"Sis, you're such a crybaby. And why did you have to headbutt me too!? My head still hurts after you got up this morning, jeez," Cecilia said.
Cecilia stabbed her semi-burnt French Toast with a fork. She wore a red scarf around her neck with her usual flesh-colored shirt and sleeves and black shorts. Kiana noted that her sister was wearing her bandage around her right eye as she always did.
"Ceci, stop making fun of your sister. It's okay to cry after a bad dream. You did it a lot," Siegfried said.
"D- Dad! Stop bringing that up!" Cecilia argued.
Kiana sat at the dining table, eating her breakfast. Her eyes were reddened and swollen from crying inconsolably for several minutes straight. She looked up at her dad, who happily munched away at his semi-burnt French Toast. His apron, soaked with her tears, hung haphazardly on the rack in the kitchen.
Everything was like how it has always been. Cecilia was still her usual self. In the beginning, Cecilia was an introverted and very private girl. She clung to her and their father whenever they went into town to get supplies. And back then, Kiana could barely get more than three words out of her and she hated sleeping alone. To this day, the two still shared a room despite the cabin having three bedrooms. However, now, she was beginning to come out of her shell more around this time and often got into petty, lighthearted arguments with their father.
And their father, Siegfried, had done his best to take care of them both. A final promise that he had made to their mother. Their father had tried to get them to drink alcohol with him on multiple occasions and taught them how to flirt. And though they weren't a perfect family, Kiana could confidently say that she firmly believed they were happier than most families, even if their father could not get them everything they wanted.
Cecilia waved her fork around. "So did you have a bad dream or something?"
"Something like that." A small smile appeared on Kiana's face as she took a bite of her semi-burnt food. The nostalgic charcoal taste of half-burnt bread filled her mouth. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"E- Eh? Sis! Sis, are you okay!?" Cecilia said, dropped her fork, and got up from her chair.
Siegfried almost choked on his bread when he saw the tears in his daughter's eyes. "Kiana! What's wrong?"
"Old Man, this is your fault! You burnt the bread with Shamash too much and now Sis is crying!" Cecilia accused.
"Huh!? I'll have you know that your mother, Cecilia, loved this bread very much!" Siegfried said proudly. "Kiana must be crying tears of joy just like your mom did."
"Yeah, sure, Mom loves burnt bread," Cecilia said. She sat down in her chair, staring at Kiana with her lone eye.
"Pfft… ahaha, Dad's right, Ceci." Kiana flashed her a kind smile.
"Eh?" Cecilia looked flabbergasted. "Really? You're not just saying that to make the old man feel better, right? Have you seen Dad cook? Even your cooking is more edible than his cooking, Sis."
"You cheeky brat." Siegfried grabbed Cecilia and began tussling her hair.
"Dad! Cut it out!" Cecilia said.
Kiana smiled at the sight before bursting out in laughter.
The two stopped and looked to see Kiana laughing before bursting out in a fit of laughter themselves.
Kiana stood on a stepping stool by the sink, washing the dishes. Her mind was filled with millions of thoughts and her heart was heavy with a myriad of emotions. Emotions that felt so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. Her mind was in a haze. She struggled to remember what she dreamt of that night before. A dream that was so vivid and real that she felt as if she were living an entire life away from her own. She furrowed her brow as she kept trying to recall a single memory.
Kiana sighed and placed a plate on the rack to dry.
"Why… Why am I feeling like this?" she whispered.
"Hey, Kiana. What's with the serious look on your face?"
She blinked and looked behind her.
Siegfried stood in the kitchen door, leaning against the opening with his arms crossed. He walked forward and ruffled her hair.
"Dad, you're not trying to cook lunch this time, are you?" Kiana asked.
"Hey now, that hurts your old man's feelings, you know," Siegfried said, opening the cabinet. He rummaged around until he found a jar of cookies.
Kiana nodded and returned to washing the plates.
"So you want to tell your old man what's going on?" Siegfried asked.
"Huh?" Kiana looked up at him.
"You came bawling your eyes out. I expected Ceci to run downstairs whenever she has a nightmare but you having it is a first. Was it really that scary a dream?" Siegfried asked.
Kiana stopped washing the plates and for the first time, Siegfried noticed that the aura around his daughter gave her the presence of someone much older than her age showed. "It…It was a long and horrible nightmare."
"Hmm, what was it about?" Siegfried asked.
Brief images flashed through Kiana's mind. Images of fire and of ice. Of a yellow-eyed demon posing as her most precious person. And of a burst of heat that reduced everything to ash around it. Yet, the moment after, she could barely recall what she had just seen as if something was keeping her from remembering it. She shook her head and managed to muster a smile. "I can barely remember it," Kiana said.
"Well, I won't push if you don't want to say. Did you know Daddy has nightmares too?" Siegfried asked, pointing his thumb toward him.
Kiana shook her head, despite knowing of her father's nighttime moments when she would see him outside on the porch.
"Dad has dreams of Mom. Losing your Mom was the worst thing to ever happen to me. I dream of her sometimes. So don't be afraid to tell your old man what's going on. I might not be able to understand but I can try and help," Siegfried said.
"Thanks, Dad," Kiana said, smiling wistfully as she continued washing the plates.
"Or maybe you're just sad that Ceci insulted your cooking," Siegfried joked.
"Dad, that was one time!" Kiana protested.
"You put apple slices in our ramen," Siegfried said.
"I said it was one time! I'm getting better!" Kiana said.
"Kiana, if you ever do need to talk, I know what happened back then must have been traumatizing for you. I'm here," Siegfried said.
Kiana nodded, knowing exactly what event he was referring to.
"Don't grow up too fast just because you're a big sister now. You're still only 12 years old. You can act like a kid too," Siegfried said.
"Dad, I'm still a kid. I'm just a little shaken up by the dream," Kiana said.
"Mmm. I'll finish up the dishes then. You and Cecilia go into town and buy us some supplies for dinner and the rest of the week," Siegfried said, grabbing the sponge.
"Dad?" Kiana asked.
"What's with that look? Your old man shouldn't let his cute daughter do all the housework!" Siegfried gave her a toothy grin.
Kiana smiled and nodded. "You're just feeling too lazy to run into town, aren't you?"
"No. I genuinely want to do the dishes," Siegfried said.
"Fine. The money's still on your desk right?" Kiana asked.
"Yes, and don't let your sister run off and spend it all on sweets!" Siegfried said.
"I won't!" Kiana replied as she ran off.
If Kiana could describe Belystevok, it would be that the town was trapped in time. The roads that traversed the town and led to its exit were made of cobble. People still transported some of their goods on horseback and wagon. The houses were made in an old European style that could rarely be seen in some of the more modern cities outside of the region. Yet, it was because of this stagnancy that Kiana could say that these people survived. They were a hardy people who could survive the harsh, freezing winters of Siberia. And Kiana could argue that they were an even hardier people for living in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was Siberia after the rampage of the Second Herrscher.
"SIS!"
Kiana blinked and saw Cecilia standing a few feet ahead of her with a worried look on her face.
"Hmm?" Kiana said.
"Don't 'Hmmm?' me! You had a really serious look on your face. Are you really okay?" Cecilia asked, grabbing her hand.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Kiana smiled at her. She squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"Are you sure? You've had that super serious look on your face all morning. It was like… It was like when we first got here with Dad," Cecilia said.
Kiana remained silent. She knew what day Cecilia was referring to. Kiana closed her eyes and reached over to ruffle her sister's hair. Kiana gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "Come on, Squirt. It's nothing, really! I'm just remembering some stuff from my dream. Like did you know in my dream, you were super strong and fighting Honkai Beasts like Dad?"
Cecilia's eyes lit up. "Really? Did I really become as strong as the old man?"
Kiana's smile morphed into a mischievous one. She took her hand off Cecilia's head and flicked her on the forehead.
"Ow! What the-!? Kiana!" Cecilia said as she watched her older sister walk past her.
"You still have a long way to go before you can surpass the old man, Squirt. If you can't even defeat me during our spars, then how can you surpass the old man?" Kiana teased.
Cecilia puffed her cheeks and ran forward. She threw a calculated punch at her older sister.
Kiana caught her fist without even so much as glancing at her. She flashed Cecilia a smile.
"Mmm! No fair, Kiana! Dad's been training you longer than me!" Cecilia said.
"Aww, I thought you were going to be the strongest Kaslana in history?" Kiana said, letting go of her sister's hand.
"I am! Watch me! Hey, Belystevok people!" Cecilia announced.
The passerbys all turned upon hearing her voice. Some of the older citizens smiled at their antics as Cecilia puffed her chest and cupped her hands. The two girls were always a welcome sight among the town's people. Their father had protected them against the beasts of the snow plains, or the Honkai Beasts as the family referred to them. As such many people welcomed Siegfried and his daughters with open arms.
"I'm going to be the strongest Kaslana in the world! Watch me! I'll beat my sister and old man!" she declared.
Kiana pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling secondhand embarrassment from her younger sister's actions. "Come on, Miss Strongest Kaslana. We have to go buy supplies for the next week."
"Did the old man give us a list?" Cecilia asked, skipping over to her older sister.
"Mmmm. Bread, meats, and some spices. I'm pretty sure we still have salt and pepper back at the house but it can't help to get some more," Kiana said, reading the least.
"The hell is oregano?" Cecilia asked.
Kiana's eyes widened. "Ceci, where did you learn that word?"
"What word?" Cecilia asked.
"Hell," Kiana said.
"Dad."
Kiana sighed. "Of course," she said, knowing full well about her father's oftentimes foul mouth.
Amongst the things Siegfried had taught the two, between the flirting and the fighting, was his foul mouth and penchant for cursing was something both sisters had picked up on.
"Well, oregano is a leaf. Let's ask if the General Shop has it," Kiana said, reading the list further. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small pouch of money her father had given her.
"Can we stop by Misteleinn before we go home?" Cecilia asked.
"Er, we only have the money for the supplies. Maybe next time, Squirt," Kiana said, remembering what her father had said about getting Cecilia sweets.
"You always say that! Please! Mr. Brauer said that he has a new line of candies from Belgium and he's saving them for me! Please, Kiana!" her sister begged, clasping her hands and adopting a puppy eyes expression to try and shake her sister's resolve.
However, Kiana was used to such a thing. She would not fall for it. Not this time.
"Too bad, Squirt. I'm in the mood for some meat and Dad wants us to go get some meat for his pizza bread before the snow gets worse and we're trapped in the cabin for the next 3 or so weeks," Kiana said.
"Mmmm. Fine. I'll forgive it this time because we're making pizza bread," Cecilia said.
"Ceci, don't run off while I pay for this." Kiana placed all of their supplies on the counter.
Their bag was rather large and filled to the brim with various supplies. It was impressive that two kids were capable of hefting such a heavy bag onto the counter. The two had several pounds of meat, a few boxes of spices, a couple of bags of vegetables, some bathroom essentials, and a few bottles of cooking oil among other things.
Cecilia crossed her arms and pouted. "Come on, Sis. I'm not going to run off. I'm 12 years old now. I'm not how I was 3 years ago."
"She's right, Kiana," the old lady behind the counter said. "I remember 3 years ago when you three first got here. That little girl always hid behind your father's coat. Ah, she was so adorable back then."
"M… Miss Orlova! I… I wasn't that bad…," Cecilia said, prodding the wooden floor with her foot. She looked down, face red in embarrassment at having her dark past brought up.
"Is this going to be it?" Orlova asked, looking over the rather large bag Kiana had hefted onto the counter.
"Mmm. Dad said that he heard from Mr. Bauer that there's going to be a whiteout that's going to keep us from getting to town for a few weeks so he wants us to have a few supplies. He doesn't want us to go outside and hunt for deer," Kiana said.
"What a good father. Though, the heavy snow came late this year. It's already January 6th and we didn't have that big snowpack," she said.
Kiana froze.
"I'm sorry, what did you say the date was?" she asked.
"Mmm. It's January 6th, dear."
January 6th.
Kiana froze and her pupils constricted. She began to breathe heavily, dropping the money she had been holding onto the floor. She took a step back and stumbled, falling on her rear.
"Kiana?" Orlova asked in worry.
"Mmm? Sis? Sis!?" Cecilia rushed to her older sister, who was now gripping her head.
"H- Huh?" Kiana snapped out of her reverie and looked to see her younger sister looking at her with worry.
"Kiana?" Cecilia asked.
"I- I'm fine. I just…" Kiana's eyes widened when Cecilia's eyes turned yellow for a split second. She blinked, trying her hardest not to backpedal away from her sister. "I just… I just remembered something that I forgot. C- Can you get it for me while I start paying for it?"
Cecilia did not look convinced but nodded anyway. She helped her older sister to her feet and Kiana began picking the money off the ground.
"What do you need?" Cecilia asked.
"Can you go get a big pack of soap? I forgot to add it to our sack," Kiana said.
"All that over soap? You really are hopeless, Sis," Cecilia joked.
Kiana forced a smile to her face, trying to convince Cecilia and herself that what just happened was merely just an accident. A slip-up.
"Just get the soap, Squirt," she replied.
"Alrighty," Cecilia said, walking to the soap aisle.
"Are you sure you're okay, Kiana dear?" Orlova asked.
"Yeah, I just. I just forgot the soap," Kiana said, placing the money on the counter.
"A bit of a visceral reaction over some soap," Orlova said, counting the money
"Ahaha. You know how young girls are these days," Kiana said, trying to steer the conversation away.
"Are you sure it's not because it's almost that time?"
"Huh?" Kiana looked up and saw Orlova's eyes had changed from their usual brown to an icy blue. Her eyes shined ominously as she handed Kiana the change.
"It's almost that day, isn't it?" Orlova said. "The day everything changed…"
Kiana felt a chill run down her spine. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. Unlike the frigid biting freeze of Siberia, the cold that she felt engulf her body was completely unnatural. It slithered its way down her spine, awakening fear responses she didn't know her body was even capable of.
"W- What are you-?"
"Sis! I got the soap… Sis?" Cecilia said, seeing Kiana was frozen to her spot.
Kiana's breathing had hitched and her gaze was locked on Miss Orlova's face, who was now more worried and confused by Kiana's current state.
"Sis!" Cecilia placed a hand on Kiana's shoulder, causing the older girl to jump.
"Kiana dear, are you alright?" Miss Orlova asked.
Kiana looked back at the old woman's face and saw that her eyes had returned to normal. That crippling chill that she had felt around her was no longer there. Or maybe it never was.
"O- Oh! Ceci, ahaha. Sorry about that. Just this box of soaps, Miss Orlova," Kiana said, placing it on the counter.
Kiana picked at her food as her father and sister happily chatted away at the table across from her. Why did she react that way at the mention of a date? It was unlike her to act that way yet it felt so normal at the same time. That day. There must be something significant about today's date.
But what is it? Ugh, every time I try to think about it. Something keeps blocking it like something doesn't want me to know, Kiana thought, feeling a throbbing pain grow inside her head.
I have this pit in my stomach that something's going to go wrong but I can't figure out what it is! And Miss Orlova, what did she mean by it's almost that time? Kiana thought.
"...Sis… SIS!"
Kiana blinked and saw her father and sister staring at her.
"I've been calling your name for five minutes now. Are you okay?" Cecilia asked.
"Yeah, Kiana. You've been out of it all day. Ceci and I kept trying to get your attention but you wouldn't even look at us. You just kept staring at your food," Siegfried said, scratching his chin.
"Huh? Oh, um," Kiana began.
"Are you sick or something? Or did you not get enough sleep last night?" Cecilia asked.
"I- I'm fine, Ceci. Honest!" Kiana said.
Cecilia rolled her eyes and got off her chair. She made her way over to Kiana's chair and pressed her forehead against her older sister's. She took her head off when she felt nothing wrong with Kiana's temperature.
"I've been worried about you all day. At the store, you froze up at the register when we were getting our supplies. And when I grabbed you, you jumped," Cecilia said.
"Yeah, Kiana. What's wrong?" Siegfried asked.
"I… I don't even know what's going on. I just have this sinking pit in my stomach that something bad's about to happen," Kiana said.
"Something bad? Hmm, winter is about to hit hard. Maybe it's just your gut telling you that we might have a bad storm this year," Siegfried said.
"Maybe… Maybe I'm worrying for no reason," Kiana said.
"There is no such thing as worrying for no reason, Baby Doll. I'll make sure to get more supplies for the winter tomorrow. I'll board up the cabin a little and bring in a few bucks from the forest and then we can have some Kaslana venison while we weather out the storm, how's that sound?" Siegfried said.
"Dad, your barbeque is always burnt," Kiana said.
"Not always. I think I've perfected using Shamash as a flamer," Siegfried replied.
Cecilia did not look convinced. She kept her gaze fixed on her older sister, pinning Kiana to her spot with her uncomfortable stare. After a few seconds, Cecilia sighed and walked back to her chair. She stabbed her fork into her food and threw it into her mouth.
"You know, I don't know what's worrying you, Sis, but Dad and I are here! We'll fight off the scary monsters like we always do so you don't have to be scared anymore!" Cecilia said, patting her chest proudly.
Kiana placed her hand on her mouth, attempting to suppress her laughter. "Pfft… ahahaha!"
"I'm serious! We'll take out all the Honkai beasts that come out during the winter! Because we're Kaslanas and it's our job to defeat the Honkai and fight for all that's beautiful in the world!" Cecilia proudly declared.
"Say that again when you can knock me on my back, Squirt," Kiana said, waving her fork in a faux mocking manner at her younger sister.
"It's only a matter of time, Kiana. Dad's been teaching me a super duper secret Kaslana Gun Kata technique! With it, I'll beat you in no time and show you that I'm the strongest Kaslana around!" Cecilia said.
"What about Dad? Dad's pretty strong too!" Siegfried said, pointing at himself.
"I guess Dad is pretty strong too but I'll beat you too, Dad!" Cecilia said.
Kiana giggled and began to eat her food. She smiled as she chewed. "Thanks for making me feel better, guys. I'm feeling less anxious now," she said.
"That's what family is for, Shrimp. As long as Ceci and I are here, we'll always have your back," Siegfried said.
Cecilia nodded fervently to her dad's sentiment.
Kiana smiled and watched as her father and sister happily rambled on about their days. That gnawing feeling was slowly beginning to ebb, fading into the depths of her subconscious never to be felt again. However, a voice harshly cut through the reality of that notion. The world turned gray and silent.
"Do not remain trapped within the bliss of the past, Progeny. Do not allow your desires to consume you or you shall become trapped in the dreams of the countless beasts of the Chimera," a voice said. It was a distinctly male voice, baritone in nature. It was firm yet
"Who are…?" Kiana looked around, attempting to find the source of the voice.
"I shall wait for you, Progeny, within the Land of the Abyss. A delusion of the past cannot be changed. There is nothing you can do within this false dream born from your memories." The voice was directly behind her ear this time.
She could feel the cold aura engulf her body. A crippling chill that she had felt before yet to her, it felt like a distant memory.
"False dream…?"
She looked behind her and saw the brief shadow of a man standing behind her. She rubbed her eyes and the shadow disappeared. That sinking feeling came back only to disappear when Kiana heard her younger sister's voice.
"Sis?"
Kiana blinked. The grayscale world returned to normal. Kiana looked around and saw her sister staring at her while her father continued on talking about his day incessantly.
"Huh?"
"Dad told me about how he saw this huge Honkai beast in the forest. He didn't even use Shamash to take it down! What did you say it was, Dad?" Cecilia asked.
"Eh? Well… I think it's weird and not weird at the same time that I saw it here but it was an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast. It's known for summoning snow and ice wherever it goes. I think… only your Aunt Teri saw it back in the day. I've only ever read about it-"
"Dad, you read?" Kiana asked.
"H- Hey!" Siegfried said. "Anyway… the Honkai Beast was called Parvati!"
And thus, we begin Kiana's journey into Stigmata Space! Sorry if this chapter jumped around a lot, this chapter was meant to be an intro into Kiana's daily life back then before the whole thing with Siegfried occurred and the twins ended up where they were. The next chapter will focus on Cecilia and... well, if you're reading this, then you know that the chapters regarding Cecilia will be canon Kiana/K-423's journey into the warped data space illusion created by Sirin. That's really all I have for now. I do plan to reveal more PE stuff later as Kiana progresses deeper into Kaslana Stigmata Space. There is a weird twist that I came up with regarding the Kaslanas, hehehe. Anyway, see ya'll later.