"Ah!!!" Seele bolted upright in bed, gasping as if reclaiming the breath stolen by her dream.
After half a minute, she choked back a sob, tears flowing uncontrollably. She felt no sadness, no reason to cry…
Was it the dream? Was she crying for the dream itself, or for someone within it?
She didn't know.
The room was dark, the world seemingly dead—Seele thought, then a crow cawed raucously outside her window, as if the world, offended by her thought, was proving its vitality.
Seele didn't like speaking ill of others, especially not the world—if the world truly existed.
But she couldn't help but think: such a demonstration was rather excessive.
Her throat was dry, tight. She suspected she'd caught a chill, kicking off the blankets in her sleep. The Far East was much warmer than Okhotsk…
"Bronya Onee-chan? Bronya Onee-chan?" she called hoarsely, out of habit.
No response. She remembered. They'd moved from the remote Okhotsk sanatorium. Everyone had their own room now.
Seele got out of bed, padding barefoot to the small table, pulling back the curtains to let in the moonlight.
"Eh… what's this?" A large shadow lay on the table.
She reached for it. Soft, plush. A Homu plushie.
"Bronya Onee-chan…" Who else would buy her something like this?
She nuzzled the plushie, inhaling Bronya's faint scent.
She placed the plushie back on the table, her gaze falling on a glass of water.
"Gulp—" Seele drained the glass. The water, once warm, was now icy, but it brought a strange warmth to her chest.
She rubbed her chest, and the sensation faded.
It wasn't premonition that had made her leave the water. It was the dream… Every night since arriving in the Far East, the same nightmare plagued her, without fail.
Though "nightmare" wasn't quite right.
Seele held the cold glass, turning it slowly. She raised it to the moonlight, the glass seeming to fill with silvery liquid.
The same scene replayed in her mind: the choked sobs, the pain, the reluctance.
She didn't understand its meaning, especially the single phrase:
"Michael-Onii-chan, forget Seele…"
First, who was "Michael-Onii-chan"?
He felt important, yet Seele had no memory of him. There was no Michael at Mother Cocolia's orphanage. She'd searched her memories of Estonia, of her journey to Okhotsk… nothing.
Perhaps it was a premonition of the future? Dreams could be prophetic…
Probably not—a gut feeling, nothing more.
But even so… Michael wasn't an uncommon name. She had no other clues. And the dream always ended just before she could see his face…
She'd let things unfold naturally. What was meant to be would be.
Yet a strange unease lingered, like something trying to break free from within her…
"Ugh… ah!" A sudden, searing pain in her chest.
No, more than that. A consuming, all-encompassing pain, as if she'd swallowed hot coals, her insides burning.
She gasped, clutching the table, her body trembling.
"Ah… ah… ah—" She bit her lip until blood trickled down her chin. She didn't want anyone to see her suffering, especially…
"Crash!" The pain overwhelmed her, and she knocked the glass to the floor, shattering it.
"Oh no…" She tried to get up, but her hands were full of glass shards. Though insignificant compared to the pain in her chest…
"Seele! What's wrong?" Less than ten seconds later, the door burst open. Seele looked towards the doorway. She didn't see the familiar twin drills at first, her heart sinking, but then she recognized Bronya's voice. It was late; Bronya's hair would be down.
"Are you okay?" Bronya rushed towards her. Seele suddenly saw the world with unusual clarity: Bronya running barefoot, her…
"Don't come closer!" Seele shouted uncontrollably.
"What's wrong?" Confused, Bronya stopped instinctively, noticing something gleaming on the floor in front of her.
Glass shards.
But what choice did she have? Run back for shoes?
She didn't hesitate, stepping forward, ignoring the slight pain.
"Don't… uh…" Seele scrambled to her feet, then froze.
"It's… it's gone, Bronya Onee-chan."
"Hmm?"
"The pain… it's gone…"
"Seele, are you sure?" Bronya started forward again. Seele clutched her chest, nodding.
"It's okay, Bronya Onee-chan. I'm fine now. Go back…"
"No, you were clearly… I can't just leave you and go back to sleep!"
"Then… could you at least put on some shoes, Bronya Onee-chan? And bring me a broom and dustpan?"
"Uh… okay…" Bronya studied Seele carefully in the moonlight. Although sweat beaded on her forehead, her expression had eased. The mysterious pain seemed to have passed.
If Seele didn't need her to endure pain, then fine.
She ran back to her room. The house was silent. How had no one else heard the crash?
Bronya paused. It had been a loud noise, but everyone was asleep, and the rooms were well-insulated. No one should have heard it.
Was she just overly sensitive to sounds? Being a mercenary… even ordinary life was difficult.
She shook her head, entering her room, switching on the light, grabbing her slippers and the cleaning supplies, just as Seele had asked.
Back in Seele's room, Seele stood motionless, head down, like she was asleep.
She startled as Bronya entered.
"Bronya Onee-chan, give me the…" She'd intended to clean up the mess herself, but Bronya was already sweeping.
"It's okay, Seele. Go back to bed. I'll do it."
Bronya quickly swept up the glass, then, noticing a small puddle, asked, "Seele, do you need more water? I'll get some."
"No… no thank you, Bronya Onee-chan!"
Bronya tilted her head. "Is there anything else I can do?"
Seele hesitated, then, twisting a strand of hair, asked tentatively, "Um… could you… sleep with me tonight, Bronya Onee-chan…? Ah, no! I don't mean… Could you just… stay with me for a while…?"
She wanted to hide her face.
Bronya tilted her head, silent.
Just as Seele's anxiety and regret peaked, about to retract her request but unable to speak, a cold hand gently touched her head.
"Ah!"
"Seele, did you have another nightmare?"
Seele swallowed, her lips trembling, then nodded silently.
"Alright." Bronya chuckled. "It's no big deal. The bed's big enough."
She gently took Seele's hand. "Relax, Seele. I'll be here. Now, lie down. I'll put these away and be right back, okay?"
"Okay…" Seele's voice was barely a whisper, but Bronya heard it, gently stroking her hair.
When Bronya returned, the room was so quiet she almost thought Seele was asleep, if not for the sudden quickening of her breath.
"Seele?"
"Mm, Bronya Onee-chan."
Bronya climbed into bed in the darkness. Seele shifted, sharing her pillow and blanket.
"Caw—caw—caw—" The annoying crow seemed determined to stay awake. Bronya lay still, feeling the warmth returning to Seele's hand, and slowly closed her eyes, her mind emptying…
For a mercenary, falling asleep on command was essential. Those who couldn't… well, two of Uncle Maxim's men hadn't learned that lesson, and they were dead.
Being a mercenary, being on the battlefield… many things were optional, except survival.
But tonight, Bronya couldn't do it.
She admitted, she'd been the only one to hear the glass shatter not because of her "mercenary instincts," but because she'd been the only one awake.
She tried to clear her mind, but it was impossible. This had happened before. She tried Raven's method, visualizing blue skies, white clouds, green meadows…
The sky and clouds appeared, but instead of meadows, she saw a snow-covered forest.
"Bang!" The muffled report of a Tokarev. Bronya looked down. A bearded man, age indeterminate, fell back into the snow. The 5.5-gram 7.62×25mm Tokarev round entered through his neck, exiting through the back of his head, staining the snow crimson.
It looked like a suicide, but Bronya knew better. The Tokarev was too heavy for a three-year-old. She'd aimed for the heart, but her trembling hand had angled the gun upwards. The recoil had saved his life, momentarily.
But the end result was the same.
Bronya wasn't disturbed by the memory, nor did she feel regret. She simply sighed, opening her eyes.
No regret, but sleep evaded her.
Why?
She was suddenly seized by an urge to see the moon. No reason, just a whim.
As she shifted, she heard Seele's breathing, sometimes slow, sometimes rapid.
Finally, Seele broke the silence. "Bronya Onee-chan, can't you sleep either?"
"I… I just had some coffee before the mission, in case I got drowsy." Did she have coffee? Maybe. She couldn't recall, but she must have. Why else would she be awake?
"Really?" Seele chuckled. "Is it because you're thinking about school tomorrow, Bronya Onee-chan?"
"No, it's not. I just encountered someone interesting during the mission. Thinking about him, that's all."
Seele giggled again. "But, Bronya Onee-chan, you said you had coffee."
"Both, I guess…" Bronya turned away, facing the wall.
"Do you want to go to school, or not, Bronya Onee-chan?"
"I… I don't care. Going to school is a mission. Not going to school is also a mission. No difference to me."
"I see…" Seele wisely didn't ask about the "missions." Cocolia hadn't explicitly revealed Bronya and Natasha's true roles, but she hadn't hidden them either. Their occasional disappearances, their injuries… it wasn't hard to guess. Though the twins probably thought Natasha was taking Bronya on outings, even pestering Natasha to take them along.
Seele fell silent. Bronya relaxed, a wave of relief washing over her.
But sleep still evaded her. She could lie to others, but not herself.
Seele's breathing deepened, sleep approaching.
Bronya decided she'd sneak onto the roof once Seele was asleep. She needed to see the moon.
But as she relaxed, Seele murmured sleepily, "Bronya Onee-chan wants to go to school, right?"
"…"
"Even if it's a mission, you'll still be at school, right?"
"…"
"Bronya Onee-chan is just worried about adjusting to school life, right? It's okay, Seele will help you. That's the only way Seele can help Bronya Onee… chan…"
"…" Bronya remained silent until Seele's breathing became deep and even.
"Seele? Seele?" she whispered. No response.
She carefully extracted her hand from Seele's, slipped out of bed, and tiptoed outside.
The courtyard was dark. She easily climbed onto the roof, only to find someone already there.
"Natasha? What are you doing?" Bronya recognized her partner's silhouette.
Natasha turned, staring blankly for a moment, before saying, "Uh… Bronya?"
The smell of alcohol hit Bronya, and she frowned. "You… you're drunk? Mother Cocolia forbade you from drinking!"
Natasha raised a wobbly finger. "First, I turned eighteen six months ago. Cocolia's ban is… hic… null and void… hic!"
"You only remember your birthday, not the year. You can't even prove your age! I'm the one who faked your ID!"
Natasha just giggled. "Second, if you can buy Homu… hic… why can't I… hic… buy booze?"
Bronya sighed, supporting Natasha, worried she'd fall off the roof. Even stigmata awakeners could break bones falling from two stories.
"Don't you have a mission tomorrow?"
"What mission…? Mmm… I'm free tomorrow… unlike you… Going to school…" Natasha poked Bronya's forehead, her envy almost palpable. "Cocolia's so mean. School's so tiring and boring. It's not a good place. Poor you… Not like me! Sleeping in tomorrow, then going to the city! Drinking all I want! I want to drink… drink… Waaaah…"
Bronya's eye twitched. She no longer cared about the moon.
After much effort, she managed to get the drunken, whining Natasha back to her room. She should have returned to her own room, but somehow, she found herself back in Seele's, climbing into bed beside the sleeping figure.
She nestled against Seele, feeling the warmth of her shoulder, and drifted off to sleep.
Under the covers, Seele's hand twitched, gently grasping Bronya's.