"It has been years now and you still kept playing that game."
"It's good. Just like how you kept playing Chess."
"Right. Right. Be sure to not get too engrossed or you'll be late to school again. Mom has also prepared your breakfast downstairs before she left for work."
"Got cha! Thanks little sis."
"Could you stop calling me that? I'm already a Senior high."
"Right, little sis."
"Sigh. I should have never asked."
***
That memory was the last time I was able to talk with my little sister. And saw my other siblings in my past life.
The last time I tasted the coffee and the home meal made by my mother. I could feel the taste of how bitter the coffee was when I added more sugar on it that day.
My cheeks. It's wet.
Tears?
With nothing but darkness now in my sight. Am I crying?
Since I remembered my past life memories, a lot of things sank in right through me. Heavy feelings that I thought would never felt again, was digging on my heart.
How strange.
It felt like everything just happened yesterday. I could clearly remember everything well from my past life. So vivid and at the same time painful. Even though a lot of time has passed.
Or was that really the case?
I didn't know if time on Earth and this place were the same.
But my family back there…
I hoped they were faring well even after my death.
{Yvette… It is because I am here.}
Who? A sudden voice resounded in my mind. It sounded like a woman. Now that I remembered, it was the same voice that resounded before all these events happened.
The one who told me to get out of this place.
{I will not let you forget everything.}
I could feel the pain in her voice.
Who-who are you?
{This will be hard on you. But this is for your survival.}
Before I could even speak again…
Boogsh!
I winced when I fell right in the white marbles, face flat from the thing that absorbed me away from the Black Joker's room.
Argh.
I felt like she just threw me out of her room. You're supposed to be a cute game master, Black Joker.
I carefully stood up, my body was throbbing with every bit of pain right now.
Aack. I winced once again, when I used my left hand that was wounded by the second prince's dagger earlier to stand up. The cloth that was covering it loosened already.
I stood up and started walking while holding my left hand. Just then, I noticed the golden bell.
This place. The bell tower. However, I immediately turned to look around looking for another person that was supposed to be here. The dark shadows from before couldn't be seen anymore either.
I stopped when I finally caught the person that I was looking for.
Irene was lying near the door of the clock tower. Her back facing upwards. And she was a bloody mess.
The dark shadows surely done her now. Though it was bad of me to think, but I hoped she's dead already. That would reduce one person who was after my neck and a danger to my family.
My family…
I took a deep breath to reorganize my thoughts. I would deal with that voice later.
Like what was instructed to me, I imagined bringing out the healing potion from the inventory system.
And as soon I did, there was now an average normal adult index finger sized bottle in my right hand. It was filled with red liquid from.
Without bothering to read the details about it, I immediately drank it.
Hmm…
First I thought that I should not drink everything and left half. Thinking that maybe I could save some since it was 1 gold.
However, nothing happened to me. So I ended up finishing everything in the bottle. That was when my body started glowing. The muscle pains that I was feeling started to lessen until they were completely gone.
My eyes widened in amazement as the wound on my left hand completely closed and only dried blood was left.
'Ah. Yvette. This is not the time to feel amazed.' I snapped myself out of my reverie. Now that my body was completely alright, I could move with ease.
I hurried towards the door. But slowed down when I came past the unconscious or dead Irene. Praying that she wouldn't just remain in her place.
Thank goodness that she didn't move a bit. She seemed to be dead already with so much blood that was lost.
But to make sure…
I clutched down to check her pulse in the neck. After a minute or two, I could feel nothing.
I stood straight and looked at her one last time before turning back.
Irene. A character that was one of the main strongest allies of the heroine. I don't know what would've happened had she died this early.
However, It doesn't matter. My existence and memory of the game itself was already a factor that could have derailed everything.
A threat is a threat. I'm sorry but I can't let you live that we crossed paths like this.
I leapt to some debris of the door Irene destroyed earlier and hurriedly ran down the long spiral stairs.
I ran and ran.
With one person on my mind...
I don't know how long I have been gone already. But I kept hoping that he was still alive.
That I was not too late…
Or my conscience would not be able to bear that someone sacrificed their life just to save me. I turned to the corner. The evidence of running away from Irene earlier was still visible. The cracks in the walls and floors… Seeing how terrible this damage was.
The more I realised how fortunate I was to run away from all of that.
I hastened my pace even more until I could finally see the silhouette of that man before.
I brought out a healing potion from my hand and immediately grabbed the man's pulse. I sighed in relief when there was still a pulse, however it was very weak now.
It was a miracle that even though a lot of time had passed, he was still alive. On the verge of death though.
"Thank you for hanging in there."
Without a moment to waste I opened the potion.
"Please drink this." However there was no response.
He had grown very weak already. And I couldn't risk having the healing potion poured into his mouth, or it might have spilled and not be able to heal him at all.
I was in a dilemma. Don't tell me, that was the only way I could do it?
***
"Remember, Yvette. Pouring the liquid medicine into your mouth and kissing the unconscious patient would not help them at all. It was so ridiculous how all those stories do such a thing and the patient would be miraculously healed or saved. However it could even do greater damage to them since the liquid might go to their lungs directly. That was why pills or injecting medicine directly would be more helpful."
***
Those lectures of Veronica came to my mind. When she caught me listening to Kristie's tale telling, of how romantic the act of the prince kissing the unconscious princess with the medicine so she could drink the medicine.
But I don't have pills or injections to use.
Ah screw that. I have a magical potion.
So normal procedures might not have the same principles with this.
I poured all the contents of the potion on my mouth.
Took a deep breath then opened the mouth of the man and…
Poured all the contents of the potion using my mouth.
Don't think of anything else, Yvette.
This is just an unusual medical emergency measure with magic potions and nothing else.
This man saved your life, Yvette.
So please…
Please, wake up after all this.
So my debt to you would finally be settled.