Lincoln took out a mirror and gently tapped it, shattering it. Then he pieced it back together, but fine cracks still remained across its surface. "Forgetting is impossible. No matter how carefully you repair it, the gaps and divisions will still be there."
Vivian took the mirror with a smile. Life Sovereign Power flowed across it, making it shimmer with radiant light. Before long, the mirror had returned to its original state.
She said nothing, only handing it back to Lincoln. Looking at it, Lincoln scoffed. "If you nurture it as a Sovereign Artifact, you really can make the cracks disappear. But can you nurture your heart as an artifact?"
After a pause, Lincoln continued, "I never imagined the Life Sovereign, the gentlest and kindest of them all, could have such a ruthless side. That's why I chose to become your emissary back then."
Vivian's smile faded. She sighed, her expression wistful, as if she were recalling the past as well. "Lincoln, honestly, if I truly meant to kill you, would I have needed to secretly plot for millions of years? I could have simply spread the word that you had Divine Clones in all seven elements. I wouldn't have needed to lift a finger—plenty of Sovereigns would have wanted you dead, including those two!"
"But in all these years, have I ever spread that information?" Vivian asked, looking Lincoln in the eyes. Her voice was utterly sincere.
"I was indeed wary of your talent, but I still cared about our bond. So my only goal was to kill your Sovereign Clone. Every little scheme was for that purpose. Just as I told Eldest Sister, as long as you weren't a Sovereign, everything would remain as it was." At this, Vivian's eyes shifted uneasily, and she couldn't meet Lincoln's gaze.