In the early morning, Bronya woke up to find Seele gone from the room. For some reason, a wave of panic washed over her.
Leaning on her crutches, she began to search for Seele everywhere. The moment she stepped out the door, she saw the experiment notice.
What is this?! This is the notice from the lab, why? Why is it here?
Bronya continued to search for Seele, her heart in turmoil. Memories from before kept surfacing in her mind...
"Listen well, Bronya. If the X-10 experiment succeeds, you will be able to manipulate matter at the subatomic level. But this experiment is extremely dangerous. The seven children who underwent it before all died... Are you willing to participate?"
"The Bronya... is willing to participate."
"You've made up your mind so quickly. Aren't you afraid?"
"I am. But if the Bronya's experimental data can make future experiments smoother... then it will be much safer for Seele to participate, won't it..."
That was a long time ago, when Mama Cocolia was informing them one by one about the X-10 experiment and asking for their consent.
"Sister Bronya! We're going to the beach the week after next, but Seele doesn't know how to swim yet... Do you, Sister Bronya?"
"Mn. Back when I was a special forces soldier, I received underwater demolitions training. My best record is holding my breath underwater for 4 minutes and 35 seconds."
"...That's amazing! Could you please teach me how to swim then, Sister Bronya?"
"Of course."
This was the promise Bronya had made with Seele under the starry sky.
"Mama Cocolia! Seele is missing..."
Bronya searched the entire orphanage but couldn't find Seele. She decided to go to Mama Cocolia. But when she pushed open the door, she froze. Cocolia was not in her office. The only sound in the entire room was the ticking of the clock.
Mama Cocolia, who was always in her office... wasn't there... Seele was nowhere to be found in the entire orphanage... and that experiment notice at the door...
Bronya felt as if she understood everything. Like a walking corpse, she returned to her room and squatted by the door in silence. There was nothing she could do...
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And while Bronya was searching for Seele.
On the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia, Cocolia and Seele had also disembarked from the aircraft.
"Mama, this place is..."
"The Sea of Okhotsk. We built the laboratory for the X-10 experiment on the seabed. The seawater can block Honkai energy leaks and prevent us from being observed by the Schicksal organization.
I'm so sorry, Seele, that the first time you see the sea is under these circumstances. But it's time to go, Seele."
Seele wasn't paying attention to what Mama Cocolia was saying. Her thoughts had been carried away by the sea.
So this is... the beach that Sister Bronya and I were going to go to? This is the first time I've seen it...
In her mind, she could already picture herself and Bronya playing happily on the beach. She and Sister Bronya, both wearing cute swimsuits, chasing each other and splashing around. Sister Bronya laughing heartily, so incredibly happy... Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Seele? What's wrong?"
"No... it's nothing... Let's go." The happy scene in her mind shattered like a puzzle, then dissipated piece by piece...
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Preparations for the experiment were thorough. Seele, wearing an experimental suit with tubes inserted all over her body, was submerged in the experimental apparatus.
"The experiment is proceeding smoothly. This child's body has an abnormally high adaptability to Honkai energy.
She can already use Honkai energy to manipulate matter at the atomic level.
With a further injection of more Honkai energy, she'll have the chance to manipulate matter at the subatomic, or even quantum, level."
The operator reported conscientiously to Cocolia.
Although the experiment was going smoothly, Seele's expression was not relaxed. Cocolia cared more about Seele than the experiment, but the experiment's importance made it difficult for her to choose.
Finally, Cocolia clenched her jaw and forced out a few words.
"Continue... the experiment. ...Inject another 3ml."
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Seele was unaware of the reactions outside. She only felt immense pain. Her body was aching and burning, as if it were about to melt.
Sometimes, it felt like something was continuously flowing into her body...
What on earth would Seele become...
Just as Seele was about to give up, a light seemed to shine upon her. An illusion of Bronya appeared before her.
Seele wanted to grab Bronya, but the illusion ignored her.
Ignoring Seele's repeated calls, Bronya's illusion crawled into the box where Seele used to hide whenever she was scared.
Seele wanted to open the box to find Bronya. But the moment she touched the lock, her hand was gripped tightly by another, preventing her from going any further.
"Stop. You can't go any further, Seele. What's inside that box, the power within the Stigmata, is not something you can control."
At the same time, in the outside world, alarms were blaring nonstop.
"Warning! A sharp increase in the test subject's Honkai energy reaction has been detected, it has exceeded controllable limits!"
The metal sphere in front of Seele was constantly changing under the influence of her leaking Honkai energy, taking on a ferocious and terrifying appearance.
"Seele... Dammit, stop the experiment, now..."
Cocolia frantically ordered the operator to stop the experiment, only to be told that it was already out of control... All they could do now was hope for Seele to pull through on her own...
"Seele..."
Cocolia didn't know what to do anymore. She could only stand aside, helplessly calling Seele's name.
The witch Cocolia had always projected the image of a strong woman to the world—imperious, proud, and confident, as if everything moved according to her will. But for all her past pride and confidence, she was now just as helpless and pitiful.
She had already lost her biological child. She had poured all the maternal love she couldn't give her own child onto Seele. Seele was the heavens' mercy upon her, her only salvation...
Revenge against the Honkai and the children of the orphanage were Cocolia's only obsessions. Although Cocolia loved the children of the orphanage dearly, all of them combined could not compare to a single Seele.
Seele possessed the power of a Stigmata, placing her among those with the highest Honkai energy adaptability. Cocolia had never even considered that Seele could fail the experiment. She could accept the failure of others, but she absolutely could not accept Seele's failure, because if Seele failed, she would die. Without Seele, Cocolia didn't know what she would do next.
But she had forgotten that she knew nothing about Stigmata. She had forgotten that she was the one who brought Seele for the experiment. And she had forgotten that it was her own impatience that led her to order the operator to inject an extra 3ml, causing the current disaster.