87 – Awakening
Pain. It was the first thing Edelweiss felt as she drifted toward consciousness. A dull ache pulsed through every muscle in her body, a reminder of the hellish training she had endured under Ishin. Even breathing felt heavy, as if her body had been reforged in fire and hadn’t quite cooled down yet.
Then warmth—something soft and familiar pressing into her sides. A weight on her chest. Tiny hands gripping her arms. And the faintest sensation of fur brushing against her skin.
“Shishou!! You’re awake!!”
A blur of white and black pounced onto her, knocking the wind from her weakened body. Edelweiss groaned as two small figures buried themselves against her, muffled sniffles betraying their emotions. She cracked her weary eyes open, vision still blurry, but there was no mistaking the striped tails flicking anxiously beside her.
“Sasha… Stella…” Edelweiss managed to whisper, her throat dry as sandpaper.
“You dummy!!” Sasha’s voice wavered, half angry, half relieved. She pressed her forehead against Edelweiss’s chest, gripping the tattered remains of her tunic. “Why do you always come back looking like you fought a war by yourself?!”
“She did, technically…” Stella mumbled, though she, too, refused to move away from Edelweiss. “You always get more hurt in training than actual battles. It’s not fair…”
Edelweiss chuckled weakly, though it quickly turned into a wince. Even laughing hurt. She lifted an arm—barely—to pat their heads. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? Get off of me now.”
“You call this alive?!”
A sharp, familiar voice cut through the moment like a blade. Yuki.
Edelweiss didn’t even need to see her to know the silver-haired woman was standing right at her bedside, arms crossed, glaring with the intensity of a storm barely held back.
Yuki’s crimson eyes burned with barely restrained fury. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You were completely cut off from me during your training! I could feel your pain, but I couldn’t reach you! And when you finally come back, you look like this?!”
Edelweiss smirked weakly. “You’d rather I come back weak?”
Yuki twitched. Her glare deepened, and for a moment, Edelweiss wondered if she was about to be scolded further. Instead, Yuki sighed and knelt down, gently brushing Edelweiss’s sweat-soaked bangs from her forehead. “Idiot. Just… don’t scare me like that again. You know how much I care about you.”
Edelweiss gave her a lopsided smile. “No promises.”
“Ugh, why did I fall in love with such a reckless woman?” Yuki muttered under her breath.
Gamma’s voice cut in, clinical and detached as always. “Her recovery rate is within expectations. Despite her injuries, her body is adapting to the training’s effects rapidly. Based on my calculations, she will regain full mobility within three days.”
Gamma, the magitech doll, sat beside the displaying a holographic chart, her eyes scanning Edelweiss like she was a test subject rather than a friend. “However, her current state of exhaustion means that her combat performance will be suboptimal until full recovery is achieved.”
Edelweiss sighed. “At least let me enjoy waking up before you turn me into a battle analysis report.”
“I merely state the facts.” Gamma adjusted her pose. “Besides, we have little time for rest. The preparations are nearly complete.”
Yuki narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
Gamma cancelled the hologram and met their gazes. “Freya has finalized her forces. The Valkyrie army stands ready. They will move when Edelweiss gives the order.”
Edelweiss’s fingers clenched the sheets beneath her. “So… it’s finally time.”
Gamma nodded. “The stage is set. Whenever you decide, we move against Shadow.”
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Stella frowned. “So it’s really up to Edel, then?”
Yuki scowled. “That bastard Shadow has always lurked in the dark, waiting. If we strike too soon, we risk falling into his trap. But if we wait too long…”
Sasha crossed her arms. “Then he’ll strike first.”
A loud boom echoed from outside, shaking the walls.
Yuki and Gamma were instantly on guard. Sasha and Stella jumped to their feet, ears twitching.
“What now?!” Yuki growled.
Gamma stood, already analyzing the disturbance. “It’s coming from the training grounds. It appears to be… a form of training. Looks like the army is just as motivated as Edel.”
Edelweiss struggled to sit up, but Yuki pushed her back down with a firm hand. “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.”
“But—”
“You just woke up from nearly dying,” Yuki snapped. “You’re not moving until I say so.”
Sasha puffed up her cheeks. “Even if she wants to, she probably can’t. She’s still too weak.”
Edelweiss clenched her fists. Even if her body was weak, her instincts screamed at her to move. She couldn’t afford to rest, not when the final battle loomed on the horizon.
Gamma sighed. “Calm yourselves. I believe it's a good thing that Freya wants to test her forces one last time. That should give you more time to recover.”
The tension eased slightly.
Stella tilted her head. “She’s making sure everyone’s at their best, huh?”
Yuki exhaled. “That sounds like her. Still, we don’t have much time left. Once Edel is ready, we move.”
Edelweiss exhaled slowly. Even as pain wracked her body, she forced herself to smile. “I’ll be ready.”
Yuki narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue this time.
Sasha and Stella, though still worried, nodded firmly.
Gamma once again looked at Edel. “Then let’s ensure you get the best possible recovery.”
The road ahead was uncertain. The battle against Shadow loomed ever closer. But for now, in this moment, Edelweiss had something precious—people who cared, people who believed in her.
And that was enough to push forward, no matter what came next.