Lynx Impact! (Continued)

"I see this as an opportunity. No destruction, no construction; destruction precedes construction. Since her body has collapsed, let's make this shell collapse even more completely. While rebuilding her circulatory system, I also replaced all her blood and bone marrow. And I suppressed some of the Originium infection rate in her body."

The sound was crisp and clear. It was a physical voice, not a speaker— Miss Surtr turned her head and, unsurprisingly, saw the purple-haired girl standing beside her.

It would not be surprising to see Persephone anywhere in this city at any time.

The purple-haired Doctor nodded to her, stepped out first, and then waved his hand to open the door to the closed single ICU ward.

"She's asleep now. The anesthetic and Originium Suppressant are enough to put her into a dream so deep she wouldn't be disturbed even if this building collapsed—don't worry, Amiya has prepared it; it's a comfortable dream. And she won't wake up until at least nine in the morning."

The Maiden Doctor stood in the doorway, not taking a step, but making a 'please' gesture—she knew Surtr as well as she knew every operator at Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. She knew Miss Surtr needed some time and space alone with Kal'tsit.

So, before stepping through the door, the Flame-haired maiden nodded slightly in thanks to her.

Approaching the ICU ward, the first thing that catches the eye is a large hospital bed placed alone in the center of the room. On both sides of the bed are various instruments and alloy racks holding different kinds of medicines—countless thick and thin rubber tubes extend from the instruments and medicine containers, like the drooping roots of a banyan tree, piercing under the patient's skin on the bed.

Kal'tsit.

Kal'tsit lay quietly on the bed—quiet, pale, and fragile on the soft white sheets.

She was quiet because her eyes were closed, pale because she had lost too much blood, and fragile because it was the sum of the two and the manifestation of her weak physical condition.

She was very ill, truly very ill—just looking at her, Surtr could feel her heartbeat and blood flow, far below that of a normal human fragment—she was on a ventilator, and her lynx ears, symbols of her unwavering will, drooped limply. Her bloodless chest rose and fell gently, and her reconstructed lungs were clearly not yet functioning effectively.

She was cold.

Miss Surtr sat down on the edge of the bed and gently took Kal'tsit's hand, the one with fewer IV drips and probes. The sensation at her fingertips was the coldness of excessive blood loss and the weakness of muscle dysfunction.

"You will get better," Miss Surtr said softly, as a wisp of colorless flame flowed into Kal'tsit's body at her will and carefully examined it.

Kal'tsit was truly gravely ill. The more one looked, the more horrified one became— Persephone had removed her frontal ribs and replaced her heart, liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys, and all her blood and bone marrow, even including parts of her spinal cord and cerebellum. Such a procedure could perhaps not be described as a complete transformation.

Given the high level of the surgery, it's easy to imagine the state of the body being operated on beforehand—undoubtedly, even with Persephone's help, Kal'tsit had a brush with death. Perhaps a single moment of carelessness from Persephone would have been enough for death to claim her.

—Persephone, there will be no oversights.

—But... ah, when are you going to learn to take care of yourself?

She lightly bit her lip, her eyes revealing not only pity but also a subtle lingering fear. She clearly sensed the signs of Originium Infection complications flaring up. And this might be the trigger for Persephone's 'destruction before construction'—no destruction, no construction; destruction precedes construction, but if it hadn't already been 'destroyed,' why would it be necessary to construct only after destruction?

Her gaze moved slightly upwards, sweeping over the Miss Lynx's bare shoulders—the few Originium fragments that had once symbolized her infected status had been removed by Persephone in the previous surgery. All of Kal'tsit's Originium reactions had been suppressed to an extremely low level.

The Originium fusion rate may have already fallen below five percent. And it wasn't just the Originium infection that was suppressed; the eerie green hunter residing on Kal'tsit's spine had also fallen into slumber under Persephone's Originium Arts. So much so that it was now as still as a stone.

This could perhaps be considered a good thing.

But it's a good thing that makes people feel sorry for her.

At this moment, the person who feels sorry for you has only one target.

Miss Surtr shifted her gaze slightly to the side.

She saw a small mirror in the ICU ward. She saw a familiar figure reflected in the mirror.

She saw Theresia sitting in her reflection in the mirror. She saw the pink and white Princess standing shoulder to shoulder with her in the reflection, her outstretched hand resting near Theresa's fingertips, and her eyes filled with worry.

So she closed her eyes.

Close your eyes, then open them.

She returned to the boundless Reeds Field, where she saw herself sitting shoulder to shoulder with the Princess on a large, bluish-gray rock, the Princess's fingers lightly resting on the back of her hand.

The wind is blowing.

Theresia's pupils trembled gently, like a lake touched by the wind.

She seemed to want to say something, but said nothing. Only her flower-like lips trembled slightly.

Ultimately, it was Miss Surtr who spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I didn't take good care of her." The Flame-haired maiden lowered her head slightly, a hint of frustration in her eyes. "I should have noticed the signs on her sooner."

She felt somewhat guilty.

However, she saw the Princess gently shake her head.

"No, you're wrong, Surtr. Kal'tsit's own actions and beliefs are the cause of everything. She... was bound to have this day sooner or later."

Miss Surtr did not refute—but that was all.

"If..." she said softly.

She couldn't finish speaking because Theresia's fingertips pressed against her lips.

"No ifs. Surtr, no ifs." The pink and white Princess spoke earnestly. "Please don't take on responsibilities that aren't yours. Please don't do that."

"Can..."

"Kal'tsit wouldn't want you to become her full-time nanny either. She's a grown woman; she knows what responsibility means and she can handle it." The Princess's voice flowed into her ears like a mountain spring.

The Princess and the Reeds Field surrounding Princess faded away. In the end, only a few words echoed in the girl's ears.

"Give her some confidence, Surtr. The Kal'tsit you see is actually a little different from the one you know."

Miss Surtr opened her eyes—she was back in the real world. Kal'tsit was still lying quietly in bed. And Theresia in the mirror had completely disappeared.

Not much time had passed, perhaps only a moment, perhaps only a few seconds—she glanced at Kal'tsit, who was still lying quietly on the bed.

"I'll come see you again during the day," Miss Surtr said softly. She released her hand and began to walk from the bedside to the outside.

She couldn't get out.

Just as she released that hand, her skirt sash was instinctively tugged by Kal'tsit's drooping hand. The force was light, but she couldn't break free.

Because she heard Kal'tsit's voice in her dream.

It was very light and delicate, just a dream.

"Don't go..."

"Don't leave me... Surtr ..."

At 11 o'clock, I was killed by Windows 10's automatic update _(:з"∠)_