It's been almost six years since the last time Mei Raiden felt this bad of a headache coming over her. These days she found herself empathizing with Himeko and Theresa's feelings more strongly than ever.
Being the principal of St. Freya Academy was proving as much of a challenge as the immediate reconstruction efforts of the Final Impact, maybe even more so. Recruiting and training a new generation of valkyries to be the guardians of the new era, protecting humanity from the remnants of the Honkai.
Yet, the new era came with a mountain of endless problems to solve. The teacher faculty room had recently become ground zero for a heated debated between her and some of the more concerned teachers over their latest issue.
"What do you think Kurikara?" The former-Herrcher asked, turning to the small statue of a crimson wyvern mounted off to the side of her workspace. Needless to say, unless it was secretly an ELF or a robot, it wasn't going to respond. Yet, this sort of exchange had become a habit after working in the office alone for so long. It made her feel less alone in her never-ending problems, as paltry as they were compared to the things she previously went through.
She stared back at the holo-screen on her desk, conveying all the known details of a certain individual at the center of said issue. A single name planted itself on the top, right next to a photo that gave her a strange sense of deja-vu.
To say his enrollment into the academy was highly contentious would be an understatement. The first male student to ever be enrolled here since Theresa founded it. That's to say nothing to his checkered past and the recent incident which landed him in their hands in the first place. In some ways, Mei could understand why most of the teachers would be so hesitant to have a wild-card like this dumped in their laps.
But even so, she believed the boy should be given a chance to prove himself. Just like she had been given a chance by others once before. Even if that weren't the case, his unusual status made him a target to others who had even less morals than the old Shicksal. She considered it a part of her job to make sure that didn't happen to him or anyone else.
Yes, he could be dangerous and yes, he'd proven difficult. But it was the context of his actions that prompted her to reach out. It took bit of convincing, but she managed to pull him into a compromise that would keep him close by, despite his initial misgivings about the whole affair.
A knock came at the door of her office, just as she was done reviewing.
"Come in."
Now, for the guest of honor himself. The door opened to reveal the same deep gold eyes and unremarkable dark hair she saw in the photo, perhaps with a bit more vigilance than usual. Of course, even that was a better attitude than before, so she could happily say there was progress being made.
Mei strode past her desk and gave the young man the same disarming smile from when they were introduced. He stood tense, silently and discretely rolling his eyes over the room before settling his gaze directly at her, nervous as it was.
"You wanted to see me ma'am?" he asked after a while.
"Come here, sit. Don't be so nervous." She poured some freshly brewed tea into the cups on the table before settling down herself. Slowly he followed suit, as if her were unsure of every single little action he was taking was the right one to do. "Still just a boy," Mei thought. Those little ticks of his were rather endearing compared to his previous bearing, almost as if he were a different person. This was much better, much more like how a child his age would normally behave.
She broke the ice, willing to be the one to take the first step in this relationship. "I've spoken with the faculty and staff, there will be no problems with your continued enrollment here so long as you don't cause any major incidents. However to relieve their concerns, I will task a special valkyrie to monitor you while you are studying here. I'm sorry, but I hope you can forgive me for this."
He handled his cup of tea gingerly as he spoke. "Am I allowed to know who will be monitoring me?"
"Unfortunately not," Mei shook her head. "The valkyrie in question will remain anonymous to better supervise you." Even if that weren't the case, this particular person had a very, very long classified history of circumstances that is better left unpacked. For everyone involved, Mei believed. "Rest assured that I trust this person with my life, so you can too."
"Hm. Yes, ma'am." His response was rote and polite, but his honesty betrayed a tone of skepticism underneath acceptance. It was to be expected though. Mei could only hope that he would eventually trust her judgment.
An uncomfortable silence took hold of the room, punctuated only be the sound of time moving forward on an old clock. Despite that, it was the young man who decided to restart the conversation as he sipped his drink.
"This tea is very good. It's like Sencha, but more earthy and less bitter." He fumbled his words, trying to make some kind of small talk. It was like he'd never had a conversation that was longer than a minute with a woman who wasn't family in his life. Nevertheless, it was the effort that made Mei happy.
"It's called Hojicha. The leaves are roasted instead of steamed, resulting in a less bitter drink but also less caffeine." She saw him take a moment to process the information before going right back to drinking. The boy was cagey by nature, so watching him take even slow steps out of his shell was a good sign for his future progress. Speaking of…
"How has your first day at school been?"
He lifted his head from the tea he was drinking. "I'm…not sure how to answer that, ma'am." he said. His voice was distant and formal unlike most youth his age. "It's different compared to Neo-Singapore's education system, I think? The basic material isn't too different, although there are a lot of… unusual subjects." It was enough to get a giggle out of the academy principal.
"It's hard to make the transition between schools of the same city, much less different countries," She admitted. "But, I believe you'll settle in just fine given time. You speak the language well, and you're polite even to strangers. I'm sure you'll make friends soon enough."
He frowned a little. "I'm here to learn and become stronger. And I'm getting compensated to do so as per our agreement. I won't be rude, but making relationships is not one of my priorities right now. But still, thank you for your concern." His arms folded around the lapels of his new uniform, a white military-like tunic covering a more traditional gakuran made of high strength woven bionic fibre.
"Just keep an open mind, okay?" Mei decided against turning this into a long-winded lecture as he nodded obediently. He was smart, he just needed pushing in the right direction. And time. An hour passed like this as the teapot drained to the bottom.
Noticing the time, the young man excused himself. "Thank you for the tea, Ms. Raiden. I hope I didn't take too much of your time."
"Of course not, I'm the one who called you here. While you're here, it's my job to help you grow succeed in the world. You can come back anytime, even if it's just to talk okay?"
"Mhm. Okay. Thank you."
"You'll be very busy in the coming weeks, so make sure you're prepared. Oh, and Adam!" She stopped him just as his hands touched the door.
"Welcome to St. Freya Academy."
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The sound of a digital notification bell could be heard over the old grandfather clock.
"So… what did you think?" A voice popped into the room as Mei walked back to her desk and answered the incoming call.
"What I think…? He's just a boy whose suffered a terrible loss, just like a lot of the students already enrolled here. Just because he's male doesn't change that. It's the job of the Academy to provide a sanctuary for these children."
The voice took on a sardonic tone that was clearly conveyed over the comm line. "Just a boy, huh? And just how many 'boys' can do what he did before we found him? How far we would've gone if we hadn't stopped him? I can't believe the Overseer dumped this on us, as if we didn't have enough on our plates as it is."
"That's enough Alvitr. We already discussed this. As teachers of St. Freya, if we don't believe in our students how can we expect them to believed in themselves and succeed?" Mei was no longer the bitter, brooding person she once was, but every now and then she could feel a part of those feelings rise back up from the depths of her soul in the form of annoyance.
Alvitr, former lieutenant of the Immortal Blades. Currently an instructor at St. Freya, responsible for teaching the use and maintenance of technical equipment as well as the requisite knowledge for their use. Although they didn't always see eye to eye on many issues, Mei could respect her ability to gather and analyze intelligence in record time. It was how the Immortal Blades could almost always be in the right place at the right time to counter threats during the Honkai Era.
The stern-looking woman on screen brushed aside her turquoise ponytail and brought up her own data-pad.
"Adam Wang. Age 15, soon to be 16. Non-native of Neo-Singapore for the past five years with refugee residency status. Lived with his now deceased uncle and aunt, as well as their 13-year-old daughter. Overall a very typical scenario for a family thrown out into the world following the days of the Final Impact. Except..."
She pointed to a footnote at the bottom the page. "There is, absolutely NO DATA on who he is or was before the Final Impact. He's a complete unknown. There's a part of him we don't know and that will become a liability we can't tolerate. Considering the location and language, we can assume he lived in one of the former countries of Southeast Asia before most of them were razed to the ground. Most likely Coral City, Arc City, or Hong Kong. Or the former autonomous administrative region known as Hong Kong, at least. Do you remember what these places are like now? This kid might've climbed out from one of these living hells."
Mei paused at that last bit of information. Not because she didn't know, but because she knew all too well. Hong Kong had been one of the cities nearly wiped off the face of the planet in the days of the Final Impact. The days following had been just as bad, with rampant crime and lawlessness turning the former crown jewel city into a walled-off no-go zone.
After six years things had gotten better, but… well there's a reason why the reconstruction process still isn't complete yet. And not just Hong Kong. The southern Shenzhou city was just one of many that suffered similar fates all across the world. Millions of casualties totaled up into a few billion. To this day names and bodies are still being tallied. Families unable to reunite or even worse, never being able to know what happened.
Hong Kong had been particular to her because she had been there during a darker part of her past. When she was more misguided and angry. And yet, for some reason, there was the image that kept playing back in here head.
A little boy with dark gold eyes as dead as a ghost. She could never forget those eyes. And when she overlapped them with-
"That's to say nothing of him breaking into a Shicksal Air Terminal and-!"
Mei shuddered and shook her head. It couldn't be. She saw that boy die, his pulse flat-line in front of her. Another sin she would take with her until the end of her days.
Inhaling slowly, she released her temper. "I have heard everything you said and it is only repeating the same conversation we had earlier with the other faculty. We are giving him a chance. Do not forget that the Overseer personally stepped in to authorize his enrollment."
"On the condition he is kept under strict watch."
"Rest assured, he is being monitored by the best class monitor in St Freya's history. Or do you doubt that person's abilities?"
"..."
Even Alvitr couldn't say anything to that. That person could go toe to toe with her former deputy-captain and commander in peak form.
"Please. Give him a chance. That's all I ask."
Whether it was due to her sincerity or persistence, Mei managed to win out in the end.
"I will… keep in open mind. But if I may, why are you going so far to give that kid a chance? Yes, it brings Shicksal research opportunities, but I would think it's exactly because of that you would reject his admission."
It was true. Mei was, not exactly happy about the other stipulation for Adam's enrollment into St. Freya. However, the young man himself agreed to it. Fully aware of the potential consequences and willing to nonetheless.
"I'll do what needs to be done. Whatever it takes," were the words he said straight to her face. There was no dissuading him, eyes so full of stubborn conviction and lacking any hesitation. So much like her.
Yet, there was also that troubled past and alienation of his that reminded Mei so much of the old her. A time when she had a hard time trusting others and could only desperately cling to what connection she had left.
At that point, there was nothing left to do but make sure that his time here was at least productive if not fulfilling. She wanted to to make sure that his time here would be as enjoyable as hers when she was still a student.
"He's a lot like me when I was at that age. No, probably stronger. But at least I had someone to help me in my darkest moment. He doesn't, and maybe it doesn't happen in the near future, but one day he might fall with no one to catch him. I don't want that to happen to any of my students."
Alvitr sighed as her necked craned upwards. "Fine, Fine! I got it. I'll judge him with my own eyes. But I'm not making any promises."
"That's enough. Thank you."
"Hmph. Well, I'd better get off before a certain someone comessaaaAAAH-?!"
The comm-screen veered wildly for a moment before settling on Alvitr being glomped by busty blonde haired woman wearing an oddly childish bear hoodie.
"Alvitr~! Are you done yet? Let's go eat out tonight! I want to try that izakaya place I was talking about the other-" Her cheerful demeanor certainly matched though, as she snuggled with the other girl on the other side.
"Alright, alright! Get off of me you hyper woman! I'm still on call with the principal. I swear, how old do you think you are?"
"A good woman never asks or reveals her age, don't you know!"
"But we're both women."
"Exactly!"
A moment of silence passed for Alvitr's disappearing brain cells. She massaged her temple as some level of courtesy returned to her senses.
"I will be promptly signing off now Ms. Raiden. Thank you for taking my call."
"Of course." Mei replied, followed by a smirk. "Have fun tonight you two."
"Thanks Mei! You should take time off to one of these day! We can all go-"
"Yes, yes Susannah. The principal is very busy and is gracious enough to grant us leave. Thank you… very much." Alvitr's voice were laced with pure embarrassment to the very end. It was very cute for the rather straight-laced data analyst.
The call ended with Mei giggling to herself, slowly basking in the return of office seclusion. Alone, in silence. Outside the window the sun was setting beautifully, and no one to share that feeling with.
But she was used to it by now. This was her home now. This job, her penance. As long as she had strength and will, she'd see it out to the very end.
Until the day she comes home.
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Adam flicked on the light switch of his recently acquired room. When he first arrived, he had been expecting a cramped hallway that passes for living space, like the neighborhood complex he used to live in.
Instead, he found himself staring at half a floor's worth of penthouse space that was all his to do basically whatever he wanted. Within reason, of course.
Yet, he had absolutely no idea what to do with all this space. He'd never lived in a place so big before. His belongings brought over from Neo Singapore didn't even take up a fourth of the space here. There was a bed and desk shoved in one corner, some boxes stacked in another, a closet, and that was about it.
It was funny. He'd always fantasized about doing exciting stuff once he had a place of his own, but now that he did he realized just how senseless those fantasies really were.
What exactly were they expecting teenage dorm students to do with all this space? Sorority parties and sleepovers? He didn't get it.
And that was probably the greatest understatement of his life at this point. He was suffering from so much culture clash that he could barely empathize with the people around him, much less understand.
It made him wary and cautious, and he didn't know how to deal with it other than acting cagey. It was clear as day that his presence as the sole male in an all-female academy was ruffling quite a few feathers, and everyone around him didn't know what exactly to make of him.
He drifted over to his empty bed before collapsing face-first into the sheets, giving him a moment to process his past few months. He didn't just jump into a rabbit-hole. He shot straight through the earth and flew straight to the moon and it's loopy wonderland.
He was alone. Well and truly alone. It felt… cold, in a way that can't be described as chilling. It was like a sense of slow suffocation or asphyxiation that choked your ability to think rationally. For a while, he could handle it, but just how long could he continue after that?
Nevertheless, this is what he signed up for. So long as he protected the things important to him, he'd give everything he had to offer.
And it started with him hitting the books. As tired as he was, he needed to get back into gear and catch up on his studies. While he could confidently state that he was on schedule with basic academic subjects, he was equally confident in being behind in a bunch of other topics that aren't covered in compulsory civilian education like Honkai Bestiary and Honkai physics. There was even a class covering Shicksal's deep history, filled with conspiracies and detailing the insanity that created our 21st century post-honkai world.
It was a lot to take in. But he said he would do it, so there was nothing else to do but grit his teeth and start.
Of course, just as he managed to muster enough willpower he received a call. Not on his Shicksal-issued device. His old phone. The one that still connected him to his previous life.
A last gift.
The ringtone barely got off the first cycle before Adam hit the answer button. Of course by the time he did that he realized he didn't know the first thing he should say. Or rather, he didn't know how he should say it without giving someone an aneurysm.
"Aunt Sofi?" He uttered with trepidation.
"Adam? It's you, right?" The voice on the other end sounded to much hoarser and wearier than he remembered. But it was without a doubt, his Aunt Sofia.
"Yes Auntie, it's me."
"You… You… Do you have any idea what you're doing!?"
As expected, she blew her top the moment she confirmed it was him. Not that he didn't see this coming, but man this was starting to get depressing.
"Earning money for Marie's treatment, and so that both of you can live a little more comfortably." Adam replied without losing a beat. He even had thoughts about putting a down payment on some property if the paycheck coming from Shicksal was the real-deal.
"Just that!? You are putting your one and only life in danger of dying! And for what? Money?" She was still angry, so Adam could only mollify her word by word.
"I'm doing it for you and Marie."
"If you really felt that way, you would be here helping me take care of your sister!" His aunt continued to snap back at him, intent on having him rethink his life one way or another.
"And if I did that, how long would we have before we run out of money to pay for her treatment? And how many alternatives do we have for said treatment? Uncle Rob is gone Auntie, so I have to do what I can to pitch in. I promised him." The mention of Uncle Robert felt dirty to do, but it was enough to calm her down and hear what he had to say.
"And you don't think I'm doing good enough a job? Is that it?" The uncharacteristic exasperation in her tone told Adam just how painfully tired she really was.
"Of course not. I'll always be grateful to you, and Uncle Rob, and Marie for taking me in as family. But the fact is that Shicksal is the only organization in the world with proven technology capable of curing Honkai Radiation. You were there when they gave us the offer. I can't not take that chance."
"I had no intention of selling my son to save my daughter. I still don't."
"I know. So, please. Just know that I'm doing this to protect us, just like you and Uncle Rob did for all these years.
Aunt Sofi's tone had started firm, but became shaky the longer the conversation went on. It actually scared Adam, because he'd never argued with her like this except before he left. Yet, what could he do, but fight this unavoidable battle? And because he'd never done this before, he could only follow his instincts to get through this.
"I raised you for almost six years, you silly boy. I just… never thought that… that-" Her voice continued to crack up until it was inaudible. She was probably crying on the other end, and just thinking about it hurt.
After a few minutes of muffled silence, Aunt Sofi returned to the phone. "You know that I love you right? And that I'm always going to proud of you?"
He and his sister heard it from her so many times that they could die from the embarrassment. How could he forget? "Of course, I couldn't forget even if I wanted to."
"Then know that I also believe in you. If this is what you've decided to do, then I want you to do it with everything you have. So take care of yourself, alright? Oh, and make sure to eat properly okay? And-" She continued to ramble on, saying the typical mom things that now seemed so heartwarming.
Adam could feel a smile rise on his face. "You too. Please take care of yourself better from now on. I won't be there all the time to help you and Marie. But if there's anything else I can do, I'll do my best."
"Just make sure you come back home, okay?"
"I will, Mom. I promise." He paused, at a loss of what else to say.
He finally decided on the simplest one.
"Thank you."
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Author's Notes:
So, I'll admit it. I lied, partially.
I really, really didn't have any intention of doing any sort of continuation regarding APHO and my previous fanfic, "Oath of an Illiad".
And technically, this isn't it. At least, not really.
This was sort of the original idea that spawned "Oath of an Illiad" that I had lying in the rough draft box. After some time, I found myself suddenly inspired to brush off the dust and revise this thing.
Will I be continuing this thing? If I am, will my updates be constant? Can I act like a functional human being for once?
I have no damn clue.
I used to laugh at the G.R.R.M. memes for never finishing ASoIaF but I'm beginning to actually understand even a tiny fraction of the phenomenon known as writer's block. If nothing else it's been a learning experience.
I like to think this one is bit better paced than my last fic, but if you're hungry for more you can check out the jewel fic "A Time Traveler's Odyssey" by the wonderful Death276. I wish I had thought up of this idea, but that just goes to show my shit imagination lol.
Or "Fragments of Mei", because PJammaGod amazingly characterizes her.
Or if you're really desperate you can read my other fic on APHO. I guess.
Peace!