"Eric said we'd have to detour through the commercial district to keep going. I still remember it a little... This way." With that, Seele took another path off to the side.
Before long, a huge building appeared before them. "Go up here and we'll reach the orphanage exit. I wonder what it looks like now. Maybe we'll still see some familiar sights," Seele said, reflecting on the past.
"These stairs... they feel a lot narrower," Bronya murmured. Soon, several Fragmentum Creatures appeared nearby. Hanxing killed them from a distance with Dimensional Rift. "Let's keep going up."
"We're almost there! I didn't expect this place to be so well preserved." Seele walked up the stairs, a little excited. "We're here! It's been so long... This hasn't changed at all." Seele looked at the orphanage stairs, which still had string lights on them. They must have been left behind when they evacuated because there hadn't been time to take them.
"There seems to be a lot of stuff piled up ahead. Let's see if there's any of the alcohol Nat needs." Before Seele could act, Hanxing had already gone ahead to search. "These boxes must have been here for years, right? Are you sure there are still usable supplies inside...?" Bronya asked, puzzled.
"Don't tell me you think people in the Underworld care about expiration dates? We're lucky to have anything to use." As Seele spoke, she was about to step forward and help search. "There's nothing here. No need to look." Hanxing delivered the cold verdict.
"Who did this?" Seele asked in confusion. Suddenly, sword qi appeared and sliced a chunk of ice flying toward them into pieces.
"This guy's a lot stronger than those mosquitoes from before," Hanxing warned, though his body acted honestly: "Illusion: Falling Rain!"
A portal to an unknown place appeared above the Fragmentum Creature. Several red-feathered arrows rained down on it, pinning it to the ground.
"Spirit-Slaying Sword Qi!" Hanxing drew his blade and slashed once across and once down. Two streams of sword qi flew from the blade toward the Fragmentum Creature, cutting it into four pieces.
"I haven't seen you use those skills before," Caelus said from the side. "I didn't need them before. Don't worry about it," Hanxing replied simply.
"I've only seen monsters like this on the front lines in the restricted zone. Why..." Bronya looked at the pieces in surprise. "Anyway, things should be quiet around here now. Let's go inside and look around," Seele said, heading into the orphanage.
"I vaguely remember there being some supplies in that corner over there. We used to play rough outside all the time when we were kids, so scrapes and bruises were common. I hope those things didn't destroy the supplies." With that, Seele walked toward the corner she had mentioned.
"...It's not an illusion," Bronya suddenly said from the side. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Seele was a little confused by Bronya's sudden remark. "This building, and these play facilities for children... I've seen them before." Bronya seemed to be trying hard to remember something.
"Huh? Come on. The upper and lower levels have been sealed off for over a decade, and not a single Silvermane Guard has come down. A young lady like you visiting the underground would've been big news," Seele said, plainly unconvinced.
"-Oh, wait. Could it have been before that...?" Seele seemed to have suddenly realized something. "...Yes, that's possible. It's the only way to explain why my memories are so hazy. Come on, I need to look around some more to be sure..." Bronya said.
"How did you two suddenly get on the same wavelength?" Hanxing teased. "We didn't!" the two said in unison.
"This is the only place we haven't searched... I hope I remembered right." After everyone had searched for a long time without finding anything, Seele went over to another corner. "This is-ah, found it! Great, it's almost completely intact! I bet even Nat wouldn't have expected the supplies she stored here years ago to be so well preserved." The moment Seele opened the box, she found it full of medical alcohol in intact packaging.
"We should check the expiration date on the alcohol. If it's expired, it won't be very effective," Bronya reminded her. "Good point. I'll take a few bottles out and check." Seele reached into the box for a bottle of alcohol, but picked up something else instead.
"...Huh? What's this?" Seele looked at the glass ball in her hand. Inside was a rabbit in front of a penguin. "This... this... belonged to me when I was little," Bronya said when she saw it, as the floodgates of memory opened.
"You, when you were little?! Are you sure...?" Seele was stunned by what Bronya had said. "Did you come to this town when you were little?" Stelle asked from the side. "No, I remember now... I used to live here-before the Architects took me away and Lady Cocolia adopted me-I lived here! I... am from the Underworld," Bronya said.
"You're... from the Underworld? Wait, you said Cocolia-you're the 'Supreme Guardian's' adopted daughter? Then-" Seele said, somewhat incredulous. "Yes, I'm the successor chosen by the Architects. In the future, I'll become the 'Guardian' who leads Belobog," Bronya continued, picking up where Seele had left off.
"Why? Why did I only remember now? My childhood memories are so hazy..." Bronya held her head, blaming herself somewhat. "Perhaps the 'Supreme Guardian' altered your memories to ensure certain plans were carried out?" Hanxing suggested.
"No, Mother wouldn't do that to me... She absolutely wouldn't." Bronya protested at Hanxing's suggestion. "The Architects said that the search for the 'Guardian's' successor would be conducted throughout Belobog. The process could take as little as a few years or as long as several decades.
"During that time, every child of the right age in both the overworld and the Underworld is tested, and in the end, only one 'qualified' child is chosen. I think... I was chosen here, and then taken to the surface..." Bronya said after recalling it.
"Children were always coming and going at the orphanage... I never thought one of us would become the Supreme Guardian! Does Nat know about this? Could she have been keeping it a secret all this time...?" Seele said, a little excited.
"I don't think she knows. The selection of the Guardian's successor is absolutely confidential, and the chosen child must leave their past behind completely," Bronya explained to Seele. "That's why I became Lady Cocolia's daughter-I have no identity other than the next Guardian. But I'm... nowhere near good enough..."
Bronya was about to say more, but Hanxing interrupted her. "No. Everyone in this world has their own path. 'With a glimmer of light, illuminate others'-I think... I read that in a book."
"The countless Pathstriders and those who put their ideals into practice across the universe-their actions may seem meaningless now, but they believe that a single spark can start a prairie fire!"
"You, too, have your own path, unlike any that came before. Only by following it steadfastly can you preserve Belobog and bring new life to this planet!"
"Go on ahead. I'll talk with Bronya for a while," Seele said from the side. Hanxing turned and left.
"Remember, be yourself!" Hanxing left those final words behind and disappeared from sight.