I wasn't expecting to do another Honkai fic so early, much less one as long as this, but let's just say certain life events spurred me to finish this as fast as I did.
With that said, my first fic with Durandal. I always thought she was kind of a nothing character in the game itself, it was only the side stuff like the manga and the visual novels that made me appreciate her more. I hope I did her justice.
With that said, please enjoy.
Februrary, 2017
On an Arc City highway, in the dark of the night and only illuminated by artificial light, Raiden Mei was on her knees.
Exhausted and beaten, she leaned onto her katana for support just to stay up. She panted, covered in scratches and bruises as she looked up at her opponent.
Durandal, Shicksal's top Valkyrie, stood in front of her. There were no traces of fatigue or even a slight hint of struggle on her features, her lance pointed directly at her.
She lived up to the rumors, perhaps even surpassing them. She hadn't even been trying during their fight, if it could even be called such a thing.
"Give up," she told her firmly, as if she were talking to a child. "It's over. You stand no chance against me."
The ravenette grit her teeth, her eyes glancing over to the passed out form of Kiana Kaslana.
Mei couldn't give up. Not yet.
Kiana was finally so close. She was right there…!
"Our fight… isn't over yet…!" Mei tried to stand, but her body screamed at her to stay down. She stumbled, shaking and panting. "I won't… let you… take her!"
A small smile crept up on Durandal's features. "You have a strong, unwavering look in your eyes. I like it." Just as quickly, it faded. "But your power fails to match your will."
With that declaration, she turned around and started walking towards Kiana. To simply turn her back like that, it was clear the Valkyrie didn't even register her as a threat.
"N-No… No…!"
Despite the pain in her body, Mei tried to get back to her feet. Her body was screaming at her to stay down.
She was going to lose Kiana again.
"You… You can't…"
After everything she went through, after months of worrying, Kiana was back within her reach, and she was simply going to be taken from her all over again.
Mei was just too weak. Too powerless to do anything to save her.
But she couldn't let this happen. Not again.
Despair, anger and desperation welled up inside of her like a maelstrom. She couldn't do this on her own. She needed help.
Mei knew exactly where to get it.
'Please, help me!'
She watched as Durandal approached Kiana, one step at a time, as if on a leisurely stroll.
There was no time.
'Please! Please! I need you, I need your power! Do anything you want! Just save her!'
That got a response in the form of an amused chuckle deep within her mind.
'How pitiful. You must truly be desperate to beg me for help…'
A familiar power simmered within her chest, and Mei could feel her consciousness slipping at once.
'Very well. Let's hope you don't come to regret this.'
'I… I won't!'
With that, Mei felt her control over her body slipping.
The Herrscher of Thunder took her place, piercing vermillion eyes replacing soft violet. Energy crackled around her, lightning shimmering and dancing around the highway they were on.
"Hm?" The arrogant human turned around, a surprised look on her features as she saw the Herrscher of Thunder charging up.
Truth be told, without the Gem of Conquest, she had little energy saved up.
She'd just need to put everything into this one move, then.
"Take this!"
"?!"
The Herrscher of Thunder shot forward in blinding speed, too fast for even that lowly Valkyrie to pick up. In a flash, she was right in front of her, blade raised.
For once, Durandal's reaction was slow. She had only just begun to register the movement when her eyes widened.
Then the Herrscher of Thunder brought the katana down straight onto her head.
Lightning flashed and cracked and exploded violently all around them.
With a surprised yell, the Valkyrie was sent flying back straight into the asphalt, her lance escaping her grasp at the impact and clattering against the street.
Kiana, still on the ground, was fortunately spared the worst of the blast.
After the attack, the Herrscher of Thunder stood unsteadily. There went all of her energy.
It had been worth it, however.
"Have you learned your place, human?" The Herrscher spoke to her in a hellish double voice. "Whatever you may think you're capable of is nothing compared to the power of a Herrscher."
"Is that so…?"
"Huh!?"
Before the Herrscher's wide eyes, Durandal simply rose back to her feet, shaking her head a few times as she stood straight.
"I have to admit, that was a little more impressive, Herrscher of Thunder." The Valkyrie walked up to her lance and took hold of it, staring at the Herrscher with a smirk. "Unfortunately, considering your state, that still won't be enough."
Then the Valkyrie leapt forward, the ground beneath crumbling under her strength.
The Herrscher of Thunder didn't even have enough energy to react before Durandal drove her knee straight into her stomach.
With a pained gasp, consciousness slipped from her as her body went limp.
This time, she couldn't even blame her host.
Durandal stared at the unconscious form of Raiden Mei, waiting for any more surprises from the girl.
After a few seconds of nothing, she sighed.
"I didn't want to have to do that, but you left me no choice." Durandal turned away from her a second time, walking towards the Herrscher of the Void again. "You Herrschers never cease to surprise, but what amounts to party tricks won't work on me."
After that display, the blonde Valkyrie had half a mind to capture Raiden Mei as well, but that wasn't included in the Overseer's orders.
Besides, it might be more prudent to focus on securing their first Herrscher before worrying about others. If worse came to worst, a single rampaging Herrscher would be far more manageable than a pair.
She surveyed the Herrscer of the Void, silently wondering if she would also pull some last ace up her sleeve to inconvenience her out of nowhere. When no such surprise came, Durandal reached down to pick her up.
A sudden dull headache prevented her from doing that.
"Urk…" She rubbed her head, waiting a few moments before the pain went away as quickly as it came.
Was that from the Herrscher's attack? How strange. Could she have underestimated the strength behind that blow?
That was for her to worry about later, however.
With that out of the way, Durandal took hold of the Herrscher of the Void and took off into the skies.
… Perhaps the Valkyrie wouldn't have been so carefree if she truly understood the severity of being hit by a Herrscher head-on.
After speaking with the Overseer, she was ordered to take the Herrscher of the Void to one of their bases in North Africa, where Cosmic Juggernaut was also stored for future experiments. From there, she would await further orders, but she had a feeling that the Herrscher would become her responsibility.
Few others could subdue a Herrscher in a worst-case scenario, after all.
The Herrscher in question had been put in a medically induced coma to prevent any complications mid-fight. Durandal wouldn't have minded flying the Herrscher to the base by herself, but the Overseer was insistent on being careful and using the aircraft.
Durandal didn't really have an argument against it, so that had been that.
At the moment, Durandal was seated comfortably. There was a plate of food in front of her that sat mostly uneaten as she took a moment to think. She gazed out the window by her seat, the distant snow-covered Alps proving to be a beautiful sight even from Kolosten.
… Wait.
Durandal blinked, shaking her head.
She looked back out the window, where the Alps most certainly weren't visible outside. Instead, it was an African savannah.
"..."
Just what…
Maybe she was more tired than she thought.
Durandal ran a hand through her hair, wincing as she made contact with the spot Raiden Mei hit earlier. Considering how sturdy her body was, she doubted there'd even be a bump there the next day, but that place was still rather sore.
It was nothing serious, but if Rita knew, she wouldn't stop fussing over her.
At that, her thoughts turned to the brunette.
She couldn't remember a time she ever saw Rita look as troubled as during their last meeting. It was almost unnerving to see her so upset and off-balance.
Durandal knew that Rita didn't take failure well. She put perfection above all else. Perhaps that was why she insisted on being punished.
Truth be told, Durandal didn't want to punish her at all. After reading the mission reports, she was happy that Rita was even alive.
That said, there had to be consequences for the disastrous mission. After all, the Overseer hadn't been too happy about losing virtually all of the data related to Helios Life Sciences.
It was quite a troublesome situation.
Honestly, if it were up to Durandal, she would have just taken Rita into a hug, given her a kiss to make her feel better, and then taken her to the nearest bed where she'd…
"Lord Durandal?"
Durandal jumped, her cheeks flushing scarlet as she turned her head to face the uniformed Valkyrie suddenly standing next to her.
It wasn't like her to be distracted enough not to notice someone approaching, much less by such… indecent thoughts.
She tried her best to put on the most neutral expression she could manage.
"W-What is it?"
If the Valkyrie noticed her strange behavior, she didn't show it.
"I wanted to inform you that we've just arrived," she said. "We should be arriving at the base within the next hour or so."
"Ah, thank you." Durandal nodded at her, gaze returning to the window as the woman moved to leave.
"Aunt Teri! Look what I made!"
Durandal's eyes went wide at the sudden voice.
She scanned her surroundings, her gaze eventually falling on the Valkyrie's retreating form. "Um, did you say something?"
The Valkyrie stopped in her tracks, glancing back at her with a confused look. "Hm…? No, I didn't. Is there something wrong?"
"... It's nothing," Durandal said hesitantly after a moment. "I'm probably just tired. Don't worry about it."
Perhaps she wasn't as good an actor as she thought, because the Valkyrie stared at her for a few seconds.
Fortunately, she said nothing more, simply nodding and leaving.
Durandal could only hope she wouldn't immediately contact the Overseer.
"Urk…"
The blonde woman rubbed her head again. Without warning, the pain had gotten slightly more intense than before.
She couldn't afford to let this get in the way. Not when she needed to keep an eye on Kiana.
Maybe she could ask for some painkillers…
The painkillers didn't help at all, but Durandal pressed on.
She stood outside of the Herrscher of the Void's cell, peering in through the window.
The girl was still unconscious, but she was due to wake up soon. When that happened, Durandal was supposed to ensure she didn't do anything rash in her confusion, then finally report to the Overseer.
If things went as she imagined, Durandal would likely spend the next few weeks here watching over the girl until she was deemed safe enough to move to HQ. Perhaps become involved in a few more experiments with Cosmic Juggernaut along the way.
Babysitting a Herrscher hadn't been in her plans, but that was life, she supposed.
"..."
Durandal entered a code on the keypad, unlocking the cell and heading inside before the door closed behind her.
Even when the girl was sleeping, she looked troubled.
Perhaps she was in pain. She had been giving off massive amounts of Honkai energy ever since Arc City.
Durandal couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her, even if she was a Herrscher. She hoped the girl would be receptive enough to accept help, despite her feelings about Shicksal.
Well, maybe Durandal could try convincing her somehow? Kiana definitely wouldn't want to speak to the Overseer, but perhaps Durandal stood a chance. After all, they were…
…
Wait, what were they?
They didn't have any relation, did they? So why did her thoughts lean that way?
How strange.
Before she could question that any further, the Herrscher opened her blue eyes.
"MEI!" she suddenly shouted, sitting up on the bed with a frantic look.
Durandal nearly jumped in shock.
That, too, was strange. She usually wasn't that easy to surprise.
There was definitely something wrong.
But this wasn't the time to think about it.
Instead, Durandal focused on Kiana as she struggled to calm her breathing, unaware of her surroundings as her mind slowly processed the situation.
"I-It was a… nightmare…?" she mumbled, confused. "Wait, where am I…?"
That was Durandal's cue.
"You're finally awake."
Kiana visibly tensed up, her blue eyes locating the woman standing next to her bed. "You… You're Durandal?"
She nodded. "I am."
Kiana looked around the room quickly, realization dawning on her face, and then narrowed her eyes at Durandal. "What happened to Arc City? Where's Mei?"
"The city's safe, nobody is hurt, and the Valkyries are wrapping things up as we speak," Durandal answered matter-of-factly. "As for Raiden Mei, she joined Anti-Entropy and left the city."
As she finished talking, Durandal felt her headache come back. She turned away from Kiana, gripping it as she grit her teeth in pain.
What an perfect timing.
"Right now," she forced out, "you're in a Shicksal facility… located in North Africa…"
Kiana didn't respond to her at first. It gave Bianka a moment to try and nurse her pounding head, though the effort seemed more and more fruitless as time went on.
"Durandal, you…" Kiana trailed off. "Um, hey, are you okay?"
"What?" When Durandal looked back at Kiana, the girl looked more worried than wary. "I'm perfectly fine, what makes you ask that?"
"Um…" Kiana didn't seem to believe a word she said. "No, you look like you're about to fall apart."
Did she? Well, that was embarrassing. "I'm fine," she insisted. "If anyone needs to rest here, it's you. We have… a lot of work to do…"
"Dad! Can she be my sister? We can save her, right?"
"A-Ah…?" Durandal raised an eyebrow at Kiana. "Did… Did you say something…?"
Kiana looked even more worried. "U-Uh, no I didn't— H-Hey, you're bleeding!"
"... Huh?"
Durandal blinked, her gaze distant. It took her an embarrassing amount of time to decipher what Kiana had just said, and then she noticed there was something dripping down her nose.
She brought a hand to it, wiping the liquid.
Said hand came back stained in scarlet.
"O-Oh, that's… strange…"
Suddenly, she felt her balance shift, as if someone was shaking the room.
Then the world turned black.
Durandal's dreams were a jumbled mess.
Memories of another life assaulted her like an endless storm, a life she didn't remember living. They were all distorted, damaged, and borderline indecipherable in their placement.
She saw a number of people. A woman that emitted warmth and love. A man who looked far too tired. A young girl who seemed more mature than she looked.
They all felt so familiar. They felt like… family.
She couldn't understand it, no matter how much she tried.
Kiana Kaslana was currently panicking.
"R-Right, so, my guess is that she probably got hurt during our last mission in Arc City," she rambled on. "Maybe a head blow that didn't feel serious at the time. Lord Durandal was acting pretty weird until her nose started bleeding, and then she passed out in my arms."
The person she was rambling to was a young female nurse. Perhaps a newbie, considering how she could barely maintain a professional aura.
Kiana might have thought she was cute if she wasn't fearing for her own life right now.
"Arc City?" The nurse seemed confused at that. "That's quite far. Why would you immediately come here?"
"... That's classified," was Kiana's immediate bullshit response. "The Lord Overseer wouldn't be happy if I went around sharing sensitive information, right?"
Saying that almost made Kiana puke.
"R-Right, forgive me." The nurse seemed to take that as an admonishment. "Um, well, as long as she receives enough rest, she'll be able to recover within a few days. Brain injuries are a serious issue, obviously, so we'll have to monitor her closely."
"Right." Kiana nodded. "I'll… stay here and watch over her."
Why did she say that? There was no reason to say that.
"Of course." The nurse smiled at her. "There's no one better to watch over Lord Durandal than one of her trusted teammates, after all. I'll be taking my leave now, but feel free to call me if anything happens."
With that, she bowed and left the room. Kiana was left alone with the passed out form of Durandal as she took her seat.
"..."
What the hell was wrong with her?!
Why?! Why did she just have to use her powers to teleport out of her cell, then through every single locked gate, and rush this woman to the medical ward?!
She didn't have any connection to her! She could have used the chance to escape!
Instead, she brought Durandal there, and the staff just kind of assumed she was a member of the Immortal Blades, allowing her to basically skip all their security measures.
Now, because of her rather liberal use of the Void, she didn't even have enough energy to make a portal out of here. She was just stuck watching over Durandal until the woman woke up.
And, of course, she had no idea what would be the next step after that. As far as she knew, the Overseer might have already seen her through the cameras and sent someone to capture her.
She was so dead.
'Hua? Are you there?'
Still no response. Still on her own.
This was just great. How could this get any worse for her?
A series of explosions outside the room answered that question for her.
"What the—?!" Kiana shot up to her feet, running to the door just in time to hear alarms blaring everywhere.
The same nurse that was just in the room came running back to her. "Miss! Oh, thank goodness! The base's under attack, there's robots everywhere, most of the Valkyries are too busy to help evacuate the patients, and, and, and—"
"Hey, hey! Breathe." Kiana calmed her, and the nurse took some very deep breaths. "Okay, okay, don't panic, alright?"
Kiana took that chance to think fast.
Alright, so an enemy attack. Probably not Otto, then, and she doubted Anti-Entropy had the resources to attack Schicksal head-on.
That meant she could escape amidst the chaos, right? That was the perfect chance to just run out there, hide somewhere until she had enough energy to open another portal, then disappear from this place for good.
Unfortunately, she happened to hear a lot of shouts and worried voices coming from multiple directions within the medical ward.
From the sounds of it, some of them didn't sound any older than twelve.
That made sense. Within a Schicksal base such as this there should be plenty of young Valkyries-in-training. Not to mention that missions gone wrong and training accidents were pretty much commonplace.
So there were plenty of injured people here who just so happened to work for Schicksal, some of which were children.
And they were all in danger.
"W-What are we going to do?!" The nurse looked to her for advice.
Of course she did. Kiana was supposed to be an Immortal Blades Valkyrie, wielding exceptional skills and likely outranking everyone else here.
It made perfect sense. All of it did.
Kiana took a deep breath.
"Find me a pair of guns and round up as many Valkyries as you can find."
Sometimes, she really hated being a Kaslana.
The memories never seemed to stop.
Everything felt so jumbled and fuzzy that it was impossible to form a single coherent thought. It was a sea of broken images, filled with people whose names she could not remember.
She saw herself playing soccer, making food, going to amusement parks. These were all fragments of a non-existent set, pieces of a lost puzzle.
The warm woman from earlier never appeared again. It was only the man and the young girl now.
Her father. Aunt Teri. Names she began to recognize.
The whirlwind of ripped images continued to assault her.
Kiana wondered how she got herself in this situation.
It didn't even feel like a half hour ago that she was saving Arc City from a bunch of terrorists.
And now she was leading an impromptu task force, mowing down mechas left and right alongside other Valkyries while staff members moved the patients along behind them, and recruiting whatever strays they ran into along the way.
There was an underground station for situations like this, she was told. Large armored trains and reinforced tunnels that led to the other bases in Africa.
It was just a matter of getting there first.
That meant fighting a ton of annoyingly sturdy mechas. She even had to bust out Void Drifter after a point and start throwing Void Lances that fortunately no one questioned.
She could feel her energy reserves dipping.
Even worse, all of the Valkyries looked to her like she was a leader, even older ones. Nobody else knew what to do, which meant she was the only one barking out orders there.
That, of course, was terrible.
Fortunately, they actually made it to the railway platform in one piece. Apparently, someone had gotten the memo and prepared the trains for departure, so that was one less thing to worry about.
"Alright, home stretch! Everyone on the train!" Kiana yelled out, keeping an eye out for threats. "We're getting out of here! Just hang tight!"
A multitude of people ran past her at the command. They ranged from Valkyries to staff members, either carrying medical resources or bringing patients in hospital beds.
Okay… Everything was going well.
Nobody died yet, and they were on the cusp of getting out.
Kiana didn't exactly have a good plan for after that, especially since she was basically running on fumes, but hopefully there weren't going to be any more surprises.
One of the walls exploded. Dust went everywhere and Kiana shielded herself. When the dust settled, Kiana looked up.
Her jaw practically dropped when Kevin Kaslana walked in, his cold blue eyes focused right on her.
"Found you."
'Oh, fuck me…'
With a groan, Kiana used the Void to throw random wreckage right at Kevin.
He froze it all in mid-air.
'Well, shit.'
Tiredly, she brought out her guns.
She realy, really hated being a Kaslana.
In a whirlpool of chaos and broken memories, Bianka could figure out a few core pieces.
She remembered her mother, Cecilia. Her father, Siegfried. Her Aunt Teri. Family that she had not seen in years, names she had not heard in so long.
Her name was not Bianka Ataegina. She was Kiana Kaslana.
Yet, it still felt like something was missing…
'Hua… You idiot…'
Kiana was gritting her teeth as she stood in the train, her arms crossed as she looked down. She fought back tears as her form shook.
She tried to fight Kevin, but it was completely useless. He was on an entirely different level from anything she fought before, it didn't feel right to compare him to the likes of a Honkai Beast or a Herrscher.
She thought she was going to die there.
Hua didn't seem to agree, as she willed herself into existence once more to stall Kevin. She ordered Kiana to escape with the others. Despite her reservations, Kiana dived into the train with the survivors. The last thing she saw was Hua blocking Kevin's way before the doors closed and they took off.
Now Hua was gone forever. Kevin definitely killed her, and Kiana was all alone.
She hated it. She hated people dying on her. This was supposed to be her fight, and people just kept throwing their lives away to save her.
"Hey… Are you alright?" Kiana looked up to see a concerned young Valkyrie walking towards her. "Why do you look so down? You just saved everyone!"
Before Kiana could even say anything, an older Valkyrie walked up and grabbed the first one by the shoulder, giving her a look.
"What's wrong with you?" She told the girl as she led her away before switching to a hushed tone, unaware of Kiana's enhanced Herrscher hearing. "Give her some space. That's the face of a person who just lost someone."
"O-Oh… Sorry…" The younger Valkyrie looked sheepish as the other took her away.
… Well, at least Kiana didn't need to explain herself.
"U-Um…" That was, until a third Valkyrie nervously walked up to her. She seemed to shrink as Kiana shot her a questioning look. "I-I wanted to let you know, Lord Durandal is waking up."
That got a surprised reaction from Kiana. "What?! Already?!"
"I-It seems so, yes."
Wasn't she supposed to be out for days? Was she even human?
… Well, it didn't matter. Kiana dug this grave, so she might as well jump straight into it.
"Alright," she told the Valkyrie. "Take me to her."
In the midst of the chaos, Kiana singled out the final critical piece of her memories.
This one felt the most important. She was someone Kiana wanted to save, someone she needed to protect with her life. She risked everything to save her, almost dying to ensure she had a chance to live.
It was… it was…
The Herrscher of the Void. K-423.
Her baby sister.
"Urk…"
Kiana Kaslana opened her eyes, her surroundings slowly becoming clearer as awareness returned bit by bit.
She wasn't in the cell anymore, instead it looked like she was in a medical ward of sorts. Her battlesuit had been replaced by a gown, and she was laying in a bed with something wrapped around her head.
Where… How long was she out?
More importantly, where was her sister?
"Durandal? Durandal, can you hear me?"
Kiana blinked. Durandal? That didn't sound right. Her name was Kiana, not…
… Wait. No.
At once, Durandal's senses fully returned to her. She was in a bed within an unfamiliar small room, surrounded by metal surfaces.
And she wasn't alone.
Her eyes focused and found the source of the voice, being her own baby sister on a seat next to her bed. She looked concerned, but also terribly tired for some reason.
"If you can hear me, please say so," Kiana said, sighing. "This would be a terrible time for you to drop dead…"
"I-I can…" Durandal spoke, her voice feeling dry and raspy. "Ugh…"
"Here." Her sister passed her a cup of water, which Durandal leaned in to sip. When she was done, Kiana set it on the table. "I thought you'd be out for days, but here you are up and about in a few hours. Seriously, what the hell are you made of?"
Durandal had a lot to shuffle through. Too much, in fact.
Her head was full of disjointed fragmented memories, and it was a struggle to decide on a proper timeline for them.
Some of those fragments spelled out that the Herrscher of the Void next to her was her baby sister.
Somehow.
Durandal just knew it was the truth.
She could barely make any sense of it, so maybe it'd be better to focus on other things for the time being.
Such as how she got into this strange situation.
"What happened to me, exactly?" she asked her sister, certain that she'd have an answer ready.
Kiana pursed her lips, as if wondering where to start. So she did have one.
"Your brain was swollen," she said after a moment. "They had to rush you to the operating table. Then they gave you a room in the medical ward so you could rest and recover."
"I-I see…"
It was official. Rita absolutely couldn't find out about this.
Oh, who was she kidding? Rita was probably already waiting for her with pursed lips and crossed arms back at HQ.
Durandal hoped she could sweet-talk her way out of a lecture.
"... And then everything went sideways."
"Huh?" Durandal looked at Kiana, who looked completely exasperated. "What do you mean? What happened?"
Kiana forced out an almost hysterical laugh. "Okay, so, bear with me on this. While you were sleeping, World Serpent attacked."
"What?!" Durandal instantly shot up, and just as quickly regretted it when she gripped her head. "Urk…"
"Yeah, uh, don't do that…" Her sister placed a hand on Durandal's shoulder, gently laying her back down to the bed. "Don't worry. Everything's fine now. We got everyone evacuated. We're on a train heading to another base to the south. The one we just left… might not be in the best shape, but, hey, we made it out."
Relief washed over Durandal, then she realized something. "W-Wait, you helped with evacuation?"
Her sister let out an embarrassed laugh. "More like… I kinda led the whole thing? There were only so many Valkyrie's around, so next thing I know they started following behind me and I was giving out orders."
"That's… Huh…"
Durandal had no words for that development.
As she looked at Kiana more, she got a look for just how tired her baby sister actually looked. Her form was slumped, she took labored breaths and… had she been crying?
God, Durandal wanted to hug her.
"S-So, uh…" Her sister spoke after a moment. "Just so we're clear, I was always part of the Immortal Blades, alright?"
"Okay, sure—" Durandal did a double take. "W-Wait, what did you say…?"
"Ahaha…" Kiana scratched her head. "Let's just say some people made assumptions."
"... And you didn't bother to correct them?"
Her sister's silence was a clear enough answer.
"Ugh... If you're gonna kill me, then now would be the best time," Kiana murmured in a defeated voice. "You can just say I died from my injuries or something. I don't have any power to escape, anyway."
"What? Why would I kill you?" Durandal asked, genuinely confused.
"Um, because I'm a Herrscher?" Kiana pointed out, as if that were obvious.
Durandal blinked. "To begin with, we specifically captured you alive, didn't we?"
Wait, that didn't sound right. Why would Durandal capture her baby sister?
No, hold on, her memories were mixing up again. She had to focus on the present.
Realization crossed Kiana's face for a moment. "... Huh. You did, didn't you?"
"Why did you think I was going to kill you?" Durandal went on.
"Um…" Kiana seemed anxious. "It's nothing. My mind's just a mess right now."
"It's not nothing," Durandal shot back. Then a harrowing thought hit her. "Do you think you deserve to die?"
Kiana's wince as she averted her eyes was enough of an answer.
"I-I don't! I just… I…" she trailed off, unable to think of an excuse.
"Why?" Durandal found herself asking in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Why would you even think that?"
She saw the shock that crossed Kiana's features at a supposed enemy showing such blatant concern for her.
Then Kiana sighed, her gaze falling on the floor.
"I just… sort of bring misfortune wherever I go," she admitted quietly. "I keep hurting the people around me. World Serpent was after me, so they wouldn't even have attacked the base if I wasn't there. Everyone would be better off if I was gone..."
For a moment, Durandal stared at her despondent sister.
"World Serpent is an enemy of Schicksal's regardless of your involvement," she said matter-of-factly as she sat up, ignoring the dull pain in her head. "Yes, they might be interested in capturing you, but that's in no way your fault. At the end of the day, what happened is that they attacked us, and you stepped up to save lives. How is that misfortune? Isn't it something to be proud of?"
Kiana grit her teeth, looking away from Durandal.
"I… don't have any reason to be proud…" Kiana muttered, almost inaudible. "Not when I left someone behind…"
Durandal's eyes widened slightly. She was surprised that her sister made a friend at the base so fast, but it ultimately didn't matter. "You lost someone?"
Her sister chuckled bitterly. "Like usual, everyone's always getting hurt and dying trying to save me. First it was my dad, then Himeko, and now she does it too! But why?! Why does everyone keep dying for me?!" Kiana sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Why am I even bothering? It's not like you know what it's like. You can always save everyone…"
Durandal couldn't help but snort at that.
"No," she told her sister. "I've lost plenty of people, too."
"H-Huh?" Her sister looked up, where she saw Durandal giving her a sad smile.
"When I was young, I lost my family to a Honkai outbreak. During my first mission, I was the only survivor. I even lost my mentor, just like you." Durandal told her, without a hint of shame. "Despite what it may seem, I wasn't always like this. I was spoiled and childish back then. I had to learn the hard way to grow up, like most Valkyries do."
Her sister was speechless for a moment. "I-I… I'm so sorry, I didn't…"
"Don't apologize. It was so long ago," said Durandal in a soft voice. "But I wanted you to know even I can't keep everyone from dying, Kiana. What makes you think you can?"
"T-That's not the point!" Kiana sputtered. "They all keep throwing themselves into danger for someone useless like me! Even Mei would do it if she had the chance!"
Durandal was instantly reminded of Raiden Mei, who decided to face her when it was blatantly pointless. "They do so because you're important to them."
"W-Why would I be?! I'm always the one that causes these messes!" Kiana retorted. "I hurt dad! I hurt all of my friends! I even killed Himeko! I just… I don't…"
"What? You don't deserve to live?" Durandal rebuked, causing her sister to wince. "Because of something completely out of your control? You strive to do good to right the wrongs of the Herrscher, but how can a savior also yearn for death?"
The girl was silent, and Durandal sighed. For the first time in her life, she silently cursed the Overseer for bringing so much pain onto her baby sister.
"Kiana, listen to me." She spoke to her, tone gentle. "If someone sacrificed themselves for you, that was their decision. It means they thought you were worth it. Even if it could have been prevented, you can't change the past."
"But people shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves for me." Kiana murmured. "This is my fight. It's my duty, not anyone else's."
Without warning, a memory resurfaced in Durandal's mind.
"To protect others from the whims of God… That is my duty."
It wasn't one of the fragmented recollections swimming around her mind, but a more recent memory, from when she already lived her new life.
"... Kiana, let me tell you a story," Durandal started, earning her sister's attention. "A long time ago, during a mission, I came across an isolated Spanish village. They were heavily superstitious people. Everything was related to the Gods in some way for them. They even thought I was the vessel of the God of War after I beat up all their best guys."
Kiana gave a slight snort. That was an improvement.
"Eventually we met a nice elder named Tazumal, who introduced us to her granddaughter, Eikenal. She was considered the human avatar of Ix Tab, the guardian deity of their village. She took upon herself full responsibility of her village, and she never allowed any other say on the matter." The Valkyrie paused for a moment, letting out a sigh. "As Ix Tab's avatar, she decided it was her sole responsibility to protect her people from the whims of the deities. It was her duty."
"Eikenal…" Kiana muttered. "What was she like?"
Durandal pondered. "Kind, compassionate, curious. She loved her village, for all its wrongs, but couldn't help but be curious about all the different civilizations across the sea. I didn't know her for very long, but… it was evident to me that she placed her village's well-being above all else, including herself."
"Did… something happen to her?" Her sister asked, sounding concerned.
"... There was an upcoming sacred ritual." Durandal grimaced, a troubling memory resurfacing. "It was to commemorate the beginning of a new Baktun. A period of four hundred years, essentially. It involved receiving a prophecy for the new age from Ix Tab. Eikenal didn't like the way her village lived, so she decided to write a false prophecy to introduce her people to a new way of life, so they wouldn't spend the rest of their days fearful of the will of the heavens."
Kiana looked confused. "Well, isn't that good? She wanted to help her tribe move on, and she managed to do that, right?"
Durandal closed her eyes. "'God told me the 13th Baktun is the beginning of a new era. On the last day of the 12th Baktun, the world of God and man shall be completely separated. God will never bless you again. God will never curse you again. The future will be left to the natural cycle and order. But before that, God demanded that a pure avatar living in this world were to come live in his world."
The Valkyrie opened her eyes, seeing the shocked face of her baby sister as she went on.
"'Everyone, who I love from the bottom of my heart, please do not be angry, sad or jealous. Lord Ix Tab has told me: By separating Heaven from Earth, our world will one day be able to be as splendid and bright as Heaven. In the new era, through hard work anyone will be able to create miracles on par with God.'"
They fell into silence for a moment, the words and their weight hanging in the air.
"That… was the prophecy Eikenal wrote, word for word," Durandal explained after a few seconds. "To fully sever the connection between mankind and divinity in the eyes of her village, and to prevent the prophecy from being contested, Eikenal decided she had to cement her place as the final priestess. As for myself… I can't remember ever feeling as helpless as I did when I found her in the cave where the ritual took place, unconscious next to a bloodied knife and barely clinging to life."
That made Kiana perk up a little. "She didn't die?"
"I thought I could save her with a blood transfusion, but…" The Valkyrie sighed, shaking her head. "She needed a blood type none of us could provide. She was alive, but all I could do was watch until life finally left her."
Kiana slumped back down on her seat. "Oh…"
"The only ones who rejoiced that night were the ones who had only known her as their priestess, not as a person," said Durandal. "Those who were close to her, like her grandparents, saw nothing to celebrate for. Neither did I."
"... I'm sorry that you couldn't save her," Kiana offered in a sincere tone.
"I thought I could save anyone if I became strong enough. That night taught me that it wasn't possible." Durandal sighed, then looked at her sister. "However, I feel like you missed the point of the story."
"Huh?" Kiana tilted her head. "You were talking about someone you couldn't save, weren't you?"
"Yes, but do you know why I shared that story?" Kiana didn't have an answer, so Durandal continued. "I shared it, because you're acting exactly like Eikenal."
Kiana's eyes widened. "W-What? I don't see how—"
"Someone who acts as if everything in the world is her responsibility. Like she's the one who should fix it all by herself even at the cost of her life…" She looked at Kiana, smiling sadly. "Yes, you're so much like her that it honestly scares me a little."
With no rebuttal, her sister looked away. "I-I… That's…"
"You mentioned Raiden Mei before. Have you ever stopped to consider her feelings about this?" Durandal seemed to hit a sore spot, with how Kiana winced. "She was desperate to save you. After all, how do you think I ended up this way?"
Kiana gawked. "M-Mei did that?!"
"She called upon her Herrscher power to do it, yes." Durandal nodded. "All for the purpose of saving you."
"Mei…" Her sister looked sad as she said her name. "I… I didn't want to hurt her. Whenever I thought about coming back, I kept imagining her… dead in my arms…"
Durandal gave her sister a somber look. "Did you never think that Mei was imagining the opposite? How do you think she would feel if she found you dead?"
She watched as realization slowly overtook Kiana's features.
"You don't have to be in this fight alone." Durandal said to her, softly. "I can help you. Look, you might not have noticed, but right now your body has so much Honkai energy it could be dangerous. With Shicksal's resources, we—"
Kiana's reaction was instantaneous.
"I knew it!" She jumped up from her seat, sending it scraping back against the floor as she shot Durandal a look of betrayal. "Schicksal this, Schicksal that! It all goes back to Schicksal with you!" she spat the words out, glaring at the Valkyrie. "You don't actually care, do you?! All this talk is just to get me to become Otto's puppet!"
Durandal's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "I— That's not it! Of course I care about you! Why wouldn't I care about my baby sister?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Durandal knew that she made an error.
Namely, because she just remembered that Kiana didn't know that fact yet, and now she was looking at her as if she had just grown a second head.
This was bad. Where could she even start with a revelation like that?
… Well, she was already in this deep. There wasn't any going back from that.
"Okay, let's get this over with..." Bianka pushed herself off from her bed, the pain in her head becoming secondary as she stood up. "This might sound really hard for you to believe, but… I'm the real Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana was completely silent, only giving Durandal a strange look, as if telling her to explain it properly.
Taking that as a cue, Durandal went on. "For the past nine years, I've gone by the name Bianka Ataegina—"
"I thought your name was Durandal?" Kiana suddenly interrupted.
A sigh left the Valkyrie's lips.
"Codename. Long story. Not important right now." She took a deep breath, considering the best way to continue. "Listen, it's all disjointed in my mind, but I remember that dad and I saved you at some point, I decided you were going to be my little sister, and then something bad happened that split us up and gave me amnesia. I woke up in an orphanage, was told a fake story from the Overseer, became a Valkyrie, got hit in the head by a Herrscher, started remembering things, and then..." She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, now I'm here."
"Wait..." Kiana gripped her head, completely bewildered as she tried to process the information. "So, you… You're the real Kiana? But you look nothing like me! And you're blonde!"
Durandal considered that. "The Overseer did say he had to use Soulium to heal my injuries, so maybe that had something to do with it?"
"Okay… Alright…" Kiana made an effort to breathe slowly, sitting back down as she processed that. "Then, do you have any proof? I'm not just going to believe something crazy like that."
"I should have expected that…" Durandal muttered. "Okay, what can I say to convince you that I'm Kiana?"
Her sister furrowed her brows. "How about something only the real Kiana would know?"
"Something only I'd know…?" Durandal pondered that. She scrunched her face, shuffling through the broken mess that was her old memories until she could find something remotely usable. "Hm… "
Out of everything in her memories, her dad was the most prevalent. She could piece together living with him alone, as well as things he used to do and say.
"Well?" Kiana asked, looking expectant.
Durandal had an idea.
"Thou Shalt Constitute Thyself As A Shield For The Weak And Innocent," she recited.
Kiana's eyes went wide. "T-That's…"
"Dad's version of the Kaslana Oath. I'm surprised I remembered that." Durandal smirked to herself. "I have some other things in mind. I remember the excuse he gave me every time he overslept. 'A Kaslana wakes up precisely when they must' or something stupid like that."
Kiana blinked. "Let me guess, 4 PM?"
"4 PM." Durandal nodded, snickering with her sister. "If Aunt Teri ever found out about his messed up schedule, she'd have torn his head off."
"Aunt Teri, huh…?" Kiana smiled softly. "Okay, so this nonsense sounds a bit more believable now."
"Really?" Durandal was surprised. "Well, I'm surprised you're taking it so well, considering that it means you're—"
"A clone?"
Durandal winced at the blunt response. "You… already know?"
"I found out in Arc City, and it… kinda explained a lot." Kiana sighed. "I wondered what happened to the real Kiana, and it turns out she's standing right in front of me. Huh…" She looked aside with a distant gaze. "All of this feels so unreal…"
"... Yes, the Overseer created you to be a vessel for the Void Core," Durandal said with a sigh. "He wanted a Herrscher to be allied with humanity, as well as a service for his own goals, but things… went awry."
"Actually, speaking of him…" Kiana's face seemed to set into a grimace at the mention of the Overseer. "Since we already established that lowlife's a lying bastard, that means we can just run away together, right?"
Durandal remembered everything her baby sister had been put through, all a result of the Overseer, and felt an icy grip on her heart. "And where would we even go?"
"Um… maybe Anti-Entropy?" Kiana offered, though she looked unsure. "I mean, I don't know them that well, but Mei's there, so it has to be safe?"
"... I can't do that." Durandal shook her head, bracing for her sister's reaction.
It came just as she expected.
"What?! Why?!" Disbelief flooded Kiana's expression in an instant. "After everything he's done to us?! He lied to you for nine years, and he… he ruined my life! Why would you even think about siding with him?!"
"Kiana, please, listen to me," Durandal spoke in a firm voice. "I don't agree with what he's done, and if it were up to me, I'd leave Shicksal behind right now. But it's all so complicated. I still need him, just as much as he needs me."
"W-What the hell are you talking about…?" Kiana sniffed.
"I don't even know where to begin, but…" Perhaps it was a bit too forward, but Durandal cusped the girl's cheek, wiping away a tear with her thumb. "Well, maybe it'd be better to show you."
"Show me…?"
Kiana raised an eyebrow as Durandal took her hand, closing her own eyes as she seemed to focus on something.
And suddenly they were in the sky.
"W-What the—?!" Kiana jolted, looking all around her. When she looked beneath, she saw a gigantic landmass that definitely didn't look anything like any map she saw.
Naturally, she panicked and gripped Durandal for support.
But just as fast, they were back on the train. Kiana did a double take as Durandal took a deep breath. "W-What… what the hell…?"
"That," Durandal told her, "was a glimpse of the Bubble Universe currently resting inside of me."
Kiana blinked. "The… what?"
"You can think of it as another dimension," Durandal explained. "Long story short, during a mission years ago, I took it within myself in order to sustain it, preventing it from falling apart and dragging down all the lives within. The Overseer is the only one with the means to help me stabilize that Bubble Universe permanently. I can't be reckless and simply leave Shicksal. Not with the fate of an entire world resting on my shoulders."
"I— You… Okay…" Kiana took a deep breath. "Okay, sure, other universes exist. Just gonna accept that. Why not go to Anti-Entropy for help?"
"Anti-Entropy can't match Shicksal in either knowledge or resources." Durandal told her, resigned. "What they have is only a small fraction of what Schicksal has accumulated over the centuries. The Overseer has also been active in researching what lies outside of our world. That includes utilizing technology from the Previous Era, such as a tool which could reproduce the Herrscher of the Void's abilities, named Cosmic Juggernaut, which…"
Durandal paused, noticing her sister's completely lost expression.
"Um, should I slow down…?"
"Let's just… skip the details. That's enough crazy stuff for now." Kiana shook her head. "Okay, so to sum it up, you can't leave Shicksal. So… where does that leave me?"
That was certainly a great question.
Durandal took a moment to think.
"... Personally, I want you to come back with me to Shicksal," Durandal admitted. "The Honkai energy in you is overflowing, we could treat it before it becomes a problem. But, I won't force you to come. If you don't wish to, I can grant you an opening to escape, but only if you promise me to look for help in Anti-Entropy."
Her sister raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just get done saying how useless they are compared to Shicksal?"
Durandal suddenly felt sheepish. "Ah, I did, didn't I? W-Well, they might still be able to help, right?"
Things were silent between the two sisters for a moment, before Kiana spoke again.
"I can't believe I'm considering this, but if," she began, "and I really mean if, I go to Shicksal with you, what's stopping the Overseer from just locking me somewhere and making me into some kind of obedient puppet?"
That gave Durandal some pause.
"I believe… he may not wish to go that far," she replied after a while. "You're far too valuable for him to freely antagonize you like that. He seems to consider you vital for his goals. That means he'd go through great lengths to obtain your powers for his plans, yes, but it also means you're irreplaceable. If he can obtain your support without risking a future conflict, I believe he'll agree to any terms you might have." Durandal gave Kiana a small smile. "Of course, that also gives you plenty of opportunities to fool him, if you so wish. Though I'd prefer if you ran any schemes you might come up with by me beforehand."
Her sister seemed to ponder that. "And what if you're wrong? What if he does try something? What happens, then?"
Durandal didn't have an answer for that immediately, which made Kiana look worried for a moment. "Kiana, I promise, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. As… As your big sister, I give you my word, for as much as that's worth. I won't allow him to hurt you. Not anymore. Please, just trust me."
Kiana seemed to think about that for a moment. Durandal held her breath, waiting for the girl's answer.
"... Before I say anything," Kiana began in a quiet voice, "can I just bring something up?"
Durandal raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I think…" A grimace overtook Kiana's features. "I might be dying."
The blonde froze. "... What?"
"Well, uh…" She looked nervous. "I noticed back in Arc City that I couldn't feel pain, or… really anything. I had a few suspicions before, but now that you're talking about overflowing Honkai energy, it was easy to put two and two together. I couldn't even feel it when you touched me, or even the temperature right now. I think the infection is killing me."
Durandal felt like she couldn't breathe.
They only just reunited and her baby sister was dying.
"So," Kiana continued, "I think I should probably— Eh?!" She jolted when Durandal grabbed her shoulders.
"Kiana, I swear to you, I won't let you die," she spoke to her in a firm voice, struggling to maintain her composure. "Shicksal will find a way to save you, I can guarantee that. Please, just trust me. Please."
"H-Hey, calm down!" Kiana gave her an alarmed look. "I was just saying that—"
"How can I be calm when you're dying?!" Durandal's eyes were wide as she met Kiana's gaze, leaning closer. "I changed my mind. It's very unlikely that Anti-Entropy can help you if it's that bad. I know you hate the Overseer, but—"
"Du— Bianka!" Kiana said the unfamiliar name, and when the Valkyrie faltered, she took the chance to gently push her away. "Look, I was just saying I'm going with you to Schicksal, alright?!"
"... Huh?" Durandal stared at her for several seconds, her mind processing that sentence as she slowly let go of Kiana. "I'm sorry, did I hear that right?"
"Yes, I…" Kiana suddenly looked unsure. "I did just say that, huh…"
Durandal blinked, completely bewildered. "I… genuinely expected more of a fight."
"Haha…" Kiana sheepishly gazed down at her own feet, sighing. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm doing anymore. There's just… so much going on, ever since that day back in Schicksal." The girl took a deep breath, looking at Durandal again with a disbelieving smile. "I went from being a student at St. Freya, to becoming a Herrscher, to saving a city, and now… Now I suddenly have a big sister. What am I supposed to do with all this?"
Durandal hummed. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it." Kiana chuckled, shaking her head. "I mean… I've been losing things left and right, and this is the first time I actually gained something, you know? It's weird. And I…"
She paused for a moment, sorting through her thoughts.
"I know we basically just met," the girl continued, "but if this is all for real, then I don't think I wanna lose this. This chance, at least."
Then she snorted.
"Which is kinda funny, considering I'm dying."
"We'll do something about it," Durandal interjected. "Also, it's not funny."
"I know, I know…" Kiana gave her a sad smile. "I won't turn into another Eikenal for you, alright? And, heh… It'd probably be really mean to go back to Mei and drop dead in front of her, wouldn't it?"
At the thought, Durandal grimaced. "That's… an understatement."
"And, well…" Kiana's lips quivered ever so slightly. "I think I'd also piss off a couple people in the afterlife if I showed up too soon. Gotta take the time to grab them some souvenirs before heading there, you know?"
Durandal could see the way Kiana forced those words out, as if she didn't quite believe them, mimicking a degree of levity she didn't actually feel.
For a few moments, her breathing was labored, the girl clearly forcing herself to maintain her calm.
Though she wanted to, Durandal didn't intervene, simply observing. She wouldn't risk Kiana losing her focus and breaking.
Kiana needed that. To prove to herself that she could entertain such light thoughts about those she lost.
A lie that would eventually become the truth as she started believing it.
"So, yeah," Kiana continued as soon as she could, her gaze tired yet firm. "Yeah, I'm going back to Schicksal. I hope you're right about me being irreplaceable, because I'm gonna demand the whole world from that stupid Overseer and then walk away with every last thing he holds dear. That should be enough, right?"
With that, Kiana gave Durandal a wide smile, the first she had ever seen from the girl.
Durandal could only smile back.
"I'm proud of you," she found herself blurting out.
"Huh?" Kiana seemed confused. "Proud? What for?"
"I'm just proud," Durandal repeated with a small grin. "Can't your big sister be proud of you without a specific reason?"
"Ah… Right, okay." Kiana chuckled bashfully, glancing away with flushed cheeks. "I'm gonna need a while to get used to this."
"Take all of the time you need," Durandal told her in a gentle voice.
"Yeah, gonna do just that…"
It was then that Durandal surprised Kiana by leaning towards her and pulling the girl into a hug, ignoring the slight headache she felt at the movement.
"I'm sorry," she told Kiana. "I should've realized sooner…"
For a few moments, Kiana simply sat there, unsure how to react.
"I-It's not your fault," Her sister eventually murmured, hesitantly returning the hug. "Everything's going to be fine now, right?"
"Yes." Durandal tightened her hold. "Everything's going to be fine. Just rely on your big sister now."
"Mm…"
Durandal could tell it had been a long time since anyone hugged Kiana. She probably needed this.
Still, it was somewhat amusing. Even though it logically made no sense, Durandal felt like she had been missing this all along and never realized it.
Was this what the Overseer had taken from her?
Well, as luck would have it, she would have plenty of chances to make up for lost time.
She wouldn't let them go to waste.
…
"Wait." A thought came to Durandal, and she separated herself from her sister. "Kiana."
"Hm?" The girl shot her a quizzical look. "What is it?"
"Where's Abyss Flower?" she asked. "And my battlesuit?"
Kiana suddenly looked like a deer in headlights.
"Uhh…" she drawled.
Durandal narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Did you… forget them at the base?"
"..."
The girl slowly averted her eyes, not saying a word.
"Right." Durandal sighed, bringing up a hand to massage her temple. "We'll have to talk about your forgetfulness later."
"Ugh…" Kiana groaned, burying her head in the bed's mattress. "Whyyy…"
As serious as that mistake was, Durandal couldn't quite keep herself from a chuckle.
So this was how being a big sister felt like, huh…
Kiana felt herself being gently shaken awake.
"Mm…" Her eyes slowly fluttered open, a yawn escaping her lips as she regained consciousness.
She was still in her seat, but her head was laying on Durandal's bed, next to her sister's sleeping form.
Right. This was her sister now.
She was definitely going to take a while to process that.
That aside, had Kiana fallen asleep at some point? Maybe she was more tired than she assumed.
"Finally awake, are we?"
Kiana tensed up. She remembered that voice.
She slowly sat upright and turned her head, seeing a smiling Rita Rossweisse standing in front of her with her arms folded in front of her. A Valkyrie she didn't recognize was standing behind Rita.
Now that she was more alert, Kiana realized the train didn't seem to be moving anymore. They had arrived at their destination at some point, and it seemed Rita decided to drop by before the disembarking process was finished.
… Was this bad?
Kiana leaned towards "probably."
"Ah, Rita?" Kiana gave her a shaky smile, forcing herself to act casual as she stood up. "I didn't know you were coming!"
"I simply wanted to thank you in person," said Rita, perfectly polite. "After all, your actions saved many lives, including Lord Durandal's. The Immortal Blades are lucky to have you."
"Huh? Oh, uh, right…" Kiana's smile twitched. Right, her cover story. This woman was certainly quick-witted. "I was just doing my job, that's all."
"You shouldn't downplay your efforts. Your actions are worthy of a commendation, at the least." Rita turned to the Valkyrie. "I'll handle things from here."
The Valkyrie saluted and left the room, leaving Kiana and Rita alone.
"H-Hahaha..."
Kiana had no idea what to say to her.
Was this the part where Rita busted out a pair of handcuffs? Perhaps immobilize her with some fancy martial arts?
Should she shake Durandal awake and hope Rita didn't take enough offense to try and lop her head off?
Worth consideration.
"I can't even begin to theorize how things ended up this way," Rita told her with a sigh, her smile disappearing as exasperation blossomed on her face. "I came here as soon as I heard what happened. Whatever may have led to this, you saved Lord Durandal's life. For that, I am in your debt yet again." She put a hand on her cheek. "This is the second time now, isn't it? I haven't even repaid the first yet. How unfortunate."
Kiana still didn't respond, eyeing the girl warily.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Miss Kaslana." Rita pretended to look offended as she put on a new smile. "I truly am grateful. In fact, I'll be nice enough to give you an opening to escape, and I won't report your presence to the Overseer. How does that sound like repayment?"
For a moment, Kiana considered her options.
This was it. Her last chance to change her mind.
If she let this pass, there wouldn't be another opportunity.
She glanced back at the sleeping Durandal. Her long lost sister. A complete stranger who, with no hesitation, decided she wanted to foster a bond with the girl who stole her family and name.
By the time her gaze returned to Rita, she had made up her mind.
Kiana silently apologized to Mei and Bronya. She was somewhat glad she wouldn't be there to see their reaction.
"You don't have to do that," Kiana told the brunette. "Actually, you can go ahead and report this right to the Overseer."
"... What?" Rita's polite facade slipped, revealing a genuinely confused expression. "I'm sorry, could you clarify?"
Kiana stood straight, giving the brunette a determined look.
"Tell Otto that I'd like to officially rejoin Shicksal."
Otto Apocalypse, Shicksal's one and only Overseer, was having a very poor day.
From the comfort of his office, he observed holographic footage of the wreckage of the Vimur Lab branch, holding a small glass of wine by his side and wondering how things went downhill so quickly.
It started off as such: Cosmic Juggernaut had proven, for the umpteenth time since the experiments began, to be simply far too inefficient in its current state. Though he considered himself a man of patience, the amount of time necessary for his ends was estimated to be around eighty thousand hours, and he very much doubted that the growing threat of Honkai would be polite enough to refrain from attempting to end the world until then.
He needed to speed things up, and that meant he required the Herrscher of the Void.
Fortunately, Durandal traveled to Arc City and managed to capture K-423 in no time.
Unfortunately, things took a slight turn for the worse when he received word that Durandal had inexplicably collapsed and nearly died out of an apparent brain injury. He'd really have to ask about the circumstances of that when he had the chance.
Once again fortunately, K-423 lived up to her adopted surname in the end. Not only did she bring Durandal to the medical bay for treatment, but she chose to actually remain there with her.
Considering that K-423 did not simply create a portal out of the base, Otto felt safe to assume that she had exhausted herself in her efforts to save Durandal.
And that was perfect. It meant he simply had to decide on the best method to apprehend K-423 before she slipped away.
But it was then that World Serpent, with their impeccable timing, attacked the base. Their Sire, Kevin Kaslana, came with the express purpose of killing K-423.
For several reasons, that was a problem for Otto.
Luck was on his side, however, and he was able to work out a deal with the man. Not only was Kevin Kaslana's hunt for K-423 over until further notice, but Otto also obtained exactly what he required to make Cosmic Juggernaut slightly less disappointing, all for the price of lending Void Archives to him. Furthermore, Schicksal had successfully forged an official alliance with World Serpent, which should prevent quite a few troublesome situations in the future.
Kevin Kaslana turned out not to be a complete moron, unlike his subordinates.
None of that solved Otto's current issues, though.
This base was essentially ruined. The remaining personnel who were unfortunate enough to miss the train were running left and right, tending to their wounded and trying to figure out what was salvageable amidst the wreckage.
It was going to cost a lot to repair all that damage. He was made of Soulium, not money.
To make matters worse, the latest DLC for Kallen Fantasy XV didn't even sell well, and that in itself was almost enough for Otto to give up on humanity.
Finally, while Durandal was safe, and he was thankful for that, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that K-423 was long gone by then. He doubted she would simply remain in that train amidst Valkyries and Schicksal personnel.
It was rare for Otto to feel so annoyed. He wasn't used to being foiled so thoroughly.
Finding K-423 again would take time, time, time.
He had an inkling that he was running out of that particular resource.
Otto Apocalypse sighed, bringing a glass of wine to his lips for a sip. This, at least, was the one thing that had yet to fail him today.
The communicator clipped on his side beeped. Otto finished drinking and unclipped it to answer. The small, virtual image of Rita Rossweisse greeted him with a small bow.
"Ah, Rita," he greeted her, putting on his best neutral expression to hide his annoyance. "I assume you have good news?"
He certainly hoped so.
"Lord Otto, I've called to inform you that Kiana Kaslana is with me."
Otto blinked.
That… really was good news.
Always count on Rita to be so reliable.
"Well done, Rita," he congratulated her. "I'm impressed that you managed to detain her. I suppose that's one less thing to worry about for now."
"That's not quite it," she replied, strangely hesitant. "She is here willingly. To be more specific, she has an interest in returning to Shicksal."
"... Is that so?" That wasn't what he expected at all. He didn't even have any plans for such an outcome. Still, it did explain why Rita was deliberately using K-423's name. "Pray tell me, how did you convince her?"
"I'm afraid only Lord Durandal would be able to explain," Rita told him, allowing some confusion to slip into her voice. "She was the one who spoke to Kiana before my arrival."
"How… interesting."
Had Otto hit his head and fallen into a coma at some point? Was that even possible in this body? It felt like the only feasible explanation for this.
"Also," Rita continued, "she requested me to pass along her first demand."
"Oh?" Now that made more sense. She came with demands, not a sudden inclination to support Otto's plans. It seemed his little project was learning. "And what would that be?"
"She wishes to join the Immortal Blades."
Otto paused.
He looked at the small glass of wine in his hand, already half empty.
Without a word, he materialized a much bigger glass, filled to the brim.
It still didn't feel like enough.
"Well, then," Otto looked back at Rita, his smile painfully forced. "You said that was only the first?"
Sometimes, he really hated being the Overseer.
Durandal: I've only had Kiana for a day, but if anything were to happen to her, I'd kill everyone in the room and then myself.
It's time for Big Sis Dudu, since the game hasn't really given us that yet. I really like writing these two as siblings, that's why I made this part of a series for later.
Anyway, reviews pls.