"Evan, where is this?"
The girl was none other than Kallen, who originally existed in that special space within Schicksal's database. With the destruction of that space, she should have been slumbering within Evan's [Jizo Mitama · Void], but now she had appeared. Her clothing had also changed; although the style was somewhat different from before, it was still essentially a nun's habit.
Hearing this, Evan looked into the distance at the quiet village. Memories flowed through his mind, and he spoke.
"Do you remember the name Yae Sakura?"
"...Yae Sakura."
The countless cycles in the virtual reality had made many of Kallen's memories illusory and blurred. She felt those were not things she had experienced and treated them as fake. But hearing Evan utter this name, Kallen indeed had a special feeling.
That already very blurred memory became a bit clearer.
"This is—Yae Village?!"
After speaking the name of the village, Kallen showed a confused expression and muttered to herself.
"I have experienced countless cycles. The outside world should have passed many, many years. Why does Yae Village still look like it does in my memory?"
"To be precise, five hundred years have passed. However, this is naturally not the real outside world. Sorry, I haven't been able to make you appear in reality yet. You were slumbering in my weapon before. As for this place... it should be a space created by some guy using the power of a Herrscher. Like the space you were in, most things are fake. However, perhaps you can relive the past."
"Relive the past..."
In fact, Kallen thought she had no past. She didn't believe that the self who constantly performed on a small stage was the flawless Valkyrie in her memories.
However, if there was a chance to experience the story in her memories, Kallen didn't reject it.
Seeing her gradually accepting the facts, Evan continued.
"Then let me help you understand the current situation. You are Kallen Kaslana, a Valkyrie who just escaped from Schicksal to this place."
Kallen closed her eyes, carefully recalled, and then opened them again.
"In memory, I... the reason Kallen came to Yae Village was that she saw Schicksal secretly conducting Honkai energy experiments on Valkyries. Witnessing the Valkyries who failed the experiment turn into Zombies, she couldn't bear it, so she stole the black box used as an experimental tool and came to the Far East. But, I don't seem to have the black box now?"
From "I" to "Kallen," this change in address showed that the girl still didn't believe those memories outside the stage were formed after her own personal experience.
She still considered herself an unknown entity that was not Kallen.
"You are Kallen Kaslana. There is no one with the same name as you in the world today. Since you want to distinguish yourself from the Valkyrie in memory, now is just the right opportunity. The black box disappeared in reality five hundred years ago. This space was created by the existence inside the black box. Now, a new story is about to be enacted. Are you willing to participate in it?"
"It looks like you are trapped here, Evan? If I can help you, I am willing."
After agreeing to Evan's invitation, remembering the horror of the black box, Kallen's heart suddenly tightened.
In her memory, she exhausted all her strength to seal the thing in the black box along with Yae Sakura. At that time, she possessed the [Oath of Judah]. But now, her hands were empty. Let alone the [Oath of Judah], she didn't even have the [Fairy Bow] pistols she originally carried.
Being bare-handed, it seemed difficult to help Evan deal with the thing in the black box...
"You don't need to think too much. Just act according to your own character and judgment. Let those memories you consider fake become another real experience."
What does Higokumaru want to do?
In Evan's conjecture, since Higokumaru created this space, it should want to evoke Yae Sakura's memories from her time as a shrine maiden, then make her truly feel despair, taking the opportunity when her heart was weak to completely seize control of Yae Sakura's body.
Higokumaru and Yae Sakura were in a state of sharing life and death. Evan knew this very well. With Raiden Mei, whose situation was similar, as an example, Evan had already guessed pretty accurately.
And in this created space, the original intruder should only be himself, an irrelevant passerby who did not exist in the story of Yae Village. Higokumaru wouldn't care too much. Unfortunately, it didn't know that Kallen's soul slumbered in his [Jizo Mitama · Void].
Judging from Kallen's somewhat tattered clothes, which had obviously experienced repeated battles, she had likely already replaced the fake Kallen originally created by Higokumaru.
Higokumaru didn't seem to have noticed, or perhaps it discovered it but couldn't change it further.
Evan wasn't sure about the specific situation because a figure was already approaching.
"Kallen..."
When she saw Kallen's figure, although knowing the other party should be a false illusion created by Higokumaru, Yae Sakura's heart still trembled violently.
Five hundred years. After a long time, she finally saw Kallen again. Even if it was just a fake, even if maintaining the original development of events likely played right into Higokumaru's scheme, and she would eventually have her body control completely seized by it, Yae Sakura was relieved.
As long as she could see Kallen again, anything was fine.
Since Higokumaru wanted control of her body, then let it take it.
Originally, Yae Sakura just wanted to take a walk in the village of her memories, and then try to explode her power to break the shackles of space, returning to reality to ask that Kallen or her clan's descendant about what happened later. But when she saw the Kallen in front of her, she had already decided to give up everything.
Five hundred years—it is impossible for humans to live that long. The real Kallen had long since died. Even if she knew that truth, what could she do? It was better to sleep in this beautiful dream woven by Higokumaru, even if the consequence was sleeping like this forever, never able to wake up.
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