Mana's Heart

"Sleep, sleep... dear... sleep~" As Chu Lian was typing, she suddenly heard a soft voice, making her already tired body feel even more exhausted, and her eyes began to blink.

She tried hard to turn her head to see who it was, but her body wouldn't obey. Her head tilted, and she fell asleep with her arm as a pillow.

Only then did the person standing behind her breathe a sigh of relief. Her orange-red eyes quietly watched Chu Lian, contemplating something. Her long orange hair was being twirled around her slender fingers, showing her hesitation as she seemed to be making a difficult decision.

After a long time, her gentle gaze suddenly turned resolute. Just as she was about to lean down to pick up Chu Lian, two faces appeared in the room's mirrors.

In the vanity mirror, there was Inori with her pink hair and wine-red eyes, staring ahead with her lips slightly parted, saying, "Mana, you can't..."

Mana's hands, which were about to touch Chu Lian, abruptly stopped. She raised her head to look at Inori and asked, "Why can't I do this?"

"Because it might trigger a backlash from this plane's consciousness..." The response came from Eve, who appeared in the full-length mirror, her purple-red eyes showing a hint of nervousness.

"I can sense that this plane's consciousness has been watching Lian closely. If we, as outsiders, suddenly bring power from another world to Lian, I fear we will be expelled. Even if we are not expelled, it will bring trouble to Lian and might even result in us never being able to stay by her side again..."

"I don't want to harm Lian, nor do I want to cause her trouble, and I definitely don't want to leave her side after this..." Inori's response was much simpler. Her left hand was placed over her chest, and her right hand tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, speaking softly but firmly.

"I never intended to harm her..." Mana, hearing the two girls' words, lowered her head in silence for a while before saying, "I never wanted to harm her, never..."

"But I can foresee that she is in danger now, a kind of invisible yet deadly threat. I don't know when it will happen or what form it will take."

Compared to her previous state as the host of the Apocalypse Virus, Mana now was just a girl with limited harmful abilities. However, having merged with the Apocalypse Virus for so long, even after losing its power, she developed a unique ability: foresight.

Foresight is the ability to see the future. However, this foresight is highly limited and sometimes wildly inaccurate, though at other times frighteningly precise.

This time, she had precisely foreseen Chu Lian's danger. A cold chain of fate seemed to shackle her ankles, making each step forward require immense effort.

Yet, she could only see the end of the chain bound to Chu Lian, unable to see what lay at the other end. She only knew that the future was terrifying. If Chu Lian couldn't overcome this hurdle, her future would be as dark as the unseen end.

She didn't know how to solve this problem or what the consequences would be if it wasn't resolved, but she wanted to try her best to help. Even if it could lead to unpredictable consequences.

"The power of the Void Genome is immense. Lian's body is too weak now to handle it," Eve, hearing her analysis, remained silent for a long time before speaking again.

In a place where no one could hear, she murmured softly, "Allowing us to help her? Who exactly is this girl..."

"I know that if the recipient's abilities aren't up to par, it will cause significant damage. But I have a solution..." Mana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lightly.

"Mana, Lian has a mysterious power within her..." Inori, though usually quiet, had spent the most time with Chu Lian. As someone with exceptionally strong physical abilities, she could sense the serene yet awe-inspiring power dormant within Chu Lian.

"Yes, precisely because she has that power, I can help her... Foresight not only shows the future but can also guide it to manifest early..." After saying this, Mana didn't hesitate any longer. She bent down, carried Chu Lian princess-style, took a few steps back, and laid her on the bed.

Stroking Chu Lian's cheek, she whispered, "I'm sorry. If I could, I would seek your consent. But this is the best way to protect you without your knowledge. If there are any consequences, let them fall on me..."

She had foreseen Chu Lian's danger last night while bathing with Inori. Seeing the chain of fate on her, she made up her mind to help her no matter what.

Chu Lian's crisis was actually triggered by a series of hidden tasks she activated last Sunday:

"Hidden Series Mission: The Daughter of Destiny activated."

"Mission: Sudden Crisis - Please repel the enemies in the upcoming attack and ensure that people from the world cannot reappear for at least three months."

"For certain reasons, you have already been recognized by some entities in the world. They see you as the chosen one of a new generation, the woman destined to save them."

"Mission Difficulty: Nightmare. Mission Duration: Indefinite. Mission Failure Penalty: Loss of freedom, becoming the key for the world to unseal the present world."

"System Warning: There is no direct way to achieve victory. Use all your methods and abilities to complete this mission. Once the mission starts, you cannot rely on the abilities of the Rift Guardians or the forces of the present world. If you don't want to lose your freedom, find any way to get through this once the mission starts."

The final prompt of the task warned her that she would face the assault of the three strongest beings from three different worlds. Even though they only had one-tenth of their original power, they were still terrifyingly strong, far beyond what Chu Lian could resist directly. It was because of this task that Chu Lian had been so busy lately.

She wanted to finish everything she needed to do and then prepare for the arrival of these enemies. Once the system issued the task, a predetermined line of fate connected to her.

The other end of the chain that Mana couldn't see was actually these unknown enemies and the world behind them. With her current abilities, she couldn't see the future of these powerful beings, hence the darkness.

These abilities, derived from the system and the world's web of fate, were difficult to discern even for super-strong beings. But Mana's special ability, as an outsider's soul, unexpectedly allowed her to see them.

"Eve, I know you don't have much power left. If given more time, you might be able to help her, but not now. You cannot appear in Inori's body until you have fully merged the Apocalypse Virus with the world's consciousness. You currently have very little power... But I still need your help..."

Mana turned to Eve and Inori, saying softly, "The line of fate entwining her cannot be broken without absolute external force. This calamity can only be overcome by herself..."

"If anyone interferes with this calamity, the situation will become even more unpredictable, and the danger might increase. So, to solve this problem, the one helping must become part of her, be it as a weapon or as an ability..."

"I need you, Eve, to inject the Apocalypse Virus into Chu Lian. Meanwhile, I will guide her hidden power to manifest a small portion of its strength. Then, I will inject the Void Genome, making her a 'king.' Inori will become her weapon, and you and I will become her abilities. This way, we help her without interfering in a way that fate perceives as meddling, thereby avoiding changes..."

Mana's plan was indeed thorough and had a high chance of success...

But accidents always happen unexpectedly.

"I won't allow you to do this to my dear sister. If there's danger, I'll protect her, but you absolutely cannot touch her..." The door didn't open, but Chu Chu suddenly appeared in the room. She looked around at the three girls and spoke firmly.

She had clearly heard a lot and had some guesses about Inori's origin. Knowing some of the inside information, she was strongly opposed because this could lead to unforeseen consequences.

"Chu Chu, don't interfere... Although I don't want to accept the enhancement right now, sometimes plans can't keep up with changes. Since there's a possibility, let's choose it..." Chu Lian's voice suddenly echoed, startling the two confronting girls.

"Lian, shouldn't you be sleeping for a long time?" "Dear sister, shouldn't you be sleeping for a long time?" Mana and Chu Chu simultaneously voiced their shared shock.

Chu Lian's lips curved into a faint smile: "If I were so easily knocked out, I wouldn't be lying here so calmly..."

Though speaking, Chu Lian's eyes remained closed: "I trust Mana and know her method is feasible... Chu Chu, I know you are aware of many things. Don't tell me... Don't ask me about it... Just stay quiet..."

"I... I..." Chu Chu tried to argue, but Chu Lian cut her off: "If you cause trouble again, I'll have Tina take you out. Don't think I don't know it transformed into a spiritual form to bring you in. So, behave, okay?"

"Okay... I'll listen to my dear sister..." Chu Chu glanced at Tina in her arms. Seeing its serious eyes, she knew it would really take her out. Even though it hadn't been fifteen minutes yet, Chu Lian would definitely do what she said, even if it meant waiting a dozen minutes.

If she were thrown out, it would be hard to get back into this mysteriously sealed room.

"Then, let's begin..." Chu Lian smiled lightly, murmuring softly.

She knew that Mana, Inori, Eve, Chu Chu, and Tina could all hear her.

"It will succeed... I believe..." Mana leaned down, kissed Chu Lian's forehead, and whispered.

In the next moment, a silver pentagram appeared on Mana's forehead. Then, a mysterious power began to swirl around her, the light as brilliant as the Milky Way...

Simultaneously, changes began to occur on Chu Lian's body...