It only took a moment for the world to change. Sakura was taken inside Aleph's domain along with her original enemy—Ling. The latter lowered her scythe. She first looked around and saw a blank space filled with stars of varying color. A thin silver line swept everywhere like a grid.
It made her feel she was inside a high-end museum… something she could not visit until a few months ago.
"Sir—"
"I'll take care of it."
Sakura's concerns were met by Aleph's calm eyes. She always felt a sense of relief whenever she looked at it directly, though it was slightly different now.
'Did he become even stronger..?'
Shiing-!
She sheathed her sword on her waist but kept the readiness to draw it again. Her short yet fluffy pink tail swayed elegantly as she did so.
"I wanted to meet you for a long time, Sir Aleph."
Ling spoke with full honorifics. Her body was briefly surrounded by black particles before it turned into her original young self. She fought Sakura on her 'adult' form, all thanks to her reconstructed body using her authority.
Ling kept her grasp on her scythe, with its sharp end pointed down.
Aleph saw this and became curious.
"You don't have the intention to fight anymore?" He asked.
"I would die immediately if I did."
Her response made him pause. He gestured with his eyes for Ling's explanation to continue.
"Instead of a meaningless death… I want to talk with you."
"A talk?"
"I did not directly order anyone to directly attack your friends."
She started the topic with an odd confession.
"At best, I sent people to hinder those who wanted to help them."
"..."
Thousands of thoughts ran through Aleph's mind. Countless possibilities presented themselves upon him.
'Ah.'
The simulations became more complex in his mind. His extremely fast thoughts gave him combat capabilities that barred none, but it also caused him to commit several missteps… such as now.
'Did I always approach things like this?'
Aleph decisively stopped thinking. Instead of making them more complex, he chose the simplest way.
"That doesn't let you off the hook. You are still an accomplice. Even if you suffered injustice from others, that doesn't give you the right to impose similar injustice on others."
"...But that's the point! Even if we only exist… Even if Herrschers merely stood still… there will always be people committing vile deeds!"
Her childish voice rang within their vicinity. It trembled a few times, nearly choking due to overflowing emotions.
"Sir Aleph, are you aware? Your officials are the ones who asked for our help. If he had not been a part of the organization I wiped out…"
The full story became apparent. Ling was out on a killing spree that time, targeting everyone connected with the private research institute she came from. She knew which ones took part from them.
During her killing spree, she happened upon one of the councilors who was about to propose partnership to the said organization. When everyone was wiped out but him, he had the courage to propose partnership to Ling, a Herrscher.
That was how their cooperation started. The Fire MOTH councilor provided statistics and data that helped Herrschers determine their targets. That was how the nearly devastating eighth eruption came to being. If it weren't for their preparations and massive power-ups, it would have been no less catastrophic than the sinking of the Mu Continent to the Sea of Quanta.
Upon hearing everything, Aleph let out a sigh. This interrupted the impassioned Ling from speaking.
"From the beginning, it looked like you wanted to prove something. However… you went far from it. Can't you hear your own words? What you did was exactly the same as them."
"But it's them who started everything! They could willingly kill their own kind for their own satisfaction! We did not threaten—"
"Your existence was the threat. Whether you supported them willingly or stood on the sidelines to watch… both are wrong." He slowly said.
Ling stood still in silence. Her eyes did not blink as her pupils narrowed down. All it took was an outsider's perspective for her to realize that… she was exactly as he said.
She became too self-centered. She became too caught up wanting to prove that her argument stood—that humanity wasn't worth saving; that it was best to leave their impending destruction to the honkai.
In the process of wanting to prove herself, she became the very people she hated the most.
Clang-!
Ling dropped her beloved scythe to the ground. She clenched her fists as her gaze remained on the ground. She could not even look at the man she admired the most.
Aleph was the antithesis of the scums she thought of. Proving her side to him had always been her biggest goal—not the honkai, casualties, nor the Cocoon's wishes.
She, who had always been in the dark, yearned for the light.
Now, that very light proved her everything wrong. Worse, she ended up being just as bad as the people she hated… and she could see how right it was.
Lost in thoughts, Ling gathered her remaining strength to look at Aleph's eyes for the last time.
She wanted to speak to him.
Part of her wanted to refute his words that denied the reason for her existence—to prove herself right.
Part of her wanted to ask whether humanity was really worth saving.
But…
She did not proceed to ask these questions.
'I was wrong… the entire time. Was it my misfortune to have this kind of life? To not be born into a loving family? A life filled with warmth…'
Born in the wrong circumstances, at the wrong time, and in the wrong place.
That was who Ling was.
Tears began falling from the corner of her eyes. Her legs felt extremely weak. Her shoulders could not stop trembling.
"If… I asked… will… you still… save… someone… like me?"
Aleph did not hesitate.
"I will."
Two words.
This length wasn't enough to describe things.
Yet, Ling felt relieved.
The person that she chose…
"I am glad."
Swoosh-!
…was truly the brightest light to exist.