Meanwhile.
Lin Wei didn't know what happened after he left; he simply followed Mobius's instructions and went to share the successful part of the good news with Yuno first.
"So, that's how it is?"
In Hua's training area, Yuno listened quietly as Lin Wei recounted the results of his recent efforts. However, instead of feeling happy or relieved, she felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness and absurdity wash over her. Her heart felt hollow. After a long silence, she slowly lowered her head and asked, her voice barely audible,
"Then... what now?"
"A freak pieced together from two corpses"—although Lin Wei tried his best to relay Mobius's words as gently as possible, it didn't stop Yuno from understanding the underlying meaning.
Or perhaps, she had always harbored a vague, indistinct awareness of it, and this time it was simply brought fully into the light...
Because of this, when Lin Wei truly presented the dawn of hope before her, Yuno didn't feel warmth. Instead, she felt the fear and trembling of facing an abyss about to swallow her whole. It was as if a cold voice whispered slowly beside her ear:
"The human girl once named 'Yuno' is dead. The form still walking the world now is mostly just a skin barely supported by a monster from the Honkai!"
That voice then scoffed mockingly,
"Look at your current state, despised by everyone! How could the real daughter named Yuno ever be as violent as you?"
...
"If that's really the case..."
Lin Wei was her most trusted psychological anchor; the hope he brought undoubtedly melted the ice around Yuno's heart. But immediately following that, the negative emotions tightly suppressed deep within surged uncontrollably like floodwaters under the ice, transforming into mocking, attacking, negating words that left her momentarily defenseless.
A huge sense of insecurity made Yuno subconsciously hug her arms tighter. Yet, the familiar touch of the vines wrapped around her elbows made her stiffen. Then, immense fear flooded her heart. The last straw gently brushed against her already crumbling mental defenses, nearly shattering them completely.
In that instant, Yuno felt as if she were back at the moment the Honkai erupted in her school, back in the instant before she lost consciousness, witnessing the despair of seeing familiar teachers and classmates die painfully before her eyes surge up once more. It felt like countless ghosts were simultaneously questioning her soul with murmurs—
"Who... am I?"
Yuno stared blankly, unable to answer. The vines covering her body seemed to transform into countless sharp blades piercing her body and soul. The pain, as if her very soul and cells were being torn apart, almost made her scream.
Just as she was about to plunge into the abyss of complete breakdown, the cry she let out in that classroom of death, the moment before losing consciousness, echoed in her heart once again,
"Someone... save me..."
Whether it was the echo of that hopeful plea or Lin Wei finally noticing her distress, Yuno suddenly felt a warm, large hand gently cover the top of her head, stroking downwards with a strangely calming, gentle force.
"Silly girl, what kind of question is that?"
Lin Wei gently comforted the almost shattered girl, speaking word by word in a soft yet firm voice,
"You are you~"
"I..."
A pang of sorrow hit Yuno's heart. She opened her mouth, about to utter self-deprecating rebuttals, but Lin Wei interrupted her rather brusquely. He cupped her small head with both hands, forcefully lifting her lowered face, revealing hollow, lost eyes, forcing her gaze to meet his. He reprimanded her sternly,
"I went through great trouble to pull you out of that pile of corpses in Nagazora City! You've struggled so hard to reach today, are you suddenly going to give up now?"
Lin Wei, who usually spoke gently to her, suddenly displaying anger was surprisingly effective. Yuno jolted, her chaotic thoughts clearing somewhat. She flinched,
"I... I..."
But she didn't know what "I" she should say, as if she had forgotten how to speak entirely. She could only brace herself, waiting for, or perhaps expecting, more reprimands from Lin Wei.
But Lin Wei didn't do that. Seeing her start to pull back from the downward spiral of self-abandonment, he removed his hands from her cheeks, opened his arms slightly, and smiled with extreme gentleness.
"Welcome to 'tomorrow,' Yuno."
The simple word "tomorrow," as if imbued with special magic, easily smoothed over the girl's shattered heart.
"I..."
Just like back in Nagazora, Lin Wei's simple words pierced directly into the depths of the girl's soul like a beam of light. The nearly extinguished volcano of life erupted once more, dispelling the bone-chilling cold and darkness, converging into a scorching warm current that transformed into tears welling up in her long-dry eyes.
"Wuuu..."
Will there really be a tomorrow? The girl wanted to cry but clenched her jaw, desperately holding back, as if "perseverance" itself was her meaning, just as it had been every day these past times.
"Sigh..."
Seeing this, Lin Wei simply pulled her into his embrace. His shoulders weren't broad, yet they effortlessly shattered the fragile strength the girl had forced herself to maintain, allowing the emotions long suppressed within her—whether despair or hope, pain or affection...
Both positive and negative emotions converged in this moment of touching release, melting into the purest form of sorrow.
"Waaah..."
Yuno buried her face deep into Lin Wei's chest, her cries as earth-shattering as a newborn baby's. With this, her hard outer shell finally crumbled completely. A newborn seed finally saw the light of day again, waiting for new nutrients and rain to help it grow strong.
"It's okay now..."
Lin Wei didn't mind how loud her crying was, nor did he care about his rapidly soaking shirt. He just patiently patted Yuno's back, quite pleased to embrace this long-overdue emotional release, while sighing deeply inwardly.
The darkness before dawn is the deepest, and Yuno's dawn was particularly arduous...
From the beginning, she was like a deformed child, her original trajectory forcibly altered by Lin Wei, only to be left unattended afterward.
He thought handing her over to Fu Hua, within the strange big family of St. Freya, would allow Yuno to smoothly find a new life. But Otto casually snatched that chance away, then discarded her like worn-out shoes, solely focused on his grand plan.
Although Durandal cared for her considerably, she didn't know the right way, ultimately leaving Yuno to stumble through an unfamiliar world relying solely on instinct.
Yuno's fundamental psychological state was ultimately self-loathing and self-destructive.
She didn't know why she moved forward, let alone how. All she could do was vent—inflicting pain on herself through violence, using pain to numb her nerves, telling herself "this is what being alive feels like."
During the long year of Lin Wei's absence, if Anna hadn't suddenly intervened, forcibly injecting a touch of brightness into her life, how long could her hatred and anger alone have sustained her?
Regardless, throughout that year, Yuno drank deeply from the poisonous wine called "hatred" and "self-destruction," forcibly fueling her misplaced soul to move forward—even if it was deformed, even if it was toxic, she had to drink it down to avoid dying of thirst.
And now, when Lin Wei could finally personally guide her onto the path she should have started walking a year ago, when Yuno began to realize she no longer needed to drink that bitter poison, she discovered she was already soaked to the bone with its lethal toxins, nearly dying instantly from the poisoning.
Someone relying on a poison spring to survive in a dry desert finally succumbs to the poison just before reaching a truly sweet spring; someone seeking the meaning of life through self-destruction finally succeeds in dying by self-destruction—playwrights of all farces throughout history seem to relish such ironic twists, writing page after page with passionate words.
And now, Lin Wei saw this hidden "playwright" behind the scenes, unceremoniously snatched the script from Its hands, and tore it into pieces with a sneer.
"Life itself is an arduous journey. Whether fate pours sweet spring water or bitter wine into your cup, you should drink it down without hesitation."
Lin Wei sneered mockingly at so-called fate.
"Don't you know that even the filthiest river in the world can forge the most resilient life?"
Unlike Lin Wei, Yuno didn't actually understand these things; but that didn't matter, she didn't need to—All that was needed was, when the poison flared up, to add a stream of clear spring water in time, transforming it into a mellow wine with a lingering aftertaste. That would suffice.
Then, when Yuno woke up from her "drunken stupor," she would naturally be able to shed her past burdens and face a new tomorrow with a fresh perspective. At the very least, when she woke up, her spirit and will wouldn't be as twisted and fragile as before...
Hua had already quietly departed, leaving Lin Wei and Yuno alone.
Lin Wei simply stayed quietly beside Yuno, letting her silently enjoy the release of crying—yes, enjoy.
How can someone who doesn't know how to cry truly learn how to laugh?
Like a cup filled with water, if the negative emotions accumulated deep inside aren't fully vented, how can there be space to accommodate the sweet spring of life?
After an unknown amount of time, just as Lin Wei felt his own head starting to tilt, Yuno, who had been clinging tightly to him, finally loosened her stiff arms. Head bowed, she slowly stepped back a few paces, completely unable to lift her head to look at Lin Wei, whom she had made such a mess of.
So embarrassing, she wailed inwardly.
Lin Wei turned around, took off his shirt, which felt several pounds heavier, and wrung it out—Splash!
"Pfft!"
Lin Wei was amazed. Is this girl part water pump? Even Anna couldn't cry this much!
"Uh..."
The embarrassing sound made Yuno even more awkward. She wanted to run but didn't dare, only lowering her head further, wishing she could bury herself in the ground.
Lin Wei glanced at her but smiled with satisfaction. He saw the vitality befitting a young girl finally returning to her, bit by bit.
"Feeling better?"
Lin Wei put his semi-dry shirt back on and asked softly.
Yuno's lowered head nodded gently.
"Still crying?"
Lin Wei asked again, mischievously.
Yuno's lowered head shook gently, then suddenly stiffened, as if just realizing the embarrassing nature of Lin Wei's question. She couldn't help but lift her head and glare at him.
That's enough out of you!
Seeing her bristling like this, Lin Wei felt even more satisfied—Excellent results!
"Alright, that's pretty much it."
Lin Wei knew when to quit while he was ahead and stopped teasing her, gathering his thoughts to get back on topic.
"After the body embryo matter is settled, you continue training in the Elysian Realm, follow Mobius..."
The implied meaning in Lin Wei's words made Yuno instantly anxious. Forgetting her earlier embarrassment, she quickly interrupted,
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Lin Wei didn't elaborate, just smiled and wiped the tear-streaked mess from her cat-like face. Yuno kept her face taut, letting him do as he pleased, but stubbornly met his gaze, waiting for his answer.
"...I have other important things to do. I might not have enough attention to take care of you."
Lin Wei sighed helplessly and stated briefly,
"Your path, I can only help you start. What comes next is beyond my ability—breaking through your past limitations depends on your own determination. Building upon that to unleash your potential, Mobius, Elysia, and the others are more professional than me in that regard, so staying here is the best choice for you."
"Can you take me with you?"
Hearing that Lin Wei really intended to separate from her, Yuno became immediately frantic, grabbing his hand and pleading,
"I want to help you!"
She knew what Lin Wei wanted to do must be dangerous; she couldn't bear to let him go out alone like this.
To this, Lin Wei just pinched her small nose and refused with a smile,
"Little girl, if you really want to help me, then hurry up and grow up~"
...
No matter how things changed, Yuno remained just as stubborn, disagreeing no matter what Lin Wei said.
"Anna is my friend! I can't stand by idly if she's in trouble!"
Yuno argued her stance vehemently—Try to leave me behind? Not happening!
Lin Wei sighed, helpless, and finally reached a compromise with her—after the matter with Schicksal and Anna was concluded, she had to obediently return to the Elysian Realm to continue her training.
"Aside from those two things, the rest involves matters only I can face. Taking you along would just be a burden."
Faced with Yuno's stubbornness, Lin Wei chose to be blunt.
"Furthermore, you must obey orders, no willful behavior whatsoever. Otherwise, even if you truly complete your transformation in the future, I will never bring you along on missions again—Understand?"
Faced with Lin Wei's uncompromising will, Yuno hesitated, then reluctantly agreed.
"Good."
Lin Wei nodded, comforted her briefly, then handed her back to Hua and departed.
Before leaving, he deliberately watched from afar for a moment. Seeing that the current Yuno no longer needed the Feather of Sentience constantly stabilizing her mind, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and left, satisfied.
Yuno's situation is resolved, but...
Lin Wei cast his gaze towards the area where Sakura resided, thinking melancholically,
What about Sakura... what should I do?
Since the day he escaped Honkai erosion, Lin Wei had never felt so powerless about anything as he did today...
The thought of "finding Hare" resurfaced in his mind, growing clearer and stronger.
"Sigh, better go sit with Sakura for a bit first, so she doesn't notice and worry."
Lin Wei muttered to himself, frowning.
"But before that..."
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed a furtive figure trying to sneak away, greeting with a smile,
"My dear Pardo, long time no see. Why run the moment you see me? What's the meaning of this?"
----
I want to upload 3 chapters today, but my schedule's a bit full right now. Tomorrow should be possible.