Chapter 20: Memory

To my shock, Gomi said to me.

 

“You see, I couldn’t see a thing. The memory began playing, but poof! It disappeared when you got all zombie-like. So you’ll have to tell me what you saw so I can tell you.”

 

Ugh, what was wrong with this baby?!

 

Despite my lack of fondness for babies in general, common decency in me stopped me from cursing at Gomi. But I couldn’t help but get a bad feeling that she was developing a habit of leading me on. 

 

I took a deep breath and told myself that there was no point arguing with the baby right now. What I needed to do was just get through this conversation.

 

The refreshing breeze tickled my nose. Just like on the first floor, the air felt thicker than the outside world. However, I noticed a faint scent that was absent from the previous floor. It was almost a little sour like I was smelling a cup of apple cider vinegar. 

 

My voice was much more peaceful now when I explained what I saw to Gomi. 

 

“I only recognized two people there. Virpal Bansal, who is the CIO of the RAC, and Valiant Vesper. He and his partner killed two people, and then… They killed the character I was playing too…”

 

I trailed off, trying very hard not to get choked up. I was only playing a character, and I didn’t feel any pain during the process. But it appeared that the Door made me experience all the emotions this character had to go through. The intensity of what I felt was something I didn’t want to go through again. I didn’t even know those people who died, but it was still upsetting to see people suffer like that. 

 

“...Are you okay?” Gomi asked. 

 

Although feeling unsettled, I figured that it was a good thing I was asked to describe what I saw. It was a smart way to process and recollect everything. In that strange scene, I was watching and experiencing everything, but it was quite a different thing trying to conjure up the details. 

 

“I’m fine. I’m just trying to figure out what happened there. I think the two women including Virpal and the couple that died were all on the same side. And they were fighting against Valiant and his buddy,” I replied. 

 

After some thought, I continued, “And whoever I was playing had to be on the good guy’s side too. I think… she, the girl whose body I entered, was close to them. And I could tell she despised the evil duo, especially Valiant Vesper.”

 

As I, in the girl’s body, burned, I could feel the fierceness of her emotions. She was angry, betrayed, sad, and… she felt powerless. 

 

‘Don’t be weak.’

 

She had to be saying it to herself, but the words resonated with me painfully. While inside of her, I sensed the extent of her magic. She wasn’t weak by any means. 

 

She wasn’t like me. 

 

Yet she still died. And she died not by a monster, but by two men. 

 

I wasn’t so naive that it was just the monsters I should be wary of inside the Door. They were the main opponents, but there were certainly other Rhombics who preyed on their own kind. 

 

Unfortunately, the Door didn’t discriminate against the scums of the earth when sending out the Invitations. 

 

Or perhaps it was the superhuman power that changed those who were once good. 

 

If we’re all born good, then I would think that power would be the main culprit that turned us evil. 

 

Or, maybe we were all born evil, and it was that same power that awakened our true nature. Either way, this meant that it should be a surprise not all of the Rhombics became super villains. 

 

Gomi seemed pensive because her lips pouted intently. This was good. It meant that she was thinking, and hopefully, she was thinking because she either knew or remembered something useful. 

 

She asked, “So you saw wings? Black ones? And were they just on one of the bad guys?” 

 

Gomi flapped like a chicken before jolting her arms suddenly, making me flinch. Still looking serious, she continued, “And did he go like this to shoot?”

 

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“Yes! Yes, he did!” I became excited. 

 

Finally, we were getting somewhere. Did Gomi know who it was? I have never heard of a Rhombic who had the Skill of wings, but I wasn’t an expert by any means. And it wasn’t uncommon for Rhombics to hide their Skills, although something so dramatic like a set of black wings would have been very noticeable.  

 

So if Gomi could tell me who this guy was, it would answer a lot of my questions. 

 

So far, the best explanation I came up with was that I have witnessed a crime scene that occurred inside the Door. What I couldn’t understand was why it thought this would make a great Gift for me. 

 

Anyway, I had a feeling that perhaps it was this unfortunate dead girl I played who was trying to send me a message. Could it be that her soul was unable to rest from the injustice of what happened and somehow found a way to contact me? 

 

It was a far-fetched idea, but I was a huge sucker for paranormal phenomena. I absolutely believed in ghosts, the afterlife, and all the cool stuff, so this thought excited me a little. You might laugh at me for believing in such things, but hey, we already lived in the world of monsters and different dimensions. 

 

So how unthinkable could this idea be? 

 

This was all making sense to me now. It was even very possible that it was this vengeful ghost who sent Gomi to help me. 

 

Damn, was I a genius detective or what?! My imagination grew wings and flew all around me as I tried to make sense of what happened.

 

Now, I just needed to get the name of that villain and I could report him to RAC. It was going to be a little tricky to explain how I knew he was a murderer, but I was sure I will be able to think of something. 

 

Watching Gomi expectantly, I asked, “So who was that guy?” 

 

“Huh? What guy?”

 

“...The guy with the wings. The one I described just now.” 

 

“Oh, dunno. Can’t remember.”

 

“...” Frustration was building inside of me ready to explode, but I was quickly stopped.

 

“But… I’m pretty sure I knew him before. The black wings… The dark desert… It all sounds a little familiar. I think maybe I was there.”

 

Wait a minute! 

 

I was now on my feet when I turned toward her. Looking down at her confused chubby face, I whispered, “Was that… you? The girl who died? Are you the ghost that wants to get vengeance?!”

 

“Oh… I don’t know. I can’t remember. M…maybe? What did the girl look like?”

 

“How would I know? I was HER, and I didn’t exactly get the time to check myself out in a mirror.” I scoffed, but at the same time, I was thrilled. I was getting so close to solving this mystery. Trying to jog Gomi’s memory, I added.

 

“She felt really strong, and she was holding… that weapon that looked like a scythe, but longer and double-bladed.”

 

Gomi tilted her head and murmured, “Mmm… I do like Scythe.” 

 

I was a little surprised by how she said the last sentence. It sounded like she was saying, “Mmm, I like burgers.” 

 

When I narrowed my eyes at her, she shrugged and added, “It all sounds very familiar to me. The scythe and everything.”

 

I shook my head in awe because I couldn’t believe how easily I figured it out. The memory I thought impossible to interpret seemed to belong to none other than my new Moogi.   

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