The night deepened.
The city lights outside the window gradually thinned, leaving only the streetlights to diligently shine on, illuminating the gap in the curtains.
Kiana lay on the bed, staring at the unlit ceiling lamp.
Su Yu was on the makeshift bed on the floor beside her, his breathing steady and regular.
Because of the 1.2-meter distance limit, she could even smell the faint scent of his body wash.
It was that very ordinary lemon scent, from the same bottle she used.
This was already her eighth day in this world.
From being as wary as a bristling cat at the beginning to now being able to lie peacefully in this man's room, the change was so fast it felt incredible even to her.
Perhaps it was because the food here was too delicious, perhaps it was because that guy Su Yu, despite his snarky mouth, truly had no ill intentions, or perhaps... it was simply because she was too tired.
So very tired.
The story she told during the day was still spinning in her mind.
She remembered the feeling she described when crushing the Herrscher of Thunder's wings—that uncontrollable, nauseatingly powerful force.
That was the Herrscher of the Void's power, wasn't it?
The monster that had always been lurking in her body, the one that took Teacher Himeko and destroyed half the world.
She sighed, rolled over, and buried her face in the soft pillow.
This world was beautiful.
No roars of Honkai Beasts, no alarms, not even that lingering smell of gunpowder in the air.
But did this beauty truly belong to her?
Someone like her... a "source of disaster" with hands stained by blood.
The image of Griseo's pale purple eyes flashed through her mind, along with the painting she had made.
That child... did she see something? The "color" she mentioned, was it the color of that monster?
Although that hateful voice hadn't appeared recently, Kiana always felt that it hadn't disappeared, but was merely lying dormant.
Like a venomous snake, coiled in a dark corner, staring at her coldly, waiting for the moment she let her guard down.
Her consciousness gradually blurred as exhaustion washed over her like a tide, dragging her into a deep darkness.
However, it was not a peaceful sleep.
...
All around was a deathly silent white.
Not a clean white, but a cold, suffocating, deathly white, like that of a hospital morgue.
"How leisurely you are, Kiana."
That voice rang out.
Carrying that characteristic, lofty arrogance, and a mockery that sent a chill through her bones.
Kiana spun around abruptly.
That face, identical to her own, was floating before her, wearing a malicious smile.
Its golden pupils were filled with derision.
"This world is so beautiful, isn't it?"
The Herrscher of the Void reached out, her fingertips tracing an ethereal line across Kiana's cheek. Although there was no physical touch, it brought a stinging pain.
"Peace, tranquility, and there's even someone to cook for you."
"But its beauty does not belong to you."
The voice suddenly became sharp, like nails scraping across glass.
"Don't you think that you, living in this world with a clear conscience, are truly hideous?"
"Have you forgotten how Himeko died? Have you forgotten how that world became miserable because of you?"
"Shut up..."
Kiana wanted to retreat, but found her feet were as if rooted to the spot, unable to move.
"I told you." The Herrscher of the Void drew closer, her face almost touching the tip of Kiana's nose. "I will appear again and again, in your deepest nightmares, until you no longer have the strength to resist..."
The surrounding white began to collapse, turning into a ruin of blood-red.
"Ah, although it took quite some time."
The Herrscher of the Void seemed to recall something, the smile on her lips deepening.
"But this time, that annoying Fu Hua won't be appearing again."
"The only one who could hold you back—you pushed her away with your own hands, didn't you?"
An icy hand seized Kiana's throat. Even though it was a dream, the feeling of suffocation was terrifyingly real.
"This time, is there anyone who can save you? My poor Kiana, hehehehehe..."
...
"Hah—!"
Kiana shot up in bed, gasping for air like she'd just been pulled from the depths of the sea.
She was drenched in a cold sweat, her pajamas clinging wetly to her back, a sticky and uncomfortable feeling.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, thud, thud, thud, making her eardrums ache.
She subconsciously touched her neck. There was nothing there, but the sensation of being choked still lingered on her skin.
The room was pitch black, and only Su Yu's steady breathing had been interrupted by her movement.
"...Kiana?"
The sound of rustling fabric came from the floor bed, followed by the soft 'click' of the bedside lamp.
A warm yellow light came on, dispelling the darkness in the room.
Su Yu sat up, rubbing his drowsy eyes. When he saw Kiana's state, his sleepiness vanished in an instant.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
He moved a little closer, but tactfully refrained from touching her, simply looking at her pale face with concern.
Kiana didn't speak.
She clutched the blanket tightly. She wanted to search for any trace of the Herrscher of the Void, to close her eyes and feel every corner of her body, but it was empty. There was nothing there.
No voice, no nauseating energy fluctuations.
But that premonition... the feeling that she had never left, was like a thorn, buried deep in her heart.
"...Su Yu."
After a long while, Kiana finally spoke. Her voice was terribly hoarse.
"Yeah, I'm here." Su Yu sat cross-legged on the floor bed, looking up at her.
"If..."
Kiana lowered her head, looking at the palm of her hand where a faint scar rested.
"If one day, I become... not me anymore... what would you do?"
If that monster really came back.
If she lost control again, once again becoming that Herrscher who only brings destruction.
If she hurt this world, hurt... the person in front of her.
Su Yu was taken aback for a moment.
He looked at Kiana.
The girl was huddled in her blanket like a frightened little cat with nowhere to run, her heterochromatic eyes filled with fear and confusion.
He didn't answer immediately, nor did he offer some flimsy reassurance like "that will never happen."
He thought for a moment, then asked in return, "What did you say to Mei back then?"
Kiana froze.
Mei...
The memory resurfaced.
The girl standing on the edge of the rooftop, crying, "Just kill me."
Back then, Mei was also afraid of the Lightning Queen taking over her body, afraid of hurting the important people around her.
What had she said at that time?
"I told her..." Kiana murmured to herself, her gaze slowly coming into focus, "no matter how many times it takes, I'll beat her back to her senses."
Yes.
That was her promise.
Even if it meant getting her own head bashed in, she would wake that idiot up.
Su Yu smiled. "Well, there you have it."
"What?" Kiana was a bit slow to react.
"That's my answer too."
Su Yu looked at her.
"If you really turn into that... whatever Herrscher, then I'll be responsible for knocking you back to your senses."
"If once isn't enough, I'll do it twice. If a headbutt doesn't work, I'll use a brick."
"Anyway, this stupid System has me stuck with you. If I actually die, it probably can't complete its business, so I'll definitely see it through to the end."
He stretched, lay back down on his floor bed, and pulled the blanket over himself.
"So, stop thinking about all that nonsense."
"Right now, you're just Kiana Kaslana, my game's female protagonist, and this month's reigning champion of eating."
He reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.
The room was plunged into darkness again, but the suffocating sense of oppression seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.
"Good night, Kiana."
In the darkness, Kiana sat on the bed, stunned for a long while.
The corners of her mouth... seemed to curl upwards just a tiny bit, uncontrollably.
Just a tiny, tiny bit.
"...Idiot."
She mumbled under her breath, then lay back down, burying her face in the pillow.
This time, the damp, cold feeling was gone.
In its place was that faint, lemon-scented aroma of body wash.
"Good night, Su Yu."
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