Chapter 12: A Stirring Heart

“Whew… Have you calmed down now…?”

Feeling the girl’s sudden outburst gradually subside, Stephen let out a quiet sigh of relief and released her hands.

Only then did she finally have the chance to take a closer look at the girl’s face.

The girl had long black hair and delicate features that leaned more toward Eastern beauty, yet there was a faint trace of Western refinement in her appearance as well.

That beauty—so ethereal it seemed to transcend the human world—left even Stephen, as a fellow woman, momentarily stunned.

Having been teleported in without a single stitch of clothing, the girl now wore a hospital gown. Though it was already quite small, it still looked loose on her petite frame. Due to her sudden movements, the gown had slipped slightly, revealing one bare shoulder.

From her overly youthful face, Stephen guessed the girl couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old.

Such a young girl—what was her connection to Xia Lixing?

And judging by the surge of energy just now, she was clearly a powerful esper. At the very least, she was on par with Xia Lixing. So why…

While Stephen was studying the girl, the girl was also sneaking glances at Stephen.

She recognized the woman in front of her—or rather, “Xia Lixing” had memories of this person.

But she wasn’t sure what her relationship with “Xia Lixing” really was.

Was she truly Xia Lixing?

Or had she merely inherited Xia Lixing’s memories?

“You…”

“Um…”

The two spoke at the same time, then both paused.

Stephen took the lead and continued asking, “Can you tell me your name? And maybe explain what happened earlier?”

“What happened earlier…”

The girl looked at Stephen, dazed.

In her memory, Xia Lixing had led a search team in a desperate charge against a super-class beast tide.

Then, ambushed by an A-class mutant beast, the five members of the search team traded their lives to buy Xia Lixing a few more moments.

Eventually, she encountered a super-class mutant beast.

In a moment of despair, she chose mutual destruction using an extreme method and then…

Then what?

Wasn’t that the end?

Wasn’t that when she should’ve died?

Why did it feel like something was missing…?

And how did she end up here?

Could she really be Xia Lixing in a new body?

But… why did her gut instinct reject that idea every time she thought it?

Like knowing 1+1=2, but unable to explain why.

When the girl didn’t answer for a long while, Stephen rubbed her temples again.

“If you can’t remember, that’s fine. But do you at least remember who you are? Your name?”

“Xia Li…”

“Hm?”

“…Um, Xia Xingli.”

The girl—no, now she should be called Xia Xingli—almost blurted out the name unconsciously, but caught herself just in time.

Regardless of whether she was truly Xia Lixing in a new body, it wasn’t something she wanted to reveal.

Her mind was still a mess, and until she sorted out what had happened, the last thing she needed was more complications.

She hadn’t considered that admitting to being Xia Lixing might actually cause less trouble.

“…Xia Xingli? What’s your relation to Xia Lixing?”

“…Um… I’m his younger sister.”

Xia Xingli immediately regretted the lie that had slipped out in a moment of panic.

Luckily, in this post-apocalyptic world, verifying someone’s identity wasn’t exactly easy.

“His sister?”

Stephen blinked and gave Xia Xingli another look, suspicious but intrigued.

“Now that you mention it… you really do share a few features with that rascal.”

“R-Really…?”

Whether true or not, at least she’d muddled through the issue of her identity…

“I know a bit about that brat Xia Lixing. He was separated from his family at eight and lost his memories. You look like you’re around twelve or thirteen—how did you survive in the apocalypse all this time?”

“…Huh?”

Wait—still not satisfied?!

“Ah, sorry if I was too blunt,” Stephen said with a sigh. “I’m just curious. Were your parents still alive back then?”

“Oh… I… I was with them, hiding and running around. We stayed in a few safe zones now and then.”

Thank you for the perfect prompt, Stephen!

As for whether Stephen would question her further about which safe zones exactly—Xia Xingli wasn’t worried.

After all, she did have Xia Lixing’s memories.

She knew plenty about which safe zones existed, which were destroyed, and what went on in each.

“Then, if you don’t mind, a few more questions. Are you an esper? Where are your parents now? And if I may, how old are you exactly?”

Adjusting her glasses, Stephen asked like an investigator grilling a suspect.

But Xia Xingli wasn’t bothered. In Xia Lixing’s memories, Stephen was always like this—lazy on the surface, casually friendly with people she liked, but notoriously bad at small talk and often said the wrong thing.

“I am an esper, yes. My parents… were killed by mutant beasts a few years ago. As for my age… I’m thirteen this year.”

Xia Xingli answered carefully after giving it some thought.

She still didn’t know exactly what her new ability was, but she could clearly feel that this body had powers—likely very strong ones.

Stephen fell silent.

She’d suspected that the girl’s parents were gone, but hearing it firsthand still hit her.

And seeing how indifferent Xia Xingli seemed made it even harder to bear.

To be able to say such a thing with no visible emotion—what had this girl been through to become so tough?

Her gaze softened.

Stephen reached out and gently pulled up the half-slipped gown on Xia Xingli’s shoulder.

“Sorry for bringing up your parents. But if you’re able, could you show me your power?”

Stephen, for one brief moment I thought you were becoming sensitive. I was wrong!

Xia Xingli squirmed a little at the gesture, seemingly shy, but her mind was full of exasperation.

So, she still couldn’t escape this “show me your ability” thing after all.

She had memories of wielding the “Ethereal Flame” as Xia Lixing, and had a hunch that her new power might be similar—but nothing was certain.

Showing her powers in this state was a bit risky.

“I understand. But just so you know, I don’t have full control over it yet…”

She agreed, but wisely added a disclaimer in case something went wrong.

Closing her eyes and focusing, Xia Xingli tried to recall the sensation of controlling the “Ethereal Flame.”

Her call to the power within quickly received a response.

A warm surge of energy filled her body.

It was powerful—almost overwhelmingly so.

It gave her an illusion of invincibility, one that could easily lead to arrogance.

But if handled properly, this sensation could serve as unshakable confidence, allowing an esper to draw out their full potential.

The confidence she once felt while wielding the Ethereal Flame came rushing back—even stronger than before.

This proved one thing: she was now even stronger than Xia Lixing had ever been.

Xia Xingli opened her eyes.

A gentle violet flame flickered quietly atop her outstretched hand.

“This… is my power.”

“Shatter.”

Hovering midair, Shun extended his hand toward the last cluster of mutant beasts.

With a snap of his fingers, the space around them fractured—taking the beasts along with it.

All around him, barely any mutant beasts remained.

Only a lucky few had survived his previous attacks.

But they still had to face the other Guardians.

This super-class beast tide had come in three waves, approaching the central city from different directions.

If they hadn’t been detected early and if Shun hadn’t been deployed, even he might not have been able to prevent serious damage.

S-class espers were often called “strategic-level weapons”—an unofficial title.

And for someone like Shun, whose ability was “Spatial Fracture,” dealing with a beast tide of this scale was nothing short of effortless.

Though the cost was high, eliminating all three beast waves far from the city was no trouble for him.

“Well done, Lord Shun. We’ll take care of the survivors!”

As Shun landed, several Guardians greeted him warmly.

He merely nodded in return.

Despite being an S-class esper, Shun disliked flattery and sycophants.

Few people could treat him normally.

Stephen was one.

Xia Lixing had been another.

They hadn’t interacted much.

Only on a few rare occasions had he given Xia Lixing tips on how to use the spatial attributes of the Ethereal Flame.

Still, Shun had come to consider Xia Lixing one of his few friends.

That girl must be awake by now.

She should know—whether Xia Lixing was dead or alive.

With a twist in space, he vanished.

Though his ability was to “shatter space,” he could manipulate that broken space to teleport.

For others, stepping into broken space meant death.

For Shun, it was simply a faster way to travel.

After a few “jumps,” he appeared outside the medical ward.

Just as he exited the fractured space, a voice drifted out—crisp and pure, like a mountain spring before the apocalypse, with a youthful edge that calmed the soul.

“This… is my power.”

Shun was stunned for a moment.

When he looked through the window into the room, his breath caught.

A doll-like face with exquisite features.

Unusual violet eyes.

Long, naturally flowing black hair.

A slender hand, like polished jade, holding a flickering violet flame.

He’d already seen her face before.

But why… why was he so shaken by her beauty now?