Chapter 327: Doors? [2/2]
The Sirens were killed by various means. Liv died at the hands of an army of undead. A demon killed Lilly, Robyn starved. Jo was in my arms with a hole in her stomach, Bella threw herself off a cliff, while Jas was eaten by a dog monster. Finally, Aki was crushed by a tsunami.
What the hell was going on? If the Sirens were the ones I loved in my past life, were they here now because they wanted to be? What if {Relive} forced them to come to me without their consent?
Knowing that I wouldn't get answers just by sitting around, I slowly made my way to the first door. It was the same one my body had flown into. Terror gripped my heart as my mind began to wonder.
'If I had failed seven times, how could I be sure I would succeed this time? Despite the supposed power of my previous incarnations, the girls all died and "I" were left alone.'
I originally thought that this was my task because of some higher power. But what if there wasn't and I was just forcing myself to do it? I found it hard to believe that even with the knowledge of seven lives, I still couldn't do shit.
'Just what the fuck have I been fighting against all this time?'
Somehow I had already accepted the idea that I was a reincarnator. One with seven lives to be exact. Otherwise, none of this made any sense. But {Fates} were like that. They were breakers of one's definition of what one could and could not do.
I tried turning the doorknob gently. Steeling my will, I opened the door. Sadly, nothing happened.
"How anticlimactic."
There was nothing behind the door. Just a white wall. Irritated at being scared of something so stupid, I quickly checked the others to find the same result.
"What the fuck am I doing here?"
There was one line in the vision that piqued my interest. "No one would remember even if you did." I repeated aloud.
"Maybe that was the key to opening these doors?"
But what did the saying mean? Was it similar to a Specter forgetting the dead? Well, if I really was a reincarnate, would the memories still disappear even if I was supposed to be reborn? Or do they return to the people after I arrive?
Unlike in my vision, there was nothing behind or in the doors. A wall prevented me from doing anything but staring at the damn things.
"Perhaps I still had some requirements to fulfill? In games, you need an event to pass through areas like this, right?"
One thing was for sure, if IRIS was designing video games to give people the ability to solve puzzles, I think it was effective. Just like a puzzle game, I now had to figure out how to open these fucking doors.
Exa was still out of commission, so I couldn't ask her. And I couldn't contact the Sirens from wherever this place was. But somehow I knew instinctively that this place held a huge secret that I had to discover.
What made me start this whole journey? What was {Relive} trying to do in the first place? What part did the Siren play in all of this? At the moment, the seven doors corresponded to the seven warriors, each warrior accompanied by a Siren.
The connections were too numerous to call them a product of chance. These visions gave me a glimpse, however small, that the answer was within my harem.
Obviously, whatever this place was, I needed answers. And it seemed, at least for now. I wouldn't get them here. Dusting myself off, I tried to will myself back to reality.
When I felt the familiar pull on my soul, I surrendered to it and warped back to Earth.
***
I jerked awake and tried to open my eyes. Surprisingly, the darkness suggested that the sun had already set.
"Ugh. What time is it? Wasn't Jas supposed to wake me up?" I said groggily.
I checked my phone and noticed that it was already 6 pm. Hellsgate would open again in two hours, which meant I had slept for over ten hours. I still had a lot of things to do, so I panicked and tried to get out of bed.
Only now did I realize that I wasn't alone. My entire harem was sprawled across the bed in seductively thin pajamas. Due to the sheer size of this harem bed, we could all lie down comfortably without any problems.
A red light blinded me for a second as I looked up. It was one of Henry's assault dishwashers. I think it was called a MAARS or something.
[Good evening Father. Did you sleep well?]
Hearing his messages in my brain, I tried to link up with my GRI so I could hear better. It was much easier to pick up signals with the phone than with my own brain. The difference was like analog and digital video.
Both would get you the picture, but the fidelity and quality were worlds apart.
'Henry, good evening. Were you guarding us? Where is your mother?' I conversed with technopathy.
[Yes, father. This place is guarded by Sabel and myself. Alfonso is also on standby should the need arise. As for Mother, she has allowed her body to rest. She is working in cyberspace instead.]
'I see. Thank you then, my son. Do not tell your mother that I am awake. Let her body rest. When did the rest of the Sirens arrive here?'
[We arrived around noon, Father. The 2nd Amendment arrived and began to move into the suburbs where the Simmons family is located. Aunt Vela and Lady Inari joined the group after that].
'This is good. Thank you for keeping me informed. Is there anything else I should know?'
[What I know is limited, father. Let me call Sabel. She would know more than I.] Your source is m-vl|emp,yr
As the MAARS moved around its camera, a small drone on the table suddenly came to life. It was the finger-sized helicopter drone Sabel used. Bella told me it was called a Black Hornet nano.
[Father! Good morning!]
Unlike the cool teenage voice of Henry, Sabel had a bright and happy tone. It reminded me of Jo or Robyn.
'Good evening Sabel. Henry said you had some news for me?'
[I do. Do you want me to send it over or would you rather chat about it?]
'Please just tell me in words Sabel, I am not as good as your mother.'
[Heh, I see. Indeed, Mother acts like a machine that I sometimes forget she is human].
The black hornet then silently moved to my position and landed on my shoulder. How it didn't fall off was a mystery.
[Father first, let's start with what Mother did while you were sleeping. The LLG and the 2nd Amendment have been combined and are now known together as Infinity. Infinity is structured like a Battlefront organization chart].
'Ho? As expected from your mother. Continue.'
[Hehe, Mother will be pleased with your praise, Father. Vela's wolves would play the role of Infinity's mercenaries. Ten Graves would serve as her Production, while Minerva's Wizards would similarly serve as her Administration. Finally, Freyja's Bulwark would be our Fortification team.]
Well, most of the developments were what I expected.
[Currently, Academics and Adventurers do not have representatives. However, Aunt Inari has already begun to select members for Inari's Kitchen. Aunt Satis, Ishtar, and Rhiannon are also looking for resources.]
'Okay, anything else?'
[Yes, Father. News of your Seeker War has been made public.]
'Shit. I guess I should have expected that.'