A particular spot suddenly lit up and a beautiful female with crystal ocean-blue eyes and long, soft blue hair came into view. She was stunningly beautiful, blessed with glowing fair skin, and she was dressed in long pants and a short tube top that showcased her flat, fair abdomen. Her feet were adorned with beautiful blue-framed heels, and as she walked closer to Lily, astonishingly, there was no sound of heels hitting the ground.
As she moved nearer to Lily, her appearance became clearer, and as soon as Lily saw her, her eyes widened in shock, and she took an involuntary step back.
The female actually looked so much like Lily—exactly like her. If Lily weren't present, it would be easy to mistake her for Lily.
"Hello, pretty Lily. How are you?" the female greeted with a sweet smile on her beautiful face.
"Who are you?" Lily questioned, still stunned by the sight of someone who resembled her so closely. The more she looked, the more it felt like she was gazing at her reflection in a mirror.
The female, who appeared so much like Lily, laughed heartily. "Who am I?" She chuckled again. "Should I tell you?"
Lily stared at her.
"You know," the female took a step forward and folded her arms. "You are really something. Your husband is dead. What are you waiting for in this world? Go back to your home where you belong," she stated, a sweet smile playing on her lips.
"Shut your mouth!" Lily exclaimed. "Nothing happened to him! He told me himself that he's fine!" she retorted.
The female laughed even louder, her laughter echoing throughout the space. "And you believe that?" she chuckled. "Don't be stubborn, or should I say, stop deceiving yourself? He's gone for good!" she shouted.
Lily covered her ears with both hands. "What do you want? What do you want from me?"
"Simple—just go back."
"And why should I go back?" Lily put her hands down and fixed her gaze on the female. "What exactly is your goal?" she inquired.
The female stared at Lily for a moment before chuckling again. "You are asking me what my goal is?" she smiled, and suddenly, Lily's mother's image came into view. "She's your mother, right?" she questioned.
Lily's eyes widened as she moved closer to the image. "Mom," she murmured.
The female wore a strange smile, observing Lily's reaction. "My goal is simply to… send… you… back… home." There was a sudden light in her eyes. "Your mother has missed you so much; she's currently in a sickbed all because she didn't see you and couldn't find you." She walked behind Lily. "You have a chance now. Don't let your feelings hold you back. Liam is dead, and your remaining husbands are nothing but beasts, not humans. Your relationship with them will only lead to their downfall, just like Liam's." Her voice became seductive as she stepped closer to Lily slowly and calmly.
"Pretty Lily! What's your decision?" she inquired.
Lily stared fixedly at her mother's image, and suddenly, the images of Liam's death started replaying in her mind again.
"Beauty… you don't want me to get hurt, right? I want you to know now that my life is only in your hands; no one can hurt me unless you give permission!" Liam's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, clearing the vision. Lily closed her eyes, focusing on the changes in her sight.
The vision cleared, revealing Liam being strangled to death and left in a pool of blood, which began to reverse. Now, instead of Liam being strangled, he was conversing with someone in the shadow. The person in the shadows slowly took form, and it turned out to be… Devin!
They both seemed to be chatting happily, and then Liam looked behind and said, "Beauty, he's quite good!"
...
The female who stood behind Lily stretched out her hand to touch her and murmured, "Pretty Lily, do you want to go back home?" A charming smile spread across her face as her hand successfully rested on Lily's shoulder.
"Really? You are annoying; I can't believe I'm having trouble dealing with illusions like this!" Lily's steady voice resonated.
"What!" The female stumbled back several steps, and the image of Lily's mother she had created shattered like glass, scattering across the ground. "You… you… you," she stammered.
"The three 'you's you uttered are enough already, but honestly, you are really cunning. You wanted to trap me here while making me believe that I am back in my world. I should ask you what type of being you are!" A mocking smile appeared on Lily's face.
"How can this be?" The female looked at Lily as if she were a ghost, her face pale and drained of color.
"How did I successfully break free from the illusion? Of course, it's because I strongly believed in everything my husband told me. You keep insisting that Liam is dead, but his Mark is still on my body, perfectly intact. Next time you want to trap someone in an illusion, be sure to leave no flaws, or it may backfire," Lily offered sincerely.
The female's jaw dropped, and she stared at Lily as if she were possessed.
"What? Shocked into silence?" Lily huffed. "I have a curious question for you: how come you look so much like me? It can't be that you underwent plastic surgery after seeing my reflection, can it?" she probed.
The female just stared at Lily without even blinking.
"Aiya, why are you staring at me like that? Weren't you the one saying this and that earlier? What happened now? Are you suddenly dumb and mute? In fact, you deserve a beating for nearly driving me insane. Tell me now, what exactly are you?" she demanded.
The female finally blinked, and a smile appeared on her face. "I… am your shadow," she replied.
Lily cast her another glance. "My shadow?" she questioned.
The female chuckled. "That's right. All living beings have shadows, and it has always been the greatest wish of a human shadow to take over the body," she declared.
Lily blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" She questioned.
"Congratulations on passing the time trial and becoming the Time Goddess," the female said, ignoring lily's question and bowing respectfully.
"Hey! Don't try to divert the topic. Tell me exactly what all this is about!" Lily shouted.