How long had it been since then?
Olgis opened her eyes and gazed up at the night sky before her — this place was truly wondrous. She could clearly see the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the underground cavern, yet above them stretched a vast dome of glittering stars. At a glance, it felt as though the entire city was enveloped in an eternal night.
The master had not yet come.
Thinking this, Olgis gently shook her head. She had considered contacting Duanmu Huai to ask where he was, but in the end she chose not to. She knew there was no need to rush — no matter where her master was, Olgis believed that he would surely come for her.
For now, the only thing she could do was explore this place and gather as much information as possible for him.
However, as Olgis entered this city wrapped entirely in darkness, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
What kind of place is this?
She walked slowly along the street, looking to either side. Dimly glowing street lamps stood at even intervals, illuminating tall, ornate buildings that still held a faint air of grandeur. Yet, not a single person could be seen — the city looked utterly lifeless, as though it had long since died and been forgotten by time.
Gloop.
Suddenly, as Olgis reached the first intersection, a shadow dropped from above and landed right in front of her. It was a strange, metallic creature — a blob of silvery liquid, squirming and pulsing like a lump of molten metal. Olgis instinctively took a step back, raising her right hand warily, eyes fixed on the thing.
Then, under her watchful gaze, the metallic blob began to swell, twist, and stretch, reshaping itself as though melting and reforming into another shape.
That shape… was a silver-haired girl with twin ponytails, dressed in a black gothic dress — Olgis herself.
"?"
Olgis froze in shock. The other "Olgis" stared back at her, and then spoke in a calm, detached tone.
"Why are you here?"
"...…"
Olgis didn't answer. The thing before her had her exact voice, but that didn't mean it was her. She had just seen it morph into her shape with her own eyes, so it was obvious that this creature had the ability to mimic others.
The copy didn't seem to care what she was thinking. It continued speaking on its own.
"You got separated from your master, so you came here. Tell me — what is it that you want? Why did you come?"
"...…"
"It's simple. Because your master abandoned you."
Shing!
The moment those words left its lips, Olgis's eyes flashed coldly. With a flick of her right hand, shining puppet threads sliced through the air, cutting the fake "Olgis" cleanly into pieces. Yet the attack had no effect — the severed body reformed instantly, merging back into a perfect replica of her again.
"Why did you attack me?" the imitation asked.
"Because I'm angry," Olgis replied flatly.
"Angry?" The copy tilted its head in confusion. "Why would a puppet like you possess such unnecessary emotions?"
"...…"
This time, Olgis faltered for a moment and didn't answer.
"You're just a puppet," the fake said, pointing first at Olgis, then at itself. "We are the same. Puppets have no feelings, no need for hearts. We exist as tools for our masters. As long as they need us, we fight. When they don't, we're discarded. Tools don't need self-awareness, nor should they act on their own. All you had to do was wait quietly — why do something so meaningless?"
"I… am not like that!"
Olgis gritted her teeth. Those words unsettled her deeply. Of course she understood the duty of a doll — but…
"Father created me to have a soul… to have a heart!"
"So, in other words, you're still obeying your creator's will, aren't you?"
"Eh?"
Olgis froze. A strange, trembling emotion welled up from deep within her, one that made her body shiver uncontrollably.
"No, I'm not… This isn't Father's command — it's his hope…"
"Hope, wish, desire — in the end, they all mean the same thing. It's still someone else wanting you to act according to their will. Isn't that just another form of obedience?"
"It's not like that! I want to understand human emotions! I do have a soul!"
Olgis suddenly shouted, her voice rising louder than she'd ever heard it before. That strange surge inside her burst forth uncontrollably — even she was startled by the sound of her own voice.
"Understand human emotion? What's the point?"
The other "Olgis" tilted its head again. "You'll never become human anyway, will you?"
"...…"
The words pierced her heart like a spear. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. The cruel voice stripped bare the most fragile part of her being. Her strength drained away; her vision blurred, her thoughts froze — this feeling was fear.
Even so, the copy's cold voice continued, echoing in her ears.
"You know it's true. No matter how you mimic humans, you're still just a doll. You can't feel warmth. You can't feel pain. When other girls lean against their masters and feel comfort, what do you feel? Nothing. It's all meaningless, isn't it?"
"Shut up…"
"We are dolls, not humans."
The fake "Olgis" stripped off her outer garments, revealing her true body beneath — carved wooden limbs, bound together by joints and gears.
"Mechanisms and material — not life."
"Shut up…"
"Tools should remain as tools. To seek a soul or life is to forget your purpose—"
"Shut up!!!"
Olgis roared, leaping into the air. Threads of light erupted from her fingers, weaving themselves into blades and spears. She launched them forward — dozens of glittering weapons streaking toward the impostor. But just before they could strike, every weapon froze midair.
Only then did Olgis realize that invisible threads stretched around her — her own weapons were being bound.
"Did you forget?" said the fake calmly. "I'm you."
It looked up at her with expressionless eyes, yet Olgis's heart tightened in fear. She leapt backward just as a blade of invisible force slashed across the ground where she had stood, cutting the stone street into pieces.
"Do you remember Rose? Tell me, what makes you any different from her? Overwhelmed by emotion, losing control, destroyed by your own madness — do you still not understand the end that awaits a doll like that?"
"I'll never become like Rose!"
Olgis manipulated her threads again, forming a barrier around herself to block the attack. Her voice trembled with anger.
"Really? Look at yourself — consumed by rage and fear, losing composure. How are you any different? If your master were to abandon you, wouldn't you become another Rose?"
"That's not true…"
She tried to deny it, but the words that came out sounded weak — powerless.
If she faced the same fate as Rose… would she become like her too?
That thought crawled into Olgis's mind and refused to leave, wrapping around her like a nightmare. Her hesitation slowed her movement — and in that instant, a massive impact slammed into her. Olgis cried out as she was thrown across the street, her small body sliding along the stone until she plunged into a deep abyss.
At the last moment, her hand shot out and caught a fragment of rock, hanging on for dear life.
The other "Olgis" approached slowly, looking down at her coldly.
"See? That's the weakness of emotion. If you were just a machine built for battle, all you'd focus on is defeating me. But you can't — your unnecessary emotions cloud your judgment and dull your reflexes. And that's why you lose."
"...…"
Olgis said nothing.
"Well? Do you have anything left to say?"
"I see now… so that's it. That's my own mind speaking."
In the next instant, flashes of silver light cut through the air — slicing the fake "Olgis" to pieces once more. Olgis stood back on solid ground, watching the shapeless creature twitch and reform again.
"I once read that people both understand and don't understand themselves best. I never really knew what that meant — until now. Thank you for teaching me."
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"So this feeling — this stabbing pain, this anger tearing at my heart — this must be sorrow… and grief. Maybe now I finally understand what Rose must have felt."
She looked at her mirror image once more.
"Thank you. I've always wanted to talk to Rose, but I never truly understood her emotions — or her thoughts. You were right: tools don't need feelings. Even though I learned to have them, I couldn't grasp why she made that choice… not until now."
"...…I don't understand," the fake muttered, its shape once again matching hers perfectly. "I don't understand how you can remain so calm now."
"It's simple."
Suddenly, the imitation Olgis was pulled into the air, her body suspended helplessly as threads coiled tightly around her. Olgis raised her right hand, her fingers spread — puppet threads glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Just as you said — even though I've learned emotions… I am still a doll."
Her eyes turned cold and lifeless.
"For a doll, eliminating the enemy will always come first."
(End of Chapter)