Darkness. It threatened to swallow my whole being.
What time is it? Who am I? Who is here with me?
I'm scared. I can't get up, and my limbs refuse to move even an inch.
Was I always afraid of the darkness? Someone who desired true freedom?
But this darkness makes you feel safe, does it not?
No, it makes me feel dreadful. I want to get out of here, please.
With this, no one can see how much of a monster you truly are.
I'm not a monster; I'm human. Isn't that what I am?
Then look in the mirror to see if what you say is the truth.
—Shing...!
Under mine, theirs, and our gossip—an unknown light reflected off my skin, coming from the sun.
—Sizzle...!
The sunlight burned me, silently screaming inside in agony.
Was light always this painful? I don't understand. I don't want to know.
Do you now see why? You aren't supposed to be there.
Who... are you? Why are you doing this to me?
I'm you, and I'm me, and we're all of us.
The mirror, which seemed to appear out of nowhere and was enshrouded in darkness on the other side, began to reveal itself.
My limbs, which had refused to move even under extreme pain, shook violently.
I felt an inexplicable chill, wishing this nightmare would end.
Memories that didn't belong to me played repeatedly—infinitely—jumbled like a broken tape recorder.
...Once I look at myself in that mirror and make a mistake, it will be irreversible.
Now, decide: Who are you?
Are you a man who lived a mundane life, ending in an anticlimactic manner?
Are you a heir who was forsaken by others, only to run back to your sins, far too late to save anyone?
Are you someone who was trapped inside a birdcage for an eternity, isolated with no one to rely on?
Or are you a fragile girl who only desires to see the vast ocean, only to suffer a cruel fate, fearing the darkness?
...
...
...
Light streamed in from the direction opposite the mirror, burning me with an almost unbearable intensity.
I could see multiple body parts overlapping in my reflection, all of which used to belong to me.
These fragments of myself had once lived their own lives.
There was only one correct answer:
"None of them is correct."
I am a nobody; that remains a fact.
But if I were to ask myself to answer this rhetorical question, what would I say?
"Are you telling me I could easily forget that I was turned into a girl? Are you stupid?"
My cute, pristine face resembles that of a doll. My cheeks are as soft as rice balls, and my petite, curvy figure draws stares from everyone.
It's like asking me to forget my own birthday when I technically became a girl when the world ended, with my only friend dying in the endless void, leaving me to wake up alone among the rubble.
"No matter how many words you throw at me, I won't change, and I don't think I would want to change that."
Without hesitation, I walked toward the mirror, determined to see my reflection.
The light shone even more brightly, and eventually, I could see only a familiar figure belonging to the me today.
This is who I am.
My name is Aria Cyth.
...
...
...
"Huh?"
Eyes formed all over my body, a form so otherworldly that it felt like it didn't belong to any living creature.
With a smile made of razor-sharp teeth stretched to the end of my cheeks...
IT smiled from the mirror, greeting me.
WRONG ANSWER.
=======
"AAAHH!" I sat up in bed, startled by the bright lights.
My heart raced so fast that I struggled to catch my breath.
"B-Blurgh...!"
—Tap Tap Tap!
I dashed to the bathroom and switched on the lights, unable to withstand the darkness for even a moment.
"BLEEERGH!" I vomited again into the toilet, unable to keep track of how many times I had done so since the Pylon was destroyed.
"Why... I can't... h-hagh...!" Sitting on the floor, I hugged my knees tightly in an attempt to ease the pain.
I couldn't simply forget them—Lucy's memories.
Unlike Camellia's memories, which highlighted only the choker's most critical moments, Lucy's memories went far beyond that.
Every single moment, from beginning to end, felt overwhelming.
Living in her memories for years—maybe even decades—I became numb, slowly absorbing everything as if my brain had implemented a safety measure to prevent an explosion from all that information.
My entire body shook with fear, trying desperately to forget everything.
I vividly recall the voice in the white space telling me that I would forget most of it, but could I really trust her?
She had apparently dragged me into Lucy's mindscape, pulling me into a Pylon Core host's deepest, darkest despair—an experience no human should ever endure to quell her needs.
Understanding that the ability
Fear that this might happen again, and I won't be myself anymore.
"I'm scared..."
...
...
...
—Ding!
Suddenly, my phone rang from across the bed where I sleep.
Night arrived too soon, so Eskieth decided we should stay in Metrova for now, lounging in a hotel.
Wondering who had called me so late at night, I felt a moment of calm wash over me.
Still sitting on the bathroom floor with my knees tucked up, I stood up and checked my phone. The fear that had crept up to my chest began to steady itself. I took a deep breath, trying to relax.
It was Camellia.
「Ariaaaa check out this cool picture of me and sum cats lol」
I tilted my head, surprised by how random the message was. However, I sighed and decided to check out the picture anyway.
"…Pfft." I struggled to suppress my laughter, completely flabbergasted by the chaotic scene captured in the photo.
In the picture, Camellia and Erina appeared to be at a cat café.
Camellia posed for the camera, making a peace sign with her fingers, while a brown cat smothered her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Erina had a cat sprawled across her face, lying on top of her and surrounded by even more cats.
"They seem to be having fun," I chuckled to myself.
—Flop!
Feeling overwhelmed, I flopped onto my bed, smudging my face into the mattress as I tried to relax a bit.
「cute, right? wait, are you even awake at this time」
「I am. You didn't notice this time, huh.」
「oh no, I did」
「Then why even ask」
「so you could reply a second after」
「You're so funny.」
Camellia, growing more mischievous over time, was starting to annoy me, and I wanted to pay her back, but I was too exhausted to do so.
「anyways, what do u think?」
「I think Erina looks pretty cute. The cats are really cute too, I wanna go there and pet them.」
「hb me?」
「You're okay.」
「stupid idiot die i hate you」
「Here, picture of me.」
On a whim, I also sent Camellia a picture of myself looking sleepy. My cheeks were squished by a pillow, and my groggy eyes had a charm that I couldn't help but admire.
I thought I looked really cute, so it was fine.
「You're forgiven. I'll treasure this for the rest of my life.」
「Wait, you don't have to go that far.」
「I agree, sister. Do you think we should hang it on our wall?」
「Yes. We should.」
「Ah. This is the group chat.」
I checked the message logs.
It was indeed the group chat between the two sisters, Camellia and Erina, and not a private DM.
「Since when did you get here, Erina?」
「Ariaaaa! check out this cool picture of me and sum cats lol」
「Why would you repeat that」
「You wanted to know when so. heh」
「Sigh」
「?」
「?」
Feeling even more tired after talking with them, we spent a few minutes discussing lighter topics.
From getting along (?) with the Xero Squad members to the recent issue with Yorselania to finding out what they were up to, managing their own responsibilities.
Surprisingly, they aren't slacking off, despite how these two act around me.
"..." I stopped typing in chat, wondering if I should tell them about what happened.
After all that briefing... I saved the final piece of info for last, but I couldn't send out the message about what happened in the Domain.
...
...
...
—Vrrr!
But just before I hit send, the two of them responded with a video call.
"Huh, wait what?"
Not knowing what to do, I accepted the call and braced myself, oddly forgetting that video calls even existed.
—Ding!
「Ah ah... helloooo?」 Camellia said, clearing her throat.
"Hello...?" I replied with a slightly groggy voice.
「Ah, Ariaaaa—gwek! Erina! What is wrong with you!」
「You're too noisy. It's nighttime. Idiot big sister.」
「Ugh... annoying...」
The two of them calmed down and looked at me, still slumped in bed.
I expected them to bicker even more, but my eyes widened when they gazed at me, clearly anticipating something.
「Aria. You don't have to tell us what happened.」Camellia said, smiling from the screen.
Even though we weren't together at this moment, I felt an inexplicable warmth from her presence.
"What... what do you mean?"
「Something happened, didn't it?」
"..."
I fell silent, looking away as I tried to suppress my emotions. It felt like I would explode if I let it all out today.
I hesitated, struggling to find the right words to express how I felt.
「We're just truly glad you're safe, Aria. Erina too, see?」
Camellia showed Erina, nodding with a smile, letting me know they were both fine.
「We noticed by the look on your face from the picture, Aria.」Erina chimed in, quickly making an observation.
"...Did I really look that bad?"
Camellia and Erina both nodded.
「If you're ready, you can tell us anytime. We'll always be here for you... O-Okay?」
「...A love confession?」
「Erina.」
「Sorry.」
I was left speechless, staring at the two of them in shock, unable to respond.
Haunted by the darkness of Lucy's memories, I realized that thanks to the two sisters... I might finally be able to sleep well tonight.
"Hehe, thank you, Camellia. I really like you."
「WHAT.」
「Wow.」
Leaving Camellia with a very embarrassing final message, my eyes felt heavy, and I wanted to sleep at that moment.
「I, uhh— hah... aaAaaAAaaaH!」
"Mmpgh... you too, Erina. You're so nice too..."
「...」
—Rustle...
I tucked my blanket around me, planning to sleep with the lights off, letting the moonlight illuminate the room.
"Goodnight..."
I glanced at them one more time, feeling happy to have people waiting for me back home.
「...Goodnight, big brother.」Erina said softly, taking advantage of the fact that Camellia was already nodding off.
She looked like she was about to cry, so I ended the call and planned to talk to them about it later.
「H-Huh, wait! We're not finished yet—」
—Thud!
With a click of a button, I pressed disconnect and slowly closed my eyes, not wanting to move at all for fear of becoming wide awake again.
"Haaah... I guess Anellia plans to talk tomorrow night, which is what is probably going to happen."
Ending the day on a good note, I made myself comfortable and went to sleep, waking up to a brighter tomorrow.
...
...
...
"..."
"..."
"...Hello, Vice-Leader—"
"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM—"