The meeting with the Grand Guardian and the council members was long, yet yielded nothing of value. Aside from the same old recycled rhetoric, it was mostly a group of people vying to win Enoxia’s favor, treating her like some rare commodity. Fortunately, Angelica fended them all off. She knew that accepting their favors would mean owing them in return—and that would inevitably drag Enoxia into unnecessary trouble.
Even among the Apocalypses, this Karl Apocalypse was far inferior to Otto, and even fell short of Theresa. Aside from his decent looks and refined demeanor, he was little more than a figurehead propped up to take the blame when things went south.
After a long day, more than half the time had been wasted on bureaucratic formalities and listening to empty words. At the very least, her residence and official status were finally settled—a house just a few kilometers away from Cecilia’s home. Angelica had expected this arrangement; the previous owner of the house had also been a member of the Special Affairs Bureau, and it had been left vacant since her sacrifice.
Finally, as the sun began to set, the two of them stepped out of the government building, exhaustion written all over their faces. It wasn’t because the tedious procedures were over—it was simply because the council members and staff had clocked out for the day.
“So, Enoxia, how are you holding up? I’m practically bursting with frustration. Once Kiana’s asleep, I’ll have to vent it all out on my sister.”
Hearing Angelica’s words, Enoxia’s thoughts drifted back to her original world. After a whole day of suffering under these bureaucrats, all she wanted was to bury herself in Elysia’s embrace, nuzzle against her cheek, and seek comfort from her.
“What’s wrong, Enoxia?”
“Nothing… I was just thinking about my sister. I hope I can see her again soon.”
“You have a sister too?”
Angelica studied her for a moment, noting the anticipation rather than melancholy on Enoxia’s face before asking:
“What’s her name? Is she pretty?”
“Elysia… the most beautiful person in the world.”
The moment Elysia’s name left her lips, Enoxia felt as if she had momentarily disconnected from the world itself. Angelica’s words became indistinct, fading into the background. By the time everything returned to normal, she couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of dissonance surrounding her.
“Angelica, I’m going to look around for a bit. You go ahead without me.”
“…Alright. With your skills, those troublemakers blocking the streets won’t stand a chance. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to act—just come find me afterward.”
They waved goodbye, and without another moment’s delay, Enoxia turned back toward the government building, heading straight for the electronic information room.
“No smartphones, no computers… yet they have portable communicators that work even while sleeping. This bubble world’s tech tree is truly bizarre.”
Late last night, when all was quiet, Enoxia had searched every corner of Cecilia’s house but found no trace of internet-connected devices like phones or computers. Today, she had been looking for an opportunity to slip into the electronic information room, but the moment she strayed even slightly from Angelica’s side, she could feel countless hostile eyes fixated on her.
Now that work hours were over, the once brightly lit building was left with only a few dimly lit rooms. Enoxia tapped the door lightly with her index finger, and the automatic doors slid open obediently. She strode inside without hesitation.
“The electronic information room… should be on the second floor…”
“Bzzzt—” A noise resembling static buzzed in her ears, and for a split second, the world before her eyes turned into pixelated fragments. She rubbed her eyes, and everything returned to normal.
Puzzled, Enoxia cautiously made her way upstairs. Just as she reached the second floor, the doors to the electronic information room suddenly swung open, revealing a middle-aged man and a red-haired, blue-eyed girl around five or six years old stepping out.
“Dad, I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Alright, be quick.”
Enoxia frowned. She had never seen these two during the day, yet they emerged from the electronic information room as if it were the most natural thing in the world—even when their eyes met, they showed no reaction. Her suspicions deepening, she quietly followed the little girl into the restroom.
Out of curiosity, she activated the Authority of Corruption the moment she made physical contact with the child. But the feedback from the Herrscher of Corruption contained… strings of garbled data.
“Bzzzt—” The static noise returned. For the next three seconds, the world dissolved into pixels before snapping back to normal.
A faint smile curled on Enoxia’s lips.
“I see… But I’ll need to confirm it.”
As the sound of a flushing toilet echoed, the little girl stepped out of the stall. Enoxia gently tapped her shoulder—and the child collapsed to the ground without a sound.
Enoxia’s body dissolved into a swirling black mist before reforming into an exact replica of the unconscious girl. She examined her new appearance in the mirror, then skipped cheerfully out of the restroom and back toward the electronic information room.
Yet the man showed no reaction whatsoever. As she passed him, Enoxia activated the Authority of Corruption again—only to find that his data, too, contained the same nonsensical fragments.
Reverting to her original form—the Faded Fairy—Enoxia smirked.
“Oh? So when my actions deviate from the choices you once made, when I refuse to follow the script, you resort to filling the gaps with these poorly generated NPCs? Is that how it is, [Enoxia] of this bubble world?”
The moment the words left her mouth, the world around her shattered. The collapsing space dissolved into blinding white light.
When the radiance faded, Enoxia found herself standing on a crystalline lake, its surface so clear it mirrored the boundless azure sky above—as if each were the other’s reflection.
A few meters away stood another Faded Fairy, identical to her in every way.
After a long silence, [Enoxia] spoke first:
“How do I compare to Himeko’s Herrscher form?”
Enoxia shook her head.
“There’s no comparison. Honestly, if not for the spatial anomaly when I mentioned Elysia’s name, I wouldn’t have realized this was an illusion you crafted for me. After all, our starting points are so similar—both inheriting fragments of another’s memories, sharing the same cognition. Naturally, I’d make the same choices you once did.”
“But we are still different. In this bubble world, there is no Elysia… and no Sirin. The course of events was destined to diverge from the main world. Our differing cognitions meant it was only a matter of time before you realized this was all a dream.”
“Of course we’re different. Though our initial parameters were the same, I am the Herrscher of Corruption from the [Cocoon]… while you… are the Herrscher of Corruption from [Sa].”
