"Agh!"
"Pant...pant...pant..."
Raven jolted awake from her bed, gasping rapidly for breath.
Before her lay a brightly lit, snow-white room, punctuated by familiar sounds of laughter outside.
She extended her right hand, gazing at the familiar Honkai Energy suppression bracelet. Her slender, pale fingers trembled inexplicably.
"I...I'm not dead?" Raven muttered dumbly to herself, her voice slightly hoarse.
"Yes, you're alive—just barely," came a familiar voice from beside her, tinged with amusement and a hint of exasperation.
Stiffly, Raven turned her head to see Wendy sitting nearby in her wheelchair, holding a cup of milk and gazing steadily at her.
But that wasn't important right now. Raven vividly recalled what she had witnessed just before losing consciousness. With trembling fingers, she lifted the white hospital gown covering her body.
The sight made her pupils contract sharply.
Where once there should have been smooth abs adorned with defined muscles, she found her abdomen filled with black metal. The irregular, twisted junction between the metal and her skin looked grotesque and menacing.
Raven gently touched the metallic surface; as expected, it felt icy cold and unyielding.
Biting her lip, she then smiled, seeming relieved.
"You don't mind how ugly it looks?" Wendy asked, tilting her head slightly.
Raven shook her head and softly replied, "Just being alive is enough for me. Other things aren't that important."
"What a positive outlook! So, any thoughts on this incident? I heard your direct superior was the one who attacked you."
"It's as expected. To him, I was just a somewhat useful tool."
"Your tears seem to suggest otherwise." Wendy pointed towards Raven's eyes.
Raven hastily reached up to touch her face but found no trace of the tears Wendy mentioned. She then turned and met Wendy's smiling gaze.
"...Don't tease me."
"I'm not teasing you; I simply wanted to gauge your true feelings."
"That doesn't matter now."
"No, it does matter greatly. Do you know how you survived?"
"Zeke... sir?"
"Correct, yet not entirely so."
A hint of confusion appeared in Raven's eyes.
Wendy sighed and slowly explained, "According to Zeke, although your body was pierced, the attacker actually avoided vital organs that would have led to instant death. There were also signs of electrical cauterization around your wounds for blood clotting. Additionally, the temperature at the time was low enough to freeze your blood vessels. Considering your physically enhanced state due to human augmentation and rigorous training, you could have actually survived for quite some time..."
"Furthermore, with Gray Serpent's prosthetic body technology, they could have potentially revived me. So you're suggesting he didn't truly intend to kill me?" Raven interrupted Wendy, completing her thought. Few people in the world understood Gray Serpent better than Raven.
Raven fully comprehended Gray Serpent's intentions.
For Gray Serpent, nothing was more important than Lord Kevin. The plan at that time had reached a critical juncture, and Gray Serpent likely had much riding on it. Raven's hesitation made him suspect the possibility of betrayal.
Given the stakes involving Lord Kevin's return, even if it was just a suspicion, it was enough for Gray Serpent to take action.
Preserving Raven's life also did not indicate any softening on Gray Serpent's part. Perhaps tools as useful as she were rare, and Gray Serpent intended to continue utilizing her after the fact?
Raven gently touched the metallic object near her abdomen, her eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions; she couldn't quite define how she felt.
Disappointment? Helplessness? Confusion? Or the sorrow and anger from being betrayed?
Perhaps all of those sentiments were present.
Yet, feeling the vitality of her own life, Raven sighed deeply, sensing that there were many burdens she should now let go of.
After a moment of being lost in thought, Wendy placed the milk on the table beside the bed. Then, pushing her wheelchair to the tent entrance, she turned away from Raven and said,
"I just wanted to remind you that it's time to make a decision. Although you were originally with World Serpent, during your stay here, those children have clearly shown their acceptance of you. Your escape cannot be entirely faulted, but it did indeed hurt them deeply—meaning you've offended someone who isn't known for forgiveness. While considering the children's sake, he might not necessarily take your life, but still, whether it's your original stance or the feelings of these children, you should think carefully."
Raven slowly nodded, then asked somewhat puzzled, "Aren't you affiliated with Schicksal? Why does it seem like you're trying to persuade me to join Anti-Entropy?"
"Ahem! It's just...just because we find ourselves in similar situations, I'm showing some concern for you! Don't read too much into it; I am a steadfast Valkyrie, and there's no way I'd work for Anti-Entropy!"
This was true. Due to their shared circumstances, Wendy had interacted quite frequently with Raven over this period. She genuinely felt for Raven's predicament and hoped for a better outcome for her. Joining Anti-Entropy—at least from what she could tell so far, they didn't seem like bad people!
Wendy lifted the curtain and left the tent.
Left alone, Raven reclined back onto the bed, staring vacantly at the canvas ceiling above, remaining silent for a long while.
Upon leaving the tent, Wendy spotted a bright glow.
It was the light from a large bonfire, with the seemingly ever-burning Cleaver of Shamash planted firmly at its center.
"That's not how you're supposed to use a Divine Key!" Wendy covered her face and sighed wearily.
Only Kiana could come up with such an idea, and only Zeke would agree to it—both were utterly unconventional.
"Wendy, you're out. Has Sister Raven woken up yet?" Seele approached, carrying a cup of hot drink and a plate of kebabs, which she placed on the tray attached to Wendy's wheelchair.
Wendy softened her expression and smiled. "Thank you. She's fine now, but let her have some time to think. Being betrayed by someone you swore loyalty to must be incredibly painful."
Wendy began eating; battling the Herrscher Core had drained both her physical strength and mental energy significantly. Having just regained consciousness, she urgently needed to replenish herself.
With a hint of concern, Seele glanced toward the direction of the tents and sighed.
Raven's escape attempt, compared to Wendy's selfless determination to protect everyone, left a sharp decline in impressions.
While Raven's actions might seem reasonable from her perspective, for decision-makers like Zeke, it was enough to determine her fate and take appropriate measures accordingly.
The reason they had saved her and refrained from imprisoning her was largely due to the children—especially Seele.
So, Seele didn't plead for Raven again. Though she might have been soft-hearted, she didn't want Zeke and the others to be put on the spot because of her whims. From here on out, it would depend solely on Raven's own resolve.
"Is it good, Wendy?"
"Mm-hmm, delicious! Just as I'd expect from you, Seele."
"Heh heh, this is one of my signature dishes!"
"Can I have more meat? It's not enough."
"No problem, there's plenty to go around!"
Pushing Wendy's wheelchair, Seele joined the group amid laughter and chatter.
As usual, Kiana and Rozaliya were competing to see who could eat more.
Liliya pulled Raiden Mei over to cheer them on.
Bronya served as referee once again, appearing sternly impartial but secretly reveling in the spectacle, occasionally stoking the flames discreetly. Sin went along with their antics as always; whenever Bronya wanted to play, Sin unconditionally joined in without question.
Seeing that Seele had run off to cook, Wendy wheeled herself up to Zeke.
Slap!
A cup of drink landed on the table before him.
"It's on me. Thank you for saving me."
"...I paid for all these ingredients here."
"Who cares about such trivialities? You're not usually like this."
Zeke noticed Wendy seemed slightly off; she wasn't typically so prickly.
Wendy rolled her eyes.
"Just feeling uneasy at having to thank someone from Anti-Entropy, is that too much to ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious then. I thought your gemstone might have gotten out of control again."
"And what if it did?"
"We'd extract it—what else?" Zeke responded with another question, as though it were self-evident.
Wendy narrowed her eyes and pressed on, "So you really just want my gemstone, don't you?!"
"I've told you since day one, yes," Zeke affirmed matter-of-factly.
"But what if extracting the gemstone would endanger my life?"
"It won't. I'll heal you, just as I promised on our first meeting."
Throughout their exchange, Zeke remained unwaveringly calm, almost taken for granted. However, his final remark softened Wendy's expression.
"Well, at least that sounds reasonable. Rest assured, once you cure me, I will repay you."
"No need."
"You don't value my abilities?"
"No." Zeke nodded firmly, his response genuine.
Zeke had always treated people with sincerity.
"Hissss—"
Wendy took a deep breath, reminding herself that he did just save her life today; she shouldn't lose her temper.
Damn it!
With such a pleasant appearance, why does he have such a prickly personality?
Wendy looked up at the night sky, feeling enlightened. Perhaps this is what they mean by 'no one's perfect.' Despite his brilliant intellect, fate made him as dense as wood.