After entering this world bubble, the Stigmata had never responded to Lin Wei's call again. Neither Yae Sakura's voice, as clear as a mountain spring, nor the Stigmata's own power, as warm as the spring sun.
Or rather, that fleeting embrace before entering this world bubble, only after a long time did he belatedly realize that it seemed to have been a silent farewell.
Originally, Lin Wei had only felt a vague sense of unease. But the moment he fell ill from the harsh night environment, like an ordinary lost traveler, he finally realized that he seemed to have truly lost the protection of the Stigmata.
At that moment, a great sense of loneliness choked him. The emptiness far surpassed the physical pain and weakness.
If it were her, she definitely wouldn't have let me end up like this.
Not long ago, the oceans, the skies, and the deserts of Helheim were all his to roam freely, but now...
She might really be gone, Lin Wei thought to himself.
It was like a great "giant's joke" of fate.
He had risked coming to this Sea of Quanta to keep Yae Sakura by his side for a long time, but on the very first day he entered this turbulent "ocean," he had already lost his only companion.
"Heh..."
Unknown to the other companion he had subsequently met, the Lin Wei who was curled up and immobile in the cold cave, once again let out a contemptuous sneer at that evil fate.
Yesterday, when Schrödinger asked him about his plan, Lin Wei had been honest, but he had also kept a small reservation. He was going to use this infamous X-10 experiment to peel Yae Sakura, along with the evil Stigmata she was in, bit by bit from the corners of his genes, from the deepest part of his consciousness!
"Ah..."
"No, you can't!"
Who in the room could understand that experiment better than Seele, who had experienced it firsthand and been its victim? Hearing Lin Wei's casual tone, she immediately cried out, "It's too dangerous! You'll die! Absolutely not!"
"Is this your real plan and purpose, Lin Wei?" Schrödinger asked in return. She had quickly reacted after he had spoken.
During the time Lin Wei was unconscious, she had talked with Seele and Bronya for a long time and had gained a considerable understanding of the mysterious "X-10" experiment from them. It was precisely because of this that she was so angry at Lin Wei's reckless decision.
She felt like she had been deceived.
"Yes, but also no, Dr. Schrödinger."
Lin Wei gestured to Seele with his eyes, but she only returned a cold glare.
Lin Wei: "The plan you asked about was to find the mechanism of the endless time loop. After the sun rose today, that question has been preliminarily answered. It's time to start the next phase of the plan. That's the 'yes.' As for the 'no'..."
Lin Wei looked at the cracks in the low rock ceiling of the grotto, as if his gaze could penetrate the cold, thick rock to a deeper place. He smiled lightly. "Even if the sun hadn't risen today, even if it had been proven that the time loop mechanism had nothing to do with the experiment that terrifies Seele, I would still have found a way to participate in the center of that experiment. You can also understand this as a 'personal purpose' of mine."
Or, in other words, a side quest?
Lin Wei thought to himself. It's just that now, this "side quest" has overlapped with the "main quest" of breaking the loop and leaving the world bubble.
"...What does that mean?"
Schrödinger sighed. "Is this your usual trick? Hiding 'lies' within 'truths,' catching everyone you guide with your words off guard?"
"I haven't hidden anything from you. I'm just doing what I'm good at, what I should be doing. Even this little selfish desire of mine is not hidden."
Lin Wei's voice remained calm, without a trace of panic from being questioned. "There are only three of us 'outsiders' who entered this world bubble from the Sea of Quanta. Perhaps your existence, Dr. Schrödinger, is more transcendent than mine and Seele's. But if one of us has to lie on that operating table to solve this loop, and I don't take this risk, should I let you, Dr. Schrödinger, or Seele do it for me?"
Seele, whose name had been called, couldn't help but glare at him. Lin Wei gave the girl, who was filled with guilt, a deep look, smiled lightly, and threw the "righteous" act he had just put on into the trash. He sighed.
"As for that little selfish desire... heh, the reason I have to do this, Seele, you might understand what I'm saying. I lost a very, very important treasure. It's my Stigmata, my companion who was with me day and night. I have to get it back. That X-10 experiment, I've heard of it. It might be my only chance, so I don't want to miss it—"
Having vented all the words that had been bottled up inside him, Lin Wei let out a long sigh of relief, glanced back at her, and said faintly, "That's all."
"This... Stigmata?"
Seele was dumbfounded. She had momentarily forgotten her previous tension and unease and murmured, "Mr. Lin Wei, you... could it be..."
Seele's mind was a mess. She couldn't even articulate what "could it be" meant.
"Mhm."
Lin Wei hummed softly, as if he understood what she was thinking.
Seele's eyes lit up, but then she remembered what Lin Wei had just said. She clutched her chest and hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and asked, "That Stigmata... is it... very important to you?"
For some reason, even the usually aloof Veliona couldn't help but perk up her ears and listen intently. As a Stigmata consciousness herself, she was obviously very interested in the answer to this question.
"Important? Of course it's important. Without the protection of the Stigmata's power, even this snow and wind could trap me and render me immobile."
Lin Wei pointed outside the cave and laughed self-deprecatingly. Then he sighed softly. "But actually, it's not that important... If I could, I would have wanted to separate it completely from my body, as if we had never been one..."
"...Hush!"
Veliona felt as if she had heard the most unpleasant filth in the world. For a moment, this man named "Lin Wei" seemed utterly evil to her. She fiercely suppressed her extremely bad and annoyed mood and urged impatiently, "Seele, don't listen to this guy's nonsense. He doesn't understand anything!"
She was especially afraid that her pure, kind, innocent, and lovely Seele would be swayed by this ignorant guy's words...
"Is... is that so?"
Seele murmured. For some reason, after hearing Lin Wei's words, she felt a deep sense of disappointment from the bottom of her heart, as if what he had said had negated some cherished part of her, a part that she herself hadn't been fully aware of before.
"Ah, yes, stolen from one's own 'path'..."
Lin Wei didn't notice the subtle change in Seele's expression, as if he were completely immersed in his own emotional world. He said to himself, "More than the power it gives me, I care more about the Stigmata itself, and... the person it represents... the person."
"Huh?"
Both Seeles were stunned.
"Is it that Yae Sakura you mentioned before?" Schrödinger asked. She had heard Lin Wei mention this name more than once.
"Yes, a very beautiful girl, with long hair the color of cherry blossoms and a pair of long, fluffy ears. She's both an agile swordswoman and a gentle, quiet shrine maiden, but she can also have some mischievous thoughts that are a little embarrassing."
Lin Wei recalled the girl who had accompanied him for a long part of his journey, and he felt more and more that her position in his life was indispensable. "If she hadn't become that Stigmata, protecting me in my body, accompanying me in my consciousness, I probably... no, I definitely wouldn't have made it to where I am today."
"..."
The two Seeles, each with their own thoughts, were silent for a moment.
The X-10 experiment, the world's loop, all became unimportant in that second. The minds of these two souls, who relied on each other for survival, were now filled with the image that Lin Wei had painted with his words.
"Do... do Stigmata disappear?"
Seele clutched her chest, looking at Lin Wei with a mix of bewilderment and nervousness. At the same time, she asked in an uneasy voice in her heart, "'Other' me, will you leave me too?"
"Ugh..."
Veliona grunted, a sense of unease in her heart. She then suddenly turned this unease into a rage and shouted, "He's talking nonsense!"
Even she realized that the deep-seated disgust she had felt just now had unknowingly turned into a simple annoyance and self-pity. Could Seele have said that?
The picture Lin Wei painted had also triggered the unease in her heart, as she was also a Stigmata consciousness. As the host's control over the Stigmata's power became more complete, the Stigmata consciousness residing within it would one day gradually dissipate. This was her destined fate.
But, even the "Stigmata expert" Veliona didn't understand. Was it the Stigmata's consciousness that was lost? Why did it sound like Lin Wei had lost the Stigmata itself? And in such a miserable state?
So, in addition to her unease, her curiosity grew stronger. Although she warned Seele "don't listen to his nonsense," she herself perked up her ears, wanting to hear what other strange things that guy could say.
Another Stigmata with consciousness? What a coincidence, she thought. What a pity... she thought.
"Perhaps it's because of the Sea of Quanta," Schrödinger said. She knew more about Lin Wei's struggles. "The energy tides of the Sea of Quanta are an invisible and fatal erosion to tangible matter exposed to it. You were exposed to the Sea of Quanta for too long, Lin Wei. The fact that you're safe is, on the one hand, because the time was not long enough to be fatal, and on the other hand, perhaps your Stigmata took on the role of 'protection' for you."
"Ah..."
Seele's heart tightened, and she gasped in surprise, feeling a sense of empathy.
"..."
Veliona felt a strange mix of emotions in her heart.
"...Heh, is that the reason?"
Lin Wei was silent for a moment, then laughed. "'In that world, someone told me that my genes are constantly and subtly devouring the genes of this Stigmata. One day, it will become truly my own Stigmata gene, and the original consciousness of the Stigmata will gradually dissipate in this process. I don't like this ending. That world couldn't solve this problem, so I came to the Sea of Quanta with guidance to find an answer..."
"..."
The two Seeles were silent. Was it against his wishes?
As expected, Lin Wei's tone sounded like a calm smile, but it made everyone present feel uneasy. "But I never expected that this decision of mine would make that result appear before me in a more drastic way. This is a very interesting turn of events, isn't it?"
At that moment, he really wanted to ask Seele how Otto felt five hundred years ago, when he tried so hard to save Kallen, only to see her die in front of him due to a series of his own actions.
"Heh... hahahaha..."
Lin Wei laughed softly. Was it the same as Otto?
His laughter wasn't loud, but it was chilling.
"Lin Wei, you..."
Schrödinger also felt a sense of unease, afraid that he would do something dangerous.
"Hehe, ha—I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that my emotions are a little more volatile because I'm not feeling well."
Lin Wei let out a long breath, collected all his emotions, and turned to look at the cave entrance. After a long sigh, he looked at Seele again and laughed self-deprecatingly. "So, you should cherish your companions more, whether they are by your side, far away, or in your own consciousness, the 'you' who has been silently accompanying you. Look at me, I'm a lesson."
"...Mhm."
Seele was at a loss, only knowing that she should nod.
"'Other' me, I..."
"Alright, no need to say it."
She was about to say something in her heart, but was interrupted by Veliona's faint voice. "I told you, don't listen to that guy's nonsense..."
Look, now even I feel that that guy doesn't seem so annoying anymore...