The Brewing Storm

Several people in white lab coats could be seen behind a large window from Einar's location in a blank grey room. They all had contemplative expressions on their face as they observed the boy's actions.

"Hey, are you guys gonna be done soon, I got places to be." Said Einar with a bored expression plastered on his face.

Mei was seen in the center of the group of researchers sighing out a response, "If it involves the vandalization of any Fire Moth properties then I'm going to have to refuse that request." It took three days to finish cleaning the mess hall after Einar's last "prank".

The boy cringed, "That was not entirely my fault" He claimed, trying to divert the blame from himself.

Knowing she was not going to convince the metaphorical brick wall she changed the topic, "If you're done with your comedy routine we have far more pressing matter to attend to" She pulled up a detailed bio of Einar on the screen in front of her.

"Now use the powers of the 3rd Herrescher." Mei commanded with a firm voice.

Einar seemed exasperated as he answered, "They're not the 3rd Herrscher's powers, I had them far before she appeared." He had remained stalwart in informing her that the powers were in no way the possessions of the other Herrschers.

Mei responded in a level tone, "They bear the exact properties as the powers of the other Herrschers and are similarly made from Honkai energy. I don't particularly care about your reservations regarding the name." She rejected him with cold logic while typing something on a tablet she held in her hands.

Despite his qualms with the Mei's naming he complied with her order and generated a stream of electricity between his hands. The researchers immediately started jotting down some notes while observing the changes on the large bio in front of them that monitored Einar's condition.

A few moments later the stream halted as Einar had fallen to a knee clutching his heart.

Mei spoke through an intercom, "The longest continuous usage of your powers still remains your fight with Parvati, clocking in at five minutes and thirty-six seconds." She spoke in a curious tone that denoted her lack of knowledge of the cause of this predicament.

Einar returned to his feet as she was talking, "If you can help me use my powers for a longer period of time then I'll help in any way I can." The boy stated his intentions as he recovered, far faster than a normal human would have if placed in the same situation.

Pleased with the declaration Mei once again used the intercom, "Alright then, now use all of your different abilities at once for as long as possible." She crossed her arms as she turned her gaze towards the testing room.

Vocally protesting his displeasure, Einar proclaimed, "You're a slave driver, you know that!" While preparing to follow the command.

Mei smiled a bit ominously, "No, it will only feel like I am."

"That's not as smart a retort as you think it is!" The boy fired back.

After leaving an exhausting analysis of his Honkai control, Einar was seen struggling down the hallway in the direction of the barracks.

On the way he saw an old friend.

"Kevin!" Einar shouted in joy as he jumped at the white haired man. His intent was to crash into him, but Kevin swiftly moved in the opposite direction. This caused the flying boy to crash rather unceremoniously into the floor.

Staring at the groaning boy, Kevin questioned him, "What was the point of that."

"It was supposed to be the bonding of two great friends." Claimed Einar with a tearful expression.

Kevin simply gave a deadpan look at the boy, "What two friends?"

"Did I miss the 'everybody beat up Einar day' notice or something! If I knew today was going to be filled with such despair I would have stayed in bed." The boy in question retorted with a sob.

Changing topics to something far more productive, Kevin questioned Einar, "How did today's tests go, learn anything new." The man helped Einar up from his position on the floor.

"Not really, Mei confirmed that whatever I have isn't a Herrscher core since it doesn't transform my body to gain many of the characteristics of a Herrscher. Such as a high adaptability to Honkai energy, in fact I have nearly a record low in terms of my adaptability." The boy explained, as he informed Kevin of the discovered oddities.

Proceeding with his explanation, Einar continued, "That's when Mei noticed something that seems to contraindicate all previous knowledge of Honkai."

Gaining a curious look, Kevin waited for him to continue.

"You are aware that when someone with low adaptability to Honkai energy is exposed to a large amount of it turns into a zombie correct?" Einar first prefaced his explanation with a question.

Kevin nodded, "Yeah, we have to kill them since there isn't any known way to revert the process." It was a cruel truth, no matter how important the person is they have to die to protect humanity. Kevin had seen firsthand, several of his classmates turn before being mowed down by the Moth Who Chases the Flames.

Not stopping for sentiments, the boy carried on, "Well despite my exceedingly low adaptability, when I expose myself to an obscene amount of Honkai, I don't turn. Instead I simply start to fade into Honkai energy, which is the reaction of someone with a high adaptability."

Anticipating where this train of though was headed, Kevin cut him off, "So Mei wants to find out why and if it can be used on other people."

"Precisely." Affirmed Einar.

"On a related note, are you still in the dark about the origin of your powers?" Kevin asked in a cautious tone, as the two rounded the corner to the training room.

Instantly, Einar's face became guarded as he responded, "I have an idea, but the how or why is anyone's guess." His answer was curt and left no room for further discussion. He grabbed two training swords and tossed one to Kevin, "Enough small talk, see how long it takes for me to beat you this time, shall we?"

Going along with the change in topic, Kevin agreed and the two began their dual.

In a room nearby a red haired woman walked in. Computers filled the room with a bright blue light as information floated on the screens at a blistering pace.

Himeko walked up to one of the people in the room, "I feel horribly out of place in a room like this, did you find out what I asked for?"

The woman she was talking to turned to face the other woman, her lab coat floating in the breeze she created, "To a degree." Her response was short and to the point as she handed a small stack of papers to the captain.

She took them with a look of mirth plastered on her face, "Who uses paper any more in this day and age?" Mei didn't respond as the red haired woman flipped through the stack of paper, her face growing more and more confused as time went on.

"What is this!" She growled out, her voice rising in volume, "I don't want conspiracy theories of what could and might be!"

Taking the allegations in stride the scientist responded in an even tone, "That is the list of all known and possible information about the Fire Moth special soldier Einar." Her face expressed her annoyance at having the report so quickly dismissed, though it was understandable given the information contained within.

"And you're trying to tell me that he's some kind of human shaped Honkai beast or some such nonsense! He's killed a few dozen Honkai and almost offed a Herrscher as well!" Himeko shouted in rage at the accusation being lobbed towards the boy.

Mei clarified, "I'm not saying that's a fact, but he has been recorded to be in cities and places that have existed over two hundred years ago. We have already determined that he isn't a Herrscher, so this is a likely possibility." The physicist attempted to rationalize her position on the matter.

"Human kill each other with relative frequency, so does a majority of other creatures on earth. Why then would Honkai beasts be any different." She continued with her explanation to Himeko's growing ire.

"I'm not saying that Honkai beasts are any different, what I'm saying is that what is the proof that Einar wants to destroy humanity!" The captain's rage boiled over as she defended her comrade.

Mei seemed to come to a realization as she answered, "I'm not trying to guess at his motives rather than explain how he could have lived for such a period of time."

Himeko deflated at that response. Her relationship with Einar was rather unique, she would compare it to that of a nephew of sorts. They didn't interact enough to be very influential on the other's lives, and yet they were still important to the other.

"I refuse to believe that Einar is a Honkai." Was her simple answer.

Mei held a curious look, "May I ask why that is?"

Himeko closed her eyes in remembrance as she informed her, "Someone who can make a face like that can't be anything but human."

Three days after Einar's recruitment:

"Why does paperwork exist?" Bemoaned a woman with her head on her desk.

The woman was Himeko Murata, a red haired twenty-six year old captain at the organization, the Moth Who Chases the Flames. Currently she was writing far too many reports on the events of the fight with the 3rd Herrscher.

"What do I even write? A random kid came out of nowhere and stabbed a Herrscher, I would be put in a mental asylum!" Himeko lamented the situation she had been thrust into.

All of sudden she heard a knock on her door, to which she responded by jumping from her desk in absolute joy. She opened the door ready to shower her savior with praise.

A man in a suit was on the other side with amusement on his face, "Hello captain Murata, how are you this fine morning?"

Immediately stiffening she answered with a formal tone, "Yashuhiro Sir, what bring you here?"

The founder of Fire Moth, Yasuhiro. His whimsical personality combined with his eternally present smile. There were various rumors about the man ranging from a wealthy businessman to a jester in Africa. Regardless of the validity of any of those claims, no one could argue that he didn't know what he was doing.

Yasuhiro responded to her inquiry in a jovial voice, "Why I came to inform you of a new addition to your squad, a recent recruit by the name of Einar." His eyes sparkled in mirth, as though laughing at a joke only he knew.

"Where is he then?" Himeko wondered as she didn't see the boy after she glanced around the room.

"He is currently in the hanger if I remember correctly. I believe he found it to be calmer 'when he could see the blue of the sky' to put it in his own words." The man chuckled, finding the boy's answer to be rather uncharacteristic.

Himeko lifted her brows in confusion, "He sounds like a poet." From the man's wording this, 'Einar' wasn't that old and yet he spoke like a grandfather. She continued before the founder could speak, "I'll go pick him up and introduce him to the rest of the platoon. Is that all right with you, sir?"

"I would wish for nothing more!" The man spoke with his usual grandeur, throwing his hands together with a sharp noise. With that the man left Himeko to proceed with the dodging of her paperwork duties.

Once she found herself at the hanger in which Einar was currently located, she had to scan the crowd for anyone that did not have the uniform that designated the engineers.

Least he could have done was give me a picture of the kid, she thought to herself as she scanned the crowd.

Finally, her eyes came to rest on a lone boy in the corner. He seemed to be close to falling asleep propped up near the edge of one of the hanger bay doors. He didn't seem to be particularly tall and the only unique trait about him was the streak of white in his hair.

Moving closer to him, Himeko was taken aback by the look on his face. It was one of a resigned sense of loneliness that someone that young shouldn't have. It reminded her of the look on her father's face whenever she visited him after her mother's death several years ago, as though he didn't see a point in human connection.

However, as soon Einar saw the captain, his face broke into what might have seemed like a blinding grin to most. After the sight just moments ago it seemed hollow and empty, devoid of life.

As Himeko made her way to the boy she made a resolution to herself, she would bring life to the smile of this boy. Life that she wasn't able to bring to her father.

And so, the meeting of the captain and the warrior passed without incident, unaware of what the future held.

Nearly a continent away a girl with black hair and green highlights was seen in the midst of a beautiful valley. Dilapidated buildings and bloodied corpses surrounded her as she made her way eastward.

The girl was innocent, she simply followed the instructions of the voice in her head. And so, she did. Changing the winds into a raging storm, she tore the city apart and made her way to see the one the voice adored.

He is the only one who can understand you, it claimed. Delighted by the prospect the girl made her way to his location. After all, why would the voice lie to her?

The wind gathered at her feet, propelling her upwards into the clear blue sky. With the verdant winds at her back the girl hummed a hopeful tune, obeying the voice's every command.

Author's notes: Well this chapter hated me. I think I rewrite the entire thing about three times before I liked it. I had several scenes that I felt wouldn't have contributed to the theme of the chapter in any meaningful way and just decided to scrap them. It also wasn't as long as I originally wanted it to be but I thought this was the best place to end it.

Of course, I'm also trying to improve my writing ability by going more in depth into the characters thoughts and the environments that they are in. I hope I accomplished that but feel free to tell me otherwise and how you think I can improve.

I believe I mentioned this in the first chapter's author's notes, but this is going to be the story of Einar and the main heroine, "Kaguya". That does not mean I will not expand on any other characters, but it does mean that the sole attention will on Einar and how the interactions with other characters affect him.

Anyway, enough of my ranting, thank you as always for reading this mess of a story and I hope I continue to fulfill your expectations.

Sayonara,

the Slow White Guy