Nights in Lumina Square were always a little gentler than elsewhere.
It was not absolute silence, but a stillness mingled with all sorts of little sounds-the steady hum of the distant Hollow containment wall, the occasional passing skyrail train, and the sound of some shop's shutter being pulled down late at night.
Lin Shuo held Little Mu's hand as they walked back toward the ramen stall.
The little girl was already very sleepy, her steps unsteady, but she still struggled to keep those green eyes, so very like Lucia's, open, curiously surveying this world that was entirely unfamiliar to her.
"This place... is different from my world."
She spoke softly, her voice carrying the fuzziness of someone who had just woken up.
"How is it different?"
"It's... brighter." Little Mu pointed at the streetlights on either side of the road.
"In my world, at night there's only the glow from the Hollows, and... the lanterns Mom made."
At the mention of "Mom," her eyes dimmed for a moment.
Lin Shuo's heart tightened slightly.
This child came from another spacetime, the daughter of that spacetime's versions of himself and Lucia.
But now, she had lost her memory. She remembered only scattered fragments, the power within her called "Kokuō," and... that Mom was very gentle and would hold her while telling her stories about Ethereals.
Yet she could not clearly remember her mother's face, what her father looked like, or why she had come here.
"Little Mu."
Lin Shuo stopped and crouched down to meet her eyes.
"If... I took you to see someone, someone who might know you, would you want to go?"
Little Mu blinked. "Who?"
"Someone... who looks a lot like you."
"A lot like me?"
"Yes. She has horns like yours, green eyes like yours, and likes Ethereals too."
Little Mu's eyes lit up. "She likes Ethereals too?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded.
"She even goes into Hollows in the middle of the night to talk to Ethereals and give them names."
"Wow..." Little Mu let out a small gasp of wonder.
"Then she must be amazing!"
"She is." Lin Shuo smiled.
"So, do you want to meet her?"
"Yes!"
"But there's one problem," Lin Shuo said.
"She usually sleeps during the day and only wakes up at night-if we go now, we might disturb her rest."
Little Mu thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "Then we can wait until she wakes up~ I can be quiet!"
Seeing her expectant eyes, Lin Shuo finally nodded.
"All right, let's go to Kaidan House-she's there sometimes."
The two changed course and headed toward Lumina Square's main street.
Kaidan House's sign shone with warm yellow light in the night. The second-floor windows were dark, while a faint light still leaked through the gap in the first-floor door.
Lin Shuo pushed the door open, and the wind chime rang out clearly.
Behind the counter, Li Baorong was sorting through his account books. He paused when he saw Lin Shuo enter with an unfamiliar little girl.
"Little Lin? It's so late... who's this?"
"A distant relative's child. She's staying with me for now." Lin Shuo used the same explanation as before. "Is Yuzuha here?"
"She's upstairs. She probably hasn't gone to sleep yet." Li Baorong looked at Little Mu, his gaze softening. "This child... looks a little like that girl Lucia."
"Yes." Lin Shuo did not deny it.
"Uncle Baorong, has Lucia been here today?"
"She stopped by this afternoon and delivered a new batch of gray porcelain samples. Said she found them in a Hollow." Li Baorong pointed at several boxes in the corner of the counter. "Same as always. She put them down, said, 'Uncle Baorong, I'm sleepy. I'm going to catch up on sleep,' and ran off."
He paused, then added, "Going by her usual habits, she should be awake now, probably wandering around near some Hollow-do you need me to contact her for you?"
"No need. I'll find her myself."
Lin Shuo shook his head. "As for Yuzuha... sorry for the trouble, but please tell her I'll be back later."
"All right. Be careful on the way."
Leaving Kaidan House, Lin Shuo held Little Mu's hand and headed toward the old industrial district on the southern side of Lumina Square.
It was near the outskirts of Lemnos Hollow, with a higher Ether concentration and frequent Ethereal activity, making it one of Lucia's favorite areas for her "nighttime outings."
The night deepened, and hardly anyone remained on the streets.
Little Mu gripped Lin Shuo's hand tightly and asked softly, "Are we going into a Hollow?"
"Not inside. Just the outskirts."
Lin Shuo spoke.
"Lucia generally doesn't venture deep into dangerous areas-she just likes observing Ethereals and 'making friends' with them."
"Making friends... can you make friends with Ethereals?"
"Most people can't, but Lucia can."
Lin Shuo explained.
"Her tribe has a special talent. They don't easily attract Ethereals' attention, and they can sense their 'emotions' to a certain extent."
Little Mu nodded, only half understanding.
After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped, raised her head, and sniffed lightly.
"I smell... something familiar."
"What does it smell like?"
"Mm..." Little Mu closed her eyes, trying hard to sense it.
"Like... grass? And... dew? And something... warm, like a blanket that's been out in the sun..."
She opened her eyes, her green eyes shining. "It's Mom! That's what Mom smells like!"
Something stirred in Lin Shuo's heart.
Was this... a blood connection?
"Which way?"
"That way!"
Little Mu pointed down an alley.
The two turned into the alley. The farther they went, the higher the Ether concentration grew, and pale blue specks of light began floating in the air-free Ether particles.
At the end of the alley stood a broken wall, beyond which lay an abandoned factory yard.
And right in the middle of that yard, a figure was crouching on the ground with her back to them.
Her short blue hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight, and the horns atop her head traced gentle curves against the night sky.
She wore a dark cloak and held a small notebook, intent on recording something.
In front of her, several of the lowest-ranked antimony-class Ethereals-like hybrids of feral cats and rats subjected to Ether Corruption-circled her, making soft rumbling sounds.
Rather than being afraid, she spoke to them in a soft, gentle voice.
"Little Rhinoceros Beetle, why are you missing a leg today? Did the big guy bully you again?"
"Pistachio, stop biting my cloak. This was expensive~"
"And you, Little Lantern, why has the light on your tail dimmed? Didn't you get enough to eat?"
The Ethereals actually seemed to understand her. Some rubbed against her legs, while others let out aggrieved cries.
Lin Shuo did not approach right away.
He lowered his head to look at Little Mu.
The little girl had gone completely still.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the figure crouching on the ground, her lips trembling slightly as tears quickly misted her green eyes.
"Mo... m..."
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
But Lucia's ears twitched-sheep Thirens had excellent hearing.
She turned her head.
Moonlight illuminated her face.
Those green eyes, identical to Little Mu's, froze for a moment upon seeing her, then slowly widened.
The notebook in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
"...Huh?"
Lucia blinked, thinking she had stayed up so long that she was hallucinating.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
The little girl with blue hair, green eyes, and small horns on her head was still standing there, looking at her as though she were about to cry.
"Um... little girl, who are you? Why are you in a place like this so late at night?"
Lucia stood up, brushed the dust from her cloak, walked over to Little Mu, and crouched down.
"Are you lost? Would you like me to take you home?"
Her voice was gentle, with the languid huskiness particular to someone active at night, yet very warm.
Little Mu's tears finally fell.
She threw herself into Lucia's arms, hugged her tightly, and burst into tears.
"Mom... Mom... I finally found you... waaah..."
Lucia went rigid.
"Wait... little girl, have you mistaken me for someone else? I'm not your mom..."
She awkwardly held the crying little girl in her arms and looked up at Lin Shuo, her eyes full of appeal.
"Lin Shuo, wh... what's going on?"
Lin Shuo walked over beside her and said softly, "Her name is Little Mu. She came from another spacetime-in that spacetime, you're her mother."
Lucia's mouth formed an O.
"Another... spacetime? Me? A mother?"
She looked down at the little girl crying so hard she hiccupped in her arms, those eyes so very like her own, that familiar feeling of shared blood...
"But... I've never even dated anyone!"
"The you in that spacetime isn't necessarily exactly the same as the you in this one."
Lin Shuo explained, "Your age and experiences might be different, but... you really are mother and daughter."
He paused, then added, "And there's a special power inside Little Mu-she needs your help to control it."
Lucia's expression grew serious.
She gently eased Little Mu back, cupped the little girl's face in both hands, and studied her carefully.
Then she closed her eyes and gently rested her forehead against Little Mu's.
This was a sensory method unique to the Night Watchers tribe-through contact, they could sense another's Ether fluctuations, as well as... things on a deeper level.
A few seconds later, Lucia's eyes flew open.
"What... is this?"
Her voice held shock.
"Such enormous Ether energy... but it isn't chaotic like an Ethereal's... it's more like... something alive? Conscious?"
"You can think of it as a special Ether life-form." Lin Shuo chose to explain using this world's concepts.
"It lives in symbiosis with Little Mu-but she's lost her memory and can't fully control it."
Lucia remained silent for a long time.
She looked at Little Mu, at those tear-filled green eyes, and something tender in her heart was touched.
"So... in that spacetime, I'm your mom?"
Little Mu nodded hard. "Yes! Mom told me stories about Ethereals, took me into Hollows to see the 'big friends,' and made lanterns for me so I wouldn't be afraid of the dark at night..."
As she spoke, she began crying again. "But... but I can't remember Mom's face clearly anymore... I only remember her smell... and her voice..."
Lucia's nose stung.
She hugged Little Mu again and gently patted her back.
"It's all right... it's all right if you can't remember clearly..."
Her voice was as gentle as the night breeze.
"You've found me now. Though I might not be the same me... I can be your 'mom'-if you don't mind."
Little Mu raised her head and looked at her through tear-blurred eyes. "Really?"
"Really~" Lucia smiled.
"But let me say this first: I might not be very good at looking after people, and I often run out in the middle of the night... would you think I'm an unreliable mom?"
"No!" Little Mu shook her head hard.
"Mom is Mom! Whatever she's like, she's still Mom!"
Lucia's heart melted completely.
She picked up Little Mu-the little girl was as light as a feather.
"Then... shall we go home? Lin Shuo, can Little Mu stay at my place tonight? I want to spend more time with her."
"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded.
"But you'll have to bring her back to the ramen stall tomorrow-Yuzuha and the others all need to meet her."
"Okay!" Lucia nodded happily, then remembered something.
"Oh, right, Lin Shuo. You said the power inside Little Mu... needs my help to control it?"
"Yes," Lin Shuo said. "Your constitution is special. You can sense the 'emotions' of Ether life-forms, so perhaps you can help her establish a more stable connection."
"I'll give it a try~"
Lucia carried Little Mu in her arms as the three of them walked back together.
On the way, Little Mu rested against Lucia's shoulder and asked softly, "Mom... where's Dad?"
Lucia's steps faltered.
She looked at Lin Shuo, her gaze complicated.
Lin Shuo fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "In that timeline, your father... was me."
Little Mu's eyes widened.
She looked at Lin Shuo, then at Lucia, before whispering, "So... Uncle Lin Shuo is my dad?"
"In that timeline, yes." Lin Shuo nodded.
Little Mu nodded, only half understanding.
She thought for a moment, then said, "But I still want to call you... Dad?"
Lin Shuo's heart trembled slightly.
"...Up to you."
"Okay~ Dad~"
Little Mu smiled, her smile sweet as a little flower blooming in the night.
Lucia watched her and smiled too.
But as she smiled, a trace of worry flashed through her eyes.
"Lin Shuo, the power inside Little Mu... if it goes out of control, it'll be dangerous, won't it?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo did not hide it.
"So we need to get her to learn how to control it as soon as possible-I'll find a way."
"I'll help too!"
Lucia spoke earnestly.
"I don't know much about fighting, but communicating with Ether creatures is my specialty!"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome~ After all, I'm a 'mom' now too~"
By the time the three returned to Kaidan House, it was almost two in the morning.
Yuzuha was actually still awake, dozing behind the counter. The sound of the door opening startled her awake.
"Lin Shuo! You're back-huh?"
She froze when she saw Little Mu in Lucia's arms.
"Who's...?"
"Little Mu, a child from another timeline."
Lin Shuo explained briefly.
"In that timeline, she's Lucia's daughter and mine."
Yuzuha's mouth also formed an O.
Unlike Lucia, however, she quickly accepted the premise-after all, they already had two daughters from the future at home, so one more hardly seemed to matter.
Even if a rabbit Thiren who looked extremely similar to Alice appeared now and claimed to be Lin Shuo and Alice's daughter from another timeline, she would not find it strange.
"So... we're getting another child in the family?"
Yuzuha walked up to Little Mu and crouched down, her green eyes curving into crescents.
"Hello, Little Mu~ I'm Yuzuha. You can call me Big Sister Yuzuha~"
Little Mu looked at her timidly, then said softly, "Hello, Big Sister Yuzuha..."
"What a good girl~"
Yuzuha happily patted her head, then looked at Lucia.
"Lucia, are you going to look after her tonight?"
"Yes! I want to spend more time with her~"
"Then you two can sleep in my room. I'll squeeze in with Little You and Xiao Yue."
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"Of course it is~" Yuzuha said with a smile.
"Dad's bed is big anyway. The three of us can sleep together just fine~"
Li Baorong came out of the back room and yawned. "You young people... keep it down. This old man needs his sleep."
"Got it, Dad~"
Yuzuha stuck out her tongue, then led Lucia and Little Mu upstairs.
Lin Shuo followed behind.
Upstairs, in Yuzuha's room.
Lin You and Lin Yue were already asleep, their little faces looking especially peaceful in the moonlight.
Yuzuha quietly laid out bedding on the floor for Lucia-her bed was not large, and two adults and a child would be a tight fit, so she decided to have Lucia and Little Mu sleep on the floor while she took the bed.
"All done~" Yuzuha clapped her hands.
"Get some rest, you two~ Good night, Little Mu~"
"Good night, Big Sister Yuzuha..."
Little Mu spoke softly, then looked at Lin Shuo. "Good night, Dad Shuo..."
"Good night."
Lin Shuo left the room and gently closed the door.
The hallway was quiet.
He could hear Lucia humming softly inside the room-an ancient lullaby the Night Watchers clan used to sing children to sleep.
And Little Mu's breathing gradually growing steady.
Everything was fine.
But Lin Shuo knew this peace was only temporary.
The Five-Tails Kokuō inside Little Mu needed to be stabilized, Four-Tails Son Goku was still waiting to be turned into a Bangboo, the threat from the Order had not been eliminated, and TOPS's bounty was still active...
He still had a lot to do.
But at least tonight, he could rest for a while first.
Lin Shuo returned to his room, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.
[System notification: Five-Tails Jinchuriki Little Mu has been provisionally stabilized. Lucia Elowen's special constitution has been detected to be capable of assisting in establishing a "Tailed Beast-Jinchūriki" balance. Recommended follow-up: "Bangboo conversion support plan"-convert part of Five-Tails Kokuō's power into a Bangboo core, reducing Little Mu's burden while preserving combat capability.] [Four-Tails Son Goku's Bangboo conversion plan is ready and can be carried out at any time upon the host's confirmation.] [Currently held: Ōtsutsuki Fragment ×1] [Ether Crystals: 3970]
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