Honkai Impact: The Dream Keeper

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After Long Qiao and Mo Ye cleared out all the enemies on the field, a large wave of Honkai Beasts appeared the next second.

"That's strange... Why are there more and more Honkai Beasts and Orpheus? Is something controlling them?" Long Qiao lay on the Heavy Bunny, deep in thought.

"Damn it... this is dangerous if it continues..."

Just as Long Qiao was about to force herself to get down, suddenly, all the enemies on the field froze. Then, as if manipulated by something, they sluggishly turned around and returned to the depths of the snowfield.

"What... happened?" Bronya asked, puzzled.

"As expected, someone is manipulating everything... But who is it...?"

Long Qiao's gaze quietly shifted to the priest lying in Theresa's arms... Otto of this world.

Could it be you?

Bronya held her breath, because she felt the strangeness in the air growing stronger. Then, the next second, a girl wearing a reddish suit of armor suddenly appeared in Bronya's eyes.

“You are… the Eighth Divine Key, Feather Crossing the Dust,” Bronya said in a trembling voice.

“Bronya,” the girl transformed from Feather Dust spoke.

"You...know Bronya's name?" Bronya asked.

“You still bear traces of ‘feathers’ on your body. They allowed you to see me, and they also let me know everything about you,” Yu Duchen said.

"It's astonishing that you don't belong here. Although you exist in everyone's memory, you don't belong to this world."

"..."

"I am one of the three thousand feathers left behind by Yu Duchen, and I appeared here because I sensed the man's protective intentions," Yu Duchen continued.

"You've been protecting the orphanage from Honkai attacks, so why does the priest possess Feather of the Crossing Dust?" Bronya asked.

“It was me, but I wasn’t the only one. As for the priest, it was because he had been kind to Yu Duchen’s master, and as a way of repaying him, she left a feather in his heart,” Yu Duchen said.

"He brought me here, and all along, I have followed his will to protect this snowfield."

“But now, his time is almost up, and my power will also come to an end along with his spiritual pursuits,” Yu Duchen sighed.

"The priest... is he going to pass away?" Bronya asked in shock.

“He still has attachments and lingering feelings. But what binds him most deeply is an emptiness in his heart,” Yu Duchen said.

"That man wanted to entrust me to another person, someone he approved of, to pass on my power. However, there was an insurmountable barrier between him and that person."

“It’s Joachim… Sure enough, the priest doesn’t want him to leave like this. If Joachim leaves, they will both carry this burden forever,” Bronya said.

"...This is not only their unresolved issue, but also yours," Yu Duchen suddenly said.

“…What do you mean?” Bronya asked.

“Bronya, you came seeking answers, but what you truly seek is not someone else's answer, but your own,” Yu Duchen said.

"That is also the reason why you are leaping into the Eye of the Abyss now."

"..."

"If you want to know the answer, keep moving forward. One day, you will move on from the past and find your own path," Yu Duchen said.

The familiar voice gradually faded away, leaving only echoes in Bronya's mind. A few feathers, accompanied by her last whisper, quietly disappeared into the snow.

………………

“Father, you’re awake?” Theresa said, staring at the priest as he slowly opened his eyes from inside the cabin.

"How could I not wake up? I'm almost completely drained..." Long Qiao said weakly from the sofa on the other side.

“Theresa…I, what is this?” the priest asked weakly.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have worried you. Here, your favorite bitter melon pancake. I'm sorry... it's gotten cold." The priest took out the bitter melon pancake from his pocket and handed it to the priest.

"Does nobody care about me?" Long Qiao, feeling ignored, munched on a carrot and felt sad.

“This isn’t the time to talk about that. What happened? Why did you fall in the snow? And what about those injuries on your body…” Theresa asked anxiously.

"屮......"

"Ah...it's nothing, just a minor illness, I'll be fine after a night's sleep," the priest said.

"…………Then go to sleep, anyway I've already helped you continue, I'm so tired!!!" Long Qiao muttered softly.

"Just kidding, I've already cured him, he won't die."

“Huh? Bronya, your face looks strange…” Seele said.

“Bronya is alright…” Bronya said.

"They don't seem to know I healed the priest. Well, I guess so. After all, I only touched him a little. Who would believe I healed him in such a short time?"

Long Qiao lay on the sofa and a slight smile crept onto her lips.

"Bronya, here's another carrot. I didn't expect it to be so delicious," Long Qiao said, looking up at Bronya.

"understood."

*Bang!* The door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and Joachim's anxious face came into view.

"Father...!"

"System! Redeem the full-bottle I don't have yet!!!"

"OK!! Host has obtained all the Fullbottles. Would you like to fuse them to create a Genius Fullbottle?"

"Melt! Melt it for me!!!"

"The Genius Full Bottle is complete."

"Yay!!"

"Ouch! Ah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!" Long Qiao cried out because she was too excited and injured herself again.

“…Sigh…Can’t you be a little more settled? You’re still acting like a child.” Bronya said helplessly to Long Qiao.

"...I just accidentally twisted my waist," Long Qiao said awkwardly.

"Really..."

Seeing this, Bronya sighed and helped Long Qiao rub her twisted waist.

After entering, Joachim anxiously peered into the room, but after confirming that the priest was safe and sound, Joachim regained his usual composure.

“I’m glad you’re alright…” Joachim said to the priest.

"Joachim, have you packed your luggage?" the priest asked.

“Everything is packed,” Joachim said.

"Mommy!!! Gently... gently!!!" Long Qiao cried out in pain as Bronya pressed on her most painful spot.

Mo Ye, who was watching everything from the table, shook his head and stopped looking at Long Qiao.

Joachim stood by the bed with his head down. The priest tried to raise his hand to touch his head, but he instinctively tried to avoid it. The priest withdrew his hand and stroked the cross on his chest.

“We’re leaving early tomorrow morning, so get some rest tonight. I hope you can keep this cross for me,” the priest said.