The Herrscher of the End's Honkai energy was used to induce and stimulate the expression of latent Stigmata genes. Both the foreseeable X-10 experiment and Jackal's "Stigmata Project," although their ultimate research directions differed, had the same core starting point. And another common point was that they were both extremely dangerous.
The higher the Honkai energy adaptability and the more complete the Stigmata gene, the higher the probability of success. This was undeniable. But what if the test subject desperately resisted on the eve of success?
'No, stop!'
When the fragile Stigmata began to take a clear shape in the depths of his consciousness, on the verge of being within reach, Lin Wei suddenly woke up.
Thus, the delicate balance was broken. Lin Wei's body, cells, and genes began to tear and collapse. Just a moment before the avalanche-like collapse, a black mist suddenly appeared, coiling like a rope between Lin Wei's consciousness and the fragile Stigmata, pulling them back together.
"Wait..."
BOOM!
The moment he touched the Stigmata, it was as if he had passed through an invisible door. The next second, Lin Wei seemed to have arrived in another bizarre world, full of light and shadow, confusing and bewildering, like an intricate maze with no known origin or exit.
"..."
Lin Wei was silent for a moment and tried to walk forward. He took just one step, and the scene suddenly changed again. When he came to his senses, he found himself once again in the Sea of Quanta.
This should have been an extremely shocking event, but looking at the scene before him, Lin Wei only felt a sense of heartache and self-blame.
A few meters away, another version of himself, with eyes tightly closed and unconscious, was being swept, battered, and torn by the surging quantum tides, as small as an ant about to drown in the ocean.
And every surging wave, just a moment before it touched Lin Wei's body, would be cut open by a sword light, creating a small gap, allowing it to flow past on either side of Lin Wei's body.
Wave after wave, sword strike after sword strike...
Lin Wei watched with his own eyes as Yae Sakura, with the sharp sword in her hand, carved out a relatively peaceful "reef" in this surging sea of dimensions.
With every swing of her sword, the color on her face grew paler. With every wave she cut through, the hand holding the sword trembled a little more.
"Hah... hah... it's almost over..."
Yae Sakura was already exhausted, but she still firmly protected the unconscious Lin Wei behind her, desperately squeezing her already empty-shell-like body, and struggling to swing her sword again.
"Just a little longer... just... until he wakes up..."
When I wake up, then what?
Lin Wei, who was watching all this from the side, walked forward, wanting to help her, but his hands came up empty. He couldn't change the past in his memory.
"..."
Lin Wei futilely retracted his hands, his heart numb.
He had never been so directly aware of how foolish his decision to rashly enter the Sea of Quanta had been.
He had thought that his fragility and blindness in this world bubble was the price he had to pay. But it was only now that he knew that the real danger and price had already been paid by someone else, long before he could see it...
"Exchanging you for me... is it worth it, Sakura?"
Lin Wei murmured to himself, his heart a mix of emotions.
"Of course it's worth it."
Yae Sakura's pleasant, gentle laughter sounded in his ear, followed by a faint sigh. "I am your Stigmata. It is my duty to protect you..."
"No, you're not!"
This sigh, as if accepting her fate, made Lin Wei feel both sad and angry. He wanted to chase after the direction of the voice, but the moment he turned his head, he ran into a hard wall and shouted angrily, "To hell with Stigmata, to hell with duty! You are Yae Sakura, a living, breathing Yae Sakura! You have your own life, hobbies, joys, and sorrows! You should have a better future, not be bound by anything, including me, and including yourself!"
Why had he come to the Sea of Quanta?
Both to get away from Otto and find some peace, and more importantly, to break the shackles on Yae Sakura, so that she could stay by his side for a long time.
He was so close, just had to find Kevin, then Su...
And now, to be told that on the very first day he stepped into the Sea of Quanta, it was all over? How could Lin Wei accept such a malicious ending?
As he protested angrily, he fumbled his way through the maze-like world of memories.
Every wall here was a unique memory. Every touch was like activating a living mural, engraved with every unforgettable memory.
On the wall to his left was a dilapidated small village, a tired young girl, a sickly younger sister, a ferocious fox demon, and a bewildered and lonely nun. It was a memory full of darkness, oppression, and sadness.
On the wall to his right was a similar yet new village, and a bustling modern city. The once-tired young girl had grown a pair of long fox ears, accompanied by a lively and well-behaved little girl, quietly looking at a clear back in the distance. It was a memory full of peace, tranquility, and a touch of unreachable sighing...
Two completely different memories, one of sinking, one of peace, were separated by Lin Wei's position, distinct yet integrated, weaving together this indescribable maze of memories.
"The human Yae Sakura died five hundred years ago. The current Yae Sakura was born for you, and now dies for you. Such an ending is enough to bring comfort to the heart..."
"..."
That voice was still sighing in the distance, as if reluctant, yet satisfied. "Thank you, Lin Wei-kun. These past few days, you have shown me many different sceneries. I will remember them in my heart, and I have no way to repay you, except..."
"I don't need it!"
How could Lin Wei not know what she was trying to say? He immediately interrupted without hesitation, scolding her rudely, "This Stigmata was my spoils of war from the very beginning. I don't need you to offer it to me!"
"...That's true."
The voice paused, then smiled helplessly. "In that case, I have no choice but to return it to its original owner..."
"You!"
Her calm and composed demeanor made Lin Wei furious for a moment. He said in an almost pleading tone, "Stop messing around, Sakura. Let's go home. Just like last time, okay?"
"Home...?"
Lin Wei suddenly stopped. Yae Sakura had appeared in front of him at some point, but her figure was as thin as a phantom that would break at the slightest touch. She sighed. "I didn't want to appear before you in such an unsightly state, but..."
Yae Sakura looked at him with a sad expression and reached out a nearly invisible hand to touch his face. It felt like a faint breeze brushing against his cheek.
"Lin Wei-kun, you are my home..."
"..."
A heavy hammer slammed into his chest. Countless words were stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken. He gritted his teeth and said, tremblingly, "Then... don't go..."
At this moment, Lin Wei felt an unprecedented helplessness, as if he had returned to the time when he was being eroded by the Honkai, waiting for death in despair, as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was abandoned by the whole world...
Lin Wei had always thought that he was already very strong, strong enough to change the future of the entire world with his own strength.
But at this moment, Lin Wei suddenly discovered that he was so weak that he couldn't even catch a wisp of wind by his side...
The flames of anger in Lin Wei's heart seemed to be able to burn through the entire world. If only I could turn back time...
Yae Sakura shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile, stopping his wild thoughts. She placed her other transparent hand in his palm. The next second, a tiny flame ignited on the hand that was stroking his face.
It wasn't scorching hot. It didn't harm a single hair on his head, but it burned Yae Sakura away like a willow catkin. It burned from her fingers to her arm, then over her chest and serene face, then to her other arm, and finally turned into a warm flame that landed in Lin Wei's palm and merged into his body.
"..."
Lin Wei wanted to refuse, but he couldn't bear to disappoint her. In the end, he could only force himself to accept her final gift, letting this flame turn into a spring of water, extinguishing the surging black flames in his heart.
A white light flashed, as if passing through another door. Lin Wei stood on a rock by a mountain path, silently looking at the peaceful and tranquil village in the distance. A wide wooden bridge crossed a gurgling stream, and in the distance were lush farmlands and verdant fruits. The weather was beautiful, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds.
"I'm back here again..."
Lin Wei thought with a sense of loss. He waited for a moment, then silently turned around and looked at the empty space behind him, feeling even more lost.
Yae Village. Every time he came here, he felt different.
"Things have changed..."
The large Yae Village was empty. Lin Wei wandered through it silently, carefully opening every closed door, lifting every cabinet and barrel lid.
If it were before, Lin Wei would have been severely criticized by Yae Sakura for being "impolite," even if this was a world made of mental images and there were no real residents. She had always insisted on it.
She had always been very careful to maintain order in the village, both five hundred years ago and now...
He couldn't find any trace of her. Lin Wei smiled bitterly and put back the doors he had opened, the cabinets and barrel lids he had lifted, as if he had been causing trouble.
Similarly, no one came to praise him for doing the right thing...
"What am I doing?"
Lin Wei muttered to himself like a fool, shook his head, and continued to walk through the familiar village, following the familiar path, turning and going up, passing a huge cherry blossom tree, then turning again to the village chief's house. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock...
No one answered.
He pushed open the door. It was the familiar small courtyard and old house. The courtyard was full of flowers, but the house was still empty.
"..."
Lin Wei stood there for a moment in silence, then gently closed the door and turned to leave.
Crossing another bridge, Lin Wei climbed the mountain.
In the real Yae Village five hundred years ago, this was just a rugged mountain path that Yae Sakura had personally carved out to be able to fulfill her duties as both a shrine maiden and a caregiver for her sister. But in the Stigmata space, it had long since become a wide road, and a turn would lead directly to the shrine at the top.
He climbed the stairs, and just past the halfway point, he faintly heard the sound of sobbing in the wind. Lin Wei quickly strode to the top, and at a glance, he saw a small, pink-haired girl curled up in a corner, crying helplessly.
"Rin, you're here..."
Lin Wei was slightly relieved. He gently walked to her side and stroked her head comfortingly.
"Brother..."
The little girl looked at him and said through her sobs, "I... I can't find my sister..."
Lin Wei squatted down, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and comforted her with a smile. "It's okay, you still have me."
"I... I looked for a long time... the village is so big... I couldn't find her... no matter how I looked..."
The little girl said through her sobs. "In the end... I only found... this..."
As she spoke, she took something out from her clothes, held it in both hands, and carefully handed it to Lin Wei.
"This is..."
Lin Wei was first stunned, then shocked, then it dawned on him. He shook his head and chuckled, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahahaha!"
Lin Wei's reaction was too abrupt. The little girl was so scared she stopped crying. She shook his arm and asked worriedly, "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
She was afraid that something would happen to her only other relative.
"It's nothing, don't worry, Rin. I should be thanking you. You've been a great help."
Lin Wei laughed for a while. Only after he felt that all the pent-up frustration and anger had been vented did he let out a long sigh, show a relaxed smile, and gently stroke the little girl's soft hair. He said softly, "Trust me, I will definitely bring your sister back to you."
"Mhm!"
The little girl smiled, as bright as an angel. She didn't need any promises from Lin Wei. She just nodded and said, "Brother is the most amazing, most amazing person in the world. He will definitely find my sister!"
"...Haha."
Lin Wei smiled helplessly. A child's pure blessing was always so hard to respond to.
He reached out and ruffled her beautiful hair into a mess, then gently picked up the protesting little girl and carried her down the mountain. Only after he had tucked her into bed and she had fallen asleep did he let out a long breath, walk out the door, and gently close it.
"Hehe, I never thought there would be such a twist of fate..."
Lin Wei looked at the feather in his hand, which was glowing with a gentle luster, with a complicated expression. It was the thing the little girl had given him earlier. He could feel that the last wisp of Yae Sakura's consciousness was quietly sleeping in this feather.
Lin Wei looked at this familiar feather, his heart a mix of emotions.
During the final battle with the Herrscher of Corruption, in order to find a way to break the deadlock, he had given the feather that Fu Hua had given him to the then newly acquainted Yae Sakura. Afterwards, Fu Hua had given him another, more important feather, but had not taken back the previous one.
He had never expected that after all this time, this feather, which was originally intended to preserve the last glimmer of Yae Sakura's life, would in the end really preserve the last glimmer of her life for him. What a twist of fate...
Lin Wei was silent for a long time, then finally let out a long breath, looked to the distant horizon, and shook his head with a bitter smile. "In the end, you still helped me, Fu Hua..."
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really duh, wait! again!