Walking deeper into the cave, Hua moved quietly, her steps barely disturbing the cold, damp ground beneath her feet.
Faint breathing reached her ears a shallow, uneven rhythm that spoke of someone in a very weakened state.
Is that... the girl's parent? Hua thought, quickening her pace.
The cave wasn't large; after only a short walk, she reached a wider chamber dimly lit by faint beams of light filtering through cracks above. There, nestled against the rocky wall, Hua saw them.
The little girl was sitting beside an older woman, who was slumped weakly against the stone. Despite her battered state, the woman lifted her hand with great effort to gently caress her daughter's face.
"Mom, I found a kind, powerful adult! You'll be safe now!" the little girl said eagerly, her eyes bright with hope.
The woman's eyes cracked open, pain flickering within them. Even such a small action seemed almost unbearable for her. Hua's heart twisted slightly at the sight. The deep claw marks she had seen outside now made sense—the woman must have fought off a monster to protect her child.
"Zhaoyu... my sweet child," the woman murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "Why are you here again...?"
"I found the immortal you told me about, Mama! The immortal will help!" the little girl declared looking toward Hua.
Hua slowly approached, having heard enough to piece things together. So that's why the little one was wandering around alone....
Standing closer now, Hua could see just how grave the woman's injuries were—her breathing shallow, her skin pale, dried blood staining parts of her clothes.
I can bring them to the town, Hua thought. They might have a chance if they get treatment quickly.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a sudden tension coiled through her body.
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her muscles tensed, ready to strike without warning.
What... is happening to me?! Hua gritted her teeth, forcing herself to resist the unnatural urge.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she willed herself to calm down, wrestling the alien feeling back into the depths of her mind.
The injured woman looked at her with slight confusion. "Um... is something the matter?" she asked weakly.
Hua slowly opened her eyes, her blue gaze now steady. "No... it's nothing," she replied.
Then, softening her tone, she asked, "You're the mother of this child?"
"Yes... I am," the woman answered with a tired nod.
"I see," Hua said, glancing again at the worsening state of the woman. The injuries looked far more severe up close—this woman wouldn't last long without help.
Before Hua could suggest anything, The mother turned to her daughter with a small, strained smile.
"Zhaoyu, dear... can you wait outside for a moment?" she asked gently.
The little girl, Zhaoyu, hesitated, clinging tightly to her mother's sleeve for a second before slowly nodding. She cast a glance at Hua, then scampered outside, leaving the two adults alone in the cavern's stillness.
Hua watched the little girl's small figure disappear toward the cave entrance, then turned her gaze back to the mother lying against the stone wall.
"...Why did you send your child outside?" Hua asked quietly, her voice gentle but firm.
The woman gave a weak, bittersweet smile. "There are... some things a child shouldn't see."
She broke off, coughing violently. Dark blood splattered into her trembling hand.
Hua's eyes narrowed. She crouched down beside the woman, her hand moving with practiced care to inspect her condition. Gently, she lifted the woman's sleeve.
Her breath caught.
Veins, dark and faintly glowing with a sickly purple hue, ran beneath the woman's skin like a poisoned river.
What...?!
Hua recoiled slightly in shock. She recognized this pattern far too well.
"This... this is..." Hua whispered, unable to hide her astonishment.
"I tried to treat it... but it keeps getting worse," the woman said, offering a fading, almost apologetic smile.
Hua's mind raced. Corrosion by Honkai energy... but how? This world...this world should be Genshin Impact, not Honkai Impact! How could Honkai sickness exist here?!
She clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay composed as she looked into the woman's weary, accepting eyes.
Even if I had a hundred years, I couldn't cure this... she thought bitterly. I'm no scientist. I'm not Dr. Mei, not Otto. and there no one other than me knowing Honkai... where is the system when she need it?
She turned her face away, unable to meet the mother's gaze anymore.
The woman seemed to understand. She let out a breathy laugh, one full of pain and resignation.
"So... even an immortal says there is no hope."
"I'm sorry," Hua said quietly. "This disease... it's fatal to humans. Beyond my abilities to heal."
"I see," the mother murmured, her eyes drifting toward the cave entrance, where a faint shaft of light illuminated the path her daughter had taken. "Even immortals... are helpless sometimes."
Silence stretched between them for a long moment, heavy and full of unspoken sorrow.
Then the woman stirred, her expression becoming steady with fragile determination.
"Immortal," she said, voice raspy but clear. "May I ask you... for one favor?"
Hua looked back down at her, her blue eyes steady.
She nodded without hesitation.
-------------------
Hua stood silently, her heart aching as she watched the little girl sobbing into her mother's frail arms.
"Don't leave me, Mama... please don't leave me..."
The girl's small voice broke and cracked, filled with desperation no child her age should ever have known.
Hua closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight and to bear the sound of innocent heartbreak.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Fu Hua felt truly helpless.
She remembered the dying mother's words.
"Please... take care of my child. Until she can walk her path on her own."
The memory rang in her mind like a vow she had no choice but to keep.
Slowly, Hua opened her eyes again.
She met the mother's gaze.. a gaze filled with sorrow, hope, and final acceptance.
"Zhaoyu, my dear daughter," the woman whispered, voice trembling, "from now on... don't cause trouble for the Immortal, okay?"
"No! No, Mama! I don't want to leave you! I want to stay with you forever!"
Little Lin clung even tighter to her mother, sobbing harder, her tiny hands refusing to let go.
The mother's arms wrapped around her daughter one last time, tears slipping from her closed eyes.
"...I'm sorry, my love. Mom... can't stay with you anymore..." she murmured, voice breaking into a trembling whisper.
Moments later, exhausted from grief, the little girl finally fell asleep in her mother's embrace, her tiny fists still clutching her mother's clothes.
The woman gently laid her daughter aside, brushing messy strands of hair from her sleeping face.
Then she looked up at Hua, her eyes soft, pleading.
"Please..." she whispered once more.
Hua stood there for a long moment.
Then, with quiet steps, she approached.
Kneeling down, she gently placed a hand over the woman's heart.
She's suffering... this sickness, it won't let her die peacefully. It will only torment her longer perhaps only death is salvation for her.
"I'm sorry..." Hua said in a low voice, her expression hidden beneath the shadow of her hair. "I hope... you find happiness in your next life."
With practiced precision, Hua struck a vital point a painless end, granting her final mercy.
The woman's breathing slowed.
She reached out one last time, her fingers barely brushing her daughter's hair.
"...Thank you... Immortal..." she whispered.
Her eyes closed slowly, and her chest rose no more.
Silence fell inside the cave, broken only by the soft breathing of the sleeping child.
Hua remained kneeling there, head bowed, fists clenched tightly.
Damn it...
She thought when she came to this world she might find peace, a bright new life.
Why... why did it turn out like this?
A heavy weight pressed against her chest, bitter and cold.
Standing up, Hua carefully picked up the sleeping Lin Zhaoyu, cradling the girl close against her.
Hua looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms.
When she woke up...
When she learned her mother was gone...
She would surely hate Hua.
Hate the "immortal" who couldn't even save the only person she had left.
Hua sighed, the sound quiet, heavy.
She looked up , rethinking the choices she made.
Was it the right thing?
To end a life... to take away hope...?
But...
Wasn't this better?
Better than letting such a young child watch helplessly as her mother slowly, painfully withered away?
"Lin Zhaoyu..." Hua muttered under her breath, the name feeling strange yet familiar on her tongue.
Maybe it was fate.
A small, bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
You'll be my first disciple, Hua decided, sealing the thought in her heart.
Slowly, gently, she laid the sleeping girl a short distance away from her mother's body.
With quiet hands, she began to bury the woman.
She moved the earth carefully, respectfully.
When the last handful of dirt was placed, Hua knelt down before the simple grave, pressing her hands together.
In her heart, she prayed.
I will protect your child she can decide her own path. I swear it. As long as I live.
Standing again, Hua walked over to the little girl, lifting her onto her back.
The child instinctively tightened her arms around Hua's neck, still lost in deep, exhausted sleep.
----------------------
Hua decided to postpone her little journey around Liyue. Instead, she chose to return home.
Hua looked down at the small girl sleeping peacefully on the bed.
She let out a long breath of relief, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of Lin Zhaoyu's chest.
At least she's safe
Quietly, Hua turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
But there was still one thing gnawing at her heart where is the source of the Honkai infection.
It wasn't normal.
It shouldn't exist here.
"I have to find it..." she muttered.
Without wasting another second, Hua sprinted down the mountain, her speed blurring her figure like a streak of wind.
In no time, she returned to the cave — no, to the pit inside the cave, the place Lin Zhaoyu's mother had once tried to seal off.
Without hesitation, Hua leapt down into the darkness.
The air down here was thick with an unnatural pressure, the stench of Honkai energy filling her lungs.
And there it was.
A creature white, silicone-like skin stretched over a hulking, malformed body that resembled a bear, its veins pulsing with sickly purple light.
The Honkai beast noticed Hua immediately, its maw opening wide as it let out a deafening growl:
"GRRAWWW!"
Its claws scraped the stone as it charged at her.
Hua narrowed her eyes, her face cold and merciless.
"Honkai," she said simply.
Then she raised her hand.
"Shut up. Die."
In a single swift motion, faster than the eye could follow, she struck.
The beast barely had time to register its death before it was carved into countless tiny fragments.
The remains of the Honkai beast dissolved into ash, leaving only the faint trace of corruption behind.
Hua looked down at her hand, then toward the fading dust of her enemy.
"I have already avenged you... Lin Zhaoyu's mother," she said quietly.
Then, with a light leap, Hua jumped out of the pit.
(A/n: once again the fate repeat it self)
(A/n: edit family name should be lin and her name Zhaoyu.... feel weird when her own mother call her lin where it should be family name ahem)