With the security officer's help, Kiana quickly got everyone settled before finding Mei, who was standing in place, lost in thought after finishing her discussion with the soldiers.
"Mei, done talking? What's the situation?"
"They don't know much either," Mei sighed, glancing up at the thick storm clouds above. Her voice dropped low. "Let's return to the shrine first."
"No problem."
They'd escorted the civilians to the shelter and taken down the nearby Kami—their mission was beyond complete. Returning to rest was only logical.
Besides, there were things Kiana wanted to say that weren't fit for the current setting. Mei's suggestion of returning to the shrine matched her own thoughts exactly.
Together, they made their way back.
Perhaps because the spider Kami had been slain, or maybe because there were simply few of them in the city to begin with, the trip back was peaceful. Not a single ambush interrupted their return.
Back at the shrine, Kiana first went to the guest room Mei had prepared for her—the same place she'd stayed the previous night.
Though she'd had some mischievous thoughts about moving into Mei's room, her courage hadn't matched her imagination. She hadn't even managed to step foot into Mei's quarters.
Being poor, she didn't have much to unpack. A few changes of clothes neatly placed in the wardrobe, and she was done.
Only after tidying up did Kiana finally focus on something she'd been neglecting—the subspace connected to her Phase Shuttle.
She had used the ability several times today, but since it was during battle, she hadn't had the chance to properly explore that strange golden space again.
Now that she finally had time, she could.
During combat, whenever she'd linked to the subspace, she had faintly sensed something… off.
Her figure faded from the room.
She appeared in an open, faintly golden space. Vast and empty. The air here was thick with Honkai Energy—far denser than in the outside world.
"This feeling again…"
It was difficult to describe—an unsettling sensation, as though an alien presence existed somewhere nearby.
Kiana couldn't ignore it. So now that everything else was settled, she'd returned here, hoping to find the source of that discomfort.
"It's coming from this direction!"
Closing her eyes briefly, she focused her senses before sprinting toward the right side, following the strange pull.
Could this subspace not be exclusive to her? Was it actually shared by someone—or something—else?
With that uneasy thought in mind, Kiana pressed forward quickly.
The laws of the subspace differed from reality, and so did distance. Yet strangely, even here, something like an invisible 'wall of air' blocked her way.
When she ran headfirst into it with an audible thud, she froze in disbelief, rubbing her forehead.
"This place… actually has boundaries?"
"Kind of ridiculous—but fair, I guess," she muttered. "If it were endless, that'd be a problem too."
Beyond the invisible barrier, she couldn't see anything—only the same soft golden hue stretching infinitely ahead.
Kiana traced her hands along the air wall, searching for a weak spot, but found none.
"That's strange," she murmured, frowning. "Why does it feel like… something's out there?"
What was outside this space?
She lowered her hand, rubbing her chin in thought. Curiosity quickly won over caution.
"Only one way to find out—let's open it!"
Clenching her fist, Kiana drove a heavy punch into the invisible wall. But the sturdy barrier didn't even ripple.
An ant against a tree.
Purely physical attacks were useless.
She thought for a moment, then her expression brightened. If brute strength didn't work—what about Honkai Energy?
Channeling the floating Honkai Energy around her, Kiana gathered it all into her right fist.
"Ha!"
She punched again. This time, cracks spidered across the golden surface before her.
"Hah! Knew it—Honkai Energy works!"
Her eyes lit up. But even as she watched, the cracks began to heal.
"Not so fast!"
Repeating the motion, Kiana struck several more times at the same spot. Before the cracks could mend, she forced the barrier open—shattering a small 'hole' through it.
Through that hole, she finally saw what lay beyond the subspace.
It was another space—similar to the one Kiana was in—but not quite the same. The hole she'd just punched through had temporarily linked two separate dimensions.
In simpler terms, Kiana had physically punched open a passage leading to another subspace.
But the space on the other side looked unstable—it was collapsing, fragmenting as if it were on the verge of destruction.
So the unease she'd felt earlier was because the neighboring space was collapsing?
Kiana frowned, watching through the breach as the other side crumbled.
Black and red—an ominous color scheme.
Blocks of space fell apart, cracking into fragments that sank into a dark abyss. Among them, she caught glimpses of purple light… purple?
Her gaze froze.
There—just beyond the rift—lay a girl with violet hair, motionless and unresponsive.
A person?
There was actually someone here?
Without hesitation, Kiana leapt through the breach into the collapsing space, landing on a trembling platform and sprinting toward the fallen girl.
The air here made her skin crawl.
And… Honkai Energy?
She focused briefly. No mistake—there was Honkai Energy here too. The concentration… roughly equal to what she'd felt in Izumo.
So was this… somewhere within Izumo's boundaries?
Kneeling beside the unconscious girl, Kiana placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light shake. "Hey, wake up! Are you still alive?"
The girl's body was burning hot to the touch.
Startled, Kiana widened her eyes and turned the girl's head slightly—only to find her looking like she'd been struck by lightning.
"Don't tell me she's cooked…"
Kiana's heart skipped a beat. She quickly pulled her hand back and leaned closer, checking for signs of breathing.
It was faint.
But she was still alive.
She had no idea what this place was, but one thing was certain—the girl's condition proved she wasn't normal.
…Then again, that was obvious.
Kiana mentally scolded herself for the pointless thought. With a glance at the slowly closing rift, she quickly lifted the unconscious girl into her arms and leapt back through the hole into her own subspace.
Once she returned, the barrier began repairing itself rapidly. Within moments, the hole she'd punched had completely vanished, the golden surface restored to its flawless state—showing no sign of damage.
"The strange feeling's gone…"
Now Kiana understood what had been bothering her. Her gaze fell upon the girl she held in her arms.
…So it was her.
The girl seemed to share a faint resonance with the subspace—and that subtle connection had been what Kiana, while using her Phase Shuttle, had subconsciously sensed.