Clang—
"The River of Forgetfulness lies still, ferrying those who linger."
As the blade slid back into its sheath, everyone felt as if they had been transported through time. The two men frantically tried to turn and look for the figure, but they found themselves utterly unable to control their bodies as their vision slowly faded downward. In the end, everything fell into silence.
Thud.
Two heads rolled to the ground, followed by the two headless bodies collapsing limply.
"Another blood debt added."
Drip... A few light raindrops fell, and the clear, low murmur echoed through the silent alley, pulling Mo Xi's thoughts back to the present. With the matter concluded, the furrow in Mo Xi's brow finally relaxed. Yet, the shock in her heart refused to subside.
Mo Xi didn't even know how Acheron had made her move. Her curious gaze was involuntarily drawn to Acheron, and she noticed the bloody tears at the corners of Acheron's eyes. Though she wanted to show concern, the pain in her own body pulled her back to reality, forcing her to sit down quietly and lean against the wall to rest.
"Haa—"
Acheron slowly exhaled a turbid breath, her eyes slightly narrowed as if reminiscing about the past. Well, in a sense, she really was recalling the past. Though the incident was over, Acheron still tightly gripped ⌈Naught⌋, and her thoughts became exceptionally clear.
'No wonder I always felt my memories were like bubbles.'
At this moment, Acheron didn't know whether to be excited or speechless. This familiar yet unfamiliar face of hers, paired with these clothes, was none other than "Acheron" from her previous life in Honkai: Star Rail—the one hailed as the strongest beneath the Aeons! Along with the awakening of her memories came the system she had once dreamed of.
[Ding!] [Congratulations, Host, for awakening the Honkai: Star Rail Role-Playing System.] [Reward: One Newcomer's Gift Pack!] [Characters currently viewable: Acheron]
Listening to the system in her mind, Acheron's heart wasn't as excited as one might imagine. She wondered if this was due to "Nihility" or her own nature. Acheron inwardly inquired, 'View Acheron's panel.'
[Acheron: 50%]
'System, what's the use of this progress bar?'
[Reply, Host: As the progress bar increases, more characters can be unlocked. The progress bar grows based on the Host's own actions.]
Hearing the system's sickly sweet loli voice, Acheron ultimately decided not to dwell on it too much. Compared to the system... In reality, after just a brief moment, Acheron slowly opened her eyes. She expressionlessly glanced at the corpses on the ground, then turned her gaze toward the figure sitting against the wall and walked over slowly.
Mo Xi immediately noticed the approaching figure, but before she could speak, she heard the other's advice.
"Don't move. Let me take a look."
After saying this, Acheron began carefully examining the injuries without waiting for a response. "Multiple lacerations on the body, likely minor internal bleeding in the abdomen, the hand..."
Her words abruptly stopped. Looking at the pierced right hand that was still dripping blood, a trace of hidden sorrow flashed across Acheron's face. However, just as she intended to use some cloth for a simple bandage, she was surprised to find the wound had miraculously stopped bleeding on its own. With a single glance, Acheron understood the reason.
It saved the little fabric she had on her, sparing her from tearing it for bandages. But since she wasn't skilled in treatment and had no medicine on her, it was best to get to a hospital quickly.
"Can you still move?"
Hearing this, Mo Xi, who felt much better, nodded and slowly stood up with Acheron's support. Acheron took a jacket from one of the corpses to cover her sister's exposed skin, then helped her leave.
As the two gradually moved away from the alley, two petite figures appeared beside the two corpses.
"This..." "Hehe, how interesting!"
The two beautiful figures faced each other, seeming both very surprised and amused by the current experience. One of them had a petite and slender figure, wearing a fox mask that was half-white and half-red, with bells adorning its edges. Her twin-tails faded from black to reddish-brown, tied with bell-adorned ribbon bows that swayed lightly with her movements. Her facial features were delicate, her skin fair, with pink pupils as clear as glass. A teardrop mole graced the corner of her eye, and a sly smile played on her lips. Her attire was primarily deep red and profound black, with gold trim on the collar and cuffs. Her sleeves fluttered like goldfish tails, and a sash was tied around her waist. Her clothes were embroidered with patterns of fireworks and petals. Bells were wrapped around her neck and wrists, producing clear chimes when she moved. She often wore wooden clogs, with goldfish bells tied around her ankles.
The other had short gray-blue hair, adorned with a yellow hair ornament on top, with two locks of long hair tied and reaching her back. Her pupils were a light brownish-yellow, her facial features combining both a heroic air and childishness. Her nose bridge was small and straight, and when her almond-shaped eyes widened, they revealed a sharp intensity. Her overall color scheme was mainly red and blue, featuring a crop top with wide sleeves and a red satin ribbon tied around her waist. She wore black wrist guards on her arms and light green elbow guards. A green miniskirt covered her lower body, with a sachet attached to her waist and three tassels hanging below as decoration. Barefoot, the skin of her feet was as delicate as carved jade. Bells were tied around her ankles, and a thigh ring adorned her leg. Her fingers and toes were painted with red nail polish.
The two little ones curiously looked each other up and down. As their gazes met, they recognized each other—or rather, each other's appearance—as none other than Sparkle and Yunli.
[Ding!] [Newcomer's Gift Pack has been opened!] [Host has unlocked characters: Sparkle, Yunli]
"This is so interesting! It's really exactly like in the memories!" Sparkle observed her own and Yunli's appearances with excitement.
"Could you stop staring at me like that?" Even Yunli felt it was a bit perverse under "her own" gaze.
"Hey, don't mind it! It's basically no different from looking in a mirror right now."
"Uh..." It made some sense, but why did it feel so wrong somehow ಠಿ_ಠ?
Sparkle: (¬‿¬)
Seeing the other hesitate, Sparkle immediately grew excited, her cute little face breaking into a sly grin as she declared loudly, "So—let me see!!!"
Yunli: (＃°Д°)
"No!" Finally reacting, Yunli's face flushed with shame and indignation. This girl even deceived herself!
"Come on! Let me see ( ω )!" Sparkle was completely unfazed, the curve of her smile growing even more pronounced.
Seeing the other show no restraint, Yunli panicked, her body instinctively springing into action. "I—don't want to!!!"
The next moment, Yunli pulled out a greatsword taller than herself from thin air and swung it down with force.
BOOM!!!
A tremendous roar instantly echoed through the entire street, making many pedestrians in the distance think an earthquake had struck. As the commotion gradually subsided and the dust settled, the originally narrow alley had become much more spacious. A crater nearly one meter deep had been smashed into the ground.
Yunli stood at the center of the crater, both hands tightly gripping the greatsword, her cheeks flushed crimson, her small face filled with shame, indignation, and a hint of bewilderment. Meanwhile, Sparkle sat leisurely on a relatively intact section of the wall nearby, her two small legs swinging naturally. Though somewhat startled, her surprise soon inexplicably turned into excitement, and the smile that had faded bloomed once again.