Ryn held Seele's hand and began drifting toward his physical body. As a consciousness and a Quantum ghost, they existed between existence and nonexistence. They needed Ryn's body as a world anchor to reconstruct a new physical form for Seele.
Seele let Ryn lead her away, not knowing where he was taking her. Though she suspected he was deceiving her, she had nothing left in this Quantum Gap. What could he possibly gain from tricking her? Unable to make sense of it, she decided to ask him directly.
"Brother Ryn? Is Sister Bronya really in danger right now?"
Looking into Seele's eyes, as vast and pure as the sea, Ryn was overwhelmed with guilt. He lost all interest in teasing her further.
"No, I was just teasing you. Bronya has already returned to the real world."
"Huh?!"
Seele, who had been blushing and looking down, snapped her head up, her eyes wide and already misting with tears. She stared at Ryn in disbelief. "Brother Ryn... why did you lie to me? If Sister Bronya has already returned to the real world... do you know how she is now?"
"You idiot Seele! Why are you still worrying about Bronya Onee-chan? That woman deceived us! Just grab your scythe and stab her in the gut so she can learn the price of lying to us!" Black Seele was furious. Both of them had been abducted, and Seele was still fretting over her Bronya Onee-chan.
As for Bronya's current situation... Ryn recalled Cortana's report about the Combat Weapon Kiana and the others had encountered. It seemed to be named Bronya...
"Let me start with some bad news. Our timeline here is chaotic. I don't know how long ago you and Bronya separated in real-time, but when I met her yesterday, she was accompanied by a massive mecha..."
At the mention of a massive mecha, Seele immediately realized it was the Reconstructed Power she had given Bronya. She smiled brightly and said, "Mhm, mhm! That's the power I gave Bronya Onee-chan to protect her. It's called Heavy Bunny!"
"I haven't finished... Her condition is critical. A control chip has been implanted in her. According to Cortana's analysis, this chip has completely suppressed Bronya's self-identity... She's now being used as a Combat Weapon to hunt down Herrschers. We repelled her in battle..."
"How could this happen..."
The light in Seele's eyes faded, her mind now consumed by the phrases "completely suppressed self-identity" and "used as a Combat Weapon." Though Seele had grown up in the Cocolia Orphanage and received little formal education as a teenager, she understood the terrifying implications of these words.
Black Seele could only play dead. She could tear apart everyone controlling Bronya and rescue her, but she couldn't return to the real world, nor did she know how to comfort White Seele...
Ryn gently knelt, meeting the gaze of the tiny Seele (fully grown Seele is 1.49 meters tall, but she's probably even shorter now). He then gently embraced her, speaking in the softest voice he could muster:
"Don't worry, Bronya will be fine. You'll return to the real world and be reunited with her. There's no reason why not—because I'm here."
"Let's reshape your body together, then return to the world and save your sister, Bronya," Ryn said, raising their tightly clasped hands toward Seele.
"Mm," Seele nodded. She didn't know if Ryn was lying this time, but she was willing to take the chance.
Seeing Seele's determined expression, Ryn found her utterly adorable. He suddenly felt the urge to tease her again, but he quickly dismissed the thought. This wasn't the time for jokes. Just as he was thinking this, Sea transmitted a message to him.
"What if I told you everything I said before was a lie?"
"Huh?!" White Seele's eyes immediately welled up with tears of hurt, but in the next instant, her eyes turned crimson. Black Seele raised her scythe and swung it at Ryn. "Die!"
Because their hands were still clasped, Ryn had nowhere to dodge. However, as a mere consciousness, he couldn't be harmed by physical attacks. Only mental attacks could affect him.
So, he let Black Seele hack at him relentlessly without resisting. When she finally tired, Ryn seized the opportunity to pat the panting, glaring Black Seele's head. He loved this look—the way she wanted to kill him but couldn't.
"You bitch!"
"Hehe... alright, what I said before was the truth. How could anyone resist teasing two Seeles who are so adorable?" Ryn raised one hand in surrender, begging to be spared.
"Bronya's still in danger! And you're still joking around with me!" Both Black Seele and White Seele were furious, but they couldn't do anything to Ryn.
Ryn looked at Black Seele, who was grinding her teeth at him, and stroked her head. Enraged, Black Seele raised her scythe again, but this time she didn't strike.
"Hehe... I told you before, time here is chaotic. I'm from a timeline where Bronya has already been controlled, while you're from a timeline where you've just sent out Heavy Bunny. We represent different timelines. The Sea's power brought me to your timeline and led me to you. Even if we're desperate to return to my timeline, we can't go back to reality now."
Black Seele returned her body to White Seele and materialized her own form beside her. Together, they asked Ryn, "Why... why would the Sea send a version of you from a different timeline to find me?"
"Because if I hadn't come, you might have already dissipated..."
"?" "But... but I'm still here, aren't I?" Both Seeles were confused. They were still chatting with Ryn, so why would he say they were about to vanish?
Ryn raised his hand, the one tightly clasped in Seele's.
"Because you're only here now because you're tethered to me. Your original state was incredibly unstable. You barely managed to hold on long enough to say goodbye to Bronya. Without me, you would have dissolved into quantum particles and vanished completely. The Sea took an interest in you, but your condition was too fragile. That's why I came. The Sea will use me as an anchor to reconstruct your body and bestow upon you its blessing, making you a true Daughter of the Sea. At first, I thought I'd have to take you back with me, but the Sea sent word that all we needed was a stable anchor formed through our contact. As long as we're together, it's enough. That's why I was teasing you earlier."
Before Seele could fully process Ryn's words, her form began to glow intensely. The light flashed brighter and brighter, eventually engulfing Ryn as well.