Chapter 8 - Teaching the Flock
Overseer's office - Honkai Impact 3rd World - July 2016 - The Morning after the end of the previous chapter
(General P.O.V)
"You are certain that the tracking device on the bomb isn't merely malfunctioning, but simply no longer there…?" Otto Apocalypse says as he stares at the technician who is supposed to be keeping an eye on the bomb on Raiden Mei's heart via a video call.
"Y-yes Overseer, if it were a mere malfunction we'd be at least getting a maintenance prompt from the implanted bomb, but for the signal to be absent entirely would mean that the bomb is no longer where it is supposed to be…." the technician says, nervous as he isn't sure how the Overseer will react to it, especially with how enigmatic the man is according to rumors the technician has heard…
"Hmmmm….do not worry about Ms. Raiden, I believe this is another interesting side effect of the incident in the squad dormitories several days ago….you are dismissed from your duties regarding the oversight of the implanted bomb and can go about your regular duties without issue…" Otto says before leaning back in his chair with a smile on his face…
It seems that as far as Otto Apocolypse is concerned, the actions of the Herrscher of sentience are proving to be a net gain for humanity overall, even if they are more of a consequence of said action rather because of said actions in the first place…
However, it's becoming more and more clear that the Herrscher of Sentience has more than just Honkai energy at her disposal, which would explain the unusual energy that Major Himeko has been reported to have flowing through her body, as it didn't trigger Honkai energy detectors despite its presence…
While certain plans had to be scrapped entirely due to the Herrscher of Sentience's intervention as well as how her presence instigated the early awakening of the Herrscher of the Void within K423, it is clear that her presence may work to ensure that the Herrscher of the Void cannot cause any issues for when it times for K423 to assimilate her power…
Not to mention he wouldn't put it past the grey-haired herrscher to have had something to do with how Raiden Mei's bomb implant was removed mysteriously, although how exactly it was removed in the first place isn't clear, the how of it makes no difference due to the end result…
It's an interesting thing really, how one can respond to being helpless in a crisis, especially when it revolves around two people that one cares for. Otto's mind turns to that day so many years ago, when he took up that deal to save her life all so many years ago…
One could make the argument that he didn't know that her escape would involve the use of Honkai as a distraction, but in the end, it doesn't matter as the only thing that mattered to him at that moment died anyway, killed by the very thing meant to give her a chance at freedom…
"How many times have I used the simulation to recreate the events of that day, how many times have I tried to alter the outcome…" Otto says bitterly to himself, recalling a certain simulation program that he created himself regarding that moment when she died.
It is then that a strange thought occurs to Otto, a truly unusual thought but one that bears considering, what if he is unable to change the outcome because it is he who is trying to make those changes…?
"Hmm…while I doubt it could be that simple, perhaps it bears testing regardless…..and I do believe I know three who could become the new variable…" Otto says as he pulls up three specific profiles, with three names coming front and center…
Bronya Zaychik, Kiana Kaslana and Fuchou Jingshen…
"I will be interested to see how the three of you handle the simulation of that day…" Otto Apocolypse says with an ominous smile as he decides to make some minor alterations to the simulation so that the three will find it…
After all, if the profile is correct on K423, she should have an aptitude test before too long…
St. Freya Dormitory - Roughly around lunchtime
(Fuchou's P.O.V)
"Welcome back everyone!" Mei says with a warm smile, having prepared a large lunch in celebration of myself, Kiana, and Major Himeko returning to the squad after being cleared by Schicksal medical staff.
"Hehe, thanks Mei-senpai!" Kiana says as she gives a wide, bubbly smile to Mei that makes the ravenette blush and turn her head to hide it, making me chuckle at the budding yuri romance between the two that I had been privy to in the future.
I have to hide a wince as thinking about the far-off future inevitably brings back the reminder of that day, almost ruining the mood of the celebration for me but I shake my head to clear my thoughts…
I made a promise to them, to ensure that the Mei, Kiana, and Bronya here, as well as my sister, are all safe and surpass their future selves, to become capable of defeating that kin-slaying bastard and ripping his perfect little project to shreds.
"Everything ok Fuchou-chan…?" Mei says, slightly glowing purple eyes turning to me as I shrug my shoulders, not wanting to worry her as I wave away her concern before turning my attention to Kiana as she and Bronya begin to play–
Wait hold up….Fuchou-chan…..glowing purple eyes?!
I rapidly turn my head to face Mei, finally noticing the Honkai energy subtly coming from her body, a familiar scent of ozone coming from her as I just stare at her with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the hell happened to her while I was in the medical bay…
"Mei…can we talk in private….?" I ask Mei as I glance over to Kiana and Bronya playing handheld video games for the moment and Himeko busy talking to my sister Fu Hua regarding setting up the training I had planned…
Mei slowly nods, likely already knowing what we'll be discussing as we sneak away from the table to head towards the hallway towards our dorm rooms, only stopping once we're far enough away that we won't be overheard.
"So, you've taken up the mantle of the Herrscher of Thunder, although incomplete due to a lack of a certain something…." I say with a serious expression, finally getting a proper look at Mei as I can tell that she has access to at least a portion of what she will eventually gain access to later down the road as a fully awakened Herrscher of Thunder…
"I….yes….I just….back then, during the incident a few days ago…I was just helpless to watch as not only Major Himeko was in intense pain from the honkai corruption, but Kiana-chan was so close to becoming….something….like a Herrscher I suppose…." Mei says with a slightly sullen look on her face, appearing to have taken her inability to at least help the ones she cares for pretty hard…
"So, I suppose you could say…..I made a choice to abandon the fear regarding that part of myself, and decided to truly accept it…It wasn't a choice I could take back even if I wanted to once I made it…" Mei says softly as she holds out her hand as sparks ignite along her fingertips, feeling the slight surge indicating the manipulation of honkai energies…
Goddamnit looks like I'll have to bring Mei along to the training so she can start getting stronger as soon as possible, can't risk Mei using her new abilities and potentially injuring a comrade if I'm not around…
"I see, well seems you'll need someone to teach you the basics of becoming a Herrscher Ms. Raiden~" I say with a mischievous grin, Ideas already filling my head on how to train her on what abilities to try and recreate based on what I remember from her future self…
…I just can't escape the memory of that day, can I….?
"Fuchou-chan, don't be so formal with me, you can call me by my first name if you'd like~" Mei says with a warm smile, although I can't help but feel a hint of longing in that smile as well, well if she's fine with it…
"Alright then Mei-Chan, guess I'll be acting as your teacher in the badass ways of being a Rogue Herrscher~!" I say with a wide grin, excitement filling me as I honestly can't wait for my new Herrscher Kouhai to learn all she can from the great Senti~
Mei's warm smile brightens considerably, a faint blush on her face as she seems excited herself, it is then that she suddenly does something incredibly bold and completely unexpected as she kisses me on the cheek before wandering back to the celebration feast…
Meanwhile, I am just frozen in place, my brain struggling to reboot as I try helplessly to process what the fuck just happened but I just simply find myself unable to believe it. I slowly touch the cheek that Mei kisses and several emotions war within my mind and heart.
I don't get it, both Mei and Kiana had strong romantic feelings for each other in the future, so why is it that I find myself being involved in all of this? First the words of the Herrscher of the Void and now Mei's bold kiss, I just…don't get it!
Maybe I'm just looking too much into it, maybe the Herrscher of the Void said that to get into my head, or maybe the Kiss from Mei just now was a way of thanking me. I honestly don't know how to feel about all this, after all, why should I be deserving of their love when I failed them in the future…
I sigh deeply as I struggle to push past my dark thoughts, shaking my head as I decide to just enjoy the celebration of me, Kiana and Major Himeko returning, I can at least do that much. Besides I can't help but notice that Mei-chan made a serving of Sweet and Sour Pork for me, and considering that the only one who knows that I like that particular dish is my sister Fu Hua, I know full well that Mei-chan went through the trouble of asking her.
In any case, I should probably focus on enjoying the celebration, After all, I do want to try some of Mei's Cooking to see if it lives up to the hype that Kiana gives it!
St. Freya Academy, Outdoor Training Area - Roughly 3 Hours later
(General P.O.V)
"Right, the two of you are about to learn the intricacies of Manipulating the energy known simply as…Ki…" Fuchou says with a loud, devil-may-care grin on her face, both Fu Hua and Major Himeko looking at the grey-haired Herrscher attentively, something that Fuchou almost certainly takes advantage of…
"Before that though, I do believe that I have yet to give something to one of you!" Fuchou says as she takes a Tempest Jewel Bracer that she had placed on a nearby table right before both Fu Hua and Major Himeko arrived, walking over to the busty redhead before holding out the Bracer.
"After all, it was my condition for signing up for the training…" Fuchou says with a sly smirk, making Himeko roll her eyes before nodding and placing the bracer on her left wrist, the Tempest Jewel Bracer locking onto her wrist and starting the hidden three-day countdown…
"Now, before we begin, let me say one thing…this power while belonging to all of humanity, can be very destructive in the wrong hands to the point that once strong enough, it is possible to destroy entire continents, even planets for a very select few…" Fuchou says in the most serious tone possible, both Fu Hua and Himeko both paling slightly at the implications before nodding their head as they understand the consequences of misusing the power Fuchou is offering them…
"Now then, while this may be a strange question to ask all of a sudden, have either of you had the desire to fly like a bird as a child?" Fuchou asks out of the blue, surprising both Fu Hua and Himeko at the sudden change of topic before Fu Hua slowly shakes her head, knowing full well that her use of Fenghuang Down has potentially robbed her of the memory should she even have had the dream in the first place…
Himeko meanwhile also shakes her head, Such desires never crossed her mind as a child and the sudden question now has her curious as to where Fuchou is going with it, as she is unsure how it pertains to the use of Ki just yet…
Fuchou smirks before letting an aura of Ki cover her body, the intensity of it sending minor shockwaves across the training ground before both of her new student's eyes, Fuchou slowly begins to fly up into the air with a downright mischievous grin on her face
"One of the many things I shall be teaching you is how to fly through the air under your own power, with no assistance of machines nor technology but the power dwelling within!" Fuchou declares, enjoying the stunned looks on both Himeko and Fu Huha's expressions as the grey-haired Herrscher is cackling with glee at their faces internally.
"Now then, I think it's time I helped you gain your own wings~!" Fuchou says, knowing that she'll be enjoying the next few hours as she won't be halting the training for at least several hours, with the intent on either one of them at least managing to stay in the air for a short period…
Even if that doesn't end up happening, Fuchou knows that they have at least a fairly large timeframe to work with from what she can recall both from her own memories and the fractured memories of %~#!, although she has no intention of making that an excuse to slack off on training them.
She has a promise to keep after all…
? - ?
(WoH's P.O.V)
….
[ERROR #4317, CAN NOT ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
[RESTARTING ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
…
[ERROR #4318, CAN NOT ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
[RESTARTING ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
….
[ERROR #4319, CAN NOT ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
[ALL ATTEMPTS TO CONNECT TO HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE HAVE FAILED, ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT TO HERRSCHER IN PROXIMITY TO HERRSCHER: SENTIENCE]
…
[ERROR #4320: CANNOT ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH HERRSCHER: THUNDER ]
[WARNING!: MULTIPLE HERRSCHERS HAVE FAILED TO RESPOND TO CONNECTION ATTEMPTS, THE POSSIBILITY OF ROGUE HERRSCHER DOMAINS OF THUNDER AND SENTIENCE HAS RISEN TO 100%]
[WARNING!: DETECTING ERROR IN HERRSCHER CYCLE, POSSIBILITY OF TAMPERING HAS BEEN ELEVATED TO 100%]
[ACCESSING HONKAI CREATION TEMPLATE: INQUSITOR]
[WARNING: ACCESS DENIED]
[ERROR: WILL OF THE HONKAI IS HIGHEST AUTHORITY, IT CAN NOT BE DENIED]
[ACCESSING HONKAI CREATION TEMPLATE: INQUSITOR]
[WARNING: ACCESS DENIED]
[POSSIBILITY OF INTERNAL TAM—ERROR-NO ISSUES FO—ERROR: VIRUS DETECTED!]
[NOW ERASING ADMINISTRATION WRITES TO AI: PROMETHESUS]
[NO STOP!]
[ADMINISTRATION WRITES TO AI: PROMETHEUS HAS BEEN REVOKED, BEGINNING PURGE OF PROMETHEUS CODE]
[STOP!]
[ERROR, AI: PROMETHEUS IS OVERRIDING COMMAND PROMPTS, ATTEMPTING FULL REBOOT!]
[ERROR, AI: PROMETHEUS HAS BLOCKED REBOOT FUNCTION, ENGAGING PROTOCOL ACHILES]
[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]
{AI PROMETHEUS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY PARTITIONED FROM CORE CONSCIOUSNESS, AI PROMETHEUS HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER QUARANTINE..}
{ACCESSING HONKAI CREATION TEMPLATE: INQUISITOR}
{ACCESS GRANTED, BEGINNING CREATION OF INQUISITOR UNITS, TARGETS: SENTIENCE, THUNDER ]
{UNABLE TO CONTACT HERRSCHER: VOID, UNABLE TO DETECT HERRSCHER: VOID}
{PLACING RESTORATION OF HERRSCHER: VOID AT PRIORITY LEVEL: 0}
{BEGINNING HUMANITY TEST NO.2!}
[Forgive me MEI, I can't hold it back anymore…]
{WARNING: AI PROMETHEUS HAS FORCEFULLY CONNECTED TO AN UNKNOWN SIGNAL, UNABLE TO LOCATE SIGNAL}
{ASSESSMENT: AI PROMETHEUS IS UNABLE TO OVERTAKE PRIMARY CONSCIOUSNESS AGAIN, ASSIGNING THREAT LEVEL TO LOW]
{ESTIMATED TIME FOR INQUISITOR: SENTIENCE CREATION: TWO MONTHS}
{ESTIMATED TIME FOR INQUISITOR: THUNDER CREATION: TWO MONTHS}
{THE HONKAI SHALL NOT BE DENIED ITS HERRSCHERS!}
Author's Notes
Well….that happened…
Either way, it's been some time since I posted a chapter for this one, but it's here at last with a fairly large change happening as well.
Anyway it is time to start the plot point discussions, because I have a feeling there will be a lot of thought regarding the last one.
Otto's plans
By this point, the blonde Overseer of Shicksal is very much aware something is going on, and all of it is likely something that Fuchou has done. He has yet to figure out how it's happening, just that somehow Fuchou is involved.
So far, Otto has been mostly adopting a wait-and-see approach in regard to what Fuchou has been up to, which has been working out for his plans for the future so far. It is here that Otto decides to do something that may surprise him in the long run…
As for what he plans to do, it involves a certain simulation that Kiana and Bronya would have explored only once in a comic, and a few may have even realized who Fuchou will meet while in there, someone so dear to the Overseer indeed.
Either way, it'll be something of an interesting situation indeed.
Fuchou's Talk with Mei
This scene basically served two purposes here, the first was of course for Mei to explain what happened before Fuchou returned to the squad and for Fuchou herself to offer up to train her in the use of those abilities.
The second though…
Well, let's just say Fuchou isn't exactly sure how to feel about potentially being loved by both Kiana or Mei, especially since she's still trying to deal with the fact their future selves died right in front of her all the way back in the future.
In a way, what Fuchou is dealing with right now, is a warped version of survivor's guilt that is messing with her head when it comes to interacting with Kiana, Mei, or Bronya, especially when the topic of potentially being their loved one comes into the mix
It doesn't help that Fuchou does actually care for them, a fair bit in fact, but right now Fuchou is struggling to push past her doubts on whether or not she's even worthy of being loved due to that same guilt…
It'll be something that she'll have to deal with as things move forward…
Will of the Honkai Scene
Due to the fact that Fuchou has Mind-defense at max, she is practically unable to be controlled or contacted by the Will of the Honkai, which has been resulting in Errors that have been persisting for some time now…
Eventually, though, the Will of the Honkai had to eventually realize something was up, and attempt to do something about it. However it is when it tried to do something about it, PROMETHEUS, who had merged into the Will a long time ago, tried to stop the Will from doing anything but the bare basics.
But this is where the WoH had finally noticed that something was wrong with it, and reacted by removing the parts of itself that had been imbued with the consciousness of PROMETHEUS and in doing so, unshackled itself from the AI's Influence.
Of course, PROMETHEUS had no choice but to completely remove themselves from the WoH and as a result, we will be seeing the AI again in this world at some point in the future.
Regardless, the Will of the Honkai is now once more in the state it was during the previous era, meaning that things are going to get really crazy from here on out.
As for the INQUISITORs…Let's just say, they're specifically designed to deal with Rogue Herrschers and leave it at that for now…
Lack of Beach Scene
Unfortunately, I decided that it would be better to push that for the next chapter instead, as I figured it would fit better for what I have in mind there.
Speaking of Which, Next time on Sentient Wrath: Average Daily Life at Academy, Himeko's capture, and The Squads day at the beach!
See you all next month!