Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 226: Lazuli

Sol touched his cheek where he had been slapped, looking bewildered. Sure, she was naked, but this wasn’t the first time. When they traveled together, Lapis hadn’t been shy about changing clothes in front of them, she previously said it was faster than finding a secluded spot like Nataly did.

The woman quickly grabbed the cloak from his hands and rushed to put it on.

"Did she lose her memories?" Sol asked out loud to his squad behind him.

Duncan, who also found her reaction odd, speculated, "Could it be that she only remembers up to the moment she put her blood in those vials?"

The rest of the squad found logic in his theory. Sol turned back to the woman, who had just noticed the small group of spectators, and asked, "Lapis, can you tell us the last thing you remember?"

"Lapis? Oh! No, I’m not—"

Before she could finish, another group of bubbles rose from the pool, and another woman emerged from the liquid. She looked identical to the first woman.

Unlike the first, the second woman made her way to the edge of the pool and got out. She turned to Sol and, without any trace of embarrassment, said, "Thanks. Got any clothes?"

"Lapis?" he asked, just to make sure, though he already knew the answer. Compared to the other woman, this one felt much more like the Lapis they knew.

Lapis nodded. "Yeah. So, any spare clothes?"

"Lapis! I thought I was a goner!" The unknown woman jumped and hugged Lapis. The naked Lapis didn’t resist; she just stood in place, letting the cloaked woman hug her tightly. While the one sided hug continued, Sol checked all his spatial rings for another cloak but couldn’t find any more. Instead, he took out one of the dresses from the ring Lapis had given him before she died.

Lapis lightly pushed the identical looking woman away and shook her head. "I’m not wearing that. Give me your spare clothes."

"Mine? Sure." Sol took out a set of his everyday clothes, not worrying about the size as he was slightly bigger than her, and the clothes were loose fitting.

"Why are both of you acting so nonchalant about this?!" Nataly yelled, confused by how quickly they had changed tempo.

"I’m Lazuli! Lapis’ twin sister! I died heroically saving my dear younger sister from a very dangerous monster."

’Lapis... Lazuli? Their parents had a really weird naming sense; their hair isn’t even blue,’ Sol inwardly commented.

"The only truthful thing you said was your name. You died to your own poison magic because it was blown back at you, and I’m the older one," Lapis said, immediately calling her out on her lies.

Lazuli was shocked by the instant betrayal. "Okay, sure, but I did it to protect you! And I am the older one—I was born first!"

Lapis shook her head. "Not anymore. I’m nine months older than you now."

"What?! That’s not fair! Wait! We were both revived at the same time, and I left the pool first, so I’m still older!"

The two began bickering over who was older, each using different reasoning, and neither backed down. The rest could only watch the comedic display between the two identical women.

Sol couldn’t find an opening to interject and change the subject until it suddenly turned to him.

"I’m the one who traveled and worked for almost an entire year just to revive you. Just be thankful and admit I’m now the older sister," Lapis began resorting to guilt tripping her sister into conceding.

"But you died too! It was this pervert that revived us!"

"Can we drop it with the pervert... My name is Sol."

He regretted not letting Nataly approach Lazuli instead, but how was he supposed to know she wasn’t Lapis?

He continued speaking with a more authoritative tone before they could continue arguing for who knows how long. "Settle who is older later. Lapis, explain."

Lapis nodded, switching gears instantly. "Our family has a long history, and we believe it’s connected to Ophis, the God of Rebirth. We don’t know all the details, as much of it was passed on orally, but every few generations, someone like us is born. They call us ’Scale Born,’ like my sister and me."