Chapter 19 Heading To The Overworld

"Are you leaving?"

It was early morning in Rivet Town when Natasha heard some surprising news.

She didn't hear the conversation between Orion and that woman last night, but she didn't expect Orion to decide to leave so quickly.

"Yes, I'm going," Orion replied firmly. Since he had decided to go to the upper area, he wasn't going to stay any longer.

"Is it because of what happened last night?" Natasha hesitated. Orion had saved her and Peter. Even though she had been busy with work lately, she wanted to find a way to repay him, so she felt better having him stay at the orphanage.

"The kids really like you." She looked at the children playing outside the window, and there was a hint of hope in her voice.

Orion was quiet. He had spent some time with the kids in this small town, and even though they were a little mischievous, they were kind at heart.

Natasha taught them life lessons, and Orion would sometimes tell them about things outside of their planet. The kids from the lower district found it hard to believe, and some of them listened with eyes full of wonder.

Even in this place, where they couldn't see the sky or the sun, the kids still had bright dreams.

Some kids wanted to become doctors like Natasha, others dreamed of being Silvermane Guards in the upper district, and some just wanted to eat well and live peacefully. After all, survival was tough in this area.

Nobody knew when disaster would strike and take lives. Even though the children might not fully understand it, every adult in the Underworld is worried about it.

"Natasha, you remember what happened that day..." Natasha looked a bit sad when Orion mentioned it.

He continued, "The problems in this world aren't going to stop. You've probably already made plans. The Silvermane Guards in the lower district can't protect everyone, so you need to be ready."

Orion patted Natasha on the shoulder. "I can save you once, but there won't always be someone to save you. In a world like this, sometimes you have to rely on yourself. Remember:

"When the people in the upper district can't help, the people in the underworld need to save themselves."

With that, Orion walked out the door.

"Save ourselves?" Natasha stood in the morning sunshine, but her eyes seemed to burn with determination.

The first thing Orion heard was the laughter of children.

"Brother Orion, come play with us!"

The innocent happiness of children was always contagious. In the past, Orion would have smiled and played with them, maybe lifting them up the slide or playing some silly games.

But today, Orion wasn't in a cheerful mood.

Cocolia stood near the children at the orphanage, and a rare smile appeared on her face.

She liked children, believing they were the future of this planet. She also had a reason to visit the lower district.

"This child..." Cocolia suddenly noticed a little girl with gray hair.

The girl had a spiral ponytail and stood alone, not playing with the other kids, not talking, and not making any noise.

Her face was delicate and pretty, but her bright eyes held a look that Cocolia found familiar.

"She was looking for a friend."

Cocolia felt a pang of loneliness. This child reminded her of herself when she was younger.

Even though she held a high position, there weren't many kids her age who could be friends with her. When she was young, she had to take many classes and do things she didn't want to do, like a puppet.

It's not that she didn't have any friends, but they were few. She met them by chance because of shared interests. That time in her life was the most relaxing for her.

But everything changed. When she learned the harsh truth about their world, the responsibility she carried became overwhelming.

She would never forget the sound of her hopes shattering when her mentor told her the truth that day.

Since then, she became more ruthless and calculating, going further down that path until...

There was no one left who shared her goals.

Her thoughts returned to the present, and she realized that the little girl she had been watching had come over to her.

"Hi, my name is Bronya." In a sweet voice, Bronya gently held Cocolia's fingers.

The child in front of her seemed to sense Cocolia's emotions. Even though Bronya was quiet, she could feel the loneliness in the adult before her, a loneliness similar to her own.

Cocolia's eyes widened, and a feeling she had never experienced before spread from her fingers to her heart. Looking at the child in front of her, she never imagined that her thoughts would be understood by this little girl.

Cocolia kneeled down and gently placed her hand on Bronya's head, carefully stroking it.

Bronya didn't resist and let Cocolia touch her. From the woman in front of her, she felt a long-missed sense of comfort.

"A mother's touch," Bronya thought.

"Ahem!"

Though it was hard to interrupt, Orion felt the need to break the warm atmosphere.

"Ah!"

Cocolia, who was having a moment of maternal instinct, quickly stood up, trying to act like nothing had happened, though her hand lingered on Bronya's head for a moment longer.

Looking at the touching "mother and daughter" scene in front of him, Orion suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

It wasn't until now that Orion was sure that this Cocolia in front of him matched the person from his memories.

Reality doesn't come with filters like in the games. On the Express, the Himeko that Orion saw was only about ninety percent similar to the person he remembered, and it was the same here.

But when he saw Bronya with Cocolia, he knew for sure who they were. The Cocolia before him was a bit different from what he imagined.

At least in age and development, she still had some growing to do.

"You came at the right time, Orion." After Orion witnessed this unknown side of her, Cocolia quickly changed the topic, bringing up familiar things like weather in Belobog.

"Same for you." Orion picked up on the topic, finding it amusing. These two always seemed to cross paths, no matter the world.

In previous stories by MiHoYo, their relationship had its ups and downs. While he wasn't sure how things would unfold here, Orion found it interesting to see "familiar" faces doing familiar things.

"After all, the future is something people create," Orion thought as he gazed at the "sky" in the lower area.

The building was so tall it seemed to touch the sky, with giant gears all around it. It looked more like something that had crashed down from above rather than reaching up.

In the lower parts of the city, where sunlight never shines, this building is what people consider their "sky."

Orion stared at the massive structure, lost in thought. Cocolia Rand, standing beside him, seemed to understand what he was thinking.

Bronya, a young girl, watched the two adults but didn't quite get why they were worried. To her, the concerns of grownups were often hard to understand.

"Let's go," Orion said. He had already packed his things the night before. There was nothing left for him to take with him from this world.

Before leaving, Cocolia removed a hairpin from her hair and gently placed it in Bronya's small hands.

Bending down to the child's ear, Cocolia whispered, "I'll see you again, little Bronya."

She softly touched the girl's face before turning away. There was no reason for her to stay here any longer; she had more important things to focus on.

Natasha stood at the door of the orphanage, watching them leave. Soon, she would return to her work, where she continued to care for the people in the lower city. But after hearing Orion's advice, she felt inspired to do something different: to heal not just the bodies but the hearts of those in the lower areas.

This goal seemed almost impossible for a doctor working in a small clinic, but as Orion had said, the future could change. Natasha was willing to try, no matter how ambitious it seemed.

"Orion ..." Natasha clasped her hands together, silently wishing for Orion's safety. She hoped that someone as kind as him wouldn't perish in this harsh world. If he ever returned to the lower areas, she would do her best to repay his kindness.

After they left, little Bronya placed Cocolia's hairpin on her head, feeling something she hadn't in a long time—a smile full of hope for the future.