Blossom: Sorry there was no new chapter for a while! I know lots of you have been waiting patiently (or impatiently). I went abroad for a week and lost my login information, so I had to deal with that. Thank you for your patience.

P.S. If you're confused because you already read Chapters 21-23, I deleted those. I'm rewriting them (completely) because I wasn't satisfied with them, so these are new chapters. The woes of being a writer! D:

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Despite being inhabited by hilichurls, Dadaupa Gorge was usually a lovely place. Dense fir trees made the ground soft with needles, and nestled among them were the hilichurl camps, totems sprawling to the sky and fruit trees scattering their juicy harvest onto the grass.

Other than the occasional squabble over the biggest Sunsettia, the hilichurls lived in peace on ordinary days. Certainly no mere adventurer dared to venture there and disturb them. But then again, the Traveler was no mere adventurer, and this was no ordinary day for the hilichurls, either.

The proud wooden totems lay decapitated, hacked to pieces seemingly for fun. Furred bodies littered the ground and lay piled inside huts, staining the grass red. It looked as if a demonic creature had torn through the valley.

That "demonic creature" stood surveying her work. A hot wind stirred up the rancid smell of decay, fluttering the feathers in her blonde hair. She stared across the gorge, emotionless. Had it been the real Lumine, she might have sunk to her knees in horror. But it was another entity peering through her eyes, an entity from a faraway world where all of this was merely a game.

Did the real Lumine linger inside that puppet's body? Was there a flicker of consciousness in her golden eyes—a sign that she was still there, somewhere deep down? Her fingers twitched, as if to drop her sword.

But the entity commanded her forward with an inescapable power, and rigidly, she began running again, towards the next cluster of huts. Soon, the sound of shrieks echoed through the gorge.

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"Big Sis?" you whispered, peering around a tree trunk to see the figure slumped there. But it was only another hilichurl corpse, lying in a pool of its own blood. Why didn't they disappear like they usually did?

Big Sis, please... I'm scared. This hide-and-seek game isn't fun anymore... please come out.

For you, the day had turned from a hazy dream into an unending nightmare. With every step, your blood pounded in your ears, and the slightest noises made you flinch. Only your conviction to find Lumine kept you going.

It's... it's a dream. It's just a bad dream... and it'll go away in the morning.

You turned to leave, but heard a rustle behind you. The hilichurl was stirring feebly, its ruined limbs twitching.

Wait... is Mister Hilichurl still alive? Is that why... he didn't disappear?

Your breath caught in your throat.

Did Big Sis do this... on purpose? Why? The hilichurls didn't do anything to her! Why would she make them hurt for so long, all alone, dying, with no one... no one around?

Tears filled your eyes and trickled down your cheeks as you rushed to the hilichurl's side and knelt down. "Wait, Mister Hilichurl. D-don't die... (Y/N) will heal you."

You made a bubble and floated it towards the hilichurl's face. When the bubble touched it, the hilichurl sighed softly, as if some of its pain had gone away. But its pulse was weak and getting weaker by the second, and its breathing was growing slower and slower.

The realization hit you.

This Mister Hilichurl is... going to die.

You slipped your small, chubby hand in the hilichurl's big, rough one, not knowing what else to do. The hilichurl seemed to like that first bubble, so you made a few more, floating them gently towards the hilichurl. A bubble wand. When the last bubble popped, the hilichurl disappeared, too. You picked up its broken mask.

Bye, Mister Hilichurl. Let's play together... in the next world.

Calm filled you, replacing the burning anger that had kept you going for so long.

I need to find Big Sis and stop her before she hurts anyone else.

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It was easy to find Lumine. All you had to do was follow the path of destruction—shredded twigs, torn-up shrubs, and scarred tree trunks. You didn't know what you'd do once you found her—talk to her, maybe? Ask her what was going on? Hug her? Smack her? All of the above?

Emerging into a clearing, you saw a familiar golden-haired girl standing at the entrance to a hilichurl hut. You started to call out to her, but then you saw past her, into the hut. Two hilichurls huddled against the far well, their weapons in splinters at their feet. They clutched each other, trembling and muttering. You didn't have to speak Hilichurlian to know what they were saying—'Please! Spare us!'

Lumine slashed through them in one slice. Dark, grape-jelly-colored blood spurted into the air as their bodies turned into nothing.

"Yaaaaa!" More hilichurls charged towards her, here to avenge their fellow tribesmen. Lumine killed them all.

She didn't even seem to be enjoying it. There was no bloodlust, no expression on her face at all, and that was the most terrifying part. Rather, she seemed to be doing it because she had to.

Mister... Mister Blueberry was right. That's not my big sis, not anymore. That's... a scary monster.

You turned to run, and there she was, right in front of you. The flowers in her hair glistened, and her hair shone like gold in the sun. She was as pretty as ever, but her eyes were so empty now.

When she shifted her sword, the Harbinger of Dawn, you saw that the blade was caked in dried blood—no longer the same shining weapon you'd given her.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice cold and toneless. Her lips... they weren't moving while she spoke! So where was that voice coming from?

I... I...

"Talk. Are you an NPC?" She tightened her grip on the sword. "Actually, I can test that out for myself. I wonder if you drop Raw Meat?"

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Wow, was your first thought. Big Sis is even stronger than last time!

Lumine raised her sword, and you were reminded of a few days ago, when the knight attacked you on the city wall. But unlike the knight, Lumine was no amateur. Her bloodied sword cut straight and true, a weapon honed with deadly purpose. Backing up, you slammed against the wall, and Lumine closed in.

She struck again, and again, in quick succession. Something hot and sticky flowed from your chest, your leg, your shoulder. Pressing your numb fingers together, you whispered, "Bubble shield." For a few seconds, you felt cool water seep into your wounds, healing them slowly.

SLASH!

In one clean stroke, Lumine sliced through the shield, splashing water onto the grass. "What a surprise. So you aren't an NPC after all. Well, that means you're my enemy."

SLASH!

Drawing a shuddering breath, you squeaked, "Stop... please..." Your voice sounded like a faint echo, coming from far away. You wondered if, perhaps, you were dying.

"Hah! Which voice actor recorded your lines? They're doing a pretty good job." Lumine lunged forward, and you had a sudden, vivid vision of yourself, bleeding out like a pinata at a birthday party. Except instead of candy... "For that, I'll kill you quickly. You'd better drop something good. I've never seen a monster like you."

A... monster?

SLASH!

You wanted to hate Lumine. But every time you closed your eyes, you remembered how gently she had held you, how softly she had smiled as she held your hand. You remembered the way the sun reflected off her hair like an angel's halo. Wasn't it an honor to be killed by a hero? You should be grateful.

Even if you hate me... Big Sis...

SLASH!

You're still... my favorite... person... in the whole wide world.

SLASH!

Big Sis... I... love you...

The world flickered black. Something out of the corner of your vision—a white-blue blur—shot out of the trees and crashed into Lumine, sending her sprawling in the dust.

You squinted your bleary eyes as Ms. Whopperflower rose to her feet in all her glory, her eyes ablaze. A halo of razor-sharp ice crystals arranged themselves around her silvery-haired head.

"Leave my little one alone!"

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