The phantom beauty's lips curved upwards enigmatically before she went into a graceful curtsy, showing off her otherworldly figure.
However, present circumstances only allowed her to swallow a lump in her throat that hadn't been there a moment before.
I think she can smell my desire to live… wait one moment though, who is she?
And why does she look like me right now?
Victoria was in a daze as she stared at the immaculate figure hovering inches off the air in front of her.
Just then, the girl's glowing golden eyes lowered towards hers, and her lips parted with a question.
"May I state the terms of our pact?"
Victoria blinked. Maybe it was her, or maybe it was the sudden emergence of— what she could only describe as a scroll ringed by golden flames before the phantasmal girl's outstretched hand, but gut instinct was telling her that nothing good would come out of this partnership.
The phantom seemed to consider her silence as consent, and continued.
"I vow to protect my contractee with nine lives."
"Should my contractee lose all nine lives..."
"I, the contractor, will have full autonomy of the body and will be allowed to possess it."
"Will you accept the terms and conditions?"
Victoria's eyes narrowed at the obnoxious wording. She hoped that her hesitation wouldn't show on her face; however, the silver-haired doppelganger shook her head.
"Currently, your life is no longer in peril. However, that is only due to my scarce magical reserves holding off the threat."
"Should I happen to run out, well..."
Victoria's lips pressed tightly, the only sign that expressed her displeasure at being caught in a dilemma. Luckily, that was the only time her face betrayed her thoughts.
A threat? Seriously?
Why me..?
She looked up and locked eyes with the lookalike. What she got in exchange was a vintage look of triumph from a victorious Valkyrie.
"Tick tock…"
Victoria felt a slight breeze: cold and fleeting, just like the girl's mimicry of a ticking clock. If she didn't make her choice now, it would only be a matter of time before the reaper came for her.
On one hand, a deal with the devil. On the other… imminent death.
"Fine," Victoria said with a resolute sigh. "I accept this deal."
It was the choice to preserve her life at the moment. Once those words were uttered, the ethereal figure reached out her hand...
"Wonderful. Now, grab onto my hand, dearest companion~."
...and uttered words that nearly caused Victoria to choke.
Victoria turned away while reaching her more mobile hand out, and felt a warm touch, followed by a firm grasp before she could even think about pulling back. Surprised, Victoria turned to the figure smiling before her.
As she watched the golden flame circle the scroll, converge towards it, then burn it into cinders, she felt the hand clasped onto hers tighten its grip. Then came a strong pull forward, which caused her to almost stumble.
"There, there~ you're probably still confused, aren't you?" the devilish copy of her asked, before answering. "Worry not! The pact is complete, so you'll be fine now…"
Hearing honeyed words coming out of this devilish doppelganger, Victoria couldn't stop her expression from growing rather skeptical: the kind that did not see hope for the future, nor would bother to try towards it.
"..."
It was here that Victoria realized that she had fallen into her arms as well. As a result, she was pulled in, while she could not muster enough strength in her legs to remain standing.
This is embarrassing...
"Um... can you let me go now?" she pleaded. Victoria couldn't forgive herself for letting her emotions be played with: not just the strange interface from earlier, but her current body's look-alike as well!
The golden-eyed beauty still holding her just grinned.
"Contractee, if I were to let you go, would you be able to stand on your own?"
"N..not yet..."
"I thought so!"
As the silver-haired girl beamed, Victoria turned away in frustration.
Dammit. Why me?!
And who IS she anyway?
Also...
[Self-destruction sequence deactivated.]
[Error generation from the host system has ceased.]
[Initiating system reboot.]
As she was still being held by her phantasmal copy, Victoria's eyes were once more focused on the obnoxious panel. The strange interface had nearly taken her second life a few moments ago. But with just one scroll from this silver-haired girl, it had decided that she was 'fixed', and everything was going to be okay?
Victoria couldn't believe it for a second.
Just as she was going through various explanations for this, she started to feel strength flowing through her feet. It looked a lot like those sham preachers on TV back then, pulling up the handicapped and commanding them to walk, or a patient suddenly recovering on the same day they had been deemed disabled.
The girl eased her down, gently letting go of her, as if she had sensed the change in her body.
She laughed girlishly.
"Too bad I couldn't carry you for a bit longer…"
"Well," Victoria replied as she took the opportunity to escape, "it won't happen again."
The first sensation that hit her soles was cold, as she pressed her feet onto the floor.
Oh, it's good to be walking once more… but then again, I can't exactly leave here barefoot now, can I?
Victoria's eyes began to roam as she began to look around the chamber. After finding the yellow fabric strewn around the chamber, she took a closer look – and realized that these looked more like cloaks for travel. Some had bumps – which made her think that there could be something useful underneath them.
Hopefully I can find something under these cloaks.
First things first, though...
Her thoughts went back to the measures she took to avoid imminent death: after signing a proverbial deal with the devil, it would definitely come across as impolite if she did not know the name of the phantasmal girl wearing her form.
With those thoughts, she turned back towards the golden-eyed figure.
She was floating a foot away from her, hands behind her back, head propped forward: looking as casual and leisurely as anyone could get.
"Will you... will you tell me who you are?" Victoria asked, eyes fixed with purpose on the relaxing girl.
"Oh?" the girl asked. "You mean moi?"
She spun around before gesturing towards you.
"Well," she replied coquettishly, "I'm merely the original soul that lived in that body before you did, dearest contractor…"
What would have been a snappy reply froze upon Victoria's lips, and she instead gave the girl a scrutinizing look.
She believed it.
After all, with what happened so far in the little time she was here, any sort of crazy things happening was probably true here… wherever or whatever this place really was.
If anything, everything that had taken place upon her arrival here had stretched her suspension of disbelief so far, to the point where she wasn't that surprised when a crazy situation took place.
"So…" Victoria replied awkwardly, "you're..."
Meanwhile, her mind was whirring a mile a minute: if this girl really was the previous owner of her current body, then why did she save her?
Why didn't she let me die and claim her body back?
Another question remained unanswered; Victoria could help herself from wanting to ask more, for the moment.