“Yes. The creator itself, the one who cursed everyone.” ×××× said.
A chill ran down his spine after hearing that. It was known that there was a God behind all of this, the one who created this world. But he hadn’t expect such creator to curse everyone.
“Did she really do it?” Shac asked, still couldn’t believe such thing.
“Yes. She did.”
He remained silent for the rest of the minute, he stared directly at nothingness, simply tired of everything he just heard. “Shit. I don’t know how I should proceed with everything you just said.”
She then walked closely to Shac. “I know. It’s not easy.” She said, trying to console Shac.
As if you knew how I felt. He thought, as he took a glance at the duck beside his feet.
“I know.” She responded, reading Shac’s thoughts. “Did you forget when I said that we share the same memories?”
“That doesn’t change anything. You are not me.” He said with a serious expression. “It doesn’t matter whether we share the same memories or not. You and I are not the same. It will never be.”
She chuckled awkwardly. “You’re completely right. We do share the same memories, but I’m completely unaware of what you’re feeling right now.”
“You just understand it now?”
“No. I’m aware of it, it’s not something I have control with.”
“Makes sense. Considering how cruel you are, and don’t have a sense of humanity in you.”
“A sense of humanity huh…” She muttered. She knew exactly what it was, but no matter what she did, it’s something she did not possess.
Shac glared at the duck beside him. He continued on staring at her without a single thought.
×××× seeing his intense stare, decided to ask him. “What is it?”
His expression softened, and he sighed. “If you were to choose between being an ally or an enemy… What would it be?”
Having experienced everything in his life, he knew that this duck was something out of ordinary. It was a talking duck, knowledgeable about things, and most importantly, she’s a small part of the creator.
Without wasting any time, she immediately answered with no difficulty, “I am in between. I can’t be only one thing.”
“I see.” Shac muttered. Not satisfied with her answer, he decided that it was best to think of her as someone who could be his best ally or his worst enemy. “Considering how you act with me, your answer makes sense.”
“That’s how I came to be.”
“I get it.” He scratched his head. “Now if you would be kind to tell me. Considering that I am in this place, was there any exact reason for me to be here apart from me eating the second egg?”
She nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. It’s for freedom of choice.”
“A… Freedom of choice? What?”
“Exactly what you heard. This place exists to remind you that choice is always an option.”
“Wait… I don’t completely get it. I know what it is, but why do you say it’s for freedom of choice?”
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“It’s your choice. Whether to follow the creator, or to follow yourself.” She revealed. “Thus, the freedom of choice.”
Shac paused to think. He didn’t want to over complicate things, he knew that there was something about this choice, thinking that it might be a trap or something.
“No.” She interrupted his thoughts. “The trap doesn’t exist. It’s just about you choosing what you believe is the best.”
“Well, considering you believed yourself to be in between, then there’s no reason for me to think one-sided.”
She chuckled. “That’s perfectly fine. It’s your choice, and that’s okay. Then… are you ready?”
“Ready for what?”
Without any warning, suddenly the void scenery change in a second “Wha— What’s this!?”
The once place with a floating library, mountain of dead ducklings, and the stench of the dead ducklings, returned to square one. It became exactly the same as it had been before, a void with countless clouds expanding on all sides, and a sky that as white as it could be.
“How was it?”
“Why are we back at the start?”
“We’re not. I simply changed the place. This is still the same White Void.” She revealed.
The grotesque scene from before was still buried in his mind, but now it was all gone. “I’m glad, I can’t bear with the smell anymore.” He said, clutching his fist, trying to keep his mind strong.
“Now, before you go, I’m going to tell you about two last things.”
“Before I go? You mean I can get out of here?” He exclaimed in surprise.
“Obviously. This is not a place for you to stay. It was never meant to hold you.”
“Oh…” Shac sighed deeply in relief. “I thought I was going to be locked in here forever.”
She laughed. “This is not the place for that. Anyways, going back to the topic, I need you to understand some things first.”
He nodded in response. “What is it?”
“First, I want you to understand that this is the last help I can give you. You’re on your own right after this. You’re conscious now.”
“Conscious?” Shac asked in confusion. “I am conscious right?”
“What I meant is you’re conscious about things. You’re completely aware of the curse, and who you are. Meaning you’re a conscious being.”
Shac frowned, wondering why she would state something so obvious. “O… okay?”
“Now, second, who do you want to meet?”
Who did I wanted to meet? As Shac pondered who he wanted to meet, a name suddenly appeared in his mind.
Evie.
“So it’s Evie then?” She asked, reading his thoughts.
“Y-yeah.” Hesitant to answer, Shac didn’t exactly understand why Evie’s name suddenly popped into his mind. “I guess I was curious about her.”
“Got it. Then do you have anything else to say before going?”
“Uh… Is there a catch?”
“There isn’t.” She answered, noticing Shac’s worried expression. “You are free to do anything you wanted to do.”
“Really? But, that’s not really believable.” He said, still hesitant to believe that such a thing was possible without any drawbacks.
She laughed and said, “Don’t you understand it? The moment you became a cursed person, that itself is already a disadvantage. No that’s not it…” She paused then continued, “The fact that you were born in this world is the proof that you are unfortunate.”
Shac froze in despair. He knew that he was unfortunate to have been cursed, but he never thought that simply being born is an unfortunate thing. He felt powerless in front of the duck. There was nothing he could say back, because he knew that it’s the truth— that he was unlucky.
“Then, how can I meet his sister?” He asked, his hands trembling with unease.
“Visualize the world and the purpose behind your action.”
“Huh? I don’t understand it. it’s not that simple.”
“Do it before saying anything. You’re not even trying.”
Same as what he did with the book, he took a deep breath, steadying himself. Closing his eyes, Shac focused on clearing his thoughts. He began to visualize the village he had known his whole life, the roads, the houses, and the school. Piece by piece, the familiar scenery came alive in his mind.
Then, finally, he tried to picture Evie. Her image was hard to imagine. He furrowed, having a hard time to grasp the details of Ivan’s sister as her face failed to take shape.
As he concentrated, a tingling sensation ran at the back of his brain, as if there was a small electric current running through it. But he brushed the feeling aside, dismissing it as a distraction, and continued visualizing the world. Slowly, the images started to take shape, it slowly became more clear, and more realistic.
Then, without warning— SMACK!
“Agh!” Shac yelled in pain, his eyes were forced open as he clutched the back of his head. Blinking rapidly, he found himself standing on the same familiar road he’d walked countless times before.
“I’m back…?” He muttered, confused and in disbelief.
“What are you spacing out for?” A voice called out, loud and annoyed.
Shac turned his head to the right.
“Idiot! Why did you stop so suddenly?” A girl demanded, her voice sounding irritated, but her face showed a hint of concern.
“W-who?” Shac muttered, staring at her face. She looked at him with an expression that felt oddly familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it.
Who is this!? Shac thought as he stared at the stranger. The world around him was exactly as he remembered, yet the girl in front of him was someone he couldn’t recall at all.