Johann flew over the mountain range, peering down through the forest canopy.
It should be around here if I remember correctly. How long has it been? Are they even still alive?
He hated himself for forgetting about the girls in the mountain temple for so long. His own issues had consumed so much time and attention that he subconsciously convinced himself they were all already dead to save him the trouble of checking on them. Only when Sirin reminded him of their existence because of her soft spot for young girls in need did he begin his flight to the Far East.
He had been sitting in his throne, receiving reports on the status of the infrastructure he ordered Schicksal to construct so it could begin its transition to a modern world. There were countless roads to be paved, hospitals to be raised, schools to be established, and factories to be created; these were only the most basic foundations to what he envisioned.
His task was unfathomable. He questioned the value of even trying something surely to be impossible. He reassured himself that not trying when he had such knowledge at his disposal would be cruel; withholding a better world from this world would be wrong. The responsibility for the entire world had fallen to him.
One minister stepped forward. "Overseer, the machines you call bulldozers and excavators and their functions have been successfully used to dig various ditches and perform other vital work that would take a team of men days to accomplish on their own. We are all in your debt for the gifts of knowledge you have bestowed upon us."
Johann shook his head. "You aren't in my debt. I only want to see this world become better than it is."
Other ministers stepped forward.
"The construction of an improved water supply network is ahead of schedule," another reported. "Already, the people are reaping the benefits of having access to more and cleaner water."
Johann was pleased to hear that. Water was the lifeblood of any civilization.
"The agricultural centers…'hydroponics', I believe they are called, have finished construction. We are growing crops at rates faster than I had thought possible at only a fraction of the water we used before," informed another.
On and on the reports of Europe's rapid industrialization came to him.
He knew from the start that it would be impossible for labourers from centuries past to work with technology from the modern day. They could not comprehend any of it within a reasonable timeframe, if they ever did. Johann had once again resorted to Fenghuang Down, this time for a much kinder purpose.
He had used it to instill all the knowledge and experience they would need in the labourers and officials who would be carrying out these vital tasks. With Fenghuang Down, they were made as competent as any such labourer or official from the modern age. From there, the progress could truly begin.
After the discussions were adjourned, he was left alone in the Overseer's Sanctum.
Europe is only the start. The entire rest of the world is in need of the technology of the modern world. But I can't force it upon them. I would be little different from Schicksal when it had invaded the East. This time, I need to do it differently. I need to reach out to them…starting with Shenzhou, perhaps.
He felt her presence stirring in his mind.
Little captain…if you are to return to the East, you should begin with the group of thirty little girls you rescued from the village and then the Twelfth that had consumed it…
Panic filled his mind as he remembered those he had always assumed dead. He recalled that they had only around half a year's worth of supplies, which was a date rapidly approaching. In the original world, he and Kallen had returned to Vienna after only a day in the mountain temple. He had seen no way they could have survived.
In this world, they were given a second chance. Even then, he prepared himself for the worst outcome.
After teleporting himself into the sky, he began flying eastward at top speed. The ground rushed past beneath him as he rose above the clouds, sometimes flying lower to observe the continent below. He recalled much of it, but it was only at the end of his flight when he found what he wanted.
After a brief flight over the blue sea, he sighted the distinctive architecture of the temple. He immediately flew down and landed inside it, unsure if he had arrived too late.
To his eternal relief, he found each of the girls alive, staring at him in shock.
The oldest girl stepped forward as if she were seeing a ghost. "Johann…?"
He smiled at her. "Yes. It's me. I've come back for you. Is everyone else alright?"
The other girls soon surrounded them. They looked worried and unhealthily thin. He had arrived just in time.
"...After you, Kallen, and Sakura never came back with Rion, we went down to the village to see what happened," another girl told him. "But the village was destroyed…everyone was dead. All of our parents…"
The girl broke down and began crying. Johann gently held her in hopes of comforting her.
"After that, we had no choice but to remain here and hope help would eventually arrive," the oldest girl continued. She seemed to be acting as their leader. "We had enough food and water to last us for months, but we were beginning to run out. But you came back for us…"
He released the girl. He asked the leader one very important question. "How many of you are left? There should be twenty-nine of you. Have any others visited this temple?"
There were originally thirty girls who had followed them to the temple in the mountains. He still remembered Rion…her decision to willingly offer herself as sacrifice had changed everything.
"We're all alive. No one has ever come to visit us. This region doesn't receive many travellers. Some of the other girls are out looking for berries and firewood. They'll be overjoyed to see you again."
He nodded. "I'll go find them and bring them back here. Then we'll decide on what to do next."
He teleported back up into the sky using a portal, amazing them. He scanned the area before he found five of the girls out in the forest. He teleported down to them. They cried out with shock before recognizing him.
"Girls, close your eyes. It'll be easier this way," he told them.
They did. It made the teleportation process back to the temple less disorienting for them. Now that they were all assembled, he could enact his plan.
"Girls, I have something to tell you all."
Each of them listened to him intently.
"I'm sure you all know that you can't stay here forever. This temple was only ever a temporary home. Eventually, you were going to return to your homes in the village…but that isn't possible anymore."
Each of them slowly nodded.
"But I came back for you because I knew you needed help. You all need a new home, and I have one for you. I'll bring you back to my homeland, the one Kallen and I told you so many stories about, remember?"
They did. They had listened in awe as he and Kallen had told them about the faraway land called Europe where they had grown up.
"There's an orphanage in the city of Vienna. It has everything you need…food, water, medicine…I'll take care of all of you. I promise."
The renovation of the city's existing orphanage for the most vulnerable was one of his first orders as Overseer. It would be large and well-equipped for raising and protecting the children who needed it most. He had personally assisted with large portions of its construction, using his powers of telekinesis to perform more work in minutes than an entire construction team.
Bronya…
He pushed that foreign name out of his mind.
"How will you take us there? It's so far away, and you can only carry one of us at a time," one of the girls asked him.
He smiled. "Girls, this isn't easy to describe…think of it as a special bag I can carry with me anywhere I go. I can take all of you in it. It has everything you need as I fly us back to Vienna."
He was referring to the pocket dimension he had created using his powers of the void. It was normally an entirely dark space completely devoid of light, but he had placed artificial light sources and even an entire mansion filled with useful amenities in it, essentially making it into a portable home where he and others could enter and exit at any time. The girls would be safe there.
He created a portal in the space in front of him and asked the girls' leader to step inside and return to tell them that it was safe. Nervous but determined, she took a deep breath and stepped into the portal. She saw the large mansion hidden inside the new world she had entered. She excitedly stepped out of the portal in the dimension that served as its exit and told all the girls what she saw. Eager to see the hidden mansion for themselves, all of the remaining girls stepped into the portal before Johann followed them in.
He gave them a brief tour of the mansion, showing them the rooms and other features. One of the girls opened a white chest that stood upright and was immediately amazed at how much food was stored in it.
"It's so cold and has so much food! But I don't see any ice…"
"It's called a refrigerator. It can keep food cold and fresh. Feel free to have anything from it you want," Johann told them, which they gladly did. "If you need anything, just press that button on the wall and speak into it. I'll hear what you say."
Once he was satisfied they had settled in, he exited the pocket dimension.
He took one last look at the temple the girls had made their home for far too long before he flew down to the ruins of what had once been Yae Village. The warped and mangled skeletons of its former inhabitants still lay unburied above the ground. These along with ruined buildings were all that remained of what had once been a settlement of hundreds of people.
He slowly walked to the place where she had breathed her final words. She was not there, for which he was glad. He was not prepared to see her again.
He gathered up a small pile of stones. In the same place where her body had fallen, he built a small monument to her memory before decorating it with a cherry blossom.
...
He conducted one final search of the village and its surroundings for anything of use. Finding none, he returned to the sacrificial altar and stood there, gazing at the desolation surrounding him.
He considered burying the remains of the villagers but decided the world needed a twisted monument to what the darkness of humanity was capable of.
He took one last look of the forsaken village before entering the forest. Soon, he was gazing at the shrine where he and Kallen had spent so many happy moments with the miko. Mercifully, it still remained. He stepped inside. If he let his imagination wander, he could have thought it was merely as if she had departed her home and would be back later that evening.
He shook his head. These were in the past. He could not dwell on them.
He looked up at the cloudy sky. He ascended high into the atmosphere and began flying back to Vienna as fast as lightning.
He made sure to fly high above the clouds to avoid being seen. There was no need to advertise the existence of a flying man to the world below him. It would learn in due time.
These girls are going to be safe. But one thing I will never know is their fate in the original timeline…did they find somewhere else to live? Did they all die once their food ran out? Did travelling bandits find them and…
He halted his trail of thought before it could go any further.
Little captain…thank you for doing this.
It's…it's the least I could do…
Memories of the women he knew were still waiting for him surfaced to his mind, but he pushed them aside.
His world no longer held meaning for him.
...
He landed in the courtyard of the completed orphanage. He walked inside and met with the director of the orphanage, who was Kallen herself.
"Johann! You're back! Are the girls with you?"
He had told her about his plan to travel to the Far East in search of the girls they were forced to abandon.
He smiled at Kallen and told her to come outside with him. There, he reopened a portal and stepped inside the pocket dimension, telling the girls that they had arrived. They reluctantly exited the mansion and stepped into the real world, gazing at their new home with awe.
"Kallen will be taking care of you from now on, although she'll need to take leave quite soon," he told them.
"Kallen!" the girls cried out with joy, running to her. Then they noticed how large her belly was.
"It's great to see all of you safe. Did he take good care of you on the way here?" Kallen asked.
"Yes, he did! He had a whole house all to himself that he let us stay in! And the food was so good…" the girls excitedly told her.
"That's good. I remember the time he sent me in there…there wasn't a mansion or any light at the time. It was just darkness. I told him he'd better make it a better place to stay next time he puts someone in it!" Kallen laughed. "Come, let's show all of you your new home."
The girls happily followed him and Kallen inside. They showed them their new rooms and the people who would be taking care of them. Once the girls were settled in, he and Kallen stepped into the guest room and sat down together.
He reached over and gently rubbed her swollen belly.
"I'm glad the world our daughter will grow up in will be better than ours," he murmured.
Kallen gently placed her hand over his and lightly patted it. "So am I. She…all children deserve the best…"
Johann thought of the rapidly progressing world unfolding around them. There was still so much work to be done. He was the only one who could ensure this rate of progress.
"Did you…did you find her?" Kallen slowly asked after a long silence.
He sadly shook his head. "No. For whatever reason, Sakura's body was gone…which I can't say is good or bad. All I know is that she's still out there somewhere, trapped with her younger sister from a world ago…"
Kallen only stared at the ground. "I'd like to go back there one more time…just in case there's something there to find."
He would have taken Kallen with him, but she was in no condition to travel.
"After she's born, Kallen. I swear I'll take you back then."
She nodded. After another long silence, he spoke again.
"Have you decided on a deputy director for the orphanage once she's born, Kallen?"
"I have. It's Bianka, your cousin. She came to me first, actually."
Bianka…what a familiar name…I'm sure I know someone with that name, but who…
"Bianka? An excellent choice. Otto and I were close with her growing up. She'll be perfect for taking care of things," he said.
Kallen noticed his brief lapse in attention but made no comment on it.
They embraced before he stepped out of the orphanage and went to inspect the many nascent trappings of modern civilization under construction.
...
Five years later
The Judgement-class Honkai beast roared at him as he flew closer. Blinding pink light began glowing in its jaws as it charged up a massive laser to be fired at him.
The laser would fail to even scratch him, but he quickly dodged to the side regardless before bombarding it with lances and reducing it to nothing.
Another one down. This is starting to get repetitive. How many Judgement-classes have I had to deal with this year alone? This isn't even getting into the weaker classes…
There was one fatal side effect to the rapid advance of technology he had ushered into this world. It was the ever present force he had become so familiar with - the Honkai itself.
Honkai was a phenomenon that grew as humanity did. However much the technology of human civilization advanced, the Honkai grew faster.
Worse, he had noticed one more unsettling change during the past five years - within himself. The scent Sirin marked him with seemed to grow even stronger as time passed. While this meant his own strength and command over the void became ever more unmatched, it also meant he attracted more Honkai beasts from a wider radius, and stronger ones at that. All attempts at suppressing her scent had failed. Sirin herself did not know if it were possible.
At any rate, the responsibility to protect the world, as it always had, fell to him. Construction of worldwide communication systems had long been finished. Telephones, radio, and similar technology made it possible for reports of Honkai outbreaks from around the world to instantly reach him in Vienna. He had spent the last several years travelling around the world, dealing with Honkai outbreaks wherever and whenever they occurred.
But he was just one man. He could only be in one location at once.
It was something he had carefully and deliberately avoided. Now, he had little choice. He introduced the technology of modern-day weaponry into the world he was tasked to protect. Only with them could the people hope to defend themselves against Honkai beasts without him.
Despite his concerns, these weapons in the hands of the people had also given him some peace of mind. With the world capable of dealing with minor outbreaks on their own, he was allowed more time to spend with his family.
He smiled to himself as the city of Vienna came into view. It was no longer the small city it once was; now, modern buildings and even a number of skyscrapers rose into the sky. He landed at the Kaslana estate. To maintain their privacy and safety from the rapidly expanding city, he had hoisted the entire mansion into the air using telekinesis and moved it a distance farther away.
He stepped into the living room. Immediately, a small girl with eyes and hair as blue and silver as her mother ran at him and leapt into his arms. She closely resembled another young girl he once knew but had since forgotten.
"Daddy! You're back! You have to take me flying again!"
He smiled and gently embraced his daughter.
"I promise that I'll take you flying again later, Lilika. For now, let me speak to your mother."
"Okay! She's out right now, but I'll call her!"
He and Kallen decided long ago to name their child after his mother if it were a girl or after her father if it were to be a boy.
He gently placed Lilika Kaslana on the ground. She immediately ran to the telephone on a table and called her mother's cell phone number.
"Yes, mommy. He's home and wants to see you…okay. I'll wait."
He sat down on a couch as Lilika climbed next to him. He gently rubbed her hair. "Have you been behaving yourself while I was away, Lili?"
She determinedly nodded. "I have. I only broke one training gun this time, I promise!"
He laughed. "I hope that you at least learned a lot from it before that happened."
"I did! I didn't even miss one target this time!"
He and Kallen had a long discussion on the future of their daughter shortly after her birth. Would she follow in her mother's footsteps and become a valkyrie fighting to defend humanity? Or would she simply be a normal girl with normal worries?
They had left the decision for Lilika to make. Soon, her Kaslana blood shone through. She had always taken an interest in her mother's fighting skills and style and wanted nothing more than to learn to do the same.
He and Kallen debated about this. Lilika was still a child. She could not be ready yet, but Kallen disagreed.
"My father taught me how Kaslanas fight as soon as I was able to hold a gun. Lord Arthur taught me the rest," Kallen had said.
"But…it's dangerous…" Johann had protested.
Kallen looked at him. Then she slowly nodded. "I know. But…I can't stop her. Sooner or later, she will try learning on her own. It isn't our place to tell her what she can or can't do."
Eventually, he agreed. He and Kallen had taught their daughter everything they knew about combat. Lilika was growing up to become a skilled valkyrie.
Johann held his daughter in his arms, happy at how well she was growing.
"I'm happy to hear that. How about Lord Arthur and Bianka? Have they been taking good care of you while your mother and I are both away?" he asked.
"Yup! Lord Arthur says that I'm learning even faster than mommy did under him. And Aunt Bianka is always nagging me, but she takes good care of me anyways."
He hugged his daughter again. Then the front door opened. Kallen walked in, wearing the uniform of a Schicksal valkyrie.
"Welcome back," she told him with a smile.
He stood up and smiled back. "I should be the one saying that to you."
They gave each other a brief kiss while Lilika looked away in embarrassment.
He and Kallen had married shortly after the birth of their daughter. Some may have disapproved of their premarital relations, but none could speak against them, either.
"I wish to walk beside you for the rest of our futures," Kallen vowed then. "Will you take my hand on this grand journey?"
Taking her hand in his own, he accepted without question.
"How are the girls doing?" he asked, referring to the orphanage.
"The usual, which you know quite well," she answered. "I was going to take Lilika for a playdate with her friends there, but she wanted to practice combat instead."
"Ah."
"I'm assuming that the outbreak was dealt with. That's why you're back home."
"Yes, Kallen. You should have seen the Honkai beast, Chiyou. It was the size of a mountain, but the larger they are, the harder they fall."
She laughed. "Let's hope it's the last of them, then."
His eyes closed. "I'm sorry. It isn't. There will be more. There will always be more…"
Kallen sensed his distress. She gently sat down with their daughter between them. Lilika could also tell when her father was unhappy.
"This world needs you, Johann. And we need you. It's okay if you're busy and only have a little time for us. We're always watching you on the news as you deal with threats around the world. We want to tell you how proud we are of you and happy we are that you're protecting everyone you can. Aren't we, Lilika?" Kallen said, rubbing her daughter's hair.
"Yes, mommy! I love seeing you fly in the sky and deal with all of those Honkai beasts, daddy! It makes me even more excited to fight against them and protect the people myself!" Lilika excitedly answered.
He smiled and embraced them both. "I know, Kallen, Lilika. I'm proud of both of you, too. Kallen, you're still a valkyrie fighting for everything that's beautiful in this world. You're often sent off on missions, too…but you always talk with Lilika on the phone every day that you're away. You always make sure that you're there for her…"
Kallen sighed. "My squadmates keep telling me to take time off so I can have more time for her. I want to, but…" she said quietly, gazing at her daughter, who gazed back.
"It's okay, mommy. It's up to you. I'm happy either way."
The three of them fell into a content silence, feeling safe with each other. He and Kallen lay back on the couch, slowly drifting into a much-needed sleep. That was when his phone rang.
Damn it. I never should have introduced these into this world…
"Sorry," he told them. "I have to take this call. It's important…"
Kallen nodded. She stood up and led Lilika by the hand to the firing range behind the mansion. "Why don't you show me how much you've improved, Lilika?"
"I can't wait to, mommy!"
He watched them depart with a smile. Then he accepted the call.
"Overseer, we've received a communication from the Emperor of Shenzhou. He wishes to speak with you personally…" said the voice on the other end.
"I'll be right there."
...
The Grand Cathedral had been completely renovated into a modern center of administration. In one of its meeting rooms, a hologram of the ninth emperor of the Ming Dynasty appeared above the table.
As a gesture of goodwill, Schicksal shared its new technology with the entire world at no cost, with Shenzhou being the first recipient. Now, leaders and their people could instantly communicate with each other no matter where they stood.
Johann seated himself. "Greetings, Emperor," he fluently said in the language of Shenzhou.
The emperor of Shenzhou was a large man with a distinctive beard and mustache. He was also known as the Chenghua Emperor. He had fought off Schicksal's invasion years before to a stalemate. It was the first time he and Johann had directly communicated.
The emperor regarded him for a very long time. "Greetings, Overseer of Schicksal. I believe this is the first time we have directly spoken with each other."
"Yes, Emperor. It is. I am heartened that you deemed my audience worthy of your time."
"You have earned it by destroying the Benghuaishou, Chiyou, that threatened our lands. Shenzhou wishes to extend its gratitude to you."
So, I was right.
"There is no need to thank me. I'm glad that I could partially atone for my crimes against your people a decade ago."
The Chenghua Emperor had not forgotten them. "The Ming Dynasty has no more quarrel with you or Schicksal. On the contrary, I wish to establish a formal relationship between our nations. In time, it could even grow into an alliance."
Johann considered the idea. Shenzhou was indeed a powerful ally to have. It would also help mend the animosity Schicksal had created between them.
"Schicksal would welcome the opportunity to repair the rifts between our civilizations, Emperor. We will require time for more negotiations toward a formal establishment, but starting from this moment, you can expect our full cooperation wherever appropriate," Johann promised him.
The Chenghua Emperor seemed satisfied. "There is one other who wishes to speak with you. She stands beside me as I speak. Immortal Celestial, the Overseer is yours."
The image changed from the face of the Emperor to the face of the woman he had forgotten.
...
In 1476, Fu Hua's seven disciples turned on her and murdered her, which prevented him and Kallen from seeking her out. After returning to life twenty years later, her strength was greatly diminished. No longer would she be the MANTIS soldier powerful enough to defeat Herrschers on her own.
Johann knew that to better safeguard this world, he needed strong allies like her.
During his first visit to Shenzhou to extend Schicksal's hand of welcome there, he travelled to her old temple in search of her unconscious body. He eventually found her slowly healing from her injuries, but he knew that waiting for her to heal at her natural rate would rob her of her strength, something he refused to allow.
Carefully holding her in his arms, he flew her to Schicksal and placed her in a rejuvenation tank, where he carefully monitored her healing process until she had recovered fully. She woke to him, lying in a bed. At first, she could not speak.
"It's good to see you, Immortal Celestial," he said. "How are you feeling?"
Her eyes were unreadable as they often were. "You know my real name. You don't need to refer to me by that title," she finally replied.
He gently ran his hand through her hair. She tensed up at first but soon acquiesced to his touch. "It's me, Hua. I'm sorry…I'm sorry for taking so long to see you. I'm sorry for everything I did as the Supreme Commander, for invading Shenzhou and hurting so many of its people…I'm not sure if you can ever forgive me, and I'm not sure if I even deserve it…"
She listened to his every word, unsure if he were the same man she once knew.
"Hua…I'm doing everything I can to atone for my crimes…I want to make things up to the world, starting with Shenzhou. I've become Schicksal's Overseer, and this means that I've changed it from within. We can make the world better together. Will you stand with me?"
Hua slowly sat up. Her body felt as strong as it always had been. This relieved her. She stared at him. "How did you know where to find me?"
At this, he slowly explained the truth of the world to her. When he finished, she smiled.
"I can't verify if any of what you say is true because your mind is resisting Fenghuang Down, but I am grateful for your healing me. I will accept your atonement once you fulfill it. The Supreme Commander has no other choice."
He thanked her for understanding.
"I recognized you on the battlefield," she told him. "At the time, I couldn't accept that you became my enemy...but now, I'm glad you're here with me again."
He smiled. "I'm glad you're here, too."
...
That was years ago. Her name and face had faded from his mind since. Seeing her again jolted several memories he could not make sense of.
The woman had reddish white hair and wore a qipao with those same colours. She stared through his eyes and into his soul.
"Overseer." She said the word in a flat and emotionless voice.
"Immortal Celestial," he said. "I wish to extend the arm of friendship to you."
She continued to stare. "If you and Schicksal will never threaten Shenzhou and its people again, then I am content with whatever relations you forge between yourselves."
She vanished from view. The image returned to the Emperor.
She…she knows who I am…she must have recognized me on the Kipchak Steppe…
He forced the thought out of his mind.
"Will that be everything, Emperor?"
"For now, Overseer. I await your diplomats and further opportunities to create our new relations."
The hologram blinked out and vanished. Johann slumped into his seat.
Fu Hua. That was the Immortal Celestial's name. He was a fool to have forgotten her and the lesson she had taught him once.
He had been warned of the risks of reintroducing advanced technology to an era unprepared for it. It was a memory he now barely remembered…the time when Fu Hua told him of her and her fellow survivors from the Previous Era, Kevin and Su, and their disastrous attempt at enacting Project EMBER.
Project EMBER was one of many contingencies the Previous Era developed for the sake of humanity's survival. They would provide the new era with advanced technology from the previous one in hopes that they could accelerate the rate of civilization's growth.
They had, but so too did the Honkai.
Monstrous and powerful beasts soon emerged to terrorize humanity and set its advancement back. Monsters like the Judgement-class Honkai beast, Chiyou, which Johann had just defeated.
This world was fortunate that the cycle of Herrschers had not started early. But Johann would not give up on this. Fu Hua, Kevin, and Su had other contingencies to use, but this one was his only hope at making the world into a better place.
As his thoughts drifted to the needs of this world, those three strange, foreign names gradually vanished from his mind. He had never thought of them.
What am I doing?
...
Five years later
The world was at peace.
It was not a peace of its own accord. This peace was enforced by the force of one man.
Johann Apocalypse knew from the moment he reintroduced modern weapons such as firearms, artillery, ships, jets, and armoured fighting vehicles into this world that humanity would be unable to resist the urge to turn their new weapons against each other instead of against the Honkai that treated all humans as one and the same.
War was inevitable. It was one of mankind's first and most natural urges. It fell to him and him alone to curb it. He was the only one who possessed the capacity for violence needed to enforce peace.
Peace through strength. What else can this be called? I own the monopoly on violence. I alone can decide what the world does and does not do.
The thought terrified him.
He reasoned with himself that he was saving countless lives by preventing endless wars. He was well-versed in the history of his own world. In the year 1492, only a handful of years from this timeline's current date, a certain explorer would sail from Spain and arrive at the continent of North America, paving the path to the widescale conquest of its people.
Johann could do nothing about the atrocities that had already occurred well before him, but he could prevent ones he knew would happen if he stood by and did nothing.
He made contact with the vulnerable populations of the world and gradually introduced the means for them to develop their civilizations, equalizing them all.
A number of kings, emperors, rulers, and tyrants were gleefully preparing to use their new weapons for their own gains. After personally visiting them in their throne rooms or private quarters, these plans were quickly put to a stop.
"I'm sure you're aware of the stipulations I made when I gifted these weapons and technology to your nation," he said to one such king.
The king, now as terrified as a cornered rat, could not speak. He was fully aware of the power of the god standing before him and what his presence meant.
"I hope I don't need to tell you that I will not and will never approve of humanity turning their weapons against each other instead of the enemy that threatens us all - the Honkai."
The king nodded, sweat dripping off his face.
Johann turned away, satisfied for the time being before taking off to meet the other ruler who was this king's enemy. He and his spies would keep a watchful eye on potential troublemakers like them. If necessary, he would use Fenghuang Down to strip them of any warlike impulses forever.
After all, the spy drone floating in the corner of the room could remain invisible indefinitely and transmit information across the entire world.
...
"We're home, Lilika."
"No! I wanted you to take me flying for even longer!"
"Next time!"
He smiled to himself. He had been as exhilarated himself the first time he took to the sky, freed from the shackles of gravity that kept him landbound. All of the sky was his domain, and the world below him had never looked so beautiful.
Kallen had been the same. She was interested in the experience of flying and had absolute confidence in him that he would never let her fall. And he never had.
When Lilika was born, he knew she would also eventually want to see the world below her from the sky above. She had never screamed with such pure and utter joy like when he first showed her the beauty of the world's vast expanses of oceans, mountains, and other natural wonders.
"Look, Lilika," he told her as they floated high above the surface among the clouds, showing her everything he strove to protect. "This is the world we belong to. This is the world your mother and I fight so hard to protect…we fight for everything beautiful in this world, and this includes you."
"Really, daddy?"
"Really."
"I want to protect everything beautiful, too!"
He was silent for a long time, worrying her.
"...Daddy?"
"If that's what you want to do, Lilika, then I'll be very happy. But not now. It can wait for when you've grown up. You're still my precious little girl right now, and I want for you to be safe."
Lilika was growing up quickly and had blossomed even more into the lovely and cheerful girl she always had been.
He flew them back home. He safely set her down and gently hugged her before softly whispering into her ear.
"Happy birthday, Lilika. I love you. I hope this gift made you happy."
"It always does!" she cheerfully replied.
He released her before hugging Kallen, who was waiting for both of them.
She had long rejoined Schicksal's order of valkyries. Under her leadership, the order evolved into the world's greatest fighting and peacekeeping force. Johann had never been prouder to see his wife at the head of the prestigious organization.
At the thought of the valkyrie order, strange names entered his mind. Names from another world, from another lifetime.
He felt Sirin's worry for him. He ignored it.
Kallen smiled at him. "What unpleasant problem did you need to deal with this time?"
"You know. The usual. There was some cult worshipping me as a god and kidnapping people as sacrifices. I had to put a stop to that," he said in a quiet voice so Lilika would not hear.
It was before his flight with Lilika that day. He had personally visited the cultists and modified their minds to prevent them from ever thinking such dangerous thoughts again.
Kallen shook her head. "We've had enough cults like that in our lifetime. I wish people would come to their senses."
"Let's not talk about this now, Kallen. It's Lilika's birthday. Let's make this day special for her."
They each gently led their daughter by a hand and into the dining room where all of her favourite foods were waiting for her. There were dishes from all around the world, ranging from Muscovy to Shenzhou to Zipangu and more.
"All of it smells so good! Did you cook them yourself?" Lilika asked.
"I did! It was a lot of fun choosing all of your favourite foods…you like so many different dishes from around the world. Of course, your mother helped out a lot, too."
Kallen laughed. "I remember when you used to vomit after eating the things I made for you. Now I'm able to cook for both of you."
Lilika had quite a varied and diverse appetite, but she was a Kaslana after all.
At the thought, he was reminded of another Kaslana who adored food as much as his daughter did and was just as poor at cooking as his wife had once been. What was her name again…?
Nevermind. It was only his imagination.
As the three of them sat down and enjoyed an incredible meal - some of it made by Kallen, who had improved at cooking under his guidance - Johann thought of the world's progress.
It had largely reached the level of the world he came from. Over the past decade, industry, education, logistics, quality of life, and everything in between had surged at unprecedented rates. Food was now abundant because of the agricultural revolution ushered in by advanced equipment and previously unknown techniques that increased resource efficiency and crop production. With such available access to food and medicine, the population was exploding. He worried to himself about the consequences of so many more people in the world over such a short time, but he told himself that if the Previous Era could manage such drastic changes, so too could this one.
Wars were long at an end. Even without his direct intervention, the nations of the world simply had little use for such squabbles given their bountiful resources and rates at which their nations were growing, which none of them wished to disrupt. And if all else failed, there was always Fenghuang Down.
His family noticed him seemingly lost in thought.
"Is everything alright?" Kallen asked him.
He shook himself out of his reverie. "Yes. Thanks for asking. How is the borscht, Lilika?"
"It's delicious! I love tomatoes!"
"I learned to make that borscht from - from a friend in Muscovy."
That was a lie. Or was it? Who had he learned to make borscht from again?
Was it a girl? Had she made it for him as breakfast one day?
No, it was impossible. He knew of no such girl. He had learned borscht from his many visits to Muscovy in the past, nothing more.
Kallen carefully watched him. She was aware when something bothered him. She would speak to him about it later, but now, they had their daughter's birthday to celebrate.
...
Johann slowly climbed into bed beside Kallen. Even though he could not meet her gaze, he still felt the concern from those eyes as blue as the sky.
"Johann…I know that something is bothering you. You can tell me. You can tell me anything…"
"..."
What was bothering him?
Was it those long-lost memories that kept resurfacing and Sirin kept suppressing for him at his request? Or was it the unshakeable feeling that he did not belong in this world?
"...Kallen…I don't know…everything is going so well…the world is improving, the people are happier, and we're happier…but…"
She hugged him and caressed his hair. "It must be something that's troubling you. You wouldn't feel this way without a reason."
"..."
"..."
...
A golden flash of colour appeared in his mind. Then it was followed by white and green.
…No…no, not him…not you…go away, you bastard…why won't you leave me alone even now?
The man with long, blonde hair sat on his throne, sipping blood-red wine. He wore elegant white, golden, and black clothing. Johann stood below the throne, staring up at those striking green eyes.
"Have you missed me, dear cousin of mine?"
"How can I miss a ghost? You're dead, Otto. This…this is my own mind playing tricks on me…"
"So what if it is? You still wanted to speak with me for a reason. Speak away. We have all the time in the world."
Johann could not speak despite all of his words rising to the surface of his turmoil.
"I've left such an impression on you, cousin, that you're scared you're slowly becoming me. Am I right?" Otto answered for him.
"...I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes. Yes, Otto. I fear that everything I'm doing is just following in your footsteps."
"And why is that? Isn't everything you've done for the sake of bettering the world? In stark contrast, every step I took was for the sake of merely one person, Kallen, not billions. Some of my actions benefited the world by happenstance, but these were only ever fortunate coincidences, nothing more. Never once did I pretend what I did was right, that I was a good person doing good things. But you…you truly believe what you're doing is right."
"Otto…you were a good man at first. You were not born a monster. I saw this for myself when we were boys growing up together. Circumstances changed you. Living for over five centuries after your natural lifespan changed you, and in turn, you changed the world for the worse. I fear that I am now doing the same."
Otto only smirked at him in amusement, declining to speak and sipping yet more wine.
"I am immortal…more immortal than you ever were. I don't only have a Soulium body that never ages, but I'm a Herrscher, which carries its own brand of immortality. I am the most powerful existence in this world. No one can hope to challenge me or my rule. I am more than a mere Overseer, king, or emperor. I am God."
Otto's smirk grew wider. He drank another sip of wine.
"I am God, and I can continue to be God for as long as I wish. I may be a benevolent leader now, but so were you when you first became Overseer after overthrowing Marseille and Risa's tyrannical rule…power is man's greatest weakness. The stronger he becomes, the weaker he becomes to resist the urge for even more. Power warped and corrupted you, cousin. Over five centuries, it changed you. I fear that in that much time, I will not only become you but become worse than you ever were. I've used Fenghuang Down to manipulate more people into serving me than you ever had. I've brushed aside their free will as if it meant nothing…"
"And why do you care so much, Johann? So what if you become a tyrant? Don't you wish to remain in power for as long as you can to ensure this world's continued survival? Don't you want Kallen, Lilika, and all of your descendants to live safe and happily under your protection and care?"
"...Don't bring them into this, Otto…"
"You already have. But what does it matter what I say? As you said, I'm only a ghost. And this is only a dream. You need not think any more of this. In fact, you can wake up right now. But if you do want to derive more meaning from our little chat, then all I can say is that you will need to decide between this world's happiness and your family's."
Otto finished the wine in the wineglass. He set it down. He waved goodbye.
"I know you will make the right choice in the end, my dearest Johann. Farewell."
Johann's eyes opened. In front of him, Kallen's were closed.
Did I…fall asleep without answering her? Damn it…I'll need to think of an answer before she wakes up…
He was unable to fall back asleep no matter how much he wished to. He slowly climbed out of bed, careful to avoid waking her up. He walked over to the balcony that opened to the sky. Kallen had climbed onto it one night to bid him farewell, changing both of their lives forever.
Little captain…do you wish to talk?
Not now, Sirin. But thank you.
His feet left the floor of the balcony. He began ascending into the sky.
Higher and higher he flew until the skyscrapers of Vienna vanished into nothingness. Then the forests and mountains. Then even the oceans began shrinking as he flew higher than he ever had. The cool, white clouds caressed his skin before they too were left behind.
He rose into the heavens and beyond them. The atmosphere grew thinner and thinner, but he was a Herrscher in a Soulium vessel. He had no need for air or sustenance.
The entire planet itself began falling away from him, a precious azure orb in the blackness of the void that encircled it. It became smaller until the distance between himself and the world he knew disconcerted even him.
He looked away from the world behind him. Ahead of him was a circular shape, growing larger by the second. Its grey surface was pockmarked with craters left by asteroids and other debris from aeons past.
The moon silently welcomed him as he stopped right above its surface. He had no intention to leave footprints or any evidence that he was ever there. The honour of being the first to step onto the moon could wait for future generations.
He gazed at the Earth far away from him, now a blue hemisphere surrounded by darkness.
It's so beautiful from far away. Up close, it's ugly.
No, I can't think this way. I'm not supposed to…
He cleared his mind the way an old teacher had once taught him to. She may have been from Shenzhou. Or she may have never existed at all.
He was at peace as he shut his eyes.
Time passed. He did not know how much. When he reopened them, he decided to explore.
Looking around him, he saw nothing but craters and ancient stone.
Knowledge from a world ago resurfaced to his mind. He recalled that the moon was the site of humanity's final battle against the Honkai. There, its eight mightiest warriors faced the end, the Final Herrscher, with all the bravery they still had. Although they had failed, enough survived to plant the seeds that would blossom into a new world.
He began flying across the moon's surface, in search of the moon fortress he knew should be there. When he found it, its ancient architecture having stood the tests of time, he felt unknown emotions stirring within him.
Was he leading this world to the same fate? Or did a different path await them?
He wondered if some of the Flame Chasers' bodies could still be found here, preserved from the ravages of time. He decided against searching for them. He would leave them in peace, at least until the world below travelled here on its own.
After flying a distance away, he stopped in front of the massive, motionless corpse of the Fourteenth Herrscher, its resting place a deep gorge in the ground.
Even fifty millennia later, her majestic power could still be felt. Violet energy seeped out of her ruined, shattered body as a lifeless eye stared directly into his own. Even in death, she commanded an eerie and eldritch power that induced in him an inexplicable sensation of fear.
He did not feel like he belonged here. This discovery was not meant for him to find. He travelled far, far away from the almighty Herrscher and once again turned his gaze to his home far away.
He heard an alien, yet familiar presence pressing into his mind. It was not Sirin.
To his shock, the presence morphed into the sound of speech and then coherent words.
Captain? Johann? Are you there? Can you hear us?
A/N:
未来的人生...我想和你一起走下去. (I wish to walk beside you for the rest of our futures; one of her removed bridge interactions).
卡莲...对不起... (Kallen...I'm sorry...)