"…Gosh, I'm tired." Ana muttered as a tired yawn escaped her lips. Shido nodded in agreement, bags under his eyes so dark they were nearly black. With a yawn of his own, he wiped the grime out of his eyes as the pair trudged through the winter snow, dark clouds rumbling in the sky above.

"How much farther is it?" Shido asked the vanilla-haired Valkyrie.

"The town? Uh… not too much farther. Just over this hill. I think." Koyanskaya, a small rural community about fourteen miles away from Babylon II, and their current destination. There, they were to ask around about the recent series of disappearances mentioned by Durandal. If the two found any useful information, they were to contact Elise, their squad leader, and rendezvous with the rest of their squad at the forest two miles north of the town. But for now, the two focused on making their way to Koyanskaya first.

"…Oh, there it is!" Ana called out a few minutes later, just as they reached the top of the hill. Shido stepped forward to her side, his eyes falling on the small town itself. He had been told not to expect much, but… "Hey, I warned you." Ana told him with a smile once she noticed his disappointed expression.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Before we go any further, Shido, I should warn you. Err… about something else, anyways. Ever since the Second Eruption, Siberia has been… Put nicely, it's been a terrible place for everyone who lives here. For that reason, they aren't exactly the most welcoming bunch. Just try to keep that in mind as we go around, alright?"

"…Right." Nodded, though he couldn't hide the faint frown on his face. "I'll be careful."

"That's all I ask. I'll handle the talking for the most part… unless there's a problem with that?"

"No, not at all. Probably for the better."

Ana nodded before moving forward once more, leading Shido down the hill towards the small village. Up close, Shido could see what Ana meant. The streets were messy and covered in dirty snow, while the buildings were all but falling apart down to their very foundations. It was more like a ghost town than a village, in truth, with nary a single soul in sight out in the open. Out of the corner of his eye, Shido could see beady eyes peering out through the boarded up windows of the houses, watching Ana and Shido like hawks. Shido awkwardly began rubbing his shoulder, the peering eyes slowly getting to the young man the longer they remained in the town.

"Are you two from that military base?" A voice called out to them. The pair turned to see a dark haired woman standing on the porch of her house, swabbed up in clothes built for the harsh winter. "Are you… are you here about the disappearances?" Ana glanced at Shido before stepping forward.

"Yes. Do you know something?"

"I… y-yes, you could say that." The woman grasped her dress tightly, her lips tight as her eyes fell to the ground. "Please… come inside." She opened the door to her decrepit home and motioned for the two to come inside. It was warm inside, a lovely change from the freezing cold weather outside. Inside, a man with similarly dark hair looked up at the pair in surprise as the woman closed the door behind them. "They have questions for us, dear." The woman told the man in response to his questioning look. His expression softened. Without a word, he gestured to the few remaining unoccupied seats as the woman took a seat beside him.

"Thank you for having us." Ana said, taking a seat. Shido nodded gratefully as he took the seat beside her. "If you're ready, we can start whenever."

"Of course. Ask away." The man spoke.

"'Alexei Stukov. Age 19. Male.' We received a report that he disappeared a few days earlier, and is one of many to disappear in the past week. Did you know him?"

"…Yes. He… he's our son." The man replied, his grip on his chair tightening. "Before… before you continue… I need to know something." He leaned forward, his expression dark. "My son… is he… can you…" The man stuttered, struggling to force out his question. Beside him, his wife looked away, struggling to maintain her stoic expression. The man took a deep breath.

"Miss… will I be able to sleep tonight?"

Shido swallowed nervously as he looked at Ana. Her expression was soft, her eyes filled with empathy as she looked the man in the eyes. "We'll do everything we can to bring him back home, sir. I can't say anything beyond that, for certain."

"…I see. I suppose… It's not like you'd know. I'm sorry. We'll answer whatever questions you have as best we can."

"Thank you." Ana nodded gratefully. "Do you know where he last went before his disappearance?"

"Yes." The woman replied. "He was taking Leo—our younger son—out to the forest up north. It's a… it was a hobby of theirs to explore the forest in their freetime. But the only one who returned was Leo, bleeding from his leg and scared beyond belief. He was in shock at the time. He still hasn't spoken to any of us since. He hasn't even come out to eat…"

"…Would it be alright if I try to talk to him?" Shido asked. The couple shared a look before the man sighed.

"I had a feeling you'd ask." He explained. "You're welcome to try, but he hasn't even talked to us." The man nodded to his wife, who stood to her feet.

"I'll show you two to his room." The two stood to their feet and followed her down a hallway, leading them to Leo's door. "In here. I'll leave you two to your work. We'll be in the main room if you need us."

"Thank you, ma'am." Shido replied.

"We'll try to get out of your hair as fast as we can." Said Ana. The woman gave a quiet nod before stepping away, leaving the two alone. Shido took the initiative, knocking on the door. No response. Gently, he took hold of the door kob and pushed the door open. The room inside was a small one, comfortable and clearly lived in, going off the scattered clothes on the ground. And yet, Shido did not feel that same sense of comfort as he laid his eyes on Leo.

The boy didn't look any older than ten, huddled up on the corner of his bed with his face buried in his knees and his back to the wall. His body was so still Shido almost thought he was dead, for a moment. The boy didn't react as the pair made their way inside, Shido quietly closing the door behind them as Ana approached the boy. She kneeled down at the bedside, trying to get a look at his face.

"Leo?" The boy shifted ever so slightly in response to Ana's voice. "My name's Ana, and this is my friend, Shido. Do you mind if I take a seat here?" The boy didn't respond. Ana's lips curved ever so slightly in a frown. "I wanted to ask you a few questions. Could you—"

"No." Came Leo's quiet reply. Ana's eyes widened.

"I just want to help, Leo." Ana tried again.

"I said no." Leo spoke again. Ana sighed, before turning to Shido. The young man could only give her a shrug, a concerned expression on his own face. He looked around the room idly, trying to think of a solution, for a method to get the boy to open up to them.

He found it, in the form of something he had never expected to see so far from home. Shido reached down and grabbed the manga off the dresser, a series he knew best as [Silver Bullet]. It was a new volume, he noticed. In fact, he could have sworn he remembered seeing Nia actually draw some of the panels in person.

Ana watched nervously as Shido took a seat beside Leo with the manga in hand. "Hey, Leo. So you read [Silver Bullet] too, huh?" As expected, Leo didn't respond, but Shido wasn't deterred as he continued. "I started reading this when I was around your age." Shido paused to consider how to continue. "I… actually used to draw fanart of it when I was younger."

Memories of Shido's shameful past floated to mind. The young man shook his head to clear away such thoughts as Leo began to stir. Shido continued. "It's one of my favorites. I was pretty sad when there weren't any new volumes for a while. You know… I actually know the author." At that, the kid peaked out at Shido. Conversely, Shido felt Ana looking very intently at his back.

"Really…?" Leo looked up at Shido for just a moment, before quickly hiding his face once more.

"Yep. I've even helped he—h-him with a couple of manuscripts."

"…" The kid peaked out once more, unable to hide his curiosity. Shido smiled as he continued, telling Leo about a few of his stories involving the mangaka while being careful to hide her true identity… while also making sure to hide her more 'eccentric' nature. In time, Leo was asking questions, laughing, and engaging joyfully in Shido's conversation.

"So, Leo." Shido spoke after a while of conversing with the boy. "How did you get a copy of [Silver Bullet] all the way out here, anyways?" Leo froze up. Shido looked at the boy strangely, wondering if he said something wrong. "Leo?"

The boy lowered his head. Tears began to well up in his eyes, try as he might to keep them out. Before he realized, Shido found himself hugging the kid close, comforting him as best he could as his emotions began to pour out like a broken dam.

"A-Alexei gave it to me… h-he gave it to me… it was h-his favorite t-too…" Leo sobbed into Shido's chest. "But… b-but he… I…" Shido hugged the boy just a little closer, rubbing a hand through his hair. The boy gratefully accepted it, unable to say anything more as he clutched Shido's shirt.

"Leo." Shido whispered, his voice as soft as could be. "What happened in the forest?"

"…" Leo didn't respond, turning silent at Shido's question. Shido didn't push, patiently awaiting Leo's answer if there even would be one at all. Time passed as the three sat there in silence, not a word spoken between them.

"…He's dead…"

Shido felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes widening at Leo's revelation. "It's because of me… Alex died… because of me…" Leo began to tremble in Shido's embrace. "I asked him to play with me in the forest… but then… a thing came at us… It was big… and loud… and scary… I…"

"Take a deep breath, Leo." Leo did as commanded, breathing in, out, in, out.

"It was a monster… we were having a snowball fight when the earth started shaking… I didn't… I don't remember what it looked like, but it was really loud… it was like lightning. It started charging at us when Alex… he threw a rock at it and started shouting for it to chase him. He told me to run… I… he… he…" He broke into tears again. Shido did his best to comfort him as he turned to Ana. "S-Shido… are you here about the monster…" Leo asked.

"…We are."

"… Please…" Leo pulled away and looked up at Shido with his bloodshot eyes. "Please beat it… I don't want anyone else to die…"

"We will, Leo. I promise. No one else has to get hurt." Shido smiled faintly, and gave Leo a thumbs up. Leo nodded solemnly, accepting Shido's answer. He pulled away further and returned to his corner… though, there was more light in his eyes than there was before.

"We have our monster." Ana spoke as Shido stood from the bed. Shido nodded in agreement. "Let's get going. We can tell Elise on the way." Ana turned to the doorway, strangely eager to leave the room. Shido remained in place, turning to face Leo. "Shido?" Ana questioned from the door. Shido stepped forward, and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, spooking the young boy as Shido looked him in the eyes.

"Leo. I know you're scared. I know you're sad, but locking yourself away like this… Do you think it would make Alexei happy? Seeing you so hurt and sad?" Leo slowly shook his head. "Your parents are hurting too. They're worried about you. Go to them. Stay with them. It's better to be together with family in times like these than to suffer alone. Do you think you can do that for me, Leo?"

"…I…" Leo seemed uncertain. But another look at Shido helped steel the boy's will. "I can. I will." Shido smiled and rubbed his hand through Leo's hair one last time as the boy slid off the bed. Though he looked thin and sickly, he was able to walk just fine, following Shido and Ana out into the living room. Leo's parents shot to their feet at the sight of the young boy, their eyes wide at the sight of him. For a moment, he clung to Shido's side. The next, his mother and father alike rushed forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. Leo broke out into tears once more before returning their embrace, mother and father doing the same as they held onto Leo like he would disappear if they let go.

Shido and Ana watched for a few moments longer before taking their leave. Outside, Shido grabbed Ana's shoulder just as she was about to start heading off. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"…I don't mean anything by this, Ana, but… are you ok?" Shido asked. Ana looked away for just a moment.

"…S-sorry. I'm not… I'm not good with kids, Shido." She opened her mouth to say more, but paused just before she spoke, shaking her head. "Sorry. Thank you for… well, for taking the lead there."

"It's fine. I've got a little sister myself, after all." Shido gave her a half-smile. "Well… let's contact Elise and get a move on." His face hardened, his eyes dark. It was an abnormal look on the young man's face, truth be told. "We have a Honkai beast to kill."

Ana nodded in agreement. The two stepped away from the Stukov residence and made their way northbound, onwards towards the forest as the sky rumbled with thunder.

The gray clouds above grew ever darker as Shido and Ana made their way through the snow-covered forest. "Think it's gonna storm?" Ana asked Shido, her lips curved in a frown as she looked up at the sky.

"Maybe." Shido shrugged. "I wouldn't be able to say."

"…I'm not sure I want to fight this thing in the middle of a storm." Ana shook her head.

"Yeah… Do you know where Elise wants us to meet her?".

"Not really. She tends to forget little things like that when she's excited." Ana pulled up her communication device. "I'll see if I can't call her to find out." Shido nodded and left Ana to it. But after a few moments, Shido noticed something was wrong as Ana frowned.

"What's up?"

"…It's not getting a signal."

"Well, we are in the middle of nowhere."

"Not how these work."

"…O-oh." Shido bashfully scratched his cheek as Ana continued to fiddle with the device on her arm, to no success. A few moments of futile tinkering later, she let her arms drop in a fit of frustration. "No luck?"

"None. It's like there's something interfering with the connection." Ana shook her head. "Let's just keep looking. I mean, with how loud Elise is, we're bound to find her eventually, right?"

"Right." Shido grinned, earning a laugh from Ana. With that in mind, they continued forward as they kept an ear out for the boisterous Valkyrie. However, as they travelled deeper and deeper into the depths of Koyanskaya Forest, they neither heard nor saw any sign of their squad within. Nearly half an hour passed as they searched and searched, eventually dragging to a halt as the two paused a moment to rest their legs.

"This is a real pain in the butt." Ana muttered as she leaned against a nearby tree. Shido couldn't help but nod with a bitter grin.

"At least the weather isn't bad… yet."

"Don't jinx it!" Ana exclaimed, before resting against a particularly thick tree trunk. A moment later, she grinned. "Think it'd be a good idea to get some sleep here?"

"That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Hehe. Yeah, you're right." The two grew silent as they took that time to rest, the only audible noise being the chilly wind flowing through the air. "…Shido." Ana spoke, choosing to break the silence. "Do you smell that too?"

"…Yeah." Shido glanced up at the sky, a frown on his face as the dark clouds rumbled. "Smells like ozone. Looks like we'll have to deal with the storm after all… Think that might be what's messing up your signal?"

"Maybe, but… Oh well. Let's just get moving again—" Ana paused mid-sentence to Shido's surprise. Just as he was about to ask, she raised a finger for him to remain silent before pointing towards a clearing not too far away. Shido followed her finger towards whatever it was that had caught her attention.

A burnt carcass. It was too charred for him to recognize what it once was. Shido's eyes widened as he realized something: it looked… vaguely humanoid. A moment later, Ana pulled Shido to her side, shoving him against the tree without a word.

"Ana—" She covered his mouth as he tried to question. Confused, Shido watched as Ana lifted an ear before doing the same himself. For a moment, there was silence.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The ground beneath them trembled, the small quakes growing stronger with every thump. The sound of something heavy, something powerful… And it was moving in their direction. He looked to Ana for guidance, for any sign of what they should do.

He had never seen such a terrified look on Ana's face before.

Pale white, she mouthed a single word to Shido, carefully enunciating every individual syllable one after another.

Em. Per. Ror.

Whatever that meant, Shido had no clue. He assumed the worse as the thumps grew ever louder, the tremors ever stronger, and the sense of dread grew ever thicker. Ana carefully peaked out from behind the trunk before turning to Shido. Ever so slowly, she removed her quivering hand from his mouth and motioned for him to follow. She took a cautious step forward, keeping as quiet as she possibly could as she began moving in the opposite direction of the thumps.

Shido followed after her. Behind him, he heard a loud huff, the noise like a blast of steam from a train. He struggled to keep his breathing quiet as he walked behind Ana, a sense of fear creeping up his spine. It seemed they hadn't been noticed.

They were making good progress despite their slow speed. Ana frequently checked to make sure Shido was still behind her, and that the monster hadn't noticed them. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. He just needed to remain calm. If he let his nerves get to him now, it could very well mean his death. It felt like his heart would explode from his chest as it pounded like a drum. Remain calm. Remain calm. Remain—

Crack.

Shido froze as everything turned silent. No wind, no breathing, not even a slight rustle in the canopy of the trees. Ana's expression was one of pure horror. It felt like he couldn't even breathe if he tried.

A stick. He had failed to notice a singular stick half-buried in the snow. Another few moments of silence passed.

His eardrums nearly shattered as an ear-splitting bellow raged out from behind him, shaking the sky and earth alike with its power. He barely had time to register the noise as Ana snatched his hand. Before he knew it, they were sprinting faster than they ever had before in their lives, their minds overtaken with a maddening urge to flee, to run, to escape. The beast gave chase. The ground quaked under the beast's charge, the very earth beneath them cracking and splitting from the sheer weight in its steps.

They had a head start on it, however. With Ana's speed pulling Shido along, they were able to keep ahead of it as long as they kept running. Any trip, any stumble, even the slightest decrease in speed would mean death. Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop. This was the singular thought that overtook both Shido and Ana's minds, irrationally repeating in their minds and blocking everything out. As long as they didn't stop, they could make it. They just had to find their squad. They just had to find Durandal, then they would be safe. Faster, faster, and faster still. They could make it. They could make it—!

The sky cracked with a bolt of lightning. Shido was blinded by a bright flash of light. And then… pitch black.

By the time her vision cleared, Ana's eyes widened in horror as she saw the beast standing before her. With a single swing, the beast struck its fist against Shido's head. The only thing she heard was a sickening crunch as Shido was sent flying… But she hardly had a moment to process as the beast then slammed the ground with all of its might, creating a powerful shockwave of force that catapulted Ana all the way back to the clearing.

Her ears were ringing. For a few moments, she couldn't hear anything. Thankfully, she wasn't in any pain… yet, at least. Shakily, Ana stood to her feet, struggling to stand up straight as she regained her bearings. Far away, the behemoth reared up for another charge, intent on finishing the Valkyrie off then and there.

It felt like time slowed to a crawl. Ana turned in the direction Shido had flown, her expression desperate. She nearly vomited at what was left.

There was hardly anything left of his face, his skull caved in from the force of the monster's attack. His neck and limbs had been twisted in ways they should never be. His clothes, nothing more than tatters, while a long branch had impaled him through his windpipe.

Shido Itsuka was dead.

It was just Ana left. Only her. Little Ana, all on her own once again. Tears began to stream from her eyes as she turned to face the approaching monstrosity. Leo was right: it was huge, like a bull standing on two legs, its horns wreathed in electricity. It was strangely familiar for whatever reason… Ah. A minotaur. That was what it was. An ancient Greek legend… or at least, the Honkai's twisted form of the myth.

One thought remained on Ana's mind. Run. The fear that had taken hold of her earlier tightened its grip. She had to run. Every other option would only lead to death. And so the cowardly girl did just that, as her tears froze in the icy cold weather.

At least, that's what she pictured. But her legs refused to take even a single step in the opposite direction. Was it fear that paralyzed her? Or perhaps it was despair? What was this emotion that ran through her heart and mind, stopping her from running away? Ana stared intently at what was left of Shido. She had hardly known him for more than a week. It was not the first time she had experienced death on the field. In fact, It was to be expected in her line of work. She had only known him for just over a week. And yet…

He had shown her kindness at her weakest moment. A kind young man who only wanted the best for everyone, who would offer his shoulder even to a cowardly, broken girl like her. A young man who had a long life and radiant future ahead of him, a young man who could have saved so many more like her. That young man, who had such a loving family, and who he loved back with all of his heart. That young man who had wormed his way into the hearts of the Immortal Blades with his dry humor, and his excellent cooking. Why was it him, broken and mutilated in the middle of nowhere?

…

…

…

Why wasn't it her?

She, a coward and deserter, was still alive and standing. She, who had failed to save the life of that little girl because she ran away. She could have lived had Ana only managed to overcome her cowardice, if she had never run away at all. She could never face Tianwu again for that horrible failure. How could she possibly live with herself…

If she couldn't avenge this one young man who deserved so much better?

Ah. Now she knew. The name of this emotion that ran throughout every fibre of her being. It was not fear. Not despair. Not terror, nor shock. No, it was nothing quite like that, she realized. Before she knew it, she had taken up her rifle in her trembling hands, as if it had simply appeared there from nowhere. No, none of those emotions were correct. This emotion…

It was rage.

With a blood-curdling scream, Ana lifted her rifle and began unloading the entirety of her magazine into the beast as it charged forward. Her rifle rounds exploded with all the force of a tank, and yet the minotaur's roar raged louder. The shots hit like tank shells as her Stigmata fuelled the rounds with her power. Yet the beast did not flinch underneath her barrage… nor did Ana in the face of its charge. Shot after shot she fired, yard after yard the beast plowed towards her.

It was at the last possible second she realized why her weapon was ineffective. An electric barrier surrounded the minotaur, deflecting all the projectiles from her rifle. Not one of her shots had hit.

Desperately, she blocked the minotaur's charge with her rifle as best she could, but it was pointless. Her weapon barely held together as she was hit with all the force of a freight train and was launched into the air yet again. She felt something crack inside of her as she hit the ground, but just what, she couldn't say. Blood began oozing down her skull, the sticky fluid going unnoticed as she stood to her feet.

She had grown tunnel-visioned on destroying this monster for good as adrenaline pumped throughout her body. She couldn't risk engaging in melee for a second time, she realized. The difference in strength was too great. Ana hoisted her rifle, took aim, and fired once more, her strategy now to probe the barrier for any sign of weakness. Her icy gaze promised death as the minotaur charged once more.

Every charge, every swing, every single attack made by the minotaur, she evaded in a dangerous dance of death for two played to the tune of unrelenting hatred. She didn't care how long it took. Like this, she could win. Emperor-class or not, all the strength in the world didn't matter if it couldn't hit her. She just had to play it safe.

The beast stopped. It's soulless eyes gazed at the vanilla-haired Valkyrie, a blast of steam blasting out from its neck with such heat that the snow on the ground melted beneath it. Ana continued her assault without relent, her rifle discharging every last bullet it had left to try and break the minotaur's barrier. In truth, she had ran out of ammo long ago. Now, the bullets she used were being created on the spot solely through the power of her Stigmata, gathering up all of her remaining strength as their battle climaxed.

The sky rumbled with thunder as electricity arced around the minotaur's horns. But more importantly, her rifle finally managed to score a hit against the minotaur's silicon hide. For a moment, Ana felt a lick of hope.

But her hope vanished asd a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the minotaur with an ear-splitting crash. The minotaur's bellow was like the fury of the storm itself as it aimed its wicked horns in her direction. Ana just barely managed to throw herself to the ground just in time to avoid the huge arc of electricity that followed, like a beam of pure destructive energy that tore through the forest behind her like paper. As the electric arc died down to nothing, Ana tried desperately to scramble to her feet.

Lightning crashed down once again: the minotaur was upon her with that same blinding flash as before. She was completely unprepared. The minotaur's hoof slammed directly into her gut, cracking every bone in her rib cage as she was tossed like a rag doll. She could feel all the contents of her stomach forced out of her stomach in a sickening wretch of blood and stomach acid. With a sickening crack, Ana's body slammed into one of the few trees that remained standing.

…

…

…

Not… yet… Ana grit her teeth, and pushed herself to her feet once more. She could hardly stand. It didn't matter. She wouldn't run again. She couldn't, even if she wanted to. She spat a wad of blood on the ground, and wiped away the crimson stream flowing down her skull, leaving her gloves stained red. Her rifle had been shattered from the attack, leaving nothing but the broken pieces. No more shots… but there was still one thing left. Silently, she reached down and grabbed the barrel of the weapon, where the bayonet still remained affixed. She clutched her last remaining hope like a madwoman, bracing herself as the goliath approached with its earth shaking stomps. It's approach was steady, slow and certain as if it knew it had won. Was it taking its time? Was it playing with her? She wasn't sure which.

But… If she was to die, she would make sure to leave the monster with something to remember her by. It stopped, staring at her from a distance away. They stood there, completely silent, their gazes matching one another with a burning fury. Neither made a sound, waiting to see what the other would do.

The beast roared with all its might, and the battle began once more as it rampaged forward in all its earth-shattering fury. Ana didn't move from her spot, tightening her hold on her bayonet, unflinching. Twenty yards. Ten yards. Five yards. Ana cried with all of her remaining strength, thrusting her broken bayonet once more, fully intent on piercing the Honkai beast's chest.

A burst of energy struck the minotaur just as it was about to plow through the Valkyrie, striking the beast with such force that even Ana, who hadn't been its target, was thrown to the ground. Her eyes widened in shock as the monster stumbled for the first time, completely caught off guard as it crashed through the snow just past her.

Ana slowly turned her head in the direction of the attack's source.

There, stood tall and healthy in his tattered clothing…

Was none other than Shido Itsuka himself. And in his hands, he wielded a glowing broadsword, his eyes shining with white light.