Chapter 15: Truth and new objective.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but this chapter blocked me pretty hard. I am not completely satisfied with it, but I hope you will all like it.

Nobody talked much on our way back home. The adults needed time to process what happened earlier. Maria seemed to be lost in her own world, and Charlotte fell asleep immediately after entering the car, using my lap as a pillow.

After getting home, I went straight to my room, saying I was tired and wanted to sleep. Once alone, I started talking with Mimi. I was determined to stop that cat-and-mouse game she was playing with me. I was 99% sure of her identity, but I had to get to the bottom of this.

"Mimi, are you still here? You have been silent for a while now. What happened?"

[I thought you were still angry with me. I'm sorry for what I said before.]

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind. It's not like it's the first time. You always have to poke where it hurts without thinking and regret it immediately after. I always tell you to think more before talking."

Mimi didn't respond for a moment. I could hear her stammer, not knowing how to respond to me.

[I, I don't know what you are talking about.]

"Listen, I don't know why you are afraid of telling me the truth, but if you don't stop lying to me, I swear I will never talk to you again."

I knew I was being harsh, but I didn't want to live without knowing for sure. I was about to start my journey to fulfill my dreams and wanted to be worry-free. Gaining power and influence sounded easy with all the advantages I had, but it was still dangerous.

After a while, I heard Mimi burst into tears.

[No, don't. Don't ignore me. I will tell you the truth.]

She continued to cry for a while, begging me not to abandon her. I was sad to see her like that, but I had to be harsh; Otherwise, she wouldn't budge.

After a while, she calmed down a little and asked with a shaky voice:

[How did you find out?]

I couldn't help but chuckle at her question. She really thought that she was hiding it well, but the only way she could have been more obvious was if she had told me the truth directly.

"Of course, I know you, idiot. We lived together for ten years. Even if you change your voice, I can recognize how you speak. Do you really think I can't recognize your dumb jokes? Or the fact that you always say things without thinking before. Or that dumb alias. Seriously, Why use the nickname I gave you when we were teenagers, Emily?"

I heard a weird nose coming from the system. It sounded like someone was searching for a radio channel. After that noise stopped, I could listen to Emily's actual voice.

[Okay, you win; I knew you would find out, but I didn't think it would be so soon.]

"Well, you always sucked at acting. Remember the end of the end-of-the-year play you had to perform in 9th grade? It was so bad I couldn't stop laughing about it for months."

[Argh, don't remind me about that!]

We both laughed for a while, reminiscing about our past. But I knew I had to ask if I wanted an answer because she obviously didn't want me to know what happened.

"Mimi, tell me. Why are you here? Why did you try to hide your identity from me?"

Emily got silent. Knowing her, she was struggling to find a way to answer me. She always got stuck like that when she felt guilty. Pressing for an answer would be counterproductive. I had no choice but to wait for her to be ready.

[I'm sure you suspected this, but since I am here, it means I also died on Earth.]

"So you really died? How? Why did you not simply reincarnate?"

[I died only ten days after you. I was killed]

"Killed? By who? How did it happen?"

[I was killed by David. He shot me in the head.]

Hearing the name of that scumbag who was the cause of most of my misfortune in my previous life, I froze. I didn't think I would listen to my brother's name ever again.

"Why did he do that? You didn't have any connections with him."

[He was my boyfriend for some time, Or at least I thought he was, but all of it was a lie.]

I couldn't process what Emily had just said. I just couldn't believe my best friend, the one person I ever loved in my previous life, was seeing the person who ruined that life behind my back. I could sense my anger growing inside of me. I tried in vain to control it, but it ultimately exploded.

"HOW COULD YOU? I TOLD YOU WHAT HE DID TO ME."

Emily started to cry again.

[I know. I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I know I was being an idiot. At first, I didn't want anything to do with him, but he tried to convince me repeatedly. He was manipulating me.]

I was still angry, but I was willing to hear her explanations. She deserved at least that much after I forced her to tell me the truth.

"What did that bastard tell you?"

[He contacted me right after you moved in with us. I immediately told my parents about it. They told me to stay away from him and not to tell you because they didn't want him to upset you further.]

[But he didn't give up. Even after I blocked him, he just changed his phone number to text me. After a while, I agreed to meet him once. My plan was to tell him to stop harassing me. But when I met him, he apologized. He said he was sorry to upset me but that it was the only way he knew to ensure you were okay. He said he knew you were innocent and tried to tell your parents it was a misunderstanding. He asked me to help him make up with you.]

"That bastard just lies like he breath. Not only did he manage to manipulate our parents, he also got you."

[Yeah, but I knew you didn't want to see him or him knowing too much about you, so I kept what I said pretty vague. When my parents died, he consoled me and told me he loved me. Thinking about it now, I feel like an idiot, but he seemed sincere.]

Hearing her explanations, my anger lessened. I understood that Emily was also a victim. On the other hand, my hatred for David grew even more.

[I agreed to date him but always declined his financial help and expansive gifts. I told him I didn't want to waste all the efforts you made to live without your parents' support. But as time passed, he became increasingly impatient, especially after I told him you were recovering from your accident. At that moment, I understood who he truly was and realized I didn't love him but you. I broke up with him one month before you died.]

"I don't understand why he killed you. That doesn't make any sense."

[He told me just before killing me that I shouldn't have rejected him and just obeyed him. He also said I shouldn't put my nose in business unrelated to me. The timing of your death was weird, so I began to ask questions around. I don't know how he learned I was investigating, but he made sure I couldn't find anything.]

"I understand. I hope that bastard will pay."

[You forgive me?]

"There is nothing to forgive. He took advantage of your weakness to manipulate you. You didn't do anything to hurt me."

For the third time this evening, Emily cried.

[Thank you. Thank you so much; I was so afraid you hate me.]

"Stop crying, you crybaby. You are my best friend, my big sister, and the only person I ever loved in that life. I won't hate you because you made a mistake, especially after you tried to make up for it. You know, I was planning to confess to you that night."

[ You mean that you love me too? I was so sure you only saw me as family, so I didn't say anything after breaking up. I'm so stupid.]

"Yeah, we both were, but now we have time. So tell me, how did you end up with your soul bound to my system, and how can I free you."

[Well, after dying, I met the God of Death. He told me he knew about you and that you were reincarnated in another world. He said that while my karma was good, it was insufficient to reach the same world as you. So he gave me a choice. I could reincarnate on Earth and hope to reincarnate on Astria one day, or I could bind myself to your system. Since I didn't have a body, it didn't count as reincarnation. He also told me that you would have to find a way to free me.]

"Why not reincarnate? Not having a body must have been tough, and you didn't have anyone to talk to."

[Don't worry. I was sleeping for most of the time. I got bound to you when you were 3. I just woke up once a year to see what you were up to.]

"I swear I will find a way to free you."

<Ding >

<The host has discovered a new goal>

<The goal is deemed achievable but not immediately>

<Generation of the instant quest aborted>

<The dream: "Saving your lover" has been registered.>

<The first mission has been generated. Please consult the Dream Missions tab>