n

n

n

"It's...Yu An Yan.

"

nHm...that made sense. The Xue in Yu An Xue's name meant snow, which portrayed her ice and water elements. The Yan in Yu An Yan meant fire or perhaps heat, portraying the fire element. It was certainly a clever way to name the two sisters.

n

"...I see. It's a fitting name. Try calling her it, and seeing her reaction - but only use that as a last resort, since we don't know what aftereffects it may have, to unseal the memories she's kept locked away for so long,

" I replied.

n

"...You're right.

" Yu An Xue nodded in agreement.

"Let's head back...

"

nAnd with that, the two of us went back into the classroom, and found Yu An Yan sitting exactly where we had left her. She stared at us as we opened the door, eyes devoid of emotion. Yu An Xue walked closer, and sat down in the chair once more.

n

"S-Sorry about that, we just had something we needed to talk about.

"

n

"Mm...

" Yu An Yan didn't give a clear reply, but shook her head as if it didn't matter.

nSeeing this, the pink-haired sister of the two took out the photo she had just shown me.

"Do you...know who this is?

" she asked, pointing to her younger self in the picture.

n

"...Is...this...you?

" Yu An Yan murmured uncertainly.

nYu An Xue quickly nodded her head, hope igniting in her heart once more.

"W-What about this girl over here?

" she said, moving her finger to the slightly taller girl next to her younger self, with purple hair and purple eyes.

"Do you know who she is?

"

nThe older self of the girl in the picture concentrated on the photo placed before her with her brows furrowed, but still shook her head in the end.

nYu An Xue, remembering my advice, quickly proceeded with the next step.

"The girl in this picture...she's my older sister,

" she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Her name...it was Yu An Yan.

"

n

"Yu An Yan...

" the other sister echoed. Yu An Yan then stared at the picture for a while more, and widened her eyes.

"That...is-!

"

nThen, suddenly, she began clasping her head in pain, and shut her eyes tightly.

"Ngh! No! Don't show me that...! UGH!

"

nShe collapsed to the floor, sprawling in agony, and Yu An Xue quickly pulled her into an embrace as to not let her bump into anything dangerous.

"H-Hey! Are you okay? S-Stay with me!

"

nBut the girl couldn't hear her sister's desperate cries. She continued clasping her head, drowning out everything else, leaving only the pain behind.

nI winced. I had expected some side effects, but I never would've thought they would be this severe. With a grim look on my face, I decided on the best course of action.

n

"...Take her to the school infirmary.

"

n

"...R-Right!

" Yu An Xue replied in a panic.

nShe was usually so calm and collected around others...but seeing her as she was now with her sister, it made me really understand what the word 'companion' meant to her, and just how important it was. Her sole true friend she could rely on, vent to, and play with - her only true companion ever since she was born, held a tremendous weight in her heart.

n...And the greater that weight is, the more pain it will bring when that precious person is taken away from you.

n- The School Infirmary -

nIt was still pretty early in the day, and most of the other students had not arrived at school yet. Fortunately, the school nurse was already present, and had just finished placing Yu An Yan in a deep sleep and calming her mind using high level Psychic Magic. The nurse had glanced at me suspiciously, probably wondering how I was together with the heir to the Yu family, but that's another story. Yu An Yan slept peacefully within the white sheets of the infirmary now, no sign at all of the seizure she was having before.

nSeeing this scene, both Yu An Xue and I breathed out in relief. Who knows what could've happened if we didn't bring her here.

nBut that still left a slight problem. Seeing the picture didn't cause her to go crazy, but hearing her real name WHILE looking at the photo did. Or perhaps just the name was enough? If that was the case, wouldn't it be a problem if someone else who she used to spend time together with recognized her?

n...Actually, I take that back. From what Yu An Xue's told me, the two of them rarely ever went out in public, and even then avoided everyone to the best of their abilities. And besides, both of them look very different from years ago, when the photos were taken. Yet somehow, Yu An Xue was able to recognize her sister with one glance - something to do with blood relations, perhaps?

nI sat together with Yu An Xue by her sister's bedside, waiting anxiously. The two of us were thinking the same thing right now - I didn't even have to ask:

nWhat personality will Yu An Yan have when she wakes up?

nIndeed. I don't believe we've broken the seal by just saying her name, but we definitely triggered something in her mind somehow. Whether that leads to any conspicuous change...we'll have to wait and see.

nDeciding to break the silence, I spoke.

"By the way...did you ever tell your parents about finding her again?

" I was looking at the purple-haired girl laying in bed peacefully, so there was no doubt who the 'her' I was talking about was.

n

"No...they would be heartbroken to hear that I've found her again, but she's in a state like this,

" Yu An Xue replied. This was a considerate side to her I've never seen before. As expected, despite the cold appearance and distant personality, she was a nice girl deep down.

"I won't be telling them anytime soon....at least, until I resolve this matter.

"

n

"You're determined no matter what, huh?

"

nShe nodded.

"That's right. Now that I've seen her again, I'm not letting go of this opportunity.

"

n

"...

"

nShe then looked away with a slight blush.

"I won't be able to do it alone though, you know...

"

nI glanced over.

"...I understand. I will assist you. Feng Mian and Qing Yue will too, of course.

"

nShe smiled faintly - but for a cool beauty like her, that was enough to show just how happy she was to hear that.

"Thank you...truly.

"

nI chuckled.

"It's just what...friends do, isn't it?

"

nShe sighed, but it wasn't one out of exasperation. It was a happy one, one that held all of her inner loneliness and spoke her true feelings. She kept up the cold act on the outside all these years. But the truth was, deep inside, she was hoping. Yearning for a friend, someone she could rely on. Someone to fill the gap in her heart her sister had left behind.

n

"You're right...friends, huh?

"

n...And now, she had finally found it.

n-------------------------------------

n- After School -

nYu An Yan never did wake up this morning, so we headed off to class in order to not be late. Now that classes were over, Yu An Xue and I were about to go back to the infirmary to check on her. Feng Mian and Qing Yue were tagging along for the ride as well - I had already informed them of what happened, and they declared they would be going to see her as well immediately (not taking 'no' as an answer).

nAnd so, the four of us soon arrived at the infirmary. Yu An Xue held her breath as I knocked the door, clearly nervous but excited at the same time. She held hope in her heart, and waited to see if her sister had returned to normal, regaining all of her memories. But the chances of that were slim, though I didn't want to dump a bucket of ice on her like that.

nA few seconds later, the door swung open, and we were invited inside by the same nurse from this morning. Now back with 2 more companions, the nurse raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The four of us quickly filed through the door, with me being last.

nInside, Yu An Yan was sitting straight on her bed, with an expressionless face. She didn't even look up as we approached. But as we got closer, I heard her muttering something quietly.

n

"No...What is this...no...

"

nThen, having finally noticed us, she quickly grabbed my forearms in fear.

"N-No, w-whoever you are, what are these things in my h-head...make them stop, make them stop! PLEASE!

"

nThe nurse was standing by at the ready, so we could tell her whenever we wanted to put Yu An Yan back to sleep. But we didn't need that just yet...

nHer personality right now wasn't any of the ones we've seen. It was one of fear, of sheer terror. A frail little girl, scared of something - SOMEONE.

n

"Okay...take a few deep breaths. We're here to help,

" I told her in a calm tone. I then showed her what exactly I meant, and she repeated after me.

"Just like that, yeah...you got it.

"

nAfter she calmed down a little, I began asking questions.

"What...do you see, inside your head?

"

n

"I-I don't know...I see this...man, he wears a terrifying mask, a-and he made me drink some kinda of...liquid? And also s-some training sessions, for combat and assassination.

"

nA man. That was most likely the one who captured her.

n

"But there's also these...flashbacks...of a girl,

" she continued shakily.

"Someone I'm really familiar with...but at the same time, I can't remember who...Ngh!

"

nShe clasped her head with both hands once more, and squeezed her eyes shut tight. But after a while, she let go.

n

"E-Every time I try to remember...I get this horrible head pain...like something is preventing me from recalling that girl...

"

nI could sense Yu An Xue behind me watching on with sadness, so I quickly continued the inquisition.

"That's okay. Leave that aside for now. First things first...do you...remember your real name?

"

n

"...Yes,

" she replied, though her voice was quivering with fear.

"It's Yu An Yan, I think...in my visions, people called me that...

"

n

"...I see.

" So she's remembered her name, at the very least.

"What about that man? Do you remember anything about him?

"

n

"N-No...I just know that he used some Curse Magic on me...something that made my mind break down, and obey his orders...

"

n...Yeah. It makes sense that whoever the man was, he wouldn't let Yu An Yan know his true identity - in case something like this happens. He was almost certainly the same person that sent her here too, to get closer to me. Was his objective also the stone pendant? I had no way of knowing.

nI nodded.

"That's alright. Just rest now. Don't think too hard about that man, or...the girl from your memories.

"

n

"O-Okay...

" she replied shakily with a nod.

nAnd so, I motioned for the nurse to come over, and she put Yu An Yan to sleep once more.

nThroughout the entire exchange, only I spoke. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and even Yu An Xue, her own sister, kept quiet. That was probably for the best. Yu An Xue would probably break down, after all - though who can blame her? Seeing her elder sister in such a state...

nFeng Mian and Qing Yue probably stayed quiet as well since it just wasn't the mood to interrupt. Though I'm sure inside their heads, they were doing plenty of thinking and planning as well. Both were clever girls and people you could count on when you need it - there was no doubt about that.

nI lead the 3 of them out the infirmary, and to the rooftop once more. It was the best place to have a private conversation or meeting, since not many people go here.

n

"So...what's the plan from here?

" Feng Mian began first. She was probably anxious to talk, having stayed quiet all that time.

n

"Yu An Yan mentioned something about a man...

"

nI nodded. Qing Yue had grasped the critical point - I would expect nothing less of her.

"That man is unmistakably the same one that had taken her away years ago - and also the person who sent her to this school.

"

n

"But what was his purpose in doing so?

" Feng Mian asked curiously.

n

"The same as why that demon man from the Midnight Syndicate sent you, I suppose,

" I replied.

n

"You mean...for the stone pendant?

" Feng Mian checked, just to make sure.

n

"Indeed. Otherwise, why would she purposely get close to me, and go through the trouble of using multiple personalities to do so?

"

n

"So he's the culprit behind all this, huh...

" Qing Yue concluded.

"Then our next step should be to find out his identity.

"

nYu An Xue had her hands balled up in fists, tight enough to draw blood. It was enough to show just how much she cared about her sister.

"I will hunt him down. This I swear.

"

nI gave a devious smile, one that itched for killing, and corrected her.

"No - WE will hunt him down. Together.

"

nShe smiled in return, and with that, the four of us began discussing our plan to eliminate the man who had split apart two happy sisters and decimated their fate:

n- Operation: Unshackled. -

n