Bzz—
A faint sensation of space warping passed over him, and the scenery changed in an instant.
The first thing X saw was a forest.
But this forest was utterly different from the gentle, tranquil forest of One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds.
This was a black forest—or more precisely, a "dark forest" shrouded in an eternal dusk.
Unlike Old Bones' place, the Punishing Bird's Abnormality space was much larger.
The trees were twisted in shape, yet far taller than ordinary trees—nearly to the point of blotting out the sky.
Time here seemed forever fixed at the moment of sunset, making everything deeper and darker.
As a result, the atmosphere of the forest felt even more oppressive and heavy, tinged with an ominous undertone.
And yet, within this black forest, on the branch of a massive tree, a small girl in a pure white dress sat quietly.
She was not far ahead of X. On her chest, the white dress bore a large blood-red stain-like mark—an intense contrast against the pure white.
Her sleeves were slightly longer than her arms, and the cuffs flared wider than normal, forming two bell-like openings.
From the cuffs up to around the joints, there were pale blue, feather-like embroidered patterns, exquisite as bird plumage.
And at her waist, there was a pair of incredibly tiny little wings.
If Old Bones could be considered a young woman who had just entered society…
Then this little one sitting quietly on the branch looked like an adorable elementary-school girl in the lower grades.
From her petite build, to her soft, youthful face, to her clear, bright eyes without a trace of impurity—it all fit.
The moment X saw her, he confirmed her identity—
O-02-56, Punishing Bird.
A very cute bird-type Abnormality.
Employees usually just called it "Little Bird."
The most obvious features were its small body, the little blue-and-white wings, and the red mark on its chest.
"Huh?"
While X was still observing her, the girl had already noticed him. She waved cheerfully.
"Hello! Human!"
"Uh… hello?"
As X returned the greeting, he quickly reviewed Little Bird's preferences and precautions—
It liked Insight work most. Instinct and Communication were average. It disliked Repression work.
If no one worked with it while someone entered another containment unit to work, its Qliphoth Counter might decrease.
If it escaped, it would fly out and peck employees several times. After dealing minor physical damage, it would fly back on its own.
Employees' panic would lower its counter. If an employee's panic happened to cause a breach, it would fly to that employee and help restore their sanity.
And most importantly: if someone attacked it while it was escaping, it would transform into another form…
All in all, as long as one didn't treat Punishing Bird as an enemy, it was a "peaceful," friendly-type Abnormality—much like Old Bones.
"Alright. Hello there, cute little girl."
After confirming her type, X basically decided how to interact with her.
The faint tension on his face—caused by entering an unfamiliar environment—gradually eased.
"My name is X. I'm the manager of those humans who came to see you during the day and played with you. Are you 'Punishing Bird'?"
"Hm? Punishing Bird?"
The girl on the branch tilted her head cutely, looking puzzled.
"It seems… some of the humans I met in the daytime… did call me that…"
Sensing X had no malice and instead carried a warm, friendly presence, the tiny blue-and-white wings at the girl's waist fluttered lightly.
Then she simply lifted off from the branch, floating in midair.
Her speed wasn't fast, but she was undeniably moving in a way that almost defied gravity, wobbling toward X.
Soon, she "landed" on X's shoulder and sat there steadily.
"You can just call me Little Bird, big brother!"
She giggled beside his ear.
"That's my name! Everyone in the forest calls me that!"
The weight on his shoulder was almost nothing—so light it was practically negligible.
It didn't match her appearance as a seven- or eight-year-old girl at all.
"Everyone?"
X was enjoying the closeness—until he immediately caught the key word in her sentence.
"In this forest… are there other people?"
"No! No other humans!"
Little Bird shook her head.
"Other than me, there are only animals, big brother."
(…Um… it feels like there might be one more, but we never really let him enter the forest…
So that should count as no other humans, right…?)
Little Bird thought this quietly to herself.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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