I don't own Honkai. Mihoyo does.

"So today's the day," Kiana said, sighing as she stood in the proctor's booth. Next to her, Himeko and Theresa stood alongside the S-Rank Valkyrie, Rita Rossweiss. Today was the day of the Valkyrie Exams. An exam that every valkyrie in St. Freya High took in order to receive their promotions. There were two ways that Valkyries received promotions.

The general way that most Valkyries rose from B to A-Rank was through the Valkyrie Test. The Valkyrie Test was a series of exams that generally consisted of multiple written exams and then combat exams. Those who passed with favorable marks were promoted to the next class after careful consideration. It was implemented after the Far East Branch opened to prevent casualties, mainly reckless Valks trying to do feats that the Administration would recognize. Needless to say, it worked.

The second way that Valkyries were promoted was through merit. This was done by Schiksal High Command and is only offered to current A-Ranks. However, there were instances of a B to A jump through merit. Kiana and Fu Hua were good examples.

Though, unlike Fu Hua, Kiana was no longer a student. She graduated early.

"Do you think Cecilia passed the written exams?" Kiana asked, not even bothering to glance at Himeko.

The red head sighed and pulled out her tablet. "Judging from what I'm currently seeing… yes. But just barely. The last minute cram session with Fu Hua."

"Hmph, she might've saved your House's reputation. But the results she got last year on the standard Exam set a new low for your house," Theresa said.

"How many people from my house have actually been to this school?" Kiana asked.

"Two but your sister is setting the bar really low," Theresa said.

"Assuming that our House is going to send any of their female children over here instead of sending them directly to HQ for training," Kiana said.

"You're the House Head aren't you?" Theresa said.

"I haven't even talked to my grandparents yet. Dad had a bad relationship with them after he ran away. It got worse when Dad left after Mom died," she said.

Theresa nodded and looked out. "Looks like your sister and Mei are up against each other in Round 1."

"Huh?" Kiana looked down. She slapped her forehead. "Did you plan this or is RNGesus against her?"

"The latter. I hit random, I swear," Theresa said.

"CECILIA! DON'T GET DISTRACTED OR YOU'RE GROUNDED!" Kiana grabbed the speaker and yelled.

Cecilia smiled. Kyaaa, Mei-senpai is in this round with me~! Her spirits were high. She was going to perform at 200% today. Not only did Kiana sleep in the bed with her, Mei was here. It was turning out to be a good week despite the circumstances.

"Me-" she was cut off when she heard her sister's voice coming through the comms. Cecilia flinched and looked towards the Proctor's booth. She flipped her sister the bird and focused.

Baka-nee. I'm not going to fail! I'll become A-Rank and show you how strong I am! And since Mei-senpai is here, I need to impress her so I'll give it my 200- no 1000% effort! Cecilia clenched her fist and stood next to Mei. A flaming aura surrounded her as she pumped herself up.

"Ara, Ceci-chan. You seem excited for this," Mei said, gripping her sword. I'm not giving in. Not in front of Cecilia. I'll show her I'm strong too, Mei thought.

"That's right! Kiana is watching! You're here! It's the perfect storm to get me motivated!" Cecilia said as she readied her pistols.

"Kiana you idiotka!" the two heard Theresa wrench the mic from the older Kaslana. "Ahem, sorry about that. This is Round 1 of the exams. It is an extermination exam. Remember, this is not about winning. Your grades will depend on your performance here today so show off."

"I got this, Aunt Teri! This is going to be a piece of cake!" Cecilia said.

"I will begin the simulation now. For this exam, you'll be fighting Honkai zombies," the diminutive principal said before cutting out.

As if on cue, several Honkai zombies materialized on the battlefield.

"Remember your training, Cecilia…" Mei dashed forward and sliced the projection in half.

"Tch!" Cecilia ran forward and dodged as a scythe wielding zombie swung. She opened fire landing two bullets in its skull. Turning quickly on her left heel, Cecilia delivered a devastating kick to the other zombie's neck. The zombie flew across the arena and landed on its back, dematerializing.

"Kiana-san. Your sister appears to be more impressive than she appears," Rita said, placing her hand on her chin. Her eyes had a gleam that Kiana did not find comforting at all.

"Of course," Kiana said. "She is a Kaslana. It is only natural that her combat skills are this amazing."

"Neko…" Cecilia jumped forward and kicked, sending a massive cat paw into a group of zombies. "CHARM!"

"I'm not going to lose out to Kiana," Mei said. She sheathed her blade and closed her eyes. Concentrate. Remember the principles of Iaido and Itto-ryu, Mei thought. She sharpened her senses, hearing the footsteps of the zombies around her. In one fluid motion, Mei drew her blade and then sheathed it. She opened her eyes. All the zombies around her were scattered in a myriad of body parts.

"Haaah!" Mei turned when she saw a zombie fall down, a bullet in their head. She smiled and panted a little, a bead of sweat trailing down her forehead.

"Wow, Ceci. You've really put your all into this," Mei said.

"It's because Mei-senpai is here that I decided to go all out! You're seeing a Cecilia Kaslana working at 1000% capacity!" Cecilia flexed a little in front of Mei. Through her comms, she heard her sister slap her forehead.

"Alright fighters! That's time! Please return to your seats while we prepare the next round!" Himeko announced.

Cecilia and Mei smiled as they walked back to the arena seats.

"So Kiana? What did you think? Did Cecilia pass?" Himeko asked.

"You're asking me, an extremely biased source, if my sister passed?" Kiana raised an eyebrow. "Are you drunk?"

"W- What!?" Himeko sputtered. "N- No! I'm just asking for your opinion!"

"Well, obviously. All those training sessions where I beat her into the ground paid off after all."

Rita and Theresa watched with a slight deadpan as Kiana's nose grew five inches due to her newly perceived arrogance.

"The pride for your sister is radiating like sunlight you know," Theresa said.

"I have every reason to be proud of her! She really grew into her name just like Dad said she would." Kiana nodded while nodding her head in approval.

"The next round is an endurance round," Theresa said.

"So who is she fighting?" Kiana asked, looking down at the arena.

"Bronya Zaychik," Theresa said.

Kiana crossed her arms and looked out the window. Mei… well, Mei against Cecilia was a bad matchup due to Ceci's hesitation but she got over it. Bronya and Ceci? Between the two, Bronya is the better fighter but Cecilia hits harder. Since Theresa said that this was an endurance round, I guess it's whoever hits the ground first…

Kiana watched as the second round began.

Cecilia was being more careful this time around. It appeared that she learned her lesson the first time regarding Bronya. Rushing in was not something she could do.

Project Bunny was Bronya's floating mech. The thing could be stored in a quantum cage, allowing it to completely dematerialize and re-materialize at Bronya's mental command.

Cecilia warily eyed the cannons. Taking a deep breath, she strafed Bronya, firing her pistols at her. The rounds inside were not the ones designed to kill. The bullets had been replaced with something similar to a BB gun. In short, getting hit would likely leave a nasty bruise.

Bronya anticipated the shots and dodged to the left. She raised her hand and fired a laser at Cecilia.

Cecilia rolled out of the way before running in towards the smaller Russian Girl.

"I'm not letting the same thing happen like last time, Bratnya!" Cecilia said, landing a kick on Bronya's torso.

Bronya gasped before grabbing Kiana's leg and throwing her.

"Wrong. The Bronya shall defeat Subject Cecilia," the smaller girl said. She commanded Project Bunny to fire more and more lasers at Cecilia.

Cecilia jumped and rolled out of the way, running around the arena. She fired more bullets at her.

Bronya raised the arm of Bunny, allowing the bullets to harmlessly bounce off its tough metal exterior. The mech turned and pointed its cannon at Cecilia, firing another laser shot.

Cecilia barely dodged, wincing as the laser nicked her arm. She looked down and saw a small burn mark located on her upper bicep.

"Tch!" Cecilia ran, avoiding the shots. If she allowed this to continue, Bronya would gain complete control of the flow of combat. She closed her eyes and dodged.

"Remember, Ceci, combat is more than just beating your opponent down with your fists," Kiana said, placing her hands on her hips.

Cecilia panted as she looked down at the ground. Sweat poured in drivets down her face as she stood on all fours. Her sister was many things. A kind woman. A siscon… sort of. And most of all, Kiana was a sadistic teacher. She had no problem beating down her cute little sister in the most brutal and humiliating way possible.

"What? Then what the hell did you just do?" Cecilia said, panting in between words.

"I took control of the flow of combat. When you fight a living thing, there is a flow to fighting. Didn't you feel it?" Kiana asked, helping her up.

Cecilia nodded, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"What I did was control that flow. I lead you to hit in places I know would expose your blind spots and lower your defenses," Kiana said.

"How… do… I… do it?" Cecilia asked.

"Everyone is different. Since you're more of a charge in without asking questions, it's rather easy to goad you on," Kiana said.

"Baka-neee!"

"Right, right. Everyone is different as I've said before. You have to analyze and read your opponent during combat to see if they have…"

"Any weaknesses…" Cecilia's eyes widened. That's it! Cecilia ran straight towards Bronya, surprising the young girl.

Bronya raised her arm and fired another laser at her. Cecilia dodged, before jumping right towards Bronya's face. The girl raised her arms, causing Project Bunny to block.

However, that was a feint. Instead, Cecilia slid underneath the floating Bronya. Since Project Bunny's arms were preoccupied defending Bronya's face and upper body, the mech never had a chance to react as Cecilia slid under the two and fired shots into Bronya's torso.

Cecilia quickly got to her feet and jumped back.

Bronya stumbled and slowly turned. The girl was gripping her torso, no doubt having broken something. These bullets might not be real but the pellets inside them was fired at the same speed. Cecilia surmised that Bronya must've cracked a few ribs in that onslaught.

"Ready to surrender, Bratnya?" Cecilia asked, pointing her pistols at her.

"I…" Bronya winced when she felt the pain throb. This would affect her performance and she knew it. Bronya bit her lip and fired a laser.

Cecilia's eyes widened as she dodged.

"The Bronya shall not know defeat today. Not from Subject Idiotka," she said.

"... Fine then! Have it your way!" Cecilia ran towards Bronya, dodging laser after laser. She fired both her pistols at once.

Bronya blocked the pellets with Project Bunny. Cecilia jumped on Bunny's arms, using it as a launch pad and threw herself into the air. She raised her leg above her head and kicked down.

A massive cat's paw projected itself from a circle and crashed into Project Bunny's arms. Bronya winced as she slid back.

Subject Cecilia's hits are heavy, she thought as she felt another one hit. And another, and another. Cecilia just sent paw after paw.

Bronya would not last any longer like this. Her eyes widened when she felt Bunny's arms give in. The cat's paw slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

The buzzer rang, signifying the end of their match.

"Victor, Cecilia!"

"Looks like I beat you, Bronya," Cecilia said, panting.

"The Bronya was still not operating at 100% efficiency, allowing subject Cecilia to defeat her. My calculations say that would not have happened under normal circumstances," Bronya said.

"Really, you're blaming the ping?" Cecilia gave her a deadpan look.

"..." Bronya chose not to answer as the two girls left the arena.

"So, do you know who I'm up against next?" Cecilia asked, running up to her.

"Based on the scores, the Bronya predicts that Cecilia shall be up against Class Rep in the third round," she said.

"E- Eh!? Class Rep!?" Cecilia's face went a few shades paler. Aside from her older sister, Fu Hua was one of the few people Cecilia was afraid of in a fight. Fu Hua, despite being their age, had an immense knowledge of martial arts and was considered to be extremely skilled.

Kiana mentioned that Fu Hua was holding back a majority of her actual strength and wished to test an unrestricted version of her.

Kiana is such a battle nut, Cecilia thought as she walked with Bronya to the stands.

"Mei-neesama is next," Bronya said.

"I know. That's why we're going to go watch," Cecilia said.

"Ceci!"

"Huh?" she turned around at the mention of her name. Kiana ran up to her and hugged her tightly. Bronya watched on emotionlessly as Cecilia's face slowly began to turn red out of embarrassment.

"Kiana… can you let go now?" Cecilia said, feeling the airflow beginning to cut off.

Kiana pulled away and smiled. She raised her hand and ruffled her sister's hair. "Good job on making it. Theres and Himeko have kept me updated on your scores. You're in a favorable position to probably graduate and become an A-Rank if your performance in the last two rounds is good," Kiana said.

"R- Really! B- But I'm…" Cecilia's excitement suddenly died. Her next opponent could put it all down for her.

"I know but… you're not graded on whether or not you win. Remember, this grade is based on your performance not victory," Kiana said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Kiana! We need you back up here! Don't feed Cecilia answers!"

Kiana sighed when she heard Theresa's voice over the comm link. "Fine fine. I need to get back to the Proctor's Box. I'll see you again when this is all done."

"Right! And uh, Kiana…, I'll make you proud." Cecilia looked at her with a determined expression on her face.

"You don't need to. I'm already proud of you. No matter what, I'll always be by your side. Remember that," Kiana said, walking away.

Cecilia stood steadfast as she stared her opponent down. Her gray-haired, glasses-wearing monster of an opponent. It took all her willpower not to chuckle nervously. Seriously, this is grating against my nerves, Cecilia thought.

"Greetings Cecilia. I'm pleased to have you as an adversary," Fu Hua said, standing across from her.

"Um… Fu… Fu Hua," Cecilia said, nervously rubbing the back of her head.

"What is it, Cecilia? Is there something you wish to talk about before the spar starts?" Fu Hua asked.

"..." Cecilia fidgeted with her fingers as she tried to calm her nerves.

"True intents are hidden beneath the skin," her opponent said. "But release your mental burdens, and direct your focus on the fight ahead. Your distractions will only work to keep victory out of your reach."

Cecilia's face changed, becoming slightly confused. What?

"In truth, I have always admired you, Cecilia. Your energetic spirit and optimism are inspiring," the Class Representative said with a smile. "You are an outstanding Valkyrie, Cecilia. I am pleased to be able to spar with you."

"F- Fine! I get it! I don't care if I win! Baka-nee said that this match is based on performance so I'll give it my all!" Cecilia said, gripping her pistols tightly. "But Class Rep, you talk like an adult, even more so than my older sister. Can't you dial that back a little? We're high school students, not an old maid like Aunt Teri or Aunt Himeko."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU BRAT!?" Cecilia winced when she heard Himeko's voice rip through her comms.

"Eheheh… regardless, the fight is about to begin so ready yourself, Cecilia."

"Y- Yeah! I'm ready! I'm a member of House Kaslana and we never back down!" Cecilia said, preparing to fight.

In the blink of an eye, Fu Hua's fist flew past Cecilia's face. The girl had avoided it barely. The breadth of a strand of hair separated Fu Hua's fist from Cecilia's face.

The girl forgoed any hope of ranged combat. Any attempt to do so would be futile considering how fast the class representative was. She jumped back before performing a roundhouse kick on Fu Hua.

Fu Hua raised her left arm to block it. She pushed Cecilia back. Fu Hua then tried to kick Cecilia in the face, only for Cecilia to dodge once more.

Oh? She's getting better and better. Kevin, your descendants are growing stronger each generation… especially, Fu Hua's mind flew towards the white-haired Valkyrie in the Proctor's booth. She shook her head as she concentrated on the fight. Of course, Fu Hua held back. There was no possible way that she would go all out against Cecilia, a Valkyrie who was leagues below her in actual strength.

Cecilia gritted her teeth as she blocked one of Fu Hua's attacks. She bit her cheek and tried not to scream in pain. Just blocking a punch was enough to cause this much pain.

Class Rep's hits are so heavy! I thought she broke my arm for a second! Cecilia thought.

"Haaa!" Cecilia pushed her back with all her strength. She ran in, dodging a punch from Fu Hua before landing a punch of her own on the Class Representative's torso. It felt good to be able to fight an A-Rank Valkyrie that she could hit. She never hit her sister once as far as she could remember. At least, not once where Kiana allowed her to land a blow.

Fu Hua slid back, surprised by the force her punch generated. She smiled and gestured for Cecilia to come at her.

Cecilia was more than happy to oblige. Running in, the young Kaslana heiress unleashed a volley of kicks at Fu Hua. Fu Hua dodged and blocked every single blow before countering with a powerful palm strike to Cecilia's torso.

Cecilia felt the air get knocked out of her as she flew back and slid across the arena.

"I won't go down…" Cecilia grunted as she got to her feet. She charged towards Fu Hua.

Fu Hua threw the punch that she intended to use to take Cecilia down. However, in that instant, Fu Hua's eyes widened as Cecilia's eyes flickered. It was almost as if it inexplicably changed color for a split second. The distraction was enough for her to be taken by surprise as Cecilia landed a nasty uppercut on her jaw.

Despite having more combat experience, the punch hurt. Fu Hua flew into the air before she righted herself and landed on the ground. Absentmindedly rubbing her jaw, she got to her feet.

"It seems that you've improved, Cecilia," Fu Hua said.

"Yeah, I feel like energy is rushing through my body! I'm performing at 1000% capacity today!" she said, clenching her fist. Cecilia tried not to buckle. That hit from Fu Hua was enough to knock her unconscious but she hung on through sheer force of will.

Fu Hua smiled and dusted herself off. "Well, that is it for this round. It was a pleasure to spar with you," she said.

"H- Hey wait! You're stopping here?" Cecilia almost fell to the ground in shock.

"Of course. They never said we had to win remember?" Fu Hua reminded her.

"B- But!" Cecilia sighed. The Class Rep's eyes were dead set on ending this match now. She could do nothing but sigh. Why did she end the match there? She thought as Fu Hua walked off the arena.

Cecilia walked dejectedly into the arena seats, taking her seat next to Mei. Her spar with Fu Hua had just been getting interesting but the Class Rep ended the match there. She should be grateful. Any longer and she would've collapsed due to pain.

"What's wrong, Ceci-chan?" Mei asked.

"I feel like Class Rep and Baka-Nee are going easy on me from time to time. I thought Class Rep would take me seriously but…" she trailed off.

"I don't think Class Representative was holding out on you at all. I think she was just satisfied with how the fight went and stopped there," Mei said.

"Can I have your attention please!"

The two stopped talking. Theresa and a Valkyrie that Cecilia did not recognize appeared in the arena.

"Wow! She's so graceful!"

"She's so pretty!"

"Who is she?"

Mei and Cecilia looked ahead as their fellow Valkyrie students admired the newcomer.

"Before we begin the recess break, I'd like to introduce someone. This is Rita Rossweiss. She's an S-Rank Valkyrie from HQ and is here to observe the Valkyrie exams," Theresa said.

"Excuse me, Lady Theresa. I have to say that your students are an impressive lot," Rita said.

Cecilia puffed up in pride at her statement while Mei and Bronya remained silent.

"If you don't mind, I'd like sharing a few moves with them myself," Rita said.

"Sharing a few moves?" Theresa quirked an eyebrow, wondering what the Maid had in mind.

"Several of your Valkyries performed most admirably. I was simply asking for a chance to spar with one of them," Rita said.

"Huh? Alright… Everyone, let's welcome Miss Rita. She will be demonstrating to us a few combat moves. So, Rita," Theresa said. "Who will be the lucky student to trade blows with an S-Rank?"

Rita remained silent as she eyed the crowd. Her eyes drifted to the Proctor's Booth. As much as she wanted to, she didn't want to get injured just to test the might of the Kaslana Head. Despite being just an A-Rank, Kiana's feats reached the ears of HQ and the Lord Overseer concluded that this girl was well on the way to rivaling her parents in sheer strength.

And with that thought in mind, Rita decided to go with someone else. If she could not fight the Kaslana Head, why not fight the heiress?

"Um, what about that silver-haired girl? What's her name?" Rita feigned stupidity as she squinted to read her name. "Cecilia Kaslana."

"Eh? Cecilia? Why her?" Theresa asked.

Rita's eyes drifted up to the stands, where she saw Kiana's eyes raining glares of death down on her. A sheer cold ran down her spine. In spite of this, Rita pushed through. She had faced death before. Death by a Kaslana wouldn't be new as death via Honkai.

"Well, she is a Kaslana," Rita said as if that reason was the most valid reason in existence.

"You do realize…" Theresa gestured to the woman up in the Proctor's Booth.

"I am aware but this is merely a friendly spar. I will not do anything to incur the wrath of the Family Head," Rita said.

"Well then… come down! Cecilia Kaslana! You have been selected to spar with Miss Rossweiss!" Theresa announced.

"Eh? Me?" Cecilia looked surprised. She turned to Mei and Bronya, who all urged her to go down.

She sighed and walked down the arena steps, making her way to the center. Cecilia gauged the Valkyrie Maid. She doesn't look that special. She looks kinda dainty to be honest but still. Kiana said that looks can be deceiving, she thought.

"Cecilia, you will be sparring with Miss Rossweiss," Theresa said.

"I know that… but sparring with someone from HQ? What fight are we even going to do?" she asked.

"We will do a Speedrun," Rita said.

"A speedrun? Like a video game?" she asked.

"No. A speedrun is when you two will compete to see who can defeat the most generated Honkai beasts within one minute. Is this fine with you?" Theresa said.

"Yeah! Bring it!" Cecilia said.

"Very well then." Theresa walked to the edge of the arena while Rita and Cecilia stared each other down.

"Ready!" she raised her hand into the air.

Cecilia brandished her pistols while Rita summoned her weapon, a silver scythe. The scythe had a rose located at the top where the blade was located. Running alongside the shaft was a vine with red thorns. It was a wicked weapon whose very design appeared as if it was meant to shower its foes with rose petals upon death.

"I wish you luck, Miss Kaslana," Rita said. She smiled politely.

"Thanks! But I don't think I need it! I'll show HQ what I got," Cecilia said.

"GO!"

And with that, the two rushed in as multiple Honkai beasts spawned in the arena.