Chương 195: Dead Man Walking

Vale's eyes widened slightly as Ali spoke, the name lingering in the air longer than it should have. Slowly, Vale lifted one hand to his chin, the other arm crossing beneath it as his posture shifted into something cautious and contemplative. His gaze sharpened, pupils narrowing as he quietly repeated the name to himself.

"Leo Lionheart… huh?" He let the words roll around in his mind, turning them over again and again as if repetition alone might coax meaning out of them. Nothing came. No image. No memory. No feeling. Just an empty void where recognition should have been. Vale frowned faintly.

'Of course,' he thought.

'My memories were erased. I shouldn't be surprised.' Still, the absence unsettled him more than he cared to admit. After a long pause, he lifted his eyes back to Ali. The man stood there with that same relaxed posture, that same easy smile, too easy, Vale thought. His arms crossed slowly over his chest as suspicion crept up his spine like a cold hand.

"He…" Vale began, then stopped, studying Ali more carefully.

"…are you a god?" The question hung between them. For the first time since they had met, Ali's expression changed. His eyes widened, just slightly. His smile faltered, fading away as if it had never been real to begin with. He didn't answer. He didn't move. For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to still. Vale felt the tension immediately. His muscles tightened, instincts flaring. His eyes narrowed further, every sense on edge.

'Did I hit something?' he wondered. Then, without warning, Ali burst into laughter. It was sudden, loud and unrestrained. Vale startled, taking an involuntary step back as his arms dropped from their crossed position. His hand hovered near his weapon, uncertainty flashing across his face.

"What?" Vale muttered. Ali laughed as if Vale had just delivered the greatest joke he'd ever heard, clutching his sides, shoulders shaking. The sound echoed unnaturally, lingering longer than laughter should. Vale stared at him, baffled.

'What was funny about that?' He waited, saying nothing, allowing the moment to stretch. Curiosity warred with irritation as Ali slowly began to recover, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye and straightening with a wide grin.

"Woah," Ali said, placing a hand against his chest as he exhaled.

"Didn't know you thought so highly of me, kid." Vale raised a brow, unconvinced. His fingers brushed the shaft of his spear, a subtle but deliberate motion.

"So," Vale said carefully, "you aren't a god?" Ali didn't answer immediately. He crossed his arms, studying Vale with a look that was suddenly far more difficult to read. Then he vanished. Ali's voice echoed from behind him, slightly above Vale his shoulder.

"I am not a god, no." Vale exhaled sharply, forcing himself not to react too violently as he turned, eyes locking onto Ali once more. The man stood there as casually as ever, as if he hadn't just defied logic. Vale reached into his armor and retrieved the strange mask he had found earlier. Its surface felt cool and unfamiliar in his hands. He fixed Ali with a steady stare before pulling it over his face. The world shifted.

The mask's enhanced senses flared to life, layers of perception unfolding as Vale opened his eyes, expecting to see something. A distortion. A hidden form. A truth beneath the illusion. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Instead, There was nothing. Ali wasn't there. Not hidden. Not obscured. Gone. Vale's breath caught. He removed the mask slowly, staring down at it in disbelief.

"Why can't I see you?" he murmured under his breath. Ali reappeared beside him without warning, leaning slightly to examine the mask. His eyes traced its surface with mild interest.

"Ah," Ali said.

"I see. You're trying to figure out what I am, aren't you?" Vale stepped back, unease tightening his chest. He nodded, his expression conflicted, wary, and honest all at once.

"Yeah," he admitted.

"Pretty much." Ali regarded him for a moment, something strange flickering across his face, something almost like regret.

"Well," Ali said at last, "you're not in luck. That mask doesn't work on higher beings." Vale's heart skipped a beat.

"So for now," Ali continued calmly, "your curiosity remains unsatisfied." Vale stared at him, then let out a slow, defeated sigh. He slid the mask back into his pocket, fingers lingering there longer than necessary.

"…Is there anything you can tell me?" Vale asked quietly. Ali looked up, thoughtful. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, humming softly to himself.

"Let me think." Vale watched him in silence, suspicion gnawing at him from the inside.

'Who are you?'

'Are you lying to me, or telling the truth?' He didn't know if Ali was reliable. He didn't know if he was being manipulated. But he knew one thing for certain: Ali knew things. Things no one else seemed willing, or able, to explain. For now, that made him Vale's best option. As Ali finally opened his eyes, Vale's thoughts spiraled to a breaking point. He clenched his jaw, then made a decision. Ali spoke first.

"Has Mirage already told you about the splitting of your soul?" Vale froze. His eyes widened, hand snapping instinctively to his blade as disbelief flashed across his face.

"The..... what?" Vale demanded. Ali hesitated, conflict flickering across his expression.

"I see," he said slowly.

"So you don't know yet." Vale's grip tightened, then loosened. His gaze searched Ali's face for deception and found none, only caution.

"I guess," Ali continued, "I can explain the basics. If you're interested."

'Does he know what happened to me?'

'Can I trust him?' Vale's thoughts churned violently, suspicion battling with desperation. Slowly, reluctantly, he released his blade.

"…Please," Vale said at last, voice low but resolute.

"Tell me what happened to me." Ali's smile returned, but this time, it was softer. Almost reverent.

"Very well," he said. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, gaze steady and intent.

"Then why don't we start," Ali said, "at the very beginning." Vale studied the man with cautious curiosity, his posture rigid as he waited for whatever truth was about to be revealed. Ali met his gaze evenly before speaking again, his tone calm but deliberate.

"I'm sure you're already aware of your memory loss," Ali said.

"However, that alone was not the only consequence of your survival." Vale's brow lifted slightly, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

"Survival?" he echoed.

"What do you mean by that?" Ali's gaze sharpened, something guarded slipping into his expression.

"That part," he said after a brief pause, "is something I cannot tell you yet." Vale opened his mouth to press him further, but Ali continued before he could interrupt.

"When you lost your memories," Ali said, "your soul was split as well. Divided into five distinct parts, each one embodying a different aspect of who you are." Vale's breath slowed. His eyes never left Ali's face.

"You," Ali continued, gesturing subtly toward Vale, "are the original. The core. The power source from which the others were formed." Ali paused, giving the words time to settle before going on.

"Mirage, the one you have already reabsorbed, represented your control. Your discipline. The part of you that keeps your strength contained and directed." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Or at least… the discipline you were meant to have." Vale clenched his jaw but said nothing. Ali waited a moment, allowing the weight of the revelation to sink in.

"I won't tell you what the remaining aspects represent," Ali said at last.

"Not yet. But understand this: your memories and your soul are linked. As you reclaim each fragment of your soul, you will regain portions of your memories." Ali's voice lowered.

"And when you retrieve them all, you won't simply remember who you were. You will have your full power, and your full self, restored." Vale's eyes narrowed, unease tightening in his chest.

"And you expect me to believe all of this?" he asked quietly. Ali did not answer that question. Instead, Vale spoke again.

"Can you at least tell me what my full power looks like?" Ali considered the question carefully, then shook his head.

"I cannot," he said.

"Or rather, I am not allowed to. I could ask a friend what it might resemble, but even then, the answer would be uncertain." He looked back at Vale.

"Your abilities are unique. In simple terms, it is impossible to know for sure what you will become." Vale let out a slow breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"Seriously," he muttered. When he opened them again, his expression had hardened. One final question remained, and it was the one that had troubled him the most.

"Do you know why I can't be seen in mirrors?" Vale asked.

"Why I don't cast a shadow?" His voice was steady, but his gaze was not.

"Does it have something to do with my soul being incomplete?" Ali's lips curved upward into a wicked, knowing smile.

"Oh," he said smoothly, stepping forward.

"It absolutely does." Vale remained where he stood, tracking Ali's movement with his eyes as his thoughts spiraled. Each word weighed heavily on him, colliding with questions he wasn't ready to face. Ali passed by him without another glance. Vale didn't turn. He didn't move. Only his ears caught Ali's voice one final time, drifting through the air like an echo.

"Until next time," Ali said softly.

"Young Vale." And just like that, he was gone.