Uchiha Hikari munched on a few mung bean cakes to recharge, watching as Fenrir polished off the rest of the box in no time.
She couldn't help but wonder—
Do dragons ever get cavities?
While eating, Hikari asked Fenrir a few questions about himself. The big guy was pretty honest, mentioning he had a "sister" who often brought him stuff to eat. But when it came to dragon-related details, he drew a blank, like he had no memory of his past at all.
"So, you don't know the name Attila either?"
"Nope, never heard of it."
"…Alright then."
Hikari figured she wasn't getting much more out of him. She handed Fenrir the remote control car again and started wandering around the area.
According to the lore, Nibelungen is a "Land of the Dead" constructed through alchemy.
Everything here—soil, air, water, even flames—is "dead." Physical laws don't apply, and there's no day or night.
But Nibelungen is also brimming with the fifth element, "Spirit," a key ingredient for crafting the Philosopher's Stone. That's why alchemists, like that vice-principal from Cassell College, spent their whole lives chasing a chance to enter one, only to die without ever stepping foot inside.
Hikari crouched by the train tracks, tapping some metal fragments with a small hammer and scooping up a handful of soil. She stuffed them into a jar.
She planned to take these back for Orochimaru and Dr. Brief to analyze.
Also…
Hikari could faintly sense that the "spiritual energy" in this place was incredibly rich.
Made sense.
Spiritual energy comes from the soul, similar to Yin Release chakra and the fifth element. In theory, they could be fused or refined. Training spiritual energy here would likely yield twice the results for half the effort.
Too bad she couldn't place seals on inanimate objects, so she couldn't just absorb it with "Yasaka Magatama."
Next up, Hikari put her plan into action. She created shadow clones to start training chakra, ki, and spiritual energy right there.
Fenrir was curious about what she was doing, occasionally sniffing around and asking random questions, like a house cat meowing at its owner while they're busy.
No choice.
Hikari made an extra shadow clone to keep him entertained with TV and card games, while the others methodically worked on her training plan.
Since Nibelungen has no concept of time and electromagnetic fields mess with devices, her phone's clock was useless. She relied on Erii and others in the chat group to keep track of the outside world's time.
[Bulma @Nameless]: Hikari, Miss Kikyo and I met Totosai. He says your sword is almost ready. Got time to come check it out soon?
[Nameless]: Maybe in a few days. Please explain to Totosai for me.
If she went to the Inuyasha world now, she'd teleport back to Erii's side when she returned. No way was she flying back and swiping a transit card all over Beijing again…
[Bulma]: Got it. By the way, Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru is so cool. And strong! I saw him in action the other day… Too bad he's so cold and doesn't seem to like humans. Otherwise, I'd totally try to get to know him.
[Yotsuya Miko]: Really? Did you get any pictures, Miss Bulma?
[Nameless]: [Manga screenshot.jpg]
[Nameless]: Fun fact—Sesshomaru doesn't dislike humans; he just prefers them younger. Bulma, you're a bit too old for his taste…
[Bulma]: ?
While chatting, Hikari shared what she'd seen in Nibelungen, pinging Kikyo and Minato Namikaze specifically.
Both were super intrigued.
[Kikyo]: A land of the dead… It sounds a bit like the underworld here, but the idea of "killing" basic elements like fire or wind is mind-boggling. I'd love to see it for myself someday.
[Minato Namikaze]: It's fascinating. From what you're saying, Miss Hikari, it seems like regular people in the Dragon Clan world don't reincarnate? Only Dragon Kings can?
[Nameless]: Maybe.
[Nameless]: Anyway, any ideas on how to harness this "Spirit" element? I want to try using this place to train spiritual energy and Yin Release techniques.
[ … ]
Time flew by as they discussed.
Before she knew it, it was the weekend.
Hikari figured Xia Mi would probably stop by to check on Fenrir soon, since it was a school break and Fenrir's snack stash needed restocking.
But things didn't go as expected.
By Sunday evening, there was still no sign of Xia Mi.
"Hey, Fenrir, how often does your sister come by?" Hikari asked after they finished watching God of Gamblers 2.
"…Dunno. Sometimes it's a while, sometimes it's quick. There was one time she didn't come for a really, really long time."
With no clocks in Nibelungen and Fenrir's not-so-sharp intellect, he couldn't give specifics.
Hikari guessed that "really, really long time" was probably when Xia Mi went to Fujian's Shilan High School to deal with Odin and Chu Zihang. That must've kept her away for at least a year. Normally, her visits seemed random, whenever she felt like it.
No helping it.
Hikari decided to head out and grab some supplies.
She'd been staying in a house conjured by a universal capsule, so bathing and eating weren't issues, and she didn't need to worry about her appearance since it was just her and Fenrir. But being cooped up in Nibelungen was starting to feel stifling. She needed some fresh air.
"You're leaving?" Fenrir's massive body shot up like a startled cat, looking at her with sad, pleading eyes. "Will you come back?"
"Yup, I'll be back."
Hikari nodded. "I'm sticking around this city for a bit. I'll probably swing by again around Friday. When I do, let me in right away. I'm not swiping that transit card all day again."
"Okay."
Just as Hikari packed her things to leave, her instincts kicked in. She pressed her ear to the train tracks, listening. A faint sound—like footsteps—echoed from the long tunnel, getting closer.
Beside her, Fenrir perked up after a brief pause, his eyes lighting up. "Sister! It's Sister…"
"…Hm?"
Xia Mi, showing up now?
On the other side, the person in the tunnel seemed to sense something too, speeding up like a bolt of lightning!
In an instant, Hikari stood, her gaze locking onto a pair of blazing golden eyes glowing in the dark tunnel, like two flickering ghost flames.
"…Fenrir, who is she?"
With those words, a figure in a black hoodie emerged from the boundary between the tunnel and the cavern.
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