"Ugh… ugh…"
Poor Bosacius. He had only just awakened after several hundred years, having not eaten a single proper meal the entire time—and now this. The moment he woke up, he started throwing up.
If he kept going any longer, he might even vomit out whatever little moisture his body still had.
One hand braced against the stone wall, Bosacius looked utterly miserable. No one enjoyed the sensation of unknown substances surging violently up their throat in an instant—illuminated beasts included.
After a while…
"Big Brother Bosacius? Are you feeling any better now?"
Seeing that he had finally stopped vomiting, Bonanus carefully helped him over to a slightly higher rock and eased him into a seated position.
"Ugh… I feel terrible…"
Bosacius pressed a hand to his head. That bout of vomiting had left him completely drained—no, wait. Exhausted. Utterly exhausted.
He, a dignified Yaksha Protector, a trusted general under Morax, Marshal Tengshe, reduced to such a wretched state.
If his other siblings ever found out, it would be unbearably embarrassing.
What kind of absurd situation was this? After finally awakening, couldn't he at least be allowed a little peace?!
After resting for a bit longer…
Bosacius rubbed his brow and sat there quietly, saying nothing. The discomfort, however, had clearly eased quite a bit.
Meanwhile, Bonanus stood behind him, gently stroking his broad, solid back up and down. She felt that this might help her eldest brother feel more comfortable.
"Um… little sister," Bosacius said at last, "can you explain what's going on right now?"
Despite still feeling unwell, he turned his head slightly toward Bonanus, voicing his confusion.
After sitting here for so long, those blank gaps in his memory had gradually begun filling themselves in.
"How is this possible… I clearly saw you go mad from karmic debt…"
As he said this, Bosacius frowned deeply. Back then, he had definitely seen that scene.
His gentle, beautiful little sister—once consumed by karmic debt—had looked like a monster.
A terrifying monster.
"Big Brother Bosacius, we're currently in the Chasm," Bonanus said calmly.
Seeing that he was doing much better now, her hands shifted from stroking his back to massaging his shoulders.
"At the time, you and a mortal spellcaster led part of the Millelith into this place to seal ferocious beasts and monsters."
"Yes… I remember that…" Bosacius said, eyes closed as he rested. "Though some of it's still blurry. What about Bosun—Boyang? That spellcaster?"
Bosacius remembered the name clearly. Boyang had kept asking for his name and had led him around the Chasm, constantly searching for safer places to hide.
"Uncle Boyang has already left this area and returned to the surface," Bonanus replied. "He didn't touch the seal."
"Is that so… then that's good."
Bosacius nodded. Hearing that Boyang had made it out safely, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
"As for why I'm here… and why I didn't die from karmic debt," Bonanus continued, "do you really want to hear it, Big Brother?"
As she spoke, her mind was already rapidly revising her explanation, trying to make it sound as reasonable as possible.
"I want to hear it," Bosacius replied without hesitation.
Bonanus nodded slightly. Her expression shifted, revealing what looked like genuine emotion—carefully acted, of course.
"Big Brother… going mad from karmic debt is incredibly painful. It's not just physical suffering—mentally, it's unbearable."
"At the time, I completely lost control. That part of my memory is hazy. I only remember attacking wildly in an empty area."
"I don't know how I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was inside a cave. A being who claimed to be a god saved me."
"That god gave me a divine artifact and some life-saving pills. Then I fainted again. When I woke up after that… I was here. And I found you."
"At that time, your injuries were too severe. My adeptal power wasn't enough to save you, so I used the medicine that god gave me."
"I didn't expect it to actually work… and you recovered."
There were quite a few holes in Bonanus's explanation.
Her emotional acting was excellent, but cultural literacy could only carry her so far.
Even so, Bosacius nodded slowly. He believed his little sister. There was no reason for her to lie to him.
As for why he had seen scenes of her and Menogias killing each other—most likely, his own consciousness had been unstable at the time.
"As long as you're alive… haha. That's enough."
"Just having you here already makes me happy."
"If possible, I'd really like to meet the god who helped you someday."
As he said this, Bosacius nodded emphatically. No matter how dire the situation, at least he and his sister were still here.
They were still alive.
"How wonderful… to think that even now, I can still hear the cutest of the five calling me 'Big Brother Bosacius'…"
As he spoke, Bosacius lifted his head slightly. His eyes were filled with restrained sorrow.
If only he could hear the others standing before him, calling him that as well…
The emotion lingered only briefly. With his mind now clear, Bosacius quickly adjusted himself.
"There's something else," he said. "Why does the karmic corruption inside me feel… weaker?"
This was the key point. He had noticed it earlier—his karmic debt was no longer as violent as before. It had even decreased.
"I helped you share some of it," Bonanus replied, wearing an utterly innocent expression, as if this were no big deal at all.
She might not have thought much of it—but Bosacius certainly did.
"Little sister! You're not someone who acts impulsively!"
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"
Even Morax himself would not attempt such a thing lightly. And she had done it?
"Hey! Big Brother Bosacius!" Bonanus protested. "I'm fine, aren't I? I'm standing right here!"
"And that divine artifact the god gave me is probably meant to be used this way!"
She puffed out her cheeks, waved her hands for emphasis, then planted them on her hips to show that she was perfectly healthy.
"No matter how powerful a divine artifact is, it still has limits."
"Don't ever do something like that again."
"I don't want to lose anyone I care about anymore."
As Bosacius said this, his voice clearly caught. His thoughts drifted back to the other three siblings he had lost.
"How long have we been here?"
"I don't know," Bonanus replied. "Maybe… several hundred years."
"That long, huh…"
"I wonder what Liyue looks like now."
At the mention of Liyue, Bosacius thought of that lord. With such a powerful god watching over it, Liyue must surely be thriving.
Seeing her brother lost in memory, Bonanus spoke up, cutting through his thoughts.
"Big Brother Bosacius, it's time for us to leave."
"There's no point staying here."
Rather than dwelling on complicated matters, it was better to focus on getting out first. As for the others, Bonanus wasn't too worried.
As long as she gathered enough karmic debt, she was confident she could bring them back.
"…Alright."
Bosacius nodded slowly. After sleeping for so long, it really was time to move again.
"Hah… let's go. But how are we getting out?"
"Leave it to me, Big Brother Bosacius."
"I have a way."
With that, Bonanus silently called out to the system. Having just absorbed over thirty thousand units of karmic debt, it should be more than enough to send both of them back to the surface.
[System online. What is the host's request?]
[Bonanus: Send us back to the surface.]
After repeating this request internally, Bonanus looked at Bosacius with a bright smile.
"Big Brother Bosacius," she said softly,"Alatus is still waiting for us."