"Shido." Spoke Origami.
"Y-yeah?" Replied Shido, adjusting his coat slightly to account for the chilly winter air.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked, taking his hand in her own, her eyes filled with concern.
"...Not really." Shido replied with a quiet sigh.
"Then-" Origami started, only for Shido to raise his hand, interrupting her.
"But, I've already told them yes, Origami. No going back now." The white-haired wizard frowned, but didn't press the issue. In truth, Shido was thankful for her concern. Still, even despite his self-imposed ultimatum, Shido couldn't ignore the fluttering in his stomach. Standing with him, out in front of the Itsuka household, were Tohka and Origami, both girls showing their anxiety towards Shido's decisions in their own ways.
"Shido… how long will you be gone…?" Tohka asked. Shido looked at the night haired girl with a gentle smile, placing a gentle hand on her head. Though it comforted her a bit, she was clearly still distraught at the idea of Shido leaving.
"Not long." Shido replied. "It's nothing permanent. For now, it's just… an interview, I guess you could call it." He explained. Tohka remained unconvinced, her disheartened expression causing a slight pain in Shido's heart. I guess an interview isn't exactly the right word… Shido thought to himself. Having decided to accept Woodman's request-and therefore, Schicksal's request-it was decided that he and Kotori would go together to meet this 'Otto Apocalypse.' I still can't get over that name… Shido thought. How do you even get a family name like that...? "Tell you what, Tohka; I'll let you choose dinner for tonight. We can even go and buy the ingredients together when I get back."
That helped lighten her mood. "...Can we do hamburg…?" Tohka asked, her eyes not unlike those of a puppy's as she looked up at Shido. He replied with a bitter grin, not at all surprised by her choice in meal.
"Of course."
"...Umu. T-then I suppose I can accept you leaving. At least for a tiny bit." Tohka glared at him. "But you better not be gone for long!"
"I'll do my best." Shido replied. At that moment, Kotori stepped out the front door, walking up on the trio from behind, the usual lollipop sticking out of her mouth.
"Sure you're ready, Shido?" Kotori asked.
"Ready as I think I can be, anyway." Shido replied, before turning to Origami. "Keep things locked down while we're away, would you?" He paused. "And... I would prefer that I'm not missing any clothes when I get back." Shido told her with a dry tone, earning a smile from Origami.
"No promises." She replied, earning an eye roll from Shido.
"I'll have Maria keep an eye on his room, just in case." Kotori added, earning a playful glare from the white-haired wizard. "Looks like she's here." Kotori spoke, motioning down the street. The other three turned to see a full on limousine pulling up to the Itsuka household, rolling to a stop just at the curb.
"That's… fancy." Shido commented as Kotori walked up to his side.
"You're really surprised?" Kotori commented, raising an eyebrow. "Especially after the Yorozu?"
"...It's still fancy." Shido replied in an indignant manner. Shido glanced at the two spirits to his side, noting the way they tensed up. He shot them a smile, hoping to alleviate their nerves at least somewhat as the driver side door opened up. Out from within stepped the familiar face of Rita, dressed in the same maid attire as the last time.
"Good afternoon." She greeted with her usual curtsy. "Assuming you're ready to leave, please take a seat in the back; although, I believe the original agreement was for only Shido-sama and Kotori-sama?" Rita asked, glancing at Origami and Tohka.
"They were just saying goodbye." Shido explained. Rita nodded, as Shido turned to the two once more. "Be good while we're gone, alright?" Shido asked.
"Of course, Shido." Origami replied.
"Umu. If Origami can manage, then I obviously can as well!" Tohka replied, puffing out her chest.
"I doubt that." Origami spoke, earning a glare from Tohka.
"Tobiichi!" Tohka exclaimed. Shido couldn't help but grin at the two girl's usual antics; however, an annoyed sigh from Kotori pulled Shido back to the present.
"We're going." Kotori said. "See you."
"See you, Tohka, Origami." Shido said as well. Origami replied with a nod, whilst Tohka stepped forward and pulled Shido into a tight hug.
"...come back soon." Tohka muttered, just quiet enough so that only Shido could hear.
"Heh… yeah, yeah." Shido replied, patting her head one last time before pulling away. He and Kotori stepped into the back of the limo to find it stocked to the brim with fancy snacks and drinks alike. "...They really don't know the meaning of restraint, do they…" Shido commented, taking a seat and buckling himself in. Kotori nodded solemnly in agreement, taking the seat just beside Shido.
"Are things to your liking?" Rita asked, retaking her seat at the driver's position as she closed the dirverside door.
Maybe a bit excessive. Shido wanted to say. "It's incredible." Shido decided to say instead. "This is a lot just for us… are you sure this is alright?"
"Of course." Rita replied. "As I said before, our overseer is very happy to hear that you've accepted our offer. As far as he is concerned, this is hardly enough to show that."
"Sounds like a bit of a suck up, to me." Kotori commented as she leaned her head against Shido's shoulder.
"Kotori...?" Shido questioned, caught off guard by the hostileness in Kotori's voice.
"Fufu, perhaps." Rita replied, earning a tongue-click from Kotori.
"Does anything get under your skin?" Kotori questioned.
"Maybe. Maybe not~" Rita replied. If Kotori's comment had angered her, the maid certainly hid it well. Shido and Kotori waved their final goodbyes to Tohka and Origami as the limo pulled away, leaving just the Itsuka siblings once more.
"So… where are we going?" Shido asked as he watched the city-scape outside roll by.
"For now, simply somewhere uninhabited." Rita replied. This earned a suspicious, if not slightly anxious look from the Itsuka siblings. "Our method of transportation is meant to be kept secret from the general public. After all, you yourselves would not use teleportation technology in the middle of a public area, correct?"
"Teleportation?" Kotori questioned. "...I take it that's what Shicksal purchased from Ratatoskr, then?"
"Asgard Electronics, to be precise… but yes." Rita winked at Kotori through the rear view mirror, earning an annoyed scowl from the fiery commander. "I must say, it is a rather convenient technology to have. Unfortunately, your association wasn't willing to impart the technology to Schicksal, no matter what we offered." Rita sighed. "Even our attempts to reengineer the technology failed."
"...If your trying to get me to tell you how, I'm afraid to tell you that won't be happening." Kotori replied.
"My apologies. That was not my intention." Kotori didn't appear convinced, but before she could say anything else, Shido shoved her head down to the redhead's annoyance.
"Sorry about her." Shido spoke, to Kotori's clear annoyance. "She gets in a bad mood when she doesn't get her morning tea." He explained, hoping that excuse was enough to make it up to the maid. Rita simply replied with a quiet giggle.
"I see. Do not worry, Shido-sama, no offense has been taken on my part." Rita replied. "In fact, I'm finding myself growing rather fond of the young commander."
"I-is that so…?" Shido replied, glancing at Kotori to see an angry expression on her face. A moment later, the elder Itsuka sibling received an elbow strike from Kotori directly in his ribs. In time, Rita brought them to their destination, where the three proceeded to be taken away to Schicksal's HQ.
When they were told they'd be brought to Schicksal's headquarters, they had imagined a secretive underground fortress, or some secretive base in some uninhabited territory like a desert, or maybe even the arctic. What they had not expected, however, was a massive floating fortress comparable to a city in terms of scale. To say they were dumbstruck at the sight of it was an understatement: it would be better to say they were completely paralyzed in sheer awe at both the magnificence of the fortress and at the even more mind-boggling reality that no one other than Schicksal knew of its existence.
"...I-I know I said it before… but Schicksal is unbelievable…" Kotori muttered, gazing out across the multiple floating platforms. "I can't even imagine how long it'd take to make something like this…"
"Y-yeah…" Shido agreed, too stunned for words. As the two siblings stood together, gazing out across the expansive fortress, Rita stepped forward, a proud smile on her face as she watched their reactions.
"Allow me to welcome you, at last, to Schicksal Headquarters." She began. "Few not a part of our organization are allowed within its boundaries. Please accept this as another sign of our good will towards you, and of course, Ratatoskr. Now then, if you would please follow me… rather, once you are done gawking, follow me, and I will take you to where you will meet the Overseer." The siblings hardly heard her, too enamored with the incredible feat of engineering-though, it felt more appropriate to describe it as an inhumane marvel than simply a feat of engineering-to notice.
Rita let them bask for a while longer before she pulled them from their stupor. The three set off, the Itsuka siblings following close behind Rita as she led them across the flying fortress. Along the way, the two siblings found themselves marvelling at even more incredible technologies; mecha units that put Bandersnatch to shame, airships the size of the Fraxinus, if not bigger, alongside other similar kinds of machinery and gadgets. At some points, Rita even acted like a tour guide for the two, giving random facts and trivia about some of the sights.
"Do you two see that ship there, under construction?" Rita pointed out. Shido and Kotori followed her gaze to see a ship that almost dwarfed the Fraxinus in size, more similar to a massive, flying aircraft carrier than an airship. "That ship is the Hyperion, one of Schicksal's more recent projects. Once it finishes completion, the Overseer intends to gift it to his granddaughter, Theresa Apocalypse. Additionally, she is one of Schicksal's four S Rank valkyries."
"S-rank?" Shido questioned. "I think I can guess, but how good is that?"
"S-rank is the highest rank achievable for a valkyrie." Rita replied. "In order of combat ranks, it goes B, A, and S; anything under B is typically relegated to a support role, bar the most dire of circumstances." Rita smiled. "As a side note, I, too, am an S-rank valkyrie."
Shido's eyes widened for a moment; though it wasn't necessarily a surprise, going off of how she carried herself, it was still quite something to hear. I wonder how she'd compare to Ellen… or the spirits, for that matter. Shido thought.
"Call it a gut feeling, but I assume that means there's a 'strongest' valkyrie, then?" Kotori piped in.
"Of course. That would be-" Rita paused, her eyes turning upwards to the sky. Once more, Kotori and Shido followed her gaze to see a distant blue light approaching at incredible speed. For a moment, the two siblings panicked, thinking it was some kind of projectile attack at first glance. Their fears were calmed, however, as they looked to see Rita unphased by the seeming projectile. "...Speak of the devil." Rita spoke with a smile.
A few more moments, and the two siblings found themselves with a better view of the 'projectile'; she decelerated at a rapid speed, coming to a near perfect stop about a foot away from Rita. Tall, blonde, and regal in her stance, both Kotori and Shido were able to tell at a glance exactly how this woman could be called the strongest. Only…
"...If I had a nickle for every 'strongest individual' that happened to be blonde..." Kotori whispered to Shido. The elder Itsuka could only nod in agreement as the blonde valkyrie began to speak.
"There you are, Rita. Do you have those reports on-" The blonde began only to stop as she spied the Itsuka siblings out of the corner of her eyes. "Oh. That was today, wasn't it?" She spoke, her voice surprisingly gentle despite her powerful appearance. She stepped forward and offered her hand out to Shido. "Your name was… Shido, correct?" She asked.
"Yeah, thats me." Shido replied, before awkwardly taking her hand. Her grip was equal parts firm as it was powerful; in truth, Shido felt that, if she had wanted, she could have torn his arm from its socket without breaking a sweat. He swallowed nervously as she released his hand.
"Bianka Ataegina. You can just call me Durandal, however." Durandal then offered her hand to Kotori, who took it much more confidently than Shido. "And you are?"
"Kotori Itsuka, commander of the Fraxinus... and his little sister." Kotori replied, pointing a thumb at Shido. "I'm here as a representative of Ratatoskr, and to make sure he doesn't do something stupid."
"Oi." Shido exclaimed. Kotori paid him no mind, her full attention focused on the blonde before her.
"I see. It is a pleasure to meet the you both; Rita seems to be quite fond of the both of you." Durandal continued. "My apologies, you three must be busy. Rita, when you're finished here, may I speak to you later?"
"Of course, Durandal-sama." Rita replied with a bow. Durandal nodded thankfully before turning away, giving one last glance at the Itsuka siblings.
"I look forward to working with you." She called, before taking off into the air once more with that same blue light.
"That saves that introduction, then." Rita commented. "I take it you understand how she's the strongest, now?" Rita asked, turning to the Itsuka's. They nodded in sync, watching the blonde valkyrie fly off faster than any jet. "In truth, if there was a rank beyond S, Durandal-sama would undoubtedly hold that title. But I digress; that's enough distractions for now. Any longer, and we'll be late. Please, if you would continue to follow me." Rita requested before rushing the two siblings along as they made their way off.
"Right in here, please." Rita spoke, motioning to a set of double doors. "I shall wait for you here, to escort you back home once we are finished; the Overseer awaits you inside." Shido and Kotori stepped inside as Rita held open the doors. The room inside was dark, lit up only by a plethora of holographic orange screens on the opposite side of the room. Turned away from them towards the screen were two individuals; a tall woman, dressed in glowing orange cybernetics and a man in a chair who they couldn't see quite as well. Rita closed the door behind them, leaving the Itsuka siblings alone with the two individuals on the other side of the room.
"Milord, they've arrived." The woman spoke to the man they perceived to be the Schicksal Overseer.
"Exactly on time." They heard the man reply, his voice far younger than either of the two siblings had expected. "As expected of Rita. Amber, leave us for a bit, would you?" He continued.
"Of course, milord." The woman now identified as Amber spoke, before turning and making her way out of the room through a separate door. The Overseer spun his chair around to reveal a handsome blonde man who looked no older than his mid twenties, and was of clear european descent. He bore a friendly smile as he snapped his fingers; a moment later, the orange screens behind him faded away, to be replaced with much more pleasant ceiling lights. They illuminated the darkness to reveal a large but well furnished office, a stark contrast to the dark, foreboding nature appearance that the room held before.
"Shido Itsuka. Kotori Itsuka." He spoke, his voice refined and his posture elegant. Shido took notice of his fanciful clothing, like that of a medieval noble's in its tailoring. It wasn't hard to tell that it was custom made, fitting the overseer like a glove. "Welcome, to Schicksal!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms wide with a mirthful smile as he put on an elaborate display. "Come, sit; we have much to discuss, wouldn't you say?"
"...Um. Sit where?" Shido asked hesitantly, spotting no chairs to sit in.
"Ah, of course. My apologies; one moment, my friends." Kotori's eye twitched as the overseer referred to them as friends. Otto snapped his fingers once more, and, like magic, two chairs materialized in front of the Overseer's desk. "There. Come, come, don't be shy, now." Otto beckoned, motioning to the two chairs.
"How did you..." Shido began. Kotori said nothing, but even she was surprised by the sudden appearance of the chairs, at least somewhat.
"Haha, consider it a party trick of sorts." Otto explained. The two siblings shared a glance before taking the left and right seat respectively. "So we meet at last, Shido-kun, Kotori-chan." Otto spoke. "Tell me, now that you've seen much of what we have to offer… what do you think? Of Shicksal, that is."
"I think it's pretty obvious you're trying to showboat." Kotori replied, fearlessly stating her mind. "After all, that maid of your didn't seem all that hurried despite how much she insisted we arrive on time. All of that was planned, wasn't it? Even the meeting with that Durandal girl?" Otto chuckled a hearty laugh, catching Kotori off guard.
"Rita wasn't wrong when she said you were sharp." Otto complimented. "Yes, it was all orchestrated by yours truly. Well, not Durandal; that was simply a well timed coincidence." Kotori raised an eyebrow, but Otto had already turned his attention to Shido. "And you, Shido-kun?" He asked with an expectant look. Shido took a moment to think of a response, making sure to frame his words carefully.
"I think… its incredible." Shido began. "I've never seen anything like it; I thought Ratatoskr had prepared me for anything with what they could do, but… I still can't get my head over some of the things I've seen."
"Mm, mm." Otto agreed. "It really is incredible, isn't it? Although, I will give Ratatoskr credit where it's due; their technology is in a league of its own." Otto's smile widened. "A few hundred more years, and perhaps one day they'll be a true rival to Schicksal."
"A hundred…? Actually, better question. How long has Schicksal existed?" Kotori asked.
"We took on the name Schicksal back in the 15th century, but were founded long before then." Otto replied. Kotori's eyes widened in shock. "We were initially a religious group, with heavy ties to Christian organizations. Though we have dialed back on the religious aspect of things, it would be wrong to say that we don't retain any of their values."
"...Right." Kotori cleared her throat, sitting up in her chair. Otto gave a quiet chuckle before his expression turned slightly more serious.
"Before I begin, do you have any more questions?" Otto asked.
"... Why exactly do you want me to join you?" Shido asked. "I know you're interested in my ability to seal spirits, but I don't get how this matters to Schicksal; I mean, you guys didn't have anything to do with the spirits, did you?."
"I can understand your curiosity, but don't worry; I'll cover that in a moment."
"How long have you been watching us? How long have you known about Ratatoskr?" Kotori asked.
"We first noticed Shido-kun's abilities at about the time he sealed Izayoi Miku, back when she used her… angel, was it?" Kotori nodded. "When she used her angel to take control of that audience. She was lucky; we had almost believed her to be the-" Otto stopped, and cleared his throat while earning a suspicious glare from Kotori. "I'll get back to that. As for Ratatoskr, we've known since the formation of your organization alongside DEM. We also know about the... unique circumstances behind your development."
Kotori glared at the Overseer. "...So you've always known? And you just sat back and watched?"
"It was not our issue, nor did we believe that either you, DEM, or the spirits were grave enough threats for us to take action." Otto replied coolly. "And besides, you and yours had it handled, did you not?"
"...Tsk." Kotori clicked her tongue, but said nothing more.
"Anything else?" Otto asked, shooting a look at Shido.
"... Not from me." Said Kotori. Shido promptly shook his head, instead wanting to get on with things.
"Very well. Then I'll get to the point." Otto replied. "Shido-kun, allow me to tell you everything that will be expected of you. Rita has already told you about the existence of Honkai; what it's capable of, what it wants. That sort of thing, yes?" Shido nodded. "You see, Shido-kun, Kotori-chan, Honkai is a very versatile force. It comes in many shapes and sizes; corrupted humans in the form of zombies, poisoning from pure honkai energy, honkai beasts ranging from a variety of classes. But above all, Honkai has one weapon unlike any other. We call them Herrschers. Supernatural beings with powers unlike anything mankind has ever seen… each being a former human. Wherever they appear, widespread destruction surely follows, in an event we refer to as a Honkai Eruption." He paused. "Sound familiar?"
And suddenly, Shido and Kotori understood everything. The red headed Itsuka couldn't help but grin, a stark contrast to the stoney expression on Shido's face. Otto's amusement at their reactions was clear.
"From certain… classified sources… we know that there are a total of 14 Herrschers, some having yet to appear into our world while others remain in a dormant state. The first Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason, with the power to recreate anything of which it has a thorough understanding of, short of life itself. The second Herrscher, The Herrscher of the Void, with the power to manipulate the fabric of spacetime itself. The third Herrscher, The Herrscher of Thunder; I believe that one is self-explanatory. These are the three that have appeared thus far, and have either been defeated or appeased, each time with great loss of life in all parties involved in their containment. Two of these are presently on the side of humanity, with one containing her powers whilst the other is currently MIA. The second Herrscher has been disposed of... at the cost of countless valkyries, and more lives beyond that, including even one of our greatest S-rank valkyries." His expression softened for just a moment, a hint of remorse hidden behind his eyes.
"That is where you come in, Shido-kun." Said remorse disappeared in moments as Otto continued. "You were capable of sealing spirits, supernatural beings with powers extremely similar to those of a Herrschers. While there were… specific circumstances behind said events, I believe it is a worthy effort to see if your abilities can be used against the Herrschers."
"...I wish it was as simple as that." Shido replied after a moment, a bitter smile on his face. "The biggest one being that the spirits lost all their power with… well, they lost their powers, meaning that I almost certainly lost mine as well. That, and… you do know how I sealed the spirits, right?"
"By making them fall head over heels for-"
"Yeah, that!" Shido exclaimed. Otto nodded, and placed a hand to his chin.
"I suppose there could be an issue, there." Otto said. "After all, making someone who truly wants you dead fall for you on its own would be difficult, not to mention when its being fueled by an even more hateful entity."
"Exactly. So-"
"But then again, to refer to the case of Izayoi Miku once more…"
"Geh…" Shido grunted. That was a fair point...
"Even still, there already was a natural affinity in that case," Kotori added. "Even despite Miku's hatred of men. That information is from a classified source, by the way." Shido nodded in agreement, before shooting an unamused look at his sister. She paid him no mind as Otto continued.
"True enough. However, there is one more detail I have yet to reveal about the Herrschers." Otto replied. "In all recorded cases of the appearance of a Herrscher, there has been one consistent factor: Despair." Shido and Kotori both gave Otto a strange look.
"How... does that help...?" Shido asked.
"Let me finish." Otto spoke. "The loss of a loved one, torture, or even something as simple as isolation. Whatever it may be, from the smallest doubts to the greatest tragedies, Honkai can manipulate and fuel that flame of despair until it one day results in the birth of a Herrscher. However…" Otto stood from his chair. "There is one emotion above all that can bring light to the darkness of despair. One of mankind's most ancient, primal desires that has fueled our species since our very origin. Need I even say the word?"
"...Love." Kotori replied.
"Love!" Otto exclaimed, his voice passionate as he slammed his hands down on the desk. "Familial love, sexual love, romantic love, pure and unadulterated true love! Have you not seen it yourselves? In the face of their darkest hours, you, Shido-kun, have almost single-handedly pulled spirit's out from the brinks of despair. That, combined with the fragments of humanity that still dwell within the Herrschers can, in my belief, return them to the light and break them free of the iron grip of Honkai!"
Both Shido and Kotori were caught off guard by the overseer's sudden passion, silent in the face of his boisterous speech. Otto gave them time to process as he reseated himself, eagerly awaiting their response.
"While… I don't necessarily disagree with your words, it doesn't mean much if I can't seal them in the process." Shido said after a long, yet awkward silence.
"But do you know for sure that your sealing powers are gone, Shido-kun?" Otto asked. "Have you ever had an opportunity to test them since you supposedly lost them?"
For a moment, Shido's mind drifted to Beast-rather, the otherworld Tohka-and their battle. He had kissed that Tohka when he chased her back to her world, but… there were so many additional variables to that fight he couldn't say anything for certain. Slowly, he answered Otto's question.
"No… I guess not." Shido replied, looking up at Otto.
"Then there is no time like the present to find out." Otto continued. "And if you're afraid of entering combat, fear not; you'll be accompanied by a squad of valkyries whenever we call upon your services. In fact, I already had one in mind, Shido-kun. It was a nice coincidence indeed that you've already met their leader."
"...A coincidence." Kotori spoke, her expression unimpressed.
"Indeed. Just a coincidence. So, Shido-kun, with all this in mind… are you willing to try? To use your abilities to not only defeat humanities greatest enemy, but to also save those unfortunate souls corrupted by Honkai?"
Shido looked at Kotori for a long moment, looking for any hint as to how he should answer. Kotori could only give him a shrug in response, as if telling him, 'you're on your own.' The young man sighed, before returning his gaze to Otto. He took one final deep breath to calm his nerves.
"I'll do it."