Disclaimer: The following story is purely fictional. All canon characters are owned by MihoYo/Hoyoverse except for my OC(s).
Four months ago, a foreshock struck, trembling the town as buildings tumbled down - and then, coincidentally, the same white monsters appeared out of nowhere and reigned around Lahti, hunting people down.
I was lucky to survi
As I tried to reminisce, the tip of my pen came to a halt.
"...Was it really four months ago?"
I scratch my cheek and move my gaze towards the setting sun, sighing. The red and orange colors show what was once a lovely and sophisticated town in Finland has now devolved into rubbles. Although some of the structures are still standing, it appears that it could collapse at any moment.
I should just put four, not like it matters.
"Hmm?" I gazed to the side from the balcony. "Ahh, I forgot to mention them."
I've always dismissed the presence of the undead as a fanciful concept that shouldn't be taken seriously. However, following the earthquake and the appearance of the monsters, the residents began to act strangely and turn against one another. Their skin was as white as a sheet, and odd pink lines appeared on their bodies. Biting and killing any living individuals in the vicinity. Those who had been killed had returned to life and were acting strangely.
Here they are. Groaning and absentmindedly walking around with no destination whatsoever.
In my journal, I continue to write about the phenomenon, detailing it as well as I can. I could just write that they're the "undead", as in those cheap, godawful zombie movies, and be done with it, but where's the fun in that? I'd rather give them a much more detailed summary from my own point of view. Of how savage and barbaric they are.
Well...my work will undoubtedly contain mistakes in terms of narration, but that is to be expected.
Besides, if anyone on this damned earth sees my creation, they will just spit on it and quickly discard it. Marking it as an extreme failure.
So, thank you very much, I'll keep the book to myself.
As my hand puts the pen to work, it scratches the paper's surface. The blank sections of the white sheet are filled with black words constructed from its ink till the tip of the pen marks the point at the conclusion of the words.
I finish my narration with ease. A sense of satisfaction crosses my face.
The sun is starting to set, and night will soon arrive. The book in my hand has now finished telling its story for the day.
I pack my stuff into my satchel and sling it across my shoulder. Now I need to go to the corner store and grab some snacks for tonight.
"Hm?"
One of the white creatures, which resembled a jellyfish, is floating across the street, carrying something with its tentacles to a demolished structure. To get a better look, I lean in from the balcony and squints my eyes.
Not something; someone. They're dragging a young boy like a ragdoll, and into a big hole. Because there's not a single source of light from the inside, I can't determine what is in there.
Another floating monster is pulling another body towards the same location from the side of the street down to where I am. They don't appear to be concerned about the subjects' plight as they rush to the hole. Poor guys got their torsos skidding on a rough road with sharp rocks and spikes.
But what is irking my curiosity was the fact that there are still survivors in this deserted area. I was sure to believe the townsfolks are already dead, but I assume some of them are lucky enough to still be alive and were stuck under the pile of rubbles caused by the earthquake and the fallen buildings.
I gaze back to the shadows in the hole.
A moment later, as if on cue, another one of those things are following its friends with a human on its grip.
"Curiosity kills the cat, they say", and I am not that foolish feline.
I observe the streets once again. There's some creatures roaming here and there, but nothing to difficult for me to sneak past through them. Zombies are easy to detect and avoid with, as they're moaning forever like god-knows-why. The main problem would perhaps be those white Honkais, as I cannot determine their line of sights with their nonexistent eyes or anything. Those bird-like things are going to be troublesome as well. They could just fly towards me and end me right there.
Assuming I get caught, fighting back would be the least option I take. Running away might be the best one.
And if that plan don't work, well...what happens, happens, I suppose.
The left side of the streets are clear. Trucks, some wrecked vehicles and huge rocks... Surprising enough, they are all lining perfectly and there's enough obstacles to hide my presence from those things.
I make my way down to the first floor, smoothly avoiding the sticks and stones.
Once I reach down, I hastily, yet silently, make my way to the broken window right beside the entrance door. I check the streets again to see if there's any monsters or zombies that would ruin my safest route I'd chose to take.
Confirming to myself that the coast is clear, I rush towards the nearest car and crouch. I take a peek again from the hood of the vehicle just to make sure I don't lost my sights on them.
Slowly, but surely, I crawl towards my destination with cars and giant sets of objects blocking my body. From time to time, I stop and cast a small glance on the creatures.
They seem to be moving away from here. Splendid. I don't need to find another route.
The distance between me and my destination has become ever so close. In just a matter of minutes, I've arrived to the store. The front entrance has been barricaded by bricks but the windows are wide open. I hop over it, glass fragments crackle under my feet. The whole journey from point A to point B was pretty clean.
Wasting no time, I quickly move to the food section
"GRAAAAAAAAA-!"
Damn, I forgot about him.
"Oh hi, Marc." I wave down at the head of a zombie, one hand is struggling to crawl his body out of the huge debris.
The claw marks on the surface and the tips of his bloodied, broken fingers show his desperate attempt to get out of there. But futility oh, futility.
At least he still got some fighting spirit.
I circle around the fallen Marc. As soon as he sees me, he tries to reach out to grab my legs. Well, tried.
I unzip my bag after I'm in front of the aisle and immediately grab a can of some spicy tuna and some crackers for the next morning. There are already missing items in these upper and bottom rows, mostly cause I already at least grab and ate them for maybe three months.
Marc groans beside me and I raise my brow at him.
"What, you want me to help you outta there?" I stuffed the food into my bag. "Aww, I can't do that, Marc. You know you're gonna do more than just beating my ass up like you always did once I get you out of those rubbles."
I lightly kick a rock and sends it flying to his head. The zombie moans in dismay.
"Nope, not this time." I zip my satchel and I stare at him. "Of what you and the others did to me... Well deserved." I spit the words with venom.
You're the same. The lot of you.
"Have a nice evening, Marc." I circle around the screaming zombie and head out again.
I cautiously and slowly lean my head out of the window to check the coast outside. Eh, everything is still the same: Streets full of the dead and some wacky white monsters walking around the neighbourhood. Now I just need to head back to my hideout. It's a short walk from here, so I best get going.
I vault over the broken window and jog my way towards my "home".
crack!
I instinctively crouch behind a flipped car after hearing a quick, sharp crackling noise. I scan the area and the skies for threats, but none appear to come after me. For a few good seconds, I don't move and my back is still kissing the metal behind me.
The frantic fear comes to a tranquil halt. I huff and push myself to feet-
crack
It comes back again. And this time it's more noticeable as I quickly stare down to the ground.
Under my left foot, crooked lines appear on the asphalt. It stretches considerably wider and larger than I can react in a split second.
"Ah, fu-AAAAAAAAAHH!"
The next thing I know, my body is swallowed by the ground. My entire vision is whirling as I scream. My body keeps slipping, rolling and hitting something as I descend, and I am powerless to stop it. It appeared to never end. Or so I thought.
The twisted ride has come to an end as my back finally hits the "ground". I cough out some dusts and groan in agony. I try to muster up my strength back and try to get up my feet. Everything is dark - I cannot see where I am or what am I touching at. Thankfully, my trusty satchel is still slinging over my shoulder after the whole fiasco. I rummage my bag in a rush to find a portable flashlight. I kept it with me everyday for emergency, and this is definitely the right time to use it.
It takes me a while, but I finally got it out and pressed the power button. But as soon as I did that, the light flashed to my face, almost searing my retinas. I cursed to myself and hastily turns it around.
The lights in front of me illuminate the wall, the ceiling and the ground. They're so distinct. It's not made of bricks or cement like the ground above, but rather, a metal of sort. Speaking of above, I immediately direct my flashlight to the side. The land itself greeted me, concealing the path I was falling down. Some of the pebbles fall onto the metal ground as the sound echoes around.
Then, I move my flashlight to the right. Nothing but more darkness.
"Goddamit..."
I hang my head up and sigh. I suppose there's no other choice but to go to the only way I can go...
Shaking my head, I gather up my courage and take a step forward. It's only a one way road. Yet the further I walk into the unknown, the more the tunnel becomes twisted, an unpleasant sensation crawling across my back like something could jump on me at any time.
I need to get out of here as soon as possible...
...
I have no idea how long I have been walking in the dark. Every step I take on the metal plates is accompanied by loud echoes. With every stride I take, time moves on. I presume the night has descended on the area above me.
At some point, a weird odor in the air causes me to come to a deliberate halt. The odor didn't bother me too much because it didn't smell like dead meat or anything else unpleasant. Quite the opposite actually, it smells like a high-end perfume.
It feels...warm, almost as if my whole body was enveloped by a blanket, to put it bluntly. The dread that had been flowing through my body has vanished, thanks to the aroma calming me down.
I give myself a mental slap. I'm still not out of the woods, and I need to find a way out. So I press on, guided by the light in my hand.
I soon discovered a wide hole directly in front of me. I look around to see broken cables hanging around the hole. On my right side, there's a broken electronic door lock with a numpad and a small gap where a specific card may slot. There is no power, of course. I could only conclude that the in front of me was once a door, albeit a mechanized one.
The hole is almost twice as tall as I am. Most likely 10 feet or more. It is strange, as if a giant drill lurked inside, or perhaps a giant Honkai creature barges right in.
I get a creepy feeling under my skin. It's best to ignore it and go on...
I enter the new location with caution and take a few steps inside. But I come to a stop once more as I see the ground is curiously off-colored and unlike the metal floor I've been walking on. I poke the strange texture with my shoe and find it to be surprisingly firm yet spongy, like a cushion.
The smell of the flowery fragrance returns after a flash of orange light appears from the corner of my eyes. This time, however, it is significantly more obvious than it was in the hallway. When I turned to have a look-
Countless bodies crowd the corner, the wall, and even the ceiling. Some form of goop, similar in color to the ones on the floor, is wrapping around each of their bodies, pinning, and hanging them.
The bizarre, repulsive goops all pulsate at the same moment, as if they were alive. Then I find "cords" linked to their abdomens, and I trace a line from one of the victims nearby to the room's center.
The same odd light from before shines brightly throughout the entire damned region for everybody to see. As the brilliance fades, I can see an unnatural pedestal with an organic texture.
The source of the light is an orange orb, with a size that could probably fit onto one's hand, floating on the pedestal with a sense of freedom.
Turning off my flashlight, I turn my focus to the nearest body before taking a step forward for a closer examination.
A young man with a face I didn't recognize on a regular basis. Aside from that, he appears to be pale and extremely frail, like a person dying from sickness.
He shouldn't be alive with that kind of condition right...?
Curiosity draws me in. Without saying anything, I lightly kick the individual to see whether he's dead or-
Lo and behold - a twitch occurs and he turns his head to the side.
I gaze down at the "cord" and the pedestal with the orb in front of me, ignoring the man for the time being.
The cords are connected to the pedestal, and it's possible that this man and the others (who are most likely still alive) are comatose and nearly dead since the pedestal is sucking whatever energy they have, which explains why the guy looks dry as a husk.
With that said, a horrible idea comes to me as I feel compelled to take the cord out. I'm interested in seeing what happens if I do so...
But, eh, I might risk myself getting a Honkai infection. Despite the fact that I've been in this deserted town for months, I've yet to experience any symptoms. I considered myself immune, but I laughed it off and wouldn't think myself as fortunate since I always managed to avoid and haven't been close enough to a Honkai to achieve a 100% infection rate.
Whatever, I shouldn't stay too long in this damned place. My intention is to get out of this underground cultist-like base that was seemingly hidden beneath this town, not sticking my nose in some kind of eldritch ceremony. There's another pathway from where I originally came here from, I should go back and head there to see a way out.
When I peek behind the weird pedestal, I discover there's another road leading to some place. Another way for an exit or will it be just a dead end? Perhaps it's a pathway to go deeper into this place
All of these what-if scenarios have left me scratching my head. I'm afraid that my poor judgment could cost me my life. The most irrational and desperate solution to this dilemma would be to flip a coin and go with it. Yes, that is a stupid way to commit suicide, but I'm at a loss.
...Nevermind, guess I should just take the first route-
"...!"
The lovely smell returns. This time, however, it is more stronger than before, almost as if I am so close to it that I could even reach out and smell it.
A small breath is all it takes to pinpoint its source. The sparkling smell is right in front of my eyes, it doesn't take me long to become realize what's in front of me.
The same luminous sphere - the light gradually returns, but it is considerably more prominent this time. The brightness of the hue is enough to induce auroras to dance around it.
The golden rays of the glorious sun.
I stare in astonishment at the magnificent sight.
The color. The scent.
I feel drawn by it. I yearn it.
I reach for it, spreading my left hand towards the light source until I make contact with it. No heat; no burns.
Nothing can prevent me from holding it onto the palm of my hand.
And so, I grip the orb.
The surroundings lacked clarity. The haziness made it impossible to comprehend the layers with the items in front of it. The room was narrow enough for it to make out various objects placed in front and to the left of it. However, the blurs make it difficult to understand.
From the right came a compressed creak. The sound emanated from a tall, rectangular brown framework that was moving.
Someone it knew walked right in.
"Sorry, I'm late.", a womanly voice said. "Got caught in a stupid traffic."
Her tone was regretful, and she moved the brown frame back to its proper position.
She stood there for a few seconds, murmuring something it didn't understand. She blew a huff and massaged her face with her palm before she blew another huff.
"Huh..." She then, nonchalantly walked towards it.
Even if she leaned up close, everything was still unfocused. Until she put her hand on its side. Her palm didn't able to reach out to it; instead, it remained motionless as if by magic.
Her palm moved astonishingly, scraping away the fogginess with audible squeaks.
It finally came to an understanding as its vision became clear as water.
A glass - separating both of them.
Amber eyes gazed tenderly. Her reddish orange hair was bright as the sun.
"Hello there, little one." A heartwarming smile crossed her lips.
My body recoils and my eyes widen like a saucer. My brain feels like it's about to explode.
Everything feels like it's going to fall at any second. My body quakes and I find it difficult to gather my thoughts. My breathing gets a little jerky whenever I try to softly intake some air.
Then, a burst of light draws my stress and the pain in my brain away. Slowly looking down, the sphere I'm holding in my left hand glows brightly. I scrutinize it as it approaches my eye level.
It is just...well, a glowing sphere. I'm very aware that the brightness has been significantly reduced, to the point where I can see my own amusingly warped reflection on the glassy texture. There are multiple strings dancing within it in a peaceful and serene manner. The texture of the orb as a whole is soft and inviting. Even my thumb can't seem to stop rubbing it. It doesn't feel alien or dangerous... instead I feel at ease knowing that I am not...
Why did I...?
Moving my attention from the orb, I glance around and notice the organic "cords" have ceased to beat. I guess it is true that this orb was sucking the living hell out of them.
"-you sure this is the right spot?"
"The scanner pointed out the burst of Honkai energy from before is right around here!"
As distinct and voices resound from the first road I intended to walk, my shoulders jump in fright.
"Susannah, are you leading us to a dead end, again?"
"Oh my gosh, no! I told you that was an accident!" A voice shrieks.
There's people here? Who are they? What do they want?
I put these questions on the back of my mind however, before thinking about a way out using the second route behind the pedestal.
If they see me around with all these unconscious people around, I might risk myself getting captured for questio- Scratch that, I am holding a mysterious and fancy looking sphere that may as well be a doom machine, possibly they will kill me right on spot.
Stuffing the orb into my bag, I make my way to the path I forcefully take. Cautiously hopping over the bodies to not trip and fall.
Jogging my way through the unknown with the flashlight on my right hand leading the way, I soon slow my steps as I look at a glint that comes from a small gap above. There's also a ladder attached to the wall leading upwards just right onto the gap that, looking closely enough, is actually a hatch.
I take no time to think twice as I grip the flashlight with my teeth and keeping the light in front of me, I climb up the ladder and ascends to the hatch. Once I reach the end, I use one hand to push it out. It budges a bit but still won't open. Putting more effort on my second push as I grunt, the metal flap finally flips away with a loud pang on the ground above.
A moonlight shines above me as if to greet me back to the land of the living.
With my hands grasping the rough ground to support myself up, I finally got back from the underground. I gaze back at the hatch, and decide to close it back again quietly to remove my trail.
I am able to locate myself quickly enough judging by the grocery signs on the buildings around me. Aside from the broken lights, the shopping district here is as dead as the last district where I was writing my journal at.
My hiding place is actually not that far away from where I stand. Just a few minutes of walking and I'm able to reach it in no time. Though considering how late it is right now, I must be hasty before I get into any sort of trouble.
Hope I don't run into some monsters in my way.
Sure enough, the road was quite safe to walk through. Few Honkai beasts and zombies here and there, but they didn't spot me, thankfully.
Few months ago, after that tremendous earthquake that shook the entire town, the area where my apartment is, was devastated and overrun by Honkai.
The place I'm living for now is actually someone else's house. I don't know where the owner is and I couldn't care less whether they're alive or not.
Oh, and how did I even get into the house in the first place? The front door is locked and I couldn't get the bloody thing to budge even after bashing it multiple times. So, I walked around the home, I discovered a way in on the second floor. The window was slightly open, which was difficult to see at first. All I needed was something to assist me in getting up there. I went to the shopping district and brought a folding telescopic ladder. With the monsters roaming around, moving around swiftly was difficult.
Took some time, but I was able to get in. My foot stepped onto a messy, boy's bedroom. Thank god their door wasn't locked. Foolish child, what if your parents came in without knocking while you were doing your ceremony?
Anyway, I went down and I tried the front door from the inside - not budging still and I rolled my eyes on it. I was planning to find a spare key somewhere, if they had it, but just from the mess around the house? Nah.
There you have it, that's my whole venture into the stranger's den with a ladder, going up and down like an ape.
I ignore the mess and head straight down to the dining room, located just right past the living room. Well, I wouldn't dare to call it a "living room" anymore when there's a fallen chandelier on a wrecked table that makes everything miserable and lifeless. Must be from the quake, but what can I do about it?
Skipping through everything, I finally reach to the room where I want to be, I place my bag gently on the dining table. I don't want any more dust blowing around. The dining room and kitchen are connected. Much easier for me to simply carry my supper here and place it on the table.
I unzipped my bag, and I take my meal out. Yet before that, surrounded by numerous stuffs, my gaze instantly locked on the orb I just took from the underground. Its dimmer has piqued my interest, again.
However, priority comes first, and I mentally shake myself off. It doesn't take me a second to find a sweet, spicy, juicy canned food by the not-so-famous company, "StarSnatcher"!
It's just a can of spicy tuna, really...
I get a tin opener out of the cabinet and slice it open. I take a peep inside and sniff it to get a sense of the dine. I recoiled slightly as a weird odor invaded my nostril.
I didn't check the expiry date, did I- Yup, I didn't check the expiry date.
Goddamit...
"You've been doing this for three, four- hell, maybe five months now. How do you even manage..." I scolded myself as I take a random plate from the sink and a fork. Rinse them both with a bottle of fresh water I grabbed from the store.
I pour the contents onto the plate and it makes a goofy *spoink* sound-like. The smell is even stronger than before. I hope this won't kill me.
...It might as well murder my stomach for my stupidity.
I take my dinner and set it on the dining table, sighing. When I landed my ass on the almost-broken chair, the seat creaked. I spear a piece of tuna and gently place it in my mouth. My tongue feels strange as I chew. Okay, it's still palatable...At least the spiciness helps.
I sigh and really immerse myself in my not-so-grand meal. My body is sore from the whole ordeal, so I should hit the hay ASAP and forget about everything.
However, a light shined from the holes of my bag as I gazed on the corner of my eyes. The last meal had come to a standstill just an inch from my open wide mouth. I gently set down my fork and let my hand slip through the baggage.
It doesn't take me a while to pull out the orb. The light decreased as I gazed at it compassionately but critically.
"You don't like being in the dark, huh?" I muttered, looking at it for a moment, before setting it down so that I can finish my food.
Finally, the last tuna that begged to be eaten has been granted. Now please, don't torture my tummy.
I set the dirty plate and utensil back on the sink. I'll clean it tomorrow, not like they're gonna spawn a leg and walk away anyway.
I zip the bag and carry it on my right hand. My left arm, then reaches out and grabs the ever-inviting sphere.
I chose the kid's room above the parent's room, which I hadn't mentioned. I prefer the former since I can simply jump out the window to the back if something comes in from the stupid front door.
Sure, the zombies are braindead. What about the Honkai beasts? Do they have functioning brains wherever they are located? That is one issue that should be questioned. Alas, take precautions, y'all!
I shut the door and put my satchel down to the floor, with the orb in my left hand still. I cleansed some of the bed's nibbles so that I could sleep soundly without worrying about rubble stabbing my back like some acupuncture.
As I sat on the side of the creaky bed, I let out a groan. Exhaustion slowly leaving from my body. I raise my hand to admire the wonder of what I'm holding.
After a time of mesmerizing, a flash of that previously painful recollection rekindled from the back of my head.
I couldn't recall it with any clarity. All I can remember is a middle-aged woman's face - an unparalleled beauty with a maternal gaze.
Who exactly is she? My mother? Hah, surely it cannot be. Before being committed to the orphanage, I was born and reared by my biological parents. Oh, I remember their faces very well. Those white hairs, in particular.
Who would entrust their child to strangers in a filthy church? Well, definitely them. Be it for good reasons or not, I despise them for what they did. Because of them, my life felt like it's on shackles...
I pushed the sadness from my face. No need to be upset about a spilt glass of milk. Right?
I locked my gaze on the sphere once again. It somehow calms me down. Because those memories weren't mine, a sudden revelation hit me.
"It was yours, wasn't it?" I concluded.
So, whatever this entity is, it has its own mind. Doesn't seem like it's trying to brainwash me or do anything unspeakable to me. Yet.
I waited for an answer from it, but to no avail. Usually, I can, like, sense it. As if it's using signals to communicate with me in a pellucid way. I can only deduce that this is a Honkai entity based on how weird this stuff seems. Which leads to the next question: how am I still alive and not becoming a zombie from the corruption?
I don't have any sickness (though I believe the food is getting to me) or anything strange about my body.
"I guess you're safe in my book..."
The orb twinkles in my response, and I smile unconsciously.
Suddenly, the room is shaken by a familiar earthquake. The already damaged furniture around becomes even more so as everything is falling apart. My entire eyesight is shaky, and I'm having trouble staying upright. I should immediately jump out of here in case of emergency.
I sling my satchel back and gingerly reach for the window. As I ready myself, the quake slowly comes to a halt and then returns to normal after a few shock.
"Are you kidding me..." I can feel my shoulders lump from the sudden adrenaline and I'm even more tired than before.
Brotherman, I just wanna lay down and drift into la-la-land.
As I move away from the window and head to the bed once again, a rattle from the outside startles me and I turn on my heel to the window.
Another rattle. Something is clearly outside—do not approach the window. I should silently descend the stairs and proceed to the front door. I know it's still locked, but I need to ram it with something, anything, really! All it needs to get out of here.
A blue flash comes into the room from the window before I could take another step. The moonlight only shines the back of the person, making it hard to judge the look of the figure crouching on the floor.
My own figure stood still in fear as the being in front of me have their posture straighten. Then, they look at me. And the light manages to capture their face.
It's a young lady with short dark blue hair and a pair of golden eyes, wearing some sort of high-tech suit with several pockets on her hips and chest. Speaking of her hips, they are... revealing. All the way down to her thighs. She could even be wearing a latex underneath as far as I'm concerned...
What are those block pieces on her waist though?
"Don't move."
-Of course, she has a gun. And a weird-looking one at that. The barrel points straight on my head and I have no choice but to raise both of my hands.
Given how she found a random, dirty ass person alive and well on this infested Honkai zone, I can't blame her for thinking that I am some kind of super secret agent of some shady organization.
Kind of hoping she's not one of those cops who shot first and asked questions later...
There is only one way out. On the other hand, we humans have a secret weapon of our own. This hidden potential is naturally present when you are a child, and it develops over time.
"H-Help me, please..." The confused expression I had before is now replaced with the pathetic look on my face I could muster, complete with a scared-y voice.
Humanity's greatest weapon ever made: Acting.
"This is a highly-dangerous and isolated zone, how did you get in here?" Her frown furthers even before, but her gun is now slightly lowered so there's that.
"I-I live in this town... and-and, after that earthquake- those things came out of nowhere and killed everyone...!"
I tried to make it seem like I'm having a hard time explaining stuff. I gave her a tiny bit of light. What is a beautiful lie without a speck of truth?
Not letting go of my act, I continue to speak. "Some of us were alive- tried to stay alive...we were waiting and waiting for days...b-but no one came."
Oh yeah, here comes the tears. Thaaat's it, keep it flowing down.
"No one came... and they hunted us till nobody left. We wanted to seek help outside but those monsters... M-My friends, the people... I'm the only one left...god..."
My voice was grim. Maybe it was TOO grim, yikes. I hope I won't give it away.
The result so far though, was to be expected. As she's seemingly convinced as I finally out of the gunpoint, her facial expression remain stern but it is a bit softer now. They might capture me but it's better than to die straight away and bury my corpse somewhere.
A loud bang downstairs made me jump and I glanced at the source a bit. The girl in front of me didn't seem to be bothered though.
"It's alright kid, you're safe now. But we'll need to question you further once we take you back to our temporary base, okay?"
The unfriendly demeanor has now turned a sincere one, and the nonexistent audiences applaud. Now with that out of the way, I just need to think carefully during the interrogation sequence or whatever. I feel like if I make a mistake, they're going to do something I really don't like.
As I meekly nod in response and slowly lower my hands back, a new girl with blonde hair and wears purple cloth came into the room.
"Sorry! Sorry, the door was incredibly stubborn, hehe."
I know right?
The newcomer has a bubbly voice in contrast to the blue lady in front of me, who is rolling her eyes at the blonde girl. When I heard the voice clearly for the first time, I can assume that these two are the same people who were in the underground with me.
I could only gamble that they didn't see me.
The blue lady then speaks, breaking my stupor. "My name is Marie and this is Susannah Manatt-"
Susannah waved and I don't know how to respond to that. Genuinely.
"-We're Valkyries of Schicksal."
...Is that a made up name? I couldn't help but nod like an idiot. Whatever this Sicksaw can get me out of this hellhole, I can ever be satisfied.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Uhh..."
Susannah clumsily took out some kind of device that was hanging on her hip this entire time.
"What is it?" Marie approaches her side.
"I'm getting signal reading from before..." Her eyes squinted at the screen.
"The same one we got from down below?"
"Yea."
I have a bad feeling about this. As the beeping gets stronger with each second, Susannah's face becomes more and more confused, and I have the urge to swallow hard.
"It says it's..." She looks up on the bed and back to the screen, again. Then she raises and points her finger at something. "It's there."
I slowly follow her, and I glance at the sphere that I accidentally placed on the edge of the bed. I turn my gaze back to them and Marie, who is now returning to her cold look, glaring daggers at me.
Shit.
"You-"
Another earthquake hits. This time, it's far stronger than before to the point we have to use the walls and furniture to support ourselves. I see as the mysterious orb rolling towards the edge, I hastily move away from the wall and catch it before it could fall and hit the ground.
The trembling doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon—and then a thought comes to me, a worse one for the worse case of scenario as I look at the window beside me.
"-HALT!"
I didn't even bat another eye to the ladies and I just ran and vaulted over the window.
"Oof!" I groan from the not-so-smooth landing, but I quickly stand up and dash to the main road.
My body feels like it's about to be thrown to space. The horrendous tremors make it difficult to maintain my footings.
No other options but to skiddadle out of this town, I guess. There's absolutely no telling that if those girls will lock me away and, would you look at those advanced technology they're packing, no doubt I will probably end up being strapped on a dissection table surrounded by weirdos in lab coats.
I watch too many movies? Duh. But with all that has happened lately, I think it's better to be safe than sorry.
"Pardon me, Georgey!" I shove an undead that was in my way, the poor guy growls and falls flat on the ground, struggling to stand.
I've arrived at a fork in the road. The town's exit is on the east of me, so I better go there. It's not that far and hopefully I won't stumble upon the See-Saul's temporary base.
The tremor stopped for the nth time today and I couldn't care less about it. As I jog my way towards my destination-
crack!
My eyes go wide and I look down. A crooked lines appear under my left foot.
Are the gods above really hate me for what I do today? Am I really gonna fall down again?!
Thankfully, that didn't happen and I quickly stepped away from it. I believe I was in pure dumb luck, but that's not how life works now, is it?
The cracks run in a zig-zag pattern in front of me, presumably converging on one spot several meters away. Then, in a matter of seconds, the earth swallows the road, the cars, street lamps, even those unfortunate monsters.
A massive hole is formed. Here I thought things couldn't get any worse.
Boy, I spoke too soon.
A long, massive figure emerges from the hole slowly. Its head and its body have engulfed the moon and the stars along.
White scales of a carp on its body, antlers of a stag, ears of a bull, two sets of long whiskers on its face.
What I see in front of me is an attempt at the mockery of an ancient mythical dragon of Shenzhou created by Honkai. The unmistakable purple lines around its body that is spreading like a cancer distinguishes its holy representation of said mythological creature.
The monster turned its head to me and I am stuck frozen. If I move a muscle, it will attack me right away. If I don't, then it's the same result. Sooner or later, I'll die.
The Honkai slowly leans its head close to me and I instinctively take a step back out of fear. My feet stumbled on something and I fall back down.
At the entity towering above me, its cat-like eyes staring at me intently like a prey. My breathing hitches in each second it's coming closer and closer.
I've got no plan. Nothing. All I can do is just accept my fate.
The orb flashes from my left hand. And to my surprise, the dragon stops moving and shifts its attention to the object in my hand.
Before I could grasp what was going on, a loud bullet rang out not far away, striking the Honkai in the eye. The creature reflexively closed its eye and hissed. I whipped my head to the assailant.
The girl in blue, Marie, is on one of the rooftops of many houses. Her pistol is still steadily aiming at the giant.
She takes another three shots at the enemy. It lets out a howl as the dragon launches its head to where Marie is.
Marie had already readied herself to jump to another roof of a house, knowing full well that it would enrage the beast. The house she was on was entirely demolished into pieces.
As soon as she lands safely, albeit a bit sloppy due to how surprisingly slippery the tiles are, she returns her attention to her target, its head appears to be stuck on the ground.
"Susannah?" While her target remains on her sight, Marie ejects her mag with a few rounds left from her pistol and stores it on her pocket for future use.
"Heading up! "
Rather than reloading her gun with a new magazine, she whips her handgun downwards and pulls a large rectangular piece from her back.
As a squared slot designed to be inserted in, Marie swiftly inserts the piece in around the hammer area of the pistol, as if it were a break-action shotgun.
The solid elements on the barrel of her handgun magically fold out like papers and stretch themselves as soon as she does that. The rectangular component she inserted has also folded, giving it the appearance of a standard stock rifle.
Marie takes a fresh magazine out of her back pocket, containing six augmented .300 Win Mags bullets capable of causing tremendous bio-electric discharge on impact, solely for the purpose of destroying large Honkai threats (courtesy of yours truly, Schicksal's Head Scientist).
She slaps the mag into the magazine well, which is now located right in front of the trigger, and she pulls the chamber.
As she crouches to gain a solid aim, and her visor screen projected from the device she's wearing on her right eye assists her in sniping. The positioning is unsuitable for marksmanship, especially given the slick surface. But beggars can't be choosers.
The Honkai manages to get itself out of the debris. The reticle in her visor immediately spots the left eye of the monster-
A loud roar can be heard across the vicinity, accompanied by an explosion. Marie did not hesitate to fire the projectile to its eye the moment she locks on the target.
Smoke pours from the Honkai's shattered eye as it howls in agony, swinging its head side to side.
"Whoa! Uhhh, are we still going with your plan? " Susannah's uncertain voice can be heard from the comms. "Seems like you're handling it pretty well."
"It's not going down that easily." Marie affirmed strongly. "And that noise is gonna attract a horde."
"We definitely should contact HQ for backup-"
"-Already did." Marie said. "In the meantime, we need to hold our ground. We can't let this thing escape."
Marie fires another shot at the Honkai's head, as it lets another agonizing howl.
"Take it down, if possible. That's why we need to stick to the plan."
"Roger that." Susannah manages to summon her bravery despite the voice of doubt.
The plan is to eliminate the Honkai by destroying its head, which Marie assumes is its weak point. Susannah and her trustworthy lance will play a crucial role here.
Marie can see Susannah's small figure, waiting at one of the tallest buildings in the vicinity. She just needs to bait the beast to her and move it near her partner's location so that she can deliver the finishing blow.
"You think that's a Judgment-Class Honkai beast? With that size and all? "
Marie lands on another roof, slowly approaching Susannah's location.
"Who knows."
She fires another round into the head, keeping it stunned. She makes a mental note that she has squandered three shots and preferably conserves ammo, if possible.
"Hey! Do you think we can get promotion if we kill it!? "
There are no structures nearby to jump upon. A swarm of undead and a number of Seraph-class Honkai beasts are approaching her. She'll have to make do with improvising by sprinting to the location.
Marie runs forward as she leaps and lands on a zombie with enough force to kill it instantaneously. She deftly avoids being grabbed by the zombies while rushing across the road.
"O-Oh wait, you're already an A. Well, I think that means you won't get one-"
She lets her body sink onto the ground and slips past beneath an abandoned trailer. Without losing her momentum, Marie dashes towards again.
"Alright," Marie kicks a zombie away it hits the wall. "whenever you are ready."
Marie skids to a stop directly beneath the building Susannah's at. The Honkai dragon opens its jaw and lunges towards her.
Susannah leaps and yells a battle cry at the same time. With her lance pointing downwards, and the thruster boost on her hips, her body coming down with such an incredible speed.
The lance pierces the dragon's upper head. The lower jaw hits the ground with enough force to stop it from moving, crushing the hapless zombies and other monsters in the process
Marie protects her face from the splinters. She lowers her hand once the dust has settled, and discovers the huge Honkai lying lifeless, its destroyed left eye still smoking.
She sighs in relief.
"Phew! This is the first time I've seen a Honkai this large!" Susannah huffs, still standing on top of the creature. "It looks like a Judgment type, but feels like we're fighting a Seraph."
"You're not the one on the ground."
"O-oh uh," Susannah recoils from Marie's snark. Whatever that means, it wasn't pretty. "Hey, at least we got it!"
They shouldn't, however, feel triumphant. Sussanah and she are still in a perilous area, after all.
In any case, they must locate the young man and the strange orb he's carrying. Marie noticed him fleeing down a certain alley while baiting the thing around. With so these Honkai about, he can't be far away. What he has could put them in danger, as well as himself to some extent.
"We should find..." Marie trails off.
Her attention is drawn to a big vertical slit pupil, and it suddenly moves and stares at her.
Marie's eyes widened with terror.
"SUSSANAH!"
The girl yelps as the dragon lifts its head, holding her lance to not fall, which is still stuck on the opponent.
The Honkai lets forth a rage-filled cry to the night sky. The blue Valkyrie notices an anomaly: the dragon's right side has become swollen and pulsates in a strange beat.
Marie breaks out of her stupor when a zombie wraps around her. Yet, She keeps her head straight.
Without looking back, she grabs the zombie's head and performs a flip behind the infected, pushing it down to the ground. Marie kills the undead without hesitation by bashing its head with the butt of her stock rifle. Rotten blood and contents spilled all over the ground.
"Sussanah, get out of there!" Marie trains her sight at the giant.
"I'm...trying! But my weapon is...stuck! "
The Honkai continues its terrifying roar as its side pulsates uncontrollably. And soon, the unexpected comes.
Unknown substances splash all over the streets as something pierces out of the dragon's body. That "something" forms into a mass, and at the end of it, four claws emerge at the end of the tissue.
"It grows a hand..."
"IT GROWS A HAND?! "
The disfigured form of a reptile limb swipes the structure on top of Marie. The Valkyrie runs to safety while grinding her gears on how to defeat this thing, and rescue Sussanah. At the very least keep it at bay while waiting for the backup to arrive.
"Whatever you do-"
Marie stops and sees a couple of Seraphs and Knights coming towards her. Fast.
"Hang on!"
She takes out a new rectangular piece. The block instantly folds into a handle and a trigger for her to hold. Marie points the block's end at an approaching Seraph and she pulls the trigger.
The Seraph's form broke into bits as a flurry of little pellets shot from her new weapon.
Cocking the shotgun with one hand, as the empty shell falls to the ground, she aims at another Honkai and starts shooting.
Meanwhile, the young man who is still watching from the distance on the corner alley, stands speechless.
Feels like out of a superhero movie.
He scoffs. Though he admired the destruction and their effort to stop the giant, nonetheless, he should get out of here while they're bus-
"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
He whips his body around to see a girl-that-has-turned-into-a-zombie getting in close to him. He immediately notices her former identity just by looking at the zombie's face, with her missing jaw and arms.
"H-Hey... Christina?" He steps back away. "Listen, I know you hate me, but it doesn't have to be this waArgh!?"
'Christina' leaps forward and tackles him. He yells and attempts to push her away, but she thrashes around like a wild animal, trying to bite his neck.
He still screams until the sharp teeth is several inches from his neck.
But suddenly, the weight begins to lessens as the zombie is pulled back by the hair. He looks up to see a woman in a ruby-colored suit. What baffles him is the thick, massive, and presumably heavy sword that she raises as if it were a joke and simply severs the zombie's head with a disgusting quench.
Her red hair sways elegantly as the savior turns around.
"You alright, kiddo?" She glances down at him. And, still dumbfounded, he nods in reply. "Stay here, and don't go anywhere."
The red-haired lady gives him a smirk and walk passes him. He gets up and watches the woman running to the giant with her big-ass purple blade in hand.
Great, another weirdo.
He grumbles. Until he realized his hand was missing something important. He loses the orb.
"No, no, no." The boy panicked and start searching around the vicinity.
"Damn, ladies. Starting a party without me?" Himeko smiles amusingly at the chaos in front of her.
"Major!? " Marie's alerted voice can be heard over the radio, and Himeko can see her dodging a Knight's lance assault. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission up on the north."
"Yeah, well, heard you girls having trouble dealing with... sizes so I came to lend a hand." Himeko watches as the dragon tries to sway Sussanah off its head.
"Awfully charming."
Two Archangels fly towards the red-haired Valkyrie, but Himeko casually lifts her blade and kills them in one swing.
"I'm heading to you now!"
Himeko then sprints over to a group of infectee, swinging at everything that approaches her.
A Cassiel uses its own body as a drill and plunges into Himeko. However, the redhead is quick to react, parrying the impending strike, stunning it, and swinging the pest to death.
She never slows down and continues to run towards Marie.
Suddenly, she heard a lot of noises and explosions coming from behind. While still running, Himeko glances back over her shoulder.
The giant's hand sweeps the street behind her, a tsunami of vehicles, objects and undead steadily ragdolling and launching onto her.
"Oh boy..."
She returns her gaze to Marie, who is battling the many Honkai. Himeko realized that the distance between her and Marie was still considerably far.
Then, an idea pops into her head. As Himeko slows down her speed while dodging the pouring vehicles. She looks back just in time to see the arm, accompanied by the destroyed vehicles, coming in hot.
She jumps up. Rather than leaping over the onslaught, she lands on top of a roof of a sedan, which propels her forward as if riding a surfboard. She'll be able to reach Marie in no time at this speed.
She slashes the items that were about to collide with her. Then she and the car are sent even higher than before, as the dragon's arm lifted up. It was her cue to jump, again.
The car's roof is now dented from sheer strength she produces to launch herself forward. With her weapon raised, as she is about to reach ground-level, Himeko swings downwards and cleaves a Chariot, that was trying to attack Marie, in half.
Before Marie can shoot the last Honkai, an ice-cream truck lands and crushes it from above. The coast is clear for now.
"This thing isn't doing a good job on keeping its friends alive." Himeko rested her sword on her shoulder as she walks to Marie. "Talk about friendly fire."
"You tell me."
Ah, Marie. Not ever the much chatter, as usual.
Himeko turns her gaze to the huge Honkai, that is howling and acting strangely, once again. The left side of its body pulsates.
"What's it doing?"
"Another arm, I guess."
"Another arm?" Himeko raises a brow at her. And, just as Marie expected, the same thing happened again.
The dragon grows a left arm.
"Wooow." Himeko monotonously exclaimed. "Not impressed..."
"GUYS, IT'S GROWING A NEW ARM! " Sussanah cries.
"Yes, we can see that already." Marie's shotgun folds itself back into a rectangular piece and she places it on her back again.
"So, what's the plan here, Cap?" Himeko asked while tapping her fingers on her hip.
"Hyperion's railguns could subdue it. If that's not working we-"
"-'We might need a bigger gun'. Figured you might say that." Himeko shakes her head in amusement as Marie's eye twitches.
Himeko switches her radio channel. "Men! I'm gonna need you out here, we got some worm to take care of. Ready the main guns."
"Copy that, Captain. Moving in close to get a clear visual. ETA three minutes. Over."
She nods to Marie in confirmation. But then she realized an important thing as she gazes back at the top of the giant's head.
"Say, shouldn't we go help your girl there?" Himeko points at Susannah, the poor girl keeps trying to pull out her lance to no avail.
"No."
The redhead glances at the Valkyrie next to her, who is checking her rifle's condition.
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"I have another plan. It might not be able to kill it, but we should be able to damage the beast enough."
"...You look like you're having a grudge on that thing." Himeko scoffs as the blue haired girl glares at her. "What am I talking about, you always have a grudge."
"Do-don't worry, Captain Marie! Just tell me what to d-WAAH!? " Sussanah ducks an incoming claw.
"You're putting that kid in danger."
"It's her choice." Marie casually replied. "Sussanah, set your lance's to OD."
"O-OD? As in overdrive...!? "
"Yes. Tell me when you're ready." Marie aims her rifle at the opponent. "We only got one shot at this."
"Marie, sweetie, what exactly is your plan here?" Himeko raises a brow at her.
" 'Jawbreaker'." Marie said simply while moving away from the Major, her visor's gaze remained fixed on the huge one.
Initially bewildered, the redhead then grasped what she was talking about.
"Ahh, gotcha."
Himeko then moves on the opposite side of Marie and takes position somewhere discreet. The markswoman fires a bullet to the giant's limb that was trying to swipe Sussanah away.
"Okay, okay, uhh," Sussanah opens up a display from one of the buttons on her weapon, a screen pops out in front of her.
It's a bit tough to see the screen and what it's saying from all these shaking. She does, however, eventually reach the safe system menu. Sussanah quickly deactivates the locking mechanism and slides the button across the screen all the way.
OUTPUT AT MAXIMUM
WARNING! EXPLOSION IMMINENT
The screen flashed red accompanied and a huge words popped out. She noticed that her lance is steadily heating up and the radiators under the blade are spinning wildly.
"I did it! What's next?!"
"On my mark, I want you to thrust the spear and get out of there."
After all her efforts to pull it out!?
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Marie fires her two last rounds at the jaw. The monster screams in anger and glares at the blue Valkyrie standing confidently in the middle of the road.
The beast howls, and it raises both of its malformed arms in an intent to crush.
"Now!"
Sussanah digs her spear even further into the beast as soon as Marie cues that, and after a few, short struggles, she manages to get into a deeper layer of the beast. The weapon itself soon glows bright red and she instantly turns her heel and jumps over.
However, the blast comes early. Luckily, she was already out of range, but the shockwave throws her somewhere and landed safely on a trash bin.
The explosion emitted a massive surge of energy on the dragon, as it howls in pain and its head is about to hit the ground.
A crimson flash sprints by Marie.
Himeko dashes to the falling head, dragging her blade on the asphalt. Her purple sword radiates and sparkling with energy. As soon as she gets near, she jumps and swings her sword upwards.
The sharp edges connect the lower jaw of the Honkai, slicing a nasty amount of meat out of it. The dragon falls back to the ground after stumbling backwards.
Himeko lands safely to the ground. Marie makes her way to her side with a steady step.
"It's not putting much of a fight for a big guy." She sounds her disappointment.
"Well, I hope it stays that way." Marie said.
"Captain, we are closing in on the target. Weapons are ready and hot."
"Good." Himeko nods. "Fire when rea-"
Two giant arms emerge from the hole.
"Seriously..." Himeko muttered and Marie sighed.
But it doesn't matter anyway because her ship is about to blow this bastard to kingdom come-
The new set of two arms clawed their way to outside and dragged the dragon's lower body out.
It's trying to get away.
"Crap."
Marie reloads her rifle and Himeko steps in to try and stop it. However, the dragon completely got out of the hole. It rotates its body and It crawls all four like a lizard - moving away from the battlefield.
Immediately afterwards, its entire body glows. The giant jumps and a gust of wind it created almost threw the girls back.
The dragon, however, never returns to the earth and instead flies up to the dark sky. Himeko was caught in surprise but as soon as she sees a shadow hovering over her, she snaps out of her stupor.
"Men! You still got eyes on that thing?!" The Major frantically asks through the comms.
"Negative, target is flying away at an insane speed! " A crew informs, and truth be told, the dragon's gigantic figure becomes smaller in a matter of seconds and it disappears into the clouds.
Himeko curses as she frowns.
"Should we catch it? "
"...It's not worth it." She sighs after thinking for a moment. "Change of plans, find a safe spot to land and pick us up."
"Aye, aye, Cap'n."
Hyperion hovers to the side to find a clear area to set down. Himeko turns to Marie.
"Soooo..." Himeko trails off as she couldn't find the blue Valkyrie anywhere. "Marie?" She searches the area but finds nothing but undead corpses and ruins.
Meanwhile, the youngster is reunited with the shining ball after the poor thing got trapped under a rubble. Subconsciously smiling in relief at the glittering orb.
He heard a noise coming. As he raises his head, the boy widens his eyes and slowly raises his arms at the threat in front of him. A small sense of dejavu struck him for a moment there.
Marie points her deadly barrel at him - she looks ready to shoot at any moment.
"...Hi."
"..."
She slowly steps closer to him.
There's literally no way to escape this. Well, since this is it, might as well just screw it.
"...Did your glock turn into a grifle-"
His face was met by an incoming fist.
"Tell me what that is."
"..."
"We're gonna do this the hard way if you don't cooperate." Marie demands. "It's going to be more than just a punch."
One, I'm being highly suspicious. Two, I did her dirty. Three, I insulted her gun. I honestly did NOT expect her to keep me alive under these circumstances.
I do not know where I am. She knocked me out and the next thing I know as I wake up, I am just sitting here in a tent with the grumpy, young lady here staring at me. Got a bruise on my cheek. Hands being tied with high-tech handcuffs magnetized on the table. I'm tired. And that tuna I ate is starting to get into me. I'm even more tired...
Separating between us is the table, of course, with some of the documents that have been opened for me to see, and a single light bulb hanging on top of us. Plus a projector shows an image of that dazzling-looking orb on a whiteboard. A remote on the table which I assume it's for the projector.
Out with her fancy, albeit a bit revealing suit, this Marie lady is now wearing a white formal attire of a commanding officer, minus the hat, black tie, white pants with black boots. She also got those shiny medals on her left chest of her coat for the whole world to see her achievements. The most distinguish feature on her clothes is the V insignia on the right chest that reminds me of two wings.
BAM!
She slams the table. My shoulders jolt and I became wide awake, my eyes dart at the lady's stern face with a bit of a fear.
"Would you prefer to be hung upside down in a room with a zombie peeling off your head!?"
Although that sounds genuinely horrifying, I just dismiss that as a fluke. She wouldn't dare. Let alone inviting a zombie into her camp.
Unless this lady starts dancing to a certain song from the 70s while holding a sharp razor and proceeds to cut my ear off, may God have mercy on my soul.
I wryly smile and shrugs my shoulders.
I think I just press her button even further. Before she could snap, the cloth behind her swings open. A familiar face comes in.
"Sorry to bother you, but Mason's calling you outside."
The redheaded lady by the name of Himeko, if I recall, casually said. Like Marie, Himeko is now wearing a different outfit. A short crimson coat with a white and black shirt underneath. Black shorts, grey thigh high, black boots and a pair of gloves.
...Did I mention she's packing quite the bust?
"I'm busy right now..." Marie's eyes are still glaring at me like a hawk.
"It's a bit of an urgency." Himeko crosses her arms. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Go grab some food while you're at it."
For a few moments, Marie sighs and she gets up. Her chair scraping the rough ground.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The blue Valkyrie said as she passes Himeko and goes outside.
Himeko just smiles. As her company's already out of our sight, she sits down in front of me.
"So! Before we start with the introduction," In comparison to the harsh lady, this one is considerably more relaxed and likely to be rather welcoming.
Nah, I'm not buying it.
"She didn't even tell her name, so why would you?" I cut her off, and the smile never left her.
"Don't mind Marie. She's been doing this for ages. She's really a good girl, you know?" Himeko assures.
"..."
"I sincerely hope she didn't scare you." Himeko laughs. "Are you hungry? I could grab some food for you if you want."
"...No, thank you."
"Well, then. Do you want to start first ooor...?"
I reluctantly gazed at the side.
"Guess I'll start first." She muttered before she continues. "My name is Himeko Murata. You can just call me Himeko. And, as you may or may not know, I am a Valkyrie - Leader of the 5th Valkyrja Squad."
I don't know what's that about, but eh, I get the gist.
"Now, it's your turn." She clasps her hands.
"..."
"..."
"...Oookay, you ask for it."
Her attitude is slightly changed as her smile becomes a bit flat, yet she appears to stay patient.
Himeko takes one of the three documents that hasn't been opened yet on the makeshift table while taking out a glasses from her cleavage (?) and wears it with her other hand. She flips it open and reads its contents. Out loud.
"Ahem... 'As the beautiful sun rises up from the darkness-' "
What?
" '-I sit down on the usual balcony. Eyes looking down on the bastards below.' "
Like some performer in a stage opera, Himeko said those words rhythmically with hand gestures. Though this is like a mockery rather than an actual performance.
This woman is reading my journal.
" 'Four months ago, a foreshock-' " She stops and squints her eyes. "I don't think a "foreshock" is the right word here, kid."
I wanted to say something as the redhead corrected me, but no words coming out of my mouth. A slight anxiety due to embarrassment slowly fills up.
" 'They walk with no goal in their mind, and they are'- "
Not that part.
"Alright, alright, please stop..."
She chuckles and leans back on her seat, flipping back to the first page. "Hmm, says here that your name is... Kai-loo?"
My eye twitches as I grimace. Hah, of course, they have my data from the orphanage.
"It's Kee-low..."
"Whoops, my bad." A sheepish smile. "Just Kilo, then?"
I nod quietly.
"No surname?" She asks further and I didn't respond.
My name was the last gift from my parents.
Himeko moves on to another row. "Born in May 12th? No year?"
"They just put it as the day I was dumped at the church. My ma and pa didn't tell the sisters anything about me, apparently." I admitted with a scoff. "As far as I know, and from what the church said, I'm still sixteen."
The red-haired woman looks surprised and a little bit confused. "Your parents sent you to the orphanage?"
I stay silent. And if the frown on my face doesn't show the obvious disappointment and anger, then I don't know what else to say to her.
Himeko stares at me with pity. This time, she reads the files to herself.
After a little pause, Himeko closes the document. She reaches and takes the remote to her hand.
"Alright, onto the next" She points the image of the orb. "What do you know of that?"
I glare at the screen. After a long interval, I shake my head dismissively. What am I supposed to say anyway.
"I dunno..."
"This round solid figure has an absurd number of Honkai energy stored within. Extremely hazardous."
Himeko then leans forward to the table as her look turns serious.
"Anyone who makes physical contact with it will be corrupted within two or three minutes. They either die and or get reanimated into a zombie."
Himeko presses the remote as the projector beeps. The next image shows the poor and dying bastards who were held captive underground before.
"Do you know who they are?"
"...No."
"How did you get down there?"
"I fell down."
"And then you took the orb?"
"..."
Himeko frowns but softly asks, "Why did you take it? And how?"
"I don't...know why I..." I wet my dried lips.
Why did I snatch it out of its rightful place?
"Look, I just grabbed the thing and took off." I said truthfully. "I didn't do a damn thing to the folks."
"Yes, we know you didn't do any harm to the people." Himeko nods acknowledgingly. "In fact, you saved them from the disaster."
That was not my intention to save their lives. I didn't even know I could do that.
"We just want to know how did you do it? How can you take the orb so easily without any proper equipment?"
I shake my head in a bit of distress. "Miss, I told you - I grabbed it with my own hand."
"Your bare hands?" Himeko looks a little bewildered.
"Yes." I gave her a solid response.
The lady examines my almost troubled face for a few minutes as if searching for the lies that are leaking from my voice. Though she found none. Himeko slowly takes her glasses off and sighs from her nostril.
"You touched a ball, akin to a radioactive nuclear waste, with nothing but your own flesh." Himeko crosses her arms while trying to keep things straight. "You managed to survive an inevitable Honkai corruption that will end your breath."
"Kilo," She stares into my eyes. "you are still alive." Himeko said in awe and confusion. "The fact that you're sitting here..."
A pregnant pause, and she continues, "I don't know if it's a miracle or just dumb, pure luck."
I... don't think luck plays with the cards here. A miraculous fate bestowed by the holy above? As if. Then, what is it, truly, that prevent me from dying?
As I was searching the answer for myself, Himeko turns off the projector and leans back to her chair.
"Kilo." She called and I raise my head. "You have two options."
The redhead lifts her point finger. "One: You will be taken to Schicksal's HQ, where they will do a further investigations regarding your case."
"Or, two:" She lifts another finger. "I can conclude my report right now and you won't be taken to the headquarters. Instead, you will be coming with me."
Huh?
"With you?" I frown.
"M-hm."
But why though?
"What if I choose the first one?" I curiously asked. "What exactly will happen to me?"
"I..." Himeko lowers her hand and looks like she's struggling to pick the correct words to say the answer. "I honestly have zero idea. But know this, I won't be coming with you - so I do not know what will happen to you afterwards, nor what they will do to you once you're there."
That sounds ominous... Sure enough, I was a bit perplexed by her explanation.
"Well? What will it be, kiddo?" Himeko waits for my answer as I blinked my fatigue away from my eyes.
It's not like I'm torn between two choices. If the first one isn't an obvious major red flag, I might just go pick it and see what they have in store. Hah, mayhaps they would serve me a cup of tea from a maid, and have a proper, glorious bed. Yeah, that'd be really nice.
In the end, do I even have a choice?
"If it still stands," I smile sincerely at Himeko. "can I have some food, please?"
The side of her lips curls up into a smirk. She presses one of the buttons of the remote, and the metal cuffs are unlocked and my sore wrists are free. Turning off the projector, Himeko picks the documents up onto her hand.
"Follow me then." She gets up and I soon follow the suit while rubbing my wrists.
Here's to another day of me surviving on this damned world.
