How did Irene know about the mechanism here?
The archives in the library once recorded a topographical map of the White Tower. Irene even knew that the White Tower’s interior wasn’t a singular space.
There was also the existence of the Shadow Tower.
The White Tower was said to be the tomb where the King slumbered, while the Shadow Tower was where the demon who stole the King’s throne had been sealed.
That’s what was written. But after cross-referencing other records, Irene began to suspect the truth wasn’t so simple. Because—
“The King loved all people in the world. But the Shadow only loved her King—her sister. When the King vanished into an unfinished dream, the Shadow ascended the throne and cursed everyone who had taken her sister away.”
Though Irene didn’t fully understand this city’s past, her gaze was irresistibly drawn to the sleeping girl before her—so much so that she couldn’t look away.
“She really looks exactly like me… Is this just a coincidence, or…?”
Theoretically, people with identical faces but no blood relation do exist in the world. But the chance of actually encountering one is extraordinarily slim.
At this point, Irene had nearly forgotten the original reason she came here. Her entire attention was absorbed by the girl who looked exactly like her. Step by step, she moved toward the throne where the girl lay.
Then—
A sudden gale roared through the field, lifting countless petals and fragments of grass. Irene saw something obscure the sky above her. She looked up—and her face instantly turned grim.
Enormous wings cast a shadow across the sky. Crimson scales shimmered with a flame-like luster.
“A dragon?!”
That’s right. The creature blocking Irene’s path was a red dragon. Its overwhelming presence, along with the echoing roar, almost made her legs buckle in fear.
Irene’s mind raced for a way out of this crisis.
A white-haired, golden-eyed beauty with a combat power of only 5… faced with a red dragon over 30 meters long—can she defeat it with a slide kick?
The answer: she’s toast.
She hadn’t expected a red dragon to be guarding the White Tower!
Irene watched as the red dragon beat its wings and descended, its massive head lowering toward her.
She was certain the dragon intended to swallow her whole.
Crispy on the outside, maybe tastes like chicken, maybe not.
Irene’s face darkened. Her mind began flashing through her life like a movie reel. As a transmigrator, she felt like she hadn’t accomplished anything meaningful. If only she could have a do-over…
She knew she was useless. Alone, she could accomplish nothing. And no one would come to rescue her from a place like this—
Serena!
In that fleeting moment, the image that instinctively flashed through Irene’s mind was that of her dearest friend.
The red dragon let out a deep, rumbling roar. Irene shut her eyes tight, afraid to look. But after a while, when the expected pain never came, she cautiously opened them again—only to see the red dragon lowering its head to the ground in a gesture of absolute submission.
What the heck?
Irene, filled with curiosity, watched as the dragon’s body began to emit a dazzling divine light. Then, right before her eyes, it transformed into a radiant, resplendent staff. Instinctively, she reached out her hand—and immediately, a line of text appeared before her:
[Congratulations! You have obtained +15 Endymion’s Crimson Flame Staff. Grade: Divine Artifact.]
…What?
That dragon turned into a staff?
But that wasn’t all. At some point, a group of adorable magical creatures—things like a fire phoenix, a one-eyed giant, even a Leviathan—had gathered behind the girl on the throne. Under Irene’s dazed gaze, they too transformed into various pieces of equipment.
And in the very next instant, all of that equipment turned into stardust and flew toward her!
In the blink of an eye, Irene was fully geared to the teeth. Covered head to toe in divine-tier equipment, she now looked utterly dazzling—without a doubt, the most eye-catching presence in any crowd.
It was just like those flashy legendary game ads from her past life—maxed-out effects and total pay-to-win bling.
She even had a blinding pair of fire phoenix wings behind her! Oh wow, she could control them too!
“Wait, wait! You’re giving me all this ultra-rare gear the moment we meet? That’s way too much, girl!” Irene rushed forward in a fluster. “Besides, even if you gave me all this stuff, I wouldn’t be able to use it properly!”
A magic robe wasn’t armor—its actual defense was minimal. Sure, her magical attributes had skyrocketed after putting it on, but that didn’t help much in practical terms.
She was still a combat potato. A very flashy, very aggro-attracting combat potato.
The kind of perfect target that people in PvP would kill just to loot all that shiny gear.
As Irene stepped closer, the girl on the throne—who had appeared to be in deep slumber—actually opened her eyes slowly. In Irene’s stunned gaze, that girl, who looked exactly like her, raised her pale hands and gently cupped Irene’s face.
The golden eyes of the throne girl seemed to contain all the sunlight in the world, glowing so brilliantly that, in Irene’s eyes, it felt as though the whole world had dimmed by comparison.
Irene stood there dazed, until the other girl gave her a gentle smile and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together.
“You’re back.”
…What?
Irene heard her soft voice echo, as if it resonated through every corner of the heavens and the earth.
And while Irene was still processing what was happening, she felt something warm begin to flow into her body from the point where their foreheads touched.
In that instant, Irene’s eyes flew wide open—and locked with the girl’s golden gaze. A massive surge of memories crashed over her like a tidal wave, unfolding into vivid images before her eyes—
“Sis, you should chase your own dreams. Don’t worry about me.”
In the dimly lit dormitory of the magic academy, a pale girl coughing incessantly looked at her with eyes identical to her own—silver hair, golden eyes—just like the girl in her dreams who had been crowned upon the throne.
She heard her own voice responding: “Don’t say something so stupid. If you’re not here, then what’s the point of me becoming stronger?”
*****
—The scene shifted—
Someone stood before the pale girl, speaking solemnly: “Shadow, you’ve become a burden to the king. Without you, Her Majesty could reach even greater heights.”
After the person left, the girl sat quietly in contemplation for a long time… and at last, made her decision.
“The price of that power is that my sister can only retain memories outside of magic for two and a half years. She has to rely on her diary to remember anyone else. So—”
If she died, her sister would undoubtedly go mad. But if her sister never knew she had a twin sister in the first place, then everything could continue on as if nothing had ever happened.
After all, she didn’t have long to live anyway. So rather than waiting for the inevitable, why not erase herself completely from her sister’s memory?
That day, the girl made her decision.
She spent six months altering her sister’s diary. And then one morning, when she woke up, her sister looked at her wide-eyed and asked:
“Who are you?”
Her own eyes trembled with shock… and then dimmed, the light within them fading as she bowed her head.
“…Just a passing apprentice magician.”
She left.
And her sister… didn’t stop her.
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