Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 574: Udara’s Acceptance and Changes II

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Udara remembered the instant when Alex extended his hand to her, drawing her out from the shadows and bringing her into the light right next to him.

During their initial encounter, she thought she would—or actually, she did—feel satisfied staying in his shadow, shielding him from the obscurity she had become so familiar with over time.

She anticipated nothing more than a position... A reason to keep on existing—even if it involved pursuing someone else's ambitions.

Yet what she discovered was... actual living.

Bit by bit, without her even noticing, the man had embedded himself into the core of her soul.

Afterward, he drew her from the gloom where she had concealed herself and granted her a spot in the brightness.

A spot alongside him.

Through that chance, she constructed her very own existence.

And that existence slowly brimmed with increasing radiance.

Thanks to the support from the one who mattered to her most, she connected with others who grew equally significant.

Individuals who illuminated her world.

Individuals who valued her for her true self, not for the conditions surrounding her origins.

And through his support, she uncovered a mission that was genuinely hers.

True, the root of that mission stemmed from him. But the objective she selected was one she deeply believed in.

It was a mission she had chosen of her own free will.

In truth, from the second she took his hand that day, she started forging a life entirely of her own design.

Maybe, to those watching from outside, it appeared far inferior to the life she once held...

The life that had been stripped from her.

Yet for Udara, a life she selected surpassed any fabricated existence once forced upon her.

After all, that fabricated existence had been seized away.

But the life she picked for herself... could never be seized again.

Even should she forfeit everything, the treasured memories could never be erased or stolen from her.

Through this insight, she started grasping a key aspect of the trial.

’This isn’t a choice between which life —the previous one or the current one— is superior,’ Udara pondered inwardly.

Yet another clash of strikes was interrupted by the doppelganger, who employed her Sai to ensnare Udara’s shortswords.

’It’s about contemplating both existences and recognizing that they form a single whole of my life.’

’One... existence.’

’Be it my earlier life or this present one... they belong to me entirely.’

’I have to embrace this and make peace with it.’

’Of course, the agony, the suffering, the rejection sting—they still do... Yet without those, I wouldn’t have evolved into who I am now.’

’I wouldn’t be positioned as I am, nor as joyful as I feel today.’

A fresh glow ignited in Udara’s eyes.

Gradually, she reached a resolution.

Rather than keep burying her history, she opted to welcome it. She would channel it as motivation to strive for an improved tomorrow.

’However, grasping this doesn’t make it simple.’

She wasn’t foolish enough to think differently.

’So... let’s begin modestly.’

’Incorporate an element from the history into my now.’

’From there, construct a superior tomorrow.’

With this in mind, she decided.

She started incorporating aspects of her old combat approach—the exact approach her doppelganger was demonstrating—and gradually blended them into her modern fighting methods.

What emerged was completely original.

Something that would shape her upcoming battle style.

To outsiders, this shift might look minor. But for Udara, its value exceeded pure gold.

Little by little, the battle’s flow started turning.

The deadlock persisting so far at last shattered.

The doppelganger tried to halt Udara’s advance again by snagging Udara’s blade within the forks of her trident-shaped tool.

Yet Udara, having integrated her historical style into the present one, precisely anticipated her foe’s plan.

But rather than block it... she permitted it.

During the following clash, the doppelganger ensnared Udara’s blades with her Sais.

Or at least, that’s what she assumed.

[Amazonian Might]!

With an abrupt burst of strength and a quick twist of her wrist, Udara not just deflected the grip but also stripped the doppelganger of her arms.

Thrust!

Udara propelled her blade ahead.

Utterly unprepared, the doppelganger could only watch as the blow rushed directly at her.

The awareness of the unavoidable hit her.

She shut her eyes and braced for the deadly impact.

Yet the blow didn’t land.

Instead, comforting arms encircled her.

The doppelganger’s eyes flew open in astonishment.

Udara was embracing her tenderly.

"I’m sorry for forcing you aside and attempting to erase you," Udara murmured gently. "Thank you for returning to propel me onward."

"You can rest now."

"I’ve finally comprehended and embraced it... You are me, and I am you."

Abruptly, a soothing glow radiated from Udara’s form and enveloped the doppelganger.

The luminous shell slowly contracted, forming a tiny orb that then merged into Udara’s chest right over her heart.

Udara sensed a shift inside her. But she couldn’t pinpoint it exactly.

’It doesn’t concern me,’ she reflected serenely.

Truly, it held no importance.

She felt utterly sure that the alteration was beneficial.

And that sufficed.

Rumble—

Shatter—

With that ultimate insight, the trial realm quaked fiercely before disintegrating.

In the next instant, Udara was once again positioned in front of the stele.

She rose abruptly and inclined her head respectfully to the elderly figure.

"Thank you for granting me this chance," she expressed with genuine feeling.

The enigmatic elder, as usual, caressed his lengthy beard, and shook his head with a kind grin.

"No thanks are necessary," he responded. "The trial arose from your personal Fate and Fortune. You owe gratitude only to yourself."

His words carried a warm, affable tone, akin to an elder observing a devoted youngster with affection.

Alex advanced and promptly detected the transformation in her.

"Are you alright? You appear... altered," he remarked, a touch hesitant.

He couldn’t specify the exact difference. But it was evident that something had shifted.

Spotting him—and noting that he had observed the change—filled Udara’s heart with warmth.

A radiant grin spread over her features, momentarily startling Alex.

"I’m well, Master," she assured him.

She then whispered, "Better than ever."

"Fine." Alex inclined his head, opting to trust her words.

He motioned toward the stele.

"Examine the stele for your scores and prizes."

Udara declined with a shake of her head.

"I require no prize," she stated tranquilly. "I’ve gained the greatest possible... the exact thing I required."

Alex appeared even more perplexed. But Udara merely beamed without elaborating.

"Can I try the remaining trials?" she inquired.

"Certainly," the elder affirmed with a nod. "Provided the stele permits you."

Udara nodded back.

Prior to departing, she approached and swiftly embraced Alex.

Afterward, she headed to a different stele.

This time, rather unexpectedly, she selected the stele for the Grey Branch of Sorcery.

Even more astonishingly, the stele welcomed her.

Her trial commenced right away.

Alex stayed rooted, bewildered and perplexed.

It required a short while for him to compose himself, his focus pulled elsewhere by the stir from the other individual who finished their trial soon after Udara.

***