[Don't push yourself, without your life or rather without you. There's no meaning in saving the world. Please be careful, not with how you use my gift but how you carry the burden that may burn your body from the fierce flames that's been starting to engulf the world.]
Her statements were so charming and enticing. Ren awoke to find himself in a different house, despite her apprehensive caution and anxieties. He sat up quickly, not knowing that he would see another person.
A frail girl, her hands holding a platter of sliced fresh apples and a bright red scarf over her head.
"Please, have this. You should eat to regain your strength"
Ren moved catiously as she approached abruptly. Still, the girl approached him gently and gave him the plate. Her hands were shaking from the cold, not from terror. Seeing this, Ren held the girl's hands, who was chilly, in addition to the plate.
Ren smiled and thanked her.
Thanks to this girl, Ren survived but right now. His own life isn't his concern.
"Have you seen a tall girl with short hair, with a bit of green in it. She's with two people and the other one is injured."
The girl nodded as she heard the description of the person Ren was looking for, she held his hand and led him to the living room only to find the girl's parents and Wendy helping them. Wendy saw Ren who was finally concious and quickly went to him, hugging him firmly. Tears forming in her eyes as she kept the tight yet warm hug.
"You're okay!"
Wendy said with such affectionate tone.
"Thank you, thank you for surviving"
She was so worried, waiting me under the broken cabin, unsure if Ren was even surviving the fight.
Ren was like family to her now, losing him was something unbearable. After all, she hated being alone after all those years in this cold world.
Ren was still recovering so Wendy guided him to the fireplace, to sit and rest. The frail girl then went to her parents to help along with Wendy. Ren meanwhile stayed still at the fireplace, wondering about what happened to that hunter.
A stern look, a warrior, an honorable one yet takes a price on head. The hunter is merely a puppet, but it shouldn't matter because they were just caught up with the mess. Ren needs to interrogate with the two people who came to them, after he and the wounded lady recovers.
During those three months, still even after managing to recover most his honkai energy and his original body. He couldn't create any portals, why? According to Wendy, lately something has been blocking or rather limiting the honkai energy that was roaming around this world.
Something was being used as a barrier to prevent any herrscher to appear. Only small beasts roam around, and sometimes it may look like a divine protection on the outside but in reality, it's used for something more malicous.
Wendy figured this out when the freezing happened, it "froze" most of her herrscher core.
Someone is manipulating the current events of the world but it's only a speculation.
It's only based on Wendy's observation, no evidence or witneses to confirm the speculation.
The next morning, Ren managed to recover his strength but his wounds are still healing, he changed some clothes and went to the kitchen to see the girl's mother and wendy, smiling and laughing as they come up with breakfast. The girl helps with the table as she saw Ren awake, she had a gleeful look on her face and approached him.
Ren caressed her head and gave her a pat. He saw the father wore a jacket and an axe on hand with him. Ren decided to help with woodwork to contribute in the house, even though the family tried to convince him to rest some more.
Even during this snowy days, every villager needed to work and keep up for their family, hunting, wood cutting for firewood. They only have themselves now since the main kingdom, the main city had been closed for some time now.
Ren and the father then went on a walk and gather as much as firewood as possible. Still, Ren didn't do much as the father did because he was still recovering but it's no excuse for not helping.
[FOUND YOU]
A sudden ringing striked Ren's ears when suddenly three honkai beasts surrrounded them. This was bad, Ren's focus was scrambled from the ringing noise. His strenght hasn't returned at all and he can't protect the father.
"Get down"
The father then pulls Ren down on the snow as the honkai beasts got shot from the far distance, managing to kill them. The ringing managed to stop but his head still hurts for some reason, the support from behind came close, covering their face and a sniper on hand.
"Yo, you guys good?"
Ren took a look at this person as she takes off her scarf and mask, she had a smile on her face. Rather her face was identical to someone he knew.
Her hair dark violet with a bit of lighter purple yet her hair had those drill-like hairstyle. Her eyes were red at some point but then after blinking, it was back to greyish color.
She's a spitting image of Bronya and Seele.
"Eh-"
Right now, Ren felt like he needs to calm down and process things. The situation is too funny for Ren right now, as a first time world walker. A hybrid was right infront of him, but how? How did Seele and Bronya even do it for them to make a baby? Did they use the Herrscher stick?
"Ahem!"
"Ah-"
"Let's get going, the snow will kill all of us"
Thus, the crew went back home. Ren was brought down to the couch to rest as the father then puts the firewood in their own shed.
"mother, I am hungry"
Bronya-Seele hybrid starts putting the dried up meat by the kitchen as her mother was surpirsed. What's surprising is she was actually part of this household.
The little girl from before starts putting a warm soaked towel on Ren's forehead. Wendy sat by his side and held his freezing hands.
"We told you to not overdo it!"
"Sorry-"
Wendy sighed as she looked at his wellbeing, frankly Ren does look like shit at the moment.
But what's concerning for Ren right now isn't himself but the ambush earlier, the ringing, the voice, the sudden honkai beasts popping up. It felt like someone was watching him the whole time, ever since he landed in this world.
"Sister, are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm okay little one! It wasn't a big deal"
The girl smiled at the frail girl, she had such a bright energy and with a face like that, it was weird in it's own way. It's like seeing another version of Bronya but smiling more energeticly.
Completely opposite of the Bronya on Ren's world. At the second matter, Ren hasn't met Seele but Bronya managed to show pictures of her back at his world.
Everytime, she calls her name out or talk about her. She has this smile on her face yet at the same time, sadness in her eyes.
Perhaps something in their past had happened for them to be not seeing each other.
"Right, Ms. Wendy I managed to scout to the nearest area where the city is closer and well, it isn't doing well either for them. The freezing is worse and honkai beasts are around them like a swarm"
"The city?"
"Yes, well we need to reach to the city because apparently those two people from before are from there"
Wendy was thinking of going to the city for the two people from before. Possibly to report as well as to what happened with the encounter with the Hunter.
Maybe even conpensation from the throne about the casualties.
"But of course, I can find another way in for us."
Ren suddenly sat up and looked at her with caution, of course he was sure this person isn't helping out of kindness of her heart.
"What's the condition?"
"Nothing major but, let me accompany you in the city"
She seemed like she has her own plans, it's not in Ren's position to ask her either so he left the decision to Wendy and continued to get some rest as he was told, while Wendy approved of the proposition.
Wendy caressed Ren's head and smiled. She was really worried and at the same time was angry for being careless.
She was practically pouting.
Ren apologizes until she felt better.
Three days more, the crew had started to pack up. Ren recovered as much as the two people from the city and Wendy alongside Bronya-Seele Hybrid, who was eating her mom's apple pie before leaving.
The frail girl from before went to Ren and gave him a dark green scarf, it was a gift as well as a note to come back safely with her sister.
"Anaia, please be careful. Always remember your home is always here"
The mother gave Anaia (Bronya-Seele Hybrid) a firm warm hug as they went on their way to the city.
Future isn't intact yet and Ren has recived a bigger warning, they need to be careful for what's about to come for them. A new area, new people, and especially new enemies. Perhaps maybe Ren could find a way back home or at the very least, find the source of the limiter as well as the cause of the freezing in this world.
To be continued.