Honkai Impact 3rd: Catching the Herrscher of Sentience at the Start

POV- Sirin

...

At the border of Siberia, I once had a home where I lived with my mother and older brother. Although our daily life was extremely poor, I felt warmth and happiness.

But such happiness was so fragile in the face of disaster. My mother passed away due to illness, and my brother also unfortunately fell ill, lying weakly in bed each day as his condition worsened. He would stare blankly at the ceiling, his face pale.

I was terrified, scared that my brother would also leave me, leaving only Sirin behind.

One day, I was awakened by the piercing cold wind and saw my brother at the door, dressed thinly, showing no care for himself.

Furious, I questioned him, but he turned his head and looked at me with confusion in his eyes. At that moment, I panicked, afraid he would disappear into the vast snow.

Overwhelmed by fear, I threw myself into his arms and started crying, pouring out my inner fears to him. I wanted him to know that little Sirin was scared, scared of losing him.

After hearing me, my brother wiped away my tears, forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying to comfort me. Treating me like a child, he truly was a fool!

Seeing him obediently return to bed, I finally felt relieved. I took the last few grains of rice we had at home to make a bowl of warm porridge for him to warm up.

When I brought the porridge to him, his slightly warm palm touched my head. He asked if I had eaten, and that warmth filled my heart. I couldn't help but shake my head, declining his kind gesture.

When I saw that he seemed slightly better than before, I thought things were getting better. But suddenly, he coughed up blood—it must have been from the cold wind earlier. He never took care of himself.

I pulled out an old handkerchief that my mother had once woven. Though it was worn, I still loved it. Carefully, I wiped the blood from his mouth. As I wiped, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. My brother, despite his frail state, still tried to comfort me as if nothing had happened.

But this only made me even sadder.

When he said he would take me around the world and let me eat lots of delicious food, I finally stopped crying. I looked at him, choking back sobs, and asked if it was true.

I didn't want a world tour or lots of delicious food. I just wanted him to remember this promise and stay alive. Yet he didn't see through my words and even made such a serious vow—what an idiot.

Later, I dozed off in his warm embrace.

When I woke up the next morning, I saw my brother was already awake. I greeted him and snuggled into his arms, enjoying a moment of peace.

Although his arms were warm, I couldn't stay there forever. Reluctantly, I left his embrace and reheated the cold porridge from the previous day.

Under my insistence, he finally drank the porridge. Afterward, his complexion improved slightly, and he even showed some enthusiasm, saying he wanted to perform magic for me. I didn't believe in magic, but seeing the anticipation in his eyes, I closed mine slowly.

When he told me to open my eyes, I was convinced magic existed in this world. On the table was a large, fluffy white bun that captivated my gaze, its aroma making my mouth water.

When he confirmed it was real, I couldn't hold back my excitement. I threw myself into his arms and kissed him, then grabbed the bun and started eating it eagerly.

It was the best thing I had ever tasted—soft and sweet, far better than the buns made by the town's elderly ladies. After eating several, I felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

But thinking of my friends in town, who surely hadn't tasted something this delicious, I grabbed a few buns and ran to share them with them after confirming with my brother.

I handed the buns to my friends as they gathered around. Seeing their astonished expressions, I straightened my back and proudly told them my brother made them.

They were shocked and then asked how my brother's illness was. They also shared good news, medical staff would come the next day to treat everyone.

Hearing this, I couldn't contain my excitement. I ran back home to tell my brother, throwing myself into his arms as I shared the news.

But he looked upset and even said he didn't need treatment. Furious, I shouted at him and ran out of the house alone, sitting under a tree and crying.

I should've listened to him then, or else...

When I returned home, my brother had already fainted on the bed. No matter how much I called out to him, there was no response. All I could do was sit fearfully by his bedside, holding his hand tightly and waiting for the medical staff to arrive.

The next morning, the door was opened by a group of people in white coats. I stood up, tears streaming uncontrollably, and begged them to save my brother.

But all I got was a cold reply, "A man? No."

Hope was so close, yet I didn't want to give up. I knelt and begged them repeatedly.

Seeing my desperation, they discussed among themselves and finally agreed to take my brother. Later when I thought about it, they just didn't want to lose me as a test subject, so they reluctantly agreed.

Ha...haha...

When we arrived at the facility, hearing the screams from the next room, I realized what awaited us. I had brought my brother into this abyss... I'm sorry, truly sorry.

I thought he would wake up and scold me, blame me, but none of that happened.

He remained as gentle as ever, wiping my tears and saying, "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen."

But then, two men came in and dragged me outside without a word. My brother stepped in front of me, shielding me.

I was terrified, afraid he would never return if he left.

But he simply smiled and said something unbelievable before following them out.

Through the door and window, I caught sight of his figure being carried on a man's shoulder.

My heart ached unbearably. I wanted to cry out loud, but it felt like something was blocking my mouth.

In the end, I could only lean against the cold door, hugging myself and quietly sobbing. Thankfully, Bella comforted me; otherwise, I might have gone to join my brother.

Later, a bespectacled man came to the door. I didn't know what he was saying, but he eventually snapped and started yelling, opening the door.