POV: Fu Hua, Welt, Mei, and Theresa

The world was bright, the stars did shine

Then darkness came, the beauty died

The mighty fought, the mighty fell

An era passed, the world is well

The light came back, the darkness quelled

The people lived, their past well hidden

But a day will come, it has been written

Where darkness comes, and stars die

When that day comes, which heroes will rise?

So began Fu Hua's grand poem that sought to tell the entire story of the Previous Era's struggle and eventual downfall. There were details unwritten in any histories that only she still remembered. It was her duty to let them to be known. She set down her brush. The Seventh Herrscher had just awoken. She burned down her former friends and allies before doing the same to an entire continent. Only a man with silver hair and newfound powers could hope to stop her, and stop her he did. Fu Hua lost someone dear to her not once, but twice over. So had the commander. He hid it well, but he would later confess to her his hidden, unrequited feelings for their deceased comrade. His grief had not been kind to any of them. He never fully forgave Kevin, not even to his last day.

But this did not belong in her words. There were secrets that should remain secrets. Whether she would tell them one day or not, this was not that day.

Fu Hua steadied her breathing. She had reminisced on the past for long enough. She needed something else to focus her mind on, and as she rose from her chair, she already knew what. She made sure to never lapse on her training. Even one who had lived with thousands of years of experience could dull her refined skills if she neglected them for too long. She assumed a careful, practiced stance in the middle of her room, breathing calmly all the while. Then she moved, striking at an invisible enemy before dodging its counterattack. Her graceful yet lethal movements may have seemed impossible to an onlooker, and as she performed them again and again, a knock on the door interrupted her. With an annoyed sigh, she opened it.

"Johann."

"Fu Hua. May I speak with you?"

"Come in."

Johann looked around her room. "It's just like your room at St. Freya. I missed seeing your paintings and your poems."

"Have you come to reminisce on the past? Or do you have something more recent to speak about?"

"I do. I'm here to tell you a truth."

"Then tell me."

He sighed. "Fu Hua, I need to apologize to you. Right now, I can't give you what you need from me. I'm sorry."

His actions had already made this clear enough for her, but it was a showing of character that he admitted it himself. Fu Hua, perhaps more than any of them, understood what he was going through. She was the only other person alive who had met Kallen herself. On that fateful day, Fu Hua's decision to spare them changed the history of the world for centuries to come. Some days, she asked herself how differently things could have gone, how much better, if she had not chosen to spare them. If she had struck them down or if she instead found a way to befriend them. She would never know the answer. All she knew was that he was here.

"When can you again?" Fu Hua calmly asked.

"I can't give you an answer, only this truth so that you don't have unrealistic expectations."

"I understand. Is there anything more I can do for you?"

"Be there for Theresa. She needs all of us."

"I will. And I hope you will, too."

"I promised her that I would. I promise the same to you." Then he noticed the large scroll on her desk.

"You're welcome to read over it," Fu Hua said. "I haven't finished it yet, but I'd welcome any thoughts you might have."

"Alright." Johann seated himself at her desk and read over her poem, which already covered a large portion of the scroll it was written on. Several minutes passed in silence. Fu Hua watched him take in the long, painful past, the same past his previous self had once lived through.

Millennia ago, Johann was the same man, but he was also not. He was kind and compassionate when he was able to. He was hard and unyielding when he was forced to be. As the war dragged on, he became the latter more and more. Except when he was with her.

"I can feel the emotion and feeling in your writing," he said, standing back up. "I'll reserve the rest of my thoughts for when you've finished. I look forward to reading the rest, Fu Hua. You're making a great work."

She closed her eyes. "So do I."

—-

"Joachim? If you aren't busy, let's take a look at the results of the new research I've been conducting," asked Frederica, holding a thick stack of pages. She took a seat at the library table he was seated at.

Welt set down his history book. "Of course. Why come all the way to the library for this, though?"

"It doesn't hurt to have a change of setting. The laboratory gets old after a while. A library never does."

Welt smiled at the woman he cherished so much. "I certainly agree with that. Let's begin." He picked up the pile and began reading it. The complex figures, diagrams, and wording would have been incomprehensible to most, but he absorbed the findings with ease. "You've been hard at work, Frederica."

"Let's just say that our work with Kiana and the Imaginary Tree yielded some interesting results. Results that we hope to apply to the Moonlit Throne."

"If there's a way to make it even more effective, that would be best for us all."

The Moonlit Throne was his dream given form. Always fascinated with the Previous Era, he mourned the loss of the original Selene satellite that brought their precursors so close to victory only for it to be torn away from them just as quickly. This era had learned from the failings of the previous. One Moonlit Throne would never be enough to secure victory. This time, they would build as many as they could spare.

"About time things started going our way," Frederica grumbled.

"How is Mr. Apocalypse?" he asked.

She sifted through the papers. As she did so, she said, "You still insist on addressing him that formally even though we both know how you feel about him?"

"It's a habit. If he asks me to call him by his first name, I will, and the same for him."

"I suppose. You met him at St. Freya. Of course you'd call him 'Mr.'. The only thing that's changed is his surname. Oh, here it is." She retrieved a report and handed it to him.

Welt read through it quickly. "Your findings on his Soulium body are intriguing."

"That's putting it lightly. I think we might have had a godsend this time."

"Are you absolutely certain about this?"

"I am. So are Mophead and Nagamitsu. We've run the same tests hundreds of times. The machines don't lie."

"If so, then Otto may have created another miracle." Welt despised the deceased Overseer for any number of reasons, not the least being the ruthless murder of his father that left behind no body to bury. Welt gave credit where it was due, however, and for all his faults, Otto Apocalypse was a genius at what he did. "Combined with the Moonlit Throne and her sister ships, I believe we now truly have a chance to win this war."

Tesla rested her face on her hand. "You didn't believe that before?"

Welt shook his head. "The Previous Era was stronger than we ever were, and they still failed. We've always been in their shadow, and if I had to be honest, for all our efforts, I wouldn't say we had even the slightest chance of winning before today."

"I never took you for a pessimist, Joachim. Not even when your odds against Sirin were minuscule. Did you let that stop you? No. You flew to the moon anyway. You fought her, and you died, but because you did, we were able to defeat her. That's the kind of man you are. I may have hated you at the time for being so stupid, but now I know that against the Honkai, sometimes, we need to take risks like that."

Frederica was right. Her anguished, tearstained face after he told her of his suicidal mission would never leave him, and he hoped to never have to do so again. He was lucky, more lucky than he dared to hope.

"I was never a pessimist," he quietly said. "Only a realist. If I did nothing, we would have all died. I had to try, no matter how slim the odds were, because that was the only way we had any chance at all."

Frederica walked to his side and gave him a brief but passionate kiss. She looked weary. "Then be a realist and know this. Never forget how much you hurt me then…and never forget how happy I am that you're still here with me."

Welt returned it. "I never do."

They discussed a number of other things. Their allies' upcoming move to Schicksal HQ. The reception to Theresa being Overseer. The ongoing purge of spies, which had stalled. Welt had encountered formidable foes in his decades of living, but none were quite like Kevin Kaslana and World Serpent. Welt remembered his encounter with him in the Sea of Quanta. Although weakened by the unforgiving environment of the Sea of Quanta, Kevin's remaining power still far outstripped Welt's. Welt was no match for him.

But perhaps you can be.

A pair of footsteps approached them. Welt looked up from his book. The empty void where his core once was twinged.

This was something I always suspected. Bronya confirmed it.

When the two men had finally met at St. Freya Academy, Welt felt at once that something was special about him, something he could not name no matter how much he tried to. He had already rescued Frederica and Lieserl from Otto's plot and paid the price for it with his memories, and that alone made him special to Welt. But there was something more. Johann Apocalypse was a man with a divided soul. Part of it had been taken from him to join the other three hundred thousand in the Core of Reason. It was this presence that had drawn Welt to him at St. Freya. Part of Johann was a part of him, and although Bronya was now the rightful owner of the Core of Reason, Welt's feelings for him would not change.

Welt raised a hand in greeting. "It's no surprise to see you here in the library. You always were an avid reader like myself."

Frederica turned to the newcomer. "Can we help you with anything?"

Johann Apocalypse observed them both and made no effort to join them at the table. He glanced at the cover of the book Welt was reading. The Known Histories of the Previous Era.

"Mr. Yang. Tesla. I'd like to ask you both to give me more time."

"What for?" she asked.

"For the day when the three of us can have what we had again."

Welt knew what he meant. It was the relationship that began the day Johann had come to apologize to Welt in the hospital, wounded and recovering from the subspace lance Johann had sent flying through his chest. Welt held no ill will against him. His actions were not his own. Sirin's corrupting influence had taken hold of Johann's body at the time. But Frederica had not forgiven Johann for nearly killing the man she loved, not until that day.

Welt stood. "In my decades of living, I lost many people I cared dearly for. I can't begin to imagine what you have lost in your five hundred. I heard about the family you had to leave behind. I can only tell you that I wish you the best. Mr. Apocalypse, tell us if we can do anything to help you. I do not wish to lose you."

"Take as long as you need," Tesla said, standing with him. "I just hope you'll be able to fight with us when the time comes."

Johann seemed to take her words as a challenge. "I will. No matter my troubles, I owe this world my responsibility. I will defend it as strongly as I did my own."

So he still sees the other world as his home. Perhaps he always will.

"We're grateful that you came to us," Welt said. "We wish you and Theresa the best."

Johann looked at him. "You know about us?"

"I have my ways of knowing. If I were to offer advice, I'd say that you couldn't have chosen a better time to be here for Theresa. As the leader of an organization much like Schicksal, I understand the burdens she has to face. So did you back in your world. I'm glad you're there to help her with them."

"Thank you…I like to believe that I have. Kiana and I helped repair Schicksal HQ, so it shouldn't be long before Theresa can start leading Schicksal from it," Johann said. "I'll be going, then. Take care, both of you."

He turned around. After just a few steps, Frederica spoke.

"Johann, don't do anything stupid after all we did to bring you home. I'd never forgive you."

"I'll try." Then he was gone. They watched him leave.

"Frederica, it's time we also left. There's a lot we need to do."

—-

Mei stared Johann in the eye from across the table. There were many ways she could begin, and she chose to by asking him one question. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for Kiana to come back first before you say what you have to say?"

"I've already spoken with Kiana at Schicksal HQ," he replied. "Sometimes, it's better to speak with someone alone. Kiana appreciated it. Mei, I want to give you this same freedom. You don't need to worry about anyone outside this room hearing what you have to say unless you want them to know."

Mei remembered the call Kiana gave her some hours ago, telling her that her work at the island was finished with his help. "Kiana isn't far, is she. She could be just outside this room."

"Actually, she's in the cafeteria. She said she was hungry after all her hard work. She's earned a good meal, many in fact. Before we parted ways, she told me to go see you."

Mei listened carefully. Then she slowly nodded. "Then let's talk. Just the two of us."

Johann reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a photograph. He set it on the table for her to see. To her surprise, it was the same photograph he had taken of her so long ago when they had visited the fallen remains of St. Freya. Despite the devastation around them, the sunset was still beautiful as it framed her smiling face.

Mei looked back between the photograph and him. "Johann…this is…"

"I printed another copy for myself. I want to remember that moment we shared. I want you to know that I haven't forgotten you."

Mei had not forgotten, either. It was some time after the defeat of the Herrscher of the Void. Kiana was still missing, but they had reason to believe she was alive and active in Arc City. Before Mei left to find her, she and her captain had flown to what remained of St. Freya. The sight pained them both, but the photograph he took of her then was a reminder to keep her hopes high.

Mei went to the table beside her bed and retrieved the original photograph, which she had framed. It was old and worn but showed her smile all the same. She set it beside his newer copy.

"I'll always remember it, too," Mei said. "I remember how hopeful I felt because of you. How happy I was that you were still there even though Kiana and Himeko were gone. How much I wanted to embrace you…if I were to do this now, would you accept my feelings?"

Johann could not. "Mei…I'm sorry. I will never lie to you. I came here to tell you that I can't. I need time. Time with Theresa. We…it happened so quickly, but I want to take things slowly with her."

Mei had dared to hope, but it was shattered. She was delighted for Theresa, though, and how there was at least one person he was willing to be close to. She suspected the reasons, but she chose not to voice them. She knew who Theresa and Kiana most closely resembled. "I understand. Take as much time as you need. I know you won't let Theresa down. I'm happy you have her and she has you."

"Thank you…thank you for understanding…"

"I'll just ask that you attend Theresa's coronation ceremony in Kolosten. It's coming up very soon."

"I'll be there. Theresa and I have been discussing it."

"You've been speaking with her about this? That's good to hear. I just wonder if Kolosten were the best location to hold the ceremony. The memories we have of it…aren't the most positive." It was in Kolosten where Mei nearly severed her hopes of reuniting with those she had lost. Running from them again was a mistake she would regret for the rest of her life.

"The town isn't at fault for Otto's actions," Johann said.

"I know. It just feels strange that Theresa's coronation ceremony will double as Otto's funeral, complete with an eulogy of his accomplishments instead of his crimes." Mei remembered how she had first learned of this from a man she met in Kolosten while she was searching for Kiana. "I suppose it's for the best, though. The world needs unity at this time, not more conflict."

In hindsight, Mei should have expected Johann's response. He had the most reason out of them all to react the way he did.

"What?" he said, his voice slightly raised. "They're making him into a martyr?"

"Yes…" Mei carefully answered. "I don't like it, either. None of us do. But we believe it's for the best for Schicksal and for us all."

He looked like he was struggling with himself before he spoke again. "Who proposed this idea?"

"It was Theresa."

Johann looked even more troubled than before.

"Johann, are you alright?"

He stood. "Thank you, Mei. I need to go."

"Wait. Don't go yet." Mei held onto his wrist. She fought to find the words she needed to say, but she found none.

"I want you to know that I'm happy for you and Kiana," he finally said. "You always belonged together."

"Thank you…"

"Be there for her. Kiana will be there for you. Just as you were for me. You're the reason I'm here, Mei."

Mei slowly released him.

—-

He had given Theresa free access to his room, so she unlocked the door with her handprint and found it empty when she walked in.

That's strange. I can usually find him here.

She observed the room's few decorations. He still had not personalized it beyond what he already had. The red scarf was still on the table, as was the rose. Theresa carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck.

It's so warm. Kiana must have felt the same way on that cold winter day. It feels so long ago, but I know he still remembers.

She picked up the rose next and gazed at its unfading brightness.

It's still as red as the day he brought it to Himeko in the hospital. They told me that he'd been holding it the day they met on the Hyperion's bridge. Now we know where it really came from.

Theresa sat down on his bed. She was exhausted. Her day was even more tiring than usual, with the only uplifting news being how Kiana and Johann had worked together to hasten the repairs for Schicksal HQ. She remembered the determination in his face when he told her that he would be joining Kiana there. With Theresa's encouragement, he left to go find her. Theresa hoped the two of them had made up. It was Kiana who was forced to battle against him in Kolosten.

The foreman had called her and told her they would be finished within a week and likely sooner. Theresa wanted to feel satisfied by the news, but she still found it difficult to see herself leading from Schicksal HQ. She had tried, but the idea alone was daunting.

Me, wearing the white robes of the Overseer, sitting on the throne in the Overseer's Sanctum…I just can't picture it. I can't imagine anyone but Otto doing that. Well, I'll see what it's like pretty soon.

There was a book on the nightstand. It was not the history book she had seen him reading in the library. Instead, and much to her surprise, it was a storybook for children with a bookmark visible between the pages. The cover was familiar to her. She sat on his bed and opened it to the bookmarked page. It told the tale of a vampire girl who stayed in her castle because she feared the world outside. She found a young man she wished to spend her life with, but that life was soon cut short by his nearby village who feared her even more than she feared them. It ended with an illustration of the lifeless body of the vampire girl lying still in a pool of her own blood.

Why was he reading a story like this?

The door opened. Johann walked in. Slightly embarrassed, Theresa set the book aside and stood up. Only then did she realize she still wore the scarf Kiana gave him. "Oh. I'm sorry. I… just wanted to try it on." Theresa quickly moved to take it off before he spoke.

"It's alright. It looks good on you."

"It does?"

"You remind me of Kiana the day I gave it to her. And the day she gave this to me."

Theresa put her hand on the scarf again. "It's so warm. I'm sure you both appreciated it."

"Yes. We did." Johann looked at the open storybook but made no comment.

Theresa turned her head to it. "I didn't expect you to be so interested in fairy tales."

He stared at it as he answered. "This is the same book I used to read to Lilika each night to help her sleep. I found it in the library of Void Archives. The Previous Era even had stories like ours."

"Oh. So that's where he got it from…"

Johann looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Theresa picked up the book and ran her hand over the cover. They're cousins raised together like brothers. They're a lot more similar than they first seem…

She opened the book and slowly flipped through it as she spoke. "Otto used to read from this to me when I was young, too. I loved each and every story. Even the one about the vampire girl. Now I know where he got it from. He must have selected it from Void Archives, too. You must have found this copy in the library. Anti-Entropy discovered other copies of it before reprinting it. Same with a lot of the other books in the library. A lot of them are reprints of books written in the Previous Era. I'm glad they did."

The mention of her grandfather had an effect on him, and once again, he looked uncomfortable. Concerned, Theresa patted the area on the bed beside her. "Sit with me. We can talk."

He remained standing and looked away. "Theresa. There's something I need to ask you."

"Of course. Anything."

"Why do you plan on lying to the world about the kind of man Otto was?" His voice was cold and almost accusatory. Theresa's heart rate increased.

"Who told you this?" she firmly asked.

"It was Mei."

"I'm not surprised it was her."

"Theresa, please answer the question."

She stood from the bed, walked over to him, and took hold of his hands as she looked deep into his eyes. They were tired. So tired. "Johann, do you trust me?"

"With my life."

Theresa gathered her rationalizations, unsure if she believed them herself. "Otto was a monster, even if he was always family to me. We all know that. But this isn't the reason. If he were still alive, I'd have him stand trial for his crimes, each and every one, because he deserved to be punished for them. But he isn't. For all his faults, Otto contributed so much to the war against the Honkai and spent years successfully leading Schicksal, and there's no point in causing further conflict by revealing the truth. Not at this critical period." She tightened her grip. "Otto is dead and gone. We have bigger concerns now. Like World Serpent and its spies. Let him rest."

Johann listened, and Johann disagreed. "You don't know who he was. I did. I loved him once. I still do. But I loathe him as much as I love him. He's committed so many atrocities that it would be one final insult to his victims for him to die as a hero, not who he truly was."

Theresa understood him, or she hoped she did. She knew that Johann had more than enough reason to despise Otto. More than all of them, he had suffered personally at Otto's hands. Otto had erased his memories and forcibly separated him from those he loved. Otto had manipulated him, butchered him, and used him for his own ends. Otto had lied to him one final time and sent him into a new world in the Imaginary Tree, where he was forced to remain. After all of this, Otto escaped all judgement and justice. He was now beyond anyone's reach. Otto had died free.

Johann, more than anyone, would not let Otto achieve this one last victory.

"I know," Theresa admitted. "I know the things he did. I hate lying to the world, but I have to do it. Revealing the truth would only destabilize Schicksal even more. Many would even accuse me of slandering my predecessor to make myself look better in comparison. It's just too risky. I'm sorry."

"Theresa…"

They debated to a standstill for close to an hour. Neither could convince the other of their reasonings no matter how much Theresa wanted to give in. Her heart screamed at her to do the right thing, to accept that what he said was right, but she stood up and made to leave. By then, she was close to tears. She unwrapped the scarf from around her neck and returned it to his desk. She opened the door and rested her hand on it but remained still.

"...I'll consider everything we discussed today. You have my promise," was all Theresa said. She stepped outside his room. Right before she closed the door, she heard his voice from behind it.

"Whatever decision you make, I will still love you, Theresa."

A trail of tears followed her footsteps.

A/N: The story about the vampire girl is the same as the one from Fearless and Free. Quite a coincidence.