"So, little Vya."
The white-haired girl, Carole, bent down, hands braced on her knees, eyeing the little girl before her with suspicion. "…You really didn't see how that monster vanished?"
She asked again, unwilling to let it go. She was sure she'd squeezed her eyes shut in terror, but when she opened them, the white creature had just… disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only this seemingly harmless child.
It was all too bizarre. It made no sense at all.
"Vya didn't see it…"
Vya said, a twinge of guilt in her voice.
Lying wasn't nice, but for the sake of what Elysia called… 'being cute,' she had to. She couldn't very well say she'd eaten it, could she?
It was a white lie, surely. This big sister named Carole seemed really scared.
But, were Honkai beasts really that frightening?
Vya couldn't understand it.
Even though she knew they were called Honkai beasts now, Vya still preferred her own name for them.
"Reeeally—"
The girl deliberately drew out the word, sounding utterly unconvinced.
"O-of course it's true…"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you."
Carole straightened up, waving a hand dismissively.
Though her mind was buzzing with questions, she decided to drop the subject for now. Finding a safe place was the most important thing at the moment.
"It's dangerous here. We'll stick together, watch out for each other. Don't worry, big sister will protect you."
As she said this, Carole could feel her own heart still hammering against her ribs. The shock of that near-death experience was immense; her legs still felt a bit like jelly.
But in front of this little girl who looked only seven or eight years old, she had to appear dependable.
"Okay, Carole big sister," Vya nodded obediently.
"Alright, let's get going!"
"Mhm~!"
…
"Agh, if only Hua were here. She's so strong…"
Even as the words left her mouth, she knew perfectly well that in times like these, she had to rely on herself.
Even if Hua really were here, she'd probably just end up being a burden.
"Hua… who's that?"
Vya tilted her little face up to ask.
"Oh, she's my classmate. Really strong, knows Shenzhou martial arts. Last time I ran into… things like this, she punched them all flat…"
Honestly, the details of that time were a bit fuzzy now. She just remembered Hua's agile figure shielding her amidst the chaos.
That image still brought her a sense of comfort whenever she recalled it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
The greatsword in Himeko's hand carved a fierce arc through the air, the massive blade wielded with ease… before coming down hard on the final Honkai beast.
"Hah…"
She shook her slightly aching arm, surveying the surroundings.
The Honkai beasts in this vicinity should be mostly cleared out now.
Taking the communicator from her belt, she pressed the call button. "All teams, attention. Commence search and rescue operations. Look for survivors. Stay safe."
A series of "Copy that" replies followed shortly after.
Taking in the gloomy atmosphere around her, Himeko hefted her greatsword onto her shoulder and continued on her way.
"Such a senseless disaster…"
She muttered under her breath, though the words quickly dissipated in the air, heavy with the smell of scorching.
In a narrow alley not far away.
A gray-haired girl leaned against the cold wall, her eyes vacant.
She had run, she had fought, she was exhausted. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on.
What about her father? What about her good friend? She didn't know.
Why had things come to this?
Having not experienced much in her life, she still didn't know what she would do, what she should do, after undergoing such a sudden, drastic change.
"Well, still alive there, kiddo?"
A clear, bright woman's voice suddenly rang out.
The gray-haired girl looked up and saw a red she would probably remember for the rest of her life…
It was a tall, imposing woman, holding a greatsword in her hand.
"Can you walk on your own?"
The woman extended a hand. "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe."
"…Mhm."
The girl, as if bewitched, stood up… and numbly followed Himeko away.
After arriving at their temporarily designated safe zone…
"Himeko big sister!"
Vya called out happily. Seeing a familiar face was always a good thing!
"?"
Himeko had never expected to see Vya here. Seeing Elysia would have been surprising but understandable…
According to the team member who found them, they were discovered in the main city district.
That member from the Shenzhou branch didn't know Vya, but Himeko knew very well—this child should not be here!
Himeko was no fool. She knew something was very off about this situation.
Carole hadn't expected this little girl to have connections. This red-haired big sister before them seemed to hold a position of some authority…
And the one behind her…
Wasn't that Hua?!
"Hua!?"
Carole rushed over.
Hearing the familiar voice, Hua snapped out of her daze instantly. Looking up to see Carole, the emotions bottled up inside her suddenly overflowed…!
Ah, her good friend… was also alive…!
This was truly good news…
"Hua!!"
Carole threw herself forward, and the two embraced, tears flowing.
"Ah, I knew it! You're so strong, of course you'd be okay…"
Carole's voice was choked with sobs.
"…"
Hua didn't know what to say at this moment, simply holding Carole in silence.
It made her feel a little less adrift…
…
"Vya."
Himeko crouched down, trying to make her voice sound less stern. "Tell big sister, how did you get here?"
She had a vague feeling this matter might involve many complicated factors, but she wanted to hear the child's side first.
"Vya doesn't know~ Vya was originally looking for sister, but somehow ended up here?"
Vya said, sounding a bit embarrassed.
"Does your sister know?"
"Sister… probably doesn't know…"
Vya whispered.
"Can Himeko big sister tell my sister? She'll worry if she can't find me."
"…Alright."
Elysia must know something. Himeko had been wanting to ask anyway. As Vya's sister, she definitely knew something…
Himeko took out her communicator and dialed Elysia.
"Hey, Himeko, how's the mission going?"
Himeko glanced at Vya beside her. "It's alright, but I found someone…"
"Sister!" Vya leaned in and called out.
"…"
There seemed to be a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line.
Elysia had searched that area for what felt like ages without finding a trace of Vya.
Yet, she could still manipulate the crystals, and somewhere deep down, she could sense that Vya was safe.
But only now did she feel truly at ease.
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 2 chapters per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
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Give power stones please I survive solely off of number go up.