Hundred and sixty-eight

Arabella, Sandro, and Clarisse reached the entrance of the Phoenix's sacred ground. Lady Arabella stood at the center of a pentagram, and close to her was an elevated platform with a golden cup and an open book next to it.

Turning to address the gathering, Arabella gasped softly. "Is that me?" she murmured, looking from Sandro to Clarisse and back at the woman.

"You go about looking like everyone, Cara. Not that I blame you for that," Sandro grunted.

"You're one to talk," Arabella glared at him, recalling her confusion between Alessandro the first and Sandro earlier. Now, she was faced with her own lookalike.

"Like I mentioned, the sin began a century ago, stemming from your ancestors. The figures you see here are your forebears," Clarisse explained.

"What about Alessia, then?" Arabella inquired, considering their twin connection. "If there's a first doppelganger, it would make sense for her to be present too."

"She was absorbed by the first, but that's a tale for another time," Clari