"Who are they?"
"The Ninth Mausoleum. Let's follow them. They can't see us. Perhaps they are the key to ending this dream."
Because Vill-V was the creator of this dream's existence, as long as she willed it, everything that happened within it could be unrelated to her. She could simply treat the dream as a film.
Although she did not know why returning to World Origin—or rather, to the Imaginary Terminus—would produce this labyrinth-like dream, since her consciousness could still move freely, there had to be a way to break it.
"The Ninth Mausoleum? What is that?" Planck ran after Vill-V as she asked.
A flame ignited within Vill-V's gray eyes. "If part of MOTH is about defying fate, then The Ninth Mausoleum is a group of the dead who nail the coffin shut for civilization. If part of MOTH is fighting against Finality, then The Ninth Mausoleum is manufacturing Finality—the Finality of humanity."
The Ninth Mausoleum shared striking similarities with MOTH. From their original purpose to their foundational beliefs, they were almost identical.
It was precisely because of that similarity that, in the original storyline, when Vill-V first encountered MOTH, her instinctive reaction was that MOTH was just another villainous organization like The Ninth Mausoleum.
It was also her experience battling this organization that allowed Vill-V to toy with MOTH so effortlessly.
For such an organization, whether it was the Vill-V of the original storyline or the current Vill-V, their destruction was non-negotiable—even if it meant humanity would perish as a result.
Just as Kalpas once said in the original storyline, if they were not destroyed, humanity would perish because of them anyway.
Yet for some reason, the original storyline never mentioned this organization at all. Perhaps Vill-V had already eradicated them, making further mention unnecessary.
"It was because of this group, The Ninth Mausoleum, that the world-weary me chose to go against the current and set 'prying open the coffin lid of civilization' as my own phased objective."
"Hah. In a certain sense, they did humanity a favor—by 'creating' me."
Planck looked at Vill-V. "But... these scenes aren't your memories, are they?"
Vill-V slowed her steps, one hand brushing along the wall as she felt her way forward. "Mm-hm~"
"You know, I've examined your body. There are no scars on you, nor any traces of surgery performed later to conceal them." Planck's tone was firm.
Vill-V opened a hidden door and stared into the shadows beyond it. "That's right. The original owner of these memories isn't me."
"For example... the mental hospital you saw earlier, the one lit by incandescent lamps—that was a memory from three hundred years ago. I'm not over three hundred years old."
Vill-V turned her head. "Planck, since you've examined part of my memories, you should know that I can play other people with astonishing realism. Do you know how I do it?"
Without hesitation, Planck replied, "You stole other people's memories?"
Vill-V clapped lightly.
"Congratulations. You got... half of it right."
"Although I don't possess those memories, nor have I lived through those experiences, I have obtained their experience."
"As for the specifics, I can't really explain it. Because to me, this kind of telepathy is something I've had since birth. But I can't convey that sensation to you—even here, in a place as special as World Origin."
Curiosity flickered in Planck's eyes. "Like how a hippopotamus can swim the moment it's born, or a giraffe can stand the moment it's born? Like that?"
Vill-V shook her head. "Those kinds of abilities don't require teaching, but they are called instinct."
"As for me, I draw experience from the Collective Unconscious."
"The Collective Unconscious is everywhere. For instance, when someone looks at a painting, why can certain people read emotions and beauty beyond what is depicted? That is because a person's consciousness transmits abstract, blurred, conceptualized experiences into another person's consciousness through the form of a painting. That is the inheritance of experience."
"What is a genius? A genius is someone born with the talent to absorb those omnipresent experiences of the Collective Unconscious."
"My name is Legion, because we are many."
"As for me, I'm a great genius. I was born with this telepathic ability. Even without a medium, I can effortlessly obtain the accumulated experience of all human civilization—as long as I am willing, then I can."
Planck was momentarily stunned.
If that was the explanation, then Vill-V truly was a genius in the literal sense—not a flattering exaggeration. She used "genius" as an actual ability.
When Vill-V called herself a genius, it was not arrogance. She was stating a fact.
In fact, to refer to her merely as a genius was almost modest.
Even if she had not been born knowing everything, she had come very close. She merely required time to grow.
Unfortunately, in the face of Honkai, time was the one thing humanity lacked the most.
As for humanity concentrating its resources to nurture Vill-V, that was impossible. One only had to imagine what the human organizations of the Previous Era would do to someone like Vill-V, who possessed such a rare ability—either kill her out of fear of her potential, or cut off her head and study it.
Vill-V would have had no chance of survival. As long as she was alive, no human device could restrain her. She represented the full potential of human civilization—as long as I am willing, then I can.
Only through constant concealment and deception could she continue to live.
At the same time, the unconscious would shape and alter a person. Content that did not meet the requirements of consciousness would be rejected, guiding her toward what consciousness approved.
It was like a teacher. While teaching students certain experiences, the teacher would also command them to do this and that.
And Vill-V... was equivalent to facing countless teachers.
Watching Vill-V's delicate back, Planck could not help but feel a trace of pity.
Vill-V seemed to sense Planck's gaze and waved her hand. "Ah, don't overthink it. Just treat me as a superpowered girl who awakened by accident. Honestly, it feels pretty good. Really."
If Vill-V had been born entirely unmodified, then perhaps these experiences would have tormented her into dissociative identity disorder.
Just imagine—every day, a group of invisible experience-teachers evaluating you, saying this is wrong, that is wrong.
The moment Vill-V failed, congratulations—she would experience dozens of times the frustration of an ordinary person.
Vill-V would truly relive the feeling of 'I can't do anything right!' over and over again.
Success would naturally grant her dozens of times the pleasure as well. But when Vill-V was still a child, how many correct things could she realistically accomplish?
Of course she would become negative and self-doubting. Anyone would lose confidence and want to abandon everything and go to sleep.
There was, of course, another option—abandon self-awareness entirely and become a puppet of the Collective Unconscious. In that case, whatever Vill-V did would more often be correct than not...
That might as well be the same as sleeping.