Chapter 55: 46 - Illusion
"By the way..."
That gentle voice echoed softly, as if trying to find a way to slip into my still-foggy thoughts. My breathing hadn’t fully settled yet, but Selene spoke as if time had never mattered to her.
"Are you curious about what would’ve happened if the ’you’ from earlier had managed to change fate?"
She asked while still hugging me from behind. My body, lying atop hers, felt exhausted—like I’d just been through something far beyond the physical. But her embrace was warm, steady—like an anchor for my drifting consciousness.
I tilted my head slightly, narrowing my eyes toward her.
"Isn’t this one already the right one?" I asked, half mumbling.
"Yes, if you hadn’t suddenly fallen, this would’ve been the correct one," she replied.
I went silent for a moment.
Wait.
That sentence... Did she mean this Kairi isn’t the Kairi? Or more precisely, that I, the one here now, am the result of something that shouldn’t have happened?
"No, that’s not it," she said, as if reading my mind. "What we need to change is the details of Helena’s death, nothing else."
She looked at me seriously—those violet eyes like oceans hiding far too many possibilities.
"So just think of the moment you fell earlier as not counting. That’s all."
Oh. So that’s what she meant.
And strangely, it made sense. Logical, even. Come to think of it, it would’ve been odd if Kairi—this version of me—knew Selene’s location during the incident, when chronologically I shouldn’t have seen her at all.
"Oh, that. She didn’t know, she was just being silly from clumsiness. Because yes, the book really did fall earlier."
Huh? Wait, now I’m even more confused?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, sharpening my tone.
Selene gave a small smile. A smile full of irony, yet patient—like a teacher who knows her student will be slow to grasp something profound.
"Here’s the thing, Kairi. As a living being, you’re shaped by countless scenarios. But at your core, you can do whatever you want."
"It’s just that," she continued, "there are a few possibilities you’re almost certainly going to choose—like two or three instinctual options you weigh. And those considerations will be recorded by Mytheia."
"Because those things happen... in another dimension."
That sentence lingered in my ears. Another dimension? As in, some kind of... branching reality?
"So, when you make one decision and move in line with it, that decision is considered the ’most correct’ one. Even if that choice ends up making you happy—or instead, broken and shattered."
"And the other decisions?" she continued, her tone quiet but firm. "Their records still exist. Mytheia logs everything. But because you didn’t walk those paths, the worlds behind those choices turn into illusions. Or rather: maya. Fictional worlds. Dream worlds. Imaginary realms that still exist—but never become reality."
I fell silent for a while. Those words were too deep. Not something you could digest in a single breath.
No, far too deep even for someone like me—a former doctor whose life had been filled with patient care, writing prescriptions, reviewing billing data, and dealing with a hospital system stuck on repeat. This whole "alternate dimension" thing felt like it came straight out of a fairy tale... or a game.
So, to draw an analogy, it’s like a cutscene in an interactive medium—be it an anime, a visual novel, or a game with multiple endings. Every decision, even the seemingly trivial ones, affects the future storyline. A kind of branching path. But... what’s unique about Mytheia is: none of those choices are wrong. They’re all valid. What makes one ’right’ or ’wrong’ is simply—what you end up living.
And strangely, none of the choices are actually wrong. They’re only blamed when you choose what you think is right.
Selene smiled in satisfaction. "Exactly. Wait... what do you mean by ’more clearly’? Was my explanation unclear?"
"No, more like... ’Your explanation is way too grand and hard to grasp’—so I simplified i—ahhh ow, that hurts~!"
Without warning, she pinched my cheek playfully, then kissed my lips. Warm. Soft. But before I could respond, she had already pulled back, leaving behind a trace of sweetness and a faint tingle.
CUP~! MWAH~! POP~!
"Hey, stop it already~! Are you still not satisfied? Ugh~!"
When I looked at her, her face wore an annoyed expression—but not angry. More like... a bratty kind of annoyed.
"I got all worked up because you clearly said my explanation was weird. And worst of all, you didn’t even bother to keep it to yourself."
Oh... so that’s why she’s mad.
"You... offended?"
"You mean, offended?"
I grinned. "What I meant is this: not many people will catch what you explained earlier. Because it’s way too high-level. You’re like a genius lecturer who just throws words out—like you don’t care if your audience gets it or not. Acting like everyone understands when..."
Selene looked thoughtful for a moment. Then raised an eyebrow.
"What’s a ’lecturer’?"
Hah?
Usually in anime, this would be the moment where the character falls over backwards with a loud "CRASH!", or at least does a classic facepalm gesture.
"Roughly the same as a professor in the magical world," I answered.
"So in the world of science, that’s what they call a lecturer?"
"Eh, not exactly. We have professors too. But a lecturer is more like a formal educator at a higher learning institution. Here... hmm... maybe like an Arcanist Mage?"
"Ooh, I see..."
"Yeah."
We exchanged glances for a moment. A warm silence wrapped around us, like a gentle mist that didn’t obscure.
But then I realized—we might’ve gone off-topic.
"Ah right, Selene. You mentioned something earlier about a Mytheia clip, right?"
"Oh, yeah. Do you want to see it?"
I nodded quickly. A bubbling curiosity surged within me. Not just because of the tech or the magic, but because I wanted to know: what did the reality I didn’t choose look like?
"Alright, I’ll show you. But this time, let’s record everything you’re thinking, okay?"
"You mean?"
"Yeah... everything you feel and say in your heart."
"Oh, I see. Why though?"
"So it feels more alive," she said with a giggle, her eyes glowing with that usual mysterious light.
Selene began fiddling with Mytheia, spinning runes, shifting particles of light, as if reweaving the fabric of perception itself.
Maybe she was adjusting the point of view, or programming something to let me experience it all more vividly.
"Okay, it’s ready," she finally said.
I took a deep breath. My heart—still not fully recovered from its own shock—was pounding. But I was ready. Because no matter what, I wanted to know what was truly hidden behind the choices I didn’t make.
And together, we watched Mytheia.
Witnessing what would happen next.
