Chapter 229: Emotion
The following evening, the familiar rhythmic splash-tap echoed through the
tunnels once more.
Lia lifted her head from the gloom, her body's reflexes automatically dampening
her breathing. A pool of amber light spilled around the corner, casting a
wobbling, oversized shadow against the damp brickwork.
"Big Sister Lia! I'm back!"
Amy's voice bounced off the stones. Lia didn't respond, remaining merged with
the shadows as she watched the girl hop over a drainage channel. Amy had changed
her dress; she now wore a blue one, though the sleeves and hem were a map of
coarse patches.
She still carried her lantern, and the reed basket in her other hand was even
more heavily laden than before, brimming with scraps.
"Big Sister Lia? Where are you hiding?" Amy raised the lantern, her dark eyes
scanning the darkness with pure curiosity.
Lia hesitated for a long heartbeat before stepping out of the alcove. "I am
here."
"Aha!" Amy's face lit up instantly. "I brought so many goodies today! Aunt
Martha at the bakery had a whole tray that stayed in the oven too long. She gave
them all to me!"
She pulled several nearly-black loaves from her basket, presenting them like a
victorious general displaying spoils of war. "The slimes are going to have a
feast tonight! I bet they'll split into a dozen babies each!"
Amy knelt by the water, skillfully crumbling the charred bread and scattering it
into the current. The slimes reacted with a collective ripple, swarming to
envelope the food.
Lia watched in silence. This was her primary window into the world above.
"Big Sister Lia, did you know?" Amy continued, her chatter constant as she
worked. "The town is full of Skeleton Berserkers today! So many more than
usual!"
Lia's pupils contracted. She tilted her head slightly, focusing every sense on
the child's words.
"Mama said they're hunting a Baddie. They even put a picture on the big board in
the square. I think the Baddie is long gone, though. No one could stay hidden
from the Punishment Legion for this long! They're the best at finding things!"
Lia remained silent. She knew exactly who they were hunting. But Amy was
oblivious that the "Baddie" was standing right before her, clinically analyzing
every word she spoke.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Amy reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a
bundle wrapped in clean parchment. She held it out with two hands. "This is
today's rye bread. It's still warm!"
Lia stared at the parchment. "For me?"
"Uh-huh!" Amy nodded emphatically.
Lia looked away, her back turning to the child. "I do not require it."
"But..." Amy's voice dropped, the rejection clearly stinging. "You've been down
here for days. You have to eat."
"I have the slimes," Lia said, her tone flat.
Amy froze. "Slimes... you eat them?" She looked down at the translucent,
undulating blobs at her feet, her face twisting into a mask of pure distaste.
"They provide hydration," Lia answered.
Amy was silent for several seconds before she reached into the water and scooped
up a small slime that was currently busy with a breadcrumb. She held it up to
the lantern light, examining it with profound pity.
"But... they're so cute. How could you eat a slime?" She shuddered, setting the
creature back down gently. She stepped toward Lia, her hand extended with the
bread, her posture absolute. "And I bet they taste like wet mud. Eat the bread,
Big Sister Lia. Please."
Lia looked at the girl. Amy's eyes were like clear pools of water—no suspicion,
no hidden agendas, no calculations. Just a raw, terrifyingly pure concern.
"Why?" Lia asked.
"Eh?" Amy tilted her head. "Why what?"
"Why provide me with sustenance? We have met twice. You do not know my
designation, my origin, or my actions. Why show benevolence to a stranger?"
Amy blinked, looking as though she were trying to solve a complex math problem.
Then, she smiled.
"Because you look so sad, Big Sister. You're alone in the dark, your face is
hurt, and you have that look... the look of someone who's had a very bad day. A
'Baddie' kind of day."
She stepped forward and pressed the warm parchment into Lia's hand. "Mama says
if someone is hurting, you help them. It's the Sovereign's way! And don't worry
about those bad guys who hurt you. The Punishment Legion will find them soon!"
Amy returned to her task, scooping a newly divided baby slime into her bag. "By
the way, I forgot to ask—where are you from? I've lived in Orlando my whole life
and I've never seen a face like yours. Well, except the scars."
Lia paused. "I... do not remember."
"Right! The amnesia! Like the novel!" Amy chirped.
Lia stood there, the warmth of the bread seeping into her palm. Her mind
flickered back to her training in the Necrotic Realm. The first lesson of Unit
One: Trust is a structural flaw. It is a vulnerability that leads to mission
termination. She had been taught to use the kindness of others as a lever, a
tool to be discarded once the objective was met.
But as she stood in the damp dark, holding the warm bread, she didn't feel like
she was using a tool. She felt... "broken."
"Big Sister Lia?" Amy asked, noticing her stillness. "Are you sick? Does the
face hurt?"
Lia shook her head. "I am operational."
She unwrapped the parchment. The bread was fresh, still emitting a faint trail
of steam. The surface was golden, the scent of toasted rye filling her senses.
Lia took a bite. It was soft, pillowy, a world apart from the charred crust of
the day before. The warmth spread through her chest, carrying a flavor she had
no data for.
"Is it good?" Amy asked expectantly.
Lia was silent for a count of three. "Yes."
Amy's smile widened until her eyes were mere crescent moons. "Yay! Mama is the
best baker in town! When you get your memory back, I'll take you home and she'll
make you a whole feast!"
Lia offered no reply. She simply finished the bread in measured, quiet bites.
The third day.
Amy returned with the scraps, the lantern, and a new addition: a small, square
wooden board.
"Big Sister Lia! Look!" Amy brandished the board proudly. "I took this from the
yard! It's a stool! Now you don't have to stand on the wet stones all night!"
Lia looked at the piece of wood. It was crude, the edges worn smooth, with a few
protruding nail heads. But Amy held it as if it were a throne.
"It's a bit old, but it's sturdy!" Amy placed the board on a dry ledge and
patted it. "Sit, sit!"
Lia hesitated, then lowered herself onto the board. It was hard and uneven, but
undeniably more comfortable than the slick floor.
Amy nodded with satisfaction and began her routine. As she scattered crumbs, she
spoke of the town. "There's a new patrol today, Big Sister. They're knocking on
every door, asking if anyone has seen anything 'Suspicious.' Mama said the
Baddie must be very clever to stay hidden this long."
Lia's grip on her bag tightened. The net was closing. They were moving from
sector patrols to house-to-house searches. She was trapped.
Do I seize a new hostage?
Her gaze fell on Amy, who was currently squatting by the water, whispering to a
slime. "Eat up, little one. Divide quickly so I can buy Mama some nice tea
tomorrow."
Lia watched her. This girl came into the filth and the dark every day. Not for a
cause, not for a god, but for a few copper coins. For a loaf of bread. For
survival. Yet, she was willing to give half of that survival to a stranger in a
hole.
Lia truly, fundamentally, did not understand.
"Amy," Lia said suddenly.
"Mmh?" The girl turned her head.
"If you discovered... that I was a 'Baddie.' What would your reaction be?"
Amy blinked. She tilted her head, thought for a second, and then laughed.
"Big Sister Lia couldn't be a Baddie."
"Why?"
"Because Baddies don't ask that," Amy said with the absolute logic of a child.
"Baddies hide and do mean things. They don't tell you they're bad. So you must
be a good person!"
Lia went silent. She couldn't refute the logic. Or rather, she realized she
didn't want to.
"Besides," Amy whispered, stepping closer. "Even if you did do something bad, I
bet you were forced to. Mama says there are no 'Born Baddies,' only poor souls
with no other way out."
Lia stared into Amy's clear eyes. Unbidden, the image of Doctor William returned
to her—the old man who had saved her, and whom she had threatened with death.
Her chest felt heavy again. A "logic error" that refused to be cleared.
☆☆☆
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