Mr Love: Dream Date Chap 20 Speech Dialogue

Since progress from Chapter 19 onwards requires collection of either puzzle pieces, crystal shards or keys to unlock the next scene, I’m guessing that levelling up is no longer necessary. Most of the players on my friends list seemed to have hit the cap at level 70 which I should hit within the month based on current levelling speed. I wonder if that cap is increased with the new expansion.

Today is the launch of the new expansion as well as the Memory Maze event for the new limited SSRs. I have been saving up gems for this event and even whatever I have saved wasn’t enough without having to spend some extra bucks on dang crystal bottles. I really need to stick to my budget next month. Given that it will be another 3 – 4 months before the new stories come out, I really really want to slowly relish these chapters. As such I’m just going to take time to write the summary updates.

Chapter 20 begins after you make the resolution to face the truth no matter how painful it is. Spoilers ahead!

You are in some kind of inter-dimensional portal with multiple doors to choose from. You picked one and entered it. Your eyes open to the bright lights above you. After blinking quickly and looking away, you found yourself in a subway train. You hurriedly disembark the train and follow the crowd up to the surface. You are in Central Loveland City in the middle of winter. Everything around you looked to be back to normal with no scars from the desolation of the virus. The screen on the building showed today’s date which was quite some time since the virus incident. You breathed a sigh of relief, glad that you had managed to avert disaster after all.

Your phone rang with an unknown number. The caller sounded familiar but you couldn’t quite place a face or name to it. He told you that you had been forgotten in this world and that you shouldn’t have existed here at all. You were puzzled and also taken aback by the sudden declaration. When you said you didn’t believe him, he told you to go and check it out for yourself.

Your first port of call was to your office, but you were greeted by the familiar yet cold reception of Kiki, Anna and Willow. They had clean forgotten about you as if you have never existed. Anna told you she was the temporary head of the company and she hadn’t seen the supposed head, the ex-producer’s daughter, for ages. When you learnt that they were heading to LFG for a meeting, you decided that perhaps Victor would be able to shed light on what has happened.

At LFG building, the receptionist would not admit you into the office building without an appointment. You had half expected that hence you determined to wait in the lobby while trying to dial Victor on his phone. You couldn’t get through each time. After awhile the continuous suspicious glare from the receptionist was too much to bear so you decided to leave the building. Outside the building, you are beginning to fear what the mysterious caller said is true. Did the disintegration of all the memories and bonds that you saw in the inter-dimensional space really severed your ties with these people?

As you were about to cross a pedestrian crossing, your phone started to vibrate. Thinking that it might be Victor returning your call, you fumbled for your phone unawares that a car was skidding towards you on the icy road. By the time you realised what was happening, it seemed like the only thing you can do is brace for impact. Seriously woman, how many times does this actually have to happen to you?! The impact you expected never happened. Instead, you felt a tug and was pulled into a familiar embrace.

You opened your eyes and exclaimed his name Victor even before he could say anything. Victor looked at you in surprise and then quickly stepped away, a frown on his face. He asked if he had met you before. You asked earnestly if he remembered you but he replied sternly that he had no recollection. Then he told you to be careful and that someone won’t always come to your rescue. The exact same words he said to you when he first rescued you. As he turned to leave, you realised that your vision of him was getting blurry as tears filled your eyes.

You called out to him and pulled at his sleeves. Victor turned to look at you impatiently. Seeing that you were close to breaking down, he softened his expressions and asked if you were hurt and needed to go to the hospital. You told him you were alright. He then cast his eyes on your hands on his sleeves. You instinctively let go and took a step back. In the process, you tripped over a curb behind you. Victor hurriedly reached out and pulled you up again, your eyes locking with his momentarily. In that split second, you thought you saw a look of recognition flashed on his face which was quickly wiped away with an exasperated look.

Victor asked you for your name card and then told you to make an appointment at the receptionist if you ever needed to meet him. With that he turned and walked away. As you continued to watch his tall and broad frame, you recollected your last look at him, his pained expression. Wouldn’t it be better this way for Victor to never have to remember that incident or go through it again?

Now that the reality of being forgotten had been confirmed, you no longer have any idea of where to go or who to look for. Going home seemed to be the only solace for now. On your way home, you chanced upon a cologne commercial by Kiro playing on the billboard screen. He looked so radiantly charming in the ad but what you recalled was how miserable Kiro was after filming the ad, his sense of smell all gone. You smiled unconsciously recollecting his childish complaints.

Feeling nostalgic, you paid a visit to the convenience store where you first met Kiro. The same bag of chips were still on sale so you reached out to grab the last packet of chips, half hoping that Kiro would appear. It has been so long since you met Kiro during the TV tower incident. Hasn’t he completed his mission of playing superhero? As you were paying for the chips, you spotted a silhouette that resembled Kiro passing by the store. You grabbed the chips and dashed off after the fleeting figure. Somehow your gut told you that this person was important.

You tailed him through the busy street as he darted from the main street to the narrower sidewalks. As you were concentrating on following him, you accidentally bumped into a man which triggered one of your premonitions. You heard a loud boom followed by chaotic scenes of fire, car crashing and destruction. In the midst of this vision, you heard a voice laughing maniacally that the EVILs will die. By the time you shook yourself off the vision, both the person you had bumped into and the person you were following had disappeared.

You desperately traced the footprints in the snow to a park but there were too many prints to make sense. Just then, you heard a voice asking if you were looking for him. You looked up and saw a silver haired man speaking to you as he leaned against the door of his car. You instinctively blurted out ‘Helios’ as you recognised him. Helios wasn’t too pleased to be recognised and stalked towards you, danger lurking in his eyes as he closed in. It was then you remembered that he was part of the Black Swan and kicked yourself for not exercising more caution.

As Helios neared you, he gave you a lookover and remarked in a mocking tone that they had really underestimated him by sending someone as weak as you to follow him. You told him that you weren’t following him and was not sent by anyone. You added that you had mistaken him for somebody else. Helios wasn’t convinced of your excuses. (I wouldn’t be too considering that you actually know his name.) You continued to tell him that you were no one important that he should be bothered with. The next thing you knew, Helios had unsheathed a knife and held it close to your neck.

You tried to back away from him but he left you no quarter. When he commanded you not to move, you had lost control over your faculties. As the knife pushed into your artery, your entire vision turned white. You saw black lines coalescing together in that whiteness. As you reached out to feel these black lines, you felt a power surge out from your body and through your fingers. Then your vision returned to normal again. Helios had taken a step back and remarked with a smirk on his face that your awakening was taking place faster than expected. You had no idea what he was talking about and asked him what he did to you.

He simply told you that if your Evol had not activated then, he would have killed you. As a final word of caution, he advised you not to show yourself before any Evolvers before getting into his black SUV and driving off. The strain of the encounter coupled with the unknown force left you stunned as you leaned against the wall to catch your breath.

Still winded by the events that just took place, your heart ached when you realised that even Helios did not recognise you. As you stumbled aimlessly, you heard a news report regarding Lucien’s Research Institute’s new project which had garnered quite a bit of ire from the community after he proclaimed the necessity for human sacrifice in the name of human evolution and progress. You recalled that press conference that seemed ages ago but the emotions from the event still fresh in your mind.

The whole virus incident was concocted by the Black Swan. How much of it was really Lucien’s doing and what role did he play? Was he going to start something else in this world? No matter what feelings you have for him, you resolved to uncover any dark deeds he is planning and stop it from destroying the city again. Hence you made your way to Loveland University. Outside Lucien’s lab, protesters carrying banners were lobbying for his removal, the termination of the project as well as many other unrelated issues. You contemplated correcting them on inaccurate accusations made against Lucien but couldn’t comprehend what you hoped to get out of it. Lucien was afterall the enemy.

You slipped into the research institute via a side door that was hidden by trees. The building was empty probably as a result of the protesters. After summoning much courage, you knocked heavily on the door to Lucien’s office. After a couple of knocks and waiting with bated breath, you realised with disappointment that he was not around and turned to leave. Just then you saw that someone had silently walked into the hallway and was looking inquisitively at you.

You blurted the name Lucien before you could stop yourself. Lucien smiled at you with the warm tender eyes that you were so fond of and for a moment you thought that he might remember you. Then he asked you gently how he can help you. Your hopes shattered. How would Lucien have escaped the circumstances of this new world where your existence was naught to begin with.

You swallowed down the bitterness in your mouth and presented your press pass to him. You introduced yourself as a reporter from the Loveland TV and would like to ask him a few questions regarding his recent research. Lucien told you firmly with a smile that he wasn’t accepting any interview but you ignored it and continued to lambast him with a series of questions. Raising an eyebrow he asked you what your real purpose was. When you pressed on that you were here to do a story on him, he told you with a smug grin on his face that he had just turned down a reporter from Loveland TV. Caught in your lie, you stuttered a reply.

At this moment, Lucien shed his gentle facade and you saw that his eyes had turned cold in its inky darkness. He asked you in his low voice again what was your purpose here as he closed the distance to you. Lost for words, you told Lucien that you were here to find out what exactly he was researching into and that you would do your best to expose him if it threatened the existence of humans. Lucien smiled coldly and threw you off your feet when he asked if you were not going to ask him about Evol. The hair on your back rose when you realised this was Ares speaking, there was no Lucien to begin with. You tried to side step him and make a run for the exit but Lucien held your wrist tightly. It was then that Helios’ warning suddenly made sense to you. It almost seemed that Lucien knew you were his prey from the beginning.

You hissed at Lucien and asked him what he wanted. He gave you an innocent look and said he wasn’t going to do anything to you. But he advised you to consider your next step carefully because it is not the humans who needed protection. With that he opened the door to his office and told you he won’t be seeing you out.

It seemed like you had been wandering around for a long time in the blistery cold. The neon lights around you had lit a long time ago and the chill was unforgiving just as how everyone important to you had forgotten you. You told yourself that you cannot give up. While you may have been forgotten, you still have some power to help others. You recalled the vision of the explosion and figured that telling someone may help prevent it from happening. You tried to contact Gavin and the STF but only received the dial tone informing you that the numbers were busy or not in use.

Trying to piece together the images from your vision, you ended up at the park next to the riverside. The scenery and the buildings matched what you had seen but nothing looked suspicious or out of place here. Passersby were quickening their pace to get out of the cold. It was then that you spotted a familiar figure hiding in the shadow of a nearby building. Snow had piled on his jet black uniform so you knew he was on mission. Trying to blend in with the rest, you made your way towards Gavin. You heard his distinct voice reporting through his radio unit that he was leaving then disappeared down the alley.

Fearing that you might lose him, you quickened your pace to follow after him into the maze of alley and found yourself completely lost, not a footprint in the snow to give you any clue of where Gavin had gone. The wind in the alley died down and you heard the sound of boot crunching snow. You called out Gavin’s name tentatively. Silence. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands grabbed you from behind and pushed you roughly against the wall and you felt the cold metallic click of handcuffs above your hands.

Gavin stood over you with a menacing look as he confronted you. He asked you why you were following him and where your accomplice was. You tried to defend yourself and told him you weren’t trying to follow him and apologised. He wasn’t convinced and continued to grip your wrist tighter until your eyes started to tear from pain and bitterness. All the memories of Gavin’s warmth and tenderness seemed like a lifetime away as you stared into the fiery amber eyes that was looking at you with suspicion. Gavin had also forgotten you completely. You finally told him that you recognised him from Loveland High and just wanted to confirm it.

With that, Gavin released you from the cuffs and told you that he had very few memories of high school. He told you to go back from where you came from and to stop following him. You called out to his receding figure but he was soon gone with the wind leaving an absolute emptiness in your heart.

When you finally got out of the alleyway, a lot of time had passed and your tummy rumbled. You realised you haven’t eaten the whole day so found a nearby eatery to grab some food. As you gazed upon the wintery white world around you at peace, you wondered if the sacrifice was worth it. To break away from your dream world where everything is fake to come back to a reality where no one remembers you or the sacrifice you have made. Perhaps this was exactly what the Black Queen meant previously. Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t see a young man with purple hair staring back at you through the glass window. He gave you a big smile and then ran into the eatery and plopped down in the seat opposite you.

The young man spoke with an air of confidence and playfulness. You were surprised that in this world where everyone had forgotten you, there is actually someone who was happy to see you. You learnt that this young man is Shaw whom you had met awhile back on the bus. He also admitted that he was the one who called you earlier and told you that you had been forgotten. Yet you asked him how he managed to remember you. He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly and said this dream world had no effect on him. He also had no clue what happened to you but surmised that if Evol were eliminated from this world, perhaps memories of you might be restored. You told him that you don’t regret saving this world and perhaps it might be better for things to remain as they were. Shaw rolled his eyes at your response. Then he took a last sip from your soda and said he would be seeing you around. With that he walked cheerily out of the eatery as sudden as he had entered.

As you left the eatery and rounded a corner, you almost slipped on a ice puddle but was held up by a pair of hands. The hands belonged to a man wearing an all white tuxedo suit. He looked very familiar but you couldn’t quite place it. After setting you upright, he told you gently to watch your step, bowed and then walked off. You were pleasantly taken by his elegant demeanour.

You are back along the riverside staring at the cable bridge that spanned the river, admiring the beauty of the scenery during winter. You kept telling yourself that you don’t regret saving this world, as if repeating it again and again would soothe the aches in your heart. With one last sigh, you decided to head home. Suddenly a loud explosion erupted behind you. As you turned to look at the source of the sound, terror gripped you at the sight.

I am still trying to figure out what happened here in this chapter. Is this another reality or is this a dream world that you are trapped in? A dream world is something you can break out of and life goes back to normal. An alternate universe where you don’t exist is another story altogether because this means whatever is happening in this alternate world is for real. Your adventure or life continues from henceforth. It is really kind of sad to see that all those beautiful bonds and memories with the people you cared for all wiped away. As the only person who remembers them, it is quite a load to carry.

As a player though, it actually sheds light on how these main characters behave around a total stranger. For example, Gavin is actually cold and ruthless but before you, he had always tried to show his softer side. Lucien as always has a dual personality. Without needing to pretend to be someone else, he immediately reveals his cunning and shrewd side from the get go. Victor and Helios remain pretty much the same as when you first met them. Makes me really wonder how I would behave around my husband if I ever forgot all about him or vice versa.

Shaw is an interesting new character introduced into the game. He strikes me as a happy go lucky guy who struts around doing what he wants looking smug and cool. He has a nice accent. I have no idea what role he plays in the story. Does he also possess a ‘queen’ type gene which enables him to flit between worlds without losing memories of previous worlds? Perhaps in that sense, he would be the only person who can truly empathise with you.