Chapter 31 All At Once
Emma felt fear gripped her heart as she managed to pull her thumb away before clicking the dial option.
Her heart thudded in her chest.
Restless, she stood up and began pacing the massive room. It was so wide that she felt like a needle thrown into the ocean.
She had to call Max.
But what would she even say? What would he think of her? What if he rejected her call? The questions crashed into each other, and she wished Honey would give her a simple answer.
But Honey stayed silent. Her presence lingered, warm and supportive, but she didn’t interfere.
The system felt more like her cat in her previous world. She would at times wish the cat could talk back.
Emma had thought she would finish this task easily, quickly.
But now there was a hindrance, Alicia. A real threat. A bold enemy who wasn’t scared of consequences, meaning Olivia’s parents couldn’t shield her from everything.
The pressure settled heavily on her shoulders. She felt hot-headed one moment and exhausted the next. All she wanted now was to go home.
She was terrified of losing to Alicia. Max disliked Olivia. That alone made this a nightmare.
Her thoughts spun wildly, colliding into each other. Everything felt too complicated.
This would be easy if she could just act like herself, beg, cry, plead, like she used to.
But that weakness was the first trait the system wanted her to shed. Honey had been hinting she should use Olivia’s confidence in a healthy, constructive way.
Emma understood the message. She just didn’t know how to do it.
A strange analogy popped into her mind. She felt like someone trying to build a bamboo house alone, no tools, no skill, no guidance. Her head throbbed with every new thought. She had tried pretending to be strong, but the weakness in her heart kept rising like a tide.
Right now, her heartbeat felt wild and uncontrollable.
If Max fell for Alicia… Emma wasn’t brave enough to interfere in someone else’s relationship.
Even if Alicia was an enemy, Emma still found the idea morally wrong.
Her face drained of color. Her breathing turned harsh.
She was scared. Really scared of that possibility. Will she be stuck here then?
Everything was spiraling.
“Host, calm down. You will pass out in less than five minutes and twenty seconds if you don’t relax your mind,” Honey suddenly spoke.
“H-how… how can I?” Emma gasped. Her vision was already starting to tilt. She had pushed herself too hard.
She forced herself to take Honey’s warning seriously. She really might pass out.
Slowly, she sank to the marble floor and hugged her knees to her chest. Moments like this were when she needed her cat the most. Running her fingers through his soft fur, feeling his warm weight magic. Comfort. Home.
But he wasn’t here.
If only she could bring him here. Everything would feel bearable.
Honey went quiet again, but Emma felt Nemo’s presence in her thoughts. He always appeared when she needed comfort the most. She even felt the urge to ask Honey if she could bring him into this world… but Nemo was her mother’s companion too. Her mother depended on him.
“One minute and thirty seconds before you pass out,” Honey warned.
Emma swallowed. “What happens… if I don’t manage to get him?”
Honey did not say the real answer, that Emma could die for real. Instead, she said gently:
“You have the option of using the quick time reverse system. As long as it doesn’t involve reviving the dead, you can reverse anything. Mistakes, accidents, events… you can undo them.”
A spark lit behind Emma’s eyes.
If that was the case, she could reverse whatever event made Max fall for Alicia.
Her body loosened. She felt her heartbeat stabilizing. This was an advantage. She still had a chance, but she needed to move fast.
“Can I access all of Olivia’s memories at once?” Emma asked weakly. “These sudden shocks… I don’t think I can handle more surprises. If I’m going to suffer, I want to do it all at once.”
“It’s possible,” Honey replied, “but it will hurt. A lot.”
Emma shook her head. The pain couldn’t be worse than the fear of dying again.
“I can handle it. It’s better than acting clueless like an idiot every few minutes.”
“Host, you shouldn’t insult yourself,” Honey said softly.
“I’m just… so frustrated.”
“Are you certain you’re ready?”
Emma’s voice trembled. “Come out. Please. I need to see someone here.”
Her breath caught as she felt something tug at her soul. The air shimmered, and Honey materialized, a tiny white bunny appearing right in front of her.
“I’m ready,” Emma said.
The pain began immediately, soft at first, a tightening around her brain, building pressure. She wanted a distraction, anything.
“Do you… miss Darling?” she asked Honey, voice shaking and foreign memories began to click in her mind, becoming hers.
“We’ve waited our whole lives for this,” Honey said. “We’re happy we finally have our own host.”
“H-ha…” Emma choked, the pain slicing deeper, like a thousand small bells ringing in her skull.
Memories streamed through her vision.
Olivia as a small child.
Laughing. Crying. Living.
Being sweet, bright, normal.
Then the darker memories. The tragedies. The trauma. The shift in her personality.
The more Emma saw, the more her head felt like it was splitting open.
Her body curled on the floor uncontrollably, tears streaming freely.
“Make it stop!” she screamed.
“Haa!! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!”
She wailed, the agony echoing off the giant, empty room.