Chapter 8: Old Timer

It happened unexpectedly.

One time Sirin was standing with her arms crossed as she listened to Kiana's quiet complaints about her newly acquired skin-tight Battlesuit and Himeko's explanation about the upcoming test while ignoring the curious glances her 'classmates' were giving her when suddenly Kiana threw her arms around her body and dragged her to the rear of the group.

All because she walked in.

Her blue, immaculate dress almost shone under the sunlight, reflecting her similarly colored hair and a sharp face and eyes which were framed by a pair of red glasses. She was not a perfect picture of the person Sirin fought but it was definitely her.

That damn bird. Otto's pet.

The way she casually strolled into their group almost made Sirin exploded with anger and hatred here and there but thankfully Kiana noticed her shivering sister and the telltale of destruction.

"Sirin, hey you okay?"

The Herrscher's glare didn't subside for a few tense seconds until Kiana put her hands on her cheeks, making her flinch back in surprise while the Kaslana frowned.

Sirin would only flinch under Kiana's touch if she was truly taken aback by something and thus wasn't aware of the incoming contact. Despite the years she hadn't grown accustomed to physical contacts that weren't from her sister's but even then she could only tolerate it because she was ready, or needed it.

"No. You see her? the girl with glasses? she was at Babylon"

Kiana tactfully turned her head ever so slightly to look at the girl Sirin meant, her blue eyes partially hidden by a bang a tad bit too long than she ideally liked. Sirin offered her to cut it but they hadn't had the time.

"Are you sure?" Kiana asked after a moment of looking at the girl, glimpses amidst her classmates' bodies.

"I don't forget that day, Kiana" She replied through gritted teeth, if only to hide the growl threatening to slither out of her throat. The more Sirin looked, the more she felt her power rise like a poisonous liquid languidly flowing in her veins yet ready to burst. "And she was there with Otto. She used her power to trap me and let Otto plunder my damn mind"

"Okay, okay... I need you to calm down, alright? We don't know why she's here but you can't go around killing people now"

"To hell we don't know, she's here to spy on us! Otto must have sent her!"

Kiana winced, Sirin's outburst gained the attention of the people around them. Himeko who had been explaining the rules went quiet, a warning glare directed towards them until she noticed the distress in Kiana's gesture. Immediately, she frowned and cleared her throat.

"So, to summarize. You will be given weapons of your choices, anything that fit your style of fighting. Don't sweat it, this is an opportunity for you to explore your preferences so even if you're bad at one thing there's still more you can try. This is not a fight for survival, but I hope you give everything you have nonetheless"

Kiana made sure the redhead caught a glimpse of her gratitude before turning back to her sister, through the corner of her eye she saw the girl with red glasses still staring at them, expression indiscernible.

"We don't know that" She repeated, grabbing Sirin by the shoulders when her sister glared at her and seemed about to protest. "We can't go around killing our classmates, Sirin, especially when all we have is assumptions"

The years Kiana spent journeying with Sirin had made her immune to the Herrscher's infamous burning glare, the first few times it did scare her a bit but now she could just easily shrug it off. After all, it was Sirin's way of telling she's worry about something. Kiana would be a terrible big sister if she were to let her little sister worry like that.

"I'll talk with Aunty Theresa later. If you know who she is, I'm sure she knew too. There's no way Aunty will let someone bad around even with Otto's discretion"

Sirin scoffed, swatting the hands on her shoulders off. "You're too believing" She growled before she turned around and sauntered off into the distance, leaving Kiana alone amidst a sea of students. With a sigh, the Herrscher set her pace back into their dormitory, mood turning worse with each step she took.

Sirin didn't want to partake with the test anyway, knowing full well she would obliterate anyone she might cross path with. Though she mastered both the Kaslana Gun-Kata and Schariac lance style like Kiana did, her skill was pretty mediocre compared to her sister's since she relied more to her Void power than physical prowess. This stage was set for Kiana, and Sirin would rather let her sister be the center of it.

As she rounded a corner, a pair of hands grabbed her by her shoulder and side. Sirin's eyes widened for a fraction of second until instinct kicked in in a form of void lance on her grip.

The Herrscher twisted her body, ducked low and pivoted around, using her momentum to thrust the steel solid lance towards her assailant. There was a gasp as the person who grabbed her jumped back to avoid getting skewered by the volatile Honkai laden lance.

It was Himeko.

Sirin glared at the woman as the lance on her hand dissipated, noticing she was relatively harmless without a weapon or her Battlesuit on. Sirin, on the other hand, kept flowing with limitless Honkai energy even in her half Herrscher form, still enough to rival most Battlesuits.

"Imbecile!" She growled, voice laden with echoes. Sirin's glare intensified for a brief moment before she sighed heavily, forcing her tone back to normal. "Do not try that again" The Herrscher warned and Himeko nodded.

"I will not. Are you okay? I saw you walking back to the dorm"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my student, and someone who lives with me. It would be terribly irresponsible for me to be oblivious of those around me"

"Self-righteousness nonsense..." Sirin rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I'm capable of taking care of myself, I do not require your concern or assistance"

"Yeah, that means you are not okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sirin hated herself for actually considering her answer before she clicked her tongue disdainfully and continued walking off, ignoring the deep sigh Himeko let out in the process. How bold she was to think Sirin was willing to open her heart to a Schicksal's dog like her? It would be millions of years until she did that, well beyond her lifetime.

With her mood now considerably beyond salvation, Sirin decided to return to their dorm for the day.

The place was empty with everyone out doing class, which was something Sirin grateful of. She wasn't sure she could tolerate someone's presence with her current emotions so the sight of empty house was more than welcome for her.

She made her way into the kitchen, looked into the fridge and pulled a bottle of soda before grabbing a bag of chips on her way out. Looking around the deserted living room, she barely shrugged before Sirin plopped down on the sofa, hand finding purchase on the TV remote Thunder left on the small table before it.

Sirin opened her snacks and drink, turned the TV on and its volume up, and laid down with her legs and head propped against the armrests on each sides respectively. She skimmed through the channels without much thought before eventually settling on some random cartoon network.

Despite her attempt, Sirin couldn't forget the face of that damn bird.

Hours past with Sirin alternating between going to the kitchen to resupply her snacks and lounging on the sofa. Eventually, Sirin couldn't take it anymore and shut the TV off and let her mind wander. The silence following it echoed in her head as her eyes settled on the ceiling, a scowl visible on her face.

It seemed her nightmares wouldn't let her be.

The Second Eruption was by far the darkest moment in both her lives, whereas it was a show of force and might before it was now nothing but a terrifying reminder for Sirin. She was proud and feeling invincible back then, unheeding and uncaring as she razed the world with the Will of Honkai whispering in her ears, promising sweet promises and dreams it could realize if she just commit herself for it.

The deceitful voices couldn't be more deceiving.

To sell one's soul to Honkai meant severing all ties with the mortal visages, to transcend into a higher being known as Herrscher. A tempting offer for those who had nothing left to lose like the old her but now it was a terrible prospect to think about. Raiden Mei would know, Thunder would know since she and Mei were one, but Sirin couldn't just talk to them about it especially considering Thunder's objectives were unknown.

Sometimes Sirin wondered what being a Herrscher meant. Was she just a pawn created by the Honkai? Or was she her own person who just wanted to fulfill her hidden ambitions for destruction? Where did her soul reside if she was even still the same person she was in her previous life? Was her soul now solely tied to her Gem?

Serenity was the name of her Gem, yet ironically solace had never been a part of her chaotic life.

Sirin groaned exasperatedly, folding her arms over her eyes. She hated these lines of thoughts, she hated to think about that day. For years she tried to steer away from anything related to the Second Eruption despite their continuous meetups in their journeys and being here had given her nothing but constant reminders.

But that damn bird...

Something seemed off about her now Sirin could think more clearly with her anger gone. She didn't seem to recognize her when their eyes met. Either she was a great pretender or she genuinely didn't know her. She did show interest in both Sirin and Kiana so maybe she didn't know which of them was the Herrscher? Kiana had left her hair down today because the air had started to grow cold with winter coming and since they're practically twins it could be quite difficult to differentiate who was who.

Either way, she would've to keep an eye on her. Their fight was still fresh in Sirin's mind, especially the moment she and Otto used her feather to violated her mind with false hope. Truthfully, that was the part that made Sirin couldn't forget nor forgive.

Bringing a palm up, Sirin reached into her Core and tugged into that out of place energy. She furrowed her eyebrows as a red feather began to form in her palm, levitating above her skin and slowly but steadily circling about.

Sirin wondered what the thing was. It didn't look like something Schicksal could produce, in fact it felt familiar and foreign at the same time. The warm it emitted reminded Sirin of a Herrscher Gem she graciously owned in her previous life but not at the same time. The Gem of Conquest didn't feel like it and neither did the Gem of Desire...

Sighing once again, she closed her fist and allowed the feather to dissipate in her palm. It seemed Schicksal failed to find it in her Core or they simply left it there, though Sirin believed it was the former rather. Whatever the power that bird had, it was not an ordinary power she could understand just like that.

With nothing else to do, Sirin shifted around and made herself comfortable before she closed her eyes, allowing slumber to take over. She would think about it later, or maybe interrogate the owner herself for answer. And maybe there might be an accident and she accidentally disposed of the owner in the process.

... maybe Kiana was right about her being too violent, after all.

Sirin had always been a light sleeper. Years she and Kiana spent in the wilderness along with her heightened perceptions carved her to be the person she was. Every snap of twig could be the difference between life and death and every shift in the air could be a sign of manifesting Honkai beast. Another fact that made her a light sleeper was that Kiana was the exact opposite, unlike her she was capable of sleeping through an earthquake, something Sirin wished was an exaggeration but it was based on an experience and did happen.

Needles to say, Sirin was Kiana's personal watcher whenever she was sleeping. True she didn't need sleep but Kiana was being too vulnerable Sirin couldn't sleep even if she wanted to in fear something dangerous would happen.

It was why the quiet clicking of the door opening was enough for Sirin to jolt awake, eyes scanning the place for any form of danger before she realized where she was. Immediately, the Herrscher relaxed when Himeko and Bronya stepped into the house, Bronya's heavy duty servos whirling with each step she took, accompanied by the heavy thuds of her prosthetic legs hitting the floor.

"Oh! There you are" Himeko said to Sirin with a smile, a smile filled with relieved concern. "I was worried you went somewhere"

Sirin bit her tongue to prevent a retort from slipping out, instead she stretched to relieve the kinks in her bones and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was well past afternoon, meaning she slept for half a day on an uncomfortable sofa, no wonder she felt her bones protest.

"Where's Kiana?" She said to nobody in particular, eyeing Bronya and Himeko through the corner of her eye. The youngest girl gave her a glance but didn't respond as she made her way to the kitchen, obviously refusing to answer. That's one thing she had trouble with, Bronya's dissent towards her, which was something Sirin couldn't care less about.

"Still on the way, she made a detour to the Principal's office for something. Said she had a business with her" Himeko made a face at the mention of 'business' before shrugging nonchalantly. "Don't know what, though. Don't worry, she's with Mei. Mei will look after her"

Sirin slowly nodded. Out of all the people here Raiden Mei was her most trusted person, somewhat, solely based on the fact she had no agenda she could use against Sirin or Kiana, Thunder not included. Sirin was a good judge of people, she knew and could tell when they had malicious intentions thanks to her time in Babylon. Watching strangers carving scars and prickling needles into her body was an enough of lesson to know enough.

"Make me dinner" Sirin ordered and Himeko's eyebrows shot up so high they might hit the ceiling anytime soon.

"Excuse me? I'm not your personal attendant, young lady, and it's incredibly rude for you to order older people around"

"Don't care"

Himeko gave Sirin a long reprimanding stare that was mostly ignored as the Herrscher sat straighter on the sofa, once again fishing the fallen remote from the floor and turning the TV on. Sighing to herself, the redhead gingerly sat down beside her.

Sirin gave her a dirty look. "If I reckon the kitchen is that way"

"I know. What I do not know is why are you upset?"

"It's none of your business"

"It is my business because you're my student, and also because I'm responsible for you"

Sirin crossed her legs and leaned aside to the armrest, putting as much distance between her and Himeko. She didn't want nor need her pity and she was determined to let Himeko know. "Quit bothering me" Sirin grumbled, trying and failing to focus on the show before her. How did Thunder manage to sit around watching these dumb entertainments and actually looked entertained anyway? These things like they weren't fit for human consumption.

"You were fine this morning, hun, up until the gathering. You even left your sister because of it" Sirin twitched at the mention of Kiana, seeing this Himeko relaxed a bit. "She was worried, you know? I've been a teacher for years and I could tell when my student is anxious about something. Your sister was anxious during the lesson today"

"I didn't mean to" Sirin whispered without her intending to, pursing her lips she fixated the woman beside her a look that pretty much said she wouldn't talk anymore even if Himeko forced her. The redhead eventually relented and stood up, but before brushing her fingers on Sirin's shoulder.

The Herrscher tensed up at the contact, watching the woman walking to the kitchen on her periphery. She scowled, crossing her arms as she once again tried to focus on the TV.

Himeko's ghostly fingers lingered on her shoulder for far too long than she liked.

Kiana returned around ten minutes later.

Her loud manner of speaking was the indication of her return before the door even creaked open. Sirin mentally prepared herself for her sister, going about the things she wanted to talk with her and an apology at the tip of her tongue, ready to jump out at moment notice.

But it quickly flew out of the window once she spotted the third person behind Raiden Mei, trailing both girls with an impassive face and a clipboard hugged close to her chest.

Sirin saw red and before her brain could register even just a fraction of her action, she already jumped towards the stranger and had a hand wrapped around her throat as she hoisted her against a wall.

The surprise in her sapphire eyes molded into pure panic and Sirin basked in it, baring her teeth and growling like a feral animal which she realized was not a really distant picture. There was a twisted satisfaction in her chest as she watched the subject of her disdain struggled vainly, clipboard clattering to the floor as her own hands flailed to Sirin's extended one.

She grunted, she kicked and scratched at Sirin's hand but her strength couldn't compete with Sirin's superhuman one. It would be so easy for her to just snap the girl's neck like a twig and be done with it, she would become just another casualty and victim, another insignificant drop of blood on Sirin's soaked hands. The Herrscher saw her glowing golden eyes in the red rimmed glasses, cold and cruel with a twisted smile on her face, as if to challenge her authority to whoever daring enough.

But there's something in the air. An incessant ringing. Sirin couldn't figure out what it was with her brain clouded by her blazing ego, every attempt to decipher the sound was met with failure so she just ignored it, opting to focus on the hapless girl before her.

The wall cracked under her sheer strength, had it not because the girl herself was a Valkyrie she would've become a Pinata, popped and scattered about the floor. But no amount of human strength could rival a Herrscher and Sirin was already on the edge of the girl's toleration. All it took was just one small push and she would no longer worry about Otto's pet spying on her and her sister.

Just a little more and the girl would be no more, perhaps she could send her heap to Otto as a warning, though Sirin doubted it would work considering Otto Apocalypse. Her struggling had declined and she slowly grew limp, her eyes slowly fading into a darker blue and her breathing had turned into weak gasping. Sirin's smile grew wider and with a twitch of her forearm muscles she-

A firm hand landed on the shoulder of her free hand and without thinking she swept her knuckle back to whoever it was daring enough to touch her. There was a loud crack as her knuckle connect, followed by a thud, as Sirin glared to the person who grabbed her. The air shifted as a subspace lance materialized and twirled around to point towards a sea of white on the floor.

Sirin blinked.

The murderous voices in her head fell quiet, allowing sounds to creep back into her sense. There seemingly a pause before a shrill exclamation escaped Raiden Mei's throat.

"KIANA!"

Immediately Sirin's hand released the blue haired girl who stumbled forward and was caught by Himeko as Mei kneeled down and shook Kiana frantically, searching and waiting for a response from her downed self-proclaimed knight. Sirin could only watched with wide eyes as her lance disappeared above her, raining embers before they disappeared into the thin air.

"Kiana! Kiana, can you hear me?!" The Herrscher of Thunder's host gasped as her hand brushed Kiana's white hair aside, as she pulled it back Sirin could see red tainting her trembling fingertips.

Images flashed before Sirin's eyes, a memory of Kiana bloodied form on an abandoned bunker, unmoving and lifeless. Another voice emerged in her mind, this one it wasn't hers.

"You stupid little vermin!" It was Thunder's, she must be projecting her thoughts to Sirin's Gem. "What in the actual hell were you thinking?! You hit Kiana, idiot! Your sister!"

"I didn't- I wasn't..." Sirin trailed off, panic and fear surging in her veins along with regret and horror. Her thoughts were in shamble she couldn't control her superhuman strength and let it bursted out at the heat of the moment, hitting Kiana hard enough she bled. "I didn't mean to! It was because you!"

Sirin turned around towards a dazed Fu Hua and yanked her from Himeko by her collar, teeth grounded. "It's all your fault she's hurt, you wretch!"

Fu Hua could only see through her unfocused eyes as Sirin slammed her against the wall once again, knocking the breath out of her.

"You took everything from me! Poisoned my mind with your power and fed me with false hope along with that fool of an Overseer! And now you hurt my sister!"

"I don't-"

"Quiet! I could easily rip your heart out or unplug your head from that frail body of yours! Choose, human, which way do you prefer your death? Or being snuffed out like an insect you are is the way you prefer?" Sirin tightened her grip on Fu Hua's neck to accentuate her point, staring into those fearful blue eyes with her fury filled golden orbs. Fu Hua swallowed, a gesture restricted by the hand on her neck, and opened her mouth to reply.

Only for someone to beat her to it.

"Enough, Sirin"

The Herrscher immediately stopped and pivoted around towards the voice, watching Kiana slowly sat up with Mei's help. Brows knitting together in concern, Sirin stepped forward and approached Kiana.

"Kiana, are you-"

Kiana held a hand up, silencing Sirin. With a shaky push of her legs, still helped by Mei, she finally stood up although slightly hunched forward. "Thanks, Mei" She said to the girl beside her with a small smile the taller girl couldn't return, not with her eyes focused on her face with clear worry on them. Sirin could see why as Kiana turned to face her.

There was blood running down her temple where her fist connected, some trailed and seeped into her white mane but most of it ran down her cheek and jaw before slipping to her neck and suit. Her perfect skin was tainted by rivers of red and Sirin had to force an ugly memory back to the deepest part of her mind, locked inside for nobody to see, not even herself.

"Let's... let's get out of here" Kiana whispered yet Sirin could hear it clearly in her ears. The others looked at her worriedly, which was something Sirin could relate to.

"You're hurt, we need to-"

"I'm okay" Kiana grabbed Sirin's hand, weakly tugging at it. The action silenced her sister who could only look at Kiana's grim face helplessly. "It'll only for a moment"

"I didn't mean to hit you"

"I know. But we need to talk"

The Herrscher bit her lip, head hung low in remorse as her fingers wrapped around Kiana's own. With a deep breath, she slowly nodded and opened a portal for them to enter. Vaguely, Sirin could hear Kiana telling the others they would be back soon but it ran hollow to her thoughts as they disappeared into the void.

The moment they emerged into the outside world, a sudden breeze of cold night air hit them like a gentle roll of a wave, caressing soft skins and white hair alike. Their boots crunched against gravelled road, pushing aside pebbles and the like into the earth.

Above them, a single glowing orange street lamp hung dutifully, casting a gentle glow to the empty road and lavender field surrounding it, a sole beacon of light in the otherwise empty scenery.

"Where are we?" Kiana asked softly, looking around the place but not Sirin. The Herrscher could only mumble her reply as she kept her gaze to her feet.

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose it's not"

Silence. The sounds of night animals and insects were the only thing accompanying them along with the shift of their feet on the ground. Sirin didn't dare to look up, fearing her own imagination where her sister glared at her with a bloodied angry face. But she couldn't just stay quiet, especially when an image of Kiana's pained face resurfaced in her head.

"We need to fix your wound" Sirin but mumbled as she summoned a first aid kit from a portal to her waiting hands, pretending to look at the letters imprinted on it as she continued. "Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah..."

Sirin sucked in a breath, jaw clenching to hide her chattering teeth. She beckoned for Kiana to sit against the lamp post. "Come here" Kiana wouldn't lie to her. Sirin herself had practically forced Kiana to never lie to her again about her injury. She knew her sister would say she's alright otherwise, even with a bleeding head. "I didn't mean to hit you. I'm so sorry"

"I know"

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not" Kiana confessed only to hiss when Sirin dabbed antiseptic on her injury, clenching her hands on her lap to quell the pain. "M-maybe a little. But I don't blame you"

Sirin paused her administration, finally looking at Kiana in the face. Her sister had a thoughtful expression which was punctuated with a grimace every now and then.

"Why?" Because she hit her it should be normal for someone who got hurt to blame the one who hurt them, right?

"Because it's my fault"

Sirin frowned, resuming her work. She pushed Kiana's beautiful white hair aside to reveal the injury underneath, thankful it wasn't as bad as she thought. Sirin could see where her knuckles made contact.

"No, it wasn't. It was mine and only mine. I can't control my impulses"

"I know that, which is why it's my fault. I've never blamed you for being you. Sirin, you told me what you went through and not a single day I wish they never happened to you but it has happened. Your past is what made you you, my sister I dearly love, so I should've known I was being selfish!"

Sirin stared wide eyed as Kiana sobbed into her arms she folded over her knees. Her sister didn't cry near her, always trying her best to hide her tears from her little sister despite the little sister's secret knowledge she indeed knew. Kiana would only cry when she was desperately helpless about something and not knowing what to do about it.

"You're not selfish"

"I am! I know how you feel about Schicksal but I still forced you to agree with me! Tell me that's not selfish, Sirin, tell me I didn't cause you to lash out and live in jeopardy!"

Sirin pressed the bandage a tad bit harder than necessary, making Kiana yelped in a mixture of pain and surprise, before she kneeled down in front of her.

Glaring without malice, Sirin put a hand on Kiana's shoulder, rubbing the remnants of red off her neck with her thumb. There was an underlying apologetic gesture there as Sirin regarded Kiana. "I did all of this on my own volition. You did not force your ideal on me, I agreed on it. I know what I have to face and bear but it's not on you"

"But you hate Fu Hua"

Wordlessly, Sirin brought a palm up and displayed the ominous red feather to Kiana who stared at with with wide blue eyes. "This is her power. She used this to plunder my mind back during the Second Eruption. Now, I don't know what it is but it's not something Schicksal or anyone else of this world is capable of creating" Letting the energy dissipated, Sirin put her now empty palm on Kiana's cheek and guided her to face Sirin. "She's not a normal girl. True I don't trust her for what she did to me but it's only half the reason. The girl called Fu Hua is not an ordinary girl"

"She's not? She seems pretty normal to me. Aunty Theresa told me she's there to monitor Valkyrie candidates while also acting as a student" Kiana paused, a frown on her face. "Wait, how old is she?!"

"She didn't age one bit from when we fought, granted she was different back then but she barely changed"

Bemused, Kiana could only scratch her head in thought. "That's... definitely not normal"

Sirin hummed in agreement, sitting down beside Kiana and folding her legs together.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you but that girl, Fu Hua, her face brings back a lot of bad memories. I thought I could tolerate our new live but she... I just... I don't know"

"We can always leave..."

Sirin mulled over the offer for a moment. Did she want to leave? To put these whole ordeals behind and act as if they never happened? The thought of joining Cecilia was a compelling one but at the same time Kiana was obviously distraught by the idea of leaving her friends and the budding normal around them. Her sister wished to be a Valkyrie, to fight against the world's malice that was Honkai, more importantly so she wanted to be with her friends like any other normal girls.

"No" Sirin replied resolutely, grabbing Kiana's open palm and intertwining their fingers together. It was one of the few affectionate gestures she could initiate herself, for moments where her heart wanted to say I'm here, I'm with you but her words failed her. The art of verbal comfort was of not her master, so every touch told bereft lips. "I will never forgive myself if I took this from you. I will manage"

Kiana heaved a sigh as she leaned her head against Sirin's. She would've argued back but the fatigue from the training and being trampled by Sirin had settled into her bones, siphoning her energy with soreness. As bottomless her energy was, there's only so much a young girl like her could exert until she hit her ceiling. Frankly, Kiana just wanted to take a shower and sleep after beating her classmates for a whole day.

"They were surprised when I used the bat" She mumbled offhandedly, as if it's and afterthought as her eyes drifted shut. Despite the lulling situation, Kiana couldn't really sleep so she just closed her eyes for a moment.

"Funny how it's more battle-proven than most weapons"

Sirin's chest rumbled in a quiet laugh, earning a smile from Kiana who was still leaning against her. "I had a feeling you would use it. Your last night's crazy idea was not really that crazy"

"The choice was either Shamash or Abyss Flower. No way I will use Divine Keys against my classmates"

"Did they know?"

"Hm? What? That we have Divine Keys with us?"

"Yep, and that you're proficient with both?"

"Nah..."

That would be quite a moment to witness. Sirin wished she would be there to witness their befuddlement when Kiana pulled Abyss Flower and used it with the same ferocity their mother once had.

"I'd like to see when that happens"

Kiana pointedly punched her shoulder in disapproval.

The sun had long settled over the horizon by the time Sirin and Kiana returned. A blazing swirl of Honkai powered portal appeared on the living room, projecting a bright ember all the way to the kitchen where most of the occupants were. Theresa who had been waiting anxiously jumped into motion the moment Kiana stepped into the real world.

"Are you guys okay?" Asked the Principal, alternating between Kiana and Sirin. The Herrscher huffed and brushed past her and the others, making her way to the refrigerator and rummaged through for a cold drink.

Kiana smiled reassuringly. "Sorry, we're okay. We just needed to talk" She shot Sirin a look as her sister sat down behind the table, eyes scanning the room afterward and noticing they short a person. "Where's the class monitor?"

"Fu Hua left not long after you guys did, she didn't want to cause more conflict" Himeko informed, sitting back to her seat with a can of beer on her hand. Giving Sirin a concerned look, she shifted so she was facing the Herrscher. "What was that?"

For a long unblinking moment, Sirin looked back, as if to gauge the woman before her. It was an odd sight to behold, a girl with a bottle of Pepsi could never look so intimidating yet there was Sirin. Himeko had to admit the two liters bottle and the all too small straw looked comical as the Herrscher sipped the drink with an almost murderous glare.

"Why don't you ask the Principal?" Sirin growled with the straw still between her lips. "She was there"

Kiana sighed, dragging her feet to sit beside Sirin. Theresa, Mei and Bronya all followed and not long after everyone sat in their own seats. A kitchen was hardly an ideal place to discuss a dark past, and a dining table was certainly not made to handle such a topic.

"Aunty, it's time to come clean"

Theresa's small posture slumped, making her appear shorter than she actually was yet it wasn't enough to hide her from the inquisitive stares coming from around her. Rubbing her face tiredly, Theresa tapped the table with a short digit to quell the negative feelings inside her.

"Fu Hua fought Sirin" She began, earning a collective looks of surprise from almost everyone. "She's one of the heroes of the Second Eruption"

Sirin snorted noncommittally but stayed silent. Theresa went on with her explanation, about the deeds they did to stop her back then, but it lacked what Sirin knew. It pissed her off, all these heroic tales with hardly any glimpse of truth. Schicksal wanted her to be the villain, it's easier to mask their sins when there was a bigger enemy with a bigger threat and priority. Yet she kept silent, whatever comments she had were reserved for her sister later on because none of these strangers would understand her like Kiana would.

"How old is she? She doesn't look much older than me" Mei asked softly, as if a harsher tone would set an invisible bomb off and obliterate whatever fragile sense of tranquility in the air. Try as she might, Theresa's finger stopped at once and the pressure in the atmosphere increased at alarming rate.

"I did some digging when Grandfather assigned Fu Hua onto my school. Her records went as far to the fifteenth century"

This time, both Kiana and Sirin also offered a reaction. The former's eyes widened like many of the occupants while the latter's frowned like the one Bronya.

"That was the height of Schicksal's power" Not to say Schicksal was weak now but the fifteenth century was definitely Schicksal's Golden Age until their defeat in an attempt to conquer the Eurasian continent by the Ming Empire, after that it was a massive decline.

"And also the beginning of the crack in Schicksal's structural body"

Theresa nodded to Himeko in acknowledgement as she folded her arms on the table. "There were strifes among the Houses which began with House Kaslana after an arbitrary decision by House Apocalypse to execute their prized daughter Kallen Kaslana for treachery. It didn't sit well with the Kaslanas and since then the gap has never fully closed"

"What does it have to do with the class monitor?" Kiana queried with a confused frown. It was a shock to learn their classmate was a living ancient girl dating back to the flourishing of Schicksal but it didn't correlate into anything other than the date.

"Kiana, do you know Kallen Kaslana?"

"Uh, until now? No. I imagine she must have been someone strong, though, just like Mom"

Theresa smiled faintly. "Kallen Kaslana was the greatest Valkyrie ever known and the original wielder of the Oath of Judah. She fought Honkai head on and won, claimed lands and was a saint during her free time. That was until she was defeated by Fu Hua who singlehandedly fought her off and Schicksal's army". The smile faded, and in a smaller tone Theresa added "I was created from her gene"

There was a gasp, Theresa wasn't certain from who but it could be just from anyone, or even everyone except Sirin. The Herrscher merely scoffed, crossed her arms and leaned back onto the chair. It would have been a total silence if it weren't for the incessant tapping of Sirin's boot on the floor.

Snorting to herself, Sirin smirked. Though it lacked any meaning beside mild condescension. "And the cat leaps out of the bag. Look at you, we're not so different now aren't we?"

"Sirin" Kiana flashed Sirin a warning look which Sirin only replied with a roll of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she went for Theresa's hand on the table and held it in her own. The Principal looked up, onto that blinding smile Kiana so generously offered to the world. "Thank you for telling us this, Aunty. I'll apology to the class monitor later" Stretching, she heaved a sigh and turned to the rest of the occupants. "So, what's for dinner?"

"What are you doing?"

Mei jolted on her seat, the pen she mindlessly kept between her fingers slipped and fell to the floor. Heart pounding in her chest, she frowned and picked it up before continue scrabbling on a paper.

"Making notes"

"I can see that, you wretch. What I want to know is why are you rewriting parts from an already perfect recipe book. Wait, didn't Kiana give you this today?"

"Yes, in class" Mei sighed, marking another ingredient with a red marker. She contemplated to herself for a minute. "This is her family recipe book, since she grew up in Europe some of the ingredients are either unavailable or hard to get. I need to find their substitutes without affecting the general results"

A delay. Mei used the time to write the conclusion she reached in her head.

"... Is it fun?"

A pair of amethyst orbs blinked. Mei slipped her notes between the pages and closed the book before standing up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this, playing house with these people"

"Oh..." Realization hit her and Mei sat down on her bed. Her other self was an immaculate force, an unstoppable gale and an unflinching march of will. She was the definition of resolve and determination. What Mei herself was incapable of doing, she claimed capable, swift and fast like thunder itself. Yet, if the past few weeks had told her something, it was even lightning could recede and fail when it was faced with a disruptive force.

For her other self, that force had been Kiana Kaslana.

Perhaps, it was Mei, or perhaps it was her other self. But she was certain the doubt she felt when they fought on that rooftop was coming from the deepest depth of her heart. Kiana wouldn't shut up, she loved running her mouth with surprisingly genuine words. She kept talking about how she wanted to save her, to help her, all the while throwing punches and swings that hit not her body but the strings of her very conscience.

It pulled on her chords, tangling and wrapping around a Kiana Kaslana. When Mei realized what sort of deeds she had done and the fear following it, she had been ready to end everything with her own hands. She had jumped, prepared to meet the oblivion, only for a shining light to reach out and pull her back before despair could envelope her forever into damnation. In a way, Kiana had not just saved her body from death but also her soul, if such a thing existed, and given her a second chance.

Mei was aware a second chance was a privilege not many had. Her old classmates didn't have them, the people of Nagazora didn't have them, and neither her father wherever he was now. To be given a second chance was like getting a chance to not just change but also better oneself, to overcome whatever darkness crawling on their skin before.

It had been an odd and drastic change of view, from a desolate city to this warm environment resembling a home. The Herrscher within her must be having trouble in accommodating, just like Mei, no matter what she might claim.

Denial was a sign of doubt.

"I missed this" Mei whispered. It would have been weird to see from outside perspective but Mei had something inside her others didn't have. An alter ego who, according to said alter ego, was a perfect embodiment of Mei herself. "It's been too long since I was with such a loving people"

"... fool" The voice within her echoed and Mei closed her eyes, lying down and pulling the blanket over her body. "Have you learned nothing?"

Anger surged in her blood yet Mei kept her eyes closed. "Do not compare Kiana with them. She's not them, she's different. You killed them, but you couldn't kill Kiana because you knew she's different"

A laugh, high and mocking. "Was it me or was it you? It was your wish to snuff those who hurt you, wasn't it? Then, wasn't it your wish to spare Kiana also?"

"Yes"

Her answer stunned the Herrscher into silence and Mei could practically feel her faltered inside her. "You... You've changed"

"Have I? I guess so. I'm not afraid of you anymore because I know Kiana would stop you if you did something despicable. Sirin would be there, too"

There was an indignant scoff but no denial. Mei knew, her other self knew too that it was the truth. Try as she might none of them had the courage to defy Kiana's wish.

"What a blunder. I'm stuck here with a useless girl like you while I could achieve greatness you so oh desperately wanted. Human's heart is really a fragile little lump it changes so easily"

Mei frowned and shuffled into her blanket, pointedly denying the retort at the end of her tongue. With a sigh, she willed slumber to take hold. She was on the verge of consciousness when the voice inside her began again.

"I'll be borrowing the body"

"... don't cause trouble"

The last thing Mei heard before slumber took hold was an echoing snort.

TBC

The next chapter will be blast. I'm starting to think I should put angst as a tag lol.

See you guys next time.

Cipher032 out!