The double doors of St. Freya's medical wing swung open. The medical staff that worked there had expected a slow day so such an event took them by surprise. What was even more surprising was that their headmaster was barking orders at the physicians who had happened upon her path.
Kriemhilde and Himeko wheeled in three people in rudimentary folding gurneys that had come standard with every ship.
The medical staff immediately got to work, seeing the state of the three bodies that lay inside the beds were in. Nurses and doctors were beginning their assessments, taking note of their vital signs and bodily symptoms. A crash cart was wheeled in and an oxygen mask was attached to Bronya after she was deemed capable of breathing on her own.
Cecilia stood helplessly to the side, watching as several medical staff began attaching wires to her unresponsive, unconscious older sister.
The entire ride back from Nagazora had been hell for her. She did not leave Kiana's side for one second.
Her eyes watched a doctor reading the cardiac monitor.
"Is Miss Zaychik stable?" he asked.
"Yes," a nurse responded, noting down Bronya's vital signs.
"Blood pressure is normal. Heart rate is a little low but overall she hasn't dipped below 60. She's satting normally as well. I don't think we need to put a nonrebreather mask on her but I recommend we keep it on just in case," the nurse said.
"Yeah. For now, keep the non-rebreather on with 4 liters of oxygen," the doctor said.
"And doctor, Miss Gunhildr is," the nurse continued.
"Ceci. We shouldn't-"
Cecilia brushed Mei's words off and took a step forward to one of the doctors.
"How… How is my sister?" she asked.
The doctor glanced at her, breaking her conversation with Theresa.
"Ceci, you should go back," Theresa said.
"No, Kiana is here. I'm not going to leave-"
"Doc! She's crashing! We're losing Miss Kaslana!" the nurse said.
The doctor stopped what she was doing and rushed over to Kiana's bed.
"What? What's going on?" Cecilia asked, moving to follow. However, her movement was halted when Theresa grabbed her arm.
"No. You'll only get in their way, Ceci!" Theresa said.
"No! Kiana needs me-" her eyes widened when she turned around and saw several nurses rushing to her sister's gurney. One of them carried a mask with a large squeezable bag and attached it around Kiana's mouth and nose.
"Kiana? Sis! What's going on!?" Cecilia tried to break through the crowd, failing to break free from Theresa's grip.
"Kriemhilde! Himeko! Get Cecilia out of here!" Theresa yelled.
Himeko reached out to place a hand on Cecilia's shoulder.
"Ceci, we really need to let them-"
"No! I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's happening to Kiana!" Cecilia yelled.
She struggled against the strength of her aunt and teacher, fighting to break through the crowd to see what was happening to her older sister. The sounds of nurses rushing and doctors giving orders, all while crowding around her older sister specifically, was beginning to send her into a blind panic.
"Someone establish IV access on her and pull 1 milligram of Epi now!" the doctor yelled.
When the crowd broke momentarily, Cecilia's eyes widened in sheer unbridled terror. Her older sister's clothes had been broken and she saw them performing CPR on her older sister. Her eyes saw the monitor, which was attached to her older sister, showing a mocking flat line.
She began to breathe rapidly. Images of a nightmare she had long forgotten swam their way to the surface of her mind. Her surroundings shifted for all but an instant, but that instant was enough to burn itself into her mind.
Flames. A field of snow around them. Everything was burning and freezing at once and white lances dotted the battlefield and there in front of her lay her older sister, impaled by several of them.
She let out a bloodcurdling wail that surprised everyone in the room.
"Kiana! Kiana, no! Let me go!" she struggled.
Her eyes flashed yellow momentarily and a burst of Honkai energy ripped through her body, repelling Theresa and Himeko momentarily.
Cecilia rushed forward, trying to break through the nurses and doctors in an attempt to get to her older sister. However, before she could reach them, a pair of arms wrapped around her, placing her in a tight grip.
"NO! KIANA! What's happening? Kiana! KIANA!" Tears began to stream down her face.
"Ceci! No!" Kriemhilde said, holding her back.
"Let me go! I need to help her!" she snarled, glaring at her aunt.
Theresa walked over and chopped Cecilia on the neck with her hand.
In an instant, Cecilia felt her world beginning to swim. Darkness quickly flooded her vision as she weakly reached out toward her older sister before unconsciousness claimed her.
She went limp in Kriemhilde's arms, ceasing her struggles.
"Did you really have to do that?" Kriemhilde asked.
"She was going to interrupt them. Take Cecilia and Mei back to their dorms. Both of you. I'll stay here and remain with Kiana and Bronya until they're stable. And… we have a lot to talk about after this, Kriemhilde. Specifically what happened to our niece," Theresa said with an edge in her voice.
Kriemhilde narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying I had something to do with Kiana's state?"
"No. But… you're the only one with answers. Siegfried was the same when he raided Schicksal all those years ago and you were in that form Kiana took as well. And you're the only one now that's aware of Kiana's past so I want answers. This girl barely told me anything when I found her," Theresa said. Her blue eyes tiredly and worriedly gazed upon her niece, who was currently being resuscitated.
Kriemhilde nodded.
"Principal, is Kiana going to be alright?" Mei asked.
Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah… she will be. Cardiac arrest isn't strong enough to kill this girl. She's too tough for that. Tell Ceci that she can visit her sister after she decides to calm down."
Himeko smiled at Mei. "Do you remember how Kiana protected all three of you when you were running away during the Nagazora Outbreak? Have a little more faith in her."
Mei clenched her fists tightly and looked down at her best friend's older sister. Kiana needed to live. Not just for Cecilia's sake but for her and Bronya's as well. In the time that they had known each other, Mei had truly looked up to the girl, despite being older. She wasn't just Cecilia's older sister, she was Mei's as well.
"Mei, take care of Cecilia for now. We got it from here," Himeko said.
Mei nodded.
"Ready?" Kriemhilde asked.
She nodded silently and the two left the medical wing with an unconscious Cecilia in tow.
Theresa sat in the chair of her office, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Kiana had been stabilized. The doctors had achieved return of spontaneous circulation after Cecilia had been removed from the room.
"Want some?" Himeko asked, offering her a can from her six-pack.
Theresa said nothing and grabbed the can from the busty redhead. She popped it open and instantly downed the can, not caring about the display she had put on. Theresa slammed the can down on her desk, causing splinters to fly from her massive physical strength.
"What a mess. I can hardly call this mission a success. We have two critically injured and one who almost died on us," Theresa said, shivering.
The image of her niece receiving CPR was bringing back unpleasant memories. Memories of… Theresa shook her head as if to shake a fog that had set in.
"The doctors said Bronya will be okay. It's Kiana and Wendy we have to worry about," Theresa said.
A knock on her door interrupted her before she could go any further.
"Come in," Theresa said.
Kriemhilde slowly opened the door and walked inside. Her face was haggard and tired. Her usually neat hair was now frazzled. She lumbered over to one of the chairs and collapsed unceremoniously inside it.
Himeko offered her a can which Kriemhilde grabbed and downed in one gulp.
"How is she?" Kriemhilde asked after a few seconds of silence.
"They managed to get her heart pumping again. Right now, Kiana's in critical condition despite not suffering as many injuries as Wendy and Bronya. All three are in a coma, though we've had more luck rousing Wendy from it but she keeps falling back into a deep sleep," Theresa said.
"I see. Thank you," she said.
"She's my niece too," Theresa said.
"This is all my fault," Kriemhilde said. "If only I had taken them in after Kiana showed up at the family manor. If only I knew what happened back then when Siegfried suddenly raided Schicksal. Kiana might not be-"
"There's no point dwelling on the past. Both of us have made our fair share of mistakes when it came to those two," Theresa said. "I also regret not doing more or at least looking for them. I owed Cecilia that much after she died and now her daughters are all grown up."
Kriemhilde and Theresa fell into a silence. The air grew heavier with each passing moment until Himeko opened her mouth.
"There's something rather curious about this whole situation. Kiana acted like she knew where everything was. Cocolia called her an old comrade, didn't she?" Himeko said.
Kriemhilde sighed and placed her empty can down. She had been sipping it as a sort of comfort measure. She raised her hand and Himeko threw her another can. "Cocolia referred to her as the White Death and that she was involved with what happened to Raiden Mei in Nagazora two years ago."
"The White Death… to think that Kiana was her," Theresa said. "That explains a lot…"
"Principal, if I may, who is the White Death?" Himeko asked.
"The White Death was a moniker used by a mercenary that originated from Siberia about 6 years ago. She quickly became very feared for leaving a trail of scorched bodies and had an impeccable track record. Word of her got around everywhere and Grandpa kept a close eye on her but could never get anything more since she stayed away from heavily populated areas. Rumor has it that she accepted an offer to join Anti-Entropy but I never would have guessed it was Kiana. But it explains a lot of things we saw during that operation like Kiana's intimate knowledge of Cocolia's tactics and the projects she was running down in that facility," Theresa said.
"I would have also never guessed that my own niece played a role in the destruction of Nagazora two years ago but here we are with the revelation that Kiana was involved in Mei's transformation into a Herrscher," Theresa said, downing half the bottle in one go.
"You didn't know?" Kriemhilde asked.
"No, Kiana kept many secrets. Things she didn't even tell her younger sister or me for that matter. Though she did tell me a few things but this was never one of them," Theresa said, opening her drawer and pulling out a liter bottle of bittermelon juice. "She especially never told me about that form she took during that battle."
"That's because she never could. At least, not completely… until our fight in New Zealand," Kriemhilde said.
"Wait? What? That was you?" Himeko asked.
"It wasn't all me. The process was started by Siegfried via Stigmata Resonance. I just finished it," she replied.
"That form. I assume that's the same form Siegfried took when he raided Schicksal to rescue the girls, wasn't it?" Theresa said.
She remembered that day clearly. The day her dear friend turned into a mad beast and dealt a crippling blow to one of the labs, leaving a trail of flames, ice, and despair in his wake. She closed her eyes.
"Mmm. A form we acquired during the Second Eruption with the help of Anti-Entropy in order to combat the Second Herrscher. The hidden power of the Kaslana Clan," Kriemhilde said. "If she hadn't used it, then Kiana wouldn't be here right now."
"She almost died on that table," Himeko argued. She directed a fierce, blazing glare at the Kaslana elder.
Kriemhilde continued on, unperturbed by Himeko's glare.
"If she did, at least we'd have a body to bury… unlike with…" she trailed off.
Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing where she was going with this. Despite not knowing anything of what Kriemhilde had just said, Theresa understood the other thing her old friend was referring to.
The ultimate weapon of the Kaslana's. The trump card of the legendary Key of Destruction, the Judgement of Shamash.
The Might of An-Utu. The primed form of the weapon and a power capable of vaporizing an entire city as vast as New York or Tokyo in one go. However, it came with a steep price. No wielder had ever survived using its full powers until Siegfried and Kiana. Though, it appeared that even without that, Kiana had suffered an immense backlash.
Though from what exactly? Theresa wondered.
"Kiana's new abilities already took a massive strain on her body. Mastering the powers of a MANTIS was something that Siegfried and I had a difficult time doing," Kriemhilde added.
"MANTIS?" Himeko asked.
Theresa raised an eyebrow. MANTIS. That term was foreign to her yet not at the same time. Despite her memories, she could not figure out where she heard the term from.
"In simpler terms, it is a word referring to people who have been infused with the genes of Honkai Beasts, granting them immense powers. Our house has always been one like that… which we found out during the Second Eruption. The form itself is a double-edged sword. A power that gnaws away at the mind and body and combined with Utu, then…"
"I see. This is the result of Kiana's current state," Theresa finished.
Kriemhilde nodded. "Though, she should be better at controlling it. The Zeroth Power of the Judgement of Shamash must have been too much for her to handle and placed too much stress on her body."
"That idiot. She's just like her father," Theresa sighed.
"So what now?" Himeko asked.
"Now? Well, now we fix these girls," Theresa said, finishing the bottle of the bittermelon juice. She slammed it down on her desk and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "I'm going to head down to the data archives in the basement to see if I can find anything about Bronya's biochip and about this… MANTIS that you mentioned in the archives. What about you, Kriemhilde?"
"I have to return to HQ and back to the house. No doubt word of me being out longer than intended is going to make Otto suspicious," Kriemhilde said.
"Mm, leave grandpa to me. Just don't mention anything about Nagazora to him or in your report. I'll handle the rest," Theresa said.
"Principal, that's a little…"
"Himeko, you're the last person who can tell me what I'm doing is underhanded considering how many times I see you sneaking alcohol into your classroom," Theresa said, cutting her off.
"This and that are different, Principal. Do you think you can keep the Overseer fooled forever?" Himeko asked.
"Of course not, but it's not like Grandfather will do anything. Once he realizes that Wendy no longer has any overall value, then he'll drop the matter," Theresa said.
"Well, then. Theresa, take care of our nieces, and before I go… I need to ask you something," Kriemhilde said. She glanced over to Himeko. "In private."
Himeko narrowed her eyes at Kriemhilde before glancing over to Theresa.
"Himeko, go check on Cecilia and Mei. I'll be fine," Theresa said.
"But Principal-"
Theresa waved her hand, silencing the red-headed woman.
Himeko sighed and got up from her chair. She stole one last glance from Kriemhilde before leaving the room.
"So? What is it that you wanted to talk to me about so badly that you had me kick her out?" Theresa said, leaning back in her chair.
Kriemhilde crossed her arms and legs. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.
In an instant, Theresa saw an image of Siegfried overlap with Kriemhilde's body. They were truly siblings. Despite their differing personalities, their mannerisms were so similar that it was uncanny.
"Theresa."
She blinked when she saw Kriemhilde giving her an odd look.
"Right, so?" Theresa asked.
"I wanted to ask about Kiana and Cecilia," she said.
"What about them?" Theresa asked, wondering what she wanted to know. "Is this about when their birthday is or what they want for their birthday? Or do you want me to send you a data file of all their embarrassing moments since coming here?"
"No, though I'd love to see it some other time. I'm here about one thing that I've been finding strange ever since I saw them again. Kiana and Cecilia… is Ceci… is she Brother and Cecilia's daughter?" Kriemhilde asked.
Theresa's eyes widened and she choked on her spit. She began coughing violently, causing Kriemhilde to quickly get up from her chair to support her.
"Are you alright?" Kriemhilde asked worriedly.
"I should be… asking you that same question," she replied in between coughs.
"Theresa…"
"Ceci is Siegfried and Cecilia's daughter. The two are-"
"Twins? Don't make me laugh, Theresa. You and I were both there the day Kiana was born. And I remember for a fact… no, I know for a fact that Siegfried and Cecilia never had twins," Kriemhilde said.
Theresa almost wanted to curse. She let out a tired sigh. "It took you how long to figure this out?"
"When I was visiting Siegfried's grave in Siberia, I ran into the two for the first time. Cecilia and Siegfried loved each other two much to even have an extramarital affair so I figured that Ceci being the product of that was highly unlikely. Cecilia being pregnant with her was also unlikely considering Cecilia died during the Second Eruption. So… tell me, Theresa, who is Cecilia Kaslana?" Kriemhilde asked.
"I… You might want to have a seat," Theresa said, gesturing to the chair.
Kriemhilde walked over and sat down. When Theresa opened her mouth and explained the situation, Kriemhilde's eyes widened considerably and her hand broke the arm of the chair.
Cecilia's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was met with the familiar star-decorated ceiling of her bedroom. A mild headache throbbed in her skull as she sat up, orienting herself to her current surroundings.
"Why… Why am I…!?" memories of what happened slowly began making their way to the forefront of her mind. Cecilia threw her covers off and violently opened the door to her room. She quickly ran to her older sister's room, hoping against all hope that what she had witnessed was nothing more than a sickening nightmare.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she was met with the sight of an empty bedroom. A pit began to form in her stomach as she turned on the balls of her feet and rushed down the stairs.
"Mmm? Ceci, you're awake-" Mei was cut off as Cecilia grabbed her shoulders.
With a desperate gleam in her eyes, Cecilia brought Mei closer to her. "Kiana! W- Where is she?"
Mei's face fell and she looked away. She didn't have the heart to answer Cecilia when she was like this.
"Kiana is in the medical wing. She's being looked after right now."
The two turned around and saw Himeko opening the door to their dorm. The two could smell the faint scent of alcohol all over her. She had clearly drunk a few cans considering how many of them had been removed from the pack. Himeko tossed the cans onto the couch before making her way over to it and sat down.
"Kiana… is she…?" Mei asked.
"Kiana is fine. The doctors managed to bring her back after she went into cardiac arrest. But… the problem is she's not waking up," Himeko said.
"Cardiac… arrest?" Cecilia stumbled back out of shock.
Himeko's words replayed themselves over and over again in her mind. Her sister wouldn't wake up after her heart was restarted. She refused to accept it. Kiana was fine. There was nothing in this world that could defeat her older sister. Cecilia firmly believed this with every fiber of her being.
Kiana was just sleeping, she thought.
Cecilia took a step forward and made her way to the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" Himeko asked.
"Ceci…?" Mei asked.
"Kiana. Which room is she in?" Cecilia asked.
Himeko remained silent and turned around to face Cecilia. "You should be getting some rest instead of going down to the med bay. The doctors are still monitoring your sister and it will be some time before she wakes up."
"I don't care about that. Just tell me what room she's in," Cecilia snapped.
Himeko stared at her student for a few seconds before sighing. "She's in Room 2 of the Intensive Care Unit. And Cecilia… don't do anything stupid."
Cecilia nodded. She opened the door and left the dorm.
"W- Wait! Ceci!" Mei rushed out the door after her, leaving Himeko alone inside the dorm.
"Ceci, wait!"
Cecilia barely heard Mei calling after her. She needed to get there. She needed to see Kiana. She took off in a headlong sprint down the path, shoving aside and earning angry remarks from Valkyrie hopefuls that passed her by. Cecilia dodged, weaved, and jumped her way over every obstacle in her path.
"C- Ceci! Slow down!" Mei yelled, trying not to run into anyone.
She had never seen Cecilia run this fast and this desperately.
After a few minutes of close calls and near accidents, the two finally arrived at St. Freyja's medical wing. Cecilia all but shoved her way through the door, almost knocking over a valkyrie student in a cast and a nurse carrying some medicine.
She sprinted past the desk, making her way to the second floor of the building. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a nurse opening the door to the Intensive Care Unit and as the door opened, Cecilia bulldozed her way inside, shoving aside one of the medical staff.
Room 2, Room 2, Room 2.
Room 2.
She had found it in a matter of moments. Cecilia slowed to a stop and looked through the glass door. Her older sister was hooked up to various machines. There was a mask around her face, supplying her with oxygen. A heart monitor showed her heart rate, something that the doctor and nurse inside were taking note of. Various fluids hung from the poles and were feeding into the IV lines that were running into her.
Cecilia placed her hand on the window, suddenly finding that she had lost her strength to even walk inside.
"Kiana…" she whispered.
"Ceci!" Mei panted as she finally caught up with her. She opened her mouth to say something but paused when she saw Cecilia staring blankly into the room. Though, Mei could tell that Cecilia's body was trembling if her shaking fist was any indication. "Ceci…"
"This is my fault… isn't it?" Cecilia said after a few seconds of tense silence.
"What? Ceci, what are you—?" Mei was interrupted by Cecilia.
"If I had just listened to Kiana, none of us would have ended up in this mess. Bronya would be awake. Wendy might be okay too if I had just listened to her and she… Kiana…" Cecilia choked on her words as she struggled not to break down. "Kiana might not have turned out like this."
"Cecilia, you know that it's not your fault, right?" Mei asked.
Cecilia clenched her fists tightly, causing blood to flow from the palms of her hands as her fingernails dug into her flesh. "But it is! This is all my fault… It's always my fault…" she whispered.
"Ceci…"
"I'm always fucking everything up. Kiana tells me that it's not my fault but it is. If I hadn't made that call… If I had just listened to her-"
"And what? Let Wendy get taken by Anti-Entropy to have god knows what done to her? Cecilia, you saved her. You saved Bronya. You saved me! And besides, it was the only call you could have made at the time," Mei said, grabbing her shoulders.
Cecilia's eyes widened momentarily before she looked down, bangs shadowing her face. "And some call that was… but thanks. Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Mei-senpai." Cecilia turned back to gaze at her sister's unconscious form from outside the window.
"Cecilia… Kiana would have never wanted you to be like this," Mei said.
"If… If I had been better, then we would still have a Dad," Cecilia mumbled lowly.
It was too low for Mei to hear but she could see the raw pain in her partner's eyes. She reached over to place a hand on Cecilia's shoulder but stopped a few centimeters short of contact. The two stood there, watching the doctors and nurses monitoring Kiana for some time before Cecilia spoke up once more.
"I'm… I'm going to go talk to Aunt Teri about what to do next. You can go back to the dorm without me," Cecilia said.
"No, I'll go with you-"
"Mei-senpai, please. I… I just want to be alone right now," Cecilia said.
Mei bit her lip before nodding. "Remember to call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Don't I always?" Cecilia asked, giving her her old signature smile.
Though, Mei could tell that Cecilia was forcing herself to smile for her sake.
"And you never do," Mei chided.
"Mmm! Mei-senpai! That's so mean!" Cecilia said, adding a small bit of genuine amusement.
Cecilia walked down the long corridors of St. Freya, making her way as she did many times to Theresa's office. The walk was particularly long this time around. Perhaps it had something to do with the melancholy and guilt that followed her around ever since she had left the medical wing. It weighed her down immensely, making her footsteps heavy and her body weigh as much as lead. But still, Cecilia pressed on.
Her guilt fueled her newfound determination to fix whatever had happened to her beloved older sister at any cost even if she had to pay for it.
"...with any luck, what I'll find down there will help them…"
Cecilia froze when she heard Theresa's voice echoing down the hallway. She quickly pressed herself up against the wall, shuffling until she reached the door.
"Are you sure that you'll find what you're looking for down there? I mean, records of this stuff are sparse and almost nonexistent. Even Anti-Entropy had a hard time finding even just a sliver of data about MANTISes in Soulium Archives," Kriemhilde said.
MANTIS? Is that… Is that… Is that thing that Kiana turned into? She thought.
"If it's for my nieces, I'm willing to do anything… oh and keep what we talked about to yourself. I don't want anyone to come sniffing around my school. If they do, I can trace the leak back to you," Theresa threatened.
"Theresa, you can trust me to keep my mouth shut. The last thing I'd do is endanger those two when I… I finally see them again," Kriemhilde said.
Cecilia stiffened when she heard Theresa's chair creak. Footsteps could be heard as Theresa walked around the room.
"I'll head down to the lower levels now. Make sure not to tell Grandfather what happened in New Zealand or anything that happened after that. Erase your flight logs. There's no doubt that Amber will access them the moment you get back," Theresa said.
"I'm always careful. I keep my flight logs private anyway. There's no way Otto knows where I go. It's part of the deal we made when I took over Siegfried's role as Knight and Paladin in Schicksal," Kriemhilde said.
Cecilia kept herself glued to the wall, waiting with bated breath for the two to leave. She quickly made her way, pressing herself up against the wall by Theresa's door, knowing full well the doors will cover her presence the moment they opened.
But she made one error. She never expected the floors in Theresa's wing to creak as loudly as they did. As soon as she placed her weight on the errant plank, the floor creaked.
"Mmm?" Theresa's voice could be heard.
"Is Himeko back already?" Kriemhilde asked.
"No, I told her to look after Cecilia and Mei. She should be at their dorms," Theresa said.
Cecilia covered her mouth when she heard Theresa's footsteps growing closer and closer. She felt like she had just heard something she shouldn't have. Should she try to hide? No, there was no place to hide in this spartan-decorated hallway. She sighed and stepped out from behind the wall. Before Theresa could open it, Cecilia knocked as she usually did.
The door slowly opened and Theresa blinked when she saw her.
"Ceci? You're up," Theresa said.
"Yeah… I went to go visit Kiana in the med wing," Cecilia said.
"Oh, well. What are you doing here? I assumed you'd still be there if you went to visit," Theresa said.
"I just… I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help them recover," Cecilia said.
Theresa crossed her arms and her brows furrowed in thought. "No, there's nothing you can do at the moment but I'll let you know if there is. Kriemhilde and I are just talking about the operation. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. In fact, she was just getting to leave, right, Kriem?"
"Of course." Kriemhilde rose from her seat and made her way out the door. She placed a hand on Cecilia's shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "Ceci, if you need anything, just call me, 'kay?"
Cecilia nodded before pulling away from her.
Kriemhilde's face fell slightly before she sighed slightly. "Theresa, contact me if something happens to these two."
"Gotcha," Theresa said.
After Kriemhilde rounded the corner, Theresa turned to her niece. "You should go get some rest. We can go visit Kiana later after I finish up here."
"Wait, I can help-"
"Cecilia, please. Please just go back to your dorm. I'll handle Kiana's treatment," Theresa said, cutting her off.
Cecilia opened her mouth but said nothing in response. She nodded tersely at her aunt before turning around. She chanced one more look at Theresa before walking away. As soon she rounded the corner, Cecilia made her way to the restroom and entered it, hiding behind the door. She trained her ears to listen for her aunt's light footsteps.
After a few minutes, she heard them along with Theresa's muffled voice.
She couldn't tell what Theresa was saying but whatever it was, it sounded important. She peeked from the crack in the door to see her aunt passing by.
Cecilia silently opened the bathroom door and crouched in the corner, looking around to see Theresa waiting for the elevator.
A ding was heard and the sound of doors opening could be heard.
"Let's see… Administrator Access Code Pound-Six-Eight-Zero-Nine," Theresa said.
Pound six-eight-zero-nine…
The sound of another ping could be heard as the elevator doors slid shut. Cecilia quickly made her way to the second elevator and pressed the down button. She uttered the same code as Theresa did and was met with a ping. The doors closed and the elevator slowly descended.
"Is this… Is this the same place we went to when she was training me?" Cecilia said to herself.
Memories of the event came to her mind when she had to fight a data projection of her father.
She shook her head and steeled herself when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Cecilia quietly walked out, noticing her aunt was a ways ahead of her. She quickly ran and darted behind a vase that lined the wall.
After a few seconds, she snuck out and continued following her aunt, who was none the wiser of her presence.
Several minutes passed and Theresa stopped before a large holographic terminal. She pressed her hands on the keyboard and began to type.
Welcome… Principal Theresa Apocalypse.
Access Level: Aleph-Beta
Cecilia quickly hid around the corner of the entrance, poking her head slightly to see the contents of what her aunt was accessing. Copious streams of data flowed in and out of the terminal, threatening to overload her brain with the sheer amount of information the computer was processing.
"Search for data on 'Biochip brain implant'," Theresa ordered.
713 search results located within the Schicksal Core Database.
712 documents have been labeled as "Classified" due to implications with the Sirin Project. Access Level: Aleph-Alpha or higher is required to access these documents.
"Ugh, damnit, Gramps. Okay… modify search parameters and filter access level from B to Aleph-Beta," Theresa said.
Search parameters modified.
1 search result located within the Schicksal Core Database.
"Mmm? What's this file about?" Theresa asked.
Entry was logged on February 7th, 2000 in Babylon Labs, Siberia.
"February… 7th? I don't know if that's a warning or not but for it to be that day of all days. Fine… Database, open Entry Charlie-Six-Eight-One-Two," Theresa commanded.
Yes, Principal Theresa. Opening Data Log Entry C-6812.
Cecilia's eyes widened when she saw Theresa vanish in a flash of red light.
The screen is disappearing. I need to…
She sprung from her spot and sprinted into the data room as the screen began to vanish.
Virtual Space Generation complete…
Time: February 7th, 2000, 1500 KRAT
Location: Babylon Labs, Siberia
The world around her warped as her surroundings began to change. The cold metal floors were replaced with the hardpack of snow and the mild temperature she had been in suddenly became frigid as if she had stepped into an industrial freezer. The whole experience was sudden and rapid, disorienting her as her environment changed within the span of an instant.
Her vision spun and swam as she struggled to maintain her stature, stumbling around in the snow for a few seconds. As her vision and senses returned, Cecilia, for the first time, took in the vast white expanse of her new location. There were trees located haphazardly across the barren, frozen landscape and light snow fell from the cloudy skies above.
An ominous, onyx tower loomed in the distance, piercing the very skies as if it were made to mock God himself.
"What… Where… Where am I?" Cecilia muttered.
"Kiana… Kiana… KIANAAA!"
Her eyes snapped open and she suddenly sat up. It was a move she regretted instantly. Her head collided with something and she hissed and recoiled in pain.
"Owie! What was that for!?" a high-pitched voice yelled.
"W- Wha…?" Kiana quickly turned to see Cecilia standing at the side of her bed, clutching her head.
Her cheeks were puffed and there were small tears threatening to spill over the edges of her eyes. But something about her was different. She was… younger. It was as if Cecilia had regressed about six years in age.
"C- Ceci?" Kiana asked tentatively.
"What?" Cecilia asked, glaring at her while she pouted.
"Why are you…" she paused as she noticed her surroundings for the first time.
This was not St. Freyja. The usual baby blue walls of her dorm room had been replaced with the cozy, ever-familiar, brown wooden walls of a cabin bedroom. Drawings and pictures littered the floor and decorated the walls around them. All of them looked as if they had been drawn by a small child. Her blue eyes flitted around and saw another bed next to hers. It was painted white with blue stars and had a small HOMU plushie sitting on the covers.
What the hell? She thought.
Kiana quickly jumped out of bed and ran toward the door.
This place… it can't be…
"W- Wait! Big Sis! Where are you going!?" Cecilia yelled as Kiana sprinted out the door.
Kiana quickly ran down the hallway, taking note that everything around her had grown bigger. The nostalgic, comforting scent of burnt food filled her nostrils. A pain welled up within her as she continued to run. If she was where she thought she was…
She quickly made her way down the stairs and made a break for the kitchen.
That incessant humming.
That song.
He had always told her that this was the song that her Mom loved because it was the song that he sang for her when they first started dating.
She slowed to a stop when she saw a towering figure with broad, muscular shoulders wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a white apron tied hastily around his waist. He danced to a tune that only he could hear while twirling the Judgement of Shamash around in his left hand.
He seemed to have sensed that she was there as he turned around.
The man flashed her a warm grin, his blue eyes lighting up with warmth when he saw her.
"Mmm? You finally woke up! Ceci was getting worried so she went upstairs to get you. I made your favorite by the way. French toast with the good ol' Kaslana spin!" the man said boisterously.
"D- Dad…?" Kiana uttered, her voice quivering as tears began to freely spill from her eyes. She took a shaky step forward.
"Mmm? Baby doll, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" Siegfried asked, looking at her with a worried expression.
"D- Daddy…" Kiana rushed forward and hugged Siegfried tightly.
Siegfried's eyes widened when he felt the soft impact of his eldest daughter's body on his body. He smiled and knelt, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and stroked her hair.
"Shh… it's okay, Dad's here. Dad's still here. I won't leave you…" he said.
As you may or may not know, Honkai's Part I story ended a few weeks ago with the release of Chapter 35 and the animated short, Graduation Trip, and Arc 2 of this story ended around the same time. I won't give my opinion on the ending or else we'll be stuck here all day. With that out of the way, let's get into this arc.
As I've said before, this arc will be split between Cecilia and Kiana. I'll try to alternate the chapters between the two sisters with Kiana getting one chapter to herself and Ceci getting a chapter to herself. Also, on another note, I am aware of how confusing it will be once Cecilia meets Cecilia Schariac so I'll refer to K-423 Cecilia as Ceci for the majority of the arc when that time comes. Anyway, I hope this chapter wasn't too chaotic with all the stuff happening. And with that, I shall see you all in the next chapter.