In the early morning, as the sun emerged and sprinkled rays of sunshine, everyone in the snowfield camp gradually woke up and began to stir.
...
Talulah, lying on the bed in her tent, slowly opened her eyes. But unlike her usual mornings, her eyes were filled with confusion, sadness, and guilt.
When her vision cleared and she saw the scene before her, her pupils shrank, and her face filled with shock.
Talulah quickly sat up to assess the situation, but the tug from her tail made her look sideways.
Seeing the cute little Lolita holding her tail brought back her memories, and she understood what was happening. However, the return of those memories only added to her shock. She looked down at her palms and whispered, "Is this... the magic of painting?"
"Hmm... Ta... rurua."
Sensing the movement around her, Griseo shifted slightly, tightened her grip on Talulah's tail, and murmured drowsily.
"Huh—"
After a deep breath, Talulah stopped moving her tail and let Griseo continue to hold it. She reached out and gently stroked Griseo's soft hair, as if to confirm she was real.
Even with all her memories back, Talulah felt as if she were in another world.
In last night's dream, she experienced the transition from having everything to having nothing, alone...
Unlike Alina's perspective, Talulah's dream seemed to be something she had personally experienced. Whether it was Alina's death, her own sadness and hatred, or being controlled by the Black Snake, letting her companions die one by one... it all felt very real.
So real that when Talulah first opened her eyes, she wondered if she had been sent back two years ago...
However, she noticed differences from the dream. There was an extra presence... a cute but powerful little person who had changed the course of events.
"I originally thought Alina was exaggerating, but I didn't expect..." Talulah withdrew her hand from Griseo's soft hair and muttered to herself.
"꒪-꒪)?"
Although very sleepy, Griseo finally opened her eyes, half-closed, to check the situation when someone kept touching her head.
But when Talulah's face came into view...
"꒪꒫꒪)!"
Griseo, now fully awake and realizing the marks on Talulah's face were her doing, felt a mix of fear and relief.
"Ah, sorry, I got a little excited and woke you up."
Seeing Griseo's reaction, Talulah softened her voice and spoke gently.
"Wu... It's okay. Sister Talulah got up so early?"
Griseo rubbed her half-open violet eyes and sat up.
"Well, it's almost time for breakfast." Talulah nodded and touched Griseo's head again. "By the way, I plan to talk to Alina later. Griseo, thank you for your painting."
"Well... It seems to have worked."
"No, it didn't just work; it helped a lot." Talulah was both amused and helpless at Griseo's understatement. What Griseo thought of as a small effect had a significant impact.
The dream was over, and reality had not changed, but Talulah's mindset had matured and solidified.
The fighter who gave up naive ideas had returned. Talulah would regard reality as a new beginning, give up fantasy, start fighting, and lead the Reunion movement forward.
...
Listening to Talulah and observing her newfound maturity, Griseo blinked, wondering what would happen if Talulah discovered the drawings on her face.
After considering for a while, Griseo concluded she might just get scolded, and Alina might protect her.
Reaching this conclusion, she felt more at ease.
Then, as if remembering something, Griseo opened her system panel and checked the unlocking progress of Mebius.
Well... 48%, which was higher than she expected but not surprising. The painting Griseo drew last night affected not only the Black Snake on Talulah but its entire consciousness. With any connection, no one could escape...
The power of Griseo's painting was domineering, especially when drawn with the Black Snake's own color, making the impact even stronger.
Before, Griseo felt she couldn't kill the Black Snake not because it was impossible but because she had no way or opportunity. She knew Talulah was possessed by the Black Snake, but she had never seen it.
So, although Griseo's painting could affect the Black Snake, she had no way to draw and seal it.
Yesterday was a coincidence. The Black Snake was caught and emerged on its own, and the little Lolita captured it.
However, Griseo didn't plan to tell Talulah this good news yet. First, because she hadn't finished her work, and second... she needed more sleep.
Her body's schedule was so good that she didn't feel tired while painting last night, but now she was really sleepy.
"Little Griseo, didn't you go to bed early yesterday? Why are you still so sleepy this morning?" Talulah asked, curious about Griseo's exhaustion.
"Well... I painted two more paintings last night and didn't sleep." As she spoke, Griseo fell back onto the bed.
"Huh? Why did you paint two more? And children shouldn't stay up late, especially not all night!"
"Wu... um, Tarurua, ah ah..."
Listening to Talulah's reprimand, Griseo murmured a few times and closed her eyes again.