/—/
Chapter 3 : They wished for a miracle. (2/2)
/—/
She, as the former Herrscher of Void, barely lied in her life before, tricks by Original Sirin against Welt in their fight aside. She'd barely done it as lying was one of Humanity's disgusting ugliness, it was for pesky cheaters after all.
There were a few moments of deception here and there, but you get it.
But this? Make no mistake, she's not lying, she's not above using it if needed but..
"Ms. Star, we've been hungry and out of food. Will you help us please?"
Sirin had an unsure expression as the girl looked at her with bright eyes, she looked absolutely precious and bright despite her malnourished state, this kind of pure Innocence made her sweat uncomfortably.
W-When was the last time she'd had an encounter like this?
"Uh, sure?" Again, she's not above lying if needed. But this doesn't count as one right? The girl had obviously mistaken her for this.. Ms. Star
And she's just hike-hiking along due to the spontaneousness of the situation. One moment she was being ragdolled by trees and now this.
She was currently being supported by the girl to walk outside the old cottage so that she may see where she had landed in, Sirin would have walked on her own, but it turned out no matter how durable you were, if you fell in the wrong position you're sure to get one hell of a dislocated leg.
Which was what happened to her, a few moments after waking up Sirin had tried to stand up to talk to the malnourished children, only for her to feel agonizing pain the moment she stood on her left side.
Thankfully the girl was kind enough to help her up and tell her where she was, Wyrm Forest or something.
Of course she had to have a look for herself to make sure whether this was some kind of illusion and requested to be supported to walk outside.
And nyet… these fucking trees were as tall as buildings, thick and rich in leaves that the sun could barely seep in. No wonder she got turned into a human pinball, these things would leave lumberjack companies swimming in riches and nature-lovers in pure ecstasy. Or well you know, any crazy enthusiasts about nature.
…
'Nature… Huh.'
How long… How long has she experienced… This?
Sirin stopped a few meters away from the house, prompting the girl supporting her to stop as well. Eve could hear quiet and forcibly held down sniffles from the woman, the girl worriedly looked up at the sudden show of tearful expression from , also visibly confused. Adam wasn't far behind from them as he too was confused, his frown before softening at the sudden sight of the young-adult tearing up.
" ?" Eve asked with concern in her voice, however Sirin did not respond. She simply straightened her back up and looked up to the sky, the ever-bright rays of the sunlight shining down on her in small patches as the rest were covered by leaves. She closed her eyes, letting a few tears drop by from her face as she felt natural air hit against her, she listened to the sounds of leaves rustling, trees moving and the far distant sounds of birds.
She took a deep breath, a long deep breath.
She missed this, she appreciated this. No longer was there the oxygen-less, lifeless, empty space of the jail she'd been imprisoned in.
There was no mistaking it, this is NOT another prison for her. Not a single taint of Honkai or that Entity had used to imprison her.
She was free again, that means Welt really did something for her.
She released a reliving breath, her eyes gleamed for a moment when she opened them, before dimming down to a normal amber. She felt small hands tugging at her Herrscher dress and looked down to meet Eve's worried eyes.
It felt humanizing again, to be able to breathe fresh air and see other people, even going as far as to look worried for her the same way everyone at the Space-Train did.
Sirin wiped what tears were left in her face and looked at Eve. "Sorry, just… Reminiscing."
Eve tilted her head, "Reminiscing? I remember the nuns at the church teaching me that word… But I don't remember what it means."
Sirin raised a brow, they're illiterate? Taking a quick glance at the edgy-boy, it seems that he too didn't know what the word meant. 'I guess I should have figured, their malnourished appearance, the old-worn down cottage in the middle of the forest, ragged clothes and that hidden desperation in their eyes they were giving me should have given it away.'
"It means remembering nice things." Sirin answered in a simple manner, getting an understanding nod from Eve. She wondered, if this was another planet, possibly way beyond earth, what were the technological advances and economic range? How far was civilization? She was sure she didn't see a single sign of a well-built civilization — In other words, a city — and only saw trees and patches of plateaus and lakes here and there.
And these two were living in an abandoned cottage, looking like they haven't eaten in ages. Judging by how they talked about these… 'Church Nuns', they're likely orphans surviving on their own, with how disdainful the edgy boy was looking at her, they've probably gone through alot
Just like me- Nope, that's stretching it far. They don't have any deranged stupid lab-coat rats experimenting on them with the excuse of 'doing it for humanity'. No, what they clearly have to deal with is poverty.
Hmph, that won't last forever. If these kids are anything like her friends back at Babylon then, they'll probably be worth her time.
She might as well help them, these were kids, and she needed - Desired - Company of people. She'd rather have them than some city people. Until Welt and the others find her, she'll just stick with these kids.
/—/
After Sirin walked around a little more with the help of Eve, they eventually returned back to the cottage, with Sirin pretty much limping around, she'll have trouble doing anything she wished to. Which shouldn't be probably for the time being as she wanted to rest, to at least take in everything for the time being.
It would have been nice to just relax and let herself melt on a couch just to take her mind off things, but that kind of furniture was a luxury in this environment, that and food, especially food.
Speaking of food, that 'Adam' boy left for a bit and came back with a massive frown, apparently the bird she'd been holding onto managed to escape from his grasp, pretty much robbing themselves of food for the day. She sighed on the old broken bench she was sitting on, not even a day in and she already has to exhaust herself twice, if these kids couldn't find something to eat soon, they'd die of starvation, and possibly her as well – She didn't know if she still kept her Herrscher physiology after she managed to escape her prison, I'd be humiliating if she suddenly collapsed from starvation after telling regaining freedom and boasting to helping the brats, though she doubted she actually lost it since she did just survive her fall with only a dislocated leg.
Sirin forced herself to stand up from her position with a groan, limping towards the boy who was talking to his younger sister. The boy saw her approach and sported his usual frown, stopping his conversation with his sister and facing Sirin, Eve on the other hand just gasped and ran next to Sirin to support her(What a nice girl).
"Ms. Star, you shouldn't be walking so recklessly!" Eve piped while holding Sirin, Sirin just shrugged at her and looked at Adam.
"Kid, what's the usual thing you eat with your sister here?" Sirin went straight to the point and asked him.
"What?" Adam raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should answer. Though a glare from his younger sister prompted him. "It's usually a small fish and fruits we could get, bread-crumbs are our last resort if we visit the village. Why, you hungry?" The boy spat the last part out, clearly against the idea of sharing any food with her.
Though something else caught Sirin's attention. Village?
But she couldn't even see a single one from the skies–
She shook her head and left that for later, any other time she would have just marched there and demanded food from people, that or asked why they hadn't asked for help there. But she already knew a lot just from Adam's distrust of her.
Typical humans, choosing to mind themselves instead of helping the poor. Those 'Nuns' are probably no better with how these kids are left to fend for themselves.
For now, they needed Meat, and as much as she wanted to eat luxurious foods befitting of a Herrscher – Despite what that thing said, she'll always refer to herself as a Herrscher – she wasn't going to be picky. Hell, she hasn't eaten in ages, drinking from the Express was already a blessing, and pretty much any food she could get her hands on would be as well since food was non-existent at her prison back then.
Stopping her thoughts, SIrin observed Adam closely.
'He didn't mention catching anything other than fish, can't he do that..?'
"What about meat, are you able to hunt animals?" Sirin questioned.
Adam's frown deepened, practically growling as he probably took her question the wrong way. "IF I was able to hunt down animals then me and my sister wouldn't look like relatives of skeletons."
Well, that answers that. With how malnourished and lanky the boy looked, no wonder he couldn't hunt them down.
No matter, she'll do it herself then. She could already feel her dislocated leg healing back to its place despite her lack of any gems or most of her powers. Blessed be her Herrscher Physiology. But the fact it took 3 hours just to partially heal a light dislocation showed how non-existent her capabilities were right now.
"No matter, stay here with your sister. I'll go get us food, just get a fire started." Sirin straightened her body and left Eve's support, shocking the girl for a mere moment as she stretched her supposed dislocated leg. "My leg's somewhat healed."
"T-That fast..? But you still shouldn't be moving though." Eve gasped.
"Don't worry, it's good enough." Sirin replied.
Eve was about to protest until she remembered that this was the person she was praying for the stars… Then, that was good news! And a miracle as well.
Adam on the other hand had other thoughts. "Get food? And what, take the opportunity to leave? Just leave already if you're planning that."
Sirin merely looked at him with her cross-haired eyes, and snorted. This boy was so spiteful she found it adorable if anything else. She gave Eve a light pat on the shoulders and turned to the door. "Hmph, I won't. Just stay here."
With that, Sirin left the cottage without looking back to Adam's distrustful scowl.
Testing her healed leg, Sirin stretched it out a little before nodding. Her leg should be in a condition good enough where she can make use of her strength. Looking up to the skies, she noted that she had at least two hours or so before evening. And it shouldn't take long to hunt down a few animals, maybe a cute rabbit or two.
Looking back to the cottage, Sirin made sure to memorize the area and leave a few scratches on the trees nearby so she wouldn't get lost when it's time to go back.
That said…
It almost felt so strange for her of all people to hunt down animals for food, the thought of a Herrscher doing that sounded bizarre, and to her of all people who pretty much had the regal of a deserving queen.
Or so it would have been, her countless spent on that moon-like cage had gotten her used to walking around since flight was no longer an option. Even now, with her powers pretty much exhausted and freedom in her hands, flight was still not possible.
She'd gotten so used to walking aimlessly for untold hours that it almost became second nature to her, ugh. That still didn't do wonders for her pure stamina though, she spent more time sleeping back then than moving, since there was no point. She didn't even mind as her Herrscher dress was getting ruffled around with dirt and bushes.
At least now, maybe she'll get some proper exercise with an actual terrain and environment this time. Hell, she'd been drugging in the fresh air for a while now.
Now, if only she could find some animals. Again, let it be known that it was a strange image to have her of all people to be going around in a forest to find food. She didn't even know where to begin with, or how to actually catch one, she just thought I'd be easy to overpower the animals and keep a tight grasp on them, then beat them to death or something.
However it was a different story if SHE COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE ONE TO BEGIN WITH!
Where are they?! Where's the animals? This forest was so stupidly big she shouldn't even have trouble finding one! Stupid books from Kiana's old man and his lies back when Kiana was smaller! He made hunting animals so damn easy when all the man did was leave for like 10 minutes and come back with a haul with his depressed looking face.
Sirin stopped when she heard the sounds of rustling from a nearby bush, she squinted her eyes and raised her guard up.
Only for a rabbit – Fucking finally – To hop out of the bush… Was that a freaking horn on its head?
Uni-rabbits? What the heck?
No wait… FOOD!
Such a fluffy and cute thing with those cute looking eyes, the small blob of fluff of tails and its small body incited some hidden giddiness inside her, just like how she briefly saw the cute rabbit of the Express.
But right now? It was FOOD.
Digging her foot into the earth with her good leg, Sirin launched herself with the speed of a lower level valkyrie, she pounced on the unsuspecting rabbit… Only for the rabbit to jump out of the way and her to miss and smack into a tree.
Sirin immediately started rolling around clutching her face with a hiss. Now pissed off, she immediately pushed herself up and looked to the fleeing horned-rabbit. Cleaning herself up, she dashed forward to grab the rabbit by its ears, only to miss once more as it ducks under her swipe.
Sirin tried again by trying to catch it with both arms, which failed as the rabbit simply jumped on her face and bounced off.
A tick grew on her temple.
"This little…" Normal humans were able to catch these fluffy things back on her world barehanded, and she was a hundred times faster than the average human. How was she having trouble!?
After a few tries, Sirin was laid on the ground gasping for air, facing the sky.
How dare… How dare this rabbit make a fool of herself!?
Fueled by anger, standing up again and looking at the fleeing rabbit, Sirin prepared to launch herself again. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH–!"
/—/
Eve was hopeful of Ms. Star, she trusted that she wouldn't leave them here to starve after the woman had told them to stay here and start a fire – Something that took great effort to start – and that she would be hunting for food.
She trusted that she would return, and so she did! With food!
Though she couldn't help but sweatdrop, she was a mixture of confusion, sweat dropping and pure happiness as she looked at with dirt everywhere.
The white-haired woman held up the Rabbit with one arm and handed it over to her Older Brother – Who was looking at Ms. Star with a shocked and surprised expression.
When Eve asked what happened to her, Ms. Star simply responded 'Showed' Em.' If that's all she said then, she wouldn't question the fist shaped mark on the rabbit's face then…
Her brother simply looked flabbergasted and took the rabbit without saying anything, looking at it and . Without saying anything, he walked towards the fire and took out a small sharp rock, but when he did, Sirin stopped him and took the rabbit and sat next to the fire they've started inside the cottage – Which arguably was a bad idea – and removed that weird piece of accessory on her head.
Ms. Star then told her Older Brother to come close, to which he did reluctantly, she handed him the sharp looking accessory. Something he examined before looking at Ms. Star and the dead rabbit. Lessening his frown, her Older Brother then started skinning the dead rabbit and cooked dinner for them.
It wasn't much, but Eve will definitely keep this memory as their first day of sharing a meal with someone else.
It was a nicer feeling than just her and her brother alone.
/—/
Adam found this white-haired woman creepy, first her unnatural pupils then her leg healing so fast. When she said she'd go hunt for food, he immediately saw through her bullshit and called her out for it… Until she actually came back with food.
Feh, who was she tricking? It's probably a lie until she actually leaves them if an opportunity arises, right now she's probably just forced to stay with them until she fully heals or something else.
He'd seen it before, experienced it before with his sister, from those bastards at the village. They helped them out only to throw them into the wolves when something they didn't want to deal with arose, they were all cowards, all the same. And this woman was the same, he wasn't wrong.
He'd never been wrong.
For now, he'll just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't step out of the line. But if she did… Could he stop her and protect his sister? By how she caught a rabbit when he couldn't, he had no doubt that this woman could overpower him, not to mention her falling from the sky… If he can't stop her then he'll just buy time for his sister when the time arises.
After they ate the cooked rabbit, his sister and the woman slept on the bed, while he was on the old broken down chair near the bed. He still didn't get how his younger sister could trust someone so easily, sure, she brought meat – Something he and his sister had barely eaten – But that shouldn't have been enough for her to trust the creepy woman.
Probably because she was young and innocent.
Creak…
Adam opened his eyes to see the woman sitting next to him. His hair stood on end just from the close-proximity of the woman, to the fact he almost lashed out on her for the sudden contact. But instead of looking at him, the woman simply crossed her arms together and closed her eyes.
"Go sleep with your sister, Brats shouldn't be staying up glaring at someone." The white-haired creep said.
"I don't trust you." Was all he said.
"I know, so go sleep with your sister." The woman replied, Adam clicked his tongue.
"And what, so you could do something to us?"
"Kid, do I look like a creep to you?"
You do. He didn't say it outloud, but judging by how the woman sighed, his silence probably answered that for him.
"Whatever."
After that, they stayed like that for a time Adam didn't know. It annoyed him to no end, and simply justified that this woman was probably just a creep, but everytime he tried to poke at her, she didn't reply. When he looked at her, she had already fallen asleep.
Adam himself felt his own vision blacking out from fatigue, until he eventually fell asleep as well. As much as he wanted to keep an eye on her, his body wouldn't allow it. His thoughts themselves fell as well while the idea of trusting this woman still felt like impossible.
…
…
…
Sirin sighed as Adam finally fell asleep, hoisting up the boy from the chair, she placed the sleeping boy next to his sister and returned back to the chair. To an extent, she felt a kinship with the boy on how distrustful he was of people. She already knew from a glance that the boy was something close to Sirin was, at least in paranoia and dealing with people.
Probably trauma as well.
She sighed.
I'd be long until the boy finally trusts her and stops glaring at her.
"I guess I'll keep watch for the rest of the night."
/—/
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Nope, I don't have excuses this time, it's my fault this time.I completely forgot to release this chapter alongside the Finality Tuna one.
For now, I'll be sticking on having HSR!Adam and his sister grow to like Sirin, while Sirin herself
fluctuates from being traumatized, depressed, and being mature.
She'll heal, eventually.
/—/
If you wish to support me and my story making shenanigans despite my terrible schedule, go to my scuffed pat-reon.
I promise to upload every week or two now because of this.
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