"Urgh…" Mira didn't know how long she had been asleep. She groaned weakly, feeling sore all over her body. Every fiber of her muscles ached, making her wonder how could she end up in this miserable state.
Then, as she tried to move, she realized something. Her feet couldn't find where the ground was! She panicked a bit since in her old world, this state meant that she was drowned in the endless sea. Since she lived in a Noah's Arc type of boat in a world full of sea, she had already had a fair share of experience being drowned, and that was not a fun experience.
However, her panic died down instantly when Mira didn't feel the resistance from the water like what she usually felt when she was drowned. The gentle sway that she felt and the soft, quiet footsteps she heard also made her realize that she was not in the sea, but someone was carrying her in a piggyback style.
"Hey, little princess. Welcome back to the living world." She heard a hint of gentleness laced in a rough tone from the person who carried her. When Mira finally opened her eyes, she realized that the person was Levin, the older man who she just met after getting dragged into the dangerous multiversal battle royale here.
"Uncle Levin?" She asked weakly. "What is going on? Why do I feel my body hurts a lot? Also, I am not a little princess…" If she could, she would pout indignantly at the last remark. In return, Levin just let out a small chuckle that made her smile a little. Even though she knew Levin was not good at socializing, she always liked the sound of his laugh.
"Well, what is the last thing you remember?" Asked the man gently.
"Um…" She pondered for a moment, trying to get over the massive headache she suffered right now. Then, she widened her eyes as the memory of everything that caused the pain all over her body rushed in, and her body trembled violently for that. Her breathing became heavier, and all the cheerfulness on her face seemed to get sucked away by the memory. "The enemy! Where are they? Uncle! Where are you? Where have you been? Where are we?!"
"Okay, calm down!" Levin stopped walking instantly, putting Mira on the ground while grabbing her shoulder to reassure her that he was there. He let her calm herself down first, knowing that she needed it the most right now. Inwardly, he felt distressed when he saw the little girl had a panic attack, not wanting to imagine how badly she was hurt by the illusionist. "Don't worry, I am here. I am not going anywhere. Take a deep breath. Take your time, I am here." He kept repeating his words like a mantra.
After a while, the girl finally was calm enough. However, the panic that disappeared a second ago was now replaced by a pitiful cry that made Levin feel more distressed. "Uuuh! Uncle, where did you go? I am so afraid! Your weapon hurts so much, and I could see my blood spilled all over the place! It is so scary! Waaaa!"
Levin couldn't bear it anymore and just engulfed the girl into the warmest hug he could muster. Inwardly, he was glad that he didn't let the illusionist die peacefully, or he would regret it for the rest of his life. The fact that the psychopath was cruel enough to torture the girl with his weapon – hell, he knew how hurt the laser was when it pierced his body – was enough to warrant the psychopath the most painful death he could give.
However, this wasn't the best time to think about that.
"Don't worry, Little Princess. Everything is just an illusion. You are caught by someone who is proficient in doing an illusion, just like me. You are okay, and your body is okay too. See?" He pointed at her body which was as good as usual. Even though the girl was still sobbing silently, she just nodded, knowing that he was right. "I am so sorry for leaving you alone like that. It must be scary, right?" He whispered softly, trying to make sure that the girl was okay.
Levin didn't know why and how, but he knew that he was attracted by the little girl. Not in a lover's way that could put him in jail for a criminal act, of course, but more in a familiar way, as if she was another member of his family. Maybe, this was because it had been a long time for Levin to experience the warm feeling of having a family, so he craved into it more than he had ever thought.
"Um… Am I interrupting an imitate moment here?" A rough voice suddenly snapped them two from their own world. Levin had to hold back the urge to groan while Mira yelped, surprised, and tried to figure out the source of the voice. "Here, young lady! Down! Look down on the ground! Ah! You found me!" The robot eagle waved its wing cutely as if it were greeting her.
Mira's eyes shone instantly when she saw the cute appearance of the robot eagle, all the tears on her face dried instantly. "It is so cute!" She squealed.
"Oh, thank you, Young Lady! It is my honor to get praised by a beautiful lady like you!" The robot eagle bowed like a knight meeting a princess, which made the girl blush a little.
"Uncle, what is it?! It looks like a bird, but I know it is not a real one! Is it another player's ability? How did you meet it? Is this a real body? Why does it look like an eagle? Also, what is its name? And – "
"Woah, calm down, Princess!" Levin raised both hands instantly, having trouble processing all of Mira's questions. He knew she was a curious girl, but he just didn't expect she would be a chatterbox too. "This is…. Let's just say a tool that is controlled by another player, and we reach an agreement to work together for the game. Right now, this is going to lead us into the place where its owner lives, so you better save your question until you meet him."
"Really?!" Mira widened her doe eyes cutely.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The robot eagle bobbed its head up and down. "You both are going to follow me to my lair, so brace yourself and get ready for a wonderful and not-so-dangerous adventure!"
Mira's eyes shone once again, especially at the 'not-so-dangerous' part mentioned at the end. Levin just shook his head in exasperation, yet feeling glad that the girl was back to her cheerful state again. They spent the rest of the journey with Mira asking a lot of questions and the eagle answered it all. Even though Levin didn't pay attention all the time, whenever he overheard how the eagle answered the question, he had to admit that the person behind this eagle was a talented teacher. He could explain complicated things like a robot and its principles to a ten-year-old girl who had never been exposed to a high-tech tool in a way that made the girl understand so quickly.
They walked – well, more like Levin walked, since Mira was still on his back and the eagle just flew next to them at a low altitude – for about half an hour back to the abandoned city that they left yesterday, and after turning around for a few blocks, they finally entered a pretty small building there, and Levin couldn't hide the surprise and awe he felt when he saw the abandoned building was transformed into a high-tech laboratory that he could only see in a sci-fi movie.
Right after that, a white-haired man who looked like he came from the Xing Federal came out, the smile made his eyes narrow more as if he didn't have them at all. Seeing Levin and Mira come, he rose from his seat and greeted them both enthusiastically.
"Welcome to my humble abode! My name is Chen Ze, and I am happy to cooperate with you both!"