CHAPTER 262: MELODIES OF STEEL [PART 2]

Latifa woke up abruptly when she felt her body fall on something soft and bouncy.

"Ugh..."

The young fox lady slowly propped herself up and looked around her, still half asleep.

She was currently on a bed, but it wasn’t as comfortable as the bed in the clock tower, which she had claimed as her own.

"Lotte?" Latifa called out. "Lumi?"

Originally, she had called them sisters, but since Alex had named them, she decided it would be a good idea to address them by name.

It gave her Alters more individuality, which was something that she hadn’t thought was necessary.

In the past, she had considered her Alters different parts of her. It would be weird to give them names aside from her own.

But Alex had insisted that while they were technically her, they also had their own personalities. It would be best if they were given names to differentiate them from one another.

And so, Latifa called out to Lotte and Lumi, who wouldn’t stray too far from her because they were her protectors.

"Uh... I’m so sleepy," Latifa rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake while waiting for her Alters to return.

But no matter how much she tried to call out to them, the two didn’t appear.

Something was wrong.

Latifa lightly patted her cheeks till she was more alert.

There was a time to sleep and there was a time to move.

And right now, it was definitely not the time to sleep! She would be a fool to doze off in a strange place without her protectors by her side.

Also, it was too noisy to sleep. Loud booming sounds reverberating around her like she was under some kind of attack.

The young lady got up and walked to the closest window to see what was happening.

What she saw made her eyes widen in shock.

Flames and black smoke engulfed the stone walls as balls of fire descended from the sky.

Whatever drowsiness she still had instantly evaporated. She was now fully awake as war cries, curses, and fighting reached her ears.

"H-Huh?!" Latifa gasped in disbelief as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. From the looks of it, she was in a castle that was under siege. "Is this a dream? Am I still asleep?"

As if to answer her, a fireball flew straight towards her.

Latifa only had a few seconds to run as far as she could from the window before the fireball struck. The resulting explosion sent chunks of stone, glass, and metal flying everywhere.

As the flames spread throughout the room, the young lady propped herself up from the floor.

She had managed to cast a purple barrier around herself right before the fireball hit her room. Although it had managed to protect her from much of the fire and shrapnel, she hadn’t been able to maintain her footing.

Knowing that staying put would be a very, very bad idea, Latifa rushed towards the only door in the room. However, it opened abruptly before she could even touch the handle.

"Princess, are you hurt?!" two dwarven ladies armed with axes exclaimed in unison.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else," Latifa replied as the two dwarves checked her body for injuries. "I’m not a princ—"

———

Synchronization Rate increased by 6%

Current Synchronization Rate 10%

———

Latifa’s eyebrows shot up as her mouth started speaking on its own.

"Kara, Runa, what is happening?" Latifa asked. "Why are we getting attacked all of a sudden?!"

Kara, whose dark hair was tied in a bun to keep it out of her face and way, sighed. "They are the chieftains of the Barbarian Tribes who have been invited to participate in the great ceremony of our forefathers, Princess," she replied grimly.

"It seems that they came with the intention to take over this castle by force. They used the ceremony as an excuse to bring their armies."

As Kara explained the situation, she grabbed the princess’s hand and pulled her into the hallway. They must head to the shelter deeper inside the palace and there was no time to lose.

Runa, a freckled redhead, also spoke her mind.

"I believe that they are also angry because our King rejected their proposal of marrying you to the Barbarian King. The King didn’t wish for you to become the Barbarian King’s fourth wife. But I’m sure that they have other reasons for conspiring to attack us."

The two dwarves were the princess’s shield maidens, whose duty was to ensure her safety.

Latifa could tell that the two dwarves, who seemed to be around the same age as Fran, were incredibly strong.

However, she still didn’t understand why she suddenly knew their names. It was as if she had known them for a long time.

’Just what is going on?’ Latifa tried to summon her Alters once more, but her connection with Lotte and Lumi seemed to be blocked by some kind of mysterious power.

Latifa gritted her teeth as another explosion rocked the walls of the hallway behind them, showering debris everywhere.

This wasn’t just a vision, an illusion, or a dream.

It felt too real.

Her power also had something to do with illusions, but she just knew that she would not be able to break out of it using her own willpower.

The pounding of her heart, the heat of the flames, the grip of her worried shield maiden—it was as if she had lived in this body for years, not minutes.

But the most terrifying part wasn’t the siege. It was the creeping realization that she was becoming someone else without intending to.

Every once in a while, her lips parted and she heard herself saying things she didn’t know anything about.

Her mouth moved faster than her mind. It was like something else was guiding her actions.

Or someone else’s memories were bleeding into her own.

"Where is the King?!" Latifa blurted, her voice laced with a panic she didn’t recognize.

"His Majesty is holding the gate with the Royal Guard," Kara replied as she blocked a falling beam with her axe. "He said... if they are to take the castle, they’ll have to climb over his corpse."

———

Synchronization Rate increased by 12%

Current Synchronization Rate: 22%

———

Latifa’s knees buckled.

Visions exploded in her mind.

Images of a dwarven princess—young, proud, radiant—dancing in the royal halls...

Forging bonds with Kara and Runa...

Weeping behind her veil as she refused the Barbarian King’s hand in marriage...

Whispering to a knight in secret beneath the moonlight...

The memories weren’t hers.

But they were becoming part of her.

No. Latifa pressed her hand against her chest, trying to reclaim herself.

I’m not her. I’m not this princess. I’m Latifa.

And yet...

"Princess, please!" Runa shouted as a spell blew up yet another section of the hallway.

The two shield maidens pushed Latifa down and used their bodies to shield her from the explosion.

"Are you alright, Princess?!" Kara asked frantically as she helped Latifa to her feet. "Are you hurt?"

"Yes," Latifa complained. "I got hurt when the two of you slammed my body on the floor."

The possibility that the princess was suffering from brain damage due to the explosion crossed the shield maidens’ minds, but this was something for future them to deal with. Kara grabbed the princess’s arm and half pulled, half dragged her as they made their escape.

Latifa could feel herself being slowly taken over.

For the first time since entering Frieden Academy, the young fox lady felt fear because she couldn’t use the powers that she had once wielded as freely as breathing.

As chaos and destruction descended upon them, the two shield maidens pulled a torch from its mount. That section of the hallway gave way to reveal a hidden path.

"I’ll go first," Runa said as she held the torch and led the way.

Latifa followed behind her.

Kara only caught up with them after making sure that the wall had returned to its rightful place, preventing anyone from coming after them.

As the three descended into the dark hidden tunnel, the sound of explosions faded away.

But instead of feeling relief, Latifa felt more anxious. The strange voice inside her head spoke again, making her bite her lip in frustration.

———

Synchronization Rate increased by 3%

Current Synchronization Rate: 25%

———

Latifa couldn’t help but feel that she was losing something very important.

And she was indeed losing them.

Her memories. Her identity.

But as she lost these things, she also gained a few others.

Memories of the dwarven princess, who was now currently on the run as her peaceful kingdom went up in flames.

Her desire to find the ancient relics of her ancestors.

And her belief in the prophecy that whoever could reclaim those relics would become a Demigod and rule the entire continent of Elarion.