Although everyone still harbored tremendous suspicion regarding Yaxiu's speculation, there was no doubt that the atmosphere in the room had softened considerably; no one was brandishing swords or glaring warily at one another anymore.
For they all conceded at least one thing: their relationship with one another was certainly far from ordinary, which was why they had come to this wooden cabin of lost memories together in the first place.
As for whether they were friends, lovers, or family, those were mere details.
Had they been given a bit more time, they might have worked through the logic on their own. Unfortunately, the adverse effects of amnesia were simply too overwhelming: suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers, with no one to rely on and unable to even recall your own name—it was like a newborn infant tossed onto the streets, entirely alone against the gravity of reality, the very air seemingly trying to suffocate you.
Except an infant had no coping strategy beyond wailing, whereas sorcerers were different—violence had not been stripped from them.
In the cabin's single-player mode, most sorcerers would attack their phantom in a panic; however, phantoms could not be destroyed, and sorcerers could regain a semblance of security by venting through violence.
Even if they couldn't calm down, they would at least come to understand their situation and choose whether to leave or accept the game.
Yet multiplayer mode was different—compared to one's own phantom, wouldn't it feel much better to direct that violence toward unknown "strangers"?
Earlier, it had been practically inevitable that Yaxiu and Sonia would draw their swords against each other. What was more, Sonia was deeply guarded and had a foul temper; had Yaxiu been just as hotheaded, a brawl would have broken out without question. Fortunately, Denzel entering through the door had interrupted their combat round, and the appearance of the phantoms offering explanations had diverted their attention.
Yet the crisis in their relationships remained unresolved. The wooden cabin was only so large; if they were to play the Q&A game, the others would inevitably be present.
The strings of their reason were strung far too taut to bear the "gaze of others" any longer. As long as the other people remained, they would be unable to proceed with the game.
The phantoms had no contingency plan for this either. They knew how to guide and soothe sorcerers, but the cabin's mechanics included no function for mediating conflicts between them.
Then again, there was no need for the phantoms to mediate conflicts anyway.
Their only reason for soothing the sorcerers was to get the Q&A game underway. If the situation continued to deteriorate, the outcome would most likely be that only one of the four would remain, while the rest were either driven off or killed.
Even if the participants dwindled, as long as someone remained in the cabin, the Q&A game could go on.
The last person standing could answer the questions meant for all four; if she answered the others' questions correctly, she would naturally claim their rewards as well.
Thus, when Yaxiu and the other three began discussing their relationships, the phantoms did not interfere. They had expected things to devolve into a lethal free-for-all, never imagining that Yaxiu would actually unite everyone, even including Denzel, who had arrived later... The Watcher, Sword Princess, and Witch shot a swift glance at the Empress, who calmly returned their gaze.
"Sounds like you've reached a consensus," the Watcher said. "Interested in answering questions now?"
"Wait, earlier you said you possess our memories," Sonia suddenly remembered. "Then can't you tell us what our relationship is?"
"Nope," the Witch said, wagging a finger. "We aren't allowed to disclose any specific information to you. You must answer the questions in a state of complete amnesia."
Yaxiu said, "Then aside from disclosing information, if I ask you to do certain things, will you agree?"
"What things?"
"For example, you," Yaxiu said, pointing at the Watcher, then pointing to the Sword Princess. "Go kiss her. Preferably a French kiss."
Neither the Watcher nor the Sword Princess showed the slightest change in expression; not even an eyelash fluttered. Yet for some reason, the originals felt as though the light in the wooden cabin had dimmed a bit.
Before the phantoms could answer, Sonia stepped in first, seizing Yaxiu by the collar. With flushed cheeks and burning ears, she snapped, "What are you talking about?!"
"Think about it. They're phantoms with our memories, right? They can communicate and appear to possess the capacity for thought, which means they can be treated as 'another me,'" Yaxiu said, remarkably calm. "If the Watcher and the Sword Princess can kiss quite naturally, that proves we're lovers."
"And what if they refuse?"
"Then we dial back the extent of the test—switch from a kiss to a hug. If a hug is fine, then we're definitely in an intimate relationship akin to family," Yaxiu explained. "By relying on this method, we can gradually test the depth of everyone's relationships."
Sonia froze, considering the feasibility of this method.
Yaxiu took hold of Sonia's hands, peeling them away from his collar. "Even though I haven't been kicking up a fuss or throwing a temper, I lost my memories too. However frightened you are, I'm just as uneasy. So it's not just you—I want to find evidence to prove our relationships as well."
"I want to trust you all without reservation, too," he said softly. "In a pitch-black world, nothing brings more peace of mind than placing your hand in someone else's."
Right then, the phantoms seemed to finally process the directive in Yaxiu's words.
The Watcher waved a hand and shook his head, a double refusal of Yaxiu's request. "Cannot do that. We are only responsible for guiding you through the quiz; we will not agree to any requests outside of the questions."
"This is a request related to answering the questions!" Yaxiu immediately argued. "I believe it is absolutely necessary for you to kiss the Sword Princess—"
"Though we are merely transient afterimages, we possess a certain degree of intellect," the Sword Princess said calmly. "Do not try to sway us with rhetoric. We are fully aware that you want to glean information about our memories through our interactions. That is not permitted. Give up."
Seeing the phantoms refuse, Sonia actually felt a trace of dissatisfaction. "Can't you make an exception? You're me, after all..."
"If you had turned into a fleeting sentiment that could only linger for a brief moment, would you grant someone else's wish?" The Sword Princess sneered. "You should be glad I'm not the real you—otherwise, you'd find yourself in even more trouble."
Sonia considered her own personality and sulkily clamped her mouth shut.
"In other words, there's no way for us to find evidence confirming our relationships," Yaxiu said. "Then let's provisionally assume you're all my lovers or mistresses. Or would you prefer to be my little sisters?"
Diya said timidly, "Sister."
"Why must we choose between the two?" Sonia asked. "Can't we not choose?"
"Because this is our informational baseline for answering the questions," Yaxiu said earnestly. "Put it this way: if you're all my lovers or mistresses, that implies you willingly share your lover. From that, three logical premises can be derived. First, our relationship is asymmetrical, with me occupying the dominant position—an advantage that might stem from individual strength or perhaps social status. Second, major shared interests tie us together, meaning that rationally, you cannot leave me. Third, many things may have happened between us, so emotionally, you are unwilling to let me go.
"Unless those three conditions are met, there is no explaining why we would be lovers. And those three logical premises can serve as your foundation when answering the questions, assisting your judgment. By the same token, if you are my sisters, corresponding logical premises can also be derived.
"I'm not trying to take advantage of you. But under complete amnesia, this tiny bit of reference is the only lifeline we can cling to."
Sonia's face flushed red, then paled white. Seeing Yaxiu speaking so reasonably and logically while she had been so domineering and unreasonable just now, feelings of inadequacy, shame, and resentment surged at once. "Who knows what you're really thinking!"
"If we must choose," Denzel, who had remained quiet all this time, suddenly spoke up, "I choose mistress."
Sonia looked at her in surprise. "Why?"
"No reason," Denzel said calmly. "I simply feel that the word 'sister' is rather far removed from me."
Yaxiu looked toward Sonia. "What do you choose? In truth, this only serves as a basis for answering questions, not our actual relationship. If you don't like either option, you can propose a new identity as well, as long as it explains why we're together."
Sonia did not answer. She looked down at the grain of the wooden floorboards, hugging her right arm with her left hand, visibly hesitant.
Had Denzel chosen the role of sister as well, she certainly would have picked sister.
However, once Denzel chose mistress, Sonia felt an odd discomfort.
Even though she remembered nothing, even though she didn't know who anyone was, and even though her heart held only wariness and suspicion, an inexplicable sense of defeat welled up inside her.
This sense of defeat wasn't anger directed outward, but self-reproach directed inward. It felt as though if she continued maintaining this prickly hedgehog demeanor, she would lose something—or rather, miss out on something.
Sonia glanced sideways at the Sword Princess, who was scrutinizing her coldly, subtle emotions flickering in her pupils that no one could decipher.
"...Lover."
"Hm?"
"It's not real anyway," Sonia said in self-abandonment as she picked a chair and sat down. "Let's answer the questions!"
"That makes one identity for each of you: sister, mistress, lover," Yaxiu said. "Let's address each other that way in a moment."
Diya tugged on Yaxiu's sleeve. "What about you?"
Yaxiu blinked, then smiled. "I really did forget about myself... Still, since I assigned your identities, it's only right that you decide mine. What identity would you like me to have?"
Sonia muttered crossly, "Our slave."
Denzel pondered for a moment. "Our master?"
Diya hesitated. She noticed a painting hanging on the wooden cabin's wall, depicting a knight protecting a princess from a vicious dragon, and said, "I want you to be... the knight who protects us."
"All right, then knight it is," Yaxiu cheerfully decided. "It seems continuing to discuss this won't yield any new information. In that case—"
"Let's begin the questions."
Yaxiu led Diya over to sit on a bench, while Denzel walked over and sat down beside Sonia.
The four exchanged glances for a moment before Yaxiu asked, "Who goes first?"
The question was practically asking which barrel of oil volunteered to be the firefighter. Diya immediately shook her head, while Denzel lapsed into silence. Yaxiu figured no one would want to be the first sacrificial offering; just as he was about to raise his hand, he heard a sharp smack on the table beside him.
"I'll go first."
Her wind-chime-like voice carried absolute resolve.
Sonia stared straight at the Sword Princess, the light in her eyes burning with courage, inferiority, or obstinacy—it was impossible to tell. Unfortunately, the only person in this wooden cabin who could understand her was sitting right across from her.
"So eager to prove yourself?" The Sword Princess lowered her eyelids. "As you wish."
"Now, begin your first question."
The Sword Princess stood up and pulled an album from a nearby bookshelf—no one could recall whether an album had been there before, or if a bookshelf had even existed there a moment ago.
"Out of these three people, whom do you love the most?"
The Sword Princess spread open the album and pointed to three portraits:
A plainly dressed, middle-aged peasant woman;
A thin, dark-skinned, thoroughly unadorable little girl;
And... a hooded figure sitting in a small boat.
"First of all, rule out that wrong option," Yaxiu said, pointing at the hooded figure in the painting.
Chapter 303