"Who are you?"
Li Mo stood at the door, his face gloomy. Both of his hands were behind his back, not exposed to the sight of the fifteen-year-old Kiana in the classroom.
The Bizarre Mei Left Hand was constantly twisting and breaking his right hand, and the Bizarre's healing ability would repair it before twisting it again.
"Mo? What are you talking about? I'm Kiana."
Kiana in the classroom tilted her head. She sat by the window, which was open. The evening wind blew in from outside, lifting her long, scattered hair. The bright moonlight cast a silver glow, making Kiana's figure hazy, as if in a dream.
Emotion urged him to enter, but reason made him stop. The two of them looked at each other, separated into different spaces by the classroom.
Li Mo was reluctant to enter the classroom for a long time, and Kiana's face clearly showed a look of disappointment.
Li Mo lowered his head and quickly took out the thermometer, which showed a normal temperature.
The thermometer was no longer reliable.
Li Mo came to a conclusion. He had been suspicious of the reliability of the thermometer from the beginning, and now it was finally verified.
It was impossible for Kiana to be only fifteen, and even more impossible for her to be wearing the sweater he had knitted for her. The impossible person, and the impossible reality, yet the thermometer did not give any feedback.
"My cognition has been polluted. When did it start?" Li Mo asked himself in a low voice.
He looked up, his gaze fixed on the innocent and lovely Kiana in the classroom. It was clearly summer, yet she was wearing a beige sweater, just like the one in his memory.
"Rip," blood splattered. Li Mo broke his right hand.
The process of pain and repair made him sober up, and he chose to flee the classroom.
Li Mo ran quickly in the corridor outside the classroom, and stopped after a few seconds.
Strange... very strange...
Logically speaking, he should have walked in uncontrollably, to Kiana's side in the classroom. It was definitely not something that could be shaken off by breaking a hand and relying on reason and consciousness.
But he still escaped. This was a side proof that the Kiana inside was not Kiana.
"Thud—!"
Just as he reached the first floor, the sound of falling came from behind him. He looked back, his heart was stunned. The beige sweater was covered in blood. The young Kiana had fallen to the ground, and fresh red blood, like that of a living person, was constantly flowing out of her wound.
Her head hit the ground, and the huge impact instantly shattered her lovely face.
At midnight, except for himself and the fifteen-year-old girl Kiana who had just joined St. Freya High School, whom he had seen in the classroom just now, there would definitely not be a third person in the school.
"Committed suicide? Why?"
"She is incomplete, but this has nothing to do with suicide."
"My cognition has been polluted, and the rules on my body have become unstable."
"If that's really the case, and it can easily interfere with reality, avoiding the rules of the ghost of misfortune and directly affecting my cognition in a state of three deaths, then the integrity of this ghost is not low."
"The problem is, why did it choose to commit suicide?"
What one perceives is reality, just like dying in a dream born from certain rules will also lead to death in reality. Li Mo thought he had to be more careful.
He took out his Bizarre handgun and would not hold back anymore. Once the fantasy ghost turned into someone else, he would not hesitate to shoot and suppress it, not giving the ghost any chance, because suicide might also be a rule.
Pulling back the safety, Li Mo walked calmly in the school. He couldn't go back to the classroom. The fantasy ghost would turn into Kiana there, and he wouldn't be able to attack.
Time passed by, but the night was still long. The noisy cicadas chirped from the tree trunks, and the songs of love echoed in the grass.
Rustle... rustle...
The garden in the school was lush and green, but there was clearly the sound of limbs rubbing against the grass blades.
Hearing the sound, Li Mo immediately went to the small grove on the campus. This was originally a place for students to rest and play after school to relax. However, he didn't come here often when he was studying at St. Freya, because there were many people in the small grove, and Kiana didn't like to come either.
The two of them were more often in the infirmary, or climbing over the wall to eat. The small grove was full of lilies, so naturally the two of them were not willing to get close.
"Hmm?"
Li Mo noticed something flying in front of his eyes. He grabbed it without hesitation and looked down at his open hand. It was a few tiny fireflies.
"Fireflies... I didn't expect there to be these glowing insects in the small grove on the back mountain of the school."
"I remember there weren't any before."
Li Mo shook his head. His eyes were not sensitive to light. It was the same whether there was light or not. But if the light shone on a person, it would be different. His gaze would instantly focus on that person, staring at her, and would never move away.
Unless there was a rule with a higher integrity to offset it.
Li Mo tightened his grip on the Bizarre handgun and walked forward in the dark path in the woods. He did not find anything strange on the road.
When he was about to change his inspection location, a strange movement came from the grass beside him.
The half-meter-high grass could hide many things, including a person lying on the ground.
"I won't have any emotional changes, so I can't trigger the rule. I just need to shoot when I see a person."
Li Mo walked into the grass without fear. His turbid eyes looked left and right, searching for traces of the Bizarre.
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands reached out from behind him. Her cheek rested on his back, in a manner of acting cute.
A heavy crimson sword was deeply inserted into the soil. The mottled sparks instantly spread, but under the girl's control, they never ignited the overgrown weeds.
Li Mo saw—a silver-white gauntlet, and a red and white flame cloak.
"Mo... you seem to have lost a lot of weight."
"Yes."
Li Mo turned around, slowly raised his hand, and aimed the gun at Kiana.
"Mo?"
Kiana was stunned on the spot, very puzzled by Li Mo's behavior.
Gradually, Li Mo's eyes lowered, and he was unable to pull the trigger for a long time, although he tried to convince himself that the person in front of him was a firefly transformed from a fantasy ghost.
Who knew, Kiana actually took the initiative to undo the state of the Herrscher of Flamescion. The firelight behind her disappeared like a burnt-out star, just like the few fireflies Li Mo had crushed, losing their vitality, and their light disappearing.
Kiana took the initiative to hold Li Mo's hands and pressed the muzzle of the gun against her forehead.
She confessed with guilt, "If doing this can make you feel better, then shoot."
Now it was Li Mo's turn to be puzzled. He looked at the extremely sincere firefly, his mind in a mess.
Did the fantasy ghost have suicidal tendencies, or was suicide a ritual?
Could it be...
Li Mo pondered for a moment, and roughly guessed the rule of the fantasy ghost.
The fantasy ghost might completely copy the emotions of the other party during the transformation stage.
After transforming into the Herrscher of Flamescion Kiana, the fantasy ghost was assimilated. It had both the memories of a ghost and a human, so it chose to sacrifice itself.
He didn't understand, he didn't understand.
"I can't shoot," Li Mo answered truthfully.
The next second, her slender and tender fingers pressed against Li Mo's fingers and forcefully pulled the trigger.
A loud gunshot rang out in the grass. A bullet hole appeared on the firefly's forehead, and it fell to the ground lifelessly.
Surprisingly, the faint blue flame did not appear. It was as if the person who had died in front of him was not a Bizarre, but a living person.
"Ngh..." Li Mo's head felt as if it was being torn apart. He quickly turned around and no longer looked at the corpse on the ground.
The thermometer could not detect the fantasy ghost's aura, and the ghost fire also judged that it was not a Bizarre.
It was strange. This information was not recorded by MEI. But this ghost did seem to have difficulty killing people, because the ones it transformed into were the people with the deepest feelings in his memory. The other party was even willing to die for him, let alone hurt him.
"A strange ghost," Li Mo commented, and immediately left the scene.
In order to verify an idea, Li Mo came to the infirmary.
"Huh? Mo, you're here! Look, I got 61 points, I passed!"
A test paper with mostly deductions was proudly shown by Kiana.
"Hehe, the infirmary is still as empty as before. Oh, it's night now, haha... I kicked the armor dummy to pieces in the simulation training. Am I amazing?"
Kiana in the infirmary had two pigtails, a bright smile, and a lively voice. She was not restless even when lying on the bed. One of her legs was wrapped in a cast, suspended in the air. There were also large and small injuries on her face, hands, and the other leg.
"Yes, you're amazing," Li Mo walked over, skillfully took out the medicine from the cabinet, and then sat on the side of the bed, carefully wiping Kiana's wounds.
It had been a long, long time since he had last wiped Kiana's wounds. At that time, either he was injured or Kiana was injured. The two of them were frequent visitors to the infirmary, so much so that Li Mo himself had learned some medical skills.
The medicine was still the same medicine, and the instruments had not changed. They were still so easy to use.
Outside the window was the noisy night, but inside it was extremely quiet, with only the slight sound of wiping wounds. The cotton swab was coated with medicine and rolled repeatedly on the wound. Li Mo's force was very light, but despite this, Kiana couldn't help but show a painful expression.
Her body didn't seem to be a Bizarre. It didn't have the ability to heal. Her complexion was healthy, and the blood that flowed from her wounds was fresh.
"You can cry out if it hurts."
"No, no, I'm... Kiana Kaslana! This little pain is nothing."
Li Mo continued to treat and bandage the wounds carefully. He then took out a few boxes of medicine from the cabinet and placed them on the bedside table, opened them, stood up and went to the water dispenser to get some warm water.
"Take your medicine."
"No, the water might be too hot. You try it first."
Kiana giggled, her eyebrows curved. She supported her head with her relatively healthy right hand and looked at Li Mo with anticipation.
"Alright."
Li Mo agreed and brought the cup to his mouth, taking a small sip.
"It's a bit cold. I'll go get some hot water."
Li Mo came to a conclusion. Just as he was about to go back and get some hot water, Kiana pulled his sleeve.
Kiana stuffed all the pills into her mouth, pouted, and poked her bulging cheeks with her fingers. Then she raised her head, opened her mouth wide, and shouted, "Ah—"
She was signaling Li Mo to feed her.
Li Mo was silent. He brought the cup to Kiana's mouth and poured it bit by bit. The cold water slid into her mouth. Half of the water in the cup was drunk.
Kiana swallowed all the pills in her mouth and lay down on the bed.
"Ngh! So bitter, but there's no other way. If I don't get my body well today, I won't be able to train tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Mo."
"Yes."
"Will I have a tomorrow?"
Kiana suddenly asked, her clear eyes staring at Li Mo. The answer seemed to have been hidden in her quiet eyes, self-evident.
"Kiana will have a tomorrow," Li Mo answered calmly as usual. Because the Kiana in front of him was not complete, and... she was just a product derived from a fantasy ghost. Except for having all the memories and emotions, she was not the white-haired dango he had known for more than a decade.
Kiana's expression was a little lost. She lowered her head, her hands on the bed, looking particularly quiet.
"I know. Kiana will definitely have a tomorrow, but I don't, because I'm a ghost. No, I'm not even a ghost. I'm just a product of a rule."
"Yes," Li Mo answered woodenly. He didn't remember how many times he had said "yes" today, like a machine, rigidly responding to every question Kiana asked.
"A little... disappointed."
Kiana smiled wryly. Her fingers rubbed back and forth, then wrapped around her long hair, circling it again and again.
"Yes." Not controlling his instincts, Li Mo stepped forward and reached out to rub her head.
Kiana was slightly stunned and actually began to enjoy it. She took the initiative to lower her head to make it easier for Li Mo to rub, and a cat-like purr came from her throat.
Kiana: "Mo, I like you so much."
Li Mo: "I know."
Kiana: "Although I know this feeling doesn't belong to me, and my existence itself has nothing to do with you, I still can't control that feeling."
"As long as you're by my side, I feel like I can do anything!"
"Yes," Li Mo still responded lukewarmly.
Kiana put her hand on Li Mo's and excitedly talked about the past, tirelessly.
She was like a little girl seeing fireworks for the first time, gesturing with her hands and feet, constantly exclaiming "wow, wow, wow" at the splendor of the fireworks, although it was only for a moment.
More beautiful things existed in memory. The feeling told people that that past was very beautiful. As for its original appearance, it had long since been worn away by the washing of time and had become unrecognizable.
What you have is often ignored, but what you lose is forever etched in your memory.
Feelings are easily ignored, easily forgotten. But when they are recalled, they will surely bloom with a more dazzling light. This is also the meaning of remembering.
Li Mo stayed in the infirmary for a full hour. For an hour, he was like a wooden man, sitting dazedly by the bed, listening to Kiana excitedly talk about the past. This was not something she had personally experienced, but the Bizarre rule was absolute, and it brought her a real feeling.
So beautiful that you don't want to forget, just want to recall it over and over again.
If only time could stay at this moment, how wonderful that would be. But time always moves forward, and the person in front of you will eventually rush to a dazzling tomorrow. She is the one who should die, and she should stay in tonight.
After Kiana died, Li Mo looked at the half cup of water on the bedside table. After a moment's pause, he picked it up and drank all the water inside.
"It's cold."
Li Mo said calmly. The water was originally cold, but surprisingly, he felt—the temperature of the water.
In this hour, Li Mo had learned the rules and characteristics of the fantasy ghost from Kiana.
Copy the memories and emotions of the most important person in the target's memory, and then paste them onto the derivative.
As for why the Bizarre aura and ghost fire could not determine that the other party was a ghost, it was because he himself was unwilling to believe it, and instinctively refused to admit that the other party was a ghost.
In addition, the fantasy ghost interfered with his normal cognition, making what he thought and imagined become real. So it wasn't that the thermometer was broken and couldn't give a hint.
The thermometer should have given a hint, dropping to below zero, but because Li Mo's cognition had changed reality.
The bullet fired from the Bizarre handgun was also not an ordinary bullet. It should have burst into flames when it came into contact with the Herrscher of Flamescion.
The firefly burned to ashes in the fire, leaving only pale ashes flying in the air. Li Mo was unwilling to witness Kiana's death, so the fantasy ghost exerted its power again and reversed reality.
Li Mo deduced that the integrity of the fantasy ghost was greater than that of the thermometer and the Bizarre handgun.
"Constantly witnessing the death of the important people deep in my heart, until the fantasy ghost... completely falls into silence."
"That should be when the Kianas of all timelines appear."
Li Mo opened the door of the infirmary again. A page from a diary fell from the door. It was very new, and the blood on it had not yet dried. Li Mo didn't want to open it to see what was written on it, and just left.
He didn't want to stay in yesterday.
Not long after Li Mo left, a small figure appeared in the infirmary and picked up the diary page on the floor. After learning that the reason for Kiana's abnormality was this guy, Bronya followed Li Mo to the school in the middle of the night with the assassination skills of the Ural Silver Wolf.
Then she witnessed Li Mo talking to himself there, like a psychopath talking to the air and fighting randomly. However, in order to prevent herself from being noticed, she was far away and couldn't hear what Li Mo was saying.
She accidentally stepped on a leaf in the middle of it, but Li Mo didn't move, as if he had completely sunk into a fantasy world.
Bronya looked at the diary page and read the content on it in a low voice: "Be careful of Bronya Zaychik..."
"Be careful of me?"
Bronya was very puzzled. She touched the bloodstain with her finger. It was still fresh.
"A prank, boring."
Bronya threw away the contaminated diary page and continued to follow Li Mo.
Li Mo continued to wander on the campus, looking for the next person transformed by the fantasy ghost.
"The next one, which period will it be? The end? Or the one distorted by the Bizarre..."
If the fantasy ghost could completely descend as Bizarre Kiana, that would be a very terrifying thing.
Li Mo pondered. If it really came to that, would he have a chance to survive if he directly summoned Bizarre Kiana and let the two fight?
"Li Mo..."
Li Mo subconsciously put the Bizarre handgun back at his waist and looked back at Shigure Kira with a calm face.
"Can't sleep? Are you hungry?"
"I... yes, I can't sleep, and I'm hungry," Shigure Kira said with her head lowered.
Li Mo walked over and held her hand, paused, and looked at St. Freya High School with a dazed expression.
"There's still food outside at this time. I'll take you."
"Now? But..."
"It's fine."
"..."
When Li Mo was about to leave St. Freya High School with Shigure Kira, Shigure Kira suddenly threw off Li Mo's hand and said, "Don't you... recognize me? If it were you, you shouldn't be able to not see who I am, but..."
"I'm still very happy, because I can be here, which is proof that you love me."
"..."
Three hours later, Li Mo returned to the school, becoming even more silent. What did this ghost want to do?
"Even if it simulates the very important people in my memory, I won't feel sad or sorrowful. It's meaningless."
Li Mo continued to wander, returning to the broadcasting room. For some reason, he suddenly felt a little tired.
"Tired?"
Li Mo took out his phone and looked at himself on the screen in disbelief.
"Isn't it a good thing to be tired? Li Mo."
Suddenly, Li Mo's pupils trembled slightly, and he turned around in disbelief.
Why? Why was she here?
At this time, MEI had a lazy look on her face. She leaned against the door, stretching her graceful figure. Then she walked into the broadcasting room with a mischievous smile, casually picked a seat and sat down, looking up at Li Mo.
On one hand, she carelessly reached out and kneaded Li Mo's face, as if she were kneading a rag doll. On the other hand, she closed her eyes and began to think and analyze the memories that suddenly appeared in her mind.
"Your face is so cold. I'm not touching it anymore. My hands are freezing."
MEI took her hand from Li Mo's face, crossed her arms, and pondered for a long time.
The expression on her face gradually changed, from frivolous at the beginning to serious, then from serious to relieved, and finally back to the original laziness.
"So I'm the last one? That's quite interesting. Let me absorb some more memories, there's a lot."
MEI had an intriguing look on her face, not taking her identity as a ghost seriously at all. Instead, she took the initiative to reach out and hook the Bizarre handgun at Li Mo's waist into her hand, then kept spinning it, playing with the weapon that could kill her as a toy.
Li Mo did not take any action throughout the process, just stood there silently observing, and... thinking about what MEI had said.
The last one.
It was difficult for MEI's judgment to be wrong.
If the fantasy ghost could really completely construct a living person with all memories and consciousness, then this sentence should not be wrong, just because the person who said this sentence was MEI.
The fantasy ghost was about to reach its limit. When MEI died, the fantasy ghost would fall into silence.
"Oh, I see, I see. How interesting."
"Li Mo, am I beautiful now?"
Li Mo: "...MEI is beautiful."
This ghost seemed a bit of a social butterfly. Li Mo recalled MEI's personality. It didn't seem to be like this. Could it be that because she knew she was going to die, she had given up?
"I understand you. After all, you can't say any sweet words in a state of three deaths. Are you worried that directly answering my words will trigger an unknown rule? It's completely unnecessary. Anyway, you're a person who's going to die... oh no, a derivative that's going to die. It doesn't matter."
"How pitiful. You always have a cold look on your face, keeping people at a distance, not daring to like or love anyone."
"Now is a rare opportunity to indulge. Are you really not going to do anything to me? From a purely rational point of view, the difference between me and MEI herself is only whether there is a fact between you and me. Memory, body, and personality have not changed."
"I don't hate you."
MEI adjusted her glasses frame and threw the Bizarre handgun aside, seeming to look forward to Li Mo doing something more special.
"MEI has been hiding a lot of things from me. If you can tell me, I'll agree to any of your requests," Li Mo said calmly.
It was impossible for him to be so stupid as to not know what the people around him were doing.
MEI was always tired, and he had never seen her in good spirits. If it was just dealing with the Bizarre, MEI wouldn't be so tired. It meant that there must be other things that she was very concerned about, so much so that she had fainted in her bedroom many times without anyone noticing.
When they found out, they were only glad that Elysia's "divinity" had sustained her life.
Hearing Li Mo's words, the fantasy ghost MEI immediately retracted her smile, her face becoming as pale as Li Mo's. The two of them were like opposite sides of a mirror, both looking at each other with the same calm gaze.
The frivolous joke just now was like a bubble, bursting in an instant.
"It's just some insignificant trivial matters. You don't need to worry about it," MEI's tone had no fluctuation.
"But I still want to ask you again, if I lose my genius intellect, lose my leadership ability, and can't even take care of myself, and become a complete cripple, what will you do?"
"You don't need to give an answer. I know your answer. I just want to say it once. After all, the person who asked this question last time was not me."
"Alright, I should go. The fantasy ghost is just falling into a short silence. Maybe you can take this opportunity to see clearly—"
"How you really see them."
"Courage is very important. Don't care too much about life and death."
"Because everyone will die sooner or later."
MEI picked up the Bizarre handgun and pressed the muzzle against her forehead.
"Everyone wants you to live, and you want everyone to live safely. You're afraid that your choice will bring them suffering and misfortune. To build a bond, you have to bear the risk of shedding tears."
"The more you die, the more serious the effect of the rule will be. If you want to treat the people around you as Li Mo, you have to find a way to maintain your humanity, starting with suppressing your left hand."
"Seize the opportunity. It's not every time you're so lucky."
"Also, stay here for at least half a month, otherwise the fantasy ghost will run away."
With that, MEI pulled the trigger, and with a "thud," she fell to the ground without any hesitation, even if the action was to kill herself.
After telling Li Mo all the things he should pay attention to, she ended herself.
At this point, the thermometer finally returned to a normal display. Li Mo held the thermometer and quickly walked around the campus. Finally, he found a wisp of purple hair on the rooftop.
"A wisp of purple hair. Is this the real body of the fantasy ghost?"
Li Mo brought it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it. He could still smell a scent of lavender, and a not-so-obvious smell of blood.
MEI said that the fantasy ghost would fall into a short silence and would revive soon, but what did that have to do with him staying in the academy for half a month?
Couldn't he just take it back and let MEI make a plan?
Oh, it seemed that the one who had just died was MEI.
Li Mo put the hair in his pocket, preparing to leave the school, but the moment his cognition returned to normal and he was free from the illusion, his Bizarre hearing heard a strange movement behind him.
"Who is it? Come out."
Li Mo came to his senses and faced the source of the movement.
"I won't repeat it a third time," Li Mo said coldly.
After about ten seconds, Bronya walked out from behind the door and looked at him quietly.
Bronya (ᗜ ‸ ᗜ): "Hello, Mr. Psychopath."