There was no response.
This late at night, Sarah could be asleep.
Rat-at-tat.
War Tiger knocked thrice again, more forceful than the last time.
Thirty seconds later, no one answered the door still.
War Tiger cleared his throat and called out awkwardly in the language of the Snow Nation, “Sarah, we’re friends of Lilia’s, here to visit!”
All they got was silence.
War Tiger was getting impatient. He glanced back at Azure Dragon. “What now?”
Azure Dragon thought about it and said bemusedly, “Why don’t we go back...”
Bam!
Before Azure Dragon could finish, Colorless charged up to the door and kicked the unsturdy door open.
The two men gaped, a figurative crow croaking over their heads.
“Get in already. I hate snow.” Colorless said in an irritable, chilling tone, and without turning around, she stalked inside.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon quickly followed, raising their guard.
The house wasn’t big, and it was barebone and dimly-lit. In the corner was a fireplace covered in black ashes. The firewood inside had been burned to charcoal, radiating lingering warmth.
A worn-out sofa sat in front of the fireplace, accompanied by a wooden rocking chair on the side. There was a half-finished red sweater on the seat. The chair creaked as it rocked gently.
There was the smell of canned food in the air, mixed with the smell of rotting wood.
It was obvious that Sarah lived here.
Azure Dragon looked around. “She should be in the bedroom.”
“I’ll go check...”
As soon as Colorless headed toward the bedroom, the door slammed open, and a frail woman rushed out swinging a wood-chopping ax with both hands at Colorless, screaming.
Colorless was startled but quickly sprang to action, easily catching the handle of the ax. The woman’s speed and method of ambush—or the lack thereof—both marked her as an amateur.
“Ahhh!”
The frail woman continued to struggle, but the ax remained unmoving in Colorless’ grasp.
The three of them got a good look at her.
She was slim in a sickly way, and her brown hair was thin and messy, her cheeks sunken. Her deep-set blue eyes appeared unfocused, and her cheekbones almost seemed ready to protrude from her skin, the dark complexion of which made her look much older.
Colorless raised her hand. Forced to let go of the ax, the woman fell to the floor, knocking into a stool.
Her rage and agitation were replaced by fear. She shrunk into a corner in the room with her hands holding her head, trembling all over. It looked like she was panicking and breaking from the seams.
The three of them all knew a little of the language of the Snow Nation, and they could make out a few snippets of her muttering.
“No, don’t hurt me...don’t...”
Then she suddenly screamed out loud in remembrance. “My daughter! My little girl!”
She stumbled to her feet and lunged at Colorless. “Give me my girl! Give her back to me...”
Colorless dodged to the side and grabbed the woman’s wrist, sending her falling onto the sofa with a yank.
“Pin her down,” she said.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon paused, unsure what she was up to.
“Do it!” Colorless raised her voice.
Azure Dragon was the captain of this temporary team, and War Tiger the vice-captain. Moreover, the two of them outranked and overpowered her by a good margin.
Now, however, they were ordered around like inexperienced lackeys.
War Tiger didn’t really care, and Azure Dragon was magnanimous by nature and simply smiled wryly.
They walked up to the sofa and each pinned down one of the woman’s hands.
She was still struggling as she looked at War Tiger and Azure Dragon in panic, shouting, “Save me! Save me, Lord... I don’t want to go to hell. Take me. Take me to the otherworld...”
“She must be Sarah.” Colorless leaned in and closely inspected the woman. “Her mental state makes it impossible to communicate with her normally. I’ll try to hypnotize her.”
“You can do that?” War Tiger was surprised.
“My Talent belongs to the Psyche-type. Although it isn’t a Talent for hypnosis, there is some similarity, and I taught myself how to do it. I hope it works on her.”
She took out a tiny syringe from her pocket. It was a sedative developed by the Hundred Rivers Union, specifically for hypnosis and interrogation.
She uncapped the syringe and jabbed Sarah in the neck.
“No! Don’t hurt me...don’t...stop...” Sarah quickly calmed down.
Her bloated, wrinkly double eyelids rose and fell as her heaving chest settled.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon let go of Sarah’s arms, moving behind Colorless.
At some point, Colorless had taken out a pocket watch with a silver chain. She held it up to Sarah and swung it from side to side, speaking the local language perfectly as she guided the woman. “Relax, take deep breaths. Feel your heartbeat and your breathing...”
“Good, you’re feeling a little drowsy.”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
“You feel at ease, relaxed.”
“I’m your most trusted friend.”
“We’re chatting.”
“You can tell me anything.”
...
Sarah slowly closed her eyes, her breathing evening out. Her sunken, prematurely old face lost the tension, and her knitted brows relaxed.
“Hello, Sarah. How have you been?” Colorless spoke in a friendly, caring tone like she was actually Sarah’s friend.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon watched her with some amazement. She had gotten into her role quickly.
“Not good, not good...” Sarah’s voice grew a little sad.
“What’s wrong, Sarah?”
“I, I miss my girl. I miss her every second every day...”
“Lilia? Where did she go?”
“I, I can’t tell you...”
“There’s nothing you can’t tell me. I’m your best friend. We tell each other everything.”
“Lilia...she’s God’s daughter. She, she’s going to the blissful otherworld...”
“Nonsense. Lilia’s your daughter, Sarah. Don’t you remember?”
“No, no...” Sarah sounded pained, deeply conflicted, and her brows drew close together again. “Lilia is God’s daughter, only born into this world through my body... I’m honored. I should be honored...”
“But you’re in great pain.” N0v3l--B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
“Because, because I miss Lilia...” Sarah’s closed eyes trembled before tears leaked out from her canthi, quickly filling the divots around her eyes.
“Sarah, have you been lied to...”
“No! No!”
Sarah started shouting. “The otherworld exists! We will all go there. I will see my girl. We won’t be in pain anymore...”
“You’re right, Sarah,” Colorless quickly placated her. “You and Lilia will reunite in the otherworld.”
“Yes, yes...” Sarah calmed down a little, but then she seemed to remember something. “But, but I was abandoned by God. I can’t make it to the otherworld... I’ve been corrupted...”
Colorless paused and looked over her shoulders at Azure Dragon and War Tiger.
The two men nodded.
Colorless took a deep breath. “What corrupted you, Sarah?”
Sarah shook her head, pained.
“Sarah, do you know the Heavenly Godbearer?”
She kept shaking her head with increasing intensity.
“I heard that the Heavenly Godbearer is the Otherworld Order’s...”
“Ah!”
Sarah cried out.
There was no response.
This late at night, Sarah could be asleep.
Rat-at-tat.
War Tiger knocked thrice again, more forceful than the last time.
Thirty seconds later, no one answered the door still.
War Tiger cleared his throat and called out awkwardly in the language of the Snow Nation, “Sarah, we’re friends of Lilia’s, here to visit!”
All they got was silence.
War Tiger was getting impatient. He glanced back at Azure Dragon. “What now?”
Azure Dragon thought about it and said bemusedly, “Why don’t we go back...”
Bam!
Before Azure Dragon could finish, Colorless charged up to the door and kicked the unsturdy door open.
The two men gaped, a figurative crow croaking over their heads.
“Get in already. I hate snow.” Colorless said in an irritable, chilling tone, and without turning around, she stalked inside.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon quickly followed, raising their guard.
The house wasn’t big, and it was barebone and dimly-lit. In the corner was a fireplace covered in black ashes. The firewood inside had been burned to charcoal, radiating lingering warmth.
A worn-out sofa sat in front of the fireplace, accompanied by a wooden rocking chair on the side. There was a half-finished red sweater on the seat. The chair creaked as it rocked gently.
There was the smell of canned food in the air, mixed with the smell of rotting wood.
It was obvious that Sarah lived here.
Azure Dragon looked around. “She should be in the bedroom.”
“I’ll go check...”
As soon as Colorless headed toward the bedroom, the door slammed open, and a frail woman rushed out swinging a wood-chopping ax with both hands at Colorless, screaming.
Colorless was startled but quickly sprang to action, easily catching the handle of the ax. The woman’s speed and method of ambush—or the lack thereof—both marked her as an amateur.
“Ahhh!”
The frail woman continued to struggle, but the ax remained unmoving in Colorless’ grasp.
The three of them got a good look at her.
She was slim in a sickly way, and her brown hair was thin and messy, her cheeks sunken. Her deep-set blue eyes appeared unfocused, and her cheekbones almost seemed ready to protrude from her skin, the dark complexion of which made her look much older.
Colorless raised her hand. Forced to let go of the ax, the woman fell to the floor, knocking into a stool.
Her rage and agitation were replaced by fear. She shrunk into a corner in the room with her hands holding her head, trembling all over. It looked like she was panicking and breaking from the seams.
The three of them all knew a little of the language of the Snow Nation, and they could make out a few snippets of her muttering.
“No, don’t hurt me...don’t...”
Then she suddenly screamed out loud in remembrance. “My daughter! My little girl!”
She stumbled to her feet and lunged at Colorless. “Give me my girl! Give her back to me...”
Colorless dodged to the side and grabbed the woman’s wrist, sending her falling onto the sofa with a yank.
“Pin her down,” she said.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon paused, unsure what she was up to.
“Do it!” Colorless raised her voice.
Azure Dragon was the captain of this temporary team, and War Tiger the vice-captain. Moreover, the two of them outranked and overpowered her by a good margin.
Now, however, they were ordered around like inexperienced lackeys.
War Tiger didn’t really care, and Azure Dragon was magnanimous by nature and simply smiled wryly.
They walked up to the sofa and each pinned down one of the woman’s hands.
She was still struggling as she looked at War Tiger and Azure Dragon in panic, shouting, “Save me! Save me, Lord... I don’t want to go to hell. Take me. Take me to the otherworld...”
“She must be Sarah.” Colorless leaned in and closely inspected the woman. “Her mental state makes it impossible to communicate with her normally. I’ll try to hypnotize her.”
“You can do that?” War Tiger was surprised.
“My Talent belongs to the Psyche-type. Although it isn’t a Talent for hypnosis, there is some similarity, and I taught myself how to do it. I hope it works on her.”
She took out a tiny syringe from her pocket. It was a sedative developed by the Hundred Rivers Union, specifically for hypnosis and interrogation.
She uncapped the syringe and jabbed Sarah in the neck.
“No! Don’t hurt me...don’t...stop...” Sarah quickly calmed down.
Her bloated, wrinkly double eyelids rose and fell as her heaving chest settled.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon let go of Sarah’s arms, moving behind Colorless.
At some point, Colorless had taken out a pocket watch with a silver chain. She held it up to Sarah and swung it from side to side, speaking the local language perfectly as she guided the woman. “Relax, take deep breaths. Feel your heartbeat and your breathing...”
“Good, you’re feeling a little drowsy.”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
“You feel at ease, relaxed.”
“I’m your most trusted friend.”
“We’re chatting.”
“You can tell me anything.”
...
Sarah slowly closed her eyes, her breathing evening out. Her sunken, prematurely old face lost the tension, and her knitted brows relaxed.
“Hello, Sarah. How have you been?” Colorless spoke in a friendly, caring tone like she was actually Sarah’s friend.
War Tiger and Azure Dragon watched her with some amazement. She had gotten into her role quickly.
“Not good, not good...” Sarah’s voice grew a little sad.
“What’s wrong, Sarah?”
“I, I miss my girl. I miss her every second every day...”
“Lilia? Where did she go?”
“I, I can’t tell you...”
“There’s nothing you can’t tell me. I’m your best friend. We tell each other everything.”
“Lilia...she’s God’s daughter. She, she’s going to the blissful otherworld...”
“Nonsense. Lilia’s your daughter, Sarah. Don’t you remember?”
“No, no...” Sarah sounded pained, deeply conflicted, and her brows drew close together again. “Lilia is God’s daughter, only born into this world through my body... I’m honored. I should be honored...”
“But you’re in great pain.” N0v3l--B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
“Because, because I miss Lilia...” Sarah’s closed eyes trembled before tears leaked out from her canthi, quickly filling the divots around her eyes.
“Sarah, have you been lied to...”
“No! No!”
Sarah started shouting. “The otherworld exists! We will all go there. I will see my girl. We won’t be in pain anymore...”
“You’re right, Sarah,” Colorless quickly placated her. “You and Lilia will reunite in the otherworld.”
“Yes, yes...” Sarah calmed down a little, but then she seemed to remember something. “But, but I was abandoned by God. I can’t make it to the otherworld... I’ve been corrupted...”
Colorless paused and looked over her shoulders at Azure Dragon and War Tiger.
The two men nodded.
Colorless took a deep breath. “What corrupted you, Sarah?”
Sarah shook her head, pained.
“Sarah, do you know the Heavenly Godbearer?”
She kept shaking her head with increasing intensity.
“I heard that the Heavenly Godbearer is the Otherworld Order’s...”
“Ah!”
Sarah cried out.
