Chapter 109

Me and Arya looked at each other and nodded as we turned back to our respective colored being. "We'll take your trial." We said together. We'd already planned on doing the trial, this was just moving up the timetable, something I was actually quite happy with as the sooner we finished the trial the sooner we could head to the Forest of Darkness so we could remove the time limit on Arya's life. The being nodded as I suddenly felt a similar suction as when we'd first been dragged in here. "I hope to see you again." it said as I was pulled off my feet and sent tumbling with Arya.

Unlike when we'd been first sucked in however, we did not end up strewn across the ground, rather I found myself standing naked before a sliding door. One that I recognized as the entrance to the Elven dorm's hot spring, it was at this time that I realized that I had also seemed to have reverted to my younger self. Despite wanting to look around and examine my surroundings I found myself unable to control my body as it slid the door open and walked in. In the center of the hot spring was a young woman that looked remarkably like Arya were it not for the pure black hair and black markings that seemed to suck in the light around her.

It was so similar to the first accident with Arya, yet the woman before me was basking in moonlight and the room was chilly as opposed to the sunlight and warmth that had been present when I'd stumbled in to see Arya. I suddenly regained control of myself as the woman turned around to reveal someone who could be Arya's twin. She quickly covered herself as the markings faded into her skin but it was already too late and I could feel the strength of cold and watery Yin rampaging in my body.

It was a bizarre feeling to have something I was so familiar with be trying to hurt me and when I tried to rouse my own Yin only to realize that I couldn't. On top of that, it was painful, as if I no longer had Masochism. I breathed sharply as I focused and brought up my Status only to be shocked to see a Status that I didn't recognize. While nothing was like my current Status should have been, I felt that it was at least similar to the Status I had when I stumbled into Arya, though any Skills regarding pleasure or sex were gone, and in their place were Skills balanced around purity and restriction, while all my Yin Skills had become what I could only assume were the Yang equivalent.

I was thankfully still able to generate carapace, though it was the first version of the Skill, which only made a coating on my skin, it was also white unlike the black I was used to. I also noticed as I jumped backwards to avoid the attack of the Yin Arya that my hair was blonde as well. I could only assume that this was part of the trial, going through the first moment where we became entangled with each other, but rather than our original Status, we'd become the inverse.

Unlike that time though, I was in possession of my memories, which meant I could guess how to deal with the Unworthy Freezing Yin curse, which I assumed was the inverse of the Unworthy Burning Yang. It however took me some time to get used to the Yang energy as unlike the subtle and smooth power of Yin, Yang was powerful and rambunctious, making its method of control completely different. The entire time I was also forced to dodge or parry the Yin Arya's blade of what looked like shadow, and suffer through the pain of the curse eating away at me, though thankfully it seemed my powers of regeneration were stronger than even my normal Status, something I assumed was because Yang was far more compatible with Life mana.

The fight slowly turned in my favor as I got a hang of how to manipulate and use Yang energy, and I was able to stay at a range as unlike normally, my Domain and Affinities were completely different. It was unfortunate that I couldn't use Vibro since that was what I was best at, but feeling the difference of strength between the fire I could conjure now versus the fire I normally could use was the difference between a tank and a musket soldier.

On top of that the control was much easier and barely required much effort, if Arya was using magic like this all the time, I finally understood how she could be a mage. Normally magic was beyond my processing speed, as evidenced by the fact that I had gotten the Multitask Skill, which helped lighten the load, but it was still something that wasn't my strong suit.

There was a fierce exchange as Yin Arya was pushed back again and again before she held up her hands. "I surrender." she said as the shadowy blade dissipated. "I didn't expect to meet someone who could negate my curse. Is it a coincidence that you're my roommate, or were you sent here by the clan's enemies?"

This version of Arya was very different to the graceful and elegant one I was used to. While still filled with grace and elegance, it was a subtle and dark kind, one that seemed like it would fit a vampiric noble woman, or an alluring temptress that would lure you to your death, not that different from Vellastria now that I thought about it. However, it wasn't the Arya that I knew so it didn't particularly matter to me as I let the fire I'd been controlling extinguish. "I'm no enemy, your counterpart is what I'd call myself, though I suppose that doesn't make much sense." I said noncommittally as I shrugged. "It's not like your curse doesn't affect me, I just consume the power of Yin and use it to heal."

Yin Arya looked at me with bewilderment. "That shouldn't be possible, this curse isn't so easily overcome, otherwise my family wouldn't have had to suffer so much." Her expression saddened for a moment, as if remembering an event that caused her grief. I could only assume that Yin Arya had a much more tragic life than the one I knew. 

However, before I could speak or say anything I suddenly felt the same force of suction before I found myself standing on a platform in empty space, the Yin Arya directly across from me. However, something was different about this one as she suddenly ran up to me and reached around my waist. It was only now that I realized I was in my original form, before I suddenly became the Yang me again, while the Arya that was holding onto me shifted from Yin Arya to regular, before morphing back once again.

I had thought that the one before me was much more like the Arya I knew, but now I was practically certain as I began to gently brush her hair with my hand. We sat like this for quite awhile until the familiar voice of the strange being echoed out to us. "I'm impressed, it only took both of you around two days to finish the first test, your bond must be quite strong. No matter, your bond is not what we are working on here. The next test will push the two of you to your limits if you don't figure out what to do."

Just as it had echoed around us it faded out suddenly, however, I could only think that he'd said it had been two days. It was just then that we were once again forced into a new place by the familiar suctioning force. Much like the first time we ended up tossed onto the floor like bags of laundry. We both groaned this time as we found ourselves in an open field that seemed to stretch on forever, both of us as our normal selves, well, more like the form we'd been in when we'd first arrived, that was, wedding dresses and nothing else.

The both of us stood up and Arya came over and grabbed my hand while leaning into me. "What do you think this test is going to be?" she asked.

I could only shake my head. "I have no idea, but we should at the very least treat it as a survival mission, I don't think these tests will be kind enough to give us food and drink, let alone shelter and other things needed to live. Shelter is easy since I can just set up tents or nests if we find a cave or forest, the most important thing is finding clean water and food."

Velen had crossed through enemy territory while relying on what was left of nature to survive several times, usually when he survived being shot down or some other scenario where he couldn't rely on reinforcements or supplies. While this wasn't the same world as Velen's, there were enough similarities that we should be fine, hopefully.