"Until I heard a voice..." Cassandra continued, her gaze fixed on some unseen point. Was she looking at her system? I didn’t know. But I was sure she was gonna talk about it. "It wasn’t... from the outside, not like a person speaking, but more like an inner voice, appearing directly in my mind. It was more like a guide, helping me through the chaos. It called itself a... system."
Her eyes refocused on me, sharp and questioning.
"What about you? What kind of Inheritance did you get? Do you have that ’system’ too?"
I went silent. She trusted me enough to reveal something this significant, and here I was, still hesitating to reveal mine.
...Alright, I will just reveal only the necessary ones.
"Actually, I meant something else when I said our situations might be different." I started. "The truth is, I woke up with no memories of who I was or anything about this world. No name, no past, nothing..."
Cassandra’s surprised gasp echoed inside the barrier.
"It happened just a week before I met you at the town, or two weeks after the term started."
I paused, watching her expression carefully before continuing.
"But... I wasn’t completely empty. I also had fragmented memories... but they weren’t like yours, probably. They were of countless stories, tales, and concepts that felt so foreign yet so familiar. I didn’t know my identity, my origins, or the fundamental workings of this world. I had to learn everything on my own, often through difficult experiences. I wasn’t aware of Resonators or Aura until I almost died in an assassination attempt."
I could see the emotions in her eyes, even the sympathy she felt for me, just as I felt for her a moment earlier.
I met her gaze directly. "And yes, I heard a voice in my head, too. But unlike yours, it didn’t introduce itself at all. I figured it out on my own, thanks to those fragmented memories I had. And it was the ’system’ that helped me to survive till now, to get stronger, and use powers even without being a Resonator."
I paused, letting the revelation settle between us.
"I don’t know for sure if mine is also from the Forgotten Age, but it is clear that we are certainly similar now."
We fell into silence again, both of us staring at each other, yet somehow looking past one another.
The weight of our shared confession hung in the air like a thick curtain. We had revealed pieces of ourselves that we’d never shared with anyone else, and now we were both processing what it meant - for us, for our relationship, for the secrets we still carried.
The barrier hummed softly around us, but even that felt distant as we sat there, two people who had just discovered they weren’t as alone in the world as they’d thought. Well, I already knew, but it still felt good.
And, I was the first to break the heavy silence.
"Let’s... let’s stop here for now," I said, my voice returning to its usual self. "You still have to meet with the Lady."
Cassandra nodded, subtly averting her gaze as she began to reach for her Legacy Tier relic.
"Wait," I said quickly, causing her hand to pause. "Please, don’t reveal anything about me to her. Alright?"
She looked up at me and nodded seriously. "You can trust me, partner," she said, giving me a thumbs up with a small but sincere smile.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her words. "Oh, are we partners now?"
Cassandra giggled too, some of the earlier tension dissolving. "Well, we both confessed to each other just now, and that’s what partners do, isn’t it?"
Damn, your phrasing is even worse than mine when I’m flustered!
"Y-Yeah, I think so..." I stammered, immediately cursing myself for the uncharacteristic stumble in my voice. But it was her fault too, saying that with that expression!
My eyes caught the faint pink hue spreading across her cheeks, and I mentally kicked myself again.
Don’t look! Don’t make it more awkward!
I felt her peeking gaze as I looked away, while noticing how well-built the walls were.
"Hehe." Then I heard another cute giggle from her.
"We really are similar, huh?"
I turned back to meet her gaze, the warmth in my chest overriding my earlier fluster. "Yeah," I nodded, my voice steadier now. "In more ways than one."
Pushing my chair back, I stood up and offered her a playful half-bow. "Let me lead the way then, partner."
The title felt strangely comfortable on my tongue.
Cassandra’s smile deepened as she waved her hand in an elegant arc. The barrier shimmered, then dissolved like morning mist. She put the relic back in her inventory.
We left the guest room and found the maid from before walking toward us. She told us the lady was waiting for Cassandra.
So, I let the maid escort her instead.
Cassandra nodded and left with the maid, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Hey, system. Why didn’t you introduce yourself till now? I don’t even know if you have a name or not.
And is what she said true? Am I an Inheritor?
As expected, the enigma stayed silent, not even giving me a hint or a message.
Alright, I’ll figure out someday anyway...
Deciding not to anticipate an answer from the system, I turned in the other direction. Since Cassandra would probably spend a lot of time with Mother, it was better to hand out the materials I got to Sir Avir and discuss with him how to produce the necessary medicine.
As I walked, my thoughts swirled back to our conversation.
Did I really make the right choice?
I didn’t know the definite answer, but I knew I wouldn’t regret it.
But what made me curious was our situations. Sure, they were similar, but I believed that I wasn’t exactly like Cassandra.
She gave off the ’Chosen One’ type of individual vibes.
With her otherworldly beauty, a powerful Merchant Queen System, high intellect and knowledge, impeccable manners, a strong mentality and worldview, along with extensive experience managing complex affairs, she all but seemed destined to be a protagonist. Her movements exuded innate grace and confidence, almost as if destined.
And while I also gave off a protagonist vibe now, my system specifically called me a "background character" from the very beginning.
I wasn’t sure if that would make me a chosen one like her... and honestly, it didn’t matter anymore. No matter what role I was given, I was committed to creating my own path and living as I wanted.