Bang!
"Mei, are you alright?"
In a hazy state, the moment Fu Li heard Mei's scream, his eyes shot open. Without a shred of hesitation, he got up and pulled open his window.
As a MANTIS, his senses were undoubtedly sharp. In that single instant, he had detected the fleeting fluctuation of Honkai energy.
Could it be that Mei has awakened? But why?
With this question burning in his mind, Fu Li cast aside all other thoughts. He reached out, tore open the screen window, and entered Mei's bedroom.
However, when he got a clear look at Mei's condition, he couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Right then, Mei was clad in her white pajamas, arms wrapped around her shoulders, sitting there frozen as if scared senseless. Her gaze was locked onto her bedside table.
"Mei... are you okay?"
Sensing the Honkai energy reaction in the surroundings slowly subsiding, Fu Li cautiously approached Mei's side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and called out her name softly.
His touch was light, but even so, Mei's body still trembled noticeably. Only then did she seem to snap out of her daze, murmuring.
"Fu Li... is... is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. Don't be afraid. What happened?"
"Over there... there was a HOMU over there!"
A HOMU?
Hearing the tremor in Mei's voice, Fu Li was taken aback. He followed the line of her pointing finger and slowly looked toward the bedside table.
There stood a solid wood nightstand. Apart from a lamp and a small mirror, there was nothing else on it.
"Mei, calm down. There's nothing there."
"What? H-How is that possible?"
Hearing his words, Mei's eyes widened. She hesitated for a moment before poking her head out from Fu Li's embrace and timidly peeking at the nightstand.
Just as Fu Li had said, there was nothing there besides the lamp.
"That... that's impossible... I swear I just saw it..."
Seeing this, Mei began to doubt her own memory. She stared at the nightstand with a lost expression, a hollow feeling blooming in her chest.
She began to wonder if she was truly having a mental breakdown.
"Mei..."
Fu Li looked at Mei, about to offer a few words of comfort, but he swallowed them back down.
Although he didn't know exactly what had happened to Mei, his rich experience and intuition told him that the culprit behind all this was undoubtedly Mei's Herrscher persona.
The problem was, Mei was different from Herrschers like Sirin, who were born from external circumstances. The root cause of her transformation was her Stigmata, and because of that, her awakening was unstoppable.
To make an analogy, the Honkai was tantamount to cancer for Mei. For that reason, Fu Li was uncertain if telling her the truth about being a Herrscher would cause her to despair and accelerate the transformation, or if her strong personality would allow her to regain control of her body.
Looking at Mei trembling like a frightened fawn, Fu Li sighed. He decided to give her a little more time. Gently, he took her hand in his.
"Do you want to try and sleep some more? Mei, you need to rest."
"No... I can't sleep..."
Mei stared blankly at her toes, a sob catching in her voice.
"Can you please stay with me tonight... I... I don't dare to be alone anymore."
"Of course, Mei. Don't worry, I'll stay with you."
Realizing that the cause of Mei's nightmare was likely a mental intrusion, Fu Li sighed softly and reached for Aponia's crucifix.
Using the crucifix to channel his power, Fu Li's spiritual energy transformed into a gentle stream, slowly enveloping Mei's exhausted soul.
Gradually, in time with Fu Li's rhythmic pats, the terror on Mei's face faded at a visible rate, slowly giving way to weariness.
Wrapped in the gentle spiritual energy, Mei's eyelids grew heavy. Finally, at some point, they closed completely.
May you have a night of sweet dreams.
Fu Li sent a silent blessing, gently laid Mei's pliant body back onto the bed, and after pulling the covers over her, quietly left the room.
---o---
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the laboratory within Imaginary Space, Fu Li looked at the dense array of data on the central computer, feeling a little troubled.
After that night, thanks to Fu Li secretly protecting her with his spiritual energy, the Herrscher Mei's fragile consciousness had been temporarily suppressed. As a result, Mei hadn't had any more nightmares during this time.
But Fu Li knew this was not a long-term solution. While his spiritual power was strong, most of its application was geared toward controlling the power of Domination and for offense. As for soothing others, that was Aponia's specialty, not his area of expertise.
"Boss, you've seen the recent observation logs. Although the latent Herrscher consciousness within that girl has been suppressed by you, it is, on the whole, still growing stronger."
At this, Snakey flipped through the records in her hand, looking perplexed. "According to the data, Boss, you could clearly use the power of [Discipline] to directly reshape that Herrscher consciousness into whatever form you desire. Why don't you do so?"
"Snakey, data isn't everything."
Fu Li leaned back and picked up his phone from the side. "Raiden Mei is one of the most important people in this era. Her Herrscher authority is her greatest power-up and support, but at the same time, it is an opponent she must overcome with her own will."
"We cannot simply destroy it for her. That is her enemy. It is the first step she must take to walk her own path."
Her nemesis, then?
Data flowed through Snakey's eyes for a moment. She hadn't really intended to persuade Fu Li anyway, so she cooperatively changed the subject.
"So, Boss, when do you plan on telling her about the Honkai?"
"Hmph, this afternoon. Or maybe tomorrow."
Fu Li opened his phone, found his private chat with Mei, and asked if she had time to meet that afternoon.
Perhaps by coincidence, Mei's reply was very fast this time, coming within seconds of him sending the message. Her reply was:
Sorry, Fu Li, I have an appointment with a psychologist this afternoon. If it's something important, can we talk tomorrow?
A psychologist?
Fu Li blinked, then couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
In her current state, psychological counseling would only serve as a comfort, but so what? It wasn't as if he was in a rush for a day or two.
After arranging to meet the next day, Fu Li left the laboratory, preparing for his daily routine of slacking off and patrolling.
At the same time, Mei was walking leisurely through the streets of Nagazora City. In a prime downtown location, she saw her destination.
"Pink Fairy Psychology Consultation Room?"
This name... why does it reek of narcissism?