Chapter 91: Elyssia B V
She pressed against the door but did not bother peeking through the crack. She just pushed the door inward, not fearing confrontation, and being outside made for an easy retreat.
Inside was still the familiar scene of four people. They were standing on the stairs, simultaneously looking at Elyssia outside with bewildered eyes, constantly looking back and forth between the two Elyssias.
(Elyssia outside is A, Elyssia inside is B).
Suddenly, Takeshi looked at the hourglass on the table; the last grains of sand were falling.
The surrounding space warped; Airi, Elyssia, and Ayaka immediately disappeared.
Takeshi and Elyssia stood still, eyes wide looking at each other; they both understood both were outsiders to this house.
Elyssia: "So, what have you gathered as an outsider?"
Takeshi stepped down and went to the table; he picked up the hourglass which had become full at some point, then sat down.
"I haven't, just some scattered information. Surely you know already."
Elyssia: "It seems this place does not belong to me."
Takeshi nodded.
"Right, this place has enough people."
…
She turned and left, continuing to walk. Sometimes she was chased by people wearing her friends' faces; though newly acquainted, she was quite sad... Bracing her spirit to go on, she witnessed bloody deaths even just after stepping into a house.
After a while, she reached a house again. Looking at the house for a moment, she was quite tired, but she did not allow herself to collapse.
Seeing all the clones walking around, she was too used to it and no longer surprised.
* "Why do I feel like seeing them or not depends on luck."
Remembering the times she stepped into a house just one step and was immediately hunted and driven out. Sometimes she saw them, sometimes not.
* "No, this is like something special."
* "I think seeing them is more special than anything. And the trial has many identical clones. This proves that seeing them means being the original."
She stepped to a house, without hesitation. Pushing the door inside slowly and carefully.
The smell of alcohol slammed into her nose; the scene inside was extremely cluttered. This was the man's house.
She remained silent, observing... no one was inside. She did not hesitate, immediately running up the stairs and straight to the final room.
* "Unexpectedly even his house can be entered; I thought it couldn't. So it's hard to find."
…
Before she knew it, she was outside the final room she had once entered, her face tired but also satisfied.
Stepping down and going straight to the door, opening it, and stepping outside after a long time.
Elyssia took a deep breath, smelling the cool scent of the rain again, as if wanting to re-familiarize herself.
"Alright, I think I should continue."
Glancing around, before her were many of herself wandering everywhere; she did not think and walked in the rain.
Stepping to a house, she pushed the door in without even observing.
Before her were three other Elyssias sitting at the table, each with a cup of water, their bodies still wet.
(Elyssia outside is Elyssia A, the others are B, C, and D).
Both sides looked at each other in silence; no one was shocked. It seemed they were too used to this.
Elyssia A stepped inside. She seemed to feel again that sense of boredom she had experienced many times, though into the third room made her forget that.
"Discussing things here? May I join?"
Elyssia B nodded.
"Come sit."
Elyssia A sat in a chair; the four looked at each other.
Elyssia A: "So how far have you guys gotten?"
Elyssia D: "I was just saying I don't know if you noticed there are many other Elyssias outside?"
Elyssia A's face tightened slightly upon hearing that.
* "She can see them too?"
Elyssia C: "I think it is a special ability given by the trial."
Elyssia D shook her head.
"Not sure, but I saw them the moment I stepped outside. But after going into the house then back out, I did not see them anymore."
Elyssia A was silent, her head thinking.
* "So like me."
Her eyes widened as she realized something. But she temporarily set it aside and spoke to avoid suspicion.
"I haven't seen that."
Elyssia C: "Me neither."
Leaving them to discuss, Elyssia A sat thinking:
* "If what she says is true, it means initially being outside allows clear sight, but upon going out again it ends, proving there is a system."
Elyssia D continued: "But strangely sometimes I go in then out and I don't."
Elyssia's eyes widened hearing this.
* "Wait, consider seeing as having a special ability. That means the way to exchange is when going inside."
* "When she was inside and came out yet still saw because no one else had gone out, and she still held the special ability."
* "But if someone else goes out while she is inside the room, the special ability is immediately transferred."
She calmed her thoughts.
* "Alright, let's reach a conclusion."
* "The rule is if one steps outside and sees other clones, then at that moment one is the original."
"When the original enters a house, if somewhere someone else goes outside, the original's right is immediately handed over. But if the rare event occurs where no one goes out, the right of the person holding it remains."
Her eyes now were cold, her face calm. She turned and looked toward the door.
* "That means now the original right might have been handed to someone else. Or if these three go out before me, I will also lose the right."
Elyssia A stood up abruptly. She was silent, bowing her head as it darkened. The other three Elyssias looked at her in bewilderment.
Elyssia A immediately turned and ran to the door, flinging it open and running outside to the shock of all three Elyssias.
Outside, Elyssia observed the other Elyssias walking through each other; her face was cold, blending with the rain falling like a waterfall.
* "Still can see, so why? Could it be that during that time not a single Elyssia stepped outside?"
She stepped to a house and pushed the door. All four people—Airi, Elyssia, Ayaka, and Takeshi—inside looked at her in bewilderment.
Elyssia stepped inside and stood silently looking at all four for a long time.
Ayaka let out a sigh; she seemed all too used to it.
"Why are there so many, first Airi then Elyssia? Earlier it was ten people, now I don't know how many?"
Elyssia stood still, hand still on the doorknob. Her face was nonchalant as if nothing was worrying.
"Hello everyone, I only came here to take shelter from the rain."
Takeshi: "Shelter from the rain? Doesn't sound logical, does it? You want to come in here to explore together?"
Elyssia shook her head slightly.
"No, I have explored the three rooms in the man's house. Now only to find the items used for the seal."
Airi: "We sealed the monster, but nothing happened at all."
Elyssia was slightly surprised, eyebrows twitching up a bit then returning to normal.
"Sealed it? Then where are those items found?"
Airi: "Look under the bed in the man's house."
Elyssia frowned; she remembered she hadn't checked there, but also found it quite simple.
"Then did you not make a mistake? And where to find the monster?"
Airi: "The monster is found on the man's ceiling. As for the mistake, of course there was..."
Elyssia: "Then why are you still here?"
Airi: "Indeed once a mistake is made, the seal is broken. But earlier we were here with four other groups and performed it together."
"Those four groups were also four failed groups; only we were the last success."
Elyssia mumbled in her mouth:
"Haven't escaped yet?"
Airi shook her head.
"Haven't escaped."
Elyssia seemed to understand.
"Then I think you should wait."
Airi nodded.
"We are doing just that."
Elyssia nodded; she turned and walked out without a word.
Stepping outside, she still saw the clones wandering.
"I understand, being able to see the clones means being the original. The reason they cannot escape is simply because there was not a single original in that room."
"Four people participating means four originals; with this trial space, I don't know if we can meet. But it seems one must have an original or when all four are sufficient to perform it."
Glancing at the movement of the wandering clones.
"It seems my previous deductions were all correct, and that is why I can see them. And become the original permanently."
"I have been in the house a long time; it is impossible that no one went out during that period. This proves from now on I am the original."
She walked in the downpour after knowing the necessary information and clear goals…
Passing through many rooms and trying to search, she was hunted, witnessed killings... she still persisted, despite her body being exhausted by the rain; every time she entered a house it was like the beginning; she gradually forgot all kinds of feelings... She failed to accompany everyone time after time.
Standing in the rain, she felt that toward the end, as everything cleared up, everything was no longer easy; it was very difficult. She failed and ran countless times, to the point that every time she walked to a house, her head was empty, leaving only muscle memory to automatically step; she forgot the number of times she had gone to the houses.
Standing in the rain, she stiffened thinking of the time she had gone through. Witnessing nearly all the gore and death; every way of dying she had seen in this trial.
From someone surprised by the appearance of someone identical to her, being chased by the man, seeing everyone sealed. Her emotions became calloused.
…
Returning, Elyssia A was about to turn away when Elyssia B spoke up as if trying to hold her back.
"Let me tell you what you need to do. Just letting you be the original would be a disaster."
Elyssia B: "Sealing the monster requires finding items under the man's bed; while performing the seal there must be four people in the house; the monster is on the man's ceiling."
"While performing the seal, remember not to approach the old seal, otherwise you will be sealed; everyone is a monster, remember to remind them."
"And remember to go to the third room to finish the rest."
Elyssia A did not turn back; she remained silent looking out at the rain and listening.
Elyssia B: "When the seal is finished, no need to do anything, just try to survive and wait for the other three originals to finish the seal."
Elyssia A: "Then why don't you finish then wait, but give it to me?"
Elyssia B smiled.
"I know you are the one who needs it. Go."
Elyssia A did not turn back, but she smiled very brightly and stepped outside.
Elyssia B inside, voice raspy, closed her eyes.
"I am red now."