Chapter 166: Forgotten Past
Dennis tried again to recall his school days in his previous life, but not a single memory surfaced. He returned to carefully reading Ray’s profile on the interface until he came across her elementary school. Suddenly, his memory cracked open—not a memory of this world, but of the one before.
***
[Bzzzzzzzz]
"Blam!" A thunderous crack of lightning struck nearby. Two small children waiting at a bus stop jumped in shock, instinctively throwing their arms around each other. Heavy rain began to pour, trapping them both under the shelter. Flashes of lightning, a dark sky, and howling winds enveloped the bus stop where they huddled.
The two sat there hugging, unaware that they were strangers. Although both wore elementary school uniforms, the designs were different; they attended different schools. Neither spoke, but they gripped each other tightly. Finally, they pulled back slightly to look at one another’s faces.
"Um... what’s your name?"
"Dennis. How about you?" Dennis asked.
"Um... I’m Daisy." She glanced behind her. "Do you go to school here?" she followed up.
"Yeah." Dennis looked at her uniform. "Do you go to the one across the street?"
"Yes. My ride hasn’t picked me up yet. Thank you, Dennis. I’m not scared anymore," Daisy answered.
"You’re welcome. Thank you too. Because you’re here, I’m not scared either," Dennis replied.
The two fell silent but remained in an embrace, watching the torrential rain fall around them. Their schools were right across from each other, but the gap between them was vast. Daisy attended a rather classy, elite private school, while Dennis went to the public school right behind the bus stop. The social divide was real, even if the curriculum was the same.
"What grade are you in, Daisy?" Dennis asked.
"I’m in fifth grade. You?"
"I’m in fifth grade too," Dennis answered.
"Blam!" Their conversation was cut short by a bolt of lightning that made them both jump in their seats, clutching each other and hugging tightly. They began to shiver from the cold and instinctively tightened their hold.
"D... don’t be afraid. I’m here... I’m with you. I’ll always be with you," Dennis said, trying his best to sound brave.
"Y... yeah. I’m glad you’re beside me. I’ll always stay by your side, too," Daisy replied, hugging him back.
They stayed quiet, still embracing. Dennis could feel Daisy’s body shaking violently and saw her hands covering her ears. It seemed she was truly terrified of the thunder and the flashes of light. After a while, Daisy finally seemed calmer. Dennis let go of the hug, but Daisy’s arms reached out to pull him back.
"He... hey," Dennis said.
"Sorry. Let me stay like this for a bit," Daisy said.
"Alright," Dennis replied, finally giving in to her hug.
"You promise?" Daisy asked.
"Promise what?" Dennis asked, confused.
"That you won’t leave me and will keep staying with me until we both grow up, and then get married," Daisy answered.
Dennis went quiet for a moment. He looked down at Daisy, who was staring up at him with her large, blue eyes.
"Yeah, I promise," Dennis replied.
Daisy smiled. She raised her hand and extended her pinky finger, holding it out in front of him. Though he didn’t quite understand the gesture, Dennis hooked his pinky around hers.
"I also promise to always be by your side," Daisy said.
"Okay," Dennis replied with a smile.
"Blam!" "Aaaaaaaah!" The two immediately dove back into a hug at the sound of thunder, followed by a blinding flash of light from a long lightning strike nearby. They kept hugging until the rain stopped. Not long after, a car arrived. Recognizing the vehicle, Daisy released her hold on Dennis. Then Dennis turned to look at the approaching car; it turned out Daisy was being picked up by her mother and one other person—a girl in a middle school uniform who was perhaps three years older than him and looked gloomy. Then the girl turned to look at Dennis, and her face immediately brightened. But then Daisy looked back and waved at Dennis, then she shot a sharp glare at the girl beside her.
"He’s my future husband, Sister Railey," Daisy said with a pout, and Railey was instantly so shocked that she couldn’t say a word.
[Bzzzzzzzz]
***
Dennis, who had finally remembered it all, suddenly went deathly pale. Sweat poured off him, his mouth hung open, and his eyes widened. He remembered that after that day, he played with Daisy almost every day, causing him to forget about Bella for an entire year. And from that time on, he was also around Railey because he met Daisy so often.
"Wait... hold on... was the Railey who was captured with me the same person as Daisy’s older sister?" Dennis asked.
[They are the same person, Master.]
"But didn’t she call me ’Big Brother’ in prison back then?" Dennis asked.
[Her body was smaller than yours at that time, Master. Plus, back then you appeared much stronger than her... it’s only natural she mistook you for an older brother. But surely you remember, when you were rescued, who was waiting for you at home.]
"Railey... right... at that moment, I just found out she was actually older than me, and she also just found out I was the same age as her younger sister," Dennis replied.
[Exactly, Master. You finally remember.]
"So... back then... because I was always with Daisy for a year... she invited me to play Eclipse Saga?" Dennis asked.
[Correct, Master. She knew you were playing and approached you, then became your friend. To keep you from being suspicious, she used a male character.]
"But... a year later, she disappeared," Dennis said.
[That is because she died, Master. You certainly know what happened to her, don’t you.]
Dennis immediately recalled what he had seen in Daisy’s memories. His hands clenched into fists again as he looked back on what had happened in this world to Railey—the reflection of his previous world, even if the timeline might be different.
Then Dennis looked at the interface displaying Ray M’s profile complete with his photo. He couldn’t imagine it at all; the macho, rugged, and handsome face in that photo was Daisy’s older sister. But even though he tried hard to deny it, the truth was the truth. Finally, he sighed and suppressed the pain in his heart. Once his mind cleared, he realized that back when he played Eclipse Saga, he and the character named Rmax were always competing, yet also friends. He also realized why he was training now and wanted to match Ray M’s strength or even exceed it; subconsciously, he was driven by a memory deep in his heart to compete with Ray.
"Does Daisy know about this?" Dennis asked in his head.
[Daisy, your wife, does not know. But the six sisters who always exist within her head know exactly what happened.]
"How can that be?" Dennis asked.
[As I have told you, your wife created those personalities based on herself unconsciously. Diana is the curiosity about what actually happened to her, Dahlia is her resentment, Donna is her playfulness and mischief, Deborah is her inquisitiveness, Dulcia is her defense and courage, and Daphne is all of her desires. You could say, your wife Daisy is actually empty.]
"I see," Dennis muttered, thinking.
[Now let them discuss it themselves without you.]
"Alright... I understand," Dennis replied.
[But there is one important thing I must explain to you, Master.]
"What is it?" Dennis asked.
[You know how powerful your wife’s personalities are... if your wife decides for them to return into her and disappear... what do you think will happen?]
Dennis went quiet, but then he immediately tensed up. Because if all of Daisy’s memories returned and she knew what actually happened, plus all the power of her six personalities flowed back into her,
"This is bad... she could explode," Dennis said, tense.
[That is true, Master... not just physically and in power, but also mentally... and if that happens, you must be ready to handle it. So the real enemy is not Ray M, but the bomb you have been holding all this time.]
Dennis’s throat immediately tightened. Without realizing it, he turned to look at Destiny, who was sleeping while sucking her thumb in his arms.
[I said if that happens, so none of it is certain yet. You only need to be prepared. For now, we should wait, because deep down, you actually know, don’t you, what the relationship between Daisy and Railey is?]
"Yes... in the previous world... they were always arguing and fighting... their relationship was not harmonious at all... unlike the memories in this world shown by Daphne," Dennis answered.
[True. But because it was Daphne who showed them to you at that time, it means a small part of your wife wants to have a good relationship with her sister, Railey.]
Dennis fell silent again, then he turned back to look at the basement stairs leading down. His face looked tense, and it was obvious he was wondering what was actually happening in the council room.
