Chapter 110 World I: 7 Russia...that Guardian...
Russia's... guardian?
The thought flashed through Nadia's muddled mind for a moment, as if she had just regained her senses, before quickly returning to the boundless darkness.
A figure emerged from behind Yaroslava, taller than her, with striking silver curly hair that swayed gently as she walked.
Unlike Yaroslava's usually lively eyes, which held a hint of maturity honed by hardship, and who exuded a reassuring aura unique to elders... they all shared the same face.
A gentle breeze kept blowing her trench coat, the hem fluttering freely in the wind. Her misty blue eyes reflected the terrible scene of the three of them. A moment of hesitation flashed through her eyes, but she still firmly reached out her hand.
Ethan tensed, ready to fight at any moment. Unexpectedly, with a bang, white smoke enveloped them.
Nadia misses Reina.
Thinking about how they grew up together, and how her beloved Reina would be forced into that situation, she couldn't help but feel scared and sad, and she burst into tears.
The mature female voice sobbing in my imagination did not appear; only the heartbreaking sound of a child crying loudly was heard.
As the smoke cleared, only three children remained, staggering about in the same spot.
Little Nadia was wailing, tears streaming down her face. She rubbed her eyes hard, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Instead, the more she wiped, the angrier she became, and the more she cried, the sadder she became.
She even cried so uncontrollably that she forgot she was bound, and suddenly opened the black power binding her, wailing loudly.
Little Turner was lost in thought, his eyes blankly watching the white clouds drift lazily across the sky at a very slow pace, looking rather silly.
That little thing with pointed ends, like the little tuft he made for Rose.
Rose is so annoying! She actually said her brother's hairstyle was ugly! And she said she wouldn't play with him anymore if he did it again! Fine, I won't play then! Humph! He doesn't care to play with his sister anyway!
Little Ethan looked left and right, completely bewildered.
He looked down at his chubby little hands, feeling as if they were his first real hand, his palms clenching and unclenching.
What is this?
What was he going to do again?
Lord Starfall? Yes! Lord Starfall... what did Lord Starfall say again? He seemed to have forgotten.
It's clearly very important!
It seems to be about eating properly? Eating cleaner than other children and beating those who waste food!
Is that really how it is? But there's nothing to eat right now... I'm so sleepy.
Little Ethan rubbed his eyes, yawned softly, and lay down next to Little Turner.
He pulled a bit of the jacket that Little Turner had shrunk along with, and although it had shrunk, it was still a bit too long, just like before, so Little Ethan successfully covered himself with the blanket! Congratulations!
Not content with that, little Ethan ruffled little Turner's hair, tugging it onto his stomach, then turned to his side and closed his eyes. Soon, long, even breaths could be heard, and if you were close enough, you could hear little Ethan's sleepwalking chatter, saying something incomprehensible.
"Waaah—Rena—" Little Nadia was still wailing, getting more and more upset. She jumped up and ran straight to Little Turnas and Little Ethan, opening her mouth.
"Waaah—" Little Turnas burst into tears, desperately trying to free his chubby arm from Nadia's grasp, but to no avail. Feeling the pain in his arm, he cried even louder: "Waaaaah—it hurts! It hurts! Nadia's going to eat my hand—"
Little Ethan was jolted awake by the two people's wailing. He opened his round, black grape-like eyes and looked at the two people who seemed to be competing to see who could cry the loudest.
Although he was only a little confused, Ethan's body reacted faster than he understood the situation. Tears quickly welled up in Ethan's eyes, his mouth pursed, and he looked like he was about to cry.
Little Nadia, of course, wouldn't let him off the hook. She quickly shifted her target, withdrew her teeth, and opened her mouth wide again, her eyes brimming with tears.
Little Ethan hadn't yet realized the gravity of the situation, staring blankly at the approaching mouth until...
"Mommy!!!" Little Ethan's piercing cries drowned out the other two's sobs, startling the flock of birds that had been perched in the tree. The birds flapped their wings and flew away: "Waaah, it's so scary, Mommy—it hurts so much, Mommy—save my Mommy, I'm going to die, Mommy—I'm going to be eaten QAQ"
Little Turnas was startled by the louder crying, and even his sobbing stopped for a moment. When he cried again, there was no sound, only a pout and tears falling in a steady stream, which was extremely heartbreaking to see.
Little Nadia showed no mercy, her teeth still tightly gripping Ethan's arm.
Despite being a child who bites people indiscriminately and having a fierce expression, little Nadia was also the one who cried the most. She looked like the most wronged child in the world.
Another person emerged from behind Yaroslava. If the three of them, including Tenas, were still conscious, they would have noticed that this second person had a face exactly like Reina's. Then, like a swarm of bees, dozens of people emerged, and the place instantly became crowded.
The group split into two groups. One group consisted of several people who looked exactly like Ternas, Isena, and Diarina, who went up to calm the chaotic children. The other group consisted of everyone except the four people, who were scattered in the forest, trying to find Novigrad and the others.
"..." Xingyun frowned slightly. A portal formed behind him. He took one last complicated look at the scene before turning around and stepping inside.
Novigrad also headed towards the portal, his already bad mood worsening as he looked at Yangyan, who remained motionless: "What are you waiting for?"
"Wait a minute." Yang Yan was the one who was more surprised: "We're just leaving like this? When did Xing Yun become so weak? Running away without a fight?"
"Where are your eyes? Yang Yan?" Novigrad felt veins bulging on his forehead. "Those 'people' aren't real people. Didn't you sense their presence? They're a group of powerful city wills, unlike us who have had parts of our power extracted. They outnumber us, and we can't kill each other. If we fall into their hands, we'll be trapped forever, and escape will be extremely difficult."
Are you kidding me? If you want to get ganged up on, then you should really go outside.
There was absolutely no chance of winning; there were too many people. If it were just one or two, they might have a chance of winning, but their strength had been drained far too much. If a real fight broke out, they would be suppressed within seconds and become prisoners together. Xingyun realized the outcome of the battle in an instant and had already left.
"But……"
"No buts!" Novigrad grabbed a battle maniac who was still reluctant to leave and abruptly dragged her into the portal: "Get out of here!"
...
"Alright, alright, I'm here." Reina gently pried open Nadia's mouth and coaxed her. Nadia quickly took Ethan's arm out.
"Rena" and "Nadia" freed little Ethan's poor arm from little Nadia's mouth and gently comforted little Nadia, whose quirky thought process might escalate at any moment. "Ternas" squatted down to comfort little Ternas, who was crying. After his arm was released, Ethan's crying subsided, and he sobbed softly, looking both obedient and pitiful.
Ethan picked up little Ethan and scooped him up in his arms. Little Ethan sobbed on his shoulder, his voice full of grievance: "I want my mommy! I want my mommy to hold me! I don't want you to hold me!"
As he spoke, he struggled a bit, gesturing wildly and trying his best to break free from his embrace. But who was "Ethan"? This amount of strength was nothing to him, barely a tickle. So the hand holding little Ethan remained as firm and stable as a statue.
"Who is your mother?" Ethan was very curious. As the embodiment of the city's will, born of nature, he knew many things from birth and did not need to be born through his parents. Therefore, Ethan had no father or mother.
If one insists on saying so, this country, and even the world, is his mother, or the mother of other wills.
“Mom is my mom!” Little Ethan said seriously, no longer struggling. “Of course Mom is my mom, why are you so silly?”
“…I mean—” Ethan repeated in his mind that Ethan was thinking like a child, before suppressing his helplessness and asking slowly and deliberately, “What’s your mother’s name?”
“Selene, Selene Nix,” said little Ethan, his eyes sparkling as he gestured happily, “Mom usually calls me Star, Mom is the moon and I am Mom’s Star!”
Selene...
Who is it? This name sounds familiar, as does the nickname "Star".
Long-forgotten memories are being replayed quickly.
Ethan spaced out for a while before finally finding the name in his countless memories spanning many years since he first gained consciousness.
It's Selene.
A blurry face resurfaces in my memory, because I've lived for so long that the earliest memories of my birth are somewhat hazy.
Even though it was blurry, Ethan could still recall the gentle gaze Selene had given him, as tender as if she were looking at a real child, and her voice as soft as a whisper.
That was at the very beginning of his life. Because of his initially difficult personality, he didn't get along well with the other beings. Perhaps because he was still a bit slow-witted at birth, he was accidentally left in Selene's care and was raised as a lost child.
Ethan still vividly remembers how Selene gently dried his hair when she first found him, her soft, warm hands stroking his head.
Back then, he was too young to understand what it was, but now "Ethan" knows it is warmth.
He stayed by Selene's side until her natural death.
When Selene's wrinkled hand stroked his head again, Ethan no longer felt that strange sensation, but clearly realized that Selene had reached the end of his life.
Selene exuded an aura of death, a scent filled with decay and blood, so strong that Ethan couldn't help but shed tears.
Selene simply continued to gently stroke his head.
“I know you’re no ordinary person.” Selene gazed at him. “No matter who you are, in my heart you will always be my star, my child.”
Ethan, somewhat bewildered, wiped away the tears that had inexplicably appeared within him and asked her curiously, "So you mean?"
“Silly child.” Selene sighed helplessly, “A child your age and appearance would be very mature in less than five years. You shouldn’t be like me, raised for over fifty years and still looking exactly the same as when you first started.”
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Author's Note: Xingyun and the others left because they were no match for a real fight. Even as subordinates, their power was drained, leaving them far from their peak. Facing dozens of city wills at their zenith would only result in capture; they were utterly outmatched and had no chance of winning, only a brutal beating. They shouldn't have left, but their chances of victory were simply too slim.
Nadia/Rena: Controlling each other
Turner: A hidden sister complex, the two mentioned above and her younger sister
The following is a rough description of how several people cried.
Nadia: Always favored and raised with love by "Rena", she throws tantrums and cries loudly because she knows someone will comfort her.
Turner: A very sensible, silent cry. This boy was quite sensible even as a child, and he didn't like to bother others. Surprisingly, this trait became particularly attractive when he grew up.
Ethan: Sobbing softly, her cries were heartbreaking, like she was afraid someone would find out she was crying. She's cried like this since she was a child, partly because of scumbags. Scumbags don't care if you cry or not, they just beat you even harder.
If I can't update tomorrow, I'll update 10,000 words on Wednesday. I'm so sleepy.
I chatted with a patient's family member today, and they mentioned wanting to switch careers after their internship. After I explained how difficult this profession is and how many "zeros" are needed to get into a hospital, they said:
Go find a good man and get married.
Compared to the one above, I would seriously consider continuing to do it.
My aunt and uncle were chatting, and I said the fish soup was good.
Uncle: Marry a man from the seaside.
I will give up drinking fish soup because of this, I will.
My legs have been standing for eight hours a day for five consecutive days, and they've been aching. I really want to rest tomorrow.
Then I only have two to three hours of free time each day. After dinner, it's around 7 pm, and then I sit on the sofa at 8 pm and fall asleep until 10 pm. That's why I haven't updated. Yesterday, I was too sleepy writing a leave request and even made a typo. After getting up and taking a shower, I quickly fell asleep again.
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