Legacy World 4.25 Where Is BaoBao

After a short contemplation, the well-respected being finally spoke. "It's still too early to judge anything. We don't know what caused its behaviour. If it's related to its host, we would only be sending another system to its demise. If there are more signs that indicate going towards a negative ending, it'll never be too late to end BaoBao. Give it a system upgrade now, but quarantine its connections. The only ones it should be able to contact is us."

No one argued and everyone returned to work. Some continued operations as per normal. Others attended to BaoBao's situation. This was how they were. No fuss, efficient, and effective. When they were done, they reported BaoBao's vitality signs and current condition to the one who gave the command.

"How quickly it recovers now is up to it. Its host should be able to tide over by herself in the meantime. Our systems wouldn't keep themselves bounded with weak hosts."

/BaoBao! BaoBao! What's wrong?! Where are you?!/

Vanora had woken up by herself. She checked in on BaoBao but he did not respond. When he still did not respond to her frantic calls, she blanked out. What happened to BaoBao? What should she do now? What's going to happen? 

Time ticked by as she sat on the bed, trying to calm herself. After her emotions settled back down, she headed out, only to stop at the black curtain in fear. What is going on behind the curtain?

The power of knowledge was a huge advantage to have. She won't be caught off guard. She would have time to plan and react. Now, she has no idea of what lies beyond until she uncovers it herself. 

Suddenly feeling very aware of her vulnerability and uncertainty, she now understood that BaoBao's surveillance was part of the reason why she had been coping fine with transmigrating into one strange world after another. 

His calculations were a big help too. Now, she was all alone, like in her original world. She had to do it all by herself. The observations, calculations, and deductions. Does this mean that her fate will repeat itself?

She told herself that she still had to go on, but she stayed frozen. 

She took in a deep and shaky breath. /It's alright. I'm just getting emotional again. Because I am in this world. Because I have to be emotional in this world. I've practiced this so many times. I can just regain control. Regain control./

She reached for the curtain, and seemed confident, until her hand froze an inch before it. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably. She clenched her hand to stop the trembling, but now her hand shook. She pressed her hand against her chest. Now, her whole body shook. 

/I can't. I can't. I can't do it./ 

She could not find it in herself to believe in herself. Even though they may have started out roughly, she did work together with BaoBao from the first world. 

/Even with his help, I was barely making it through each world. Now that he's not here, how can it be the same? I'll just fail like I did back home. I'll fail to change anything then I'll die. BaoBao, where are you..? What am I supposed to do now? You're the one who brought me here with a mission to fulfill. If you're not here, then what am I doing here in a world where I don't belong? What's going to happen to me? Am I the cause for your disappearance? Is this you abandoning me as a host? So I've really been abandoned? Do I live and die here for the final time?/

Suddenly, the curtain was drawn open from the other side. It shocked Vanora so much that her legs gave way. 

Vlad had found it weird that Vanora was sleeping a lot longer than usual. When it reached eight hours and she was still not out, he began to worry, so he went in to check on her.

He jumped when he found a figure just behind the curtain. He immediately posed to fight, but the sight before him put his heart throught the wringer and kept him frozen. Vanora sat on the floor with her hands to her chest. Her wide eyes were filled with fear and anxiety, and tears threatened to fall. She looked so small and fragile, like she would fall apart any moment now.

He hastily joined her on the ground, gathered her in his arms, and placed her on his lap while he sat cross legged. He hugged her tightly, trying to keep her from falling apart. Many words flashed through his mind. He always knew what to say when it came to anyone else. After all, manipulating humans was part of their job. Yet, for some reason, he was at a loss for words now. Nothing he thought of saying felt right. All he ended up whispering repeatedly was, "I'm here. I'm here. I'm here."

It took a while before Vanora stopped shivering.

"What happened?" Vlad asked in the gentlest tone he could manage.

Vanora kept quiet.

"A bad dream?" 

Vanora mulled over it, then shook her head.

"Don't feel like talking about it?" 

She shook her head again.

"Then it's fine. Don't force yourself." He continued to stroke her head while they sat there in silence.

She took a while to compose herself and clear her mind. After she calmed down, she knew that BaoBao was not the sort to leave without saying anything. She also knew that whether she liked it or not, she was stuck here alone till BaoBao returns, if he does. Until then, she could only live like she was given a second life in another world and reborn into it.

/I don't know if you're listening but just in case you are, I want you to know that I'll keep on doing what I've been doing. I'll try to pass this mission. Get well soon, BaoBao, I'll be waiting for you./

"I'm fine now." Vanora said softly. 

"You still want to return to the surface to fight today?"

Vanora nodded.

His heart hurt from looking at her. She looked so small and delicate in his arms, but she acted so tough, far tougher than so many beings he knew of. He smiled helplessly, "You're really amazing, do you know that?" 

Vanora looked at him with disbelief, then suspicion. 

"I really can't win against you." He said with a sigh. "Let's go."

As the day passed, Vanora realised that the only time she could forget about BaoBao's absence was when she was fighting, otherwise she would be painfully aware of it. Not just because fighting required her full attention, but also because BaoBao was the quietest whenever she fought. Outside of fights, she continued to monitor her surroundings with her enhanced senses like she was still in a fight. Always staying on guard and alert made her withdrawn and listless. Vlad became concerned and wondered if she was as fine as she said. 

She also realised that her worry the previous night was for naught. Rosa addressed it for her but presented her a new worry at the same time. She very skillfully diverted the attention of the hell beings away from Vanora, effectively dispersing the group. So, Vlad's mood improved and he began to take notice of Rosa. Only Vanora suspected her true intentions. She and BaoBao had not been monitoring Rosa for nothing. 

Rosa had always been cold and hostile towards Vanora, while trying her hardest to catch Vlad’s attention. She had tried so many ways that even Vanora lost count. Rosa acted strong and independent, meek, weak, a mix, and many more. However, none worked. There had to be only one motive Rosa could have for treating Vanora well so suddenly, and she achieved it.

Vanora’s sense of danger heightened and she became hyper vigilant. She tried to pick up any hints of Rosa's scheme. However, Rosa did not give herself away. She spent  all her spare time fawning over Lord Vlad by herself or with others. All this hyper vigilance and planning wore Vanora out so much each day that she knocked out the moment she hit the sack.

It no longer mattered to Vanora that the plot seemed to be changing. She did not have the capacity to wonder about the reason, when she had her hands full with envisioning the possible ways Rosa could harm her. It did, however, help her decide that distancing herself from Vlad had completely lost its purpose, so there was no point in keeping it up. She might as well use the plot against itself and stay close by Vlad’s side. After all, it was Vlad who thwarted Rosa’s plan at the end.

Vlad did not understand Vanora's actions, but warmly welcomed her back to his side nonetheless. Anyone could see how much it pleased him to have her by his side. He returned to being the cool and aloof, but still approachable, Lord Vlad that they were familiar with, and they liked it. He also fought more seriously and toyed with their lives less. So, even if anyone did not like Vanora or recognise her as fit to be their Lady, they accepted her for the influence she had on Vlad. 

Rosa was the only one who held grievance in her heart and could not share it with anyone else. Her pretty little delusion was finally shattered after months of watching Vlad have only eyes for Vanora, and this was when Vanora did not seem to give a hoot about him. She did not dare to imagine how much Vlad would fall for Vanora when Vanora finally turned his way.

Despite how much she disliked it, she finally resorted to getting friendly with Vanora in order for Vlad to notice her. However, she had to be careful to not get too close to Vanora either, because Vlad’s jealousy did not discriminate against gender. When Vlad did end up noticing and recognising her, she secretly celebrated her victory and decided to move on to her next step. What she did not expect was for her actions to push Vanora back to Vlad. Now, she could only grit her teeth in agony and annoyance. However, she could see that not all hope was lost. Vanora’s aura still did not take on the colour of affection. If anything, she seemed like a frightened kitten taking shelter and seeking solace. Rosa bitterly admitted that Vanora truly did not seem to have any indecent intimate relationship with Vlad or anyone else. So, she guessed that it was the reason for Vlad’s interest in her. After all, Vanora lost to her in all other aspects. /In this case, killing her won't be good enough. I have to ruin her image in Lord Vlad's mind. If Lord Vlad sees her ugly side, he'll finally see that I'm better than her!/  

One night, a letter from Raven laid on the black metal trolley beside his study table. It informed him that Raven could not lead the army for the next night because she had something else to attend to. If he wanted to keep them in order, Vlad would have to take over her shift for that night. This arrangement was something new they devised. Wanting this war to end fast so that he could enjoy life with Vanora, he decided to take over her shift.

Knowing how Raven had a hand in Rosa’s plot in the original story, Vanora could not shake off the suspicion that Rosa had something to do with this oddity. After a short internal debate, she decided that staying out with Vlad would be safer than being alone in his castle, so she did not request for him to send her back at night.

On the night that Vlad took over the shift, he announced that they would progress a little more before resting till morning. The hell beings cheered and their morale got boosted. They covered a lot more ground and earned the chance to rest even earlier than planned. Normally, they did not have the chance to relax. They were only given the minimal rest that they needed before advancing further in the night, under Raven’s charge. They did not riot only because they were satisfied with the progress they made in the war. As long as they kept it up, they knew that they would win the war. They were even confident that their victory would be soon. 

Everyone relaxed and happily went to sleep, except Vanora. Vlad had insisted that she got her rest and refused her request to continue with the night attacks. Afraid that Rosa might try something while she was asleep, Vanora tried her best to stay awake. However, her wariness really took a toll on her body and she could not stop her heavy eyelids from closing. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Vlad continued to watch her with sad eyes. He had been aware of her condition. He knew that she was still bothered by something. He wanted so badly to be able to comfort her, but she chose to suffer alone. It hurt him to see how hyper vigilant she stayed, even while she was right beside him. She only ever relaxed when they retired for the day, in his castle. When he saw the way she tried to force herself to stay awake despite her fatigue, he instantly regretted his decision to take over the shift. However, if they left now, Vanora would question him. Knowing her, she would not like his reason. Could she still not trust him to watch her back yet? He felt the strong urge to just possess her entirety, even if it was against her wishes, and to simply give into his desires, but something told him that he would regret it even more. Only after he was sure that Vanora had entered a deep slumber, did he close his eyes as well. 

When he did, the ones on guard turned their attention onto Vanora.