Let's Train Heroine

Maris sat across from Lucan in the quiet room, her fingers tracing the delicate embroidery on the armrest of the chair. After that kiss, Maris is still little awkward and Lucan also didn't mention it even though she is here.

She was waiting, thinking that Lucan would say something but he wasn't. And she doesn't have courage to speak about right now.

'Whatever, I should focus on finding Archpriest Kerum.' Maris said to herself. After finding Archpriest Kerum, she would finalize her relationship with Lucan.

"Lucan-sama," she began softly, "Temple elders confirmed that Archpriest Kerum is alive. He must be some in small world, unable to came out. I'm going to head out soon to find Archpriest Kerum."

Lucan tilted his head slightly. He can't speak right now but Maris could understand what he wanted to ask.

"With my scan ability, I can find any small world within a 2000-kilometer radius," she explained, "But the Saint Region is much too vast. It's over 10,000 kilometers in radius. I'll need to move through five different locations, use each one as a point to scan from, and in this way, I'll be able to locate the small world where he's hiding. It'll take some time, but it's the only way."

Lucan nodded again, his lips pressing into a thoughtful line. His hand shifted, and Maris noticed him turning his attention to the book resting on his lap. The cover was old, the pages worn, but she recognized it. It was about clone magic.

He looked back at her, his brow furrowed slightly as he tapped the book, Lucan was reading about clone ability because he heard from Maris that Nyx used it.

Lucan lifted the book, opening it to a page where arcane symbols were drawn. He stared at it for a moment, then raised his free hand. With a subtle movement, mana swirled around his fingers, and suddenly, glowing words appeared in the air between them.

"Can you do this?"

Maris blinked in surprise, her eyes widening as she saw the shimmering text. "Lucan-sama... You found a way to speak!" Her surprise gave way to a warm smile, but it quickly faded as she considered his question. She shook her head slowly.

"No, not yet. I don't know how to perform the clone spell. But..." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Given some time, I could learn it. It's not beyond my ability. I just need to study the technique properly."

Lucan nodded and then flicked his hand again. More glowing words appeared in the air.

"Learn clone ability and use that to find Archpriest Kerum, and don't use it if you can find Archpriest Kerum by yourself faster than clones."

Maris nodded, "Learning clone ability and using them is faster than searching by myself. Okay I'm going to learn it."

---

Maris stood in the quiet chamber, the magic book of clone magic open before her. Soft light filtered through the high windows, casting faint, golden rays across the worn pages. Her fingers traced the delicate runes etched into the parchment as she mentally prepared herself. She had already studied the theory, but putting it into practice was a different matter entirely.

"Focus, Maris," she whispered to herself, her blue eyes narrowing with concentration.

She took a deep breath and summoned her mana, feeling it swirl within her core before spreading out through her limbs. The sensation was familiar, comforting even, but this time, it needed to be manipulated in a very specific way. Creating a clone wasn't just about summoning a reflection—it was about manifesting a duplicate of her body, imbued with her essence.

With a determined expression, she lifted her hands and began to form the intricate hand signs described in the book. Mana shimmered in the air around her, gathering into a glowing orb of light in front of her chest. She could feel it growing, her control precise and steady.

Then, she uttered the incantation. A soft, resonating hum filled the room, and the orb of light pulsed once before bursting outward.

For a moment, Maris thought she had succeeded. A figure began to take shape in the light, slowly solidifying into what looked like a perfect copy of herself. But just as the clone's features became clearer, the light flickered—and in an instant, the clone dissipated, vanishing into thin air.

Maris sighed, her shoulders slumping in frustration. "Again," she muttered, setting her jaw and preparing to try once more.

For hours, she repeated the process. Each time she got closer, the clone forming more fully with each attempt, but something always went wrong. Either it would fade too quickly, or the form would distort at the last moment. Her mana control was strong, but the precision required for this spell was unlike anything she had done before.

Finally, after what felt like the hundredth attempt, Maris stood in the center of the room once more, her heart pounding with determination. She closed her eyes, visualizing the clone, feeling the mana coalesce around her. She let the power flow through her fingertips, guiding it carefully as she spoke the incantation once more.

The air shimmered, and this time, as the light grew brighter, the figure that emerged from it held its form. Maris opened her eyes slowly, and there, standing before her, was an exact replica of herself.

Her breath caught in her throat. She had done it.

The clone was perfect in every detail—same flowing pink hair, same light blue eyes, and even the same expression of calm concentration. Maris stared at her duplicate for a long moment, almost in disbelief. But then, as she waited, she noticed something was off.

The clone simply stood there, motionless, its eyes unfocused and unblinking. There was no sign of thought or awareness behind its gaze. It wasn't independent—it was just a shell, an extension of herself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Maris frowned slightly, taking a step closer to examine the clone. She reached out with her mind, and to her surprise, she could feel the sensations from the clone's body as if they were her own. It was as if she had two sets of senses. She could feel the cool air on her skin, not just from her own body, but also through the clone's.

The experience was strange, almost surreal, but it didn't overwhelm her.

She shifted her gaze to her clone's perspective, and in an instant, she could see the room from two angles at once—one through her own eyes, and the other through the clone's. It was disorienting at first, but not in the way she had expected. There was no dizziness, no confusion. It felt...natural.

"Interesting," she murmured, walking in a slow circle around the clone. Her original self could see the back of the clone, while her clone's vision allowed her to look at her own face. The dual perspectives were oddly intuitive, as if her mind was capable of processing both without issue.

Testing further, Maris commanded the clone to raise its arm. Instantly, the clone obeyed, lifting its right arm in perfect synchronization with her thought. She could feel the sensation of movement from both her own body and the clone's at the same time, as though they were two halves of the same whole.

But as much as she could control the clone, it had no will of its own. It wasn't independent—it was entirely reliant on her commands. That was disappointing, but it was also the first step.

"I'll need more time to perfect this," she whispered to herself, her brows furrowing. "But at least I've made progress."

She dismissed the clone with a thought, and in an instant, it dissolved into shimmering light, leaving her standing alone in the chamber. Maris took a deep breath, feeling both tired and exhilarated.

It wasn't perfect yet. The clone lacked its own mind, but the fact that she could create one and control it so seamlessly was a victory in itself. She now had the foundation she needed to build upon.

Soon she would able to create a clone with its own thoughts, and also, she would able to create clone without incarnation and hand sign.

---

Maris took a deep breath, focusing her energy once more. She had been perfecting the clone spell for hours, adjusting her mana control, experimenting with different methods to allow the clone to have its own independent thoughts. Finally, with one last push of mana, she watched as a figure took shape in front of her.

When the light faded, there stood her duplicate—a perfect, living replica. Maris felt the new connection between them, her mind interwoven with the clone's thoughts, but distinct. She could sense through her own body, as well as through the clone's, feeling two sets of sensations at once. It was strange, but manageable.

Taking a deep breath, she mentally cut off the shared vision, leaving her with only her own senses. When she looked back at the clone, it was already eyeing her with a mischievous smile.

"Hello there, Lucan-sama's favorite Saint," the clone said, with an odd tilt to her voice. Maris blinked in surprise. The clone's tone was playful—almost mocking—but the expression was unmistakably familiar.

"Are you...really me?" Maris asked cautiously, her brows furrowing.

The clone laughed,. "Oh, I'm all you," it replied, stretching its arms dramatically. "Just... a bit more liberated, shall we say?"

Maris raised an eyebrow, both intrigued and unsettled. "Liberated?"

The clone gave her a smirk and started twirling a strand of pink hair around its finger. "You could say I'm the part of you that likes to do things differently. The side that's curious, that...wants to explore a bit more."

Maris felt a shiver down her spine as the clone gave her a playful wink and walked around the room with a certain freedom.

The clone picked up a book and flipped through it, humming as it skimmed over the pages. "You know, Maris, you should really loosen up sometimes. Even Saints deserve a little fun, right? Like what you did last night in the bed."

Maris could feel her own cheeks flush at the suggestion. She hadn't expected her clone to have such a strange personality.