The gruff voice of a guard shattered Kiana's sleep early the next morning.
"Kiana, your mother is here for you!"
"Huh?" Kiana mumbled, a thread of drool clinging to the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were barely cracked open, the world still a blurry ss.
"Alright, that's enough. Co on out," the guard urged, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"Sister Kallen..." Kiana turned, her gaze filled with concern for the woman who shared her cell.
"Don't worry about . I'll be fine," Kallen replied, her voice as gentle and reassuring as ever. "Go on, go see your family. And you too, Rovel. It's ti for you to go back as well."
The tiny creature nestled in Kiana's hair stretched its minuscule body and hopped back to its perch atop her head. Still holding a grudge from his bite the previous night, Kiana tried to dislodge him with a vigorous shake of her head. It was a futile effort; Rovel simply dug his little claws deeper into her silver hair, pulling painfully.
"Stop dawdling, move it!" The guard gave her an impatient shove, pushing her out of the cell and into the corridor.
A high, dramatic voice imdiately filled the air. "Oh, I am so terribly sorry! My troubleso daughter has caused you so much trouble!"
There stood Bronya, transford into a picture of European aristocracy. She wore a luxurious gown with a ruffled collar, held a delicate lace parasol, and was adorned with an ostentatious amount of jewelry. The only thing that slightly undermined the grand image was her petite stature.
However, since many nobles were known for their eccentricities, the guards didn't find her appearance suspicious in the slightest.
"What a naughty child," Bronya cooed, her voice climbing several octaves as she pretended to be on the verge of tears. "Mommy was worried sick about you."
Kiana's expression went thunderous. A deep sense of misery washed over her at the sight of Bronya's over-the-top performance.
'Bronya, get Kiana and go back. This place is dangerous,' Rovel's voice echoed in their minds.
"Yes, this data space is highly unusual," Bronya replied, her voice instantly reverting to its usual flat, emotionless tone. The noblewoman act vanished as if it had never been. "It seems to be in a constant loop, re-enacting the events of five hundred years ago."
"Wait, we're just leaving like this?" Kiana asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Does the Idiot Kiana wish to alter the fate of this digital world?" Bronya tilted her head, her gaze sharp.
"If she really is that Kallen Kaslana from the history books, she's going to be sent to the gallows soon, isn't she?" Kiana's voice was laced with an unwillingness to accept the fact. "But she's... she's so kind..."
'Not bad. You actually rembered that part of history. That deserves so praise,' Rovel comnted dryly.
"Is now really the ti for that?" Bronya shot back, her gaze shifting to the small creature on Kiana's head. "Besides, Rovel, you didn't sound like you were planning on leaving just now."
'Do you rember Yae Sakura? The one we t in Nagazora City?' Rovel asked, sidestepping her question.
"Yes. Did she not beco your Stigmata?" Bronya tilted her head, but Rovel's words jogged her mory. Back in Nagazora City, Yae Sakura had been desperately searching for Kallen Kaslana. Learning of Kallen's death centuries ago had sent her into a deep depression.
'Kallen Kaslana is right here,'Rovel explained.'Even if this is just a data space... the Stigmata within is in turmoil. It's Yae Sakura. Her will is crying out, pleading with to change what happens here.''So, until I've resolved things, I can't go back just yet,' Rovel concluded.
"...Bronya understands." Bronya nodded. A translucent holographic screen materialized before her, and her fingers danced across its surface. A mont later, a column of white light engulfed the small creature on Kiana's head.
The sudden appearance of a full-grown man where a tiny creature had been a second before completely destroyed Kiana's center of gravity. Neither of them had ti to react to the sudden transformation.
With a startled cry, Kiana toppled backward, dragging the newly materialized Rovel down with her. They landed in a tangled heap. Rovel, trying to break his fall, instinctively threw out a hand—which landed squarely on the soft curve of Kiana's chest. In the chaotic tumble, their faces collided, and their lips t with a soft, unintentional press.
"Oho..." Bronya watched the scene unfold, silently raising a small device to record the mont.
Kiana's eyes flew wide in disbelief. A split second later, she shoved Rovel away with all her might.
"Ptooey, ptooey! That was my first kiss!" she shrieked, rubbing her mouth vigorously as if trying to scrub away the mory. She couldn't believe her first kiss had been stolen so haphazardly by Rovel!
"There's a puddle of muddy water over there," Rovel pointed to the ground nearby, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you feel that dirty, you can go wash your mouth out."
"Get lost!" Hearing his teasing, Kiana aid another kick in his direction.
"It seems things haven't reached that level of desperation yet." Rovel scrambled up from the ground, rubbing his lower back with a wince.
"You're still talking!" Kiana looked like she was seriously contemplating shooting him.
"Alright, joking aside," Rovel's expression suddenly turned serious. "You two need to go back. This data space is real. If you die here, you die for real."
"I..." Before Kiana could finish her protest, Bronya acted. A flicker of light, and Kiana vanished.
"Be careful." Bronya gave Rovel a crisp, respectful nod before she, too, disappeared in a flash of teleportation data.
Seeing them safely gone, Rovel finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Whew... Alright, you can co out now. The one who's been following this whole ti."
"Oh? Such impressive perception." A smooth, cultured voice drifted from the shadows. "I must admit, I didn't expect to find a Descender of your caliber."
A handso, blond man slowly erged from behind a nearby column, his green eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
Rovel's own eyes flickered. He never imagined he would run into Otto Apocalypse here. And judging by his words, this wasn't a data construct from the simulation. This was the real Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, sohow projecting himself into this space.
"A pleasure to et you, Overseer Otto," Rovel greeted, his posture relaxed but his senses on high alert.
"Fang Ruobai," Otto said, the na rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. "You are quite the interesting specin, but... there is an aura about you that I find deeply repulsive."
It was clear Otto had already done his howork on him. This was their first eting, but it was already a confrontation.
"I'm truly honored to have caught your attention, Overseer," Rovel replied with a casual shrug.
"Tell ," Otto began, a thin, mirthless smile touching his lips. "Would this data space not make for a rather exquisite cage... to imprison you?"
"I wouldn't mind," Rovel said, his gaze locking with Otto's. "But... can you bear to?"
"Hahaha..." Otto suddenly burst out laughing, a sound devoid of any genuine warmth. "This is rely a data space. With a little ti, I can restore everything here to its original state. Why would you ever think I would care about such a thing?"
Otto's words dripped with mockery, but Rovel's expression remained unchanged.
"First, I don't believe soone would go to such extraordinary lengths to create a data space of this complexity just to imprison an insignificant person like myself."
"Second," Rovel continued, his voice steady, "this data space has been corrupted, hasn't it? At the very least... Kallen Kaslana has begun to develop self-awareness through the constant cycles. It's even possible that, due to Kiana's accidental arrival, she already knows this is a looping world."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in. "And the data generated by a Kallen who is developing self-awareness... that is a treasure you can't afford to lose. It's practically non-replicable."
"Based on these two points," Rovel concluded, "I can only surmise that you... care a great deal."
As Rovel finished speaking, the last vestiges of Otto's smile evaporated, replaced by a chilling, encroaching gloom that settled over his features.
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