Chapter 1: Funeral

"Thea, my dear, we are going… to… the funeral. We'll pack up and wait for you downstairs." The middle-aged woman choked on her words, covered her mouth, and went downstairs.

"Okay, Mom, I'm coming."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Thea Queen watched her mother disappear from view as her thoughts continued to swirl. It had been three days since she had died—or merged—and she was slowly coming to terms with her new identity.

She had gone from being a young woman with a successful career to the daughter of a ruined family. Her past life—let's call it that—felt like a series of movie clips: birth, school, graduation, marriage. It all seemed so real and yet so distant, evoking neither joy nor sorrow, as if she were watching it all through the eyes of a calm, detached stranger.

What was her original name? She couldn't remember. Compared to her previous life, her current physical condition was largely shaped by Thea's original emotions: sadness, grief, and depression. Past, present, and future—she could only be Thea. Just Thea.

Ignoring the black dress that had been prepared for her, she chose a white vest, black suit pants, and black mid-heeled shoes—her mother's selection. Fortunately, Thea was still a teenager; wearing heels on an occasion like this would have been a disaster.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw long, thick dark brown hair, fair skin, and light green eyes. Her calm expression concealed a silent longing for the family she had lost.

After watching the news on the first day following her "death," Thea had understood her situation. This world was similar to the one in the TV series Arrow—or maybe not. There was too little information to judge. If she wasn't mistaken, she was the sister of the protagonist, Green Arrow—a troubled, rebellious, and impulsive girl.

Carrying her bag, she went downstairs. Fortunately, at this point, Thea was still a good girl and had not yet succumbed to the bad habits that often accompanied loss. The merging of the two souls had strengthened her mind, which, in turn, fueled her body. Although she was just a skinny fifteen-year-old girl, her steps were firm and confident.

Approaching her mother, Moira Queen, she said softly, "Let's go, Mom."

Moira didn't respond. Instead, she hugged Thea, and the two of them got into the car in silence.

"Robert Alan Queen was born in 1958 and passed away in 2007 at the age of 51. He was a beloved figure in Starling City, a mentor, and a generous friend. His passing leaves us mourning the loss of a great father and a true companion..."

"Oliver Jonas Queen was born in 1985 and passed away in 2007 at the age of 22. He was a son of Star City, a gift from God..."

As the pastor spoke, Thea's thoughts became jumbled. The praise for her father, Robert, was abundant, but her brother Oliver received only hollow words. He had accomplished nothing of significance. Romantic, sentimental, and irresponsible—his only redeeming quality was his good looks. But who would have thought that this lost boy would one day save everyone in a crucial moment?

The loss of her family still loomed over Thea like a suffocating shadow. She covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. Even though she knew her brother wasn't truly dead, her father—the man who had always treated her as his own—was gone forever.

Yes, it was ironic. She wasn't actually the biological daughter of the Queen family. Her father had always known the truth, yet he never showed any dissatisfaction, treating her with the same love and care he would have given a legitimate daughter.

Logic could no longer suppress the wave of emotions. Thea leaned against her mother's shoulder and cried until her head ached.

"Darling, cry. Just cry," Moira whispered gently, stroking her hair.

Soon after, the funeral was over. Two empty caskets were buried in the Queen family cemetery.

"I'm sorry, Moira. I'm sorry, Thea," a middle-aged man said with a cold expression.

Thea recognized him immediately—her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn. A ruthless and ambitious strategist, he was the true mastermind behind the sinking of the Queen's Gambit and the main villain of Arrow's first season.

This man, who now appeared kind and reserved, was, in reality, a formidable fighter. Under the codename Dark Archer, he mastered archery and swordsmanship. In the first half of the series, he had defeated Green Arrow twice.

Malcolm played a crucial role throughout the first four seasons of Arrow. Thea had died before the fifth season, so she didn't know what happened next. But given Malcolm's resilience, she doubted he was truly dead.

Her eyes scanned the guest list and landed on a familiar name: Wayne Enterprises. If her memory served her correctly, that was Bruce Wayne's company—the Batman. What kind of world had she fallen into?

It wasn't clear if Malcolm knew she was his daughter. Moira certainly did. But would she tell him? Thea couldn't remember if that had ever been revealed in the series. If Malcolm didn't know the truth, things could go horribly wrong.

At the same time, Thea felt a strong resistance to confessing her true parentage. After all, it was his actions that had led to the death of her adoptive father and the suffering of her half-brother. The price of growing into a hero was steep, but this was too much.

For now, there were no good solutions. She simply pushed the thoughts away.

Standing silently beside Moira, she watched as her mother thanked each guest for their condolences. Moira was a complicated woman. She had known about Malcolm's plans, but did that mean she didn't love her family? In fact, she had poured all her feelings into them, willing to sacrifice her career and even her life for her children. Yet she had allowed the shipwreck to happen, leading to the deaths of her husband and son. Her pain and regret were real.

It was a contradiction—perhaps best described as an ostrich mentality: as long as the deaths didn't happen before her eyes, she could pretend everything was fine. Perhaps Malcolm had exploited this weakness.

"Thea, let me introduce you. This is Walter Steele, your father's right-hand man," Moira said, gesturing toward the bald, dark-skinned man in front of them.

According to the storyline, this man would become her stepfather in the coming years. Thea remained indifferent, nodding slightly but saying nothing.

Her feelings for Moira were now mixed—neither close nor distant. She neither opposed nor supported the idea of another man entering their lives. Perhaps this was how the original Thea had felt.