A/N: Hello everyone, this is "What do you see in Your Mirror?", a fanfiction set in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd with a focus set around Otto Apocalypse, a secondary antagonist of the franchise. While it is helpful to know the world of Hi3 before going in, I will also take into consideration of entirely new readers and will explain some settings of the original story. The story is set to start in chapter 7, following a similar premise to "Beyond Will - Reinvention" written by Zane19. The story is planned to be written as a serious fanfiction work so I will do my best to stay faithful to the character. This is also my first project so I wouldn't keep a high expectation of it. Hope you have a good read!
Prologue: A Familiar Face from a Distant Time
There was nothingness, all senses were gone. The last thing he saw was his own memory. Played out like a video before his own eyes in that short yet long moment before all was lost. His name was Otto Apocalypse, the world's most infamous villain, deemed responsible for countless tragedies. Over the five centuries he had lived, he manipulated lives and changed destiny alike. All for the sake of his first wish that he could never betray. In the end, he had achieved what he had set out to do and revived the love of his life, Kallen Kaslana. As he imparted upon her the final words that crossed space, time and worlds, his consciousness finally disappeared into the void.
There was no path left for Otto Apocalypse. No longer would anyone look for him, care for him, hate him or remember him. It was an ending he was content with, he never began this path to become anyone's hero. He believed in a single light and in order to find it, he picked up the blade.
But now that it had been done. His last thoughts could not help but ask.
"Could I have done it better?" Otto had questioned in his final second. He did not expect or need an answer. He asked it purely out of instinct, a question that came from his own heart, a question that is more sincere than his five-century-long journey had ever been. It was a simple question that he had never confronted, or dared to.
Otto Apocalypse stopped thinking and embraced the inevitable end.
For a brief moment, there was nothingness, just the void of the mind. Until a scent started to pour in, the scent of a lit candle.. Then came the sound of the wind howling softly from behind. Then came the sense of weariness, and the feeling of air filling up one's lungs. The touch of soft linen cushioned one's back and the arm leaned against the armrest as it supported the cheeks that leaned against it.
Slowly and groggily, the blonde-haired man sitting on a chair inside of a dimly lit room facing multiple holographic screens slowly opened his green, emerald-like eyes with a dazed expression.
He froze for a moment as he began to process what was going on.
He glanced around his surroundings and found an unfamiliar, yet familiar view.
"Where am I..?" Otto muttered in a soft whisper as he tried to grasp the situation. He then moved his hand up to the side of his head and held it with a confused look as he tried to recall his memories.
"I travelled to the imaginary tree.. drove the False God's power into it, and went back in time to save Kallen, did I not..?" Otto questioned as he recalled every moment leading up to his ultimate and the miracle he had been working for all these centuries.
"So why am I still alive? theoretically… the removal of my existence should have destroyed me.." Otto then pondered as he rubbed his chin before he then noticed the set of holographic monitors before him. They looked familiar as he then scanned around his surrounding and realized something,
"I'm in the Sanctum..?" Otto muttered as he noticed that he was in his personal office, he was about to stand up and walk around when he suddenly heard the holographic screen make a beeping noise, indicating an incoming call.
Otto looked over and read the name of the caller. "S-Rank Rita Rossweisse." was the name of the caller. Otto was largely familiar with Rita, one of Schicksal's strongest Valkyries who serve under him for the sake of humanity's war against the Honkai. She was a very dedicated and unquestioning individual, which made his work far easier than if she was someone stubbornly righteous. Rita was a perfect soldier, there is nothing negative to say about that.
After a slight moment of hesitation, Otto leaned down and pressed a holographic button that picked up the call.
Immediately, Rita's soft voice was heard over the screen. "Grand Overseer, Master Fu Hua has gone out of line and headed to confront the Herrscher of the Void," Rita reported in a calm and composed manner.
Otto paused for a moment as he took in the information.
"Herrscher of the Void? Fu Hua?" Otto questioned in a low whisper as he tried to figure out what was going on. Firstly, during his last day, he had declared himself an enemy to all of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.. but then he suddenly had an idea as a natural theory arrived to his mind.
"Apologies, Rita. I changed to my battle avatar and the memory of this model is still hazy, what date is it?" Otto asked in his usual calm, nonchalant tone.
"..Understood Overseer, today is December 12th, 2016," Rita replied with a confused and hesitant voice.
Otto's eyes widened the moment Rita replied before he calmed down and accepted the information.
December 12, 2016. In other words, the day he awakened the Herrscher of the Void inside Kiana Kaslana. For reasons unknown, he had ended up in the past.
A/N: And that will be the end of the prologue, it was fairly short but enough to explain a small bit of the context of the story, and introduced both Fu Hua and Rita. I plan to delve further into Otto's reactions to being regressed in Chapter 1. Well, see you all in Chapter 1.
