Inner Interaction I

It was doubtful whether she actually opened her eyes, but it was a fact Rin became aware of her surrounding. Or at least, she could see it. Her sense of touch and smell didn't feel anything.

"This is..."

She pronounced weekly, overwhelmed by the absurdity. Droplets of snow fell and touched her smooth skin, however she didn't feel the coldness of it. Her clothes, specifically her scarf, which she didn't remember putting on, fluttered around her neck, pulled by rough draft.

Rin was sitting on the ground, gloves in hand, and a warm jacket covering her. All around her were the white mass of snow covering the ground, followed by houses, scarce but big, completing a beautiful scenery.

The black-haired girl's breath soon became visible in the form of a small frozen cloud, making the cold atmosphere all the more real despite the lack of sensation.

Rin's eyes that were filled with surprise at first now seemed to have calmed a little. No one else was there beside her which led her to recollect her memories. Slowly, she recalled her request to Winter and what probably led her to this place.

'If this isn't the afterlife, and I hope it's not, then I'm probably...' She scrutinized her surroundings one last time to make sure she wasn't mistaken and finally let out, "...Inside my mind."

She buried her two feet on the snow, and, with the help of her hand, stood up on perfectly healthy legs.

A wry smile naturally appeared on her face, unable to oppose the irony. There could be no mistaking it. For the thirteen years she had lived here, there was no way she could have forgotten it.

The day she had endlessly swung that wooden sword to get stronger. The day when she was able to talk with her two siblings with a smile. The day she was mocked, thrashed, and shunned by her family. The day her mother froze her, driving her to her first near-death experience.

All of them happened in this place, in this Frozen Continent. This was Rin's native land as well as her former home, Ode.

[What the heck are you trying to do, Rin?]

However, before nostalgia could engulf her completely, a reverberating, unsettling yet extremely familiar voice called out to her. It was a voice she considered to be wonderful and charming, as arrogant as that may have made her, after all, it was her own.

As the snowy wind blew by, not disallowing Rin to turn her head and her body toward the voice.

There, looking straight at her with a pearly scarlet pair of eyes and a long, silky white hair was...

...Herself.

[Do you want to die?] She talked with an accusing yet condescending tone, seated, cross-legged on a bench that somehow appeared behind Rin.

Confusion filled with a certain sense of deja-vu first assaulted the black-haired teens. However, she still managed to stay calm. A relevant feat considering her perfect doppelganger was just right in front of her.

Her mouth gaped a little then closed. Yet no sound came out of them.

Strangely, a feeling of naturalness assaulted Rin, blowing away all her confusion. She didn't know why, but the situation somehow appeared so normal in her eyes, as though nothing was out of place. As though the white-haired Rin has always been there—has always been part of herself.

'No, that's not it,' The black-haired Rin came to a conclusion, her blue eyes locked with vivid red ones. 'She's just....me?'

Before any further thought could come to her, though, the albino counterpart spoke, with words that resonated deeply inside her.

[Is this your idea of redemption?]

Instantly, Rin's thought, curiosity, and mood were suddenly shifted or maybe returned to the current, urgent situation. Her interest in her other self disappeared and instead, she recalled her request with Winter.

"Can you use...replicate Aiden's singularity?" Her own words rang in her head, bringing reality back to her.

On cue, three new presence appeared in front of the white-haired Rin, which is to say behind the black-haired one.

As to who they were, it didn't even need to be asked.

They were the two Rin's sins. The past they had buried, the present they had killed and the future they had stolen. Right now, they were 'Rin's' biggest mistakes—the weight she had to carry on till her death.

The black one didn't even need to take a glance at them. From her right to left, there was Achille, Edward Warray, and the nameless white-haired girl. Although it couldn't be said their direct death was Rin's fault alone, she was there in their final moment.

And because of that...

"...Yes." The black-haired Rin responded, albeit weakly.

She slowly turned her head away from the white Rin and faced backward. One by one, her blue eyes matched with those of her 'victim', and before she realized it, a wry smile formed on her face. A sad smile.

"But, I won't die."

Nonetheless, she took one step ahead. Running away from it wasn't going to do any good and pretending she wasn't at fault was utter stupidity. Thus, she had come to terms with it. She had no choice but to come to terms with it.

She had to acknowledge... that she was a murderer.

[Are you serious?] Her white counterpart replied, matter of factly. [The moment you accepted that second upgrade was the moment it was over.]

However, the black Rin didn't turn back anymore. She trudged forward, her eyes watering by inadvertence. The snow-white wind collided with her face, making her long hair flutter and dance in the air, as though it was trying to stop her.

[As soon we'll wake up, we'd be standing on a plane far beyond our limit.] What's more, her other self continued, stating the reality of the situation. [We'd instantly die from the sheer amount of strength we'll have!] Her voice grew louder, despite it not coming from her mouth.

Then, finally, having reached her destination, the black Rin took off her gloves, showing it to the illusory world. She extended her arms, trying to reach the cheek of a certain girl. Unfortunately, even as her hand touched, there was no sensation. This wasn't real after all.

A small regret mixed with longing budded in her chest, before she expressed, "...just like her."

Her mind wandered toward the recent nightmarish night. At the moment where a certain white-haired little girl broke and dispersed into thousands of dust particles in her very hands.

'I don't even know her name.' She inevitably thought while trying to contain her emotion from bursting.

Ironically, the exact same fate awaited Rin at the rate it was going. If she woke up, right now, she would enter a limit break state thanks to Winter's singularity. However, the immeasurable power she would obtain would come at the price of her life. Moving only her finger might be the maximum she could accomplish.

Despite that, she reaffirmed her decision,

"I can't run away here."

Her voice may not have been firm, yet it carried the weight of her life.

In no way was she planning to just let herself die in vain.

It's just that, she'd be losing what few things she had left if she decided to flee. Guilt would eat her away for starter and she might even go insane. But more than that, she had a responsibility to take after having killed.

It might appear like hypocrisy for some. She, who had decided to walk the path of a villain had no right to act like a hero. Even so, even as just a self-satisfying act, even just to quell her guilt, she needed to save someone in response to the life she had taken.

Even more fundamentally, her little sister was present in this battle, and no doubt was it to prevent any danger to befall Rin. As the big sister, it was her inborn duty to protect Rena.

"Rena's singularity should be able to keep my body stable even just for a while." The black-haired Rin continued, her hand still placed on the cheek of the unresponsive, nameless girl. "I'll do my best to take the dragon out in that time."

[Don't be absurd,] Her other self retorted with a louder tone, though no expression of anger was on her face. [Even if Rena could keep us alive for a minute, we'd still be under an unbearable amount of pain. How do you expect to defeat the highest level monster in that condi—]

"—Besides!" Black Rin cut off her own voice, her tone being a little louder yet somehow even more feeble. She was on the verge of crying.

"I said to Winter I'm not going to die."

A single tray of tears already traced its way down her cheek. Following that, the illusory world itself began to waver. Everything shook, cracked as though a broken glass.

This was a sign. A sign that the 'real' Rin was waking up.

As such, Achille and Ed's bodies naturally dispersed into nothingness. The nameless, white little girl managed to survive for a second more but eventually faded as well, leaving the black Rin's hand to fall off her cheek.

That was the cue.

Black Rin turned around and faced White Rin, a smile filled with emotion on her face. Her two eyes, although open, were covered in tears, preventing a clear view ahead. But, despite that, she didn't let out a cry.

Instead, she simply stated, "I don't want to become a liar."

With that, the Black Rin cracked as well before disappearing along with the illusory surrounding.

Soon, all that was left was the White Rin. She stood there silently, displaying a genuine yet arrogant smile.

Finally, she pronounced with a somewhat proud tone, [I guess, that's just as expected of me.]

Then, her body cracked and disappeared along with everything.

The Black and White Rin returned to their rightful place and merged together for the first time ever. Soon, against even the will of the world itself, a previously incomplete seed was slowly reviving and advancing toward its completion.

And on this very day, a glimpse of who Rin Kagane should have really been was shown to the world.