Luca watched as the child effortlessly used the large scissors to cut Eirene's rose. After cutting, a hole unexpectedly appeared, a hole the same green as her rose.
"Let's go."
The child spoke while holding Luca's hand with a bright smile and jumped into the hole, while Luca was still bewildered and didn't understand anything.
...….
When they opened their eyes, they were in a world within a treasure trove of books - a gigantic library. And standing before them was a girl in an explorer's outfit.
Her outfit consisted of a flowing white shirt with wide, baggy sleeves, visible beneath a form-fitting top. This outer layer was a practical, short vest or jacket in an earthy color, cinched with a wide leather belt. The belt was fastened with a sturdy buckle and featured multiple pockets and hooks. She wore practical dark trousers and knee-high leather boots.
The strange thing was that she was still reading while everything around her was burning. The books were slowly consumed by fire, and Eirene continued reading even though she was being burned, her blood flowing as if it were a river.
"More… just a little more and I'll know everything… just a little more…"
Eirene unconsciously repeated these sentences over and over while her hands continued to quickly turn the pages of the book as she sat on the floor.
Behind her was a mutated monster with a brain and a very large eye… Luca noticed that every time Eirene finished a book, the eye would open slightly and another bookshelf would appear.
"Mommy, if it's too hot, please tell me. I don't want you to be burned alive again."
Luca stopped, looked at the child who was staring at him, and smiled. Oh…, that smile was enough to make him want to stand still.
Eirene's brain felt like it was about to explode, her hair was a mess, and her bright, curious eyes were now blank, her mind racing, her eyes darting back and forth incessantly.
"Is there any way to save them?"
Luca asked naturally, even though his body was still trembling, and the child noticed this and giggled softly.
"Yes, but it's not easy, Mom... It takes quite a lot of effort."
Luca just tried to walk towards Eirene through the flames, and when he got close to her, he was almost swallowed by the fire, while the child followed with the scissors, watching him.
"If you don't want to, you shouldn't force yourself."
"Could you use those scissors to go inside her brain?"
The child paused, then looked at the brain and eyes slowly opening; surely, when they opened, something ominous would come.
"A green rose."
The child answered casually, as if it were something everyone should know, and Luca only sighed, as if he knew what it meant… he suddenly realised, could a rose be referring to someone?
A green rose… Could it symbolise knowledge…?
His thoughts were interrupted by the pain from the rapidly spreading fire, causing the child to panic slightly and rush to hug him, pouting.
"I told you to be careful with the fire… I won't let you hurt Mom…"
Luca found the child adorable for the first time… He should try to appease her, so he just patted her head to silence her for a few seconds before facing that enormous brain. He went to get the large scissors, and they shrank to a size just right for him to hold.
"What are you going to do, Mom?"
The child came back and took his hand, using it to make a large cut from the mouth of the brain, though it didn't cause much damage and slowly healed. He could just see Eirene sitting inside with a green rose pinned to her chest, just enough for him to see… in an instant, the roses rushed out to attack him, forcing the child to lift him and dodge while using scissors to cut them away.
Luca was still somewhat calm; after all, these things weren't as scary as an angry child... he just found it slightly disgusting. With each rose petal and thorn that struck him, he would hear Eirene's inner thoughts, along with strange, repetitive knowledge like mathematical formulas.
"So much fun, so much fun~."
The child giggled as she attacked with the scissors and carried Luca like a handbag.
"What are these roses for?"
A simple question caused the child to pause in her attacks and dodge the thorns and petals of the sharp roses.
"What are you saying, Mom? Isn't that your favourite flower?"
"No, I was just joking."
The child only temporarily relented and continued to dodge, using the metal blades of the scissors to try to deflect the attack. After all, with only one hand, the child couldn't cut them. If they continued, both of them would be burned alive… Luca sighed wearily, trying to find a way to resolve this situation.
"Is there any way we can get inside that brain?"
The child dodged and laughed, nodding as if there was a way.
"Technically yes… but at our pace, it's going to be difficult."
Luca understood perfectly well that the child could get in, but pulling him along might get in the way. Luca thought for a moment, then looked around.
"How about you protect 'Mom' while she goes to look through the books?"
The child simply nodded and dropped him down nearby while beginning to fight back with scissors, as if finally unleashing her pent-up anger.
Luca's body was almost completely burned, his ankles and wrists were starting to swell and turn red, and the burns were spreading rapidly… His eyes were burned, and the excess skin around them was also scorched… it hurt terribly, but Luca had to focus on the books and was constantly running around looking for clues.
Nearby, he saw a girl with pale pink hair sleeping - yes, sleeping in the sea of fire, but that couldn't deny her beauty, like a sleeping princess from a fairy tale, waiting for them to awaken her… A strange allure? Who was she? Why was she in Eirene's mind? But Luca had to put these questions aside for now…
In his curiosity, he approached the strange girl and woke her up… As soon as she woke up, she yawned and looked around before going to the child. Just as she looked closer, the petals of the green rose fell to the floor and were consumed by the flames.
The girl looked at them, yawned again, and said nothing. She simply led them back to the brain, along with a pristine white pillow.
As soon as they arrived, the girl with pink hair pointed to the giant brain. Luca understood what she intended to do, so he gave the child a signal with his eyes.
The child used scissors, still smelling of roses, to make a long cut.
Just as the cut was about to heal, the girl with pink hair took out the pillow and used it to smash the brain's head, stopping its regeneration and giving Luca and the child time to enter.
Luca went inside to thank her, but then saw the girl with pink hair leave and go back to where Eirene was reading, leaning against the wall and sleeping soundly. Luca didn't want to disturb them, so he went inside to give them some privacy.
The child held Luca's hand and led him inside. As soon as he entered, Luca's large burn wound began to heal slowly.
"Mom, where are we going?"
The child asked with such an unusual innocence that Luca began to question the meaning of life.
Is this really the same kid who chased me in the basement?
They stopped when they saw a younger version of Eirene sitting alone, hugging her legs and sobbing, with a green rose in front of her, surrounded by a pile of books and knowledge flying around her, as if trapping them in a prison of knowledge.
Luca released the child's hand and was about to approach, but the child quickly pulled Luca back to avoid the weapon that had been placed there.
"Be careful, Mom. What if you get hurt?"
The child giggled and hugged Luca tightly, while Luca was too exhausted to resist anything.
Suddenly, everything around them began to crumble. The child simply hugged Luca to protect him, and as everything started to fall apart, the child Eirene also began to disappear, leaving them in a strange place, in some unknown city.
[Get out of here if you want to see me]
Those words appeared before Luca, while the child probably didn't see anything at all; she just pouted slightly.
"Mom... half my power has been taken away."
Luca looked at the child with slight worry; if so, who would protect him now?! This situation was not good at all, very disadvantageous for him, to put it bluntly.
While he was thinking, a fight broke out nearby, and they saw a smaller version of Eirene, tiny, looking at them with innocent eyes.
"*** uncle! What are you doing?"
A miniature version of Eirene is looking at Luca and saying someone's name. He's likely reliving Eirene's past. After all, she's small, and her surroundings are different from where he lives, even if it's a different country. But he may be experiencing Eirene's past himself.
"Eirene, do you see the child near me?"
"Who are you talking about?"
Luca just nodded dismissively. Perhaps only he could see this child, which made sense; after all, she was an NPC or boss and could influence the players.
"Why do you only call her by her name! I'm sulking, but you should comfort me!"
The child gripped the scissors so tightly that it was as if she could slit the throat of the miniature Eirene at any moment.
Luca couldn't even ask the child's name now; he needed some other way to ask...
Luca paused, then looked at the child and then at Eirene.
"Eirene, wait a minute."
Luca only went to a less crowded area after getting Eirene's permission… Generally speaking, the way he addressed her was quite awkward, but he had to put up with it.
"My child, your name is so beautiful, but because of your father, I can't remember anything."
"HOW DARE HE DO THAT!"
"It's okay, Mom! It's not your fault! Just call me..."
A silence enveloped the space; the sounds of traffic, birdsong, and even the haggling of vendors and customers couldn't alleviate the tension in the slightest.
"It's okay, Mom can just give you a new name now, right?"
"Yes!"
The child replied quickly and excitedly, which was quite strange.
Perhaps it was because the child felt the love from the person it considered its mother? Or simply because it needed someone to make it feel useful? In short, no one knew, not even Luca, but now that they were in the same boat, they had to keep going.
"If so, then your name will be…"
Luca was acting like a father trying to name his daughter, rambling on but still unable to come up with a name.
What name should he choose? Lulu? Mimi? Should he name her Lala?
"Mom? Have you chosen yet?"
"Mom? Have you chosen yet?"
The child looked at him expectantly, as if the name he chose would decide the child's entire life.
Luca couldn't keep Eirene waiting too long, so he could only choose a name that sounded utterly meaningless, but that was all he could do. Who would have thought that Luca would have to name a child without even knowing if the child was older than him?
"Luxie"
Luca jumped when he heard someone's voice in his ear. He looked back at the child, who was still looking at him normally, as if nothing had happened, making him want to tell himself it was just his imagination. But thanks to it, he now had a name for the child.
"Dad will name you Luxie, okay?"
"Mom"
"Dad"
"Mom"
Luca had originally intended to change Luxie's way of addressing him, but she didn't want to. It would be foolish to argue further with someone who could freeze Luca in place and kill him in less than a second.
Luxie laughed and ran towards Eirene as if to show her something, but unfortunately, Eirene couldn't see anything to show her.
Luca, feeling helpless, walked over to Eirene, crossing the crowded street to stand in front of her.
"Just call me 'brother,' I'm not old enough to be called 'uncle' yet."
"What do you want, kid?"
Eirene nodded, a little confused as if he'd just asked a very silly question, her eyes looking pitifully at Luca.
Uncle must have… no, I mean, he has severe amnesia, how pitiful.
"Can I join your adventure guild?"
Luca stood there dumbfounded. He understood now; no wonder Eirene had so much stuff – she was an adventurer.
"Sure."
No sooner had Luca finished speaking than he felt himself transported to a different scene. This time, Luca was standing in some kind of pub, Eirene was sitting in front of him, and Luxie was sitting on his lap playing with her scissors.
This time, Luca noticed Eirene had more wounds than usual, and looking at her, he was sure he hadn't agreed... or rather, he hadn't agreed to the role of the mysterious uncle he was currently playing, perhaps because Eirene was too young.
"Brother, can I participate this time?"
"No, you can't."
Luca blurted out those words instinctively while Luxie looked at him.
"Don't be too surprised, Mom. You're just going through it anyway; it won't have much of an impact."
Luca nodded, while Eirene, though disappointed, accepted the answer and smiled.
"Why?"
"Because you're too young, and besides, your parents might not even allow it."
Luca's body started to talk for him, so he let himself be controlled. Luca was probably just sitting there analysing and listening to the conversation; what else could he do?
Eirene nodded and drank her own glass of milk while asking Luca a few more questions about things she wondered about, such as why small people aren't allowed to be explorers. Why did he act so strangely as if someone was there? Why did he become an explorer? And a whole bunch of other questions.
Luca noticed that there were some questions he could answer, and other questions he couldn't even open his mouth to say, as if it were predetermined that way; he had no choice.
Luca's body forced him to drink so much beer that he felt like he was going to get drunk… and sure enough, as soon as he fell asleep, a new scene unfolded.
This time, Luca and Luxie were standing there, and Luca was the one on the verge of death.
Oh my god, what happened this time!!
Luca was in excruciating pain, feeling like he was being torn apart, while Luxie tried to help but couldn't reach anything, as if she were being rejected.
Damn, I'm injured and can't do anything... Angry? Of course I'm angry! But what can I do? Of course not, Luxie's power hasn't come back anyway.
Luca then calmly looked at Eirene. She seemed a little older now, still wearing the same outfit Eirene wore when they first met at the mansion gate.
"Why… Why is this happening… My calculations were perfect…"
Luca looked around at the scattered corpses, all of them adventurers, while before them stood a brain-shaped monster with thousands of open eyes and nerve fibers so large they could crush them to death.
"Why… why…"
Eirene held the blood of her fallen comrades and the body of Luca in her arms.
"Didn't you say you had a younger sister? Why are you giving up here?"
Sister? Luca was about to ask more questions or gather more information, but his body instinctively moved, his hand gently stroking Eirene's cheek, his voice a whisper.
"Please help me take care of my little sister."
And then that boy, the boy called uncle… or brother… also someone's older brother… his pink hair stained bright red and his face as if in eternal sleep, at the same time, Luca was kicked out. He became invisible, just like Luxie, while Luxie kept attacking the strange brain with scissors as if seeking revenge, even though her attack power was almost zero.
Eirene's body almost froze while Luca saw this boy's appearance for the first time…
Isn't this just like the male version of the woman who helps them get in?!
"Going with you is really full of variables…but if I don't go, this problem will have an empty solution, and you know how much I hate empty spaces."
Having said that, Eirene spread her arms wide and smirked at the man she considered her brother…finally allowing the divine neuron to pierce through her body…blood splattered all over Luca and Luxie, who now finally revealed herself.
Luca just stood there staring at the scene before him while Luxie laughed heartily. The monster was also beginning to transform from a very ordinary, yet not-so-ordinary, image. Now its eyes were bulging out of its brain tissue, blood oozing out, and its veins were clearly visible.
Luca trembled uncontrollably; he was terrified, it was his innate fear. While his neurons attacked him, Luxie continuously used scissors to cut them into pieces, inflicting injuries from a distance… while Luca stood there helplessly, almost wanting to sit down in fear.
The brain mass launched over a dozen neurons at an unexpectedly rapid speed. A large eye opened wide like a mouth, and from within it, it captured an image of Luxie.
Luxie leaped in front of Luca, extending the scissors and making a large cut, severing the nerves swiftly. The severed stream of fluid split in two, splattering onto the wall, smoking and blackening the bricks.
Luca trembled a bit.
Seeing this, Luxie immediately became more serious.
This brain dares to tire Mom out!… That's unacceptable!
The brain mass suddenly shot out nerve fibers, whipping violently to the floor like a flesh whip. Luxie reacted quickly, grabbing Luca and pulling him like a toy with almost perfect agility.
Luxie saw how Luca hugged her and smiled brightly… and as a result, Luca took another blow, even though it was just a light graze, enough to send him flying straight into the wall.
Luxie blinked. One moment her eyes were cute, the next they resembled a little devil, and that was exactly what she was. Luxie turned her head to look at the monster.
"How dare you hit my mother?"
The monster reacted, its eyes rotating violently, nerves shooting out in a barrage. It began targeting Luca.
Luca used Luxie's affection for him to protect himself.
"Mom, hang in there, I'm coming!"
Luxie took a step forward, and the scissors were now even longer. Nerves shot out. Luxie cut off a dozen or so strands at once. Each strand that fell to the ground still twitched as if trying to crawl further.
"Oh my God, how is it still alive? It's so tenacious! It should just die already…?"
The monster roared, its eyes twitching simultaneously. A series of eyes widened like gaping black mouths, preparing to unleash a new wave of fluid.
"Hmph, I haven't even warmed up yet, and you're already so bold."
Luxie said while she smiled wider.
The monster roared, unleashing three streams of fluid straight at Luca. Luxie lunged forward to shield Luca, turning her back to block it. The scissors flashed in a circle. All three streams of fluid were sliced into red dust that rained down.
"You really are weak, Mom."
"Luxie, please don't say that while I'm panicking..."
The monster didn't stop; it swelled up. Its slimy surface vibrated violently. Its eyes widened to their fullest extent.
"Luxie, watch out! It… It's preparing something… over there!!"
Luxie, hearing the warning, twisted her wrist, gripping the scissors, ready to attack.
"Mom, move aside!"
"Mom's stuck to the wall, Luxie!!!"
"Then close your eyes, Mom."
"CLOSING MY EYES?..."
"It's less scary that way."
Before they could argue, the monster unleashed a barrage of nerve fibers towards them like a rain of flesh whips.
Luxie leaped up and pulled out her giant scissors. After a few quick, clean cuts, almost nothing could touch them. All the nerve fibers were chopped into tiny pieces in mid-air, falling to the ground as dozens of small chunks of flesh.
The brain began to regenerate, new nerves sprouting and gradually reconnecting.
Without warning, Luxie charged straight towards the monster - a small step, yet full of power.
"Don't you dare touch my mother again."
With one slash, half of the brain was severed; with three more slashes, chunks of brain matter fell like raindrops.
The monster roared with the overlapping sounds of dozens of throats. Luxie narrowed her eyes; in an instant, all traces of innocence vanished from her face. Her small, lovely eyes… became as sharp.
"My mother's scared enough already. Get out of here."
With one final blow, the brain was torn into countless tiny pieces, too small to regenerate. All eyes popped out like bursting water balloons. The smell of burnt flesh and mold filled the hallway. Luxie slowly exhaled, then her face returned to its angelic state.
"Mom, I'm done."
Luca slumped against the wall and let out a relieved sigh.
Luxie ran to Luca's arms, hugging him tightly with her tiny hands.
"Don't be afraid, Mom. I'm here. Dad won't be able to do anything to you without my permission."
"Don't be scared anymore, Mom. Anything that touches you, I'll kill it."
Luxie nuzzled her head against Luca's shoulder as if she were completely innocent and hoping for a reward, so Luca calmed down a little and stroked Luxie's head.
[You're pretty useless.]
[But it's okay, it's quite interesting.]
Luca looked at the message, and the world around him shattered, and they were back where they started… The library is full of books. Eirene stood there alone, watching the books fly back to their original places from the flames; now the place had become strangely poetic.
"Congratulations on your victory over me."
Eirene spoke in a serious tone mixed with a hint of teasing. Eirene turned around to look at them - it was indeed a miniature version of Eirene - and the green rose in Eirene's hand officially disappeared. They transformed into butterflies, fluttering everywhere, eventually landing on Eirene and vanishing completely.
"In short, why did you save me? Why are you so afraid of horror things? It's something worth thinking about... anyway, thank you."
"Thank you, Luxie... don't thank me."
Eirene politely thanked Luxie, who, completely unaware of what was happening, just smiled and nodded in response while shrinking the scissors.
"Go... your mission is complete... have a pleasant journey."
"Thank you."
Luca bowed his head. He knew that losing someone wasn't easy to get over, but she had managed it. She was truly a strong person worthy of respect. But why did he sound like someone who had been through this before? He didn't know, but he should probably go outside.
Luca went outside with Luxie.
As soon as they stepped outside, Luca was utterly exhausted, so he grabbed a chair and sat down. He didn't know when the butler would be back, but he had a feeling it would be almost when everyone was nearly dead.
"Mom! Who should we choose next?"
"Hold on, Luxie."
Luca looked at Eirene, who was still asleep, but the fact that her rose was gone was a good sign… probably.
Luca yawned and sat there, beginning to think about whether he should continue… After all, he had no reason to save the others.
"Mom, you should continue, right?"
Luxie smiled brightly at him as if she wanted him to continue. After all, she liked the sight of him leaning on her; he looked so adorable… and she wanted to save him, to spend every moment with him before she was forced to leave him.
"Okay."
Luca had no reason to refuse, so she agreed... It seems this rescue journey will be very long.