POV: Theresa

Eleven people were seated around a circular table in a meeting room with panelled walls, soft lighting, and even a potted plant in the corner. They were already engaged in quiet discussion by the time Theresa opened the doors and stepped into the room. If not for the often dire subjects that were discussed in the room, the atmosphere in the room could be seen as relaxed. She was the last to arrive, and upon her arrival, the meeting began.

"Good afternoon, all of you. Thank you all for being here. We have a lot to discuss today," she said to the gathering, taking her seat at the head of the table, the one that faced the far end of the room. Most of them smiled in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Overseer," said Welt Yang, who sat directly across from her. "I look forward to discussing the matters of importance we're here for today."

Theresa looked over to Bianka. "Bianka, would you do the honours of starting this meeting? You must have a lot to report."

"Of course." Bianka passed out printed reports to everyone seated at the table. "The Immortal Blades have been monitoring the governments deemed the least cooperative with Theresa's tenure as Overseer. Fortunately, talks of secession seem to have stalled, although they haven't been retracted, either. The odds of them proceeding or retracting seem equally likely."

Welt quickly read through the pages of the report. He looked up. "These countries wish to join Anti-Entropy for a number of reasons. As we've briefly discussed in private, Overseer, what if I were to refuse their entry? This would force them to either remain a part of Schicksal or become independent without support from either of our organizations, and a country alone in this world is a country that will fall to the Honkai sooner or later. I believe these leaders are rational enough to understand this."

Theresa inspected the Sovereign's serious eyes. Welt Yang was a man with decades of experience leading an organization much like her own. She valued all correspondence he offered. "Would you really do this, Mr. Yang? Refuse those who willingly wish to join Anti-Entropy and turn down the opportunity to strengthen your organization?"

He adjusted his glasses before replying. "If we were still in the days of Otto's Schicksal, I would have already invited them over myself. Anti-Entropy was always making attempts to poach nations from Schicksal and have them join us instead. Theresa, now that you're the Overseer of a friendly Schicksal, I see no reason to weaken it. Anti-Entropy is strong enough already; we have no greed for power beyond what we need to defeat the Honkai."

"I appreciate your input, Sovereign," Theresa said. "You're correct. We need to project unity. AE gaining power at Schicksal's expense would damage the newly made peace we've declared. Our Cold War is supposed to be over. Let's not start another one."

"So these countries say that Schicksal isn't good enough for them?" Kiana angrily said. "That Theresa's only a child no one should follow? I've never met anyone this ungrateful!"

"Kiana, we know that there's no one better for the position than Theresa," Mei said. "But we also need to look at her from their view. Theresa is mostly an unknown. There isn't much information that's publicly available about her. Before Otto named her as his successor, most people had never even heard of her. Even though she's an S-rank valkyrie, she never had a public image like Bianka and Rita because she mainly kept to herself. And…it's true. She does look like anyone's young daughter." Mei looked at Theresa apologetically.

"If only they knew how strong she really is…none of us in this room doubt what she can do," Kiana said quietly.

"Thank you, Kiana, and thank you, Mei," Theresa said. She loved them for their faith in her. She would do all she could to not only live up to their expectations but exceed them. "Kiana, you're right. They do need to know what kind of person I am, and they will soon enough." She addressed Welt again. "Sovereign, please do as you've offered and bar these countries entry to Anti-Entropy. It'll at least buy us some time to change their minds."

"Consider it done, Overseer. To avoid accusations of bias against these particular countries, Anti-Entropy will declare the same for all of Schicksal's constituents. We'll announce that our organizations will cooperate as they are."

Overseer thanked Sovereign. The subject changed. Rita was now speaking of the task force she led and its recent activities.

"I'm pleased to report that we have captured another suspected World Serpent spy," she said, wearing the battlesuit Umbral Rose that also functioned as a maid uniform. "Interrogations should begin shortly."

"Thank you, Rita," Theresa said. "Keep me updated about this. We'll need all the intelligence we can get to deal with World Serpent. They're unlikely to take well to us purging their spies, so we will all need to be prepared."

Mei looked particularly concerned. Fu Hua, sitting beside her, whispered something into her ear, and Mei seemed to relax slightly.

"How many spies have we captured so far?" Mei asked.

"Not as many as I'd like," Theresa muttered. "You told me that you estimated there to be at least a hundred of them in Schicksal alone with Anti-Entropy having at least as many." She looked over to Welt, who nodded. "So far, we've uncovered eight. Nine including the latest, and none have been very talkative despite our best interrogation methods. We've barely made a dent in World Serpent's operations."

"If our joint task force requires more manpower, Anti-Entropy is more than willing to provide it," offered Welt. "Our espionage and counterintelligence services were by necessity well-funded to counter Otto. Unfortunately, this won't be changing in the foreseeable future. Miss Rossweisse, how many more members would you say you need?"

"As many as you can spare, Sovereign. This effort turned out to be more demanding than we expected."

"Very well. I'll consult with my best agents who aren't already working with you as soon as this meeting concludes."

"What was this spy doing before they were captured?" asked Fu Hua.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Rita answered her. Theresa had a good idea why. She had been appalled to learn what had happened between them in one of Schicksal's emergency bunkers located close to St. Freya, and it seemed that neither woman had forgotten, either.

"He was caught stealing an archaeological artifact. That's all we know so far," Rita finally said. Fu Hua declined to answer.

"I think we've discussed this subject enough for now," Theresa said to break the tense silence and to move to a more positive subject. "Tesla, Einstein, Welt: how is the work on the Moonlit Throne coming along?"

Tesla checked her phone. "The Moonlit Throne's construction should be completed within the year. As designed, it'll surpass the Hyperion in every way. It was the weapon we always needed."

Theresa must have made a slightly annoyed look because the scientists noticed it.

"Overseer, are you by any chance perturbed that Anti-Entropy has surpassed Schicksal in warship design?" Einstein asked.

"No, not at all. I just…liked it when the Hyperion was the best in the world. Of course I'm glad that we have another battleship to serve beside it!" Theresa replied quickly.

Kiana, Mei, and Bronya laughed.

"Aunt Teri, we know that you're jealous. So are we," said Kiana. "But Anti-Entropy is our friend now. We should be glad for them."

"The Moonlit Throne and the Hyperion both serving together should be another symbol of the unity between our two organizations," said Mei.

"Kiana and Mei are right," said Bronya. "Gains made by our allies are gains for us. If Schicksal is also in need of more battleships, we can always construct more of our own."

"Yes," said Theresa. "We're delighted to see more of the Moonlit Throne's class in operation."

As much as Theresa disliked admitting it, Kiana and Einstein were right. Theresa was proud of the Hyperion. She had been part of the battleship for many years, and it had become a part of her. It had always served her well, and she enjoyed its status as the most powerful and advanced vehicle of its kind in the entire world. But no technology could remain unchallenged forever. Seeing it surpassed was only inevitable. She was glad that it was Anti-Entropy's work and not World Serpent's.

Anti-Entropy began constructing the Moonlit Throne in imitation and appreciation of a similar technology developed in the Previous Era. The fourteenth and final Herrscher, whose name and face were lost to time, was critically weakened by a supercharged shot from a satellite known as the Selene. The Selene converted Honkai energy into excess heat and radiation, weakening the Herrscher enough for her to be stunned for twelve hours. Such an attack rendered the satellite inoperable.

They came so close to victory. If only they could have built more Selenes. They only had enough resources to build one of them.

The development of the Selene came too late for the people of the Previous Era. Years of heavy losses to the Honkai had seen its industrial capacity all but annihilated. Constructing even one Selene had consumed most of their already limited resources. They never would have built enough of them to ensure their victory.

But we've learned from the past. We have the time, resources, and manpower they didn't. We can build enough Selenes so when the time comes, we'll be ready.

The Moonlit Throne's main armament was another Selene. Its main gun fired the same technology used against the Final Herrscher. The Hyperion was used to mount the first Selene prototype, which had proven itself twice against the Herrscher of the Void and again in Kolosten. With enough battleships armed with the critical weapon, no Herrscher could stand against them.

"Speaking of construction…Bianka, how is the progress on repairing Schicksal HQ?" Theresa asked.

Bianka pressed a button on the table. The real-time image of the island manifested above them. It had barely changed since the last time Theresa checked it.

"As you can see, it's going slower than we'd like," Bianka said. "We need to allocate more resources and manpower to its repair."

"I've already allocated more than enough resources. It's the manpower that's the issue." Theresa smiled at Kiana. "Or rather, in this case, womanpower. Kiana?"

Kiana nodded firmly. "It was about time I headed to Schicksal HQ to help speed up the repairs using my abilities. I'll do a lot more good this way than staying here."

"Thank you, Kiana. You can leave whenever you're ready."

"I'll go as soon as this meeting's finished."

Others in the room spoke up. "That's a wise decision, Kiana," Welt told her. "The sooner Schicksal's symbol of power is restored, the sooner Theresa can take her seat there, and the sooner her image as Overseer can be strengthened as Otto's was."

"I wish I could help you," Seele said.

"You already are," Kiana replied, smiling at her.

"Just knowing that Kiana has your support is enough," Bronya said to Seele.

"Will you be staying for very long?" Fu Hua asked.

"I'll stay for as long as I'll need to, but it shouldn't take more than a few days," Kiana answered.

"Do your best, Miss Kaslana," said Amber. "Schicksal HQ holds meaning, not just for me, but for all of Schicksal. It will be good to see it restored so Theresa can take her rightful place on it."

"Yes, Kiana, do your best. We're all counting on you," Thersa said.

"Overseer, may I ask a question?" It was Welt who had spoken.

"Of course, Sovereign."

"How are you finding your new duties as Overseer? I, more than anyone else in this room, can understand the burdensome task of holding together an entire organization on your shoulders."

"I know, Welt. I thank you for all the advice you've given me. But the real trials aren't even here yet. Otto may be gone, but there's still World Serpent and of course the Honkai we need to deal with." Theresa closed her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I wish he were still here, even if only to guide me. His strength would be welcome. A transition of power could become a weakness. But I'm not one to complain about the hand I'm dealt with. I'll perform all my duties as required. Each of you in this room can be certain of that."

None doubted her.

They covered several more topics before the meeting neared its end. Out of all that they discussed, there was one thing she was glad they did not.

"Theresa…"

"Kiana?"

"How is Johann doing?"

An uncomfortable silence settled onto the room. Several eyes looked at Kiana as if she had uttered a forbidden word.

Theresa stood from her seat, walked over to Kiana, and placed her hand on her shoulder. "He's doing better. I promise you."

"You have been spending a lot of time with Johann," Bronya said. "But he's continued to refuse to see anyone else. Theresa, do you have an idea when this will change?"

"He…he isn't ready yet, Bronya. He'll be ready when he's ready."

"He'd better be," Kiana said in a low voice. "He has no idea how angry I still am at him for turning against us and siding with Otto. He doesn't know how much he hurt me when he made me fight him." Kiana squeezed her eyes shut. "He doesn't know how much I have to say to him…"

Mei gave Kiana a gentle embrace. "It wasn't his fault. Otto must have somehow coerced him into helping him. Johann didn't want to be sent into Kallen's world. Otto tricked him into doing that."

Theresa made eye contact with Mei. "You're right, Mei. Johann explained to me why he did what he did. Otto programmed a directive into his Soulium body that prevented him from taking any action against Otto. That's why he fought you, Kiana. He didn't have a choice."

"I know…but…"

"Kiana, we all have so many things to say to him," Bronya said. "We're all waiting for the day when we can. For that day to happen, he must want it to happen, so this is why I'm glad he is willing to speak to Theresa after he spoke to no one before."

"Kiana, healing can never be rushed," Seele said softly. "When you were hurting in Arc City and Soukai City, did you get better in a day?"

Kiana's eyes opened as she looked at them. "I know. All of you are right. Theresa, please continue to be there for him, and for me. I…I think it's time for me to head to Schicksal HQ." Kiana rose from her seat, as did the rest.

"Do your best, and don't break anything more than they already are," Bronya teased her as she gave her a quick hug.

"You know I'm a lot more careful than I used to be," Kiana teased back.

"Be safe," Mei told her. Kiana promised her she would be.

"I'm looking forward to what you can do, Kiana," Theresa said. She was heartened that Kiana's Herrscher abilities could also be used for good, that they did not exist solely for inflicting violence and destruction. The world had seen too much of that already.

After their farewells concluded, Kiana created a portal and vanished into it, reappearing above the base before she started flying to the location of the floating island. The meeting ended with her departure. The others left the meeting chamber, leaving it all but empty aside from Theresa, Bianka, and Rita. Theresa knew the two had stayed behind for a reason. She addressed Rita first.

"Rita, I'd like to see the newest spy you've captured for myself."

"Overseer, may I ask why? I know that this is important to you as it should be, but seeing them in person isn't likely to benefit you. You should leave this to the task force that the Sovereign has agreed to bolster."

"I want to see the faces of my enemies," Theresa said, harder this time. "I want them to know that I'm not scared of them."

"Theresa, Rita is right," said Bianka. She ran a hand through her golden hair. "Don't be distracted by things you can't directly affect. Leave the spies to Rita. She has more experience in this than any of us."

"I know you do, Rita. I'm asking this because I'm fed up with not being able to do anything. Maybe, just maybe, if they see my face, they'll be scared enough to spill everything they know." Theresa laughed bitterly. "Or maybe I'll just be wasting more of my time. Either way, I'll see this spy for myself at least once."

Rita and Bianka looked at each other before they reluctantly agreed.

—-

The airship they flew in was relatively small and designed for stealth and speed. None but the three of them knew their location and destination. To facilitate this, Theresa had spread disinformation about her whereabouts for the next few hours. She gazed outside the window of the airship, which was descending below the clouds as it approached the end of its flight.

Rita and Bianka were flying her to a secure and heavily classified location where the few World Serpent spies they had managed to capture were kept under lock and key. It was hours away from Anti-Entropy's Salt Lake base even with the hypersonic flight speed of their airship, and Theresa had sat in silence the entire time, her mind focused on what she would soon see.

World Serpent. They claim to fight for humanity, but they aren't above destroying an entire city to do that. Kiana, I'm so proud of you that you stopped them and saved Arc City.

None of them knew much more about the organization beyond Kiana and Mei's interactions with them. What they did know was that it was an ancient order led by Kevin Kaslana, the strongest soldier from the Previous Era, who was long thought to be dead before his escape from the Sea of Quanta. He had wasted no time in resuming his leadership of World Serpent and whatever it had planned during his absence.

Kevin, in a way, was Theresa's ancestor. He was the first Kaslana. He was the progenitor of their entire house. He had fought for humanity's sake as much as she, Kiana, and all other Kaslanas had done or more, but only he had seen fit to destroy a city of millions in humanity's name. Whatever she would glean from the spies, she was glad they were no longer able to provide Kevin with any usable information.

Unless the other spies learn from how these nine were captured and make themselves even harder to root out.

"Overseer, we're about to land," said Bianka's voice from the speaker in the cabin. "Be prepared."

She was prepared, or so she liked to think. The airship touched down without even the slightest jostle. Outside the window, Theresa could see very little apart from trees and foliage. She stood from her seat as Rita and Bianka left the pilot's cockpit.

"We've arrived, Overseer. Please follow me," said Rita.

They exited the airship and stepped into a heavily forested region. The clearing they had landed in was the only place they could have landed for a great distance around. The wind whispered through the trees of the forest. Theresa did not believe in ghosts or the supernatural, but the sound was eerie all the same.

Rita and Bianka led her through the forest using a path they seemed to be familiar with but Theresa could hardly see.

"The forest makes escape even more difficult, as you can see," the maid explained. "Even if the prisoners somehow escaped from the underground facility, the forest itself only becomes an even larger prison for them. Civilization is too far from here to reach on foot."

They stopped at a cave entrance on the side of a large rock wall. Beyond the opening was complete darkness. Bianka took out a handheld light source to illuminate the way.

"You keep them in a cave?" Theresa asked, not entirely comfortable with the idea.

"The facility was constructed inside this cave," Rita answered. "Otto used it for prisoners of great importance, as these ones have learned they are."

"What else has Otto kept from me…" muttered Theresa.

"A great deal, I'm afraid. After this, I'll tell you everything you don't know yet."

They stepped into the cave, descending deeper underground, well beyond the reach of the natural sunlight of the outside world. If not for the light source, they would have walked in complete darkness. The empty vastness of the cave seemed to smother Theresa. She did not want to be here. She pitied anyone who was forced to endure a hell like this. After an indeterminate length of time, Rita finally stopped. She placed a hand on the stone wall. Theresa was beginning to wonder why until a section of the wall slid aside. It was a door disguised as part of the wall. Theresa could have walked past it and never known. The door had concealed an underground facility much like the others operated by Schicksal. If Theresa had not known otherwise, she would never have guessed they were deep within the bowels of the Earth.

They led her into the prison complex. There were numerous cells along the walls, all but nine of them empty. The prisoners held in them seemed lifeless behind the reinforced, transparent material that barred them from freedom. Some lay motionless on their hard, uncomfortable beds, while others seemed to stare at Theresa as they walked by, although she had been told the view was only one-way. She did her best to stare back, and what she saw only unnerved her even more.

They barely seem human.

"Overseer, you wished to see the most recent prisoner?" Rita asked.

Theresa wordlessly nodded.

"He's kept over in that block," Bianka said as she pointed in its direction. "We'll keep the cells lightproofed and soundproofed from us until you're ready to speak to him."

They led Theresa to the most forgettable and unremarkable man she had ever seen in her life. He was so nondescript that Theresa risked forgetting his appearance after leaving. He could have been any person picked out from any crowd, or he could have been no one. His short brown hair, brown eyes, and expressionless face would have failed to leave any lasting impression on her if she came across him in the street and struck up a conversation with him. He was so ordinary that he was extraordinary.

"So, this is him," Theresa said. "Seems like anyone picked out from a crowd at random."

"And yet he was the one who was caught stealing a stone tablet from one of Schicksal's archaeological research facilities," Rita replied.

Theresa turned to her, wishing to see little of this boring but unnerving man. "What was he doing there?"

Bianka answered. "That's the strangest part. We aren't sure. There are no records of his existence, let alone of his employment at the facility or anywhere else in Schicksal. None of the others working at the facility remember him, either. We don't even know his name."

"On the same day, however," Rita continued, "several of them reported that a coworker went missing and hasn't been seen since. We're investigating this disappearance to determine if he has anything to do with it."

"I see," Theresa said. "What makes you certain he's a spy? He could have stolen the tablet for any reason. Maybe he liked how it looked. Maybe he wanted to sell it to a museum for money since I wasn't paying him enough."

"That's the strangest part of all," Rita answered. "We know only because he confessed to this himself. When he was caught, he offered no resistance. He set the tablet down and allowed himself to be restrained. All he said was, 'World Serpent sends its regards'. And that's all we know."

"Hmm. This is worrying. It's almost as if he wanted to be caught…" Theresa said. She turned back to the nondescript man only a wall away. "I'd like to speak with him."

Rita nodded. She took out a control device and modified the parameters of the barrier so that light and sound could pass through it both ways. When the three became visible to the spy, he stood to his feet and stared.

"So, you're our newest guest," Theresa said in her coldest voice. "You don't seem like anyone important."

The spy said and did nothing.

"You don't seem to have stolen anything important, either. Rita, what was on the tablet, again?"

"It was unearthed from a ruin dated from the Previous Era," she said. "On it is a message or phrase written in an extinct language used in that era. I've yet to check the translation, but - "

"Eba Dagami Tashi Ha Nu."

Theresa nearly recoiled from the sound of the man's voice. It was as forgettable as the rest of him. It sounded almost as if he had never spoken at all, and this unnerved her. She glared at him. "And what does that mean?"

"Something you can surely understand, Overseer of Schicksal."

"If you answer me with riddles, I'll make your stay even more uncomfortable than it already is."

The spy only smiled. This infuriated her even more, but she refused to let it show.

"Then explain it to me. Let's talk, you and me. Maybe we can come to an understanding. After all, we both work for organizations that share the same goal. We both want to defeat the Honkai. Ideally, we should be allies."

The spy's smile remained unchanged.

Theresa inspected his eyes. They revealed nothing about this man. They showed no emotion. Even his frozen smile conveyed nothing.

"Rita, please reactivate the barrier."

Rita did as Theresa ordered, isolating the prisoner from them once more.

Theresa sighed. "It's time to go."

"Already? Didn't you want to meet with the other prisoners too?" Bianka asked.

"If any of them are like this one, I'll just be wasting more of my time. You were right. I shouldn't have come here."

"No, Overseer. It's good to be bold, even if you aren't sure if your efforts will pay off. There's only one way to know."

"If you say so, Bianka."

As they exited the facility and the cave that held it and trudged through the forest back to their waiting airship, Theresa could only feel a heavy sense of foreboding.