Valkyrie Smash

Chapter 294 Warm embrace.

The glass container was drained of the green liquid. At its center, a young girl floated weightlessly, her alluring figure and flawless skin exposed. Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly descended till her feet touched the damp bottom. Only when the container opened up did the haze in her mind clear allowing her to remember where she was.

"Ah, I see…" she muttered, looking at her right hand.

"Hm? Oh hi there!" A voice spoke, clearly excited. "I see you're finally awake. Good, good!"

"... Elina?" Nino said, squinting her eyes.

"Hm? What? Why do you look so disappointed?" The female scientist replied. "That's horrible, you know!? And I went through the trouble of keeping an eye on you!!!"

"Ah, no… I mean…" Stepping out of Eir, the Japanese doll looked around the room. To her disappointment, that man wasn't there. "Where is Doctor?"

Elina twitched at the question, her whole body becoming stiff.

"Aa… haha… Sam? Well, he's… you know…" After fumbling over her answer for a while she seemed to give up and just spoke the truth. "He had to go take care of the work that's piling up. The Resistance has been knocking on our door ever since they realized we brought the Nephilim here so… things have been chaotic."

Nino's eyes widened a little.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A little less than three days. You don't have to worry. There weren't any big changes while you were asleep."

"I wonder…"

Nino didn't understand why Valkyries were made to feel pain, it was a question that bothered her even before she was freed from Odin's mind restraints. Wouldn't it be much better if they didn't faint after receiving grave injuries? That way, they would be able to continue fighting for much longer without having to waste time on restoring themselves.

Nino didn't remember much after what happened with Karim. She wasn't in a state to move around after losing her arm and her consciousness slipped away as soon as someone came to check on her. Before she knew it she was inside Eir. Her battle was over, but that didn't mean it was the same for everyone else.

"So we made it back?" She asked.

"Hm? Yeah." Elina looked a bit confused as she handed her a towel. "There were quite a number of injured but… fortunately we didn't lose anyone. Well, with the exception of some Nephilim."

Fortunately, after all Valkyries were moved to the forty sixth base, their equipment was also moved along with them. That meant they had quite a few Eir units to work with which allowed them to quickly repair any injuries they had.

"I… see…"

With Dimensional Rifts opening passages to a Fallen world, the Nephilim world was no longer a place suited for life. Though she couldn't remember what they were, a simple observation told her everything she needed to know about them.

Fallen Worlds were worlds infested by madness, ruled by Primordials that stood well above the rest of creation. In their pursuit of aether they bring destruction to any world they pass, and among those seeking Truth they were the ones closest to reaching Akasha.

Now that they had a Key of their own, the Doctor and his people would be targeted by more than one entity. Whether it's this world's Primordial, delusional maniacs dreaming of becoming or heralds of Madness, the fight will continue from now till they reach Akasha. Now that they stepped into the race they had no choice but to continue moving forward.

"I'm tired…" she said with a sigh.

Their battle was just getting started, and though she was determined to play a pivotal role to win the heart of her beloved, at the moment she wanted nothing more than a little rest.

'I feel like I'm missing something…'

A part of her wanted to think that it was only natural considering her state as Lachesis' reincarnation, but after a moment of thought she suddenly looked up as if realizing something.

"Atropos!!!"

Elina was startled by the sudden shout, jumping away with a terrified expression. Nino turned to her with questioning eyes but the scientist was a bit slow on the reply.

"A-Atropos? Ah! Right! The Olympian who looks exactly like you!" Elina seemed to remember as well. "I don't know how I forgot about this. Gosh, what is wrong with me? Ah, sorry. She… she's still in operation so…"

"Huh?" Nino blinked. "Still in operation?"

~[]~

The cold embrace of death enveloped her body and she felt her end approaching. Though she still held some reservations, having received a chance to see one of her sisters was more than enough for her.

As her blood flowed out without stopping, her body could only feel the warmth of the one holding her. It was a familiar warmth, one she had almost forgotten. Being able to savor it in her last moments was more than she deserved, and though she had already made her peace, a part of her wished it lasted a little longer.

'... Lachesis… Clotho…'

Not a moment after the names crossed her mind, Atropos realized that something strange was happening. She was sure she had died. Artemis' arrow had struck her in the heart and even her own regeneration ability couldn't heal the wound. No matter how much they tried, it was impossible to save her under those conditions. But if that was the case, why was she still able to remember the names of her sisters?

"...."

She took a leap of faith and tried opening her eyes. Wincing at the brightness of her surroundings, she waited for a few seconds and tried again.

The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar white ceiling and not long after she noticed the comfortable bed under her. She tried moving around and to her surprise there was no hint of pain coming from the wound. Not only that but her body didn't feel the least bit sluggish.

"Something… something isn't right…"

Lifting herself into a sitting position she looked around the room then down at herself. The bluish robe she wore was unfamiliar, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"It's… gone?"

The wound in her chest was completely healed. Not only that but there were no scars left. Her skin was as clear as it could be, however upon further inspection she noticed that something was off.

Grabbing one of her breasts in each hand, the Olympian squeezed them a few times before muttering to herself.

"They're… bigger?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the metallic door sliding open prompting her eyes to dart in its direction, but when she saw who it was that entered her mind went blank.

"Lachesis…?"

Standing at the door was a girl of short stature with long raven hair and ruby eyes. The uniform she wore resembled the black sailor uniform worn by Japanese schoolgirls which suited her perfectly considering her delicate Asian features.

Nino stared at the bed for a moment, her eyes torn open. Being the target of her gaze made Atropos feel a bit awkward, but all of that vanished when the younger sister rushed to her side and without hesitation pulled her into a tight hug.

"Sis…" she began sobbing. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…"

The elder sister was paralyzed. A pang of pain gripped her chest but not s moment later warmth began to spread through it causing her eyes to grow moist.

"What are you apologizing for?" She said, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm the one who should…"

"No…" Nino replied. "I… we shouldn't have left you… we…"

Atropos knew it all along. Her sisters weren't wrong for leaving or attempting to stand against Zeus. They had the courage to do it, but unlike the two of them, she chose the easy route of serving someone who didn't deserve her loyalty. Her disappointment in herself turned to resentment over the years, but all of her anger vanished the moment she got to embrace one of them after everything.

"I'm the one who should be sorry." She said, slowly wrapping her arms around her little sister. "If I wasn't such a coward I would've gone with you from the start."

With their emotions overflowing, the two sisters cried in silence in each other's arms. Neither seemed willing to let go of the other as if fearing they would disappear the moment they did.

Atropos was devastated upon receiving the news of her sister's death. On that day, the thought that she would never get to embrace her again almost drove her mad. Never in her life did she think that such a miracle would happen. It would be so cruel if all of it turned out to be a dream by the end, but for now, all she wanted was to hold her little sister and feel her warmth.

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