Chapter 9: A Hand Extended in the Depths

Come, let’s leave this place, together.

Incredibly, though the person before her hadn’t uttered the words, Ye Xiaoshuang clearly read this intention in their smile, and as she gazed at the hand extended towards her, the girl found herself momentarily lost in a daze.

Only yesterday, it was this very hand that had saved her life at the edge of the rooftop, granting her a second chance.

‘If she were to grasp this hand, could she truly be saved once more?’

As she tried to recall the warmth cradled in that palm, the sense of liberation from being reborn still lingered in her heart, refusing to dissipate.

Indeed, she still longed to be saved by someone, to have a helping hand extended to her; in this very moment, Ye Xiaoshuang heard her own heart’s true desire.

…

Gazing at the hands before her, Ye Xiaoshuang remained silent for a moment before shaking her head at Asherah.

As her consciousness fully revived, Ye Xiaoshuang began to grasp what had transpired: where she was, why she was there, and what she had done. The answers to these questions gradually sharpened and clarified with each returning memory.

She had committed an unimaginable, irreversible, and unforgivable error.

Ultimately, she had not changed at all. Despite no longer wanting to wallow in self-pity, despite knowing that passively waiting for doom was not an option, after reluctantly mustering the courage to return to school, she had instinctively chosen avoidance and self-deception when confronted by the oppressive atmosphere and overt malice. Her own weakness had only fueled the malevolence festering in others’ hearts.

‘Had she imagined, when she clutched that key, that it would ignite such a situation?’

She couldn’t entirely deny it; perhaps, subconsciously, she had also sought such an outlet, yearning to retaliate against the utterly dreadful reality before her, in the most malicious way possible.

Yet, she had neither acted nor resisted.

Now, she somewhat understood the meaning behind the words left by the mysterious girl who had given her the key.

Just as the girl had said, that key was a bomb, and by her own will, it had utterly detonated her present life, leaving it unrecognizable and irrevocably changed.

‘Was this, then, her own choice?’

This was the choice she had made herself.

But… even though she had shattered her life, and everything before her had been swept away, she felt not a shred of liberation, not even the slightest hint of it.

The answer she sought was not to be found here.

Yes, she had committed a transgression, harming many innocent people through her own fault.

She deserved punishment; how could someone who caused trouble for everyone due to their weakness repeatedly receive the kind assistance of others?

This was a price she had to pay alone.

She could not allow others to bear her guilt; a monster must face a monster’s end, and a monster was unworthy of salvation.

Thus, she could only force a smile, rejecting the other’s kindness.

Reading the refusal, Cheng Zhenzhen did not feel disheartened; instead, as if she had anticipated it, she deliberately moved closer to Ye Xiaoshuang, extending her hand once more.

“We’ll face it together.”

This time, Ye Xiaoshuang distinctly heard the other’s voice, recognizing the profound sincerity packed into those few short words.

But precisely because of that, she could not accept such kindness.

“I cannot leave. This is my own doing, and I don’t deserve to be saved alone.”

Having transformed into a Corroded (TL Note: A type of monster or entity corrupted by negative emotions) and caused such extensive harm at school, she certainly wouldn’t be able to remain there.

Everyone was about to take their high school entrance exams this month, and her mother would surely be distressed by this.

Her mother had held such high hopes for her, investing so much energy…

‘She must have disappointed her terribly.’

Each time she denied herself in this manner, she felt a suffocating sensation, as if plunged into a vacuum.

The increasingly unbearable pain would then entangle her nerves, further compressing her consciousness, as she choked her own throat with her hands through repeated self-abasement.

She had no idea how to break free from this chain of self-destruction.

“Yes, that’s why I’m saying, let’s face it together, everything that comes after this.”

…

“The strength of one person is never as great as two, is it?

A problem that one person struggles with due to worry might find a solution if two people think it through.

You don’t have to bear it all by yourself.”

“But…”

“I don’t know what exactly has happened to you, nor can I truly imagine what you’ve endured.

However, being here, I can feel a similar loneliness and sorrow emanating from your heart.

I am a Magical Girl; my only enemy will ever be the Corroded.

And what I see here is merely a girl in need of help; you are not my enemy.”

In the dark, frigid depths of the water, the Magical Girl’s words seemed imbued with a vibrant magic, drawing the self-despairing Ye Xiaoshuang’s gaze back to her again and again.

Elegant, confident, and radiant, the Magical Girl’s demeanor was as flawless as Ye Xiaoshuang had ever imagined.

Each time their jewel-like eyes met, a warmth would bloom in her heart.

In the other’s eyes, she didn’t appear as wretched as she had imagined.

In their eyes, she was not an ugly, evil monster, but someone loved just like all other living beings.

Yet, precisely because of this, her self-loathing only deepened.

“I… I’ve caused so much trouble for everyone.

My classmates and teachers cried uncontrollably because of me; I hurt them.”

“Yes, even if you might also be a victim, in this matter, you became the perpetrator.

Perhaps some people will never forgive you for this, not for their entire lives.”

…

“I’ve already mentally prepared for this—”

Ye Xiaoshuang, ready to respond thus, still couldn’t muster the courage.

An entire lifetime… she could hardly fathom how long that was, but she vaguely sensed that such a prospect was far beyond what her current self could bear.

“Even though I did wrong, even though I’m always running from reality, I still want to be forgiven.

I still want to… want to live well, want to rely on someone…

I’m really… terrible, pathetic.”

Cheng Zhenzhen didn’t deliberately ponder what words to say or what actions to take to achieve the desired effect or break the stalemate in such a situation.

At that moment, the only thing she could do, and what she wished to do, was to confront Ye Xiaoshuang as genuinely and honestly as possible with her true feelings.

“Simply running away won’t solve any problems; you’ll never reach the finish line.”

…

“However… perhaps occasional avoidance might even lead to greater courage.

As long as you haven’t truly given up, I won’t deny that choice.

Your desire to live—that is your remarkable perseverance.”

—

This person was genuinely affirming her.

Ye Xiaoshuang felt this with surprising ease from their words and gaze, and merely realizing it, something within her heart seemed to loosen.

‘How long had it been, how long since someone had affirmed her?’

‘She… couldn’t remember anymore.’

“I… I lost to myself, turned into a monster. I’ve completely failed.”

Upon hearing this, the Magical Girl before her suddenly let out a rather undignified laugh.

“Indeed, as a Magical Girl, I’ve certainly never encountered such a failed monster.”

Ye Xiaoshuang hadn’t expected to be teased on such a topic, yet looking at the Magical Girl, she couldn’t conjure even a hint of anger or resentment.

Still smiling, Cheng Zhenzhen mercilessly twisted the knife, adding to her point.

“You possess incredibly difficult powers, yet stubbornly seal them within yourself, exposing your most vulnerable parts in the easiest places to attack.

As a Magical Girl, I’ve never had to deal with an enemy so easy to defeat.”

“To restrain yourself in place just to avoid harming others… truly… you’re such a strange one, despite being a Corroded.”

Gradually, her smile faded, and a growing admiration entered Cheng Zhenzhen’s gaze as she looked at Ye Xiaoshuang.

“You are truly amazing, truly remarkable.”

—

“I’ve always believed that people who become Corroded do so because they’ve lost to themselves, thus transforming into despairing, self-destructive monsters.

But you give me a different impression.

You might have lost to reality or life itself, but when it comes to yourself, you haven’t truly surrendered.”

Under the Magical Girl’s fierce barrage, Ye Xiaoshuang gradually surrendered, unknowingly falling into her rhythm.

“I… I can’t start over again. I’ve completely failed.”

“Falling on the track doesn’t mean the race can restart.

No matter how much it hurts, you have to get up and keep running, even if you’ve become the last one with no hope of recovery.

As long as you can still run, you can still face the competition, and there’s still a possibility of winning the next one.

A single failure doesn’t negate all the effort you’ve put in until now.”

“And if a person can’t stand up, that’s when you need something like this.”

The outstretched hand extended hope.

“Accepting help from others doesn’t signify weakness; there’s nothing shameful about it.”

Ye Xiaoshuang stared blankly at the Magical Girl, her throat feeling parched.

It took almost all her strength to squeeze out a few words.

“Can… can I… can I really do it, start over?”

She received an unequivocal affirmation.

“Yes, you can do it.”

“Will you trust me?”

“Of course. Whether we’re here or out there, I won’t abandon you.”

****

Drip, drip.

Ye Xiaoshuang felt two warm streams of water spill from her eyes.

But this time, she wasn’t crying from sadness or pain.

This time, in her tears, she felt a long-awaited sense of release; for her, it was a ‘burning’ sensation, long absent yet profoundly warm.

Raising her arm, Ye Xiaoshuang grasped the Magical Girl’s hand, accepting this act of kindness.

Incredibly, with just two hands clasped together, something subtly shifted.

Simply holding another person’s hand, it turned out, could instill courage.

It was so warm.

She could feel the temperature of life, the heat of emotion.

This time, she wouldn’t give up the hard-won spark in her palm.

“Ye Xiaoshuang.”

“Hm?”

“My name is… Ye Xiaoshuang.”

Upon hearing this, the Magical Girl smiled and nodded, then spoke her own name as a Magical Girl.

“That’s a beautiful name.

I’m Asherah, Magical Girl Asherah.

Now, let’s leave this place together, Xiaoshuang.”

The confined bubble could not hold the hopes of two people.

With Asherah’s aid, Ye Xiaoshuang resolved to leave this place and return to reality, mustering the courage to confront everything she had wrought.

In this tear-filled prison she had personally created, in these silent and profound depths, she had recognized her own weakness and solemnly embraced it.

Only by first facing herself could she truly move forward.

As Ye Xiaoshuang’s state of mind shifted, the spiritual world, founded on her negative emotions, began to crumble.

Amidst tremors of destruction, Asherah desperately clutched Ye Xiaoshuang’s hand, swimming relentlessly towards a glimmer of light appearing above them.

Yet, in the process, they began to feel an unprecedented resistance.

The water currents above grew increasingly turbulent, washing over their bodies, threatening to drag them back into the lightless abyss.

‘Strange, why would something like this suddenly happen…?’

Asherah, sensing something amiss, struggled to maintain her magical protection over both of them, while subtly tilting her head to glance downwards.

That quick glance, however, led to an unexpected discovery.

In her peripheral vision, a vortex, created by a massive void, had appeared at some point in the almost indiscernible depths.

As she watched, it continuously sucked in the surrounding water.

At the center of the vortex, an object with a distinct magical signature spun rapidly; it was this object’s generated void that was pulling them.

“The key… that’s the key that person gave me…”

Ye Xiaoshuang also noticed the anomaly below.

She quickly recognized the object, moving so fast it left afterimages, as the very key the mysterious girl on the rooftop had given her.

It was this key that had resonated with the sorrow in her heart when Xu Weiwei bullied her, further inducing negative emotions and transforming her into a Corroded.

Now, it had reappeared, intent on drawing everything here into that pitch-black abyss.

“Damn it, damn it! It’s right there in front of us…!”

No matter how Asherah channeled the magic within her, moving against the current in such a situation was clearly not easy.

Their ascent speed was constantly decelerating, and the very next moment their bodies stalled, they began to be slowly dragged into the swirling vortex below.

Asherah’s style as a Magical Girl was as distinctive as her unique magical attire: she was a specialized close-combat type.

She excelled at leveraging her mobility and explosive power to gain an advantage in close-quarters brawls.

However, her flaws were equally apparent: she struggled to pose an effective threat to distant enemies, a truth painfully clear at this very moment.

If she could get close enough, Asherah was confident she could destroy the massive key at the vortex’s center with a single strike.

But before that, she and Ye Xiaoshuang would be hit by an even fiercer impact from the vortex.

Under such circumstances, she wasn’t entirely sure she could protect Ye Xiaoshuang, an ordinary person, which left her feeling constrained and helpless.

Just as Asherah, despite her utmost efforts, could not prevent herself and Ye Xiaoshuang from sinking further, and in her desperation was about to attempt something risky, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from the light above.

“Give me your hand… wait, what?!”

Almost simultaneously, the hunter who should have been waiting outside also appeared in the currents.

“Baoyu?!”

“What’s going on?!”

Baoyu, waiting outside, had grown concerned when she saw large cracks forming on the Corroded’s exterior but Asherah failed to emerge.

Approaching the Corroded to check the situation, she spotted a shadow struggling to escape from within the mottled cracks.

Realizing something was happening with Asherah, she reached out to offer external support and pull the other person out.

However, Baoyu hadn’t anticipated that merely extending her arm would result in her being forcibly dragged inside.

Amidst a dizzying whirl, before she could even grasp her surroundings, she felt herself being pushed and moved by a powerful force.

Had Asherah not swiftly grabbed Baoyu’s sleeve with her free hand, Baoyu would have already been swept into the swirling vortex below by the currents.

Although her burden had grown heavier, Asherah realized that Baoyu’s arrival presented a turning point.

With renewed force, she pulled both individuals in her grasp upwards, simultaneously pointing out the key to breaking the stalemate to Baoyu.

“The gun! Baoyu, shoot that spinning key down there!”

Upon hearing Asherah’s voice, Baoyu instantly focused, instinctively accepting her comrade’s command.

Simultaneously, she recognized the urgency of the situation.

With one hand incapacitated, she abandoned her more powerful hunting rifle and instead drew a pistol-like magical armament from her waist.

Amidst the swaying and jostling of her body, pressured by the water currents, she aimed downwards at the key at the vortex’s center.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

Three bullets, forged from magic, cut three straight lines through the water as they flew towards the vortex.

The first shot missed its mark, striking the edge of the vortex.

The second grazed past the target.

But the third, finally, precisely struck the spinning key, and with a crisp impact, the key maintaining the vortex’s rotation shattered into pieces.

The three held their breath, silently watching the vortex gradually dissipate, the surrounding water no longer churning.

The area slowly returned to a silence that bordered on sacred.

Just as Ye Xiaoshuang thought it was all finally over, the two Magical Girls noticed that the void at the bottom of the water had not vanished with the key.

The next moment, a strange color surged from the darkness.

Clear blue.

As if everything had been rewound, the vast volume of water previously sucked into the void now gushed out, rushing towards the three stunned individuals with the force of a roaring tide.

It swept them away towards the longed-for light.

May your world never again be drowned in tears.