"That can't be right…" Kallen shrank back slightly, eyeing the people moving through the city with a wary look. "So you're saying everyone here has died at some point and come back to life? If that's really the case, then are they the living or the dead?"
C.C. said, "Well… you could think of them as beings that exist somewhere between life and death. They are neither truly alive nor truly dead."
"I don't understand," Kallen said.
Rulu cut in, "It doesn't matter if you understand or not. Whether the people here are alive or dead has nothing to do with us. What we need to do right now is get out of here as quickly as possible and go find what we're looking for."
Kallen said, "That's true. We're just passing through. As long as these people don't attack us like those monsters did, we're fine."
The group set off again, making their way through the city's streets. The people of the city paid little attention to Rulu and the others upon seeing them, as if they simply regarded them as fellow residents.
A little girl of about ten came hurrying past the group, with a woman who appeared to be around thirty following close behind her, calling out, "Don't walk so fast, Lanlan."
The moment the woman's voice reached Rulu's ears, a strange feeling spread through him. He couldn't help but stop and turn to look back in the direction of the woman who had just spoken. She had long black hair and wore a light purple dress. Just ahead of her was a small girl with light brown hair. The woman had already walked some distance away, so Rulu could only see her from behind — he couldn't make out her face, nor the little girl's.
"What's wrong, Rulu?" Kallen noticed him standing still and staring blankly in one direction, and stopped to ask.
Rulu seemed not to hear her. He kept his eyes fixed on the woman and the girl as they walked further away. C.C. followed his gaze, and when she caught sight of the woman and the child, a strange expression crossed her face. "Hmm," she murmured softly, "that woman looks oddly familiar — as though I've seen her somewhere before."
"You feel it too, C.C.?" Rulu looked at her with surprise. Then, as though he had made up his mind about something, he started walking toward the woman and the girl.
"What's going on? Where are we going, Rulu?" Kallen fell into step beside him and asked.
Rulu didn't answer. His gaze stayed locked on the woman and girl ahead, and for reasons unclear, his expression had grown tense — as if he were afraid something terrible was about to happen.
"What is it, Rulu? Say something." Kallen, getting no response, reached out and gave him a firm slap on the back.
Rulu let out a startled yelp and snapped his gaze away from the woman and girl, turning to look at Kallen with a flustered expression.
Kallen found his reaction even more puzzling. "Did you see a ghost or something? What are you so scared of?"
Rulu took a deep breath and collected himself, then said, "It's… it's nothing. Actually, Kallen, there's something I need to take care of."
"Something else? Is it important?"
"Yes. Very important to me."
Kallen said, "Alright. I really want to ask you what it is, but looking at you right now, you probably won't tell me anyway. Whatever you need to do, go ahead — no matter what it is, I'll support you."
"Thank you, Kallen." A look of gratitude came over Rulu's face. He turned back toward where the woman and the girl had been — and found that they had vanished.
Rulu hurried to the spot where they had been standing and looked frantically in every direction, searching for any sign of them. But no matter how long he looked, neither the woman nor the girl was anywhere to be seen.
"Damn it — how could they just disappear?!" Rulu's face fell with frustration, and he brought his fist down hard against his own thigh.
Kallen, seeing how worked up he was, quickly tried to calm him. "Take it easy, Rulu. You're looking for that woman and the little girl, right? I'm sure they're somewhere nearby. How about we split up and search? We'll have a better chance of finding them that way."
Rulu thought it made sense. He pointed in one direction and said, "Alright. I'll go this way. Kallen, you and C.C. check the other areas. Let's regroup here in fifteen minutes."
Kallen and C.C. agreed, and the three of them spread out to search the city for the woman and the girl.
Rulu moved quickly through the streets, checking every place the woman and girl might have passed through. After more than ten minutes, he walked past the window of a low-roofed house and heard a woman's voice drifting faintly from inside: "Play on your own for a bit, Lanlan — Mama's a little tired and going to rest in the room."
A small girl's voice answered, "Okay, Mama."
At the sound of those two voices, Rulu felt a jolt go through him. He immediately recognized the woman's voice as the one he had heard on the street, and the little girl's voice sounded strangely familiar as well.
Rulu moved quickly to the front door of the low house and knocked firmly. After a moment, the door opened. Standing there was a little girl of about ten with light brown hair, fair skin, a sweet face, and a pair of bright, beautiful eyes.
The moment Rulu and the girl looked at each other, both of them froze. At first their expressions showed confusion — and then shock. Then, without warning, the girl threw herself at Rulu and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She tilted her head up and looked at his face, her eyes wide with joy as she cried out, "Is it really you — big brother?!"