64: The Actress’s Resolve

“I guess I stayed too long in that in-between world where I met you…
Goodbye, Big sis.”

“No!! Don’t give up… Tom!!”

Tom collapsed face-down in the tall grass, motionless.
A dark axe had pierced deep into his back—its weight seeming to crush his very existence.

Rena stood frozen, staring at it in shock.

She heard a voice call out to her.
She wanted to believe it was just an illusion—but even so, her faith began to waver.

Dan let go of the axe and slowly looked around, a twisted smile playing on his lips.

“This field… it’s not just the boy’s illusion…
No, could it be a fragment of Shadow himself?
It’s different from the picture book world I created by reflecting the real one.
The large pond, the rustling trees, the scent of the breeze…
Such refined spatial processing—and power.
Even my mirror abilities are being limited here.”

Muttering to himself, Dan turned his gaze to the space he had forcibly opened, which reflected the “Mirror World.”

Then, as if something had occurred to him, he looked down briefly at Tom, and shifted his attention to Rena.

“Emma… I’m heading to your world now.
It’s time to settle this absurd fate.
This ‘Golden Axe’ has allowed me to break through the wall between worlds.
Though now, it’s taken on a pitch-black hue.”

── Rena! That’s not me! It’s a projection—an illusion created by Dan! ──

Just as her hope had all but vanished, a desperate voice echoed in Rena’s mind.
Her resolve sparked anew.
She clutched the tattered robe of light tightly in her hands.

“I… I, Rena Tenor, will believe to the very end.
Dan… you’ll never make it to the Mirror World!”

“Even in a situation like this, your willpower is admirable.
I’ll save the praise for later…
This Tom—no, this ‘Shadow Tom’—is about to be reborn by my hand.
Right now, this axe is severing the boy from his shadow.”

“Severing… reborn?
What are you trying to do?”

“Rena… let me tell you something.
You, who lived an ordinary life in the ‘real world,’ exist as well in the parallel world… in the Mirror World.”

“You mean… there are versions of us in that world too?”

“Exactly.
And Rena… you were created by Emma and entrusted with a guardian’s role.
So then, who do you think created this boy?”

His words froze Rena in place.

“Dan… are you saying that you created Tom?”

“Indeed.
I constructed the vessel called Tom to oppose Emma, filling it with miasma.
But she caught wind of my plan.
She split him into two: one shadow loyal to me, and one light that defied me.
In short, my carefully constructed organization fell apart because of Emma’s scheme—and Tom’s internal rebellion.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I’ve taken an interest in you.
I’ve decided to make you mine.
Even if you were created by Emma, you possess extraordinary potential.
And once Tom’s body is fully split and the sly enchantments she cast are undone, I’ll have the real Shadow Tom.
With him, I’ll attain ultimate power.
And you, Rena… you are at the center of it all.”

Disgusted by his arrogance and delusion, Rena nevertheless realized—this might be her last chance.
If so, she would use it.
Tapping into her skills as an actress, she played the role of a submissive pawn.

“…How… marvelous that sounds,” she said softly.

Rena stepped forward, eyes locked on Dan’s.
Her shimmering robe of light had lost its glow, and her connection to Emma had already been severed.
Still, she cast aside the isolation and trusted in herself.

“Oh? So you’ve finally realized how irresistible I am… Come closer.
Don’t worry. You’re special.
I’ll forgive everything.
You’re one of a kind.
I’ll make your radiance outshine the world itself.”

Dan’s eyes widened, fixed on her face.
He didn’t look away for a second—just as Rena had hoped.

── The world you’re in feels real to you, but for me, it’s only a world of imagination. ──

Rena kept walking.

Recalling Tom’s message, she steeled herself, determined to betray Dan’s expectations.

“I received two notes from someone precious to me.
Because of them, I’m standing here now.
Believing without doubt… that is my truth.”Her performance continued.

“…What are you saying?”

Dan realized it too late.
He had fallen for the act—hook, line, and sinker.

Rena’s right hand had already reached the axe—the very weapon of despair.
She gripped the handle.
Light surged from her palm, the familiar sensation spreading through her body.
Without hesitation, she pulled the axe free from Tom’s back and raised it high.

“Rena… what are you doing…?”

Dan was dumbfounded.
He hadn’t expected this.

That such a slight girl could wield the axe, once tainted by his own hatred, was something even he hadn’t imagined.