Simulation of Destruction, Why Am I Always the Arbiter

"Why does everything that comes out of your mouth sound like fun?"

Ye Chang'an, who was casually flipping through the simulation logs, chimed in with a complaint. 002 ignored him, continuing to record as it saw fit.

PS Soul Question: If Destruction is the Cocoon of the End's embrace of human civilization, then who was the "God" that blocked the Tai Xu Sword God for Sirin during the Second Honkai?

Song of Annihilation: Misplaced Timelines: 2. Sirin's Mother is Sick

"Chang'an, let's go play."

Pulled out of the tree hollow once again by Sirin, Ye Chang'an wore a wry smile, feeling helpless.

Elementary education is truly important. Otherwise, these children are just too idle.

He recalled his eight-year-old self in the previous simulation. Most of his time was spent sitting in a useless elementary school classroom, staring blankly at the blackboard and contemplating which music to discuss with Eden after class.

The days were dull, yet filled with anticipation.

But this eight-year-old him... it was all play, just playing hard.

Ever since she'd pulled him out of the tree hollow, Sirin had dragged him all over the surrounding ten miles.

Every day, they were out running around, and when they found a beautiful spot, he'd take out his instrument and make music.

Sirin would sit beside him, chin in her hand, watching peacefully.

How to put it... it seemed interesting, but also a bit boring.

Ye Chang'an felt it was necessary to find something for Sirin to do.

"Sirin, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

He asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how foolish he sounded.

Damn it, what future does Sirin have? Her future is becoming a protozoan.

He wanted to slap himself, but Sirin had already answered.

"Well, when I grow up, I want to be a tailor, like Mama, making clothes for the people in the village."

The villagers hadn't seen the outside world, and the lack of schools meant most village children followed in their fathers' footsteps.

Sirin's mother ran a tailor shop in the village, so it was natural for her to have such a dream.

There was nothing wrong with it, but it might not be achievable.

Ye Chang'an didn't say this aloud. He just grabbed Sirin and walked towards the village, speaking as they walked.

"Then don't wait for the future. Let's go learn how to make clothes now."

If you have a dream, you should pursue it early, lest you lose the chance to realize it due to the twists of fate.

Sirin wanted to do so as well, but she showed a wronged expression.

"I've already learned, but Mama won't let me do it."

The child was too young, and playing with scissors was a bit dangerous.

Moreover, the village's resources were not abundant, and there wasn't much fabric. How could they let a child mess around with it?

"It's okay, I'll go talk to her."

Ye Chang'an patted his chest and guaranteed it. He stepped into Sirin's home for the first time, settled things with her mother in a few words, and finally got some unusable scraps of fabric.

Looking at the palm-sized scraps, Sirin was a bit speechless.

"Chang'an, you can't make clothes with these. There's no way."

"Nonsense, have you forgotten who I am?" Ye Chang'an raised an eyebrow, picked up a scrap, and used his authority to turn it into a large piece of complete fabric.

These fabrics were just an excuse to get Sirin's mother to agree to let Sirin play with scissors.

"Wow, Lord God is so amazing."

Sirin happily hugged Ye Chang'an and then excitedly began designing clothes, ready to cut.

It was clear she really wanted to make a piece of clothing.

Ye Chang'an watched with a smile, took out a flute, and began to play an ordinary melody.

The mother in the shop heard the sound, peeked in, and her eyes were full of surprise.

Without disturbing them, she gently closed the door and left.

~

~

"Happy birthday, Mama."

On her mother's birthday, Sirin presented a beautifully wrapped box like a treasure, much to her mother's surprise.

"Sirin, where did this box come from?"

The box was too exquisite, not at all like the craftsmanship of the 1990s.

"Hehe, Chang'an gave me this box. He said my birthday present needed to be nicely wrapped before I gave it to you," Sirin said with a silly grin, urging her mother to open the box and see what was inside.

"Oh my..." Her mother stared in astonishment at the exquisite clothing in the box.

"Mom, try it on! I made it myself~" Sirin eagerly awaited her mother's reaction. The doting mother eventually put on the new dress.

"Wow~ Mom, you look so beautiful." Sirin's eyes sparkled; she was genuinely stunned by her mother's appearance.

Clothes certainly make the person, and Sirin's mother was indeed beautiful. However, due to their impoverished life, she had never owned nice clothing. Even she was amazed, looking at her reflection in the mirror with disbelief.

"Sirin, did you really make this dress?" She doubted her daughter's craftsmanship, finding it hard to believe it could be this good.

"Um, well, actually... actually..." Sirin fidgeted, then sheepishly confessed the truth. "Actually, I only made a small part of it. Chang'an made most of it."

Indeed, Sirin only handled the cutting. The rest of the work was done by Ye Chang'an because Sirin's designs were too old-fashioned, and her sewing skills weren't great.

"He's truly amazing," her mother exclaimed, prompting Sirin to nod proudly.

"Of course, the Divine Lord is amazing! He's the most amazing person in the world."

"The Divine Lord..." Her mother murmured, recalling the transcendent aura Ye Chang'an possessed when he played the flute. For the first time, she felt that child might truly be a god. A god living in the snow forest, a god only Sirin could find.

"Sirin, you must always listen to the Divine Lord from now on. Only obedient children receive the Divine Lord's protection." Her mother admonished Sirin, who nodded as a matter of course. She had always been obedient.

Her mother smiled with satisfaction, a hint of relief and peace in her smile. With the Divine Lord here, my Sirin will surely grow up safe and sound. She felt she wouldn't live to see Sirin grow up, as her health was deteriorating. She seemed to be ill, but didn't know what with. Many people in the village were like this.

~

~

"Sirin, happy birthday." It was the first time her mother had taken her to a city outside their village, and she had taken her to a shop to eat cake. Today was November 11, 1996, Sirin's birthday. She was nine years old.

"Mom, what is this? It's so delicious." Sirin ate happily and didn't forget to share with her mother, offering her a piece of cake. "Mom, you eat too."

"You eat it, Mom won't," her mother said with a loving smile, telling Sirin she could finish the cake. But Sirin only ate half.

"Mom, can I take this other half back for Chang'an to eat?" She had never eaten cake at Ye Chang'an's place and thought he probably hadn't either.

"Hehe, of course," her mother agreed. She watched Sirin fall asleep after taking the cake, then went to the hospital for a check-up. She was there to see a doctor. However, the examination found nothing unusual, and naturally, no treatment could be found. Disappointed, she rallied her spirits and took Sirin home. Not long after they left, the hospital she had visited reported her examination results to a higher medical institution. This institution belonged to Schicksal. Unaware of this, she watched Sirin leave to find Ye Chang'an in the snow forest with the cake. Shaking her head, she prepared to mend some clothes, but feeling weak and frail, she collapsed to the ground. It wasn't until Sirin returned home and let out a startled scream that anyone knew.

"Mom, Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Song of Destruction: Worldly Distortion: 3. The Path of Music Needs No Bones to Pave

Sirin anxiously brought her mother to the village's only doctor, but he shook his head helplessly, stating he could do nothing.

He himself was suffering from the same illness.

"How could this happen…"

Sirin despaired, terrified her mother would never wake up again.

Chang'an, Chang'an must have a way.

She remembered Ye Chang'an and ran into the snowy forest in the dark, crawling into a tree hollow to launch a surprise night attack.

"Chang'an, sob, Chang'an, my mom, my mom…"

She was too flustered to form a complete sentence.

"Sirin, don't panic, calm down. Tell me, what happened?"

Ye Chang'an calmly inquired, though he already had an idea of the answer in his heart.

Sirin's mother would die from the Destruction, but the cause of death wasn't the Destruction Sickness.

The Destruction Sickness was merely one manifestation of the Destruction; other forms included natural disasters, diseases, plagues, and so on.

For example, the Black Death that began spreading through Europe in 1570 was one such instance.

Sirin's mother had fallen ill, and most people in the entire village had contracted the disease.