Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Yae Sakura sighed within the Stigmata space. She couldn't stand these kinds of scenes. These melodramatic reunions, these displays of familial love… they were like magic attacks stacked with "armor penetration," dealing 100% true damage to her heart.

Having experienced similar loss, she was particularly vulnerable to such displays. She'd fought so hard, only to lose what she cherished most. Seeing another family, amidst such devastation, still caring for each other…

It resonated deeply within her. Even though these strangers were unrelated to her, their reunion filled her with a profound sense of emotion.

It even partially offset her annoyance with Lin Wei and Anna.

Fine. Given the circumstances, I'll let it slide… she thought, watching the siblings. She glanced at Anna.

She couldn't quite figure out this seemingly naive girl. Was she truly innocent, or was she subtly manipulating Lin Wei?

Every action seemed to perfectly target his weaknesses. This sense of "rivalry" irked her.

But what could she do?

I'm just a Stigmata, after all… She sighed, then disconnected from Lin Wei's consciousness.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Huh? Was there someone else here?" Anna felt a fleeting presence, as if someone besides Lin Wei had been watching them. She quickly scanned the area with the life detector, but found nothing. "Just my imagination…" she muttered, disappointed. She'd hoped to find more survivors.

"Shuffle… shuffle…" Footsteps echoed through the dust-filled air, accompanied by the crunch of debris underfoot. For a moment, the desolate scene seemed to come alive.

"Roar…" But the footsteps were mingled with inhuman growls, sending chills down their spines.

"Oh no!" Chen Tianwu's face paled. The terrifying sounds jolted him back to reality.

The monsters are back!

He scooped up his sister, ready to flee, yelling at Lin Wei and Anna, "Don't just stand there! Run!" His mind was blank with fear, forgetting how they'd just been rescued. He only remembered that they were his saviors and didn't want them to die.

"Brother!" the little girl cried out.

As he took a step forward, his legs gave way, and he stumbled, barely managing to keep his sister from falling.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine." He gave her a reassuring smile, then, with a surge of adrenaline, tossed her towards Lin Wei and Anna. "Thank you for helping us. Please, take my sister to safety!"

He'd remembered the impossible feat they'd performed, accepting the reality of their power. He'd seen hell; why couldn't angels exist?

He entrusted his sister to them. Perhaps they were angels. Perhaps not.

But it was better than having her die with him.

"Ah!" Anna dropped her weapon and rushed forward, catching the little girl. After a few comforting words, she handed her to Lin Wei.

"Go. It's just a few zombies that weren't crushed by the building. Don't waste too much time," Lin Wei instructed Anna, unfazed by the approaching horde. He hadn't expected the collapsing building to only free human survivors.

"Okay," Anna replied, drawing her blade and sprinting towards the dust cloud, passing a stunned Chen Tianwu.

"Is she crazy?" he murmured, watching her charge towards the monsters. A young girl, fighting those… things?

What kind of low-budget apocalypse game am I in? He was bewildered by this strange, chaotic world.

"Surprised? I looked about the same when I first saw them. Maybe even worse…" Lin Wei chuckled, walking over and placing the little girl back in his arms. He gently touched Chen Tianwu's shoulder. "Can you stand?"

"Mmm…" Chen Tianwu composed himself, trying to stand with his sister's help. He shook his head. "Sorry. I was trapped for too long. My legs are numb. I can't feel them." He knocked on his legs, then chuckled. "Good news, they're not broken."

Lin Wei raised an eyebrow. "You're surprisingly optimistic."

"What else can I do? If I don't find a way to cope, I'll lose my mind." He gestured at the surrounding devastation. "This place… it's terrifying…" He paused, then smacked his forehead. "Oh, right! I haven't thanked you two for saving my sister." He bowed his head with difficulty. "Thank you…" The words felt inadequate, but he didn't know how else to express his gratitude.

The little girl stood beside him, her large eyes fixed on Lin Wei.

"You're welcome. You deserve credit for holding on this long." Lin Wei accepted his thanks, then patted the girl's head. "What are your plans now?"

"Plans?" The word seemed foreign, almost luxurious. Chen Tianwu stared at him blankly, then said with a bitter laugh, "What plans can I have? I'm just grateful to be alive…" He hugged his sister tightly, as if she were his whole world. She hugged him back, her eyes red-rimmed.

Just a day ago, he'd been looking forward to university, planning to earn enough money to take his family on a trip. Just this morning, he'd been dreaming of a bright future.

A good job, a modest income that would grow with hard work, a girl he loved, marriage, children, watching his sister grow up and help him with his kids' homework, and finally, one day, giving her away at her own wedding…

But all of that was gone now.

Even if they reached safety, they could never return to that simple, peaceful, even mundane life. That world had been destroyed.

"I never imagined such a terrible disaster could exist…" He felt lost and afraid. "Do I even have a future?"

Lin Wei observed him silently. He liked this young man.

Polite, respectful, devoted to his family…

No wonder Raven took a liking to him in the original timeline, he thought. Back then, Chen Tianwu had been an underground fighter in the Fist of Taixuan.

He glanced at Chen Tianwu's surprisingly slender arms. And he's clearly disciplined.

As an underground fighter, he'd been the sole survivor of Raven's attack on the Fist of Taixuan, earning her respect and a recommendation to join World Serpent, eventually becoming Night Squire.

How had Raven chosen Mei? Because she'd been willing to fight like a madwoman to protect Kiana.

Loyal, stubborn, willing to risk everything… he thought, smirking. Isn't that Raven's type?

As for Chen Tianwu's betrayal on Coral Island in that timeline, there was a reason. He couldn't have known Anna was the newly awakened Herrscher. He would have joined the mission to rescue her.

His betrayal must have been a spur-of-the-moment decision after seeing the Herrscher's true form – understandable, really.

It was hard to call him selfish. He'd had the chance to kill Raven and Mei when they were unconscious, but he hadn't. He'd simply taken the 3rd Divine Key and fled.

In a way, both he and Anna had ultimately paid the price for his moment of mercy.

Perhaps he considered Raven a friend, though not as important as Anna, Lin Wei mused.

Still, his actions had been… unpleasant.

Disappointing.

"Excuse me, sir…" Chen Tianwu interrupted his thoughts.

He looked hesitantly towards the dust cloud, where the sounds of battle and a girl's sharp cries continued. "Is that lady… going to be alright on her own?" Shouldn't you go help her? He swallowed the question, feeling it presumptuous.

"Don't worry. She's a Schicksal Valkyrie. This is nothing for her." Lin Wei chuckled, then pointed. "See? She's back."

Chen Tianwu saw a young woman emerge from the dust cloud, dusting off her clothes and shaking out her hair, spitting out grit. For some reason, whenever Lin Wei was around, she seemed more relaxed, more herself.

"Good work, Anna," Lin Wei said, casually brushing the dust off her shoulders and back.

"Ah!" Chen Tianwu quickly averted his gaze at their casual intimacy.

Lin Wei paused, feeling a twinge of guilt. Had he overstepped? He felt like he was… intruding on something.

I swear, I didn't mean to!

"Lin Wei, what's wrong?" Anna asked, sensing his hesitation. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing." He shook his head, dismissing the unexpected guilt. "Let's get going."

It was rude to insert himself between a couple, but their lives had changed. To dwell on what might have been, to assume they were destined to be together…

That was even more disrespectful. Wasn't that treating them like puppets on strings?

Such thinking was either arrogant or foolish, or perhaps both.

He retrieved his staff and summoned the aircraft.

"It's amazing, no matter how many times I see it…" Anna marveled. "Are you sure you're not Welt?"

"You tell me." He rolled his eyes, then helped the still-weak Chen Tianwu onto the aircraft. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Anna replied, carrying the little girl on board.

They took off smoothly.

"…If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" Chen Tianwu had seen so much that day that he was almost numb to surprise. "And what is Schicksal?"

"You know about Schicksal?" Anna asked, intrigued.

"I mentioned it to him earlier," Lin Wei explained briefly, then gestured at Anna. "This is Anna Schariac, the Schicksal Valkyrie I mentioned."

"She looks like a normal girl." Chen Tianwu studied Anna, then added, "A very pretty one, of course…"

Anna blushed, covering her face. Smooth talker.

"All this… this disaster was caused by something called 'Honkai'," Lin Wei continued. "Schicksal is an elite organization dedicated to fighting it."

"Sounds like one of those secret societies that protect the world in video games…" Chen Tianwu commented, his tone hinting at something more.

"And I bet the unspoken part is '…but they usually have some sinister secret agenda,' right?" Lin Wei called him out, making him blush.

"Don't worry, I'm not with Schicksal," he added with a shrug.

"Hey!" Anna bristled at his "slander," but then she remembered her own experiences within Schicksal and deflated.

"Seriously?" Chen Tianwu noticed her reaction and instinctively tried to shield his sister, then stopped, realizing it was both rude and unfair.

"Schicksal has its problems, but objectively speaking, they're the only ones holding back the Honkai for now," Lin Wei said, ending the discussion. He gestured at Anna. "Especially Valkyries like her, who fight on the front lines. They're innocent."

Anna's eyes welled up.

"Sorry…" Chen Tianwu apologized, then awkwardly tried to change the subject. "So, where are we going?"

"We'll meet up with her captain, establish communication, and then take you somewhere safe," Lin Wei replied curtly, then looked at Chen Tianwu with concern. "How are you feeling? Are you still unable to move?"

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Let me see!" Anna's attention was drawn to Lin Wei's question. She examined Chen Tianwu, noticing his weakened state. She quickly checked his limbs and torso. "Don't worry, I know battlefield first aid. I'll take a look!"

"…Thank you," Chen Tianwu said, closing his eyes as she examined him.

"Ah!" She removed his fingerless glove, her expression turning grim as she saw the purplish-red lines spreading across his wrist. "This is… Honkai corruption?"

The word "Honkai" sent a chill down Chen Tianwu's spine.

"Rip!" Anna tore open his pant leg, revealing similar markings on his calf.

Lin Wei watched, a sense of familiarity washing over him. He'd been the same, once.

"Don't worry. When this is over, I'll take you back to Schicksal. They'll have a way to help you," Anna reassured him.

"Schicksal is more likely to dissect him for research than help him," Lin Wei interjected bluntly. "A male survivor of a major Honkai eruption is a valuable research subject."

He suspected that in the original timeline, Anna's silence had been what saved Chen Tianwu from Schicksal's attention. She likely hadn't known about the Honkai corruption at the time, but she would have been aware of Schicksal's darker side.

"Then what do we do?" Anna's hope dwindled.

"Mr. Lin Wei, then you…" Chen Tianwu felt a chill of dread. He clung to a sliver of hope, looking at Lin Wei for an answer.

"My situation is… unique. I'm not affected by Honkai," Lin Wei replied casually.

Chen Tianwu was silent for a long moment, then looked up, stroking his sister's hair. "What… what happens with this 'Honkai corruption'? Will I… turn into one of those monsters?"

"It's possible," Lin Wei said.

"…Is it? How… unsightly…" Chen Tianwu slumped back, a bitter smile twisting his lips. After a while, he seemed to reach a decision. His voice was hoarse. "In that case, Mr. Lin Wei, please… find a quiet place and leave me there. As for my sister…" He looked at his younger sister, his heart aching. His voice trembled. "Please… take care of her…"

"No! Brother, don't leave me!" The little girl cried, clinging to him.

"Lin Wei, what do we do?" Anna clutched his arm, her voice filled with distress. She'd just witnessed a beautiful reunion, and now this… She couldn't bear it. For some reason, she felt certain Lin Wei had a solution.

"Why do you want me to leave you behind?" Lin Wei asked Chen Tianwu, ignoring Anna for the moment.

"I've played zombie games. I know that if I turn into a monster, I'll hurt my sister. She's too young to escape." He stroked his sister's hair, his voice filled with sorrow. "Besides, she finally has a chance at a normal life. I can't let a monster ruin that. And her future neighbors… they're innocent too…"

The little girl's cries intensified, her voice filled with anguish. Where will I go without my family? She felt utterly lost and alone.

"Lin Wei…" Anna pleaded, her anxiety growing. "If there's no other way, can I take them back to Schicksal?" Perhaps, for her sake, they would be taken care of.

"It won't be necessary," Lin Wei said, shaking his head. He was satisfied with Chen Tianwu's answer. "A dying man's words are good" – a final, honest expression of one's true nature in the face of despair.

Besides, if he did nothing, Chen Tianwen might really become another Sirin.

He weighed his options, then pulled out a vial, examining the swirling gray liquid within. He looked at Chen Tianwu, his expression serious. The young man straightened up, a shiver running down his spine.

"Listen to me, Chen Tianwu."

"Your life was bought with the lives of a thousand others. I want you to understand the weight of that."

"I want you to remember the kindness you showed today. Don't stray from the right path."

"Otherwise, even if it's for the sake of those thousand souls, I will find you, and I will take it back."

"Remember this!"