Before long, Kiana led Yae Sakura—still wearing her bloodstained miko robes—up the mountain trail toward the peak.
Following behind her, Yae Sakura suddenly realized she had never once thought of coming here—never even considered crossing this mountain to see what lay beyond.
No... that wasn't true.
Long ago, she had thought about it—when she and her sister had tried to flee from the suffocating shrine.
"How can this be..."
When they finally reached the place Kiana wanted her to see, Yae Sakura froze in disbelief and took a step back.
What lay before them—
Was nothingness.
Not even a barrier or backdrop existed.
A vast, gray void.
There was nothing at all.
Having just avenged her greatest hatred, Yae Sakura's mind could no longer keep up. She stared blankly, then stepped forward again in denial.
Kiana didn't stop her.
She only watched as Yae Sakura stretched out her hand, touching nothing. No matter how hard she tried to move forward, she remained in place.
False... forgotten... past...
"False... all of this is false..."
Then what about her memories? Her sister? The revenge she had just taken—how much of it was real?
"Not completely false," Kiana said softly, pulling her back. "This world should be your past—one of your deepest memories."
Yae Sakura's eyes were unfocused, her mind shaken to its core.
The past...
Her memories weren't false?
Was this truly all the past?
Yae Sakura could no longer tell.
"Then... what's the truth?"
She grabbed Kiana's arm, her voice trembling. "I killed him. I avenged everyone, didn't I?"
"I think so."
Yae Sakura froze, her expression dimming. "...You think?"
"Don't misunderstand!"
Kiana quickly explained, "When I met you, it was long after all this. You never mentioned your past—so I can only guess."
Yae Sakura relaxed a little at that.
"When I met you, you were already a Sentinel of the Godslaying Corps—and you carried this Frost Edict Edge."
Yae Sakura fell silent.
"So... what happened?"
What had happened after this day?
Kiana didn't know how to answer.
Seeing that, Yae Sakura didn't press her. Instead, she asked gently, "You came here on purpose to find me, didn't you?"
Kiana nodded, her gaze heavy with emotion. Even now, Yae Sakura showed no sign of recalling her past.
Was that the price for maintaining a Stigmata World? If so, it made no sense.
"You want to take me back?"
Kiana nodded seriously, grasping her hand tightly. "This is your Stigmata World. I want to take you back—to bring you back to life."
She should have insisted earlier, forced Yae Sakura to join Project Ark instead of... leaving her to die in Izumo.
"The outside world..."
Yae Sakura started to speak, but her words trailed off.
Below the mountain, the shrine seemed to come alive. Dark smoke rose from the shrine and the village, thick with malice.
The sudden change startled them both. Even Kiana, ever calm, was caught off guard.
She stared in disbelief as the black fog spread like wildfire, quickly swallowing everything.
Then she turned to Yae Sakura—
And realized the surroundings were starting to blur.
Seeing that, Kiana's eyes widened.
"This world... is rebooting."
Her expression hardened. The change was too sudden—she barely had time to place a hand on Yae Sakura's shoulder, channeling her Honkai energy to shield her from being drawn into the reboot.
This was Yae Sakura's Stigmata World.
Everything here was tied to her. But Yae Sakura clearly had no desire to trigger a reboot.
Then why was it happening?
Confusion filled Kiana's heart as she held Yae Sakura close. The world around them twisted, blurring further—everything seemed to rewind at an impossible speed.
But as swiftly as the chaos began—
It vanished just as fast.
In the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal. Only when Kiana sensed the world had stabilized did she finally release Yae Sakura.
"What just happened?"
Yae Sakura finally found her voice. The black smoke that had risen from the shrine and the village—what was it?
"This world just rebooted," Kiana replied, her expression grave. After everything that had just occurred, her eyes held a complicated look as she met Yae Sakura's gaze.
"This wasn't the first time it's rebooted."
"Sakura, do you remember anything from before?"
Rebooted... what did that mean?
Instinctively, Yae Sakura wanted to dismiss it as impossible—but the gray void behind them made denial impossible.
"I don't know anything."
Her voice carried a trace of bitterness. In such a short time, she had accepted that this was a false world—and now she was faced with the truth that it had just undergone a reboot.
But truly, she remembered nothing. Her mind was blank.
No memories of anything before.
"It seems this world still hides some secrets," Kiana murmured. She glanced at Yae Sakura. "I don't know which point in time the world has reset to, but let's go back to the shrine and take a look."
Yae Sakura nodded faintly. "Alright."
The starting and ending points of a reboot must both be moments of significance to Yae Sakura.
Kiana had her suspicions.
Either the time when the evil god first appeared—or the time a year ago, when Yae Sakura's sister Rin was to be offered as a sacrifice.
Kiana leaned toward the latter.
It took only a little over ten minutes to descend the mountain.
But the scenery was different now. The growth of the trees, the condition of the path—both had visibly changed.
The shrine, however, remained the same.
Having just slain the evil god, Yae Sakura walked straight toward the inner hall where the deity was enshrined.
Everything looked untouched, as if nothing had ever happened. Even the idol of the evil god inside the altar stood intact.
When Yae Sakura saw it, disgust returned to her eyes. Her grip on the Frost Blade tightened as she restrained the urge to slice it in two.
The world had rebooted.
Which meant that the evil god—and that man—had both been revived as well, hadn't they?!
"He's not here again."
Kiana caught Yae Sakura's arm, urging her to calm down. "There's no rush to slay the Kami. I think the world's reboot might be tied to fulfilling your desire for revenge."
"He's rarely at the shrine. I don't know where he goes most of the time."
Kiana nodded thoughtfully. "Let's go back to your courtyard. Change your clothes, and then we'll go over everything we know so far."
The anomaly in this world clearly wasn't caused by the Kami. Something that could be killed with a single blow wasn't powerful enough to affect a Stigmata World. The problem had to lie with Yae Sakura herself.
She just didn't yet understand why.
"We need to find out why this Stigmata World keeps rebooting," Kiana said.
The reason for the reboot... was that also why she couldn't remember anything Kiana said? Why she had no recollection of her past?
Yae Sakura nodded. A shadow of unease clouded her heart. This world was not only false—but seemed to hide secrets beyond her understanding.
Lost in their own thoughts, they returned home.
As Yae Sakura pushed open the gate, intending to follow Kiana's advice—change out of her blood-soaked robes and sit down to talk—she froze at the sound of a voice.
"...Sister?"
There was no mistaking that voice.
It was the one she had longed to hear day and night—the voice she could never forget, even if the world itself ended.
A young girl, barely past ten, who looked almost identical to Yae Sakura. There was no need for explanation—anyone could tell at a glance that they were sisters.
Because of her frail health, Yae Rin had always been confined to their home, unable to go anywhere.
For her, the greatest joy in life was waiting by the door to greet her sister's return.
But today was different.
When she saw her sister's bloodstained robes and the red in her eyes, she panicked, not even sparing a thought for the unfamiliar stranger by her side. She rushed forward in worry. "Sister, are you hurt?!"
This had never happened before.
So much blood.
Rin didn't dare imagine what her sister must have gone through while she was away.
Hearing Rin's voice, Yae Sakura's composure shattered. Overwhelmed by the flood of emotion, she took a few trembling steps forward, knelt, and embraced her living, breathing sister tightly.
"Rin... you're alive... you're here... thank goodness... thank goodness..."
Tears burst from her eyes uncontrollably. Her sister was the most precious person in her entire world. At that moment, Yae Sakura sincerely thanked this false world for rebooting—thankful that it had let her see Rin again.
To see Rin once more...
It was enough to make her heart ache with joy.
Watching the tearful reunion, Kiana stood quietly, not wanting to disturb the sisters. This timeline made sense now.
"Don't cry, Sister! I'm here!"
Rin tilted her head, confused. She had always been here.
Though still a child, Yae Rin was an unusually considerate girl. Seeing her sister cry, she anxiously tried to comfort her.
She didn't understand what was happening—but if her sister was crying, something terrible must have happened.
"I'll stay with you, no matter what happens!"
"Rin..."
Her sister's words made Yae Sakura's tears flow even harder. Her gentle, trusting little sister—she had failed to protect her.
She had watched Rin die with her own eyes.
No matter how she had fought or begged, she couldn't save her from that man's hands.
It would take a long time before she could calm down again.
Kiana turned her gaze away from them, scanning the courtyard. Everything looked exactly as it had before the reboot.
Just as she expected.
It took Yae Sakura a long while to steady herself. The tears had drained away all the grief and despair bottled up inside her.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt," she said at last, voice trembling. "I'm just... just so happy to see you again. I'm sorry, Rin—I must have scared you."
Loosening her hold, Yae Sakura wiped her tears and forced a clumsy, awkward smile.
"But Sister, you're covered in blood..."
Rin had wanted to say "you were crying," but thought better of it—adults might be embarrassed to hear that.
"This isn't my blood."
Yae Sakura glanced down at herself, at the horrifying stains covering her robes, and felt a strange mix of emotions.
If she had known she would see Rin again, she would've been more careful earlier—not letting the blood splash onto her.
Now Rin was worrying because of her.
She couldn't help but regret it.
Not her blood?
Rin's gaze shifted toward Kiana, the stranger who had come with her sister. To her, Kiana was unfamiliar—about the same age as her sister, with white hair, blue eyes, and a gentle smile that seemed to radiate warmth.
She was beautiful.
"It's not me~"
Noticing the girl's curious stare, Kiana smiled softly and playfully winked at her.
Rin, who rarely saw strangers, was instantly intrigued. Tugging on her sister's sleeve, she looked up at her and asked, "Sister, is she your friend?"
Her sister had always spent all her time caring for her. Rin, weak and bedridden, had always felt she was holding her back.
"Yes," Yae Sakura said with a gentle nod. "Kiana is my friend."
Kiana nodded with a friendly smile. "My name's Kiana."
Yae Sakura echoed softly, reluctant to part even for a moment. "Kiana is my friend."
She needed to change her clothes.
Kiana saw her hesitate, glanced back at Rin, and instantly understood what she wanted to say.
"You're going to change, right? Don't worry—leave your sister to me. I'll take care of her."
"Thank you."
"It's no trouble at all."
Kiana turned to look at Yae Rin with a gentle expression. "Your sister's adorable."
"Rin, I'll go change my clothes. Wait here for me, okay?"
Yae Sakura reluctantly stood and headed into the bedroom.
Kiana and Yae Rin looked at each other curiously for a few seconds before Kiana broke the silence with a warm tone. "Rin, right?"
"Yes, my name's Yae Rin. I'm Sister's little sister."
Rin nodded earnestly.
"Don't be nervous," Kiana said with a soft laugh. "Your sister and I are very good friends."
Even though this world might be false, with Yae Sakura being its only true existence, Kiana didn't see the girl before her as a mere illusion.
Upon hearing her words, Yae Rin's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Kiana-sis, have you known my sister for a long time? She's never brought a friend home before—you're the first!"
"Hmm... I guess it's been quite a while," Kiana replied, though her tone carried uncertainty.
"Sister really is something," Rin pouted lightly. "She never tells me about important things like this."
Rin had always worried about her sister's lack of friends, so Kiana's arrival was a pleasant surprise. She hoped her sister could meet more reliable people—so that even if she couldn't live long, her sister wouldn't have to face the world alone.
Though still young, Yae Rin had long known that she might not be able to stay by her sister's side as she grew up.
Not because of her weak body—
But because of the man at the shrine, their father. He despised her.
"Kiana-sis, you came from outside the village, didn't you? How did you meet Sister?"
Rin's curiosity about her sister seemed endless.
"Well, she and I..."
Kiana recalled their first encounter and gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Let's just say it started with a misunderstanding. You could call it... not quite friends at first sight."
Rin's eyes lit up with excitement—that sounded just like the stories she'd read in her picture books. She was about to ask for more details when the bedroom door creaked open.
Yae Sakura stepped out, now wearing clean clothes.
"Sister."
Rin, who had just been gossiping about her, instantly straightened up, a little flustered.
"Wait a moment, I need to soak these clothes first."
The house, being made of wood, wasn't soundproof at all. While changing, Yae Sakura had overheard the conversation between Kiana and Rin.
And truth be told—she was just as curious about the question Rin had asked Kiana earlier.