The hallway was silent, and only the glow of the setting sun filtering through the windows gave the place a trace of life. Without further hesitation, I made my way toward the staircase not far from where I stood.
Once on the stairs, I could more clearly judge my position. I was now on the second floor of the building. The staircase leading up went to the third floor (I could even clearly see the slightly open door of the room at the top—just as 'Julienne' had mentioned), and the stairs going down led to the first floor and the ground level.
There were still so many things I didn't understand, but their little schemes felt too easy to see through.Should I be thankful I woke up on the floor?
Smiling faintly, I headed straight down to the ground floor. My body still ached, but it was far better than how I had felt when I first woke up.
"Vivienne."
As I reached the ground floor, a soft female voice spoke a name that felt incredibly familiar.
I looked toward the source of the voice, and there stood a beautiful young woman, dressed in a medieval-style gown. Yet her expression carried a depth that betrayed a maturity beyond her years.
I simply stared at her, saying nothing.
"Vivienne. Vivienne Durand." She repeated the name softly, several times.
It was too familiar.
Was that my name?
My real name?
"Yes?" I tried to respond.
"Congratulations on passing the test," she said with a smile, her eyes glowing with sincere joy.
"Test?" Even though I knew it couldn't be that simple, hearing the word still caught me off guard.
"Because you passed the test, you may now recover a small fragment of your lost memory."
As she said that, I felt a light tingling in my head, and images began to flash through my mind.
I died? I died in a helicopter crash. I piloted a helicopter? Wait, wait, wait... If I died, then what is this place?
Even when I had awakened in this unfamiliar place, with no memory and no idea where I was, I hadn't panicked. But now I felt overwhelmed—like I had something incredibly important left undone… but I couldn't remember what it was.
"You died, yes… but not completely." She spoke gently. "Normally, after death, people forget their previous lives and wait to enter a new one. But some souls—those whose deaths were accidental, and who are deeply bound to their memories—may be given a chance. A chance to carry those memories into a new world.
Unfortunately, very few make it to the end to recover their memories. What you just completed was a simple introductory test. Greater challenges await. But you may also choose to abandon the path—if your attachment to your memories fades."
She spoke slowly, as if to help me better absorb what she was saying.
"So… there's no way to return to the original world, and even if I recover my memories, I can only start over in a new one?"
If that's true, then what memory could possibly bind me so strongly?
"That's correct. Many don't understand it. Since there's no returning to the original world, why not let go of the past and begin anew?"
Though she posed it as a question, it was clear she was trying to persuade me to let go.
"I can't answer that," I said. "But I must've made this choice for a reason—because that memory is important to me. It's personal. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
Her attempt to dissuade me stirred something instinctive—a resistance. I didn't want to discuss it further.
"Very well. The rest of the trial no longer concerns me. We must now wait for my 'colleague' to come escort you. And since we have some time… why don't you tell me about your experience during the test? I'm curious how you managed to reach the ground floor so quickly." She smiled again.
I had to admit—she had a very gentle way of changing the subject.
"Well, at first, I woke up on the floor and lay there for quite a while. My whole body ached, like my bones had been shattered. It was awful. Once I was able to move, I tried to stand, and that's when I found the letter you left.
By the way, I don't think I would've stayed in bed even if you'd forced me to—so was that part of the design?" The thought of that cold floor still haunted me.
"Well, your body suffered quite a lot of damage when you… died," she said, shrugging slightly. "And while entering this place does heal all external trauma, the lingering pain remains for a moment. It would've been a problem if you decided to sleep in the bed and got disqualified."
"Though I appreciate the sentiment, I hope next time you'll choose a gentler method :)" I said lightly.
"Back to the point… After I read the letter, I only had one question: whether or not I should leave the room. Actually, the letters were full of holes—you can't trust them entirely. All three messages were pretty clear in their intention."