In the morning sun, the boy and girl embraced… as if they were the only two people in the world…
Having woken from a nightmare, Li Xuan's emotional outburst was only temporary. A minute after the embrace, he came back to his senses… and his pale face began to turn a deep shade of red.
What should I do? Should I push her away… or keep holding on?! Li Xuan thought, his palms beginning to sweat as he held Yae Sakura. The choice was too difficult. As a single guy, he couldn't bear to let go. Besides, holding Yae Sakura felt incredibly comfortable, like hugging a fluffy doll…
"..." But Yae Sakura hadn't let go either. Would it be rude if he was the first to pull away?
This was the dilemma of a single dog who had never been in a relationship…
Ultimately… Li Xuan's reason triumphed over his desires. He lifted his head from Yae Sakura's long hair and spoke softly to her, as she still held him. "Sakura… I'm letting go now…"
"..." Yae Sakura continued to hold him without a word.
"Sakura?!" Li Xuan sensed something was wrong. Why wasn't she responding? He released his arms from around Yae Sakura's slender waist, and her body slumped softly into his embrace…
She's… asleep?! Li Xuan looked down at the beast-eared girl in his arms with astonishment. In the sunlight, Yae Sakura rested against him, letting out soft, sweet snores. Her cherry-like lips were slightly parted, and her sleeping face was one of exquisite beauty.
"..." All that overthinking… I'm such an idiot. For the first time in his life, Li Xuan felt heartbroken over his own intelligence…
"..." Li Xuan silently glanced at the stool where Yae Sakura had been sitting. It was still warm with her presence, proof that she had been waiting there quietly for him to wake up…
"…" A smile touched Li Xuan's lips, and a warm feeling spread through him. The feeling of having someone by your side when you're unconscious… it was truly heartwarming.
Li Xuan carefully carried Yae Sakura to the bed he had been sleeping in and gently tucked her in. The morning sun sprinkled across her face, and a slight smile appeared on her lips, as beautiful as a dew-kissed flower blooming towards the sun…
After Li Xuan quietly left the room, a wisp of black mist rose from Yae Sakura's body, slowly coalescing into the shape of a fox. Its crimson eyes watched Li Xuan's departing figure as it spoke in an old, world-weary tone.
"Hmph, I suppose the boy knows how to be considerate… Hmph~"
"Splash—" Li Xuan was in the washroom, going through his morning routine of washing up and brushing his teeth. He had always been quite particular about hygiene, maintaining his daily bathing habit even in this Honkai-ravaged world. It was probably a habit ingrained from his twelve years of compulsory education and three years of high school back in China…
He was nothing like that Kiana girl, who only ever bathed when she had the chance to do so with Mei…
Just as Li Xuan picked up a towel to wash his face, he suddenly froze… A question popped into his head.
"Where are Kiana, Mei, and Bronya?!" Li Xuan suddenly remembered. Weren't they all fighting the Honkai Beast together?! Mei should be fine… In his hazy memory, she seemed to have even punched him? The image of those intimidating, golden vertical pupils reappeared in his mind, and a shiver ran down his spine.
"Phew~" A fresh layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Li Xuan felt an urge to rush back to the bedroom, wake Yae Sakura, and ask her exactly what had happened while he was unconscious. Why was he all alone? But the thought of her staying up all night waiting for him to wake… he couldn't bring himself to disturb her.
I hope they're okay… Li Xuan closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and silently prayed in front of the washroom mirror… especially for Bronya. He had promised that girl in his dream that he would protect her…
"Sigh~" Li Xuan opened his eyes with a worried sigh. He was still anxious… Slowly, he lowered his hands. The red mark on the back of his right hand flashed in the mirror's reflection…
Li Xuan lowered his head and looked at the Stigmata on the back of his right hand. It hadn't changed much, except that there were now four red marks in the four cardinal directions next to the Taiji symbol…
"Wait a minute…" Four… new marks?! Li Xuan jerked his right hand up, staring at the back of it… Light from outside shone through the washroom's blinds, illuminating his hand…
It used to be a red Taiji mark, with two yin-yang fish. Now, four new marks had appeared in the four cardinal directions around the Taiji pattern. On the left was a dragon sigil, on the right a tiger sigil, above was a fire feather sigil, and below was a mark resembling a turtle shell.
"..." Li Xuan stared blankly at the new Stigmata on the back of his hand. After a long moment… he suddenly cried out in shock.
"The Four Symbols!"
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Six years ago...
In a small wooden cabin in the forest, a fire burned brightly in the hearth, radiating a comforting warmth that filled the small space.
"Ouch! That Honkai Beast was so fast... It almost cut off my leg..." Inside the cabin, a little white-haired girl sat on a stool, watching her father gently wrap her leg with a white bandage.
"Why do we have to protect that village... It has nothing to do with us!" the little white-haired girl said unhappily.
"Oh? When you saw the people being hurt by the Honkai, didn't you feel the blood of the Kaslana family boiling inside you?" a young man, also with white hair, asked with a slight smile, his well-built upper body bare as he looked up.
"Don't be ridiculous. Your blood only boils when you see those big sisters at the bar!" the little girl retorted with an expression that said 'I see right through you'.
"Big sisters are great, you know~ Kiana is too young to understand~" the man said, continuing to bandage the little girl's slender calf.
"Too young... Well, if we're always protecting other people... who's going to protect me?" the little girl asked after a moment of thought.
"Of course, Daddy will protect you! My little Kiana~" the man said with a smile, reaching out to stroke the little girl's fluffy, soft hair. "If anyone dares to lay a hand on my precious daughter, I'll definitely break their legs!"
The little girl opened her eyes, her pair of azure blue eyes gazing at the man. "Then, it's a promise!" she said, holding out her pinky finger.
"Mhm, it's a promise!" A small hand and a large hand linked together.
The morning sun shone into the snow-white room. The white-haired girl lying in the snow-white bedding suddenly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of azure blue eyes.
She stared blankly at the white ceiling, her right hand instinctively rising, her slender pinky finger extended, silent... "Yo~ You're finally awake~" a soft voice came from in front of Kiana, interrupting her reverie.
"Looks like you've recovered well!" What appeared in Kiana's line of sight was a large, golden cross. A white-haired loli in a nun's habit was sitting on the cross, her right hand propping up her head as she smiled at her.