Parallel Memory

Chapter 747: The Familiar Hand

The eastern border had finally gone quiet.

Not peaceful.

Just quiet.

There was a difference.

The soldiers had spent the morning repairing the damaged walls while the wounded were carried into temporary medical tents. The captured rebels had been separated from the human mercenaries, and Mia had already sent messages back toward the capital with everything we had discovered.

The letter remained in my possession.

I had read it several times.

The instructions were simple.

Too simple.

That was what bothered me.

The locations.

The timing.

The movements of the border patrols.

The weak points in the defenses.

Whoever had written those instructions understood military strategy.

But that wasn’t the only thing bothering me.

There was something familiar about them.

I sat alone on the remains of the town’s outer wall, staring at the piece of paper in my hands.

The wind moved across the empty fields.

I read the first line again.

Then the second.

Then the third.

Nothing.

I folded it.

Opened it.

Read it again.

Still nothing.

Yet the feeling remained.

I had seen this before.

Not the exact handwriting.

Not the exact method.

The thinking behind it.

The way the person had arranged everything.

That was what I recognized.

A trap that wasn’t meant to kill the target.

A battlefield designed to force the enemy into making a particular decision.

Information deliberately leaked so that the opponent would believe they had discovered something important.

Then another trap waiting behind the first.

I stared into the distance.

"Who are you?"

No answer came.

Of course.

I wasn’t expecting one.

Footsteps approached from behind.

I didn’t turn.

"You’ve been sitting here for quite a while."

Mia.

I folded the letter.

"I’m thinking."

"I noticed."

She sat beside me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Below us, soldiers moved through the settlement.

Some were repairing walls.

Others were helping civilians rebuild damaged homes.

It looked almost ordinary.

Almost.

Mia looked at the paper in my hand.

"Still bothering you?"

"Yes."

"What exactly?"

I handed it to her.

She looked at it.

"The letter?"

"The strategy."

She read it again.

"I don’t see anything unusual."

"That’s the problem."

Mia raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"It’s too clean."

She looked at me.

"Explain."

I pointed toward the first section.

"The attacks."

"Yes."

"They weren’t designed to win."

"We already established that."

"They were designed to make us react."

Mia nodded.

"To make the humans believe Lilith couldn’t control her own people."

"Right."

I pointed toward the next section.

"Then they used human collaborators to supply military information."

"Which made it look like someone inside the human domain was intentionally helping the rebels."

"Yes."

Mia stared at the letter.

"And you’re saying that’s another trap?"

"I’m not sure."

I looked toward the horizon.

"But it could be."

She was silent.

"What would the purpose be?"

"To make us suspicious of each other."

Mia’s expression became serious.

"If we start searching for traitors..."

"We start accusing people."

"And eventually someone innocent gets blamed."

"Or the Church gets blamed."

Mia’s eyes narrowed.

"Which could destroy the treaty just as effectively."

I nodded.

The more we talked about it, the worse it became.

Whoever was behind the attacks didn’t need to defeat the humans.

They didn’t even need to defeat Lilith.

They only needed to make everyone distrust everyone else.

Humans would distrust devils.

Devils would distrust humans.

The Church would distrust the Authority.

The Authority would distrust the Church.

And eventually the entire political structure would collapse under its own suspicion.

It was almost elegant.

And that was precisely what made me uncomfortable.

Mia handed the letter back.

"How do you know someone is behind all this?"

"Because the rebels aren’t organized enough."

She looked at me.

"Aamon’s followers?"

"Some of them are dangerous. But this..."

I shook my head.

"The attacks are too coordinated."

"You think someone is controlling them?"

"I think someone is guiding them."

"From the devil side?"

"Maybe."

I paused.

"Maybe not."

Mia’s expression darkened.

"You think the mastermind could be human?"

"I don’t know."

"Then what do you know?"

I looked at the letter.

"The person understands both sides."

That silenced her.

*************************************

Later that afternoon, Lilith joined us.

She had spent most of the day speaking with the soldiers and civilians.

The change in their attitude toward her was small, but noticeable.

A few soldiers now bowed when she passed.

Some civilians no longer moved away from her.

One little boy had even approached her earlier and asked whether she was really the Devil Queen.

She had knelt down and answered him honestly.

"I am."

He had stared at her for several seconds before asking whether queens were allowed to eat sweets.

Lilith had laughed.

It was the first time I’d seen her laugh that day.

Now, however, she looked serious.

"We received the message from the capital."

Mia stood.

"What did they say?"

"The Authority has accepted your report."

"Only the Authority?"

Lilith nodded.

"The Church is questioning it."

I wasn’t surprised.

"What are they saying?"

"They believe the attack proves the treaty is dangerous."

Mia sighed.

"Of course."

"They’re demanding increased military presence along the border."

"That isn’t unreasonable."

Lilith looked at me.

"They’re also demanding that I prove I can control my own kingdom."

I shook my head.

"That’s impossible."

"I know."

She looked toward the damaged town.

"But I understand why they’re afraid."

Mia looked at her.

"You shouldn’t have to prove yourself for something you didn’t do."

Lilith gave a tired smile.

"Unfortunately, being innocent doesn’t always matter in politics."

I almost smiled.

"You’re learning quickly."

She looked at me.

"Too quickly."

For a moment, the three of us stood in silence.

Then Lilith noticed the letter.

"What is that?"

Mia looked toward me.

I handed it to her.

Lilith read it.

Her expression gradually changed.

"I know this."

I immediately looked at her.

"What?"

She continued reading.

"Not this letter."

She tapped the paper.

"This style."

My eyes narrowed.

"You recognize it?"

"Not personally."

Lilith looked troubled.

"Aamon used to think this way."

That caught my attention.

Mia leaned closer.

"Explain."

"Aamon didn’t always attack directly."

Lilith looked toward the mountains.

"When he wanted to destroy an enemy, he would first make them believe they were winning."

I remained silent.

"Why?"

"Because victory makes people careless."

She continued.

"He would allow an enemy to discover a weakness."

"Deliberately?"

"Yes."

"Then they would attack."

"And he’d already know where they’d go."

I felt something cold move through my chest.

Not fear.

Recognition.

The pattern.

The trap.

The deliberate weakness.

I had seen it.

Not once.

Many times.

But where?

My thoughts raced.

A battlefield.

A dungeon.

A classroom.

A city.

No.

Not those.

Something else.

Someone else.

Lilith continued speaking.

"Aamon believed the best victory was one where your opponent defeated themselves."

I stared at the letter.

The words suddenly seemed different.

A trap inside a trap.

An enemy given a choice where every option benefited the person controlling the situation.

It was familiar.

Far too familiar.

My fingers tightened around the paper.

Mia noticed.

"Zero?"

I didn’t answer.

"Zero."

"I’m fine."

"You don’t look fine."

I looked toward her.

"I’m trying to remember."

"Remember what?"

I shook my head.

"I don’t know yet."

*********************************************

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

The others had already settled down.

The town was quiet.

I walked alone through the temporary camp.

My thoughts refused to slow.

The person behind the attacks wasn’t simply strong.

Strength wasn’t the problem.

They were intelligent.

Patient.

They weren’t rushing.

They were allowing events to develop naturally.

That meant they had confidence.

They weren’t afraid of the treaty.

They weren’t afraid of Lilith.

They weren’t even afraid of the Authority or the Church.

They were waiting.

For what?

I stopped.

A memory surfaced.

Not a clear one.

Just a feeling.

A person standing across from me.

Someone who had always preferred to manipulate the battlefield rather than dominate it.

Someone who understood that information could be more dangerous than power.

Someone who could make people believe they were making their own decisions.

My heart beat faster.

"No..."

I whispered.

It couldn’t be.

That person shouldn’t be here.

I looked toward the dark horizon.

"You’re dead."

The words escaped before I could stop them.

I didn’t know why I’d said them.

Perhaps because the feeling was so familiar that my mind had immediately searched through everything I knew.

But there was nothing.

No face.

No name.

Only the sensation.

Then another thought appeared.

What if the person wasn’t dead?

I immediately dismissed it.

Impossible.

I had no evidence.

I was letting suspicion control me.

I turned around.

And stopped.

A shadow moved between two buildings.

I immediately reached for my dagger.

"Who’s there?"

Nothing.

I took one step forward.

The shadow disappeared.

I activated Shadow Art.

Darkness spread beneath my feet.

Shadow Step.

I appeared on top of the building.

Nothing.

Empty street.

No movement.

I looked around.

Then I noticed something on the ground.

A small piece of black cloth.

I picked it up.

Dark mana lingered around it.

Very faint.

Almost impossible to detect.

I closed my eyes.

The feeling returned.

That same familiarity.

My breathing slowed.

Someone had been here.

Watching.

And they wanted me to know.

I opened my eyes.

"You’re not very good at hiding."

A voice came from behind me.

"Neither are you."

I spun around.

Nothing.

The voice had been distant.

Or perhaps...

inside my head?

I immediately released a pulse of mana.

Nothing.

No one.

Only wind.

I stared into the darkness.

Then I understood.

It wasn’t an invitation to fight.

It was a message.

Someone wanted me looking in the wrong direction.

I clenched the piece of cloth.

"You’re playing with me."

Silence.

I returned to the camp.

*******************************************

The following morning, Mia found me awake before sunrise.

"You didn’t sleep."

"No."

She looked at me.

"Did you find something?"

I showed her the cloth.

Her expression changed.

"Where did you get that?"

"On the roof."

"Someone was watching us?"

"Probably."

She examined it carefully.

"Can you identify the mana?"

"No."

"Devil?"

"Maybe."

"Human?"

"Maybe."

Mia sighed.

"That’s not helpful."

"I know."

She looked toward me.

"You said yesterday that the tactics felt familiar."

"They do."

"Who?"

I hesitated.

"I don’t know."

"But you have someone in mind."

I remained silent.

Mia waited.

Finally, I spoke.

"I know someone who thinks like this."

"Someone from the war?"

"No."

"Aamon’s followers?"

"No."

"Then who?"

I looked toward the distant capital.

"Someone I met a long time ago."

She waited for more.

I didn’t give it.

Not because I didn’t trust her.

Because I wasn’t certain.

A suspicion wasn’t a fact.

And if I named the wrong person, I could create another problem.

Mia understood.

"You’re going to investigate."

"Yes."

"Alone?"

I looked at her.

She sighed.

"I knew you’d say that."

"I’ll be careful."

"You always say that too."

I almost smiled.

Then her expression softened.

"Zero."

"What?"

"If this person really is connected to what’s happening..."

She paused.

"Don’t carry everything alone."

I looked at her.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

Then I nodded.

"I won’t."

It wasn’t entirely true.

But it was enough for now.

***************************************************

Back in the capital, the political situation was becoming worse.

The Church demanded answers.

The Authority demanded proof.

The War Council demanded calm.

And the public demanded safety.

Everyone wanted something.

Nobody knew who to trust.

Exactly as the person behind the shadows intended.

And somewhere beneath all of that, Ameilia remained inside the Church’s protected sanctuary.

She stood before another locked door.

A servant had just delivered her breakfast.

She barely touched it.

"Any news?"

The servant lowered his head.

"There was another incident at the eastern border."

Ameilia immediately stood.

"Zero?"

"We don’t know."

Her expression fell.

"Has anyone been allowed to contact him?"

"No, Saintess."

"Why?"

The servant hesitated.

"The Church believes outside communication may compromise your safety."

Ameilia stared at him.

"My safety."

"Yes."

She looked at the closed door.

Then at the food.

Then back toward the servant.

"Leave."

The servant bowed and departed.

Ameilia remained alone.

The sanctuary was supposed to be her refuge.

But now it felt more like a cage.

She walked toward the window.

Far beyond the walls, the capital continued moving.

People argued.

Soldiers prepared.

Politicians schemed.

And Zero was somewhere outside, fighting another battle she wasn’t allowed to see.

Ameilia pressed her forehead lightly against the cold glass.

"Please be safe."

**********************************************

That evening, another report arrived at the eastern border.

A captured human collaborator had finally spoken.

He had provided one additional piece of information.

The orders had not come from the rebels.

They had come through a chain of intermediaries.

But at the top of that chain was a single symbol.

A black circle surrounding a thin vertical line.

Mia stared at it.

Lilith frowned.

Neither recognized it.

I did.

My heart sank.

I had seen that symbol before.

Not recently.

Not during the war.

Long before that.

My eyes remained fixed on the page.

The room became silent.

Mia noticed my expression.

"Zero?"

I didn’t answer.

Because now I remembered.

Not everything.

Just enough.

The tactics.

The traps.

The deliberate misdirection.

The symbol.

And most importantly—

the feeling.

I had encountered that mind before.

My hand slowly tightened around the report.

The person behind the shadows wasn’t simply someone who understood war.

They understood me.

And for the first time since the treaty had begun—

I wasn’t wondering what they wanted.

I was wondering why they had decided to involve me.