Chapter 346: Ch 345: You are me and I am you - Part 2

Lyra gritted her teeth as she was sent flying through the fog, her body crashing against something invisible before she fell back onto the ground. The pain spread through her body, but she forced herself to stand up and looked toward the shadow that was slowly approaching her.

"Give up? You really think I am going to listen to something that crawled out of my own soul?"

Lyra asked, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. The shadow tilted its head before a smile appeared on its face.

<You still do not understand. I am not something that crawled out of your soul. I am you. Everything you have suppressed, every desire you refused to acknowledge, every bit of power you were too afraid to use.>

The words made Lyra’s expression stiffen, but she quickly shook her head.

"That sounds like something I would make up because you want me to surrender."

She raised her hand and tried to summon her power once again, but nothing happened.

The shadow laughed in a mocking tone before it smacked Lyra hard in the stomach. It really hurt to be hit like that.

<And yet you still cannot use your own power against me. Does that not tell you enough?>

Lyra’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her own hand.

There had to be a reason or a way to break through this place. Why was she dragged here in the first place?

This place was created from the fragments of a god, and it had already proven that it could interfere with the souls of those trapped inside. If this creature truly was a part of her, then perhaps she was approaching this the wrong way.

"Then tell me something. If you really are me, why do you want to take everything from me?"

The shadow stopped moving, and for the first time since their confrontation began, it did not immediately have an answer.

Lyra noticed that hesitation, but she was not sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. A part of her told her that she might be making a mistake by trying to talk things out.

Still, it did not mean she did not want to try.

"Got you."

<You think that means anything?>

"It means that you are just as confused as I am. Don’t you see? You are being used as a pawn by someone. Don’t you find that nauseating?"

Lyra took a step forward despite the pain in her body. It was getting—

"You might have my power, my memories, and even my essence. That means that you are me. And if there is one thing I know about myself, it is that I hate being controlled. Don’t you agree?"

Lyra asked, extending her hand toward her shadow. She was confident that her shadow would agree with her.

The shadow looked at her with an almost blank face and then let out a sigh. But it was not a happy sigh.

<It seems like you still have a lot you need to learn about yourself. What a pity! I actually thought that you would use your mind this time and be able to think things through. But I need to spell it out for you.>

The shadow attacked Lyra, which shocked her. She had no idea that it would do this, and at such a fast speed.

Lyra tried to protect herself, but it was too late. She was slashed in the arm, and this wound did not bleed blood. But she still felt like she was losing something important.

As for her shadow? It scoffed even harder and then looked at Lyra with a pitying expression.

<Do you still not understand what I want to say? Then, let me say it again for you. We are dogs. Believe it or not, we are not as independent as you think we are. Being under someone else’s authority works best for us. Because that way, we can go on a rampage with a backup plan.>

The shadow sounded serious when it said that, and Lyra felt like she had been punched in the gut by those words.

She had never considered herself a ’pet’ except for one time in her life. But that was because of Kael and not because this was her nature.

So the thought of her being no better than a pet and that it was her calling ticked her off to no end.

"What did you say? Ugh, I had no idea a part of me would ever say this! Much less like this. You know what? Fuck it! I no longer care whether we are the same person or not. I am not going to take this insult any longer."

Lyra complained back, and her eyes started to go blank. She was so agitated that she was allowing her anger to cloud her judgement.

She lunged forward to try and attack the shadow, but she forgot that she did not have her powers. And as a result, the one who got hurt was her and not the shadow.

The shadow looked at her with almost pity in its eyes.

<See, I told you that you cannot do anything right now. So why don’t you give up?>

"Ah, fuck! This hurts a lot, and I cannot believe I was forced to fight without my powers. This sucks. Is there no way I can avoid this without admitting my shortcomings?"

She asked but did not get any answer. It was clear that the being in front of her did not know how to handle her.

But that was fine. It was because Lyra already knew the truth in her heart.

"Fine, I admit it. I am a dog, and I am one by choice. But let me clarify one thing. I am only a dog for one person, and that is Kael. And if it’s for his sake, I don’t mind becoming anything, even an animal."

Lyra confessed, and the shadow looked taken aback.

At the same time, the space around her started to shake violently, almost as if it was being to