So yeah, I went through so much shit, now that I think about it, my heartbreaking rejections weren't even the bad things.
I got everything I wished in my second life, but even then, the world itself wasn't having it, so it decided to ruin my life.
The perfect life I had, they destroyed it.
It made ponder a lot of things, when I finally regained all my mories.
Being a ghost without those mories actually helped move forward without falling into despair.
I was able to get a family, friends, and even a daughter before regaining all those mories. Because if I still had them since the beginning, I might have beco sothing completely different.
It helped move on... I guess.
And it also made realize how good I actually had it in my first life.
Just because of so dumb rejections, I let it ruin my life.
I beca depressed, and too focused on just reading to escape my reality, a reality I ruined on my own.
Damn... I never thought this much about everything.
This trial, it sure has made think a lot.
If I hadn't let those rejections and my school life affect so much, I might have not been in the library in that mont.
And I might have not died when the Earthquake hit.
In resu...
I died because of my own life choices, and because I let superficial problems ruin my life.
"What do you know about anything?"
Sofia spoke to .
"You're miss perfection... everything always goes well with you... everyone admires you... everyone loves you! Have you ever had any hardship in your life?"
"Hah, too many to count, dear."
"W-What? Don't joke with ..."
"Seriously, I'm not joking... When I ca to this school, I thought everything was going to be an easy walk in the park, but it wasn't."
I sighed, glancing at Alma and Emily.
"It has been just two days but... It has made think so much about my life, more than I thought..."
"Maria?"
"W-Why are you talking like that?"
The two girls noticed sothing weird, yeah.
I just was talking from the heart, no more hiding bullshit.
And sohow, I feel moved.
Are these emotions...?
Ding!
[The {Lingering Emotions} of the {Fallen Heroine} are slowly being imbued into your heart.]
[You're understanding more what her emotions were towards her friends.]
[Your empathy towards Sofia has increased.]
[mories the {Fallen Heroine} has gone through are being shared with you] This is...?
And then I saw it.
Ti stopped for a mont, and countless mini movies appeared around .
Projections of the mories of the character I replaced, seen through first person.
The first ti she t Sofia, when she was a cocky young lady without a hint of friendliness. "Hmph! You might be quite strong, but so what?! I'm even stronger! I'll beat you and proclaim the title as the strongest here!"
She was full of insecurities and wanted to prove herself to make her father proud.
Because to her, her father's approval was everything in her life.
Yet the Heroine won and defeated her in the Student Arena.
"T-This can't be... I lost?! No..."
Her cocky face shattered, and she...
She didn't rage like a villain or sothing.
No.
"I... lost?"
She started crying like a child.
She cried, and everyone saw her cry.
She glanced at the arena spectators, a tall, bearded man with the sa features as Sofia
glanced at her.
Furiously.
"Hmph... What a disappointnt."
And walked away in disappointnt.
"No... father! Wait...! FATHER!"
Sofia desperately called for her father, crying.
Everyone looked at her with smiles.
So even laughed at her misfortune.
She had gained a bad reputation in the school due to her attitude after all.
So everyone kind of hated her...
Yet the Heroine...
She extended her hand towards her.
"Huh? I-I don't... need your pity!"
Sofia slapped her hand away and ran from the arena, however.
Yet the visions continued.
Over the days, Sofia beca soone almost unnoticed, always silent, alone, depressed.
The Heroine, Alma and Emily, helped her slowly feel better.
They constantly talked to her.
"How are you doing, Sofia? I-I bought you so cookies I made! Want to try?"
Alma offered her cookies, which Sofia reluctantly ate.
"They're bad, add less salt."
"Ouch... ok."
She was cold at first, but over ti, the cookies tasted better.
"They're not bad..."
And Alma smiled cutely, making Sofia smile back a bit.
"Sofia! Let's go train together!"
Emily trained with her, and Sofia was able to grow stronger over ti, learning about her
magic and techniques.
"Thank you for helping , Emily."
And the heroine? She did all of this with them, always at Sofia's side.
Although she was cold and silent at first, they slowly lted her icy heart.
Eventually, although she never thanked them for their friendship, Sofia beca their friend.
And...
"Yeah, I... I like ***... Please don't tell him, ok?! I'm so embarrassed I'm telling this to you, ***. But you're my... my best friend so... I thought I could tell you that, at the very least!"
And then she told the heroine she liked ***, the person that Jonathan is now replacing.
So that's what's happening.
This world...
The characters we replace, they aren't completely gone.
Their emotions, their wills, even their mories, sowhat...
Remain, and slowly, they beco ours too.
This love I felt, it wasn't romantic.
It was the love of a friend.
The lingering love of the Fallen Heroine towards the selfish Sofia.
I'll do you a favor then.
I'll tell her how you feel.
"Sofia..."
""
"I love you as a friend... We've gone through a lot for these years."
I touched the bathroom's door gently.
"Rember that ti when you were rejected by your father, and you cried because I
defeated you?"
"Ah!"
Sofia reacted.
"I didn't hate you back then... I never did."
"Huh?"
"I admired you, and I wanted to fight you because of that... I didn't want to humiliate you
either."
||||
"That's why... I... I wanted to beco your friend."
"Maria..."
"I'm sorry, Sof... but please, don't let this break our friendship, the friendship we've forged
for all this ti... I don't want to see you cry anymore..."
"...
"After all, you're the prettiest of this school! So I think a smile would... fit you better. A-And...
Um, well, you moved on from your father, right? So... Can't you move on from this too?"
"Sofia... please!" Alma called.
"We love you... please don't... do this," Emily sighed.
"I'm sorry, Sofia... for everything I've done. And I'm willing to take responsibility for this. I'll
even... go away, and never talk to you if you want... But please, don't do the sa for Alma and Emily," I said. "They love you and... They have no fault in any of this."
"Maria..."
"But..."
The two seed a bit hesitant, they didn't want to take the burden, but it was fine.
I didn't mind it, as long as they would remain together as friends.
It's fine.
There was only silence for a couple of minutes.
But.
Creaak...
The door of the bathroom slowly opened, revealing a very depressed-looking Sofia.
Her makeup was all ruined, she cried a lot, and even her hair looked ssy.
"Sofia..."
I glanced at her with Alma and Emily.
"Maria..."
She started crying again.
"I'm sorry..."
"Huh?"
"But why?"
"Sof?"
"I... can't... take it... anymore..."
Sofia suddenly started breathing heavily.
"R-Run..."
She glanced into my eyes.
"Please run away!"
"Wha...?!"
And then, I heard it, a crack.
Crack...
CRACK!
The crack of Sofia's Dream Heart, before black fog surged from her body, and she fell into her
knees.
"Sofia!"
We all ran towards her.
But it was too late.
Sothing was being born from her.
A black cocoon, with red, fleshy tendrils.
In the shape of a heart, pierced by a thousand black needles.
It opened its single eye.
"A Nightmare?!"
I quickly grabbed Emily and Alma.
TRUUUM!
Before a huge shockwave of Nightmare Essence erupted.
And a Fractured Nightmare Realm was born.
BOOOM!
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