Disclaimer: 'Honkai impact 3rd' is the property of Hoyoverse, Singapore. I do not own any characters in this story except the minor OCs here and there.
New meetings
FIRE MOTH BASE – 2021(Previous era) (One week later)
Kevin slowly opened his eyes to the incoming rays of the sun into his room. This time he was not attached to multiple machines pumping suspicious-looking fluids, however many of the monitoring devices were still present with their electrodes attached to his body. In addition, he saw two coloured saline packets hanging on the saline stand beside his bed, injecting some medicine into his veins through the I.V in his left hand. He tried to move around finding that his body was more cooperative than the last time when he fought a Herrscher. He then got up slowly and saw three mops of hair: Pink, lime green and dark violet almost black. It seemed they slept at his bedside while waiting on him.
He felt that they were just wasting their time looking after someone like him. They all had such great potential and they were wasting it by worrying about someone like him. As he looked outside the window, he saw the sun was low on the horizon meaning it was late evening. How many days had passed since then he wondered?
Kevin looked over his body not surprised to find himself bandaged almost entirely. Those slashing attacks from the 3rd Herrscher were truly frightening. He was not sure how he survived once but twice; maybe it was due to ***'s help again. He was still looking out for him even after all this time; thinking about it made Kevin's heart heavy as the memories came flooding in, of all that he had lost, of all that he had failed to protect. It also seemed like he won't be able to see *** anymore, as his last farewell felt like a final one. From now on he has to make his way in this world alone, but that was fine as he had found the two things that will help him in ***'s place.
COURAGE and BELIEF.
He just had to move ahead one step at a time, while carrying all of their memories and their legacies. His mind clear, Kevin clenched his hands: a show of resolve to fight till the end. He will never lose again, not especially to a Herrscher.
Speaking of Herrschers, he wondered what happened to the corpse of the 3rd Herrscher? Will Welt-san be able to extract anything from the lump of charred meat? He shrugged mentally, not like it was his concern. He then remembered the mark which had been the centre of it all. He glanced at his left forearm where he was sure the mark was present behind those layers of bandages. He would have to train himself to use this power to its full potential as well. However, Kevin didn't know how to proceed in that direction; maybe he'll try consulting with Welt-san and Mobius-san once he gets discharged.
Speaking of Mobius-san, she was sleeping soundly on his right side near his hand. She must have been extremely exhausted between her responsibilities as the head of the First Institute and looking over him in this medical room. The same could be said for Elysia and Mei; they must have so much work to do, yet they take time out of it to take care of him. Thinking such things made Kevin despondent; he was not worthy of these lovely women's care and affection. He didn't deserve the care or affection of any of the people in the Moths as in return he only brought pain to them.
Kevin was so much deep in thought that he didn't notice the door open slightly and a familiar face walked in.
"Kevin?"
"Ah, Su." he said finally registering the person who had entered the room.
The boy named Su stood over him before his face morphed into one of relief. He quickly made it over to Kevin and gently put a hand over his shoulder.
"Thank goodness. You are finally awake. We were all worried, you know? You would not wake up even after you were treated. Many of us thought you have gone into a coma."
"Hmm." Kevin replied.
"Don't 'Hmm' me. Do you know how much Seele-chan and Mei-chan cried because of that? Heck, even Elysia-san and Dr. Mobius were extremely worried all this time. They all would come over here and sleep in this room for the past few days. They were here waiting for you to wake up leaving the room for only their duties, daily necessities and to eat; that also many of us had to force them to do so." Su exclaimed irritably.
"Yeah." Kevin responded even more despondent now; he really loathed himself now that he had made them so worried. Seeing his expression Su's eyes softened. He then released a sigh and said:
"What I mean to say is don't make them worry that much. Even I can see how much they cherish you." At this, Kevin looked at him quizzically and asked:
"What?"
At this Su could only sigh deeply and pinch the bridge of his nose. How one who is such a great fighter like him be completely oblivious to things like this? He wanted to bash his best friend's head to make him understand these women's feelings for him, but decided against it. It was not his place to say anything, Kevin had to learn this on his own. And furthermore, these women will skin him alive if they learned that it was him who spilt the beans.
"Nothing." Su said dropping the topic.
"?" Kevin was puzzled at his friend's actions but let it be. Wasn't it normal for comrades and friends to care for each other? He really couldn't understand why Su, aniki, Welt-san and even General Alexei gave him this kind of look like he was some kind of idiot.
"How many days had passed since then?" Kevin asked changing the topic.
"Almost a week now. The reinforcements led by two colonels arrived soon after to take care of post-eruption relief and to stabilize the region by eradicating the remaining Honkai beasts."
Kevin nodded in understanding and Su continued:
"They brought you in as fast as possible and bandaged you up. However, since you were extremely exhausted and lost a lot of blood, you were kept in the Critical unit for three days after which you were transferred here."
"What happened to the Herrscher's corpse?"
"Oh, that? Well, they brought it back or whatever was left of it. The head researchers here are fuming over how much you have destroyed the body. It's burned to the point that even gender verification is impossible now; it's literally a lump of burned meat. You really burned it to death." Su said in a voice of slight awe and respect.
"I promised her after all." Kevin said.
"Yeah. By the way many other things happened as well while you were asleep."
"Hmm? What all happened?"
Then Su explained how after the third eruption, the country of Japan is feeling extreme economic recessions due to the destruction of many of its major cities. The eruption had also spread chaos in many countries of the world as well. Even though the casualties were lessened due to the extensive efforts of the Moths, still thousands of people died in this eruption. The world population had decreased by 12 per cent in the last eruption.
Hearing all these things made Kevin's heart laden with guilt. He failed to protect so many yet again. If he was just stronger, then those people would have been alive. If he had defeated the Herrscher earlier, then it would not have ended in tragedy. Seeing that expression on his face, Su tried to cheer him up.
"Hey, it's not your fault Kevin, you defeated the 3rd Herrscher; alone if I may add and protected so many people."
"But I failed many as well. If only I was stronger. It is my fault Su and I won't run away from the responsibility." Kevin spoke with renewed resolve.
Su could only look at his friend disapprovingly. He was so stubborn that he would not accept anyone's gratitude but blame himself endlessly for something that was out of his control. He knew that Kevin is going to become more reckless and push himself more in the future. He had to hurry up and join the Moths as soon as possible if he wanted to help him carry some of that burden.
After that they talked about many other things such as how the Moths have gained even more political power, prompting many politicians to try and wiggle their way into the upper ranks. However, General Alexei and Dr. Welt had cleanly rejected them despite their protests and threats.
The General had made it extremely clear that the Moths would never become a political organization with legislation and all which decreases the execution speed of the decisions; which could be catastrophic for Humanity against the Honkai. Hearing this made Kevin a little relieved as well, he would not have to obey orders from incompetent people who could never protect their countries from Honkai. He only trusted General Alexei, welt-san and the regiment commanders to make proper and logical decisions regarding Honkai outbreaks and eruptions.
As they kept conversing, the women finally woke up groggily hearing sounds coming from near them.
"Hmm.", "Yawn~", "What happened?"
"Finally awake I see. Well good news for you, I guess."
"Hmm, what do you mean Su-kun?" Mei asked still rubbing her eyes.
"Su, I think we should have talked a little less noisily. They are tired and could have used the extra hours of sleep." hearing that voice made all the three women stop still. That voice they can recognize anywhere, it was the voice of the one they cherished the most.
"Well, you would know more about it, huh?"
"…"
"Look, they are all awake now." Su said looking at the women. The three turned their heads very slowly and saw the sky-blue eyes that they loved so much looking at them in usual indifference. It almost seemed like a dream, so Elysia wanted to make sure that it wasn't
"Ke…. vin?"
"I see you're okay, Elysia. That's good to see. Good job by the way leading the forces in Nagazora in my absence. And Dr. Mobius, you didn't have to waste your precious off time by coming here, I would have visited you later."
At this, both Mobius and Elysia were shocked. It was not a dream, he was really awake, he was really really back.
"Ke—vin." they whimpered.
"Yeah." he only replied in his usual tone. After hearing this they couldn't contain themselves anymore and jumped on Kevin embracing him tightly.
"Y-You are finally awake…. sob…. sob… Thank goodness, thank goodness. I…I-I t-thought…." Elysia hugged him and nuzzled in his neck while her tears fell.
"I-I s-said… y-you to… r-return… s-safe sob…sob…" …" Mei stuttered as she cried, not able to speak due to the intense emotions of relief that she was feeling now. She hugged his waist firmly but gently.
"Why do you worry me to no end, amadan thu." Mobius held his hand and let her tears fall.
The three women were sobbing uncontrollably as their tears stained his bandages, but he couldn't feel the sensation of those tears wetting his bandages as usual.
Kevin just sat there not understanding why they were crying this much. He looked at Su for an explanation, to which his friend just shook his head while smiling and said:
"You dense blockhead."
After they have calmed down a little, the three women looked up at him simultaneously. Then they smiled through their tears and said to Kevin:
"Welcome back."
Two months later
The sun's rays peeked through the covers gently caressing Elysia's face. She turns to the other side in order to get a few more minutes of sleep, and that is when her alarm clock went off.
"Toot, toot, toot, toot…."
After ringing a few more times, she finally opens her eyes a little and hit the snooze button on the alarm clock.
"Yawn…" she yawns while getting up and rubbing her eyes. Then she sits up and stretches in her bed.
"It's a new day. A beautiful day. Let's do it, Elysia!" she says motivating herself and getting out of her bed. She then went to the bathroom to do her morning routine and to take shower.
After showering, she came out of the bathroom while draping a towel around her body. Her skin was flushed after a warm shower and droplets of water clung to her body. She dried her hair with another towel removing any remaining moisture from it. She then stood on the weighing machine:
"Ok, that's done. Aannddd no need to remember that number." she said to herself but her thoughts were different on the matter.
'uuuuuu…... I gained weight again. I wonder if he will find me fat? I guess I will have to cut down on those strawberry shortcakes for a while.'
After getting dressed in her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful as usual, but her Moth uniform was too dull for a beautiful woman such as herself. If only there was someone who could design beautiful clothes for her. She sighed as her mind wandered to how he looked in his battle coat. The more she imagined him in his uniform, the more flushed she became. He looked so cool in that uniform; it was so perfect on him that it was almost unfair, if she could just see his toned body….
Elysia blushed profusely and clapped her cheeks to get those raunchy thoughts out of her head. She then looked at herself in the mirror again for the final touches.
"Outfit, check. Hair, check. Smile, check. Today is going to be a great day ~"
Satisfied with her appearance, she made her way outside her room to start her day.
…
As she entered the cafeteria, a Moth member greeted her:
"Good morning, Ellie~. You are here early today huh?"
"Good morning, Aisha! You look wonderful today. Newlyweds really do have a glow to them after all." Elysia greeted her and teased her a little.
"Mou."
"Yawn… Morning Elysia. See you in training." Colonel Ato said as he rubbed the back of his head and made his way to his office.
"Wow… I thought I saw a model, turns out it was you. Good morning to you too, Colonel Ato."
"Sigh… Stop it in the early morning at least." Ato bashfully said. At this Elysia could only giggle.
"Good morning Elysia." Colonel Himeko said greeting her now second in command.
"Good morning to you too commander. Shall we eat breakfast together?"
"Sure." Himeko said as they both sat down and had their breakfast before going their separate ways.
…
Elysia made her way to the training arena. The arena was now better than when it was started two years ago. The Moths had now all the commonly found Honkai beast's data down to the last detail due to extensive data gathering by the deployed soldiers and the data recording research teams as well. She just wondered how things were here before all this was present; when they didn't know anything? When he had to learn to fight the beasts by repeatedly fighting them, constantly putting himself in danger. Thinking about the hardships he faced to become as strong as he is now made her respect him even more. He was such a great leader that she couldn't even compare, but that doesn't mean she was going to stop now. Even someone as strong as him shouldn't take the burdens alone that he did. He had already fought and defeated two Herrschers all alone but it came with the price of him nearly dying himself.
Elysia couldn't bear anymore to see him sacrifice himself again and again to carry a responsibility that wasn't his alone to bear. However, she also knew that words without the strength to back them up are merely empty words; thus, she had created her own regime to get even stronger. Her manipulation ability of Honkai energy was growing stronger day by day, now only second to him and with it her combat prowess as well. She had already surpassed Colonel Ato and her commander as they have said, but she wasn't going to stop here. She had to grow to the point where she can stand shoulder to shoulder with him. He didn't know that he was the role model and goal of so many here at Moths, herself included.
Thinking such things, she made her way to the difficulty selector of the training arena.
"Alright, let's make today's challenge a bit tougher!" she said as she increased the difficulty all the way to EXTREME.
…
The simulation started with two flying beasts of Seraph-class Honkai beasts, thus she decided to go with a bow. It was the weapon she often used in combat and the one she was most comfortable in. Even though most of the Moths soldiers used normal Honkai-powered assault rifles, some like her used more traditional-looking weapons. However, such weapons were far stronger than standard issue rifles as they were hand crafted with user specifications by the Second Institute. GODSLAYER: SURTR was a prime example, the great sword being extremely famous for its crazy energy requirement and unparalleled strength. It was even difficult to hold and use without getting corrupted by anyone except him. And even only he could use its second form which defeated the 3rd Herrscher. After the incident, personalised weapons were becoming more popular in the Moths with many wanting to have something similar to the Surtr but not many had the aptitude for such a weapon.
She brought these thoughts to an end as the two flying beasts charged at her. She just dodged it while jumping to the side, followed by releasing two charged arrows which hit the beasts' heads killing it. Next simulations of Chariot-class beasts appeared, which charged into her all the same. She dodged them and said:
"Next… it's those heavy ones. Waa~, so nostalgic. I met you guys just recently in Nagazora."
She then charged an arrow with a high concentration of Honkai energy and fired it to the ground. The arrow struck the ground and burst into big pink crystals that trapped the beasts within them.
"But those guys were over 20m tall. I guess if the technicians replicated their size as well then, they wouldn't be able to fit in here. What a shame." She continued as she took aim firing another charged arrow towards the crystals. The crystals burst with Honkai energy into million pieces killing the Honkai beasts trapped within it.
The next beast was a new Emperor-class variant: Imperator. There were very few of them last time in Nagazora she recalled. She shot multiple arrows at it hindering its movement.
"Oh? This is a friend I've never met before. Did Dr. Mobius upload her discovery without permission again?" she wondered as she dodged the laser beams firing toward her by rolling to the back. She then charged another arrow and shot it at the foot of the Emperor-class. The crystals that burst forth impaled its hind legs making it immobile for a few moments. She then charged an arrow to the brim with Honkai energy and shot the arrow towards the air. Once it reached the centre of the training arena near the ceiling, it burst to create a dome that trapped the Emperor beast within.
"Please accept my feelings~." She said as she fired another charged arrow towards the top of the dome. The arrow reflected multiple times wounding and puncturing the Honkai beasts. Elysia finished the beast off by shooting the last arrow which pierced its head killing it. And thus, the training simulation came to an end.
"All done, Nice and easy~." Elysia said as she stood to catch her breath a little and then made her way out of the arena.
…
Elysia took the feedback form after showering to get rid of the sweat from training.
"Fill in 'Very Easy' in the feedback report." she said to herself as she filled up the report.
"Very easy?" a sound caught her attention. Towards the back of the prep room was a man with silver-blue hair leaning against the door.
"Didn't you learn your lesson already, after getting scolded by Himeko earlier?"
"You're here Colonel Ato." she greeted him and then continued:
"Can't help how I feel. Aren't Moth members supposed to speak up? That's all I'm doing now."
At this Ato laughed his signature laugh and said "Others just copy what they have written two weeks prior, but you write the same four words every time. You're helpless. Ah wait, maybe not as much as helpless as him."
"Really, right? He is such a child that someone has to mother him constantly." she giggled again.
"Do you want to have it any different, Elysia?" Ato asked knowingly.
"Nope~." she lightly blushed and smiled warmly.
"But given that you are the star of the 5th regiment, Himeko and Old man Alexei are going to let you off easy as always." he laughed again. He then continued:
"Who would've thought that the little girl from Vladivostok would serve as their benchmark?"
"What are you talking about Colonel? I joined Moths through recruitment like anyone else, and I did it all on my own. Further, I'm still far from him." she sounded a little solemn as she finished speaking.
"He has been here since he was ten years old, and has defeated two Herrschers alone. So, I think putting him in the category of a normal soldier is not possible. In that sense, you are the most obvious choice to compare for the people here." Ato said trying to cheer her up a little.
At this Elysia again returned to her cheerful self and said:
"Besides if I was their benchmark, the logo would've been pink by now ~"
"Give me a break. Pink?" Ato groaned "Do you want both me and him to go AWOL?"
"Hmm~, if you don't like it that much, then how about you score more than me, colonel?"
"Geh." he flinched a little "Thank god he is far stronger than you. Have you seen his recent scores?"
"No. Hmm, let's see?" she said thoughtfully as she looked for his recent training score.
"Judgement-class: Cocytus and Śes̩a at EXTREME difficulty!" she exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah. When he pulled it off, the entire simulation arena was on the verge of collapse due to excessive data overload. That Welt gave him a nice earful for it later." Ato shook his head as he remembered the happenings of that day.
"But why?" Elysia asked with a despondent voice.
"Dunno. But he was saying his usual crap about getting stronger to fight Herrschers without letting anyone else die. That kid is really stubborn to the core." he just shrugged.
At this Elysia could only frown in disapproval. He was pushing himself again despite the protests of those who cared about him. Really what was she going to do with him? She sighed at his stubbornness and the realization that he was going to give her more headaches like these in future.
"Are you going to attend the tradition night today?" Ato asked.
"Yes, of course ~" she happily exclaimed. Ato had a feeling that she was about to do her usual antics and sighed for the nth time since morning.
A few hours later
Elysia was looking through the different dresses in her wardrobe to wear for the ball tonight. Even though she had so many, she wasn't able to choose one.
"The dance… I've been thinking about a few different outfits, but I'll have to try them on before I can really decide ~"
"Which is better? Gorgeous with a long train? Or an elegant backless dress? Will he think it is too bold? Or maybe bold women are his type?" she then became slightly frustrated thinking about what dress would impress him more.
"Mou~, you should really appreciate that I'm putting this much effort into my appearance for you." She pouted while puffing out her cheeks. She had to look special in front of the one she loves after all.
As she was thinking about what dress to wear, there were loud knocks on her door.
"Ara. Who could it be? Is it time already?" she said as she made to the door and opened it. She saw Dr. Mobius outside looking miffed and holding something in her hands.
"ELYSIAAAAAA." she shouted in anger.
"Ara… it's Dr. Mobius. You know the circles under your eyes are worse than two days ago. You really ought to get some rest." Elysia said in friendly concern.
"Stop leaving weird clothes in my closet." Mobius said and dumped the things she had in her hands on the floor. As she was about to slam the door shut Elysia called out to her
"Dr. Mobius, are you coming to the ball tonight? There is a chance he might come back from his mission today and be able to attend the ball as well."
At this Mobius stopped in her tracks. She then turned around and looked at Elysia with furious eyes and said in a low voice:
"I don't know what your plan is, but I'm not handing him over to someone like you who doesn't even know the pain in his heart."
"I know Mobius, I know." Elysia said sincerely, calling Mobius' name without honorific "that is why I want to heal him of it, to ease his burdens. So, he may finally have his peace."
"And you think you can do it? Don't be so naïve Elysia." Mobius bit back.
"I know that I can't alone, that's why I need your help. With more of us, there might be a better chance."
"Do you think I'm just going to share him with you? What even makes you think I will go along with this stupid suggestion." Mobius challenged her.
"Do you love him, Mobius?" Elysia asked with a serious face out of character for her.
"Of course I do. I've loved him even before you came." Mobius said passionately.
"Then, please consider this for his sake. We both know that he has lost so much that now he doesn't even consider the idea that people care about him. That is why we both have to show him that he is wrong; that he doesn't have to carry that huge cross by himself anymore; that there are people waiting for him to return home; that he has a home to return to. And I think we both know that we cannot do all this by ourselves." Elysia said sincerely holding both of Mobius' hands.
At this Mobius averted her eyes a little. She didn't want to give him to anyone, she was the one who loved him first. However, she had to agree with this girl that she can't give him all the warmth he deserves on her own. So, even if she didn't like it, she has to agree for his happiness which was the most important thing here. But she was not going to agree willy-nilly to it.
"Show me that what you say is actually possible and then and only then I will think about it." she said slowly. Hearing this Elysia's face beamed and she happily said while giving Mobius a big hug.
"Thank you sooooooo much, Mobius. I knew you would finally understand ~"
"Get off me. I said I will only think about it, don't get your hopes high."
"Hehe. That is more than enough for me now."
"But remember Elysia, if you dare to use him in any way; I will make you regret living." Mobius warned in a dangerously low tone.
At this Elysia smiled sincerely and said:
"Don't worry Mobius. I love him as much as you, his happiness is the only wish I have."
"Hmph, we'll see about that." Mobius said as she went away closing the door behind her.
As she picked the clothes that Mobius had dumped on the floor earlier, Elysia sighed to herself:
"Aww…. I know she is shy, but that was not nice to trample on my kindness. I just thought she should change her style once in a while. At least she seems cooperative to my other idea."
That was when she noticed one set of clothes that stood out. Picking it up her eyes shone with excitement and she giggled:
"Hmm? Is this…. giggle… I know! I will wear this to the party! He will be surprised as well." She then went into the bathroom to change into the set of clothes that she had chosen.
At the ball
The newly recruited Moth members were fully enjoying themselves after three weeks of a gruelling induction programme. Those three weeks were the literal definition of hell for them, with so much new knowledge and combat training being drilled into them that made almost many of them faint by the end of the day. Many of them didn't make it to the end of the programme but for those who did, now they could be part of an organization that fought against the Honkai. They can finally be in the same place as their hero: GODSLAYER; not to mention various monetary and political benefits of joining such an organization.
As a new recruit, Fu Hua was required to attend the party as well. Out of the various new recruits, her evaluation had been the highest. However, she found no interest in such a lavish party. Her entire life had been turned upside down due to Honkai and now she was lost on how to proceed. That woman, if her memory serves her correctly named 'Himeko' had not seen her even once after she came to the base. She promised Hua that she will teach her how to fight against the Honkai, and while she had not technically gone back on her word as Hua had indeed learned a lot in the induction programme; she still wanted to be taught by the one who saved her.
Thinking such things, Hua made her way to one end of the building where the ball was held. She was wearing a red Qipao which faded to white as the dress went down. Some of the males have tried to approach her with some ulterior motives, but her reserved and aloof nature made them give up in the end. Further, her martial prowess was known among the new recruits, as to how she had beat one of the Moth soldiers during one of the hand-to-hand combat training classes.
As she was standing alone, she heard a group of young recruits talking among themselves who were added to the logistics division. Even though they didn't have as intensive training as soldier recruits, they had to learn how to ordinate troop movements, provide supplies, communicate to move soldiers through transport crafts and many other things. Plus, they had mountains of paperwork that Hua didn't that she felt thankful for.
They were talking about mundane things such as:
"The food here is fabulous! Much better than the school fare!" a girl recruit said.
"Look! They even serve champagne." a boy recruit added.
"Not in a place where there are minors. That's sparkling water." the girl rebuked the boy.
"Whaaat? Bummer." the boy said dejectedly. That was when a voice suddenly broke out from beside them:
"Pardon… Would you like anything to drink?" a maid suddenly popped up beside them.
"Wha-" Hua was absolutely shocked. She didn't sense this girl's presence at all. The two recruits were a little shocked as well before calming down.
"Oh… Thanks" the boy said picking up a glass of sparkling water and blushing at the beautiful appearance of the maid.
"Weren't you calling the party a bummer a minute ago?" the girl said with a tint of jealousy. Hua could understand a little of the girl's feelings, the maid was absolutely beautiful despite not wearing any fancy dress.
"You're Welcome. You must be thirsty after tucking in, right? Here you go~." the maid smiled.
"Have fun!" she smiled and went away. Hua's eyes unconsciously started following the girl. No matter how you slice it, that girl was no normal recruit. Her movements were subtle yet efficient, disciplined and fluid. She was a capable soldier, Hua deduced; maybe even one of the top Moth members. But why was she in a…. Maid dress? Is this how the top members went about here? She was having questions when she saw the girl serving another recruit from the administrative division.
"Wow, I wasn't prepared for a formal MOTHs dinner, with maids serving drinks." the recruit said with Hua only shaking her head. It seemed not everyone had the talent to become a Moth soldier.
"That maid is a capable soldier, no matter how you look at it." another experienced-looking man commented. Hua nodded in his judgment, maybe he was one of the soldiers here but from another base.
Hua then decided to walk around to loosen her growing stiff body. As she made her way through the crowd, she saw a beautiful girl with dark violet almost black hair asking about the whereabouts of someone.
"Pardon me, have you seen a white-haired young man?"
Hua decided to move on from there so as to not get roped into the questioning. She was already bad at socializing enough; this ball was just amplifying her introvertedness. As she kept weaving through the crowd, she saw four men sitting on a corner table, their heads dipped low.
"…Why don't we sneak into the database and find out…"
'Huh?' Hua was puzzled.
"…Whatever happens, happens."
"The outside world is falling apart by the day… it's the third time already…. We can't conceal it forever…"
"Quit worrying about it…. there's nothing you can do about it anyway…."
"Why can't you be more like them? Just put those problems behind you and celebrate."
"… I'm tired, I don't want to be here."
"More work is waiting for me tomorrow morning…. Sigh…. It's pointless"
"Pointless you say… Dr. Welt has already declared…. The fourth time is coming…"
Hua was absolutely puzzled by the conversation between the four men. What is the fourth time they were talking about? While she was given basic information about the Honkai beasts and Herrschers, there was nothing more than that. She started to get curious about the 'times' they were talking about. Was it related to the Herrschers they told her about? If so, then how? How can this Dr. Welt predict these 'times'? Was it related to the event of Honkai beasts destroying the Sapphire city?
Hua was so completely absorbed in her inner thoughts that she didn't notice someone was walking in opposite to her. She suddenly bumped into them, and due to the restrictive nature of her dress, she started to fall.
"Kyaa." She squealed. And that was when she felt strong muscular arms grab her own and prevent her from falling by pulling her. She then jerked forward and felt herself against a strong and toned chest.
"Are you all right?" a cold voice came from the top of her head. Fu Hua looked up to see the source of the voice and her breath was taken away.
A tall and lean body towered over her. He was wearing a black tuxedo which was open and a white undershirt. His white silvery hair was not slicked back like the others, but it just added to his charms. But the most important part was his eyes. Cold sky-blue eyes pondered over her slightly frightened blue orbs. She could see hints of something in his eyes before it went away. Was it pain and loneliness? But how? Fu Hua was curious but he spoke before she could voice them.
"I ask again, are you all right?"
"O-oh, y-yes." Hua said stuttering. She couldn't understand how a boy she has barely met now had made her flustered like this. As she glanced at him again through the corner of her eyes, she saw him looking over for any injuries on her.
'He is so handsome.' Hua realized as her face started to get hot for some reason. Seeing her reddened face, the boy put one of her hands on her forehead and asked:
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-no, it's j-just…" her face now red as a tomato.
"It's just?"
"I-I'm not used to p-parties like t-these. And I-I was f-frightened a little b-bit when I was f-falling." Hua stuttered.
The boy nodded and let her go, settling her gently on her feet. She was mentally berating herself for becoming a stuttering mess; but this was the first time she was this close to another male, and his good looks didn't help the case either. She then looked at him again and was shocked at how he held himself. He had the same Aura of a warrior that her grandfather had; even her father didn't. Then it meant that he was a veteran soldier of the Moths, but she had never seen him before.
The maid she saw earlier came to the scene suddenly. Hua saw the maid's smile widen a little when she saw the young man. The maid jumped and tried to hug the boy, only for him to step aside.
"Mou, let me hug you at least." the girl pouted.
"No." the man replied at once.
"Hmph, meanie."
The man sighed a little at the girl's display and said in an indifferent tone.
"What are you doing in a maid dress, Elysia?"
"Oh, this." the girl said twirling to show off her maid dress "I wore this to better mingle with our newbies, and to try something new, so how do I look?"
"…"
"Mou, at least compliment me a little."
"Why?"
"So cold. If you keep like this, you won't get a girlfriend, you know?"
"I don't care for unnecessary stuff like that."
"Ara~, don't say this in front of unfortunate young men who don't have your handsome looks. They will become jealous." the girl said in her sing-song voice.
"There are more important things to do here at Moths."
"Like?" the girl asked leaning forward while clasping her hands backwards.
"Killing Honkai beasts."
"Sigh… what am I going to do with you?" the girl sighed before she continued:
"By the way when did you come back from the mission in Mongolia? Did the mission go well? Are you hurt anywhere?" the girl asked with concern clear on her face. She then started to look for any signs of injuries on his body.
"Just this evening, and no, I'm not hurt." The boy replied with the same monotone voice.
"Thank goodness." The girl said relieved "thank you for coming to the ball, Kevin."
Until this moment Hua was silently seeing the exchange. It seemed that the girl had feelings for the boy, but he was either totally oblivious to it or didn't care. But the moment the girl called the boy by his name, Hua stopped.
Wait? Kevin. As in Kevin Kaslana. As in Major Kevin Kaslana of 7th battalion of 7th regiment.
The GODSLAYER Kevin Kaslana. The one who singlehandedly beat the 2nd and 3rd Herrschers.
Hua could only take a step back. She never thought that the Hero of the Moths would be a young-looking man not much older than herself. But here he was, the living legend in flesh and blood. There was not a single recruit who didn't know of his accomplishments, and he was the role model to so many of them. Even she looked up to him and wanted to become a warrior like him. At this moment the girl named Elysia finally caught Hua looking at them. She jumped towards her and held her hands.
"Waa~, who is this super pretty girl!?" Elysia exclaimed.
"I accidentally bumped into her and she started falling, so I helped her." Kevin said.
"Oh my! You are adding more girls again?" Elysia teased at which Hua blushed again.
"?" Kevin just looked at her puzzled. Adding her to what? The battalion assignments are not in his hands.
"sigh… I really don't know sometimes whether you are that dense or are you just good at pretending." Elysia sighed and turned towards Hua.
"Oh, I didn't even introduce myself. Hi~ my name is Elysia Levedeva, I'm in commander Himeko's regiment. What is your name?"
At this Fu Hua stood at attention. This girl was also not some normal soldier; she was Corporal Elysia from Colonel Himeko's regiment also known as: The High Elf because of her unparalleled accuracy and skill with a bow. Further, it was said that she was second only to Major Kevin as one of the Moths' strongest fighters.
"Recruit Fu Hua from the 15th cadet corps. Major Kevin, Corporal Elysia." Hua saluted them. Major Kevin only nodded in acknowledgement, corporal Elysia however
"No, no, no call me Ellie~."
"Pardon?" Hua asked not comprehending what was said to her.
"I said call me Ellie. It's what everyone calls me here~."
"B-but that's-" Hua was hesitating. How can she call a commanding officer by such an informal name?
"Pretty please?" Corporal Elysia gave her the puppy look eyes.
"Elysia, don't intimidate a new recruit that much." Major Kevin said.
"Oh, hush now. Can't you see I'm making a new friend here?"
"…"
She then again looked at Hua. In front of her earnest expression and pleading look, she finally relented a little.
"Elysia-san."
"Mou, that's not what I meant." Corporal Elysia pouted a little.
"Please forgive me, but that's as much as I can do." Hua apologized while bowing her head.
"sigh… fine, as you wish. From now on we are friends okay, Hua~." Elysia-san held both of her hands with her own. She then continued:
"Okay, now that we are friends, let's enjoy this party together. Kevin, come with us."
"Why me?" Major Kevin asked.
"Isn't it a gentleman's code of conduct to escort lovely ladies such as ourselves at parties?" Elysia-san innocently said.
"Fine." he sighed.
"Yay~. Now let's visit the buffet table first. I heard that they have extremely delicious strawberry shortcakes there." Elysia-san said as she pulled Hua along with her to the buffet area, with Major Kevin following behind.
And the night went on.
To be continued….
Hello everyone, welcome back to 'A Warriors Destiny'.
Actually, I wanted to include Vill-V's appearance in this chapter as well, but decided it would be better for her to appear along with the start of a new arc. And here we are. Starting from the next chapter is the start of the COCOON arc which again will include many twists and turns, and we will finally get to see our Miss pink Elf in serious combat as well.
As always if you like the story please leave a follow, favourite, and/or review.
Thank you for reading, until next time.