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Chapter 196: Becoming a Goth?

  “Wele, visitors. I am Chloe, the sed queen of this domain. I see you’ve met my jolly friend here.” Chloe gestured toward the skeleton, who grinned in response.

  Roselle and Runebelle were momentarily stunned by Chloe’s unique appearance, but they quickly gathered their wits. Roselle stepped forward and said, “I’m Roselle, and this is my sister Runebelle. We’re ly sure how we ended up here, but we were hoping you might be able to help us.”

  iled and leaned ba her grand throne. “Oh, a rather straightforward request, isn’t it? Well, I certainly help you, but first, you must prove that you’re willing to embrace the Gothic way of life.”

  Runebelle questioned, “Gothic way of life?”

  Chloe nodded, her wings fluttering slightly. “Yes, dear. To fit in here, you must embrace our s and style. It’s the only way to truly bee a part of Jay’s Domain.”

  The sisters exged a gnce. Roselle theantly nodded, “All right, Chloe. We’ll do our best to fit in and learn your ways. But we also need your help to find our friend, Haras. you assist us?”

  Chloe’s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, and she replied, “Of course, my dears. First, I’ll help you bee true Goths. Once you’ve embraced our way of life, we’ll discuss how to find your lost friend.”

  Chloe led Roselle and Runebelle to a desote cemetery that y shrouded in darkness, fitting the gothic theme of Jay’s Domain. The moonlight cast eerie shadows over the tombstones, creating a surreal atmosphere. At the ter of the cemetery stood an ominous-looking pit, the Grave of Acceptance, as Chloe had called it.

  Chloe turo the sisters with an enigmatic smile and expined, “To truly embrace the Gothic way of life, you must be willing to accept the darkness within yourself. In this first test, you must symbolically ‘die’ to your old selves and embrace what others may sider dark or unventional. The Grave of Acceptance is where you’ll take this first step.”

  Roselle and Runebelle exged a nervous g khey had no choice but to proceed. Roselle took a deep breath and said, “All right, Chloe. We’re ready.”

  Chloe nodded aured toward the pit. “Then it’s time to take the plunge.”

  The sisters approached the Grave of Acceptahe pit looked deep, and the darkness within seemed almost imperable. It brought terror to them, but they had no choice but to face their fears.

  Side by side, Roselle and Runebelle took steps until they reached the edge of the pit. Without a sed thought, they held hands, looked at each other with resolve, and then leaped into the darkness.

  The two desded into the depths of the Grave of Acceptahey felt an overwhelmiion of transformation and ge. Roselle and Runebelle opeheir eyes, but what they saw left them utterly bewildered. Roselle’s once vibrant yellow hair had turned a ghostly shade of white, while Runebelle’s blue hair had darkeo an intense, pitch-bck. Roselle’s hair, previously tied, now flowed freely like a casg waterfall.

  Chloe, with her butterfly-like wings, led Roselle and Runebelle to their challehe test of Accepting the Darkness Within. When they ehis chamber, mirrors began to form around them, encirg the trio.

  Chloe expined, “This test will show you the darker aspects of your appearahe potential for darkness within you. It’s crucial to front and accept these aspects.”

  The mirrors came to life, revealing distorted refles of the sisters. Roselle saw herself with crimson eyes and an uling grin, wieldiructive powers. Runebelle’s refle showed her with a sinister aura, casting shadows over everything she touched.

  Chloe could be heard from everywhere in the chamber with her speech, “This is the darkhat could e you. You must face it and accept it as a part of yourselves.”

  In the mirror, Roselle’s refle took on a sinister form, coalesg into the Dark Whirlwind. The wicked version of Roselle sneered and taunted, “You’re a fake, Roselle. You’ll never defeat me.”

  The dark maion unleashed a malevolent bst, and it appeared to hurtle directly at Roselle. In terror, she recoiled, falling to the floor with a scream. Chloe observed the se with a somewhat amused look.

  Dark Whirlwind appeared all around Roselle. Roselle trembled in fear a overwhelmed by her. “No... That’s not me... I’m not the fake,” she stuttered. “I ’t be...”

  But Dark Whirlwind tiaunting her relentlessly, “You lost to me, Roselle. You stand no ce. What right do you have to that face you hold? You’re just a copy of me.”

  Roselle desperately tried to fire back. Her hands were shaking while aiming her on at them. But the on refused to cooperate. It didn’t fire wheempted to. “No, not now!”

  Dark Whirlwind’s mog ughter echoed through the chamber. “See? You’re powerless. You ’t even defend yourself.”

  Roselle’s vision blurred with tears. “Maybe... maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m just a copy...”

  Suddenly, a firm hand grasped Roselle’s shoulder, followed by someone speaking that sounded familiar. “What’s the matter, Roselle? You should know who you are.”

  Roselle looked up to see Risebelle’s serious demeanor and pierg gaze. “Risebelle...?”

  Risebelle’s grip tightened. “Don’t let her break you. You are not a copy. You are Roselle, my sister, and you have a strength that no dark refle take away.”

  Roselle closed her eyes for a moment, taking in her sister’s words. She remembered everything she went through, the memories she had made, and the strength she had drawn from her memory fragments.

  A fierce, raging aura fred up around Roselle. Her eyes snapped open with fire bzing from them. “I am Roselle!” she shouted loudly. “My memories, my feelings, my strength—they’re all real. I am not a copy!”

  Drawing on her renewed fidence, Roselle aimed her on and fired with a precise shot.

  The bst of energy struck Dark Whirlwind, enveloping her in a blinding light. The sinister refle let out an anguished cry before shattering intments. The oppressive atmosphere lifted, and the chamber returo its normal state.

  Roselle stood tall. She turo Risebelle, gratitude in her gaze. “Thank you, Risebelle. I ha--?”

  When Roselle looked around, the mental image of Risebelle was gone. Intrast, Runebelle’s mirrors revealed a darker version of herself, but her face remained sistently sad. She simply said, “I accept myself as I am.”

  Chloe, looking pleased with their responses, announced, “You’ve both passed the sed test admirably...”

  Both sisters heard a chime and looked down. They noticed dark goth-like dresses had been zapped onto their bodies. “There’s o challeo overe.”

  Roselle and Runebelle gazed into the mirrors. They found themselves fag their final test. In Roselle’s mirror, she saw herself, but something was different. She appeared to have pleted 100% of her Data colle for Project Mage, and her system gratuted her for her success.

  However, the gratutory tourned sinister as her system ordered her to destroy Risebelle and Runebelle.

  Roselle shook her head, “No, I ’t do it.”

  But the refles of Risebelle and Runebelle in the mirror acted differently. They turowards her with cold faces. “We have to kill Kintovar and all of her creations,” they said in unison.

  Roselle’s heart raced, ” I…..I have to protect Dr. Kintovar!”

  Suddenly, Dr. Kintovar materialized on the ground, injured and vulnerable. Her b coat was stained with blood, and her face was twisted in pain. “Roselle, help me,” she gasped.

  Roselle had no choice but to eliminate her sisters to stop them. The three sisters faced each other with on shots charged and ready.

  With a shout, they unleashed their attacks simultaneously. The energy beams cshed in mid-air. The force of the collisio shockwaves through the room, but Roselle’s was stronger.

  In the end, Roselle’s on shot overwhelmed Risebelle and Runebelle ahem defeated on the floor.

  Dr. Kintot up with a smile, “Well done, Roselle. Now, finish the job quickly.”

  Roselle hesitated. She looked with sense of sorrow and fli her heart. Her on was still charged, ready to deliver the final blow.

  In the end, with a heavy heart, Roselle unleashed a massive purple beam at her sisters, who looked at her with sadness. The devastating attack struck them, and they slowly faded away, leaving only lingering traces of their presence.

  Kintovar, with a sinister smile, decred, “I knew you would be the one of use to me, Roselle.”

  Roselle stood there, torn apart by the choices she had made.

  Chloe’s eyes widened with surprise and amusement. “Oh-ho, is this who Roselle really is? Is this the choice she’s made? Is she happy with it?”

  “No,” Roselle whispered. “This …isn’t ….me. This isn’t who I am.”

  “Then why did you make that choice, Roselle? Was it to protect Kintovar, or was it out of fear? What is the answer?”

  Roselle ched her fists and closed her eyes tightly.“I was trying to protect Dr. Kintovar... but not at the cost of my sisters. I ’t be happy with this.”

  Chloe’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Then tell me, Roselle, who do you care about more? Dr. Kintovar or your sisters? Who would you rather protect?”

  Roselle’s heart pounded as she opened her eyes, filled with anguish. “How I choose something like that? Nobody make a choice like that!”

  Chloe spoke with a more harsh tone.“In life, sometimes we have to make difficult decisions. You ’t alrotect everyone. Roselle, to pass this test, you must choose your darkness. You must decide who matters more to you.”

  Roselle felt her world colpsing around her. She g her sisters with hope and trust, and then at Dr. Kintovar. She stammered. “I ’t... I ’t do this. I ’t choose.”

  Chloe’sl tone remained firm. “You must, Roselle. That is the only way to pass this test and uand your ow. Embrace the darkness, and make your choice.”

  Roselle took a deep breath. Memories of her sisters fshed before her eyes—their shared ughter, their unwavering support, their bond fed through tless hardships. She then remembered Dr. Kintovar, the one who had given her purpose and dire. The images fshed in her mind tless times until she made a decision.

  Tears streamed down Roselle’s face as she whispered, “I... I y sisters. I ’t abandon them, not even for Dr. Kintovar.”

  The moment she spoke the words, the se began to shift. The room around them dissolved into a haze.

  Chloe stepped forward.“You have passed, Roselle. You made the difficult choice from your heart.”

  Chloe summoned a mirror with a wave of her hand infront of Roselle. “Now, Roselle, let’s see how your sister is faring. Will she make the right choice, as you did?”

  In the final test, Runebelle’s vision shifted, taking her back to a crucial moment from her past. She found herself reliving the day when she had been fronted by Kintovar. The memory was crystal clear, and it all came rushing ba the vision, Runebelle had just received a cheerful notification from her system, inf her that her data colle was at an impressive 75%, but found out a terrifying thing about Dr. Kintovar.

  Kintovar’s was firm when looking at Runebelle, “Roselle, step aside. This is between me and Runebelle. I don’t want you involved in this.”

  Runebelle had her hand poised origger of her on. She made the most difficult decision of her life.

  Runebelle had her hand poised origger of her on. The weight of the decision pressed heavily upon her, her mind rag with the implications.

  In the past, Runebelle had hesitated. This time, she wasn’t going to fire either, but Kintan to speak. “So, this is how you repay me, Runebelle? After everything I’ve done for you, this is yratitude? Pathetic.”

  Kintovar’s twisted into a cruel smile. “You’re nothing but a failure. I created you, and this is how you choose to behave? You disgust me.”

  Runebelle’s hands trembled, her resolve weakening with each venomous word.

  Kintovar tinued in a tone dripping with malice. “That’s okay though. I could always use a spare set of parts when I dismantle you. I’ll create a far better android, one who isn’t like you. I regret eveing you, Runebelle. You’ve turned your ba your creator.”

  The words cut deep.

  “You are my creation,” Kintovar sneered, “and you shouldn’t have the free will I instated. That was my mistake that I will correct.”

  “No!” Runebelle screamed. She closed her eyes tightly with tears streaming down her face. She fired her on, the bst tearing through the air. The vision shattered, leaving Runebelle standing alone, her chest heaving with emotion.

  Chloe spoke to them. “So, Runebelle, you chose to fire. Is this who you truly are?”

  “I did what I had to do. I couldn’t let her tinue. Not at the cost of my sister or anyone else.”

  Chloe nodded, “Sometimes. pain is the price we pay to protect what we love.”

  Runebelle responded while trembling. “I repared to kill my creator that day for hiding something that I ’t even say.”

  Chloe tilted her head. “But you didn’t do it in the past.”

  Runebelle took a deep breath. “If Kintovar ever said anything like that, I wouldn’t hesitate. My sisters wouldn’t deserve a creator like that.”

  Chloe ughed loudly. “What an amusing statement.”

  With a wave of her hand, the chamber’s oppressive atmosphere began to lift. “You pass, Runebelle.”

  Both sisters were now joined in the same p the chamber. Chloe’s looked at Roselle and Runebelle with a satisfied smile. “In the world of Goths, embrag darkness doesn’t mean losing yourself to it. It means knowing your darkness, fag it, and maintaining trol. A true Goth is not someone who succumbs to their inner demons, but someone who harhe power of their dark side and uses it to their advantage.”

  She tinued, “With that uanding, Roselle and Runebelle, I’m pleased to annouhat you are officially Goths. You’ve both showrength to front your shadows and e out even stronger. Wele…to our world.”

  Roselle and Runebelle were guided by Chloe to the grand party. The party was filled with goth girls and boys, as well as various dark and mystical creatures, all dang and enjoying themselves in this dark atmosphere.

  The sisters were now part of this unique and diverse world, surrounded by beings who had embraced their inner darkness.

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