Drowsiness.
From a void, the girl tiredly opened her eyes.
The cold air around her made her shiver, and she couldn't help but murmur, "I... where is this..."
In her sight were cold mechanical decorations, red warning lights, and yellow-black caution tape—the kind of laboratory decor found only in movies.
At this time, the girl heard a gentle whisper beside her: "Can you still speak?"
She turned her head, and what she saw was a girl with cherry-pink hair.
Her skin was fair, her face delicate, and her temperament gentle, as warm as an older sister next door.
At her waist hung a chilling sword, and the deep blue armor made her slender body look even more pure and bright.
The strange older sister smiled slightly, like a cherry blossom blooming, so soft and warm.
The girl was stunned and asked stutteringly, "You... who are you?"
She had never seen the person before her.
"My name is Sakura. What is your name? Can you remember?"
"...My name is Seele."
"Seele, right? I won't hurt you, but I want to ask you something. Have you seen the girl in this photo?"
As she spoke, Sakura said in a low voice, taking off a pendant from her chest. This small device projected an image into the air.
Seele tilted her head to look. It was a group photo, and one of the people was the girl before her who called herself Sakura.
The other person looked similar to her and seemed to be about the same age.
In the photo, the pure and cute little girl's azure eyes contained gentleness and a smile.
Dressed as a student, her white shirt and cherry-pink dress swayed in the breeze.
Behind the photo was a cityscape of steel torrents, cold and clear.
On the overpass, the little girl affectionately hugged Sakura; it was a younger sister acting spoiled with her older sister, looking so beautiful.
Seele had never seen that little girl. Although she wanted to say yes, she could only shake her head helplessly. "I... haven't."
"You haven't seen her?"
"How can that be? She should also be locked up here."
Sakura murmured helplessly, her voice becoming low. Then, wanting to grasp that hidden, ethereal hope, she raised her voice and asked again.
"Think again. Has anyone come here recently, or been taken out?"
"Please, I must find her!"
Her voice made Seele purse her lips.
That lonely and powerless plea would make anyone with a kind heart feel the urge to help Sakura.
The photo flickered, bright and dark, jumping with a suffocating red glow.
It seemed the screen would soon close, plunging everything into darkness.
A sense of powerlessness slipped from the photo into her heart. Seele clutched her head in pain, took a half-step back, and fell to the ground, blaming herself.
She didn't know; she didn't know anything.
"I'm sorry... Seele doesn't know where this is, or why Seele is..."
The string of questioning made Seele, who was unaware of the situation, feel an inexplicable fear, and she couldn't help but curl up.
Sakura also realized she had put too much pressure on Seele and quickly lowered her voice.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not blaming you, you..."
"What did the people here do to you? Just how many innocent children did they kidnap?"
"..."
"I'm sorry, Seele, it was my fault just now."
"Come with me; I'll take you out of here."
Sakura kindly reached out her hand to Seele. Her movements were gentle, as if she was very concerned about having frightened her earlier.
She pulled Seele up from the ground and signaled for her to follow, stepping out of the cell first.
"This place, exactly what is..." The building's construction and the room's layout gave Seele a sense of familiarity.
Is this a prison?
Or is it a base?
...Meanwhile.
Outside the screen, everyone watching Seele walk out of the cell could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
In the low blackness and oppressive environment, they felt even breathing loudly was heavy.
Looking at that short black-blue hair, those bewildered azure eyes, and the doll-like girl, Bronya felt a stir in her heart.
She didn't understand.
Why could Yunduo perfectly immerse herself into the role every time, as if her soul was meant to belong to that body.
Everyone is different, and so is the subconscious, but Yunduo's subconscious was completely connected to Seele, a 100% overlap.
That weak and powerless body overlapped in Bronya's daze.
There were no answers; the guessed truth was too heavy, so heavy it made Bronya's heart ache.
Probably not, right?
At this time, Fu Hua also slowly exhaled: "If the analysis is correct, this should be inside a World Bubble, which is another parallel world."
"Indeed, that's how it is."
Yae Sakura looked up, a flash of lightning cutting through her stagnant thoughts.
The moment she saw the unfamiliar girl'Sakura,' someone who looked exactly like her.
Yae Sakura felt bewildered in her heart, unable to find the truth.
Then there was that group photo; the little girl in the picture deeply caught her eye!
As if in a dream, Yae Sakura had once dreamed of that little girl.
Why would she appear by Seele's side?
Who was Sakura, and who was the little girl?
These questions came suddenly, filling Yae Sakura's heart.
There wasn't even a sliver of possibility; she couldn't guess the truth.
At this moment, Yae Rin widened her cherry-red mouth in surprise and raised her voice: "Sister, sister! There's someone just like you~ also named Sakura!"
"But, why is that sister's younger sister locked in this prison?"
Saying this, a small question mark appeared over her little head.
Theresa was also confused and cast a questioning look at Yae Sakura: "Sakura-neesan, do you have other sisters?"
Hearing this, Yae Sakura blinked her cherry-pink eyes, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
However, her father indeed only had her and Rin as children; he had never mentioned any illegitimate children!
"Could it be..."
Hiss!
Theresa sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Is this Sakura-neesan's daughter?!!"
"That's why they look exactly the same—they're twins!"
Hearing the wise Headmaster's analysis, Kiana also nodded in agreement.
"This young lady thinks so too. Since this is something that happens in the future, maybe Yae Sakura already has a daughter by then."
Yae Sakura: "???"
Who could she have a child with?
Even with a super-multiplier, it's impossible to grow that big in just a few years!
"Stop guessing wildly," Fu Hua explained helplessly, "Although parallel worlds aren't impossible."
"However, could you all look closely? There's a symbol on the wall of that prison."
"A symbol? What symbol?" Kiana was baffled.
Fu Hua: "It's the symbol of the Flame-Chasers, so this clearly happened in the Previous Era."
"Squad Leader, are you saying... the Flame-Chasers imprisoned Sakura's sister?"
When Kiana's words reached Fu Hua's ears, her mind buzzed.
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