The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 63: Polaris – Violet Will Find Violet’s Path. (1)

While driving to the hospital, my head was in chaos.

I couldn’t figure out what to do moving forward.

To be honest, I was scared.

I didn’t know what to do anymore.

As the heat gradually drained from my mind, which had been stained with anger and excitement, I faced the cold reality.

The victory I achieved in the recent duel was purely by chance.

I was simply consumed by rage, blinded by baseless confidence in my abilities, and recklessly charged forward.

Wisdom and rationality were thrown out the window.

Despite others trying to stop me, I charged ahead only to hit a high wall.

All the vows and resolutions I had made previously turned out to be empty, unachievable fantasies.

And then, I realized—I had been deceiving myself.

I had only been preoccupied with escaping reality.

In the fight with Martina, I understood my limits.

A B-grade Hunter wasn’t such a special existence in this world.

And after all the hardships I had endured, what could I possibly do when faced with stronger beings above me?

I had to admit it.

I was too weak—both mentally and physically.

Facing the truth I had been ignoring was unbearably unpleasant and deeply sorrowful, but I couldn’t lie to myself any longer.

That wasn’t all.

Until recently, I had been living a meaningless life without any real motivation.

I relied on my shallow power and acted thoughtlessly.

As a result, someone who lived with me and saw me every day ended up getting hurt.

She was always kind and good to me. I knew what the root of the problem was, but even so, I couldn’t help but hate myself. I’m trash, a fool, an idiot!

Let’s admit it. I, Violet, am nothing but a pathetic and stupid girl.

Now, what should I do moving forward?

I didn’t want to stay at school any longer. I didn’t want to face the greater disasters, incidents, or the flow of this world anymore.

“Violet, do you want to go in first? I’ll stop by the administration office and come back.”

At the hospital, I parted ways with Irene and took the elevator.

When I opened the hospital room door, a silver-haired girl sitting neatly in the middle of the white room on the bed turned her head.

Daphne’s blue eyes were filled with joy, and a small smile bloomed on her lips.

“You’re here! I’ve woken up!”

“…D-Daphne, are you okay?”

“Ah, Rugilinn! Don’t worry about me. The doctor said I could be discharged right away. Ouch…! My back. Can you help me get up for a moment?”

Despite having gone through something bad, there wasn’t a trace of concern on her face. I should have been happy to see her like that, but I couldn’t be.

Overwhelmed by emotion, I hugged Daphne tightly.

“Huh..? Ahh? Rugilinn?”

“I’m… sorry!… I’m so sorry…”

For some reason, tears began to pour out uncontrollably.

I closed my eyes as I held her in my arms.

“You must have been through something difficult.”

“…”

How embarrassing. Here I was, acting like a child, clinging to a patient.

She gently stroked my head.

“Can you tell me about it? If it’s too sensitive, you don’t have to say anything.”

“Well, actually…”

I slowly opened my mouth.

* * *

A few hours before Violet visited the hospital.

Daphne had a dream.

She immediately recognized that she was dreaming.

It was a familiar scene, one she had experienced countless times in an endlessly repetitive cycle.

This was a childhood nightmare that would never be erased—a terrible curse deeply entwined with her heart, like unbreakable chains.

Daphne found herself in her parents’ car, waking up during her elementary school years.

Beside her, her younger sister was rummaging through a snack bag with a carefree expression.

‘…It’s this again.’

It was too vivid for a dream.

She could feel the temperature, the textures, even the smells.

The familiar scent of lavender filled the car.

It was her mother’s favorite perfume, which she used so much that its aroma clung to every corner of the house and even her father’s car.

At that time, Daphne was on an outing with her parents and younger sister.

Their destination was an amusement park in the eastern district.

One day, her father had received a small bonus from work, and, coincidentally, her mother had been gifted amusement park discount tickets from her workplace.

When those two small coincidences aligned, her parents, who usually had no time or money to spare due to her younger sister’s needs, willingly decided to give their daughters a memorable experience, despite their fatigue.

What they overlooked, however, was that the road to the amusement park was notoriously congested, even under normal circumstances.

Coupled with it being a weekend, the family found themselves stuck on the road for hours.

Young Daphne, unable to bear the cramped conditions of the car, grew irritable.

Meanwhile, her hungry younger sister, Laurel, turned her gaze to the cookie bag Daphne was holding.

“…Sis, you’re not eating that, right? Give it to me.”

“Hey! Are you a pig or something? You already ate a ton this morning! Mom gave you some too. Where did that go?”

“I don’t know! Just give it to me! Give it to me!”

Laurel had long since finished the snack bag their mother had given her.

Daphne, irritated by her sister’s greed, didn’t hide her frustration.

“Ugh! Fine, just shut up!”

Young Daphne tossed the cookie bag at Laurel.

The bag accidentally hit Laurel’s face, prompting a short yelp.

Watching this, their mother grew angry.

“Daphne! What are you doing to Laurel? How could you throw something at your little sister like that?”

“What? I just gave it to her because she asked for it! She keeps begging for my stuff!”

While the mother and daughter argued, Laurel, seemingly unbothered by being hit, happily ate the cookies.

“Hehe, yummy, yummy…”

Present-day Daphne observed the scene and thought.

Laurel, my gluttonous, spoiled little sister.

You were always sickly as a child. The misaligned exposure to ether waves had messed up your immune system.

Mom and Dad were always busy working to pay for your medical bills. Every night, you would cry in bed, and they would rush to your side.

Sometimes, when you woke up, you’d secretly rummage through the cookie jar behind Mom’s back.

During meals, you’d often take not just your share, but mine too.

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Now I understand. For a child isolated from the world by illness, snacking was your only happiness.

After her argument with their mom, a sulking Daphne glared at her sister with resentment.

Laurel, seemingly oblivious to her older sister’s anger, happily munched away, even licking the crumbs off her fingers.

In her sister’s arms was a small doll that caught Daphne’s attention.

It was a doll Daphne cherished dearly.

“What the—? Hey! Laurel! Why do you have that?”

“This…? It’s… it’s mine!”

Daphne tried to snatch the doll from Laurel’s grasp.

Laurel held onto it tightly, struggling to keep it.

Feeling annoyed, Daphne smacked Laurel on the forehead and proudly reclaimed the doll.

Laurel burst into tears.

“Waaaah…!”

“Laurel? Are you okay?”

“Daphne Grace! What do you think you’re doing?”

While Mom comforted Laurel, Dad, who had been quietly gripping the steering wheel, shouted at her.

Daphne protested.

“Dad! She took my doll!”

“You could’ve talked it out. Hitting your sister? I’m very disappointed in you, Daphne.”

“Ugh… why are you acting like this?”

As her parents scolded her, young Daphne felt sorrow creeping in.

She wanted to yell that it was Laurel who started it first.

“…Daphne. Apologize to Laurel right now.”

“No!”

Young Daphne yelled at the top of her lungs.

“She’s the one who was wrong! Why should I apologize?”

“Daphne. The way you’re acting right now…”

“Why do you always side with Laurel? Why am I the one who has to apologize every time?”

She was sick of hearing the same things over and over again.

Her parents’ words echoed in her ears like a broken record: Because your sister is sick, you need to understand her. Laurel is still young and struggling, so can’t you give her a little leeway?

“Why don’t you ever take my side!”

Frustration from hours of being stuck in traffic ignited the fuse, and Daphne poured out all her pent-up resentment.

“Why didn’t you come to my school play last time? I was the only one in my class without parents there. You said it couldn’t be helped because of Laurel back then, too.”

“Th-that was…”

Her parents stammered, caught off guard by the unexpected reproach.

Watching her younger self now, the present Daphne felt a surge of complicated emotions.

I understand now.

Back then, Laurel had to be rushed to the emergency room because she couldn’t breathe.

“And on my birthday last year, you didn’t come until late at night! Wasn’t that because of Laurel, too?”

That time, I cried a lot.

I stayed up all night with tear-stained eyes.

Even so, I can understand now.

It was only later that I found out my frail sister had fallen into cardiac arrest.

Young Daphne spilled out every bitter memory as if demanding compensation for the pain she had endured.

“We were really sorry for that, but…”

“You made promises you didn’t keep! You said you’d help me with my homework, but you didn’t! Why don’t you ever take my side?”

Present Daphne wanted to defend them somehow.

It’s true. My parents prioritized my sister.

But they never ignored me completely.

They tried their best to make it up to me, even if it was belated.

The next morning, they brought me a cake and a gift, and they never forgot to apologize to me.

I understand now.

I know my parents’ circumstances.

Daphne knew all too well what her younger self was about to say.

It was a scene she had seen countless times before.

So please, don’t say it.

Anything but those words.

“Daphne, I’m truly sorry. But still…”

“No! I hate you, Mom! I hate you, Dad! And I hate her too!”

Despite her plea, the humiliating moment from her past replayed itself.

“I don’t need a sister who’s always sick! Why does she even exist? She’s so annoying! I wish she’d just disappear!”

“…!”

“Daphne!”

Present Daphne felt like covering her ears.

The girl, overcome with anger, sobbed as she ran out of the car into the gridlocked traffic.

She ignored the calls of her parents, darting between the cars before leaping over a roadside fence and crouching down to hide.

She heard her parents’ worried voices searching for her as they passed by, but she stayed silent.

“…Sister! Where are you?”

After hiding for a while, a familiar voice made her peek out.

Laurel was walking along the road, holding the doll in her hands.

Daphne quickly tried to hide again, but Laurel found her first.

Like a puppy who’d just found its owner, Laurel waddled over, only to trip and fall with a thud.

“…Ugh, waaaah!”

“You idiot! Why didn’t you just stay in the car? Why did you come out here…!”

Unable to bear the sound of her sister crying, young Daphne climbed back over the fence and returned to the road.

Sniffling, Laurel held out the doll.

“H-here. I’m sorry…”

“…”

“I liked hugging it to sleep… because it’s so soft. I’m sorry for taking it.”

“Ugh, whatever! The road is dangerous—why did you even come out here?”

Though young Daphne was upset, she couldn’t push Laurel away.

She saw her parents running toward them.

She thought to herself, I’m going to get scolded again because of you.

Suddenly, sirens wailed loudly across the road.

The faces of her mom and dad, who were running toward them, darkened abruptly.

“…Daphne! Laurel! Let’s go back! Honey, get the kids!”

“Mom? Dad? What’s going on?”

“It’s a Level 2 Emergency Alert! We have to get back to the car, now!”

Grasping their hands without understanding what was happening, Daphne ran back to the spot they had been at earlier.

Nearby, she began to hear a spine-chilling noise, as if the air itself were being ripped apart.

-Bzzt! Crackle!

Large and small gates began to appear in rapid succession in the middle of the road.

From inside them, monsters filled with malice began pouring out.

For the first time in her life, Daphne came to understand what murderous intent was.

“Hurry, quickly…!”

Explosions, screams, and incomprehensible roars filled the air.

She was gripped by terror.

The Grace family fled with all their might.