"Hi there~ ♪ May I hitch a ride on your boat, beautiful girl~"
Elysia smiled as she spoke to the girl with black and blue hair on the boat not far away.
"Eh? You are...?"
The girl asked somewhat uncertainly.
After all, encountering phantoms in a place like this was common, so she tightened her grip on the scythe in her hand, her eyes full of vigilance.
Elysia looked at the large scythe the girl was holding and felt an indescribable cuteness, immediately realizing that this was the Seele she was looking for.
"Don't be nervous, my cute little sister, my name is Elysia, and I'm not a bad person~"
Elysia said softly, trying to make her tone sound friendly.
Seele still hesitated and asked:
"Then... why are you here?"
Elysia propped her chin and thought for a moment, then said:
"I'm here to find a friend~"
Seele became even more puzzled:
"...A friend? Is Miss Elysia's friend also trapped here?"
"Hmm, more or less."
Elysia nodded.
"Then... how did Miss Elysia get in? And how do you get out?"
Seele continued to ask, a hint of expectation in her eyes, perhaps hoping to get a way out from Elysia.
"That... is a bit hard to explain."
Elysia smiled, not giving a clear answer.
"Alright... I shouldn't have asked."
Seele looked a bit disappointed, but her kind nature made her feel a little guilty, thinking she shouldn't have asked so many questions.
Then, she stepped aside and said to Elysia:
"Miss Elysia, please come aboard."
"Alright~"
Elysia smiled and lightly leaped onto the boat.
"Thank you, you truly are a kind girl~"
"Not at all, I just found this boat by chance."
Seele said a little shyly, her gaze unconsciously falling on the glowing pink crystal in Elysia's hand.
She didn't ask much, but she knew that with this light shining, it indeed made her feel much safer... "I'll tell you another secret, actually, besides looking for my friend, I'm also looking for a girl named Seele~"
Elysia looked at Seele and said with a smile.
Seele didn't immediately admit her identity, only asked in surprise:
"Eh...? Why?"
Seeing Seele's reaction, Elysia smiled and continued:
"Actually, I have a student named Bronya, and she told me your story~"
"Sister Bronya!? Us...?"
Seele suddenly looked at Elysia, her eyes wide with shock and joy, a little overwhelmed for a moment.
"That's right, it's you two. Aren't you happy?"
Elysia asked.
"..."
Seele didn't answer. Her eyes unconsciously changed color, and the scythe in her hand reappeared, swinging towards Elysia, her tone becoming sharp:
"Who exactly are you!?"
Although her voice was the same as before, her aura was completely different. Elysia then confirmed that this was Veliona.
"Oh my~ Such a temper isn't very good."
Elysia smiled slightly, easily dodged the scythe, and even grabbed the scythe handle.
Veliona tried to pull the scythe back but found that it seemed to be clamped tightly by something, not moving at all.
"Alright~ Calm down first. If I wanted to do anything, you wouldn't be able to resist at all~"
Elysia said softly, her tone carrying an undeniable certainty.
Veliona was not a temperamental person at heart; in fact, she was calmer than the usual Seele.
She said indifferently:
"Let go."
Elysia obediently released the scythe.
And Veliona retracted the scythe and continued to ask:
"Why did you happen to appear here, and how do you know about us?"
"Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?"
Elysia looked at Veliona sincerely, with no evasion in her eyes.
Veliona's expression visibly changed; she seemed unconvinced, but then she helplessly returned to calm, as there was no point in dwelling on it now.
"Don't be like that~ Although I can't take you out."
Elysia noticed her disappointment and patted Veliona's shoulder, saying.
"If you act like this, Seele will be troubled~"
Hearing this, Veliona's expression changed.
"You, how did you know!?"
"Such an obvious thing, of course, I can see it~"
Veliona's tone was still a bit cold, and she pushed Elysia's hand away.
"We, we..."
Veliona muttered, a hint of complexity in her tone, "But she doesn't seem to want to treat me as one of her own."
"Oh, in my opinion, you two are one person~"
Elysia still smiled.
Veliona suddenly looked up, unable to find any flaw in Elysia's expression.
"You..."
"Ah... never mind, you talk to her."
After speaking, Seele's eyes opened and closed, and her pupil color returned to its original state... "That..."
"Miss Elysia..."
Seele spoke softly, with a hint of embarrassment, "She, she didn't mean it."
"It's alright~"
Elysia waved her hand.
"Perhaps what I said was a bit abrupt~ And it's clear she's protecting you~"
"Mmm..."
Seele nodded, "She has indeed always protected me."
But the emotional barrier between them would probably only be completely resolved after they confided in each other... After a long while, Seele finally couldn't help but ask again:
"Then, is what you said about Sister Bronya true?"
"Of course, it's true~"
Elysia said affirmatively.
"Then... is she doing well now?"
Seele's voice was filled with deep concern.
"I don't know much about the past, but as for now..."
Elysia briefly told Seele about Bronya's life at St. Freya, such as her studying and training with Kiana and Mei.
"Has Sister already left that place? That's great."
Seele was very happy after hearing this, a long-lost smile appearing on her face.
She knew Bronya was doing well now and hadn't forgotten her... It's just, how wonderful it would be if she could spend those days with her sister...
The small boat slowly moved forward in the dark waterway, the crystal in Elysia's hand still emitting a soft glow, illuminating a small area around the two.
Seele looked at the faint light and said softly:
"Actually, I'm very scared, scared that all of this is an illusion..."
Elysia looked at her and said seriously:
"Hey, relax~ None of this is fake."
She said, gently taking Seele's tender little hand, and continued:
"And what I can tell you is that in the future, the person you most hope for will definitely come to save you personally... Do you understand?"
"Mmm! Thank you."
Seele smiled and nodded, her eyes seeming to sparkle with light.
"Wow, you look really beautiful when you smile. You should show your smile more often to your close friends in the future~"
Elysia looked at her smile and said sincerely.
"I'll remember that."
Seele nodded vigorously.
The underground dark river eventually had an end. After the small boat passed through an even deeper darkness, both knew that the time for separation had come.
"Well... see you next time then~"
Elysia waved to Seele.
Seele also waved back, her face full of gratitude, and said softly:
"Thank you, Elysia... Sister."
As soon as her voice fell, Elysia felt as if her consciousness had entered a deep sea...