I thought he recognized me, and with red-rimmed eyes, I reached out, wanting to share all my grievances and pain.
But I heard him scoff.
His lips curled into a lazy smile, a familiar shadow barely discernible beneath his aloof demeanor. But his words were so harsh. "Annika, as the daughter of a murderer, what right do you have to attend such a good school?"
I was stunned.
The last hope in my heart seemed to disappear, and everything before me grew hazy; his face twisted and wavered in the scorching sun.
For a moment, tears streamed down my face, and I almost leaped off the building.
He was my last hope. How could he utter such hurtful words?
Just as I was about to faint, a pair of hands caught my waist.
I couldn't tell if it was a hallucination or reality, but I heard Willie's urgent breaths by my ear, "Still fainting so easily, huh?"
For him to speak to me like that, he must have detested me deeply; why would he care if I fainted?
At the same time, a mechanical voice sounded in my mind: [Congratulations, host, you have activated the quest. You can choose to pursue Willie. If successful, you may die.]
[If you fail, you will continue to cycle through this world.]