162. Who Understands Family? I'm Speechless; No Idea What to Title This
Snowflakes are hexagonal crystalline structures, feather-light. Ten thousand snowflakes stacked together weigh only one gram.
My heart weighs 250 grams. To fill each chamber, it would take 2.5 million snowflakes.
Or, one tear from you.
When my heart is filled with ice and snow, it propels four kilograms of blood, shooting it heavily through every muscle and bone, giving me the strength to lift you, embrace you, and love you.
Diaran, I'm so sorry. I gave you the finest qualities and supreme bloodlines, yet without your consent, I burdened you with a cruel mission. You were meant to indulge in decadence and luxury.
But I made you a warrior, a lonely and cold Holy Crusader. You must carry lofty ideals and fight to the end against this world's greatest oppressors—[Secret Society].
I must strip away your emotions and passions, arming your heart with steel and fire.
I must reshape your flesh and blood, adorning you with magic and violence.
I must erase your personality and thoughts, filling your life with vengeance and battle.
You are a noble sacrifice, giving yourself for all mankind. Without your destruction, the universe cannot survive.
In my life, I've never harmed anyone and have saved countless lives. Yet you, my dearest child—if I could, I would gladly take your place in hell.
But I can no longer turn the tide. The only thing I can do before my death is to wish that you complete this mission soon.
......
The autumn breeze lightly pushed open the window, lifting Diaran's golden hair. Her lustrous strands shimmered like silk and metal, glowing brightly.
She sat alone, leaning against the headboard, her long legs crossed. Textbooks and course materials were scattered beside her. Her cold gaze fixed on the projection of a pendant.
"… Before my death, I wish for you to complete this mission soon."
The recording ended. She closed the pendant's cover, put it back around her neck, and lowered her head, letting her emotions settle.
Four years had passed.
After the doctor's death, she'd lived independently, wandering ever since, growing used to this lonely lifestyle.
From naively stepping into big cities, nearly being deceived and taken advantage of, to gradually realizing the heavy mission and danger her bloodline carried, she had grown over these four years.
"I must complete the mission the doctor left me."
[Secret Society] Gaia was an unseen but ultimate predator society, a true cosmic calamity and eternal disaster threatening the universe.
Only she bore this responsibility, and only she had the capability to fight it.
"Focus on growth, think of nothing else, Diaran. Don't think. My existence is solely to defeat Gaia. Beyond this, there is no meaning."
She reinforced her resolve daily, much like a disciple's routine prayer, using the doctor's final words to steel her determination and faith.
Nothing else mattered. As long as she grew stronger and gained more power, she could one day destroy Gaia.
"I am like the last Star Abyss hero—Leozi—a chosen one. You could say I'm the messenger of divine will. With the universe facing catastrophe, only I must rise to the challenge."
[Society's] corruption targeted humanity's weaknesses: laziness, greed, selfishness, envy, desire, vanity, and so on.
'Join [Society], and you won't need to think about anything. [Society's] will handles everything for you.'
No worries, no anxiety, no dissent, no injustice.
In this increasingly rotten world, [Society's] initial concept seemed lofty and full of allure.
The [Doctor] left her emotional capacity intact to better perceive [Society's] harm. This was also a trial, testing her resolve in her mission.
By constantly strengthening this belief, she could resist society's corruption.
Even though she'd never encountered [Society] from birth, she upheld this principle unwaveringly.
After a quick wash, Diaran changed into her school uniform—yes, White Candle Interstellar University had uniforms. Boys wore dark formal jackets, knitted vests, light blue shirts, and formal trousers.
Girls wore dark blue coats with orange piping, plaid skirts, light-colored shirts, and white stockings. Typically, a bow tie was issued, but Diaran disliked the restrictive feel. She often unbuttoned her shirt collar and rolled up her sleeves, revealing fair, toned forearms. This made her feel cooler and more mobile.
Due to the school's lax culture and wealthy student body, most wore their own clothes. Those in uniforms were often deemed "nerds" or social outcasts.
Diaran, however, was an exception.
"Hey, hey, Diaran's coming."
"Run! That one's too intimidating."
"Help! She just glanced at me, and I'm suffocating!"
Walking through campus, no one mistook her for a nerd. Her bloodline's sharp, chilling aura alone caused distant unease. People scattered like alarms going off, repelled by her inhuman, sweeping gaze.
None of it mattered.
Hands in her jacket pockets, she strolled through campus streets like a carefree boy.
Morning activity on campus was bustling. Students raced for self-study rooms or workshops. But anyone seeing her at an intersection stopped in their tracks, waiting silently for her to pass, as if watching a suspenseful horror movie.
Once she moved on, they scattered like pardoned prisoners.
None of this mattered either.
Diaran coldly observed passing students. Her highly developed senses, granted by dragon blood, gave her exceptional information-gathering ability, allowing her to eavesdrop on conversations from the surrounding environment.
"That Diaran just attacked two students at the start of term because they blocked her path."
Was this about the first day, when she fought those two catfish people?
Diaran frowned slightly.
If she hadn't acted, the traffic jam would have delayed countless people as they stood gawking.
This too, didn't matter.
It wasn't a big deal, but people's perceptions seemed far from limited to that incident.
"That's not all. Remember the elemental riot at school? She was involved."
"Eh? I thought the student council investigators didn't link her to it?"
"Oh, come on. Who else could it be? She's a dragon-titan hybrid, barely human. She might even eat people."
Elemental riot?
Diaran felt mildly intrigued.
That incident was baseless. She had simply been away from her dorm without classes at the time.
Moreover, the investigation team found no culprit, shadowed her for a month, and didn't even apologize afterward.
Normally, they should have deemed her a victim too.
Again, this didn't matter.
"Speaking of which, she tried joining the Laurel Workshop but got kicked out by the professor."
At last, a truthful statement.
Even Diaran, repeatedly hearing such baseless prejudice, couldn't help feeling annoyed.
"Haha, I heard about that. Professor Kuitarna was so polite, saying she only accepted pairs, two people per team. Hilarious."
"Uh, what's the deal with Professor Kuitarna?"
"Professor Kuitarna is notorious for being difficult. She practically treats her workshop like personal property. But even so, she's never set such unreasonable conditions. You know workshops require collaboration. How could someone so prickly fit in?"
"You mean the professor outright refused Diaran?"
"Exactly. She approached several peers for a team but got rejected. And guess what? All those peers got into the professor's workshop today."
"Uh, anyone entering Kuitarna's workshop must be Delta tier at least, with talent and status. But who'd partner with someone like her? Imagine a dragon-titan hybrid having a bad day and eating you!"
"Yeah, no thanks."
"Honestly, people like her should be sent straight to the battlefield. What's the draft office doing? Just send her off and call it a day."
"True. Shame about her stunning looks, though, ruined by her nasty personality."
......
"Phew—"
Diaran let out a long breath.
None of this mattered.
Stay calm, Diaran, stay calm. There's no point in getting worked up here.
Even if Professor Kuitarna deliberately targeted her, it wasn't a big deal. Since the professor required a partner, she had already chosen Leoz, a first-year student.
She had observed him closely. From the moment news broke of his five-minute magic exam, before it was officially suppressed, she'd paid slight attention to this potential competitor.
Leoz was undoubtedly unique.
He neither feared nor despised her powerful bloodline and didn't hold prejudices shaped by rumors.
Despite his dramatic rise and controversies, Leoz seemed unaffected by others' opinions, living freely and confidently without external influence.
To Diaran, Leoz had always been a clear figure.
Resolute and composed, adaptive and patient. He never flattered due to low status, nor did he succumb to despair despite record-setting demerits. Instead, he faced problems actively, taking steps to resolve them promptly.
While others saw Leoz as someone who lagged behind for three months post-enrollment, few noticed his meteoric rise from negative five hundred credits, rapidly catching up and surpassing others to reach Delta tier.
Leoz was a man of exceptional talent. Partnering with him would leave even Professor Kuitarna without grounds to object.
"As long as Leoz partners with me, everything will proceed smoothly."
Diaran thought to herself.