"...Kiana?"
There was uncertainty in the voice, and a trace of panic being forcibly held down.
Kiana turned around and saw Acheron standing beneath the archway of the hotel lobby.
Those pale violet eyes were fixed on her, as though trying to confirm something.
By all rights, Acheron should not have been feeling much of anything at a time like this.
Because of Nihility, her memories were no longer very complete.
Some people, even if they strongly resembled figures from her past, would still not necessarily be recognized by her even if they stood right in front of her.
But there were always exceptions.
And the girl before her was unquestionably one of them.
Even so, Acheron should not have reacted this way.
She understood very well that this girl was not the same person from her memories. They were only two shadows that happened to look alike.
She had seen such things countless times already.
And yet, no matter how much she warned herself, her heart—long dead and silent—still could not help but begin to beat again.
Because the girl before her was different from the others.
She was special.
Acheron could even remember her name.
But the other girl's reaction disappointed her.
"Um... miss, do we know each other?" Kiana asked politely, her tone distant, the sort one used for any stranger.
Acheron's fingers curled slightly.
"...No," she heard herself say.
"My apologies. I mistook you for someone else."
She gave a small nod, intending to leave it at that and walk away.
"Miss, please wait a moment."
But Kiana suddenly stopped her.
Acheron halted, though she did not turn back.
"Your sword..." Kiana's voice came from behind her, carrying a bit of hesitation. "It's pretty nice-looking?"
Since she had already run into Acheron, there was no way Kiana was just going to let her leave.
She simply did not know what topic to use, so she decided to start with the blade at her waist.
"...It is," Acheron replied.
"Then could I take a look at it?" Kiana asked.
At that, Dan Heng shot Kiana a rather surprised glance, only to see that her expression remained calm, though her eyes had turned more serious without him noticing.
For a moment, even he could not tell what Miss Kiana was trying to do.
Acheron finally turned and said, "...I do not show this blade lightly."
"Is that so?" Kiana smiled.
"That's fine. I'm not lightly human."
The air went still for a few seconds.
The lobby lights spilled softly over them, casting a strangely intimate glow between the two.
Then, as if unable to refuse the girl before her, Acheron unfastened the long sword at her waist.
Her movements were slow. Her fingers brushed over the faint scars on the scabbard with a kind of muted tenderness.
Then she held out the blade—the one used to suppress Nihility—and offered it to Kiana.
Kiana took the sword, but, knowing Acheron's circumstances, naturally made no move to draw it.
"Hmm... this sword looks pretty old," she said.
"Yes."
"But it's been taken care of very well."
"Yes."
"You must treasure it a lot."
Acheron did not answer.
She simply watched the way Kiana lowered her head to examine the sword, watched the strands of white hair fall forward, watched the shadow of her eyelashes settle beneath her eyes.
Exactly the same.
And yet completely different.
This Kiana did not have that weariness.
That weariness that could only be born from standing up again and again on the ruins of a broken world, after countless battlefields and countless losses.
This one felt newly forged.
Untouched by the grinding teeth of fate.
"...A fine blade." Kiana handed it back, her fingertips brushing lightly against the back of Acheron's hand.
It was cold—far too cold, nothing like the warmth of the living.
"Thank you." Acheron took the sword and fastened it back at her waist.
"My name is Kiana."
"Kiana Kaslana. I guess, judging by your expression, you probably already knew that—but somehow it still feels like I ought to say it properly."
Acheron looked at the hand Kiana extended.
It hovered in midair, palm up, waiting for a response.
"...Acheron."
She took that hand.
It was warmer than she had imagined.
"Acheron?" Kiana tilted her head. "That's a pretty unusual name. Is it a codename?"
"In a sense."
"Then what's your real name?"
Acheron fell silent.
How long had it been since anyone last asked her that?
"...I'm sorry. I've forgotten," she said.
The answer made Kiana blink, then laugh.
"How does someone forget their own name?"
"...My apologies," Acheron said again.
The answer was too strange—so strange that most people would not know how to respond.
But clearly, Kiana was not "most people."
"So, Miss Acheron, are you here for the Charmony Festival too?"
"...Yes," Acheron replied.
"That's great!" Kiana's eyes lit up.
Acheron instinctively wanted to step back half a pace, but in the end, she did not.
"Then your room should already be checked in, right? Could we borrow your dream pool?"
At those words, Dan Heng froze.
There really was such a solution?
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that, under the circumstances, this actually might be the fastest option available.
After all, Miss Acheron had just come from the direction of the guest rooms. She was clearly one of the hotel's guests.
Still, out of courtesy, Dan Heng decided he had better ask first.
"Ahem, Miss Kiana."
"We haven't yet confirmed whether Miss Acheron is in a position to help."
"Oh, right." Kiana turned back, tilting her head at Acheron. "Would it be inconvenient?"
Acheron looked into those eyes and answered almost reflexively, "Not at all."
Kiana turned back to Dan Heng at once and gave him a hand sign. "Done!"
Dan Heng's brows twitched faintly, his gaze moving between Kiana and Acheron.
Something about this felt off.
Miss Acheron's reaction... was too calm. Or perhaps, not calm enough.
She was saying it was no inconvenience, yet her eyes remained on Kiana the entire time, as though afraid that if she looked away for even a second, the girl before her would vanish.
And besides, Kiana's request had been rather abrupt—and yet Acheron had agreed without the slightest hesitation?
Even so, Dan Heng said nothing and chose to pretend he had noticed nothing at all.
The more pressing matter at hand was finding his companions.
"Then we'll have to trouble you, Miss Acheron," Dan Heng said with a polite nod.
But the expected next step did not happen.
Acheron simply stood there, unmoving.
"I'm sorry... but I no longer have a room," she said suddenly.
"...No longer have a room? Miss Acheron, what do you mean?" Dan Heng asked.
"In the most literal sense," Acheron replied.
"Not long ago, I had a small altercation inside Penacony's dreamscape. After that, the Dreammaster had me escorted out."
???
Dan Heng froze again.
For a moment, he genuinely could not process what she had just said.
What did she mean, she had "gotten into a fight in Penacony and then been invited out by the Dreammaster"?
Was Penacony really run that strictly?
That thought flashed through his mind—and as he was thinking it, he took a closer look.
And once he did, he discovered something new.
As the guard of the Astral Express and bearer of a High Elder's power, Dan Heng had never thought of himself as weak.
But from Acheron, he felt an aura of absolute impossibility—something no one could overcome.
He had only ever felt anything like that from Emanators.
Clearly, after whatever battle she had just experienced, Acheron had not yet fully restrained her own presence.
Or perhaps, it had been under control until she saw someone—and then that control had slipped.
Meanwhile, Kiana accepted the whole thing far too easily.
"Someone who gets thrown out for something like that must be really strong, huh? Are you some kind of Emanator-level powerhouse, Miss Acheron?"
To be honest, under the current circumstances, that was a rather abrupt question.
And yet Acheron was astonishingly easy to talk to.
"Yes. I am an Emanator of Nihility."
"An Emanator of Nihility?" Dan Heng's frown deepened.
Because he could tell she was not lying.
This woman truly was a bona fide Emanator of Nihility.
What in the world was happening in Penacony? Just holding a Charmony Festival was enough to attract this many dangerous figures?
After all, the reputation of the Path of Nihility in the starry universe had never been a pleasant one.
Those who became entangled with Nihility rarely met good ends.
And yet this woman said it in such a plain tone that Dan Heng found it impossible not to weigh just how dangerous she really was.
"Does that surprise you?" Acheron asked.
Her gaze passed over Dan Heng before settling once more on Kiana's face.
Clearly, Acheron herself knew perfectly well the kind of reputation Nihility carried.
But compared to Dan Heng's reaction, what she cared about far more was Kiana's.
To her surprise, Kiana's expression did not change at all.
"An Emanator of Nihility, huh?" Kiana tilted her head.
"Then I guess I'm still a little stronger!"
Acheron went still, clearly having not anticipated that answer.
"...You? Stronger?"
Kiana nodded again. "Yep. Don't let appearances fool you, Miss Acheron—I'm an Emanator too."
As if feeling that the introduction still lacked a certain proper solemnity, Kiana straightened up, placed her right hand on her chest, and continued:
"I, Kiana Kaslana, am an Emanator of Destruction, a Lord Ravager—and the strongest Emanator in the galaxy someday!"
She said it all with startling ease, even a touch of childish pride, as if the two of them were merely comparing who had scored better on an exam.
But in Acheron's ears, that only made it feel more special.
"...Yes. You will become the strongest."
At that point, Dan Heng could only cough awkwardly.
He had absolutely not expected Kiana to just lay her identity bare like that to a woman they had met all of five minutes ago.
Considering the reputation of a Lord Ravager, wasn't she worried this might trigger panic?
Fortunately, Miss Acheron's reaction—while undeniably strange—still showed no hostility.
And aside from the three of them, there was no one nearby. Presumably, no one else had heard.
Yet the next thing Kiana said obliterated what little reassurance Dan Heng still had.
"Miss Acheron, how about the two of us join forces and force our way into Penacony?"
Kiana extended the invitation in utmost sincerity.
She had tried doing things properly for once. But now the Family had made a mess of it, so they would just have to resort to special measures.
Besides, with Gopher Wood dead and Sunday not yet ascended, no one in all of Penacony ought to be able to stop them anyway.
Dan Heng felt his temples begin to throb.
"Miss Kiana, we agreed just now that we would prioritize communication."
"I know." Kiana nodded. "But the communication route has already been cut off. This is called Plan B."
"And anyway, Mr. Dan Heng, aren't you worried about your companions? For all you know, every second we spend waiting out here might be another second they're in danger."
That left Dan Heng with nothing to say.
Because what she said was, indeed, true.
The safety of his companions came first.
The issue, however, was that while Miss Acheron had said she'd been "invited out," what had happened sounded very much like expulsion.
As an Emanator, to accept such treatment so calmly... Dan Heng found it hard to believe she would agree to Kiana's proposal.
"All right," Acheron said.
Without a shred of hesitation.
"..."
Dan Heng fell silent for three seconds.
Then another three.
And only then did he fully accept that this Emanator of Nihility had in fact just agreed to join forces with an Emanator of Destruction and force their way into Penacony.
It might well have been one of the most absurd things he had seen since boarding the Astral Express.
In the end, for the sake of his companions, this was one "team-up" Dan Heng would have to go along with.
"Miss Kiana, what do we do next?" he asked.
Kiana answered immediately, "Naturally—suppress them by force."
But just as the three of them were gathering themselves to move, another figure stepped in.
"Ahem. You three—please, calm down a little."
A figure emerged slowly from a veil of blue light.
It was Black Swan.
"I happened to overhear your plan just now," she said. "But... perhaps there are alternatives worth considering."
Dan Heng's gaze lingered on her for a moment.
An Memokeeper—his knowledge supplied at once. Rumors of the Garden of Recollection flashed through his mind, but he did not speak rashly.
"May I ask who you are?" he said instead.
"My name is Black Swan, a Memokeeper. At the same time, I am also Miss Acheron's companion. We, too, were just about to re-enter the dreamscape."
She gave her name, then turned toward Acheron.
"Miss Acheron, this was not what we agreed upon."
Acheron immediately showed a faintly apologetic expression.
Then she looked at Kiana, whose hand was still clasping hers.
"...I'm sorry," she said softly. "I can't refuse her."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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