Void blinked once, then twice, then three times at the scene before. She looked it over once more. She pinched her arm three times to check if she was dreaming. She even tried to sense if there were any anomalies like the power of Sentience disrupting them. When she sensed none of those, she calmly took a deep breath before saying three words.

"What the fish?"

Before the Void Queen stood her rival, the Lighting Empress. Most encounters they would have would be violent, both trying to kill each other; fighting to the death. Over time the animosity lessened though it could still get bloody if one of them were feeling off. There were however very rare times when their actions would leave the other speechless. The sight of Thunder holding what she assumed was Kurikara in a transformed state was one of those rare times. Especially since the once-mighty dragon had been reduced to…floundering giant Tuna fish.

"Not another word," Thunder said as she held up the Kurituna to the Void Herrscher's face. The Kaslana family, alongside Teri and the scientists all stared awkwardly at the display in front of them. For the umpteenth time, they questioned the seriousness of the Herrschers, especially after one wielded an overgrown fish like a weapon.

The Void's credit she glanced down at the fish, then back at Thunder. She seemed to consider taking her ally's word seriously and did not breathe another word. Thunder took Void's silence as a small victory and lowered the fish. The Herrscher of the Void then erupted into a laughing fit, clutching her sides as she chuckled.

As infectious as her laughter may be, no one else dared make a sound as they saw the lightning begin to cackle around the Herrscher. Even little Kiana and Bella were very much aware of the dangerous aura emitting from the Herrscher of Thunder. Suffice to say what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.

The Kurituna jumped out of Thunder's hands and slapped the laughing queen's face several times with its tail. To say Void was left speechless was an understatement, she could only stare in shock at what had transpired, her mind trying to process fish assault. The Herrscher queen would only be brought back to her senses though when her own dragon took action.

"You fish," Bella screamed as she grappled the rogue tuna. "How dare you attack my master," She growled before squeezing the fish in her clawed hands. Not wasting another moment, Bella, still in her human form proceeded to swallow the whole Kurituna in a single gulp. A fish that was the length of nearly four feet in length had been swallowed by what appeared to be a rather petite-looking teen girl.

The absurdity of the situation did not end there, however, as Void was quick to panic at what she had just witnessed. "Bella," She yelped as she quickly went behind the dragoness and started giving her the hymnic maneuver. It took three tries but Bella regurgitated the whole Kurituna out and right into Thunder's face. "Are you crazy?" Void scolded the dragon.

"Kurikara," Thunder cried as she looked over at her downed Tuna dragon. "Speak to me,"

"Mom," Kiana chimed as she looked at her parents. "Can I have a pet dragon of my own?" She questioned innocently.

Siegfied and Cecilia glanced at each other before looking at the others in the room. Teri, Einstein, and Tesla made it very clear they were staying out of this. It was going to be Cecilia and Siegfied's job to crush their daughter's hopes and dreams.

"Eh," Seigfied gulped. "Sweetie a dragon is too much work for you right now. Maybe when you're older like your sisters we can do it," Siegfied muttered.

"Yeah," Cecilia said. "When you're a big girl and responsible enough we'll see if we can get you one," she said trying to pacify their daughter.

"Okay," Kiana muttered her expression downcast a little. However, she soon perked up as another idea crossed her mind. "Then can I get a pony for my birthday instead,"

Several moments of insanity later….

Bella looked down in shame as Void stared at her. The look Void gave was what one might expect from an older sibling or even a parent. The Herrscher wasn't mad at the dragon, just disappointed by her rash actions an irony that would not be lost to many. "I will say it once more," Void spoke softly. "I don't want you picking any fights with Thunder or her dragon. You're better than them Bella," Void said softly.

"Yes Master," Bella whimpered. For the most part, she tried to keep a straight face, but it was clear to anyone watching that she wanted to cry. After all, she had only wanted to defend her master's honor after Thunder's fish had slapped Void. Of course, Void cared for Bella like that, her master treated the other dragon as an extension of Bella even if Bella didn't see Kurikara as herself. It was foolish to try hurting the other dragon.

"Okay," Void said. "Why don't you go and join the others," Void told her. "I'll go and see what stupid idea Thunder's gotten into that big head of hers," Void informed the dragoness as she gestured for her to head back to others who were still munching on their pizza toast.

The Herrscher soon turned to face her…acquaintance who had somehow acquired a really large aquarium for her Tuna. Void knew that Thunder could be as quick as lightning, but she still wondered, "Where the heck did she get that?" The Void Queen would push that thought away for now. She had more important issues to address.

"Alright, explain, why the Kurituna," Void questioned as few words as possible. The Third Herrscher looked up at her with a frown. It was obvious Thunder didn't want to talk to Void about it. Whether out of pride or just the usual silence that was given, Void didn't care. Thunder mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Void inquired.

"I was trying to transform Kurikara." Thunder admitted. "Suffice to say I thought it would have been easy." She mumbled. "Clearly it was not,"

"Clearly," Void remarked. She glanced at the dragon-turned tuna fish. "Transforming them takes a lot of power and a lot of focus." She noted. "You were probably too weak or distracted to do it properly,"

"I'll try and remember that next time," Thunder huffed.

"You better. That's still my servant, and I swear if you humiliate her even more, I'll make you regret it." Void threatened. Kurikara may have a different soul, but its body was still Bella after all and Bella belonged to Void, even if it was brainwashed into serving Thunder.

"Of course," Thunder said. "How could I forget, when you've screamed it into my head for the umpteenth time?"

"Just making sure," Void smirked.

"I take it you'll want to help me transform her back then," Thunder questioned halfheartedly. Perhaps it was just her wanting it to be done without much effort or perhaps she just wanted the option to refuse Void. Of course, Void's answer was a resounding no.

"If I told you the easy way, then I'd never get to watch you squirm trying," Void noted.

"Figured as much," Thunder noted. "Well, I guess I'm going to be experimenting for a while." She realized as she went to pick up the aquarium.

"Not so fast," Void spoke up. "I need you for something." Void informed. "And it can't wait." She whispered.

"Alright humor me," Thunder answered.

"Not here. It's going to involve everyone," Void added.

"Have you two worked out…whatever it is that was?" Teri asked as she cast a side glance at the aquarium with the large Tuna fish. She had seen many Honkai beasts in her time, but a tuna fish was first. Then again, the girl munching pizza toast beside her was also a Honkai dragon, so perhaps she shouldn't expect anything new or strange, especially from these two.

"Not in the slightest," Void answered. "But Thunder's problems and incompetence are not important right now," Void jabbed.

"I'm right here you know," Thunder argued.

"I know," Void acknowledged before turning back to the group. "What is important right now is the little apocalypse maiden sleeping right over there." Void commented as she pointed to Sirin.

"I take it you have the means to heal and wake her up," Teri noted. She had thought she had beaten Sirin before. It was tough but she had neutralized the girl's Honkai powers and impaled her heart. She didn't account for Sirin being able to recover from such injuries once the neutralizing effect died down. The mere fact the girl was alive, but unconscious meant the Herrschers had done something to her.

"We do," Void smiled. Suddenly several lights erupted from Void as several orbs of light began to surround her. Everyone gasped as they recognized what it was, cores and gems alike. "I took the liberty of taking her toys from her," Void explained as the 9 orbs orbited around her.

"Wow," Kiana noted. "You have even more sparklies than Thunder," She pointed out.

"Hehe...I suppose I do," Void answered smugly. She made seven of them disappear, leaving two identical gems with her. "I presume you know what these are,"

"The Gem or rather Gems of Serenity," Siegfied noted. "That's what allowed Sirin to heal from most of the injuries before."

"That's right," Void noted. "When we recovered her, I had to use it to heal her body to a survivable state," Void explained.

"Survivable?" Cecilia questioned. "You didn't heal her fully." She realized.

"We couldn't," Thunder explained. "Not unless we wanted her to resume the Second Eruption." She noted. It wasn't like they'd actually have issues with Sirin, it would just be far harder to reason with her and gain her trust. Sirin could also accidentally release a surge of Honkai energy and alert Otto to their location.

"We were waiting till you all were recovered," Void added. "I can speak from a lot of experience when I say, she's not all in there mentally and will need some help." Void explained. No one knew the chaotic mess of Sirin's psyche better than Void.

"As it stands the two most viable people on the planet to help her are mom and Bella," Void pointed out.

"Me," Cecilia realized. She understood Bella. The dragon was Sirin's loyal companion.

"You sound shocked," Void noted. "You're not chickening out are you," Void frowned.

"No, it's just. I knew I promised Sirin, but I'm just surprised." Cecilia noted. She had been beside Sirin in their last moments. Even if she promised the girl, the thought of Sirin waking up and hating her; was still a worry that was still present in her mind. She remembered how hurt she had felt when Sirin had called her a liar before.

"Don't worry, I assure you. She doesn't hate." Void noted. "She may be angry…but…she doesn't hate you. You'd be surprised how much of an impact you left on her." Void informed. It had been enough to pull whatever kindness was left in the girl and manifest it into Kiana. Cecilia whether she knew it or not had saved them from manifesting as nothing more than rage and hatred. She had saved Sirin and K423 by extension from losing hope and falling to the Honkai.

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Einstein questioned. "Surely you aren't just dropping the gems into her and hoping," She noted. She cast a wary glance at Bella remembering how the dragoness had lunged at them.

"Admittedly, that's only half the plan," Void noted. "Here's the rest of the plan," She told them.

"Was this death?" Sirin wondered as she drifted into the void. She had died right. She was beaten by…. that monster…. that man…. the one who had…cut off her arm. The one who had hurt Bella. The one who cheated. The one who had lied to her. The one who had…. pretended to be her father.

He had defeated her. He ripped the cores from her body. She recalled that much and without the cores, her body wouldn't last. "I should have killed them." She scowled at herself.

They were right there. She had them trapped in the illusion. It would have been easy just to sneak up when they least expected and do it. Their guards had been down. She could have ended them before they even realized she was there. "If I had just…" She pondered. She didn't finish as she recalled what had happened.

"That woman…Cecilia…" She thought. The woman who had called Sirin her daughter. She had lied to her. "She wanted to trick me," Sirin repeated to herself. Yet it felt wrong to say. Like a part of her didn't want to accept it.

"I wanted to be a mother to you," Cecilia's words echoed in her mind. Sirin wanted to cry at that statement. It couldn't be true. Her mother was dead. Bella was dead. Everyone who cared for her was dead.

Why would Cecilia want to care? Why would she want Sirin as a daughter? She had her own daughter, the blue-eyed girl from the dream. Why would she want Sirin? Sirin wasn't a person anymore. She was a monster. She was a Herrscher. She was to bring about the end of humanity.

"Ich liebe dich," The words echoed in her head. The language was different, but Sirin knew what it meant. "I love you." They were the words Cecilia spoke to her. She had spoken those words in the dream, and Sirin recall hearing those words before she lost consciousness.

They had both been dying. Cecilia had no reason to come for her then, yet she did. She had come to spend her dying moments with Sirin, comforting her like her a mother would. Maybe….

"Maybe….in another life," Sirin thought. "Maybe I could have actually been your daughter." She ponded sadly. A light erupted around her, blinding the young girl. The next thing she knew she was engulfed in the white light as it consumed her.

"Master!" A voice cried out. Sirin blinked once, then twice, then thrice, as her eyes adjusted. A pair of blue eyes were staring back at her, attached to those eyes was a family face. Could it be?

"Bella?" Sirin gasped weakly. That wasn't possible. Bella had died, right? She had felt the connection with her dragon. It had been broken. How was this possible?

"Master," Bella cried as she quickly pulled Sirin into a hug. The Herrscher couldn't speak. She tried but words refused to form or even leave her mouth. "I'm so glad you're alright." Bella whimpered.

"Benares, give her some space," Another voice called. Sirin recognized this voice as well. Turning to the source, her eyes widened as she saw its own, Cecilia.

"Ce…ce…cecilia," Sirin muttered weakly. The woman seemed surprised by her comment before her expression shifted into a warm smile. Who was she smiling at?

"You remembered," Cecilia told her as she walked forward. She stood at an arm's length away from the Herrscher. "I'm glad." She told the girl. The kind smile never faltered from her face.

"What's going on?" Sirin questioned as she began to look around. She didn't recognize the room they were in. If this was the afterlife, then she sorely underestimated it. "Where are we? Are we dead?" She questioned.

"Ehe…not exactly," Cecilia answered.

"What do you mean 'ehe'?" Sirin questioned.

"We're in a medical ward in a remote AE base," Cecilia said calmly. "Some very nice people saved and brought us here." She explained.

"Someone…saved us," Sirin repeated. That felt wrong to her. No one would want to save them. No that wasn't true. They'd want to save Cecilia and the others, not Sirin.

"Yes," Cecilia answered. "And they saved Bella as well," She added as she gestured to the dragon.

"Mmph," Bella nodded. "And look what Bella made," The dragon said in excitement as she quickly fetched something out of the room. When the dragon returned, she had brought back with her a cake, much to Sirin's shock. "I made it for when you woke up." Bella cheered as she placed the cake before Sirin.

"Is…is this for me?" Sirin stuttered. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yep. It's all for you Master." Bella smiled.

"I…I…don't know what to say." Sirin muttered. Cecilia cut a slice of the cake before taking up a piece with a fork. She brought it close to Sirin's mouth. The girl accepted it, eating the piece. "It's sweet." She commented as she chewed it. It tasted delicious.

Bella seemed to beam with pride at this. "Hehe…only the best for master," The dragon said. Cecilia laughed at the dragon's antics as did Sirin. This felt nice. It was like a dream come true.

"Like…a…dream," Sirin froze at the thought. Her eyes soon widened as she stared at the two. "Like a dream," She repeated. Oh no, she realized. She had been caught again, she panicked.

"Sirin," Cecilia spoke as she noticed Sirin stiffen. The girl had tensed up. Her gaze focused on the two of them.

Bella also took a step back; she could feel a slow rise in her Master's power. "Master….is there something wr-"

"Don't call me that," Sirin snapped. How dare they! "Don't you dare use her voice around me?" She growled. Her voice was booming.

"Sirin…calm down," Cecilia said in a worried tone. "Just take it easy. Everything's going to be alright." She voiced.

"You thought you could trick me," Sirin yelled. "I won't fall another lie again," This happy ending wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Bella was dead and Cecilia had been dying. Who would possibly want to save Sirin? This was another illusion made by someone. It had to be.

"Sirin," The fakes both called out. She wouldn't give them a chance though, whoever had cast such a disgusting trick was going to pay. She would make sure of it. "Sirin," They called out but she wouldn't listen.

She held them in place with her power, as she manifested the lances behind her. She could see their eyes widen the site of her weapons. Good, that means they felt fear. So, she could enjoy this, she thought as she threw the lances at them, their pleas falling deaf ears.

The lights went out, the room was covered in darkness. "Huh," Sirin wondered surprised. She didn't let her guard up. She tried her best to sense the world around her.

The cowards would no doubt try a sneak attack while she was blindsided. She eventually found it. Two sources within the room. "There you are." She called as she launched another attack. The lights turned back on in time for the lances to…hit?

"What the?" Was all Sirin could say as she stared at the two figures before. Gone were Cecilia and Bella's lookalikes, instead stood two girls. One had hair like Cecilia and Bella but her eyes reminded Sirin of her own. The other's eyes were glowing purple, with red horns adorning her head, just like a demon.

Sirin didn't know these girls, yet she could feel something familiar from both. It started out small, like a raindrop, a small wisp of Honkai power escaped from them. However, it didn't stop there, it started going from a drop to a trickle before it erupted like a geyser.

Sirin could feel herself become pressured by the sheer power the two emitted. The weight was crushing, and it wasn't like when she faced the First. No…this reminded her of one other being she had faced. The one who had instilled true fear into her.

"G…god?" Sirin whimpered as she looked at the two before her.

"Hehe…nope," The one with horns laughed, as two giant red gauntlets manifested behind her. "I'm the devil."