Chapter 17: In a different place...

"Really? You weren’t listening?" Rai said, his grin stretching wide in disbelief.

Lylia crossed her arms. "Well sorry, man, but I don’t think I was in my right mind to register anything after you 'did' that. Poor tree, it did nothing wrong. It was just there, existing for the world, being pretty for the nature. And yet, you obliterated it for the sake of showing off."

Rai scratched the back of his head, half laughing, half guilty. "Alright, alright. I won’t be doing that again, I guess. Otherwise, you’d be so awed by me that the only thing in your mind would be how amazing I am. Anyway," he made a grand gesture with his mechanical hand, "Allow me to reintroduce myself! I am Rai, the greatest magi-engineer of our age! Genius, innovator, legend, all rolled into one. Now that you finally know who stands before you-"

"Hmmm," Lylia interrupted, pretending to think. "Let me search my mind’s archives for that name… "

She continued, "Rai… Greatest magi-engineer… Rai…" She rubbed her chin theatrically. "I’ve definitely heard that somewhere before."

After a moment, she snapped her fingers. "Ohhh! Wait! You mean, that 'Rai'? You’re one of the Archmagus?"

Rai smirked proudly. "Not just one. The greatest among them."

Lylia gave him a long, flat stare. "Heh."

Inwardly, she studied him. This guy is supposed to be an Archmagus? Really? He didn’t look ordinary, sure. Especially with those partly mechanical arms that clicked and whirred softly whenever he moved. Though, his energy screamed of a show-off inventor, not a mystical genius. Still, she sighed inwardly. 'Guess I’ll play along for now.'

"Woahhhh, you’re amazing, Sir Rai," she said, with a deliberately exaggerated sparkle in her eyes.

"It’s nothing," Rai said, acting bashful but clearly soaking in the praise.

"Sir Rai, can you teach me how to become as amazing as you?" she asked innocently.

"Hmmm... Nah. I don’t have time to take disciples."

"Awwww." Lylia lowered her gaze as if sulking, but then her eyes caught the coin in her hand again. "Say, can you read what’s written here?"

"The coin?" Rai leaned closer, examining it. "Hmmm. Honestly, I can’t. No one really can. Oh! Except for that bastard Knox."

"Knox? Bastard?" Lylia blinked.

"He is! Look, I was just trying to be friendly, but then that smug guy wrote something in the air with his stupid brush. Then suddenly, I couldn’t talk for a whole week! A whole damn week!"

Lylia tilted her head. "Wrote in the air? So he cast a spell on you that made you unable to speak? For a whole week? Seriously?"

"That’s right!" Rai barked.

"Woah, man. That’s crazy. I don’t think I could survive even a day without talking. A week? You’re lucky you made it out alive."

"Right? Right?" Rai nodded rapidly, before pausing. "Wait, what do you mean 'lucky to survive'? As if. Something like that wouldn’t bother me!"

"It’s just a metaphor, I think." Lylia said with a smirk. "And yeah, that’s cruel. But, how does he even understand the symbols?"

"Well, he’s kind of like Evrienne," Rai replied.

"Evrienne? Oh, I remember her. The one who’s supposedly a disciple of the god of time, right?"

"Yeah, but not quite." Rai glanced around, then leaned closer with a conspiratorial grin. "Apparently, the god that scumbag Knox serves is so lazy, he’s the one doing the god’s job."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The gods," Rai whispered dramatically, "They are the ones who judge who becomes an Archmagus."

"The gods as judges? As in, actual gods 'gods'?"

Rai nodded. "Mhmm."

Lylia leaned back, thoughtful. "Heh. Being an Archmagus sounds heavier than I thought. So that Knox guy… he’s directly connected to a god, huh?" She grinned faintly. "I wanna meet him someday."

Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Rai. "Say, Sir Rai…"

"Yes?"

"You’re a clone, aren’t you?"

Rai blinked, surprised. "Oh? You figured that out, even after not knowing who I was a moment ago. Impressive. Unfortunately, yes, I am a clone. See this number in my eye?" He pointed to a his tattoo overlapping his eyes. "That means I’m the sixteenth model."

"Sixteenth? How many of you are there?"

"Hmmm, trade secret," he said with a wink. "But I’ll tell you this much. I’ve hit three digits."

"Woahhh, that’s… a lot."

"Haha, it’s nothing at all!" he said with a laugh. Then, with an amused tone, he added, "You’re interesting, girl. I’d definitely love to meet you in person someday."

Lylia raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that on behalf of your real body?"

Rai smirked. "Behalf of who, you say?"

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

In somewhere far away...

A man with wavy, violet-glowing hair and equally luminous eyes sat in a dimly lit room. He wore nothing but loose boxers, revealing a lean, toned body, the kind sculpted not from vanity but restless energy. Every muscle moved subtly as he shifted, his skin glowing faintly for his body is shiny.

The room around him was… peculiar. It was filled with turtle figurines. They wee carved, sculpted, painted, and arranged in chaotic precision, as though every inch of the space was a shrine to their shell-backed glory.

He stood up slowly, caressing one small turtle figure in his hand with an expression that was both gentle and disturbingly intense.

"Little miss," he murmured, voice smooth and amused. "I have been speaking to you myself this whole time."

In his mind, various voices were flooding all at once.

"Sir Rai, I have a request to make."

"Twenty whole platinum coins!? Might as well rob the whole kingdom!"

"You’re so awesome, Sir Rai!"

"Still no stock of those good stuff yet?"

"Kya~ Sir Rai!"

"Can’t you make this cheaper!? I really need it."

"Please! I’m begging you! I-I’m sorry! I’m really sor-gah!"

All of them echoed at the same time from different places, perspective, and people. There were pleading, formal, adoring, angry, desperate. A cacophony of mortal noise within the mind of one genius.

And then, there was one voice that stood out. Hers was clear, and Playful.

"Likewise, I’d also love to meet an Archmagus in person," said the memory of a certain cutie young mage whose fireball had been so unfortunately, utterly, delightfully pathetic.

The man smiled faintly, his thumb brushing the turtle’s shell.

"We’ll definitely see each other soon," he whispered.