Chapter 21: The Second Turn

To be expected of the fact Soleil and Mei were in a repeating cycle, the initial events of their return to the start went next to identically to the first time around. Helping Sakura get Kallen and Logos to the shrine, followed by helping her administer medicine to the two of them. Only this time Soleil made sure to pay extra attention to the Honkai box as they went about helping Sakura as they did before. However, it was the point when Sakura went off on her own that Soleil and Mei went on ahead to catch up to her sooner than they had before, managing to catch up to Sakura at the base of the shrine's stairs before she could get far.

"You two?" Sakura turned with a raised brow as Soleil and Mei approached, "I said I would handle the rest of this myself, you don't…"

"At least tell us why you want to go off on your own first!" Soleil said, making it clear from his tone he and Mei wouldn't just leave. "If it's so dangerous than why not let us help you?"

"… the beasts appear to get stronger as night approaches," Sakura said. "You two along with Kallen and Logos have helped me enough today. As the Miko I should be the one to finish this, rather than continue to let my guests be in harm's way."

"It's not as if we're being forced to do this," Mei reminded. "We chose to help you because we feel it is the least we can do to repay your kindness to us. It's you who shouldn't be putting yourself in danger, Sakura-san."

"I simply can't…" Sakura was interrupted from a rustling in the trees, and to the surprise of Soleil and Mei, what came bolting out from the woods weren't corrupted animals but genuine Honkai Beasts. A Knight and two Angels, though much smaller than the ones the two had gotten used to fighting in Nagazora. "What?"

"Looks like there isn't room to argue about it anymore!" Soleil didn't waste time as one of the Angels charged, his sword flashing out of its sheathe with blue light trailing behind it, cutting through the Angel with ease as he dashed beyond it. The second Angel charged for Mei, and her sword felled it in just as quick a single blow.

The Knight leveled its lance-like sword as Soleil ran towards it, charging forward at full tilt. Soleil made a light jump in response, landing on the extended blade and stamping down on it, his sword descending as the weapon was sent crashing into the ground, cleaving through the Knight in one quick flash of sky-blue.

As the beasts faded, Sakura stood in stunned silence as Soleil and Mei went about sheathing their swords, seemingly aghast with the swiftness they had taken in eliminating monsters she herself had the impression of never seeing before. As he turned to her, Soleil couldn't help but wonder just what that stunned look had to be fore. Is it Sakura reacting because she had never seen an actual Honkai Beast before? Or her reacting to us specifically? He thought. The answer had to be somewhere between those two. And then there was the question of why actual Beasts?

Was this really what had happened in the past? Or was the Herrscher altering the recreation to try and waylay Soleil and Mei with greater threats?

"You two… what kind of warriors are you?" Sakura asked, Mei giving her a light smile.

"The kind trained to fight exactly these kinds of threats head on," she said. "Were those all that was left?"

"Yes."

"Then we should return to the shrine," Mei suggested. "I'm sure Kallen and Logos must be getting anxious for our return, don't you think so?"

"I… yes, we should return for now."

Sakura agreeing made the two feel a bit at ease. And all seemed fine as they returned to the shrine, but as they approached, Soleil felt something in the air. Something heavy, dense even. It wasn't enough to cause actual harm, but he could feel the thickening Honkai energy in the air. Mei looked to have felt it too, visibly looking as if she was feeling more weight than the norm. The two shared a look as they entered the grounds, nodding to confirm the similar sensations. And as they made their way to the main building, the reason for this sudden pressure became clear: The Honkai Box.

"Kallen's box?" Soleil said aloud, keeping up the act. "Didn't she store that in the shrine?"

"So then… what is it doing out here?" Sakura strode to the item and picked it up… and the pressure in the air grew even more.

"… it was you after all, Yae Sakura," the now familiar voice of the Herrscher put Soleil and Mei on guard immediately, though Sakura only seemed puzzled by it.

"How did you know my name?"

"Because I knew your name. Because I am you, Yae Sakura."

Soleil raised his arm as Mei stepped forward. The tense expression on her face told him everything. As a Herrscher herself, Mei knew exactly what was happening. And it clearly wasn't sitting well with the girl to see it right before her, recreation or no.

"The purple light… it was you spawning those monsters, wasn't it?!" Though Sakura stood defensive. For now.

"Hmph. Me? Please. Those monsters bow to your whim and will," the Herrscher said. "You're the one who wants to destroy this village."

"No… my duty… it's a Miko's duty to… protect the village… I must become that kind of Miko," As Sakura stumbled back and dropped the box, Mei tightened her jaw as Soleil kept her back. As frustrated as Mei was feeling, she knew just as well they had to let this play out to a certain degree. They would never learn how to break the cycle otherwise.

"'Protect the village and save everyone!' Is that truly your wish, Sakura?" The Herrscher laughed. "Do you truly wish to protect a village that sacrifices little children to appease some 'gods' that don't even exist?"

"Sakura-san, don't listen to that voice!" Mei shouted. "Please, believe me, you shouldn't listen to what it says! I know what you may be feeling, and I know how its voice would appeal to you. I've been through the same thing myself, but please, whatever you do don't let it draw you in with its lies! Those Beasts aren't here because of you! You're not the cause of this!"

"You would deny Sakura the justice she deserves?!" The Herrscher stated. "Do you not know what happened here? This village didn't merely sacrifice a child, they sacrificed Sakura's very sister, Yae Rin. You would deny Sakura her own revenge on these vile people?"

"Shut up!" Sakura screamed. "That… isn't what happened… that's not…"

"Even if that is what happened, don't let it sway you!" Mei countered, grabbing Sakura by the shoulders as the Miko started visibly panicking. "We can understand, we know the kind of pain you must be holding because of it, but you can't let it swallow you! If you give into that voice, it will only mean disaster for everyone here. These people may deserve justice, but not in this way!"

"Interference hmm? Fine then…" The Herrscher sounded quite exasperated now. "If you two will only get in her way, then it means we must remove you from it!"

Soleil took a defensive stance as a series of purple flashes flew through the air, almost a dozen Honkai Beasts of lesser types appearing across the shrine grounds.

"Mei, let's deal with these things first!" Soleil barked, his blade blocking an Angel that charged for him. "The Herrscher must be interfering directly now that we're trying to stop it!"

"Right!"

Mei rose and drew her blade as Soleil cut down the Angel before him. The rest of the angels in the swarm tried to mob the two, being met with steel through their forms. As more Beasts spawned while they cut through the swarm, Soleil began to realize the point of this swarm was merely to slow them down. The Beasts were far too weak, even the greater types coming for him and Mei going down far too easily. Minutes passed as Soleil and Mei thinned the group out to one final Templar-class Beast, quickly cutting it down with Soleil keeping it stalled while Mei got behind it to finish it off.

"Sakura!" As Soleil turned and strode forward, he found himself stopping dead. Mei stopped as well, both struggling to move more. "What… the hell?! Why can't I move?!"

"Is it something else?!" Mei muttered. "Is this a trick of the Herrscher too?"

"The area is being invaded with residual Honkai energy. That is what is stopping your movements," Bronya's panel appearing was a welcome sight, but the situation felt suddenly too dire to be that welcoming. "The Bronya is looking for a way to fix the error… but be cautious right now. The data scape has started to become unstable."

"Which means we're having an effect on it though, right?" Soleil asked, barely able to move an arm forward. "Sakura! Don't listen to it! It's not worth whatever it's promising you!"

"Please listen to us!" Mei begged, "That thing wants nothing good for you! Its only desire is to claim your body for itself and wreak havoc! It won't just be this village it would harm, but every innocent person it can find!"

"And still, you two would deny her?!" The Herrscher spat back. "Do not listen to them Sakura. They don't know the full extent of it! Your hatred, your wrath! They're clueless to just how deeply it goes!"

"But I… the people who killed Rin, I…" Sakura stammered out, her arms shaking as she tried to resist reaching out to the box.

"Yes, them, this whole damned village. They killed Rin and then blamed you for murdering her, all so they could feel better about themselves! Claiming that it would 'save' this village, that it would bring them happiness. All while you suffered for it."

"No! Stop it!" The Herrscher chuckled as Sakura drew away from its box.

"You disagree? Then just look at this," Another flash of purple came, and now at the center of the shrine grounds was a new Honkai beast. Floating in the air with pylon like constructs around its angular body. Soleil and Mei's eyes widened at the sight of it: An Imperator-type beast, the lesser end of the Emperor-Class types.

"The creature that was seen this morning…" Sakura muttered, standing and turning to the creature.

"Well? Do you have what it takes to protect this village from it?" The Herrscher's voice was almost taunting, goading Sakura forward as she stared the Beast down.

"I… I'll die trying…"

"And then what? All it will do then is stride over your corpse and right into the village, burning it all to the ground! Unless that is what you truly desire. Is it, Sakura?"

"What are you trying to say?!" Sakura demanded.

"I have something you want: Power. Immense power. Power that will make you strong enough to protect anyone."

"Protect… anyone?" Sakura stared forward to the Beast, then to herself. "If I have such powers… then none of these monsters will survive my onslaught…" to Soleil and Mei's visible shock, as Sakura looked to the beast again, those foxlike ears sprouted on her head, her hand going to her sword.

"Hahahahaha! Yes, yes!" The Herrscher screamed in delight as Sakura drew the weapon. "The power is yours Sakura! Take it and unleash your fury!"

"I must… protect… I must kill these monsters! I will kill everything that stops me! I will kill them all!"

"Sakura, don't give in! Fight back!"

But as Soleil screamed, ribbons of blue streaming from his arms as he tried to move, all the failure to free himself meant that he and Mei could do nothing to stop Sakura as she lunged for the Imperator. A manic, psychotic smile painted Sakura's face as she began hacking into the beast, dodging its attacks and driving her blade into it again and again with a wild, untamed fury. A manic laugh escaped Sakura as she continued the assault. And the wild hacking didn't stop until the beast fell silent underneath Sakura, that demented smile splitting her face as she stared down at the fading creature.

"Memory space repaired," Bronya said, Soleil and Mei finally feeling themselves freed of their invisible bindings. "Movement privileges granted. Act quickly!"

"Sakura, you have to stop!" Soleil didn't waste a moment, bolting over to Sakura and grabbing her as she stepped away from the fading Beast. "You can't keep listening to that thing! You can't keep repeating this damned cycle again and again!"

"Don't stop me!" Sakura threw Soleil off of her, a snarl on her face. "I… will kill these monsters."

"Don't accept the power it's offering!" Mei shouted, "Nothing good will come of it!"

"If I had these powers before…" Sakura looked at her hand as it pulsed with a vague purple light. "This… would have never happened. I must take it… then… then I can stop everything. Stand aside! The two of you know nothing!"

"I know you don't know why they saved you!" Soleil shouted, Sakura pausing. "You've wondered, for so long, you've wondered why Kallen and Logos saved you back then! Just listen and…"

"SHUT UP!" Sakura roared, Soleil and Mei being pushed away with a wave of force. "You two know nothing! The pain, the solitude of 500 years! Don't think you can possibly understand me!"

"But I can!" Soleil countered, pushing forward through the force trying to keep him back. "I heard your soul! I heard you Sakura! Just listen to me! They had a reason. They had something, something they wish they could have told you back then! So please, just let us in and listen to us!"

"BEGONE!"

Soleil drew his sword as Sakura released a wave of power, blocking it with a wall of energy of his own, and as the two attacks blew each other away, the surroundings glitched just like they had before. Soleil and Mei found themselves at the base of the shrine path yet again, and the same as before, the sky had been lit alight in fire with the screams of people echoing throughout.

"Dammit!"

"Are we too late?!" Mei gasped. "If it's gotten to this point, then the data scape is going to collapse soon!"

"At this rate it's just going to repeat itself all over again!" Soleil cursed again as he looked off to the temple. "We have to get back to Sakura, fast!"

"What about that rosary?" Mei asked, Soleil reaching into his pocket. "It's still there!"

"This… there has to be a reason it stuck with us since we arrived," Soleil murmured. Giving it some thought, Soleil tied the rosary to the guard of his sword. "I'm not sure what, but for now, let's get back to the temple. Maybe we can force this but… I doubt it. At best we may have to let the data scape reset agai-GWAGH!"

Before Soleil could finish, the white cat came barreling out from a tree and delivered a kick right to Soleil's temple. As the boy landed on his back, the cat promptly landed on his chest. As he looked at it, the animal was giving him what could only be called an obstinate expression, giving him an annoyed meow to match it.

"What the hell was that for?" Soleil grumbled, shooing the cat off of him as Mei helped him up. "You're still around? You can't be normal…"

The cat mewled again, pointing its tail off to the shrine. As if it were telling them to hurry things up. "Get a move on! If this gets worse then it will only become an even bigger mess later!" Soleil blinked when he swore he heard Theresa's voice in his head. Glancing at Mei, the two nodded and took off, the cat again tailing after them along the path.

And indeed, events passed near identically to how they had before. Waylaid by zombies and now a scant number of Beasts, meeting up with Logos and Kallen just outside of the temple grounds. Confronting the despairing Sakura within the temple as once more the cycle of the "demon" making itself known came and went. And the same as before, a clash with Sakura began. Only this time, Soleil was far more persistent as he pressed his assault, even as "Sakura" summoned the spirit entity to try and waylay them.

"Snap out of it already!" Soleil brought his sword down onto Sakura's locking their blades together by the guards. "How long are you going to let this persist?! How many times can you let this go on before trying to change something?!"

"What else is there for me to do?!" Sakura growled back, "I searched and waited for far too long! All I could do… even if she wasn't Kallen, all I could do was save her in turn. But in the end what is it accomplishing?! Better an illusion than a reality like that!"

"Do you really think those two would want you to remain in something like this!" As Soleil forced the clash to break, the world froze around him and Mei again, allowing Mei to slip away from the spirit as Soleil dodged past Sakura's retaliating slashes. "Kallen and Logos kept trying to live even after! But what happened after… it was the choices they themselves made! Maybe it could have changed, maybe history could have gone differently, but what happened won't change."

"Stop acting like you know anything!" Sakura howled, the spirit returning to her as it unfroze. "You may be one of Logos' descendants but there's nothing about this you understand!"

"Then let me!" Soleil stopped the downward slash from the spirit, Mei joining him in blocking the attack. And as Soleil's blade flared, the rosary tied to the guard flew upwards. Sakura's eyes widened as she spotted it, stumbling beck as Soleil and Mei cut through the spirit. "Let me tell you something… I made a promise. Not to the Kallen and Logos you knew, but versions of them… versions of them who carried their final regrets with them even as they tried to escape their own endless cycle. All they asked was if I did somehow meet you, that I try to help you… so I'll be damned if I fail to keep the promise I made to those two! So, I'll say it again, listen to me!"

Soleil lunged forward, his and Sakura's blades meeting in a renewed volley. Sakura kept stumbling away as Soleil looked for a way past her guard, further helped by Mei joining him in the clash as Sakura resummoned the spirit. As the spirit kept the two back, the air changed again. When Sakura looked back up, it was in the same demented smile the Herrscher had borne when it took control of her before.

"Ahahaha! Look at you two, trying so desperately to get through to her only to be rejected at each turn!" The Herrscher cawed, "But oh what can you do? The poor Lynchpin and his friend can do nothing but watch her fall further into despair! Hahaha! This is excellent! And now… ah, I see how to end this!"

Soleil's eyes widened as he watched the world resume as the Herrscher strode towards Logos and Kallen. Soleil and Mei's attempt to break away from the spirit was stopped as it threw up a wall of purple flames between them and Sakura. Once it was in the clear, the Herrscher lunged for the confused looking Logos and Kallen.

Soleil and Mei only heard two screams in the air before the wall of flame fell and the spirit vanished with it. And before them now was a sight that made the blood run cold. On the ground as Logos, facedown with blood pooling out from his sliced neck. And nearby, a stunned Sakura, staring at Kallen, slumped over her blade that had been driven through the woman's sternum. Sakura fell too her knees as she shook, releasing the blade. Kallen dropped to the girl's side in a heap, but Sakura could only stare in disbelief at her now bloodstained hands… and as she motioned as if to scream, her visage changed again.

"Ahahahaha!" The Herrscher howled. "Yes! YES! They're dead! Kallen and Logos are dead by your hands Sakura! Don't you see?! You and I are one and the same now and forever! So just finally give in! Give in and fall to the dark at least, Yae Sakura!"

"Damn you!" Soleil shot forward, the Herrscher looking to him with a wild snarl as she whipped an arm out. He and Mei were frozen in place again, the Herrscher chuckling as she strode forward.

"What a shame, you two have failed! Hahaha! But now it will be easy! So, farewell, Lynchpin! May you and your companion enjoy this eternal Samsara! Join Sakura in the endless cycle of despair I've granted you!"

A swipe of the Herrscher's arm made the area around them all fall away again in a flash of black. The last thing Mei and Soleil heard as they were thrown back yet again was the demented laughter of the Herrscher… and the despairing wails of Sakura as well…

Bronya gained a puzzled look as she saw a spike in her readings yet again. And her rising suspicions were confirmed when Siegfried was the first one of the three to rise to his feet.

Theresa's hair had taken on a pink shade instead of its normal silvery-white. Fox-like ears sprouted upwards, and she slowly rose up on the bed. When her eyes opened, they were a bloody red, and a wicked snarl split her face as she stood.

"Finally! A proper body after waiting for 500 years!" 'Theresa' laughed as she looked herself over, Kiana stepping back with a puzzled face.

"What the heck is going on? Why is Aunt Teri talking weird?" Kiana muttered.

"I'm pretty sure that's not Theresa," Siegfried said, a hand going into his coat. "Kiana, Zaychik, be ready if she tries anything."

"It's not quite her, but this body is quite akin to that Kaslana's," "Theresa" chuckled as she flexed her fingers as if testing her limbs out. "And it's absolutely coursing with Honkai itself! I can feel it in my very veins! What kind of foolish human thought to mess with the might of the gods like this hmm? Oh well… it certainly makes for the perfect vessel. Now where to… ahh, I can start with you three!"

"Be careful!" Bronya said, "She's giving off Herrscher-level readings!"

"Say what?!" Kiana yelped, already moving to guard Soleil and Mei, "Why the heck are we suddenly dealing with a super-boss?"

Kiana dodged as 'Theresa' lunged for her, barely dodging the swipe she made. And to the surprise of the three, 'Theresa' only went barreling into the nearby wall, smashing into it face first and flopping onto the ground. There was a long, awkward silence as the three stared down at the dazed 'Theresa', Kiana even poking her to be sure.

"Uhm… I know how Herrscher can be, but is this seriously one?" Kiana muttered, "Not very impressive, especially compared to Mei-senpai."

"The Bronya suspects the Stigmata and Theresa's mind are still fighting for dominance," Bronya stated. "It is likely the Stigmata consciousness does not yet have complete control."

"Enough of it to try and do something at the least," Siegfried added, kneeling. "What the heck is going on in there? Did those two mess up somehow?"

"They never would!" Kiana said, an obstinate look on her face. "There's no way Soleil-senpai and Mei-senpai would screw up like that! Something probably just… made it harder than it needed to be is all! They'll be fine, I bet! So… what should we do now?"

"For now, we should bind her up to be safe," Siegfried said, giving his daughter a look when she started messing with the fox ears. Which elicited a sudden flinch from 'Theresa' as she messed with them. "If she acts up again, it'll be better for everyone involved if she's not going to lunge… Kiana are you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah I totally am," Kiana seemed a bit more than just distracted, "These ears are just really soft is all."

Dammit… why won't this body move? As she was lugged back onto the bed, Siegfried leaving to get what they needed, the thoughts of the possessor swirled in frustration. It's that damn imp and Sakura… they're still fighting back even now. But I thought… tch, it was the Lynchpin. He put doubts into Sakura's mind. Fine then… I'll just deal with them personally this time. And once I'm done with them, I'll start on these fools.

"Ah, she fell back asleep!" Kiana leaned over the bed as Theresa's eyes closed, her form even reverting to normal. "So uhm… what does this mean?"

"Well, we should still do as your father said to be safe," Bronya stated. "The Bronya will try to resume contact and get a situation update."

"Sounds good!" Kiana also realized something in the moment. "Ah… we forgot to tell mom what happened to Theresa, didn't we?"

A moment later, the sudden scream from her father out in the hall drew both Kiana and Bronya's attention. Kiana gained a stilted smile as her head bent to the side.

"I think she found out."

The next time she became aware of things, everything was far, far different than she could have ever thought it to have been.

Buildings that towered over her and into the sky, stretching for as far as she could see for miles on end. All she could do was stride forward, unsure of where to go, where she even really was anymore. She remembered, oh did she remember though. Of the time before she had reawakened, of the painful memories that threatened to overtake that brief time of happiness.

"It's been 500 years… you've been stewing on that for 500 damned years."

Her mood soured as she heard that voice. Her sole "companion" for that painfully long, timeless isolation she had finally managed to escape.

"I'm going to find them."

"Are you nuts? I just said it's been 500 years! They're long dead by now, you know that."

"… we made a promise to each other. I'm going to keep it. Even if I only find a grave."

"… suit yourself."

And so, she began to wander. Aimlessly, without any real direction. But with that single feeling driving her: To find them. The people who had given her those happy memories so long ago. It didn't matter much where she had to look, or how far she had to go… all she wanted to do was find them, no matter what.

Thunder.

The roiling of thunder drew her attention. It was far off, but visible, just over a section beyond some of the buildings she was wandering through. The people, if they could even be called people anymore, were being draw to that thunder. As if they were being pulled towards it, like something was calling to them."

"… this is bad," the voice in her head said. "That thunder is because of another one. Don't go near it."

"Why?"

"Because idiot, we just reawakened! We don't have the power to fight something like that. I don't care how much of a fool you are, but I'm stuck with you. If you get caught, I do too. So, go. The. Other. Way."

She shook her head, turning and moving through the shambling crowd beyond her. It didn't really matter which way she went anyway. Her destination was somewhere, but it certainly wasn't there.

But now she had to wonder… why? Why was she still alive? Why was she awake? Why did they not kill her back then? Why did they let her live?

Why? Why? Why?

One day, she saw some people. They weren't like the ones she had seen since spotting that thunder. They were normal. They were alive. Three girls and a boy, simply on their own and wandering the streets just like she was. For a brief time, she followed them, observed. They fought, rested, and carried on through the city day after day. But what struck her the most was two of them.

The boy and one of the girls reminded her of them. She would call them their splitting images, so similar yet just different enough to remind her just how much time had passed her by. Though they couldn't have been acting more differently. The girl was loud, hyperactive, and constantly clinging to the boy and the older looking girl with them. The boy often acted exasperated, but he always had a kind smile on when with the girls, and he was always the first to get into a fight when they came across a threat alongside the silver-haired girl.

In that way, at least, she could say the two were like them.

Unfortunately, it also just reminded her of how painful it felt, knowing they were gone… knowing she was alone, unlike those two.

"Soleil-kun! Soleil-kun!"

Soleil shot up with a start. Once again, it was the same clearing by the river they had started at. Meaning like before, when the data scape collapsed, they'd been thrown back to the very beginning again. He looked to the side, seeing Mei looking at him with a worried expression that faded a bit as she saw him awake.

"Thank goodness. You looked like something was bothering you while you were out," Soleil raised a brow, though the throbbing in his head wasn't helping. "Did you see something again?"

"More of Sakura's memories…" Soleil muttered. "She was there… in Nagazora. She… she saw us."

"What?!" Mei pulled back with her gasp. "So then… was it the Impact that caused me to awaken as a Herrscher that revived Sakura as well?"

"That's likely what happened. But… dammit, what went wrong back there?" Soleil stared at his reflection in the river for a moment, giving a sigh. "Pushing like that didn't help us out at all. There has to be a method, a way to actually get through to Sakura and break this cycle."

"And we don't know if we're running out of time," Mei noted. "I'll check in with the others. Bronya-chan! Is anything going on out there? We got sent to the start of another data scape."

"The situation did change, but we have it under control," Bronya gave a hum when she saw Mei and Soleil's expressions. "The Stigmata temporarily took control of Theresa's body; however, she has gone inert again. It seems wherever she is, Theresa is still resisting."

"Can you tell us why things went the way they did back there?" Soleil said.

"It was likely a rejection of your attempts to interfere. The Bronya's readings showed the sudden invasion of excess Honkai energy came in response to the interference. And further spike that likely resulted in Theresa being taken over also came in response to it."

"So does that mean direct interference won't work?" Mei pondered. "But, if then… how can we change this? If us acting more directly just causes trouble, then…"

"… Kallen and Logos," Soleil realized. "We need to convince them to intervene instead. If we do that, then maybe we can stop Sakura from listening to the Herrscher and repeating the cycle again!"

"But it almost sounded like she wants to keep repeating this," Mei mumbled. "She knows what's going on. Can it really be that simple?"

"Maybe but… when Kiana and I were using these, we ended up in a recreation a lot like this," Soleil said, Mei looking at him with her brow raised. "In it, we met data recreations of Logos and Kallen. At the end, we found out they were totally aware of what was going on around them and had been trying again and again to break their cycle… but eventually found out no matter what they did it would always just reset to the very beginning. Maybe… maybe Sakura's come to the same conclusion."

"That all she can do is keep reliving this event again and again? Do you think… that this is what it was like for her before the Impact?" Mei drew her knees to her chest. "To just… if she's been through this again and again for 500 years… can we really save her from that kind of despair?"

"It's not really a can, it's a must," Soleil said. "We have to do it so we can save Theresa. And besides, I have a promise to keep. Plus…" Soleil paused. There was a feeling coming up inside of him he wasn't sure of, but… something about this was starting to feel almost oddly personal. Like something at the back of his mind, beyond simply his desire to keep his promise to Kallen and Logos, wanted just as much to save Sakura if possible. And the more he lingered on it, the more an image started creeping up in his mind…

The image of a girl much like Sakura, the spitting image of in fact. Slouched against a wall, the air around her frigid, and the light fading from her eyes with each moment. A sad, wistful smile on her face as she looked at him…. And the pangs of regret as he watched her life fade away.

"Soleil-kun? Why did you start crying?"

Soleil felt it when Mei spoke. The warm feeling of tears running down his face.

"I… I don't know," Soleil wiped his eyes off, cursing at himself. That… was that one of Soma's memories? Did he know someone like Sakura in the past? What the hell…? Is that why I had that feeling? Is the part of Soma in me wanting to… Soleil stood and let out a breath, slapping his face to clear his mind? Letting it run wild wouldn't do him any good. "This might be out last chance, so… let's try that new plan. When Sakura goes off on her own, that's when we need to get Kallen and Logos to go after her. Before they realize she went after the beasts herself."

"That could work! If they talk to her before she passes that point, then they may get through to her. But then, what about what happens after that? What if it changes when things go wrong too much?"

"Then we deal with that when we get there. If Theresa is out cold again out there, then it means the Herrscher realized she doesn't have control of the body… meaning she might come here to try and deal with us," Soleil knit his brow, looking over when he heard a familiar meow. The white cat had returned and was looking at him rather expectantly. "Still around huh? Gotta be a reason for it… you're not actually Theresa by some weirdass chance, are you?"

Mei looked at Soleil with wide eyes, and the cat only nodded. There was a long, quiet pause… followed by Mei yelling and Soleil making a very strained sound from his throat.

"Uh… hey… Bronya?" Soleil eeked out. "We… we found Theresa."

"Really? Did she end up in the same location as you when the data scape changed?"

"Turns out it was both times. She's uhm… how to put it. She's a cat right now."

"… the Bronya does not understand."

"Just… take a look," Soleil cocked his head to the as Cat-Theresa jumped to his shoulder. And for the first time in a while, Bronya's ever stoic expression broke a bit. Not much, but a bit. Enough to display her shock. "So… guess we're going from here."

"Indeed… then keep us updated. We will make sure Theresa's body doesn't act up again."

Soleil nodded as the window closed. As they strode off, a thought came to him as he looked off to where the temple was. A thought that perhaps wasn't in fact his own, but another's coming up through him as its only path: I couldn't save you then… but I'll save you this time.