“We should split up. Independence training.”

  “I hope we don’t randomly keel over in the middle of the street though… What if there’s a range limit or something?”

  “Well, if there is, we gotta test it at some point. What better time than now?”

  They had a couple of errands they needed to take care of before going to get their free bread.

  First of all, Dusk needed a new money card. After transferring what he had to Dawn’s duplicated card, Dawn tore it up and then crushed it into pieces with [Cliffhide Fist] and scattered the remains in a random alleyway. That way, nobody discovered the duplicate – or technically the original.

  Next, they needed to replace a lot of what they had lost back in the rift along with their pack. Camping gear, utilities, change of clothes…

  They split up and quickly noted that despite being further apart than ever before, they could still tell where the other body was. Like not seeing your own feet, but still knowing how to move them. It felt odd, but also natural.

  “Cool.”

  “We’ll never get lost like this.”

  But they needed to stop talking to each other when apart. People might think they’d gone crazy. Or worse, they might find out about [Soul Split].

  Well, not like they had done a very good job hiding it. Already, Elis and the inn lady seemed to have figured something out. Probably didn’t know the whole story, but still.

  At least neither seemed like the type to snitch on them.

  Dusk arrived at the Goldhall and reported losing his money card and identification. Meanwhile, Dawn went ahead and went on a shopping spree with her newfound riches, trying to replace everything they had lost back in the rift. Once done, she decided to indulge a little and went to buy some nice clothes for herself. Something more feminine, just to set the two bodies apart.

  After all, they had some money now, so it wouldn’t hurt to splurge a little, right?

  Unsurprisingly, while Dawn managed to get everything and even spent an hour picking clothes, Dusk slowly fused with the chair as he waited to be issued a new money card.

  Since they wanted to train acting independently, Dusk pulled out his leftover essences and played a little game, guessing what skills he could make with what he had.

  “Snipe with Stomp and Fortification? What would that even do…?” he muttered.

  Maybe they should go back to the Archivist to ask for advice on deck building. They barely knew anything about essence combo theory, after all.

  Or maybe they should sell all the essences to get as much money as possible. And with that money, they could move to another country entirely. Surely, the cultists wouldn’t find them over in Kradence, right? Then they could become rift hunters for real there without worrying too much.

  Hmm…

  As they thought about it, Dawn made her way to the Goldhall as well, reported her own loss of ID, and sat next to Dusk without a word.

  Dusk took a moment to inspect his twin’s new clothes. A Rare-blue tunic and Very Rare-blue leggings, both held in place with a gray sash. Obviously, they had already seen her in a mirror, but looking at them through their own eyes made it look even prettier.

  “You look great! I’m jealous.”

  “Thanks!”

  Hey, complimenting yourself wasn’t arrogant if you did it with your other body.

  Finally, after subjective centuries of waiting, the receptionist called Dusk to finish the registration and creation of new identification. Dawn followed soon after.

  With all their errands done for the day and the Sun about to reach its apex, they finally headed to Layna’s place.

  The walk there was… uncomfortable. The usually bustling city stayed silent despite the time of day and they almost felt like walking through a ghost town. The looming ribs above them that usually provided a sense of protection only added to the eerie atmosphere now.

  Like a cage.

  “Guess we’re not performing today…”

  “Or we can practice without people watching.”

  “Might be a good idea. Just to get used to two bodies.”

  A short walk later, they found themselves in front of Layna’s shop again. Unlike yesterday, no ‘away’ sign shooed them off.

  Dawn pushed the door open, causing the bell to ring.

  The catkin at the counter shifted her gaze from the elf she was talking to and her eyes lit up.

  “It’s you two! Welcome!”

  The elf turned his head and his eyebrows rose as well.

  “Ah, hello. Didn’t expect to meet you two so soon,” Elis greeted.

  “Elis! Layna! Hi!”

  “Hello!”

  “What’s it gonna be then? Like I promised, I’m giving you two free loaves! Pick any you want!”

  The twins grinned and set out to find the best looking bread in the building. In the meantime, the baker continued talking to Elis. The twins couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

  “Sorry, but like I said – I never want to go anywhere near an active rift again.” Layna shuddered. “Especially not one even more dangerous than the first one.”

  “You wouldn’t have to go inside. We just need you to carry some supplies outside. Your relic is too useful for that.”

  “I… No. Sorry, Elis. I… I can’t.”

  The elf sighed.

  “Understandable. I apologize for taking your time.”

  “No, I get it. It’s… still very tense down there, isn’t it?”

  “Indeed it is. Well, I shan’t bother you any further. I need to get going.”

  Elis turned around and walked to the exit. Then stopped and addressed the twins.

  “You two. I know you said you don’t want to be rift hunters, but please consider coming down to the second rift to help. We need a hand more than ever.”

  “Uh. Did something happen?”

  He grimaced.

  “A rookie triggered a trap. Lightslinger got severely injured and Slime Queen had to push herself to get everyone to safety.”

  “That’s…”

  “You don’t need to enter the rift. Just helping with triage outside with your healing skills could save lives.”

  “We’ll… think about it.”

  The elf nodded.

  “That’s all I ask for.”

  With that, he left.

  Suddenly, they found themselves unable to muster up the enthusiasm for bread searching. They wanted to go help, but with how their last rift experience had gone, they hesitated.

  But if it was only healing…

  “So!” Layna clapped her hands. “Did you pick your gifts yet?”

  The twins looked at her. She looked tense, but they didn’t resist the obvious forced mood change.

  “Hmmmm, I think I’ll pick this one! What’s it called?” Dawn pointed at a shimmering loaf of bread.

  “Oh, that’s moonlight bread! Made with Glow essence residue mixed into the flour! It’s my own recipe!”

  They relaxed into a casual conversation, momentarily forgetting about the still ongoing emergency underground. A few minutes of a pleasant chat, the twins left the store, each carrying a different loaf of bread.

  “Well, that’s lunch taken care of.”

  “And all it took was getting shot! Worth it.”

  “So, what’s our next stop?”

  Dawn took a bite of her moonlight bread, enjoying the odd crunchy texture.

  “After lunch? I guess we’re gonna go help underground…?”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “We’ll just die.”

  “We survived worse.”

  “I doubt our escape could compare to a monster-filled rift… But maybe we can make new skills to feel safer. We still have some essences.”

  “Sounds like a top idea! We should have enough money for now and… Yeah, I do have a bad feeling about the rift.”

  They paused before Dusk spoke again.

  “Should we ask the Archivist?”

  “Might be better. But I don’t like how close he was to figuring out [Soul Split].”

  “We just have to not mention it again.”

  “Yeah.”

  They ate their bread on their way back to the Archivist, walking through the uncomfortably quiet streets again. Unfortunately, once they got there, a sign saying ‘closed’ greeted them.

  They groaned in unison.

  “Well, there goes that plan.”

  “Guess we can always improvise? Or should we just wait till tomorrow…?”

  Dawn frowned and glanced around the deathly silent square.

  Too silent.

  “…No. Let’s not wait. I have a really bad feeling about this. Like something bad is about to happen.”

  “You think it’s gonna spill…?”

  Dawn frowned at her twin and he grimaced.

  “…Yes, we think it’s gonna spill. It’s a… you know. A sign.”

  “The last sign had us craft a cursed skill.”

  “Therefore this one has to be better, right?”

  “Fine. Let’s craft then.”

  They settled on the rim of the fountain and brought out their essences.

  “So. You can craft one more skill.”

  “Or two if I get a passive or toggle.”

  “Hmm… Gonna go with ◆Fortification◆, right? Even though it’s so expensive…”

  That was fine. Worst case scenario, they had other Very Rares to sell. But having more money would hardly help if they died.

  Dawn frowned, looking at their options.

  “But with what?”

  “◆Camouflage◆ and… ◆Stone◆?”

  “Stone’s just common…”

  “But none of the others feel fitting for what we want…”

  “What do we want, really? Just something to help us survive?”

  “Or hide from the cultists if they catch up to us. I wish we had another good essence though…”

  “Wait, ◆Barrage◆ can also mean a blockade or something, right?”

  “But the picture shows the other barrage… You think it’s gonna work?”

  “I dunno…”

  The twins gazed at each other with narrowed eyes.

  “Let’s go for it.”

  “The base is… ◆Fortification◆? No, if this works the way we want, ◆Barrage◆ would be better.”

  “But what if it doesn’t?”

  “Ugh… Then I’ll get to shoot hard to see fortified barrage of… something?”

  They paused.

  “Actually, that sounds pretty funny.”

  “Invisible projectiles? Sign me up!”

  Dusk held ◆Barrage◆ in one hand, and ◆Camouflage◆ with ◆Fortification◆ in the other. Then he slammed them together.

  They groaned as the headache hit them. Thankfully, it wasn’t as intense as either their double craft back in the rift or the [Soul Split] craft. Even so, just like when they’d crafted [Soul Split], Dusk felt a shiver ripple through his whole body and nearly dunked himself into the fountain before Dawn caught him.

  “Gah! What?”

  They blinked, then looked at the newly created skill.

  [Iridion’s Shawl]

  The art featured a figure throwing an oddly transparent shawl around their shoulders to block a ball of fire. The head of a barely visible giant chameleon beast loomed behind them. All framed by a glossy dark blue rim – Very Rare.

  “It’s… a passive!”

  “Nice!”

  Dusk looked down at himself, but failed to see any changes. However, that was the entire point of the skill – it couldn’t be seen.

  He prodded at his new senses to locate it and then gingerly pinched the invisible shawl covering his person – weightless, textureless – to lift it.

  “I can’t see drat,” Dawn commented. “But I can kinda feel it too.”

  “Can’t see it either…”

  If their intuition could be trusted, this Shawl acted like an invisible, weightless suit of armor. Maybe not as durable, but besides its zero weight, it came with one distinct advantage.

  With a thought, the shawl fell through Dusk’s fingers. He then reached down again and his hand phased through. Then Dawn tried to do the same and her hand only touched air.

  The twins shared a glance.

  Dawn wound up her fist, then threw it at Dusk.

  “Ow! Drat!”

  It was like punching a rock.

  Both twins winced in pain as Dawn flapped her aching hand.

  “Maybe we should test it with a stick or something first…”

  “Top idea.”

  “Still! This is great! Now I don’t have to worry about getting pummeled by monsters!”

  “But it’s Very Rare. I doubt it’s that strong.”

  “Better than nothing, though!”

  “You think we could actually become hunters with this?”

  “We could form a party with just ourselves!”

  “You could be the distraction with your shawl and flail and I can sneak around with my [Cliffhide Fist] and punch monsters!”

  “Heck yeah!”

  “Wait, you got a passive, so you can craft another one!”

  “Oooh, what should I make now?”

  “Drat, but we don’t have much left anymore.”

  “We could use the last ◆Barrage◆ with two ◆Snipe◆?”

  “I like it. But that sounds like a long-range attack. Aren’t you supposed to be the distraction in the middle of everything?”

  “Then maybe you can have it?”

  “Ugh, but I already have four active skills. I’m scared of the whole discard thing…”

  “How about you upgrade your [Tricky Trail] then?”

  “With two ◆Snipe◆? Oh, just imagine shooting something with that from half a city away.”

  “Or–”

  Dusk cut himself off as a crash tore through their excited conversation, making them shoot up to their feet and look for threats.

  They immediately spotted the issue. A two-story-tall humanoid figure made of glass just smashed through the neighboring street from the underground using its giant hammer made out of salt. It wielded a crystalline mirror-like tower shield and wore a helmet on its head.

  The twins hurried to pull cards into their hands.

  “What?!”

  “Where did it–”

  The other rift.

  Then the sirens started.