Saintess Kallen returned from the simulation training ground with her gun in hand. The moment she stepped through the door, she was met with an oppressive silence inside the room—Su was slumped on the sofa, supporting his forehead, his face pale and slightly dazed. Hua sat with her eyes closed, rubbing her temples as she regulated her breathing. Melin clutched her head with both hands. Worst of all was Kevin, leaning coldly against the wall, brows tightly knotted, the low pressure around him almost condensing into something tangible.
"What happened to all of you?" Saintess Kallen paused, fingers tightening slightly around the grip of her gun, astonishment filling her eyes.
Su lifted his gaze at the sound, his voice faint and unsteady. "Shigure Kira's singing... it's still echoing in my head."
When Shigure Kira sang, it truly sounded like heavenly music—better than Eden's, surpassing human comprehension.
But the moment she stopped singing...
The melody lingering in his mind began to twist and warp into something strange.
Among those present, only Red-Eyed Kiana and Misfortune were unaffected. The former had delivered them there and immediately fled. The latter genuinely adored Shigure Kira's disaster-level singing—the kind that could plunge people into despair.
Even Skynet had shut itself down because it couldn't process Shigure Kira's voice.
Red-Eyed Kiana leaned against the metal wall. "It's nothing serious. They're just savoring Kira's one-of-a-kind, super beautiful singing."
Shigure Kira shot her a glare and planted her hands on her hips. "If it's so beautiful, why didn't you stay and listen to the whole thing?"
"Different strokes for different folks." Red-Eyed Kiana waved a hand and tilted her chin toward Misfortune. "Look at Apocalypse—doesn't she like hearing you sing?"
Misfortune nodded. "Sister Kira's singing is really beautiful!"
"..."
Shigure Kira hadn't expected that someone would genuinely like her singing.
Su finally steadied himself and sat upright with effort. "What exactly is going on with her voice? Why does it have such a powerful aftereffect?"
"Oh, it's just character setting." Red-Eyed Kiana shrugged, speaking casually.
"Character setting?" Su froze for a moment before understanding. "You mean a role's defined trait? Shigure Kira's setting is that her singing is lethal?"
"More or less." Red-Eyed Kiana grinned, then abruptly turned the topic toward Su. "Like how you're always keeping your eyes closed and acting lovey-dovey with Kevin. That's your character setting too."
"I'm resting my eyes!" Su protested. He glanced at Kevin and quickly added, "Kevin and I are just close friends. What do you mean lovey-dovey? Don't talk nonsense!"
Kevin ignored Su's defense and asked coldly, "Can a character setting be changed?"
"Of course." Red-Eyed Kiana arched a brow. "For people like us who've already stepped off the main storyline, our settings can change. Especially someone like you—a key character. Alter yours a little, and you could shift the direction of the entire world's plot. What, interested?"
"How would it change?" Kevin's voice remained icy, but there was a faint trace of probing beneath it.
"For example, you could become a comedic character." Red-Eyed Kiana smiled slyly and suddenly summoned a light screen. On it was a photo of Kevin dressed in women's clothing.
Kevin's face darkened instantly. "I don't remember ever wearing that."
"Parallel world version of you." Red-Eyed Kiana's grin widened. "Over there, you debuted in a girl group with Otto and Welt. You were even the center idol."
Su stared at the screen for a few seconds, then turned to Kevin seriously. "Kevin, maybe you should actually consider it."
Kevin shot him a sideways glance, eyes carrying a chill. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely." Su nodded solemnly. "Comedic characters usually don't get tragic, grimdark plotlines. You wouldn't have to carry so much anymore."
"As expected of Su—sharp mind." Red-Eyed Kiana gave him a thumbs-up. "Put simply, whatever route you choose determines the kind of script you get."
Her finger suddenly pointed at Kallen, her tone losing some of its playfulness. "Take this Saintess here. Saintly character setting, full of thoughts about saving the world and being a hero. Naturally, her script is filled with endless people to save, and in the end she gets the tragic hero's conclusion."
Saintess Kallen paused, fingers tightening around her gun, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "You're not wrong. But fate arranged it this way. What else can I do?"
"When you don't know about fate, you can only accept it." Red-Eyed Kiana shrugged and stepped closer. "But now that you know, why not choose a route that makes you feel good? If you insist on forcing yourself to endure suffering, then there'll always be more suffering waiting for you."
She paused, then added, "Though for someone with your character setting, your source of satisfaction is probably saving others. Still, even if you want to save people, you should consider your own feelings. Don't just accommodate everyone blindly."
Saintess Kallen looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Let me ask you something." Red-Eyed Kiana's smile faded as she spoke seriously. "You save someone from a village attacked by demons. Their entire family died. They turn around and blame you for arriving too late, saying that if you'd come earlier, their family wouldn't have died. How would you respond?"
Saintess Kallen answered almost without thinking, "I came too late. I'll bear that guilt."
The moment she finished speaking, Misfortune suddenly let out a soft laugh, her eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
"Is something wrong?" Saintess Kallen turned to her, even more puzzled.
"Kallen, don't you feel wronged?" Red-Eyed Kiana pressed her hand to her forehead, looking exasperated. "His family's death is tragic, sure—but that's that."
"But he just lost his family. He must be in terrible pain," Saintess Kallen said softly, that same gentle compassion in her voice.
"His family died because of demons. What does that have to do with you?" Red-Eyed Kiana frowned.
Saintess Kallen opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss. "Then... how should I answer?"
"You should righteously declare: 'Those damned demons dared to possess an innocent person? Go to hell!' Then slash him down in one stroke and send him to reunite neatly with his family."
Red-Eyed Kiana mimed drawing a sword, her tone ringing with force.
"What?" Saintess Kallen was completely stunned. "But what if he wasn't possessed by demons?"
"Doesn't matter whether he was or not." Red-Eyed Kiana waved dismissively. "If you leave that kind of trouble alive, he'll eventually become a villain targeting you. More people will die in the end, including people who matter to you."
Su muttered, "Repaying kindness with enmity... becoming an accomplice to evil?"
"Some humans are just like that, aren't they?"
"..."
On that point, Su couldn't argue.