Chapter 28 - A Place to Belong [2] - The Cardinal Sky

“AAAAHH!!!” I screamed, my chest pounding heavily and my hands shaking.

When I woke up, I found myself staring at the ceiling. It looked oddly cozy, if that was the right word.

"That was the 2nd Cardinal Sky, wasn't it?"

The red sky, the dark yet bright sun, the relentless destruction—all of it felt like humanity was peering into the abyss.

The 2nd Cardinal Sky, a catastrophic event that would be remembered as the prophesied last day of Earth, until a shining light of hope appeared.

—That light was Noah Heavenfall, the protagonist of the novel.

"Was that the future…?" I bit my nail, realizing that everything looked too real to be just a dream.

I don't recall this ever happening before, as if something deliberately erased it from my memories.

Despite waking up a few seconds later murmuring to myself, I realized one crucial aspect that I had to check immediately.

...

—Pomf...

"Ah, I'm a girl again." I looked underneath my pants and realized that nothing was there.

The true nightmare wasn't that terrifying premonition; it was more about how I'll lose my dignity by becoming whatever this was.

After being away from humans for such a long time, I dread the day I have to interact with people with this body.

—Creak…!

"Mmmm..." I groaned until I lost my breath, slumping on the bed as if I was a slob.

"I have become one with the bed, mgaaah~" I voluntarily made a cute squeal as if I'm used to it, whether I like it or not.

Honestly, turning into a girl isn't so bad.

Yeah, I'm physically weaker because my muscles didn't transfer over, but as long as I have enough endurance to withstand harsh situations, it's not so bad.

Aside from that, I think I look quite pretty, don't I?

—Squish...!

I pinched my cheeks, unable to believe how smooth and squishy they are.

"Fufu." I giggled, as if I had gone crazy now that I finally got to lie down without being in a hurry.

Although my chests are definitely on the smaller side, I don't really mind since they don't get in my way.

In fact, I prefer... hmm, never mind.

Remembering that I'm in the stranger's house, the same person who saw that embarrassing show, I went back to my senses and took a deep breath.

"Is this perhaps her bedroom?" I looked around the room.

After being knocked out from fatigue following my fight against the Eldians, I found myself tucked in bed.

Despite the neat and cozy bed, the room told a different story, filled with an array of items scattered everywhere.

Scraps, antique objects, and random clothes strewn about. The plague mask also rested on a hat stand.

Aside from their gentle hospitality, I didn't need to figure out who saved me—it's obvious enough. The only person who could have saved me is the stranger whom I, uh, punched with a giant fist.

Surely it wasn’t that bad, right?

"Oh, right, what about my leg…" I nudged the blanket aside to check its condition.

Well… It’s a surprise I only lost one leg. I really thought I would die within five seconds against those monsters.

If it weren’t for the advantage of the terrain, then there was no way I would’ve survived.

'This isn't good.' I said to myself. I had sustained too many injuries after that fight.

If my left leg can no longer function, it will foil my plans, and I'll have to find a way to fix this.

—Rustle Rustle…

"Dammit…” I braced myself, trying to accept the fact that my left leg is gone.

I came in with bad expectations, only to be proven severely wrong—in a good way.

"...What? I'm still not dreaming, right?" I tilted my head, rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t still imagining things.

Instead of the gruesome hole where my leg had been—the one that had been drilled by a giant thorn—was fully recovered.

"It's healed…?" I tried to sound surprised, but after everything that happened, this felt natural.

During the battle against the Eldians, I resorted to using the Ichor to get my leg moving and to prevent it from bleeding. I had done the same with my hand, now that I think about it.

It worked, but it tampered with my nerves to the point where I could've died from shock if not for my willpower at the time.

'Is my leg really okay?' I questioned myself, feeling doubt creep in.

Could the stranger have used some strange magic to heal it?

No, that seems impossible. Common sense tells me that reconstructing cells just wasn't feasible. The amount of mana required for such a miracle would be considered godly.

I even tried touching my leg to see if it was real…

—Poke...

"GYAAH!!!" I screamed in pain. It looked fully healed, but it hurt like hell when I touched it.

"Urgh… It's not a dream, alright."

If my leg was healed, then I assumed the rest of my injuries were in decent condition as well.

However, there is no such thing as free food, just as there is no such thing as a miracle without a price.

The unnatural regeneration felt like a thousand needles stabbing my body. I nearly fainted from that experience alone.

“Well, I suppose it's better than living with one leg,” I shrugged. I might as well gratefully accept this generosity.

I had to push myself beyond my limits and urge my body to move, despite suffering from serious entire, so something like this is a given.

Feeling more than satisfied with my improved condition, I glanced around the room, and memories were riddled on every corner—both bitter and sweet.

As I examined my surroundings more closely, I realized that nothing in this room resembled a space where a girl would typically live.

Just like this, unmoving, I spent the next few minutes looking around in a daze, taking everything in.

Emptiness? Aloofness? Whatever you want to call it, my mind was too exhausted to think straight.

Ever since I returned to Earth, I had to remain on guard, train, and survive, just like I did back in Aleph.

It felt as if I lived solely by my instincts, constantly running from threats and searching for any potential survivors. I couldn't afford to fall into despair and give up.

Was my determination driven by desperation? I don't know.

But that’s the crux of my situation. My entire existence felt invalidated.

I, the author of this world, don’t know anything.

I didn't know how the Eldians interacted with the environment.

I didn’t know how this world could be destroyed simply by our absence.

I didn’t even know how Noah and I got into the Higher Aleph, or how we ultimately caused the world's only hope to be lost.

—This arrogance of mine has killed billions.

…

...

—Clench…!

I need to try harder. I shouldn't be moping around, blaming myself for every terrible action.

I'm not a hero, but a selfish person with convictions that are meant for no one but myself.

Until I find a place where I truly belong—a place I can truly call home—saving the world is what I need to do to achieve that goal.

—Creak…!

"Oh, are you finally awake?" A familiar voice rang out.

Their shadow loomed in the light reflected by the window, looking like an entirely different person.

As I had expected, the person who saved me was the same stranger I had encountered before—the one dressed in heavy clothing, who had previously tried to kill me and then run away.

Surprisingly, she is also the one who saved my life.

We certainly made an unforgettable first impression on each other.

This time, however, her voice wasn’t muffled, it was clear and belonged to a young girl...

…Wait, a young girl?

"Y-You…" My eyes widened in shock. It felt as if they had popped out of my eyelids.

Her appearance, particularly her height, was not what I expected.

Instead, I was struck by one thing:

"You're… not as tall as I thought you were."

—Her height.

…

...

"…Seriously? Are you really saying that? You cheeky brat." A vein on her forehead looked like it was about to pop at any moment.

The stranger had long, messy brown hair, green eyes, an impressive build, and a face that is definitely above average by this world’s standards.

Rather than giving off a heavy, overpowering presence, she opted for a more casual look.

She wore a dark, fitted green jacket tied at her waist, a brown sleeveless t-shirt that revealed her stomach, and blue navy pants.

In a way, because of her attire, she looks like an engineer.

Although the stranger appeared imposing in her heavy clothes, she looked less intimidating now that I stood in front of her, even if she was still taller than me.

Although I felt a little relieved that she was just a normal girl, our height difference makes me wonder... am I really that short?

"Sigh… this is going nowhere." She sat down after noticing that I was staring at her, my expressions shifting every second.

"Hmm?" I tilted my head again, wondering why she was so tense.

"Your leg. What are you?" She went straight to the point, her gaze fixed on my leg that was supposed to be amputated.

If there was one thing that hadn’t changed, it was the cautious tone in her voice when addressing me.

"Hmm… that’s a good question," I replied, forgetting how to socialize with another human.

...

"...The hell you mean, 'good question'?" The stranger no longer seemed wary of me because she thought I might be a monster, but because I have brain damage.

"I guess I'm… human?" I answered, puzzled by how long it took me to respond to such a simple question.

All these recurring events led me to believe that this body is certainly not normal.

Healing a leg? The ability to manipulate the Ichor like it's a spare limb? And then transforming into a super cute girl?

I don't know, man. I've turned off my surprise factor after everything that has happened.

"…I see." She crossed one leg over to the other. Her tone, which had initially been rude and blunt, became more passive over time.

It made me feel a bit uncomfortable not to be scorned to some extent. It felt unnatural.

Is it because I look harmless now? Like a squirrel, perhaps.

Although Noah is a special case, if I have to say. He’s an… hmm—an idiot?

With a distressed sigh, the stranger extended her hand to me, anticipating a handshake to ease the tension between us.

It was time for us to put aside the bad blood that had developed.

"My name is Camila Rondoile. It's nice to meet you."

...Hmm?

A decent person is trying to introduce themselves to me?!

Is turning into a cute girl more influential than I thought?

Despite intentionally replying to her simple questions like a buffoon who doesn't know anything but is actually fully aware to spite them off because it looks fun to tease this person?

Calming myself and pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting, I decided to go with the flow and introduce myself.

"Ahem! Nice to meet you, Camila Rondoile." I said ecstatically with a bright smile, trying my best to make a great first impression.

"My name is Kuro... no, sorry. I'm Aria—"

"Kuro?!?" The brown-haired girl named Camila exclaimed as we closed the distance in a single moment.

She pounced on me so quickly that she slammed her hand against the wall, pinning me down.

“...Cyth,” I continued, realizing she must have mistaken me for someone else with the same name.

"Ah, oh… sorry about that. It's nothing," She replied, suddenly drooping, then I took her hand and shook it, albeit reluctantly.

"Let's get along from now on, Camila," I said with another reassuring smile, something I rarely do unless it is for business purposes.

"…Hehe, you too," Camila said, the smile returning to her face as she shook my hand.

Happy that she responded with a smile rather than a frown, I softened my expression and asked her questions more thoughtfully this time.

"So, why are you in a place like this?"

I started with the more critical questions.

Camila didn't respond to that, but after a few seconds, she reached out her hand to grab something.

"This collar," she grabbed it from a table, cluttered with various items, including the broken pieces of Libera.

"I don't exactly know how or why I had this collar on my neck, but if I use an excessive amount of mana or try to escape, it'll sap the mana out of me and lead to a disaster."

"So this has happened before?"

"...Yes, but I managed to escape thanks to the motorcycle."

—Fwip...!

Without thinking, she threw the collar at me to show it off, unaware that the moment I touched it, it triggered the Siren's Call last time.

"W-Wait, don't throw that at me!" I tried to dodge, but it landed in my hands, and... nothing happened.

"Oh, is it broken?" I calmed down and examined the collar in my hands. It was snapped in half, as if it had served its purpose.

The collar was pinkish-purple, and the front bore an ominous black sigil.

As I recognized the type of mark it was, I asked her another question, "So who did this to you?"

"Hah, who did this to us?"

—Clench...!

"It’s Morze, those Morzen fucking bastards." She spat out the word Morze as if it were a slur.

As I heard that, gears began to turn in my head, and things were starting to make sense.

Morze, the nation that had sparked most of the world's conflicts, from minor incidents to major upheavals that shook the global landscape.

I had anticipated that they would make moves from behind the scenes, but I had never heard of these collars being developed for unknown reasons.

"Do you really not know why you have that collar around your neck?"

"No, the only thing I remember is that it restricted my mana usage, and there were consequences if I tried to force it."

...Wait, so I really was fighting her at her weakest? Scary.

"But… Aria, how did you break this collar?"

"Break your collar? What do you mean?"

"...Do you seriously not know?"

—Fwip!

Wanting the collar back, she grabbed it from my hands using telekinesis.

"This collar was supposed to be unbreakable. No matter how much I try, it always comes out unscathed."

—Crush...!

Camila crushed the collar into bits with her magic, generating enough force to turn it into a small sphere.

Ah, this person is scary. Maybe I shouldn't tease her after all.

"But ever since you did something, the collar became fragile, so fragile that I could do this."

Throwing the sphere—once a collar—away, she turned her gaze directly to me.

Her green eyes were menacing, as if she wanted an honest answer.

"So tell me once more: are you truly human?" Camila questioned me for the second time; her suspicions hadn’t completely vanished yet.

"…Yes, I'm human," I answered, trying my best not to make any strange sounds.

...

"…Alright, I believe you." She stood up and left me behind as if nothing had happened.

"Hmm… what? Is that it?"

"Mhmm. Honestly, I have a lot more to ask you."

—Clink!

I heard a stove turn on. Camila cracked a few eggs and placed them in a pan. In this household, there was somehow enough gas for the stove to operate correctly.

"And what are those questions?"

"How your leg regenerated, your unusual golden hair and eyes, or that tattoo you're hiding beneath your arm."

"..."

Unable to answer any of those questions, I remained silent.

"Oh, and that time when you said things like, 'Aria Cyth, at your service~' with that adorable voice of yours."

"I think I should've killed you, actually."

"Hah, try me."

Camila scoffed, as if she knew that, with my condition and her now-lifted burden, she was stronger than I was.

"Ugh..." I grunted, unable to do anything but give up for now.

"Heh, at least you were kind of cute, I'll give you that—"

"Shut your mouth."

...