little bear

In the dark void, Xiao Mu Yu and the silent blonde girl locked eyes in a quiet exchange. 

Arnoia hovered gently to one side, not interrupting their conversation, merely observing the indifferent man with a gaze filled with sorrow. 

"Confronting difficulties, evasion is never a solution," Xiao Mu Yu coldly remarked, extending a hand towards the dazed girl. "Why choose to give up? Have you not always harbored deep affection for your brother?" 

"If that is the case, then express your feelings to him! Let him know that you have always loved him! Make him understand that your love for him is profound and unwavering," Xiao Mu Yu continued coldly. "You have never confessed your feelings; how can you be certain he will reject you?" 

"But brother... he is a paragon of virtue in Demacia. How could he possibly accept such... such forbidden love between siblings?!" Lux cried out in anguish. 

"Did he ever say he could not accept it? Did he directly tell you that he cannot accept it? Has he ever voiced his opposition to sibling love?" Xiao Mu Yu coldly questioned, until the girl was rendered speechless. He then concluded with an icy tone, "Ultimately, this is merely your self-deceptive speculation." 

"Your brother has never stated that he cannot accept your love, nor has he ever said, 'Lux, we are siblings, so we cannot be together,'" Xiao Mu Yu observed indifferently. "All conclusions regarding your brother's potential rejection stem from your own unfounded assumptions; you possess no concrete evidence that he would refuse you." 

"Furthermore, from my perspective, it appears quite the opposite," Xiao Mu Yu continued coldly. "Perhaps your brother's sentiments align with your own; perhaps he has long loved you. Otherwise, why would he abandon the woman named Katarina solely due to your objections? It may simply be that he finds it difficult to openly express such feelings due to the taboo of sibling love, and since he is unaware of your affections, he has been unable to convey his own." 

"Wha... what?" Lux was momentarily stunned, her fists clenched tightly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she retorted, "Impossible! How could my brother, my brother, be a pervert who would fall in love with his sister?" 

"..." The man remained silent. 

It seemed that the reverence for ethical morals among the populace of this nation had indeed reached a pathological level; even a girl hopelessly in love with her brother could not accept the notion of sibling romance within her heart. 

Was the dream she had always yearned for something that her steadfast moral principles would continually denounce and disdain? Was this contradictory thought the reason behind her ultimate choice to abandon everything? 

Then, a different path must be taken. 

Xiao Mu Yu regarded Lux with an icy expression, coldly questioning, "Do you believe that dying will resolve everything? Do you think allowing the youthful goddess to consume your soul will bring closure?" 

"Isn't it?" Lux lowered her head, her tone heavy with despair. "In truth, I have always been a burden. My existence has never aided my brother in any way. If I were not here, he would not have to toil so hard, facing disdain from others. If I were absent, he would have married sister Katarina by now; perhaps their child would already be of school age." 

"Yet, because of my presence, my brother has been forced to endure many hardships that he should never have faced. Furthermore, because of me, he and the woman he has always loved can never be together. How could the soul of Demacia, the indomitable Count, ever marry the commander of his sworn enemy, Noxus?" Lux spoke with a voice filled with self-reproach and pain. "This identity has created a chasm that can never be bridged!" 

"So, you have now relinquished your love for your brother, and you are considering facilitating his marriage to Katarina?" Xiao Mu Yu asked coldly. 

"I..." Lux was taken aback by the question. She wanted to affirm it, but after opening her mouth, she fell silent, ultimately unable to utter the word "yes." 

"Since you still cannot abandon your love for your brother, why then do you choose to give up so easily?" Xiao Mu Yu remarked coldly. "As I said, perhaps your brother harbors feelings similar to yours; he may have already fallen in love with you." 

"But..." 

"There are no 'buts,'" Xiao Mu Yu interrupted her coldly, waving his hand dismissively. "In this world, mere conjecture can never represent true reality. Since you have never confessed your feelings to your brother, you cannot ascertain what he truly thinks." 

"Do you not find life to be utterly dreary and devoid of joy? Then, confess your feelings to your brother," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly. "After all, if you fear not even death, why then should you fear the potential rejection from your confession? If you believe life to be so bleak that you wish to end it, why not wait until after your confession is rejected before taking that step?" 

"By dying here, you will forever remain unaware of your brother's true feelings for you. However, if you confess, there remains a possibility of success. Moreover, can you truly be certain that your brother harbors no romantic feelings for you? If he secretly loves you, yet you choose to end your life due to ignorance, would that not be a tragic loss?" Xiao Mu Yu coldly stated. "I have said what needed to be said; ultimately, the choice is yours to make." 

After several seconds of silence, Lux raised her head slightly, managing a forced smile at Xiao Mu Yu. "Thank you, junior brother. I have come to a decision. Even if I must relinquish everything, I shall wait until I hear my brother explicitly reject my feelings." 

Bowing gently, Lux revealed a sunny smile. "Thank you for your guidance." 

As her words fell, the green ribbons that had enveloped her body trembled violently, as if they had lost their vitality, cascading down like fallen leaves. 

The countless luminous specks that had once merged within her instantly surged forth from her body, scattering into the endless darkness, gradually fading from sight. 

Arnoia hovered sadly to one side, the goddess of despair and sorrow remaining silent throughout the exchange, even as the girl she had chosen as a vessel for rebirth completely rejected her power. Her lovely visage bore no trace of change in that sorrowful expression. 

Gently extending a hand and slowly spreading her fingers, Arnoia gazed at her slender digits, her voice perpetually tinged with sadness and ethereality. "It seems... I have failed once more." 

As her voice echoed, the realm of consciousness was suddenly engulfed in an impenetrable darkness. 

The pitch-black eyes slowly opened... 

Before her lay the two girls still suspended above the stone coffin, yet the once-vibrant green ribbons that had filled the vast stone chamber now lay lifelessly on the ground, devoid of movement. 

(Human boy! Human boy! Have you succeeded?) 

The voice of the demon echoed within the realm of consciousness. 

"Ah... I have succeeded," Xiao Mu Yu replied with a cold nod. 

(What the hell! Then why are you still standing there? Hurry and run!) 

"..." The man fell silent for a moment, ultimately choosing to temporarily trust the demon's judgment. 

He extended his fingers towards the blonde girl suspended in the void, an invisible force drawing the still-dazed Lux closer. 

Then, the indifferent man hoisted the bewildered girl onto his shoulder, turning without hesitation. In an instant, their figures vanished into the depths of the dark corridor. 

Gently opening her beautiful sky-blue eyes, Arnoia floated silently in the void, sorrowfully watching the direction in which Xiao Mu Yu departed, yet harboring no intention of pursuit. 

"Indeed... I have failed," she murmured softly, caressing her flat abdomen, her gaze downcast and filled with sorrow. "My death... truly cannot be reversed?" 

As the youthful goddess spoke, an ominous presence seemed to awaken, filling the once-peaceful stone chamber with a chilling and foreboding atmosphere. 

"Are you... finally going to emerge?" she whispered, her fingers brushing against her abdomen as tears of sorrow traced down her cheeks. 

Raising her head gently, her lips parted slightly as she called out into the void with despairing sadness, "Hurry... hurry and leave, Nasus, Rek'Sai! It is about to... it is finally going to emerge!" 

"Thud." 

The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed as Arnoia's previously flat abdomen suddenly swelled, as if something within was stirring. 

In the next moment, two bloodied, plush claws burst forth from her abdomen, tearing it open from within, golden divine blood trickling down from above. 

"Clang." 

The sound of blades clashing resonated as a small figure crawled out from the wound in the girl's abdomen. It was a charming little bear doll, its eyes made of two black buttons, its fluffy body appearing cute and playful. Yet, on each of its raised paws, sharp, serrated teeth were sewn in a row. 

Gradually slicing through its "mother's" abdomen with the sharp teeth, the little bear doll bounced out, gently floating in the void, grinning at the direction where Xiao Mu Yu had departed, revealing its rows of sharp teeth.