You Are All My Wings

Inside the wooden cabin, a scene was unfolding that could never happen in reality—eight people, four faces. Half were the originals, and half were phantoms. Yet the originals had lost all their memories, while the phantoms not only retained every memory, but were also tasked with evaluating their true selves. Although this upside-down reversal of roles sounded rather comical, it was anything but pleasant for those living through it. "How could such a thing be possible..." Sonia gripped her longsword tightly, shaking her head as she loudly protested, "How could something so absurd happen? You must be tricking me! You have to be bad people, all of you..." Rather than refuting them, she was really just trying to convince herself. "A very normal reaction," the Sword Princess said with a calm expression. "Once the disguise of memory is stripped away, all you have left is the purest wariness toward this world—you desperately want to control your own destiny and cannot bear the thought of drifting along with the current." The Watcher spread his hands. "Quite different from a certain someone, isn't she?" "Still, even though you don't want to believe it, you don't dare disbelieve it either, because you don't know what treasure you've lost," the Sword Princess said. "Nothing torments you more than loss, and you're not the type to admit defeat easily. "Resilient yet fragile, complex yet simple, vigilant yet yearning for an embrace... You really are too easy to read." The Sword Princess glanced toward the Witch. "In comparison, your guest seems like she's really about to leave." At that moment, Diya was curled completely into a corner of the wall, hugging her legs and burying her head between her knees as though praying the others would fail to notice her. Trembling all over, she mumbled words no one could understand. Not only was her hair color as messy and muddied as a bucket of mixed paints, but the clothes on her body kept shifting as well—her left leg wore a black stocking, her right leg a white stocking, both feet were shoved into red boots, and her arms wore sleeves of different colors. Compared to the innocent, lovely, dignified, and gracious Witch, Diya looked practically like a grubby child dressed in a jester's outfit. "Hey—" the Witch called out loudly. "Don't be scared! Can't you trust them just a little bit more?" Yet the Witch's words had entirely the opposite effect. Diya shuddered violently. On the verge of a mental breakdown from the relentless barrage of voices inside her head, she could no longer endure any external stimulation. Panting heavily for breath, she crawled along the wall toward the outside—she wanted to run. Memories, precious treasures—she didn't care about any of it. All she wanted was to leave this place as fast as possible! Watching the frail Diya, the Witch narrowed her eyes slightly, an unseen tempest churning within the depths of her gaze. Under normal circumstances, sorcerers entered the wooden cabin alone. Although the vast majority would become hysterical and struggle to stay calm after losing their memories, they would generally stay to participate in the game and complete the questions after being verbally soothed by their phantoms. Yet with her memories stripped away, Diya could not coexist in harmony with the sisters in her mind at all. She couldn't even comprehend what was happening to her—why were there so many clamoring voices inside her head? If she were the only one here, it would have been fine; the peaceful wooden cabin could have allowed her to calm down slowly. After all, the cabin had been designed to be so relaxing and warm precisely to soothe sorcerers who panicked from amnesia. However, aside from herself, several 'strangers' occupied the cabin. To the timid and cowardly Diya, this was nothing short of torture straight from hell. *Who are they?* *And who are all of you?* *Run, get out of here quickly, there are so many strangers—* "Look here." Diya looked up to find Yaxiu crouching before her. At the tip of Yaxiu's finger, a shifting ray of Sword Light danced, transforming from a blooming flower into a paper crane, then into a lively, bounding kitten, instantly captivating her gaze. "Sweet scents or savory scents—which do you like better?" "Sweet scents." "Same as me. Then do you like the feeling of flying?" "I don't. Flying so high is scary." "I actually kind of like flying..." While casually asking various questions, Yaxiu gradually moved closer to Diya. He crouched beside her, reaching out to gently stroke her head, then smoothed down the back of her head to lightly pat her back. Diya took comfort in this, and the tension on her face eased considerably. Like a kitten, she nuzzled back and forth against Yaxiu's chest, her muddied hair color gradually clearing. "I know you're terrified," Yaxiu said softly. "Honestly, I'm scared too. People who are scared ought to stick together. That way, even if we run into danger, at least we won't die so lonely." Diya, along with the sisters in her head, froze for a moment. It sounded somewhat sensible, and yet... it didn't really make much sense at all. "Are you scared too?" Diya asked. "I can't tell." Hearing those words, Sonia hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up her mind. She approached Yaxiu and Diya, holding out a finger to cast a miracle. A mind miracle composed of 'Sincerity', 'Wave', and 'Killing Intent'— Miracle: Treat People with Sincerity! A cluster of shimmering red light bloomed at her fingertip, dazzling like a radiant ruby. She signaled for the two of them to touch it. Yaxiu touched it first. After a moment of hesitation, Diya also cautiously extended her index finger toward the red glow. Terror, worry, unease, fear, loneliness, tension... Countless emotions crashed like waves against the shores of their minds, and they quickly realized this was Sonia's current mental state. She was using the miracle to prove that she was just like them—a weak, frightened girl who had lost her memories. Though still scared, discovering that everyone else was just as afraid as she was kept Diya from feeling so overwhelmed, and the voices in her head gradually settled down. In reality, the sisters hadn't been terribly frantic; only the Black Butler, who always assumed the worst, had been ceaselessly stoking fear, while the White Queen had been constantly trying to stop and reason with her. But to Diya in her naive, bewildered state, merely listening to the two of them bicker had already taken a heavy toll. For social creatures like human beings, nothing offered greater comfort than the presence of kindred spirits. "It really is like that..." "Hmm?" Sonia looked at the murmuring Yaxiu. "What are you talking about?" "Look, I knew how to comfort her, and you knew how to put her at ease with us," Yaxiu said seriously. "This means we must have spent a long time together. So even after losing our memories, our bodies still share an unspoken understanding. "We're all wondering 'why are we here,' but that's actually two separate questions: one is 'being here,' and the other is 'why are we together.' The answer to the former remains unknown, but the answer to the latter is practically staring us in the face— "We appeared together because our relationship is exceptionally close. I don't know what kind of personalities you had, but judging by how I feel right now, if I knew I had to enter a place that erases memories, I would only go in with people I trust completely." Diya and Sonia thought about it carefully and felt that Yaxiu's words made a great deal of sense. Sonia said, "If it were me, I'd only go with the person closest to me." Diya nodded as well. "I would only come to a place like this with someone who could protect me." Yaxiu turned toward Denzel. "What about you?" Denzel was slightly taken aback. "Was I with you all as well?" "What else? Why else would you be here? You must have felt that coming here with us was the most appropriate choice, which is why you entered right behind us." This logic was indeed airtight. Denzel pondered for a moment. "If it's someone with whom losing my memories together wouldn't matter... then it must be someone for whom I wouldn't hesitate to give my life." "Alright!" Yaxiu stood up and declared, "I completely understand what our relationship is!" The others were stunned. "Really?" "It's actually very simple logical deduction." Yaxiu patted Diya's head. "You would only go with someone who could protect you, which means I'm someone capable of protecting you. Therefore—you're my younger sister! "And then you," Yaxiu looked at Sonia. "You would only go with the person closest to you. Therefore—you're also my younger sister! "Finally, you." Yaxiu looked at Denzel. "You feel you would only travel with someone for whom you wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice your life..." "Am I your sister too?" Denzel asked. "No," Yaxiu said. "I think I must be your boss." "Wait," Sonia raised her hand. "The person closest to me doesn't have to be a family member; it could also be a lover. Why..." Mid-sentence, she suddenly realized what she was saying, blushed, and averted her eyes. "I considered that possibility too, but don't you think it would be too weird if we were lovers and I brought along a little sister?" Yaxiu said. "Unless..." "Unless what?" Yaxiu looked at Diya. "Unless she's my lover too. That would also explain why we're so affectionate with each other." The corner of Sonia's mouth twitched. "Wouldn't traveling with two lovers be just as weird?! You might as well say she's your daughter!" "No matter how you look at my age, there's no way I could have a daughter this big..." Denzel spoke up, "The person I wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life for might not necessarily be you, right?" "Ah, but one of them is my lover or sister," Yaxiu said, "and the other is also my lover or sister. No matter which of them is your boss, I'd still be your boss's boss... Wait, I know who you really are now! "Think about it carefully: whether traveling with a sister or with a lover, there's no reason to bring a subordinate along! "Therefore, your true identity is—my mistress!"