Memoirs of Your Local Small-time Villainess-Chapter 304 - Doubles

“Am I to take that as a threat?” Scarlett asked sharply as flames flickered at her feet, casting a fiery glow that danced in the rising heat.

The other Scarlett regarded her impassively. “No. Not from me, at the very least. As I have said, I am scarcely capable of posing a threat to you.” She paused, as if assessing her. “…It is regrettable that we could not find common ground. Despite our differences, I do believe we could have forged an effective alliance. Yet, if you are determined to abandon such a possibility, there is little more I can offer. Simply know this: as you are now, you cannot fully grasp the trials you set upon yourself.”

The two of them stood in silence, watching each other, until Scarlett broke the stillness.

“Have you any reason I should not destroy you where you stand?” she asked.

“I will not offer you one,” the woman replied smoothly. “Previously, however, I might have advised against it, as I was aiding you in maintaining the Memories.”

“Even as you sought to seize control of them — and of me.”

“To be precise, that was the other fragment of the Anomalous One. Not I, as I currently stand before you.”

Scarlett frowned. “…Then what was your intent in ‘aiding’ me?”

“Undefined, I suppose?” The other Scarlett tilted her head slightly. “In part, it was to delay enough to subsume the Memories and this domain before you learned how to resist such a takeover. In part, I was still but a ‘construct’ of the Memories, as fashioned by you, and fulfilled the role assigned to me. And, to some extent, I believed it might afford me the opportunity to strike an agreement with you. I cannot say which motive held the greatest sway, but all are true in some measure.”

Scarlett studied her closely. How much of that could she trust? Did it even matter?

“…What role did you play in Vail’s appearance?” she asked after a while.

“None,” came the woman’s immediate reply. “Vail’s presence was entirely your doing. Surely, you already understand she was never meant to be part of those Memories. However, as she was loosely tied to Arlene, you seem to have come close enough in recreating her existence, nonetheless.” A faint trace of frustration crossed her features. “Vail is not an individual suited to such environments, as you no doubt observed. I attempted to rectify the matter myself, though it ended poorly. For you, however, her presence may have proven unexpectedly advantageous, since it appears to have compelled you into a situation where you learned to control the Memories more directly.”

“So Vail truly did recognise that she was not real,” Scarlett muttered. “…And she chose to erase herself, along with the Memory itself, simply based on that realisation.”

She’d had no idea the woman would even be capable of such a feat. Honestly, she still didn’t entirely understand how it was done. It couldn’t only be because of how strong Vail was, right?

“For all the knowledge you possess, there is much you have yet to grasp about this world,” the other Scarlett said. “Were you to agree to work with me, you could learn much more.”

Scarlett did not respond to the remark, her thoughts drifting to another matter. “…What of Arlene?” she asked. “Vail understood her nature as a construct, as did you. Neither of you are normal existences, however. Arlene should be. Even so, she seemed able to perceive the rifts within the Memories, where others could not.”

For some reason, the woman had even thanked her towards the end. Scarlett still wasn’t sure what for.

The other Scarlett remained silent for a time, then spoke carefully. “I am uncertain myself. It was…unexpected, if curious. Yet, as you are well aware, that woman carries the marks of her own bargain struck long ago. Outcomes in these ‘worlds’ tend to become far less predictable once you begin interfering with the core of one’s existence.”

Scarlett’s brow knitted together. “What precisely do you mean by that?”

Suddenly, the space around them shuddered. Several of the endless rifts—streaks of white void amidst the all-encroaching grey mist—shifted and pulsed, their forms widening with an ominous intensity.

“You would do well to prepare yourself,” the other Scarlett noted, casting a glance towards one of the expanding rifts. “The first consequence of your choice will soon make itself known, for you were not the sole target the Anomalous One sought in the Hall of Echoes.” She turned back to Scarlett. “…I wonder how well your…companions will fare. They appear far from a state to defend themselves against what approaches.”

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed, the flames at her feet flaring taller. “What have you done to them?”

The woman arched a brow. “You were the one who left them to navigate the Hall of Echoes alone, were you not? You should already understand what sort of foe awaited them within its depths.”

“Echoes,” Scarlett said. “That is hardly beyond their ability.”

In the game, the last echoes one faced were mirror images of one’s own party. That could be a tough fight, but she genuinely believed that Rosa and the others were capable enough to manage most threats they might encounter, regardless of the changes that occurred.

“Echoes, yes,” the other Scarlett responded. “However, with the other fragment of the Anomalous One involved, a more…suitable opponent was selected for them.”

Scarlett locked eyes with the woman, trying to figure out what she meant, then she paused. “You mean…me?”

The other Scarlett nodded. “Precisely. Or, rather, I was assigned the role in your stead.” An almost imperceptible trace of dark satisfaction seemed to creep into her tone. “It was…exhilarating, to wield your magic without the constraints normally imposed. I dare say even you have not had the pleasure of using your full potential in such a manner. Dozens of the Rising Isle’s esteemed wizards, yet they were overwhelmed by a mere baroness.”

The flames around Scarlett surged to eye level, encircling the woman. “What did you do?” she demanded.

The other Scarlett remained calm, appearing even slightly amused. “Rest assured, I did not kill anyone.” She paused. “Most likely. Although I certainly did try.”

Scarlett eyed her coolly, then turned, her gaze sweeping across the boundless expanse surrounding them. Her attention lingered on the myriad rifts etched into the void. Finally, her focus settled on one just a few meters away, its jagged line carving through the platform beneath their feet. She examined it in silence for several moments before raising her hand.

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A stream of flame coalesced at her fingertips, flowing towards the rift. The flames twisted and stretched, melding with the unbroken white vacuum beyond. Gradually, they began to overtake the whiteness within the rift, its edges darkening to crimson as it contracted, leaving a thin scarlet line across the stone as it closed. A heartbeat later, the rift reopened. This time, it revealed a vast chamber lined with towering pillars and enormous discs of polished silver suspended between them. From Scarlett’s perspective, it seemed they were peering down from the ceiling, observing the aftermath of what looked to have been a fierce battle. The stone floor was scorched and fractured, with scattered remnants of conflict etched into every surface.

At one end of the chamber, a cluster of people gathered. Some lay prone, receiving aid. Many were dressed in robes of various colours.

“I am impressed you can accomplish this much so soon,” the other Scarlett said beside her, a note of real surprise in her voice. “How did you manage it? Even with the power Thainnith’s legacy lends you, I doubt it holds the knowledge to wield that power. Is your system interfering, perhaps? If so, that would seem…rather unfair.”

Scarlett said nothing, her focus on the chamber below. It only took a few seconds longer for her to spot the familiar figures she sought — Rosa and the others, gathered near the Isle’s wizards. Among them, she noticed Fynn lying motionless on the ground, seemingly receiving treatment.

Finally, she turned back to the other Scarlett. “This space is connected to the Hall of Echoes,” she said. “I can feel it. Is that the Anomalous One’s doing?”

She still couldn’t fully explain the instinctive control she seemed to wield in this place. She had assumed it to be another quirk of the legacy, but if her counterpart disagreed, perhaps it did somehow stem from the system. Yet she didn’t understand why that would be unfair when she was up against an entity like the Anomalous One.

“That is far more likely to be Thainnith’s work,” the woman replied. “He was, after all, the original creator of this domain.”

Scarlett's gaze flicked back to the rift overlooking the Hall of Echoes’ inner chamber. “Then are we near the Hall?”

“We are not near anything. That said, the Hall of Echoes does appear to act as an anchor to this space within the Material Realm. Not unexpected, given its purpose of housing the pseudo-Memories of wizards.”

“That is why the Anomalous One first infected the Hall after assimilating Thainnith’s fragment,” Scarlett said.

“Indeed. Though certain areas were more…accessible than others, shall we say. We have you to thank for opening the inner sanctum.”

The space around them shifted once more, the rifts pulsing in unison. Scarlett felt the weight of something—she did not know how to describe it—watching her. It was a presence she’d sensed before, though it now pressed upon her with far greater intensity.

She conjured more flames, scattering them across the void in an effort to force more of the rifts closed. But this time, the rifts resisted her efforts. Nearly all her flames flickered out, and within the chamber below, the ground quaked violently as cracks splintered across the floor.

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“We shall see how well you fare against but a fragment of that which you have chosen to oppose,” the other Scarlett said, her voice growing more detached. “It would no doubt be an intriguing spectacle to behold.”

Along with her words, white rifts appeared in the chamber below as well, eliciting alarmed cries from the wizards. Scarlett’s eyes snapped back to her counterpart.

“You speak as if you do not expect to witness the outcome yourself.”

“I would be surprised if I did,” the woman admitted, watching the figures in the chamber. “If you intend to act, I suggest you do so soon, before it is too late. Those people do not yet realise their surroundings are no longer wholly within the Material Realm.”

Scarlett turned her focus back to the chamber, seeing how the rifts in the chamber continued to multiply. Until now, she had only seen the Anomalous One creating such distortions within Memories. Was it somehow dragging the chamber into one, then? Was that the loophole Thainnith’s fragment had inadvertently created upon being assimilated? Could the Anomalous One pull the real world into the Memories, where it could partially manifest?

If Rosa and the others were drawn into a Memory, retrieving them—or preventing whatever might happen after that—might prove impossible.

Scarlett took a steadying breath, narrowing her focus. Bursts of flame erupted around her, igniting the air. Where the flames touched, the fabric of the space tore and warped. Enveloped in the inferno, she felt her surroundings shift. Moments later, she stood in the chamber she’d been observing from above.

She was starting to get the hang of this. This chamber wasn’t outside her control. It seemed that as long as it had some connection to Thainnith’s Memory—and by extension, the legacy—she wielded some power over a space.

Her fiery arrival drew the attention of the wizards in the chamber. A cluster of them gaped at her, and those not lying on the ground quickly reached for staves and tomes. Among the group, Gaspar stood out, his expression grave as he locked eyes with her.

“This was entirely meaningless,” a voice said from beside her.

Scarlett turned to the other Scarlett, who wore an unimpressed expression on her face after having been brought along with her.

“…I do not care whether you cease to exist or not,” Scarlett replied, her voice cold, “but there are still answers I require from you. If you will not offer them willingly, I will extract them by whatever means I can.”

“Let us see if you remain alive long enough to attempt it.” The other Scarlett gestured forward. “At present, it seems your allies are more eager to hasten a different outcome.”

Scarlett’s attention shifted to the wizards, several of whom were already preparing spells.

“Hold on! I think that’s the real Scarlett!”

Almost all eyes turned to Rosa, who was sprawled on the ground, her cape serving as a makeshift pillow. She looked thoroughly exhausted, trying to prop herself up on one elbow as she squinted at Scarlett like a child trying to solve a puzzle.

“Or, well, one of them, at least,” the bard added slowly. “Unless I’ve finally lost it and started seeing double, or am still dreaming. Can’t say it’d be the strangest thing I’ve hallucinated… Or dreamt.”

Scarlett looked down at the bedraggled bard with a very mild chuckle. “Even in such a state, Miss Hale, it seems you cannot resist making light of the situation.”

A tired smile crossed Rosa’s face. “Alright, that one’s definitely Scarlett.” Her gaze moved to the other Scarlett. “…Do you maybe have one of those signature snide remarks for me as well?”

The other Scarlett regarded Rosa with a hint of disdain. “If you possessed even half as much wit as you think you do, perhaps we might have been spared your incessant babble.”

Rosa blinked. “Alright, wow… That one is weird. I call fake.”

“Baroness, explain yourself,” Gaspar interjected. Scarlett shifted her focus to the man, noting the wary expressions on his face and that of Magister Penney, who stood nearby.

…What exactly had happened while she was gone?

She motioned around them, where rifts continued overtaking the walls and floor. The space was becoming a chaotic patchwork of fractures, spreading at unsettling speed.

“There is little time for explanations,” she said. “We are all in grave danger.”

“And in the midst of such peril, you still chose to bring me here?” the other Scarlett questioned. “One might question whether you have thought this through.”

Scarlett looked at her briefly, allowing herself a light sneer. “Did you not say it yourself? Even as my enemy, you barely qualify as a threat to me.”

The woman frowned, but offered no reply.

“Ehm, sorry to interrupt,” Allyssa’s voice broke through, drawing Scarlett’s attention. The girl was kneeling beside an unconscious Fynn, seeming to have been tending to his wounds. Scarlett only now registered the extent of his injuries.

“But what is that?!” Allyssa asked, pointing towards the far end of the chamber.

Scarlett followed her line of sight. Amid the cracks and rifts spidering across the walls, a fractured section was giving way to a new, blurred vista. In the distance, it almost resembled the silhouette of a vast city, and above it loomed a single, indistinct form — a greying mass still coalescing, yet poised to engulf the cityscape below. The sight instilled a visceral sense of wrongness deep inside Scarlett.

“That,” she said, a serious expression settling on her face, “is what we have come here to confront.”