After setting all affairs in the A Certain Magical Index world in order, Selene left behind a duplicate of herself. While its power was nowhere near that of her original body—and might even struggle against Accelerator—it was more than capable of protecting her assets thanks to the near-invincible defense of Spatial Phasing.
Then, with a ripple of space-time, Selene and Sebas traversed the vast cosmic void, arriving in an entirely new world.
...
Night fell over the dense forests along the Empire's southwestern border. Amid the darkness, a flash of red light burst briefly—then a beautiful figure with flowing white hair appeared silently among the trees.
Scanning her surroundings, Selene couldn't help but mutter with mild annoyance, "A forest again... I really seem fated to end up in forests."
Testing her abilities, she noted that while her overall power was somewhat suppressed by the new world, none of her Herrscher traits had been affected.
"Is it because I've grown stronger... or because this world doesn't reject the extraordinary?" she mused softly.
Now came the time to plan. Given that the upper and lower limits of this world far exceeded those of The Walking Dead world—and since her strength wasn't heavily restricted—Selene saw no need for brute-force domination through Honkai corruption and destruction. Instead of annihilating civilization and rebuilding from ashes, she preferred to preserve as much as possible.
After all, she had no desire to inherit a scorched wasteland. Why rebuild from ruins when one could simply replace the existing rulers?
With a snap of her fingers, the air behind her rippled. From the shimmering distortion stepped a tall, silver-haired elder dressed in a black butler's uniform—Sebas.
Having confirmed his mistress's safe arrival, Sebas allowed himself a rare smile. "Phew... Milady, that time-space jump was quite a nerve-wracking experience!"
Selene smiled faintly. "You'll get used to it after a few more times. For now, we're in a dense forest, near a flowing river with abundant wildlife. Let's make camp here for the night. We'll explore the new world tomorrow."
Though she had only experienced two conscious dimensional transfers herself, Selene's composure made it seem almost routine.
"Come on, let's find an open area to set up... hm? Sebas, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing that her butler had stopped mid-step, staring across the river.
"Did you see something? A beast, perhaps?" Selene's tone held a note of curiosity and excitement. With her current constitution, she could eat anything in the wild without worrying about disease or contamination.
But as her night vision sharpened, she quickly realized it wasn't a beast at all. "...Wait. That's... a person?!"
In the blink of an eye, Sebas vanished from her side. When he reappeared, he was carrying a frail, malnourished boy in his arms.
The boy's skin was cracked and pale, his body thin to the point of skeletal. Countless small cuts covered his limbs, giving him a ghastly appearance. His breathing was faint—so faint that if not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Selene would have assumed he was dead.
Gently brushing the dirt and insects from the boy's hair, Sebas looked toward Selene with quiet resolve. "Milady, I..."
...
The next morning.
"Sebas, couldn't you just have read his memories directly? Why go through all this trouble?" Selene complained lazily.
"It was but a simple act of courtesy, Milady. Why not? ...Ah, he's waking up now. Hey, boy—wake up."
"Wh... what happened to me?" The frail boy, dressed in tattered brown rags, slowly stirred from his unconscious state. He faintly recalled hearing two people arguing. As his senses returned, a deep, composed male voice reached his ears.
Opening his eyes, he found himself inside a luxurious tent.
Despite being set up in the wilderness, the tent's interior exuded refinement and nobility. The space was vast, furnished with elegant wooden furniture carved with twin-headed eagle motifs, and covered with a soft, richly patterned carpet that was clearly worth a fortune.
Suddenly, the boy's expression changed drastically. He scrambled up, then dropped to his knees in panic, forehead pressed firmly to the floor. "I'm sorry! My lord, I didn't mean to trespass on your territory! I'm sorry! I'll leave right away! Please forgive me!"
A cool, clear female voice rang out. "Stand up. I'm not going to harm you. I just have a few questions."
"..." The boy trembled, disbelief written across his face. Slowly, he lifted his head—then quickly lowered it again. "R-Really?" he asked in a low, wary tone.
"Really. I'm not lying. I'll even reward you for answering," Selene replied from where she sat, lounging elegantly in a western-style armchair, her tone helpless yet calm.
"N-no need, my lady. Please... just ask." Though he clearly longed for whatever "reward" she mentioned, his past experiences told him that accepting favors from nobles was a dangerous game—often one that cost your life.
Indeed, in the boy's eyes, Selene and Sebas could only be nobles. Even without understanding their language or culture, their bearing spoke for itself. Sebas, in his immaculate black butler uniform, and Selene—in that beautiful silver and blue battle attire with its gleaming armor and intricate patterns—radiated power and authority.
Her attire was both striking and intimidating. She wore a form-fitting deep blue armored dress that left her upper body largely bare, aside from silver armored bust cups connected by a narrow central piece to the neck and the upper part of the dress. The miniskirt-length hem exposed much of her shapely thighs, which were clad in sheer black stockings that extended to mid-thigh. Her exquisite legs were encased in silver-white thigh-high high-heeled boots that gleamed with a metallic luster, increasing her apparent height from 168 centimeters to nearly 180.
On her arms, she wore black gloves that reached her upper arms, reinforced with white armored segments. Her waist-length snow-white hair was styled neatly, adorned with fine accessories that matched the aesthetic of her dress. Her beauty was stunning—elegant and dignified, with an aura of overwhelming nobility.
From her appearance alone, even a refugee boy like him could tell—this was someone of extraordinary status.
"What's your name? What year is it? Where are we? And why were you unconscious in the forest?" Selene asked.
"I... I'm Terry. I don't have a family name. It's the Imperial Year 1014. This is the Hirst Province on the Empire's southwestern border, within the Great Southwestern Forest. My village fled the war. We got separated, and I lost my way. I... I passed out from hunger," the boy answered nervously, his stomach growling as if to confirm his words.
"War?" Sebas asked with a furrowed brow.
"Yes... the southwestern border's being invaded by foreign tribes. The Empire sent troops to suppress them, but small enemy bands crossed over, looting everywhere. I got separated from my village group..." The mention of his village made Terry's voice quiver, tears welling in his eyes.
Sebas sighed softly, then pulled out a packet of compressed biscuits and a bottle of mineral water, handing them to the boy. "Here. Take this, child. Live well." With that, he turned and gestured for the boy to go.
Terry dropped to his knees once more, kowtowing several times with audible thuds. "Thank you..." He clutched the food and water tightly, then turned and hurried away.
Watching the boy's figure fade into the trees, Selene raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd try to keep him."
Sebas chuckled bitterly. "Ah, Milady, don't tease me. You saw how he looked—his heart's still back with his village. Even if we offered him a place, he wouldn't have believed our kindness."
Selene nodded slightly. "True enough. This is an empire—cruel times breed cruel minds. But tell me, why give him so little food? You seemed to take quite a liking to him."
"Giving him too much would only harm him," Sebas replied matter-of-factly. "A refugee like him couldn't possibly protect it. That small ration will last him several days, and more importantly—it won't draw attention."
Selene tilted her head. "And what if he gets robbed along the way?"
Sebas smiled mysteriously. "He won't. I mixed a small dose of the T–R enhancement serum into his water."
"Cough!" Selene almost spat out her tea. "You really don't hold back, do you?"
Sebas chuckled. "It's all I can do for him. The rest is up to his fate. But I'm not worried—the people of this world seem physically superior to those in our previous one."
"Oh? Judging by your expression, I take it you've formed an opinion of this world already?" Selene asked with faint amusement.
Sebas fell silent for a moment before speaking gravely. "Compared to our old world... this one is a true 'man-eating' world."