Proving One's Identity

I was taken aback, not only by the girl who looked exactly like me but also by her revelation that she was the real Reine Greyrat. As I heard this revelation, lingering doubts began to haunt my mind.

If she was truly the real Reine, then who was I? Who was I to begin with?

Seeking an explanation for this confusion, I turned back to the girl once more, even though she was staring at me coldly. I didn't let her intimidation deter me and asked, "Why are you claiming to be me?"

In response to my question, the girl furrowed her brows as if annoyed. "You still don't understand, do you?" she sneered, her voice filled with contempt. "You're nothing more than a pitiful imitation of me, an imposter."

Her words stung, and a fresh wave of confusion washed over me. My memories, my experiences, the people I cherished—were they all illusions? Was my entire existence just a fabrication?

"No, that can't be," I whispered to myself, shaking my head in denial. I couldn't accept that everything I held dear might be a lie. There had to be a reason, a way to make sense of this madness.

"You have no place in my life," she continued, her tone growing even colder. "This void, this cage, it's all meant for you. This is where you belong, imposter."

A surge of anger welled up within me upon hearing her declaration, pushing the confusion aside. I wouldn't let her harsh words shatter my resolve. I needed to fight for my identity and my existence.

"This is unacceptable," I said firmly, despite the uncertainty still gnawing at me. "I may not understand what's going on or why I'm here, but I'm quite certain that I am the real Reine."

The girl's expression shifted, a brief flicker of surprise crossing her face before it settled back into a scowl. "Hmph, you're pathetically deluded," she muttered dismissively.

I grimaced at her defiance and peered at her through the bars separating us. With that, a newfound determination took hold, prompting me to confirm the truth.

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In an attempt to validate her claim, I decided to pose a question. Summoning my courage, I asked, "Would you be willing to share something about yourself?"

"Huh? Why should I waste my time with such a dumb question?" she retorted, skepticism clear in her crimson eyes.

Her dismissive attitude grated on my nerves, but I knew I had to press on. "Because if you are truly the genuine Reine," I stated firmly, "then you shouldn't have any trouble sharing something personal."

Her gaze remained fixed on mine, and for a brief moment, a glimmer of uncertainty flickered in her eyes. It was a subtle crack in her facade, a hint that perhaps, just perhaps, I was onto something.

With an exasperated sigh, she finally relented, "Fine, whatever. What do you want to know?"

I took a deep breath, my thoughts racing to formulate a question that would genuinely test her identity. I decided to start by inquiring about her origins, something that only the real Reine would know.

"Tell me about your hometown," I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "What's the name of the village, and where is it located?"

"My hometown is Buena Village," she responded confidently. "It's located in the Fittoa region of the Asura Kingdom."

Her answer seemed correct, aligning with the information I knew about my own background. Yet, I needed to dig deeper to be certain.

"Tell me about your family," I probed further. "Who are your parents, who is your family's maid and do you have any siblings?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, her crimson eyes briefly darting away as if she were grappling with a difficult decision.

Then, with a reluctant sigh, she continued, "My father is Paul Greyrat, and my mother is Zenith Greyrat. Our family's maid is Lilia, and I have an older brother named Rudeus."

Her responses matched what I knew about my own family. The doubt that had clouded my mind began to recede, replaced by a growing certainty that this girl was indeed the real Reine.

"Do you understand now?" she said arrogantly. "I am the real deal."

As I heard her boast, a wave of despair threatened to consume me. How could I dispute her words when they mirrored my own reality so closely?

Yet, something deep within me urged me not to give in, not to let her strip everything away from me. It was then that I noticed she had omitted someone from my family.

"Hold on, I believe you're forgetting someone," I stated firmly.

The girl's expression tightened at my remark, a flicker of anxiety passing through her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected this.

"Who am I forgetting?" she snapped, attempting to maintain her composure.

"You didn't mention my two younger sisters," I pointed out, my voice resolute. "Their names are Norn and Aisha."

For a brief moment, the girl's crimson eyes widened, revealing her discomfort. She had overlooked a crucial detail, one that only the true Reine would know.

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The girl with the crimson-red eyes audibly hesitated upon hearing the names Norn and Aisha, my two younger sisters. Her once-confident demeanor wavered, replaced by palpable uncertainty.

"Norn and Aisha... I didn't... I didn't know about them," she stammered, her voice betraying her discomfort.

I seized this opportunity to press my advantage, my determination growing stronger. "That's because you're not the real Reine," I declared with conviction. "You may have known some details, but you can't replicate the intricacies of my life and memories."

Her crimson eyes darted around the dark void, her earlier arrogance replaced by anxiety. It was becoming increasingly evident that she was not the genuine Reine Greyrat.

In a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation, she yelled, "No, it's not fair! I am the real Reine Greyrat, you hear me!"

I dismissed her claim, sticking to the argument. "You can say that all you want, but you don't know everything about me, especially when it comes to Norn and Aisha."

The girl grew increasingly furious, her face contorted with anger. She banged her fists against the cage's bars, letting out a frustrated scream that echoed through the eerie void.

"Shut up! You're lying to me!" she protested, her frustration apparent. "It's all just made up! Rudeus is the only sibling I have!"

I remained resolute, refusing to be swayed by her outburst. "You can deny it all you want, but the truth is undeniable. I have two younger sisters named Norn and Aisha. You can't change that fact."

The girl's anger seemed to intensify as she struggled to maintain her composure. She clung to the bars of the cage, her crimson eyes blazing with frustration and confusion.

"I don't understand," she muttered, her voice trembling. "How come you know things about me that I don't remember?"

"It's because I am the real Reine Greyrat," I affirmed, my voice steady. "You might look like me, but you don't possess the memories and experiences that define my life."

Her grip on the cage bars tightened, her frustration palpable. "This is impossible.... I remember... I remember my childhood with my brother, just me and him .... practicing magic together."

I could see the turmoil in her eyes, a battle between her memories and the undeniable truth. It was a painful moment, both for her and for me, as I witnessed this fractured version of myself struggle with her own existence.

"I'm sorry," I said gently, "but those memories don't belong to you. They're mine, and they're real. You must come to terms with the fact that you're not who you believe yourself to be."

Tears welled up in her eyes, a mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness. She turned away from me, unable to bear the weight of the truth.

"Dammit! I hate this! I hate this so much!" she cried out, gripping the bars tighter than before. "I don't want to be in this cage anymore! Let me out here!"

My heart ached as I watched her struggle with the harsh reality that she was not the real Reine Greyrat. It was a difficult moment, torn between my own identity and empathy for this fractured version of myself.

Just then, in the midst of her crying, she muttered something unexpected. "If only I hadn't run away from home, none of these would have happened," she sobbed, her voice tinged with remorse.

Her words hung in the air, feeling heavy with regret and self-blame. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl who resembled me so closely, yet was trapped in this bizarre situation.

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In that solemn moment, as the girl grieved and expressed guilt for leaving her home, a sense of empathy surged within me.

Despite our differences and the strange circumstances, I recognized that we might share a connection as two versions of the same person. It was a bizarre and unusual realization, but in that shared pain, I found a glimmer of understanding.

"Listen," I said slowly, "I don't know how this happened or why we're here, but I've come to believe that we might both be Reine Greyrat in some way."

The girl turned to face me, her tear-streaked face a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What on earth are you talking about? Are you out of your mind? That sounds absurdly ridiculous!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but please hear me out," I continued, attempting to explain myself as clearly as possible.

Despite her initial doubts, she brushed away her tears, and her curiosity was piqued. "Go on," she murmured, her voice suddenly softer.

"You just mentioned that you ran away from home, right?" I inquired, reiterating what she had said earlier.

Furrowing her brow, she nodded in confusion, saying, "Yes, I did. What about it?"

"Well, I also remember that happening on my side," I declared, my tone earnest.

The girl scratched her head, feeling utterly perplexed. "I don't get it. Why are you telling me this?"

"I was thinking that our memories and experiences seem to overlap at the beginning," I explained, "but it somehow cut off from your perspective."

Her confusion deepened, and she looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. "Are you suggesting that we were once a single person, but somehow our consciousness became divided?"

"Yes, precisely," I responded, reassured that she was open to the possibility. "Something occurred that caused our identity to split, and someone may be to blame for this perplexing phenomenon."

"Wait, don't tell me you're referring to the-"

"I know," I interrupted, anticipating her reaction. Although I hate to accuse this person but there is no other suspect for this situation. "It is the person with a white mask."

The mention of the person seemed to hang in the air, casting a shadow of uncertainty over our conversation. It was an entity that held weight, a figure whose actions had torn our identities apart.

"I encountered the same hooded individual with a white mask," the girl admitted, her voice tinged with a mix of fear and frustration. "They chased me in the forest and fought me with swords."

"And you lost, right?" I asked, already aware of the outcome.

The girl nodded, her face tight with the memory. "Yes, they overpowered me, and I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in this cage, in this void."

"I see, it all makes sense now," I said solemnly, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

As the truth unfolded before us, I couldn't help but feel betrayed, knowing the person who saved me and gave advices I didn't asked for was a traitor.

Fracta, how could you do this to me? For you to split my identity and trap the other me within my mind, it's unforgivable.

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As the weight of our situation pressed upon us, I felt the need to address the practical matter of how we should refer to each other. It seemed that using our names would be insufficient, as we were both Reine Greyrat, albeit different versions.

"So, how should we distinguish between ourselves?" I asked, contemplating the predicament. "Using our names won't work since we're both Reine."

The girl with crimson-red eyes, who had previously claimed to be the real Reine, pondered the question for a moment. Then, with a hint of a smirk, she suggested, "How about we use the color of our eyes? I'll be Red, and you can be Blue."

I considered her proposal, finding it practical and oddly fitting given our unique situation. "Red and Blue it is, then," I agreed, feeling a sense of resolution in our decision.

From that point forward, we referred to each other as Red and Blue, acknowledging the distinction between the two versions of Reine Greyrat that had inexplicably come to coexist within this enigmatic void.

However, just as we were settling into our newfound understanding, Red and I felt a sudden earthquake, the ground beneath us shaking violently.

"What the heck is happening?" Red asked in a panic, her crimson eyes wide with fear.

I also felt apprehensive about what was happening, but something was off. The void seemed stable, so perhaps the shaking was occurring outside.

"Red, I'm going to wake up," I declared, feeling a sense of urgency.

"Wait, what are you-"

"Hold on tight, we'll figure this out."

With that, I focused on returning to consciousness to understand what was happening. In a flash of light, my mind returned to reality.

Gasp.

Upon waking up, I quickly looked around and remembered I was still in the prison cell. However, I heard screaming and explosions outside.

"What was that noise?" Red spoke to me within my mind.

Surprised by her voice, I responded, "I don't know, but something happening outside the building."

Climbing onto the bench, I took a peek through the gap in the wall and saw people running away while individuals in dark hooded cloaks were attacking them.

"Oh no, this is terrible," I murmured in horror.

"What's wrong? Who are they?" Red asked, confused on what's happening.

"Laughing Coffins..." I whispered, my voice filled with dread.