Chapter 304 - Doubles
“Am I to take that as a threat?” Scarlett asked sharply as flames flickered at her feet, casting a fiery glow that danced in the rising heat.
The other Scarlett regarded her impassively. “No. Not from me, at the very least. As I have said, I am scarcely capable of posing a threat to you.” She paused, as if assessing her. “…It is regrettable that we could not find common ground. Despite our differences, I do believe we could have forged an effective alliance. Yet, if you are determined to abandon such a possibility, there is little more I can offer. Simply know this: as you are now, you cannot fully grasp the trials you set upon yourself.”
The two of them stood in silence, watching each other, until Scarlett broke the stillness.
“Have you any reason I should not destroy you where you stand?” she asked.
“I will not offer you one,” the woman replied smoothly. “Previously, however, I might have advised against it, as I was aiding you in maintaining the Memories.”
“Even as you sought to seize control of them — and of me.”
“To be precise, that was the other fragment of the Anomalous One. Not I, as I currently stand before you.”
Scarlett frowned. “…Then what was your intent in ‘aiding’ me?”
“Undefined, I suppose?” The other Scarlett tilted her head slightly. “In part, it was to delay enough to subsume the Memories and this domain before you learned how to resist such a takeover. In part, I was still but a ‘construct’ of the Memories, as fashioned by you, and fulfilled the role assigned to me. And, to some extent, I believed it might afford me the opportunity to strike an agreement with you. I cannot say which motive held the greatest sway, but all are true in some measure.”
Scarlett studied her closely. How much of that could she trust? Did it even matter?
“…What role did you play in Vail’s appearance?” she asked after a while.
“None,” came the woman’s immediate reply. “Vail’s presence was entirely your doing. Surely, you already understand she was never meant to be part of those Memories. However, as she was loosely tied to Arlene, you seem to have come close enough in recreating her existence, nonetheless.” A faint trace of frustration crossed her features. “Vail is not an individual suited to such environments, as you no doubt observed. I attempted to rectify the matter myself, though it ended poorly. For you, however, her presence may have proven unexpectedly advantageous, since it appears to have compelled you into a situation where you learned to control the Memories more directly.”