«I did not lie, Master Jingwei…»
The shot echoed for miles as the copied Judgement of Shamash fired at the defeated Fu Hua. It wasn't as strong as the real deal but, it would do the job.
Otto sighed as he observed the corpse left behind him. Stowing away the 1st Divine Key, he reached for his communicator.
«Such a disappointment.»
And with this, he retreated to HQ, but not before making sure his dear maid would clean up this mess.
Minutes passed. Hours passed. What felt like ages passed and still Fu Hua's world remained pitch black. Her body felt heavy and so did her heart. She had failed to see her quest through to the end. All because of that madman and his ambition! She guessed she could have seen this coming, the man always seemed a bit unhinged but he had never displayed such lunacy openly…
«You wield two Divine Keys and yet you didn't use one of them… Perhaps you don't know how…»
That distorted voice still echoed in her mind. It sent chills through her and she hurt even more.
Fu Hua couldn't speak. Everything hurt too much to speak. The fuzziness that blurred her senses however seemed to be retreating. She could almost open her eyes.
«Ugh!» she gasped for air as she willed her body to roll over on it's back. It hurt more than anything, but she made due.
Truth is, that second Divine Key wouldn't do much to help her get back to full strength. Even those feathers had their limits and the wings that produced them were not at full strength yet. It would however be enough to get her moving.
A golden light erupted from her chest and Fu Hua felt her wounds begin to heal. Given time she could probably accelerate the process, but it was time she didn't have. So again Fu Hua made due.
The feathers that surrounded her softly fell to the ground and the glow from her chest spread out to the rest of her body, covering her entirely in it's warmth. A moment passed and soon enough, that glow too was extinguished. In it's place stood Fu Hua, changed yet still the same. Her hair was let loose but was turned an Ash white color with her bangs now colored a fiery red, much like her eyes now were. She inspected herself for any other injuries. Minor ones, thankfully. They would heal eventually. But not here. She had to retreat and recover. But first…
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
«That's when I helped Major Himeko recover as well. And also helped her contain the Honkai Energy in that battlesuit. Once I was sure she could handle the rest, I left… If I were to guess, judging from her feelings at the time, everything worked out…» Fu Hua calmly explained as she sat opposite of Kiana, the campfire they had lit burning brightly between them.
«You… You could feel her thoughts?» Kiana wondered in amazement.
Fu Hua tilted her head slightly in thought. «Not exactly…»
«Hm?»
«You see, that specific Divine Key is different from the others. It's not something you wield per se. It's also not meant to fight Herrschers…»
«What is it then?»
«If I had to explain it, I'd say they have a life energy of their own. It can be shared and linked with other users much like it did with Himeko. However, the process links the users in a certain way. Thoughts and feelings aren't simply shared and felt. They're stored by the relic, and those thoughts are what empowers the user that is in possession of the Key. Most times, they trigger when those thoughts overpower all other feelings. Other times they simply don't work. To be completely honest I never understood it myself, and I held that Divine Key for more than a thousand years…Before I transferred it to the Major that is.»
«I see… you're wrong by the way.» Kiana exclaimed sadly.
«About what?»
«Auntie is dead. Nothing worked out in the end.»
Fu Hua looked skeptical for a second. She held her chin, looking deep in thought much like a Sage would when meditating. Kiana had to admit it looked kinda funny, if not appropriate.
«No, I don't think so.» Fu Hua finally called out and Kiana looked confused.
«What do you mean?»
«You see, her feelings before I lost connection with her were filled with pride, hope, love and relief. There's honestly nothing to say she failed or regretted anything she did. That's a success story if I ever saw one!» Fu Hua claimed with a sincere smile, looking prideful of the way she worded that.
Kiana however looked ready to burst into tears. Shaking and looking down she softly spoke.
«That drunk old hag always did have a weird way of showing she cared…»
She looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes as she beamed with joy.
«I can't have her feelings go to waste now can I? I mean, she'd probably come back to beat me up if I kept on moping around!»
Fu Hua nodded, offering a gente smile in return.
«Yes, that is exactly right. However I do mean to ask…»
«What is it?» Kiana wondered.
«Kiana, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at helping out the others recover and fight back the Outbreak?»
Kiana was taken by surprise with this. Surely the girls back home were busy with the Outbreak, yes, but she now wondered if they were the ones looking for her in Arc City, or at least, one group out of many that were looking for her. That had to be slowing things down for them, even with the support of Anti-Entropy. She had to finish up with her mission quick. However, there was one other thing…
«I have something I need to do alone, but after that I plan to go back for sure… What about you? Why did you choose to come here of all places?»
«Well, you see, this is my home actually. I have been protecting this land for ages. It is here where I had my first encounter with Schicksal almost 500 years ago.» Fu Hua explained with a far away look in her eyes.
«Oh?»
«Yes, it is an interesting story. They had sent a Valkyrie to act as an ambassador and oversee our land for future expeditions. While she didn't agree with any of it, she was understandably compelled to obey her orders and was forced to fight when I learned of their ploy. A kind woman she was. One of the few memories I still remember from all those years ago.»
Kiana tilted her head in wonder.
«What was her name?»
Fu Hua smiled once again as fond memories filled her mind.
«Kallen Kaslana. Ring any bells?»
The young Kaslana's mouth dropped in recognition and amazement.
«That's so awesome… Did you happen to meet a Yae Sakura in your travels too?»
«Not that I remember, no. Sorry, I guess…»
«Oh, ok it's no problem.»
«Anyway, back to business. You said you had something to do.» Fu Hua said now almost in interrogation mode.
«W-Well… I don't… really think I should be bothering you with any of that stuff…» Kiana said trying to avoid the subject.
«Please, like I have anything better to do here. Arc City can handle any Outbreaks and the surrounding villages are all slowly but surely moving to the cities for the same reason. I want to help you.»
«I thought I told you I have to do this alone.»
«And I thought you said you'd stop moping around… You should appreciate a friend trying to help y'know.» Fu Hua replied, crossing her arms in defiance. Kiana sighed again.
«It's just not something I can force other people to help with. It's kinda personal.»
«Kiana, you're not forcing anyone. And even if you're dead set on finishing this on your own, I see no problem with having someone there to watch your back on the way.»
«The human has a point…» Celine said to Kiana.
«Shut up.»
«Besides, it's too dangerous, and you said you're still recovering. I don't want to drag you into something you can't handle…» Kiana said and Fu Hua scoffed.
«Can't handle? I handled you pretty well a few moments ago if I recall.» she exclaimed with a prideful smirk and Kiana was stunned.
«Y-You caught me off guard! That's all!»
«…»
«…»
«I rest my case.» Fu Hua stood up.
«You're not coming with me!»
«Yes I am! Now get up and pack up. The sun is almost up too.»
Kiana groaned as she slowly got up and put out the fire. This was gonna take a while to get used to.
