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Chapter 73: The Illusion Master I continued staying quiet for a few days after I told the others that I had killed Sixela. During that time, Alexis kept fiddling with her new sword silently in her room. Before I left, she wouldn't have been able to even carry the sword. Now, she could. With two hands, that is. I looked out the window. The sun was just setting, and orange rays of light shone into the room. I thought about my Time Key. The Time Key was the only one out of the four keys that had a side effect. The body of bearer of the key would experience a faster growth rate and a longer lifespan, but only if it was 'stimulated'. Although it was pretty much a good thing, I wondered how tall I would be in 10 years. All effects of the keys are automatically neutralized when the bearer obtains the weapon, according to the book. I was capable of controlling time, but to a low limit. Maintaining the power rapidly depleted my energy reserves, leaving me vulnerable to attacks. Also, I still had the alcohol weakness from the Dark Angel. The Reality Key was supposedly the most powerful out of the four, since it could control reality itself. Owing to that power, it was also the most dangerous. If it got into the hands of some trigger-happy pervert...... I tried to imagine women running around stark naked and screaming. Not a pretty sight. I shook my head. "That's why I'm here. To stop other people from using the keys for their own pleasure." I told myself, standing up. All of a sudden, the world around me began to distort into a spectrum of colours. "What the......" I felt dizzy. Closing my eyes, I felt around for the bed and sat down. What was this!? A Key bearer's power!? When I opened my eyes again, the world had turned back to normal. With one exception. Another me was standing in front of me. I rubbed my eyes. When I tried to touch it, my hand went through the other Artemis. I was relieved. "Illusion Key." I whispered and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the illusionary me was still there. She was pointing at her right breast. "Give me the key." She said. "No chance." I replied. "So be it." She sighed, then lunged for me. Something strange happened here. The illusion grabbed my shirt and tore it off! "Just an illusion. Just an illusion." I muttered. Hold on. She could touch me! I opened my eyes and grabbed at her face. Again, my hands passed through. I couldn't fight something I couldn't touch...... "AARRRRGGGHHH!!!" I blinked. A panting Alexis had just kicked the door open. "What happened?" She stared at me. I looked at myself. My shirt and bra were torn to pieces, and the mark of the Time Key was revealed. "Attacked..." I breathed, and got up. My arm muscles felt strained. "What!?" Alexis gasped. "An illusion of me... I couldn't attack it, but it could attack me......" I pointed at my shredded shirt. I looked out the window. There, on a tree branch, was a black figure. I only saw it for a split second before it disappeared. However, just before it disappeared, I spotted something glowing on its belly. The mark of the Illusion Key...... I'd have to be more careful from now on. The problem was, how could I fight the illusion? I had heard that a master of the Key's powers was capable of producing illusions that could reach into reality, and be untouchable at the same time. I quickly put on a new shirt just as the doorbell rang. "Coming!" Alexis's voice rang out, and I heard the door open. Suddenly, the mark of the Time Key started to tingle. I had a bad feeling about something...... A second later, I bolted for the stairs. I immediately sensed something amiss. A stranger in a top hat was standing at the door, and Alexis seemed to be entranced by him! The stranger had a glowing mark on his belly. The Illusion Key! "Alexis!" I shouted and lunged forwards, summoning the Archaeion. The world began swirling around me again. Oh no...... As if by magic, the ARchaeion disappeared, and I started to feel heavy. When I looked down at myself, I saw that my body was getting fatter! My movements slowed, and the stranger smiled. "Just an illusion. Just an illusion..." I whispered, closing my eyes. When I opened them again, Alexis was on the ground with a knife in her chest. My eyes widened in horror. I completely forgot about the illusion and ran to her. Just as I reached her, she turned into a wolf! "The Key." It said. "You already know my answer." I clutched my right breast. "Then I no longer have a choice." The wolf said and jumped on me. Almost immediately, my breasts began to swell. "There had to be a way to break free......" I thought fervently as the wolf began gnawing on my shirt. It tore the shirt off and began work on my bra. The stranger stood in the doorway, unblinking as the wolf continued its work. In that instant, I figured it out. I started taking my bra off. "Surrendering? Good idea." The stranger said, but the wolf continued. I placed a fist under my bra and pushed outwards. The wolf flew backwards, and the world shattered. I blinked. My body was back to normal and the stranger was still in the doorway, but there was a punch mark on his face. I chuckled lightly and put my bra back on. The wolf was actually the stranger himself, compressed into his illusion. Of course what happened to the wolf would happen to his actual body. As for how I hit him, the bra acted as the midpoint between the illusion and me, so I could use it to touch the illusion. He toppled backwards, landing on the floor with a 'thump' sound. "You got me." He breathed and passed out. Alexis broke free of her trance and stared around, surprised. My Time Key mark suddenly began to glow, as did the stranger's Illusion Key mark. I felt my mind open up, and the Illusion Key's mark seemed to...... lift off the stranger's belly. I knew what was going to happen next. Alexis stared as the mark flew through the air towards me. It landed right on my belly button, and I felt relaxed...... The mark glowed for a second, then fixed itself permanently onto my body. Looks like he had surrendered the Key. I looked over the stranger, and saw that he was just a Bandit, around 20 years old. A petty thief. He had probably gotten the Key by assassinating the original bearer. I smiled and ran a finger over the mark of the Illusion Key. |
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