[After reminiscing for a while, the group immediately went to search for supplies. However, after checking several crates in succession, they found them all empty. The area was filled with monsters, but it was impossible that the monsters had taken them.]
[Fragmentum creatures don't need human supplies, and even if they stole things, they wouldn't be so… polite about it.]
[Fortunately, there were footprints left on the ground. Following the trail, the three soon found the person who had taken the supplies ahead of them—a little guy who didn't even reach Seele's waist: Eric.]
[Eric's attitude toward these adults was extremely unfriendly, as if he were covered in thorns, ready to prick anyone who approached. Though young, he was a notorious thief in the Underworld, and whenever he got caught, he'd use his father as a shield, which made Seele dislike him greatly.]
[The brat not only had a sharp tongue but this time even tried to negotiate with Seele and the others using the supplies he'd found first, demanding two hundred Winter Sovereign Coins in exchange.]
——
"This kid's got some of that Underworld cunning. Even in a situation like this, he still remembers to bargain." Silco shook his head. "But bargaining only works when both sides are on equal footing. In a dangerous place like this, the one with the bigger fists makes the rules."
Jinx, standing nearby, agreed with this sentiment.
In her opinion, Seele, as a member of Wildfire, was impeccable in terms of temperament and strength… she was just too kind.
If it were her, she wouldn't have wasted time listening to the kid's nonsense—she'd have just taken the supplies by force. After all, aside from them, there were no other living people in Rivet Town, so who would even see?
Besides, without Seele and the others, it was questionable whether this brat could even make it out of the town alive.
——
[Seele was furious and was about to scold him when Bronya suddenly interrupted.]
["Enough! Seele, no more."]
[Bronya slowly crouched down, unfastened a medal from her waist, and gently placed it in Eric's hand. "This medal was awarded to me by the Architects… See this blue stone in the middle? It's the highest-purity Geomarrow crystal."]
[Bronya's voice was gentle as she knelt on one knee, wiping away the tears at the corner of Eric's eyes. "You need the money for your family, right? Take this and use it to treat your father's illness."]
["Mhm! Th-thank you, big sis!"]
[Bronya's kindness made Seele view her in a new light. She began to realize that this noble lady from the Overworld… was fundamentally different from those high-and-mighty elites.]
[Though she didn't think a brat like Eric deserved a medal, she respected Bronya's decision. Her kindness was not without reward—Eric not only handed over all the supplies he'd gathered but also provided valuable intel about the Fragmentum monsters in Rivet Town.]
——
"What's wrong, Vi?"
In a luxurious villa somewhere in Piltover, Caitlyn was watching the scenes on the Celestial Screen with Vi.
Vi, who had just been bickering with her about how to handle the vagrants in the Undercity, suddenly fell silent when she saw Bronya comforting the child.
"Feeling unwell?" Caitlyn leaned closer, concerned.
"Sorry, it's nothing." Vi lowered her head, her eyes filled with tangled threads of regret. "It's just… I couldn't help but remember some things from the past."
The gentleness in Bronya's eyes felt like a sharp knife stabbing into her heart.
If back then… she had been as calm and gentle as Bronya, maybe everything would have turned out differently.
Powder wouldn't have become Jinx, and they wouldn't have become mortal enemies…
All these years, she'd lived by the Undercity's code—when faced with troublesome opponents, she'd use even harder fists to force them into submission. If she couldn't win, she'd retreat, regroup, and come back stronger another day.
But Bronya's way of solving problems felt like opening a door to a whole new world.
——
"Maybe once you put on the uniform, you'll fully understand Bronya's approach."
Caitlyn, keenly picking up on the fleeting thought in Vi's mind, stretched lazily and looked down at her. "Compared to fighting violence with violence, this method is far more lasting."
——
[Following the intel, Stelle and the others bypassed some powerful Fragmentum monsters and successfully reached the orphanage. Natasha's stored medical alcohol was supposed to be here.]
[The group rummaged through the place but found nothing. Yet, as Bronya took in the desolate state of the orphanage… the sense of familiarity washed over her in increasingly stronger waves.]
[Images in her mind grew clearer…]
[Finally, when Seele unearthed a white handmade craft, that familiarity fully triggered Bronya's long-buried memories.]
["This… this is something I made when I was little." Bronya gently ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the craft, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of memories.]
["I used to live here—before the Architects took me away, before Lady Cocolia adopted me—I lived here! I… I'm from the Underworld."]
——
"It seems that even in another world, we're sisters from the same orphanage, Seele."
At St. Freya Academy, Bronya wasn't surprised at all. She firmly believed that the bond between her and Seele would remain strong even across worlds—she just hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence.
Though their alternate selves were quite different from their original counterparts in both personality and appearance, something intangible still connected them.
This wasn't something as simple as mere "fate."
And unsurprisingly, this scene once again exploded across the Valkyrie forums.
"This plot twist… Wait, I'm starting to understand everything. Is this something even more legendary than a 'childhood friend' or 'someone falling from the sky'—a 'childhood friend falling from the sky'?!"
"Sob! My eyes were made to witness this!"
"So… when are the two in the Celestial Screen getting married?"
"…Hold up! Isn't that progress a bit too fast? The originals at the academy haven't even gotten married yet!"
"Oh, so… when are the originals getting married? Should I go fetch the marriage registration office?"
——
[As her childhood memories rushed back, Bronya's eyes reddened. She looked down at the land ravaged by the Fragmentum, her voice trembling with unshed tears.]
["After becoming Lady Cocolia's daughter, I had no other identity. But I… I've fallen so short…"]
["Every day, I witness Silvermane Guards sacrificing their lives in the Fragmentum, yet I could never muster the resolve to change Mother's mind."]
["I knew the Underworld was suffering, yet I couldn't do anything to help. My former home has been reduced to this state, and I was completely oblivious…"]
["In the end, I couldn't [protect] anything. Why was I chosen? How can I possibly be worthy…"]