After a few days of recovery, the hawk-horn sigil on the back of Bai Ling's hand had become fully bright again.
But just now—it quietly began to melt.
A warm current flooded through his body. Bai Ling could feel the pattern on his hand being re-forged, reshaped into something new.
Mist rose around them. A light breeze followed—and a nimble figure slipped out of the fog.
Her outfit looked a little old-fashioned: a signature red headband, a fitted white uniform, and an oversized red coat that dominated her silhouette and stole the attention of everyone present.
Small ears stood upright naturally. Massive gloves covered even her wrists. Straps and tools were bound along her thighs. Her black over-knee socks were scuffed and torn in places.
Her whole body radiated intense Originium Arts fluctuations, like she'd been fighting some major threat just moments ago.
The one thing she shared with someone already here was unmistakable—that iconic pale red twin-tail curled hair, reaching down to her knees, meticulously maintained and instantly recognizable.
(A picture even shows the "duo" now present.)
"Jelperta," Bai Ling said.
"Hm? Mr. Bai Ling…"
"Maybe I don't need to explain anything now."
He lifted the left hand holding the envelope. The symbol on the back of his hand had fully formed:
A swift fox, traced along the arc of a breeze.
This summoning… was almost identical to the time he'd summoned in the training room with Eldera.
"…I'm—where is this?"
The staff-bearing Angelina scanned the ruin-like surroundings—alert by instinct—then froze when she saw the people in front of her.
A handsome man, Eyjafjalla… and… herself?
But if that person was "herself"… then who was she?
In an instant, the Originium Arts swirling around her dissipated. That airy, floating feeling vanished too.
"…Welcome to Talos-II, Angelina."
Even Bai Ling looked helpless about it. The command seals didn't listen to him at all—just a brief touch, and it still triggered a summon.
Eyjafjalla and Talulah had only just left, and he'd already gained another companion.
"Talos-II?"
There was no hostility from her, no sense of danger—but the situation was bizarre no matter how you looked at it.
Once she properly observed "Eyjafjalla" and "herself," she noticed the discrepancy:
They were extremely similar, but clearly not the same person—more like near-matches. And with the man beside them who seemed connected to her…
It was obvious she'd arrived somewhere serious.
"…Yes. Talos-II."
After grasping that this wasn't Terra, Angelina turned to look at "herself."
At the same time, Jelperta stared back at "herself."
How did it feel?
Because her memories carried a sense of unfamiliarity, Jelperta didn't feel like she was looking into a mirror.
Instead, it felt like theft.
Then a warm hand gently clasped her wrist.
It was Eldera. She smiled and shook her head slightly—wordlessly telling her not to drown in that feeling.
Eldera understood exactly what Jelperta was thinking. If she'd met Eyjafjalla without Bai Ling there, she might've reacted the same way.
But Eldera had already reconciled with her "other self"… and Jelperta's case was even more complicated.
Angelina stared at "herself" for a long time—especially those identical eyes, the confusion and unease hidden within—and then she smiled.
"Don't look at me like that," she said, letting go of her staff and putting her hands on her hips. Her tone was so bright it felt absurd against a battlefield ruin—like they were chatting in a Siracusan street café. "I still don't understand what's going on, but since I'm here, I can't just stand around, right?"
Jelperta stared at her, dazed.
This person looked exactly like her: pale red hair, red headband, even the curve of her smile.
But she was also completely different—those eyes held no hesitation, no "who am I?" panic—only certainty.
"You…" Jelperta opened her mouth, but couldn't find words.
Bai Ling cut in at the right moment and stepped half a pace aside.
"Angelina. This is Jelperta—also a Rhodes Island courier—"
He hadn't even finished when his foot caught on broken rubble.
Bai Ling lurched. Eldera reacted instantly, catching his arm.
"Careful, senior."
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Bai Ling steadied himself and patted at his clothes like nothing happened.
Angelina blinked at the scene, glanced at Eldera's hand on him, and her lips curled into a very subtle, knowing arc.
"Oooh—" she dragged the sound out playfully. "And who's this?"
"Eldera." Eldera released him and nodded politely. "A geologist. Also Rhodes Island's… 'Re-traveler.'"
"Re-traveler?" Angelina tilted her head.
"Someone who voluntarily returned from within Originium—carrying past memories, but without having actually lived through those experiences."
"…I see."
With that, Angelina immediately understood why the girl facing her looked the way she did.
She stepped in close—far too familiar—studying Jelperta's face. Jelperta grew flustered and tried to step back, but Angelina caught her wrist first.
"Mm—" Angelina examined her for a moment, then broke into a huge smile. "This is good."
"Eh?"
"Isn't this amazing?" Angelina said like it was the simplest thing in the world. "And you're still doing courier work."
Jelperta froze.
Angelina hooked her arm around Jelperta's like they'd been friends forever.
"Come on, come on—show me around. What routes do you usually take when delivering letters? Any roads that are especially rough? Ever run into danger?"
"W-wait…"
"And by the way, which hand do you usually use to take letters? I'm right-handed, but sometimes the left works too—"
In the middle of her rapid-fire chatter, she flicked a gesture toward Bai Ling—like a secret signal.
Bai Ling gave a small nod in response.
And just like that, the two foxes walked farther and farther away, their voices dissolving into the wind.
Bai Ling stayed where he was, watching those two nearly-overlapping silhouettes. A faint smile rose at the corner of his mouth.
"Senior Bai Ling," Eldera said softly. "Miss Angelina… she's really a gentle person, isn't she?"
"She is." Bai Ling nodded. "And she and Jelperta aren't like you and Eyjafjalla…"
He paused, then lowered his eyes to the back of his left hand.
The agile fox pattern still glowed faintly.
This time, the trigger for the summon…
Was the letter, wasn't it?
....
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