Nagazora City steadily drew nearer. They made rapid progress by focusing on their destination and stopping only when necessary. When they were not eating, sleeping, or resting, they walked, or in Bronya's case, were carried in Project Bunny's arm. No Honkai beasts or zombies had harassed them since the incident near the crater turned hot spring. Kiana and Mei voiced their relief at this, but they were confident the three of them could fend off any threat that came their way.
Bronya was speaking more since the fight near the hot spring. She talked about her preferred weapons and their respective advantages and downsides, which invariably led to intense debates with Kiana about which firearm was the most effective. Bronya asked Mei about cooking, and Mei promised to teach all she knew when they had the opportunity. By any metric, Bronya was more lively than when they first met her.
Yet Mei felt a consternation from Bronya. Something was bothering her. As they neared their destination, it seemed to worsen. Her once-emotionless face could no longer hide her discomfort.
"Bronya, are you feeling alright? Do your injuries still hurt?" Mei asked.
"Bronya - I am not in physical pain." Bronya was working on referring to herself in the first person and speaking more naturally. It was a gradual process.
"I'm glad," Mei said. "Just let us know if anything is bothering you. Anything at all. You can trust us."
Bronya continued riding on Project Bunny.
"I can't wait to get out of this dump," Kiana said. "I used to love this place, but I've gotten sick of it after wandering it for so long. Ugh, I know it isn't anyone's fault but the Honkai."
"That's why we're going to find Schicksal and join them," Mei said. "Other than Anti-Entropy, they're the only ones in the world with the means to battle the Honkai. And since Anti-Entropy doesn't have any influence here, Schicksal is our only choice."
"Schicksal…I guess we don't really have much choice…I'm not sure if I fully trust them, though." Siegfried Kaslana's views on that organization had an effect on Kiana. Even so, she did not blindly follow him. She would formulate her own views on Schicksal when she met them for herself.
Bronya held her HOMU doll closer to her chest as she listened to them. Her thoughts were in turmoil and tore her apart in different directions. She did not know if her actions were right or wrong. She still had the same mission to complete as before, but it no longer felt like the most obvious action to take. Everything she did was to save her. She owed nothing to these two strangers.
But Mei and Kiana were no longer strangers to her. They were no longer her enemies. What they were to her, Bronya did not know. Her unbreakable drive to complete her mission, no matter the cost, had been broken. She did know that she soon had a decision to make.
"Bronya," Mei said, interrupting her thoughts. "What do you plan to do when we reach Schicksal? I'm sure they'd welcome someone as strong as you."
Bronya stared in the direction in front of her. "Bronya has only one goal."
"Will you tell us what it is?" asked Kiana, noting her usage of the third person again.
"Not now."
"Alright, then," Mei sighed. "You can tell us whenever you're ready."
When the skyline of Nagazora City rose from the horizon and became visible in the distance, Kiana and Mei stopped walking and stared at it in somber silence.
"It looks the same as it always does from this far away," Mei said quietly. "But I know it will never be the same again."
Kiana took Mei's hand. "We'll be home soon. And then we'll be on our way to find a new one. We'll do this. Together."
The silent city loomed over them as they approached. No signs of life could be seen or heard from it. There would be no sounds of bustling traffic and no conversation from passing pedestrians. It was empty, lifeless.
Bronya suddenly stopped.
"Bronya?" Mei said.
"Project Bunny didn't get tired, did it?" jested Kiana.
Bronya did not look at them as she spoke in the same emotionless voice she used to have. "The two of you have been led into a trap. In less than ten seconds, a Lightning mech will fire stun rounds at your heads to capture you. Bronya suggests dropping to the ground now."
"What? Bronya, what are you - " Mei started to say before she was pushed to the ground. She was about to retaliate before she realized Kiana had thrown herself on top of her.
It was a betrayal Kiana had expected but hoped would never happen. She had never fully trusted Bronya, not when she claimed to have no memories of their fight after she attacked Mei, not even after they started to bond. Her deepest instincts had been triggered, preparing her for another fight with Bronya. She would have yelled in rage if not for her father's training.
True to Bronya's word, two bullets sliced through the space where Kiana and Mei's heads had just occupied before Kiana pushed her to the ground.
"Bronya, you little brat! You lied to us about not remembering! You've been leading us into a trap this whole time! How could you?" Kiana demanded.
"Exactly, Bronya," said a stern female voice from nearby. "Why did you warn our targets about our ambush?"
Seemingly out of thin air, a dozen massive, armoured vehicles materialized and encircled them. Their armour was dark purple, and each had a large eye where their heads would have been. Some of them bristled with artillery while the rest specialized in close-quarters combat. They were some of the finest weapons of war ever designed. Mei recognized them for what they were. Her father had taught her about the signature and favoured weapons of Anti-Entropy, the mecha suits capable of defeating Honkai beasts on their own. Inside each of them, they were controlled by a human pilot. Humans may have been frail next to the Honkai, but they were more than capable of creating weapons powerful enough to fight against it, so Mei was even more distraught to see them turned against her and her friends.
"The mechs must have disguised themselves with cloaking fields," Mei whispered. "They were following us."
"You know what they are?" Kiana asked.
Mei nodded. "Anti-Entropy."
The lead mech, larger and more powerful than the others and covered in gleaming golden armour, stepped forward. The woman's voice sounded from a hidden speaker. "Bronya, my darling. Did your brain receive more damage from X-10 than we realized? Do you even remember who you're supposed to be saving?"
Bronya stood firm beside Project Bunny. "Bronya remembers. Bronya will never forget her sacrifice. Bronya has not forgotten her mission to save her."
"Then you should also remember that capturing the Herrscher of Thunder is our only way of rescuing her. We could have captured them without any struggle, but now look at them. They're preparing to fight us now."
The woman was right. Kiana pulled out her gun as Mei readied her lance. They were surrounded and outnumbered, but despite everything, Bronya had warned them of the imminent ambush. They were only able to fight at all because of her.
"Who are you, and what do you mean to Bronya?" Mei demanded, pointing her lance directly at the lead mech.
"You don't need to know, Herrscher. All we need is your power, not you. Bronya, as your matushka, I order you to capture Raiden Mei and the Kaslana girl. She could prove useful to us as well."
"Yes, matushka. Bronya will safely secure them." She turned to them. Project Bunny raised its cannon arm.
"Bronya…you little brat…I never should have trusted you…" Kiana growled. Her anger at the betrayal grew stronger with each passing second and threatened to burst forth. She took hold of her anger and prepared to unleash it against all her enemies, Bronya being the first.
"Bronya…please…this isn't who you are. Remember who you are…you're a girl, not a weapon…" Mei pleaded with her eyes as much as her words. Bronya's were dull, lifeless, and empty.
"This is exactly who I am. I know who I am now."
"Bronya…" Mei choked back sobs until she realized something about the way Bronya spoke.
I…?…she said "I"…not "Bronya"…?
The next thing Mei heard and felt was the shockwave from one of the mechs behind them exploding. Project Bunny's cannon blast had destroyed it with a single shot.
"BRONYA! How could you?!" The woman piloting the lead mech roared in fury. "All units, prioritize the capture of Bronya Zaychik!"
The mechs moved as one, charging forward with their armoured hands outstretched. The long-ranged mechs remained in position and opened fire, but Bronya blocked the bombardment with Project Bunny's shield and returned fire, destroying all but one of them. "Stay close to me. I will protect you," Bronya told them. Kiana and Mei were in a shock by the rapid turn of events, but their fighting spirit quickly took over.
Mei lashed out with her lance at the nearest mech, puncturing a large hole in its armour and slicing off its arm. Kiana punched and kicked them with all her strength, caving in their armour and knocking them down. Then a salvo of missiles launched by the last walking artillery platform flew toward her. She dodged all but one of them, catching the last missile and throwing it back to its sender. When a mech managed to overpower and restrain Mei, her screams alerted both Kiana and Bronya, who simultaneously attacked the mech and left it a smouldering wreck.
Before long, only the lead mech remained. Mei identified it from its golden armour as a Padrino MFG, an elite model that specialized in defense. It would not fall as quickly as its defeated brethren.
"Bronya, how could you betray me? How could you betray Seele?" her matushka pleaded, her voice in clear pain. "We sacrificed so much to get here. You sacrificed everything. And for what? For these two? They mean nothing next to saving Seele! Nothing else matters except saving Seele!" The Padrino lunged forward at Bronya, but Project Bunny moved in between them and raised its shield. To the surprise of Kiana and Mei, the mech was more than a match for Bronya's seemingly invincible weapon as it grappled with Project Bunny. Project Bunny charged forward with its blade arm. The mech created a shield formed from blue light and blocked the blow before crashing its armoured fist into Project Bunny's own shield and knocking it backwards. Kiana and Mei rushed forward to help fight the mech, but it lashed out with an arm and sent them flying a long distance away. They landed painfully on the ground.
"No, matushka," Bronya calmly said as she watched the two machines locked in a life-or-death embrace. "I have not sacrificed everything. I have not sacrificed the promise I made to her. I promised her that I would never harm another person for her sake. I will never harm Mei and Kiana. I will protect them both from you."
The Padrino continued to struggle with Project Bunny until it at last gained the upper hand. It grabbed hold of its enemy and used its immense strength to tear it apart. Then Project Bunny's eyes began to flash red. It was a warning, a promise of mutual destruction. The light from its eyes flashed with an increasingly greater frequency as a high-pitched tone rang in the air.
"Bronya? Don't do this to Seele - !" Bronya's mother shouted a second before Project Bunny self-destructed with a massive explosion. Kiana and Mei covered their ears as the blast wave washed over them and sent them flying back even farther. Bronya crashed down not far from them.
And all was silent and still.
—-
Kiana made a painful groan as consciousness gradually returned to her. She carefully inspected herself for injuries and was relieved when she found none too serious. She slowly crawled to Mei's side and gingerly pressed a finger to her neck.
"Mei…" she gasped, her eyes tearing up. "You're alive…"
"Kiana?" Mei coughed several times. "I'm fine…don't worry about me…worry about Bronya instead…"
Bronya was lying on her back, unmoving. Kiana helped Mei to her feet. Together, they staggered over to Bronya. Mei cradled her head in her arms.
"Bronya…" she whispered. "Can you hear me?"
She opened her eyes. "I can hear you, Mei. And you, Kiana Idiotka."
Kiana laughed. "I'm not the idiotka who blew up her own weapon. Now you don't have a Project Bunny anymore…" Kiana's face fell. That robot was truly a useful asset to them. Its ending was not in vain. In the distance, what little remained of the Padrino mech was a motionless wreck of smouldering metal. It would never harm anyone again.
Bronya surprised them by smiling. "Project Bunny's automatic self-repair function in quantum space will return it to full operational status within an hour. Its self-destruct ability allows it to serve as a reusable bomb. Only the cans of spetsreserv beef are lost."
"That's good to know," Mei said. "I feel safe with you and Project Bunny protecting us."
"Yeah, for a moment there I thought you were going back to your old ways of attacking us again, you little bratnya, " Kiana said. She hung her head. "I was wrong about you. I'm sorry…"
"Kiana has no need to apologize."
"That mech…who was piloting it? Mei asked, staring at its remains.
Kiana recalled the woman's words. "She called herself your matushka… wait…does it mean…"
"Yes, Kiana. She is my matushka." Bronya started walking to the remains of the fallen mech. Kiana and Mei followed her. All that remained operational of the once-powerful war machine was its eyeplate. It glowed with faint, residual light and seemed to stare at them. They could still feel the malice it carried for them.
"Bronya," it said. Kiana and Mei recoiled.
"Don't worry," Bronya assured them. "None of these mechs are a threat any longer, and none of them held a human pilot. They were all controlled remotely by AE operatives. She controlled the lead Padrino. My matushka does not place herself in danger when she does not need to."
Her matushka laughed a bitter laugh. "Bronya, you know me well. But it seems I don't know you as well as I thought I did."
"You knew the person I used to be." Bronya stared directly at the eye. She knew they were being recorded by the camera inside it. "I was a living weapon. I was a machine who only knew how to kill. When I met her, I started to learn who I truly was. When I lost her, I lost myself again. Until I met Mei and Kiana. They remind me of who I truly am, and I am not your weapon to be controlled. I will not harm them nor anyone else even for Seele's sake. That is the promise I made to her, and this is another promise I am making now: I will find my own way to rescue Seele. Without you, matushka. Goodbye, Cocolia."
"Bronya…" Cocolia was crying. "I'm so proud of you, Bronya. I'm so proud of your strength, and I'm so proud that you haven't given up on Seele. You've made your decision, and you stand by it, so I'll do the same. The next time we meet, don't expect me to welcome you into my arms like a mother would. We will meet again as enemies. Maybe then you'll repent and come back to me. Maybe we'll end up killing each other just like you tried to the day we met. Either way, my darling daughter, this is our goodbye. Just know that I won't give up on Seele, either."
The last light in the eye faded and dimmed until it was no more.
Mei held Bronya in a warm, loving embrace. "Bronya…I'm sorry you had to hear that…no family should need to ever fight like this…"
"I am not," Bronya replied. "Cocolia's words were something I had to hear. I made my decision. She made hers. Whatever happens, we will face the consequences together."
"Yeah! Together!" Kiana said, joining in on the hug. "But Bronya…it's horrible that you need to fight your own mother and have her as an enemy…"
"Cocolia is not my mother. My mother is dead. Cocolia only raised me in her orphanage. I owe much to her, but I do not owe her everything." Bronya removed the miniature device from her ear that Cocolia had used to communicate with her and coordinate the doomed ambush. She showed it to them before letting it fall from her hand. She ground it to dust beneath her foot.
"Then, what about Seele?" asked Mei, staring at the remains of the device. "Seele seems like very important to both you and Cocolia. Cocolia said she needed my Herrscher of Thunder powers to save her. But you chose us over her…that must have been so hard for you…"
Bronya stiffened. "Yes. Seele is someone very important to me. I will save her one day, but not if it means hurting the two of you. Please, trust me." She did not say anything further. Mei and Kiana knew not to press the subject.
"We trust you, Bronya. How couldn't we after you saved us like that?" Mei said, smiling.
"So do I. Well, I hope you find Seele again," Kiana said. "She must be the family you were looking for. We told you that we're looking for our fathers. We know how it feels to lose your family."
"If there's anything we can do to help find her, just tell us," Mei said. "We're your family now, too."
Bronya smiled. Then she continued walking to Nagazora. "Let's keep going. We have supplies to find."
They watched her for a few seconds before following closely behind. The ruins of Nagazora were near.
"I thought we only had the Honkai as an enemy, but it looks like some people are a problem, too," Kiana grumbled.
"That's why we need Schicksal," Mei said. "Anti-Entropy may be strong, but Schicksal is stronger. A mech can't compare to a valkyrie, If we had proper training and equipment, we could defeat all of Cocolia's mechs on our own."
"I'd like that." Kiana thought again of her father's words about Schicksal.
They took everything from me. I won't rest until I rescue her from him. Nothing else matters. Nothing except for you, Kiana.
She did not know who or what he meant. She hoped to find someone in Schicksal who did.
"Bronya, I haven't thanked you yet for everything you did for us," Mei said. "So thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"I only chose the most logical option."
"Hey! You're starting to sound like a machine again! You aren't leading us into another trap, are you?" Kiana joked.
"Kiana Idiotka can come to her own conclusion."
And so they went.
As they entered Nagazora, Bronya thought of her promise.
Seele. I will save you. You are never alone. Just wait for me a little longer.
A/N: Since Bronya's first meeting with Kiana and Mei still isn't shown in HI3 canon for some reason even after all these years, I wrote my own. It's based on how they met in GGZ, which is also probably how they ultimately met in HI3 because of the final few pages of Azure Waters. Chapter 3 is based on the Road to a Hot Spring manhua. Thank you for reading.