Chapter 3 The Emergence
"Kiana, go play with Rei over there. Mama and Papa need to talk with Auntie Leticia," Cecelia said, urging Kiana to play with Rei while she talked to Leticia about something important.
Kiana got excited grabbed Rei's hand and pulled him along. This was the first time she could play with someone her age.
"How old are you, Rei?" Kiana asked, tilting her head curiously.
"I'm 3. How about you?" Rei replied, his acting skills coming in handy as he pretended to be a child.
Surprised by his age, Kiana didn't expect him to be younger than her. His mature demeanor confused her even more.
No matter how much Rei pretended to be a young child, other children could easily detect his maturity. Kids are sensitive to these things, even if they don't fully understand them.
"I'm 5, so I'm older than you?" she asked, confusion showing on her face.
After a moment of thought, she looked at Rei with excitement, jumping around and pumping her chest. "Then you're gonna be my little brother now. You can call me Onee-chan or Kiana-Onee-Chan," she proudly declared, giving a wide smile with stars in her eyes.
"Yes, Kiana-Onee-Chan," Rei said, cutely raising his arm, decided to play along with her as he found her cute and called her Onee-chan.
Hearing Rei call her Onee-chan, Kiana couldn't help but hug him tightly and giggle. "Hehehe, Rei is calling me Onee-chan!"
"Onee-chan will always protect you, from now on you are my little brother!" Kiana said as she hugged him and spun around.
Feeling how tightly she hugged him, he couldn't help but think, 'Instead of protecting me, it's more like you're the one who would kill me.'
---
"Why did you decide to visit all of a sudden?" Leticia asked, curious about their unexpected arrival.
"We came because we received a report of a recent Honkai beast sighting in this area. We're worried that an Honkai eruption might happen here," Cecilia explained, concerned for their safety, especially knowing Leticia's past struggles with Honkai eruptions.
"I understand," Leticia murmured, her gaze drifting towards Rei.
Observing Leticia's contemplation, Siegfried and Cecilia waited patiently for her to express her thoughts.
"Could you take care of my son?" Leticia suddenly asked, surprising Cecilia and Siegfried.
"What do you mean?" Cecilia asked calmly. Her experience as a trained fighter and savior had taught her to know Leticia's thoughts.
Siegfried remained silent, his expression tinged with sadness as he considered Leticia's request.
"Cecilia, you're aware that I won't live much longer. My body can't withstand the Stigmata Project's side effects, and neither can my husband's," Leticia explained with a warm smile.
"Even though the side effects of my stigmata lessened after giving birth to Rei, my soul remains damaged. I can no longer continue as a Valkyrie," she admitted, casting a glance at her son. "I named him Rei because it alleviated the effects of my damaged soul, but ordinary means can't repair a soul as damaged as mine."
"So, please, don't try to use the Divine Key to heal me," Leticia requested, knowing what her cousin thought.
"What does Rei know about this?" Siegfried calmly asked.
"No, he doesn't... But I plan to tell him. After all, he's a smart kid and can understand a lot," Leticia explained.
"If I stay behind, Rei will find out about the Honkai eruption and blame the Honkai for everything."
"I'm worried he might do something risky and try to take revenge on the Honkai or experiment on himself to get stronger."
Hearing Leticia's opinion, Cecilia and Siegfried widened their eyes. They might have thought she was being paranoid, but their instincts as trained fighters told them to trust her words.
"Rei!" Leticia called out to Rei, spotting him with Kiana riding on his back, pretending to be a horse from afar.
"Yes?" Rei responded, with Kiana still on his back.
"Kiana, don't be too hard on your cousin. He's still young to carry you, and instead of carrying you, you should be the one carrying him," Cecelia warned Kiana gently.
"Is that so? But Rei is strong," Kiana replied proudly, puffing out her chest, proud that her little brother could carry her.
"Rei, from now on, you're going to stay at Aunt Cecilia's place," Leticia said bluntly, surprising Siegfried and causing Cecilia to massage her forehead, feeling a headache coming on from her cousin's bluntness.
"Okay, but why?" Rei asked, feeling a sense of worry creeping in as he wondered why his mother was suddenly entrusting him to his aunt.
"Mommy won't live long, within a year, due to my sickness," Leticia explained with a warm smile.
"But I can cure you," Rei said confidently, having studied a lot of medicine and surpassing many doctors. His stoic expression made it even harder for Siegfried and Cecelia to watch.
"My sickness is special," Leticia replied.
"Then let me examine you," Rei insisted.
"Examining me won't change anything."
"Mom, please. I don't want you to die, not this time," Rei pleaded, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
"I'm not giving up, Rei, but something is going to happen to this country, Me and your father can't just leave this places," Leticia explained.
"Is that more important than taking care of me?" Rei asked, clenching his fists. "I'm going to get selfish, so please stay with me for a lot longer, Mom."
"I-" Leticia didn't know what to say. He was right. This was the first time he was being selfish, but she didn't want him to do something in vain and blame himself if he failed to save her. "I'm sorry, Rei, but I can't... How about your father and I teach you until we have to leave?"
"You've already taught me a lot... I don't need those knowledge," Rei said, his voice tinged with sadness.
"This is for you," Leticia said, handing him a white birthday box. "This was meant to be your birthday present, but because of the sudden situation, it seems you have to leave before things get worse."
Rei bit his lip, gritting his teeth. "Okay, I'll go, but I'll still give you a gift." He dashed upstairs and returned with a white book, handing it to Leticia.
"I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry for leaving you so soon," Leticia said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mom, doesn't have a choice in this."
Cecilia covered her mouth, and Siegfried looked away. Even they couldn't do anything about it. It's already a miracle that she was moving and staying alive for many years.
"Mama, Papa, why is Aunt Leticia leaving Rei?" Kiana asked, not understanding why Leticia was leaving Rei.
"We'll explain it to you in the future, Kiana," Siegfried said, lifting up his daughter and hugging her.
"Okay, in the future, please explain it to me," Kiana said, smiling brightly like sunshine. "Promise me, okay?" She gestured for Siegfried to make a pinky promise.
"Yeah, I promise," Siegfried laughed and made the pinky promise.
-Rei pov-
Why is this happening again?
I wonder as I clench my fists, filled with frustration. Is losing my parents destined to happen? Back in my original world, I already lost my mother and father.
Mom fought cancer, while Dad died in a car accident.
And now, here I am, feeling helpless once more. What's the point of learning all those things from the library?
And what's with that pink energy surrounding her? Is it related to her sickness?
Ever since I arrived in this world, I've seen that pink aura. Whenever I touch it, I feel my body getting stronger, like it's reinforcing me.
It even seemed to heal Mom's cancer symptoms whenever I used it on her.
So why is she telling me she's sick? What's her illness, and why do Aunt Cecilia's family and I have to leave the country?
What's going on? I need to find out soon.
I wipe away my tears, clearing my mind. Being negative won't help me.
"You feeling better?" Kiana asks, hugging me tightly.
"Yeah, thanks, Onee-chan," I reply, returning the hug gratefully.
"Hehehe," Kiana giggles, hitting her chest proudly. "Of course! I'm your Onee-chan, it's my job to cheer you up."
Her cuteness makes me chuckle despite everything.
"They look adorable together," Cecelia remarks with a warm smile.
"Yeah, looks like I might lose my daughter sooner than I thought," Siegfried answered, wiping his tears away.
"Don't worry, Papa, you won't lose me. I'll become the greatest Valkyrie and surpass Mom!" Kiana declares proudly, striking a superhero pose.
Confusion evident on my face, I glanced at Aunt Cecilia and her husband.
Valkyrie? What does she mean? I have to find out, my instincts are pushing me to learn more about it.
Siegfried noticed my confusion and patted my head reassuringly. "I'll explain once we get home."