NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 77: Who Am I? Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going?
Dr. MEI: "I need to know why this is happening."
[...]
The Notebook's first page remained blank, as if deeming her unworthy or seeing no benefit in answering.
"If you don't answer," she threatened, "I'll have the Herrscher of Human: Ego separate Li Mo and the Bizarre Kiana."
The Notebook reacted as if stung, flipping to the second page. A lavender scent returned, now tinged with a faint metallic tang.
[My name is MEI. When you read this, I'll be alone in the abyss, striving to make the impossible possible.]
Dr. MEI's blood ran cold.
"Dr. MEI? Are you alright? You look pale," Pardofelis said, trying to peer at the Notebook.
Dr. MEI pushed her away. "I'm fine. Keep an eye on Li Mo. It's best to use the Notebook alone. It doesn't like an audience."
"But… you said it's more dangerous than any Bizarre!"
"Only with prolonged use. Used correctly, it's a powerful tool." Like now, in this crucial moment of uncertainty. Both she and Li Mo used the Notebook sparingly, only when absolutely necessary: when stumped, facing dire consequences, or with no other options.
[My name is MEI. An unknown Bizarre is spreading.]
[A world is on the brink of collapse. If I don't act, it will invade my world in three days.]
[My initial assessment was correct. It's a form of memetic contamination.]
[It spreads through specific mediums or information, affecting emotions, memories, consciousness, and perception, thereby altering reality.]
[If it spreads unchecked, the consequences will be catastrophic.]
[The next morning, I sent Li Mo through the Bizarre cave with the Notebook.]
[Three days later, he returned safely. The incident was resolved.]
"Three days?" Dr. MEI was surprised.
Time flowed differently in Bizarre worlds, but there was usually a discernible pattern. Like Room 303, with its 1:3 time dilation—easily deduced based on the students' typical dorm schedule.
But the Notebook claimed the Bizarre was already spreading.
A spreading Bizarre was almost impossible to contain. It meant the situation had already spiraled out of control, requiring a specific ritual—like the "Funeral" in the Bizarre Kiana's world—to force it into dormancy.
Li Mo had performed the ritual before the spread began, gaining the Bizarre Kiana's power. Using the world's temporal anomalies, he managed to contain the other Bizarre entities.
That was a one-time trick.
Dr. MEI glared at the Notebook.
"I know what you're doing. This wasn't a three-day job. But you've never lied. And I only care about the results. Li Mo returned safely. That's all that matters."
She allowed herself a flicker of reassurance. They still had the Bizarre Kiana as a last resort. But...
Her gaze shifted to the three figures intertwined on the bed. She sighed. "Sleeping with Bizarre entities like a married couple… only Li Mo."
With that, she left the room, accompanied by Elysia and Pardofelis, leaving Can to stand guard.
Li Mo woke to a strange emptiness in his heart. Something wet clung to his face.
Tears.
"Kiana… Kiana…?" he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion.
Memories surged through him, vivid and raw. He had lived a lifetime in that dream—laughing, crying, loving.
It felt real, too real, as if he had been more than a mere observer.
"What happened?" he murmured, gripping his head. "Am I… him? Or myself?"
He was lost.
"Meow~"
Can nudged his hand.
Normally, Li Mo would have rushed to find Dr. MEI. Can never came to his room unprompted. But the shattered door told a different story.
First, he needed to answer a more pressing question: Was he him, or himself?
The dream lingered in his mind—a short but fulfilling life, free from the burden of fighting Bizarre entities. A life with Kiana's unwavering love...
If someone lived on Earth, then spent millennia trapped in the void, which would be their true self? The emptiness of the void, or the fleeting moments of their former life?
The three fundamental questions of philosophy pressed heavily on him.
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
"Am I the gentle, selfless Li Mo from the dream? Or the Li Mo of this world, burdened with fighting Bizarre entities?"
His mind spiraled, pulled between the two versions of himself.
He didn't know that similar words were written on the last page of the Notebook.
If he embraced the dream self, the real Li Mo would cease to exist.
It sounded absurd—but it felt possible.
He believed the dream was real.
"Perhaps I'm mistaken," he murmured, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Slowly, he regained his composure.
"I don't think my experiences in this world are fake. The dream didn't erase them. But it did change me—my habits, my thoughts…"
He paused, reflecting.
"I can change back. If I'm careful."
He knew what he had to do: minimize the dream's influence.
That other Li Mo… too gentle. Too selfless.
His only selfish act was telling Kiana about his death. But even that wasn't entirely selfish. Kiana, as the Herrscher of the Finality, could have easily found him—even if it came at a small price.
The truth, though, would have broken her completely.
"He just wanted her to remember him…" Li Mo whispered, feeling a pang of sympathy for his dream self.
"Sacrifice himself to save everyone, or sacrifice everyone to save himself... Such a kind, selfless person, destined for such a tragic end."
It felt unfair. But he was powerless to change it.
"That's why Kiana broke," Li Mo muttered, the weight of realization sinking in.
"But… where did the Bizarre come from?"
He frowned, his thoughts racing.
"Did I bring it back from the snowy wasteland? Did Kiana's grief fuel its growth?"
His gaze shifted to his back, the faint ache of the Stigmata pulling his attention.
"That strange Stigmata… it's not a normal one."
Otto's Type-2 project had been a lie. The truth had been hidden in plain sight.
"The real Stigmata is on my back," he whispered.
It wasn't just a source of immense Honkai energy; it was something far greater. It held enough power to rewrite the Cocoon's rules.
Then, a familiar sensation struck him—a sinister, lingering aura he could now identify.
Otto's Stigmata was tainted.
Tainted by the Bizarre.