Chapter 15: The Heart of the Moon and a Miraculous Recovery

From the moment she first learned to read, Xia Shi was subjected to a rigorous magical education, endowing her with abilities far surpassing those of ordinary individuals.

Upon awakening as a magical girl, she truly distinguished herself, leaving the vast majority trailing far behind her.

Perhaps it was for this very reason that she excelled at protecting others and fulfilling their expectations, yet seldom asked anything of anyone.

Lu Chen had kept a mental tally: aside from their usual playful banter, she had uttered the words “I’m counting on you” to him on only two occasions.

The first was a year ago, during the monster attack at the comic convention, when she had urged him to simply run and stay safe.

The second was three days ago, amidst the monster assault on the warehouse.

Again, she had implored him to swiftly make himself scarce, rather than lingering uselessly and creating more trouble.

Lu Chen could do nothing but comply.

What choice did he have?

The young girl’s demands were entirely just and reasonable; as an ordinary person, his presence would only have served as a pointless act of self-importance.

This time, however, after assisting the administrator in fleeing the warehouse and reaching the secure corridor entrance, he did not continue to distance himself from the unfolding events.

Instead, he immediately made his way back to the security center down the long corridor, where he observed the situation within the warehouse through the remote surveillance feeds.

On the screen, Xia Shi found herself utterly restrained by Chrysomallos, forced into a helpless retreat, every escape route seemingly sealed off.

It appeared she intended to depart using the warehouse’s teleportation device, yet she remained entirely oblivious to the fact that its authentication lock had already been compromised—a crucial detail Lu Chen had gleaned from the duty security guard.

Intervening in the fierce battle between the magical girl and the monster posed an exorbitant risk, falling far outside the security guard’s purview.

However, it lay squarely within the bounds of responsibility Lu Chen had imposed upon himself.

Without hesitation, he half-demanded, half-wrestled for a spare lock, then burst into the fray.

Shoving the desperate young girl out of harm’s way, he was immediately struck head-on by the residual force of the monster’s attack.

The frail body of the young man instantly buckled and failed, teetering on the brink of death.

“This… this is for you.”

—Yet, in the final, fleeting moment before his consciousness threatened to dissolve, he successfully pressed the lock into the girl’s hand.

As she extended a warm, vibrant hand to receive the lock, the metaphorical lock within Lu Chen’s heart sprang open.

A long-held regret was finally assuaged, allowing him to peacefully close his eyes and await the impending embrace of unconsciousness or death.

As he had anticipated, he swiftly succumbed to unconsciousness.

What he had not foreseen, however, was his equally swift return to lucidity.

Upon regaining his senses, Lu Chen discovered he was standing upright, his mind remarkably clear, his body at ease, and his entire being suffused with an unprecedented surge of vitality.

He gazed forward in stunned disbelief, witnessing his own physical body lying inert on the teleportation device alongside a crow.

Meanwhile, Xia Shi had already reverted from her transformed state and was now locked in a direct confrontation with the colossal serpent.

Temporarily disregarding the disorienting separation of his body and consciousness, he anxiously called out the young girl’s name several times.

Yet, she offered no response whatsoever, merely standing motionless where she was.

He rushed to her side, but she remained as silent and still as a sculpted figure.

Lu Chen cast a bewildered gaze around him.

It was then that he realized it wasn’t merely the girl who was frozen; everything in their surroundings seemed to have stalled, like a video caught in a perpetual buffer.

As he grappled with this perplexing and alarming discovery, a voice resonated from a short distance away.

“In this entire tragic play, he simply refused to acknowledge all the ominous signs laid bare before his very eyes.”

Lu Chen spun around in astonishment, only to find an additional figure now present within the warehouse.

This individual’s face was obscured by a white cloth, and they were adorned in a magnificent, flowing ceremonial gown, its style almost indistinguishable from Xia Shi’s own.

However, this particular ensemble—from its intricate hair ornaments and bodice to its battle skirt—was an unsettling stark white, marred only by expansive, horrifying patches of long-dried blood that stained the throat and chest areas.

Lu Chen stared intently at her, then posed the question:

“What are you talking about?”

“That is a line spoken by a mythology teacher in ‘Hereditary’.

“This particular quote not only reflects Hercules’ tragic demise at the hands of his own wife but also foreshadows the film’s male protagonist’s unwitting manipulation and eventual death.

It is, I believe, perfectly apt for your current situation.”

Though her face remained hidden, her figure was slender and graceful, and her voice possessed a cold, ethereal quality—all characteristics eerily identical to Xia Shi’s.

“…Who exactly are you?”

The young girl’s face covering fluttered subtly.

Lu Chen had the distinct impression she was smiling.

“I am the Heart, the Heart of the Moon.

Have you forgotten?

Xia Shi herself placed me within your body.”

“…Of course, I remember.

But you have never manifested before; why now?”

“Because your affection approached its threshold.

This particular detail is irrelevant to you, so you need not concern yourself with it.

“You merely need to remember two things.”

“Two things?”

“Firstly, you will swiftly recover.

From this moment forth, you will no longer be plagued by common ailments or injuries; feel free to act with audacious confidence.”

The young girl lifted her pale sleeve, her slender fingers gesturing towards Xia Shi, who stood before the colossal serpent.

“Secondly, she is not the one you await.

While many forms of death are worth experiencing, dying for her is not one of them.

“However, do not contemplate confronting her on your own; she is the most powerful and fortunate entity on this land.

“She is fated to perish neither by human hand, nor by monster’s grip, neither by the living, nor by the dead, neither in the present, nor in the future.

“Even if you were to unite the strength of all, strike her down, grind her into dust, and cast her into the depths of hell, you would only temporarily impede her, merely delaying the realization of her ambitions by a few years, or perhaps a decade or more.

You would never truly eliminate her.”

“What in the world are you talking about…! Explain yourself more clearly!”

“I can only reveal this much.

You are my host, and I am bound by loyalty to you, yet I cannot continue to betray my own creator.

“The rest, you must witness and uncover for yourself.”

“Wait a moment! You—”

Before Lu Chen could press for further answers, the young girl’s form dissolved into a cascade of pale moonlight, scattering and vanishing completely.

Concurrently, the stagnant flow of time resumed.

The black-haired Xia Shi offered a smile and engaged in conversation with the colossal serpent, utterly unresponsive to Lu Chen’s frantic shouts.

The young man could only retreat to the sidelines, a helpless spectator to the unfolding battle between her and the colossal serpent.

It was not until the golden colossal serpent was effortlessly annihilated that his mind grew hazy, and he once again succumbed to unconsciousness.

****

Now, Lu Chen had spent three days recuperating in the hospital.

During this period, Xia Shi had naturally come to visit, Lin Wan from the corporation had also called upon him, and even Morning Star had sent a thoughtful message of condolence.

Nevertheless, he had not divulged his bewildering experiences during his coma to a single soul among them.

The young girl adorned in the white ceremonial gown—whom he tentatively dubbed Silver Moon—was simply too suspicious to ignore.

While Xia Shi had indeed bestowed upon Lu Chen a small full moon pendant, he had never once heard of any such trinket transforming into a humanoid figure.

It defied all logic and reason.

Furthermore, Silver Moon’s pronouncements were utterly absurd and devoid of any logical coherence.

Setting aside her entirely baseless slanders against Xia Shi, he, Lu Chen, was merely a magic-less mortal.

How could he possibly disregard illnesses and injuries?

For example, at this very moment, he had been struck by a fragment no larger than his palm, yet he was confined to the hospital for at least ten days to half a month, with the potential for numerous lifelong complications—

“I have a piece of bad news and a piece of good news.

Which would you prefer to hear first?”

A melodious female voice abruptly interrupted Lu Chen’s tumultuous thoughts.

The young man turned his head, only then realizing that Xia Shi had returned to his bedside, clutching a medical report replete with printed text and images.

Lu Chen’s heart plummeted, and a sudden, ominous feeling washed over him.

“The bad news.”

“The bad news is that the hospital hasn’t distributed any fruit for several days, so you likely won’t be getting any.

“However, the good news is this—”

The young girl smiled, raising the medical report in her hand as she spoke:

“Your recovery has far outstripped all expectations.

You are now fully recuperated and can be discharged at any moment.

It’s quite miraculous, and the doctors are apparently still investigating the underlying reasons.

“Why didn’t you mention feeling better sooner?”

Lu Chen’s gaze fixed on the black characters printed on the medical report, his teeth involuntarily chattering.

He bit his lip lightly, forcing a hearty smile onto his face:

“Because I was worried about getting my hopes up for nothing, you know.

By the way, I recall you mentioning a trip to the branch building tomorrow, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.

Morning Star is currently unavailable, and Envy is proving far too troublesome, so Sister Lin mentioned she’s arranging a new partner for me.

“Is something amiss?”

“Please take me along.

I wish to walk with you.”

Though habitually referred to as merely the branch building, the New Light Group’s subsidiary was far more than a simple office complex.

It encompassed an array of commercial entertainment facilities, including countless eateries and small shops, an entire floor dedicated to selling magical girl merchandise, and another specifically designed for magical girl concerts.

Indeed, it was a remarkably popular multi-purpose complex.

In the early days of their acquaintance, Lu Chen and Xia Shi frequently visited this complex during their leisure time, forging a multitude of memories unique to their bond.

Now, Lu Chen intended to visit it once more with the young girl before him, hoping to ascertain if she still recalled these past events that remained so remarkably vivid in his own memory.