Felicity and Bronya trailed behind Seele, their steps quiet in the dimly lit streets.
Seele had no intention of letting Bronya follow, but Felicity was insistent, and with no way to persuade her, she opted to ignore Bronya entirely.
Bronya, for her part, said nothing, her feet moving in sync with Felicity's as she walked, her mind blank. In Felicity's presence, the very thought of resistance seemed impossible.
Seele's job was simple—just a patrol in Wildfire's territory.
The three of them wandered through the lower district, where their duties were routine: injured miners were sent to Natasha's clinic, troublemakers were beaten and then sent off to the same place. By midday, they had already visited Natasha's clinic three times.
This didn't even count those who simply yielded when they saw Seele's imposing figure.
The chaos in the lower district far surpassed anything Bronya had imagined. The sight of it left her muttering under her breath:
"...Why has the lower district become so chaotic?"
Seele, not far ahead, easily heard the whisper and raised an eyebrow, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
"Then you'd better ask your precious Supreme Guardian."
She couldn't hide the edge in her words.
"Maybe it's because the Supreme Guardian has too much sympathy for the people here. So much so, she closed off the Upper District from the Lower, and chose to ignore it all."
Bronya stayed silent, a deep sadness settling on her features. She had no defense for the Supreme Guardian, not when faced with the painful reality of the district.
"...Perhaps the Supreme Guardian's decision was wrong," Bronya murmured quietly, her gaze distant. "If someone had explained the cost of this to her..."
She trailed off, realizing the futility of discussing it now. She sighed deeply, remorse in her voice.
"I'm sorry."
Seele raised an eyebrow, her expression bemused.
"You're a strange one. I've always blamed the Supreme Guardian for this. It was her orders that turned the Lower District into what it is now. Why are you apologizing?"
She placed one hand on her hip, her other holding her sickle casually as she eyed Bronya with growing curiosity.
"No, I share some of the responsibility too."
Bronya's voice was soft, but there was a heavy weight to it as she placed a hand over her chest.
"That was my mother's decision, and as her daughter, I have to bear part of the blame."
Seele blinked, surprised by the revelation. Her gaze flicked to Felicity, as if seeking confirmation.
"Wait, you're the Supreme Guardian's daughter?"
She tilted her head, studying Bronya before casting a sidelong glance at Felicity.
"You're something else. You managed to kidnap the Supreme Guardian's daughter and bring her down here?"
To Bronya's surprise, Seele's tone softened. Perhaps it was the sincerity in Bronya's apology.
"I thought people from the upper districts were all cold and arrogant, but it seems I was wrong. Some of them at least know how to apologize."
Bronya didn't respond, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. Her eyes, however, remained locked on Felicity.
"Is this the truth you want me to see?" she whispered under her breath.
Felicity's lips curled into a sly smile as she turned to face her.
"Well? What do you think?"
Bronya shook her head, still struggling to process it all. She stepped back and took another long look at the broken city, the weight of it pressing down on her chest.
"I… I don't know."
Felicity snorted in mockery, rolling her eyes.
"You're such a coward."
Bronya, overwhelmed by the onslaught of revelations, fell silent. Felicity had been right; it was only natural for Bronya to need time to process everything.
"Let's look at the Stellaron in the distance first. Seele, what's our next move?"
Felicity turned, addressing Seele casually.
"I'm on patrol next," Seele replied automatically, but then her eyes narrowed, and she shot Felicity a contemptuous look.
"We're not in the same group."
She emphasized the words, as if that should be obvious.
"Alright, alright~" Felicity smirked, not bothering to take Seele seriously. She had already shown Bronya everything she needed to, so there was no point in lingering.
"Ah, you really don't listen to a word anyone says."
Seele sighed, her gaze softening as she remembered something. She had almost forgotten the girl in front of her was the one Natasha had spoken about—the one who could bring hope to Belobog.
The memory of Natasha's orders lingered in her mind: Help Felicity, no matter what. It was clear where Natasha stood on the matter.
"I really hope the Stellaron actually exists," Seele muttered under her breath.
Felicity led Bronya back to the clinic's entrance, where March 7th and the others were waiting. The group quickly gathered, ready to compare notes.
Stelle, ever observant, spotted Felicity first and waved eagerly.
"Sister Feli—"
"I'm back," Felicity replied, cutting off the greeting.
March 7th's face lit up with a wide smile as she looked up.
"The lower district's full of interesting people and things! It's fun!"
Stelle chimed in with her usual enthusiasm.
"Oh, I told you not to talk like a child!"
March 7th's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she shot Stelle a glare.
As if worried someone might misunderstand, she quickly clarified.
"I heard from some kids around here that Dan Heng ran off with someone. They said if you want to know where he went, you have to join the Moles. And to join them, you need to win at their games to prove yourself."
March 7th glanced sideways at Stelle.
"But I didn't expect Stelle to catch me talking to the kid."
Stelle puffed out her chest, clearly unbothered.
"I'm a child too! I was only born a few days ago!"
March 7th groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. Stelle was becoming... a bit too strange.
Her mind wandered for a moment before she looked back at Felicity.
"Ahem, Dan Heng, tell me what's going on over there."
Felicity understood the unspoken question in March 7th's eyes and cleared her throat, shifting the conversation.
"Well, I've been gathering information from the locals, and they trust Wildfire. It seems to have become something like an underground Silvermane Guard."
Dan Heng nodded, adding his own insight.
"At the moment, I think we can trust them."
"Also," he continued, "Miss Natasha left not long ago, heading toward the Great Mine area. Something big must have happened there."
Before Felicity could respond, Seele's voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Natasha's heading to the Great Mine too? Looks like things are worse than I thought."
Seele frowned as she walked toward them, her eyes narrowing in thought.
"I don't know what your plans are, but helping Wildfire doesn't sound like a bad idea, does it?"
--+--
T/N: I wish I had something to say here, but I just want this to pass as soon as possible and go to Xianzhou. Lowkey idk why but my favorite planet(?).