Where… is this?
As the Red Mist's narrow field of vision slowly settled on the pure-white hospital floor before her, her first reaction was confusion.
She didn't believe she was still alive… Even though she'd dragged that guy down to hell alongside her, death should have come swiftly afterward.
Yet now… what was this?
As her senses gradually returned, the Red Mist opened her eyes slightly wider. The glaring sunlight forced her to quickly narrow them again.
Squinting, Kali took in her surroundings, feeling strangely dazed and distant.
So, I didn't actually die…?
Who saved me? And what the hell is going on…?
Just then, from the corner of her eye, Kali caught sight of someone sitting beside her. Only then did she realize she was lying in a bed, and the other person was sitting right next to her head.
She squinted to get a clearer look—and immediately, her pupils contracted sharply, plunging her back into confusion.
The person she saw wore a familiar white lab coat, her brown hair styled into a high ponytail that swung gently as she leaned forward, hands braced against the bed, legs idly kicking at the bedside… the moment Kali saw this person, she fell deeper into confusion.
Especially when her eyes landed on that high ponytail adorned with a little red teddy-bear hairpin… it only intensified the strange feeling of déjà vu.
At that very moment, the figure turned, noticed Kali staring at her, and spoke in a familiar, cheerful voice—one that Kali recognized all too clearly:
"Oh, you're awake! Thank goodness… you weren't seriously injured, so you woke up pretty quickly! Eh? What's wrong?"
Watching Kali suddenly collapse back onto the hospital bed, Da'at panicked a little, leaning over hastily and grabbing Kali's hand, concern appearing entirely genuine.
"Are you still feeling unwell?"
Da'at anxiously asked.
"…Carmen?"
Kali stared blankly at Da'at, murmuring these words through clenched teeth.
At that instant, countless questions arose chaotically within her.
"Why are you here too… Ah, I get it now."
A sudden realization struck Kali's mind, prompting her to nod slightly. With Da'at's help, she slowly sat up and calmly spoke again:
"So… an afterlife really does exist…"
But in the next moment, Da'at tilted her head in puzzlement, gently asking:
"Um, so…"
"Who exactly is Carmen?"
About ten minutes later, Kali leaned back against the wall behind her bed, staring helplessly at the brightly smiling Da'at in front of her.
"So, you're saying… you're not Carmen?"
"Yep, absolutely not. I've already said it multiple times, you know."
Da'at gradually stopped smiling, sat up straight, and placed both hands on her hips, speaking directly to Kali:
"My name is Da'at, one of the founders of Lobotomy Corporation. Da'at."
"Da'at…"
Hearing this unfamiliar name, Kali slowly lowered her head, as if deep in thought.
For her, this name held no meaning. Yet the girl before her always gave Kali a peculiar sense of familiarity…
Over the past few minutes, she'd roughly pieced together the sequence of events.
She vividly remembered that, not long ago, she'd been in a deadly fight against Garion, ultimately defeating him with a final, decisive blow. Yet when she regained consciousness, instead of the expected oblivion, she'd appeared here instead.
Da'at explained that she'd found her gravely wounded, near death, at the outskirts near the City. She'd quickly brought Kali back with her.
Regarding this, Kali had no doubts.
Though she couldn't understand how she'd survived, let alone arrived in this place… From her earlier conversations, she'd inferred that this City differed greatly from the one she knew.
Though familiar Wings like K Corp existed, the City itself seemed far less developed. Even more surprisingly, this young woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Carmen was a founder of a Wing of the World…
Yet perhaps it wasn't that surprising after all. Kali thought idly that if Carmen hadn't died back then, and if she'd lived just a little longer herself, perhaps she might've seen the day L Corp became a Wing firsthand…
As for this "X" that Da'at mentioned, Kali tentatively matched his description with Ayin. From description alone, there indeed seemed to be some similarities.
And finally, there was this strange new world. Kali slowly accepted that she wasn't in her original City anymore. From what she'd gathered, outside the City here wasn't Wastelands or Outskirts but actual inhabited nations.
Terra, was it…?
"Hey, Kali. Earth to Kali~ That's your name, right?"
Just as Kali lowered her head, quietly sorting her thoughts, Da'at suddenly leaned forward into her line of sight, waving a hand cheerfully. Startled, Kali snapped her head back up.
For some inexplicable reason… when Da'at leaned in close, smiling with her eyes gently closed, Kali couldn't help but overlap Da'at's image with Carmen's in her heart.
Could it be that in this world, she's something like this timeline's version of Carmen…?
Kali wondered silently. Even she felt uncertain about this thought, dismissing it quickly as mere conjecture.
"Ha… is something the matter?"
"Of course there is! I already told you all about me, didn't I? But you haven't told me anything yet."
Da'at puffed her cheeks slightly, directing this statement toward Kali. Looking at this painfully familiar face, Kali almost subconsciously responded:
"I… I'm not really sure. One moment I was fighting… about to die, then I blacked out. When I opened my eyes again, I was already here…"
"Ah, still not very forthcoming, are you~?"
Da'at sighed dramatically, sat down heavily on the bed, leaned back, staring at the ceiling as she softly murmured:
"Well… I suppose it doesn't matter much anyway."
"So, what do you plan to do next? Do you have anywhere familiar to go, or people you know?"
"I…"
Kali started speaking but immediately realized the issue. If this was no longer her familiar City, then she likely knew nothing of this place.
And Da'at, noticing Kali's expression, smiled knowingly and spoke:
"Ah, looks like you don't…"
"In that case… want to join us here at L Corp?"
When Kali heard Da'at's invitation, it felt as if she'd heard Carmen's voice once again.
And thus, driven by some mysterious impulse—
"…Alright."
—She agreed, without fully realizing she'd even nodded.