Amphoreus, Janusopolis, Abyss of Fate.
"Hmm?"
"Is that... the Astral Express?"
"No, just a carriage from the Astral Express?"
Lumina and Herta hadn't walked far before arriving at a rubble-strewn ruin.
Above this rubble, a single carriage remained lodged among the debris.
Herta could sense the lingering aura of Trailblaze emanating from the wreckage.
"Ah, this must be where Stelle and the others first entered Amphoreus," Lumina murmured, nodding slightly in confirmation of Herta's suspicions.
"Heh."
"Looks like... those little rascals didn't have such a smooth descent into Amphoreus after all."
Taking in the scene, Herta chuckled softly.
The carriage was embedded deep within the rubble, its front end wedged firmly into the debris. Holes riddled the carriage's hull, and scorch marks ringed the area.
These signs all pointed to Stelle, Little Swarm, and Dan Heng having a rough landing in Amphoreus. At the very least, these clues suggested they had come under attack mid-flight, ultimately causing the carriage to crash here.
"Herta, I think we can drop the 'such a' from that sentence."
"They must have crashed," Lumina said, shaking her head, her expression turning serious.
She strode to the rubble, levitated, and entered the wrecked carriage.
Herta followed suit.
"Herta, don't you find this strange?" Lumina asked after a brief inspection, her suspicion deepening.
"Strange?" Herta echoed, examining the lingering energy traces within the wreckage.
"Hmm, you're right. There is something off."
After her own investigation, Herta also detected the anomaly.
"There's no doubt they were attacked while riding the train into Amphoreus, causing the carriage to crash here."
"But this attack... it's both powerful and weak at the same time."
"It's understandable that the Stellaron Spirit and the man couldn't withstand it. But why couldn't even Little Swarm defend against it?"
Herta calmly recounted the trio's journey into Amphoreus aboard the carriage.
"For Little Swarm, this attack shouldn't even be able to breach her defenses, right?"
"Since the carriage crashed, there's only one possibility."
"Little Swarm must have left the carriage before the attack struck."
Herta stated the conclusion in a calm, even tone.
Her placid face, even after learning that Little Swarm had disappeared before the carriage was attacked, showed no trace of worry.
Well, that's about right. After all, with the combined abilities of Lumina and Ruan Mei, Little Swarm was undoubtedly the least likely of the three to be harmed.
Maybe Little Swarm is somewhere enjoying a good meal right now.
"Hm... The only beings capable of abducting Little Swarm would be those wielding the power of an Emanator," Lumina said. Though her expression grew slightly grave, she betrayed no signs of concern.
It seems Lumina and Herta have reached the same conclusion. Neither believes anything bad has happened to Little Swarm.
"That Intellitron fellow?" Herta asked.
Though she knew someone had taken Little Swarm, she couldn't identify the specific individual.
Lumina shook her head, indicating she didn't know either.
"Never mind. The traces inside and outside the carriage show they're both unharmed."
"In that case, it doesn't matter," Lumina said softly, turning to walk toward the carriage exit.
"Let's go, Herta. We're heading to Okhema, the Eternal Holy City."
-
"Are you sure Okhema went this way?" Herta asked, her patience wearing thin.
Lumina, cradling the Phantylia Kitten asleep on her arm, continued leading Herta toward Okhema's location.
As they walked, time ticked by. Herta finally couldn't contain herself and asked Lumina.
Hearing this, Lumina stopped, turned to Herta, and raised an eyebrow. "What's this, Madam Herta? Do you doubt my sense of direction? Do you think I, Lumina, would lead us astray or get lost?"
Lumina's mock-offended tone reached Herta's ears. She seemed genuinely annoyed by Herta's questioning her directions.
But that was undoubtedly an act. Lumina could never truly be angry with a beautiful girl, let alone someone of Herta's caliber. She barely had time to shower Herta with affection, let alone get angry with her.
Anyone capable of feeling anger toward someone as beautiful as Herta would have to be some kind of demigod. At least, Lumina certainly couldn't.
"Then why haven't we arrived yet?" Herta pressed. "You know, at our combined speed, this shouldn't be taking so long."
Herta hummed softly, her voice calm and logical.
"With our combined speed?"
"Are we really that fast?"
Hearing Herta's reasoned statement, Lumina glanced down at their small hands clasped together, a hint of exasperation flickering across her face.
Their leisurely pace, more akin to a stroll than a journey, would have made even a horse shake its head in disbelief. Fast? Hardly.
If not for their status as Emanators, allowing them to cover dozens of meters with each step, it would have taken them a year or two to reach Okhema at this rate.
"Oh, so you finally admit we're moving slowly."
"Then hurry up and speed up!"
After beating around the bush for ages, Madam Herta finally revealed her true motive.
"Speed up?"
"Oh, I get it now! It seems we're truly kindred spirits, destined to be together, Madam Herta."
Lumina's expression shifted from mild confusion to sudden realization, followed by a radiant smile.
Casually tossing the Phantylia Kitten from her arms, she clasped Herta's hand in one of hers and looped her other arm through Herta's, drawing close with a soft chuckle:
"I slowed down because you were walking so slowly," Lumina said with a mischievous smile, her small face drawing closer to Herta's.
They stopped within a distance where they could feel each other's breath.
The two now looked like close girlfriends sharing an intimate moment.
"Hmph, it can't be helped. It's only natural for a big sister to care for her little sister," Herta huffed lightly.
Before Lumina could reply, another voice cut in immediately after Herta's words:
"Stop wasting time.
Accelerate and reach Okhema quickly."
In response, Lumina nuzzled Herta's cheek with her head before pulling away.
She withdrew her small hand from Herta's arm and waved to the dazed Phantylia Kitten, still sprawled on the ground.
As the kitten scurried back into her arms, Lumina chuckled softly:
"Alright, Herta, my dear little sister."