"What is the Honkai?"

Otto Apocaplyse spent many years, searching for an answer to this enigmatic question. His search spanned five centuries and two eras. He knew about the Honkai more than the 7 billion lives on Earth. And he should understand IT more than anyone else.

But the more he knew, the less he understood.

Where did IT come from? Where does IT want to go? What drives IT? To what end?

Why was IT created? How would IT end? How does IT grow? Why did IT stop? Why does IT erupt? Why is IT silent now? Does IT have a persona? A gestalt? Or is IT simply a law set at the very beginning of existence?

Otto was inundated with questions that pushed him into the terrifying abyss of the unknown. He desired to push forward, yet he found no path. He wanted to start his search, yet he had no destination in mind.

He searched. His confusion grew. He failed and he lost his way. In his frustrations, he tried many experiments. The pain of discontent, lack of answers plagued him. Over 500 years of research had passed. Every hypothesis he tested was rejected, the number of it growing by the day to the point where it was impossible to count how many hypotheses he had come up with just to answer that one single answer which seemingly had no answer to it.

Yet, after all the struggle, an image finally started to form. Somehow, there had been finally a path to the answer revealed for him.

"Let us imagine a tree. The Imaginary Tree.

A massive tree whose crown cannot be seen, whose canopy of branches and leaves blot out the view of the sky. The Tree emerged from an endless Sea of unfathomable depths and boundaries.

The Sea and Tree are alone in the Universe. Thus begins, their never-ending rivalry.

The Sea swells and grows in depth, trying to drown the tree. The Tree extends its roots, attempting to absorb the entirety of the Sea.

The Tree has drunk from the Sea, enduring an asamkhya of time and grown a nayuta of branches and leaves. It was during this seemingly endless time that an unassuming branch grew a new bud. This was the birth of human civilization.

Imagine it! The Imaginary as the origin of the human race and the seed of civilization!

Time flows in the trunk of the Imaginary Tree and branches out into an infinity of worlds. Every branch is a form of civilization. Every bud is their past and present etched onto the dimension of time.

But the growth is countered by a force. A selective and corrective system in the Tree's rivalry against the Sea. A natural system based upon the Imaginary mechanics. It breeds, nurtures, tests, and removes. This is what humanity describes as the Honkai.

Indeed. Humanity will never escape the Honkai. We must, no. We can only choose to press forward because the Tree must grow. Those who fail, their fate is to be nothing but wilted shadows in the Sea of Quanta.

To achieve everlasting peace, we must reach the origin of civilization and return to the Imaginary Realms.

The answer I seek must lie within the Imaginary Tree."

This was the path of the truth that Otto discovered, having endured 559 winters just for it. Enduring 559 years, not to eradicate the Honkai. Enduring 559 cycles of seasons for one thing. His obsession.

He might not know the pioneer's intention of handing him that one leaf, but it was certainly a big help. However, there was one thing that the pioneer had never let slip from his lips. A truth that would most definitely shock Otto Apocalpyse and anyone else should they hear or witness it with their own eyes.

That there were worlds both within and out of the Seed of Sumeru that had never been corrupted by the Honkai.

"I have come to make a deal, Old Man of the Jewels."

"Most interesting... who are you?"

"My name is Su. My job is to observe the parallel worlds. Or at least it used to be."

"So, what kind of deal do you wish to make with me?"

"Have you heard of the Honkai?"

Zelretch frowns. He has never heard of such a term. "What is it?"

"As expected, you didn't hear it. That's because the worlds that were overrun by the Honkai, they have all wilted. How could you possibly travel to a world that no longer exists?"

"So it's a disaster?"

"Even worse. You could say that its sole reason for existing is to destroy humanity. No matter what world I've observed, no matter how advanced or well prepared they were, most have fallen to the Honkai. My sole job used to be observing various parallel worlds to find a way to defeat a Honkai, but no matter what, every single world I saw that got corrupted by the Honkai succumbed to it."

"So, what happens now?" Zelretch would not stand idly if there's a potential apocalypse that could destroy worlds. For one, it would ruin any excitement that he might be able to find.

"I have found some hope, at least. There is one world, where despite the hopelessness, there is a chance. But that's another story. Right now, I believe you have something called a Holy Grail War going on in this world?" Su points out a specific world that Zelretch has had his eye on for a while, hoping that something interesting might happen again.

"You're saying that..."

"Yes. Which is why you need to take this. Give it to someone who will be participating in that War. That is perhaps the best choice in this scenario." A fragment of a sword.

"Very well then. I trust that you will not be lying."

"I could never lie about such a thing. I've spent Millenium upon Millenium, just to find a single path to salvation. Now that there is a chance, I must contain the situation as much as possible until a conclusion is reached."

He stares at the command seals given to him, engraved onto his hand. This is the only chance that he has. A chance to prove his "teacher" wrong.

The catalyst that he stole from his "teacher". A piece of cloth. Whoever this belonged to, he isn't sure. Despite all the things he might despise about his teacher, he's pretty sure that the Lord of the Mineralogy Department would not prepare a catalyst he wasn't sure of.

"You know, that catalyst might not be the best thing to use, right?" A voice appears from behind him. He jumps around. How did someone manage to sneak in? Each of the rooms in the Clocktower has been warded, as most tend to set up their workshops in such a room provided by the Clocktower. Add in any wards or other traps and enchantments that any self-respecting mage would most definitely know, and it made it pretty hard for others to sneak it.

"Oh, don't be so surprised, Waver Velvet. I am one of the few people who can appear in any place I wish to."

"Kaleidoscope?" A Dead Apostle is in his workshop which also doubled as his room. Sitting on a chair like it's nothing. "What are you doing here?"

"Take this. I'm sure you're smart enough to know what this can be used for." A fragment of something.

"Who is this from?"

"Let's just say that the one you summon with this will be helpful in the upcoming fights." Waver had a premonition that the old man isn't simply talking about the Holy Grail.

"Don't ask any more than you should." Zelretch is serious now. "Do your summoning as soon as possible." That is the last thing before the old man exits the room.

Her eyes open.

So, someone wishes to summon her. To fight for a wish? How foolish.

Yet, she does not immediately decline the call. She takes a moment to consider what it means to be summoned.

A wish. A wish?

A wish that she could use? Could it be truly so?

It is a chance. A chance to set everything right. A chance to save her.

She owned too much. From that day when she was pulled out of the darkness by her, she swore to stay by her.

Her mind is made up.

The Ruler of Lightning will grace this world with her presence. She will show them what it means to be a Herrscher.

All for the sake of a wish.

Servant Class: Rider/Saber

Servant True Name: Raiden Mei

Title: Herrscher of Thunder

Gender: Female

Alignment: Neutral Good

Strength: B

Agility: B

Endurance: A

Luck: C

Mana: A

Class Skills:

Riding A++ - Due to the unique nature of her mount, she is capable of riding almost anything, even Divine Beasts.

Magic Resistance A - Her body has been tempered by a force of nature itself. Most magic attacks could never hope to leave a scratch on her.

Personal Skills:

Determination of Steel C - It was this steel determination that allowed her to overcome her fear and accept the Power within her that could potentially destroy the world. Even if she has to face an army alone, Mei will never waver, nor will she ever surrender, for she has made her choice. As befitting of the attitude of a Ruler. This skill also grants her the ability to negate most mental interferences.

The Gratitude of a Dragon EX - Having brought the Honkai Beast Dragon, Benares, back from the brink of death and giving it a new lease of life, the Dragon has discarded its previous identity and now serves the Herrscher of Thunder faithfully as Kurikara. This lowers the cost of her Noble Phantasm as the Dragon is willing to fight for her.

Herrscher of Thunder EX - As the Herrscher of Thunder, she has the ability to manipulate electromagnetic fields to her whims. She typically uses it to charge her attacks with electricity. This ability is ranked EX as it is unknown as to what is her limit. For example, she has displayed the ability to fly by manipulating the EM Field around her.

Slayer of Honkai C- The number of Honkai she has slain with her blade is now too many to count. Even Emperor Beasts are no longer a match for her. She does more damage to any being infected by the Honkai.

Honkai Adaptability EX - During her awakening in Nagazora, she absorbed all the Honkai energy in the area, despite the rising Honkai levels to the point where Nagazora's denizens who lived there after the 3rd Impact had to be evacuated. Despite that, she has not lost her mind to the Honkai. This has granted her a very high immunity to Honkai Corruption. Such high adaptability might not be found in even descendants of the House of Schariac and House of Kaslana. Ordinary Valkyries could never hope to have such a high level of adaptability. There wouldn't be any chance of succumbing to the corruption.

Double Summon A - Her skills with the sword, with the sword Style "Itto-Ryu" in particular as well as her synergy with her mount, allows her to be summoned to either the class of Saber or Rider and retain the other class as well through this skill.

Noble Phantasm:

Kagutsuchi's Avatar - Rank B?(Anti-Unit[Self])

A constantly active Noble Phantasm. A pair of floating arms that are almost as tall as Mei herself. The arms wield a katana that is as longer than itself as a weapon of choice, much like Raiden Mei. They typically use Iaido strikes to follow up with Mei's attacks as well as act as a conduit for her electromagnetic manipulation. It is unknown as to how much damage they can sustain or what other functions might be hidden within.

Amaterasu's Ride: Kurikara - Rank EX(Anti-Army)

Summons her Dragon, Kurikara, whom she mounts. The Dragon will bombard the enemy with various attacks, including swipes of its claws, a breath attack, and a tornado. Mei can also perform a swift Iaido strike and follow up when she dismounts the Dragon, having used this tactic several times to surprise her enemies.

Domain of Sanction - Rank B(Anti-Unit)

The blade that was born alongside the Lightning Queen's awakening, it only obeys her commands. It is proof of her conviction to accept the power she once feared and held back, all for the sake of one person. So as long as that conviction stays strong, the blade will never waver. The blade will forever stay sharp, until the day she wavers. Mei can also unleash a powerful single slash supercharged with electricity that strikes in front of her in a close range. The pair of arms will mimic the slash with their own.

Biography

A young girl who once ran away from everything.

Raiden Mei was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, being a sociable and friendly person while maintaining the calm and elegance of an upper-class person. All that came crashing down when her father ended up getting framed for alleged data falsification and imprisoned, leading her to be isolated from cliques and soon becoming a withdrawn loner until she met an underclassman named Kiana Kaslana.

One day, Mei awoke as the Third Herrscher for the first time, turning the entire school population into zombies with the exception of Kiana Due to the smaller scale, it was not classified as an Eruption but rather an Impact. Kiana somehow stopped her rampage and turned Mei back into normal and they made their way through the Honkai-infested city, meeting Bronya Zanchik in the process. The Honkai attacks them again, forcing Mei to tap into her powers once more but Murata Himeko, Captain of the Hyperion, arrived in time to fight her.

After the fight, Kiana, Mei and Bronya joined St' Freya's High School, a school dedicated to training Valkyries, the heroes who combat the Honkai. Two years in, Bronya gets severely injured during a mission, giving Fu Hua, their class monitor who was secretly in cahoots with Otto to kidnap Fu Hua to Schicksal HQ. Principal Theresa, Himeko, and Mei ally with a force known as Anti-Entropy to storm Shicksal, where Kiana is being held. Unfortunately, Kiana is reawakened as the second Herrscher, Sirin. Mei was stripped of her Herrscher powers as her Gem of Conquest was stolen.

After Himeko sacrificed herself to stop Sirin and reawaken Kiana, Mei, Theresa and Bronya go to Arc City in search of Kiana. However, Rita Rossweisse beats them to the information dealer and supposedly kills him. A conspiracy is discovered and Kiana is forced to reveal her whereabouts in order to save the city, but she is once again taken by Schicksal, this time by the hands of their strongest warrior, Durandal.

"Lightning tore our past asunder, and our paths were rent and split. Once the thunders lose voice, and the storms are wept dry, I'll enter the darkness and return you to bliss."

Mei, alongside Tesla, headed to Nagazora as the rising levels of Honkai energy seemed to indicate some sort of danger, but they find Benares, the Honkai Dragon, who is on the verge of death, having felt her Queen's presence, and Kiana, who has a few months left to live due to her body overtaxing with multiple Gems inside of her. Mei meets with Raven, who provides her with a temporary solution on the condition that she joins the World Serpent and she agreed. Mei forcefully took back the Gem of Conquest holding her powers from Kiana, reviving Benares and giving her a new lease of life as her steed, Kurikara this time.

A/N: First, I highly recommend listening to To The Beginning by Kalafina. If you ask me, this song would fit the tone of this story if this story should I continue it. Anyway, it is also the theme song of Fate/Zero Season 2 so yeah.

Alright. So, I just had this idea when I was playing Honkai Impact a few patches ago when the chapter "Thunders over Nagazora" dropped in-game. I am a fan of Honkai Impact 3 and Mihoyo has done a really good job of the game so far, especially for a game that started out as a mobile gacha which now has a PC port. Just for reference, I started a bit less than 2 years back, when their patch 2.7 came out and PC port wasn't a thing yet. Currently, it is at patch 4.0.

While it might not be the most popular game, Mihoyo certainly knows what it's doing. While the story might not be the best at times, I do like it but Mihoyo is honestly cruel. Like damm if the story ain't dark. Just look at their latest work. Genshin Impact's NPCs, especially when some issue you a side quest, such as the Hide and Seek game with Little Jiang in Liyue. If you explore Little Jiang's house and look at his dialogue carefully, you might understand what I mean.

Anyway. I just got this idea after Otto's explanation in the cutscene before Stage 17-5 and reading finish the Manga volume that they published, Second Key. And since Genshin has been out for around 2 weeks now, I figured now might be a decent time to publish this idea that might possibly become a story.

I would have put the setting in the Fifth Grail War or something, but I just felt that Fate/Zero's setting fits so much better. Waver Velvet is someone seeking to prove himself. The Mei he summons is someone who stopped running from her power to protect the one she loves. Two people with two different selfish goals of their own. I wanted to see if I could make this pair work or not. Kayneth wouldn't have been a good fit, I feel.

Kirigitsu? Maybe, but while the two might have similar feelings, Kirigitsu would never open up about it to her, just as Mei will never do so to him either due to the lack of trust. Ryunosuke? Nope. Tokomi? His goal, in my opinion, is too shallow. He just participates in the war just because he already has a spot and his goal is too generic in my opinion. Kirei? There might room for that, but I rolled a rng thing, and Waver was the result.

Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed this idea and leave a review if you guys think that it's worth making into a story! Yes, I know I got a lot of other stories but I like Honkai Impact too much to ditch this idea which is why I published this in the first place. Feel free to PM me if you want.

On that note, peace out people!

322n