Somewhere, darkness swallowed everything.
All but a single phone.
Glowing bright against the abyss, the screen revealed only one thing it could.
Kafka's smiling face.
The phone rested in her hand, and with a single tap, she sent a message.
Swoosh
An emerald orb of energy tore through the void toward her.
Slash
A sword cleaved through the darkness, shattering the orb into countless twinkling fragments of light.
From the direction of the orb, Ena stood rigid with her hands pressed tight against her ears.
"You!"
Grinding her teeth, she glared at Kafka.
"What did you send her!" she shouted.
Slowly, Kafka lifted her gaze to meet hers.
Their eyes locked for a brief second before the darkness rushed in and enveloped the space in endless void.
Ena turned in place, her eyes searching in every direction.
No light. No shape. Only endless emptiness.
Then, from somewhere deep in her chest, a melody clawed its way into her mind.
"~A bird lived inside a greenhouse~"
"~The glass was transparent~"
"~The bird could see the sky~"
"~The food was warm, and the people were polite~"
"~But every time she flew toward a branch, she struck invisible glass~"
"~The gardeners watched her flutter and said, 'We don't trust birds that die so fast'~"
"~Still, the bird kept flying~"
The melody refused to fade from Ena's mind, even as she pressed her hands harder against her ears.
Her eyes darted frantically through the endless darkness. "Stop mocking me! Tell me what you want!" she shouted, but the emptiness drank her cry, leaving no trace of sound.
Then, Kafka's voice echoed.
"The fog within The FINALITY - E̶̸̟̅̅n̶̙̍̍a̶̘̍̄ -"
"Ahh... what a mystery you are. To hide from Elio's eyes..."
A low chuckle rattled through the abyss.
"Now, who are you exactly...?"
Hearing her question, Ena took a deep breath.
'System. Does Spirit Whisper affect me'
(No host)
'You sounded just as confident before Aha proved you wrong'
(Correction accepted)
(The previous failure resulted from direct intervention by the AEON of ELATION. Stronger countermeasures have since been implemented)
(Current confidence remains high)
Scanning around the void and finding nothing but darkness, Ena pushed her hands even harder against her ears.
'No one has had their personality altered so far'
She recalled seeing Kafka and Blade's banner in the game. 'They're both playable characters. So that should mean something...'
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
'They're supposed to be good people... right?'
"Hahh!" A breath she didn't even realize she was holding finally escaped.
'...And right now, I'm weak. If they wanted to hurt me, they would've done it already instead of whatever this is'
She clenched her teeth, then her eyes sharpened. 'Now or never'
A faint tremor ran through her hands as she let them drop to her sides.
"..."
The void remained still and silent. Not a whisper. Not a trace of melody.
Her gaze swept the emptiness.
"What do you want" she said flatly.
CLICK
Light poured down from above, but it only lit a small circle around her. Beyond that, darkness remained.
Then, Kafka emerged from the shadows, crossing into the light until she stood in front of Ena.
Looking up, Ena met her with a sharp glare.
Kafka smiled while gazing down at her. Ena's small frame barely reached her collarbone.
"What a brave little doctor" Kafka said lightly, reaching out toward Ena.
Ena's gaze stayed fixed on those hollow, magenta-tinted eyes as she stepped back from her reach.
"What do you want. Kafka" she said, her voice still flat.
Kafka withdrew her hand and let out a soft chuckle. "To know you, dear"
"You're the mystery in FINALITY's vision" she said, tilting her head.
"~~Are you an Emanator of ENIGMATA~~"
Ena's brow furrowed ever so slightly as a faint tugging sensation crept into her mind.
She drew a shallow breath, and it was gone quickly.
"No" she said, her voice steady.
Kafka kept her head tilted and leaned closer, close enough to feel Ena's breath.
Their breaths mingled.
Keeping her gaze on those hollow purple eyes, Ena said nothing.
Kafka smiled faintly at her stillness.
"Is that soo..."
She breathed in slowly through her nose.
A natural honey-sweet scent flooded her nose, then slowly, a faint herbal note and floral undertone followed.
Kafka's eyelids fluttered, and she leaned closer, her breath brushing across Ena's neck before she breathed in even deeper than before.
The scent grew sweeter, warmer, softer, like an innocent flower bathed in sunlight.
She savored it slowly, letting it fill her senses, drinking in every layer of honey, herbs, and blossom before it settled gently into her lungs.
Then, realizing she had lingered too long on that sweetness, Kafka finally pulled back.
"A sweet scent, little doctor. Very pleasant" she said with a chuckle, a faint smile still on her face.
Ena kept her breathing steady. Her eyes still sharp.
"You're a creep"
Kafka's eyelids twitched, and her smile faded. She looked down at her carefully. Ena was so small, barely coming up to her collarbone.
Kafka took a step back, away from her.
"Ahem... Very well, Doctor. Just know that your existence is a threat to the universe itself"
After searching for deception and seeing no trace of it, Ena frowned. "Why?"
Kafka raised her right hand, her index finger stopping just short of Ena's forehead.
Ena didn't flinch. Her gaze remained steady on Kafka's face, unblinking.
Silence hung between them before Kafka finally broke it.
"Because you are an anomaly. A variable absent from the future Elio prepared"
"Someone capable of changing what even he cannot. That makes you... Dangerous"
She paused, her eyes fixed on Ena's.
"Or an opportunity"
'I see... opportunity' Ena's expression tightened.
"How can I help you" she said firmly.
Withdrawing her hand, Kafka chuckled, and her faint smile returned. "I simply enjoy talking to intelligent people"
Then she snapped her fingers.
The circle of light around them spread outward, flooding the void until the entire space was illuminated. And with it, Blade came into view.
Kafka approached him. Her footsteps were soft against the ground, a slow, measured walk that ended just behind him, her face obscured by his head.
"For now, I need you to help my friend over here. Blade" she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.
Across from him, Ena studied his expression. It was hollow, emotionless.
The silence stretched as they held each other's gaze.
Ena's left hand drifted closer to her robe before she finally broke the silence. "...How?"
Kafka tilted her head just enough for her smile to appear beside Blade's face.
"Good question" she said.
She looked at Ena's robe, tracing the herbs embroidered across every surface.
"Cure Mara affliction. As someone favored by the AEON of ABUNDANCE itself, you should be able to do so"
Ena studied her, eyes narrowing ever so slightly at Kafka's unchanging calm.
'Of course she would know...'
A brief pause, then Ena examined Blade from where she stood. "Currently, I cannot cure Mara"
Kafka glanced at him.
"Cannot cure..." she murmured, pulling her hands away from his shoulders.
"Then you'll need to do some research, Doctor"
Stepping to Blade's side, she spoke firmly. "Say it. What do you need?"
"I need a monograph on Mara and material for experimenting" Ena said.
Kafka nodded. "Most records on Mara are suppressed by the Xianzhou. But we can borrow them without drawing attention. As for material, the Sanct-"
Slash
Blade cut his own left hand. Both Kafka and Ena's eyes followed it as it flew away.
Splat
It landed near Ena's feet. She took a small step back while her eyes darted between the severed hand and Blade's expressionless face.
Beside him, Kafka frowned. "Blade. That was unnecessary. We could have taken someone alive from the Sanctus Medicus"
Blade glanced at her. "It doesn't matter. My hand will regenerate and the Doctor needs the patient's own flesh to study more effectively"
By the time he finished speaking, his hand was already fully regenerated.
Briefly, Kafka met his empty gaze before focusing back on Ena.
"Is this enough as material, Doctor?"
Looking away from the hand, Ena turned her attention to her.
"Yeah... it's enough"
Kafka gave a nod. "Then I will bring the papers to you tomorrow, Doctor"
In return, Ena nodded.
Kafka gave a small wave. "See you tomorrow"
As shadows began to swallow them both, Ena calmly waved back.
But just before they vanished, Kafka smiled. "You might want to hide that hand and get cleaned up before you talk to our lonely Xiǎo Qīng"
Blinking, Ena muttered under her breath. "What?"
Kafka threw a phone at her. "She's been waiting for a long time"
"Wait!" Ena's eyes went wide.
But by the time she caught it, the void had already closed, taking the two and the shadows with them.
She stared at the spot where they had vanished, then down at the phone.
Ena: I'm fine. There's a patient here who needs medicine. I'm a bit busy right now, but I'll message you again later. Talk soon!
"Oh... so this is the one Kafka sent" she murmured, then scrolled up, looking at the messages before Kafka's reply.
Qingling: Ena?
Qingling: Ena, did something happen over there?
Qingling: Ena are you okay?!
Qingling: Ena tell me watt happened!
Ena's expression softened as she read through the messages. "I should send my own message"
After typing a few letters, she suddenly stopped and took in her surroundings.
There was a desk, a chair, a potted plant tucked away in the corner. And a fresh, bloody hand lying on the floor near her feet.
She exhaled, her shoulders sagging.
"What a mess"
Unnoticed by her, a familiar blue glow flickered in the corner of her eye.
(Mission: Spend a pleasant journey on the Xianzhou using the Path of Abundance)
(Status: Incomplete)
A tiny smiling clown logo tucked in the corner of the translucent interface.
TBC
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Hey Hey, Reader. Nilvan here.
A reminder that this is the place for End of Chapter Notes or Author Notes. If you don't want your immersion broken, you can confidently skip this, because these notes will never contain spoilers or story. Just me rambling.
Today, there's not much to talk about...
Maybe I can talk about the restructuring of this chapter?
Nah... I don't think I will.
Anyway, what do you think of this chapter?
Feedback is always appreciated.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm open to them.
Oh! Before I forget, here's a fun fact.
Ena is 145 cm tall, putting her in the same height range as Pela, Herta's puppet, Lynx, Fu Xuan, and Silver Wolf.
Also, another fun fact. Qingling is even shorter than Bailu.
Bailu stands at 129 cm, while Qingling is only 125 cm.
Interpret that however you like. :)
That's all for now. Good afternoon!
(❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡
Wrapped up after two drafts and three sessions of editing at 16:24. Finalized and published today.