The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

What's going on? Could it be that she has some kind of plan, or perhaps this mission is destined to be anything but peaceful?

In short, let's take it one step at a time, if we encounter enemies. If we encounter enemies who can harm her, then let them see if she's someone to mess with.

With these thoughts in mind, Kiana slowly embarked on her journey.

The city remained as silent as ever, the swirling snow seemed never to stop, and the howling wind carried an unbearable sense of oppression. However, thanks to the gem and the Herrscher energy, she was like a giant warm ball, keeping all the coldness away from the petite figure in her arms.

Her body radiated a soft glow, warding off the surrounding cold.

Her body seemed to be covered by a thin film, appearing and disappearing in the cold wind, as beautiful as a red flower in full bloom.

Kiana's hair danced in the cold wind.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes were closed, and her long ponytail was covered in snow, which then evaporated completely.

It looks extremely beautiful and peculiar.

"Well..."

Suddenly, a soft sound coming from her arms caught her attention.

Kiana looked down and saw that Ilya was slowly reaching out and rubbing her tightly closed eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, indicating that she was sleeping soundly.

Kiana smiled faintly as she extended a finger and gently touched Kiana's face, as if playing, admiring, or observing.

Before she knew it, Ilya opened her eyes.

"Oh, you're awake. You were sleeping so soundly."

Upon hearing Kiana's voice, Illya felt a surge of intense joy.

"Kiana?! You...you're actually back?!"

Upon seeing Kiana before her, Illya became instantly excited.

"Yes, I came to help you. You idiot, why did you run all this way by yourself?"

Hearing Kiana's scolding, Illya's smile grew even brighter, and she reached out and wrapped her arms around Kiana's neck.

"Are you worried about me? That's why you came to find me, right? Thank you, Kiana, thank you so much. I knew you would be worried about me."

Kiana sighed softly, reached out and gently stroked Illya's head, then shook her head slightly.

"You're such a fool, how could I not worry about you? But... never mind. What's past is past. Anyway... I'll protect you."

A resolute glint flashed in Kiana's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Ilya's eyes welled up with tears, but she didn't shed any. Instead, she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I believe you. I've always believed that Kiana is the best. I believe you will protect me, so... Kiana, let's go find Miyu together, okay? I have to rescue her no matter what."

"Miyu? Could it be... um, okay."

In this snowy landscape, the two walked towards the street.

The street is very long, lined with tall buildings on both sides, and various shops are set up along the street.

Although it's not completely devoid of anything, it even has restaurants, tea houses, and the like.

However, no one was seen in these shops, as if everyone in the city had vanished.

"How strange! There's no one here. Where did everyone in this city go? If there's no one here, where should we even begin our search?"

"I don't know either, but... we have to find her."

Ilya was clearly disappointed and her emotions were very unstable. Like a child, she wandered around the street for a few hours before taking Kiana's hand and walking towards the desolate wilderness at the end of the street, as if she intended to leave the city and start searching for Miyu aimlessly.

Magical Girl's Parallel World Journey (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha): Chapter 3 Mr. Mapo Toki, do you know King Hassan?

At this very moment, the city is blanketed in heavy snow.

The howling wind lashed at their clothes, and the cold weather made them feel a chill in their hearts.

Under such circumstances, aimless searching seems to be completely meaningless.

The usually clever and quick-witted Ilya, instead of thinking as usual, chose to aimlessly search for the most embarrassing solution.

Kiana looked at the little girl dressed in summer clothes and felt a pang of sympathy.

"It seems that Miyu's disappearance is really hard for her, otherwise, the lively and cute girl wouldn't be so panicked now."

Kiana felt sorry for Illya, but there was nothing she could do but let her go and let Illya randomly pick people like that.

After all, if she got lost, there might be some dangers to encounter when searching for her.

"Ilya!"

The little girl, who was walking forward, snapped out of her daze and looked at Kiana. Kiana's empty eyes radiated a deep despair. Kiana was momentarily lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Kiana..."

Ilya gasped for breath, her hands trembling as she rested on her delicate shoulders. "It's so cold and uncomfortable. But I have to find Miyu... She must be in great danger now, I can't let her disappear any longer."

It's hard to imagine that even while suffering from the biting cold, this young girl still cared about her companions.

Kiana was deeply moved by this fearless spirit.

But feelings are feelings.

Panic won't solve the real problem. The first thing they need to understand right now is...

Where exactly is Meiyu?

Is she alright? Is she safe?

Would she... possibly want to come back?

All sorts of questions flooded their minds, leaving the two of them unsure of what to say.

Just then, a cool breeze blew by, carrying with it a hint of spicy aroma.

The peculiar smell caused a tickling sensation on the tip of their noses, followed by...

Achoo!!!

They both sneezed at the same time. However, neither sneeze was due to the cold or illness. The reason was simply that the strong, spicy smell had irritated their noses.

"What does it taste like? It feels..."

Ilya rubbed her little nose, then turned her gaze to the source of the scent.

The result was shocking.

In the desolate city streets, a man on a bicycle was slowly riding by.

She was dressed simply in ramen shop attire, with a white headscarf tied around her head. She looked quite aloof.

It's truly hard to imagine what kind of vendor this is.

The takeout box on the back of the bicycle, used to hold the food, was quite conspicuous.

At the same time, the spicy smell emanating from the box caused both of them to feel a stinging pain in their nasal passages.

"What...what is this?!"

Perhaps because of the sneezing, Ilya's spirits recovered slightly.

So, as usual, she began to complain about the vendor who was speeding by with his load.

Of course, everyone has different focuses.

At this moment.

Kiana's concern was... that in the dead of winter, there were still street vendors in this godforsaken city.

That's definitely something fishy going on. Even if there are no monsters, there must be something supernatural going on.

"We need to stop her and take a look."

"Huh? Hmm... okay, I'm hungry too."

After hearing Kiana's suggestion, Illya gently touched her flattened belly and then slowly said, "So how should we make her stop?"

You should know that this stern-looking vendor is no ordinary person.

The speed of that bicycle pedaling was comparable to that of a motorcycle.

It really makes you curious about just how good she is; maybe she's some kind of professional cyclist.

However, upon closer inspection from a distance, the two suddenly realized that it actually made perfect sense.

After all, the muscles all over this vendor's body were something that ordinary people couldn't have, which fully demonstrated that he came from an extraordinary background.

It is precisely because of these qualities.

Kiana became increasingly curious: who exactly was this vendor?

"Kiana doesn't seem like someone easy to deal with... Should we prepare for battle... Uh, oh no. Ruby's not here!"

Until this very moment.

Ilya suddenly realized a very serious problem.

Her prized Mystic Code, the Ruby, has vanished, its whereabouts unknown.

Without the ruby ​​magic staff, she would just be an ordinary student, unable to play a role in the upcoming battle.

"Ugh, I'm not reconciled!"

Ilya covered her head and said somewhat unwillingly.

However, the next second Kiana gently patted the little guy's head and comforted him:

"Don't blame yourself too much. We probably won't be fighting anymore. So all you need to do is work with me to figure out a way to negotiate with him."

Why do I say they can't fight?

the reason is simple.

The best way to stop a vendor is to wave.

"Hey! You over there, we want to buy something!"

Upon hearing this, the vendor, who had already driven far away, suddenly slammed on the brakes and drifted back. His speed was so great that he left deep tire tracks on the road.