"What in the world happened here?"
The little cutie voiced her confusion.
She crouched down, gently touching the ice crystals on the ground with her small hand. They were very cold.
Vya continued forward. The terrain here had changed drastically.
It wasn't like how she remembered it from her last visit.
She could almost see the firelight now. That had to be Brother Kalpas, though it seemed dimmer than before.
When Vya reached the area near that pillar, she saw a chestnut-haired older sister lying on the ground…
Strangely, in Vya's unique sight, this sister emitted no light whatsoever.
Nor did she give off that uncomfortable sense of nothingness. She simply lay there quietly, as if asleep.
Vya crouched down and lightly touched the sister's hand, immediately startled by the icy cold sensation.
Still nothing to see…
...
"Ah… how could this be."
For some reason, Vya felt a pang of sadness, even though she'd never met this sister before.
Fortunately, she hadn't forgotten her purpose for coming here.
She followed the direction of the firelight.
There, she saw the white-haired man hunched over, walking forward as if aimless, the wounds on his body a shocking sight.
"Brother Kalpas!"
Vya shouted loudly.
Kalpas slowly turned around. His wooden mask was covered in frost.
His clothes were in tatters, his exposed skin marred with signs of frostbite.
"Stay back…"
After uttering these words, he sat down on the ground, somewhat powerless.
Vya immediately ran over, her little face filled with worry. "No, Brother Kalpas is hurt…"
She didn't ask why Kalpas was wearing a mask.
"I'll take you to see Sister Aponia!"
"…"
Kalpas didn't want to speak. He didn't understand why Vya was doing this.
This kid always went ahead and did things on her own, though he didn't exactly dislike that about her.
Before Kalpas could respond, Vya had already grabbed his arm and effortlessly lifted him overhead.
Hehehe~
Then Vya took flight. This bit of weight was nothing at all.
...
Not long after, thanks to Kalpas's extraordinary recovery ability, he was feeling much better now.
But the little breeze up here was still a bit too lively.
"Kid, put me down."
Kalpas struggled a bit.
"Nope, Brother Kalpas can't fly, right?"
Kalpas: "…"
"Don't worry, Brother Kalpas, Vya flies really fast. We'll be there in no time."
No matter what Kalpas said after that.
Vya acted as if she hadn't heard a word at all.
They arrived quickly. Vya truly did fly very fast.
Vya landed on the ground and then, without waiting for Kalpas's agreement, dragged him into the Twilight Street.
The poor Kalpas was utterly powerless to resist…
...
At the entrance to Twilight Street, Pardofelis was lazily sunbathing.
Seeing this scene, her interest was instantly piqued.
"Wow, this is really interesting~"
So she secretly followed the two of them.
"Someone's following."
Kalpas spoke up.
Vya turned her head to look, then said with a smile, "It's fine. That's Sister Pardo. She's really nice."
Kalpas didn't say anything more, just memorized the name.
With that, she continued dragging Kalpas towards the sanatorium.
Once they reached the sanatorium.
The staff recognized Vya. Though somewhat wary of this masked "injured person," they quickly arranged a room.
...
"Brother Kalpas, how are you feeling now?"
Vya examined Kalpas carefully. The wounds on his body had healed quite a bit.
But his clothes were rather ragged.
"Got any wood? I want a fire."
Kalpas said curtly.
"Okay, Vya will go find some right away!"
Vya skipped out and soon returned with a large armful of firewood, though no one knew where she got it from.
Kalpas took out a small stick and began rubbing it with astonishing speed and strength. Soon, sparks flew, igniting the dry wood. A warm flame rose in the center of the room.
And thus, a fire was lit.
[Friendly reminder: Please do not light fires indoors.]
"Wow, so cool! Vya wants to try too!"
Vya's eyes sparkled as she excitedly raised her hand.
"Like this…"
Kalpas demonstrated the motion.
Surprisingly, he simultaneously reached his hand directly into the flame. White steam rose from his skin.
The fire licked at his palm but caused no harm. Instead, it sped up the healing of his wounds.
Vya imitated him and soon managed to produce a small flame herself.
"Whoa, Vya did it!"
Then Vya also copied Kalpas, playing with the fire, putting her hand in, taking it out…
Hehe, so much fun.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open. Aponia stood at the entrance. The staff had informed her.
Her gentle gaze swept over the scene in the room—the campfire, the masked man, and the little girl playing with fire.
Even she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Aponia asked softly, "Vya, who is this gentleman…?"
"This is Brother Kalpas. He was hurt, so I brought him over."
Vya introduced him to Aponia with a smile.
Of course, don't mind how she brought Kalpas over.
Aponia nodded with a smile. "I see… Vya did the right thing. This place is always open to those in need."
"Mhm mhm! Brother Kalpas, this is Sister Aponia. She's really nice!"
"…"
Hearing this, Kalpas slowly raised his head to look at Aponia.
Aponia couldn't see Kalpas's eyes because of the mask, but undoubtedly, this Kalpas before her was quite calm at the moment.
"…Who are you, really?"
Kalpas's voice was low and guarded.
For some reason, this woman made him feel profoundly uncomfortable.
"Someone who hopes to help you… Mr. Kalpas."
Kalpas was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then can you tell me, what should I say when I want someone I dislike to stay away from me?"
Aponia was slightly taken aback. "This… perhaps something like 'please leave'…"
"Too long."
Aponia thought for a moment. "Is that so… Well then… Though it's not very polite… people do tend to say this more often…"
"Piss off?"
Hearing this concise and powerful phrase for the first time, Kalpas immediately felt a sense of novelty and… satisfaction.
"Good. Piss off."
He said without any courtesy.
Hearing this, Aponia, far from getting angry, actually smiled. Her smile was gentle, without a hint of malice.
"Brother Kalpas, you can't talk to Sister Aponia like that. It's very rude."
Vya lectured him seriously.
"…"
Kalpas didn't think he had done anything wrong.
Aponia lightly waved her hand. "It's alright, Vya. This is just Mr. Kalpas's nature. It's fine."
She maintained her smile.
"Alright, but Brother Kalpas… it really isn't good to talk like that."
"Mhm, got it."
Kalpas gave a perfunctory reply, then looked at Aponia again, earnestly refining his wording:
"Then… please piss off."
"Brother Kalpas!"
Vya pouted her little mouth, looking quite displeased.
…
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