Cover image credits go to cloudya (Pixiv), go check her out her arts are what inspired me to make this story.
See below for note.
Chapter 1: Sisters.
Such a perfect night...
A lone figure could be seen leaning against a metal railing, draped in a red Battlesuit similar in color with her hair. The air was cool and humid, carrying with it a fresh scent of burnt metal and firewood, making her hum appreciatively as she took another sip from the beer bottle in her hand.
At least, it should have been.
The redhead sighed frustratedly, her free hand going to the stray lock on the side of her face as she hunched forward. One night, she thought demurely, silently lamenting the cruel fate that was her's. One night I asked a leave for a date and the world almost came to an end.
It wasn't an exaggeration, oh how she wished it was but it wasn't. One moment she was talking with her date, a man that caught her interest in a while, and the next thing she saw was a giant flying Battleship hovering high in the air with its searchlights pointed towards them as if to mock her that no, there was no rest in this line of work and she better get her shit together because something's going crazy out there.
She had left with but a single kiss, an empty promise they would meet again knowing full well it would never happen, ever.
Himeko took one particularly deep swig, downing half the bottle without breaking a breath. Behind her, the Hyperion's Damage Control team was going about their duty to repair the thunder stricken Battleship, shouting orders whilst occasionally followed by heavy whirling of repair mechs. She tried her best to ignore them, focusing her gaze down where a desolate city resided.
Yet another settlement destroyed by the Honkai.
She was no stranger to the sight, years of fighting the menace she was pretty much used to the view. That's said, it didn't stop her from feeling sorry, especially towards those trying to survive the hellholes like this.
She wondered how those kids did it, but the answer present itself quite obviously; there was a Kaslana.
House Kaslana was well known for their special bloodline, many of Schicksal's greatest Valkyries were a Kaslana. They were also one of the Three Houses composing Schicksal, the 'Knights' as many dubbed them to be, the swords and shields that never yield through the centuries. Himeko had had the pleasure of working with some Kaslanas before, and although they left great impression they're also a pain to deal with.
Their tendency to jump head first into danger when an innocent soul was in peril often times resulted with more than just minor inconvenience, but Himeko supposed that quality was what made them special. Aside from their ridiculous Honkai resistance, that is.
And if the files were correct, this one Kaslana was actually more than that.
"Please, Himeko" The disembodied voice of Principal Theresa said in her head, courtesy of a not so long ago communication. Himeko had frowned back then, she had never heard the smaller woman sounded so desperate.
"She's all I have. I-I made a promise with her mother to keep her safe! I thought I lost her but she's here..."
"Who?"
"Cecilia Schariac"
The redhead's eyes widened in surprise. "She's the daughter of the Heroes of the Second Eruption?!"
"Yeah" Theresa breathed out and Himeko bit her nail anxiously. "She's gone a lot, the least we can do is to provide her a roof to live under and perhaps a chance to live a normal life"
Himeko knew there was no such thing as normal life for the kids, fate was just too cruel for them to have one. Kiana being the daughter of a Kaslana and a Schariac made her very special, those two bloodlines were the basic foundations of war against the Honkai. While her Kaslana blood made it almost impossible for her to be corrupted, her other half allowed her to control Honkai energy for her use. Himeko had caught a glimpse of what she's capable of when she tore Raiden Mei's Herrscher wing off with her bare hand despite her injury, a feat near impossible to pull by normal human without facing the consequences but there she was.
... she really needed another bottle of beer, or perhaps something stronger like a Vodka.
Taking one final swig, Himeko then threw the empty bottle off the deck to the city below, fingers grazing the armored compartment on her thigh before they found purchase on a pack of cigarettes. She didn't usually smoke, figuring out alcohol and smoke were the bane of beauty in the long term, but for this one occasion she would allow a small slip up.
She was about to put one between her lips when a loud beeping interrupted her, making her jumped in surprise. "God, fuck" Himeko cursed under her breath, sweeping the holographic display before her angrily. It was a request for communication link but in spite of her anger for the interruption she failed to read who it was until it's too late. "Which part of 'taking a break' you don't understand, you shrimp-"
Her words died in her throat when she saw Theresa looking back at her with raised eyebrows.
"Shrimp?"
Realizing a little to late, Himeko quickly snatched the cigarette off her mouth and drop it to the floor before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Uh... I-I take it the magnetic interference in the sky has dispersed?"
"Yes, long range communication has been restored and we can now get a glimpse of the city with our satellite. Shrimp?"
"That's good to hear. We successfully recovered Kiana Kaslana and the 3rd Herrscher Raiden Mei, there was a bit of complications and Hyperion is damaged but there's no casualty. It's all thanks to the Kaslana girl"
"That is alright, we can fix the ship but human lives are invaluable. That's said, how's my niece and Raiden Mei? And did you just call me shrimp?"
"Well, Ryoma's kid is mostly alright, she's just exhausted and we're monitoring her condition closely to prevent any possibility of another Eruption. We sedated her, of course. As for Kiana..." Himeko trailed off, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's a Kaslana, you know how they are"
"How bad?"
"Too many, but the most critical injury is her back. We are doing our best and the doctors are positive she's going to be fine"
"That's good... that's good. Himeko, I want you to return as soon as possible and get the girls treated here at St. Freya. I'll get some escorts for the Hyperion so you won't have to worry about attack. I'm sure you know this but we can't afford to lose any of them, especially not to Anti-Entropy"
"Understood, Ma'am"
"Oh, and Himeko?"
"Yeah?"
"What did you mean 'shrimp'?"
"Good night, Principal"
Himeko unceremoniously terminated the link and groaned into her hands.
Just when I thought today couldn't get any worse.
However, with how notoriously cruel fate was, it was indeed could get worse.
"Captain Himeko!" A voice yelled from behind her, turning around quickly she was faced by none other than one of the repair crew. She studied the man for a second, noticing the fright in his eyes as he pointed somewhere in the sky. "What is that?!"
'What is that' was truly the best question at the moment. Her golden eyes followed the man's index finger and she gasped at what awaited her on the other end, almost immediately she could feel her blood ran cold in response to her fight or flight instinct going haywire.
There obscuring the moon was a giant void, outlined with golden energy as the very air itself was sucked inside the nothingness. Like an eclipse but far more sinister looking, as if the moon itself had been swallowed by the endless darkness with the way its ray was sucked into it.
It was then she noticed a figure emerging from the dark void.
"Get everyone below deck!" Himeko yelled, drawing her greatsword from her back and held it in guarding stance as the DC team scrambled away to the safety of Hyperion. "Bridge, gimme sit-rep, now!"
Not a second later a voice responded. "Captain! We're detecting a massive Honkai energy signature from it!"
"How big?!"
"Herrscher level, Ma'am! More than the previous one!"
Great, another Herrscher which apparently stronger than the 3rd one. Thousands of questions rang inside Himeko's head but she pushed them aside and barked an order back. "Sounds the general alarm, get Point Defenses on and brace for attack! Status on reactor repair?!"
"We'll need more time, Ma'am!"
"We don't have time! Notify Madam Theresa of our situation, I'll try to buy us some time"
"Y-yes, Ma'am"
Gripping her weapon so tight it almost hurt, Himeko cautiously made her way to the Battleship's bow. Her Battlesuit was still in disrepair from the previous fight it was borderline miracle it hadn't fallen apart yet, a fact Himeko knew deep in her heart. But what choice did she have?
... she was used to not have one, anyway.
The figure stepped down, her feet threading the imaginary steps she summoned with great confidence it's almost scary. But, if Himeko had to decide, it was her face that unnerved her the most.
It was a calculating cold usually found in the face of observers, detached from what they observed with little to no care what happened to the subjects. It's almost like she didn't care about Himeko's existence with the way she peered down to her with her abnormally luminous golden eyes.
Himeko shuddered and she swore it had nothing to do with the cold night wind gently billowing amidst the ruined skyscrapers.
The whirling of the Hyperion's high caliber Close In Weapon Systems interrupted her thinking before it turned to a familiar thunderous clapping as the guns began firing at the target, bright flashes of gold illuminated the area and heated up the very air itself.
They, however, never had the chance to hit her when dark portals suddenly appeared in front of their line of fire, swallowing the projectiles into the void the Herrscher summoned. The operators, realizing the futility of their actions, stopped firing at once after dumping thousands of bullets to waste.
Himeko gritted her teeth when the Herrscher finally stepped onto the Hyperion unhindered and unopposed.
"Fancy trick you have there" The redhead said, ignoring the strange feeling she had when she noticed the girl before her looked familiar, somehow. Minus the golden wing on her left shoulder and the subspace lances peeking from her right one, she was a spitting image of the Kaslana girl. "Sorry, but this is a no-Herrscher zone"
The Herrscher's eyes narrowed to a dangerous slit, fearing the worst Himeko raised her sword higher and prepared herself for the inevitable attack.
It didn't prepare her for what came next.
"Where's my sister?" Said the Herrscher, there was a strange echoes in her decibel, not that the baffled Himeko noticed it until later.
"Sorry?" Himeko asked back after a pregnant pause, unconsciously lowering her weapon in the process.
"You are wasting my patience, you insufferable inse-"
The white haired girl cut herself mid-sentence and Himeko saw her biting her lips as she looked around and, is that fear I see?
"Pardon my language" She continued, catching Himeko by surprise, not because of her strained and forced tone but because a Herrscher just apologized to a human, a Valkyrie at that. "I've been looking for my sister these past few months before I noticed a burst of her energy sourcing to this city"
Not fully certain with the situation but seeing how the Herrscher appeared docile, Himeko reluctantly shifted to a less threatening posture. "Her energy?"
"The Schariac's blood flared up along the Gem of Conquest's energy and I figured it was my sister's doing"
"How could you be so sure?" Himeko probed, earning a sharp glare in return but the Herrscher replied nonetheless.
"Because nobody would survive a direct contact with Herrscher Gems aside us Schariacs, and no Schariac was careless enough to do so aside my sister"
Okay, that's fair enough, Himeko supposed.
The combination between the hot headedness of a Kaslana and more benevolent Schariac truly made wonders, though it seemed the Kaslana part was more prevalent in this case. Himeko would ponder why later when she got her look at Kiana.
"What's your name?" Himeko asked, deciding this Herrscher wasn't here to fight she quickly sent a message to the bridge and informed them of the situation.
"I am Sirin Schariac, the Second Herrscher and the youngest daughter of the Kaslana-Schariac household"
Himeko didn't miss the way her lips twisted as if she just swallowed something so bitter down her throat when Sirin said she was the second daughter. Well, more questions for later.
"I'm here for my sister Kiana who has been missing for eight months"
Another long pause prevailed as a cold wind blew over them, courtesy of the residual thunder clouds above. Himeko sighed deeply, more than annoyed when she realized she had been sighing far too much in the span of few minutes than she did a week. Eventually, she relented, knowing full well if this Herrscher, this Sirin, wanted them dead the Hyperion would have been swallowed by a black hole already.
That name, though... Himeko knew it. Sirin was the Second Herrscher but she was supposed to be dead following the Second Eruption back in 2000, that and the drastic difference of her appearance were more than enough reasons for her to feel suspicious of the whole situation. Sirin had dark blue hair it's almost purple, from what Himeko remembered, and she should be older. The pictures just didn't fit.
Shaking her head, Himeko gestured with her hands for Sirin to follow her. "Look, I know what you're capable of, and I know what those are" Himeko motioned towards the subspace lances peeking from Sirin's shoulder. "As an act of good will, I must ask you to disarm yourself and put down your Herrscher transformation before I can get you below deck"
If look could kill, Himeko was pretty sure she would be dead by now with the way Sirin glared at her.
"I don't trust you Schicksal pigs the least when it comes to good will, your conspiracies and sweet words are one and the same. They delude the innocent and poisoned the good of human's hearts" She spat, tone filled with unbridled hatred it sent a shiver down the Valkyrie's spine. Still, the way Sirin spoke of humans was not what she expected. There was no actual malice behind it, instead a hint of sadness and rage was tinged in each syllables.
"Sorry" Why was she apologizing? Himeko wasn't even sure. It just felt correct, at the moment. Clearing her throat to divert the odd way Sirin was staring at her, she continued. "But I can't take you to your sister with your weapons around"
"Truly you understand I can take your punny ship without breaking a sweat, no?" Sirin hissed angrily, as if the notion of strain was the most despicable subject in the world. Her words rang true, though, and Himeko was not stupid to not know it.
"Yes, but then who would treat her wound? She's in a critical condition and each seconds we have are precious to her survival. You risked the ship, you risked your sister's life"
Basically taking a children as hostage... Himeko hated herself a bit more.
"Decades without a change..." Sirin sighed and raised a hand up, making Himeko tensed up in response. "She will not leave my line of sight"
It was a statement and order at once, and as Sirin snapped her fingers together something told Himeko everything would change from here on.
The subspace lances disappeared to dust, followed by her wing not a moment later, strange golden ember was what remained of them until the wind carried them away to the dark sky. Sirin's white dress stayed, however, and it had enough residual Honkai energy to rival most Battlesuit.
When she blinked next, her eyes had changed from golden to pure blue. Not unlike Kiana's except the cross in her retinas, and her once free hair was tied in a single ponytail.
"Show me where she is" Sirin said, noticing Himeko was at loss for words. Scoffing, she began walking ahead the older woman.
Himeko was interrupted from her stupor when Sirin stepped past her. "You both really look alike" The redhead said, catching up with Sirin after shaking her surprise.
"You can't be twins, can you? I know what happened to you"
"That's not a question I privy to disclose. However, I am not what I was"
She said what. Just what is she now?
Running a hand over her crimson mane, Himeko fought another urge to sigh. Seriously, she should stop doing that. Maybe another bottle of beer would help. "Right. Can I take your word, though? Will you not cause harm?"
Sirin rolled her eyes good naturedly, giving the redhead a glance that looked a little too much like a leer. "I wouldn't need to go through such length. I don't care about you or anyone else on this ship beside my sister, and if you're being honest then I won't harm anyone"
Well, at least Sirin looked genuinely concerned about her sister. If worse really came to be, there's Kiana they might use to persuade her. From what Himeko gathered, Sirin cared about her sister whilst her sister cared about the Raiden girl, in other words they had two contingencies they might put to use. Himeko hoped it wouldn't involve violence or, God forbid, taking hostage of either girls to persuade Sirin.
She wasn't sure she could live with the shame and guilt if it really came to that. Those girls were innocent and she would like to keep it that way.
... at least, Sirin's voice didn't sound like it was bouncing around her head anymore. She sounded less hostile that way, more human too, though Himeko would never say it out loud.
Maybe a little detour on the way to one of her hidden stashes of beer was warranted.
TBC
So... I'm not sure where to start. Maybe by confessing I'm not a native English speaker and that this fic is not fault checked? Yeah, that sounds like a good start.
Anyway, I don't know whether I will continue this or not. This is something I write on a whim, to be honest, which means I have not much plan for it. If I did decide to write more, this fic would be a side project of my other story. I just think we need more HI3 fanfic story.
Also I think it's worth mentioning I'm a new Honkai Impact player, just started a month ago or so and since I love the story so much I decided to invest my time on it. That said, there's plenty of lore I need to read in the future if I wanted to expand the story, though I think I'm more comfortable by creating my own AU that is not necessarily a hard miss to canon. So, yeah. Expect a slightly different story IF I continue this one.
That's all, I guess. See you guys later(?)
Peace out, guys.