Why did Adrian do that to me? Even as I was fading away, I still couldn't understand it!
He had no reason or motive to kill me, if he really meant me harm, he should have acted much earlier, or not even saved me in the first place! Waiting until the last moment when I was about to be captured was just bizarre.
Was it to ensure I didn't fall into the enemy's hands?
But that doesn't make sense either, just outright killing me is such a strange move. Even if I was captured, it doesn't mean I'd definitely die.
Actually, I'm quite curious about this legendary "Saint Angel Cyra".
But...
Damn you, Adrian!!
I was suddenly blinded by a searing bright light, instinctively raising my hand to shield my eyes.
Huh, wasn't I just blown to bits?
When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to find myself still alive!
Looking at my hands and checking my body, I was completely unharmed, nothing like what I'd seen before my "death".
And strangely, everything had disappeared - the Apostles chasing us, Adrian, and the entire forest.
Instead...
"Where am I?"
I found myself back at the entrance of the village, the endless light overhead now gone, revealing the bright blue sky and dazzling sun.
"What's going on?"
Did the Apostles retreat, or has the God of Light already been killed? I couldn't help but speculate wildly.
Peering back at the forest that had "killed" me, there wasn't a single enemy in sight. If I remembered correctly, there were many Apostles hovering above the village, but now they've all vanished!
"..."
Could it be that everything that just happened was just a dream? Or an illusion?
But it felt so real! Being blown to bits is no joke, I don't think even dreams can come up with such a ridiculous plot!
Suddenly, I remembered a movie I once watched - "Final Destination", where the protagonist foresaw the impending danger and managed to avoid death.
But "Final Destination" is not the only movie with such a plot, there are many similar works across different genres, with completely different mechanisms and presentations.
So...
An incredible hypothesis formed in my mind. I resisted the urge to go check the "death scene" in the forest and instead continued into the village.
If nothing unexpected happens, the first thing I should see is-
Walking past a familiar house, there should be a woman coming out. But now, I see a man emerge instead.
This scene doesn't quite match up! Did I go to the wrong house?
Of course, I didn't call out to him to ask where I am, as there's no need for that now.
However, through the open door, I can see the woman I remembered is inside, mechanically sweeping the floor. She doesn't react at all to my presence, just continuing her repetitive motion.
It seems I'll have to speak loudly to get any response from them, but that's about it. This does fit Ron's description of the light pollution symptoms - insensitive to external stimuli.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Okay, the situation is a bit different from my memory, but that doesn't completely negate my hypothesis, I need to observe further.
A single counterexample doesn't prove anything, so I quicken my pace towards the central square of the village.
Sure enough, the familiar scene unfolds before me -
The same children are still playing in the square. But something's different - I don't see Vivianne standing on the sidelines as she should be.
"Huh... no way?"
I'm dumbfounded. Two consecutive discrepancies, does that mean I'm actually mistaken? But what could be the reason then?
In that case, I'll just have to take it step by step and slowly figure it out.
Although the plot isn't exactly as I remembered, I haven't completely given up. There's still one place in the village I haven't checked.
"Excuse me, do you know where we are?"
Just as I was about to head towards the small house where Adrian had led us to hide from the "God of Light", I heard a familiar voice behind me asking.
"Vivianne?"
Turning around, it was indeed her! Somehow, Vivianne had arrived a few minutes late, only coming to the square now.
And why is she asking me that question?
Glancing behind me and seeing no wings, I realized I hadn't revealed my wings, still wearing the regular clothes I changed into in the Holy City of Jethrobaines.
From the back, I could be mistaken for a villager.
"Feliciana!"
Vivianne exclaimed in surprise upon seeing my face, then quickly shook her head, apologizing awkwardly.
"Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else, there's no way she'd be here! It's just that you two look so alike, I didn't expect..."
"No need to apologize, I am Feliciana, you didn't mistake me," I corrected her flatly, suddenly understanding why she was late.
It's because I didn't linger outside the village for half a day to observe the situation like before! Rushing in to test my hypothesis, I arrived at the central square much sooner, leaving Vivianne behind.
"You really are Feliciana?"
Hearing my words, Vivianne's mouth fell open. She still didn't quite believe it, but I wasn't surprised, as she had reacted the same way in my memory.
"Listen to me, things are not as you think. It's been over a month since you hid from the phoenix and entered the cave, I've come to rescue you on the invitation of your teammate Yulanda!"
To avoid another "tragedy" of friends fighting each other, I quickly explained, also taking into account her mistaken belief that she had just arrived.
"Nonsense! I just got here, how can it be a month? Do you take me for a fool? But you do know Yulanda's name, so you've done your homework, I'll give you that!"
As expected, her mind was too rigid to believe me. In the middle of her speech, she even took out her long spear, though thankfully not lunging at me this time.
"If you claim to be Feliciana, then show me your true form! Surely you know what position Feliciana holds?"
"Wings, that's it..." I shrugged. This shouldn't be hard. But the moment I revealed my six wings, I started regretting it, as they didn't match Vivianne's impression of Feliciana's four wings.
"So you're an impostor!"
History really does have an uncanny resemblance, and perhaps this is the "inertia" the prophet Quintina spoke of. I still couldn't avoid fighting Vivianne.
"Great Angel, if you don't mind, may the Star Glory Knights offer you our protection?"
Just as I stepped back to avoid her thrust, a familiar voice rang out behind me.
It was Ron, arriving right on cue with Mike, just as the script dictated.
"So it is you, Lady Feliciana... You entered that cave as well? We didn't expect you to arrive here before us."
Seeing my appearance, Ron paused, then asked the expected question.
"That's not for certain, you know. We've been circling the outskirts of this village for quite a while, wasting time before getting here. But even so, her speed is surprisingly fast. Could there be a shortcut in that cave?"
Mike, walking alongside Ron, corrected him in a measured tone. Since I wasn't in "danger" this time, he didn't come forward to defend me against Vivianne's attack.
"Star Glory Knights?"
Not having engaged with Mike, Vivianne naturally didn't know of his prowess. She crossed her spear, glaring at me accusingly.
"So it was all a plot by the True Church! You dare to claim to be Feliciana? The Star Glory Knights are a order controlled by the True Church, but Feliciana has nothing to do with them!"
"What plot?"
Ron and Mike looked at each other in bewilderment, completely not understanding Vivianne's words. Their puzzled gaze turned to me.
"What plot? As for the real situation... it's a bit complicated. If I said time has been reset, would you believe me?"
Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, I couldn't help but wryly smile. If it weren't for my identity as a transmigrator, and my prior exposure to similar themes in TV shows and novels, I imagine their reactions would be about the same as mine.
At this point, I can pretty much confirm the situation.
While it's difficult to determine whether it's a true time reset or just a premonition like in "Final Destination", one thing is certain - everything is replaying according to the established history. And except for me, the others have no memory of the previous events.
If my guess is correct, this situation may not be the first time it has occurred, it's possible it has repeated many times before.
This also explains why Vivianne and the others' memories are stuck just shortly after entering the cave. Their memories have been repeatedly reset as well!
There's no such thing as time slowing down in the cave! I was completely misled. However, the possibility of them having traveled 10,000 years into the past can't be completely ruled out yet, as the existence of the God of Light Beluto seems to be real, and the true nature of this world still needs further observation.
Of course, not everyone has had their memories reset. There is one exception - Adrian!