“What? You… no, wait, am I actually married?” Shirley exclaimed, her voice laced with astonishment.
“Had I not made a swift escape, that indeed would have been my fate,” Dr. Irmindada sneered, a cold edge to her voice. “While my primary reason for abruptly abandoning the Human Revival Council and fleeing to other worlds using untested technology, bypassing the ‘Threshold Gate’ altogether, wasn’t solely to avoid that marriage, I must admit, I’m quite pleased to have escaped the engagement with that fellow.”
‘Ah, I see…’ Shirley thought, picturing the black-armored soldier whose head had been obliterated. In that instant, she found herself somewhat understanding Dr. Irmindada’s drastic decision.
“In any case, our time is severely limited. As I mentioned, I can only ‘emerge’ like this when that scoundrel attempts to tamper with my memories. Therefore, I’ll have to be concise—”
“Hold on, you’re not planning to set me up, are you?!” Shirley demanded. Recalling the earlier behavior of Salome and Cassandra, it was evident that her ‘original’ self was hardly a paragon of virtue. Consequently, she found herself hesitant to place any trust in Dr. Irmindada.
“Set you up? Please! Once this window of opportunity closes, I have no idea when I’ll next be able to ‘awaken’ like this! Setting you up now would be tantamount to sabotaging myself!” Dr. Irmindada retorted, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Indeed, in the past, I committed many… truly dreadful acts in the name of science. And I genuinely regret the pain I caused my daughters! However, this only reinforces why you must make amends to them on my behalf!”
“Why should I?!”
“Do you truly wish for your classmates to return to their original world within their lifetimes?” Dr. Irmindada inquired, her tone laced with a beguiling persuasion. “If that is your desire, then you must follow my instructions precisely. I can assure you now, no one else in this world possesses the answers but me.”
‘Hmm…’ Shirley found herself wavering. While she naturally recoiled from placing her trust in someone who was almost certainly a great villain, the stark reality was that if she disregarded Dr. Irmindada’s words, her classmates—including those from “Pink FM Frequency”—might never find their way home. “Well, I… I… I…”
“Since you haven’t voiced an objection, I’ll consider it a tacit agreement.” Dr. Irmindada’s words accelerated noticeably, a clear indication that her time for communicating with Shirley was rapidly diminishing. “First, you absolutely must do everything within your power to safely locate all of my—and, by extension, your—daughters. Following that, you must endeavor to earn the goodwill of each and every one of them, ensuring they no longer harbor animosity towards you.”
“Why?” Though Shirley harbored a faint curiosity about meeting her ‘daughters,’ she understood implicitly that Dr. Irmindada’s motives were far removed from mere familial affection.
“I lack the time to delve into the specific reasons. You merely need to understand this: once you have reconciled with all twelve daughters, you will, in theory, possess the means to guide your classmates back to your original world. Believe me, this task is not overly arduous. After all, not every daughter harbors a steadfast hostility towards me… ah, no, towards *you*, wishing to flay you alive and devour you whole. At most, it’s less than two-thirds of them…”
“Two-thirds? That’s still an alarming number!” Shirley muttered, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “But… this sounds suspiciously like ‘gathering the Dragon Balls to make a wish to the Divine Dragon.’ Is there anything else I need to do?”
“Of course there is. Secondly, exercise extreme caution when in the company of that boy, Helios. While that little scoundrel is indeed a genius often mentioned in the same breath as myself, he is equally renowned for his mercurial nature and his penchant for senseless cruelty,” Dr. Irmindada elaborated.
“If Salome and Cassandra are to be believed, your treatment of them was hardly gentle either,” Shirley couldn’t resist pointing out.
“Can you truly compare the two? My cruelty was purposeful, meaningful—a necessary evil undertaken to maximize research efficiency! Can cruelty, when wielded for scientific advancement, even be termed cruelty?” Dr. Irmindada swiftly countered, her voice rising in defense. “That boy is entirely different; he… well… he is a genuine, self-absorbed menace. Even someone as supremely intelligent as myself cannot entirely and accurately predict his behavioral patterns—a fact that was, incidentally, one of my motivations for creating Cassandra.”
“Hold on, you’re telling me you created a daughter with precognitive abilities solely to predict other people’s actions?!” Shirley was utterly flabbergasted. “What exactly do you consider your daughters to be?!”
“They are, naturally, steps on the path to the ultimate truth… hmm, and my primary objective in creating Cassandra was, of course, purely for scientific research, yes, research!” Dr. Irmindada stammered, attempting to brush it off. “In any case, you must approach Helios with utmost caution. Never trust any memories that fellow attempts to implant in you, and under no circumstances should you agree to marry him! Following that, you must earn his trust, endeavor to locate the ‘Threshold Gate’ he has secretly concealed, and then open it.”
“Where exactly is this ‘gate’ you speak of?”
“Even I don’t know that, but given that we share a single, brilliant mind, I have every confidence you’ll locate it swiftly! You can do it!” Dr. Irmindada declared. “Lastly, the third task: if the opportunity arises, endeavor to uncover your true essence.”
‘My essence?’
“Precisely. Remember, this body originally contained only my own personality. You are merely an ‘outsider’ who entered when I traversed different worlds using nascent technology. While I am currently forced to acknowledge you as the true owner of this vessel, I still hope you can strive to uncover who you truly are… or, more accurately, ‘what’ you are. Perhaps one day…”
Dr. Irmindada’s form suddenly began to waver violently, akin to a reflection on water disturbed by a sudden gust of wind. In the next instant, she, along with the entire white expanse around them, peppered with ‘movie projections,’ vanished without a trace.
****
Shirley’s eyes fluttered open.
A sea of vibrant purple immediately greeted her gaze.
Yes, purple. It was the predominant hue saturating her surroundings. In the room where she lay, her bed was adorned with purple blankets and sheets, crowned by a purple canopy fringed with golden tassels, its fabric intricately embroidered with frolicking angels in silver thread. The carpet underfoot was a rich purple, patterned with delicate golden grapevines, while the ceiling and walls were entirely covered in swathes of purple mosaic. From above hung numerous purple banners, each emblazoned with the striking motif of a white sun alongside a budding sprout. Even the ornamental flowers arranged in the vase—violets and purple gentians—contributed to the overwhelming violet palette.
Thankfully, the life-monitoring equipment and medical instruments positioned beside her bed had escaped the pervasive purple. Amidst the overwhelming violet, their milky-white casings offered an inexplicably comforting sight.
“Ah, you’re awake, my light, my moon, my sleeping beauty,” a soft, melodious voice purred. The speaker then swiftly approached Shirley’s bedside. “Ah, please don’t be hasty in speaking. For I harbor a small… a very small wish. I desire that the very first word to pass your lips upon waking be the one I long to hear.”
Shirley swallowed hard, attempting to push herself into a sitting position. However, she instantly realized that despite possessing a beautiful pair of hands and feet once more, she could neither feel nor control her limbs. In truth, her current ‘hands and feet’ were nothing more than ordinary prosthetics, serving no function beyond aesthetic display.
Fortunately, the other person evidently perceived her intention. Within moments, the upper section of the bed began its slow ascent, eventually forming an obtuse angle of approximately 150 degrees with the lower half. This adjustment allowed Shirley a more comprehensive view of her surroundings, including, naturally, the individual who had just drawn close to her side.
Standing before her was a strikingly handsome young man with a radiant smile, whose appearance suggested an age somewhere between high school and the first year of university. However, Shirley had long since learned, ever since her arrival in this peculiar world, that judging age accurately by mere looks was often an impossible feat. He was clad in a gleaming, silver-plated antique breastplate, a rich purple cloak draped over his shoulders, and a crown fashioned from laurel leaves adorned his head. With the sunburst emblem shimmering behind him, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Apollo, the deity revered by the ancient Greeks.
In that very moment, this individual was scrutinizing Shirley with an intensely intrigued gaze.
Unquestionably, if this man existed in Shirley’s original world, his face alone would have made him an undeniable magnet for wealth in the entertainment industry, prompting countless girls—whose brains were largely governed by hormones (and even some at St. Lian Girls’ Academy fit this description)—to line up for him, revering this ‘best brother’ as if he were a god. Yet, Shirley was not one of those girls whose intellect was comparable to a simple diode. The moment she witnessed his smile, her immediate reaction was one of wary alarm, for she perceived far too many disquieting elements within it.
Consequently, after a few moments of careful deliberation, she cautiously began to speak.
“My d-dearest Brother Helios, I’m simply overjoyed to see you…”
“Smack!”
The young man, who moments before had been radiating a sunny smile, abruptly raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap across Shirley’s face.
“You lie…”
Shirley shivered involuntarily. While Dr. Irmindada had indeed cautioned her during that unsettling ‘dream,’ she had never anticipated that such a blatant attempt to curry favor would provoke such an extreme response!
‘Why?’
“Deception…” Helios’s expression abruptly contorted into something profoundly hideous. The speed with which Roman actors changed masks on stage likely paled in comparison to his sudden shift. In that fleeting moment, Helios appeared to be the very embodiment of every negative emotion, his eyes seemingly dripping with poisonous malevolence. “Is this how nonchalantly you choose to make a fool of me?”
Shirley burst into tears.
She was not feigning emotion; rather, she was genuinely weeping from a profound mix of fear and indignation. Previously, despite being forced to confront numerous perils, she had at least possessed her own limbs. Or, even when lacking them, she had access to a formidable combat mecha, however uncomfortable its ride. Now, Shirley was utterly devoid of resources, unable even to shift her own body. This overwhelming sense of powerlessness, combined with Helios’s sudden, unprovoked outburst, plunged her into an abyss of extreme helplessness.
“Eh… wait, don’t, don’t cry!” Upon witnessing Shirley’s tears, Helios, surprisingly, began to panic. “I… I didn’t realize you weren’t merely pretending, I apologize, uh…”
What exactly was this man’s game? Why such a rapid shift in demeanor? Helios’s erratic behavior momentarily bewildered Shirley. Yet, almost instantly, a realization dawned upon her: it was highly probable that the scoundrel’s recent actions were nothing more than a calculated test, designed to ascertain the true impact of his previous manipulations on her.