"Where am I?" my lips uttered automatically.
I truly couldn't comprehend where I was; this place was simultaneously unfamiliar and yet somehow connected.
I remember seeing Hestia, naked, and then my head spun, and then the world went dark, and I found myself in this place.
This place looks like...
A train car?
No, that can't be...
I can't be here; I'm not her.
And how did I even get into this world?
"There's someone there," I said, my attention drawn to a sofa in the distance.
A figure was clearly visible on it, sleeping.
As I approached, I almost tripped in shock.
March 7 was sleeping peacefully on the sofa...
Why was she here? Or rather, why am I even here?
"Because I wanted to meet you," a voice said behind me.
I turned around and saw a girl who looked like a crystal sculpture.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You already know the answer to that question." she said rather mysteriously.
"Fuli?" I asked, to which she nodded softly.
"That can't be true. As far as I remember, Fuli was clearly a man. Besides, I'm not in the HSR universe, and what is March 7 doing here anyway?" she asked quickly.
"I understand you have a lot of questions, but be patient." said the woman claiming to be Fuli.
To be honest, I actually believed her a little. In the game, Fuli was depicted as an andrological being composed of crystal, so Fuli could be female, or at least resemble a woman in appearance.
"And to answer your question... Do you think gender matters to someone like me? We can be either male or female, but that's just on the outside. But if you want me to be a man..." she didn't have time to finish before I started waving my hands.
"No, don't worry, it's fine, I'm fine with Fuli being a woman." I said, to which she nodded again.
"What about the place you're in... Simply put, you're in your head." she said.
"Uh... Is it some kind of mental landscape?" I asked.
"Yes, but not exactly." Fuli said, looking at March 7, who was still sleeping peacefully.
"That's the girl on the couch, you." she said.
"WHAT?" I screamed in shock.
"No, that can't be. I'm definitely not March 7, just a guy who died and became Evernight. I definitely can't be March 7."
"You almost found the answer yourself. You died as a guy and became Evernight, but who's to say you couldn't have lived other lives before that?" Fuli asked.
"So, you're saying…" I trailed off and looked at March 7 with a complex expression.
"Yes, in your first life, you were known as March 7." she said.
"But… But why don't I remember anything? If I died as March 7, how did I die then?" I asked.
"If you two had merged, then her personality would have been dominant, and she would have absorbed you, which would literally mean personality death. But she refused that…" Fuli said.
"What do you mean?"
"When you died as March 7, you entered a slumber and were reborn with a new personality, emotions, and feelings, but the old personality remained. It constantly watched the other personality's life, its growth, all its hardships... And then I appeared, offering to merge with you, which meant your death. But she said she didn't want that. Even if she could never control a body again, she would be satisfied with you living a happy life." Fuli said.
I feel like my brain is about to explode! There's a lot I don't understand, but I've already pieced together the big picture.
I was once March 7, who died for reasons unknown to me, but was later reincarnated as an ordinary guy on Earth. This gave me a different personality, but the old one never went away, and it's been in my head all this time... But why? Is it sleeping...
"Um, Miss Fuli, what's wrong with March 7?" I asked.
"Emotional arousal, coupled with immaturity." she said.
"What?" I asked.
"That means she couldn't stand the sight of that girl naked." she said.
"Oh..." I said quietly.
Now this raises more questions for me. What were my preferences when I was March 7 in the first world? And what happened to him? Where did the main cast go? And so on. But I'm unlikely to get an answer to these questions, at least for now.
Although, if March 7 were in such a state, then the question of her preferences immediately disappears.
"Okay, so you brought me here for..."
"I didn't bring you. Yes, I'm watching you, but you were brought here by your personality, March 7. And it was a mistake, because she couldn't handle the sight of a naked girl." she said.
"Then, this place..."
"Yes, you understood correctly. For you, both past and present, this place holds special significance, which is why your inner world looks like this," she said.
"Please, let's refer to my past self as March 7, and my present self as Evernight, otherwise I feel like my brain is about to explode."
"Okay. Anyway, you better get back, otherwise that girl who's the reason March 7 is in this state is starting to worry. We'll have time to talk later." she said, and I felt a jolt.
"You know, March 7's always wanted to talk to you. For her, you've become less of a different person and more of a sister." She said these words, but I couldn't respond as the world plunged into darkness again.