Mirror of the Past; The Villainess' True End

"What's wrong, Rin?" Keiran's voice shook me out of my trance.

I blinked, realizing that I'd been heaving sighs, motionless, and staring blankly at the canvas in front of me. The twins exchanged a glance, barely concealing their playful grins as they continued their own tasks.

"Nothing." I smiled, trying my best to stop solving the puzzle pieces that Karina left for me to solve on my own. I drew in a deep breath once more, steadying myself against the overwhelming flood of information I accidentally uncovered about the world I came from.

It's just one tiny bit of information, yet it means everything to me. I guess I can't truly let go of my past, especially if most of the counterparts of my beloved people in that world are huddling around me in this world, drawn to me like moths to a flame.

But why did you choose to make him your world when you're clearly adored by the right people?

I thought to myself while thinking of the original Karina. But then again, we were the same. Love made us blind. Or was it her who made me blind?

My frustration about everything that is currently engulfing my already messed up life, is building up like a storm ready to burst.

"You need to take a breather." Keiran's voice jolted me out of the chaotic thoughts in my head. I turned my gaze at him and asked,

"How?"

I don't have to think deeply to guess what he would suggest, because Keiran is still Keiran. I know him better than anyone else. And even if we're not related at all in this world, the link we had from my previous life was still there. That's why when he retrieved the fencing gear from his locker and placed it on the table, I knew that I was right about it. He knew exactly what I needed even without him asking what I wanted.

"You won't win, Master Quin." Jaxon, who seemed indifferent to our undecided fencing match, has been cleaning up his workplace with swift movements, revealing his true intention to watch us, if ever I accepted Keiran's invitation to spar.

Keiran pouted as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at him. "How could you jinx my chances like that?" he said, words laced with a playful frustration.

"He's telling the truth though." Lila affirmed as she finished clearing off her work desk, slinging her bag to her shoulders, and ready to head out with us.

"But you haven't seen me fence." Keiran insisted, trying to convince the two that he's really good at it. But they just shook their heads with a knowing smile that the outcome is inevitable—Keiran will lose.

I leaned back on my chair, lips curled into a soft smile that couldn't be contained. My eyes sparkled with amusement, twinkling as I watched them in their regular serving of friendly mockery. The twin may look like they are not interested to watch me have a fencing match with Keiran but with the way they quickly tidied up their tables, no one would believe that they are not excited to see us spar.

Keiran directed his gaze at me with a slightly annoyed expression. I'm guessing that he's starting to feel frustrated that the two is not taking him seriously.

"Rin, get up. Let's go." He said in a voice tinged with impatience, yet laced with determination to prove himself to the two. It was clear that he was trying to challenge me, eager to prove himself and dispel their doubts that he can win against me.

"Don't waste your time, Master. You will just embarrass yourself." Jaxon teased with a playful grin on his lips, deliberately egging him on to challenge me.

I shook my head. On the surface, they seemed like they were provoking Keiran to prove himself that he could win against me, but in reality, I knew that they were just using Keiran to see me spar again. I'd heard from Kairos that the twins have been asking him when we'd have another sparring session in our physical education class. Unfortunately for them, the professor had exempted Kairos and me from the sparring activities, and instead, asked us to be her assistants. So, when Keiran thought of fencing to help me take a breather, they saw it as an opportunity. And, as always, Keiran is someone who was easy bait, provoking him was their way to make me unable to refuse the duel.

"Stop it you two." I chided as I stood up from my seat and tidied up my workspace as well. I have no reason to decline Keiran's invitation so I'll use this opportunity to check his skills in this world.

As we headed to the gym after getting my fencing gear and weapon from the locker room, the three of them couldn't stop with their playful banters—Keiran still trying to convince the two that he's skilled enough to win against me, and the twin still teasing him. It reminds me of the time where I shared moments like this with my twin, Luca, and Yuna. Seeing how easily the twin become part of my life, made me more certain of my assumption—they are the counterpart of Luca and Yuna.

"Why are you here?"

My thoughts were interrupted by Kairos' cold voice behind me. I turned to face him and felt uneasy, upon seeing a look of irritation and unease on his face. I wasn't sure why, but as I scanned the gym, now filled with students in fencing gear, an idea began to form in my head about why he was acting like that.

I gave him a reassuring smile as I lifted my protective gear in one hand and my foil on the other, pointing at Keiran with my chin. "That brat dared to challenge me. He needs a little bit of thrashing."

Kairos' frowned before shifting his gaze to Keiran, "As a friend who cares about you…don't embarrass yourself. Go back to your cave."

Kai Alaric's dry verdict, followed by the twin's hysterical laugh added Keiran's frustration, as he dragged me quickly in front of the changing room. I couldn't hold out my laughter while changing into my protective gear. They are just the same as to those people in my world that I hold dear in my heart. It was as if they were also given a chance to follow me here—to be my haven to keep on living the second life that was given to me—so this villainess could finally find her true ending.

Keiran was already waiting for me at the corner of the gym, where the fencing mat that Kairos had probably provided for us was already set up. I walked towards my friends, mask dangling loosely on one hand. But the closer I get to them, the more my brows furrowed. A group of students dragged the scoring machine at the left corner, while another student wearing fencing gear is attaching a body cord behind Keiran. I also just noticed that, aside from the regular fencing mat, there was a fencing piste laid out, which was only used on official matches.

"Are you seriously turning this into an official match?" I asked, my voice has a mixed of disbelief and astonishment, as I found the situation both absurd yet oddly entertaining.

"He asked for it." Kairos stated with a grin as he went behind me to attach the cord at my jacket after connecting it to my foil. "Let him be, give him a good beating so he won't dare challenge you again." He added before finally linking the body cord to the reel.

I chuckled, "You probably crossed the line. He's not the type to make a big deal out of a simple provocation." I probed, as he made me face him after taking the mask from my hand.

Kairos chuckled and gently placed the mask on me, "You sound like you've known him your entire life. You just met him, remember?" I was at a loss of words in response to his underlying question. And before I could even come up with a proper response, he was already gone.

"Are you ready, Rin?"

Keiran asked, that even without seeing his face, I knew that he was getting impatient to show off his skills. Kai Alaric stood in the center, waiting for us to get used to our gears and lines attached to us. Even just by standing there, Kai Alaric exuded an air of authority evoking to his character in Karina's story. Yet, despite the seriousness that he clearly wanted to maintain as our official referee, his expression was laced with amusement that he's been fighting hard to suppress.

Kai Alaric cleared his throat and swept his gaze between Keiran and I, who stood at the opposite ends of the piste. The athletes on break scuffled, jostling for the perfect spot to get a clear view of our match.

"This is an officially unofficial match," Kai declared with a smirk with a glimpsed of mischief on his eyes as he continued, "That means no blood, no grudges, and definitely no breaking of school property."

I chuckled behind my mask, and despite not seeing Keiran's expression, I knew that behind that mask he's probably fuming in irritation, even rolling his eyes to his friends who kept provoking him since earlier.

"Just make sure to hand me your Chev's key after this match." Keiran shot back at him, causing me to raise a brow. It looked like they'd placed a bet on our match after all, turning our simple sparring match into this chaotic situation.

I crossed my arms to call for a timeout. I need to clarify things before we officially start this mayhem that they put me into. "You had a bet?" I asked them, taking off my head gear.

Kairos looked at me and nod, "I bet my car." He pointed at Keiran, "He bet his hair."

"His hair?"

Kairos smirked, "I told him to dye his hair back to its original color."

I paused for a moment after a thought crossed my mind, "What color?"

"Black."

I heard the answer I wanted to hear. I immediately put back on my head gear and get into position. Kairos chuckled and shifted his attention back to Keiran, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Shut up." Keiran hissed as he gets into position.

Kairos chuckled as he tells us the rules of our match. "You'll have fifteen minutes. The first to score 5 touches wins. If we're tied at 4 touches when time runs out, we'll move into Sudden Death Mode. The first fencer to score a touch after that wins the match. Oh, and one more thing—if anyone is disarmed, the opponent earns 2 points automatically."

"I will apologize in advance, Rin. I won't go easy on you. My hair is at risk." Keiran declared, beneath the mask, his eyes were gleaming in determination.

I smirked behind my mask but didn't say anything as I adopt the proper fencing stance right after Kairos uttered En garde, Keiran did the same.

"Ready?" We both nod as answer to Kai Alaric's question. "Allez!" Kairos called, signaling the start of our bout.

--

The foil hummed through the air as soon as the bout started. The aggressive clash of our foils rang out immediately. Sharp metallic sound filled the huge gymnasium, sending the audience to hold their breathes as they watch us spar. I tightened my grip around the handle, the comforting weight stabilizing me as I deflect his aggressive attacks. The scrape of his blade against mine sent a sharp jolt up to my arm, the vibration echoed through my fingertips. My muscles screamed for control and I could feel my heart racing with a mixed of excitement and nostalgia. His every move, every breath, and even his habit of adjusting his grip on the hilt when he's on a pinch—it was the same mannerism that my twin had.

Keiran made thrust his blade that almost caught me off-guard that I blocked instinctively, the force of his strike rattles my bones. He lunged his foil straight to my chest, but my body reacted faster this time. I parried his attack with a flick of my wrist, deflecting his strike with a sharp clink.

"Not bad." He muttered which made me smirk behind my mask.

My body fully remembered how to deflect his attacks. It wasn't just a muscle memory; it was ingrained in me. Despite the fact that we weren't blood-related in this world, from his face to his habitual movements when sparring, everything about him was the same as my twin.

So, I have the upper hand. I thought.

I could almost anticipate his next move, which almost made it feel like cheating. His foil came toward me again, but I knew that he was baiting me to parry his attack once more. So instead of engaging head-on, I stepped to the side, letting his strike miss by inches and launched my counter attack.

I saw his head twitched in surprised for a moment, before he quickly tried to adjust his stance, but it was too late. I already made my move. With a fluid twist of my body—swift and calculated— I lunged, my foil aimed directly for his ribs, securing me a point.

The tip of my blade brushed his side with a soft clink followed by the sharp buzz of the scoreboard signaling a point. I also heard Kai's voice as he also called out immediately.

"Touché."

Keiran stood still for a moment, trying to recover from his lost point but I didn't give him enough time to recover his bearing. I still need four points to win the match and I intend to make every moment count.

Without hesitation, I moved in with light and precise steps. And unlike earlier where I let him make the first move, this time I surged forward, my foil aimed directly for his chest as a decoy. The moment I saw his body shift to block the attack, I pivoted and redirected my thrust toward his side instead.

I could sense Keiran's frustration upon realizing my feint, but it was too late. My foil has already made a contact with him, followed by a sharp buzzing sound as Kai's voice called out instantly for a touché.

Keiran stood still for a moment as I took a step back to reassess my next move. Even though I managed to land two hits on him, I knew that I shouldn't rely on the same moves to secure another point. He was adapting, I could see it in the way he held his foil—more cautious and calculating than before. If my prediction is right, he will manage to land a hit on me on our next exchange.

I had to outsmart him, not just outfight him. I need to think a step ahead. The key is to bait him into thinking that he has the upper hand, then use that moment to take back the point that I lured him to take. A decoy to offer him a vulnerability, then use his expectation against him.

When I finally mapped out everything in my head, I stepped back slightly, keeping my foil low, letting him think that I am lowering my guard, as if getting two points ahead had me overconfident—giving him an opportunity to strike.

Don't disappoint me, my dear brother. I thought to myself upon seeing him slightly hesitate to attack for a moment, but upon seeing my defenseless stance, and saw the opening I'd provided, he lunged forward—fast and fierce—determined to gain a point. His foil aimed at my chest like before.

The corner of my lips curled upward. I had him right where I wanted him.

I didn't make any unnecessary movement. I knew exactly what is coming and where his aim would land, just as I had calculated. I let his foil drew closer, allowing it to connect with my chest. I felt the sharp sting of his strike but at the same time, my foil found its mark. I took advantage of his eagerness to take the point that I baited him into, striking the side of is torso just as his blade touched me.

The crowd who had been silently watching us earlier couldn't help but gasp as the scoreboard lit up, showing our scores. The tension in the room cracked as they processed the simultaneous hit.

"Did she just bait him to score?" I heard someone from the crowd asked, which made me smirk in satisfaction.

"Touché! Both of you." Kai's voice rang out, sharp and authoritative, immediately silencing the room as I redirected my focused back to Keiran, who seemed getting even more frustrated now for falling into my trap.

"Is that even allowed?" Keiran muttered under his breath, as he adjusted his grip on his foil. We both glanced at the timer. There were still a few minutes left, enough time to settle this, but I could see the frustration beginning to build in his posture.

His movements were more aggressive than we first start, but it was less controlled than before. As if he was trying to recover the point he lost. If it's someone else that he was sparring with, winning is easy as pie. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't just anyone.

In the world I came from—the one that was only a fragment of imagination—lived someone who resembles him from head to toe, right down to the way he moved, and even the way he responded under pressure.

My twin, Kei…

Keiran's foil clashed against mine, the sound vibrating through the air like a battle cry. The impact sent a jolt up to my arm, but my heart is calm and my stance remained unwavering as my thoughts kept drowning me with memories of him.

In that world, you and I shared countless matches just like this—matches filled with pride, rivalry, and unspoken bond that came from knowing one another, inside and out.

His movements have become sharper, more urgent as the time on the clock ticked down. He was no longer calculating his moves, and each strikes came faster and more forceful. His foil has now become an extension of his arm, flashing toward me in rapid and aggressive thrust, aiming to break my defenses.

The urgency made him dangerous but at the same time predictable. I could sense the shift in his energy, the way his breath hitched just before he makes an attack, it was clearer than before. His body language screamed one thing—make up for the point he had lost.

I took a step back, giving myself enough distance to adjust my stance. I held my foil loosely, this time, I wasn't just baiting him like what I did earlier, I am deliberately provoking him this time. I wanted him to chase the point recklessly.

And like I expected, Keiran understood the assignment. With no hesitation, he lunged towards me, quick and sharp, aiming for my chest like before. His foil sliced through the air with calculated ferocity and his motions were a blur. However, I knew what he would do. The pattern was too familiar that it only made me chuckle for his predictable aggression.

You never changed, my dear brother.

I didn't flinch nor dodge. Instead, I met his attack head-on, my foil angled just enough to intercept the tip of his blade. As our foils collided, I felt the sharp clink of contact, but I didn't stop there.

In that single moment, as he forcefully pushed against my foil, I let the natural momentum of his strike carry him forward. Instead of resisting, I guided his foil off to the side—just enough to force him off balance. I knew that he realized what I was planning to do but it was already too late. In a fluid motion, I stepped closer, narrowing the distance between us, and with a swift click of my wrist, I twisted his foil from his grasp. The movement was almost effortless, my foil knocking his off-center as his grip loosened. For a fraction of second, I heard him gasped just as Kairos chuckled from the side.

Before he could even recover, I finished the motion. The moment was almost cinematic—his foil spiraling from his hand, spinning through the air like a blade of defeat—reminds me of the moment that I made my twin's blade flew during a sparring match. Keiran stood frozen in a heartbeat, his hand still reaching for a weapon that was no longer there. His gaze locked onto me, a mix of disbelief, frustration, and admiration clouding his usual composure, as the crowd watched in stunned silence.

Keiran remained motionless, probably processing what just happened. And then the soft clink of the foil as it finally hits the floor broke the silence, followed by Lila's high-pitched squeal and Kairos' amused chuckle echoed the room, breaking the stillness like a crack of thunder on a clear day. "Touché." He called out, voice laced with approval. "That's two points for Karina. Final score: 5-1."

When Kairos finally announced the score, the tension that hade been thick and palpable during the match suddenly dissipated.

I slowly removed my mask. My breath was stead, yet my heart was still racing with adrenaline. I caught Keiran's gaze for a brief moment before offering him a smile—calm, but filled with mischief. "I'm looking forward to your black hair on Monday." I said with a playful grin which made him pout as he frustratedly sigh and shook my hand.

"That bait got me." He admitted, his voice still carrying a hint of frustration. "Are you sure I'm your stalker and not the other way around?" he asked in a familiar teasing manner. "You seemed to know my next moves even before I made them."

I raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips as we marched towards our friends. "You're just easy to provoke, Kei." I teased as I quickened my pace to where our friends were.

Keiran shook his head as he followed me, "Fine. You got me. but next time? I'll be ready for your tricks." He uttered with confidence after regaining his usual composure.

I grinned, "Sure. Haircut. That's our next bet." I replied which made his eyes widened in terror, and he stopped dead on his tracks.

"Forget about it! There's no next time!" he declared, crossing his arms like a child. I just laugh at him. It seems in this world, the color of his hair doesn't matter to him as long as it stays long. Something that my twin find bothersome—their only difference.

"That was a great match." Kai Alaric praised me as soon as I reached them. His tone was casual, but his eyes were glimmering with pride.

The twins on the other hand were off to the side, counting money—probably from bets they made with the other athletes who watched our match.

"Did you seriously gamble on this?" I asked, arching a brow as I turned to Jaxon and Lila.

Lila grinned as Jaxon tucked his share into his pocket. "Of course. The moment we became friends, I already put my fate in your hands." She proudly said so I turned to Jaxon.

"And you didn't even stop her?" I asked him that he only answered with a shrug.

Kairos chuckled beside me, clearly entertained to see our playful banter, but before he could even say a word. Someone interrupted our conversation.

"I didn't know you're good with fencing." Achilles Dimitri's calm yet unkind voice called out my attention. My smile immediately faded as the lightheartedness from moments ago vanished in an instant. I shifted, meeting his gaze from behind me.

I raised my brow upon seeing him in his fencing gear. I lowered my guard when I didn't see him earlier. My guess was right, that Kairos' coldness when we arrived was because he was here. He closed the distance between us with unhurried steps.

"Enough to disarm my twin who has been training with me since we were kids." Achilles added while staring at me with unfathomable expression. He has a smile on his lips but his eyes were telling me something else.

 By instinct, I took a step back. The felt the fear I once buried deep inside surged back to the surface. Kai Alaric stepped forward immediately as if he felt my unease. His presence act as a protective wall, and I was really grateful for it, but it only made Achilles Dimitri's expression to darkened—the same expression he had when my twin tried to save me.

Achilles buried his gaze on me, as if reading my expression like a book. The moment of silence suffocating me every second, as he stood there, gaze still fixed with mine. Finally, Achilles broke the stillness, his voice was calm, yet I could sense the danger on it.

"Have a match with me, Karina."

The way he called my name send shivers to my spine. Something was wrong. From the way he looked at me, to the way he called my name just now, there was an unsettling shift. Recalling from Karina's memory, not once Achilles Dimitri called her that way, she was always called Rina.

"Let's have a bet."

Kai Alaric immediately stepped forward, his posture was still relaxed, yet there was something different with the way he held himself right now—a stance where he's ready to do something reckless if needed. "I don't think Karina wants to."

Achilles' gaze just brushed past him, "If you win, I'll leave you alone."

"And if I don't?" I asked bravely, trying to erase from my mind the man resembling him that I know would never be here.

"Then let's make us official." Achilles smiled but there was no humor in it as he added words that I would never expect to hear from this person.

"I want you back, Karina."