"Hua Yi, where are we?"
The girl was the Kallen who had previously existed in that special dimension within the Schicksal Database. After that space was destroyed, she should have been sleeping within Hua Yi's [Jizo Mitama - Void], but now she had appeared. Her clothing had changed into a style slightly different from before, though it was still essentially a nun's habit.
Hearing her question, Hua Yi looked toward the quiet village in the distance. Various memories flickered through his mind before he spoke.
"Do you still remember the name Yae Sakura?"
"...Yae Sakura."
Countless cycles of reincarnation within the virtual reality had made many of Kallen's memories feel illusory and blurred. She felt they weren't things she had actually experienced and regarded them as fakes. However, hearing Hua Yi speak that name gave her a distinct sensation.
Those extremely blurred memories became a bit clearer.
"This isYae Village?!"
After naming the village, Kallen looked puzzled and whispered to herself.
"I've experienced countless cycles; many, many years should have passed in the outside world. Why does Yae Village still look exactly like it does in my memory?"
"To be precise, five hundred years have passed. However, this isn't the real outside world. I'm sorry, I haven't yet managed to bring you into reality. You've been sleeping inside my weapon. As for this place, it was likely created by someone using the power of a Herrscher. Like the space you were in before, most things here are false, but perhaps you can relive the past."
"Relive the past..."
In truth, Kallen didn't believe she had a past. She didn't think that she, who had been performing on a tiny stage repeatedly, was that same perfect Valkyrie from her memories.
Still, if she had the chance to experience the stories from those memories, Kallen didn't object.
Seeing that she was beginning to accept the situation, Hua Yi continued.
"Then let me help you understand the current circumstances. You are Kallen Kaslana, a Valkyrie who has just fled here from Schicksal."
Kallen closed her eyes, searching her memories carefully, and then reopened them.
"In my memory... the reason Kallen came to Yae Village was because she saw Schicksal secretly conducting Honkai Energy experiments on Valkyries. She witnessed Valkyries who failed the experiments turn into DeadS. Unable to bear it, she stole the Black Box used as an experimental tool and came to the Far East. But... I don't seem to have the Black Box with me?"
The shift from "I" to "Kallen" showed that the girl still didn't believe the memories outside of her "stage" were her own personal experiences.
She still viewed herself as an unknown entity that was not truly Kallen.
"You are Kallen Kaslana. There is no one else in this world with that name anymore. Since you want to distinguish yourself from the Valkyrie in your memories, this is the perfect opportunity. The Black Box disappeared in the real world five hundred years ago. This space was created by the entity inside that box. Now that a new story is being played out, are you willing to participate?"
"It seems like you're trapped here, Hua Yi? If I can help you, then I am willing."
After accepting Hua Yi's invitation, Kallen's heart tightened as she remembered the terror of the Black Box.
In her memories, she had used every ounce of her strength to seal the entity within the Black Box along with Yae Sakura. Back then, she possessed the [Oath of Judah]. But now, her hands were empty. She didn't even have her [Fairy Bow] pistols, let alone the [Oath of Judah].
Fighting with bare hands, it seemed it would be difficult to help Hua Yi deal with the thing inside the Black Box...
"You don't need to overthink it. Just act according to your own personality and judgment. Let those memories you think are false become another set of real experiences."
What was Higokumaru trying to do?
Hua Yi surmised that since Higokumaru had created this space, she likely wanted to evoke Yae Sakura's memories of her time as a shrine maiden and make her feel true despair. By striking when Sakura's heart was at its weakest, Higokumaru could completely seize control of her body.
Hua Yi knew very well that Higokumaru and Yae Sakura were bound together in life and death. With the similar situation of Raiden Mei as an example, Hua Yi's guess was almost certainly correct.
In this fabricated space, the only intruder was supposed to be himan insignificant passerby who didn't belong in the story of Yae Village. Higokumaru wouldn't care much about him. Unfortunately for the fox, it didn't know that Kallen's soul was slumbering within his [Jizo Mitama - Void].
Judging by Kallen's somewhat worn clothing, which clearly showed signs of successive battles, she had likely already replaced the fake Kallen that Higokumaru had intended to create.
Higokumaru either hadn't noticed or had noticed but was unable to make further changes.
Hua Yi wasn't entirely sure of the specifics, because a figure was already approaching.
"Kallen..."
When she saw Kallen's figure, Yae Sakura's heart trembled violently, even though she knew the other girl was likely a false illusion created by Higokumaru.
Five hundred years. After such a long time, she finally saw Kallen again. Even if it was a fake, even if following the original script meant falling right into Higokumaru's trap and losing control of her body forever, Yae Sakura didn't care.
As long as she could see Kallen again, nothing else mattered.
If Higokumaru wanted control of her body, let her have it.
Originally, Yae Sakura only wanted to walk through the village of her memories and then attempt to burst out with her power to break the shackles of this space, returning to reality to ask that Kallen or her kin what had happened. But the moment she saw the Kallen before her, she decided to abandon everything.
Five hundred years... humans couldn't live that long. The real Kallen had surely died long ago. Even if she knew the truth, what would it change? It was better to slumber within this beautiful dream woven by Higokumaru, even if the price was to never wake again.
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