Chapter 105: A Tale of Two Drives [Illustration]

"You couldn't have known this, right?" Mary asks Viviane, handing over her phone as they sit near one of her paintings in progress.

Viviane's eyes are unmoving as she scrolls through Daniel's text that came as promised, detailing their experience with a seller named Rose. Amid this new connection, it felt likely enough that someone like her, who studied in Egypt and enjoyed the lectures under Victor Grayson, would also buy their book.

However, the possibility of Layna Moore being connected to Victor definitely raises alarms.

"No, how could I?" Viviane finally answers, raising her eyes back to the dark artist. "It is strange, though. I never saw anything in Layna's bio that mentioned her studying in Egypt."

Mary sighs, rubbing her neck. "Maybe that's the idea. If Victor had anything to do with Layna's lack of activity, it implies there may be some credence to her words."

Guilt traces the elder slime's face, knowing Layna's claimed 'Flood' inferred from her grandfather's journal might not have a backbone if she didn't try to escape Anne. Catching this familiar expression, Mary rolls her eyes.

"Don't. We've been over this."

"I can't help it, Mary. Think how much less complicated—"

"Complicated, yes, but no real trouble has actually happened. Let's not forget what Anne and Daniel saw in that dream realm," the artist reminds, squeezing the lake dweller's cold hands. "Based on what we synced after your call with them, this whole scenario could've happened regardless, had you been the one to directly come out of whatever ritual Lecia performed. Merlin anticipated you to be unsealed...no, that's not right, he fucking set it up!"

She continues, growling. "Not to mention, he even had a magic book delivered to my uncle, using me to get to you. If we add the fact that Victor descends from a family of disciples from him, you cannot be blamed for this!"

Sighing, Viviane shuts her eyes. Although she remains doubtful, she moves along. "So what now? Should we tell your uncle?"

"I was going to wait until we have Daniel and Anne tomorrow."

Mary's phone buzzes again, this time from the latter. Following Daniel's update, she sends a photo of a page from Victor's book for a test.

Still having Mary's phone in her hand, Viviane checks the message first and widens her eyes. A dry laugh spills from her lips as she pulls her other hand to her head.

"I can't believe it..."

Even as a picture, the opened book shows blank, just as before. She hands the phone back to Mary, who raises her brows.

"Huh? This is the book they got, and...I see some text, but you...?"

The elder slime leans forward and shakes her head. "It's blank for me."

"Seriously? That's crazy!" Mary breathes. She returns to squint at the image more carefully. "How can things be hidden away from your eyes no matter what? Does the magic get digitized or something?"

Viviane hums, crossing her arms. "What if it's...not so much the book, but me?"

The artist switches her gaze to the elder slime, cocking her head. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying, maybe there's something about me that prevents me from absorbing the information. Even then, that still doesn't make sense. If I can't read it, someone else can tell me the information regardless, so...what's the point?"

Another ping interrupts them from the phone with Anne, confirming she can read it.

Mary twists her lips to the side. "Since Anne can read it as well, it's the same as before. Are you sure you checked all the pages back in the library?"

"Not thoroughly, but if there was a marking, I think I would've caught it."

Out of ideas, Mary stretches her arms above her. "Fuck. Well, let's wait until you get your hands on it. Maybe you missed something?"

"Maybe...?"

The girls' discussion fades as they straighten to a door creaking from the direction of the hallway where the guest room lies. From there, Marlin exits with a yawn.

"Uncle? It's only been four hours, but you're already awake." Mary calls.

Stepping into the work area, the bald man chuckles weakly. "I figured it's not good if I don't try to adjust to the time change. For now, I'll just go out for a walk to a park I found while there's still daylight."

Mary straightens on her stool. "Are you sure? We can join you if you'd like."

"No, please continue whatever work you're doing," Marlin insists, raising his hands. "But while I'm out, I'll buy some dinner for us, my treat."

The artist hums, then shrugs. "Well, if you're buying, I can't say no."

"Meanwhile, would you mind if I take a peek at your book...or at least, whatever you copied for us?" Viviane asks, her eyes steady on him.

Marlin thins his lips. 'The book is somehow still in my luggage, but I don't want to risk them looking at it yet. There's a bigger problem I have to check now.'

"I'd rather be around if something happens, copy or not."

The elder slime frowns, but understands the uncle is worried about what will occur. It's reasonable, given how Mary froze when she first "read" the text and the risk of magical fires blowing out.

Hell, for all she knows, it could turn blank for her as well.

"...Fine," Viviane gives.

Marlin smiles weakly. "I know there's plenty more we have to discuss, so I won't be long, I promise."

Without visible objections, Mary and Viviane watch him head out through the hallway, then glance at each other.

"Should I follow him?" the latter asks, keeping her voice low in case he's close enough to hear..

Mary's eyes lower, wincing. "Urgh...I want to trust him, but...I'm worried."

"There isn't much time to act before he's gone, Mary. I can slip inside his car and..."

"No, let me do this. He's my uncle here," Mary pushes, shutting her eyes. Resolving herself, she breathes out and wills the slime layer that seamlessly covers her body to loosen.

"Although, it won't be exactly me," she adds, smirking.

Splick!

Her intentions clear, there's sadly not enough time to stop the artist as Viviane would like, watching Mary's slimy layer stretch away all too easily. The goo emits a warbling grunt as it disconnects from the host's cells, slipping through her clothes while reforming.

Finding her voice, Viviane growls. "God damn it, Mary. This is such a bad idea!"

Yet, it's too late to prevent the clone from returning, shaping into a perfectly blue, translucent gel version of the ebony girl. The separated slime regains her awareness in front of the two quickly, but as the intentions for her split processes, her eyes and mouth hangs open.

"Huh? Wait a second..."

The clone stares dumbly at her now grinning host. Looking down and finding she's clearly not the original, her eyes snap back up in horror. She raises a pleading hand.

"I agree, this is a bad idea!"

Unfortunately, Mary shrugs, glancing away. "Ahem, I guess we can't always be aligned when someone has to do the dirty work."

"Because you don't have to do it! Why should I...?"

The sounds of a Marlin's rental car rumble in the distance, indicating there's no time for the clone to argue further.

"Fuck!"

Leaving that curse behind, the slimy Mary shifts into a blob form, sliding across the wooden flooring towards the exit to catch her uncle before he might drive off. Once she disappears, Viviane slaps her hand against her forehead.

"I can't believe you'd do this. What if you're found out? He'll freak out more if he discovers there's a true slime version of you!"

"Oh, it'll be fine!" Mary waves and bumps her chest. "She'll be naturally careful because she's me, after all."

"That inspires no confidence in me!"

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While the sun descends from its peak, Lecia exits her company doors with an irritable breath.

"Impatient assholes..."

She comes from a board meeting with stakeholders wishing to see faster results in their ground-penetrating scanning products. It wasn't enough for them to hear good news on the tests; only whether they could start selling the solution to various universities within the quarter and, above all, sell to wealthy oil seekers.

Regardless of their interests, she's been eager to return to more important fish with her other venture that has so far left her with nothing but mystery and magic.

Her driver awaits her in her car, opening the backseat door as she enters. Once inside, she slumps, twisting her lips.

'Maybe I need to disclose my experience with Victor now.'

She's reluctant, given how this is a person that can use and apply strange magic. If anyone knew she'd been approached by such a person, it might destabilize her group's discipline after they had just disclosed they had a few members from Egypt assaulted.

That's on top of a potential summon out and about. No news on that front, to say the least.

At least with the assault news, damage control was handled much better. She had to call a few members who had concerns once they learned about it, but for the most part, Mike did well in reassuring her people.

She hates to rely on him, though.

Making matters worse, she hasn't received any new information on "Vivi." If the silence persist like this, it might not be worth the risk to meet with the girl a second time.

Brr!

Lecia blinks out of her thoughts, then pulls out her phone to see Mike calling. Some small guilt tugs at her heart before she accepts the call.

"Hey, what's up?"

"..."

Slowly, her brows knit. "Oh...Paula? She's our linguistic contact. What about her?"

"...!"

"She hasn't received any of our calls for the past two weeks? Are you sure she hasn't said—"

SCRAA!

Tire screams pierce Lecia's ears before the conversation goes adrift, her arm wrestling the phone away from her ear on its own. In the mere seconds that tick, her blank eyes contract to a shift and weightlessness that strains her chest against the seatbeat.

'What the...?'

Before long, her eyes catch shards of glass floating past her, adding to the sudden symphony that smashed its way in. Past the cloud of shimmering debris, sounds of her driver's screams echo, desperately to regain control while metal bends around.

Time slows enough for her thoughts to continue, but her vision fades in payment before she can process a pull of rotation. Within this newfound darkness, a small blue flame illuminates, wavering to her increasing heartbeat. Seemingly close to her, she nearly forgets about the harm that awaits her outside.

She reaches out to it.

FWOO!

It expands, ready to engulf her once more. Unlike last time, she feels a sense of calm overwhelming her, numbing her mind to its cool temperature.

It's as if it's calling to her.

While it might not be wise to embrace it, she gathers her current situation leaves not much better alternatives.