Chapter 293
But the next second, Violet wilted again. It really wanted to tell Xuan Bao, but this involved the Countermeasures Bureau's confidentiality regulations. What if telling her caused Xiaoyu to be criticized?
At that moment, the Saintess's encouraging gaze gave the Little Butterfly immense confidence.
Yes, Charlotte perfectly countered Teacher Dream Weaver, so making her take the blame is no problem at all!
Violet rallied her spirits. She glanced at Xiaoyu, and seeing that she didn't object, she whispered:
"A year ago, before I was even born, Xiaoyu's Netherworld Butterfly was sent to a city to investigate the source of the calamity vortex."
"During this process, almost nothing unexpected happened, but after the vortex of the disaster aura was cleared out, everyone encountered a group of cultists underground in the city, and in their secret research institute, they seized a special disaster remnant of unknown level."
Xie Qingyu said softly:
"Beelzebub's Gift, though it's just a twisted mass of flesh frozen in liquid helium, that's what the cultists called it."
"After reporting back to the Countermeasures Bureau, we set up camp near the research institute, waiting for the specialized recovery team to return with us."
The Little Butterfly said sadly:
"But an accident occurred during this process."
"Because everyone here is a good kid, and the missions we carried out before didn't involve killing, after defeating those cultists, we just injected them with anesthetics and then sealed them off using physical and magical methods."
Chu Yuanqing remained silent. She understood that killing Calamity Beasts was entirely different from killing one's own kind. For girls who were generally very young and usually sang and danced on stage, shining brightly, the impact of personally getting involved in such bloodshed was simply too great.
Even from the perspective of the Countermeasures Bureau, in order to maintain the mental health of Magical Girl, they would not want them to personally judge those villains.
This is based on protection and stability maintenance.
Therefore, transporting the criminals to a secret prison and having the remaining staff execute them is the more procedural approach.
However, conforming to procedures does not equate to suitability for the battlefield; such benevolence has always been easily exploited.
Violet whispered:
"Some members of the cult transplanted limbs of the Calamity Beasts. At night, it mutated itself, broke through the blockade, and tried to seize the calamity remains. And that day... Su Wan and Xu Yan were in charge of guarding it."
"Su Wan's Soul Flower is a blue rose, and her magic is the strongest in the team. She is very decisive and killed the cultist with magic almost instantly. However, the residual calamity on her body awakened the frozen calamity remains, triggering the tragedy."
Xie Qingyu remained silent for a long time before she said:
"These are all reconstructions we made afterward based on the scene and surveillance footage."
"Judging from the results, the catastrophic remains absorbed the catastrophic energy and thus became activated, breaking through the freeze of the liquid helium. It then pierced into Xiao Wan's flesh from the back, forcibly adhering to her bones and growing and spreading, assimilating her."
"Because she wasn't fully awakened, Xiao Wan couldn't directly break apart her body to separate it, causing her body to quickly become mutated and almost lose control. In the end, under the will of the monstrous remains, she resisted and despaired, and devoured Xu Yan."
This bloody tragedy is chilling.
Chu Yuanqing roughly understood why Xiaoyu seemed to have some kind of taboo surrounding even the matter of not breathing, and why the change was so slow.
Because she witnessed her best friend lose her human form and characteristics, be alienated in spirit, corrupted in soul, and reduced to an ugly and hateful monster.
Magical Girl are never invincible.
The abbreviation for "[Witch]" precisely represents this kind of taboo subject.
After experiencing something like this, Xie Qingyu is prone to PTSD and feels an instinctive fear of similar behaviors.
The Little Butterfly couldn't bear to let Xie Qingyu continue, so it patted her head and spoke for her:
"This act caused Xiao Wan to completely break down, lose mental control, and utterly degenerate, becoming a monster dominated by the monstrous remains."
"When everyone arrived, all they found at the scene was Xiao Wan, who had been transformed into a monster, her tattered clothes, withered blue roses scattered everywhere, and... Xu Yan's remains, reduced to nothing but minced flesh."
"At the time, Xiaoyu, who thought everyone had been killed by this monster, was so provoked that her magic went berserk."
The rest is history.
As the team leader, Xie Qingyu, after losing two teammates and learning of her best friend's sacrifice, experienced an extreme emotional outburst, with a massive surge of magic power pushing her to [Full Bloom].
In this situation, there is no room for holding back.
Chu Yuanqing could fully imagine the scene at that time.
Xie Qingyu unleashed her Destined Magic, bringing Su Wan into the Inherent Domain, where they engaged in a primal battle.
When a person loses what is most precious and important, the rage and hatred that runs through their soul is enough to turn a cowardly rat in the gutter into a ferocious, bloodthirsty lion.
The Little Butterfly whispered:
"At first, Xiaoyu didn't know it was Su Wan, but in the moment before she was about to kill her, the blue rose, the lantern, and the magic that belonged to Su Wan gradually made her realize the truth."
"And I am the Lantern Fairy born during Xiaoyu's breakdown and escape."
Xie Qingyu's heart was as still as water, her gray eyes lowered, as if she could see again that person surrounded by blue roses, crying and struggling in Beelzebub's flesh and blood, his body twisted by malice and gluttony, looking so ugly and so miserable.
Xie Qingyu still remembers the temperature of the girl's palm, the coolness of her fingertips, the tingling sensation of her hair pressing against her skin during the hug, her soft and slender limbs in the light during training, as well as her speaking habits, emphasis, tone, intonation, timbre, and the echoes that brushed past her ears.
Often, memories are so painful because the past was so beautiful.
Xie Qingyu will never forget Su Wan in her lifetime.
When we first met, she said:
"Being honest with others and with yourself is essential."
After the band's first event, she said:
"Xiaoyu is very musically talented and beautiful. She's sure to become a very successful person."
When she argued with her teammates because of her willfulness and stubbornness, and wanted to leave, she stubbornly held on, crying and saying:
"I won't let you go. Even if Xiaoyu's Dad never approve of you, I will still approve of you. And as long as we step onto a bigger stage together, more people will approve of you and like you!"
When they participated in the talent show together, overcoming numerous obstacles to reach the final round, she was overjoyed, a happy smile spreading across her face. She hugged herself and said:
"Xiaoyu, we've debuted! We've fulfilled our promise and dream! Look, so many people recognize you now, right?"
Those trivial yet beautiful memories piled up like a mountain, and when the truth was revealed, they all swept through my mind and exploded, turning into sharp blades piercing my heart, almost causing my spirit, which was supported by hatred, to completely collapse.
How can I let go of this feeling?
She pulled her out of the narrow darkness, she let her see the light, and she taught her what music is, what rock and roll is, and what the right way to express oneself is.
Without her, she wouldn't have become a shining, dazzling national idol in the eyes of others, nor would she have gained so much recognition and acceptance, gradually letting go of the trauma from her childhood.
Xie Qingxuan thought about dying at that time, but he never thought about killing Su Wan.
If Violet hadn't been born at that particular moment, her [fully blooming] state would inevitably have been distorted and deformed by negative emotions and a broken spirit, giving birth to another degenerate and twisted monster.
The girl's trembling fingertips seemed to be stained with a glaring crimson, and her nostrils were filled with the fragrance of blue roses. She seemed to be dragged back into a dream, continuing to wallow in that withered mud, trying to find those few petals that were not yet broken.
But in the end, it all came to nothing.
Xie Qingyu reopened her old wounds, took a deep breath, and tried to confront her inner regret, ignoring the dryness in her throat, she whispered:
"I... I still regret it to this day."
"At that time, Xiao Wan regained some of her senses. She said she was beyond saving, didn't want to die this way, and begged me to let her go."
"But I was too cowardly. I hesitated and didn't shatter Xiaowan's lantern, causing her soul to be completely devoured by the wreckage. The lantern became completely tainted, and I couldn't even free her."
"What Xiao Wan felt before her death was not the rock music that we remember, but the despair that was constantly being swelled and devoured by the aura of disaster and desire."
"I am not a qualified captain, much less a qualified friend."
After he finished speaking, silence fell over the surrounding area.
Xie Qingxuan, Kiriwake Yayoi, and Tang Liuli all inherited some of the memories from the first timeline, so they were able to accept this situation quickly.
But for Chu Wangshu, this was the first time she truly understood the terror of calamity and the tragic devastation it brought about.
This experience was so cruel that it almost completely changed her understanding of Magical Girl.
So...
Sister Charlotte, and Xiao Qing, have you always been dealing with that kind of thing?
As Chu Wangshu thought of this, she inevitably thought of her Dad again. She seemed to understand why her father, who was still young at the time, had such awareness in that memory.
Because Dad is a very gentle person, and for a gentle person, being unable to prevent a tragedy from happening is perhaps an immense pain.
Charlotte sighed. She guessed that there were hidden details about what happened back then, but she never expected that the tragedy Xiaoyu experienced could be so distorted. Her thoughts immediately changed from "You're a bit too extreme" to "How can you be so normal?" and she even felt a little pity for her.
Chu Yuanqing patted the child's head comfortingly. She had experienced too many tragedies like this and could understand the regret and helplessness. But in such a desperate end of the world, she herself in the past did not even have the luxury of being sad.
This retired Savior looked at the younger generation of the New Era and said softly:
"It is precisely because of regret that we must move forward."
"The so-called Calamity Beasts are such a stubborn disease. Even Magical Girl who are far superior to ordinary people will meet a tragic end once their souls are completely corrupted by the calamity energy."
"Xiaoyu, the pain you've experienced is something that others are going through now, and in the future as well."
"To me, neither magic nor combat skills are merely tools to prevent these tragedies from happening."
"I won't force my own ideas onto you, but... don't let yourself regret it later."
Xie Qingyu nodded her chin but remained silent.
Violet flew worriedly to her fair wrist, poking here and there with its wings to show that it was nearby, looking quite adorable.
Chu Yuanqing looked at the Little Butterfly and roughly guessed the core reason why Xiaoyu was so awkward.
This is not simply a psychological trauma.
Because Xie Qingyu, as Magical Girl, directly caused the birth of the Lantern Fairy, Violet, during her mental breakdown, which is abnormal in itself.
It's important to understand that the basic logic behind the creation of the Lantern Fairy is the surplus soul fragments, magic power, and wishes of Magical Girl. Among these three elements, the most difficult to satisfy is the soul fragments.
Normally, only when Magical Girl reaches [Full Bloom] and enters a fully mature stage, and the quality and quantity of her soul reach a bottleneck, will she naturally metabolize soul fragments.
--Charlotte's exceptional talent, and those with the first playthrough buff, are a separate case.
At that time, Xie Qingyu had only been a [Witch] for a year and had not even officially [fully blossomed] when, coincidentally, a Lantern Fairy appeared during this major event.
Chu Yuanqing strongly suspected that Violet was not a fairy born through the normal accumulation of soul fragments, but rather was born directly from a portion of Xie Qingyu's soul.
In other words, the soul is split.
This is not impossible. Of the three essential elements for the creation of the Lantern Fairy, the second most crucial is a wish.
Given that Xie Qingyu was in a twisted state of wanting to escape while also wanting to fulfill her duties as captain and protect her teammates, it was almost natural for her to pray for the birth of the Lantern Fairy.
Secondly, the Lantern Gem is the manifestation of Magical Girl's soul. Theoretically, splitting one's own soul to create a fairy residing in the lantern will not damage potential or total magical power, but the cost is that it will have an unknown impact on personality.
Chu Yuanqing guessed that this price was probably related to Su Wan.
Most notably, Xie Qingyu has almost stopped playing rock music since then. Only when she releases her Destined Magic and holds Electric Guitar made of violets as butterflies will she voluntarily play rock songs.
Even her insincere words and sharp tongue towards Xuan Bao might be related to this.
It was Su Wan who corrected the child's bad habit of not speaking properly.
Therefore, in this situation, verbal persuasion is not very effective, and it is also difficult to get Xiaoyu to face the problem and change her ways. What is needed is to find a fundamental solution.
Chu Yuanqing couldn't possibly let the child eat the violet; even if Xiao Yu were "cured," she would be damaged by new psychological trauma. After thinking for a while, she asked:
"Xiaoyu, have you learned the 'Shine Meditation Method'?"
--<Shine Meditation Method>.
Although it is Charlotte's own creation, it actually contains many mental training methods left over from other civilizations. It is an unexpected product created by her instincts and knowledge before she fully recovered her memories, and it just happens to be a way to alleviate the symptoms.
Xie Qingyu looked up at the Pure White Witch was petting her like a puppy, and belatedly felt a little ashamed. She narrowed her eyes, lowered her long eyelashes, and replied softly:
"I've heard of it, but Teacher Dream Weaver said that Magical Girl at [Full Bloom] needs to fully master her current magical power before she can learn this skill; otherwise, accidents can easily happen when she tries to expand her potential."
Chu Yuanqing seemed to understand something; she could roughly understand Astrid's reasons for doing so.
Before Magical Girl reach their full potential, learning the Shine Meditation Method is like a child taking calcium supplements to grow taller; even with rapid growth, stability will not be affected.
Simply put, if you increase your potential in the starting area, leveling up will be smooth sailing from then on.
But once you reach level 100, the maximum level, adding the base potential index and causing a sudden increase in attribute values makes it less safe.
This is especially true for Magical Girl who need constant care for their mental health.
But with her and Charlotte watching over him, and with the hellish training that taught him Martial God Skill to hone his spirit and physique, there was little risk in practicing the <Shine Meditation Method>.
Chu Yuanqing nodded confidently. Although she had never taught anyone before, she believed she would be a good teacher, and then earnestly said:
"It's alright, I'll teach you. Dreamweave won't refuse."
Xie Qingyu wasn't stupid. After witnessing the Pure White Witch's exaggerated Combat Power, she guessed that the other party's status was probably as lofty as Charlotte's, belonging to the rare special existence among [Witch] who could transcend all constraints.
Therefore, this statement is not just empty talk.