"Again... again."
She didn't know how many times it had been, but recently Sakura was always startled awake from nightmares. This made her feel very different. Dark circles had been hanging under her eyes lately, and if you didn't look closely, you'd really think it was a certain national treasure feeling sleepy.
"What exactly is going on?"
Clutching her aching head, Sakura went to the well, drew a basin of water, washed her face to clear her head, and began to think about whether she had been possessed by any evil spirits recently. But she racked her brain and couldn't figure out what 'unclean thing' she had provoked. This made Sakura very depressed. Having not slept well for several days, she was now extremely fatigued, wanting to sleep even while standing. But as soon as she fell asleep, she started having nightmares. This situation made Sakura very helpless.
"Sister, what exactly happened? I can feel your anxiety and unease."
Rin, in Sakura's consciousness, also felt her sister's recent changes, but she couldn't find the reason either. She could only stare helplessly as her sister was startled awake by nightmares day after day. Although she and her sister were one now, she still couldn't enter Sakura's dreams and had no idea what was going on. This made her feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
"It's nothing, Rin, Sister is fine."
Wiping the water from her face with a cloth, Sakura said to Rin in her consciousness, comforting her.
"Don't say anymore, Sister, you should rest first!"
"Otherwise, your body will break down."
At this moment, Rin understood Sakura's physical condition better than Sakura herself. If Sakura continued like this, constantly lacking sufficient sleep, even her body, which was several times stronger than an ordinary person's, would be broken down by these sleepless days.
"By the way, Sister, didn't Father teach you 'exorcism'? You could try 'exorcising' yourself."
Suddenly remembering her somewhat unreliable father, her heart ached, and she said to Sakura.
Hearing Rin's words, Sakura strangely fell silent, and then began to recall her father's 'great' back.
"Father, Sakura has already learned the etiquette of a miko. Shouldn't you teach me 'exorcism' now?"
At this point, the young Sakura said to her father, who was kneeling on a stone. But her father was so 'amazing'; with so many small stones up there, didn't it hurt?
"Hmm, you learn very fast, Sakura! But you must remember, as messengers of the gods, we only need to hold our swords well."
"All 'filthy' things will be purified and become Buddhas under our swords. Let the gods listen to the 'evil spirits'' repentance!"
"We are merely guides responsible for sending them before the gods."
"So, Sakura, what 'exorcism' means is sending the opponent, along with their host, to meet the gods."
"Sakura, when you encounter 'evil creatures' in the future, don't hold back. This is how you help them find peace."
At that moment, the smile of her father, whose head was covered in bumps, was deeply etched in young Yae Sakura's eyes. He seemed so tall then. If one ignored the 'Buddha head' bumps, the purple bruises around his eyes, and the swelling at the corners of his mouth, young Yae Sakura might have even thought her father had achieved enlightenment!
"It hasn't reached that point yet. You should rest first, Rin."
"Alright… alright!"
Feeling the heavy tone of her older sister, Rin, filled with unease, listened to Yae Sakura and went to rest.
"You're awake!"
Turning back into the house, Yae Sakura met Kallen, who had gotten up to use the restroom, and greeted her wearily.
"You haven't seemed well lately. What's wrong?"
Kallen looked at Yae Sakura with concern. She had a very good impression of the girl who had taken her in. Although she couldn't see her benefactor (Zeus), Yae Sakura's care and attention had made her feel a bit lost in this feeling recently. If Zeus were here now, she would probably say to the distant 'First Green One', Otto: 'Be strong, Otto!'
"It's nothing, I just haven't been sleeping well lately, just having nightmares."
Although exhausted by the incessant nightmares, Yae Sakura still maintained her ideals and would not let other things affect her communication with others, nor would she get angry because of them. This might be related to her quiet nature, developed from having relatively little contact with people over the years.
"Get some rest soon! I won't bother you anymore."
Looking at the tired Yae Sakura, Kallen spoke to her with a pained heart. Yae Sakura nodded and walked towards her room.
"There must be a reason. I need to find it."
Kallen looked at the black box in her room, which exuded an ominous aura, and said, stroking her smooth chin.
"Just a little more, just a little more, almost there, collapse, Yae Sakura."
After Kallen rested, there was another burst of joyful laughter from the black box. Compared to her previous impatience, the entity inside now patiently wove her script. She wanted to ensure she could get out all at once, rather than just a little at a time. So she needed Yae Sakura to completely open her seal. Although it was a bit difficult, given Yae Sakura's current state, she probably couldn't hold on much longer.
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