Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"Hoo…"

Su lowered his stethoscope, forcing a smile as he gently reassured the children, then walked towards Seele, glancing at Mikael, hesitating.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Kalpas was carrying box after box of cabbage into the yard—Anti-Entropy's food reserves—where did Vill-V spend all the money?!

"I'm sorry, Miss Seele. The chief doctor is busy overseeing the sanatorium's operations, so I, a mere intern, was sent instead. By the way, how have you been feeling lately?"

"Hmm…" Seele hummed, then quickly smiled. "Much better! Other than feeling a little weak sometimes, I feel just like before."

"Ah… that's good, that's good."

He turned to Mikael, and, perhaps it was just Mikael's imagination, but his gaze seemed laced with complex emotions.

"This gentleman…"

"Just call me Mikael."

Su's pupils flickered.

"Okay, Mr. Mikael. Could I speak to you in private for a moment?"

Mikael ruffled Seele's hair, met with a smile that was impossible to read, then followed Su to a secluded corner. After making sure they were alone, both Su and Mikael spoke at the same time:

"Thank you for taking care of Seele…"

"I know Kevin…"

…

"Kevin!"

Su, not yet the enlightened sage who had weathered five millennia, grabbed Mikael's shoulders, loudly asking, "Where's Kevin? Is he alright?"

"Relax, relax." Mikael shrugged off Su's hands. "Kevin's fine. He and Mei are working for a classified department."

"Hmm… classified department… So you, Mr. Mikael, are also…"

"Ah, no, not anymore. I've left them."

Mikael told the truth. Lies were unnecessary; they would always be uncovered eventually... except when it came to Elysia.

"That's good…"

Su's voice was quiet, but then his expression turned serious, signaling to Mikael that Seele's situation was more complicated than he thought.

"Mr. Mikael, could you please take Seele for a while?"

"Uh, I can, but…" Mikael frowned. "You're not Seele's guardian, right? And she has a home."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you alone. Seele's home… something happened…"

"!" Spill it.

"Dr. Fal isn't free to leave his post, and Seele's parents need a private doctor who can come to their home. Fortunately, in this field, the more experienced doctors are no better than an intern like me, so I often go to their place… to give her treatments that, in truth, are useless."

"When Seele's parents and sister passed away, she became very unstable. I tried to be both her physician and a therapist, and while her physical condition stabilized… her mental state worsened until she vanished.

"The day before yesterday, when she disappeared, everything was normal when I visited. She was just absent. But yesterday, when I went back to try my luck, two men in black were standing at her gate. I couldn't ask any questions, since the surveillance cameras of the mansion would have records of me going in and out. If they investigate, I might tip my hand."

"Tipping your hand?" Mikael tilted his head. "You're sure they're malicious? Why?"

"And, I have to say, Seele's mental state seems fine now. Besides being a little agitated at first, she seems pretty good today."

"Heh…" Su chuckled humorlessly, then scrutinized Mikael, shaking his head.

Mikael was puzzled, but before he could ask, Su spoke again:

"Seele's home isn't as simple as you think. Her adoptive parents were well-known entrepreneurs in Brindisi. Their factory often hired many workers…

"How should I put this… I once took over five patients who had worked at Seele's parents' factory. Without exception, all of them were infected with the Honkai virus, and the disease progressed far more rapidly than in other patients. Even cutting off the affected limbs with purple veins was insufficient. They all died within a week. Most other patients could usually last a few months or even a year. Seele, I think, could last two or three years... but all five of those workers died within a week."

Mikael's brows furrowed, his gaze turning grave.

"A week? Did you say a week?"

"Yes."

Mikael closed his eyes, pacing around Su. A week? Such a familiar timeframe! Such a familiar rate of progression! It was almost identical to the artificial progression in R'lyeh.

Granted, as the Honkai became more prevalent, patients might be lucky to survive a week, but that was only after the Honkai had progressed significantly. Now, with the Honkai outbreak still relatively new, patients could still last years! This made those one-week death cases incredibly unusual, implying that the initial Honkai energy exposure must have been extraordinarily intense.

It might be rash to say it was man-made, but it was a strong possibility.

And Su, though he might not know that the Honkai virus was transmitted via radiation, any doctor with a functioning brain would recognize such irregularities.

"So you chose to visit Seele's home precisely because of that?" Mikael pointed out.

Su didn't deny it.

"Then, one more question: Su, why are you telling me all this? Are you asking for my help?"

"Of course."

That doesn't make sense. Mikael hadn't revealed any more personal information other than his name. Given what Su could see of him, such as the intimidating Kalpas or that huge pile of cabbage, the best he could assume was that he was a gang leader in Dusk Street.

A gang leader from Dusk Street would be powerless outside of Dusk Street.

"You recognize me?"

"Ah, to be precise, yes. I suspected it the moment I saw you, and then your name aligned with my memories. However, I still couldn't be certain until you mentioned Kevin."

"Kevin? Ah, I see." Mikael knew that Su had lost contact with Kevin after the Third Honkai Eruption, which had occurred sometime after R'lyeh. Kevin must have mentioned him to Su.

However, he hadn't been very remarkable, and even with the name "Mikael," he wasn't so recognizable that Su could recognize him so easily.

"So, what did Kevin say about me? I already told you I've left that classified organization. Aren't you going to ask why? I could be a monster."

Su smiled and shook his head. "I trust Kevin's judgment. Though he can be an idiot, he's good at reading people. According to him, you're a reliable senior. Besides, I don't need to know why you left that organization. I only need to know that you don't have ill intentions towards Seele."

"No ill intent… That's all?"

Mikael was surprised, and Su seemed equally surprised.

Su chuckled. "Perhaps, perhaps it's because you and I see things differently. You seem to think that treating others with kindness and sincerity is the most natural thing, but to me, it's a precious and rare commodity."

Mikael gave a wry smile. Perhaps being around Ellie for so long had made him forget to suspect others…

"Anyway, I hope you can help investigate this matter, and see if you can find anything in Seele's home. I'll be frank: I can't offer you anything in return, but… this matter might have a personal significance for you."

"A personal significance?"

"Mmm…"

Mikael pursed his lips. He had one final question, but he already knew the answer:

"Su, why are you taking on this burden? This investigation does nothing for you."

"Hmm, can't you try to view me with kindness for once?"

"Mask guy! Mask guy!"

Both men turned, drawn by the commotion. A group of children were now surrounding Kalpas in the yard, who tried his best to appear indifferent, a box of cabbage resting on his shoulder.

"See, though your companion seems fierce, he seems to be enjoying himself," Su observed.

"Move it!" Kalpas grumbled as he tossed the box, stacking it perfectly on the other crates, a clear act of showing off.

"Ooooh! Mask guy's so strong!"

A little girl handed Kalpas a tattered doll. "Mask guy! Play with us!"

Kalpas clenched his fist, nearly crushing the doll, then quickly relaxed his grip. He didn't speak, letting the children continue to crowd around him until, exhausted, he was urged back inside by Aponia to prepare dinner.

Seele sat under the eaves, her chin resting on her hand, smiling at the scene. As twilight approached, the sunset reflected in her ocean-blue eyes.

"In my hometown, we have a saying about 'healing the world'. Our ancestors believed that learning medicine could relieve human suffering. And I still believe it. Mr. Mikael, tell me, who are the real patients? Are they the children you see here, or those others…?

"So I can't forgive certain actions—if those actions exist at all.

"I can't tolerate these vibrant lives being trampled, nor can I tolerate my ideals being trampled. So please, Mr. Mikael, I'll pay any price. Please help me. I want to see the truth."

"Sigh…"

The twilight danced in the air, but, Mikael knew, it was nothing more than the Tyndall effect.

How romantic these particles of light are before one knows the truth, but after knowing it, they are nothing more than a cold scientific term.

And…

"You guys are so stubborn… Su, did you know I once told Mei, 'If you pursue the truth, you must be prepared to bear the pain it brings'?"

Su stood beside Mikael, their gaze fixed on the setting sun. Su reached out, as if to grasp something, but Mikael saw his hand close around only light.

"So, what did Mei choose? Hmm, I see… Kevin's always had a good eye."