SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

When Edgar heard what Sofie had said, he remembered how his father entrusted his sister to him before his last breath.

His eyes turned watery, and he bit his lips to prevent himself from howling. He stares at Sofie. Her words keep ringing in his ears. He grips his fists hard. He wiped his tears, then his eyes are changing. His eyes are getting filled with more will to fight.

He stood up and said,"I will get it. I will get that strength."

Sofie has a bigger smile when she heard Edgar.

"Come down here. I will teach you the basics first," said Sofie.

Edgar imitated Sofie and jumped on the uneven slope of the mound, but he slipped.

"Ah! Shit!" He fell on the slope and rolled to the ground.

"Waah! Are you all right?" asked Sofie as she runs toward Edgar.

"It hurts!" thought Edgar, but his face is expressionless. He cannot further lose face.

He stands up, touches his nose, and says,"Hmpf! It's nothing."

He did not know that his hand is dirty, so his hand put dirt on his nose.

Sofie giggle when she saw it.

She broke the branch into two and gave the other half to Edgar.

"Attack me," said Sofie as she took a sword stance.

"Ahhh!" shouts Edgar as he rushes to Sofie and swings down the branch.

Sofie swiftly avoided it.

Edgar keeps attacking, but all of them are avoided easily by Sofie. He was also hit in several parts of his body.

"Huff huff," Edgar is heavily panting. He did not even touch the clothes of Sofie.

Sofie approached him with a smile and said,"You should start with basic footwork first and repeatedly practice sword stances and slash. I will demonstrate them to you, and you should practice them every day. You should also jog to increase your endurance. Don't overdo it. Don't exceed your body's tolerance. There is a dojo in our school where I practice, but you can't go there. This park is good enough. I will help you practice here."

Edgar nods. Sofie demonstrated the basics. She looks at the time on her watch. It's time for her to return.

Edgar looks at the girl. He is a stranger to her, but she went to such a length to help him.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry that I did not thank you before," said Edgar.

"It's fine," said Sofie.

Edgar looks at the girl and asks, "Why are you helping me?"

Sofie smiles, moves to the railings, and watches the scene on the opposite side of the river with a reminiscent look.

"When I was a child, I was almost kidnapped, but I was saved by a female stranger at the expense of her life."

Sofie's back looks solemn with the rays of the sunset.

"Edgar, before the broken world appears, the world is already dark. Now, the world has become darker, but there are rare beings that will lend a hand to a stranger even in times of danger. I call them Polaris."

Sofie turned to her back and smiled at Edgar.

"Let's meet again later," said Sofie as she walked away.

"Wait! I still don't know your name!" shouted Edgar.

Sofie looks at him.

"Sofie, Sofie Palma."

Sofie continues walking away after saying her name.

Edgar looks at her back.

"Sofie, Polaris." Murmured by Edgar, then he looks at the top of the mound.

"Father, Mother, don't worry, I will take care of Sasha," Edgar thought as he grips his fists.

After that day, Edgar trained hard, not just in swords but even in spears. He trained together with Sofie for eight months, and they became close friends.

One day, Edgar is standing on top of the mound. His left hand is holding the sheath of the sword. His right hand is holding a bunch of leaves. He threw the bunch of leaves, then jumped on the slope of the mound.

Boom! He charged forward, then drew his sword in the air.

TNNG! The sword slashed a leaf in the air, then he rotates to his back in mid-air.

Flop! He landed on the stone road, then takes a slashing stance. He charged forward, then slashed the leaves that are already near the ground.

All the leaves fell to the ground without any cuts.

"Shit! I cannot even cut one leaf!" cursed Edgar.

"Why is Sofie not here yet?" Edgar asks himself as he wipes his sweat.

"Hmm?" He notices Gan running toward him.

"Edgaaaar! Something happened to Sofie! Someone called me and told me to go to the site quickly!" Gan shouted. His face looks so worried.

Edgar's face changed. He has a very bad feeling.

They quickly rushed to the site. After running, they reached the place. There are police cars and many people.

When Edgar saw the police cars and policemen, he prayed earnestly.

"No! No! Please, Sofie, be fine!" Edgar earnestly hopes in his mind, but his hope is crushed by a despairing howl.

"Ahhhhhh! Sofiiiiiie!" Sofie's mother is embracing a girl covered by a white cloth on the ground. Her upper body is naked, and her skin has turned purple. Sofie's father is kneeling on the cement road. They keep wailing. It was so painful for them to see the state of Sofie's body.

Edgar and Gan are petrified. Their eyes turned watery. They can't stop their tears from gushing.

Edgar bit his lips to prevent himself from howling.

The onlookers are whispering together.

"I heard that she tries to save a girl being forcefully dragged to a van. She injured the man, then more powerful men came out and took her down. Both her and the girl are taken inside. The van moved away, but not long after, she was thrown outside without clothes. Her limbs are broken. Her face is, sigh, she definitely suffered a lot."

More tears flow from Edgar's eyes, and he grips his fists hard when he heard it. His mouth is trembling as he holds himself back from wailing.

The ambulance came and took Sofie's body. The mother went with the ambulance, while the father went with the police.

Gan wipes his tears, and he pats Edgar's shoulder. His eyes are still red.

"We should go to the morgue. Her parents need support right now," said Gan.

"I-I will follow later,"absentmindedly said by Edgar.

Gan nodded, then he left.

The onlookers are leaving.

Edgar sat on the roadside. His mind is blank, as he still can't accept what happened.

There are policemen talking inside the patrol car. They didn't notice Edgar, who is sitting near their car.

A man with a beard and messy hair is sitting in the back seat. He took out a cigarette, opened the window, lit the cigarette, and started smoking. He is wearing civilian clothes.

"There is only one poison user that can cause that skin color," said the investigator in the back seat.

"Sigh, what can we do? It involves a hyperbeing. The case will be transferred to PHA, but I doubt that they can do something about it. They are powerless against that man. That man will probably force a random man to take the blame," said the policeman in the front seat.

The investigator smokes. His face looks exhausted. He said,"I am getting tired of seeing the results of the investigation but can't put the real perpetrators behind bars. If I don't have family to feed and support, I could have resigned a long time ago, but I don't know how long I can hold on."

"Sigh, you should take a break," said the policeman to his friend.

Edgar returned to the spot where he always trained with Sofie. He is holding the railing beside the river. As he looks at the setting sun, tears are flowing from his eyes. Sofie's voice is reverberating in his ears. It was also sundown when she mentioned her dream.

"My dream is to make Manila a safe place for everyone to live. From Manila to other cities, then to the whole country. I will join the police and create an elite squad, I will call it Dragon Hall!" said Sofie as she spread her arms to welcome the flowing wind.