Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.
Steven Paul Jobs:
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Amel's smirk faded, his expression hardening into one of calm determination. "I'm going to end this."
He raised his hand toward the sky, fingers outstretched, his gaze unwavering on the horizon. "I choose you, Ritha."
The air around them rippled, the atmosphere bending as if reality itself strained under an unseen force.
Space twisted and writhed around his hand, energy coiling and crackling like a sentient storm—alive, deliberate, and brimming with purpose.
With a sudden, blinding surge of power, the distortion collapsed inward, folding and unfolding until the form of a blade solidified in his grasp.
But this wasn't just a weapon—it was something far more profound.
The blade looked as if it had been forged from the very fabric of the cosmos.
Stars sparkled along its impossibly sharp edge, galaxies spiraled and collided within its translucent core, and the faint murmur of cosmic winds whispered in a haunting, melodic harmony.
It pulsed with immeasurable energy, its hum resonating deeply, like the heartbeat of creation itself.
Reality seemed to warp around it, breaking and repairing in an endless, shimmering cycle.
Yuno felt her breath catch, an involuntary shiver coursing through her.
There was something primal about the sword—something terrifying.
Her instincts screamed that whatever lay ahead would be far beyond anything they'd faced before.
Yet her eyes stayed locked on the blade. It was hypnotic, a swirling tapestry of light and shadow, stars and voids, stretching into infinity.
She could feel herself slipping, her mind drawn into the vast cosmic depths reflected within the weapon's glow, as though it were pulling her into the endless expanse of space itself.
Thuk.
Pain exploded across her forehead, jolting her back to reality.
"Hey!" Yuno snapped, clutching her forehead as she shot Amel a glare.
He stood there, expressionless except for the slight upward curve of his lips—a telltale sign of his amusement.
"Stop gawking," he said evenly, though his tone betrayed a hint of teasing. "I need you focused, not daydreaming about a sword."
Yuno's glare deepened as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. "You didn't have to hit me, you ass!"
"Consider it a favor," Amel said, his grin widening. But she was again lost.
"Hey, don't stare at Ritha too long. She might swallow you up." He punctuated his words with another flick to Yuno's forehead, snapping her out of her trance-like state yet again.
Cold sweat trickled down her face as she staggered back, her heart pounding in her chest.
What just happened? She didn't know—and, deep down, she didn't want to know.
That sword was dangerous. She wasn't even looking at it anymore, but its presence was suffocating.
The weight of it pressed against her, an oppressive, malevolent force that clawed at her senses.
It felt alive—hungry. If she let her guard down, she was sure it would consume her entirely, leaving nothing behind.
"She's jealous," Amel teased, his grin sharper now, his tone dripping with mockery as he seemed to savor her unease.
Yuno scowled, clenching her fists but staying silent. She refused to give him the satisfaction of a response.
Instead, she focused on steadying her breath, forcing herself to ignore the unnerving pull of Ritha's energy.
The theatrics faded as Yuno's attention shifted to their surroundings. A creeping sense of déjà vu settled over her.
Somehow, they had ended up back in the same clearing. The ever-shifting forest was playing its tricks again, and the atmosphere felt heavier, stranger than before.
{AN: Because he had to summon the sword, they were teleported out of the world. And when he got his sword, they were teleported back.}
The clearing was unnervingly quiet, the kind of silence that made her ears ring. The thick canopy overhead smothered even the faintest sound.
It was as if the forest itself was watching them, waiting for something to unfold.
"So," Amel began, his voice breaking through the stillness, "you know what I'm going to do, right?"
Yuno shrugged, her movements stiff and mechanical. She hadn't fully shaken the lingering dread from her earlier encounter with Ritha, but she had enough wits about her to tread carefully.
The forest remained unnervingly still. The only sound came from the faint rustle of leaves as Amel moved forward, his black T-shirt and worn blue pants standing out against the vibrant greens of the forest.
Yuno trailed behind him, her pink eyes narrowing as she studied his every move, suspicion flickering in her gaze like a flame.
Without warning, he stopped. Turning to face her, his expression unreadable, he spoke with calm authority, the weight in his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Sit down," he commanded.
The words weren't a request—they were an order.
Yuno tilted her head, her pink hair catching the dappled sunlight as she folded her arms across her chest. "Why would I do that? What are you planning?"
"Just trust me," Amel said, his brown eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her shift uncomfortably.
"No," she said flatly, her voice sharp with defiance. "I don't trust you. I barely even know you."
Amel sighed, his fingers raking through his dark brown-black hair in frustration. "This isn't about trust," he said, his tone steady but laced with urgency. "It's about survival. If you don't sit down, things will get... messy."
Her gaze darted around the forest, scanning for any signs of danger.
The tension hung thick in the air, but the scene around them remained unchanged—just the same vibrant greens and stillness that had surrounded them moments ago.
She exhaled sharply, stepping forward with reluctant resolve.
"Fine," she said, her voice edged with warning. "But if this is some kind of trick, I swear—"
"Just sit," Amel interrupted, gesturing impatiently to a patch of moss at her feet.
Yuno hesitated for a moment longer before lowering herself to the ground.
Her loose white shirt billowed slightly as she crossed her legs, her movements sharp and deliberate. She kept her pink irises locked on him, her suspicion evident in her narrowed gaze. "Alright. Now what?"
"Now grab my hands," Amel instructed, his tone calm but commanding.
Her instincts screamed at her to refuse, but something in his unwavering expression made her comply.
She reached out hesitantly, and their hands locked together. His grip was firm—too steady for someone she didn't trust.
Amel folded his legs neatly, closing his eyes as if falling into a trance. For a moment, nothing happened. The forest was silent—unnaturally so. Then, the air began to shift.
It grew heavier, denser, the weight of it pressing down on her chest like an invisible force.
A low hum resonated through the clearing, faint at first but steadily growing louder, vibrating through her bones.
"What... what's happening?" Yuno asked, her voice cracking slightly as unease crept into her tone.
Amel didn't respond. His expression remained serene, almost detached, even as the space around them began to ripple.
It looked as if the very fabric of reality was being pulled and stretched, disturbed by an unseen force.
And then it began.
From his body, translucent figures emerged—perfect replicas of Amel, their forms shimmering like ghostly apparitions.
At first, there were only a handful, but within moments, the duplicates multiplied. Dozens turned into hundreds, and hundreds swelled into thousands.
The clones moved with eerie synchronization, their steps perfectly in unison as they spread out in every direction, a tide of Amels flooding the forest.
The sight was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.
Yuno's breath hitched as she tightened her grip on his hands, her heart pounding in her chest. "Amel... what the hell is this?"
Still, he remained silent. His focus was absolute, his energy radiating outward in waves that distorted the air around them.
The clearing seemed to pulse with life—or perhaps something far beyond life—as the clones disappeared into the depths of the forest, their flickering forms like mirages on the verge of vanishing.
The oppressive hum grew louder, drowning out the silence of the forest, and Yuno felt her unease intensify.
She wasn't sure what terrified her more—the clones themselves or the unshakable calm on Amel's face as if he had done this a thousand times before.
"You're multiplying?" Yuno asked again, her voice trembling as her eyes darted between the translucent clones swarming the forest.
Amel finally opened his eyes, the brown orbs glinting with a strange, unearthly light. A chill ran down Yuno's spine as he said, "Not just me."
Her body froze. A strange, unnatural pull radiated through her core, like something deep within her was being forcibly unraveled.
Then she saw it—identical copies of herself stepping forward from her own body.
Her breath hitched as the duplicates emerged….
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