Kiana awoke from her deep sleep to find herself lying on a warm bed, her clothes dry and comfortable, though they hadn't been changed.
"Was... I saved?"
Kiana knew what she had done before. While dealing with a sudden Honkai eruption, the accumulated Honkai energy in her body had become excessive. Furthermore, having previously used the Herrscher of the Void's power to save someone, that consciousness within her had begun to fight her for control again. Under those circumstances, Kiana couldn't maintain consciousness and could only fall into a coma. She remembered it was raining heavily before she passed out.
Her clothes were dry, but they hadn't been changed?
"You're awake? How are you feeling?"
The door was pushed open. Kiana looked and saw a young man with black hair walk in. He had a somewhat ethereal air about him; his looks weren't stunning, but definitely not bad either.
It was strange. For some reason, Kiana felt that the person before her looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had seen him before. It felt as though his appearance was veiled by a thick layer in her memory; she could vaguely make out his form but couldn't see him clearly.
Xin Yu observed the unfamiliarity in Kiana's gaze as she looked at him. He knew then that this time, he hadn't arrived in a future timeline, but in a completely different world.
"Hello, my name is Xin Yu. Please don't worry, I didn't change your clothes. No need to worry about me doing anything inappropriate. Your clothes were dried using some special methods of mine."
"I also brewed a pot of red sugar ginger tea for you. It can help ward off the cold and is very good for the body after being caught in the rain. Would you like a bowl?"
Kiana paused for a moment after hearing Xin Yu's words, then said, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm so sorry for troubling you."
Kiana didn't actually want to get too involved with the young man before her, but her body felt somewhat out of control right now. Having just clashed with the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness, her mind still felt extremely groggy.
"No need for that. Within my capabilities, offering some help to those in need is something I should do. In fact, if I encountered a situation beyond my abilities, I'd run off immediately. Besides, I saw that you look very pretty, so you definitely couldn't be a bad person. That's why I helped you."
Xin Yu's words brought a hint of a smile to Kiana's face, and the slight feeling of indebtedness she had felt also diminished considerably.
After the experience with Yae Sakura, Xin Yu understood that he couldn't let someone feel they owed him too much, otherwise it would inevitably lead to troublesome consequences.
Therefore, this time, he deliberately acted slightly more flippant, adding a layer of purpose and excuse to his act of rescue. This way, the person saved wouldn't feel too much guilt towards him.
"Kiana, you should rest for a while now. You've been fighting intensely for so long, your mind constantly taut, which led to your current collapse. You need to try and relax for a bit. If you continue like this, the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness will overcome you sooner or later."
The Class President's voice sounded in her mind. Kiana sighed, her eyes downcast, her usual vitality and smile gone from her face.
"I know, Class President. But if I don't do anything, I feel like I'll be crushed by my regret and guilt, unable to breathe. Whenever I have free time, I can't help but think about the things that happened when I was still at the academy, can't help but think about... Teacher Himeko."
As Kiana spoke the last words, her body trembled slightly. To this day, she still couldn't face the fact that she had killed her teacher with her own hands. Even if she wasn't in control then, even if it was the other consciousness in her body that did it, it couldn't hide the fact that she was the cause of it all.
Moreover, back then, she had hurt so many people.
Every time Kiana threw herself into busy combat, she couldn't help but think it would be better if she died in battle... then it would truly be easier, she truly wouldn't have to bear these burdens anymore.
But she couldn't die! If she died, what would Teacher Himeko's sacrifice mean?!
Kiana could only force herself to live on like this.
Xin Yu's footsteps, sounding somewhat heavy, approached from outside the room. Kiana quickly wiped her eyes with her hand, then put on an appearance of nonchalance as she watched Xin Yu push the door open and walk in.
Xin Yu held a tray, upon which sat a ceramic bowl filled with steaming hot red sugar ginger tea.
"This is my first time making this. Please don't mind if it doesn't taste good."
"It's okay, I don't mind."
Of course, Kiana wouldn't mind. She basically couldn't taste anything anymore. When she first awakened her powers, Kiana could indeed taste flavors. But after wandering for some time, she found her sense of taste growing weaker and weaker. Even heavily oiled and salted, strong-flavored dishes tasted like plain water in her mouth. By now, she had completely lost her sense of taste.
Kiana lifted the bowl from the tray and took a small sip of the red sugar ginger tea. In that instant, her eyes widened.
Because she tasted sweetness—a sweetness different from the cakes she had eaten before, different from the snacks and candies she'd had before. It was a sweetness like honey. Tasting something again after completely losing her sense of taste made Kiana's eyes well up uncontrollably.
This sweetness even brought back memories of the carefree days at St. Freya Academy.
Xin Yu had quietly exited the room at some unknown point, the sound of the door closing almost silent.
He didn't know Kiana had lost her sense of taste. He had only noticed that her body was oppressed by a large amount of Honkai energy and her physical condition was exceptionally poor. So, he had added a drop of his own blood to the bowl of tea.
After reaching the Golden Core realm, he had altered certain substances within his blood to some extent. It could suppress energy and also induce a sense of sweetness in the drinker, allowing them to recall the taste of happiness from their past lives.
He could see the young girl was heavy-hearted, devoid of her former joy, as if something was constantly blocking her heart.
He didn't know what the Kiana of this world had experienced, and he knew he neither had the ability nor the right to delve deeper. So, he hoped that the sweetness, capable of evoking memories of happiness, could provide some solace to the girl's heart, allowing her spirit to relax for a time.
Even if tomorrow's life would still be hard, still be tiring, still require facing the trauma of the past.
But sometimes, it is precisely this simple sweetness that supports people in continuing towards tomorrow.
Xin Yu stood outside the door, heard the soft sobbing from within the room, and politely walked away.