Dad

"Yidhari, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

After the four of them had chased Little Lucia for a while, Wise noticed that Yidhari looked unwell and asked her with concern.

"I'm fine, Wise. I just feel like my abilities are fading."

Yidhari spoke slowly, her voice weaker than usual.

As they traveled, she had found it increasingly difficult to reconstruct the Hollow's illusions and fragments of Remembrance.

Normally, that would have been good news. Her fading abilities meant the Corruptive Breath's influence on her was waning, bringing her one step closer to being an ordinary person.

But right now, Yidhari didn't want to stop halfway.

She wanted Lucia to see the whole story.

Lucia fell silent for a moment. She looked at Yidhari, her eyes shining with resolve.

"Thank you, Yidhari."

Seeing this, Wise said nothing more. Instead, he turned to his AI assistant. "Fairy, can you reach Griseo and Belle?"

Griseo and Belle had also entered the Lemnian Hollow early that morning. If Fairy could contact them, Yidhari wouldn't have to keep pushing herself so hard.

[Sorry, Master. I can't reach them.]

[Half an hour ago, a violent surge of Corruptive Breath occurred at the former mining site in the Lemnian Hollow. I can't locate any signals at present.]

A violent surge of Corruptive Breath.

Wise frowned. Had something happened to Belle too?

Still, with Griseo there, he wasn't too worried.

"Hey! Why did you stop?"

Ahead of the four of them, the purple mist of Corruptive Breath churned and gathered once more. Little Lucia emerged from it.

"Lucia hates people who give up halfway more than anything."

"W-wait, don't go!" Lucia took a step forward, urgency on her face. "Um, can we be friends?"

Little Lucia tilted her head. "Why?"

"I don't think 'we' should be