Hello everyone!! Bet you all thought I had forgotten about this fanfic right? Well guess what I didn't. I will confess to this much though, I've been distracted due to the fact that I've had way too many ideas popping into my head about various honkai impact fanfics, and I recently posted a few of those ideas. So my time has been spread a little too thin for even my own liking.
That being said, I've decided that I'm going to focus on two of my fanfics for the time being. The first obviously being this one seeing as I've been getting a lot of encouragement to continue. Thank you all for the support by the way. And the second on being one I released just yesterday called Honkai Impact: Second Chance . Please do feel free to read that one as well and let me know what you think about it.
Onto the story we are now entering the AE invasion arc, but there will be a few changes to this arc and almost every other arc in this fanfic. But that much is a given considering how different this story is to cannon.
Oh and can someone please tell me when the next version of the game is coming out?
Location Unknown/ July 2nd 2015:
Within a dark room lit by the black walls with blue electrical lines moving along said walls, stood five figures on floating blocks of similar color to that of the walls the sixth person being seated in a chair of similar design.
The first individual was a man in his late twenties dressed in a black cloak with a purple and white striped shirt on the inside. His black hair was smooth and went down his right side, and he had yellow eyes.
The second was a child no older than the age of fifteen. The right side of her hair was purple while the left side was pink. Even stranger was that her right eye was bright yellow while her left had a slight dark shade of blue.
The third was a young red haired individual whose hair was tied into pigtails that fell on both sides of her head. Slightly above her three mini bots of sorts hovered, one blue, the other green and the last one blue.
The fourth was a curly blue haired girl with a slightly pale completion, and eyes with a dark shade of blue. She was seated atop a dark blue spherical robot as its tiny arms held her waist to prevent her from falling, and another much smaller robot floated directly in front of her chest.
The fifth, and last of those standing, was a woman with blond spiral shaped hair and had dark amethyst eyes that would unsettle many men. She wore a Russian military dress with a long white cape strapped to her shoulders.
In the chair next to the blonde was a hooded figure whose face could not be made out. All that could he seen was the pale complexion of his skin, the bandages that wrapped around his arms and the sly grin that was on his face.
"I hope you're all ready for this!" The blonde haired woman, called Cocolia declared, catching the attention of everyone else in the room. The blue haired girl, Einstein, and the redhead with the pigtails, Telsa, seemed to be more suspicious of Cocolia's activities more than anything else. After all, she had been the one to call for this meeting.
"What is this about Cocolia?" Einstein asked her expression black and giving nothing on her emotion or thoughts. Cocolia visibly ignored her and continued.
"Gentle sirs…..The third herrscher has finally been tracked down." Cocolia declared. Telsa's eyes widened while Einstein's narrowed in suspicion. "She has been located at St.Freya, a valkyrie training school found in the Far East. The time has finally come for us to reclaim what is rightfully ours." Cocolia with a wide smirk on her face.
Einstein immediately saw through the entire façade. She and Telsa were well aware that she had been the one to trigger the third eruption in Nagazora slightly over a year ago. The fact that Schicksal had claimed her prize had always been something of a sore spot for her the whole time. It certainly didn't help that Telsa had given her a mouthful for losing the gem of conquest, as well as killing that many innocent people.
"I will now brief you on the mission to recover the third herrsc-"
"WAIT!!" Telsa suddenly shouted, Einstein was sorely tempted to tell the girl to keep quiet, but she knew speaking up now would only reveal that she knew was Cocolia was up to…..and she had a feeling she knew who the person seated next to her was. "Didn't our Sovereign tell us to get his approval first before we take any actions against the herrschers or Schicksal?" Telsa asked with a frown, much like Telsa she knew that this was a scam, but she wasn't patient or tolerant enough to just let this slide. However, the smirk that appeared on Cocolia's face made both her and Einstein nervous.
"Our Sovereign? Of course," Cocolia responded as she gestured to the man next to her, "he's been seated right next to me from the start Telsa." The third enforcer of Anti-Entropy said mockingly, as Telsa's eyes widened whilst looking at the man. She knew that she should have stopped there, but Cocolia was slandering his name, and that was something she couldn't just let slide.
"But our Sovereign has been in hiding and changing his identity for many years. How would I know if that wasn't an imposter fro-!!"
Before she could finish her accusations, numerous black orbs appeared around the room, ripping the space that was once there. Each one surrounded by a glowing blue hue and connected to the other orbs in the room by strings of black lightning with a similar glow. Before any of them had a chance to question what was going on the gravitational pressure in the room suddenly increased tenfold.
"My dear Telsa…..I find your lack of faith to be rather…..disturbing." The man in to seat spoke. The palm of his held out right hand pointing upwards, and above it was a black orb that seemed to be slightly larger than the ones floating around. One by one those attending the meeting fell under the increasing gravitational force, save for Cocolia and the man himself.
'I can't move!! This is the first herrschers power…the power of our true Sovereign!!" Telsa thought as she struggled against the force of gravity that had brought her down to her knees. She knew there was no point in fighting this, Cocolia literally held all the cards here. However, one thing was certain, that man was not Joachim.
With the snap of his fingers the power of the first herrscher vanished faster than it had appeared, seeming as if it hadn't even been there in the first place. It took a moment for everyone to gather their bearing and get back up.
"I hope that solves our little issues of discipline." The man spoke, the threat in those words was clear, neither Einstein nor Telsa said anything in response, and they simply nodded their heads, they could only hope that the consequences of Cocolia's action would not be too dire for Anti-Entropy, "Good then. Continue with the briefing my dear Cocolia." The man said with a victorious smirk.
"Of course, my lord Sovereign." Cocolia said with a slight bow, though she too could not keep the victorious smirk of her face. All was going as planned. If everything went smoothly then not only would she be able to capture the third herrscher, but she would gain valuable Intel from Schicksals systems.
St.Freya/ July 5th 2015/ 6.11pm:
The last two months had moved by rather quickly for Hua. Perhaps it was her body that was still immune to the effects of time despite having long since lost her memories and immortality, or perhaps it was just the fact that she was spending less time on her own due to the tutoring lessons she had begun doing with Kiana.
Speaking of the Kaslana and said lessons, things had been going rather smoothly on that front. Kiana was a hard worker, and put in the effort to make the time that Fu Hua spent helping worth it. The class monitor appreciated that work ethic, it certainly made the Kaslana a lot easier to work with, and put her a level above a lot of their classmates when it came to taking academics seriously.
Though Fu Hua would deny it if asked, she certainly enjoyed the time they spent together during those tutoring lessons. Kiana had become somewhat of a close friend for the class monitor, she could honestly say that she was almost as close to Kiana as she was with Himeko. And while she knew that was not ideal considering her mission it was something she could not help. Besides, it wasn't as if being close to the Kaslana did not work to Otto's benefit.
Speaking of the Schicksal Overseer, the class monitor was currently communicating with Otto giving him a summary report of a mission that she had just taken part of with Kiana and Himeko. Just a week ago, the three of them had travelled to China, in the city of Shenzhou. They were looking into the legend of one of the first stigma bearers known as Xuanyuan in the hope that they could find a way to grant Himeko a natural stigma and extend her life expectancy.
While they hadn't found information pertaining the stigma itself, they came across the Xuanyuan sword that had been used and named after Xuanyuan herself buried within the corpse of an ancient judgment class honkai beast. The beast itself was deep within the waters of the South Seas coast. Unfortunately when Himeko came in contact with the sword she was immediately corrupted by the vast amount of energy that dwelled within it. To make matters worse, they also came across an agent of Anti-Entropy who had tried to take the blade out of their possession.
"The major is currently receiving treatment after being exposed to large amounts of honkai energy from coming in contact with the Xuanyuan sword. We came across an agent of Cocolia's by the name of Sin Mal, she attempted to take the Xuanyuan sword but Kiana and I managed to fight her off and returned with the artifact." Hua reported to the Overseer on her HUD screen. The blonde leader took the time to think everything through before speaking.
"How would you say K423 performed in this mission?" Otto asked as he took a sip of wine from the glass in his hand.
"Kiana's performance was good for a B-rank valkyrie. However, from what I could tell she was still restricting herself to an extent. There were moments in the battle with Sin where her body would seem like she was about to take one course of action before shifting and doing something different. I'm convinced she's hiding her true potential." Hua explained, she had to resist the frown that tempted to show on her face at the uncomfortable feeling within at more or less ratting out Kiana.
"Do you think she could be a spy of Anti-Entropy?" Otto suddenly asked, his expression becoming serious. Fu Hua understood why he would think that, according to the report from Theresa and Himeko, Kiana had been deeply connected with one of AE's agents in Chita who went by the name Phil.
"I doubt it. If she truly is holding back her strength then it's most likely because of personal reasons." Hua commented, and it was the truth. Kiana didn't seem like the type to send on a spy mission, no offense to the Kaslana but her cover would be blown too quickly.
"Very well old friend. Continue keeping an eye on her, I look forward to your next report." Otto said with a smile that Fu Hua knew was not truly genuine, the valkyrie responded with a nod of her own before communications were cut.
Hua let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. Dealing with Otto was sometimes more stressing than any task that she had while at St.Freya. Looking out the window the class monitor couldn't help but wonder how Himeko was doing. She had gotten a message earlier from Kiana telling her Theresa had claimed that Himeko was going to make a full recovery, but Fu Hua was more concerned with the long term effects that their recent mission would have on the major. If the way Kiana had thrown herself into hours upon hours of training since classes had been cancelled was any indication, then the Kaslana was probably just as worried about the redhead. Maybe even more so considering that she could 'see' the effects with her sensory abilities.
Hua shook her head sideways, there was no point in trying to wonder what would be now. Himeko was a lot stronger than any of them were willing to give her credit for. If anyone was going to pull through in the end it was going to be her.
The class monitor got up and went to the kitchen of her dorm room to prepare her dinner…..
Himeko's Apartment:
The mood in the house hadn't quite been the same over the past few days with just Mei and Bronya. Ever since Himeko had been admitted into the hospital it had just been the two of them, but throughout the week either Kiana or Theresa would visit and spend dinner with the two occupants of the house. But the missing presence of the major was still noticeable.
Unfortunately tonight was not one of those nights where there would be any guests. Kiana had thrown into training for the night and the principal had decided to watch over it to make sure the Kaslana didn't overwork herself. Mei could understand that Kiana was feeling guilty about what happened with the major that much was obvious when the Kaslana came back from their mission and muttered a series of apologies to everyone. Even after Theresa had tried to ensure her that what happened was beyond Kiana's control, the Kaslana simply opted to drown herself in training in order to improve.
As she cooked dinner, another thought came to Mei. More particularly the day that Kiana had revealed she was aware of Mei's status as the third herrscher. The Kaslana had been rather blunt about the topic that night…
*Flashback- one month ago*
It was just another night at St.Freya within Himeko's apartment. Theresa and Kiana had decided to join the local residence for dinner, while Fu Hua had claimed to have other business to take care of. The five of them were currently seated around the table enjoying the wonderful cooking of Mei, as well as engaging in casual conversations regarding their daily lives.
"You know Mei, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now." Kiana suddenly stated after slurping up numerous strings of noodles. The former heiress turned her attention towards the Kaslana.
"Oh, what is it??" Mei asked as she turned to the Kaslana. She saw Kiana seemed to be thinking for a few seconds, probably wondering how best to word whatever she wanted to say.
"Okay, there's no beating around the bush for this kind of thing." Kiana said with a sigh before turning to look Mei right in the eyes, her expression becoming uncharacteristically serious. That caught the attention of Theresa and Himeko who looked at one another for a second before turning back to the Kaslana. "You're a herrscher aren't you?" It was more of a statement than it was a question, and the effect was instantaneous.
Mei's eyes widened a notch at the unexpected topic, Himeko spat out a fountain of the booze she had been downing, Theresa choked on the food that she had in her mouth and Bronya, who had the calmest reaction of everyone in the room, simply stopped eating and turned her attention to Kiana analyzing the Kaslana to try and get a read on her thoughts and emotions.
"Wow *cough* *cough* real subtle there Kiana." The major spoke up as she tried to calm herself down. Of all the things the Kaslana could talk about, the Kaslana had not expected that to be the topic of the night. "Maybe you should work on your delivery next time. I mean seriously, you just made me spit booze all over my food!!" Himeko said with a mock glare that the Kaslana simply shrugged off in response.
"I'm just going to assume based on everyone's reaction that I'm correct." Kiana said with a small smile as she leaned back into her chair.
"How long have you…"
"Known?" Kiana finished the principals' sentence as she turned to Theresa who looked more nervous than anything. She had been planning to tell Kiana sooner or later, the three of them being part of a team made it inevitable for Kiana to eventually find out about Mei's status, but Theresa had hoped to have the three of them know one another better before breaking the news to the Kaslana. Theresa simply nodded her head to Kiana's question, wondering how the Kaslana would react now that she knew. "Well logically I would say since the day we met."Kiana said passively with a shrug as if it was nothing major.
"Wait what?!! So you knew that she was a herrscher all along and didn't say a thing?!!" Himeko shouted with slight irritation as she glared at the Kaslana. Seriously, all this stress about wondering when the right time to tell the Kaslana was, yet she had already been aware of it the whole time.
"Well that's not exactly true. I knew of the amount of power within her from the day we first met. It's hard to miss that amount of honkai compressed within a single body with my sensory skills." Kiana explained, even now she could still feel the power that dwelled within the former heiress.
"The Bronya does not understand?" Bronya spoke up as se tilted her head sideways. If Kiana knew of the power that was inside Mei, how could she think she was anything other than a herrscher?
"I mean you gotta understand that I didn't even know what a herrscher was until I came to St.Freya. And for me, someone with the amount of honkai Mei had should have turned into a waking corpse ages ago. I never questioned it in Chita because there were bigger priorities back then." Kiana said with a shrug as she went back to eating her food, picking some noodles with her chop sticks before them up.
"And what about afterwards? I mean weren't you even a little bit curious about it?" Theresa asked with slight confusion. It made sense that Kiana wasn't aware of what a herrscher was, but she had never questioned it since she came to St.Freya
"Sure I was curious, but I'm not a snoopy person. Everyone has their own secrets, and I figured whatever Mei had within her just that, a secret." Kiana replied before turning to the Kaslana, "Though I would be lying if I said I hadn't been expecting more from you Mei. At the time, I just saw someone with loads of power within her, and while you're a strong valkyrie, I was expecting a bit more. But after finding out finding out that you were a herrscher, I understood that the power wasn't really under your control. Regardless I wanted to apologize for the criticism." Kiana said with a slight bow of the head.
"Don't worry about too much Kiana-chan, I can see where you would be coming from given the limited information you had." Mei said as she shook her head sideways.
"How did subject Kiana conclude that Mei was a herrscher?" Bronya asked, more curious about that. The former assassin was sure that the topic on herrschers wasn't covered within this year's syllabus. In fact according to the principal, few valkyrie in the whole of Schicksal truly understood what a herrscher was.
"That's the funny part. It was due to the first time I sparred with Aunt Teri." Kiana replied, as everyone turned to the principal for a second, making her feels slightly nervous at the sudden attention.
"How did Theresa lead you to knowing more about herrscher?" Himeko asked, based on the principals earlier reactions there was no way she was the one who told Kiana about Mei's herrscher status.
"I'm pretty sure that everyone in this room is aware of the difference between the normal honkai energy and that which is used by herrschers." Kiana stated, to which everyone nodded. For Himeko and Theresa it was essential they knew as veteran valkyrie, for Mei it was important she knew simply cause she was a herrscher and Bronya was aware simply by association, "Yeah well, it wasn't really Aunt Teri who told me, but more of the Oath of Judah pointing me in the right direction." Kiana said with a smirk, proud of her own detective skills.
"I don't get it." Theresa spoke up as she hoped that Kiana would elaborate more on what she just said.
"The Bronya understands. Subject Kiana was able to detect the herrscher energy emitted by the principals' divine key, she then went on to research divine keys leading to information of herrschers as well. And since Mei-nee-sama has an identical form of energy within her it wasn't hard for her to put the pieces together." Bronya concluded as Kiana nodded her head in agreement, proving that Bronya had hit the nail right on the head.
"Right you are Bronya. Though while the core within Mei and that in Judah both release Herrscher energy, they are in no way similar. That's probably due to the fact that the cores differ in powers. So Mei, to end my little investigation, do you mind answering which herrscher powers you have?" Kiana asked with a smile. Theresa and Himeko seemed to relax once it seemed that nothing would be changing between the girls. It seemed as though Kiana wouldn't be looking at Mei differently because of her status, and that was good enough for them.
"Ah, that would be the third herrscher, the herrscher of thunder."Mei answered.
And from then on, Kiana went on to ask the raven haired girl a series of questions regarding her herrscher status. Mei had automatically assumed the worst when Kiana first brought up the topic, but it seemed that the Kaslana didn't seem to mind in the least. In the days that followed that night, Kiana still treated her the same way she always had. In fact the three of them, including Bronya, had grown that much closer with one another now that they weren't really any secrets between them anymore.
*Flashback-End*
"Mei-nee-sama." Bronya suddenly called out to the raven haired girl, breaking her out of her thoughts. It seemed she had been so deep in thought she hadn't seen Bronya entering the kitchen.
"Yes Bronya?" Mei asked as she turned back to the food she was cooking, to ensure that it didn't burn.
"Is Mei worried about the major?" Bronya asked, having noticed the raven haired girls' distress throughout the week.
"Not only her, but Kiana as well. She seems to be taking what happened to the major harder than anyone else." Mei explained, she honestly wished there was more that she could do to help either of them but there wasn't much she could do. The only one that seemed to be holding her own was Fu Hua, the class monitor claiming that she was confident the major would recover.
"Subject Kiana works harder than the rest of us. The recent mission just made her more dissatisfied with her current level." Bronya pointed out, Mei was also aware of this. Kiana trained harder than anyone in their class, even the class monitor. Those who knew the early hours she woke and the late hours she slept, leaving little room for sleep, would be surprised by how the girl could function all day long and still have the strength to maintain and improve the grades she's been making in her classes.
But alas, all of that training, the sweat and pain the Kaslana endured as she pushed her body to her limits everyday were all mute in the Kaslana's eyes. Because at the end of the day, she couldn't protect even one person during her mission. Mei understood that Kiana would probably relate this to the events that happened in Chita, where she couldn't even save Kasumi, especially since both the deceased girl and the major were suffering from Honkai corruption.
It reminded Mei of the time she had approached Kiana to talk about Kasumi nearly a week after the Kaslana asked about her herrscher status.
*Flashback- three weeks ago*
It was Wednesday evening, 4pm to be exact and clubs were over for the day and everyone was heading home to the dormitories or their apartments. Mei had just finished packing her bags and was walking out the class and heading home, when she saw Kiana walking not too far away with Fu Hua as well.
It had become a common sight since the two of them started their tutoring together. Though that had also come with a few downsides in the form of rumors of the two being involved with one another romantically, but both Kiana and Fu Hua had denied these claims and ignored any of the talk that followed afterwards.
Mei had been contemplating the best way to approach Kiana for a while now regarding the topic of Kasumi's death. The swordsman had been having a few occasional nightmares over the past few weeks where she was the one in Kiana's position, and was forced to kill someone she cared about, and felt the only person she could really talk to was the Kaslana. But she also understood that this was a sensitive topic for her, one that she rarely spoke of outside of her counseling with the major.
Still, some time had passed since that incident, and Mei felt that now was the best time to talk with Kiana about it. And so she walked up to the class monitor and the Kaslana.
"Kiana-chan, Fu Hua." Mei called out in greeting as she approached the two, earning their attention as they stopped conversing and turned toward Mei. The Kaslana immediately smiling upon seeing the former heiress.
"Mei!!" Kiana shouted with a wave as she and Fu Hua came to a stop, the class monitor offering a nod as her own greeting. Kiana looked around for a moment taking note of the fact that Bronya was not with the raven haired girl. "Where's Bronya, I though the two of you would be walking back together?" the Kaslana asked curiously.
"She said she might be a little bit later than usual today, she's been working on a project within the technical engineering club." Mei explained.
"It must be those secure line comms she's been telling me about." Fu Hua explained as she nodded her head in understanding. Bronya was a genius in her own right when you looked at her hacking skills and potential as an inventor despite her young age.
"That's fine, you can tag along with us if you want. Aunt Teri told us that we would be having dinner at your place again today, so I can come and help prepare the food if you don't mind." Kiana offered with a smile.
"That would be appreciated. But Kiana…..I was actually hoping to you in private on the way." Mei said, earning raised eyebrows from both the Kaslana and class monitor. The former heiress quickly added, "It's something private…..and personal." She added on as she looked at Fu Hua with a slightly pleading look. She didn't want to chase the class monitor away but she felt Kiana wouldn't want her talking about these things in front of other people. Fortunately Fu Hua was able to get the message and respected the privacy of both Mei and Kiana.
"In that case I better get going. I'll be at the majors' house in time for dinner." Fu Hua dismissed herself with a slight bow before walking away, leaving Mei and Kiana to walk in the direction of Himeko's place.
The two of them walked in relative silence for a few minutes. Mei not saying anything despite being the one to want to talk to the Kaslana in private. Kiana could see the distress in Mei's eyes and expression as she looked at the former heiress, it was obvious that something was bothering her and she wanted to talk about it. Why the former heiress would come to her of all people escaped the Kaslana. Surely she was closer to Bronya, Himeko and even the Principal. Still if the Kaslana could do something to help, then she would……
…..but they wouldn't get anywhere until one of them actually initiated the conversation.
"So Mei, what was so important that you needed to talk to me on my own?" Kiana asked, snapping the raven haired girl out of her thoughts. In idea to ease the tension came to the snow haired girl as a lecherous grin made a way onto her face whilst she turned to Mei, "Is this a confession?! Isn't this a bit too soon Mei, I mean we've only known each other for six months now?" Kiana asked in faux embarrassment as her cheeks grew a certain shade of pink. The response was well the effort as Mei's face turned fifty shades of red as she became a spluttered mess, trying to form words that wouldn't complete themselves, the Kaslana simply lost herself in a mad howl of laughter.
"N-no! This isn't anything like that!!" Mei finally managed to say after she managed to calm herself a little, her face still plenty red. She knew that Kiana had a bit of a perverse side to her, one that the principle often commented was a result of spending too much time with her father. Unfortunately the Kaslana only continued to laugh at this, resulting in Mei pouting a bit, "It's not funny Kiana!!" Mei attempted to scold the Kaslana, as the snow haired girl took a few deep breaths to clam herself.
"Relax Mei, I was just joking. The reaction was golden though." Kiana said with a grin as she gave Mei a peace sign. Mei took a deep breath and decided to just out and say it, there was not time like the present. If she didn't talk to Kiana today, she may never gather the courage to actually do it in the future.
"I wanted to talk to you about Chita and…..Kasumi." Mei spoke up, and just like that the previously joyous mood left by Kiana's stunt vanished as if it had never existed.
Kiana stopped walking, prompting Mei to do the same as she turned to the Kaslana worried that she had crossed a line. Gauging her reaction, the Kaslana's expression was neutral for the most part as her sky blue eyes gazed into the concerned navy blue of the swordswoman. For a minute the two remained silent as they just looked at one another, before Kiana's gaze shifted from Mei to the ground as a look of both understanding and sadness appeared in those sky blue eyes.
"Yeah….we probably do need to talk about that. After all, you were the only one who was there for the whole thing." Kiana said, even her voice sounded impartial to the topic of the conversation.
"If it makes you feel better, aside from the formal report that I wrote for the principal and the major after that day I haven't spoken to anyone else about the incident Even the report only had the necessary information and nothing personal or too detailed. I just figured that it would be something you would prefer to talk about on your own." Mei said, to which Kiana nodded her head in appreciation.
"Thanks Mei, that means a lot. Considering what happened that night I would rather those events don't be spread through word of mouth. People have a nasty way of twisting rumors, and considering this is a high school, the gossip would have spread fast." Kiana said grimly as Mei widened her eyes. She hadn't even thought about that!! Despite the fact that St.Freya was a valkyrie training high school, it was still just that….a high school, and a girls one especially. Gossip and rumors were bound to spread like a wildfire.
"It's no problem. Though I was hoping that you wouldn't mind me asking a question?" Mei asked, she knew that she had to tread carefully now.
"Sure, but I can't promise that I'll answer it" That was fair. Mei knew how sensitive this topic was for Kiana. The Kaslana had only spoken with the Major and Theresa in regards to this issue, and was more than likely to shut Mei out rather than answer her question.
"Ho-How did you do it?" Mei asked with a shaky breath. Kiana's eyes met hers for a split second and Mei knew the snow haired girl understood the meaning of her question. The two remained in further silence for a few minutes, before the Mei continued, "I've been having a few nightmares of that particular night. Of myself being forced to kill the people I care about." Mei spoke up, Kiana's eyes widening slightly at the revelation.
"Do you mean you yourself, or the herrscher within?" Kiana asked. She hadn't really expected the events to bother Mei that much, considering that at the time she hadn't known her at all. However she could understand why it would bother her, Mei had watched the Kaslana kill somebody that Kiana considered family, and as someone who had killed millions in the awakening of the third herrscher in Nagazora that had probably hit too close to home for the former heiress.
"Both, but most of them I was under the influence of the herrscher." Mei answered as she turned away from the Kaslana before continuing, "To be honest, the fact that I was indirectly responsible for the death of millions still burdens me today, and the fact that the herrscher could end up hurting everyone I care about scares me more than anything. That's also the reason I don't understand, how you were able to do it." Mei confessed her eyes on the ground as she could feel the Kaslana's on her form. She then heard Kiana release a sigh of her own.
"To be honest Mei, there is no 'right' answer for what I did that night. That's part of the reason why it still haunts me even today. Aside from the fact that I never truly received closure afterwards." Kiana confessed earning a confused expression from Mei. Seeing this Kaslana decided to elaborate, "Kasumi, as you know, was the closest thing that I had to a sister since I parted ways with my father. And her mother, Mrs.Ryuuki was also the closest thing I had to a mother since I never knew my own. After…..doing what I did, I never got the chance to bury my sister, I never got the chance to see if Mrs.Ryuuki made it out of that disaster alive, and I never got to check on everyone else in the orphanage. And while I could ask Aunt Teri to at least look into it, the truth just seems too terrifying for me." Kiana admitted as a humorless chuckle escaped her lips.
Mei couldn't imagine what was going through the Kaslana's mind at the time. She honestly hadn't thought about everything that Kiana had just stated. And based off what Kiana had just said she hadn't told the major or the principal about what truly bothered her. Kasumi's death had affected her yes, but everything she had just mentioned had left her unable to truly move on from those events, she wasn't able to truly receive closure because of it. Mei couldn't imagine living without knowing if her own mother was alive and without getting the chance to bury her sister, and yet Kiana seemed to do it every single day with a smile on her face. The raven haired girl acknowledged the amount of strength that it took to do such a thing.
"But that's not what you're asking me, is it? No, you're asking me how I gathered the strength to pull the trigger on someone I loved." Kiana stated as she turned to look Mei in the eye once more, the raven haired girl responded with a hesitant nod of her head, "Kasumi was corrupted with honkai, and in that instant there was no way we could have helped her. She didn't have natural resistance and the infection was spreading fast. But you already know this, because you were there. However in that instant I faced two choices, to kill Kasumi as a human….or to kill her as a zombie corpse. She didn't want to hurt anyone as a corpse, and so asked me to kill her whilst she was still human." Kiana explained the agony in her eyes visible to Mei from where she was standing. She was sure the Kaslana wanted to shed a few tears, but was probably holding off from doing that whilst in front of her.
However Mei could understand wanting to die whilst she was still herself. She also had a similar mindset after the third eruption, it was why she had asked Himeko to just kill her after they had been brought to St.Freya. And why she had been more than willing to go with the idea of placing a bomb within her. She wasn't suicidal by any means, she wanted to spend more time with her friends and go on many more adventures with her loved ones, but she just wasn't naïve enough to ignore the fact that she was a walking time bomb.
"In the end, it was more of what she wanted, than what I wanted. If I could grant Kasumi that last wish, no matter how painful it was for me then so be it. In the end it was probably for the best, she died whilst she was still her beautiful self, and not a pale lifeless zombie." Kiana summarized as she turned to Mei with a painful smile, "In a way it helps me remember her that way, rather than seeing a zombified version of her. I just….didn't want her to suffer anymore than she already had."
Mei didn't know what to say to all that. In the end Kiana had done all this simply because it was what Kasumi wanted. The Kaslana's sister in all but blood had begged that Kiana not let her hurt anyone else, and the Kaslana had delivered despite how much it hurt her. She didn't have the kind of strength that Kiana had, that was why she feared the power within her.
"Do you regret it?"
"No"
Mei was surprised by how quickly that answer had come out of the Kaslana's mouth, and the tone of resolution that it carried.
"I don't regret what I did, because even if I didn't kill her then, I would've had to kill her after she turned." Kiana said before looking into the horizon where the sun was setting, as her eyes shined against the sun Mei was able to see the resolve and pain that was hidden behind them, "I did what I had to and what she wanted."
"Would you do the same if I asked?" The words had slipped out of Mei's mouth before she had a chance to process them in her mind. She glanced at Kiana who hadn't looked back towards her, but the way her body stiffened at the words spoken where enough to know that she had made the snow haired girl more than uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sa-"
"You shouldn't be so quick to throw away your life"
"Wh-what"
"You're a lot stronger than you look Mei, you just lack self confidents." Kiana said as she turned towards Mei with a smile, one that for some reason warmed the Raidens heart. "I know you're scared of the herrscher powers within you and what they could do to others. But just as you don't want to lose the people close to you, they don't want to lose you either."
Kiana watched as Mei's expression morphed into one of contemplation. The girl obviously doubted herself, and her ability to resist the herrscher within. And it was that insecurity that would lead to her being taken over if left unhandled. Aunt Kallen had warned her of the time that the honkai had attempted to corrupt her mind by using her negative emotions against her, so Kiana figured that it was the same type of logic that applied to herrschers like Mei.
"I'll try." Mei said with a small smile on her face. There were still some issues but Kiana guessed it was a matter of taking it one step at a time.
"Good. And if it makes you feel any better, if there's no other alternative then I'll do what needs to be done." Kiana said, her expression falling neutral once more. Mei understood the implications of those words and simply nodded her head in understanding. Nothing more was said on the topic as the two continued their walk.
*End of Flashback*
In the end, despite how much Kiana seemed to look down at her own strength, Mei thought the Kaslana was a lot stronger than she let on. Sometimes she wished she could have that same level of confidence and inner strength, but all she could really do was try and improve herself. After all, she had people that were precious to her, and she had to be strong for all of them. She wouldn't let herself be a burden again.
"Bronya thinks we should all strive to get stronger." Bronya said, as a flicker of a smile came across her face, she also had people that she wanted to protect, and promises that she had to keep no matter what. An azure eyed girl her age came to mind, she would find a way to free her from her prison one day, but until that day she also had to strive to grow stronger for the people that were around her now.
The two's conversation was interrupted when the doorbell suddenly went off. Bronya turned to Mei with a questioning glance, silently asking the raven haired girl if she had been expecting anyone to come over, the former heiress shook her head sideways in response. Despite that she undid the apron that she had wrapped around herself.
"I'll get it. Can you just watch my pot?" Mei said with a smile as she began walking towards the door. Bronya merely nodded her head but kept her eye on the door as Mei approached it, she had a bad feeling about this.
Mei opened the door and came face to face with a slightly pale man that had a dark shade of blue hair and the eyes to match. Bronya was quick to start running a facial recognition scan as she wasn't familiar with the man. She wasn't comfortable with things she didn't know.
"Raiden Mei?" The man questioned, making Bronya all the more nervous and tense as she glared at the man. The fact that she wasn't able to identify him from St.Freya's database had already set of many red flags for the young valkyrie, and so for him to ask for Mei specifically told her that this man was dangerous.
"Yes, how can I help you?" Mei asked rather unaware of the potential danger of the man that stood before her. But the way he smirked at the response did make the former heiress more than uncomfortable.
"Principal Apocalypse sent me to retrieve you. She claimed to have something important to talk to you about." The man said causing Mei to raise an eyebrow in surprise, however before she could respond Bronya quickly cut into the conversation.
"The Bronya does not recognize you, nor are you registered in St.Freya's database." Bronya said as she walked into the living room and narrowed her eyes on the man, even Mei began to feel a little unease at the revelation.
"Oh, I just got transferred to this branch not too long ago. My registration must not yet have been completed." The man spoke flawlessly, Bronya had to admit that he could lie well, but if he thought she was going to let Mei out of her sight that easily then he was sorely mistaken.
"The Bronya would like to accompany Mei-nee-sama. She's confident the principal would not mind." The silver haired girl spoke as she began walking towards the two. The man simply laughed it off.
"Of course, I'm sure you have better relations with the principal than I do." He said calmly, though on the inside he was fuming. This little bitch was far too insightful for her own good. If he didn't handle the situation here then she may actually be able to trigger some sort of alarms, and while that would work well for the other half of the invasion plan, it would leave him to deal much more than he was capable of.
With that thought in mind, black lightning travelled across the man's body, as the gravitational force within the house suddenly increased, before the raven haired girl could react the man swiftly struck the back of her neck knocking her out and catching the girl with one arm. He felt a shift in honkai energy and looked up to see a rather tense Bronya standing on guard with Project Bunny hovering above her, it cannon 19C pointed at the male figure.
"Are you sure that's a wise idea? You could hurt your friend if you do that." He said as he gestured to Mei with his free arm. Bronya grit her teeth and began to charge Bunny's cannon.
"Release Mei-nee-sama!!" She declared, this man wasn't going to go anywhere with Mei, she would make sure of that much. Unfortunately for her, the man called her on her bluff, pretty sure that the silver haired girl would not risk injuring Mei in the process of rescuing her.
"How about….no" He said as he stretched his right hand out towards project Bunny. The centre of gravity shifted from the man himself to the mechanical structure hovering above the silver haired girl. "Dasvedenya Bunny." The man spoke mockingly as he clenched his hand into a fist.
The gravitational force around Bunny was compressed rapidly as the mechanical phantom shattered under the pressure. Bronya could only watch in shock as rubbles of the robot fell on the floor all around her. It was then that the young valkyrie finally understood what she was facing.
…..this was the power of the first herrscher.
"Project….Bunny…." the silver haired girl said as she fell to her knees. Project Bunny was something important to her. It wasn't just a robot that she controlled but rather it was a gift from someone that she cared about, and a constant reminder of the promise that she made so long ago.
"You know…." The man said as more red lightning began to surround his form, the gravitational force of the entire area around them beginning to increase as numerous cracks began to appear on the walls of the house, "….you Matushka warned me about how insightful and resourceful you were. Fortunately for you she was adamant on me not killing you, so you get to live to see another day." He said as the building began to collapse around the three figures, with only a bit of the debris falling near Bronya and trapping the silver haired girl under the large rubble.
For some reason it didn't surprise Bronya that her Matushka was behind this attack. Bronya knew that she would eventually come for Mei sooner or later, which was the reason she had triggered the third eruption in Nagazora, so she could have Mei's herrscher powers under her control. And yet a part of her was hurt and disappointed that her Matushka.
She had to warn the principal, Kiana or the class monitor. Someone had to be made aware and protect Mei from these people. And so Bronya, injured on the ground as she was trapped under rubble from waist down, summoned a HUD screen in front of her as she tried to establish a connection with the principal, however before the connection could be made, a brown shoe stepped hard on her hand disrupting the HUD screen and causing it to vanish.
"Ah ah ah." The man said tauntingly as he pressed harder on the girls hand causing Bronya to cry out in pain, "Your Matushka was kind enough to ask me to spare you, don't make me think otherwise." He said threateningly though the sadistic smirk on his face spoke of how much he was enjoying this situation. Despite how much he wanted to savor this moment, he was aware that it would only be a matter of time until someone picked up on the activities happening here. With that being said he delivered a sharp kick to Bronya's head knocking the silver haired girl out as a small portion of blood dripped from her forehead.
Seeing as that trash had been taken care of the herrscher clone moved to pick up Mei in princess carry and began to make his way towards the rendezvous point. He honestly didn't know why Cocolia valued a traitorous brat like that girl, she would be better off killing the girl instead, but it wasn't his place to judge the AE commander. He had been given his orders and he would follow them to the letter. Though he wished he'd been allowed a lot more fun than this, both the target and Bronya had barely put up a fight. In a place that was meant to be crawling with valkyrie from top to bottom he had expected to at least fight someone who could get his blood pumping.
Almost as if the heavens heard his inner desires the man saw a blur in the corner of his vision and swiftly summoned a grid barrier before his sudden attacker could strike him. And just in time too, as the powerful impact of a fist made contact with the barrier, though the attack itself did little to no damage, the herrscher still felt the amount of force behind the attack and so turned to face his new adversary with an excited grin on his face.
He came face to face with the cold and calculating deep blue eyes of the class monitor Fu Hua. Seeing her surprise attack blocked the class monitor leapt back putting some distance between herself and her opponent, and took the time to carefully analyze him. He was dressed casually, and didn't seem to be armed I any conventional way. And yet the destruction of the majors' house spoke volumes of the threat he posed. He'd bested Bronya and captured, she wasn't facing an ordinary adversary, and she couldn't afford to underestimate him. Neither could she let him escape with Mei.
"Release Raiden Mei, this is as far as you will go." Fu Hua said as she slipped into Taixuan martial art stance. The man put Mei down behind him, before standing to face Fu Hua as he let out a maniacal laugh.
"You wanna know something? I like that fire in your eyes. Valkyrie like you are the ones that I enjoy killing the most. So do me a favor…" The man said as black lightning once more licked his body and the atmosphere changed entirely. In that moment Fu Hua knew that she was not fighting an ordinary man, but rather one of Cocolia's herrscher clones. Numerous black orbs formed around the herrscher clone causing Fu Hua to tense as she braced herself for the no doubt difficult battle that was ahead. As he launched the black orbs towards the class monitor the man let out a shout…
"...and DIE!!!"
Authors Note:
And that wraps up this chapter folks, so we get into the AE invasion arc now. Quite a bit happened in this chapter, but I just want to make it clear that I did skip the Xuanyuan arc on purpose, I was tempted to write it though, if for nothing more than the Fu Hua x Kiana shipping with Himeko being there to tease them and all. But I decided not to.
As you may have noticed, Kiana discovered Mei's herrscher nature through her sensory abilities and is fine with it. But as we go further into the arc I wonder how that will affect her relationship with the third herrscher. I've honestly thought a lot about that if I was to be honest. Kiana's relationship with the herrscher counter parts of most of the main characters of the story, but I don't intend to spoil that surprise so just wait and see what I have in store.
Onto the next major topic, the discussion between Mei and Kiana. I felt it was important that the two of them have that one on one talk. After all Mei was the only one present when Kiana killed the closest thing she had to a sister. To not address such a thing would be like casting Mrs.Ryuuki and Kasumi aside as side characters. Even though they are gone they were still a major influence in Kiana's life.
As for Mei asking Kiana to put her down in the event that her herrscher counterpart takes control and Kiana actually agreeing to it. I would just like to remind everyone that this Kiana IS a bit OOC, she did kill her sister figure just because she asked. Accepting Mei's request was just something similar, besides Kiana knows how dangerous the herrscher could be if it breaks free.
Can someone please tell me when the next version of the game is coming out?
Anyways with all that being said and done I look forward to all the good comments and will accept all constructive criticism. Until next time folks.
