Of Shields and Malvas
"That habit... wait, why does Captain has a picture of Kallen Kaslana in his Journal?"
Theresa looked at the picture that fell from Captain's Journal when Mei was putting it back in place. It seemed that every time they wanted to stop perusing his personal thoughts, something appeared to trigger their curiosity again. But who could blame the Valkyries for being so interested in the secrets of the young man, when he clearly had so much to share?
The mention of her family name instantly got Kiana's attention and she dropped fighting Bronya, quickly jumping to the side of the short nun.
"Kallen? Captain has a photo of my ancestor?!" She snapped the picture from Theresa's hand, earning a slap in the back of her head.
"Be careful, Kiana. What would we do if you ripped that picture?" Himeko chided her.
"Owie… sorry, Auntie- ow ow! S-sensei!"
"Fufufufu~ It seems things have taken an interesting turn~" Rita laughed lightly and took a seat at Captain's bed again. "So, shall we look further into the secrets of this intriguing book?" She said, offering to take the book from Mei's hands.
"I think we have looked enough, Miss Rossweisse..." Fu Hua said, hiding her eyes behind the reflex of her glasses, even though she felt curious herself.
"Oh, but we still need to find the page from which this picture fell. Certainly, this will require us to read through it and look for any mentions of Kiana's ancestor."
"Wait, do you think Captain wrote something about Kallen, Rita?" Kiana suddenly got more enthusiastic, joining the Maid and sitting by her side.
Theresa groaned in annoyance. This situation was starting to get out of hand, but she would be lying if she said it didn't make her intrigued. She had ties to the famous Kaslana bloodline, after all, and the fact that Captain had a picture of Kallen in his personal Journal raised a few other questions.
"I guess Rita is right… but we'll just solve this issue and then leave!"
"~sigh~ We came all the way here already. Might as well see the end of it," Himeko said returning to the beanbag she was sitting on while Rita read about her piece.
With all the girls comfortably nested around the maid again, Rita flipped through the pages, looking for any mentions of the legendary Valkyrie from the past.
"Ah! There, there!" Kiana pointed at the top of the page where the name Kallen Kaslana was written in larger letters. She was clearly excited about this.
"Ahem," The Maid cleared her throat. "Shall we begin?~"
Yo, Journal. I had that dream again, the one with Kallen. I finally found her. Well, not her specifically, but the history books about her. This… is both weird and impressive at the same time. And kinda scary too, I'm not gonna lie. To think I would dream about her… but how?
"Huh? What is Captain going on about here? What dreams?" Kiana asked the Maid as if she had the answers ready.
"I don't know yet, Kiana-san. It seems this is not the first time Captain-sama has had this kind of dream…" She said, and there was the tiniest hint of saltiness in her otherwise polite tone.
"Perhaps we have to go back a little. Captain could have written about these weird dreams." Fu Hua suggested.
Rita followed her advice and soon enough they found an older entry.
Hey Journal, for once I have a "conventional" entry for you. You see, last night I had this weird dream. It was quite vivid, almost as if I was there, but well, I guess dreaming does feel like it most of the time. The weird part was it happened inside a game, and it wasn't just any game. It was Kallen Fantasy! I wonder if that's because I spent the last week being up late at night while trying to improve my scores… dang it, I still am too far behind Bronya!
"Humu, subject Captain has improved a lot."
I wonder if I'm spending too much time with Theresa, however. When I saw Kallen in my dream, she had a nun habit just like the Principal, instead of the usual hi-tech gear set. No, scratch that. I was similar, but… umm… heavily stylized, granted Theresa's habit is also customized. Anyway, it was a little odd. I consider myself to know the game pretty well, even if I'm not the best player, and that goes for the characters as well, but I had never seen that custom skin before. Kallen felt quite different from the usual personality too… chalk one up for my mind playing pranks at itself, I guess.
"A nun outfit...?" Mei thought out loud.
"Way back then, when Schickal was still known as the Church of Schicksal, the official Valkyrie attire was basically clerical clothes. The habit was one of the variants, but even back then it was modified with combat in mind." Theresa explained. As expected from the Principal.
"So everyone had to fight in dresses like Aunt Teri? Cool!~ I didn't know that." Said the white-haired girl, but she quickly felt her ear being pinched.
"What do you mean "I didn't know", missy? I gave that lesson already!" The redhead found yet another lesson Kiana either skipped or slept through.
"Anyway, this seems to be the end of the entry. Subject Captain didn't add anything else." The Russian loli noted.
"Let's look a little further ahead then," Rita said, her eyes skimming the pages as she looked for that name again.
Weird, that dream again, Journal. I was inside Kallen Fantasy again, and I met Kallen, but she was different from the game still. At least she wasn't using that kinky black habit this time…
No one dared comment on this, regardless of the blushes in their faces. Props to Rita for reading that line with a straight face.
Anyway, I can't remember much of it, just like last time. It's as if the memories slipped away the moment I woke up. I do remember meeting with her. I was… in the middle of a street, I think. It was a dirt road and I think I fell or something, and then I heard a voice asking if I was alright. A hand reached for mine and helped me get up. She even brushed off the dust from my uniform. She… Kallen said something about my clothes, I think, I'm not sure… but I do remember her laugh. She sounded exactly like the game, but… more lively?
"Ah, the entry ends here too. Let's look for another one!" Kiana said, rather, shouted, making Fu Hua recoil a bit. Her excitement was overflowing in the form of physical movement.
Journal, I don't know what to think of these dreams. First Kallen, then Sakura, and this girl… never mind. Last night it was Kallen again, and I just woke up. I have to write it down before the memories fade away, so here's what happened in my dream.
I was at some strange place, or should I say a foreign place. It looked like some European country but in a more old, classical style. The only issue was that everything looked new, and people were wearing clothes from the time. It was like entering a movie set, I guess, or maybe I was dreaming about the game, but I had never seen this stage before. Anyway, while I was trying to figure out whether or not I saw that somewhere before, people around were looking at me funny. Probably because of my clothes and my dumb lost face, which I definitely was. Suddenly, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked back and there she was, with Schicksal's white attire for Valkyries. The Kallen look-a-like.
"We should stop meeting like that, don't you think?" She asked me. I just nodded vaguely.
"And I can't help but notice I don't know your name yet, mister sailor~"
"S-sailor?"
She tapped her head, looking up at my cap. Well, it kind of made sense.
"We're quite far from the seas, and I don't think I ever saw a uniform like yours…" For some reason, I panicked a little as she inspected me, probably trying to figure me out. Something inside me told me to not mess things up here, wherever "here" was. And why was I so worried about "messing up"?
"A-ah, I'm, uh… just… j-just call me Captain!"
"Captain? Really?"
"Yeah! Uh… everybody just calls me that…" Well, I wasn't lying. Kallen looked a little suspicious and curious about it. Wait, I shouldn't call her Kallen, perhaps she has another name here…
Again, wherever "here" is. What is going on with me?
"Well, if that's what you prefer… Nice to meet you, El Captain, my name is Kallen Kaslana." She said, smiling and extending her hand.
Kallen… Kaslana… After hearing that name, I can't remember much. It is all blurry and confusing now, but I'm mostly sure we talked for a while. Kaslana… I've heard that Kiana's family had a long history with Schicksal, which is as surprising as knowing how long the organization has existed. Could it be that this Kallen is an ancestor of Kiana? She does remind me of Kiana, with the blue eyes and the white hair. Then again, she's oddly similar to Theresa too. Almost as if it was Teri, but grown-up.
Journal, do you think my brain is trying to tell me something?
Great, now I'm talking to Journal and my own brain... But I have to know more. Perhaps, at the school's library…
"Wow, so Captain was dreaming with my ancestor. But how did he not know about her before? Or about my family?" Kiana asked, rubbing her chin as if she was about to unravel the secrets of the universe.
"As far as I know, the officials of Schicksal are not required to learn the history of the organization." Himeko explained, carefully picking the journal from Rita's hand to look through the pages herself.
"Wait, so why do we have to study history?"
"Because you girls are still high school students. Plus, it is important to know your origins." Theresa said, crossing arms and puffing her cheeks. She took pride in her high-quality curriculum for the girls.
"Did you find something else, Murata-san?" The Maid politely asked the redhead.
"Yeah, here." She said, handing back the book and pointing the entry to Rita, who continued reading.
I finally found it, Journal! A couple of books talking about the long past of the Kaslana family. It's weird how they were not in the index of books from St. Frey's Library, this made it much harder to find. Anyway, now I understand a little better, and here's what I learned.
Kiana's family has been serving under Schicksal's banner for a long, long time. I think the organization dates back to the 1500s, but it was known as some kind of Church. I didn't find a genealogy tree or anything, but some books do mention a person called Kallen Kaslana. She was a top rank Valkyrie at her time, and the wielder of the Divine Key: Oath of Judah.
Journal. Theresa's Judah.
There aren't many registers about her, though. And the ones I found look incomplete. That's really weird, considering she was an S rank Valkyrie, and a Kaslana too. I also learned the Kaslana bloodline was full of notorious warriors, and basically every generation had at least one family member serving Schicksal. Hey, does Kiana even know about that? There must be some registers somewhere else, I could look it up and discover something about her father. Maybe that could help her find him. I have to look more into that…
"Wow, Captain went full detective mode. Look at all those annotations." Kiana said, eyes twinkling with excitement.
"So this is why he was spending so much time at the library…" Theresa concluded. "Hehe, I caught him carrying a huge pile of old books one time and he spent a whole minute fumbling with words before he told me it was to help Kiana with history class. Knowing my niece, I didn't have reasons to doubt him." She said, shaking her head and shrugging.
"Oi! That's cruel, Auntie Teri…"
"You mean these books, Principal?" Mei said, pointing at a set of old books on a higher shelf. As she tried to pick one of them, a piece of cardboard fell on her head, startling the dark purple-haired girl. "Wha! What… is this?"
"Cool!~ Captain even made a conspiracy theory thingy," Kiana said, looking over Mei's shoulder, looking at the piece of cardboard with notes and lines all over the place.
"I think the correct term is "Web of Intrigue", Kiana." Fuka corrected the girl, also taking a closer look at it. "And it seems he spent some time on this."
"As expected from Captain-sama. He's full of hidden talents~" The Maid commented while looking for other entries related to Captain's investigations.
Journal, it happened again. Another dream with Kallen. I'll try to write down all I can before the memories slip.
Okay so, this time I woke up in some kind of square. I confirmed my suspicions: somehow, my dreams are happening in the past in Europe. I can't say which country it is, but that's not the craziest part. The wildest part of those dreams is that they always bring me somewhere close to Kallen. And yes, this must be the real Kallen Kaslana, no matter how impossible it seems. And speaking of her, the moment I became aware of my surroundings, there she was, using the white Valkyrie attire with golden details. I quickly took cover and observed from afar.
If you're asking yourself why Journal, well, the books I found to talk about Kallen, but not in a good light. Apparently, she got involved in some kind of huge scandal, something that went against the Church of Schicksal. That's probably why I didn't find much about her along with other Kaslanas. They probably removed the registers to erase her from history. I wonder, what could she do to get such treatment? She's an S Rank Valkyrie, the only one of her time! And she seemed so… nice when we met. Something's not right in this.
I spent the whole morning observing her from afar. Luckily, this time I was wearing proper clothes for the time, so I managed to pass mostly unnoticed. For the entirety of that morning, Kallen simply walked around with someone by her side, a blond man. As they walked, she helped some people who looked very poor and in need. Then, they returned to the Church, and I couldn't follow her there. So I decided to look around.
The city looked fine at first, but as I walked further from the center and from the church, the landscape changed a lot. Turns out people here were struggling to have the basics. Things like food and clean water. It was quite saddening to look at, especially when the buildings and people at the center looked so different. It was clear that some people had much more resources than others. I didn't know when I would wake up, so I kept wandering, and something told me to ask around about Kallen, to see if I could discover something new. I don't know why, this is just my dream, right?
Well, for starters, the people here seem very mad at Schicksal. Apparently, they demand a lot of taxes from the masses to keep their crusades going. Honkai beasts lurk in open areas, so they don't have options besides staying under the Church's protection. But when I asked about Kallen, their faces immediately lit up.
Kallen was the Strongest Valkyrie, a valiant warrior from the noble house of Kaslana. She was as gentle and kind as she was mighty, and not stingy like the old farts from the Church. Their words, not mine. Kallen would usually hand the poor people some money and bring food straight from the pantries of Kaslana manor. Some viewed her as a saint, given how she wielded the weapon that banished evil creatures: the cross. Others said she was straight up an angel from heaven, sent to protect them. And they were all unanimous about how she upheld the motto of Kaslanas. I think I've seen this before… How was it again?
Well, I'll see it later. The point is, I don't understand, Journal, this is not adding up. How come Kallen was accused and later on erased from the books when she was so beloved by the population, and the greatest Honkai fighter at the time?
. . .
Another dream last night. This time I woke up in the dream at dusk, so I couldn't explore much. A strange person walking around at night would be too suspicious. The only problem was that I didn't have anywhere to stay. Uh, what happens if I sleep during the dream? Do I enter a second dream inside the dream- no, no, focus! Anyway, I was trying to figure out where to go when I overheard something. Apparently, there was a bandit in the city, robbing lots of money from people. I guess even back then we had to deal with mundane problems along with Honkai… I thought that it would be fun to try and catch that thief, but I didn't have time for this. Or… do I?
Well, it seems not because suddenly it was midnight. I only know because I felt a weird buzzing in my head and when I looked up, there was a bright full moon in the sky. And then, a shadowy silhouette crossed it. It took me a minute to understand, but someone just jumped from the roof of a house. I thought: could it be the thief? But I didn't have time to figure it out because the lights of the house lit up and I heard dogs. Before I knew it, people were looking down from the windows and shouting at me, the very suspicious-looking figure standing in the street in the middle of the night, and I made the obvious and sound decision of RUNNING AWAY AS FAST AS I COULD.
"Oh no! Run, Captain!"
The Valkyries looked at the young Kaslana.
"Kiana… it's just a dream Captain had." Himeko said, somewhat sympathizing with the girl's enthusiasm. It was a story about her ancestor, after all.
"Y-yeah, it was just a dream, Kiana."
"Oh, but you're clinging a lot to my arm, Theresa-sama~ Fufufu~"
"J-j-just keep reading, Rita!"
I ran and ran, but I didn't seem to lose the dogs. This wouldn't end well. Even if it is just a dream, I don't want to get a dog bite! And what's worse, I took a wrong turn and ended up facing some men, probably the ones that got robbed, and judging by their angry faces, they were not feeling like talking. I was pretty much surrounded, and I wondered if I would wake myself up via pinches, or maybe a slap to the face. I should have tested it out before… and then, a voice came from above.
Atop the roofs, with the moon shining behind them, stood the thief, holding a sack that probably had the stolen goods. The voice was of a woman, and she spoke in rhymes like some Shakespearean character. Everyone was surprised by her appearance, me included, but it couldn't compare to the next seconds when she jumped down to where I was. From up close I saw her purple, stylish clothes, and a mask that resembled a raven.
"Fear not, lost soul, for anyone in need is a friend of the Rogue Extraordinaire!"
And just like that, the place got filled with a cloud of smoke. A smoke screen bomb? Was this person some kind of ninja? I felt a hand pull me and I instinctively followed. Soon we were running through alleys and far from trouble. Once we were safe, she stopped. I had to take some time catching my breath. Couldn't I have dreamed of myself in a more athletic body…?
Well, now I was next to this mysterious person who was counting the goods on the sack. From where I was I could see, it was all gold coins and jewelry. She casually dismissed herself and ran away, but not before I tried to catch up to her. Who was she? Why was she stealing? … Why did I feel the need to go after her? The Rogue Extraordinaire…
My head buzzed again and it became day. I was at the poor side of the town and there was some ruckus around. Out of curiosity I tried to see what it was about, and guess what, Journal? The folks had gold handed to them out of nowhere. Morning came and they found coins and jewels in their houses. It didn't take me any time to connect the dots. So it wasn't only a ninja, it was also some kind of Robin Hood.
. . .
Last night something incredible happened. I actually got to talk with Kallen, Journal! When I woke up in the dream I was inside a house, a very big one, and guess who I stumbled upon? It was quite an awkward situation to explain, but in the end, she was pretty nice and comprehensive about why I couldn't tell how I entered the Kaslana mansion without anyone noticing. In fact, she looked quite thrilled about it.
Most of the talk is blurry in my mind, but I do remember her talking about her duty as a Valkyrie. Just like the people said, Kallen feels like a saint. More than just fighting Honkai, she really wants to help people. Unfortunately, it seems her position prevents her from doing so to the extent she wants. I guess those were other times…
Wait, this is a dream, isn't it? I somehow grew so used to it, it feels like it's real…
"... Eh? Is that it?" Kiana asked Rita, who looked equally confused.
"This is the last entry, it seems."
"Wait, so he gave up? What about the Rogue Extraordinaire? What's up with those dreams?" She seemed quite intrigued. Kiana just had to know more.
"As weird as it was, it was all dreams, Kiana-chan. Though I have to admit it is really strange that Captain could have them to begin with." Mei said, trying to calm her white-haired friend.
"Hmm, are you sure there are no more entries, Rita?"
"Not that I can find, Fuka-san. Captain-sama didn't write any more about- oh."
"Did you find something?!"
"Kiana, don't climb on the Bronya."
"Is this any different from the other entries, Rita?" Himeko asked.
"It doesn't seem like it, but there's a little drawing along with it. I believe it to be the emblem of House Kaslana, isn't that right, Theresa-sama?" She said, showing the book to the short nun.
"Mhmm, the shield and sword… that's the emblem of House Kaslana. I recognize it because Cecilia showed me it, along with the Schariac emblem, but it is rarely used nowadays. If Captain was investigating, then he probably came across it."
"Subject Rita, what does the entry say?"
I… I can't believe it, Journal. They really did it. They… Schicksal executed Kallen.
Well, not exactly, the sentence was given and the date was set. Kallen was imprisoned, apparently for betraying the Church. I discovered a few nights ago that she was the Rogue Extraordinaire. I should say I found out because Kallen told me herself. I appeared during the night and by coincidence, helped her escape from a tough spot. Then, she revealed her identity and even asked for my help in stealing for the sake of the poor people of the town.
But when I woke up in the dream last night, everyone was talking about the execution. Unbelievable. After all that she did for them…
I asked what the accusations were. Treason, going against the Church and taking some kind of sacred object from them. Heresy and whatnot. They also found out about her secret identity, so there was simply no way to appeal. The rich folks were probably losing their minds over it. I… I tried to reach for her, Journal. Maybe… maybe I could do something, help her to escape… but I woke up before I could do anything. There was an outbreak of Honkai beasts, the ones that the Church kept in cages, and I ended up getting hit, I think.
I tried going back to sleep again. I tried every night for two weeks, but nothing happened.
Why do I feel so sad? It was all just dreams. Sure, they felt so real I forgot about it, that they were just dreams. It was probably all a thing of my imagination. But then why did I see so much about the history of that time when I didn't know about it previously? The registers about her are mostly erased, and the parts that persisted conflict with what I've seen, but everything else seems to fit, almost as if only that part was edited. I know this all should be a thing in my head, Journal, but… it feels real. I… want it to be real. I want it to be the real Kallen Kaslana, the valiant Valkyrie that lived by the oath of her family.
"Every Kaslana bold must live by their Oath. Purge the vile Honkai and smash the false gods.
Your sires sleep in the fields as Humanity's brave shields.
By the Judgement of Shamash, Kaslanas die and never yield."
This is who she was, Journal. Not a traitor, not a heretic, but a shield for the weak. I don't know why, but I feel like these dreams happened for a reason. I don't remember the details, but I remember feelings. Kallen was a gentle girl, naive and innocent, but with a heart of gold. She lived by her family name and stood up for those that needed help. She defended the hopeless as their shield and fought the enemy as their sword. This is what I believe, Journal.
I have been thinking about it and it seems that not many people remember Kallen. So I decided to choose a flower for her too, as a memory. I couldn't… I can't do much more to her, and I hate it, but I have to do at least something, Journal... I looked up a bit in the book and I found something interesting.
Malvas. Commonly named Mallow, they come in many hues from white to purple, and symbolize Love, Health, and Protection, because of their softening and healing properties. For that reason, they're also known as the guardians of the house. During the Victorian era, one would give this flower to acknowledge the delicate beauty of the receiver. Well, Kallen looks very pretty and delicate, but she's also an amazing fighter. I guess it fits her well. She protected others and showed love and care for them, without expecting something in return.
Kallen's story might have been erased, but what she stood for remained. I'm not entirely sure what is behind those dreams, Journal, but I think there's a purpose for them. Because of it, I got to know the real Kallen, and now I simply can't let her legacy continue to be buried. I have no idea how I would bring the truth back to the surface, but I have to at least try. She deserves it.
I'll think of something in the future. Hopefully…
The girls kept silent for a while, trying to process what they just read. It was as if Captain had traveled back in time, except only in his dreams.
"Ne, Bronya, do you think Captain found that data space thingy we got into?" Kiana turned to the grey-haired girl.
"Unlikely. Subject Captain does not own any kind of neuro digital interface. Besides, it looks like the dreams were beyond his control." Bronya concluded.
"Well, whatever the case may be, he seemed pretty convicted of it, enough to take it as truth," Himeko said as she read some bits of the entries again.
"Kaslanas die and never yield. Papa did tell me it was the motto of our family…"
"Kiana-chan…" Mei placed a hand on Kiana's shoulder. She knew how much the girl wanted to see her father again, and she could relate on a personal level too.
"This unfolding of events is very intriguing. Dreams like memories of a distant past… Perhaps there's more to it than we think." Said Fuka, in deep thought.
"What do you think, Theresa-sama? Should we question our dear Captain about the nature of these oddly precise dreams?" Rita asked the short nun, who also looked deep in thought.
"Well, it is definitely weird, but asking it out of nowhere would basically reveal we read his Journal in secret..."
"In that case, could I suggest looking at the other odd entries? They could reveal to us the real nature of these dreams."
They stared at each other in silence. Taken by their curiosity, the girls decided to press further, as Captain's stories of his dreams were too intriguing for them to resist.
"I'll take that as a yes, fufufufu~" The Maid flipped through the pages until she found another odd entry. This one had a sakura petal pressed in-between the pages, so it was stuck to the paper. "Ara, interesting~"
End of Chapter
'ello readers! It's me, ya boy. Sorry for the delay in uploading, I was doing some stuff related to another fic, but here you go. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter in particular because it was quite off from the usual vibes of the others. Kallen is, well, unable to see what Captain thinks of her (at least for now) and I somehow had to make Captain interact with her in some meaningful way, and this chapter was the result. It came out like a short adventure of Captain, rather than him writing down his thoughts, but I think it worked fine for this instance in particular, and as you have guessed from the end of the chapter, the next one will follow a similar line with Sakura. So any thoughts on that "format" would be very appreciated.
As always, thanks for taking some of your time to read this fic. We don't see many Honkai fics around and since I can't draw to save my life, this is what I can do. I'm feeling really happy with how many people are following this one! Ah, and you can find me at this discord server ( gg / nbvVH6aUTc) where I drop by quite often. It has a lot of other authors and you can ask me stuff directly. shameless plug
Have a nice day/night and stay safe. Bye~
