"I'm going to split my soul into two."
Riana said it so casually that it froze the air itself.
Valerina's eyes widened.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
She stepped forward, her voice shaking.
"Your soul is already functioning perfectly inside my body. There's no problem at all! What if something goes wrong? What if your soul disappears?!"
Riana sighed softly.
"I'm not saying it will happen… I'm just preparing for the possibility."
Valerina clenched her fists.
"I still don't agree with this. No matter the reason."
Riana's expression hardened.
"Valerina… I'm not joking."
Her tone turned sharp, carrying a rare hint of anger.
---
After consulting with Rivian, Valerina finally made her decision.
There was no other choice.
At any moment, her body could reject Riana's soul. If that happened, everything would be lost. Splitting the soul was the only backup plan.
And there was another advantage—
Even the Royal Knights would struggle to track her. No matter how precisely they traced mana or core signatures, a divided soul would make her existence unstable… unpredictable.
---
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Valerina lowered her gaze. She didn't know what the right decision was anymore.
But she had no other path.
---
"Listen, Valerina," Riana said quietly.
"This is your body. Whether today or tomorrow… it's my responsibility to return it to you."
She paused, then added—
"Did you notice something?"
Valerina looked up.
"Your shadow… contains half of your soul."
It felt like the sky had shattered over her head.
"What…?"
Her voice trembled.
"Then where is the rest of my soul? How is that even possible? I— I can't believe this…"
This was the first time she had ever heard something like this.
---
Riana stepped closer.
"From now on, you won't question anything I do. You'll just listen… and follow."
"If you go against me even once… I won't speak to you again."
Valerina hesitated.
"I always listen to you… but don't ask me to accept something impossible."
"I can't promise that," Riana replied calmly. "Some things are… personal."
"…I'll try."
---
Riana exhaled slowly.
"I'll give my half soul to your shadow… and set it free."
"But listen carefully—"
"If you reject this decision, that soul will never return. It will go to the Soul Realm… waiting for a host."
"And once a soul enters the Soul Realm… it can never come back without a host."
Valerina's heartbeat grew louder.
"And right now," Riana continued, "we don't have a host."
"And your body… could reject my soul at any moment."
"This is the only logical backup."
She looked directly into Valerina's eyes.
"What do you think?"
---
Valerina took a deep breath.
"I told you already… I'll support you. Always."
"Even if no one stands beside you… I will."
---
Riana smiled faintly.
"Then… let's begin the ritual."
---
After the Ritual
"Ahhhh… I'm exhausted."
A voice echoed—yet it was Riana's.
Her half soul, now residing inside Valerina's shadow, spoke with irritation.
"Why did you send me here?"
Riana smirked.
"Because you're reckless. Who knows what you'd do otherwise?"
"And besides… you have a bit of a feminine side."
The shadow flared.
"Excuse me?! I am a girl! What else should I have?!"
"Exactly why I sent you there."
---
Valerina couldn't help but laugh softly.
Watching Riana argue with her own soul was… absurd.
---
"Why are you laughing?" the shadow snapped.
"Oh—sorry," Valerina said, still smiling.
---
The shadow straightened, then declared—
"From today… I'll act like a man."
"And you'll call me—"
Williams Enrik Richard Jr.
---
Valerina blinked.
"…That sounds ridiculous."
"I think Enrik William Jr. sounds better."
"And besides… my family name already exists."
---
Riana suddenly paused.
"Oh right… what was your family name again?"
Valerina answered quietly—
"The House of Valerian."
---
Riana nodded slowly.
"Then it must be a branch of our family that got separated somehow."
"…That's what I know too," Valerina replied.
"But the real problem is… my mother."
"I've never even seen her. If I suddenly appear and say I'm her daughter… will she accept me?"
---
"Don't worry," Riana said calmly.
"I've already looked into her. Rivian told me everything."
---
Valerina hesitated, then asked—
"Why do you want to revive our House so badly?"
"Don't you have your own family?"
---
The shadow—Enrik—listened silently.
He already knew the answer…
But still found the situation absurd—especially his own name.
---
Riana spoke again.
"Do you think people would accept someone who died ten years ago… suddenly returning?"
"Someone claiming to be that same person… wanting to revive their family?"
---
Valerina froze.
"…I didn't think about that."
---
Riana continued—
"You'll go to your mother and tell her you want to take the Royal Academy exam."
"And that you want to revive your family."
"If you can't say it…"
She smirked slightly.
"Leave it to me. I may be short-tempered… but I'm very persuasive."
---
The conversation ended after a long silence.
---
The Next Day
They would all go their separate ways.
Valerina and Riana would meet her mother.
Enrik would visit the graves of their former family… and search for a possible host.
Rivian would gather intelligence on the House of Octavius, who had begun investigating them.
---
The pieces were moving.
And the game… had already begun.