Chapter 152: Interlude: Nia - Fifty-Four Minutes

Rachel shook her head and slumped to her back again, swallowing the lump in her throat before puffing out a long, hot breath. "I can finish this...and then rest. I’m sure Chang’e will send a messenger if I accept her offer, and potentially show us what Positive Energy feels like. Hmm. You have access to everyone else outside?"

"It will be hard to manifest myself," she truthfully responded, "but I should be able to hold it until I revert back to a child in approximately 72 minutes. May I address one more thing?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows to signal that she should continue. "Let’s hear it."

"Major..." Nia straightened and grabbed her wrist, resting it against her thigh and looking right into the hare’s waiting eyes. "I lack in many areas, and I want to be more useful to you. I’m not comfortable with how vulnerable you are when I’m under this curse. I want you to know how I feel because I think that is something you’d value... I want to use this precious time each day wisely, and I cannot break it into increments. I want to be a team and share your burden...not be one."

An uncomfortable silence ensued as her leader considered her statement, and after a short time, a small smirk lifted the corner of the hare’s mouth. "You really are my twin... Feeling restless, huh? Haaa. Okay, but you also have to learn how to have fun, too, Soldier. I enjoy being in the gym, training and, heh, getting punched...well, mostly the punching others part," she admitted.

Finding the strength to rub her eyes, Rachel blinked and pushed herself against the headboard, ears resting against the wood. "I know you’re at least a bit more girly than me, Nia. You enjoy fashion and shopping—not that I don’t—but not to the same degree as, say...you or my mom. Don’t push down the joys of life by feeling like you’re letting me down. You’re not, and I wouldn’t be here without you, child or adult. Got it, Captain Bun?"

Stress melting away, Nia forced it out in a long stream. "Loud and clear, MajorHops."

"Good. Now, why don’t we make the best out of this hour you’ll have left? I think our patron goddess here’s given me a second wind. Give me a short rundown of what’s happening outside, and then you can do what I can’t, eh-hehe...wake up. Report, Captain."

Giving Rachel a return smirk and a loose salute, Nia adjusted her skirt and adopted a more serious posture. "Ma’am!"

She went through a rough overview of what happened, and hearing the soldiers bringing everyone to the hospital in preparation to form a caravan to a place called an airport, it didn’t take long for Rachel to give her a short list of tasks to complete.

Their Stats and Feat selection would wait until they had a chance to see where things would be heading, but Nia was certain her curious leader would be pouring over The System when able over the next several days it would take her to recover. It would still be a day or two before she regained consciousness, yet her spiritual stamina wouldn’t reach normal levels for at least another week, even with Nike’s help.

Once finished, Nia looked at her clock, not happy with how much time she had, knowing things could so easily spiral out of control, worried she could get trapped in one of the tasks Rachel had assigned her.

[0:54:34 Hours Remaining]

Standing at the door, Rachel’s eyes were drooping, yet she was still mumbling about everything she’d learned.

"Hmm. Astra vanished after everyone collapsed, leaving behind a puppet body. They... ran interference on the evidence gathered by the public for the operation but haven’t returned or reached out to anyone personally yet. Weird..."

Nia paused for a moment as her fearless, overachieving major slipped back into the void. Flipping off the light, she sighed. Rachel had been nothing but good to her since being in the hare’s care, and this goddess had kept her alive through Dionysus’ curses. She didn’t know what her leader was totally about, but what she did have was high hopes for the future; it was her job to keep her owner on the rise and share her burden.

"Thank you for believing in me, Major."

Nia shut the door and created her artificial, humanoid body, manifesting to her family for the first time. Twinkling lights brought her into being, causing Scarlet to shoot to her feet.

Red irises and four-leaf-clover petals opened; she put on a bright smile and held up a hand. "Yo, what’s up!"

"H-Hey, uh...who are—a Rachel clone?" Scarlet stammered, waving at her leader’s parents. "M-Mrs. Park! Mr. Park!"

Crossing her arms, Nia shifted to a wall and appraised her superior, letting the chaos unfold as soldiers came in, calling their supervisors. It was a bit amusing how even Scarlet saw her as a clone, but Nia knew she wasn’t quite a copy due to her slimmer figure. That being said, they were a close match, for sure.

"I guess you could call me a clone," she chuckled, her vision snapping to Molly as she cleared her throat and rose with her husband. "I’m Nia, by the way. You could say I’m Rachel’s living clothes that protect her. I was the child with her when she came out of the Legend Quest. Questions? I’m on a bit of a clock."

"Many!" Scarlet swiftly replied, her hands nervously grasped at her front as she inched forward. "What happened inside that portal?!"

"Ahem." Molly swept her loose hair behind her ears as she broke into the conversation, and two officers hurried down the hall to join them. "Yes, we want to know what happened to my daughter, but first...how is she?"

Shifting her weight to the opposite foot, Nia showed a confident face. "She’ll make a full recovery in time. I was able to talk to her a short bit in spirit before she slipped under again, and she told me to let you know that she looks forward to a long talk when she’s conscious."

Relief came over them at her tone, Scarlet forcing a laugh as she collapsed on her seat. "Wow... I just can’t believe we made it through all that. And you’re her like... spirit animal? That’s sooo cool! What happened?"

Nia’s gaze snapped to the door as a classy, military-dressed woman came in with a few men.