10 Condition

Among all things that Lyrica is known for, her ability to accurately recall things that happened for a very long time is her greatest trait.

Make it the time when she started playing role-playing games or RPG, or the time when her parents bought their family computer with her. Even the time when she first met Erika on the first day of their kindergarten, she can vividly remember the time, date, and place when it all happened.

For that reason, Lyrica is confident about her memory skills. That is, until one very unordinary day, a voice suddenly started speaking to her inside her head.

"Impossible...!"

Lyrica grasped her head so hard, it was as if she was trying to break it in half with both hands, trying to see what was wrong in her brain.

"Why can't I remember you talking about a condition, nor me answering you so nonchalantly? Why can't I remember it just like how you showed it to me?"

"Maybe you're just becoming a little forgetful?"

Lyrica thought about it, she did forget that she was wearing her headphones the entire time, and only realized it when she felt her gadget touching her ear. Just like what the voice said, perhaps Lyrica is indeed becoming forgetful.

"No, that can't be."

Sure enough, Lyrica would not take the voice's words for an answer. Something is amiss. Something about the conversation they had back on earth doesn't seem right.

"Damn it."

Seemingly in a conflict, Lyrica went to sit beside the tree near her before pressing the back of her head on its bark.

"Does forgetting about something that big of a deal for you?"

"Shut up! I'm trying to think."

"Sheesh, what a grumpy kid."

Lyrica tried replaying the same scenario in her head over and over again. It would always start with the voice asking her about her ideal world. But it would also end with Lyrica answering that question. It doesn't go on to the point where they talked about the condition like what the voice showed her before.

Another thing that baffled Lyrica's mind is that she answered the voice so nonchalantly when she knew that she is the kind of person who would avoid trouble as much as possible.

"There's got to be something."

She tried to remember that one moment once again. But just like before, she could only remember so much.

"Why?"

Lyrica looked down in distress whilst biting one of her fingernails.

"You shouldn't think so hard about it, everyone can be forgetful sometimes. Let's move on and talk about magic, shall we?"

The voice tried to encourage the troubled Lyrica.

"Magic?"

Only for the girl to flinch as she heard the word "Magic."

"You..." Lyrica looked up into the blue sky with a serious face. "Did you use your magic to somehow change what went during our conversation?"

"What?"

Lyrica is trying her best to remember everything, but no matter how many times she replayed the scene in her head, the scenario would always get cut after telling the voice what world she desired.

However, among all those fruitless efforts, there was a time when she saw everything played in her head, only once. And that is when the voice helped Lyrica remember their supposed agreement.

"You can do that, right? You said before that you possessed magic abilities other than that Hymn of Life or whatever. Surely, there's more you can do other than just fixing me up with magic.

"W-What are you talking about?" The voice stuttered. "I can't do such a thing as altering one's memory..."

"But you just stuttered." Lyrica's riposte made the voice stutter even more. "I don't know if you're a human or whatever, but people falter when they are getting nervous, especially when they feel cornered after being asked about something they're trying to hide."

"Did you know that anyone would stutter in fear if you look at them like that?"

"What now? It's not like I'm staring directly at you to be so frightened."

Lyrica is glaring to no one. But the glint in her eyes that looked as though her gaze alone could kill someone, made the voice who isn't with her physically, stutter in fear.

"Again, I cannot alter someone's memories." The voice insisted after regaining her composure. "Think about it, if I can really do such a thing, why would I bother altering just a single scenario in your head, If I can just rewrite your memories entirely?"

"..."

Lyrica's murderous glare disappeared as she gazed into the air.

The voice gave a fair point. If the voice can rewrite all of Lyrica's memories, she can just bring Lyrica into Alteria without knowing about her memories and do whatever the voice pleases without any retort. That'll save the voice the trouble of asking the young girl about her desired world, as well as giving her a condition in which the girl accepted.

Lyrica did not utter a single word since then. Only a sigh of exasperation exited the girl's lips as she wordlessly accepted the voice's valid argument.

Lyrica kept silent, allowing the voice to continue to speak.

"Not everyone can get the life they desired, not everyone gets the opportunity to stand where you are right now." The voice stated. "I allowed you to live a life you desire by asking you a question. And you took that opportunity by answering my question. I've taken you into a world where your desires are not out of your reach, a world where you can fulfill your desire. The least you can do now is to make it yourself."

Indeed, unless there's proof that the voice can alter Lyrica's memories, she had agreed to the condition given to her by the voice. And it will remain the truth.

Lyrica took a deep breath as her head turned up at the tree branches, envying the plant for having a peaceful and quiet life around the vast flower field, doing exactly nothing but to stand there and watch the flower field and its inhabitants all day.

"I want to be reborn as a tree."