POV: Theresa

The golden spears whirled through the air at blinding speeds. They struck multiple Honkai beasts at once, piercing through their armour that offered no resistance before the chains that attached them to the golden cross pulled them back for another salvo. The remains of several dozen opponents lay around the silver-haired warrior as she danced around her foes with such speed that she was invisible to the naked eye. None of them could hope to land an attack on her as their remains continued to pile up.

Theresa slew one Honkai beast after another, venting her feelings onto her defenseless opponents. A Chariot crashed down motionless with a half-dozen puncture wounds in its shell, followed by a Knight and then an Emperor. Even Benares, a Judgement-class, died just as easily after chains wrapped around its neck and wings before dragging it down to its death.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins, but even her bloodlust could not sustain her forever. She grew tired of the repetitive nature of her attacks. She grew bored of the endless waves of mindless opponents. She grabbed the Oath of Judah with both arms and lifted it high above her head as though it weighed no more than she did, and with a loud, frustrated yell, she slammed it down on the final Honkai beast with all her strength, crushing it to dust beneath her. That dust dissipated into glowing data along with the remains of the other hundreds of fallen foes. The entire landscape around her vanished with them, leaving her standing in an empty, grey arena.

"Congratulations, Theresa Apocalypse," said a voice from a speaker mounted overhead in the simulated training arena. "You have exceeded your previous record by fifteen seconds."

They were only Honkai beasts. Does a record for defeating them matter?

Theresa stared at the Oath of Judah. It was a golden cross taller than herself and the weapon that had accompanied her for her entire life. It was almost like an old friend. She wielded it in battle as easily as she breathed. It was the extension of her will to protect others and destroy any who threatened them. It was a gift from her grandfather from long ago. He had told her that it was made just for her. In a way, he was right.

Theresa's predecessor, her progenitor, Kallen Kaslana, was the original wielder of the Oath of Judah in this era, and she was said to be the only one of her time able to wield it without suffering crippling injury. It was no great mystery why Theresa had taken to the cross as well as Kallen had. How she felt about this, she still could not say.

Theresa walked to the control terminal near the entrance of the arena and swiped through the list of various simulated enemies it could conjure, hoping to find a challenge beyond a handful of Honkai beasts. Every opponent they had faced was immortalized here in this database. While their technology could not hope to recapture the power many of them had held, what it could recreate were their appearance, attack patterns, and more. Theresa scrolled to the end. She stared at the man responsible for nearly everything in her life.

"I wonder what you'd think, grandpa, about your simulation being added here," she said. She selected his icon and pressed a button. Glowing light coalesced in the center of the arena, forming the shape of a man with his arms outstretched. The white silhouette soon gained colour and a definitive form. Hovering before her was the False God.

During their final battle against Otto Apocalypse, he had gained inexplicable powers beyond any of theirs. A round halo floated behind the several white wings that grew from his back. He had gained two large arms ending with clawed fingers. A visor obscured his face. Theresa felt a rush of fear from seeing him again. She reminded herself that the simulation was falser than he was.

"Would you like to begin the combat session?" the simulation chamber asked her.

"No. I was wondering if False God Otto's speech modules have been installed yet."

"They have. Would you like to activate them?"

"Please do. And only them. I'm not here for a fight."

A few seconds passed before Otto Apocalypse seemed to come to life. His masked face turned to look directly at her. Behind it, she sensed he was smiling.

"Theresa, my dear granddaughter. How delighted am I to see you again."

Theresa forced herself to remain in control, but it was more difficult than expected. His smooth, mellifluous voice was too real, too lifelike. In those few words alone, his essence, his very being filled the chamber. It was Otto himself speaking to her from beyond the grave. Theresa steadied herself by resting a hand on Judah. She glared at where Otto's eyes would have been behind his mask.

"Otto. I have questions for you."

"You always did, and I was always happy to answer them. Well, almost always."

"Tell me what it means to be Overseer."

She could imagine his smile behind the mask growing wider. "A fine question to lead with, and of course the one you would ask given that you're now the Overseer yourself. But allow me to warn you that this question is one with many answers."

"Tell me. All of them."

"Are you sure you want to hear them from me? Wouldn't you rather discover the answers on your own, using your own merit?"

"I will. But I'll also hear them from you."

Otto chuckled. "Then listen well, my dear Theresa." He crossed his arms, both pairs of them. "Being the Overseer of Schicksal means whatever you want it to mean. You hold the most powerful political position in the world. Who can stop you or tell you otherwise?"

"Plenty can," Theresa said. "I am not all-powerful, and neither is Schicksal. Not even under you. Nothing and no one is."

Otto extended one arm and inspected his clawed fingers. "Of course it isn't, but you can still shape it into what you want it to be. If you wish to continue the war against the Honkai, by all means, do so. Unite the world against this common threat. Present the image of a conciliatory leader while also leading with an iron fist if you must, as I did from behind the curtain. Or you can choose your own path and follow your own beliefs and lead Schicksal the way you want to. Let no one stop you, Not even God could stop me."

Despite his words, Theresa found herself being less and less affected by them the more he spoke. This "Otto Apocalypse" was nothing more than a lifeless, soulless computer program created from archived footage and the input of those familiar with him, including Theresa herself. It was a glorified answering machine with no conscious mind or thought, behaving only the way it was allowed to behave. Even Ai-chan was infinitely superior to it, for she was a true artificial intelligence from the Previous Era who Theresa had one day unearthed. Theresa wondered if their conversation, if it could even be called that, had any worth.

"I hope you find my words useful," Otto said. "Now, I'd rather not fight you, my dear granddaughter, but if you've come for that, then ready yourself." In Otto's clawed hand formed a burning sword. In the other was the Oath of Judah. Both mimicries of the Divine Keys looked intimidating at first glance, and even simulated, they were, but Theresa had better things to do.

"No, thank you, Otto. I'm a very busy person now that I'm the Overseer, and I have more important things than playing with toys. I'll think about what you said if that makes you feel any better." She returned to the terminal. She looked back at him one last time. He seemed disappointed she was leaving him. With a sigh, she terminated the simulation and was alone in the arena once more.

"It was a good imitation of the real Otto, but it definitely lacked something that made Otto…Otto," Theresa muttered to herself as she exited the training chamber. In the hallway, she saw Bronya. She smiled at her. "Good afternoon, Bronya. Are you here to train? I just finished up here. The arena is all yours."

Bronya shook her head. "I saw how off-balance you were during your training session."

"Oh…I was? I'm pretty sure I was fine. I even broke my previous record."

"Anyone can perform attacks faster or use more brute force, but your form was completely off."

Theresa wondered how long Bronya had been watching her. She did not mind being observed. She welcomed the opportunity to prove that her small stature did not mean she was a small person, but as she thought back to her earlier performance, she knew Bronya was right. It was all rage and frustration that she fought with. There was none of the finely practiced finesse that defined an S-rank valkyrie. It was unbecoming of her, and she cursed herself for giving in to her baser emotions.

No, what I did was normal. Everyone needs to relax from time to time. Even if it means smashing stuff. It's good to let out your anger as long as you don't hurt anyone, or you might end up hurting someone.

She sighed. "You're right. I'll do better next time. Good luck."

"If I were to train right now, I would be the same as you, Overseer."

"Don't call me that, Bronya. Please. I'll always just be 'headmistress' or 'principal' to you and the others. And even if that's true, I'm sure it'll still help you to let out some steam. I know it did for me."

Bronya stared into the window that showed the now-empty chamber. "Why did you authorize the creation of a simulation of Otto Apocalypse?"

Theresa's breath hitched. "I…I wanted a part of him to stay in this world. For better or worse, he was one of the most important figures in history, and he shouldn't be forgotten. I had some questions for it. Questions I thought it might have some answers to."

"Did it answer your questions?"

"It might have. It might have only spouted nonsense. With Otto, you never know, and this was just a recreation of him. It was a lot closer to Otto than I expected, although it's still not quite there yet."

Bronya walked closer. "So you don't know. You don't know what to do."

Theresa looked away. "I feel lost," she admitted. "So much is happening, and I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to be the Overseer. I'm supposed to know the solutions to these problems, but…"

"It's important for the Overseer to know what she has to do. I think that you know what you have to do, and it depends on what you want to do. Do you know?"

Theresa searched through herself and her thoughts. She did know what she wanted to do. She knew all along. What she did not know if what she wanted was the right thing to do. She put a hand on Bronya's shoulder. "Thank you, Bronya. I needed this talk. Rest assured that your headmistress always has a plan." She smiled at her again before leaving. She had only one destination in mind, and as Otto had told her, none could stop her.

She traversed the base, navigating the endless hallways and coming across several others along the way. Some greeted her, and others did not. However they addressed her, she greeted them all as politely as she could. It would not do for the Overseer to be seen as rude or uncivil. Otto had always prioritized Schicksal's image in the eyes of the public, taking great care to craft the idea of a benevolent organization always there to help those in need. Perception was power, and he ensured, with several means that Theresa disagreed with, that Schicksal had the most of it. In her own way, she intended to do the same.

When she stepped into the laboratory, which she was surprised to find unlocked, she found him asleep on a small bed set up for him. His face seemed at peace. She listened to his soft breathing, the gentle rising and falling of his chest. She knew he had no need for air. He was a Herrscher in a Soulium vessel, but she was glad that in this small way, part of him was still human. She moved a chair over and sat down beside him. She watched over him in silence, content to see him at rest. She started to wonder if he was even asleep or if his body ever needed rest. If he were truly a machine now, even his mind would never feel fatigued, but then she remembered the pain she saw in him the day he returned to her. That look was not one of an unfeeling machine. Even after all the changes he was forced to endure, he was still a man, a man who suffered from more pain than she was able to imagine.

"Johann…" she softly whispered to him. "I can't imagine what you must be going through right now or what you're dreaming of…but I'm here for you. I always have been, and I always will be. Do you remember the day you found Himeko and brought her to the hospital? That day, I sang a song for you when you needed it the most. Then, when Kiana needed it the most, you sang the song to her. You passed on a mother's words to her daughter. Do you still remember them? Let me sing to you again…"

Theresa reached over and gently ran her hand through his red hair. She closed her eyes. The words and melody of Cecilia's song soothed her soul. She did not know if he could hear her, but she liked to believe that he did.

"You are the beauty in my world, and I am the beauty in yours. I am the light in your life. In mine, you are more…"