Whenever I read or watch something, I find myself asking:
Why do these main characters always end up waking up in a hospital bed when something happens?
Can't they continue as if everything is okay, without looking bruised and battered?
The same goes for female characters—why do they faint every single time there's a minor inconvenience?
I am aware that some circumstances are unavoidable.
Such as risking their life, or fighting battles that weren't winnable, or encountering a giant worm... or destroying my body to the point where a normal person would be permanently impaired...
...Ah, that's just me, isn't it?
Unknown room, hospital bed.
Unlike the patient room at Kleinford, the last bastion of Demiurge, this space was more refined and utilized rather than being used to detain me.
If there was something that I learned and at the same time, did not...
It's how I kept pushing my ability to convert Ichor into mana until I suffered from mana exhaustion.
I overexerted myself to the point where my body felt numb.
I strained my eyes so much that they bled gold instead of normal blood.
Then, in a desperate attempt to escape, I broke my arm using a
With all of this in mind, my injuries are somehow much worse than last time.
"Everything... everything hurts, god dammit!!!" I tried to move around, but my body felt so stiff that I gave up quickly.
It felt like being stung by hundreds of bees in rapid succession.
Although it was great that my body reverted to its normal state, infusing mana into my eyes without proper practice strained them so much that I thought I become blind.
"Well, at least I'm alive. For now." I took a deep breath, relaxing in the bed with my long hair sprawled out everywhere.
…
…
…I thought I was a goner for sure.
Again, and again, and again… will it be normal for me to lose consciousness after a fight?
"Fooo…" I exhaled and contemplated my current situation.
My memories of the fight against the Morzen Cultist were hazy, but there was one key detail I had to remember, no matter what.
'That day, those people—no, angels…' I tilted my head, squishing my cheeks like stress balls for no reason.
Instead of Scarlett holding me in her arms, I found myself in someone else's embrace.
They wore navy clothing and had navy hair, anything else... I can't remember.
I couldn't see their faces clearly since my vision was extremely blurry at the time, but what stood out were the wings on their backs.
"Angels…? But they had these strange wings… ack." A wave of pain shot through my head, advising me to rest for now.
With problems and injuries all around me, at least it was finally over.
I had arrived at my destination after everything I had been through.
Trestkania Technocracy.
The nation that banned magic has since made revolutionary advances, sharing borders with Demiurge.
—Ziiing…!
As I began to relax, a door slid open to my right.
I expected to encounter another quack doctor, but it wasn't what I anticipated.
"Sister...?" They spoke, a familiar voice.
Two silhouettes appeared before me, looking sullen, but their expressions changed when they saw me sitting on the bed, lost in thought.
"Luna...?" I called out their names in a daze.
This was supposed to be a joyful reunion, yet nausea flooded over me as I recalled what had happened back in the underground bunker.
What they had seen was not something meant for children.
"I'm... I'm sorry I wasn't able to save your—"
—Tug!
Shattering my expectations, Luna rushed to me, dropping her plushie along the way, truly glad to see that I was awake.
"S-Sister...! You're—sniff... finally awake!" Luna cried out loudly.
She nuzzled against my chest, checking my heartbeat to confirm that I was really alive.
To see if this wasn't just a dream.
After confirming that I was indeed awake, Luna looked me in the eyes and broke into tears.
"Bweeeh!!!"
"L-Luna..." I uttered, trying to calm her down by any means necessary.
Instead of saying something insensitive that might spark horrible memories, I placed my hand on Luna's head and began to pat it gently.
"Big sis... you're finally awake," Ray said with a faint smile.
"Ray..." I murmured his name, noticing the changes in his expression since we first met.
He had been such a rowdy kid, but today, his eyes were different.
...It doesn't change the fact that he's squinting his eyes to prevent himself from crying, though.
As I sat in the hospital room with the kids I saved, a wave of relief washed over me.
Many things had happened, that was true, but it was best to start small, feeling grateful that they were alive after all.
—Snuggle...
"I'm glad you two are safe and sound..." I said as I reached up to pat Ray's head as well, along with Luna's.
Though we had only met for like, a few hours, I was willing to alleviate their pain by becoming someone they could rely on, even if just temporarily.
Today was a bit bittersweet, that's all.
For the next hour or so, we talked about what happened afterward and how they had woken up in a room that looked like mine.
I intentionally omitted details about what happened to their home and loved ones, as they weren't in a good state either, especially Luna.
Ray had noticeably changed; he appeared more uptight and determined.
Luna, who once had a bright smile when I first showed her magic, now looked weary, as if she was exhausted from crying so much.
We managed to escape the underground bunker and arrived at Trestkania... but what is this bitter taste in my mouth?
I hate everything about this.
Moving past that topic before I spiralled into self-pity, I asked the kids where Scarlett was.
"..."
The kids exchanged worried looks, which already told me something was wrong.
"Is she not okay?" I bit my lip, remembering how we ran away from the Sentinel.
I wasn't in the right state of mind; I had barely managed to protect the kids and myself after getting hit by a single droplet.
I hadn't had enough time to protect Scarlett, which made things worse.
"Sister Scarlett is resting in a room that's far away, so we can't see her very much..." Luna lay her head in my arms, seeking comfort beside me.
I was about to ask more questions, but I decided this was enough and nodded.
"As long as she's okay, then that's good enough," I sighed, relaxing my head on the pillow after our rough arrival.
...
...
...
"Big sis, do you think we could become as strong as you?" Ray asked me out of the blue.
"As strong as me?" I shrugged, thinking that Scarlett would be a better person to ask.
But Ray's gaze made it clear that he wanted to hear my answer. He no longer underestimated my appearance.
"Hmm..." I pondered what had brought me to this point, reflecting on the challenges I had faced and the monsters beyond my comprehension.
"No matter what happens, even if you feel like you're dying..." I recalled all my past experiences that felt like they had happened just yesterday.
I had endured severe injuries that could have left me disabled.
I had witnessed true despair in its purest form, which threatened to swallow me whole.
I had faced the overwhelmingly strong Sentinel, which was beyond my limits—
Yet, I never gave up.
"Never give up."
Ray and Luna contemplated my words, clearly resonating with them.
This was not easy advice to follow. Moving on is one of the biggest battles in life, after all.
…
…
…
"So, who are you?" I asked the person who had been standing there the whole time.
"Oh, you can see me?" She tilted her head, looking genuinely surprised that I could.
"Yeah...? What do you want?" I replied, on guard since I had never met her before.
"Aria? U-Ugh..." Ray grimaced, clearly recognizing who this person was.
Noticing that I was interacting with someone, the two siblings had mixed reactions.
Not because she was a stranger, but perhaps someone eccentric enough that they chose to scoot behind me to avoid her.
"Yeah, she's... one of the big sisters who saved us," Luna tugged at my hospital gown.
"But be careful, big sis... she was like you when we first met, but was always a monster," Ray recalled the day we first met, making a strange comparison.
"What is that even supposed to mean?" I chose to ignore his impressions and instead focused on her physical appearance.
She looked ordinary from one angle, but behind her were accessories that definitely weren't intended for fashion: wings.
Not in a traditional sense with white feathers, no, no.
These wings were made with metal and scraps, floating behind her back.
I expected the angel to do something at that moment, but we just stared at each other in silence.
This went on for a long while until the angel took a deep breath and approached me.
"...Um," I said, unsure why she was standing so close to me.
That was the last thing I said before she did something unspeakable to a heavily injured patient.
—Plop!
"Wuh?" I was lifted off the bed and was held on the armpits like a cat.
...
...
…Hmm?
I must inquire—what is happening right now?
"…" The angel remained silent, looking at me with great curiosity.
I couldn't help but stare back into her amber-like eyes, struggling to process the situation.
We were so close that our noses pressed against each other.
The only thing keeping me sane and awake was the fact that she smelled like gunpowder… gunpowder?
As she carefully examined my body, the angel shuffled me around in her grasp like a ragdoll.
Then, she took it a step further and pulled me into her embrace.
—Fwip!
"...?!" I reacted too late and suddenly found myself in an awkward position, my face buried in her beautiful bosoms.
Hmm. Delightful.
Just 0.1 seconds before I started flailing around as an act of self-defence, Luna and Ray took action.
—Thwack!
"W-What are you doing?! Get away from my sister!" Luna yelled, swinging her plushie to hit her.
"Get away from big sis!" Ray shouted, trying to pull us apart.
Their efforts were commendable, but the angel seemed unaffected, as if she were completely focused on me for some unknown reason.
"AH!" Suddenly, the angel screamed, pulling me out of her embrace. Her expression shifting to intense curiosity.
'...Oh, I don't like where this is going.' My lips twitched nervously.
A nasty grin spread across her face, clearly indicating she was up to no good.
Clueless, I took a deep breath and decided to let things unfold; I was too exhausted to do anything else.
At this point, I was too tired to care.
"Miss Angel, aren't you going to do something—"
"SNIIIIFFF…!!! HAAAAH~!"
…
…
…?
"What." I sat there, unable to process what happened.
Luna and Ray were equally flabbergasted.
As for the angel… she lay unconscious on the ground.
...
...
...
"U-Um…" I felt shivers down my spine and checked to see if this sexual harasser was okay.
"HaaaAAAAH!" She exhaled loudly, standing up in an unsettling manner as her wings lifted her off the ground.
"…" My eyes twitched in response.
Her eccentric appearance and personality…
Despite meeting an angel with wings, it's safe to say that I think I was heading straight to the pits of hell instead.
"Those eyes… what BEAUTIFUL eyes!!!" She flamboyantly raised her arms and launched into a tangent.
Because of her weird behaviour, the kids quickly wimped out and hid behind my back again.
This probably wasn't the first time they had witnessed such behaviour.
"Sigh… I really can't deal with this." I shook my head in frustration.
"Ahem. Miss Angel, can you tell me who you are?" I asked, hoping to learn her name at least.
But she had other plans in mind.
"Aria Cyth… no, little lab rat—be my assistant!" The angel spread her arms wide, showcasing every part of her body.
She was wearing an office suit without the top, revealing her rather voluminous figure and taking me completely by surprise.
…
…
…
"…Fucking hell." My patience finally snapped. I could no longer act aloof and scowled at her.
Noah, Camila, Scarlett…
When will I find someone who's normal in this god-forsaken world?
"No."
…
…
…
"Aria Cyth… no, little lab rat, be my—"
"I said no."
"…"
"…"
"Be my—"
"NO! I said NO!!! I don't even know who you are, crazy woman!!!" I screamed as loudly as I could.
My head hurts, it hurts so much.
I think I'm going to crash out.
The angel, who looked at me as if she were the one being weirded out, placed her hands on her chin.
"Hmm? Weird. An told me that as long as I offered my body, people would say yes?"
"Don't listen to their advice ever again." I pinched the top of my nose to calm myself down.
If Demiurge has stubborn individuals... does that mean Trestkania is filled with crazy people like her?
There's no way, right?
"Ah~! I see now… fufu, do you want to touch my—"
"Stop! There are kids behind me! Do it when they aren't here!"
"Well, what if they aren't present?"
"I shall gladly take up your—no, that's beside the point!" I slapped my face and came back to my senses.
"You… whatever you are, you were the ones who saved us, is that correct?" I crossed my legs and placed my hand on my cheek.
"Hmm? Oh, that." She replied instantly, as if she had been able to do this all along.
"We did save you after receiving Orion's distress signal, only to find four individuals who had his emblem," she said with a calm demeanour.
I wanted to bash her skull for not mentioning this earlier, but I didn't have the energy to do so.
"So I wasn't delusional, huh…" All the hazy memories came flooding back.
That giant, worm-like creature made me anxious just thinking about what had happened.
The Sentinel, or Those Who Judge.
Eldians are assessed by magnitudes, similar to how earthquakes are measured.
If 100 Rottens is equivalent to one Flayed, then 100 Flayed is comparable to one Sentinel.
One 'normal' Sentinel is equivalent to 10,000 Rottens, which is such an outrageous number, considering this was the weakest they could possibly be.
Not only that, an Exitium Stone resided within the Sentinel, meaning this was a hurdle I had to overcome, somehow.
…Should I have gone to Yorselania in hopes of having an easier time?
Absolutely meaningless.
Time was of the essence.
The world would end before I could accomplish anything.
If it hadn't been for the angels who flew down from the sky, saving us just in time, it would have been over by then.
"…Who are you people?" I asked again, seeking confirmation.
With a smirk, the angel stepped back and straightened her posture.
"Project ANGEL, that's who we are, little lab rat~." Her playful grin faded, and she became someone completely different.
The angel before me was not the embodiment of goodwill.
She had the face of a cold-blooded killer, ready to execute the higher-ups' orders at all costs.
"Ah, right. I haven't told you my name yet." She scratched her head and reverted to her original personality.
"Code name An-79, temporary leader of the Xero Squad and Combat Unit of Project ANGEL—"
—Fling…!
Her long wings unfolded with flair, showcasing their magnificent mechanical design.
She had four mechanical wings, black with red and orange edges.
Mathematical formulas were etched onto her wings, as if inscribed there out of spite.
"My name is Eskieth Eden, and our mission is to ensure your safety, little lab rat~."