Ceci panted as she lowered her pistols. As soon as they had taken the elevator to the highest possible level, they were immediately attacked by a new type of Mech that Ceci had never seen before. Thankfully, with both her parents there, the entire fight was completely trivial.
She wiped some sweat off her brow. Despite the frigid temperature both inside and outside the laboratory, Ceci was feeling a little hot. She had built up quite the sweat, fighting constantly since she had gotten here. But, no matter what, as long as she had her parents there with her, nothing mattered.
"Mmm." Cecilia looked down at the fallen mech. Its chassis was charred and twisted from the extreme heat of the Judgement of Shamash. It appeared that even with their technology, the superweapons that were the Divine Keys were still leagues ahead in terms of technological power.
"What is it?" Siegfried asked, as if sensing her thoughts.
"I was just wondering. If these mechs ever made it out of the development phase, then valkyries would no longer need to fight," Cecilia said.
"Isn't that a good thing? Our baby girls would no longer need to fight against the Honkai if these things came out," Siegfried said, staring at the twisted steel.
Ceci felt her heart clench when she heard their conversation. How could she tell them that she and Kiana were living lives that the two would have never wanted for them?
"Anyway, with that out of the way, we got what we wanted out of this place," Cecilia said, walking toward the large steel door. There were various warning signs and symbols painted across it.
"What is it?" Ceci asked.
"That means we're almost up there, kid. This place is the pathway that leads to where the Second Herrscher is." Siegfried was the one who answered her question in her mother's stead.
"Mmm. Our last piece of satellite imagery was that the Second Herrscher retreated to the top of Babylon Labs after her encounter with Theresa's group," Cecilia turned to Ceci, "Do you mind waiting here while Ziggy and I clear the way to the top?"
"Eh? I can't go with you guys?" Ceci asked.
Siegfried let out a hearty chuckle before ruffling her hair. "Not this time. The unlocking process needs two high-level clearances, and you don't have that, kid."
Ceci moved out from underneath her father's hand. Her cheeks were slightly flushed; her cheeks were instinctively puffed out. "Fine… I'll do whatever you guys say."
Cecilia smiled. "Keep an eye out for us, okay? While Ziggy and I are unlocking it, we'll probably be vulnerable to attacks so keep us say, kay?"
Her words managed to make Ceci perk up in excitement. Defending her parents? She could do that. Ceci nodded her head furiously.
"Just leave it to me! I'll make sure nothing gets in that room!" she declared, patting her chest as if to emphasize her reliability.
Hehe, I'll do anything Mom says, she thought gleefully.
Ceci waved as her parents both moved to the control panel. As they worked, Ceci decided to keep a look out and by that, she began wandering around the room.
"The spell works! It actually works! What else should I wish for?" Ceci said quietly. Her boots clacked softly against the metal floor of the facility.
As she thought about what else she could get, Ceci was once again reminded of the child. This place was no place for a child. The doom and gloom of the surroundings was a worse version of what she had seen at ME corp.
At least at ME corp, Cocolia had taken the liberty to actually decorate the place.
However, this place was nothing more than a prison. A prison that did immoral - from what she could gather- things to its charges.
"I wonder what happened to that kid. I hope she's alright. Maybe…," Ceci's eyes slowly moved to one of the terminals in the room.
She made her way over to it and looked up at the screen.
"There's a directory here. Let's see… logs… experiment logs? Test subjects?"
The words made her insides squirm. It wasn't out of secondhand pity or anger she felt for whoever lived here. Rather, the disconcerting feeling she felt was personal. As if she herself had gone through the experience instead of the author of the diary.
"2 November, 1999:
"Two subjects with B-Level Honkai adaptability died during testing. Recommendation from control is to incinerate the corpses to reduce the possibility of and neutralize residual Honkai contamination. On that note, Subject 51 has displayed excellent adaptability. Subject will be transferred to the safe house for further testing and research.
"A death notice of Subject 51 has been issued to her family members. No complications from Subject 51's next of kin were reported during the interaction. Continue to maintain monitoring on Subject 51's family. Maintain silencing protocols as necessary and eliminate any leaks as per personnel judgement.
"End of Log."
Ceci felt her blood boil.
These people. They were performing immoral experiments on other humans, children no less. And the callousness of how they referred to these innocent children as subjects. Her eyes flickered for a split second. However, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.
What would Kiana say in this situation? Stay calm? She shook her head. She needed to show her parents what she had found.
Ceci noticed a small tablet with a holographic screen and used it to download an excerpt of the file log.
"I need to show this to Mom and Dad. Maybe, there's something more going on here aside from the Herrscher. Kiana always said to look at everything from multiple angles," Ceci said as she made her way to her parents.
"Cecilia! Siegfried! Look at this!" Ceci said, running over and handing them the tablet.
Siegfried and Cecilia exchanged glances before reading what was on the screen. As they did, Ceci noticed her father's hand balling into a fist and she saw a horrified look appear on her mother's face.
"Babylon Labs is… performing human experiments in the name of treatment?" Cecilia read.
"... It looks like they're using kids to do this. Damn it. How could they allow something like this to happen at a lab?" Siegfried growled.
"Ziggy, what if… what if the Second Herrscher didn't just come here for the reactor? What if…?" Cecilia trailed off, knowing what words she was going to say next.
Siegfried stroked his chin. "If I were her, that's what I'd do."
The sound of static rang in their ears. The three exchanged looks before Cecilia pressed a button on her earpiece.
"Go for Cecilia."
"Cecilia."
A suave yet annoyingly grinding voice floated its way into Ceci's ears. She had heard this voice before. It was in her Aunt Theresa's office. Yes, this was-
"Lord Otto."
Otto Apocalypse. The Overseer of Schicksal and head of the Valkyrie Forces. He was a man her aunt always told her to stay away from.
"Cecilia, is the Second Herrscher still active? Our satellites are detecting massive amounts of Honkai energy at your location," Otto said.
"Over… seer? What are you-"
"Valkyrie. Need I remind you that I did not deploy you and your husband to Russia for your honeymoon. Remember that you are fighting a Herrscher. An indomitable enemy of humanity. Reconsider your priorities before allowing the Herrscher to have slaughtered a massive amount of our forces," Otto said.
Siegfried was about to open his mouth to retort when he felt his wife's hand on his arm. Cecilia shot him a side-eyed glance that said no and he quieted down.
"The Honkai Energy within Babylon Labs will only make her stronger. If she gains access to it, not only will Russia cease to exist but the entirety of humanity. Every second wasted is a lower chance of victory."
"Y- Yes, Lord Overseer," Cecilia said. "We are aware of what we are up against…"
"Paladin Siegfried. Valkyrie Cecilia. I only fight battles I know I can win. Find something to kill the Second Herrscher or I will resort to launching a Honkai fission missile at your location to vaporize both the labs and the Herrscher," Otto continued.
"W- What? Lord Overseer! You can't be serious! The blast will kill everyone-"
"So you better bring me some good news. Otherwise, my hand might slip and hit the button by accident," he replied.
She clenched her jaw and did a sharp inhale. "Yes, Lord Overseer. We'll see that it is done."
"Otto out."
Siegfried whirled around and swung Shamash, slicing the computers and screens against the wall apart. A deep molten gash appeared in the metal wall. Such an action made Ceci jump and hide next to her mother.
"What the hell is that lunatic thinking!?" Siegfried said. "Nuke the place? That's his answer to this?"
"Knowing Lord Overseer, if… there are no options left or if we fail, then that is a very real possibility if not outright the only outcome," Cecilia said.
"So… he's just going to nuke the place even with us and the other Valkyries still in the area?" Ceci asked.
"Yeah, kid. That's just the kind of tactic I'd expect from Otto," Siegfried replied.
"It's alright you two. I have a plan to take on the Second Herrscher," Cecilia said.
"Plan?"
"What is it?"
Cecilia blinked once more. These two. They really were similar, almost identical even. Ceci's eyes and hair were the same shade of blue and white as her husband's. It was almost uncanny.
"Ceci, I need you to take the lift to the power room and cut all power to this place," Cecilia said.
"Alright! Wait, what about you and the old man?" she asked.
Siegfried bristled at being called old. "What about us, Cecilia?" he glanced at his wife, who had her hand on her chin. Her mind raced at a million miles per hour.
"Ziggy and I will clear a path to the upper levels. You with me, Ziggy?" Cecilia asked.
"Roger that, Ma'am." Siegfried saluted his wife. Cecilia slapped his arm in response.
"Ow."
"Ceci, you understand your assignment?" Cecilia asked.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Ceci said, enthused by the idea of taking orders from her mother.
"Then, let's not waste time. Knowing Lord Otto, his finger is already hovering above the button," she said.
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Ceci raced out of the lift as soon as it stopped. She needed to move and fast.
Why? Just why would Schicksal destroy this place! Wait a minute… Kiana told me that Mom died in the Second Eruption. And now Dad's here too! I can't. I can't let them die here!
Ceci ground her teeth as she ran down the hallway.
Her parents. Her loving parents. They were going to die here. But she wouldn't let them, not when she had a chance to change everything.
They were going to be family again.
A family… wait… but this is-
"Your family, right? Are you going to abandon them and let them die like you did, Kiana? Also think about it, Mom has Abyss Flower. She can heal Sis up just fine."
It was that voice again. But rather than hearing snide remarks, Ceci, for once, found its words to be completely logical.
"That's right. Schicksal destroyed this place because they were afraid Mom would lose against the Second Herrscher. And now Dad is here too. Sis, I'll save them. I'll save Mom and Dad and then bring you back and we can be a family again," Ceci reasoned.
Just like how it was always meant to be…
Ceci's hair stood on the back of her neck. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the heavy metal fist that slammed into the floor.
A Titan lumbered its way out from one of the doors.
"I don't have time for this. You're in my way!" Ceci's left eye turned yellow. She suddenly felt energized. Her body was lighter and she felt stronger as well. Without giving it too much thought, Ceci dashed forward.
Rather, instead of running, she blinked from place to place, disappearing and reappearing in flashes of golden light. When she reached the Titan, her hand glowed and she thrust it forward, punching through the metal with a giant cat's paw.
She landed on the ground with a roll. "I need to find that power switch and fast. Mom and Dad are counting on me!"
As she moved forward, she heard a crumpling noise underneath her boot. "Wha… a piece of paper? Another diary entry? No time! I can look at it later." Ceci pocketed the diary entry in her battlesuit's clip storage.
And so, for the next thirty minutes, Ceci scoured the area. She searched, looking for anything that might resemble a power source. The more she looked, the more she doubted the place her parents sent her to was an actual generator room. There were too many cells. Too many beds. She thought that the button would be one of the rooms but all she found was a hole under one of the beds.
And, there was a severe lack of guards patrolling the area. She figured that if this place was to power the whole facility, it should be well guarded, shouldn't it?
As Ceci dispatched the last Mech Module, she stopped to think.
"What the hell? Where is that switch? Damnit! I'm running out of time," Ceci said, pulling at her hair. She forced her boot down, crushing the head of the down Mech Module.
"Where is it? Just where? Think Ceci. Use that brain of yours. If you were the Overseer of Schicksal and you wanted to build a lab, where in the generator room would you hide the switch?" she thought to herself.
All of a sudden, an idea popped into her head.
"That diary entry. W- What if it has clues? That kid who wrote it lived here. Maybe… just maybe," Ceci said.
She hastily pulled the crumpled paper out of her clip pocket. Ceci unfolded it and began deciphering the child's handwriting.
"The doctor brought me to a safe room in the basement and told me it's my new place. He also told me that I'll be sent to another hospital somewhere else. Mom's not here anymore. The doctor told me she went somewhere very far away.
"He told me if I ever wanted to see Mom again, I need to be a good girl and take my meds. Unbelievable! He's lying! Mom would never do that! Mom would never leave me! I wanna leave! I wanna go. Please… save me, Mom. Mom, Dad, I miss you…"
Ceci's eyes widened incredulously at what she had just read.
"What… the… hell? This isn't the Generator Room. This is a damn safe room!" she said, throwing the slip on the ground.
"There's no switch here. Then that means…" her face went from anger to worry. She turned on her heels and began sprinting back toward the lift.
No, no! Mom! Dad! I need to get back to them now!
She arrived at the lift and pressed the button. Her heart sank and her face fell when the lift refused to budge.
"What? No! NO!" she slammed her fist against the control panel. "Move! Fucking move damnit!"
"Sorry, kiddo."
"Old… man?" Ceci whispered when she heard his voice in her ears.
"I'm sorry, Ceci. I lied," Cecilia said.
"What? No! Cecilia! Siegfried! This isn't funny! Open the lift!" Ceci yelled through her comms.
"No can do, kiddo. I didn't want to do this either but Cecilia told me after you left. That safe room is strong enough to survive the payload of a fission missile. You'll be safe there," Siegfried said.
"Mmm. I'm sorry, Ceci. Ziggy and I will go challenge the Second Herrscher," Cecilia said.
"No… No…" she whispered. Tears were beginning to leak out the edges of her eyes. "No! Let me fight! Let me fight with you guys!"
"Do you lack faith in us? Just sit there and stay put, girl. We'll return when we're done," Cecilia ordered. Her voice left no room for disobedience.
It was the first time since she had met her that Ceci heard her mother adopt such an authoritative tone.
"No! NO! MOM! DAD! Let me out!"
Ceci ran up to the lift door and banged her fists against it uselessly.
"Please, Mom… Dad…" Ceci slid to her knees, continuing to pound on the door. "Damnit! Answer me!"
There was no response.
"Fuck… they cut the connection," Ceci mumbled.
"There… There has to be a key. Somewhere. Something I can use to override Mom's permissions and get up there! I- I won't let them die! Not again!" Ceci said; a desperate gleam manifested itself in her eye. Her left eye seemed to respond to her desperation and it shifted to yellow for a split second.
She whirled around, determined to search the room when the sound of plastic hitting metal reached her ears.
Ceci looked down and saw the elevator card they had used to get here.
"T- That's right! This! This should work!" Ceci said, grabbing the card. She inserted it into the lift and the door opened.
"Y- Yes! Yes! This! This should work! Come on," Cecilia said, rushing into the elevator. She hurriedly pressed the button for the top floor and it slowly began to make its way up.
Come on! Come on! Come on! she prayed.
Her gaze turned skyward. Her destination was within reach. However, she saw something that would impede on her rush to get there.
Bodies began to fall from the sky.
Honkai zombies landed around her, taking up positions to her left, right, and back.
"No! No!" she cursed.
"I'm not gonna let you get in my way!" Ceci rushed toward the zombie, grabbing it by the skull and slamming it viciously into the metal floor.
The head exploded, sending pieces of brain matter and skull fragments everywhere.
"Get out of my way!" Ceci rushed toward another one, killing it in a single blow.
A scythe-wielding Honkai zombie rushed at her unprotected back and swung its blade at her nape.
Ceci turned around, completely lost in her rage and desperation when all of a sudden, a blue fire unexpectedly erupted from her body. The vigiles was thrown back by the force; its body was riddled with spikes of ice.
"Wha-... just like Kiana," she whispered. I need to summon that fire again. Come on!
She focused hard, attempting to recreate the same aura that exploded from her body moments earlier.
However, Ceci's concentration was disrupted by the claws of another zombie. She narrowly avoided being torn open but the claw had left a shallow wound on her cheek.
"Shit, I can't… I can't just expect to instantly get new powers, can I?" Ceci said, cursing her situation.
"Still, I don't need fancy powers to take you out. I'll take you all on if you get in my way to save Mom and Dad!" Ceci roared. Her left eye turned yellow once more as she rushed forward.
A zombie ran to meet her halfway, talons splayed and ready to slice her flesh open.
However, it would never accomplish its goal.
Cecilia zoomed past it, firing her pistols multiple times in vital areas. The zombie stumbled before falling face-first, completely riddled in bullet holes.
As Ceci rounded on another zombie, the entire tower shook violently.
"What the…?" she looked up and saw rubble hurtling toward her at high speeds. She quickly backstepped, avoiding the piece of metal.
"No! No! Mom! Dad!" she felt a wave of heat wash over her as an orange light flashed in the distance.
Come on! Come on!
After a grueling three more minutes that seemed to last an eternity, Ceci reached the top floor. She did not even wait for the lift door to open. Using all of her strength, she kicked the door open, nearly tearing the metal off the frame.
She sprinted through the hallway.
There! The path to the upper level is open! Come on!
Ceci slid underneath the door as it was opening up.
And upon entering, she was met with a massive circular room. At the center, there was a massive violet light emanating from a large opening at the center. She could feel it. Normally, it was impossible to sense unless one had special inclination for it but the density of it was so great that she didn't need any special traits. Honkai Energy. There was so much of it. It made her skin tingle.
"No time. I've already wasted too much time in the basement," Ceci said, making another break for the door.
So many zombies. Some decaying. Some burned. Mom and Dad have definitely passed through here, Ceci thought as she ran down the hallway.
Please! Mom, Dad, be safe. Please don't let anything happen to them! she prayed desperately as she continued her long sprint.
Ich liebe dich! Ich liebe dich! Ich liebe dich! Ich liebe dich!
She chanted the phrase as if her life depended on it. A mantra based on some silly child's wish for her mother. However, in this moment, it was all she had to rely on. She was alone. Kiana was not here. And Kiana could not whisper those soothing, soft words in her ears.
"Come on!"
She stumbled in her steps as the tower shook. A loud crashing noise sounded out from her left as a large metal platform crashed from the floors above.
"Ghk! Dad! Mom! Don't do anything stupid!" Ceci prayed.
The trail. It stops at that door! Come on, Cecilia! One more push! she begged. Her muscles were beginning to burn from the non-stop sprint. Her lungs greedily took in every ounce of oxygen she could take in.
Her hand slammed against the control panel, rapidly pressing the button she knew would open the door. As soon as the doors opened, she was met with a sight that would burn itself into her memory.
No… No…
The metallic walls and floor of the tower switched to a charred snowfield before turning back.
Her father lay against the wall, impaled by several spears. Shamash lay on the ground. Its once mighty orange blade was now extinguished.
And her mother. The woman she had barely known for a day. She lay on the floor, blood flowing out from under her. Several cuts littered her body and the Abyss Flower lay on the floor next to her.
"Ahaha! I didn't expect them to break so easily. So much for… the Strongest Valkyrie and Knight," the Second Herrscher said, laughing as she hovered over their bodies.
Ceci's blue eyes caught a glimpse of the bottomless malice hidden within her golden orbs.
"Mom… Dad…" Ceci fell to her knees, seeing the corpses of her parents. Her vision kept changing, flickering back to the snowfield of that fateful day. "No… not again…"
Tears began to stream down the side of her face.
"Eh? What's this? Another one? Too many insects with white hair have been showing up today," the Second Herrscher said, floating toward her.
"You…" Ceci's jaw clenched. Faint blue embers flickered at her fingertips, mixing with black-violet strings of energy.
"Did you know these corpses?" the Second Herrscher asked, amused by the anger she displayed.
"My parents… you killed them," she growled.
"Your parents? Now this is funny~! Ahaha! How touching! Let me help reunite you guys!" the Second Herrscher said, raising her hand toward her. The fabric of reality warped as a black and violet orb formed at the palm of her hand.
What? No! This can't be how it ends! I won't let it!
Ceci raised her guns and prepared to open fire when the orb emitted a flash of bright violet light. Temporarily blinded, Ceci dropped her pistols and closed her eyes. When she came to, she noticed she was no longer in the upper level.
"W… What? How? Was that all just a dream?" Ceci muttered. "Are Mom and Dad still…"
Ceci's face lip up when she heard the comms cutting off. They were. They were still alive. She must have dreamed the whole thing after asking her to stay behind. Ceci balled her fists tightly. Kiana, I'll save Mom and Dad. We'll be together again, she thought.
"I have to find a different route up," Ceci said, turning around. "What if…?"
She had a hunch that she needed to confirm. That hole in one of the cells. Turning on her heels, Ceci ran back toward that specific cell and entered the room.
"That hole. Let's see what's on the other side," she said to herself as she slipped into it.
Ceci crawled through several dozen feet of small crawlspace, filled with wires and dust. She saw light up ahead and picked up her pace. She kicked off a small panel on the wall and crawled out of the opening.
"It was a vent? That little girl did manage to escape," Ceci said.
And the place she had arrived in was familiar to her. "No way, did she manage to crawl out to the labs?" she wondered. By some inexplicable twist of fate, Ceci had managed to end up back here and with time to spare.
"Let's go find Mom and Dad," she said to herself.
And so, Ceci ran down the same hallway, making her way through the same platform and arriving at the same door. She prepared herself to witness that horrific sight she had seen in her dreams, only to find a completely empty room.
"Weird. I could have sworn they were in here," Ceci said. "Could they be higher up? Whatever it is, I need to hurry."
Ceci spotted a flight of stairs and began to race up it. She needed to run faster. She wasn't going to have a repeat of what happened in her dream. Her… very hyperrealistic dream. Kiana, we're going to get our parents back, Ceci thought.
She saw a Honkai beast in front of her, flying toward her at high speed.
Ceci clenched her jaw and ran toward it, firing several shots. The shots impacted the beast, knocking it off course. With a single kick, Ceci sent it flying into one of the computer terminals, shattering it and killing the Honkai beast from sheer force alone.
"Come on…! Almost there!" Ceci said, running through an open door.
She felt a sigh of relief welling up.
Pierce marks.
Slash marks.
Bullet holes.
And there were even burn marks.
They were still alive. She was getting closer. One step closer to ending this nightmare and getting her family back.
Ceci burst through the door and saw her parents squaring off against the Second Herrscher.
"Oi, Ceci, she's gotten stronger, hasn't she?" Siegfried said, wiping a small amount of blood from his mouth.
"The two of you sure have a lot of tricks up your sleeves. As expected of human scum. Nothing but a bunch of cheaters who can't even play games fairly," the Second Herrscher said.
"Cheater? Lady, if anyone here's cheating, it's you," Siegfried said, pointing Shamash at her.
"Ziggy, are you really going to piss off a Herrscher that's trying to kill us?" Cecilia asked.
"Well, yeah," Siegfried shamelessly admitted.
Cecilia sighed and tightened her grip on Abyss Flower.
"I have to admit, you two are different from the other weaklings that I saw earlier. Alright then, let's have some actual fun then," the Second Herrscher said, gathering Honkai energy into her hands.
"Hey!"
"Hmm-!?" the Second Herrscher turned around only to receive a bullet round to the shoulder. She cried out in pain. "You-!?"
"Get away from them, you damned Second Herrscher!" Ceci roared, charging at her and releasing an onslaught of bullets.
The Second Herrscher growled and swiped the air with her hand, slicing the bullets apart along with space-time. "You filthy, insolent, cheating worm!" the Second Herrscher yelled, flying toward her.
"Mom! Now!" Ceci said, jumped back and threw her hand down.
The Second Herrscher noticed a shadow above her and was slammed into the floor by a massive cat's paw.
"You damn- aaaah!" the Second's words were cut off was she felt something pierce her side. She looked over her shoulder and saw Cecilia standing behind her with Abyss Flower stabbed into her back.
"It's over," Cecilia said.
"No! NO!" the Second Herrscher screamed and unleashed a repulsive force from her body that threw Cecilia backward.
Siegfried ran and caught her before she could hit anything, using Shamash to anchor himself to the floor and protect against the Second Herrscher's aura.
"Tch… this isn't over," the Second Herrscher said, gripping her side.
Ceci fired her pistol at the Herrscher's head. However, fate was not on her side. The bullet passed harmlessly through the air as the Second Herrscher vanished from her spot.
"She ran away," Cecilia said.
"Thank fuck for that. I need to catch my breath," Siegfried said, falling to one knee.
"By the way, Ceci.. what are you doing here? I thought we told you to stay in the safe room?" Cecilia asked, eyeing the girl.
Ceci ignored her words. Instead, she did something she never thought she would have to do. "Please! Cecilia! Siegfried! Let me fight alongside you!" she begged.
"E- Eh!? No! Ceci, go back to the safe room! It's too dangerous for you to be here!" Cecilia said, raising her voice at the girl.
"No! I need to be here! I won't hide while you two put your lives in danger! Dad always said that we have to help out and protect the people we love! I'm a warrior! I can fight too! I'm not a little girl anymore!" Ceci protested.
Cecilia fell quiet when she heard those words. How could this girl be so much like her husband? She turned to Siegfried, who had a small smile on his face.
"I guess there's nothing we can do," Siegfried said, standing up.
"Huh? Ziggy!? No! She's just a kid! I cannot condone this-"
"Ceci, it's fine. If it weren't for her, you and I wouldn't be here right now," Siegfried said. "Besides, she's right. She's not a little girl anymore. She's throwing punches with the best of them."
Cecilia bit her lip in anxiety before letting out a heavy sigh. "Very well. We'll let you accompany us. Siegfried was right. If it weren't for you, we'd be dead already. Please forgive me for locking you down there earlier," she said.
"Yeah, kiddo. You're pretty strong. It'd be nice if you fought this thing with us," Siegfried said, smiling proudly at her.
"Y- Yes! I will!" Ceci said. Those were the words she wanted to hear for a long time. A chance to fight along her parents. No, not a chance. A second try. This time, she would save them. They were going to defeat the Second Herrscher and meet with Kiana after this.
Sis, I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see me with Mom and Dad! Ceci thought excitedly.
"But… there is something we need to address before going up there," Cecilia said.
Ceci froze. Her body trembled slightly as she looked at Cecilia.
"W- What is it?" Ceci asked.
Cecilia walked over and grabbed Ceci's cheek, pinching and pulling hard.
"O-Ow! Ow! Cecilia! It hurts!" Ceci cried out, feeling her mom's iron claw on her face.
"Ceci."
"Eeep!" she shrank when she saw the smile on her mother's face. There was no happiness there, only irritation and fury.
"Ceci~. I'm only 24 years old. Stop calling me, Mom. Got it?" Cecilia asked in a menacing tone.
"Y- Yes!"
Ceci's soul left her body and was replaced by pure terror toward her mother. She remembered how her father used to tell them how effective Cecilia was at disciplining unruly valkyries under her command. She just never imagined this was how she would witness it. On that day, Ceci made a mental note never to anger her mother.
"Now…" Cecilia took her hands off Ceci's face. She began walking toward the door.
"Now?" Ceci asked, holding her reddened face.
"Well, kid. Let's go finish this," Siegfried said, flashing her a toothy grin.
Ceci's face brightened and she nodded excitedly, walking to catch up to her parents.
Okay, I lied. I need this part. The next part for the actual Herrscher fight. Then, at the end of this chapter where Fu Hua arrives- well, you all know how it went down in chapter 6 of the story. Also, remember way back when in the previous arc when Kiana fought Kriemhilde and the term Stigmata Resonance was brought up and how Kiana only felt it when she was with her dad and Ceci. Hehehe. Also, I didn't "Sirin said or Sirin threw a ball of energy" primarily because at this point, none of them should know her name... at least in this context. Anyway, there are going to be two more chapters of the arc proper and then a short short short epilogue chapter that sets up the next and final arc!