It is my generation's responsibility to return the world to how it was before. However, the flow of time stops for no one. Once we pass away, it is you who will inherits this beautiful earth. My hope, is that all of you become the generation to carry this world to a brighter future than we ever could. What kind of place would you want it to be? Who will you become in this new era? Take the time to find your answer while you are here.
-Overseer Theresa Apocalypse, addressing the incoming freshmen of St. Freya Academy at the opening ceremony, six years after the Final Impact.
===:===:===
When Adam was told he was going to attend a pseudo-paramilitary training academy that groomed super-human girls to fight literal monsters, this was not exactly what he had in mind.
Scenes from old sci-fi anime and video games are mostly he thought of when one first thinks "super-soldiers". Getting injected with some super serum capable of making you a walking demi-god or remodeled with cybernetic enhancement to turn you into an avatar of destruction. Maybe even a bit of both. Then spartan-like training for years on end to hone your killing edge to perfection, allowing you to destroy an enemy's will to fight with just your gaze.
Yeah, this wasn't that. Not that it was a bad thing, per say. Just different, and maybe a bit more realistic. Believe it or not, he liked his plain ordinary body without the existential crisis of the human identity. And having time off to do his own thing. And not getting woken up in the middle of the night to conduct gas attack drills.
Just because he would do it, doesn't mean he'd like it. These days, even the gas drills were mandatory for civilians. But St. Freya Academy was almost an entirely different world.
Clean and orderly campus, incredible resources, and rather generous personal freedom for students, faculty, and staff alike. The food was amazing, as expected from Japan, and the place had great weather. It helps that the nearby Soukai City is the among the most prosperous in today's world.
The St. Freya experience was just like going to school. A school for training warriors. A private military boarding institution for children and teenagers, run by a de-facto deep state totalitarian world shadow government turned charity foundation.
Again, it was a culture clash at best. A… necessary subversion of decent society at worst.
Uncle Rob never did speak highly of Shicksal, even when they were leading the post-honkai reconstruction effort. Adam just thought the old man was paranoid from his old job, from a past more troubled than he ever let on. But the last few months have certainly answered a lot in that regard.
Just how many lies have been told to prop up the greatest lie of all, known as our modern world? Just how many people sacrificed, willingly or unwillingly, to ensure humanity's continued survival against existential horrors? He did not like to think about that.
At this point, Adam would be willing to believe that aliens are real. Hopefully not, but he was starting to see a pattern here.
On his desk, the young man continued to study his notes while waiting for the next class to start. He felt himself fall behind in Honkai physics, so there was a pressure to double down. There were so many things to get done, and he could only do one thing at a time. At least, if he wanted to do it well.
As the days quickly rolled into weeks and months, surprises were fewer and less shocking. So far, there hadn't been any outstanding or mind-breaking trials to test his strength of will or skill at arms. He'd transferred early in the semester, so everyone in his year was still in the process of learning the basics.
Sure, there was a large breadth of classes that he was taking at once, but once he got into a rhythm it was a workload he could manage. And he was learning. A lot.
Ms. Raiden really meant what she said. The workload was almost heavier than his old prep school. Sciences here covered more than just basics. The latest research on honkai physics, what it could generate, its uses, and what it could do to the human body were freely discussed.
Honkai energy was truly mysterious stuff. Even after decades of study and analysis, the best description that Shicksal researchers have come up with is "the anti-body of the universe, taking the form of sentient dark matter". Not exactly the subtle, but certainly concise in it's meaning. Certainly a little more empirical than the "will of God" description used by our ancestors.
It complimented the studies of Shicksal history, where valkyries are taught the latest discoveries and records of not only Shicksal's murky past, but also the history of the Honkai itself. The majority of this information is compiled in volumes 1-9 of the Honkai Chronicles, written by the former Anti-Entropy Sovereign Welt Yang, in collaboration with Overseer Theresa Apocalypse.
The Honkai has screwed over humanity so many times throughout history that it still boggles his mind, even though Adam has already started his third reading of the series. Not to mention the history of Shicksal itself and the mistakes the organization has made along the way. The authors were fairly open about being as true to fact as possible, and their work shows such sincerity. There's so much material that one or two readings alone would not suffice true understanding.
The school also went over more practical topics such as the use of ELFs, coordination of AE mechs, Shicksal technology, advanced first-aid, and wild survival. The kind of stuff that would be fundamental to conducting missions out in the real world.
Application technologies were being taught be Ms. Alvitr, a no-nonsense woman and a veteran of the Final Impact. She acted the part and had a tough attitude, but it was clear she cared about making sure her students really understood their lessons. The things taught in her classes could mean life or death under the right circumstances, and she emphasized that point as much as possible.
She seemed fairly stern when dealing with Adam at first, but she was starting to warm up. He hoped.
First-aid and survival were taught by Ms. Susannah Manatt, a rather… eccentric lady? It was pretty clear that Ms. Manatt was fairly new to teaching, but her cheerful and motivational attitude made her popular with the students. You almost wouldn't believe that Ms. Manatt was the same kind of veteran as Ms. Alvitr. But appearances can be deceiving, as she did know her subject matter well enough.
Survival was fun. Adam never thought he'd be eating treefrogs again, so that was actually familiar ground. For once.
The only male valkyrie in St. Freya' history. Or was it Shicksal Knight now? Technically he wasn't descended from one of the old supporting clans, but the term was used for males with Honkai adaptability in the past. Not that it changed the fact that he was still somewhat of an outcast.
Oh, he knew he was being monitored. How could he not be watched? Ms. Raiden straight-up told him that it was required for the school to tolerate his presence. As far as the staff were concerned, he was a major inciting incident just waiting to happen. Not all of them, but he was sure that there were still a few waiting for him to slip up and have an excuse to punish him or just kick him out entirely.
Still, being treated like a pariah had its benefits. It gave him room to focus on what mattered and kept his nose to the grindstone. Rarely was he given any help freely, so he had to buckle up and find it or figure it out for himself. It was tough, but tough in a way he expected. He didn't have to worry about what other thought of him so long as he kept his own behavior in check.
And so far no curve-balls had been thrown at him yet, with one or two exceptions. How long Adam could keep this up this pace was another story entirely. He wasn't exhausted, not really, but the isolation always right behind him.
He was starting to feel stagnant. And stagnation always leads to decline. He needed a change in pace, but didn't know where to start.
Luckily, Adam finished his review just in time to see the physics teacher walk in. He was a professor who transferred in from Cal Tech in exchange for access to Shicksal's resources. But today he was accompanied by what seemed to be a guest.
"Alright, everyone in your seats and we'll begin today's lesson. We have a guest today from Shicksal's US Branch, who recently transferred over to St Freya's Research Hall. Many of you have probably heard of her already."
The guest speaker walked in front, her long blue hair slicked back as her bored gray eyes examined the room with only passing interest. For a moment, Adam felt like her eyes stopped on him, but it was so brief than it could have just been curiosity. He was the only guy sitting in a sea of women, his uniform clearly marking him out as different.
"Name's Lieserl Einstein. I worked at Shicksal a few decades ago. Then I helped make Anti-Entropy because I despised Otto and his methods. Now I work for Shicksal again because he's dead. Best regards."
That certainly got the class off to a shocking start. Lieserl Albert Einstein, the greatest scientific genius of the century and co-founder of Anti Entropy. Her research into not just honkai physics, but theoretical physics and quantum mechanics revolutionized modern science for decades. Following in the footsteps of her equally famous father, she's the leading figure in the modern scientific community. It's not an exaggeration that a good portion of modern scientific achievement was built on her works.
But just as attention-grabbing was her affiliate history. She was part of the inner circle of Shicksal's US Branch that broke away in opposition to the previous Overseer's growing insanity, creating Anti-Entropy. The Shicksal-AE conflict is a big subject of the history lessons at St Freya. After the Final Impact and the death of the previous Overseer, Welt Yang brought AE back into the Shicksal fold to aid with the world reconstruction efforts before retiring shortly after.
A lot of former AE continued to work at the reformed Shicksal US Branch, so one could say that it's still AE in all but name. Other than Welt Yang no one has seen the founders of AE in years, with rumors of retirement, exile, or continued conspiracy.
So to see such a prominent person from a supposed ex-rival-returned-ally faction here in the flesh was naturally quite a surprise to everyone. Was she really going to take the time to teach basic physics to what was basically, to her, a room of brats?
The physics teacher cleared his throat to get the room's attention. "Dr. Einstein is here only to observe and familiarize herself with the daily workings of St. Freya. In the near future, she might be teaching advanced courses even I am unqualified to touch. For now, please welcome her."
Well, that was a simple answer. Fact is supposed to be mundane compared to fiction.
The class lecture continued with another hitch. It was just the continuation of the previous studies on honkai energy's effect on the human body. However, it was a subject rather important to Adam so he made doubly sure he recorded today's lesson up until the end.
"-future of a possible cure. Alright, that's it for today's lesson. Make sure you memorize chapters one through nine for the first exam. And no, your grades will not be curved. If you studied properly, you don't need it. I have better things to do than give hand-outs. I don't get paid to make sure you get good grades." A benefit of working with Shicksal, it seemed.
Adam couldn't help but smile at the laconic attitude of his professor on Honkai Physics. It reminded him so much of his Uncle, another man of few words and a blunt attitude.
He never really got along with his Uncle until the weeks leading up to his death, truthfully. The reason for that is… unpleasant but understandable. But despite that, the old man was willing to take in and raise someone like him because it was the right thing to do.
And Adam never got to thank him. Nor will he ever get the chance to do so again.
His mind was wandering and he knew it. Still, it should be fine for a few minutes before the next class starts up all over again.
"Also, Adam Wang! Report to the faculty office after school."
Well, that was certainly poor timing. Before he could ask anything, the professor and Dr. Einstein had left the room and left him hanging.
The whole class looked like they wondered what that was all about, and the added attention was starting to get on his nerves. It's not like these people had any stake in his business, so why did they even pretend to care? He needed to grow up and get used to this kind of thing fast, or he'll be a nervous wreck by the time graduation comes.
If he graduates. Hopefully it doesn't get that bad.
After finishing his last class for the day, he promptly marched himself off to the faculty office room only to find it devoid of even the teacher who called him here.
There was only a certain well-dressed short woman waiting for him.
"So you're the one everyone's been talking about," she reached out with an open hand. "As you already know, Lieserl Einstein at your service."
"… Adam Wang, ma'am."
He politely took the gesture and shook her hand.
"It was quite the buzz when news of you got around. A survivor of a mini impact that obliterated a few blocks of Neo-Singapore. And male. Not uncommon in itself, but the fact that you never caught acute honkai radiation despite being right next to ground zero is quite interesting. Some people even suspected you of being a new Pseudo-Herrscher or a bastard child of a Shicksal Clan, but clearly that's not the case."
That last rumor was a new one to Adam. Respect for other people's privacy must not be a thing anymore. Still, he didn't dare voice himself too openly to an authority figure.
"I'd like to say my reputation precedes me, but it's not something to be proud of."
He saw the good doctor suppress smirk. "At ease. I'm just here to pick you up. Maybe have a conversation with one of the Academy's academic prodigies?"
Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. All he did was study and it wasn't like he had much else to do. As it turns out, his minimum standards were enough to get recognized by the school. It was just a part of him proving that it wasn't a mistake to let him enroll here.
At least, he didn't want to shame Ms. Raiden who went out of her way to help him. Not anything special, of course. She had a reputation for going the extra mile and helping out any student who came to her for help, including him.
She was just a very kind person who gave him an opportunity when he needed it most. And he'd never forget that. They had a few more talks since that first time, but lately she seemed overworked, so he decided against taking up her time.
Well, he did say he needed a change of pace. "Where will we be going?"
"Let's just say we're now making good on our arrangement."
Oh boy, this was going to be another long evening. And here he thought he was going to have a relaxing evening for once. Adam could only resign himself to whatever comes next.
A short walk away from the faculty office was the academy Research Hall, filled top to bottom with researchers, doctors, and students of all kind doing their work. Although most of them were Shicksal, there were a number of visitors from places like Cal Tech, Nagazora Tech, and Aachen University. This place served as one of the forefronts of modern scientific research into Honkai physics and medicine, with nations around the world pooling what talents they can spare to further new developments.
Adam visited every so often to use the various public workstations and equipment, and he was somewhat familiar with the staff. They acknowledged him as the unusual pair headed past the restricted zone and into a nondescript elevator.
Now stuck in said metal container with someone he barely understood, he felt rather unsettled. Maybe a bit exaggerated, but it was the anxiety that mattered as each second felt like an eternity of silence. In the other person's hand was a data-pad, flipping through images until she reached the one she wanted.
"I'm sure you'll be happy to know that we've relocated your family to a penthouse in Upper Neo-Singapore. As you know it's technically territory independent of Shicksal influence, but we have our ways. The place is right next to Saint Kallen Children's Research Hospital, so your sister will be receiving the very best medical care possible for her condition. Can't guarantee a cure yet, but she'll live." She showed him a few pictures of his mother and sister in their new home, and the proof of undergoing treatment for the younger of them.
"… Thank you." Adam truly meant it. Although he still had reservations, he could rest a little easier seeing proof that his family was getting taken care of.
"We're just keeping our end of the bargain. We can't expect you to keep yours if we don't." she replied offhandedly, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Right. This was still a give-and-take relationship. Even so, it helped to know that things were going along smoothly. As an organization whose roots spread to every corner of the world, he'd been more than mildly worried if Shicksal would actually be willing to keep their word to a no-name kid from nowhere. He'd met decent people so far, but a single person alone doesn't represent a group as a whole, good or bad.
But if they were going to keep their word, he would keep his. That was his way.
"Do you know of the Silurian Hypothesis?" the petite scientist asked nonchalantly, continuing to stare straight into him. It seemed like she was willing to make small talk.
Although a bit confused, Adam knew what she spoke of. "A thought experiment. Of whether or not modern science has the ability to detect the existence of an advanced ancient civilization, or if it existed at all," he answered calmly as the elevator descended beneath the surface.
It was a paper published a few years ago with details about what Shicksal calls the "Previous-Era", a civilization of humanity that existed eons before the one we know today. More than 80% of all Shicksal technology today is either extracted or reverse-engineering from said civilization. Of course, that sort of information was strictly controlled until the past few years, when Shicksal started putting the resources that was being used for information control into the reconstruction effort.
"Named after a fictional alien species in a British sci-fi television show. Really, I almost laughed myself to death when I read the paper. Just how drunk were those kids when they thought up of that name?" Her questioning was obviously rhetorical as she casually refered to leading astrophysicists as mere children. It's easy to forget, but this woman who looks around his age, is almost 90 years old in reality. She probably knows every major figure in today's scientific community, their children, and their children's children. "Those brats sure grew up, huh..."
Curiosity started to get the better of him. "You don't seem to happy about that though?"
"I'm rather proud actually. But that's not what bothers me. When you live long enough, even a slave to the pursuit of knowledge like me starts slowing down a bit to take in the view."
While old age doesn't always equate wisdom, in her case it certainly translates well. Yet, for a moment Adam thought her bored expression turned somber. It reminded him of the old grandma who ran a small candy shop below the HBD complex he used to live in. She'd tell him stories of watching everyone around her grow up, change, and sometimes never come home. He couldn't forget how wistful her winkled gaze looked as times changed and the world moved ever forward.
This person in front of him had lived so long, she clearly no longer had the patience to deal with ordinary humanity despite the fact that her entire life's work has been dedicated to saving them. You'd think she'd be basking in more personal projects as opposed to slaving away for Shicksal now that the Honkai were defeated.
Wasn't she happy they won at least?
Does time just do that to a person? Would he be like that one day, assuming he lived even half that long? If so, did he even want that?
Einstein noticed his gaze. "Something else on your mind boy?"
"Has it changed that much?"
"Hm?"
For once he met her gaze straight on, without caution.
"The view."
Einstein looked surprised for moment, before silently contemplating. She looked out the clear elevator wall, towards the massive underground complex of various facilities in a buzz of activity.
"It has," was the answer she gave. "And I can't even bring myself to enjoy it."
The silence permeated the elevator until it reached it's final destination, the youthful-looking scientist's eyes returning to the same mellow expression the world knew her for.
The elevator stopped, doors opening to a floor of more isolated rooms and doors built to the latest technological standards civilization had to offer. The entire place was constructed using materials that insulate any kind of wave energy from the outside, meaning there was no chance for quantum teleportation or materialization of any kind, much less a wireless connection. Located nearly center of the entire campus complex, it was likely one of the most heavily protected areas in the world.
"We're here," she leads the way out with Adam following. "Fact is stranger than fiction. I'm sure you know the saying."
"Of course, the reason why is because fiction has to be believable to its audience. There's no denying facts, no matter how absurd. The previous era is a real thing, as your history files will tell you. At least I'm assuming you're using the Honkai Chronicles?" She nodded in approval as he confirmed her statement.
"Good, then I can simplify this explanation. The people of the Previous Era created technology superior even to everything we have today. They lost the war against the Honkai, but we won. Have you ever wondered why?"
For once, Adam had absolutely no answer. Indeed, it was a point that bothered him when he read the history books. The previous era had almost every single advantage that today's civilization did not. An even more advanced society, better weapons, and an actually united front. By all accounts, it was modern humans who should've perished and not the previous era.
If there was anything, then it must not have been recorded in the official books. He guessed wildly. "We have a trump card…?"
"We did, but it was more of the final nail in the coffin than the start of a snowball effect. That thing alone wouldn't have won us the war."
Adam noted how she worded that unusually vague. How curious. Still, that was the best answer he could come up with.
He shook his head.
"That answer is exactly that," she said, only making the young man more confused. "We did not win through strength of will, cunning, or technological progress. The Honkai Will and it's Herrscher agents were existences akin to gods among us mortals."
She spoke the word 'god' with rather strong emotion, more out of exasperation than true contempt, but it was there. "And their power grew with the advancement of our own civilization, like a parasite feeding off our success. It's a losing battle from the start."
So how did they win? The answer was surprisingly simple.
"We won, because we got lucky," nodding her head at Adam's rather obvious frown. "Yes, luck. A billion to one cosmic fluke. Because by a series of miraculous events, some Herrchers resisted the will of the Honkai and sided with us, giving humanity a chance at victory."
The petite woman's sarcastic tone was not lost on Adam.
He knew the rest of the story well enough to finish. "Even then, more than half of the world was lost."
"And that, is something the world cannot tolerate ever again." The sentence chilled the back of Adam's mind, as if a fog was beginning to clear up for him.
They finally reach the end of the hallway, to an isolated ward all by itself. Inside a room opened by the scientist's hand-print, Adam could see rows of strange, almost alien artifacts lined up to be studied and analyzed by the dozens of drones and ELFs floating around and going about their business.
It finally clicked for Adam. "You're working on weapons using Previous-Era technology. Something that can fight the Honkai without relying on flipping Herrschers to humanity's side. Not just weapons either."
Einstein nodded, but said nothing.
"I was under the impression that the Honkai was sealed away, for good." Adam was curious, for a number of good reasons. The war was over, but they were still making weapons?
"Yes. Sealed away. Not eliminated. And certainly not for good. And who's to say that the Honkai is the last existential crisis humanity will face?" Her face betrayed a smirk as she basked in Adam's shocked face. "I'm joking, it's just a hypothetical."
A little hard to tell with this woman's expressions. However, her point was not lost on Adam. There was no such thing as impossible. Anything that can happen, will happen.
And if there's even a slight possibility for the Honkai to return, then humanity should refer to it as Murphy's law. As a dangerous inevitability. At least, that's the message Adam was getting from her.
"This is why my ever-drunk colleague and I were tasked by the Overseer to do some serious research into previous era tech, to see if we can gleam a proper defense against the Honkai or any other existential threat that doesn't rely on something as vague as the power of love."
Somehow he was getting a bad feeling of what was coming next. "And one of those alternatives involve me. You want to use me to experiment with previous era technology?"
"I want to use you to better previous era technology."
Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all.
"Don't worry. Believe me when I say that this will benefit you as well, should you survive."
Definitely not ominous.
The back of the ward opened up to reveal a massive tiled room with a giant container for a human to fit in at the center, surrounded by tubes, wires, and all sorts of hi-tech equipment chirping away and going about their business just like the drones and other scientists.
"Welcome to Project Einherjar. Congratulations on being our first official test subject by the way."
Einstein's office was a little sequestered off corner of the ward separated only by an opaque glass wall for privacy. She led him inside and they sat down with a pair of drinks, coffee for her and plain water for him.
He never really liked the stuff, and he was too jittery as it was to be drinking caffeine. Dr. Einstein spun around in her chair to get another good look at him.
"Let's get some facts out of the way then, shall we? Your honkai adaptability isn't going to cut it for you to be a valkyrie. Or a knight, whatever they're calling you now."
Adam sipped away at his drink, unable to suppress a grimace. She had accurately pinpointed one of those major problems he'd run into.
Although combat classes were only beginning to step away from drill and theory, they covered the proper basics. Calisthenics, strength training, gymnastics, and general physical fitness are all a part of daily physical exercise. This much was nothing new for Adam, and even saw himself ahead of his peers at the start.
Even then, there were notable few who could keep up and eventually surpass him, whether through physical talent or longer training. It only proved that he needed to do better to keep up. He couldn't afford to be complacent.
But physical strength alone is not where a valkyrie's true strength lies. It is the power to control honkai energies, the very same phenomenon that allows them to survive exposure to deadly amounts of honkai radiation.
The reason for this is public knowledge, at least within Shicksal.
Within the DNA of the human race are certain genome fragments that contain instructions for the body to resist honkai energies and even channel them into supernatural powers. When there is a high enough concentration of those genetic fragments, they mutate to create what is known as stigmata.
This stigmata is the body's sign of honkai adaptability, capable of storing and using the power of honkai to fight the Honkai. They can take many forms, but it is most commonly used to reinforce the human body, and use honkai-powered weapons. The exact process of forming and activating of a stigmata is currently unknown, though it's common for such powers to manifest under life and death situations.
It's said that this genetic code has its origins in previous-era survivors who lived among our ancestors. It's also possible that these ancients are the origins for a lot of mythical pantheons of gods.
This mutation is among the rarest in all human evolution. The rate of mutation close to one in a million. In a sense, you could say such people win the world's most twisted lottery.
Other than the anti-honkai serum produced solely by Shicksal Foundation, the only known methods of honkai radiation survival was by having a stigmata or a Herrscher core.
Still, it's thanks to the stigmata that humanity even had a fighting chance, however slim it was. The cadre of these special individuals form the main fighting force of humanity against the Honkai. A valkyrie isn't a true valkyrie without her ability to use this power.
So when they started to integrate stigmata powers and honkai energy into their curriculum, everything changed.
He has no stigmata despite being able resist honkai radiation. Thus, he is unable to reinforce his body or use honkai-powered weapons. His low adaptability with honkai energy meant that even at peak fitness, it would not be possible for him to keep up with his peers who could pretty much toss him around like a ragdoll.
As one could imagine, this is kind of a problem. Suddenly, Adam found himself lagging deeply behind in one of the most critical areas of development for fighting in this world.
He was strong enough not to die, but nothing else. That was the only 'power' his honkai resistance gave him. Although he was keeping up so far, time would slowly but surely widen the gap between him and his peers who had proper stigmata.
It was like getting told his very best wasn't enough, and Adam wasn't mature enough to take that with a straight face. Especially when the livelihood of his surviving family rides or dies with his success.
"You're a man, and not of special lineage. Other than women, only men of certain family bloodlines are capable of bearing the power of stigmata, such as the Kaslana. The existence of Shicksal Knights, and a select few others prove this. Even then, if the stigmata is not activated, it will slowly lose it's use and die out."
She showed him images of known stigmata within Shicksal's database. The Kaslana's Juramentus and Schariac's Amarantus are famous ones he recognized, but there were at least a few dozen stigmata recorded there.
Dr. Einstein continued to regale him with the history lesson, but he didn't mind so much. "That's because the stigmata are a genetic evolution of human resistance to honkai energy, originating from the DNA of surviving super-soldiers who mingled with the early neolithic human tribes. All modern humans are descended from these survivors of the previous era in some way. Everyone has the potential of developing a stigmata, but rarely enough genetic code to cause a real mutation."
She explained that by studying this genetic code, a semi-stable vaccine was developed that had allowed even ordinary humans to survive moderate exposures to honkai radiation. However, it does little help if the person in question is directly attacked by honkai energy or right near the center of an impact.
Nowadays, such technology has come far enough to manage later stages of acute honkai radiation, but a true cure has never been achieved yet. Otherwise, a whole lot of people wouldn't have died in the days following the Final Impact.
Adam's sister, Marie, was one of those people waiting for a cure.
Einstein's eyes bored into him. "Yet, you survived major exposures to honkai radiation. No special equipment or stigmata. You're an exception among exceptions, and I want to find out why."
"So, you're just going to test my blood? That seems…"
"Unusually mundane?"
"Well, we are in a top secret laboratory. You could do anything to me here and no one would know." he jested. It was becoming a pleasure to chat with this incredibly intelligent and mature woman, despite looking as young as him.
Her only response was to roll her eyes. At least she seemed to have a sense of humor. "Except for all these other scientists and the security cameras. You get that trope from an American spy-thriller?"
"It's Cyber Ronin Arahato, actually." Adam corrected and shrugged. He loved that movie, even though it wasn't as popular as it's main-line series. Even if he didn't, it's not like he could be picky about his entertainment growing up.
"Well that's not all. Of the many ideas unearthed from the previous-era, one of the most feasible involves injecting the DNA of a honkai beast into a human subject, mutating the structure of their body to create the aforementioned super-soldiers, called MANTIS or simply fusion warriors. This process is vastly superior to the artificial stigmata procedure Shicksal has been using for the past thirty years, providing better strengthening while not reducing the subject's lifespan."
So they were going to fuse his DNA with that of a honkai beast in the hopes it somehow turns him into a super human. Sounds great, like the plot of an old American superhero comic.
God, he hoped this wasn't their first idea for a new age earth defense force. On a more serious note, Adam was still curious enough to know more about said project he was getting himself into.
"I can't be your first test subject then. Did something go wrong?" Such a promising method left untested for so long? There's no way a serious scientist like her would leave stones unturned.
"Our first few experiments didn't end too well. As it turns out, existing stigmata carriers will actively resist the procedure due to their innate genetic protection against honkai. Trying to enhance them further only damages the stigmata host, their bodies attacking the foreign DNA while hurting their body in the process."
This definitely boded well for his future prospects.
"Like an autoimmune disease?" She nodded and continued to explain. Although the initial trials were technically a failure, they managed to use this new discovery to improve valkyrie resistance to honkai damage and improve the fusion rate of artificial stigmata. This had the added benefit of patching the cascading zombification problem, so newer valkyries wouldn't accidentally become ghouls as quickly or often as before.
Little improvements here and there, but Adam could see it adding up in the long-run. Civilization wasn't build in a day, and the Honkai weren't defeated in a single night.
"And yet, due to the early experimental nature of this project at this stage, we highly doubted ordinary people would survive, much less remain sane. As you can see, this makes it kind of hard to find willing test subjects. At least, Theresa had more ethical concerns and after some discussion the project was shelved for a few years."
Adam's frown returned. "Until now?"
"Well, you came along. The perfect blend of honkai resistance and lack of stigmata. Even if the serum fails, you'll probably live through the pain. It's almost like you were made for this sort of thing." This woman seemed a little too giddy about having a new research opportunity.
He decided to push his luck a little to see if the old sage lady would throw him a bone to chew on.
"How reassuring. That sounds a little more than coincidental though. What's the real reason?"
"Due to certain changes in the times, we've been forced to dust off the project." She was a lot more open than he expected. Maybe he should tone down the paranoid act after this.
"A change in views?"
"Not on our side at least." Well, that crossed most possibilities off the list except one. The ugliest one of the bunch.
"… Politics."
That was the last thing that came to Adam's mind. It was sort of obvious in hindsight. Shicksal has the greatest pool of resources in the world to draw upon, but that power comes with strings attached. Not all of these nations are continuing to support the organization out of the goodness of their heart.
Not after what Otto Apocalypse did to bring them into the fold. It's why Shenzhou and Russia formally resigned from Shicksal circle after his death. More nations would have followed if not for the intervention of the former AE Sovereign.
"Indeed. The certain factions within United Nations have been putting pressure on the Overseer to hand over swathes of advanced technology monopolized by Shicksal throughout it's long and definitely not controversial history. While I can understand where these countries are coming from, Theresa's made the right call to not put the blueprints of a flying battleship with a super cannon in potentially dubious hands."
Dr. Einstein was rather frivolous about describing the political climate. It made sense though, as a hardcore scientist like her would have little love for such a system.
The Shicksal of today, in order to continue operating, needs to prove itself different from the past. Even though Shicksal still had the power to rule the world imperiously if necessary, that wasn't the way of new Overseer. A level of transparency was created in order to build a new relationship fostered on trust and understanding. It sounded a bit idealistic to Adam, but that didn't mean he disliked those ideals.
Dr. Einstein noted his skepticism and shrugged. "Let's just say that we need to prove that Shicksal has the capability to adapt to the defense needs of a new world. Proving that we have more soldiers is a good start. Those people love their power point presentations with big, rising numbers."
The made sense, but something seemed… off. It felt like she was holding back some information from him. But at this point, Adam had enough sense to let it go. Even if she would tell him, it probably wasn't much he could change.
He'd be lying through his teeth if he said he wasn't scared. More than a dozen scenarios ran through Adam's head of things that could go wrong, and none of them gave him a guaranteed safe out.
But fear was something he could use. Focus into strength of will and clarity.
Not to say that he was guaranteed to die here. Far from it, he'd probably get out just fine, if a little worse for wear. But the possibility of a terrible accident was never zero when dealing with this kind of wacky science.
They had walked themselves over to the center of the room, with Adam standing in front of the human-sized vat and the strapped operating table.
So this was it.
This was part of the deal he made, and he was never one to give or take back his word easily.
Don't mistake him though. This was power. He wanted it, selfish as it sounded. And although he was reluctant to rely on others, this power could give him the strength necessary to survive. Maybe even prevent another tragedy from happening ever again.
And if he died trying? No… he didn't want to process that right now.
He'd already taken the leap of faith when he joined Shicksal that day. There was already no turning back. His fate was no longer in his own hands.
But what about the fate of those he let behind? His tired mother and sickly sister? If he died, would Shicksal bother to continue taking care of them?
That scared him even more than death. More than the lack of control and the pain.
So, he'd live. At least do his absolute best to stay alive. The alternative was just not an option.
He could endure pain. He would endure. One of the few things he could do well.
It was the same choice he made when he stood before Shicksal's judgment.
Standing on opposite side of the table, it was like he was being made an offering to a higher power in exchange for power. A pact with God, or perhaps a deal with the Devil?
It mattered little to the young man. He'd do what needed to be done. He'd do what he could do.
He was only human after all.
"And now, we have our perfect candidate," she extended her hand towards him. "Let's begin, shall we?"
He laid back in the operating table as an oxygen mask was put over his face. Guess he was getting that super-soldier serum after all.
"Just one question."
If he was doing this, he might as well do it on his terms.
"Can I choose which beast I fuse with?"
===:===:===
Author's Notes:
I'm back! Not sure for how long, but as long as my motivation is there, I'll be here writing. For once in years I felt like my keyboard was on fire. I might have enough to crank out one more chapter and see where we go from there.
A bit slower of chapter despite the extra length, but I felt like it was necessary to expand upon basically my headcanon of the lore of HI3, especially concerning the world after the Final Impact. I don't normally like writing lengthy stuff, but the background of Honkai is often times so convoluted and improperly documented that it feels like I'm doing mental gymnastics trying to sort what from what.
I'd like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this little work. I'm honestly surprised that it got even this much support, especially from a dude with only one other short fic to his name. Your support and feedback is appreciated.
Also special thanks to Death276 for reading and reviewing my work. I was a bit surprised, but thrilled with your comments.
I didn't forget about you channelra3. Your review was definitely helpful in forming where I wanted to take this story.
Again, no promises of daily updates or even being able to finish this fic. I'd love to, but I know myself better than anyone else, so I figured I might as well come clean.
I can't promise that I'll respond to every review or PM, but know that I do pay attention to your questions and comments.
Until next time!