Disclaimer: I do not own Honkai Impact 3rd
Please read the author's note but other than that…
Enjoy!
There were so many ways I imagined I would be meeting my parents again. Most of them didn't end so well but some ended with a favorable result.
The best scenario was that I would reunite with them during summer break, where a plan would have already long been formulated to explain every possible reason why I could not visit them. They would have been reluctant but would accept it and remain in blissful ignorance.
Was it a great plan? Not really but it was the best option I had.
I remembered Fu Hua had mentioned at the beginning of my time in St. Freya Academy that there were whole seminars dedicated to teaching Valkyries and other Schicksal personnel on how to hide what they did from their families, to prevent fear and potential spread of the Honkai to the public and to also give them a peace of mind.
I had actually signed up for some of the seminars that would take place after the training exercise with the Immortal Blades.
However…
"Isn't this great Toshi?" My mother 'cheerfully' sang with a smile as she and my father sat across from me and Durandal in the house that they were staying at for the duration of their trip in this town.
It didn't seem that seminar was going to be of much use to me now.
Trying my best to not show just how scared I was right now I looked across to my mother. She was the same as I remembered her as, eyes that looked to be a mix of gold and hazel and bright red luscious hair that came down to her waist. Looking at her she looked like an older version of Himeko, or a younger version of my grandmother.
Did everyone from my mother's side all look the same?
Despite the situation I was in, it was a great comfort knowing that nothing bad had happened to either of my parents since I had been away. I knew that neither of them had 'dangerous' jobs but with how surprises just loved to happen to me I could not be 100% sure they had not been affected as well by it.
But I had a feeling that it had all accumulated to this one seemingly normal, but very stressful, reunion.
In an attempt to take my mind off of what was soon to occur I decided to take the chance to observe the insides of the house that my parents were supposedly staying in and I was quite surprised with what I saw.
I had fully expected the house to be borrowed like an Airbnb or from a friend of the family but looking at the photos laying around the kitchen and living room I was surprised to see myself in some of them. Granted they were photos of me when I was a child but that still didn't change the fact that this house was in some way related to the family.
Though as my eyes eventually made a complete turn any thoughts of trying to identify the place we were in swiftly evaporated when I observed my parent's faces.
I had been living with them long enough to know that they were anything but 'cheerful' about what was happening.
"Our dear son has finally come home to us, and with a beautiful girl in tow." Seated right next to me at the table was Durandal, who merely tilted her head on hearing my mother's words. I had no idea how my mother had convinced her to attend this reunion but I was thankful for it. Having someone with me face this was really assuring, even if she had no idea what she had gotten dragged into.
Glancing at her I saw that the implication behind those words had completely gone over her, something that I was thankful for. Otherwise it would've made this already tense situation much more stressful than it needed to be.
"And yet…" My mother's tone brought me back to look at her as she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a very dangerous look in her hazel eyes. At the sight of them I couldn't help but shiver and nervously gulp. If I hadn't known any better it was like staring into the eyes of Death itself.
…Actually scratch that. Hyperion had nothing on the terrifying visage of my mother right now.
"How strange is it that this meeting was all accidental." Bringing up her hands she clasped them together as she slightly tilted her head, the sweet smile still present on her face. "Why I think the both of us weren't expecting this at all."
Shivering in terror that my mother wasn't planning on showing me any mercy I attempted to make her see reason. "O-Oka-san," I shakily began. "I-I can-"
"Oh dear," My red haired mother interrupted me in a tone that was just as 'sweet' as her smile. "Has spending all this time away made you forget your manners?"
Seeing that I was practically moment away from stepping onto a minefield I frantically shook my head in appeasement. "Good." Hana replied, pleased with my response, before her smile was replaced in favor of a more stern expression. "You have some explaining to do young man."
Before I attempted to try and somehow survive this conversation I was about to have with them I needed to know why they were even here in this town in the first place."How are you here Oka-san?" I asked them urgently. "We are quite far from home."
In response my mother simply smirked, probably having expected me to ask this question. "Have you forgotten where your father was born?" Was all she said to me.
Her answer had me looking at her in confusion for a second to try and make sense of them but eventually my mind understood what she said which I couldn't help but internally curse. So this was why this town had seemed so familiar when I had just arrived. I had never been here before but when I was young my father had told me about the place where he had grown up in.
To keep the story short my father had grown up here but had moved to the city for a better life when he got older. Eventually he met my mom and settled down with her where they eventually had me. I had a feeling that the reason we never came here was due to some bad blood between my dad and his brothers.
Though seeing how we were now currently sitting inside the house he had grown up in the bad blood must've been cleared up.
And I knew that this town was the same one my father grew up in. Having walked through most of it I could confirm the places my father had described in great detail, especially the arcade that he had frequented a lot as a child.
An arcade that I was about to take to Durandal to, and I knew that it was the same one as it had a light up Homu sign above the front door which had one of its ears flickering on and off, just like he had said.
Speaking of my father, I turned my face to look at him, realizing that this was the first time I had seen him, and my mother, since I had come back from Nagazora for Christmas vacation. He looked the same as always, neatly combed gray hair with hazel eyes, that almost looked similar to my mother's, that seemed to know the answer to any question one might have.
Now that I thought about it I seemed to inherit more of my father's hazel eyes than I did of my mother's hazel, almost golden-like, eyes. And instead of inheriting my father's gray hair I got my mother's bright red hair.
Truly I was their child, inheriting a key feature from both of them.
My internal dialogue with myself was abruptly broken when my mother decided that my silence had gone on long enough. "Why have you not called us?" She said without hesitation, going immediately on the offense. "And no lying, you know as well as I do that no lie can escape me."
That was scarily true. For some odd and strange reason my mother had a very good instinct on calling people out on their lies. It wasn't 100% accurate, but it was on point most of the time that it was close to being perfect.
She was slow to anger so most people were safe from her calling out on their lies but when she's angry, oh boy.
Hell hath no fury like Hana Nakamura's.
With that reminder my brain proceeded to work overtime in figuring out how I was supposed to approach this now, with most of my 'reasons' for not calling or visiting them all but useless under my mother's visage now.
My panic must've shown on my face as my father placed his hand on my mother's shoulder. "Dear," He said in a comforting tone. "You're being too hard on him."
Normally whenever she was in one of her rare bouts of anger it would be my father who would calm her down. He just had this innate ability to be able to calm her down with just his presence alone. It was something that I had found amazing and respected about my father.
Feeling his comforting hand on her shoulder my mother's face softened and for a moment I hoped that would be enough to calm her down, that she would see things a bit more rationally. Unfortunately after a second passed she shook her head and regained her expression of stern anger.
"Our one and only child in this world, our own flesh and blood, has been missing ever since the radiation meltdown of Nagazora's nuclear plant," She grounded out in a mix of anger and frustration. "And he hasn't even tried to reach us at all, not even to let us know that he was doing well."
Hearing her frustration had me reflect back at how heartless my decision to leave them in the dark had been, a pang of guilt speared through my heart as a result. At first it had looked to be the best option but for the long term I could see that it was the worst choice to have been made. I could only imagine the sleepless nights they had, anxiously pondering if their only son was alive and well.
All the while I was living carefree of their worry at St. Freya Academy.
I had to rectify this, I wouldn't accept anything less, but I couldn't reveal what exactly I was doing now. I couldn't imagine the heart attack that they would both have when they learned their son was putting his life on the line against an enemy that wanted nothing more than humanity's complete extinction.
My father simply nodded along in understanding his wife's reasoning but continued to be the voice of reason. "Your oka-san said that-"
"It does not matter whether or not my oka-san said he was doing alright. It's a completely different thing to hear it from the person in question." She swiftly interrupted him.
My father just simply nodded along with her words. "I know that and our son has much to explain, there's no mistake about that." He turned so that his hazel eyes looked back at me and I saw that he was in the same boat as my mother in how frustrated they were by their lack of answers. "However you're forgetting that he has his own side of the story to tell, one I'm sure will clear everything up."
Seeing how my father was trying to be as understanding as possible about my situation, that he didn't even know everything about, made me want nothing more than to tell them all, so much so that any other option would hurt to make. Being truthful in this situation was the only way to resolve this peacefully, but doing so would open up a whole can of worms that would take this conversation in a drastically different direction.
Yet what else could I do?! If I had only taken the seminars that Fu Hua had recommended me to take and not push them back then I wouldn't have to be in this kind of situation. My family could remain in blissful ignorance and wouldn't have this burden on the pile of problems that they had.
At the same time however there had been so much to do during the time I had gotten to St. Freya, from training, to getting accustomed with , to getting to know my new squad, and from dealing with the missions it hadn't exactly left me a lot of time to do other things.
However I knew I could've made it work somehow. I wasn't sure how but surely there must've been a way for me to-!
Before my mind could spiral any further a hand suddenly placed themselves on my arm, jolting me from the unexpected contact. My eyes widened at the abrupt sensation, knowing that there was only one person near enough to place their hand on my arm.
Having been silent for most of the conversation I was surprised by Durandal's sudden action. Moving my head slightly to look at the one seating next to me, I was surprised by the look the blonde Valkyrie was giving me.
Seeing as how she was the strongest Schicksal Valkyrie, captain of the Immortal Blades, she of all people would know the importance of hiding the knowledge of the Honkai. Yet as I stared into her blue eyes what I saw was not a reminder of this fact…
But rather of assurance.
Was she really giving me the green light to-
Just as if she was reading my mind she gave my arm another gentle assuring squeeze before nodding her head.
She was really giving me the thumbs up to tell my parents about what our true 'jobs' really were.
Mouthing a wordless 'thank you' to her I took in a very much needed calming deep breath before facing my parents once more. The two of them had very much seen our wordless conversation and were watching me with barely veiled anticipation.
Taking a second to steel my nerves I decided it was time to take the plunge.
"...Otou-san, Oka-san. What I am about to tell you will be so outlandish that you might think I stole this from the internet but on my life I promise you that it is all true." I looked as confusion flickered on my parents' faces at my words but after a few tense seconds they reluctantly nodded.
"Allow me to tell you the story of mankind's endless war with the Honkai, a force that wishes nothing short but our complete destruction." I began to explain to them how mankind had been pit against this force of nature since times long forgotten. I told them of how it showed no mercy to us and that we had been close to the precipice of extinction more times than should be possible.
I told them about the creation of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, organizations built for the sole dedication of defending humanity. I told them of the Valkyries, of how the person sitting next to me was the one of the fiercest Valkyries to ever walk the face of the planet.
By the time I finished telling them how I was now a student at Academy, a place dedicated to training the Valkyries of tomorrow, my parents were deathly quiet as they processed this bombshell I dropped on them. It wasn't everyday that you were told that this peaceful society we lived in was actually a facade and each day was a day of uncertainty that could easily result in our extinction, even more so that your son was actively fighting against them.
My father was the easiest to read out of my parents. His furrowed brow told me he was trying to rationalize everything that I had just told him. It was a common sight whenever you presented him with a rather complex problem. The gray haired man would think heavily about how to approach the problem and only when it was perfectly clear to him would he lose his furrowed brow. But judging by how he was more intrigued than angry it was safe to say I didn't have to worry about him freaking out…yet.
Trying to discern what my mother was feeling on the other hand was a whole completely different story.
Even if I hadn't just dropped this major bombshell on her it was still hard for me to read her. Ever heard the saying that 'a smile doesn't reach your eyes'? Well it certainly applied to my mother as she could have the most cheerful smile you could ever see, and the most frigid look in her eyes at the same time.
It was hard to read her and that fact was true especially now as I tried to see any hint of emotion in my mother's hazel eyes. Maybe she was just like my father and was just in the midst of trying to process everything that I had-!
Without warning my mother's eyes snapped unto mine and any speculation that I might've had about what she was feeling was instantly squashed when I saw the smoldering fury within the hazel.
"How could you?!" She shouted with such anger and ferocity that I couldn't help but instinctively lean back into my chair in shock. I had seen her get angry but never have I seen it this bad before.
So what was she so suddenly angry about?
"O-Oka-san what are you-!?" I desperately tried to understand where my mother was coming from but was interrupted when she abruptly stood from her seat.
"What made you think that you could join this…this death wish?!" She angrily interrupted, her voice only growing louder with each word. From her side I could see my father shoot her a concerned look, it seemed it was also his first time seeing such anger in her as well. "Don't you care about what I or you Otou-san think?!"
Did she think I was trying to be one of those cliche heroes that did just to be a legend?! That I was just doing this for some sort of ego boost or for glory?! "Of course I do!" I shouted back, feeling hurt that she would think I would disregard their feelings.
"Then why are you fighting against this 'Honkai' threat then?!" She demanded before slamming her hands down on the table, rattling from the force applied to it. "Why are you fighting against an enemy that you said wants nothing more than to destroy any who oppose it?!"
"Because I have to!" I shouted back, feeling my own anger get stirred up by hers as I stood up from my chair. "My friends…people that I met with Nagazora…they're all being dragged into this and I won't just sit idly by while they get hurt or worse die!"
My response must've been quite a shock as both my parents looked at me with looks of surprise. It made sense, I hadn't been the most expressive child growing up, rarely getting angry or emotional over things, so seeing me getting this defensive must've been a shock.
However, as shocking as my response had been, my mother quickly regained her furious look and for a moment it felt sparks flew as our gazes connected, neither one of us willing to back down from our position.
My father merely looked between his wife and son in surprise, lost in how he was supposed to mediate in a situation just as this one. This had been the first time since mother and son had their tempers flare this much, especially for his son. Yet if he didn't intervene there was the chance that either side would say words that they would regret and lead to something that there may be no turning back from.
But how could this be resolved peacefully?
Just as it seems all was lost and the floodgates would be swung wide open, an unlikely voice stepped into this conversation.
"Forgive me for interrupting Hana-san, Toshi-san," Durandal cooly interrupted, her first words in this conversation drawing everyone's, even mine's, attention to her. "However I believe that you are forgetting about something crucial here."
My mother's anger somewhat dimmed as she looked at the blonde woman but her hazel eyes still held onto it, ready to be released at a moment's notice. "And what is that…" The red haired woman trailed off as she didn't know the name of the blond woman she had invited to the house.
"Durandal," The S-Rank Valkyrie supplanted for her.
"Durandal-san," Hana completed before addressing the now named Valkyrie. "What am I forgetting that involves my son losing his life in a war that he was dragged into without his consent?"
"It is that he cares very deeply for those he loves. He will do anything to ensure that those he loves are safe." She revealed before turning her head and looking at me. "It was his intervention that saved one of his friends from the terrorist attack on the docks, without his help she would have suffered a fate worse than death. If it wasn't for him the nuclear fallout of Nagazora would've claimed many more of its citizens. His commitment to defending those he loves not only serves as his source of strength but also to his team and friends, who look up to him for who he is as both a person and as a Knight." She told them.
At Bianka's words the tense atmosphere began to fade away in favor of shocked silence. My mother looked back to me with widened eyes, not at all expecting to hear what I had done in Nagazora.
Neither was I as I looked to the Valkyrie in shock. I knew that she might know about the events at the docks, seeing how Fu Hua was there, but I never thought that she knew about my involvement in Nagazora. Had the conversation I had with Einstein,Tesla, and Ishigami had somehow been leaked? But if that was so, how?
Before I could try and think about how that was so any further my mother unexpectedly slumped down into her chair, her anger slowly receding.
"...But still my baby boy…" She finally spoke, her tone in a vulnerable state that I had never heard or seen from her.
"Honey," My father finally spoke up as he closed the distance and comfortingly embraced his wife. "I think it's time we've realized that our dear baby has grown up. We knew it had to happen one day or another."
"...But why this, why couldn't he have chosen something else." She lamented to him as she rested her head on his shoulder, bringing her hand up and wiped the built up tears in her eyes, though the action seemed little to hold back the flood of emotions she was feeling. "I don't want to find out one day that he will be returning home in a coffin."
I merely just watched my parents in shocked silence, this being the first time I had seen them in such a vulnerable state. For as long as I remembered they were always so indomitable, the power couple that nothing could bring down.
These were my parents, the people that raised me. They hadn't known about the existence of the Honkai like I had, they didn't know that this all terrifying entity could be defeated. All they knew was that the Honkai merely craved humanity's destruction…
And their only son was fighting against them.
…
Had I really been that inconsiderate of what my parents would feel of me being a Knight of Schicksal?
Before I could try and offer them some kind of comfort Durandal suddenly stood up from her seat, drawing everyone's attention onto her. "Then I vow to you as Durandal-...no as Bianka Durandal Ataegina." She placed a hand on her chest as a resolute expression took hold on her face. "That I will train your son to be the strongest knight, to not only allow him to fight against the Honkai and defend the all he loves, but so that he may also come home to you alive."
"This I promise you." She swore as her blue eyes narrowed seriously, showing just how committed she was.
Hearing her powerful vow I could not help but openly gape at the blonde Valkyrie next to me, a growing sense of admiration and gratitude towards her. She had gone above and beyond what any person, even a friend, would do in this situation.
Not only had she allowed me to spill the secrets of the Honkai she had essentially given her word to my parents, something that I knew she took seriously. Words could not express my gratitude for what she had done and I would be doing everything in my power to thank her for it.
I wasn't the only one to be in awe at her words as my parents looked to Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie in a new light, seeing just why she was Shicksal's strongest. "...On one condition." My mother spoke to me, seemingly convinced by the S-Rank Valkyrie's words. "That you bring the rest of everyone you've befriended in your time at Nagazora and this St. Freya Academy. I would like to meet the people who have helped raise my baby to the man I see in front of me."
"I will." I promised, feeling equal parts excited to introduce everyone to my parents and happiness that the tense conversation that we were having had been successfully defused.
Seeing how her one and only ultimatum had been accepted my mother happily clasped her hands together, any trace of her previous anger all but evaporated. "Now that's all cleared up I'm quite famished. Bianka-san, would you like to join us for dinner?"
In turn the blonde Valkyrie sat back down on her chair, a smile on her face.
"It would be my honor."
And for the first time in what felt like forever I had dinner with my family, a memory that I would cherish for a long time.
"Do come and visit soon!" My mother said as she embraced me at the front door. "Otherwise I'll have to come and drag you out of St. Freya."
"Please don't do that, I don't think I would be able to handle the embarrassment," I laughed as I reciprocated her hug back. In that one small moment it felt just like it had been before I had left for Nagazora.
A regular family living a completely normal life.
My mother ended the hug and looked to the S-Rank Valkyria that was leaving with me. "And you Durandal, or may I call you Bianka?"
After having a nice and hearty dinner with my family Durandal was more than comfortable with them. "Bianka is fine," She responded.
"Bianka," My mother tested the name on her tongue before a smile blossomed on her face. Before anyone could do anything the red haired mother suddenly crossed the distance between the two and hugged the blond valkyrie, shocking her by the action.
"Do please come and visit as well, it's so rare that our son brings a friend home. Especially a nice and strong woman such as yourself." She teased.
"Of course, Hana-san," Bianka laughed as I stuttered my indignation at my mother's words in the background. So it seems that my mom had been patiently waiting years and years for me to finally bring a 'girl' friend home and was taking advantage of it for as long as she could.
"And if you can please bring our son as well." My father spoke up as he walked up to his wife, who had ended her hug with the Valkyrie. "He can be very forgetful at times."
"What am I chopped liver?" I mumbled in embarrassment as everyone laughed at my expense. Despite the embarrassment I was feeling nothing could take down the smile on my face. There had been so many ways my reunion with my parents could've gone, many of them ending in a very unfavorable way.
Yet the one scenario where I would be leaving with a smile on my face and my parent's approval, more or less, was only achievable by the Valkyrie standing next to me.
I had always assumed Durandal to be socially distant as her interactions in the game had shown that she was not one to make small talk. It was only people like Rita who had managed to pull out the rare side of the S-Rank Valkyrie but even then those moments were short and rare.
Yet sitting at the dinner table I was treated to a different side of Durandal, one I would've never expected from her. She readily answered any questions that either my mother and father had and even laughed at some of my…embarrassing childhood stories that my mother enthusiastically regaled to her.
Ever since I had known that it had been my 'other self' that had brought back Durandal I had a feeling that there might've been a change in the young girl's character. It was a fairly easy assumption to make considering the young girl was solely traveling with someone else meaning that they could rub off on her.
But never did I think it would lead to such a big change, especially in someone as powerful and important as Durandal.
After some time making a little bit more small talk the two of us said our goodbyes to my parents before we walked back to the spot we were meant to be picked up at. As we walked down the streets of the town night had already settled and with it most of the people were either walking back to their homes or were in the process of packing up their shops.
Walking on the stone paths, the night sky casted a dark blanket over us with the lampposts illuminating where we were walking through. It surely gave off a nice ambient atmosphere.
The two of us walked in silence, something that wasn't uncomfortable, yet after spending some time walking through the town I eventually broke it.
"Say Durandal-san…" I asked as we walked past the ice cream parlor we had bought our cones earlier today. "Why did you help me back there?"
"What do you mean Haruto-san?" Durandal turned her head to look at me inquisitively. "Should I have not given my assistance?"
"No it's not that it just…it just felt…strange," I said, unsure of how to voice what I actually had a problem with. It wasn't ungratefulness, far from it, but rather it was my mind still trying to associate the Durandal that I knew from the game and the Durandal that I was currently walking down the street with.
"It's just we've only been acquaintances for like a day now. I know that we kind of already know each other somewhat already due to the circumstances but it just felt like I was taking advantage of my other self's relation to you. If I hadn't been related to them then maybe you wouldn't have helped me back there and because of that I-!" I tried explaining what I was feeling but it just came as a flood of rambling that seemed to have no end.
But Durandal had a simple solution to stop my rambling.
"You're overthinking it again," She said before she flicked me on the forehead.
It wasn't painful, but a finger flick from the strongest Valkyrie was more than enough to jolt me out of my rambling. Watching me instinctively recoiling from the action the blond valkyrie took it as the initiative to talk.
"Whether or not you were related to my friend I would've helped you with your parents. I wouldn't exactly make a great Valkyrie if I just left you at the mercy of your parents," She teased and my cheeks couldn't help but flush at her words. I didn't know how but my mother had immediately taken to the blonde woman and did not hesitate to tell her every embarrassing thing about me, something that the valkyrie had seemingly soaked up like a sponge.
Seeing my reaction the S-Rank Valkyrie let out a small laugh before she continued talking. "However I will admit that your relation to your other self did influence my words back there."
My embarrassed expression quickly shifted into an intrigued one at her words. "Oh? How so?" I asked.
Durandal merely smiled as she turned her gaze upward to the moon, which I just noticed happened to be a full moon tonight. "If I had to say it would be two things. The first reason was I saw this as a way to thank your other self. If it wasn't for him I don't know how I could ever have gotten back to my world, back to those I cared about."
"And for the other reason…one might say that I am repaying the favor."
"Repaying the favor?" I asked in confusion.
"A story for a later time but for context it revolved around a certain bubble universe that we had traversed through." Looking down from the moon the blond Valkyrie brought her hand up and she adopted a solemn expression as she looked at it.
"What we experienced in that bubble universe was something that I will not never forget," Her blue eyes narrowed as she clenched her hand, no doubt currently reliving what she had experienced there.
I merely looked at her in intrigue and worry. Durandal was one of, if not the strongest, willed person I knew of and for her to be shaken up showed just how serious and dangerous her journey had been.
"If I can ask, what did you experience there?"
"...My demons," Was all she said and judging from her tone I knew we were treading into a very sensitive topic that was not appropriate to talk about now so I merely left my curiosity there. Perhaps in the future I could ask her about it but for now it was wise to say nothing.
My silence must've shown what I was thinking as Durandal gazed back to me, her narrowed eyes softening in gratitude as she unclenched her hand. "Thank you Haruto-san. My circumstances as an orphan were used against me and if not for him then I know I would've never had the power to push through. Seeing you in the situation with your family I saw it as a way to repay your other self for what he did to me."
Letting everything that she had said sink in I could only look at her in gratitude. "...Thank you Durandal-san," I honestly replied. I knew that she was an orphan who had no memories of her parents, the only thing she remembered when she had woken up was that of fire and destruction. I couldn't imagine the amount of suffering she must've gone through if that had been manipulated with and to relive even a fraction of that just to help me with my parents…
I couldn't be any more thankful to her.
"If there's anything I can help you with, anything, don't hesitate to ask." I placed my hand on my chest to show how committed I was. "A Nakamura doesn't go back on their word."
At my words Durandal smiled before adopting a thinking expression. After some time spent in contemplative silence she finally spoke up. "I think I know of a way you can thank me."
"What is it Durandal-san?" I eagerly replied, ready to fulfill my debt to her. "I swear I will do everything to-,"
"Call me Duran-…Bianka." She corrected herself.
"Eh?" Was all I said to her request
"Wouldn't it be improper of us as friends to be on a first name basis?" After saying those words for the first time since I had met her she suddenly blushed in embarrassment. Seeing the normally serious and composed Valkyrie lose her composure and blush…it was…
It was kind of…cute…
Wait, where did that thought come from?
"We are friends…right? Forgive me Rita has always said that I'm not the best at talking to people and it just felt right that we were friends after all of this but if not then-." Now it looked to be Durandal's turn to start rambling and my turn to stop her in her tracks.
"On one condition." I interrupted her with a smile. "No more of this 'Haruto-san'. Just call me Haruto, it only feels right. After all, we are friends…right?"
Durandal simply nodded happily to my question and with the end of that we began to resume our walk to our pick up location. The walk was silent as it had been before but there was now a content atmosphere hanging around us, an atmosphere that was matched by the smiles on our faces.
Eventually we did arrive at the pick up spot and very soon we were back at the base. Saying our goodbyes to each other for the night the two of us separated and walked back to our respective areas.
Walking back inside where the Yggdrasil Advanced Engineering Corps called home I saw the rest of the 6th Valkyrja Squad was simply lounging about, no doubt having nothing else better to do at this hour.
My arrival was instantly noticed by Layla who looked at me with a surprised look. "Captain where were you?" She asked as everyone else began to notice my arrival. "You were gone for the entire day."
"I was just on a mission with someone in the nearby town. Nothing big happened, there was just a lot to do there." I said to her as I walked over to them.
"Are you sure?" The sniper asked skeptically, much to my confusion.
"Yes, why do you ask?" I asked my teammate with a tilt of my head.
"It's because you have a giant smile on your face." Mashu pointed out.
There was a mirror close to where we were so I turned to see what the rest of the squad was seeing and to my surprise there was a smile on my face. "Huh…" I reached up to my face and after thinking back to what happened on this eventful day my facial features softened.
"I suppose I do,"
Unbeknownst to me Sora was watching me and seeing my reaction smiled cheekily to herself, like as if this had all been planned from the start.
But that couldn't have been possible…right?
It was a cool and crisp morning at the Schicksal Base as I, the 6th Valkyrja Squad, and the Yggdrasil Advanced Engineering Corps stood on the runway. Behind us was the plane that had brought us to the base, which was now currently being loaded up for the trip back to St. Freya.
Standing across from us on the runway were various members of the Immortal Blades who had come to send us off. Walking forward I smiled at the person who was standing in front of me, who also stepped forward when I did.
"So this is farewell for now I suppose," I said as Durandal nodded.
"For now," She corrected to which I smiled and nodded back in turn. After everything that happened since I had arrived at the base it would be strange if this was the last time we met. "Till the next time we meet…Haruto,"
Being on a name to name basis with the strongest S-Rank Valkyrie would take some time to getting used to.
"I think we'll be seeing each other really soon, after all it looks like we're not the only ones to have forged a friendship." I said as I directed my gaze to the rest of the 6th Valkyrja Squad and who they were interacting with, the blond Valkyrie in front of me mirroring my move.
The first group of interaction was with Fu Hua, Rita, and surprisingly out of all people Sora. I had no idea how or why the young pink haired child was a part of this group but from the looks of it she looked to be an active participant in whatever they were talking about.
"I see no problem with giving Sora-sama early training," Out of my earshot the Maid of Schicksal was currently talking with Fu Hua about the pink haired child. Looking down to Sora who was currently beaming at her, the S-Rank Valkyrie gave her a smile. "She has the drive to be a great Valkyrie one day."
At her praise the young child beamed even more. "Be warned Sora that this will not be easy," Fu Hua warned. "You can choose a different path if you want. The path of a Valkyrie is not easy, especially for a child of your age."
Instead of being discouraged by her words Sora looked even more fired up. "I'm gonna be the best Valkyrie ever! Just you wait!"
Rita chuckled at her words before her hand reached down and ruffled the pink haired child's hair. "Of that I have no doubt. Passion such as yours should be properly nurtured so do not be surprised if I stop by for a little…chat."
Fu Hua merely nodded but the last bit had gone completely over her head. It was only Sora who understood as she nodded knowingly at the Maid's words with a smirk on her face.
From them I moved over to the second group, which consisted of Layla and Mashu talking to a dark gray haired Immortal Blade who I knew was called Alvitr. I didn't know much about her but I had a feeling that she was a fairly strong Valkyrie in the Immortal Blades.
"It was a pleasure to work alongside you all," Alvitr looked at the two valkyries in training with a smile. "I'm sure that your sisters are very proud of where you are now." The two beamed at the older valkyrie's words before they began talking to her as if she was an old friend. Perhaps she knew their older sisters which meant that she was already acquainted with them.
Just another thing connecting the 6th Valkyria Squad to the Immortal Blades.
And finally I moved my gaze to the last group, who I was the most familiar with. Midori and Keji were making some light talk with each other, no doubt making the most of the time that they had left.
"Looks like we'll be seeing each other more often now, you know since we're saving the whole world and everything." Midori said before she playfully slugged him in the shoulder. Seeing how she no longer needed to hide the fact that she was a Valkyrie she was definitely more open than her Chiba Academy persona.
"You mean 'you and everyone else' will be busy saving the world," The brown haired combat operator corrected as he rubbed the spot she had hit his shoulder in. "I'm just gonna be sitting behind the safety of my terminal and giving you guys information and orders."
"And that's important! You undersell your value in all of this. Besides…" The black haired Valkyrie leaned in. "I've heard that Asplund has a tendency of dragging any of his group's non scientists into his many projects."
"You're joking!"
"Just a rumor but who knows, you're friend's with Haruto after all and the unexpected follows him around like a happy dog."
Tearing my eyes from them I looked back to Durandal who had also finished looking around. A calm silence followed after we looked each other in the eye before I spoke up. "You should visit Duran-...Bianka," I corrected myself. The fact that I was no longer calling her by her 'Valkyrie' name but her first name would take some time getting used to. "I'm sure you would enjoy the academy."
"St. Freya Academy?" Bianka repeated as she adopted a thoughtful expression. "Now that you mention it I've never been to St. Freya."
"Huh? Really?" I commented in surprise. I would've believed with how adored she was by the students that she had visited at least once. But then again she wasn't the most sociable person so she might not even know just how idolized she was by my classmates. "Well whenever you do get the chance, do visit."
"Of course." Bianka nodded before she brought her arm up, hand open for a handshake. "Until next time Haruto,"
I raised my own arm and took her hand into my own. "Until next time Bianka," I said as I shook her hand.
It didn't take long for the 6th Valkyrja Squad to say our final farewells before we boarded the plane to return back to St. Freya. Very soon the plane ran through the runway and was in the air and while everyone else had either fallen asleep or doing something to pass the time, I was busy reflecting on all that had happened in these two days at the Immortal Blades.
Reuniting with Midori.
Meeting Durandal.
Learning a bit more of what my stigma could do.
Talking to Durandal about my connection towards her.
Reuniting with my parents and telling them what kind of life I had been living now.
And to top it all off befriending Bianka.
It had been an eventful two days and looking back I was happy with how it all turned out. Two of the biggest burdens that had been worrying me were finally off my back. Coming back to St. Freya it felt like I was coming back as a new man.
"How was your training exercise Haruto?" Mei asked as she and the 5th Valkyrja Squad greeted us after we stepped out of the transport plane.
"It was…interesting" I said as I walked closer to the dark purple haired girl. "There's so much to tell that I don't think I have the time to tell all of it to you right now."
"How about you Mei?" I asked. "Did anything happen when we were gone?"
She nodded in confirmation to my question. "Himeko-sensei had us go on our first mission as the 5th Valkyrja Squad."
"Really?" I looked at her in surprise with this news. I knew my aunt had said that she wanted to get her squad some mission experience soon but I hadn't expected it to be this soon.
"Though it wasn't as exciting as your first mission," She added. "It was just a patrol with another squad and we only fought a couple of Archangel Class honkai beasts."
"We all have to start somewhere Mei and to be honest you got the best first mission." I assured her. If I had to either choose to fight a couple of weak honkai beasts or a honkai angel that even an A-Rank Valkyrie could have trouble against I will always choose the first option.
"Besides, who knows what might happen in your second-!"
"HARU-SENPAI!?" Kiana suddenly screamed, interrupting our conversation. "YOU GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE BY DURANDAL?!"
I sighed tiredly as Mei shot me a look of concern. Great, I now had to explain that it wasn't intentional and that it had been during a training duel, though it was more like a massacre. Still even as Kiana zoomed in front of my face, inspecting it if there was any lasting damage, I could not help but smile.
It was good to be home.
If one was to look at Nagazora now they would be shocked at how far the once grandiose city had fallen. No longer was it the crown jewel of technology as it once had been, with both the fall of Massive Electric and the city itself.
Buildings that once towered over the streets were now in various states of decay, many of them at risk of toppling over at any moment. It was such a sad realization that these once grand buildings were suffering such a slow death.
Even sadder were the streets of Nagazora, which were now devoid of all life. What were once bustling with people were now completely desolate, with the only things left were that of empty cars and accumulation of trash. However despite this all the streets were not devoid of all life as one might believe.
It is just that what occupies these streets is not exactly the kind of life you want to meet.
Case in point a lone Templar Class Honkai Beast slowly walked down a street, its purple monocular eye surveying for any signs of human life.
Finding humans was very rare, especially those that were alive. Most if not all had fled the city when the sirens for evacuation had blared out. Those that foolishly stayed had been killed off as the city's honkai energy level rose above what was safe for humans, turning them into mindless zombies.
Yet while finding humans was rare, it was not impossible. All it took was a persistent eye and-!
A sound of noise resounding through the empty street had the templar's head automatically jerk in the direction of where it had come from. Its singular eye looked to an apartment building which was surprisingly well maintained compared to the other buildings surrounding it.
The Templar was weighing its options of whether or not it should investigate what the source of the sound was. It could have just been the sounds of the building beginning to fall or it could be a sign of human activity.
Yet the honkai beast would not have to make such a difficult choice as in its view a chunk of the apartment building cracked off and fell to the ground, causing another loud sound of noise in the street.
Chalking it up as the building beginning to collapse, the templar moved its head away and resumed its faithful patrol of Nagazora's desolate streets.
However unbeknownst to it someone had been watching the honkai beast ever since it's arrival on the street and had been watching it with bated breath. It was only after it turned a street corner did they sigh in relief.
"Idiot! You were this close in revealing our location!" A voice scolded within the mind of the watcher.
"I-I didn't mean to slip," Apologized Seele as she slowly picked herself up off the ground, mindful to not accidentally slip again.
"Which wouldn't have happened if you didn't get up from the bed." Reminded the voice. "You need your rest, otherwise how the hell are you going to heal your ankle if you keep moving it around?!"
Hearing her words the indigo haired girl looked down to her ankle, which was covered in a makeshift brace to prevent it from getting injured even further and to allow it to heal. It had been a little close to a month since the young girl had found herself in the apocalyptic city and when she had sprained her ankle trying to escape from the honkai beasts.
It was also when she met the one that had saved her
"B-But Yae-san said-,"
"That you could walk for a minute, not that you could walk around and try to tidy up the place where we are staying!" They reminded her.
The place that Seele and Yae had been staying at was once an apartment building. In particular it was a space that had been once two separate rooms for two different residents but the wall that had been separating them had collapsed leading to the space that they called home.
"I-It's not that simple," Seele tried to dispute as she began walking away from the windows of the room they were in.
"Then please explain to me what could be so possibly important for you to risk your already damaged ankle?! The faster your ankle heals the faster we can get out of here!" They scolded her.
That was the main reason why they couldn't leave Nagazora. Her sprained ankle severely hampered her mobility and while Yae was more than strong enough to carry her it came at the cost of not being able to fight very well. And with the hordes of honkai beasts that littered the city they could not leave without taking big risks.
Seele knew this more than anyone, however…
"It's because of who this house once belonged to." The petite indigo haired girl whispered as she walked over to a cabinet. The cabinet held nothing special, all it had were the old clothes that the previous occupant of this apartment had, and all of them were too big for her to use.
No, it was what was on top that made it so special to Seele.
The first thing that would take your attention was the two homu dolls plopped up on top of the cabinet. One of them was dressed like a classic knight, the doll's iconic grin visible through the helmet's visor. This one had already been found on the cabinet when they had first stumbled upon the space that they would call their temporary home.
The other homu doll looked oddly reminiscent of the Arahato from the show that Bronya liked to watch back when they were in the orphanage. The yellow homu was clad in the midnight black and raspberry red armor of the mech. This doll had been found in the other occupant's room across from where she was currently at.
But those two dolls were not the only things on top of the cabinet. Littering the top of the cabinet's wooden surface were pictures of various kinds of people in different locations around the city. However all of them contained a red haired teenager with hazel eyes and considering that they all had the name 'Haruto Nakamura' on the back of the photos then it was highly likely that he was the one who had once owned this apartment.
However all of that paled in comparison to the one photo that was in the middle of the cabinet. It was a photo of Haruto and a group of people the indigo haired girl believed were his friends. They had taken the photo in a festival all wearing yukatas but Seele's attention was drawn to one person in particular, a person that she thought she would see in these photos.
In a light blue yukata was the face of Bronya looking at the camera, a small smile on her face.
Seeing the gray haired girl in the picture brought a smile to Seele's face. When she had first seen her dearest friend in the photo she had cried so much, but none of her tears were of sadness.
No, they were of happiness.
Happiness that Bronya had friends of her own and was happy.
That was all Seele could ever wish for.
"Haruto-san and his friends are Bronya's friends. She looks so happy in the photo with them." Her voice was full of gratitude as she could feel her eyes being teary just thinking about Bronya. Soon they would be reunited, soon they would be back together…
She just needed to be stronger for a bit longer.
And if she could show her appreciation to Haruto and his friends for making Bronya happy then cleaning up the place that they once lived in was the least she could do for them.
Her other self remained silent, uncharacteristically so and Seele feared that something wrong had happened to them. Just as she was about to start an internal dialogue with them the sound of the door opening interrupted her. Realizing who was entering the home the indigo haired girl eagerly left the room she was in.
"Ah Seele-san," Yae greeted as she walked into their shelter, carrying a basket filled with various plants in one hand and her sword in the other. "Have you been well?" The pink haired girl asked the younger girl as she set down her basket and sword.
"I tripped a bit earlier but it's fine now Yae-san." She responded back.
At the revelation of her blunder Yae lightly frowned. "I see," She said as she walked forward and kneeled, inspecting the ankle as she lightly opened the brace protecting it. After a few seconds on inspection a light smile broke out and replaced the small frown the pink fox ear girl had. "Your ankle is doing better. We're lucky that your fall didn't worsen the injury any further".
Yet when she opened the brace a bit more and saw that the skin still had a purplish tinge to it her smile reverted back into a frown. "However, it's a long way from healing back to normal. I am unfamiliar with these lands and the plants that I can use to treat this kind of injury are nowhere to be found."
Seele just shook her head as her ankle brace was reapplied "It's alright Yae-san," She said reassuringly. "I'll be fine."
Standing back up, Yae looked as if she wanted to say more but refrained from doing so. "...Very well then Seele-san," Turning around she walked back to where she had left her blade and picked up the sheathed weapon. "I will be back after I scout the perimeter. The beasts have been getting bolder and I fear that-!"
Whatever she was about to say was swiftly interrupted as the pink haired swordswoman's eyes widened in surprise before she suddenly ran towards the windows, urgency in her step. Scared by the older woman's sudden action, Seele hobbled after her.
Catching up to Yae at the windows the petite indigo haired girl was about to ask what had happened when the sunlight coming through the windows suddenly vanished.
Panicked at the abrupt loss of warmth Seele turned her head to see what had happened and had done that just in time to see something fly across the sky, casting its shadow over the city.
It was the most beautiful thing that the orphan had ever seen. Even from afar the only word that she could use to describe what was flying through the sky was 'majestic'. In the desolate and destroyed city its beauty was only exemplified by the contrast.
Long hair that seemed to be spun of marble itself with four wings whose feathers looked to be made of the clothes themselves. Even the clothes it wore were worthy of an angel of its stature, one that looked ready to save the unfortunate city it was flying over.
That was if there wasn't a glowing purple halo floating above its head, signifying that it was not an angel of deliverance but one of destruction.
The two of them watched in rapt and fearful silence as the beautiful honkai angel continued to fly through the sky until it was almost out of sight. However the surprises didn't seem to end yet as before it flew out of sight it suddenly soared downward.
Tense seconds passed after it had flown downward, probably to land, before Seele finally spoke up. "W-What was that Yae-san?" She asked fearfully as she turned to Yae for answers.
"I-I do not know," Was all the swordswoman said, and one could tell that even she was shaken up by the angel's sudden arrival. "But I do know that it possesses a strong Honkai presence. Doubly so if I know where it's heading." She then swiftly turned on her heel and began to walk towards the door.
"What do you mean?" Seele called out.
"In that direction is the source of the honkai energy in this city, a school. I believe that it was called Senba Academy." The pink haired woman explained as she fastened her sword to her hip.
"What's there?"
"I do not know," Reaching the door, Yae placed a hand on the door knob. "But if it chooses to land there then we will all be in trouble."
She then turned around to face Seele, her purple eyes looked to the young girl's indigo eyes in reassurance. "Stay here, I will scout out and try to find this beast's purpose here." She ordered before turning the door knob and leaving for her recon.
Now left alone and with nothing else to do but wait, the young girl decided to finish what she had started before Yae had arrived. "Are you okay?" She asked the occupant in her mind in a worrying tone. "You've been quiet for some time. Did something-"
"Always the fretter aren't you. Can't live without my assistance now?" They spoke, having been there the entire time since Yae had came back. The alter ego was thankful for the swordswoman's assistance but she would always be wary of her. Especially with the honkai spirit that lingered within her, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take control.
It would be a cold day in hell if she was gonna to stand by and let that happen.
Yet for now she would keep these thoughts to herself.
"But if you must know something did happen…." The young girl then felt their gaze move until it was 'staring' down the direction of where the angel had flown through.
"I can't explain it exactly but that angel…."
At the shambled remains of Senba Academy, in the main building where a massive hole in the ceiling allowed the light of day to shine in the dark shambles of what was once the academy, kneeling in the middle of the space was the angel from before.
The Emperor Class Virtue was kneeling solemnly, its head bowed in reverence to whatever was in front of it. The honkai beast's purple halo casted an ominous glow in the shadows of the room it was in as it furled its wings on its back. It had completed its mission, now all that was left was to wait till the time came.
For in front of the kneeling angel were two flowers.
One that looked to be picked from the heavens themselves.
The other oozed with a deadly but strangely beautiful poison-like substance.
"It felt…familiar to me."
So how was the chapter everybody? It's a bit shorter than normal chapters but I do hope it was enjoyable to read nonetheless.
I'm back from Anime Expo, avoided getting COVID, and had a blast there whilst also wasting a bunch of money on stuff. If you attended and tried, keyword tried, to buy merch at the Hoyoverse booth there is only one word to describe the experience.
Chaotic.
I got lucky and was able to score myself the Lament of the Fallen Jacket, albeit it's two sizes bigger than what I normally get but it's not that big on me so hoorah for me. I also got to take a selfie with Unreal Dreamer as well! That was pretty cool ngl. I was able to snag some other sweet Honkai and Genshin merch, even FGO surprisingly…
Just when I thought I was done with that game I decided to pull on Castoria's banner and get her on the second ten pull and now I'm playing that game of gacha hell again.
*Proceeds to grumble about how rate up is a lie and how if I show any motives of trying to quit FGO the game just decides to give me the limited 5 star*
Anyway I hope that Durandal and Haruto's conversation with his parents was great. I was surprised by everyone's positive reactions to how I previously written Durandal and hope this chapter did her justice.
Some other stuff is that I kind of want to try and get back to one week updates, but probably won't cause fall semester is approaching and new college means more stress and work. At the same time I want to progress this story faster and focusing on chapter updates can help me train my focus for school.
We'll just have to see.
Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated, they're the biggest motivation to keep writing, and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them! PMing me is the best way for me to respond to your questions.
Peace!