The Forgotten Slayer

Chapter 40 - Overlay

Clyde put his hand forward, making the reflection stop.

"Can you comprehend who you are pretending to be? What is the deciding factor between you and me? A broken and struggling killer. If you really are wanting to claim my authenticity, then you surely know where I am going with this."

His false self's demeanor changed. The voice sounded identical.

"I am everything you could be and more, all of your current potential. You wanted to wield the sword, proving yourself a fool. If you have no mastery over yourself, then you would never have control over a weapon. Also... don't worry! After I take your place, I'll crawl out of here myself and kill your friends."

Clyde erupted into laughter when he heard this.

"We are both crazy then. Alright, carry on."

His counterpart ran at him, no electricity in sight. It was as Clyde thought. The mimic was of his current self; this trial would be won off of raw combat. That said, he himself was without a weapon. Clyde didn't mind, as he had grown rusty with a weapon.

The fact became more apparent when his foe missed his swing. Clyde predicted this and didn't move since the start of the battle. That's when Clyde noticed the crack of weakness. Copycat didn't drop the weapon despite its current hindrance.

In another second, the sword was coming at him from above. Instead of sidestepping, Clyde backs away to eliminate a quick follow-up. The actions were simultaneous, allowing the tip of the blade to be in front of Clyde's feet.

Reacting instantly, Clyde raised his foot only to slam it on the blade. It was amusing watching him scream. A new fear was added to Clyde's list, as no one but him should see this sight. With his foot still on the blade, Clyde landed a hook to the face. The reflection didn't fall down or let go of the blade, likely because Clyde was still standing on it.

By now it was obvious the true enemy was the sword. There wasn't truly a reflection anyway. Clyde stepped off the sword to continue hitting his doppelgänger. Hopefully, he himself wasn't this easy to defeat.

"You really are a cheap copy."

The sword seemed to be tired of the beating because his replication disappeared. Now the sword was on the floor as Clyde had found it earlier. Would it be stolen from him yet again?

Picking it up, the room remained calm. The whispers followed. However, Clyde didn't notice them because he had been hearing whispers for a while now.

In his hand, the blade transformed into everything Clyde wanted in a sword. It was light, but its presence was heavy. There were notches every few centimeters on it. He playfully swung the sword in front of him. Nothing unexpected happened, so Clyde was confused about the alleged curse. Then he struck downward with ferocity. The wall ahead of Clyde exploded.

'Oh... so that's how it is. Remarkable. I'll use it for now, but it is best in Maeve's hands. She will likely dispose of it. What a shame that is.'

It was time to embark.

On his way back to Maeve's fortress, the journey would be similar. The biggest difference would be that he would walk around the lake of fire. Additionally, by the time he makes it to the mushroom forest, he should be able to run through it. Unless it contained high pollination, of course.

The only thing Clyde dealt with on his three-week journey back was his continuous mental decline. Again, whether most of it was from carrying the sword or not was undetermined.

Upon seeing the fortress, Clyde let out a sigh and fell to his knees.

"So close..."

The entire journey had taken roughly two months. Meaning that Clyde had now been in hell for four months. He couldn't remember his last conversation with someone other than himself. Out of everything, he was looking forward to what he would say to that conniving woman.

After a short hour, Clyde approached the backside of the fortress. He didn't feel like speaking to Minotaur or facing minor interruptions. Knowing that any little thing might set him off, he wanted to complete his mission.

Turning the corner, a guard almost started to attack him before they realized who it was.

"Clyde?"

Clyde ignored the suit of armor as he saw it. For all he knew, this was a delusion. The other guards didn't stop him either, as they were aware he had a mission from the Queen.

Barging into the main hall, the darkness in the room disappeared. Then the familiar sound of a frozen heart spoke.

"Clyde, you made it back! Do you bring good news?"

Maeve was on her throne with her legs crossed. Clyde didn't pay attention to a word she said. Instead, after she got done speaking, he grabbed the sword from his back and threw it at her. The goal wasn't to hit her or anything, but the message was clear.

After a clanking sound, Maeve's jaw dropped a bit.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Clyde still hadn't responded, but he didn't need to. Maeve got off of the throne and picked it up. Holding it up to the ceiling, it crumbled in her hands.

"Well done, now—"

He cut her off.

"Where do I even begin! First of all—"

His rant lasted for half an hour; by the end of it, he was out of breath. As much as he was breathing, it looked like he suffered from a heart attack.

Maeve's face remained motionless as she contemplated everything he said. A part of her felt pity for the human. She did fail to recognize the time spent would be considered long. After all, the current war going on was only two hundred years and going. What was two months? Regardless, she came to him.

To anyone, and especially to her, Clyde's mental state was bad. She had an idea.

Clyde raised an arm as she got close to him. But he did not resist when she embraced him. Soon the shadows covered them, leaving Clyde voided of light.

"What are you doing?"

His mind felt peaceful in a soft bliss. Maeve didn't answer him, not that he cared anymore. What he was feeling was his mind healing.

Eventually the shadows left, leaving Clyde and Maeve alone. When she let go of him, he stared back blankly.

"How do you feel now?"

Clyde didn't know how to answer that.

"The only thing I can come up with is... better."

"You did well, Clyde. I understand I have been working you like a mule. With such a hard worker, it's difficult not to utilize your talents. We've made rapid progress since your arrival. If you need a pillar to lean on, then find me."

"I definitely will."

Clyde started to take the staircase to his room but was stopped.

"One more thing..."

He turned his head and saw the unmoved face of Maeve before she continued.

"Your room has been under renovation. If it doesn't bother you, then you can rest in my room."

'What the fuck.'

Clyde's face went flush, making the Queen chuckle.

Going up the stairs, Clyde noticed his room was not undergoing renovation.

'Well... I suppose I should let bygones be bygones.'