The memory continued to advance.
The Doll Witch knew that to completely conquer Pale's will, one more strong dose was needed.
The teddy bear was still continuously digesting Pale.
Countless slippery, flexible pink tentacles covered with suction cups and tiny fleshy barbs emerged from the wriggling flesh walls, eagerly wrapping around Pale's body.
"Mmph... I'll kill you!" Pale cursed angrily.
And in the depths of her consciousness.
"Found it~ The customer's weakness!"
That was the depths of a distant forest.
Pale stood at the edge of a dense forest that emanated an ancient aura.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky. Sunlight could only pass through layers upon layers of branches and leaves, casting mottled spots of light on the ground. The air was filled with the scent of moist earth and decaying leaves, along with an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure magical barrier fluctuation.
Before Xinya became a magical girl, she had been a shrine maiden of a human tribe.
Like many ancient tribes, shrine maidens were responsible for divination, ritual prayers, and worship. They were the most important component of human tribes and also the source of humanity's rapid development.
However, the tides of time rolled forward relentlessly.
Pure faith was gradually diluted by steel and steam, and mystery hid behind the curtain of modernity. Many ancient traditions were severed, and the power of shrine maidens declined accordingly. The tribe Xinya belonged to stubbornly guarded this pure land. Xinya carried the innate shrine maiden bloodline that was incompatible with this world, along with the almost unbearable burden that this bloodline brought.
According to later terminology.
In the late period of the Calamity's biological extinction, humanity was gradually advancing into the steam age.
Of course... Xinya never mentioned any of this to Pale.
Pale only knew that she stubbornly lived in a small treehouse somewhere deep in the forest.
Deep in the forest, a delicate treehouse wrapped in vines and ancient runes could be vaguely seen. That was Xinya's "home," and also her final place of rest.
Pale stood somewhat awkwardly at the edge of the forest.
In her hands, she stiffly held what appeared to be a honey nut bread wrapped in clean oil paper, still retaining a trace of warmth.
On a long-forgotten afternoon when the sunlight was still fairly warm, in a certain human tribe where they had briefly stayed, Xinya had coughed while teaching her, this living idiot, hand-by-hand using those "troublesome and inefficient" methods... the flour had to be sifted, the nuts had to be crushed, the honey had to be dissolved in warm water... how to make something "at least edible."
Xinya complained about Pale being clumsy, getting flour everywhere, yet couldn't help but laugh. Her red eyes in that moment were bright and sparkling, filled with sunlight.
"Senpai~" She had said something like that at the time, her voice carrying laughter and a trace of imperceptible fatigue, "Remember! When you're unhappy, eat something sweet, and your mood will get better!"
Pale at that time couldn't understand this theory. High energy intake was for maintaining combat consumption; sweetness was just a flavoring and had no direct logical connection to mood.
But she remembered.
She remembered that afternoon, remembered those smiling eyes, remembered those words.
Pale thought Xinya left her because she disliked her for being clumsy and for not being delicate enough or caring enough toward her junior, so she came here with handmade sweets.
Pale stepped forward, attempting to enter.
But a pale green barrier appeared out of nowhere, blocking her steps.
"Halt!"
Two clear, cold female voices simultaneously rang out from deep within the forest.
Two female guards wearing animal hide clothing, holding spears crossed, blocked Pale's advance.
"The Shrine Maiden said no one is allowed to enter!"
The lead guard's eyes coldly swept over Pale - a cloak made of rough cloth, brown leather boots...
They didn't know how Pale had managed to traverse the dangerously complex primitive jungle in such attire to reach this place, and couldn't help but feel a trace of curiosity.
But Xinya's orders still made the two guards loyally block Pale's steps.
"You will disturb the Shrine Maiden's rest. Get out!"
The guards' expressions were unfriendly.
If Pale transformed, she was confident she could overturn the entire jungle, but she was here to visit a friend.
Pale stopped. She silently looked at them, her golden eyes showing no emotional fluctuation, only tightening her grip slightly on the hand holding the bread.
"I came to visit Xinya." Pale's voice was as flat as always, but there seemed to be a faint trace of agitation that even she herself hadn't noticed.
The guards exchanged a glance.
They could feel the settled, heart-palpitating power emanating from this golden-eyed girl, and also clearly sensed that she currently had absolutely no hostility.
But the Shrine Maiden's orders could not be disobeyed.
The lead guard furrowed her brow, her gaze falling once again on the oil paper package that Pale held tightly, which seemed somewhat out of place. From it emanated a faint sweet fragrance and warm breath.
A brief silence. Only the wind passing through the leaves in the forest.
Finally, the lead guard seemed to make some kind of decision. She didn't retract her spear, but the hostility in her demeanor lessened somewhat. She nodded slightly toward her companion.
The other guard hesitated, but ultimately stepped forward one step, still vigilantly watching Pale, and extended a hand.
"The item." She said stiffly. "We can deliver it for you. But the person absolutely cannot enter. This is the Shrine Maiden's strict order."
Pale's eyes flickered...
A few seconds later, Pale slowly handed over the warm oil paper package.
The guard took the bread. The slight warmth upon contact made her fingertips pause briefly, then she quickly put the bread away.
The lead guard looked at Pale.
This golden-eyed girl still stood in place, showing no intention of leaving, but also made no further attempt to advance. She just silently stood there, like a statue waiting for the next command.
"You... are called Pale, right?"
The lead guard asked.
"Yes!"
Pale answered without hesitation, showing eagerness in her words for the first time.
This reaction seemed to confirm something for the guards.
They exchanged glances again. This time, the wariness in their eyes seemed to fade a bit more, replaced by something complex, carrying some understanding and even deeper helplessness...
The lead guard took a deep breath, as if making some kind of resolve. From a small pouch woven with colorful thin strings at her waist, she took out something.
It was a teddy bear.
The teddy bear was somewhat crudely made, seemingly using soft deerskin, the stuffing probably clean cotton, making it look chubby. Two black buttons were sewn on as eyes, the stitching not quite neat, yet conveying a clumsy cuteness.
Around the teddy bear's neck was tied a thin red silk thread.
"This," the guard extended the teddy bear toward Pale, her expression still cold and hard, but her tone seemed more complex, "was the Shrine Maiden's instruction... if you came and brought something... to give you this."
She paused, as if recalling the exact words, then continued stiffly: "The Shrine Maiden said... 'Tell that idiot senpai that the bear will watch over her for me, and tell her not to always have that stern face - it's ugly.'"
Pale froze.
Clear confusion surfaced in her golden eyes.
She looked at the chubby teddy bear with crooked stitching being handed to her, then raised her head to look at the two guards who were still wary of her, seemingly unable to comprehend everything happening before her.
What does... watch over for me mean?
Xinya... doesn't want to see me anymore?
Pale unconsciously and slowly extended her hand, taking the teddy bear.
The deerskin felt soft, carrying the faint scent of grass and wood after being sun-dried and a trace of extremely weak, almost imperceptible magical power residue belonging to Xinya.
Very weak, yet exceptionally pure, like congealed moonlight.
The teddy bear's button eyes seemed to be foolishly "looking" at her.
"Now," the lead guard interrupted her daze, her voice returning to its previous coldness, her spear lifting slightly once more, "the item has been delivered. Please leave immediately."
Pale gripped the soft teddy bear in her hand, so different from her cold palm.
She raised her eyes once more, gazing deeply toward the invisible treehouse deep in the forest.
Then, without saying anything, she slowly turned around.
Pale could not stop her steps.
The Calamity was still eroding life.