I could tell that she froze.

She knew that we weren’t able to see her, at least not physically, so knowing that she had that problem gave her some food for thought.

Yeah, as soon as I approached her, I could tell that the worst scenario was indeed happening.

She had a piece of crystal embedded in her own body.

I couldn’t tell where exactly, but it was rather large. Did Mike manage to get her? Or was it ILMA’s fault?

Both most likely.

Or…

Was it the remains of the weapon…?

If that was the case, it was a more pressing issue than you’d think.

While Mike’s pieces, and by extension mine and Il’s were relatively tame and we were able to manage it quite well, who knows what was going to happen with that one.

Even the actual ILMA was more predictable than that one. And more prone to getting commands.

-And how are you going to help with that? - she finally asked.

Finally, some progress.

-As you see, the two… scratch that, four of us, are also in a similar situation as you. And I’d like to point out that we are still in better shape than you. And it looks like it’s going to stay that way.

-We need to take a look at you. Please. We need to know what we are dealing with first - joined in Il, pleading. - I know that’s confusing, but please…

-”Confusing”...? Confusing?! You creatures appear out of nowhere, claiming to be my dead parents, and you call that confusing?! And you want me to believe you, just… because?!

Well, when she put it that way, it was indeed stupid.

But Il was not going to just give up.

I wasn't going to either, but it was getting harder to figure out what would work on her…

Like what, does she want us to do?

-Okay. Sure. So, what do you want?

-Huh?

-What do you want? - I asked calmly. - It’s clear that you have to at least have something on your mind that would be able to convince you. Name it.

-Pff. Like you know anything about me.

-You are a daughter of, supposedly, Michael Pino and Iloa Vaganto. You, Ilma, have not been in the greatest contact with your parents, while they were busy with their job.

-Like that’s hard to deduce… - she muttered, but I was not letting up.

-You often sneaked into their workplace, trying to get noticed by them, only to be stopped by various personnel, and often a man called Mor Griza.

-Mor…?! - yelped her mother next to me. - She did what…?!

-You call yourself my mother and don’t even know that?

-Oh she doesn’t. Because you specifically asked multiple times to please keep it a secret, right? And we always indulged you…

-”We?”. Right. You read those memories from my father. I know it - she said, certain of herself. - I know what remnants can do. They can absorb memories and souls of people, and he’d…

-He’d have known? - I picked up. - Ha. Well, sure, some of it he might have known, but I am not certain about all of it.

-And what, you are the supposed “Mor”, then? You are just a remnant that ate his soul. There’s no way he’d…

-And why does that matter? - I interrupted her. - I might be. Hell, she might be - I gestured towards Il. - So what? What’s the difference?

Right.

This question was pestering me for a long while.

Was I really Mor, or just a copy of him?

Like Iloa and ILMA. One was a copy of the other, but who knows what exactly was left in the crystal.

Not like there would ever be a way to check that for sure, I already made peace with that.

I am me? Then good.

I am a copy? Then good as well.

I had to be of that mind, because one thing I was certain of was that the “merge” would happen sooner or later.

And now I wanted to at least stagger it for a while.

At least for her.

-I know what they were working on! - she finally yelled. - You think that I wouldn’t be wary about the creature they created?! The creature that destroyed everything?!

Ah. So she was blaming that all on the AI.

Well, it wasn’t completely wrong, but…

-If you want to blame anyone, blame me - said Il. - I was the one who was supposed to be the source and the container of that, and I failed.

-We all were at fault… - I agreed with her. - Mostly me for not stopping… Well, doesn’t matter…

-It matters to me! - yelped Il from the tree. - I…

She stopped suddenly and started coughing.

-Il?

From between the branches I felt the movement and a few drops of blood had dropped onto the ground next to me.

They were so infused, that it was hard to not notice them.

Wait a second.

She was coughing blood? That was what we found before?

-Are you okay…?

She did not reply, only started coughing more violently.

I took a better look at her mana, and for some reason, it was getting more and more… I want to say wild?

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While usually, a person's mana is like a flame to me, the size of it normally indicates the health of the person. Or at least state of consciousness.

With her…

It was like I was looking at a blinking light.

Every time she coughed, the flame flickered to life brightly, to the point where it was hard to look at it, and a split second later went back to being normal.

Powerful, but normal.

I honestly would’ve expected to see something quite opposite, but that was not it.

Il was also concerned, pacing now next to the tree and trying to look up more and more, to somehow peer through the branches and see her physical form.

A moment later, I also noticed that the rest of the group started suddenly going right to us.

Did even they notice that…?

-Mor?! What’s going on?!

It was Kon, yelling as he was coming back from “hiding”.

To be honest, they weren’t really trying, just were out of the immediate eyeshot. Maybe that also contributed to her suspicion.

But then, she was already suspicious enough with just me in general, so…

-I am not sure, but something is wrong with…

As I was about to finish the sentence, we suddenly heard a groan, and rustling above us.

For and Kon went on guard immediately, both preparing spells, but both me and Il did the exact opposite.

Both of us leaped forwards towards the noise..

Iloa was falling down from the tree.

I was faster and managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but I don’t think it helped much: my stone body was not exactly made to cushion the impact.

I did try, but her landing was definitely not the most pleasant.

-Let… Let me go…

She was still conscious, but I could tell that there was definitely something wrong with her.

Not like falling out of the tree wasn’t enough proof.

I placed her at the base and realized that she was bleeding from her mouth.

-Il… honey, what is wrong…? - panicked Il started inspecting her for any wounds.

-Don’t touch me…

Even though she was protesting, that was not going to stop anybody.

-Focus on her mana. There has to be something wrong with…

-Got it! - she suddenly exclaimed.

At the base of her neck there was a rather large shard of glass stuck.

Not glass.

Crystal.

Almost see-through crystal that was as sharp as any blade.

-Damn. She got her… - I mumbled, annoyed. - Fuck, should’ve known that…

-But why is she bleeding? Is that fresh? - asked For, looking through my shoulder.

-Good fucking question. That’s for later. Kon, you’re up.

-Right.

I didn’t have to tell him twice.

He immediately placed his hands on her and started focusing his powers.

The external wound closed quickly, but that did not help at all.

She started choking again and spit up more blood.

As she did that, the wound opened again, the crystal piercing her skin.

-Leave me be… Don’t…

She again tried to protest and tried swatting his hands away, but Il grabbed her hand instead.

-Please. Calm down. We are trying to help.

-Kon, any idea what’s going on? - I asked, seeing the wound close and open once more.

-It’s the crystal… It’s…

-We can see that! - almost yelled Il. - WHY though?!

-I don’t… It’s like it’s trying to force itself out of her…? - he said, unsure himself. - I don't understand!

-Force itself out…?!

That’s the first I’ve heard about the Origin Crystal doing that.

Wasn’t it supposed to want to propagate itself? And how hurting the host like that would help it assimilate…?

It was the exact opposite of what I thought the crystal would be.

-Ilma. Listen to me - I said looking directly into her eyes. - What is that crystal? Where did you get it?

She only coughed blood and grimaced at me.

-I know you don’t trust any of us, but if that continues, you’re only hurting yourself!

As to confirm my words, the crystal once again broke through Kon’s magic and her skin, but this time, I am pretty sure it was larger than before.

Without even thinking twice, I grabbed at it and tried focusing my awareness on it.

Well, I managed to do that quite easily.

But what I saw… or felt rather.

I was met with a ball of boiling rage.

It was not her memories. Or feeling, or anything like that.

Whatever I felt was definitely disconnected from the person I had lying in front of me.

Was it ILMA?

Possibly?

But it was like it was just one singular feeling, nothing more than that. Just anger towards someone,

Against Mike?

I am unsure. It was almost blinding and as soon as it felt me, I could tell it started focusing on me.

The fury that was just raging without a target suddenly got a new one presented itself in front of it: me.

And it recognized me.

Mor.

Abandoned.

Betrayed.

Escaped?!

Broken promise.

Hate.

Disappointment.

Hurt.

Pain.

It was her voice. ILMA.

Or was it Iloa?

At this point, it was hard to distinguish, especially considering the assault that was happening inside my head.

Of course, as soon as I felt that, I wanted to pull out and shake myself off, but I could not.

My hand was glued tightly to her crystal and I couldn’t even speak a word.

-Mor?!

Believe me, I tried pulling away. But, unluckily for me, the hand I used was the one firmly attached to my person, not the one Kon severed.

I sort of was now defaulting to using it, just to be safe, but this time, it bit me in the ass.

Il was the first one who noticed that something was wrong.

My hand was slowly starting to change color. Same with her piece. Both of them started to turn into crimson red, almost the same shade as blood that she was now spilling all over the forest floor.

-Quick, let her go! - yelled For, but of course, I could not. I couldn’t move at all, nor speak. Nor really think, because that was my next reaction: I just barely was able to reach them with my mind.

-I can’t… it’s…

But I didn’t have to finish the sentence.

-Fotoho.

A singular word and we both got launched separate ways.

Well, I say launched, but it was just me flying about five meters away from the tree, while she just got slammed into the tree trunk and got knocked out in the process.

-Il!

-Mor!

I quickly shook myself off and leaped forwards again.

-Do it again!

-Wha…

-Again! Quick, try to detach this thing from her! - I yelled at Kon. - You did it with me, do it with her!

-But I…

He didn’t finish, but instead just looked at my hand.

It was still crimson red.

-I don’t matter, get that crystal out of her! And don’t touch the crystal! - I warned him. - It’s a bit…

-I cannot! It’s fused with her! - he finally said, after placing his hands back on her wound.

Of course it opened again.

-Then cut it out! You managed to do that with me, why…

-Because you don’t have blood! - he said, almost panicking. - If I do that here… I’d have to remove a whole bone!

-Whole…

I looked closer at what he was pointing out.

It was not looking good.