Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

Those little eyes kept darting around. Did he really think he was being subtle?

"Sigh, I don't know what was going on with Eno, but he seemed to harbor such intense hostility toward you.

Talulah, Alina, and I talked about it. We thought maybe it was because his life had been too hard before, and he had seen too much evil.

So when he saw you, he became jealous.

I'll properly correct that mistaken way of thinking. Look at Sasha—hasn't that child always treated you pretty well?"

FrostNova found this quite troubling as well. Anyone who had seen Eno and Suika together could sense Eno's hostility toward her. Sasha did not want his good friend to offend Suika, who was close to Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement, so he would always take the initiative to step between them and block Eno's gaze.

They had also asked Sasha whether he had met Suika before or had any prior dealings with her, but Sasha said they had only met Suika after arriving here and had never crossed paths before.

That was precisely why they guessed Eno's hostility toward Suika stemmed from jealousy caused by the difference between his own experiences and hers.

"Whatever. I'll be leaving once spring comes anyway. Whether he likes me or hates me, I don't care.

Oh, right. I heard you can sing The Lullaby. I've never heard one in my life. Can you teach me?"

Suika did not take Eno's hostility to heart at all. Just as a person would not become hostile toward a praying mantis by the roadside merely because it raised its scythes at them, Eno was not even someone Suika considered worthy of being called an opponent.

If he did not like her, she had no reason to force herself to win his affection.

Compared to that, she preferred doing things that interested her.

"The Lullaby? I don't sing it very well. Father said there was too much personal emotion in my voice, that it was completely unsuitable for putting listeners to sleep..."

Hearing Suika's request, Yelena felt a little embarrassed. Singing in public was still too much for her.

Talulah's Nightmare

"How about we go to the little woods?

Look, we've helped out quite a lot. All I want is for you to teach me a song. If you refuse, I'll cry!

If that won't work, how about a drink first?

As the saying goes, liquor gives cowards courage. Once you're drunk, you won't be afraid of other people's gossip."

Suika leaned closer and spoke excitedly.

FrostNova shook her head, then nodded.

"Stop trying to persuade me to drink. I'm a warrior, the captain of the Yeti Squad. I must keep a clear head. If trouble comes and alcohol affects my judgment, how could I face everyone who trusts me enough to place their lives in my hands?

But if you really want to learn The Lullaby, I'll teach you. Come with me."

The two walked to a quiet stream some distance away from the crowd. After making sure no one else was around, FrostNova parted her lips and began singing The Lullaby, a song that felt cold and sorrowful, carrying a cry against the unfairness of fate.

That night, Suika did not return to Alina's place. Instead, she came to Yagokoro Eirin's.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have your own place to sleep?" Yagokoro Eirin sounded thoroughly disgusted. As a doctor, she had no desire whatsoever to become too closely associated with a drunkard like Suika, who reeked of alcohol even while walking.

"Heh, now that you mention it, I really don't...

I used to stay with Alina. Now that you're here, shouldn't I show some concern? I was worried you might be lonely by yourself..."

As she spoke, Suika walked over to the bed nearby and threw herself onto it.

"You really aren't polite at all!"

"Why be so polite?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll make a move on you? After all, are you really Suika?" Yagokoro Eirin asked in a sinister tone.

"Of course I am. Believe it or not, as long as I believe it, that's enough." With that, Suika rolled over and immediately fell asleep.

Yagokoro Eirin felt as though her fists had become a little hard. Looking at Suika, she could see at a glance the Black Snake inside Talulah's body, so naturally she could also sense that the Suika before her possessed an aura entirely different from the one in Gensokyo.

Still, although the Suika before her was strange, her body and soul were highly compatible. She did not appear to be deliberately impersonating anyone.

And the ability of Density and Sparsity was not something just anyone could wield.

That was why she had been so tolerant of this "knockoff" version.

Meanwhile, after Talulah fell asleep, she found herself seemingly back in Koschei's castle. Koschei, whom she had clearly killed, stared at her with a wicked smile.

He muttered, "You cannot escape, Talulah. Your body, your soul, everything you are will eventually belong to me..."

Faced with this bizarre situation, Talulah waved her hand. Flames condensed into a longsword in her grasp, and she charged at Koschei without hesitation.

Yet he did not resist at all. He merely watched as she swung the flaming sword at him.

When she severed Koschei's head, she could not help letting out a breath of relief.

Then the head rolled across the ground several times and came to a stop at her feet.

"Did you think you killed me?

No. You simply cannot do it. I am the immortal Black Snake, the embodiment of Ursus's spirit and will. I live and die with Ursus. Such a feeble weapon cannot possibly kill me..."

The suddenly speaking head frightened Talulah badly. Before he could finish, she waved her hand and incinerated the head completely with scorching flames. Yet in the next instant, her entire body tightened, and a sticky sensation crawled over her skin.

When she looked down, she discovered that a gigantic black python had somehow coiled around her. Its head had transformed into Koschei's face, which continued mocking her.

At her thought, flames covered her entire body and burned the Black Snake to ashes. Yet in the next instant, she was back in Koschei's castle again...

She did not know how many times the cycle repeated. When she defeated the Black Snake before her once more, she found that the scene had changed.

Time had returned to the day the Internal Guards attacked. When the Internal Guard exposed her identity, she calmly gave the same answer she had given back then.

After the Internal Guard retreated, someone said the children were crying because Alina had not returned.

"Isn't Alina your friend? Why don't you look worried at all?" FrostNova appeared beside her at some point.

"It's fine. Ibuki Suika is with her. She'll protect Alina." Thinking of what had happened, Talulah could not help feeling fortunate that Ibuki Suika had been there.

"Ibuki Suika? Who's that? Do we have someone named Ibuki Suika here?" FrostNova asked in confusion.

"Ibuki Suika—the Oni I brought back before. She's always been at Alina's side. You know that. During the day, she and Alina went east together to trade for some vegetables." Talulah stared at FrostNova in shock, unable to understand why she had no memory of Suika.

"Have you lost your mind? Where would we get an Ibuki Suika? And didn't Alina go alone to the village east of here?" As FrostNova spoke, she reached out to touch Talulah's forehead.

Hearing FrostNova's words, Talulah felt an icy chill rise from the soles of her feet. In the next instant, she rushed out of the village.

When she reached the place where, in her memories, Alina and Suika had met up, all she saw was an empty vegetable basket on the ground and Alina lying in a pool of blood not far away...

"Ah!" Talulah jolted awake and sat up. Her entire body was soaked in sweat, and her eyes were filled with terror and sorrow.

"What is it, Talulah? Are you all right?" Alina, sleeping nearby, had been awakened by Talulah. Seeing her pale face, she could not help looking worried.

Seeing the girl before her, Talulah suddenly reached out and hugged her. For some reason, tears began flowing uncontrollably.

Startled by Talulah's actions, Alina felt her racing heartbeat. She gently patted Talulah's back and softly comforted her.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you? Don't worry, I'm here. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Hearing Alina's voice, Talulah tightened her arms around her.

During the day, Talulah came to Suika and Yagokoro Eirin's house looking exhausted.

"Looks like you really didn't sleep well last night!" Not only Yagokoro Eirin, but even Suika could tell Talulah was in terrible condition.

"May I ask about that thing you gave me yesterday?" Talulah asked quietly.

"There was a curse inside you before. That medicine will magnify the curse in your dreams. As long as you can conquer your own dreams, you can break the curse.

The price is that, until you succeed, you will have nightmares every day."

Yagokoro Eirin answered calmly.

"A curse... Thank you." Talulah fell silent after hearing this. She knew where the curse Yagokoro Eirin spoke of came from, but she had not expected that even after she killed him, some of his power would remain inside her.

The Black Snake Removed

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Watching Talulah leave, Suika felt as though she had a whole heap of complaints to make, yet could not voice any of them.

Honestly, she really wanted to see whether, without the Black Snake's interference, Talulah could lead the Reunion Movement into becoming a true savior for the Infected in Ursus.

Over the next two days, Talulah was awakened by nightmares every day. Her exhaustion became more and more visible, but her eyes only grew brighter, making her look as though she were experiencing a final burst of vitality before death.

This worried FrostNova, Patriot, and the other members of the Reunion Movement greatly.

Alina also came to Suika, wanting to ask about Talulah's condition.

Suika patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry. Talulah is getting over a hurdle right now. Once she crosses it, she won't be bound by anything ever again."

On the third day, just as Suika was rejecting Yagokoro Eirin's sixth version of the somewhat expensive Inhibitor, both of them sensed a nauseating aura spreading from Alina's house.

In the next instant, both disappeared from where they stood.

After entering, they saw Talulah lying with her eyes tightly shut, black energy flowing out of her body like water. Alina, beside her, had also been affected. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as though she were having a nightmare.

Suika rushed in, expanding to the size of an ordinary person, then picked Alina up and carried her outside.

By the time she reached the doorway with Alina in her arms, the black energy on Alina's body had completely gathered at Suika's fingertips.

Just then, FrostNova and Patriot arrived at the door as well. Suika passed between them and carried Alina back to the place where she and Yagokoro Eirin stayed.

After settling her down, Suika returned and found the door tightly shut.

Outside, the Reunion Movement members and Yagokoro Eirin looked as though they were on the verge of a confrontation.

"Hey, hey, hey, we're all on the same side. Don't ruin the mood!" Suika stepped between them and raised her hands, blocking both sides' stares.

"Suika, why did you get so big?" FrostNova asked in surprise as she looked at Suika, who had grown in size but still looked like a child.

"Oh! Let me let out some air..." As soon as she said that, Suika shrank back to her original form with a whoosh.

"What's going on with Talulah inside? Doctor Eirin won't let us open the door to check on her, and everyone is very uneasy."

Since she was familiar with Suika, FrostNova stepped forward to negotiate.

Suika looked toward Yagokoro Eirin.

"It's no big deal. That thing got desperate and wants to flip the table, but it's already too late.

If it had done this on the first night, it might have had a fifty percent chance.

But now, the girl's will has become tough enough after these days of trials.

Unless she chooses to give up herself, that loach can't win."

"Are you talking about the immortal Black Snake?" Patriot entered the conversation after hearing their exchange.

"Immortal? Black Snake?" Yagokoro Eirin had no objection to them calling the thing inside a Black Snake—different places could have different customs, after all—but the word immortal caught her interest.

After all, no one

understood

immortality

better

than her.

"Before Koschei was killed by Talulah, he placed a curse on her and buried a seed in the depths of her heart that could change her way of thinking.

As long as she no longer held firmly to her beliefs, that seed would take root and sprout within her.

Yagokoro Eirin led Talulah into her own heart and found Koschei's final contingency.

Now, she is removing the last curse Koschei left inside her."

Suika explained the slightly altered situation to Patriot in a way he could understand.

"Will Talulah be injured because of this?" Patriot asked.

"No. Like Yagokoro Eirin said, this curse is spiritual and deeply rooted in her heart.

Its power isn't great. It's just especially well hidden.

Now that Talulah has found it, this is simply its final struggle.

Hmm, the aura inside seems to be fading. I think Talulah will wake up soon!"

Suika looked toward the door. She could sense the nauseating aura rapidly weakening.

"Ah... Alina!" Talulah's voice came from inside the room, and FrostNova hurriedly opened the door and went in.

The others followed close behind.

At that moment, a wisp of black energy so faint it was almost impossible to notice slipped out of the room and drifted away.

Yagokoro Eirin was about to reach out and disperse it, but Suika stopped her with a hand.