Honkai disease, they said, was a symptom that most ordinary people would develop during a Honkai outbreak.
Its manifestations included the body turning into one of the Dead, corrosion marks appearing on the skin, and the patient suffering from a loss of bodily functions...
This was all the information the Fire MOTHs had released on [Spark]. It was meticulously detailed in every aspect. Aside from the so-called "real cases" that were somewhat questionable, one could say they had shared everything with the public.
But... the Fire MOTHs had also provided another piece of information—
"Honkai Disease: Incurable."
Aizahár hung her head, reciting in a low voice all the literature on [Spark] regarding Honkai disease. She knew it so well that Bianka couldn't help but wonder how many times she must have read it to remember it so clearly.
The last line of the document was always the same... "Incurable."
Aizahár's tone was merely somber, as if she had long accepted this outcome, but the hand that quietly tightened betrayed an emotion completely contrary to her expression.
Back when she was with the Fire MOTHs, Bianka had also seen information on Honkai disease. She had paid special attention to anything related to the Honkai and had once requested permission from Otto to view patients with the disease.
But Otto's response to her request was—no patients available for viewing.
Bianka didn't dwell on Otto's use of the word "viewing"—a term of extreme disrespect to the patients—but instead focused on the fact that there were "no patients."
Wasn't this disease said to be a common complication of Honkai exposure? If it was labeled as "common," then the number of patients should be high. Why were there no patients?
Could it be... that Honkai disease wasn't truly "incurable" in the way one might think, but rather had some special method of treatment?
This thought didn't come from any logical deduction; it was purely an subconscious guess on Bianka's part.
No patients = All patients have been cured = The Fire MOTHs have a targeted therapy.
So Bianka took this question to Otto, and half an hour later, she silently left his office.
"A method of treatment? Of course, there is one." Otto had been quite surprised that she had asked such a question, and he had a playful smile on his face as he spoke.
She remembered that Senior Theresa had also been there at the time. Bianka hadn't paid it any mind then, but thinking back now, was Senior Theresa trying to stop something?
But she hadn't taken any specific action, and Otto had chuckled as he revealed the answer that would shock Bianka for the rest of the day.
"If you gather the bodies of a thousand patients who have died from Honkai disease, we might just be able to save one person being tormented by it." Otto's emerald eyes remained fixed on Bianka, seemingly eager to see her reaction.
"How about it... a pretty good deal, right?" Otto had deliberately drawn out his last sentence, which was met with a quiet rebuke from Theresa.
"Grandpa! You're being really obnoxious!"
"Alright, alright, little Theresa, I was just teasing Bianka," Otto's smiling apology had rekindled a glimmer of hope in Bianka's heart.
"So... the method isn't..."
"I never said I was lying," Otto glanced at Bianka from the corner of his eye. In that instant, the coldness that seeped from his eyes made Bianka's body tremble involuntarily.
That gaze... it was exactly the same as the one she had seen when she was first born. It was the gaze of someone who held no regard for life.
Aizahár's mother was the first case of Honkai disease Bianka had ever seen. The faint Honkai energy reaction made her skin crawl.
But the moment she told herself not to be too tense and to relax her body, Bianka's vision suddenly went dark.
This brand-new perspective flustered Bianka for a moment. But it wasn't that she had lost her sight; it was as if the world had lost its color, becoming a world woven from pitch-black darkness and white outlines.
Only when she looked at Aizahár's mother on the bed could she see a faint radiance from the haggard woman's heart.
This is...
Bianka stared at the small ball of light that seemed within her reach, but her intuition screamed that it was something she must never touch!
Can't touch... Bianka turned her gaze to Aizahár. Against the dark background, the girl was like a simple line drawing, just a hollow white silhouette.
Why didn't Aizahár have that ball of light on her?
Finally, Bianka lowered her head and looked at her own outstretched hands.
That substantial ball of light completely filled her hands. Bianka could even make out the color of the light itself.
Pink...
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Bianka's mind as if a switch had been flipped.
Could it be... that these balls of light are... Honkai energy?
That's right, I have Honkai Beast genes in my body, so it shouldn't be difficult for me to see Honkai energy!
It was probably only Honkai energy that she had in abundance, while Aizahár had none at all, and her mother had a negligible amount...
She had arrived at a logically consistent answer, but Bianka still felt that something was wrong.
This felt like the wrong answer. But where was it wrong? Bianka couldn't figure it out.
In the blink of an eye, the strange vision was gone. The normal world made Bianka feel a sense of relief.
"I'm sorry, I... I can't help," Bianka said, looking nervously at Aizahár, her heart filled with guilt.
Aizahár didn't react, just nodded calmly.
"Yes, I know," Aizahár even let go of her mother's hand, gently placing it back on the bed. She turned to say something to Bianka when, suddenly, Bianka's stomach let out a growl.
Aizahár's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Bianka, who was blushing even faster than she had looked up.
"Are you... hungry?" Aizahár asked, her voice filled with disbelief. Bianka, already feeling guilty, lowered her head in shame, only able to give a silent nod.
After a moment of silence, Aizahár suddenly burst out laughing uncontrollably.
"What the... so you rich young ladies get hungry and your stomachs growl just like us!"
Bianka's head shot up.
She knew something was off!
What did she mean, "you rich young ladies"? How was she rich?