"Where is this?"
Mei reacted instantly.
"Aponia? The Deepest Abyss?"
This place, dark and sunless like a prison, perfectly matched the name "Deepest Abyss."
Mei, having experienced several environmental shifts in the Elysian Realm, was highly observant now. Just as she was about to investigate further, an ethereal sound came from the end of the seemingly infinitely extending path.
"Mei, 'please' come over."
The moment the voice sounded, Mei's naturally vigilant mind immediately lost its alertness. A strange, inexplicable force made her lift her legs and move toward the source of the sound.
How vast was this place?
Behind the iron bars was unfathomable darkness. This space was like Lin infinitely empty world, only the presence of the iron bars confined the naturally "limitless" world into this straight path.
After walking for about five hundred meters, Mei arrived in front of the person.
She couldn't quite remember how she walked this path, only feeling that she moved forward single-mindedly, without any extraneous feeling, as if every step was exactly the same distance.
Behind the prison cell at the terminus, a pair of hands, clasped together and resting on the lap, was revealed in the sole light source.
The hands were beautiful, without any flaw, like sculpted white jade. Just their presence was enough to attract attention.
Naturally, Mei failed to notice other "abnormal" details.
"Who are you…" Mei unconsciously crouched down, bringing herself to the same level as the seated nun.
A pair of chillingly beautiful, deep blue eyes met hers quietly in the darkness.
"I am... Aponia... Mei... It's nice to meet you."
"Aponia…"
Hearing the name, Mei was startled out of her dreamlike daze. She immediately glanced around frantically: "You—"
"'Please' do not be afraid... Mei..."
The moment the word "please" was uttered, Mei's consciousness fell into a state that was both clear and hazy. She realized something was wrong, yet she subconsciously trusted Aponia's words.
"You came here because of... Lin... didn't you?"
"I didn't come here; you brought me here..." Mei shook her head. She seemed desperate to break free from something, but issues of consciousness were not so easily detected. "What is your purpose..."
"Only those who truly wish to see me... can come here..." Aponia's gentle words fell like spring rain. "This is also... the destiny of reunion... that I foresaw..."
"Destiny...?"
Not an entirely unfamiliar word, but it sounded exceptionally absurd.
"Before that incident... let me bestow the 'Discipline' upon you... That is also why Lin gave you that... cross, isn't it..."
...
"Ugh…"
Mei sat up from the sofa, her head splitting with pain. Pardo, teary-eyed, immediately rushed to her side.
"Waaah! Sister Mei, you're finally awake!"
"Pardo? What... happened to me?"
Mei was bewildered, seeing Pardo's mournful look upon waking. Her throbbing brain urged her to recall the events.
"You suddenly collapsed! You scared me half to death! I thought something happened, and then no one would pay my guide fee and caretaking fee."
"…"
Mei clutched her forehead. She seemed to have some scattered memories.
Cross pendant, loss of consciousness, Deepest Abyss, Aponia...
The memories impacted her brain like waves. Her consciousness immediately cleared: "Aponia!"
"Eh? What's wrong? Why suddenly..."
"I met Aponia! She put a mental suggestion on me!"
Mei was not foolish. Academically, she was a genius. Had the Third Honkai Eruption not happened, she might have become a scientist. Her brief encounter with Aponia made her realize the unusual parts and allowed her to conclude that Aponia had placed a mental suggestion on her.
The moment she heard the word "please," her consciousness blurred, and she was unable to refuse Aponia.
"Sister Aponia? She is indeed related to consciousness…"
"…" Mei felt humiliated for the first time since becoming the Herrscher of Thunder. Not even Kevin, Kalpas, or Lin had given her the sense of frustrating defeat that caused such humiliation. Yet Aponia manipulated her like a puppet.
The Third Seat of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers...
Just as Mei was adapting to the effects of the "Discipline" Signet Aponia had finally given her, Lin "Unnamed" Signet suddenly activated, completely sorting out the fragmented, chaotic memories and sweeping away her headache.
"It has this effect too…"
The unexpected but not unfavorable situation allowed Mei to regain her composure. She turned to Pardo and asked, "Pardo, do you know anything else about Aponia? Preferably something related to Lin."
If Aponia, like Mobius and Kalpas, was an uncontrollable factor in the Elysian Realm, Mei's situation would become even more precarious.
"Ah? Gossip? About Sister Aponia and Lin-ge?"
"Anything will do, just tell me quickly."
"Um... I guess I can talk about it..."
Mei understood Pardo's meaning immediately upon hearing this. She promptly took out the currency she had collected in the Realm. Pardo's eyes lit up, staring at the heavy bag of metallic-clanking currency, nearly drooling.
"Wait a moment, you speak first," Mei knew these items would be gone once handed over, so for safety, she decided to make Pardo say what she knew first. "Do you know what Aponia's ability is?"
"Ugh..." Seeing the duck she was about to catch possibly flying away, Pardo scratched her hair and thought for a moment. "Sister Aponia... actually, among us, Sister Aponia's ability is the most mysterious, so I'm not very clear about what she can do, but..."
"But what?" Mei grabbed a handful of currency, enticing Pardo to speak.
"But a lot of people in the Fire Moth are afraid of Sister Aponia. Even Kevin-ge rarely goes to see Sister Aponia. On one hand, she is indeed difficult to find in the Deepest Abyss, and on the other hand... those who go to the Deepest Abyss seem to 'change.'"
"Change?"
"Yeah, I can't quite put my finger on what changed, but when there were only thirteen of us Fusion Soldiers, all the remaining ordinary soldiers went to see Sister Aponia. Only Lin-ge came out of there without that feeling."
Only Lin...
"Oh, right. Sister Aponia became a Fusion Soldier and stays in the Deepest Abyss because of Lin-ge. Sister Aponia was brought back to the Fire Moth and was nearly executed. Lin-ge ran around begging save her."
"A request?"
That word, which was completely out of character for a certain someone, came out of Pardo's mouth.