Sakura suddenly felt as if she were tightly bound by invisible yet incredibly sturdy shackles. She instinctively struggled but couldn't break free in the slightest.
Her body seemed to no longer obey her own will, as if it had been forcibly "persuaded" by a mysterious power, knowing only to execute the command to "stop."
'What is going on?!'
Confusion and astonishment filled Sakura's heart.
In all her extensive combat experience, she had never encountered such a bizarre situation.
But soon, she saw who had arrived.
It was Aponia, clad in a nun's habit. Aponia walked forward slowly, her eyes naturally revealing a tinge of sorrow.
This was a place she had lived in for a long time; she was deeply familiar with every plant and tree in the sanatorium. Now, watching it be destroyed to such a state, how could her heart not ache?
Fortunately, though, the children were all safe and sound. That was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
As for the tense standoff between the two before her—she had just finished comforting the children and stepped out to see Kalpas confronting this pink-haired woman, the two on the verge of a fierce fight.
Aponia understood clearly that further conflict would only result in both sides suffering. She truly couldn't bear to see such an outcome, so she utilized this special power she had long possessed.
And perhaps because the situation was unusual, she might have used a bit too much force.
Resulting in both of them completely frozen, unable to move.
…
"Ah, it's Sister Aponia!"
Vya exclaimed excitedly from the distance.
"Well, well, so this is that Aponia?"
Mobius watched with keen interest, unable to help but murmur in wonder.
This prophet of the Back Alley was spoken of in almost mythical terms in the outside world; she had heard the rumors long ago.
To witness it firsthand today—she seemed to possess the ability to control others…
Mobius felt increasingly that coming here was the right decision. At least some of the puzzles that had long troubled her seemed to only require a bit of probing for the truth to reveal itself.
"Alright, Vya, go down and chat with them."
Mobius said, her gaze never leaving Aponia.
"Okay, Sister Mobius!"
Hearing this, Vya perked up instantly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Vya's going ahead~!"
With Mobius's permission, Vya eagerly ran toward Aponia and the others.
…
Aponia let out a soft sigh, a trace of weariness and helplessness in her eyes.
She looked at Sakura, then at Kalpas.
"And you are?"
Sakura tried to ask. Although her body was still somewhat difficult to control, she could still speak. She did her best to keep her tone sounding calm.
"I am the person in charge of this sanatorium, Miss."
Aponia replied gently, her voice soft yet carrying a soothing power. "My name is Aponia."
"Aponia, who asked you to meddle!"
Kalpas roared angrily, his mental state still dominated by rage. "Get lost!"
"Kalpas, your current state is not right. 'Please' calm down."
As soon as Aponia finished speaking, her tone held a note of indisputable authority.
Kalpas struggled briefly, cursing, "What are you doing, you foolish woman…"
"I'm sorry, Kalpas…"
Aponia said, her voice sincere and full of apology.
She knew well in her heart that if not for Kalpas, she and the children would likely have met with disaster by now.
Yet now she had to use this power on him…
Aponia's heart was filled with guilt.
Perhaps Aponia's words had an effect, or perhaps Kalpas was also growing weary. He slowly closed his eyes, beginning to grow "calm," and his physical struggles gradually ceased.
Sakura watched this scene with some surprise, unable to resist asking, "How… is this done?"
She truly found it hard to comprehend how mere words could make someone calm down so instantly.
"Consider it a kind of ability of mine."
Aponia sighed again, a complex look flashing in her eyes.
At first, she thought this was a special gift from heaven, a blessing. But after using it a few times, Aponia came to feel it was more like a curse…
When she used her foresight to see others' "fate" and tried to change it, she found herself still falling into some invisible trap.
"Then, can you release me?"
Sakura asked. This feeling of her body not obeying was truly uncomfortable.
"Hmm, of course."
Aponia gave a light nod.
Sakura only felt her body relax; that sense of restraint vanished instantly, and she regained control over her movements.
She flexed her hands and feet, savoring the long-missed sense of autonomy.
"My apologies, Miss. I didn't mean to."
Aponia hurriedly explained. "It's just that the situation was特殊, and I had no choice but to stop you both. This Mr. Kalpas isn't a bad person either; he just lost control for a moment."
…
Having moved closer, Mobius could now hear their conversation clearly.
While this ability to control others with words was unheard of, given her vast experience, it didn't shock her too much nowadays.
Mobius was merely curious: where did Aponia obtain such an ability? What secrets lay hidden behind it?
"Sister Sakura! Sister Aponia!"
Vya cheered as she ran up between the two, happily greeting them.
Sakura had been listening to Aponia's explanation when she was suddenly interrupted by Vya.
Wait, why is Vya here?
And Vya knows this Aponia before them…
Sakura's mind was filled with questions.
"Long time no see, Vya."
Aponia greeted Vya. Looking at this adorable little girl she hadn't seen in so long, Aponia felt quite moved.
Sakura walked over, having sheathed her blade long ago.
She didn't know Vya was a Honkai beast, so she was quite surprised to see Vya here, her eyes full of puzzlement.
"Do you two sisters know each other too?"
Vya asked curiously, tilting her head, innocence written all over her face.
"This is our first time meeting."
Aponia explained with a gentle smile.
"Oh, I see! Vya will introduce you!"
Vya said with great enthusiasm. She walked to Sakura's side, took Sakura's hand, and like a little adult, led Sakura over to Aponia.
"This is Sister Aponia!"
Vya pointed at Aponia, saying proudly.
Then she went to Aponia's side, took Aponia's hand, and brought her before Sakura. "And this is Sister Sakura!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sakura."
Aponia said with a smile, her expression as warm as a spring breeze.
"Oh… hello, Ms. Aponia."
Sakura responded somewhat stiffly, not yet fully recovered from the earlier events.
"Hehe ᜊ•ᴗ•ᜊ, both sisters are very nice people! Just listen to Vya—starting now, you two are friends!"
Vya placed their hands together, as if conducting a solemn ceremony, announcing the birth of their friendship.
"Hmm, I'm very happy to be friends with Miss Sakura."
Under the influence of her foresight, Aponia could easily tell that Sakura's nature wasn't bad, so she spoke sincerely.
"Uh… me too."
Sakura still felt somewhat awkward. After all, everything had happened quite quickly.
First, this Kalpas had appeared out of nowhere and fought her, then this Aponia showed up and used a strange ability to control the situation.
Immediately after, Vya arrived too, and now, on Vya's urging, she and Aponia were friends?
Sakura considered herself someone with a strong capacity to adapt, but this sudden shift had caught her off guard.
She even felt it would be easier to plan a high-difficulty assassination—at least that was more familiar territory.
"How can you make friends without including me?"
Mobius's voice now drifted over softly.
She had intentionally walked slowly earlier, as if specifically leaving time for the others. Now she stepped forward, approaching the group at a leisurely pace.
…
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