, and uncompromising, is this what Cairbre meant when he told his story?

If she knew I was standing behind her, she gave no sign, instead continuing in her reply, "I want to dismantle the ruling class, and put an end to the atrocities committed by those in power. I want to make a world where everybody can live each day in peace and quiet, no matter what that should take."

As she speaks, I walk around her, finally catching a glimpse of her face. She's... A child, years younger than myself. But I can see the resemblance. Still, she takes no notice of me. This is a trick of the trial.

The other Morgan nods, "I understand." With a smile, she claps her hands, disintegrating into floating sparks of light. Those sparks coalesce and shift, morphing into a different shape entirely -- that of an open door.

Morgan begins to walk through the doorway, but...

"W-wait, please!"

She doesn't even flinch, and before I know it she's passed through, gone completely. After serving its purpose, the door follows suit, fading away just the same. Behind it stands the other me, still waiting for my response.

That's... What she wanted, then? A world where everybody can live each day in peace and quiet.

We're of a similar mind, then. Like master, like apprentice.

"I... Want to help make a world where everybody can live as they see fit, where people are free to explore, and.. Exist." It takes me a moment to find my words before I can continue. It's a difficult thing to articulate thoughts like these... My mind goes through all kinds of different memories.

When I traveled with my Master, her bright smile as we went to different places and as she taught me different things. When I traveled through the wilds with Adeline, her grin each time the two of us sat down to eat dinner together. When I visited Tirsollain, the friendly bickering between Adeline and Cairbre. When Adeline and I delved into the mines, the joy of the kobolds.

"I... Want nothing more than to be able to meet my end without a regret in my heart."

It takes a moment, but the other me eventually nods, "I understand."

With a smile and a clap of her hands, she unravels into flickering, swaying sparks.