154. Goodbye, Sirin, Goodbye Kiana
"Was I...asleep?"
Raiden Mei slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She sat up and looked around; the room was empty, and only she remained.
"Where did everyone go? Where's Kiana?"
The sky outside was still dark, with faint morning light filtering through the curtains, illuminating the dining table—the previously messy dishes had been neatly arranged, as if everyone had quietly left while she was asleep.
"Kiana..." she whispered, her voice unusually clear in the silent room.
Just then—
"Ugh...hmm..."
A suppressed sound came from the depths of the corridor, like a gasp or a low sob. Mei's heart sank; a sense of foreboding washed over her. Her gaze involuntarily turned to Kiana's bedroom—the door was tightly closed, and the sound was coming from there.
"It shouldn't be...What I think it is..."
Despite her reason telling her not to overthink it, her feet seemed drawn by some invisible force, step by step, towards the door. As she closed the distance, the suppressed voice grew clearer, even tinged with a subtle tremor—
That was clearly... Kiana's voice!
Mei's heart pounded, her cheeks burning uncontrollably. As if possessed, she pressed herself against the door, her ear lightly touching the cold wood...
"Ah...ha..."
For a moment, Mei's breath almost stopped. She couldn't believe what she had heard, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning slightly white.
"No...no way..."
Her fingertips trembled as she placed her hand on the doorknob, her heart pounding in her ears.
Click—
The sound of the lock turning was particularly jarring in the silence.
Just as the crack in the door was about to widen—
"Mei, wake up, it's morning."
A familiar voice rang in her ears.
"!"
Mei jolted awake, her chest heaving, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Before her was Kiana's face, inches away, her head tilted, her deep blue eyes filled with worry.
"Mei? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Mei stared at her blankly until she was sure the person in front of her was real. Only then did her tense nerves finally relax. She raised her hand to cover her burning cheeks and let out a long breath.
"So… it was just a dream…"
Kiana blinked, then smiled gently, reaching out to pull her into her arms, her palm stroking soothingly across Mei's back.
"Okay, it was just a nightmare, don't be afraid, I'm here."
The familiar warmth seeped through her clothes, and Mei finally relaxed completely, but was immediately annoyed by the absurdity of the dream—how could she have such a dream?!
She pulled away slightly, only then realizing she was lying in Kiana's bed, and it was already bright daylight outside.
"Hmm? I...slept in yesterday?"
Kiana nodded, scratching her cheek somewhat embarrassedly.
"Yeah, you drank a little and fell asleep, and I couldn't wake you up no matter what I did, so I just brought you back to my room."
Mei paused, then her cheeks flushed slightly.
"W... Was my alcohol tolerance really that low?"
She bit her lip in annoyance, silently resolving—she would never touch alcohol again!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the clock on the wall; the hands were already pointing to eight. Mei sat bolt upright.
"Oh no! It's almost time to assemble!"
She hurriedly got up, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, and turned to look at Kiana, who was still sitting on the bed.
"Kiana, you should get ready too, the headmistress and the others should be here soon!"
Kiana lazily stretched and flashed her a bright smile.
"Okay~ Mei's still the same as always."
Mei sighed helplessly, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
—Thankfully, it was just a dream.
But...? Was it really just a dream?
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"That guy's been sitting like that all morning. What's wrong with him?"
The Tarnished nudged Kevin with his elbow and gestured towards the melancholy figure in the corner.
Kevin, with a piece of bread dangling from his mouth, mumbled, "You said it yourself, I was just being crazy, how would I know? But..." He suddenly lowered his voice, leaning closer mysteriously, "There was definitely something wrong with that drink last night. I bet something terrible happened."
The Tarnished shrugged indifferently, "Anyway, it's none of our business."
"Great minds think alike." Kevin grinned, extending his fist. The two fists lightly touched in the air, reaching a consensus.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch—!"
A sudden scream shattered the morning tranquility. Lemuen had appeared behind Xiling at some point, her slender hand mercilessly gripping the other's ear.
"Stop pretending to be melancholy! You've got the upper hand, and you're still acting innocent. Go get ready!" Lemuen narrowed her eyes, her tone dangerous.
"Okay, okay! Let go! Let go!" "Xiling grimaced and begged for mercy, the previous gloomy atmosphere instantly vanishing.
Just then, the door clicked open.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Kiana jumped out, full of energy, her long white hair swaying gently with her movements, her blue eyes sparkling, radiating extraordinary vitality.
Kevin waved without looking up: "Good morning, Sirin."
"I overslept this morning and didn't make you breakfast. Help yourself," the Tarnished mumbled, stuffing a sandwich into his mouth.
Kiana gave an OK sign, then her gaze shifted to Lemuen, who still had a stern face:
"Dear Sister Lemuen~ Why the long face so early in the morning?"
"You know perfectly well why I had a long face." Lemuen poked Kiana's forehead with her index finger, but was defeated by Kiana's bright smile, sighing helplessly:
"Alright, it's about time. Are you ready?"
Kiana took a step back, her right fist pressed against her chest, a confident smile on her face:
"Everything's ready!"
Xiling rubbed his red ears and stood up:
"Then let's go."
In the morning light, Kiana skipped along at the front like a cheerful little bird. However, when she saw the group waiting in the distance, her steps suddenly froze.
In the sunlight, a fiery red figure was smiling and waving at her.
"Teacher... Himeko?"
Kiana's voice was almost inaudible, her blue eyes widening slightly, as if afraid the figure before her would suddenly disappear.
Xiling scratched the back of his head and stepped forward.
"I met her when we entered the Imaginary Space last time. I kept it a secret from you, wanting to surprise you. She's been recuperating in Schicksal these past few days..."
Before he finished speaking, Kiana suddenly turned and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Xiling."
The hug was fleeting. The next second, the white-haired girl had already dashed towards the figure she had longed for like an arrow.
Watching Kiana throw herself into Himeko's arms and burst into tears like a child, the four of them exchanged a smile.
"Let's go, we should go and finish what we need to do last." With that, Xiling took a step forward and shouted to the group not far away.
"Hey! Sirin!"
Kiana lifted her tear-filled face from Himeko's shoulder.
The four of them stood in a line, ramrod straight in the morning light. Xiling thumped his chest first:
"Let's get to know each other again—Hero, Xiling."
"Kevin Kaslana." The silver-haired boy nodded slightly.
"The Tarnished." The mage stood with his arms crossed.
"Lemuen." The pink-haired woman waved gently.
Kiana forcefully wiped away her tears, cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted with all her might:
"Kiana! My name is Kiana Kaslana!"
"Then—" their voices overlapped, "Kiana Kaslana, goodbye!" Before the words were even finished, the four figures began to become transparent. The wind rustled through the grass, stirring up a few fallen leaves, and their outlines gradually vanished like morning mist.
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A/N:
After completing this mission, you will be able to use the summoning system.
Understand?