When the plot-skips players into the game world

After sorting out Lily's matter, Aiwass did not go to school with her either.

Since he had already requested the day off, he might as well stay at home and rest with Yulia.

When Aiwass was at home previously, Yulia would occasionally run to him with her stuffed toy and sleep with him.

Her body was always very hot, hot to the point that there was no need for a hug, just lying next to her was like lying next to a warm furnace emitting steam. In winter it was bearable, but in summer it made Aiwass quite uncomfortable. It would even sometimes leave his throat dry and his lips cracked.

But he never refused Yulia.

Because Aiwass deeply understood that the pain he bore was nothing compared to Yulia's. They had supported each other since their orphanage days and had developed deep feelings for one another.

But Yulia's pain was something Aiwass could not share. Starting from when she was six or seven years old, she had been in constant fever, almost always in a frail state.

If it were someone else, it's possible their soul would wilt like a flower. Depression, anxiety, and rage would be the least to expect; lashing out at family members, breaking things or even thinking of suicide when the pain became unbearable were all normal.

But Yulia was never like that.

The more pain and melancholy she suffered, the more brilliant her soul became.

Yulia bore all her pain and transformed it all into a thirst for knowledge.

Mathematics, physics, architecture, geology, history, alchemy...

She loved those things that gave her room to think. The knowledge that allowed her to feel the world's profound texture without leaving her home.

When Aiwass visited Yulia in her bedroom, she would either be dismantling the expensive appliances her foster father had bought - at least in Avalon, many appliances were rare commodities, and not many families had the luxury of electric lights and telephones.

But Yulia, who was only eleven or twelve at the time, had already successfully dismantled and reassembled a fan, radio, telephone, electric iron, phonograph, and camera.

At that time, Aiwass had not yet recovered the memories of his past life... He often sat next to Yulia, watching her reassemble those appliances. Watching the pieces come back together in her nimble hands, he would marvel at the magic-like skill.

Whenever that happened, Yulia would smile softly, like an elegant little lady.

A content smile would appear on her delicate little face, her eyes shining like bright gems.

In comparison to the visibly intelligent Yulia, Aiwass acutely felt the inadequacy of his own talents. When Yulia was in pain, he could do nothing; all he could do was watch her and offer gentle consolation.

Later he understood that Yulia did not need consolation. She was strong enough to adjust on her own… All she needed was company.

So, whenever Yulia was in exceptional pain, Aiwass would accompany her through the night. When she would wake up due to a headache, Aiwass would gently squeeze her hand or stroke her hair, whispering "I'm here, don't be afraid."

—Until today.

Aiwass quietly sat on the bed, next to Yulia, flipping through a book. He leaned on a pillow, with his left leg drawn up. His left hand supported the spine of the book, gently placing it on his knee.

On the cover of the book, written in gold iris script, was "Comprehensive Interpretations of the Six Paths."

The room was incredibly quiet, with only the occasional sound of a page turning and the barely audible breathing of Aiwass. The winter afternoon sun spilled onto the desk beside the bed, onto Aiwass's head, his hair slightly warmed by the sunshine. His platinum-blond hair outlined a golden halo in the sunlight.

When Yulia awoke, this was the scene that greeted her open eyes.

She stared with wide eyes in shock.

Her head no longer ached...

Even the skin and bones of her entire body were no longer paining her.

Her body was no longer frail, her hands could now grip firmly. Her breathing did not scorch her throat anymore, her heart was no longer heavy or gasping for air. The hallucinations that occasionally echoed in her mind also disappeared.

Yulia felt hungry. It was an appetite she had hardly ever experienced.

Yulia's body was so thin and frail partly because she had never had an appetite, and even had a bit of aversion to food.

Is this... a healthy body?

In that moment, tears streamed from Yulia's eyes.

Suddenly hearing a faint sobbing, Aiwass immediately closed the book and put it aside, asking with concern, "What's wrong, Yuli? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Yulia shook her head vigorously, and then threw herself into Aiwass's arms.

The slight sobs suddenly grew louder, muffled in Aiwass's embrace, audible only to him, as if all the grievances of more than a decade had burst forth at once.

Lily, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa reading a book, also raised her head and looked at Yulia with some sympathy.

Only at such moments could the Moriarty Family truly realize... that Miss Yulia, who seemed to understand everything and could learn anything, was still just a fifteen-year-old girl.

Aiwass felt the emotion Yulia was releasing. He let out a sigh of relief.

He held Yulia tightly, his chin resting gently on the back of her head, closing his eyes. Just like he used to soothe her to sleep, he gently patted Yulia's back.

It took a long time before she finally calmed down.

Silently withdrawing from Aiwass's embrace, she took out a handkerchief, bowed her head, and diligently dried her face.

"I'm so happy, brother..."

Her voice was soft, but no longer the weak, soft cooing of the past. That light and airy voice was not her natural tone, but a weakness of an ill person resulting from anorexia and frailty.

"It's not because you healed me, but because I can continue to stay by your side. I won't suddenly leave you at some moment."

"Really. I had a vague feeling before that the day might not be far off…"

Despite discussing such a pessimistic topic and talking about her previously looming death,

Yulia's eyes sparkled with light: "But now, I can finally keep living… That's wonderful."

For the first time, she completely escaped the shadow of death.

At this moment, Yulia was like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. After struggling to break free, she spread her wings and was finally able to take flight.

Her entire face radiated a bright and hopeful glow, which made her look so beautiful.

"A fifteen-year-old girl, at the age of blooming flowers, should naturally be able to live happily and hopefully."

Aiwass gently stroked her head and said softly, "This is what the world owed you. I've taken it back for you."

But Yulia didn't respond. She simply narrowed her eyes like a little puppy and earnestly nuzzled Aiwass's hand with her head.

Finally, Aiwass hugged Yulia again, let out a deep breath, and looked up at the sky.

"I was actually very scared."

Aiwass candidly answered, "Because I wasn't sure I could seal the Phantom Demon inside you. I also didn't know if you would be safe…

"But I also had a vague feeling that you might have reached your limit. That ominous premonition made me eager and anxious. That's why I didn't experiment on others, and instead used the first opportunity directly on you, Yuli.

"Thanks to the Candle Master, thanks to the Serpent Father… and to some extent, the Fallen Celestial Marshal as well. I really did it."

These were words he would never have dared to utter before the ritual began.

It might have diminished Yulia's confidence, and could have caused him to falter—strictly speaking, the only experiments he had conducted involved extracting power from the Phantom Demon to create Phantom Cards, not sealing the Great Sin Beast with Sin Cards.

It was possible to fail before the Fallen Celestial Marshal fell.

Aiwass simply overcame his fear of failure, holding a firm conviction of victory to complete it.

But now that he had won, he could calmly look back and reflect on his mental journey.

Aiwass sighed, "What scared me afterwards was that, during the ritual, I saw you were indeed at your limit. If you lost control again, it would not be safe to seal you anymore… The Defiant Flame Butterfly would have completely devoured your life. After the sealing, the Illumination Art then showed me just how bad your body had become.

"Your body was like a shell eroded by the Defiant Flame Butterfly. Like the chrysalis of a butterfly, almost all the nutrients had been drained."

And yet, in such a state, Yulia's life had burst forth with such a brilliant light…

Aiwass felt genuine admiration for his own sister.

Now, Yulia had rid herself of the dangerous shackles that had been wrapped around her destiny, intending to doom her. Her soul, talented in Balance, Wisdom, Dedication, and Transcendence, would also burst forth with radiance that was uniquely hers.

She could become an Alchemist or even a Mage. Because remnants of the Defiant Flame Butterfly's flame still lingered inside Yulia, her flames would naturally burn fiercer than others.

And once the Defiant Flame Butterfly fully matured, leaving its larval stage… Aiwass could reintroduce its power back into Yulia.

The Nurturing Skill would not cause Aiwass's own power to permanently weaken, but he had to be careful in selecting his limited Shepherd's Nurturing slots.

Just as Lily was quite suited for the power of the Shadow Demon,

It was without a doubt that Yulia was the most fitting for the power of the Defiant Flame Butterfly.

"By the way… Where is Dade, brother?"

Yulia suddenly thought of her odd little bear doll. She felt somewhat uneasy without her doll.

Dade was a character in the very popular children's comic in Avalon, "Chief Brown."

It was white, with a round face like a bear, yet it had long droopy ears like those of a rabbit. A big cross, like stitches, ran across its face, and its two small eyes were also crosses. It looked dejected.

In that comic, it was a stupid-like villain. Aiwass had watched the comic with Yulia.

Its character was designed to be an undying monster like Jason, wielding a butcher knife and chasing after the protagonist—a brown bear named Brown, who was a Supervisory Bureau Chief. But Dade was so weak that it would die immediately upon every encounter, turning into a comic character.

For some reason, Yulia really liked it. Aiwass had asked her about it before, but Yulia always evaded the question.

Now that Aiwass asked again, Yulia finally gave an answer.

"…There's no special reason, if I had to say, it's kind of a superstition."

Yulia touched a lock of hair that drooped over her forehead somewhat embarrassedly.

"I just feel… I'm a lot like it, both are white. Our eyes are both red, and our bodies are both tattered and torn."

The girl whispered, "I hope that I can have the same rampant vitality as it does, impossible to kill."

—It was just the girl's profoundly simple desire to survive.

It was a fierce will to live that Yulia had never before shown in front of Aiwass or the other family members.