"Yes... I have... the right to happiness..."
Kiana murmured the words, the film of moisture in her eyes slowly dissipating, replaced by a flickering glimmer of light.
She looked up at Su Yu, then at Mei not far away.
The future Su Yu had described, that peaceful world without Honkai, a world of only ordinary days, felt real in her heart for the first time.
The feeling was foreign, like a tender sprout in spring carefully pushing its way through the frozen earth.
She took a deep breath, her hands clenching into fists on her knees, as if trying to hold on to this hard-won courage.
Since Su Yu had said so, and since Sister Mei was so gentle... perhaps she really could try to step out, try to touch this world.
However—
"Heh heh... The right to happiness? Are you talking about yourself?"
The voice abruptly exploded in the depths of her mind.
It was sharp, mocking, and carried a chill so familiar it made her tremble.
Kiana's body instantly went rigid.
Her tightly clenched fists suddenly loosened, trembling uncontrollably.
That voice.
The voice that had plunged her into despair countless times had appeared again.
Why now?
Why of all times?
She had clearly checked so many times, so many times, she should have been gone.
She couldn't help but recall the dream she'd had that night.
That shadow coiled in her heart had truly never left.
"Do you see, Kiana? In a world without you, Mei's life is so happy."
The voice was like a cold, venomous snake, slithering up her nerves bit by bit.
"That Mei who smiles confidently in the laboratory, that woman nestled beside her lover... That is the life she was supposed to have."
"And you? You're just a superfluous stain, the inkblot that ruined that beautiful picture."
"No... It's not..."
Kiana desperately refuted it in her mind, but the voice seemed to echo through her very soul, every sentence striking precisely where she feared it most.
"Is that so? Is it? Is it? Is it..."
The laughter grew more piercing, filled with malicious speculation.
"You're actually jealous, aren't you? Jealous that Kevin Kaslana gets to have all this."
"You want to destroy his and Mei's happiness, just like you destroyed Mei's life back then."
"You want them to become like you and Mei, tormenting each other in this abyss of despair."
"Shut up! I didn't!" Kiana's pupils contracted violently, her breathing becoming rapid and chaotic, a heavy stone pressing down on her chest.
"You didn't? Then why do you still dare to appear before her?"
The voice turned deep, carrying a pressure like the pronouncement of a death sentence.
"You want to make that girl lose her peace and happiness again. You truly are a selfish monster, Kiana! As long as you live, as long as you are near her, disaster will strike sooner or later!"
"You see, even in this world without Honkai energy, I still exist!"
"If I wanted to, I could easily tear everything here to shreds!"
"That woman named Mei, that man named Kevin, and that Su Yu who keeps trying to save you... they will all die because of you."
"Shut up!"
Kiana wanted to suppress the voice, but she found that her body was moving against her will, her hand forming a claw.
Its target was Su Yu's neck.
This familiar, suffocating feeling of being controlled like a string puppet made Kiana's eyes fly open.
In that instant, Kiana felt as if all the air around her had been sucked away.
The thread of composure that had gradually loosened because of Su Yu's gentleness, at this moment, with the revival of that voice, emitted the sound of snapping under an unbearable load.
Snap—
It shattered.
All hope, all courage, shattered into a complete mess at this very moment.
So... she had never escaped it.
Those whispers that had once swirled in her ears and mind were not some so-called illusions.
The Herrscher had never left her.
It was a tumor in her soul, a curse on her fate.
Monster.
She was a monster who would bring death to everyone.
She didn't deserve happiness. She didn't even... deserve to live.
Su Yu was about to reach for another bucket of popcorn when his peripheral vision caught something wrong with Kiana.
Her face was as white as a sheet, fine beads of cold sweat covered her forehead, and her entire body was trembling violently. Her eyes were vacant, as if she'd lost all focus.
"Kiana? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
He subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch her shoulder to give her some support.
"Don't touch me!!!"
Kiana let out a blood-curdling scream, violently slapping Su Yu's hand away.
A sharp smack echoed.
Her voice was filled with terror and despair, sounding exceptionally piercing in the relatively quiet VIP box.
Mei and Kevin were startled, both turning their heads in confusion.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Mei started to walk over.
"Don't come over! None of you, stay away!!"
Kiana stared at them, her eyes filled with panic.
As if she were seeing some kind of terrifying beast, she shook her head while backing away.
"I'm a monster... I'll get you all killed... Don't come near me..."
Before Su Yu could react, Kiana turned and rushed towards the door of the box as if she'd gone mad.
"Kiana!" Su Yu shouted, quickly getting up to give chase.
But Kiana's speed was astonishing.
She yanked the door open and plunged into the noisy crowd outside without a single look back.
"What's... what's with this kid?" Kevin was completely baffled. "Did she eat something bad and need to use the bathroom?"
But Su Yu knew that wasn't it.
Because the moment Kiana rushed out, the previously silent System panel in front of him popped up, and bright red numbers began to flash frantically—
[Absolute Freedom Time Countdown: 29:58]
That was... the freedom time she had just activated.
During this time, she was not restricted by the 1.5-meter range, nor was she bound by him, her Anchor.
She could go anywhere.
Su Yu's pupils contracted sharply.
He remembered the look in Kiana's eyes as she left.
That wasn't the look of someone trying to escape. It was a kind of... grim resolution after one's heart had turned to dead ashes.
It was the look of someone who wanted to completely sever all ties, who wanted to stop this world from being harmed because of her... the look of someone going to their death.
"No... this is wrong."
Su Yu stared intently at the rapidly decreasing countdown, his face deathly pale.
He was all too familiar with the look Kiana just had.
It wasn't physical discomfort, nor was it a temper tantrum.
It was the look only a person who felt they had been abandoned by the world—or even wanted to actively abandon it—would have.
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Fresh chapter for today, as promised!