"Strange. Sis Vill-V seems so complex usually, but is her inner world really this empty?" After wandering for over ten minutes without finding any trace of the other personalities, even the usually confident Pardofelis began to doubt herself.
"Could we be looking in the wrong place? Maybe this isn't where the personalities sleep?"
"That shouldn't be right... With Pardo's sense of direction, even in a mindscape, I shouldn't get lost..." Seeing the unchanging surroundings, Pardofelis's voice grew softer, clearly lacking much confidence.
Still, she puffed out her chest and bravely walked ahead of Mei. "Don't worry, Sis Mei! This cat will definitely help you find Sis Vill-V."
With that, Pardofelis quickened her pace, soon becoming just a small figure in the distance.
"Pardofelis, wait for me!"
Seeing Pardofelis run off, Mei quickly followed. For some reason, she felt a hidden threat lurking in the darkness. If they separated, they might encounter danger.
After traversing several areas, Mei realized the surrounding space was actually a vast theater. The background was filled with dense mechanical structures, and the different sections were connected by inverted staircases.
"This certainly fits her identity as head of engineering and her personality as a grand performer." Just as Mei was wondering how much longer it would take to find the personalities, Pardofelis seemed to have finally found a clue.
Walking closer, Mei found her standing before a mirror.
"Sis Mei, do you get the feeling... we've seen this mirror somewhere before?"
A mirror?
Looking at their reflections, Mei frowned slightly. A hazy memory flashed through her mind. She suddenly realized – didn't every personality's area have a mirror like this?
Yet, until Pardofelis pointed it out, she hadn't noticed the mirrors at all, even though having mirrors scattered throughout a theater was inherently strange.
"What do you mean?"
"Could Sis Vill-V's memories be hidden inside these mirrors?"
A mirror in each personality's domain, corresponding to their memories – it did seem logical.
"Let's try it and see." Mei reached out and placed her hand directly on the mirror's surface. Looking at her reflection, it seemed to blur and overlap with Vill-V's image for a moment.
A few minutes later, Mei removed her hand, a flash of surprise in her eyes.
"Pardofelis, you're right. This is indeed Vill-V's memory bank."
It was a memory from when Vill-V first joined the engineering department, but unfortunately, not what Mei was looking for. Regardless, they had taken the first step; the rest should be easier.
So, Pardofelis took charge of finding the mirrors, while Mei read the memories. Soon, they had reviewed quite a few. However, they quickly discovered that Vill-V's tens of thousands of years of memories were far too vast. Finding recent memories using only this method would take days, at least.
"How about we split up? I'll focus on searching, and come back to tell Sis Mei when I find something?" Pardofelis suggested.
"...Let's not." A sense of unease inexplicably rose within Mei, and she instinctively rejected the idea.
She had a strong feeling that splitting up, the most classic trope in horror movies, would definitely lead to trouble.
Having dodged a second death flag, they spent another half hour before finally reaching a new area.
"Huh? Why is there a lock on this mirror?" A new area meant a new personality. Strangely, the mirror here was locked. "Could it be Sis Vill-V's hidden personality?"
Mei reached out to sense it, but the mirror remained unresponsive. It seemed they had to unlock it first.
"Leave it to me! Lockpicking is my specialty!" Patting the pouch at her waist, Pardofelis skillfully pulled out a set of lockpicks and began fiddling with the keyhole.
However, five minutes passed, and the lock remained unchanged. Ten minutes passed, and the mirror still didn't budge.
"Forget it, Pardo. Let's check other areas first," Mei couldn't help but urge.
"Sis Mei, just give me a little more time! I can definitely open it!" Even sweating profusely from the effort, Pardofelis showed no signs of giving up.
"Pardofelis, are you..." Looking at the girl's determined eyes, Mei seemed to understand something.
"Hehe, Sis Mei, you figured it out." Pardofelis continued picking the lock, smiling sheepishly. "As the bottom of the ranks among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, I can't match Boss Kevin in combat, nor Sis Vill-V in brains. Ever since you entered the Elysian Realm, Sis Mei, I haven't been able to help at all.
Now that the Elysian Realm is in danger, everyone else has contributed, but I'm the only one who can't do anything. The only thing I can do is probably help you navigate and pick locks like this. So don't worry! Even if I have to give it my all, I will open this lock for you!"
Perhaps it was cat's luck kicking in. Just as Pardofelis finished speaking, the mirror's lock clicked open successfully.
"Finally... I can help everyone too." Though her forehead was drenched in sweat, Pardofelis beamed happily. She turned to Mei, her face filled with satisfied joy.
However, what she saw wasn't Mei's praise, but a pair of constricted pupils.
"Pardofelis!"
"Sis Mei?" Seeing Mei lunge towards her, Pardofelis looked confused. The next instant, a sharp, piercing pain abruptly shot through her chest.
She stiffened, slowly lowering her head, only to see a dark, empty hole.
And so, she finally understood why Mei had screamed her name, and finally understood why she was in so much pain.
The smile vanished from her face, replaced by the overwhelming fear of death. She struggled to rise, reaching out a trembling hand towards Mei, her face tear-streaked.
"Sis Mei, I don't want to die..."
Before she could finish, another wave of intense pain struck her chest. Pardofelis's body staggered, swaying precariously before pitching forward.
It's okay, it's okay, cats have nine lives...
The thought flashed through her mind, but before she could fall, the roar of gunfire erupted repeatedly. Bullet after bullet rained down like a tidal wave, tearing straight through her body.
Pardofelis's eyes widened as she watched her beloved pouch, always by her side, get hit by bullets, shredding into pieces mid-air. The gems and silver coins she treasured scattered, reflecting brilliant light.
She saw fragments of her own ruptured organs. She saw Mei's face splattered with blood. She saw, reflected in Mei's pupils, her own body.
And then, she finally understood.
Nine lives weren't enough!
...
Vill-V's ambush came without warning, so suddenly that Mei couldn't react. The bullets emerging from the mirror were aimed at Mei, but Pardofelis, standing up at that exact moment, took the full brunt of the attack.
All eight bullets buried themselves in Pardofelis's body. The final shot passed through her and lodged in Mei's chest.
Ignoring the bullet heading towards her, Mei desperately lunged forward to embrace Pardofelis's body. But just an instant before she could reach her, the memory construct's data reached its limit. With a crack, it shattered into countless specks of azure light.
Mei's arms closed around empty, cold air. Only Pardofelis's scalding blood splattered onto her cheek.