Chapter 9: Embraced Under My Shield.

After an hour of working together with someone previously so vehement in throwing them into the brigs for a crime they did not commit Stelle could finally conclude that it was awkward as hell.

March was a little jumpy and Dan Heng was... Well, Dan Heng. He didn't appear bothered by it and seemed focus as always as he talked in a normal manner with the Silvermane Commandant about business and it actually was a little fascinating to watch. She still couldn't figure out what kind of an individual Dan Heng was, though she was sure he was a good person and it hadn't changed.

Maybe it was her fault for not really trying to bridge herself with this Bronya but that Bronya could've put someone else to accompany this Bronya instead of her and the gang. Mei was a cool girl and Kiana was even cooler to Stelle, both were universally liked by the three of them including Dan Heng and she could tell, hence it would've been better if it was either of the two.

But here was the problem; none of them was strong enough to fight what Oleg dubbed as "A wave of monsters flooding in every corners" alone so Kiana and Mei were the best answers to said problem, despite their voiced concern about their safety. Bronya, that Bronya, told them to not worry and she said it with such certainty she was almost indifferent. She didn't tell them what their capability was, just a simple "Have confidence on them", or how strong Kiana and Mei were to begin with. They could only believe, it was everything they could do.

The other option was not spoken yet Stelle understood. Pairing Seele and the Silvermane Bronya was a disaster waiting to happen. Hate was a strong word so she refrained from using it to describe Seele's view on the Silvermane Commandant but Seele certainly didn't see her in high regards either. It was a little misplaced to blame Bronya for something she didn't do but Bronya would need to prove herself first to Seele, that seemed to be the rule under here.

So that Bronya had to go with Seele because, somehow, she seemed capable of handling Seele just fine while they had to work with this Bronya. Stelle didn't dislike her for accusing them of something they didn't do but there was certainly a road they must walk first to really understand each other.

The more she observed the Silvermane Commandant, however, the more she saw the person underneath that uniform and it drew her into a more respectable light. Bronya seemed genuinely care for the Underworlders and it showed, extending hands to the wounded and giving reassuring smiles to scared children as they went back and forth from the entrance to the outpost. Her regal uniform, one a Wildfire member Stelle heard muttered to his friend of being a Supreme Guardian's ceremonial outfit, was marred in dirt and dried blood but it didn't stop her from looking all dignified to the people she swore to serve as she helped them through the crisis.

Right now she was on the forefront of the third civilian group they must escort out of the mine, leading her people like she should a good leader. Stelle and March was guarding the rear so she could see the stares Bronya received from her people.

None looked at her with contempt this time. Exhaustion, resignation to their wound and a whole bunch of hope in their eyes. Yet Bronya didn't see it as she was too busy, looking on their immediate area to make sure there was no harm that might come to her people.

That Bronya told her of the Kaslana oath, of being the shield and sword of the innocent, and Stelle could see the Rands doing something of similar actions to their people. She feared it might do Bronya perils like it did the Kaslanas, but as she looked at the young boy resting on Bronya's back as she carried him in a piggyback carry, it probably wasn't a concern for now.

What they needed was an anchor to reality, that although the people came first they should also understand that there was someone or something waiting and hoping for their safe return. That, in the end, they were still as precious to the people around them.

The boy was Bronya's anchor. His weak grasp on her back and subtle warmth were her reminders. The moment she extended her kindness, she had become a precious person to the boy. He would wish for her safety and be remembered as his hero. Someone who carried him home unconditionally despite the grime and blood seeping into her clothes from his various wounds.

Bronya didn't care of any of that. They were nothing but stains. The safety of her people was her everything at the moment as she whispered words of comfort to the boy who could only nod through half lidded eyes as exhaustion ate him away.

They arrived at the mine entrance and started to load everyone back into the waiting carts. This time, a lot of people had joined the Wildfires after they learned of what happened in the mine to help, carrying with them water and medical supplies. Down here, people must learn how to survive, meaning almost everyone had basic medical skills. Down here, people could be selfish to survive but it was also true the other way around, that strength could be found in unity and solidarity.

It was a sight of raw human's nature as social creature.

Bronya moved to a waiting group of Wildfire members, telling them of things they must do. None of them questioned her orders, none of them gave her a second glance as they moved out to carry said orders. Stelle watched as Bronya turned to address her people.

Her voice boomed with surety there was not a hint of doubt in her words. Right now she was not Bronya Rand, right now she was a Silvermane Commandant and an heir to the Supreme Guardian's seat. "Attention, please! We've arrived at the entrance but I will have to ask for everyone to prioritize the heavily wounded and children first! Anyone with superficial wound will go on the second pass! Water is on that tent, go if you need some and please refrain from bothering the Wildfire members unless it's an absolute emergency!"

She passed the boy on her back to a Wildfire medic, ignoring the disgruntled murmurs some people gave her. Some of his blood got stuck on her silver hair and the contrast was glaring yet Bronya paid it no heed, opting to talk with the local leader instead with the trio following closely.

"Are you miss Risa?" She asked the woman on the command post. Unlike Oleg, she was a rather young woman who looked like she wasn't older than thirty year old.

"I am, Madam Rand." The woman greeted respectfully, offering her hand to Bronya who shook it. "How can I help?"

"Nothing at the moment. I just want to ask the situation back in the town."

Risa sighed heavily as she ran her gloved fingers down her shoulder length blonde mane, glancing to the outside of the tent for a brief moment she said in low voice for Bronya and the trio to hear.

"Natasha said she's running low on medical supplies," she whispered grimly, "and I am honestly not sure with how many more we can take in to the town. We had to put patients on the streets."

Bronya nodded in understanding. "Regardless, we have to help. Let's figure how to treat them later, for now we just have to bring them back, alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Risa paused, a small smile on her lips. "You're doing alright."

"... I just want to help."

Exiting the tent, they were right on time to watch the carts being pulled away. The boy Bronya carried saw them and smiled, waving his little hand to Bronya who returned it with a warm smile of her own.

"Thank you, Miss Silvermane!" He yelled as best as he could with his condition and it was followed with a series of gratitude from the others for the four of them. Stelle grinned and gave a thumbs up while March waved her hands enthusiastically in return. Dan Heng and Bronya, being on the more reserved side, simply nodded and smiled.

Bronya watched them go for another few seconds before she gestured at the three teenagers. "The way out is relatively safe. If you want to rest, go ahead. I'll ask for a few Wildfires to help me escort people out in the meanwhile."

They shared a glance and came into one conclusion. "We're okay," March began, "We can still go on, come on."

"Are you sure?" Bronya asked worriedly. "Rest is important."

"We're sure."

She gave them a once-over before she nodded, accepting the answer. "Okay, then. Just tell me if you want to switch."

As Bronya led them back into the mine, Stelle concluded that Bronya, indeed, was a good person to the heart. There was no doubt about it anymore.

Oleg was not kidding.

That was the first thought that came to mind when they arrived on scene to reinforce the Wildfire members holding up the tertiary checkpoint in the mine. The third and the last defense against monsters attack before the outpost itself.

The situation was bad. The defending Wildfires were downright overwhelmed but the sheer tenacity of the defenders held the monsters at bay. This close to Geomarrow reserve, they couldn't use firearms so they had to engage in close quarter battles with nothing but melee weapons and crossbows, further limiting their strength.

Kiana jumped into the fray immediately with a loud battlecry, kicking a flying Frostspawn so hard it shattered to pieces with a terrible shriek before she moved to bat another one attacking a Wildfire shielder. Not wanting to be left behind, Mei joined in in a literal flash of thunder, skipping across the battlefield and shocking monsters to death along the way. Their twitching, smoldering bodies were the only traces she left behind.

Both women worked in tandem. Like one mind in two bodies, they danced in the battlefield as monsters fell around them like puppets with their strings cut. Blunt force trauma and electric shock were their songs and death was their audience, all happening in movements so refined only two persons who shared heart could achieve.

The tide of the battle changed immediately with the wave now turning their attention to the threats the two possessed. Monsters roared and charged at them, yet all they met were either Kiana's bat or Mei's lightning bolts.

Stopping with their backs on each other's, Kiana grinned, not even batting an eye to the monsters now surrounding them. "Oh, I so missed this!" She excitedly told Mei who chuckled.

"It had been so long," the Origin replied gently. "But I think we should wrap this up."

Kiana hummed in agreement. "I've got this side."

"I've got mine."

Kiana took a step forward as did Mei, shouldering her bat and smirking as she looked at the monsters around her. "Alright, fellas! Come and get some!"

Her words spurred them to action. With a collective shrieks, Fragmentum monsters charged at her head on, intent of maiming her with teeth and claws. Their attempt of intimidation, however, fell short on Kiana who simply summoned giant subspace walls to trap the monsters in with her thought.

They crashed on the walls, rippling the barriers and sending waves of purple. Kiana then proceeded to narrow the walls until they were squeezed in an indestructible box of interdimensional construct and snapped her fingers together.

A miniature black hole appeared in the box, its intense gravitational force pulled and ripped the monsters apart until nothing was left. Their dying roars and shrieks fell on empty ears as both sounds and air were sucked into the infinite void, never to be seen again.

After a moment, Kiana allowed the black hole to collapse and it disappeared without a trace along with the box. Admiring her handiwork, she grinned and nodded to herself.

Good job, Kiana, not even a scratch on the ground.

Meanwhile Mei chose a more simpler action. She couldn't summon a black hole like her Finality but she still had something on her belt. Literally.

Pulling Seven Thunders out of its scabbard entirely, Mei kept her sharp gaze on the monsters ahead of her as the atmosphere began to shift, heavier and more electrified with static electricity. She could feel Thunder shifting in her domain, almost grinning sadistically from excitement and it sent more and more of her power to Mei's body, fueling the Divine Key in her hand with the might of a storm.

Her muscles jittered from energy and it took everything in her power to not dash ahead and began to cut. But Mei studied kenjutsu since she was young and she knew patience could bring the best of boons. She had been patient her entire life so this was nothing. This was manageable, compared to the waiting she had to undertake for her beloved.

Gracefully, she went low. Like the water flow, her movement was smooth while her stance was rock solid. Glowing purple eyes boring to her enemies with the focus of a hawk, a predator watching its preys with the intention to kill before, eventually, she made her move.

A slash.

A strike like thunder itself, quick and swift and deadly true to its targets. The air rippled, twisted and thrummed as the Ruler of Thunder unleashed her might.

The attack was so quick all the observers could see was a flash of purple lightning hitting the monsters, burning whatever count as their nervous system and killing them instantly as millions of volts went through their rigid bodies. The monsters fell and disappeared like leaves swept by a tempest, never to be seen again.

Mei sheathed Seven Thunders back, its glow subsiding as Mei cut her supply of power. Regarding the remnants of her action still twitching on the ground, she exhaled lightly and turned towards Kiana who was very much drooling, obviously had been watching her.

"Have people told you how hot you are when you do that?"

Blinking at the absurdity of the question, Mei smirked playfully. "Yes. You."

Kiana grinned, putting a hand on her hip. If she wasn't so busy flirting with Mei, she would've noticed the dumbstruck stares she received from the Wildfire fighters around them who were utterly gobsmacked by the sheer ease they defeated the monsters. The silence was almost deafening, which was why when otherworldly roars echoed from the way further down the mine they sounded extremely loud to their ears.

Another wave of monsters are coming.

The thought crossed Kiana's mind and her grin bloomed wider, eyes twinkling with amusement. Mei smiled and nodded, receiving a nod back from Kiana.

Without a word, they rushed into the danger head on, leaving everyone in the dust as they disappeared behind a corner.

"What the fuck was that?!" Asked a Wildfire member. His friends had no answer to the question so nobody tried to, more or less wondering the same thought.

The next hour saw Kiana and Mei cutting and smashing their way through into the source of the breach, occasionally stopping to help some Wildfire stragglers by giving them aids. Mei was more experienced in first aid than Kiana so she was the one to administer the treatments, besides she was more than glad to let Kiana had her way with the enemy. Kiana's excitement was so thick Mei could feel her heart hammering from their shared feeling as rush after rush of adrenaline poured down her veins, telling her how much fun Kiana was having from this alone.

This was the first time she actually fought an enemy after so long, moreso done in place where the ground was muddy brown and not dry white chunks of rocks. This was the first time Kiana stepped on a planet that wasn't a desolate, lifeless rock.

So Mei understood. Despite the slight inconvenience of having her body responding to Kiana's rush, that sheer adrenaline under her muscles threatening to spill with every small movement, she still watched Kiana went to town with fond eyes. Kiana was having fun smashing the enemy and Mei would give a leg for Kiana's happiness.

The flood tapered off thanks to Kiana's ceaseless effort and Mei used the opportunity to call the reinforcement Oleg promised them. She pulled her phone and searched for Oleg's contact info, eyes still glued on Kiana as she pressed dial.

It only took four rings for Oleg to answer and Mei went down to business immediately, telling him of the condition near the breach. He told her to wait for the reinforcement and Mei acknowledged the order.

Mei was sitting on a pile of destroyed automatons when Thunder spoke to her, still watching a blur of white and black that was Kiana skipping about the place. She stopped helping when it was proven Kiana alone was enough to fight the monsters and decided to observe instead.

"These monsters are weak," Thunder commented and Mei hummed. "Even Honkai beasts are stronger."

"It's a good thing." Mei answered almost offhandedly, chuckling at Kiana who shot her a pose mid-fight. The Kaslana grinned coyly and Mei blinked owlishly when Kiana gave her a rather... suggestive pose next. "Oh, Kiana..."

"I would appreciate it if you stop with the dirty thoughts right now. I'm trying to have a conversation with you and the pictures are not helping."

"Sorry, you were saying?"

The sigh Thunder let out was so potent Mei couldn't help but feel a little sheepish. "These Fragmentum monsters are spawned from Fragmentum Corrosion, correct? And it reflects on the surrounding areas?"

"From what we read, yes."

"Then, how are they here? As far as we know, a Corroded Area will only appear over a dense monster population. They cannot corrupt an area instantly."

"Lysetia mentioned a nest before but she didn't tell us the exact place."

"She has no idea where it is. Rivet Town fell to the monsters, it's possible there's a whole network of Fragmentum Corrosion in the underground. Maybe hidden beneath these accursed rocks..."

Mei hummed in agreement. She and Thunder were two minds in one body. They shared the same thought, the same feeling, and brought up the same conclusion of the entire situation. The Underworld was one massive, intricate and ancient part of Belobog that was mostly had been forgotten along the passing time. A big part of it went uncharted, either by deliberation or accident in the past, and a lot more of it had fallen into ruins.

There was no telling how much passageways originally there were, or how much entryways were built by the Architects in their Dark Hours centuries ago. For all she knew, the endless wave of monsters might've started from one of the forgotten entryways somewhere in the snowy plains, flooding in and corrupting what should've been the final sanctuary in the entire planet.

There was too many maybe's to point out and too little time to put them into account. Moreover, it wasn't an important bit for them to worry. Regardless how or where it started, all of its root cause was the Stellaron somewhere in the planet. If they could destroy it, then all of the corruptions would stop growing, thus saving the world from certain doom.

It was a little endearing to think, if Mei was honest to herself. Back home, it was such a long and terrible struggle yet here the prospect of saving the planet seemed too simple to achieve. Destroy the Stellaron and it would be the end of the crisis. At least so to the Astral Express crew. The natives of Jarilo-VI would still have to fight even after they were gone, passing the torch to their children and grandchildren. There was also a chance of failure, a big one in fact, that they would face extinction instead but try as she might, it wasn't Mei's, or anyone's from the Express, problem.

Her thought was halted when Kiana flashed to existence beside her, only then Mei realized the crowd of Wildfire members in the area. Some were carrying building materials instead of weapons as they hurriedly went to the holes in the rocks and started creating barricades and sealing them for good.

Kiana sat down and scooted closer to her until their shoulders were touching. None of them said a word as they watched, smiling at the bafflement they received from the people around her. Neither knew it but from that day, the Underworld would know them as The Duo for their seemingly impossible action of singlehandedly defeating the monsters, outnumbered but certainly not outgunned.

While their job was not as critical as the Silvermane Commandant and the trio's, or as spectacular as Kiana and Mei's it was no less important for the small few who was affected by it.

Seele was used to thankless jobs her entire life. Although she understood those who chased after fame, she couldn't bring herself to really care what people thought of her. In the Underworld there was this unwritten rule many followed about being known and famous; better pay, better treatment and better performance but none of it really mattered to her.

Sure, in the past when she had nothing but the clothes on her person she once dreamt of having loads and loads of money so she wouldn't have to worry about putting food on the table or tomorrow's work. Once, she also dreamt of being treated better by the people around her instead of seen as a shivering gutter rat on the streets or a useless heap of trash littering the fronts of their shops but in the end it really didn't matter. It really, really did not matter.

People saw others in ways that fit their images of superiority. What was a girl who had nothing on her to society if not another soul fallen off the abyss of contemptuous fate? She had choices, just like everyone did, but where they led had always been limited. She would need to either give up her soul to death or her body to the greedy. Such was the options she saw on the streets of Belobog's Underworld.

Neither she took.

Oleg was more than just a superior to her. He was the closest she got to a father. Oleg gave her another option, one outside the expected spectrums, and she took it with her heart. The red ribbons tied around her arm were more than just a symbol of her affiliation for they were also her reminders of what path she had chosen.

She purposefully kept them long. So when she fought, she would feel them trailing behind her. Each step she took was another step that would never return, each step she took was a step closer to the future she never knew existed. Seele paved her own way, shedding her past along the way like a butterfly leaving its cocoon.

Taking flight. Free and unchained to its past.

Oleg told them of a bunch of kids lost in the mine during the initial incursion and he wanted them to find and bring the children back. Them being Seele and Bronya.

There was not a lot of occasions where Seele found herself hesitating but this one was definitely one of said occasions. From the moment they seceded from the group, Bronya hadn't spoken a single word to her as she followed a step behind Seele.

Frankly, the silence was starting to get under her nerves but Seele did not know what to say to this Bronya to break the metaphorical thick ice around them.

She looked a lot like the Overworld princess, acted almost similar and carried herself in a near identical way, too. The only difference she could see was her face, which was a little ironic, really.

This Bronya was not an expressive fellow. Seele concluded as much. She hadn't seen her face twitch even a little to either repulsion or gratification since they went together in this mission. It was almost like working with a stoic statue and it was killing her inside.

"Hey," Seele began, stopping on her track and turning around to face her companion. She regarded Bronya for a second before she wrinkled her face. "If you don't like me, just say it. You can turn and go back, I'll find those kids myself."

"What do you mean?"

Even her voice was flat, almost disinterested. Seele glared at Bronya and sighed. "What with the face? You don't seem that you hate or like it here with me. I don't fucking know because I can't tell."

"... do you want me to smile?"

"Do you want to?"

Bronya fell silent and it felt like Seele had tripped on her head or something. But she didn't care. Seele could hardly bring herself to care as they engaged in a silent staring contest. Eventually, Bronya did that again and Seele was left more frustrated.

Her silver eyes softened, a small smile tugging on her lips. It was a tender gaze and Seele did not understand it.

"Stop that..." She muttered, averting her eyes from Bronya to stare at her feet instead.

"Why? You wanted me to smile."

"Not like that."

"This is how I am when I'm around you."

Maybe if Seele wasn't so distraught she would've caught what Bronya said but she didn't. Bronya brushed past her and went ahead, only then did she realize the oddity in her words.

"Around me? You don't even know me!" She yelled to Bronya who simply glanced back and shrugged.

"That is correct."

"Then what the hell does that mean?! You keep looking at me with this gaze like... Like... I don't even fucking know!"

Bronya didn't answer right away. Whether it was deliberate or not was up to anyone's question. She continued on her path, traversing the muddy ground and stale underground air with a confused and upset Seele right behind her like a hound chasing its rival's tail.

When she did, however, her voice was soft and nostalgic, as if recalling her most cherished memory. The wind carried it back to Seele, a breeze of cold and bittersweet gust that told more than just simple words.

"I was born in a war torn country," Bronya began without stopping or glancing back, "my father died in a disaster and my mother passed away shortly after giving birth to me. A friend of my parents took me in, I called him Uncle Maxim."

A conjunction in the road made her pause. Bronya racked her brain for the map she had memorized before deciding for where to go. "He was a soldier turned mercenary, the closest I got to a family back then. He taught me how to survive the wilderness and disorder, training me to become a fighter who can fight for her own self, and the art of war."

"When I was old enough, he gave me my first weapon. I still remember it; a Makarov pistol. Small, reliable, easy to maintain and deadly, it became my favourite weapon shortly after."

"I followed his footsteps and joined the mercenary force. I'd argue that I didn't have much choices. It was either that, or throw myself in the pleasure district and lose myself, but I knew I had choices."

Seele's eyes widened, her steps faltering for a brief moment before she forced herself to move. Everything she was told sounded so familiar it twisted her guts in an unpleasant swirl. Still staring at Bronya's back, she barely managed to bring her attention together to pay attention to Bronya's words.

"I had my first kill when I was ten and I still remember it vividly." Bronya's fingers moved to absently pat a small pouch strapped around her hips for comfort, a vague rectangle shape imprinted on its surface courtesy of the object within. A certain butterfly themed notebook, though Seele had no way to know that. "A young man not even past his mid twenties from an enemy faction. I shot him twice in the chest and watched as he bled all over the place, calling for a help that never came before I ended his misery for good."

"You don't forget stuff like that..." Seele mumbled as she hugged herself, remembering her own first kill. Bronya glanced back and sucked in a breath, fighting the urge to wrap her own arms around Seele to offer her comfort. Bronya had to actively remind herself that her Seele would, but this wasn't her Seele thus wouldn't appreciate her attempt to soothe her. Instead, she flexed her fingers subtly to burn the desire away as she nodded.

"No, you don't. People say it was the first kill that was the hardest but they are wrong. It gets harder from then on knowing your innocent days are over and that your new life will involve a lot of blood spilling henceforth. The moment you take a life, your old life dies with it."

"... why are you telling me this? I was not asking for your life history." Seele said with a frown only to be left confused when Bronya chuckled.

"Ah, there. You can be a little impatient sometimes."

"You don't know me."

Bronya laughed and it caught Seele off guard she could only stare at her with open bewilderment. It was the first time she saw her laugh like that and a part of her found it pleasing to the ears.

"I'd argue against that but I'd refrain for civility sake." Bronya sighed. "But please, bear with me for a while. I don't talk about this to just anyone else."

It was the truth. Seele could hear the honesty in Bronya's tone. Grunting, she waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, I'll entertain you."

Bronya flashed Seele a smile. "Thank you, Seele, that means a lot," she confessed. "I made a name for myself afterwards. People called me the Silver Wolf of Ursals because of my swift and rigid precision in killing my targets. They feared me because of it, that my presence was an omen, a harbinger of death coming to claim souls of the dead."

"I didn't revel on it. I didn't enjoy any of it. Any sane person wouldn't. They talked about me, either in fear, disgust, hatred or reverence, didn't matter. I didn't care what they said. I was just trying to survive."

"That's why you don't judge us." Seele said in realization and Bronya nodded.

"People want one thing; to survive. Morality has no say in places where survival is at stake, the only difference between civilized and barbarous is the availability of safety, necessities and comfort, none exist in where I grew up. Down here, people are just trying to survive exitus acta probat. Simple as that."

"What does that mean?"

"The results always justify the means." She answered, kneeling down to examine sets of small footprints on the ground. This side of the mine was restricted for the children so they were on the right track, both metaphorically and literally speaking. "Everything is right as long as you survive. It's ugly, I know, but it's the truth because in the end nothing matters but yourself."

"That was how I thought to myself. Nothing mattered as long as you stayed alive. I went on and on killing people but I never lost count of them. I remember my kills, all one hundred and sixty five of them, and they haunted me everyday. I fueled my life by taking other's. Every time I saw them fell through my scope, I knew I had just taken someone's friend and family from them."

"But I kept going because it was all I could do. I shut myself from the world, not wanting people to get close, and when my Uncle died I finally severed my only remaining feelings."

"I stopped caring to others. I killed and killed until everything just went wrong to me."

"Well, you're obviously not dead so I guess it worked out fine in the end." Seele offered matter-of-factly. "Not many get that. When something goes wrong, that was it for most of us. You're lucky, you know?"

"I considered myself more than lucky." Bronya said, receiving an inquisitive look from Seele. "My mission was to kill Cocolia."

Seele blinked. "The Supreme Guardian?"

"No, not her particularly," Bronya explained, "you see how I share look with Madam Rand? Well, she and I also shared a foster mother of similar name and face."

"Huh."

"Yes, huh indeed. The Cocolia from my world had an orphanage she took me in to after the failed assassination."

Seele's eyebrows rose, disbelief clear in her feature. "You tried to kill her and she took you in? Either she was a stupid bitch or truly believed she could have you under the same roof," Seele paused. "Ah, I didn't mean to insult you personally. It was just a little too stupid however you think about it. Actually, maybe more than a little."

"It was like taking a feral kitten." Bronya agreed with a fond chuckle. "I didn't particularly find it comforting either. I thought she had some hidden intentions for me but she truly wanted to take me in."

She sighed then, again her fingers tap the pouch absently as she mulled over her thoughts. "It was there I met a girl..." She began softly. "Kind, soft-spoken, shy and caring. I had never met someone like her before so I was drawn to her almost immediately like a moth to fire. She's an alien to me, never had I seen someone willing to give her food freely to someone else because they said their sibling was eating less, or offering to help doing a chore nobody wanted to do simply because she could. Can you imagine that? In a place where people were so selfishly fighting for their own needs, someone was helping out of kindness and not hidden malice."

"... she's weak. Kindness in places like that will be exploited." Seele growled.

"You're right. She was weak. Never knew how to swing her punch nor stood her ground in confrontations. She could only hide and cry herself to sleep."

"Pathetic." The girl behind Bronya spat and Bronya was inclined to agree.

"One day after a particularly bad bullying I found her crying in the bathroom alone. I couldn't bring myself to disturb her so I waited outside listening to her sobs and sniffles. At that time I thought to myself; why won't you fight back? why won't you protect yourself and retaliate? they hurt you, it's only right if you hurt them back but then I saw it. I saw her open the door, all bruised up on her neck and arms and limping on her feet, and she still smiled at me through wet eyes as she walked past me."

"The next day I saw her handing foods in the cafeteria, all smile and sunshine as if nothing happened. But I knew. I knew that under her long sleeves shirt and high collar jacket were purple patches of skins she purposefully hid to keep others from worrying about her. It was then that I realized that she wasn't weak at all, she was stronger than I ever could be. Her own little world was harsh but she did not allow it to stop her from being kind and caring, making a choice I did not have the strength to make; sacrificing myself at the expense of others."

"I made a vow to myself then, that I would do anything to protect that. To protect her."

"... you saved her."

Bronya shook her head. "No. They said that but it was actually the opposite. She saved me from my worst enemy, one that would consume and pull me into damnation otherwise." She glanced back and Seele was shocked to see the pure, unbridled rawness of Bronya's emotions in her silver eyes. "She saved me from myself."

"I thought I had discarded my emotions but her existence proved otherwise. I was still capable of caring. One day, I decided enough was enough and roughed up her bullies back without her knowing because I knew she would stop me, I knew she wouldn't want me to hurt them. But it had to be done. They stopped bothering her after I made myself close with her."

They reached a small encampment in a small clearing, one usually used by the miners as a rest area and began to search. Bronya paused her story so she and Seele could properly comb through the place, finding a boon in their effort in a form of a short message.

"The kids are on a fallout shelter ahead," Seele summarized the message to Bronya, "Smart brats."

"Did it mention any monster presence?"

"Yes but it is said here they managed to lose them during their escape. They're taking shelter just in case." The purple haired woman pocketed the message, sighing in relief and completely oblivious to the smile Bronya gave her at the action. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to cut your story short."

"Don't worry about it. You ask me why I am not as expressive as a normal person is, right?"

"Yeah. I'm actually surprised you still remember. Thought you forgot about it after you gave me an entire life history like that." Seele said jokingly with a grin and Bronya chuckled as a response.

"That was just the beginning of everything, I'm afraid."

"Really?"

"Yes. But, to answer your question? I burned my brain trying to save her after an experiment gone wrong, lost motoric functions of both of my legs, and nearly died from a total organ failure. It's the reason why I can't express my feelings properly, though compared to when I was young this much is a massive improvement."

"You were worse?"

"Yeah. You can ask my friends."

"Bet. You never told me this girl's name though, all this time you talked about her."

Bronya's smile widened.

"Her name is Seele. Seele Vollerei."

TBC.