The sea surface remained as calm as ever, yet the human heart finds it hard to stay untroubled.
Scattered silver light spread across the vast expanse, while undercurrents surged, suppressed rather than set free.
A woman with green hair stood upon a reef, her long tresses stirred by the ocean breeze.
Mobius was perfectly at ease. She knew Vya would definitely return.
Truth be told, when Mobius first laid eyes on Vya, her only thought was to use the child to irritate Elysia a bit. It was that pride in Mobius's heart, that urge to contend over everything. But without a doubt, she hadn't succeeded.
After spending more time together, however... this kid... no, this little Honkai beast was just so well-behaved.
No screaming, no resistance, her eyes full of nothing but anticipation.
She was practically the perfect test subject. Something like this naturally called for a slow, careful approach, with precautions against any accidents.
Beneath the sea's surface at that moment, Vya was swimming slowly through the water...
Vya's clothes glimmered faintly with a pink light. Looking closely, one would see it was a layer of pink crystals.
Like a second skin, the pink crystals separated Vya from the seawater.
It was only after jumping into the water that Vya realized she was still wearing her clothes. They'd surely get dirty... and that wouldn't do. The dress was bought for her by Elysia; it absolutely could not be soiled.
And so, influenced by this simple wish of Vya's, pink crystals spontaneously enveloped her entire body.
Sealing her off from the seawater.
It was an innate ability, but Vya didn't seem to fully grasp how to control it.
Vya swam towards the deep sea. She knew the fish there must be delicious.
Target located.
With a thought, Vya unleashed a move—
Vya Impact!
She transformed into a streak of pink light, zigzagging chaotically through the water. Several massive creatures in the deep-sea zone were pierced through in an instant.
The pink trajectory was like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
Beautiful.
A pity the surroundings were so dim, otherwise the scene could have been depicted even more vividly.
A silent piercing. Neat, smooth holes. Gently flowing Honkai energy. And... Vya, rapidly consuming her prey.
Vya ate as fast as she could, after all, Mobius was still waiting for her up above. It wouldn't be polite to keep her sister waiting too long.
Though her table manners were far from elegant, she ate with great satisfaction.
Since becoming smarter, Vya tended to ponder things a bit more, but her thought process was still confined to that of a child. Her understanding of the world was simply too limited.
All she knew was that she should listen to her sisters, be good to her sisters, and study hard.
Even though Vya had once followed Elysia's trail across nearly half the world, most of that time she was in a semi-conscious state, half-asleep...
Sometimes when she was hungry and couldn't find food, Vya would automatically fall asleep. When she woke up, she'd be full. She never knew what happened while she slept.
After about a dozen minutes, Vya finally finished eating.
She looked up. That dark green light was still there on the sea's surface.
It was almost like a beacon. But to be visible from such a distance... this was due to some extraordinary quality inherent to Mobius herself.
It wasn't just Mobius. Vya could see the pink aura around Elysia from miles away. That's how she had managed to chase Elysia all over the world. Though she didn't know why... why she had only met her now...
But Vya naturally wouldn't dwell on such thoughts. After all, she had found her sister now.
She began swimming upwards. Time to go back.
Vya's little hands paddled swiftly.
Hmm... getting closer and closer...
Until... she broke the surface.
Emerging from the water.
Vya spotted Mobius standing on the reef at a glance. She clapped her little hands and dashed towards her.
The pink crystals scattered in the wind, leaving not a trace behind.
"Sister Mobius~ I'm back!"
Looking at Vya, Mobius's lips curved into a smile.
"Good that you're back. How was the meal?"
"I'm full~ Vya ate so much~"
"There were lots of them down there~"
Vya showed a satisfied smile, seeming to still crave a bit more.
She gestured with her hands, acting out the scene from earlier.
Seeing not a single drop of water on Vya, Mobius was still somewhat curious.
"Did you not get wet?"
"Nope! Because Vya learned something new!"
"Oh?"
With a thought from Vya, transparent pink crystals instantly covered her whole body.
Now under the sunlight, the crystals refracted dreamlike colors.
Mobius watched Vya with keen interest.
"Hmm, very impressive."
This thing definitely wasn't just for keeping out water. Test it properly back at the lab.
It truly reminded Mobius of the special shield-like substances that surrounded the first two Herrschers.
But Herrschers wouldn't be so obediently letting her study them. Heh, let's head back!
The journey back.
Little Vya was excited the whole way, because she was going back to see her sister~
Elysia had promised her she'd come pick them up the moment they returned.
The plane touched down.
"Vya♪~ I missed you so much~"
"Sister~!"
The moment Elysia saw that small figure, she excitedly ran over.
Vya let go of Mobius's hand she was holding, her little legs working quickly, and soon Vya was in Elysia's embrace.
Elysia's embrace was warm and soft, carrying her familiar scent.
"Did you miss me?"
Elysia asked with a smile.
"I did, I really, really did~" Vya cooed.
Watching the scene before her, Mobius found it familiar. She couldn't help but purse her lips.
A while later, Elysia, holding Vya's hand, came over to Mobius.
"Mobius, thank you for taking care of Vya~"
"Hmph..."
Mobius gave a light hum, not showing much emotion.
"Aww♪~ Is Mobius jealous? Want a hug too?"
"Come here then~!"
As she spoke, Elysia opened her arms.
Hearing this, Mobius instinctively took two steps back, frowning slightly. "Stay away from me."
"Aww~, alright then. What a shame. Let's head back."
Elysia feigned a sigh of sadness, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.
...
"Sister taught me so many things, and I even met Sister Mei!"
Along the way, Vya told Elysia about her experiences on the Mu Continent. But upon hearing about the knowledge Mobius had taught Vya, Elysia's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Listening to the various technical terms coming from Vya's mouth... wasn't all this a bit too early?
"Mobius, why are you teaching Vya these things? Isn't it a little too soon?"
"I'll teach whatever I want, however I want. It's none of your business, Elysia."
Mobius said unhurriedly.
Well, what's done is done.
"Vya also ate lots and lots of fish, and got so full~"
Vya recounted her experience in detail, using the simplest language she could, in a storytelling tone—probably imitating how Elysia told stories.
Her words had a special charm, capable of bringing a smile to even the most serious person.
Vya carefully described her time in the sea: how she kept her clothes dry, how she started "catching" fish, how she ate so quickly.
Both Elysia and Mobius listened with smiles.
Because if you didn't scrutinize the content too closely, the stories Vya told were quite interesting.
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 2 chapters per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
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