Fate's Refused Delivery

Sigelica looked at the dark green trash can, then at Zhou Yu, who looked utterly carefree.

"Come on, birthday girl."

Zhou Yu raised his chin at Dania.

"Let's go see the stars."

"Where?"

Sigelica's voice carried a weariness she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Being around you is more exhausting than carrying out three S-rank missions in a row."

"That means my difficulty rating is higher than S-rank. You should feel honored."

Ignoring the way she rolled her eyes to the heavens, Zhou Yu led the two of them down a deeper alley, finally stopping in front of a long-abandoned apartment building.

The stairwell entrance was pitch-black and smelled of damp and mildew.

"When you said we were going to see the stars, you didn't mean climbing up the building, did you?"

Sigelica: (눈_눈)?

"What else? Take the elevator?"

Zhou Yu stepped inside first.

"It's the tallest civilian building near the defense line, with a great view. Nobody's been here for ages, so it's peaceful."

There were no lights in the stairwell. Moonlight filtered through the windows high above, laying a silvery-gray sheen over the steps.

Sigelica's military boots struck the concrete, their hollow echoes carrying up floor after floor.

After just two flights, her breathing grew heavy.

It wasn't a matter of stamina.

"Do you feel it?"

She looked at Dania, who was walking between them.

Dania wore the pale pink dress and was barefoot, her fair ankles conspicuous in the dim light.

She nodded.

"Residual resonance from Aleph One."

Sigelica gritted her teeth.

"It gazed upon this land, and the imprint of its will hasn't faded. Ordinary people would only feel a little short of breath at most."

She paused, lowering her voice further.

"But she's a vessel. To her, it's her master calling her home."

Dania slowed with each step, the soft skirt growing heavier and heavier on her.

In her mind, the voice returned.

[Come back...]

[Your fate is to return to nothingness...]

[Meaningless pleasures will eventually fade away...]

Her gaze began to go vacant, a gray haze clouding the eyes that had been full of starlight moments ago.

"Dania?"

Sigelica caught her by the arm. Her skin was icy to the touch.

"Zhou Yu! She's..."

Zhou Yu had been walking at the front without looking back.

Only when Dania had almost stopped walking did he turn around.

The stairwell was too dark to make out his expression.

He pulled a palm-sized object from the pocket of his logistics uniform. Its casing was old, its corners badly worn, and its antenna crooked. A red sticker with the words "Good Luck Is Coming" in gold was pasted on it.

"What's that?"

Sigelica's eyes widened.

"A secret weapon against Tacet Discord resonance? Is its appearance a disguise?"

"Nine ninety-nine, free shipping."

Zhou Yu reached out with his thumb and turned the dial on its side.

Click.

After a blast of static, music erupted throughout the stairwell.

"The boundless horizon is my love, flowers bloom at the foot of the rolling green hills..."

The drums pounded, the melody was maddeningly catchy, and the loud, soaring voice filled every corner without a care.

That vast, icy sense of divine oppression was utterly incompatible with the square-dancing anthem and was completely crushed in a one-sided rout.

Sigelica braced herself against the wall, mouth agape, feeling all the understanding of battle and divinity she had built up over the past nineteen years shatter to pieces in that moment.

Sigelica: (╬Ò皿Ó)

"You call this a countermeasure?"

She pointed at the radio, which was still howling, "What kind of rhythm makes you sway the most, oh, the most?" Her finger was trembling.

"Shh."

Zhou Yu gestured for her to be quiet, bouncing his leg to the beat with a look of enjoyment.

In his mind, the backend interface that only he could see was producing pop-ups like mad.

[Forced mental link request from 'Aleph One' detected...]

[Reason for request: guide the vessel back to her fate.]

[Accept?]

He selected no in his mind.

['Aleph One' has initiated forced intervention by 'corrective force'...]

[Method of intervention: resonant pressure.]

[Allow it to load?]

Permanently block this source.

"Your eyes wandered just now."

Sigelica stared at him.

"Blocked it?"

"Uninstalled and blocked. Full-service package."

Zhou Yu casually turned the radio up another notch.

"You're the most beautiful cloud on my horizon, let me keep you here with all my heart!"

The singing was deafening.

Dania stood there blankly as the two voices fought it out in her head.

[Return...]

"What kind of rhythm makes you sway the most, oh, the most!"

[Your sacrifice is noble...]

"What kind of song makes you feel the most carefree!"

[...]

The divine will fell silent.

It might have needed a little time to process the situation before it, which lay beyond its understanding.

Dania looked at Zhou Yu's utterly self-assured expression and listened to the unbearably noisy song.

The corners of her mouth curved up of their own accord.

"Pfft."

A very soft laugh escaped her lips.

It was the laugh of someone genuinely amused, straight from the heart.

Sigelica turned to look at Dania, her hand still resting against the wall.

Dania also realized she had laughed. Her cheeks reddened, and she quickly lowered her head and covered her mouth with her hand, but her crescent-shaped eyes gave everything away.

"Good girl, Yaya, you smiled."

Sigelica's voice was a little hoarse.

Dania lowered her face even further, her ears bright red.

Zhou Yu was very pleased with the result and turned off the music.

The stairwell instantly fell quiet, and the sense of oppression vanished without a trace.

"Done."

He stuffed the battered radio back into his pocket and continued upstairs.

"What are you standing around for? It's windy up there, just right for clearing your heads."

Sigelica and Dania exchanged a glance, each seeing bewilderment and a hint of indescribable relief in the other's eyes.

The two silently followed him.

This time, Dania's steps were much lighter.

Zhou Yu pushed open the rusty iron door to the rooftop, and a cool night breeze swept in against his face.

The wind lifted Dania's skirt and long pink hair, washing away all the stuffiness of the stairwell.

The rooftop was spacious and deserted.

From the railing, the entire nighttime view of the Lahai-Roi Defense Line spread out before them. In the distance were the imposing beams of searchlights from the military zone, while the lights of the nearby residential neighborhoods and commercial streets joined together and stretched to the edge of sight.

Overhead was a deep blue night sky dotted with bright stars.

The smoke of battle had cleared, the alarms had receded, and that icy will had vanished as well.

There was only the sound of the wind, the lights, and the boundless starry sky.

"Wow..."

Dania walked over and leaned against the railing, the whole expanse of stars reflected in her clear eyes.

"All right."

Zhou Yu leaned against the doorway, watching the two girls from behind.

"We've reached the place to see the stars."