Chapter 18: Chapter 14 – Twin Souls

In front of me, there are two versions of myself. They look exactly like me, and they sound exactly like me, but their behavior, from what I can assume, is much different than my own. "Master, please don't move!" When I try lifting myself off of my bed, one of the doppelgangers stops me in my tracks, raising their hands in front of me. The other looked like they were going to do the same, but the one to my right was quicker on the draw.

 

There are a few things to consider, however, based on everything that I've soon so far, they aren't malicious. With the limited knowledge I have of this newfound class, I'm confident that my ability would at least give me a feeling if I were in danger. (Not to mention, I used Danger Sense the moment that I regained consciousness.)

 

I should try to handle this a bit calmly. Deep breaths, me.

 

I take a deep breath. I close my eyes. Then, I exhale and open them.

 

They're still there. The doppelgangers are still there. I tried to trick myself into believing that I was seeing things. I was clearly wrong. "Who are you two?" I relax, deciding that there's no other way to go than straight into my problems!

 

The two share glances, as if they could communicate without speaking. Then, they nod to each other. Turning to me, I expect them to try and smother me to death with one of the pillows or something.

 

Thankfully, it isn't my time to be assassinated (again).

 

The two doppelgangers harshly bow in front of me, a form of apology for some people, mainly in Asian culture, if I'm remembering correctly. "We're terribly sorry, Master!" They both speak in unison. It sounds odd hearing them say that with my voice. Actually, what's weird is that it sounds way too natural. "Because you fainted, we weren't able to introduce ourselves properly!"

 

The doppelganger to my right, who'd stopped me from getting up, is the first to introduce themself. "I am Apollo, the [Right Twin Dagger] who you saved." Apollo, that's a boy's name, isn't it? 

 

The doppelganger to my left is slow on the draw yet again, it seems. "I am Artemis, the [Left Twin Dagger] who you saved." 

 

Twin Daggers? I do remember completing my quest and being lulled into the dungeon by those voices. That must've been them since they're calling me 'Master'. The next question I'd need to ask is how they're here. 

 

What am I thinking about? It's time to keep moving forward, just like I said! "How are you two in front of me? Aren't you both weapons?" It makes no sense for weapons to show up in front of me like this. I knew that they were special by the way that they could communicate with me before I'd even completed the quest, nevertheless, this goes further than what I'd originally thought!

 

"Listen..." How should I put this, I don't want to offend these two, but I need them to take on a new form. "Since you both look like me, I'm guessing that you can take any appearance right? Why don't the two of you become someone else, that isn't me." While the whole 'twin dagger' thing is cool right now, I can't focus on anything while I'm literally talking to myself.

 

The two exchange glances, before turning back to me. They just stare at me for a bit. 

 

It's only after I blink did the scene change. In front of me were no longer duplicates of myself, but two identical twins, who weren't me.

 

Bluntly, they weren't completely identical. There were enough differences that you could tell them apart. For instance, the twin to my left, Artemis, is a bit taller than the twin to my right. She also has purple eyes, whereas Apollo, to my right, has blue eyes. The one defining feature they share is that they practically have the same face. Something didn't sit right with me seeing Apollo's appearance, though. I won't bring it up, since I feel like that'll birth an entirely different conversation.

 

"Well, I guess this is fine..." Somehow, all of us were kids. Artemis looked like she was around the age of my current body, but Apollo looked to be a bit younger. Maybe it's because of the level-up, but I don't feel as awkward about this as I might have while I was Roshia. 

 

"So, I think I can take a gamble on what happened. You two are probably connected to my soul or something, right? That's the only thing I can think of, you've got to be some sort of sacred sword. My quest instructed that I awaken the two of you, meaning you're definitely special." Heh, I'm feeling pretty smart right now. 

 

"You're somewhat correct, Master," Artemis speaks. "We can't tell you more until you can tell us your name, though." That's going to be a problem, for sure. "We'll take a raincheck on that, I don't have a name right now."

 

The two share a glance again, then nod. I can't tell if there was anything wrong with what I said.

 

"Speaking of which, you two should probably stay hidden. I'm in a pretty awkward situation right now, and I don't want to make it worse." These people bought me as a slave. They gave me a place to sleep, which I'm grateful for, but that wouldn't change the horrible punishment that might come from these two just appearing. The most concerning thing, besides these two being found out, would be them finding out about my Returner ability.

 

If someone finds out about my ability, they might work hard to find a way to cancel it and permanently kill me. They might even enslave me and try to weaponize me by hunting me every time I come back from the dead! There are only negatives when thinking of the consequences of being discovered, so I'll do everything in my power to stop anyone from finding out. 

 

"Just stay in your dagger forms and wait for me to summon you, or whatever you guys were doing before..." It's honestly a mystery to me now. Until a few moments ago, I'd have never thought that my daggers would walk and talk to me. But to hell with what I know, the world's become a completely different place in the 10 years I was away.

 

You are reading story The Returner at novel35.com

"Of course, Master. All you have to do is call upon us as usual, and we will come to your side." Artemis gives a bow, Apollo does the same a bit later. A flash of light blinds me briefly, and when I regain my vision, the two twins are gone. 

 

This is a complicated situation that I seriously can't deal with right now. 

 

Footsteps approach the door to my room.

 

---

 

"From now on, you'll be living here. You'll be working here. You'll also probably die here. Unless we tell you otherwise, anything that happens in here stays here." The cold, harsh voice of an older woman is barking instructions at me. She's been going on about this for the past hour while we walked through the streets of the busy district.

 

It was daytime. Someone came to my room last night to make sure that I was asleep so that I could wake up on time. Apparently, this woman is also an Awakener. "Because of your unique abilities, we've figured that it's only right to put you in harm's way. You have nothing to whine about, kid." What the hell kind of logic was that?! I actually can't complain, though. I'm like a hidden gem in their eyes and my own. If I found someone who's this powerful at Level 1, I might've tried to make them work alongside me as well.

 

I've been given a new pair of clothes, given the task that I've been given. Soon, I'll be forced to work with other Awakeners to go into Dungeons and complete the jobs requested by the 'higher-ups'. As far as I know, the entire city is run by three individuals, who are not Miss Tachibana. I've yet to meet any of them since their identities are kept secret. The only thing that's known by the public is that all three of the 'Managers' are the wives of Miss Tachibana. She's quite the player.

 

The clothing I wore was casual, even though I was clearly going to be thrown into battle immediately. To my surprise, it's just me and this woman in front of me, who's called Tabitha. Tabitha Morrison. I wanted to ask her about her name, but I couldn't muster up the courage. This woman is brash and ruthless. The most beautiful aspect about her besides her face is her long brown hair that comes down to her butt. I have no idea how someone can live with their hair that long. I don't think anyone would dare cut it either.

 

Tabitha and I wore matching outfits. We both had on long-sleeve black undershirts, flexible leggings, and on top, open jackets that showed the hot-pink insignia of our guild. "Ah!" Tabitha stops, turning to face me all of a sudden. "I forgot to say, the Mistress has come up with a name for you. You will be called 'Luck' from now on." 

 

. . . . . I hate it. The name is terrible. If not for the fact that I resigned myself to this fate, I'd be throwing a fit.

 

"I understand, I'll have to thank her when we get back." I nod my head to the woman. Pleased, Tabitha turns around and goes back to walking. While her back is turned to me, I can't help but clench my fist. All of a sudden I have a terrible feeling about today and I don't know why. The name is bad, but it isn't enough to ruin my mood for the entire day. I think.

 

---

 

We do a bit of walking, and eventually, we reach a site blocked off by yellow tape. "Uh... What are we doing here, Miss Morrison?" Beyond the tape, there is a Dungeon Gate, a purple one. 

 

"Since you're a homeless runt from the Medea District, you should already be familiar with the city, but today was just supposed to be a refresher. Besides that, though, I still have to do my job. You and the other runt are going to help me gather materials from this dungeon. It's a Nest-type, so as long as you can preserve your strength, we can theoretically stay here all day." 

 

There are a few things wrong with what she just said, and I don't even have the time to dissect every issue. Tabitha lifts the yellow tape and steps beneath it, holding it open for a few seconds so I can get by. "Who else is going to be joining us, Miss Morrison?" I ask while we walk over to the Gate. "How come she didn't come with us? You have a busy schedule, don't you?" 

 

Tabitha chuckles at my comments but refuses to say anything. Does she take joy in my confusion? Probably.

 

"I'm already here, idiot." A voice comes from behind me. A presence that I could not detect previously has just sprung up behind me, and Tabitha didn't even bat an eye. I flinch, turning around in a hurry. 

 

A hand just a bit larger than my own caught me by the wrist, pulling me up as I almost fell. It wasn't the fact that someone appeared behind me that made me fall over, but instead, the appearance of the person.

 

Red hair, purple eyes accompanied with unnatural spirals, and an expression that falls just short of bored. Past that bored expression, she looks amused by my reaction. I hear a subtle chuckle released from her. She doesn't look too much older than me, there might be a year's gap between us. From her presence alone, I can feel it. This girl is undoubtedly a [Red Witch]!

 

"Quit playing around, Malison." Tabitha, who let the girl finish her prank, now turned around and looked at the two of us. "You're both pretty unique cases, so from now on, you'll be working together. Mistress's orders." The last part really solidified this situation. I might've been here for a short while, but even I know that it's foolish to attempt to refuse the demands given by the S-Rank Awakener. Her ability can force you to obey her if it's needed.

 

Yanking myself out of my deep thoughts, I try to pull my arm away from the girl. But, she doesn't release me nor does she lighten her grip. In those purple eyes of hers, I can see something. 

 

It's not just her eyes, but her entire face. That bored expression she has changes instantly. 

 

In front of my face, I can only see a shit-eating grin, with a look in her eyes that made me feel like I was staring into the eyes of a predator. I felt like prey. 

 

This girl is the source of that uneasy feeling I'd gotten earlier. She's the source of all of my anxiety this morning. Red Witches are seriously troublesome, and I don't need Anaphiel to tell me that she's up to no good!

You can find story with these keywords: The Returner, Read The Returner, The Returner novel, The Returner book, The Returner story, The Returner full, The Returner Latest Chapter