"Thea, dear, we're going to... attend the funeral. Get ready, we'll be waiting for you downstairs." The middle-aged woman finished speaking with a sob, covering her mouth as she walked out of the room.
"Okay, Mom, I'll be right there." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Thea Queen watched her mother's figure disappear from view, her mind swirling with thoughts. It had been three days since she had crossed over—or rather, merged—and she was gradually coming to terms with her new identity.
She had gone from being a relatively successful young man to a young lady from a wealthy family that had suffered a tragic misfortune. Her past life—let's call it that for now—felt like fragments of a movie constantly replaying in her mind: birth, schooling, graduation, marriage, and so on. It all seemed both real and illusory, evoking neither joy nor resentment. She viewed it all from an outsider's perspective, calm and detached.
What was her original name again? She couldn't remember. Compared to the memories of her past life, her current physical and emotional state was largely dominated by Thea's original feelings—sorrow, grief, and despair. From now on, she was, and would only be, Thea!
Ignoring the black dress, she thought that although her original consciousness still held sway, she remained resistant to women's clothing. Instead, she put on the white tank top, black suit pants, and black mid-heel shoes her mother had prepared. Thankfully, Thea was still a minor. Having to wear high heels for such a solemn occasion would have been a disaster.
She tidied her hair in front of the mirror. Thea had thick, dark brown hair, very fair skin, and light green eyes. Her calm gaze still held a trace of sorrow for the loss of her loved ones.
On the first day after the merger, after watching the news, she had confirmed her situation. This was a world similar to the Arrow TV series—or perhaps it wasn't. There was too little information to determine the exact circumstances. She had watched parts of the series in her past life. If she wasn't mistaken, she was now the sister of the Green Arrow, the protagonist—a rebellious, unruly, and unreasonable problem teenager.
Picking up her handbag, she walked down the stairs. Fortunately, at this point, Thea was still in her well-behaved phase and hadn't yet picked up a host of bad habits after the loss of her loved ones. The fusion of two souls had resulted in mental strength surpassing that of an ordinary person. This mental strength反馈ed back to her body, and despite being a frail fifteen-year-old girl, her steps were firm.
She walked to her mother, Moira Queen, and said softly, "Let's go, Mom."
Moira didn't speak but simply held Thea close as the two silently entered the car.
...
"Robert Queen, born in 1958, died in 2007, at the age of 51. He was an outstanding entrepreneur in our Star City, a mentor and friend to us all. His passing has left us without a great father and a sincere friend. He..."
"Oliver Queen, born in 1985, died in 2007, at the age of 22. He was a child of our Star City, a gift from God. He..."
Listening to the pastor's eulogy, Thea's thoughts drifted. The pastor was effusive in his praise for her father, Robert, but had little to say about her brother, only offering a few brief words.
To be fair, her brother really didn't have any notable achievements to speak of. He was promiscuous, unfaithful, and irresponsible—his only redeeming quality was his good looks. But who would have thought that the saintly father would sow the seeds of disaster for this city, while in the critical moment, it was the prodigal son who ended up saving everyone?
The loss of her loved ones still saddened Thea deeply. She covered her mouth to keep from crying out. Although she knew her brother wasn't actually dead, her adoptive father, who had always treated her as his own, had truly passed away.
Yes, treated as his own—how ironic. She wasn't actually a biological child of the Queen family. Her father had always known the truth but had treated her as his own daughter without a hint of dissatisfaction.
Reason could no longer suppress the surge of emotion. Thea leaned on her mother's shoulder and burst into tears.
"Dear, cry, let it all out," Moira said softly, gently stroking Thea's hair.
Soon after, the funeral ended. Two empty caskets were buried in the Queen family cemetery.
"My condolences, Moira. My condolences, Thea." A stern-looking, well-dressed middle-aged man was the first to approach them, speaking calmly.
Upon seeing him, Thea immediately recognized him as her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn. This man was a thoroughgoing conspirator and schemer. The shipwreck of the Queen's Gambit was entirely his doing, making him the ultimate villain of the first season of Arrow.
Outwardly, he appeared cultured and refined, seemingly weak and incapable, but in reality, he was highly skilled in martial arts. Known as the Dark Archer, he was proficient in archery, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. In the first season, he beat the Green Arrow to a pulp twice.
Moreover, he had a strong presence, remaining active throughout the first four seasons of Arrow. Thea had crossed over before the fifth season finished, so she didn't know what happened then, but given his survival skills, it was unlikely he died.
From his portrayal in the series, although he was incredibly sinister, he still loved his children. Perhaps she could learn martial arts from him? In the original plot, Thea received training from Malcolm in the third season and became the Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy. Could she accelerate this process? Thea felt very insecure now. Although there were still five years until the main plot began, and Oliver was still stranded on Lian Yu fishing, she had spotted a striking name on the guest list—Wayne Enterprises. If she remembered correctly, that was Batman's company! What kind of world had she landed in?
She wasn't sure if Malcolm currently knew she was his daughter. Moira, as her mother, definitely knew, but would she tell Malcolm? What was the situation in the series? Thea couldn't recall. Malcolm was no saint. If he didn't know the truth and she approached him, it could end disastrously—even cost her life.
At the same time, Thea's own heart resisted the idea of acknowledging Malcolm as her father. After all, he was responsible for her adoptive father's death and caused her half-brother to wander for five years, suffering both physically and mentally. Although this was the price of becoming a hero, the cost was too high.
Since she had no good ideas for now, she could only set the thought aside for the time being.
She stood silently beside Moira, watching her mother express gratitude to each guest offering condolences. Moira was such a complex woman. She knew about Malcolm's plans all along. Did she not love her family? The evidence showed that she had invested all her emotions into this family, willing to give up her career and even her life for her children. Yet, she had stood by and allowed the shipwreck that claimed her husband and son. The remorse and regret she showed after the incident seemed genuine. It was truly contradictory. Perhaps it could only be described as an ostrich mentality—as long as it didn't happen right in front of her, she could feel somewhat better? Maybe Malcolm had exploited this very psychology of hers.
"Thea, let me introduce you. This is Walter Steele, your father's right-hand man." Moira introduced the bald Black man in front of them.
According to the plot, this man would become her stepfather in the coming years. Thea remained aloof, nodding faintly without saying a word. Her feelings toward Moira were now ambiguous—not intimate, but not distant either. She neither opposed nor supported her mother finding another man. Perhaps this was the original Thea's attitude as well.