The information she had just learned was so shocking that Kiana's hands trembled as she held the crystal. Staring at the small violet gem in her palm, her mind nearly froze.
How could this be?
How was this even possible?!
[Honkai Energy Crystal (Special): A unique Honkai crystal containing the complete power of a Stigmata. Can be used as fusion material.
Note: Its genetic information remains fully intact. It can serve as a medium to unlock or restore the information hidden within.]
The system's description revealed the crystal's origin.
It confirmed Kiana's suspicions. Feeling the resonance emanating from the crystal in her hand, she couldn't pull herself back from her daze.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary Honkai Crystal—but as she held it, she could faintly sense a subtle connection.
It seemed to have formed because of her influence.
And within it...
Was a Stigmata space.
A Stigmata world.
No wonder Jyahnar had said it contained vast information—inside was practically a small, self-contained world.
Kiana could even project her consciousness into it. The world within was relatively stable, not something that would easily collapse.
—"Infinite Tsukuyomi. The Project Stigmata."
Two memories flashed through her mind.
Kiana took a deep breath, her gaze firming. If such a Stigmata space truly existed...
Then did it mean...
Others might still be alive?
She didn't know how this crystal had come into existence, nor how this Stigmata world was created—but it was undoubtedly tied to the Stigmata.
During the preparations for Project Ark, the remaining humans who hadn't entered were implanted with mass-produced Stigmata—ones she herself had provided.
The Honkai Crystal in her hand wasn't particularly active, and she didn't recognize the consciousness inside its Stigmata.
But judging from the feeling, it must have belonged to one of the Godslaying Corps.
If even they had survived... then what about Sakura and the White-Haired Oni? They were among the strongest—there was no reason they couldn't have left behind their own crystals.
At that thought, Kiana lost control for a moment, instinctively reaching out to grab Jyahnar—forgetting she was only a projection. Her hand passed right through her.
Startled for an instant, she quickly refocused and turned toward Jyahnar's image with urgency. "Are there more? More crystals like this? How many? Are there any... special ones?"
"Important?" Jyahnar tilted her head slightly.
Kiana nodded. "Very important!"
This discovery was far too crucial—finally, a glimmer of hope after endless despair. How could it not be important?
Jyahnar fell into thought.
She often used such things for amusement and had collected quite a few over time.
If it mattered so much to Kiana, she would give her everything.
Controlling the vast sea around them, Jyahnar gathered all the crystals she had collected and brought them before Kiana.
"They're scattered throughout this world—quite a number, actually. As for special ones, would this count?"
Before Kiana appeared a small mountain of violet crystals—over a hundred by sight. The pile shimmered like a radiant treasure hoard.
Most of them likely held similar records—probably not the kind of 'special' Kiana sought.
Most Stigmata worlds were small.
But Jyahnar had examined them all before. She knew exactly which one might fit what Kiana described as special.
A crystal no different in appearance from the rest floated out from the pile. Jyahnar extended it gently toward Kiana.
Kiana reached out with her other hand and caught it.
With practiced ease, she focused her consciousness into the Stigmata world within—and at a single glance, her eyes widened.
"Sakura...!"
There was no mistake—it was Yae Sakura!
This special Honkai Crystal—was it truly what she thought it was? She only needed to enter the Stigmata world and confirm it with the Stigmata's consciousness.
Overwhelmed with emotion at seeing an old friend again, Kiana confirmed that this truly was Yae Sakura's Stigmata space. She projected her consciousness inside.
In the next instant of dizziness—
She found herself standing amidst a lush forest. The environment was nothing like the bleak Izumo she had seen before.
Compared to the current Izumo—
This world, though dimly lit, seemed almost... normal.
"So this is the Stigmata world?"
She had a faint feeling that she shouldn't act recklessly. If she were to disrupt the operation of this Stigmata world, it might completely collapse.
Could a collapsed Stigmata world be restored?
Kiana didn't know.
Nor did she wish to find out.
She had played many games in her past life, so adapting to this came easily. Following the small path where she had appeared, she began walking forward.
"It feels so real..."
Breaking off a branch, Kiana examined it briefly before tossing it aside. Truly, the Honkai knew no limits.
Would the Stigmata consciousness be Yae Sakura herself?
Did Yae Sakura know she was within a Stigmata world? If she saw her now, would she recognize her?
These questions lingered, yet Kiana's steps were light—she was about to see a friend she once believed long gone.
She couldn't stop herself from feeling excited.
After walking a few dozen steps, her surroundings suddenly opened up. She realized she was halfway up a mountain, and below her lay a small, ancient-looking village.
Near the mountain's base, she could make out a shrine—aged but well-preserved.
Its style resembled the one at Mei's family shrine, though several details were different.
"A village? A shrine?"
Kiana's excitement cooled slightly. Her brows furrowed as she recalled a certain game she had once played.
She had never asked Yae Sakura about her past.
All she knew was that, like Mei, Sakura had been a shrine maiden—and that her shrine enshrined the Edict Edge of Frost.
Come to think of it... did Yae Sakura have a younger sister?
A pang of regret struck Kiana. When Yae Sakura was still alive, she had never taken the time to truly talk with her.
Everything she knew came only from the side of Sakura she had seen during battle—the things that had happened while slaying Kami.
Her past?
Kiana had never asked, and Sakura had never shared. Even when Sirin and the others chatted, they never mentioned Yae Sakura's history.
Was this Stigmata world a random evolution? A manifestation of lingering obsession? Or perhaps... a recreation of an actual moment in time?
...She would find out soon enough.
With that thought, Kiana withdrew her gaze from the shrine and began walking down toward it.
She had assumed this place was deserted.
But after only a few hundred meters, she spotted the very person she most wanted to see.
Climbing a stone ledge, one hand gripping the rock to steady herself, the other reaching out to pick herbs—
There was no mistaking her.
Even without her long ears, the shrine maiden robes, different in style from Mei's, and the long pink hair made Kiana recognize her instantly.
"Found you..."
She didn't dare shout for fear of startling the girl on the cliff—Yae Sakura. Instead, she moved quickly, planning to wait until she finished picking the herbs before approaching.
But then, disaster struck without warning.
Kiana saw Sakura pluck the herb, her left hand gripping the stone wall for support—when suddenly, the rock beneath her fingers gave way and crumbled.
Caught off guard by the abrupt collapse, Yae Sakura lost her balance and footing, her body tipping backward as she fell.
The moment danger struck—
Kiana's body moved faster than her thoughts. Before Yae Sakura could hit the ground and get hurt, she sped up and caught her mid-fall.
"Got you—thank goodness."
Fortunately, the height Sakura had climbed wasn't too great—about ten meters or so. Kiana's timing was perfect, and neither of them was injured.
Yae Sakura, who had already closed her eyes in preparation for impact, suddenly realized she wasn't falling onto the ground but into someone's arms instead.
The one who caught her was a white-haired girl about her age—smiling gently, her expression pure and bright.
...There was also a strange sense of familiarity.
Sakura stared at her, unable to understand where that familiarity came from.
Being stared at so intently didn't make Kiana feel awkward. She smiled, about to say long time no see, when Yae Sakura spoke first.
"Thank you."
Thank you?
That was the first thing she said?
Kiana's smile faltered slightly as her heart sank.
She gently set Sakura down and waved it off. "It was nothing. But please don't do something so dangerous next time."
Climbing a rock wall that high just to gather herbs—and nearly falling because of an accident—without her intervention, Sakura would've been seriously injured.
If it had been the Yae Sakura she knew, her reflexes were more than enough to handle such a situation. She would never have fallen like a normal person.
This was Yae Sakura—but not her Yae Sakura.
...Had she forgotten for now?
Or was this a new consciousness, one created from Sakura's memories before death by the Honkai?
Kiana's hand tightened slightly at her side.
"Thank you for saving me," Yae Sakura said earnestly. "If not for you, I would have fallen."
She packed away the herbs she had gathered, then looked up at the white-haired girl—who seemed oddly troubled—and added with a polite smile, "You can call me Yae Sakura. I'm the shrine maiden of the mountain shrine below."
Had she ever met this girl before?
No... not that she remembered.
Yet, for some reason, she felt a faint, inexplicable sense that she knew her—that this girl who had just saved her was an old friend.
Fate, perhaps?
It was indeed Yae Sakura.
Kiana looked closely, trying to find traces of her old friend. The face was the same, though slightly younger—her features more innocent, and her fox ears had not yet grown.
Aside from that, she couldn't find any of the aura or maturity that the Sakura she knew had carried.
The Yae Sakura she remembered had always referred to herself humbly as this one and spoke with calm, refined grace.
"Kiana," she said softly. "That's my name."
A name and appearance unlike anyone from this region—she must be a traveler from far away.
"It's a lovely name," Yae Sakura said.
And somehow... familiar.
She thought for a moment, but aside from that faint feeling, nothing came to mind.
Maybe she was overthinking it.
She often felt that way—like she'd seen or done something before, though she couldn't remember when.
Kiana just smiled. She planned to stay with Sakura for a while, to understand the situation. There was no need to rush or reveal herself yet.
She didn't know whether revealing her identity might affect the stability of the Stigmata world.
So, caution was best.
"Those are herbs, right? Are you feeling unwell?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.
"There've been more insects and snakes in the forest lately," Yae Sakura replied. "I plan to make a repellent and scatter it nearby."
Her expression flickered slightly—but it vanished so quickly Kiana almost thought she imagined it.
"Are there that many bugs here?"
"There always are near the forest," Sakura explained patiently.
Kiana nodded thoughtfully. She didn't think she'd imagined that brief change in expression—but she didn't know much about herbs, so she couldn't tell what Sakura had been gathering.
After waiting a moment, Yae Sakura spoke again. "You must be an explorer, right? The villagers of Yae Village at the foot of the mountain are rather wary of outsiders. You should leave here soon."
"Yae Village?"
Another familiar name. Kiana couldn't help but connect this Stigmata space to events from other worlds.
"They're really that unfriendly toward outsiders?"
Kiana didn't let her inner thoughts show. Instead, she feigned a nervous expression. "But... I lost my luggage and map yesterday. I just wanted to stop by the village to restock on supplies and get another map. That should be fine, right?"
"...You lost your belongings?"
Seeing that she indeed carried nothing, Yae Sakura frowned slightly. Traveling from here to the outer world took at least a full day. It would be troublesome to let this kind girl get involved.
She didn't want to drag her into the matter. Once someone entered the village, leaving again would not be easy.
But it was already afternoon.
If she coldly turned Kiana away, could this girl really spend the night alone in the wild safely?
If she told her to leave... would she actually obey and go?
"Yes," Kiana said, pretending to sound dejected. "I ran into some danger yesterday and had no choice but to abandon everything."
She feigned a mix of regret and fear, then looked at Yae Sakura with hopeful eyes. "But don't worry, I won't take anything for free. I have money, I—"
She reached into her pockets and pretended to search, only for her expression to turn more embarrassed and dismayed by the second. "Ah... right. My money was in my bag... and that's gone too."
Yae Sakura was silent for a moment. Thinking of her father, who had been away from home for several days, she finally spoke. "The villagers are indeed very wary of strangers. And due to some customs, the village might feel quite different from any you've seen before. But... since you have nowhere else to go, you can stay at my home tonight."
As long as Kiana didn't wander around, she could send her away early the next morning—there shouldn't be any problem.
This place was far from any major city, without even electricity. There were dangerous beasts in the mountains—and even man-eating monsters.
Kiana had probably encountered such a threat yesterday. Surviving it once was already pure luck.
And after being saved by her earlier, Yae Sakura couldn't simply ignore the risk of this girl facing such danger again.
"Really?" Kiana asked, eyes lighting up.
Yae Sakura nodded. "Of course. You saved me, after all. Just... the villagers are very wary of outsiders, so it's best you don't wander around."
This was the third time Yae Sakura had emphasized how xenophobic the village was.
If it were just ordinary hostility, she wouldn't need to repeat herself three times—meaning there was something seriously wrong with that village.
"As long as I have a place to rest, I'll be fine," Kiana said earnestly. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere. I'll leave first thing in the morning."
She sounded completely sincere.
For now, she would say whatever she needed to. Once they reached the shrine, she'd start investigating this place—and Yae Sakura herself.