I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

This is where he and Bella woke up, the first place they saw after entering the consciousness space.

You're back?

Wrong.

Lin lowered his head. He didn't see the gray-haired girl. She should have been beside him, but she had disappeared!

Lin didn't think too much; action was more important than thought at the moment. He immediately got up and ran towards Yae Village, constantly looking up to confirm whether the familiar wisp of smoke was the one he had seen before.

What exactly is going on with that fox and Yae Guji?

Why would stopping the sacrifice allow the fox to appear? Was he unable to do so? Was he forced to let history unfold as it originally would?

Or perhaps, because the ritual was stopped, the so-called "Fox God" was angered?

Regardless of what it is, Lin now knows that the enemy he will face in this consciousness space is the giant Kitsune whose entire body is burning.

Its eyes, which were exactly like those of a human, made Lin feel unconsciously heavy-hearted.

He ran all the way back to Yae Village and searched everywhere, from the shrine to the village, but he couldn't find Yae Sakura or Bella anywhere.

Not only Yae Sakura, but Bella also disappeared.

After asking the villagers and receiving the same answer as before, he returned to the shrine with heavy steps.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Fifty-Eight - The Need That Is Not Needed

As dusk approached, like a tired child returning home in a daze, I sat down at the dining table, yawning.

Lin leaned against the torii gate, gazing at the fiery red sunset, his dark pupils filled with a dim light.

Only when the light was completely swallowed by the approaching darkness did Lin exhale and turn to walk towards the shrine.

It is now certain that Yae Sakura's disappearance is indeed related to the Tenshu-kaku, and Bella was also involved.

They were killed by the Kitsune, so they disappeared completely?

No, the space of consciousness is not that simple. This is not the real world, and many phenomena cannot be understood through superficial results.

Upon entering the Tenshu-kaku, he witnessed what Yae Sakura had experienced: holding a ritual and personally killing Yae Rin.

But Lin wasn't there at the time, so Sakura must have been forced to swing her sword by everyone, and the Kitsune didn't show up either.

So, was Yae Guji the culprit at that time? Did the Kitsune spirit transform into his appearance to hold a ritual?

That's not right either. If it wanted to wreak havoc, it would simply reveal its true form, and no one in the entire Yae Village could resist it. It's highly likely that it didn't exist in real history.

But what does that Kitsune represent? Its hateful eyes and its unwavering determination to kill Yae Rin...

Lin explored the shrine again and found more clues this time. For example, he found a book called "Fox God" in Yae Sakura's room, which detailed the rituals of Yae Village over the past few decades.

Lin saw Yae Rin's name in the penultimate ritual record.

After Yae Rin, there was another ritual, more than ten years later, which most likely happened recently.

What does Yae Rin represent in this consciousness space? And what exactly is that Kitsune?

After some time of consideration, Lin got up and went to the Tenshu-kaku again. He wanted to go inside again to find out if he had used the wrong method, or if there was simply no way to stop the course of history.

The lanes of Yae Village were eerily quiet at night. This was not modern; there was no bustling noise and lights like in Sky City. Instead, there was only a chilling silence that made the air feel frozen.

Lin stood Tenshu-kaku, looking up at the towering, futuristic building. Its interior resembled a bloodthirsty maw, ready to devour any fool who dared to enter.

"Call..."

Lin took a deep breath, recalling Bella's longing gaze at the outside world in the shrine. For some reason, he didn't think that it was just the gaze of Yae Rin, who was played by Bella.

Ultimately, why is Bella Yae Rin? And what is the connection between the two of them?

With these questions in mind, Lin entered the Tenshu-kaku for the second time.

Just like last time, as soon as he entered the Tenshu-kaku, Lin appeared in front of the shrine, Yae Guji walked over from not far away.

Are you ready?

The conversation was the same as before. This time, Lin knew how to answer. He nodded, Yae Guji didn't say anything more.

Lin knew that Yae Rin was currently at the shrine, and that three days later, Yae Rin Yae Guji would sever Yae Rin Achilles tendons to prevent her from escaping and sacrifice her under the cherry blossom tree.

Lin didn't know why he had failed last time—whether it was because he claimed to be a "god" or because he had interrupted the ritual.

However, the most likely candidate is Yae Rin herself. The Kitsune's goal was clear: it was determined to kill Yae Rin. It's just unknown whether Yae Guji itself.

Based on Lin's observation of Yae Guji, his appearance did not seem to be a disguise, meaning that he was not yet Kitsune.

Just like last time, after Lin and his entourage went down the mountain, he quietly returned to the shrine. This time, he did not jump over the wall, but silently observed Bella from a corner.

She lay serenely on the shrine's corridor, like a flower blooming in the wind, destined to live only a day and die young.

His gray hair lay quietly beneath him, and his sky-blue eyes held both loneliness and longing.

"..."

Lin pondered for a while, then went out and came to the girl's side.

Bella wasn't surprised by his arrival. Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled slightly, "Big brother, Lord Kuji isn't here."

"I know, I came to see you," Lin said softly as he sat down beside her.

"You came to see me?"

"Yes, I remembered you when you came to the village last time. It's been a long time since I've seen you, so I came to visit you."

Lin's soft voice brought a happy smile to Bella's face. She didn't remember ever seeing Lin before, but with so many people in the village, she certainly couldn't remember everyone. But that didn't matter; she was glad someone had come to see her.

"Let me tell you about what's going on in the village."

Lin remembered every word Bella had said last time, so this time he went to the village to confirm what Bella wanted to know.

Of course, that includes the cat too.

This time they talked for a long time. Unlike last time, when he just listened silently, Lin talked a lot about the wonders of the world outside Yae Village, many things he thought were interesting, and various interesting little animals.

The girl listened with curiosity and envy as he described the outside world she could never experience in her entire life, her eyes seemingly shining. Lin quietly observed her expression and softened his tone.

"Thank you, big brother, for staying with me for so long..."

"... No, it's nothing."

The girl's eyes were bright, but deep inside, there was still a layer of gloom.

Perhaps she thought that this was Lin's last act of pity after he learned she was a sacrifice.

Lin pondered for a few seconds, then spoke softly, "Are you willing to be sacrificed?"

"..."

The girl's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly put on a smile again, shook her head, and said, "To be able to sacrifice for everyone in the village, and for my sister, I..."

"No, don't lie to me."

Lin's sudden chilling tone silenced the girl. She looked at Lin, who stared at the girl who had the dual identities of Yae Rin and Bella. For a moment, he couldn't tell who she really was.

Why does Bella give him this feeling too? Or is it just his identity Yae Rin that gives him this illusion?

"Don't you want to leave here? Don't you want to get up and see the cat you miss? Don't you want to see the world outside Yae Village?"

Lin's questions were like heavy hammer blows to the girl's heart. She lowered her head in silence, and the smile on her face could no longer be maintained.

"But... what can I do..."

Yae Village needs her.

No... it should be... Yae Village doesn't need her...

Lin sighed, and upon hearing approaching footsteps, he turned and left.

"The choice is entirely yours."

P. S.: I fell asleep while writing last night, and dreamt that I had finished writing...

I'll make it up today.

The Journey Begins in the Heavens: Chapter Fifty-Nine - Defying the Gods

Lin knew his emotions were a bit off; he would never have said such things, but he did anyway.

"..."

Lin, rubbing his forehead, sat on the steps at the foot of the mountain from the shrine. Cherry blossom leaves, guided by the wind, fell onto his shoulders, and the motionless man became a pink flower stand.

Why...?

Because I was thinking about the past...

"Brother Lin... where are we going?"

"... Rin, would you... help me?"

To make someone a victim of another, that's something...

At that moment, the vision of the future Lin had foreseen—the blood stain on the girl's skin and the revelry of the Firemoth soldiers—made him fall silent.

Perhaps Kevin believes that Lin took Ling away for ulterior motives, such as needing the power of the Herrscher of Erosion to slaughter the remaining humans later.

But Lin's true wish was simply to save the girl who would be sacrificed as a ritual offering.

"Da da da..."

A pink-haired little girl ran past Lin with a rope in her hand. He stood up only after the footsteps behind him had faded away, gazing at the cherry blossom trees in the village.

Suppose that during the decade or so between this ritual and his arrival in Yae Village, Honkai Energy gradually increased, causing monsters to appear around Yae Village, and Yae Sakura herself encountered certain events that led to her being corrupted by Honkai Energy...

So what role did the fox play?

The next day, after Yae Guji and Yae Sakura had both left, Lin went to the shrine again.

After skillfully scaling the wall, he saw Bella sitting on the porch, watching him in surprise as he jumped down from the wall.

"Big brother... what brings you here?"

"I've come to collect your answer." Lin approached the girl, crouching down to meet her gaze. "Do you want to be sacrificed?"

"Don't mistake a lie for your truth. Even if you tell a lie ten thousand times and it becomes the truth, it will still be a mistake in your heart."

"..."

The girl's long hair cascaded like a grey waterfall in the breeze, soft and beautiful. She looked blankly at the man whose name she didn't even know, and subconsciously asked, "Why... do you care about me so much?"

"Because you are a free will, not a sacrifice. You don't need to give up your life for such an absurd thing. You can stay by your sister's side, you can go see the kitten you care about, and you can go to the world outside Yae Village."

Lin's dark pupils were like a calm lake as he spoke the truth to this naive girl.

For this girl, her world consisted only of the shrine and Yae Village. She didn't know what she was sacrificing for, and the concepts instilled in her by the village and the Yae Guji since birth became her flawed beliefs about life.

"I..."

A transcendent voice, emanating from the soul, softly uttered from the depths of the heart of the girl named Yae Rin.

"I don't want to die..."

The day of the sacrificial ceremony has arrived again.

For the people of Yae Village, it doesn't matter who the person being worshipped is. They won't thank her for her sacrifice; they will only thank the god who won't send down dew without offering sacrifices, even though they never knew that the god existed.

After today's sacrifice, Yae Village will finally receive rain after a long drought, so they are extremely excited and full of anticipation.

"Sakura, go and bring Rin over."

After completing the preparations, Yae Guji said to Yae Sakura, who had her head down.

"...yes."

Yae Sakura gritted her teeth and turned to walk towards the shrine, but before she had taken two steps, she stopped in surprise and looked ahead.

"What's wrong?" Yae Guji had intended to secretly follow Yae Sakura, looked up when she stopped. His pupils contracted, and he was equally shocked.

Ahead of the road stood a frail-looking girl. Her weak, panting appearance showed that even this short distance was no less than a long-distance run for her. But even though she was panting, her eyes no longer held the weakness they once had. She looked firmly at all the villagers in front of her, as well as her sister and her father.

"Cold..."

Yae Sakura's voice trembled slightly. She had wanted to take this opportunity to take Rin away, but she didn't expect Rin to come to the village on her own.