"Ahhhh!" Li Xuan stared at his own finger, unable to remain calm. My finger is on fire…!!
"Mmm~" Perhaps startled by Li Xuan's sudden scream, Yae Sakura, who had been sleeping peacefully on the bed, opened her eyes. She sat up, rubbing her drowsy eyes with a small hand and letting out a kitten-like sound.
"Waaahhh—My finger's on fire!" Li Xuan wailed, running over to Yae Sakura and holding out his still-burning finger.
"…Hmm." Still half-asleep, Yae Sakura rubbed her eyes and looked at the finger Li Xuan extended towards her. A small flame burned quietly on his slender, pale finger, as if it would never be extinguished.
"..." Yae Sakura suddenly grabbed Li Xuan's hand, her eyes fixed on his burning finger. She blinked, then squinted with a hint of drowsiness. "So warm~"
"..." That's not the point! Li Xuan was speechless at the fox-eared girl's sudden display of cuteness. An arrow pierced his heart again… so adorable…
Suddenly, a black mist materialized behind Yae Sakura. The black mist slowly shifted, coalescing into the shape of a fox. Two blood-red eyes lit up within the mist.
"..." What is that?! Li Xuan was completely stunned. Too many things had happened today; he felt his brain was struggling to process it all.
"So noisy, kid!" the fox-shaped black mist suddenly spoke in a sharp voice. "You woke this great one from her nap."
"..." Li Xuan's alarmed gaze instinctively turned to Yae Sakura. After all, this black mist fox monster had appeared from her…
"This is my partner, Higokumaru…" To Li Xuan's utter surprise, Yae Sakura wrapped her arms around the black mist fox that had appeared behind her and spoke affectionately.
"The flame on your hand is just Honkai energy being mobilized by your Stigmata. Stop making such a fuss!" the fox said, annoyed.
"It'll go out on its own in a moment…" As soon as the fox finished speaking, the flame on Li Xuan's finger flickered as if blown by the wind, then vanished with a soft "pfft," leaving behind a wisp of black smoke.
"..." Li Xuan stared blankly at his still-flawless finger. Then he snapped his head up, not caring what kind of creature this fox was, and cast a hopeful gaze at its red eyes. "Why can I use fire?!"
He hadn't had any abilities like this before…
"Because of your Stigmata. It has granted you this ability… I say, aren't you a human born with a Stigmata? How have you not known this after all this time?!" the fox said, patiently.
"My Stigmata…" Li Xuan raised his right hand. In the sunlight, the red Taiji and Four Symbols pattern on the back of his hand seemed to faintly glow with a golden hue.
"I see…" So it's because my Stigmata evolved to include the Four Symbols that I gained this power, right?! Li Xuan said softly. He finally understood the origin of the flame, but… was this the only ability the Four Symbols Stigmata had?
"..." Li Xuan scratched his head in frustration. He only knew that the so-called Four Symbols represented the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise… He knew nothing else about them… Chinese literature class had never covered this kind of knowledge…
"Sigh~" Well then… where can I find a book about the Four Symbols?! Li Xuan sighed softly and looked out the window at the clear, boundless sky. A tall building immediately caught his eye. Hmm… it's huge, Li Xuan remarked to himself, looking at the building. When he was searching for an escape route earlier, he had determined that the building was likely Nagazora City's library.
This library seemed even taller and grander than the one in his old city… In some ways, this world was indeed more advanced than his original one.
"Wait…" A spark of inspiration flashed through Li Xuan's mind… Library, library… a library has so many books… maybe there's one with information about the 'Four Symbols'!
From a certain perspective, this Honkai world could be considered a parallel world. Many aspects were the same as his original world! So, it should have similar knowledge!
Li Xuan's eyes lit up, his right golden Jao Shingan shining brightly.
He trotted over to Yae Sakura, looking at her with expectant eyes.
"Sakura! Let's go to the library, shall we?"
"Oh~ I'm hungry…"
"..."
Meanwhile, on the other side…
"Li Xuan?! A boy?! He was with you in the Honkai zone for that long?!" Theresa exclaimed, crouching by Kiana's hospital bed and looking at her, who was still bound by Judah's Oath. Her cherry-like mouth was slightly agape from the shock, giving her a somewhat dazed and cute appearance.
"..." Theresa silently jumped off the hospital bed, took out a special Schicksal communicator from the pocket of her large nun's habit, and immediately dialed Murata Himeko's number.
"Beep beep…" The ringing didn't last long before the communicator lit up. A holographic image of a sleepy-looking Murata Himeko appeared above it.
"Major Himeko…" Theresa said softly. "Are you certain that only Kiana and the other two were found after the Third Herrscher was defeated…?"
"Yeah…" Murata Himeko said with a yawn, speaking carelessly. Why call so early? Don't you know waking up too early causes wrinkles?! Honestly…
"Yeah, my foot!…" Theresa cursed, then continued speaking to the still-clueless Himeko in the video. "According to Kiana, there was a boy with them! Do you have any idea what that means?!…"
"Uh… a man who can walk freely in a Honkai zone… He has a Natural Stigmata!" Himeko was instantly wide awake.
"Then hurry up and send people to search for him! It might be another unknown Stigmata!" Theresa said, exasperated. She was starting to lose confidence in Himeko's ability to get things done…
"Sigh~" Theresa sighed and turned off the communicator. She had her hands full worrying about her friend and subordinate…
"Alright!" Theresa pulled herself together again. She turned around and smiled at the clueless Kiana. "So, how about it? Will you join your friends and work hard to become warriors who save the world?"
"How can I trust someone who tied me up the first time we met?" Kiana said slyly. "If you want me to agree, let me see Mei first!"
"'The first time we met'… that's hurtful," Theresa said with her eyes closed in feigned despair. With a soft snap of her fingers, the Spears of Light binding Kiana were swiftly recalled into Judah's Oath, freeing her.
"I held you when you were just a baby, you know."
"Alright, I'll take you to see your two friends first. They're staying in Major Murata Himeko's room. I believe they should be up by now," Theresa said, walking towards the door of the hospital room.
"Held me? What nonsense are you talking about?" Kiana sat on the hospital bed, trying to recall any memory of the white-haired loli but coming up empty. "You're clearly younger than me."
The two walked down a long corridor in St. Freya High School and stopped in front of a room.
"Creeak!~" Kiana followed Theresa as she opened the door. This was Murata Himeko's room.
A burst of bright light shone from within…