6. Fractured Mirror

Stunned and lost for words, Charlotte's thoughts swirled as she struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. It felt as though she stared directly into a fractured mirror, her own distorted image looking back at her.

"You're…me" she murmured awkwardly, her tone barely audible.

The other Charlotte chuckled lightly, her demeanor casual, as of this revelation was an everyday occurrence. "So you do recognize me, ehn?" she said, amusement dancing in her aged eyes. "Despite the scars from my past battles, I thought I managed to hide my identity. But you figured me out in a single glance"

Charlotte tried to grasp what she was facing. "What…are you?" she asked, her voice trembling. "A shapeshiter?"

The other woman raised an eyebrow, her expression that of amusement and intrigue. "I will try my best to forget that word ever escaped your mouth" she replied, though her tone hinted that she wasn't going to forget it. "But let us not confuse ourselves further, before you start saying that I am some 'Obanje' (Evil Spirit). I am you, Charlotte, but you can call me Ann—our middle name" With that, she turned her back at Charlotte.

"Come on, I bet you have plenty of questions"

Ann's casual demeanor left Charlotte flabbergasted. She stood frozen, her thoughts an amalgamation of disbelief and curiosity.

Was Ann some long-lost twin? A glitch in the system? Yet, a bug couldn't manifest as a fully autonomous NPC.

The idea was quite absurd, but so was everything about this unexpected encounter.

Ann paused, glancing back over her shoulder, a playful smirk on her lips. "Are you coming or should I carry you on my back?" she teased.

Snapped out of her daze, Charlotte hurried after Ann. As they walked, side by side the silence between them stretched, the small hut which belonged to Ann grew closer with each step.

Breaking the quiet, Ann decided to speak out. "I must say, the outfit you are wearing is beautiful. Looks like I am quite the fashion designer" she mentioned proudly, her hand on her waist. "So tell me, what brought you to this world?. Let me guess, poison, accident, truck jam?"

Charlotte's eyes widened, her heart pounding in her chest. The only person who knew of her transmigration was herself. "How in the world do you know that?" she demanded.

Ann chuckled, her tone light as she nodded her head before facing Charlotte, her arms spread out. "I am you after all? Just without the system. My existence is tied to this place."

Charlotte's brow furrowed, trying to piece together the broken puzzle. "You lost the system? How is that even possible?" she asked, her gaze never leaving Ann's.

Ann met her gaze, her smile enigmatic. "That, my dear, is a story which stays between I and this world, but I can tell you when you are ready"

"How am I supposed to know when I'm ready?" Charlotte asked, coming to a sudden halt, her eyes filled with confusion as she stared at Ann.

Ann who had walked a few steps before her stopped as well, turning to face her. A serious expression replaced her playful demeanor. "I apologize, my dear, but that's classified information which I the victim cannot share with you"

Charlotte sighed, rolling her eyes. This older version of herself, or rather her old self, was quite the character. It wouldn't hurt to share the reason behind all the secrecy, yet Ann chose silence, leaving Charlotte's curiosity simmering.

As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud growl, breaking the tension. Charlotte blushed, quickly rubbing her belly as if to quiet it. The sound was impossible for Ann to miss, and Charlotte felt her cheeks heat up even more.

Ann's serious expression softened, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Well, it seems someone needs a meal before we continue," she said, her tone teasing.

They reached the hut just in time, and the tantalizing scent coming from the back of the thatched house made Charlotte's mouth water. She inhaled, savoring the delicious aroma.

"Take a seat over there, I'll be right with you in a minute" Ann said, gesturing toward a mat laid beside the hut.

Charlotte settled ontop of the mat, crossing her legs as she sat. Ann disappeared around the back of the hut, leaving Charlotte totally alone to stare at the small forest that was just meters away beside the hut, alongside the distant chirping of birds filling the silence. She yawned, her stomach grumbling louder in protest.

A system notification suddenly appeared, being a floating red screen that glitched and contorted.

[Warning: Player is near danger]

Charlotte's heart skipped various beats. She quickly rose to her feet, her eyes darting around in the search of any creature or thing that posed any possible threat. The area seemed just as peaceful as it was from the time she woke up, with nothing in sight. Just then, she felt a cold hand touch her bare shoulder, sending a jolt through her core. Flames began to build with her instinctively, but she stopped when she saw Ann standing there with a pot in hand.

"What are you doing?" Ann asked.

Charlotte looked around, searching for any possible being that could have placed their hand on her. Her moan didn't go to Ann because she had her two hands occupied by the hot pot which didn't seem to burn her.

"Did you see that?" Charlotte asked.

Ann smiled awkwardly. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "There is nobody here"

Charlotte stood, confused as much as Ann. 'I knew there was something out there' she said to herself inwardly, the whole atmosphere still quiet as it was already.

"Are you okay, my dear?" Ann asked, her brow furrowed in confusion being weary about Charlotte's body language.

Charlotte glanced back to where the system was supposed to appear, but it had vanished without a trace, and she couldn't stop her internal anger, feeling that the system was tricking her or giving her false information, but she did her very best to cool down. "Its nothing" she said to Ann, trying to shake off the unease she was feeling already.

Ann's smile returned, trying to shake off the weary feeling she had about Charlotte. "Well, I boiled us some fresh alligator. I hope you're still hungry?"

Charlotte's eyes lit up a little bit. The freshly baked flesh of an alligator was one of her favorites which her grandmother would bring from Lagos (A State In Nigeria). "Of course" she whispered.

Ann placed the pot on the mat and sat down, removing the lid to reveal a big plume of steam escaping from it. Inside was indeed the baked flesh of alligators. Charlotte joined her, and the two began to eat. The meal was indeed delicious, and in a matter of seconds, Charlotte found herself full, letting out a small burp.

"So, you're not going to tell me that you enjoyed it, ehn?" An teased, her smile still warm but with an eerie undertone.

"Ah, I enjoyed it" Charlotte replied with a relieved smile. But her contentment was shortlived as the system chimed in a second time. Charlotte smacked her lips, annoyed by the system's face notifications, but she had no other choice to read it as it wouldn't go away if she didn't check.

[High Metabolism Skill Equipped]

•Cooldown: 05:00

[Consumed Item: Boiled Alligator Carcass]

Charlotte's eyes widened in shock. She turned to Ann, who how had a menacing grin on her face, her once red eyes, now a cold blue.

"What's wrong, Charlotte?" Ann asked, a psychotic glint in her eyes as she tried to look worried but that was clearly not working.

Charlotte's gaze dropped to Ann's thigh, where her hand rested over a metal object. "Ann, did you put something in the food?" she asked cautiously, preparing to stand.

Ann noticedher sudden movements and acted swiftly. Before Charlotte could react, she grabbed the metal object which was revealed to be a dagger and slashed at Charlotte with an incredible speed, grazing her thigh and cheek

Ann noticed her movements and acted swiftly. She grabbed the dagger and slashed at Charlotte with alarming speed, grazing her left thigh and cheek.

Charlotte managed to stand up but felt her left leg grow heavy, collapsing to the ground. Ann took the opportunity and lunged at her with the blade, a green liquid dripping from the tip of the blade. Charlotte caught Ann's wrists, holding off the blade with all her strength.

"Looks like the system is still playing at its tricks and protecting you at the right time" Ann sneered, her grin widening. "It still tries to keep you alive, such a coward!"

'Shit, I can't move my left leg, and she has the right one pinned' Charlotte said to herself inwardly, panic creeping in. She tried looking for various ways to escape but there was non.

Ann pushed the dagger closer, the tip mere moments away from Charlotte's eye. "Just die already! If you die, the system will be mine!" she hissed, her voice filled with maniacal glee.

Slowly, the green liquid began to slowly escape in form of drops from the dagger and it looked like it was going for her eye. Charlotte felt her whole body weakening as she tried her best to overcome this deadly doppelganger.

Ann pushed the blade and it felt like Charlotte was about to give up, but gathering all the energy, the tattoos on her body glowing with an ominous orange, she unleashed a flame attack that pushed Ann away with incredible force, sending her to the air.