Prisma LxL

Boil

Chapter 28

Boil

Illya stared at the vast desert with bewilderment, her confusion being as vast as the environment she was in. "Wha...?"

"This drab sand grinds the nerves, doesn't it?

Illya spun around to find a girl no older than her drawing in the sand. White hair clung to her back, her skin white-

Eh?! Is that me?!

"How long has it been, Illya~?" her doppelganger said sweetly, turning around with a smile.

"W-Who are you?!" Illya replied in defiance as she braced herself for a battle.

"I'll give you a single guess," the doppelganger replied with a smirk as it approached close to her.

A smirk is so smug that it screamed Archer.

A seemingly lack of caution that Archer lacked.

Then, something clicked in Illya's brain. "C-Chloe?!" She gaped at the revelation as she pointed her finger in accusation.

"Bingo!" A cheeky smile replaced Chloe's smirk. "Did you miss me? Hm?" She then proceeded to hug Illya, her face inching closer to Illya's.

"Nooooo!" Illya yelled pitifully as Chloe tackled her to the sandy ground. I don't wanna kiss myself!

"What do you mean you don't wanna kiss me?" Chloe asked as a shit-eating grin wormed onto her face. "After all, didn't we always do this?"

Illya closed her eyes in preparation for Chloe's assault. Numerous incoherent thoughts blasted through her mind as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening.

"Jeez! All the jibberish going through your head is ruining the moment!" Chloe huffed, her ruby eyes scrunching up in disappointment. "Anyhow, let us proceed with the trial, hm?"

Illya slowly opened her eyes as her thoughts stilled and her attention firmly on Chloe. Again, she had to blink at seeing her face; again, she recognized the cheekiness that became synonymous with Chloe.

"Trial...?"

At Illya's question, Chloe's smile waned. "Yes, it is your trial to determine if you are worthy to obtain the servant cards," she explained as she sat upright on Illya's waist. "You shall fight all the servants to the death, one after the other.

"After completing these trials, you shall receive all the servant cards and Ruby shall be allowed to exist."

"Ruby...?"

"Yup, Ruby will be activated once you finish all seven trials."

Illya stared into Chloe's ruby eyes, the same eyes that she had. In them, she found an uncharacteristic sympathetic look.

"Any other questions?"

"Huh?"

Chloe's face set itself into a smirk. "The Sixth Heaven's Feel Ritual shall now commence. May the curtains rise at your performance."

At those words, Chloe's form started to glow bright blue as flecks of mana blew in the air.

"Chloe?!"

Chloe merely smiled before disappearing.

The motes of mana wisping away before they too vanished.

Unfortunately, before Illya could fully comprehend what was happening, she heard the sound of footsteps on sand.

"H-H-Hello-o... A-A-Are y-y-you, o-okay?"