In the hospital room, soft sunlight shone on Eleanor's face through the window, the wind whipping through her hair like cotton. Slowly, she opened her eyes, still dizzy from sleeping too long. She glanced sideways, searching for any sign of her sister. However, she only saw Gabriela sitting there, waiting for her to wake up.
Gabriela was surprised to see her eyes open and immediately checked her blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and oxygen saturation. She found her vital signs slowly returning to normal and stable.
Eleanor spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "Sister...sister..."
Hearing that, Gabriela immediately called Ellyana and Nancy to report the incident. A few minutes later, they both entered the room to check on her.
Nancy sat beside the bed, gently stroking her cheek.
"Hey, honey...are you awake?"
Eleanor grew increasingly confused, and she spoke again, but this time more softly. "Sister...where are you..."
Ellyana breathed a sigh of relief. Eleanor regained consciousness, though still weak. This meant their operation had been successful; they had saved another life from this deadly disease. Tears of joy fell from her eyes, rolling down her face like a waterfall against a thick, soft wall. Suddenly, Ellyana's phone rang, interrupting the emotional moment.
Ellyana picked it up and held it to her ear. "What's wrong?"
"Has the girl's condition improved?" Selena asked.
"Eleanor has regained consciousness, her condition is slowly stabilizing," Ellyana replied.
"Good!! Violence is almost over, she's been asking about her sister almost all the time, hehe," Selena said.
"Wow, they'll be together again... I'm so touched!" Ellyana's voice was filled with tears of joy, happy that the two long-separated sisters would be reunited.
"Don't overdo it. The shift in consciousness will probably be complete Soon, so let's just wait," Selena said before finally hanging up.
Ellyana put her phone back in her pocket. She approached again and sat on the chair beside Eleanor's bed.
"Your sister will be back soon. Now you should focus on healing yourself, okay?" Ellyana said.
Eleanor nodded weakly, hoping Violence would return soon to hug her and tell her everything was okay. The three of them smiled softly, happy to see Eleanor willing to communicate with them, even if it was just a small gesture.
A few moments later, Cassandra quietly entered the room carrying a basket of fruit. She smiled kindly at them.
Cassandra gave a small wave and chuckled. "Ara-ara~ looks like I've come at just the right moment."
Nancy bowed respectfully.
"Welcome, Miss Cassandra."
Gabriela did the same.
"What are you doing here, Miss?"
Cassandra placed the basket on the table. "Here, please eat. You guys need a snack, right? So I brought this."
"Thanks, Cas. You don't have to worry," Ellyana said.
"It's no trouble. I also want to visit this girl. How is she now?" Cassandra asked.
"She's regained consciousness, but she's still too weak to move, especially since she no longer has arms and legs," Ellyana replied.
"Okay. You three go meet Lisa first to sign in for attendance," Cassandra said.
Ellyana nodded slowly, clearly understanding what she meant, while Gabriela and Nancy didn't.
"Gabriela, Nancy, follow me," Ellyana said.
Nancy and Gabriela looked at each other, clearly confused as to what was about to happen, but they followed her anyway. After the three of them left the room, Cassandra sat beside Eleanor's bed, gently stroking her hair.
Cassandra began to sing softly, her melodious voice as if sculpted by the hands of an angel herself, like a mother singing a song to her sick child.
"A tempore quo omnia incipiebant~
tu eras tantum mea parva avis~
quae semper cantabat...et pulchre pipiabat.
Dum somnium tuum manebit,
semper in corde meo invenieris.....
O parva avis...
sis semper felix...
noli spem te frangere sinere...
vola tam alta quam caelum..."
The song ended briefly, without a high note or overly dramatic overtones, just the gentle and touching voice of a woman experiencing much, and the birds chirped as if to continue the song.
Hearing this, tears slowly flowed down Eleanor's cheeks, feeling a warmth and tenderness she hadn't felt in hundreds of years. She looked up at Cassandra with teary eyes, gazing at her like a child gazing at its mother through tears.
Eleanor burst into tears.
"Mom...mom..."
Cassandra smiled softly at her words. She leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Shh, I'm here, honey, don't worry~"
Seeing Eleanor slowly calm down, Cassandra brought out a bowl of porridge for her.
"I made this for you. You haven't eaten anything in a long time. Here, let me feed you."
Cassandra helped Eleanor sit up gently, then began spooning the porridge to feed her. "Open your mouth, dear."
Eleanor opened her mouth, and the spoonful of porridge slowly entered her mouth.
"Just chew it slowly, feel all the sensations you've lost," Cassandra said.
At that moment, everything felt so peaceful and calming. The wind entered the room and gently blew their hair. There was no Destroyer or dangerous Virus, just two girl beginning to connect emotionally.
"I... I had given up... on my life. But... you saved me... I am so grateful," Eleanor said softly.
Cassandra smiled softly, her eyes showing pure warmth and tenderness.
"It's our duty to help those in need, dear. And you will return to a much better life."
Eleanor nodded slowly, finally home and safe. Not long after, Violence entered the room, her body perfectly upgraded, far more sophisticated, more beautiful, and more graceful. Violence stared at Eleanor, a wave of disbelief flooding her heart even though she no longer had it. She wanted to cry as loud as she could even though she couldn't shed any more tears.
"E...Eleanor...Eleanor?" Violence said softly, still unable to believe what she saw.
Eleanor slowly turned to face her. Although Violence's new appearance was unfamiliar, she knew it was her sister who had always protected her.
"Sister...sister?" Eleanor said.
Violence fell to the ground, her heart unable to process what had happened in the room. Eleanor was now healthy, and they had managed to live together after hundreds of years of misfortune. She felt she couldn't thank Crimson Wing enough for healing her beloved sister.
Violence slowly approached Eleanor, gently caressing her cheek so as not to hurt her with her robotic hand.
"Welcome back to the world, little one~" Violence said.
Eleanor looked up at her sister. Although her face was expressionless due to her knight's helmet, she could still see her sister's smile.
Eleanor smiled softly.
"I'm back."
Cassandra shed tears, clearly moved by the dramatic scene unfolding before her eyes. She hugged them both affectionately.
"You've been apart for too long, now you'll spend the rest of your time together."
Eleanor nodded slowly. "Thank you, Mom..."
Violence was surprised to hear her sister call Cassandra "Mom" but she didn't want to dwell on it now.
"Thank you, Miss Cassandra. We can't thank you enough with mere words."
Cassandra pulled away and looked at the two of them.
"For now, you two focus on healing yourselves and your longing."
Suddenly, Selena's head appeared in the doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt your moment. Miss Cassandra, may I give that to Violence now?"
Cassandra glanced over briefly, then nodded slowly.
"Of course, let me give it to her."
Selena entered the room holding a brown envelope. She held it out to Cassandra. She took it, unfolded the piece of paper, and then handed it to Violence.
"Here, take it," Cassandra said, handing the paper to Violence.
"What's this?" Violence asked, accepting the paper.
Cassandra sighed, wanting to explain everything carefully.
"We'd like to donate two robotic arms and legs to Eleanor so she can return to her normal activities. Don't worry, the cost of repairing your body, the treatment, and the parts for Eleanor are free. All you have to do is sign this contract as a new Crimson Wing member. We'll cover all your living expenses."
Violence froze in place, her voice muffled by something. A few seconds later, she finally found her voice again.
"Really... really... you're not lying, right? This is serious, right? You're not playing around, are you? Tell me you're not joking!!"
Unconsciously, her hand automatically signed the contract without reading its contents first. She thought that simply killing the Destroyer would guarantee their lives here. She handed the signed contract to Selena, unaware that this action would have far greater repercussions and the responsibilities they would carry in the future.
Selena accepted the letter happily and clapped her hands softly.
"Very good. I'll bring you the prosthetic body parts tomorrow. See you later." With that, Selena left the room.
Cassandra looked back at the two of them. "Then I'll be going too. I have something to do. Ellyana and the others will be back soon. If you have any questions, just come find me; I won't be far away."
Violence bowed respectfully once more. "Thank you so much, Miss Cassandra."
Cassandra quietly walked out of the room, leaving the two of them there to fill their empty hearts. Now there was only one person on her list to heal, none other than Voltrania. She only hoped she was healed before she arrived. Cassandra's footsteps echoed in the hallway, as several women passing by greeted and bowed respectfully to the vice-chairwoman.
A few moments later, Cassandra arrived in front of Voltrania's room. She didn't bother knocking. She opened the door without further ado.
"Voltrania?" she asked, looking for her in her room, but found no one. "Maybe she's at the office, but why isn't her room locked?"
Cassandra turned to the side and saw something. It was Liora, mopping the floor along the hallway with her small body and carrying a small bucket of water. Cassandra was a bit surprised by the sight. Why would a little girl like her be cleaning this long hallway?
Cassandra called out to her.
"Liora, dear~ can you come here for a moment?"
Liora turned to face her, quickly taking advantage of the slippery floor to slide toward her.
"Wiiii!!" She let out a cute voice as she slid.
Cassandra caught her and carried her, asking softly.
"Honey~ why are you mopping the floor? Did Mama tell you to?"
Liora shook her head.
"No! Mama didn't ask me to, I just took the initiative to clean up to make things easier for Mama."
Cassandra patted her head gently, clearly impressed that a child already knew such complicated words as initiative for someone her age.
"Now, let the adults take care of this. Where's Mama?"
"CLEANING SERVICE!!!!" Cassandra shouted.
Two maids immediately ran over to them and stood right in front of them.
"What's wrong, Miss?" one of the maids asked.
"Isn't mopping the hallway your job? Why are you letting Liora do it?" Cassandra asked quietly, her gaze sending shivers down their spines.
One of the maids answered again.
"Ehhh? B...but Miss, we finished sweeping and mopping the hall clean a few minutes ago, we don't know why Liora is mopping again."
Cassandra sighed. It turned out the little girl had something unexpected up her sleeve. "Okay, clean up this mess," she ordered before walking back, carrying her.
A few moments later, the two of them entered Voltrania's office. Cassandra sat on the sofa while Liora sat next to her.
"Ara-ara...someone finally got better before I could," Cassandra teased.
Voltrania looked up from her work and glared at Cassandra.
"Please...let's not talk about that anymore..."
"Okay...so, I want to discuss something important," Cassandra said, her tone becoming serious.
Voltrania, understanding the situation, turned to Liora.
"Liora, dear, could you get Mama and Aunt Cassandra some juice from the kitchen?"
Liora immediately stood up straight and saluted.
"Your orders have been received, Mama, fresh fruit juice will be here soon!" she said before running out.
Voltrania stood up from her chair and casually sat down on the sofa beside Cassandra.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Cassandra sighed, speaking in a serious tone. "So you still want to do 'that'? Aren't you worried about the consequences?"
"Absolutely not! Our threat isn't just the Destroyer. A much greater threat has approached us, and we have no information on them. Therefore, we must do this to them. Even though it's a bit inhumane, it's the only way," Voltrania said firmly.
"Oh dear~ perhaps you're worrying too much, that's all. Besides, we're already too powerful; we can handle it," Cassandra said teasingly.
Voltrania replied softly and gently.
"Don't be overconfident~ Even though we're considered strong, we can't let our guard down. We've managed to get one of Alone's dogs; she can be a source of information, even if only a little due to his blindness."
"Hehe, you're so clever, my dear~ Every time you do something, it has more than one impact," Cassandra teased again.
"Even so, we must not let our guard down for the slightest bit. Carmine Ecarlate used to be weakened due to the lack of people tying the tree to it. However, the crystals from the Great Meteor some time ago managed to restore its energy, albeit only temporarily." Voltrania said calmly.
"Okay, but what about Eleanor? Are you sure you want to do that to her too?" Cassandra asked.
"We'll put her in the final wave; she still has a lot to learn before she goes into battle. Besides, I'm sure there are still many survivors we haven't rescued out there," Voltrania said firmly.
"Okay, if that's what you want," Cassandra said, grabbing a pen from her pocket.
Cassandra imbued the pen with her surging Crimson energy. Without warning, she threw the pen toward the door. It shot through the door's material as if it were powerless, and embedded itself firmly in the wall beyond, leaving a crack running down its surface. Suddenly, a heart-rending scream echoed throughout the headquarters.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH IT HURTS!"
Voltrania, startled, immediately forced open the door to find the source of the terrifying sound. She was shocked to find Laura rolling on the floor, writhing in intense pain. It turned out that the pen Cassandra had thrown had stabbed Laura's palm as she tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Cassandra walked over, a faint smile etched on her lips. She had indeed been aware of the eavesdropper's presence from the start. Now, she stared at Laura with an expression tinged with a faint hint of guilt.
Cassandra smiled and folded her arms.
"Ara-ara~ Maybe I went a little too far this time, huh? Hehe~"
Laura was still whimpering like a child on the floor. Cassandra gently took her injured hand and healed it with her flames, slowly healing the wound back to normal.
"Eeee, why did you do this?" she asked in a sobbing and pouting voice.
Laura immediately stood in front of them.
"I just finished. Sooooo how's the agenda going to go?" Her cheerful expression returned, clearly forgetting her previous pain.
Voltrania and Cassandra glanced at each other, confused by her attitude, before finally looking back at her.
"This agenda will be divided into three waves, and you'll be the committee," Voltrania said.
Laura was completely shocked, unable to believe her own ears.
"Really? Oh my gosh! I'll guide them to unlock their potential."
Voltrania glared at her.
"Remember! Don't let them lose control if that happens. You're in charge."
Laura immediately struck a salute.
"Yes, boss."
Voltrania sighed in relief. "Good, go help Lisa."
Laura immediately ran away, leaving the two of them in the hallway. Liora ran toward them, carrying a tray containing two large glasses of juice and one small one for herself.
"Here you go, Mama," Liora said, lifting the tray.
Voltrania and Cassandra each took a glass and sipped half of it.
"Hmmm, ahhh, so refreshing. Thank you, dear," Cassandra said, patting Liora's head.
Voltrania picked Liora up and sat her on her shoulder with a smile.
"Since you've successfully completed this mission, we'll go for a walk."
Liora's eyes widened with excitement. "Hooray, let's go, Mama~"
Voltrania began walking slowly with Liora on her shoulder, followed by Cassandra. They both wanted to make this day a joyous one for their little one, as she was their most precious treasure.