"Hmm? Lumina, do you feel these golden threads trembling?"
In Amphoreus, on Okhema Street, Herta and Lumina walked hand-in-hand, followed by a Lord Ravager whose steps seemed a bit unsteady... or perhaps just a Little Kitten with unsteady steps.
"Indeed. It seems I understand now why the owner of these golden threads hasn't approached us for so long," Lumina nodded, instantly grasping the situation.
"Looks like we arrived at the wrong time."
"We just happened to arrive when the threads' owner was in trouble."
Lumina gazed up at Okhema's perpetually dawn-lit sky and couldn't help but sigh.
"What? Aren't you going to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress?" Herta said flatly, her expression unchanged. Though her words seemed to urge Lumina to play the hero, they also carried an undercurrent of mockery, as if taunting Lumina's tendency to freeze up around beautiful girls.
"It's not 'hero saves damsel'; it's 'super-beautiful girl saves beautiful girl'," Lumina corrected, holding Herta's hand while raising her other to the sky, extending a finger and gently waving it.
"Heh," Herta chuckled, her smile strained and humorless.
She clearly disapproved of Lumina's desire to play the hero—no, the super-pretty girl rescuing another girl.
But as always, Herta lacked the authority or justification to object.
She could only watch helplessly as Lumina did things that made her deeply uncomfortable.
Yet even so, Herta clung to Lumina's side, still wanting to hold her hand and "travel" together.
Feeling the warmth radiating from their linked hands, Herta thought:
If we could stay like this forever... maybe... it wouldn't be so bad after all?
No, no, no! Absolutely not! I'm Herta, after all.
But this budding sentiment was quickly stomped out by Herta herself.
Lumina... can only belong to me alone.
As these thoughts churned, her eyes, brilliant as amethyst gems, were once again shrouded in a dark mist.
Meanwhile, oblivious to Herta's internal turmoil, Lumina turned to glance at the panting Phantylia Kitten trailing behind them.
With a soft laugh, she teased, "What's this? Can't even walk for a while without getting so out of breath, Lord Ravager?"
"Meow... meow... meow meow! (Aha... aha... because I'm weak!)"
After running for so long, the Phantylia Kitten felt this was the most challenging "training" she had attempted in a long time.
Ever since Phantylia was captured during the Xianzhou incident, when had the Phantylia Kitten ever exerted herself to this extent?
The entire cat nearly collapsed on the spot. If this body weren't merely an ordinary form conjured by Lumina using energy, how could the Phantylia Kitten endure such humiliation?
So, when Lumina mocked her for this behavior, the Phantylia Kitten readily embraced the taunt, boldly admitting her weakness.
Look at what she's reduced me to!
Hearing this, Lumina shook her head slightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
If anyone were to see this—even if they were told this was a Lord Ravager whose fury could engulf the entire Galaxy—they'd never believe it, would they?
"Alright, alright, come here," Lumina said, waving the Phantylia Kitten over to lie in her lap.
The Phantylia Kitten's eyes lit up instantly.
A surge of energy, seemingly from nowhere, coursed through her body. With a powerful spring, she kicked off with all four paws and leaped into Lumina's embrace.