Chapter 10: One Step Forward
Time was an interesting prospect.
It was within human's knowledge but always beyond its grasp, an uncatchable ghost and an untouchable existence. Time marched forth and only forth, never receding nor regressing. Time had its own set of rules, ones that would never be broken unless by the highest being.
Time was a flow, time was a stream, and time was steady. It was a river with but water and rocks, instead lives and universes. Everything followed the passing of time without exceptions and everything was nurtured and sundered by time itself. Along with time, the falls and rises of fate followed it, a cascading symphony and an interruptible rhyme. Time was the order of the universe along with space, a combination of origin and beginning.
Time flowing and never stopping, no matter how much one wished and tried to defy it.
The years they spent passed by in a blink of eye, gone before any of them realized how long they had been together. Now almost a fully minted Valkyries, for the first time they were deployed in an actual mission to fight the Honkai and saved those in perils.
Kiana was practically jittering on her seat with excitement and Sirin seemed like she was about to lose her mind because of it beside her. The Void Herrscher glared at her sister but the latter was completely unaware of it so Sirin resorted to physical contact.
She slapped Kiana's knee which was grinding against her own and shaking it so violently the vibration of the Blackhawk helicopter they're on couldn't compete despite them currently locked in evasive maneuver against some flying Honkai beasts.
"Stop that, will you?!" Sirin snapped, her voice booming through the chopper's intercom and pulling Kiana into a semblance of rationality. Bronya, who was manning the door's M134 Minigun, looked back to glare before resuming her shooting to the incoming hostiles. The old Sirin would have laughed with how comical Bronya looked but Sirin had learned that Bronya was a firearm expert through and through she could use literally anything that fired projectiles.
"I'm sorry, okay?! I just can't sit this one out!" Kiana yelled back before she addressed the redhead on the cockpit. "Hey Aunty! How much longer until the LZ?!"
An explosion rocked the Blackhawk when a pair of Super Hornets zoomed by after loosing its ordnances of AIM-120s on an Imperator, the Honkai powered AMRAAMs slammed right on its center and obliterated the beast completely in its flight. Himeko grunted in a mixture of annoyance and exertion as she swung the Blackhawk into cover between buildings.
"Girl, I'm trying to keep us alive here! Quit pestering me for like, five minutes!"
Kiana groaned before resuming her jittering, making Sirin sighed in resignation. It was supposed to be a simple mission; go to the city and help evacuate its occupants but somehow everything went off the hill after an Impact occurred on the city's center. Now, Manila looked like a warzone with burned streets and toppled buildings. The smoke made it difficult to see but Sirin could make out the Philippine Army rolling down the available streets in armored vehicles and tanks while coordinating with on-site Schicksal Valkyries. Regular soldiers and weapons were hardly efficient against Honkai but that didn't mean they couldn't kill them, though they were probably better to just evacuate the civilians instead of fighting.
Meanwhile the sky was an entirely different sight altogether. Drones, choppers and fighter jets filled it, a mixture between the country's air force and Schicksal's own assets. The screams of jet engines and explosion filled the atmosphere as a grim melody of destruction, raining embers and brimstones to the earth below.
Mei, who was attending the injured pilot currently strapped on the troops compartment, gave a quick thumb up towards Sirin who nodded in response. "Pilot's stabilized" She announced in Mei's behalf.
The Herrscher of Thunder quickly grabbed her helmet and put it back on before strapping herself to her seat, toggling the mic she began. "We still need to give him a proper medical care but I have stopped the bleeding enough. Major, how much longer until we arrive?"
The co-pilot was the one to answer instead, amidst pained grunt as he pressed a hand to his bleeding right side. "Two kilometers out until the rear line. We've succeeded in establishing an F.O.B on the southern part of the city"
"Major, the Bronya is detecting a massive amount of Honkai beasts on our four o'clock low, bearing straight towards us"
Himeko cursed under her breath, red hair whipping wildly from the wind coming from the destroyed canopy. She swiveled her head to look and grimace when she saw what Bronya meant by massive.
They seemed to come from the streets, a cloud of Archangels rising high into the air towards the speeding Blackhawk like a whirlpool of sharks out for blood. Even with Bronya now directing her fire towards them, it seemingly useless to suppress the rising tide.
"We're out of time!" Mei yelled, brandishing her Katana as her eyes turned into a darker shade of purple. "I will try to distract them!"
"No, wait!" Sirin interjected, extracting herself from the seat and shoving Mei back down. The Raiden girl glared at her but Sirin ignored it, pushing herself into the front most towards the cockpit. The wind hit her face unobscured and much like Himeko's, her hair began to twisted and turned wildly behind her. "Get us high, now!" She yelled right beside Himeko's head who simply nodded.
Pulling the flight stick back, the Blackhawk made a slow but sharp climb, almost throwing Sirin back to the crew compartment if it weren't for her holding the pilot's seat for dear life.
"Whatever you're going to do, do it now, girl!"
Sirin thrusted a hand forward and not a moment later a massive void portal appeared, swallowing the Blackhawk into the oblivion.
And then there was nothing. Not even a whisper of wind or the constant vibration of the engine. The world turned almost dark with the only source of light coming from the half destroyed control panel, illuminating the cockpit at bare minimum. A sense of weightlessness settled over the pits of the Blackhawk occupants' stomachs for what seemed like an eternity before once again light exploded into the interior.
Alarm blaring, Himeko twisted and turned the flight stick as the Blackhawk tumbled out of another portal. Sirin whose only mean of anchor was her hands were thrown up into the ceiling and bounced about until Kiana grabbed her hand and held her close. Her vision swam and she vaguely could feel a strange warmness running down her temple. Vaguely she felt her head, noting the absence of her helmet and the red on her fingers once she brought them within her sight.
After rolling over for the nth time, Himeko finally succeeded wrestling control back and the chopper steadied itself. The redhead looked around frantically before she relaxed when she saw her team was alright, though the frown on her face was unmistakable when her eyes landed on Sirin for a brief moment.
"Nav is back. We're over the F.O.B" Said the co-pilot, not fully capable in hiding the awe in his tone. "That was one hell of a ride"
Himeko chuckled. "Sure was. Can you take over?"
"Sure. I'll just have to land this baby"
"Alright. Your aircraft"
"My aircraft"
After handing over the control, Himeko stepped into the crew compartment. She went to Sirin immediately who was in the middle of pushing herself off Kiana and grabbed her head, gently twisting it side to side. Sirin still appeared dazed she didn't protest at first.
Himeko motioned for Bronya to close the door before she spoke directly to Sirin with the engine sound now muffled. "You okay, hun? Can you hear me?"
"Yeah..." Sirin muttered in response, retreating back from the touch and sitting down beside Kiana who immediately dabbed antiseptics on her bleeding temple. She hissed to Kiana "That hurt"
"You cut your temple open" Kiana muttered, hardly loud enough for Sirin to hear. Her blue eyes travelled to the ceiling to see where her sister might have accidentally knocked her head. "It's not bad. Can you heal yourself?"
"Yeah"
"You sure?" Himeko chimed in worriedly but Sirin waved her off.
"I'm fine, Himeko"
Kiana handed her a gauze and Sirin used it to quell the blood than anything else, holding it close as the wound began to mend itself close. The moment the helicopter touched down, the bleeding had mostly stopped with only a pinkish scar remained.
Sirin suppressed a grimace when the Blackhawk door was opened again as a pair of medical Valkyries rushed to retrieve the wounded pilot. The man had fallen unconscious some time ago but hopefully they weren't too late in giving them care.
Once they disembarked, Himeko quickly turned towards the rest of her team and addressed them. "I'll talk with the acting Valkyrie squad commander. Kiana, go take Sirin to the medical tent and have her checked"
"I told you I'm fine" Sirin retorted quickly with more bite than she intended. The pain had subsided but she could still feel it throbbing nonetheless which Himeko noticed.
"That's an order" The redhead said with a clear finality in her tone. Sirin growled low, disliking the very notion of following someone's order with passion but knew better than to argue. So, after a quick glare of disdain she silently relented and let Kiana dragged her about the place.
She watched through the corner of her eye Bronya summoned Project Bunny before walking towards one of the soldiers to converse about something. Knowing Bronya, it's probably involving intel and enemy's positions she managed to gather during their flight. Mei, meanwhile, helped the co-pilot out after he shut down the helicopter and supported him walk until the medical team returned with a stretcher. Their eyes met and she jogged to follow them shortly after.
"I'm fine, Kiana" Sirin grumbled exasperatedly, tugging her hand off Kiana's hold. Her sister sighed explosively, running her fingers on her disheveled white mane.
"Just bear with me. Aunty Himeko wants you checked so we'll do just that. I'm also worried"
"It's just a little wound"
"It's a head wound. You might have a concussion for all we know"
By the time they reached the medical section of the base, Sirin's complaints had died down to mere huffs and snorts. She knew it was useless to argue with Kiana once she made up her mind about something, and she knew Kiana wouldn't change her mind when it's Sirin's health possibly at stake even if it wasn't. One plus one equaled a stubborn Kiana and a stubborn Kiana was a hell of headache to sway.
So Sirin didn't. She had better things to worry about than to fight an overprotective sister who preached health and safety while having a hobby of throwing herself into the belly of the beast any time possible, namely making sure said overprotective sister didn't kill herself out of her own stupidity.
She did growl in discomfort when the smell of medicines hit her nostrils, though, as memories she still tried to suppress suddenly swam back and bubbled into the surface that was her brain. Kiana noticed this, as usual of her, and once again grabbed her hand and squeezed it in a comforting gesture. It worked slightly and Sirin allowed herself to anchor her reality around Kiana instead of the ghostly image of Babylon.
Walking towards the tent with Schicksal's sigil on it, Kiana pushed the flaps up with her free hand and entered along with Sirin and Mei.
They looked around, noticing the beds lining the sides and their occupants in various states of distresses. Some had an injury as minor as a stab wound and shrapnel bruises while a few others were in worse state and currently being operated on. There was also some that was so still with sheets drawn over them.
They tried to not focus on them.
"Excuse me!" Kiana called out to one of the nurses. "My sister accidentally hit her head, can you please make sure she's okay?"
"I'm okay"
Though wearing a mask, the small smile on the nurse's face was unmistakable as she put down the clipboard she was carrying on a table. Sirin had begun to argue with Kiana again when the nurse stepped beside Kiana.
"Are you and your sister Valkyries?" She asked, eyes roaming about the three girls inquisitively.
In response, the three of them answered at the exact same time.
"Yes"
"No"
"In training"
They looked towards each others for a brief moment before Kiana and Mei chuckled while Sirin simply rolled her eyes in amusement. "Look, can we get this over with? I hate this place"
The nurse nodded, gesturing for Sirin to follow her. "Pardon my curiosity, it's not everyday I see twins like you fighting together as Valkyries"
They knew what she meant. Usually someone with bonds and connections gambled their life so their precious someone could have an opportunity for a better life, in this case a girl who traded her life for her sister. There were so many similar stories in St. Freya Sirin didn't bother to count.
She understood the gist of it. She knew enough to know love was the strongest form of emotions it could drive people to do stupid and irrational things, bypassing even their own self preservation instinct. It was not justice that drove Cecilia to save her back then, nor was it duty.
Kiana merely smiled in response, giving Sirin a nod she hoped look reassuring as she followed the nurse. Sighing to herself, Kiana sat down on one of the available beds and rubbed her face tiredly.
The mattress dipped when Mei sat down beside her and not a moment later she felt her hand rubbing comfort on her back. "We'll be out there"
"I hope so" Kiana murmured in return, chasing the comfort as she leaned her head on Mei's shoulder. "It happened so fast"
Mei hummed, a sound so soothing Kiana relaxed immediately. "Focus on what we can save now"
Kiana nodded, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply while Mei continued caressing her. Kiana's hair was down not intentionally, it was a result of a night of nonstop fighting. The normally pristine and soft mane was dirtied and unkempt with grimes Mei's fingers would catch each time she ran them down her long hair. But Kiana didn't complain, instead basking on the slight burn on her scalp.
A particular tug made Kiana's brows furrow and Mei stopped to look at her face.
"Sorry, I didn't know that was painful"
"No" Kiana whined, grabbing the hand slowly leaving her head and put it back on her crown. "Keep doing it"
There was a pause, and when Mei continued something had changed on the way she caressed Kiana. The motion was more harsh and less refined but it still felt good nonetheless. Kiana knew the reason so she simply smiled in content, eyes still closed.
"I did not know you're such a masochist" Mei commented, voice flat but living together for years had granted Kiana the ability to detect the slightest hint of emotions. Mostly thanks to Bronya though. Although Kiana would never thank Bronya for being Bronya.
Nope, I would rather eat my shoes.
"Hey, Thunder" Kiana greeted lazily. "Thanks for the save, by the way"
The Herrscher hummed and Kiana could practically feel the air shifted as electricity radiated from Mei's body. "You are too reckless. Do you know what sort of troubles you put Raiden Mei into?"
"Yeah, sorry for making you worry"
A huff. "How preposterous. I couldn't care less what to happen to you as long as I get to kill you in the end"
"Don't let Sirin hear you"
"She can come to me any time she wants and I will still kick her ass"
Kiana giggled but didn't comment, letting her thoughts slow down as she closed her eyes and exhaled. The adrenaline had left her system and the fatigue from their fighting began to catch up, something Kiana allowed her body to feel. It was good, the pain and the stiff muscles constantly kept her emotions at bay.
It happened again.
It was just like Nagazora.
She suppressed a whimper, gritting her teeth tightly they almost cracked under the pressure. It happened so fast and so suddenly they didn't have the time to react and could only watch helplessly when Honkai beasts rolled down the streets of Manila and slaughtered all the citizens on sight, leaving carnage and deaths on their trails. It was supposed to be a simple survey mission to investigate the sudden fluctuations of Honkai energy in the area, they didn't expect an Impact to happen.
They fought all night long, evacuating the people while helping local law enforcement fighting the emerging monsters. Their communication was dead, interfered by the thick Honkai energy in the air thus couldn't call support until the break of dawn. The military was called but they progressed slowly with how ineffective conventional weapons were and it wasn't until Schicksal's satellites made another pass they realized something was very wrong and very bad.
The first Valkyrie squad was deployed at 5 in the morning, at 6 Schicksal suffered the first loss of their Valkyrie unit. At 7 Himeko managed to call for a pick up but it wasn't until 10 they got their ride, even so it almost costed them their lives just trying to get out. The counterattack was slow but it's progressing nevertheless.
Kiana wanted to go back. Every fibre of her being screamed at her to go out and help, her Kaslana blood boiling with rage and fury at the knowledge there were innocent people being harmed. But Kiana was also a Schariac and that other part of her had been reasoning the other one to stay put and wait for the right moment. It was like she's fighting against herself and it felt uncomfortably odd.
Everything began with a simple recon mission and it gradually turned into a living hell. As soldiers and Valkyries in general, they were trained to expect the unexpected any time but even so no plan survived initial contact with the enemy and it held true. Just yesterday they were out in the city, enjoying the scenery and having to eat on one of the many stands at the streets and now none of those even remained. The people were either dead or dying and the buildings were reduced to a pile of burning and crumbled concrete with hardly a resemblance to their former glory.
Kiana hoped Himeko didn't take long or otherwise she might do something utterly reckless to get rid of the burning feeling in her veins.
"Please sit down here"
Sirin complied silently, plopping down on the stool the nurse pointed her, eyes following every movement of the woman who nodded and smiled which Sirin didn't return.
"I'll call for the doctor, wait for a moment okay?"
Again, Sirin didn't reply but she did a miniscule nod of her head as acknowledgment. When the nurse left, she finally broke her impassive expression and blanched at the mixture of medicine smells in the air. Covering her nose with her hand, her eyes warily scanned the area to see any hidden set up that could be used on her.
Sirin hated this place already and every seconds felt like it's going to drive her insane.
The whimpers of the wounded reminded her of the dying calls of her friends in Babylon and every time a figure cladded in white passed by her position she instinctively tensed up for the terrible sessions she experienced in her previous life. It was too much and where the hell was that doctor?
Just when Sirin began contemplating bailing with her Void power she suddenly felt a presence approaching her, a potent one at that. Sirin was well versed with Kiana's signature and Mei's, they both felt different with Kiana's all too familiar warmth and Mei's more electrified projection. As the Herrscher of The Void, Sirin had the ability to detect and feel Honkai energy in the air and beyond, even going as far as to understand the patterns unique to each Stigma imbued Valkyries, which this presence undoubtedly was.
It was somewhat familiar, though, but Sirin couldn't quite wrap her head around it.
"Are you okay?" It said and Sirin stayed quiet, hoping for whoever it was to just leave her alone. But when a head full of light blonde hair appeared in her line of vision Sirin knew this was an insistence she could not just ignore, just like Kiana. "Are you hurt somewhere?"
"No" Sirin grunted out, glaring at the girl before her. She had a pair of magenta eyes that were filled with clear concern when their gazes met, something Sirin knew so well. "What do you want?"
The girl frowned and Sirin internally scoffed, thinking she finally understood to not bother her, when said girl suddenly smiled.
"I want to make sure you are okay" She said and Sirin sighed, just where the hell was the doctor? Did the nurse stand her up or something?
"My name is Ana, what's yours?"
Sirin narrowed her eyes in suspicion. The girl was undoubtedly a Valkyrie, obviously so with the Battlesuit she was wearing, and judging from her age and rank she was a prodigy to the boots. She couldn't be older than Kiana or at least the same age yet she was an A ranker already.
"My name is of no importance" Sirin replied dismissively. "Why don't you bother yourself saving lives, Miss A Ranker?"
A barest hint of hostility and underlying tone to make sure her point went across that she didn't want to be bothered. Unfortunately, the girl was either a blockhead, a Kaslana or a righteous freak and completely disregarded it.
A blockhead she couldn't be since being an A rank required someone to have the brain and brawl neither could she be a Kaslana since all Kaslana had white hair and blue eyes, unless she was a foster child then she might be, but Sirin leaned more on the possibility that she was a righteous freak like most Valkyries.
"You know what I am?" The girl asked, looking genuinely surprised and Sirin raised an eyebrow before she realized precisely why. With her Herrscher form gone, Sirin was left wearing civilian clothes so she must be looked like another random girl in her eyes. Her lips twitched in amusement at the thought.
I could easily send you to the Void and you'd be none the wiser, girl.
"More than you think. Why don't you go out there and actually save people to fill your self righteousness desire instead of bothering me? Unless you are a Kaslana that is"
"What's wrong with the Kaslanas?"
"My thought exactly" Just then a man in white coat made a turn towards them, he was about to open his mouth to speak when Sirin cut him off. "No need. I can hold a comprehensive and focused conversation with other so I am pretty sure I didn't pop a blood vessel or damage my brain. Even if I did I'm certain it's healed by now with how slow you are"
Sirin got up and stretched, feeling her back popped with satisfaction before steadily making her way to where Kiana was. She didn't manage her fifth step before the girl called out to her again.
"Wait! I didn't catch your name!"
Sirin rolled her eyes. "My advice? Don't bother with the small stuff. If you want to really save people you have to ignore anything useless in your predicaments. Do what you have to do to save others and disregard unnecessary thoughts, they'll be nothing but a source for confusion to thrive"
Sirin left not a second later, never giving the girl a chance to reply. Sirin couldn't even remember the girl's name if she wished to and she was fairly certain she didn't want to remember something so trivial.
Kiana was half asleep when Sirin returned, the Void Herrscher found her sister leaning on Mei's side as she fought herself to stay awake. Although the moment Sirin stepped into Kiana's periphery, the girl shot up and jumped towards Sirin, staggering in the process and almost threw both of them off balance.
"Why did you do that?!" Sirin hissed, all but circling her arms around Kiana's waist to keep her steady. As usual, it seemed Kiana acted on impulse again.
"You okay? What did the doctor say? You're not hurt, right?" Kiana didn't even acknowledge Sirin's question before she proceeded to bombard her with questions of her own. Sirin felt Kiana's gloved hands all over her face so she slapped them off before she replied.
"I'm fine" She growled, giving Mei a warning look when she raised a knowing eyebrow. "Just like I said ten minutes ago"
Kiana sighed heavily in relief and suddenly Sirin felt a bit guilty for giving her sister a blatant lie but she pushed the feeling away with a grunt that sounded somewhat acknowledging. "That's good" And it was, Sirin knew she was alright which was the point of the conversation. Kiana had nothing to worry to begin with.
"Let's get out of here" Sirin urged, wrinkling her nose in disgust when a nurse walked past them smelling like she had taken a bath in antiseptics. "I don't like this place"
Kiana processed her words for a precisely three seconds before her mouth dropped understandingly. Nodding to Mei, Kiana grabbed Sirin's hand and guided her out the tent. "Right, sorry"
Sirin merely hummed, taking one large gulp of oxygen once they were outside. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and burnt wood but it was leagues better than the smell of medicine for her.
"Let's go find Major Himeko" Mei proposed to Kiana who nodded in agreement. Sirin was content to follow the two around the place, silently following a step behind the duo and glaring at the passing ground below her. It was out of habit than anything, to keep as low profile as possible when out in public especially when authorities were around. Sirin still couldn't grow out of it in opposite of Kiana.
Bronya joined them sometime later and she pointed where the command center Himeko possibly at, a former coffee shop that mostly left intact from the initial assault down the street. They passed many soldiers, Valkyries and civilians in their walk but none of them gave more than a two seconds glance before deciding they're nothing extraordinary. Sirin didn't care, Bronya and Mei were impassive while Kiana all but grimaced along the way to the coffee shop.
Two Valkyries guarded the entrance, their Honkai powered spears held tight between their fingers as they scanned the surrounding for possible threat. When their eyes found the four, one of them stepped forward and held a hand up. "Halt, what business do you have?"
It was Mei who met the woman with a strained but friendly smile. "We're looking for our squad leader Himeko. Is she here?"
"Himeko? As in Murata Himeko the former member of Ragna's Valkyrie Assault Squad?" She asked with a clear surprise and wonder in her tone before a smile erupted on her face. "Oh, crap, you're the kiddies Himeko complained about!"
"Uh, thanks?" Mei responded slowly, unsure. A quick glance behind her confirmed the rest of the team was also dumbfounded. The woman was laughing now so was her friend.
"Oh... Oh, God... Sorry, kids, ain't laughing at y'all, promise"
Sirin scoffed and stood beside Mei. "Stop wasting my time and tell whether she's here or not"
"Yeah she's here, inside" The Valkyrie was quick to reply, giving Sirin a long stare before she shook her head. "Sorry about that, kid, I didn't mean to lose my cool like that" And then something happened and all traces of smiles and juveniles disappeared from the woman's face as she blankly looked at Sirin. "I take it you are the Herrscher of The Void?" She flatly asked.
Sirin froze, so did Mei and Kiana while Bronya narrowed her eyes to the woman, a sign of her using the full capacity of her thought process to pick, analyze and discard information in lightning speed. Vaguely the air shifted as two different forms of Honkai energy manifested, one from Sirin and the other from Mei.
The former had her fingers flexing over nothingness at her sides, as if preparing to grasp something that wasn't there yet, while the latter's foot shifted subtly to angle her body better for a quick draw of the Katana strapped on her left hip.
None of them would admit it but with Mei's personality steadily keeps getting influenced by Thunder's the once uncertain Raiden had grown into a steadfast and confident girl that would do anything to protect those around her, even Sirin who she often found annoying. Though, it might be Thunder who thought so with how seamless the two would transition nowadays.
"How could you know?" Sirin whispered, low and dangerous with the background noises suppressed by the thick atmosphere growing around the group. The woman narrowed her eyes and Sirin found herself doing the same while her Core subconsciously began to gather Honkai energy into her self, fueling every fibre of her being with immeasurable power. The situation was so tense even Kiana who was an expert in defusing her sister's murderous aura couldn't just intervene, afraid she might set Sirin off instead.
They had always known this day would come. Sirin warned her about it. It would be only a matter of time until Schicksal got a hold of their whereabouts and now one of their Valkyries blatantly showed them how right they were. Internally, Kiana was conflicted, knowing it was her selfish desire that got them here in this predicament. She clenched her fists, fighting back the pained tears from spilling down her eyes at the knowledge of what this entailed, silently giving the friends around her a look for what might be the last time and burning the image into her memory.
Bronya with a tight expression, a rare one she had considering how aloof she could be at times so Kiana only had seen it a handful of times but here it was now on her face, showing how dire the situation was for even Bronya to worry. She and Sirin started on a rocky foot but living together for years had opened up the girl to the point she considered Sirin as a friend also, staying true to her words she showed Sirin what misdeeds she did to the people on Earth in her previous life. Bronya changed Sirin too, making the girl more accepting of the people around her to a better degree. Maybe not to a normal person's level but Sirin appreciated people enough now she could talk to strangers without Kiana's intervention. Kiana couldn't be more proud of the change, knowing how difficult it was for Sirin to lower the guards around her heart for something as simple as talks.
Mei, as always during a fight, looked tense but controlling. She was more believing to herself now, to her ability and powers without fear or reserves on the what might and could have beens. She simply looked forward, using her strength to cut through challenges and her kindness to mend the wound people suffered. Mei was the definition of strength in beauty and compassion, never losing her way despite the uglies the world offered her. The Mei before her now was not the girl from three years ago who lost herself in self pity and grievance, the Mei before Kiana now was a girl that would show the world how courage made everything possible because it was never about removing fear, but about learning from that fear and strive with it. Fear was normal, fear was part of humanity that allowed humans to survive for millenniums. What mattered was how one controlled it.
Kiana was thankful. Kiana took one step closer to Sirin.
Kiana was thankful of the time, of the company and love they gave them. Kiana took two steps towards Sirin.
Kiana couldn't possibly tell them that, something she realized would be the biggest regret in her life. Kiana took another step to Sirin.
This is it, isn't it? The end of the dreams and pretenses. Sirin was within arm reach now. What was the contingency again? To disappear and never return? To be with Mom?
Kiana hesitated. She shouldn't be but she hesitated. On one side there was Bronya, Himeko, Fu Hua and Mei... especially Mei. She couldn't, didn't, want to leave them. She didn't want to leave this life behind even though she had walked different paths of life before. Kiana was afraid if she walked away now her heart would never recover but on the other side was her sister, her little sister. Sirin was everything to Kiana and her happiness was her own happiness. Sirin was her soulmate, her other half and her most precious family.
The thought of Sirin suffering hurt, and if they didn't leave then she would suffer because of Kiana. Kiana would rather rip her own heart out than to make her sister suffer, at least that way she would die from the pain in her chest quickly than to let it throb for the rest of her life, forever beating for the empty void that wasn't there any longer.
Sirin understood what to do. She would summon a portal and they would escape as far as possible and never return. That was the agreement they came up with, the compromise for the risk. It was a shame she had actually come to enjoy this life, no matter how brief it might be, although Sirin would rather eat her own shoes than to say it out loud.
At last, she could feel Kiana's hand wrapped around her own, the signal for her readiness. She clenched it between her fingers, squeezing just gentle enough it was reassuring. Powers swirled on her free one and gathered on her palm, a dark energy capable of bending time and space and the very fabric of reality itself to Sirin's whim. It took Sirin zero-point-three second to open a portal yet somehow, somehow, the woman before them managed to cancel Sirin with such a small time window.
She smiled.
A warm and gentle smile if not playful. Sirin blinked as the power dispersed, confused, and a quick glance towards Kiana confirmed the same thing. The woman chuckled a mirthful chuckle.
"Red always complained 'bout you lot during our night out, y'all probably take twenty years worth of her life with y'all antics"
"Red...?" Kiana mumbled, just loud enough for the veteran Valkyrie to hear despite her enhanced hearing.
"Ye the gal Himeko. She was one of us, y'know"
Sirin's jaw dropped, so did Kiana's. It should have been obvious from the start that the woman was a part of Schicksal's Valkyrie Assault Squad with how casual she was speaking about Himeko, as if they were good friends, but it went unnoticed with how tense the atmosphere had been.
"Oh..."
Oh, I'm going to kill that woman.
Sirin glared at the ground beneath her, trying to process how and why exactly Schicksal's most elite Valkyrie team had the knowledge of her so much one of them could recognize her just from a glance. Though, the how was definitely answered with Himeko and the why must have started from her also.
"Relax, kid" The woman said, seemingly knowing what was going on inside Sirin's head. "She was drunk to the bones, spilled all sort of nasty stuff that wasn't just the beer. But Himeko ain't like that unless she's with people she trusts"
"And you? You trust her?"
A nod, short and resolute. "With my life. She's a sister to us as much as we are sisters to her and nothing has changed that, even if she's no longer a part of us officially"
"We Assault Squad take care of each others" Her friend said for the first time, nodding in acknowledgement despite not moving an inch from her position. "There is nothing that separate us"
"Unless you fucked up so badly about something you're effectively a villain, that is"
"Language, nona, you're talking to kids"
"Yeah yeah sorry about that, kids. Look, how about y'all come with me and I'll show you where ya mama hen at, aye?"
Too dumbstruck to reply verbally, Kiana and the rest simply nodded.
The woman gave them another smile before gesturing for them to follow. Her friend rolled her eyes at the exaggerated gesture before stepping aside to allow for a wider passageway through the entrance. The team silently fell a step behind the woman as she led them deeper into the shop, passing through overturned tables and chairs right towards the counter. The inside was the definition of organized chaos with Valkyries, civilians and other noncombatants manning various portable computers and laptops.
They saw Himeko on the far end of the room behind the counter talking to another woman, a holographic imagery of the city between them sprung from a projector on a table. From the moving dots, it seemed to be in real time.
"— quire better vantage points, we can ask for the soldiers to try and evacuate the Eastern part further back for a better breathing room"
"The Overseer has dispatched reinforcement, they're en-route and will arrive by the hour, once they're here they'll be directed to that position. You said the convergence point is in the downtown, Himeko?"
"Yes, that's where the Honkai energy is the thickest before the Impact happened last night. I can't confirm how many portals there are, though"
"We'll see when we're there, but this big I have an inkling it's somewhere between category 3 to 4. If we let it unattended, the country will be overrun by tomorrow"
"What about rearguards?"
"I have squads of A rankers pushing from behind as cleaners while the Assault Squad move forward. Once there we'll close the gate to stop the leak"
"Okay, how do you want me to help?"
The woman Himeko spoke with paused, her light purple pink-ish eyes absently scanning her surrounding as she formulated a plan in her head as options surfaced and discarded just as quickly. When her gaze found the four, however, she blinked inquisitively to the Valkyrie leading the group.
Finally after weaving through tables, rubbles and people they reached the operation center and the Valkyrie guiding them was quick to report.
"Boss! Found a bunch of fledglings in the wild looking for their mama hen!" She said enthusiastically, giving Himeko an amused grin. "Do you happen to know where she might be? Oh, hey Red! Long time no see!"
The redhead sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose exasperatedly. "Zahra"
"What's up, Himeko?"
"First, I'm not Red anymore. That girl Ross over there is. Have been so since years I retired from the Assault Squad so start referring to her as Red. Second, you saw me like twenty minutes ago entering the building and I know you noticed because you were grinning like an idiot the entire time. Third, protocols specifically dictate to not involve B rank and lower rank Valkyries in the War Room to prevent breach of sensitive information so why are you taking them inside?"
The Valkyrie, Zahra, grinned cheekily to Himeko. "You ain't one to talk about regulations, Major"
Himeko groaned. "Yeah, you got me there"
"What does Aunty mean?" Kiana muttered to Sirin who only looked back blankly while Bronya stared at her as if she was the dumbest human being in existence.
"Schicksal follow the rank system of the United States military" Mei explained gently, speaking with measured tone to not be overheard. "Major is a Commissioned Officer rank which should've put Himeko behind the desk but instead she's fighting in the front line"
"How did you know, Mei?"
"Maybe if you didn't sleep through Professor Port class you would have known" Sirin interjected, earning a nod of approval from Bronya. Kiana was about to protest but Himeko cut whatever she got to say.
"Didn't I tell you girls to wait? What of the check up?" She asked, hands on her hips and trying her best to look imposing.
Emphasize on trying because Kiana ignored it altogether. "You did, Sirin is fine but I can't wait any longer! My Kaslana blood is boiling!"
The woman Himeko spoke with earlier laughed fondly, stepping beside the redhead and offering them a friendly smile. "So you are Himeko's little troublemaker"
"T-troublemaker who?!"
"You" Bronya and Sirin chorused while Mei giggled.
"That's what Himeko told me" She said and Kiana promptly sent Himeko a betrayed look while the redhead shrugged nonchalantly in return. "If it makes you feel any better, most of you Kaslanas are like that so don't worry. I have one over there as a part of my team"
Kiana followed the woman's gaze which ended at another woman on another part of the shop with braided white hair and blue eyes that are so familiar. The said Kaslana nodded in greeting while waving her hand to Kiana who waved back hesitantly. "Who are you?" She asked tentatively, brows furrowed together when the woman merely smiled.
"My name is Ragna Lothbrok, I am the leader of the Valkyrie Assault Squad"
"Ragna Lothbrok...? Like the Viking King?"
It was Ragna's turn to look surprised before her smile widened. "Yes, just like the Viking King. You're a genius kid, aren't you?"
"Err, no. I don't understand many things so how can I be a genius? Genius is Bronya"
"But you also understand great many things. How many languages do you speak, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Um..."
"Twenty five" Sirin cut in, putting herself between Kiana and Ragna while pushing the former behind her. "That hasn't included the local dialects she learned from reading newspapers, dictionaries and brochures online so yes, my sister is a genius. Why do you want to know?"
Ragna regarded Sirin for a moment before she smiled at her also, a notion Sirin didn't return. "You must be Sirin. The Herrscher of The Void"
"That's me" Sirin growled and Kiana instinctively put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Now, what do you want from my sister?"
"I mean no harm" Ragna explained. "Why would I try to harm a girl like Kiana? She's a prodigy in the making and her skills will be needed in the future to fight Honkai"
"Thanks...?"
"No, no thanks. I know what you're trying to do and I won't accept it"
"What she's trying to do?"
"That is not for you to decide, unfortunately. Sometimes fate can be so cruel it often disregards your desire. We don't know what will happen in the future"
"Find someone else"
"For what, Sirin?"
"I have plenty of candidates but so few fulfilled the criteria"
"Sirin?"
"I don't care. If you touch my sister I will send you into the sun. Don't even think I'm exaggerating"
"Sirin, what's going on?!"
"She's trying to recruit you!" Sirin bellowed, turning to face a stunned Kiana. "She's trying to make you a part of her squad, don't you see?!"
"I haven't even extended my offer yet" Ragna muttered to herself. "Nevertheless, yes I would like you to be a part of my Assault Squad and possibly replace me as its leader"
There was a still silence where the air felt like it had frozen in place as sounds died in the background. The clicking of keyboards and shoes disappeared, the rumble of passing tanks dissipated and the muscles consisting Kiana's lungs stuttered and froze involuntarily.
Kiana released the breath stuck in her throat, a single syllable word escaped along with the air. It was quiet, definitely imperceivable in normal situation but at that moment it felt like it had lit up a fuse that caused a spatial explosion.
"What?"
"No, absolutely not. Kiana will never—"
"The Bronya thinks this is a once in lifetime opportunity that—"
"Kiana is strong indeed but we're just students—"
"Ragna, what the hell?!" Himeko cut in.
"You must understand, Himeko" The woman replied and something in her tone made the girls paused to stare at her. She offered them a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We live in borrowed time. We came not from prestigious family like the Kaslana or Schariac. The Artificial Stigmata is flawed it corrupts our body until we either succumb to Honkai or euthanized if we survive long enough. You and I? We've survived long enough"
"You were never one to talk about this matter" Himeko ceded with a frown.
"I think... There has been a misunderstanding. I am not forcing Kiana to join me but rather giving her the opportunity to do so. She may or may not choose to, which I respect regardless the choice she'll make. Nevertheless, she's a prime candidate to replace me in the future and you should know that as her teacher"
"I know damn well about that" The redhead muttered, giving Kiana a look that had the Kaslana shuffling between her feet nervously. "But that's on her"
"... I guess I'm just worried. We old bloods don't have much time to teach our successors sometimes it's too late and lives would be wasted necessarily" As a leader Ragna knew sometimes losses were inevitable but it was her duty to know which was spending and which was wasting lives. A good leader always knew when to push or when to pull, which fight they could win and which fight outweighed the rewards. She was playing with lives of the people who trusted their lives on her shoulders and that in turn shackled her with invisible chains for her life.
Ragna hated sending children to war. Like many veteran Valkyries who had seen their share of horror. Yet the fact these girls were here, fighting for a city and risking their lives proved how necessary it was. Old girls like she and Himeko had not much time left in this world and Ragna had felt the telltale symptoms of Honkai cascading for years now. Her extensive use of the power costed her not just her body but also her mind, damaging the nerves and burning the tissue.
When she lost her ability to feel cold, Ragna knew it was only a matter of time until the rest followed. There was a cure to fix Honkai corruption albeit an experimental one but it was irreversible. If she took it, she would lose her Valkyrie ability and she would be an ordinary human.
Looking back to the kids, it was clear this particular bunch was meant for something greater than her or anyone else in the room. Two Herrschers that fought for Humanity, one former mercenary and survival expert that eclipsed even an S ranker in that skill set and finally the prodigy daughter of the Kaslana-Schariac households. Looking at them gave her a sense of peace, knowing the world would be in a good hand once she left it.
Of course, Himeko was right. These kids should make their own future, their own stories and their own happy endings, no matter how farfetched the last were considering their line of work. But it was not impossible. Impossible was trying to achieve something that didn't exist and happy endings pretty much existed, all that mattered was achieving it.
It was simply an adult's duty to guide their successors.
"Squad Leader Ragna?" A voice called her from her side and Ragna blinked the thought before turning to look at its owner.
"Ah, Rita, what is it?"
Curious glances were sent to the newcomer who, much to Sirin's befuddlement and Kiana's wonder, was wearing a maid style Battlesuit. She had a short light blonde hair that reached somewhere on her neck with a significant bang that covered almost half of her face. When she saw them looking, her visible dark pink eye glinted with playfulness while her lips curled into a polite smile.
"We received a new order from the Headquarters. Overseer Otto wants us to advance"
"Anything else?"
"Yes" The maid paused, looking over the assembled group with an indiscernible expression on her face. Kiana would like to think it was because of the hair but she was definitely a natural in hiding her true emotions. When their eyes met, something seemed to shift in that deep pink orb when their gazes were locked for precisely three seconds until the maid broke eye contact to look at Mei beside Kiana before eventually she turned to face Himeko. "Major Himeko and her squad have been reassigned to Europe"
"... What?"
TBC
New arc is here let's go!
Anyway, please pray for me to get Seven Thunders by the end of the month lol I need that thing for my HOT since yesterday.
I appreciate all the supports so far, guys, y'all make this possible so I'm really thankful.
I'll see y'all the next time, hopefully.
Cipher32 out!