I had planned for this to come out earlier, but oh well. On the bright side, the next chapter is already done and will be posted in a few days.
Fu Hua opened her eyes slowly, hearing some inane muttering near her.
She quickly shook off the remaining drowsiness and rose, scanning her surroundings to see what was making that noise.
She felt her eyes twitch as she noticed Kiana sitting next to her, muttering to herself with her eyes closed and a bashful face.
"Fu Hua, I know that I helped you and all, but I've already devoted myself to Mei, I can't just go and do things like that…" Fu Hua simply stared at her before coughing into her hand.
"Huh? Ah! Fu Hua, you're awake? How much did you hear?" Kiana asked, panicked.
Fu Hua ignored her and put on her glasses, before looking around and grabbing the Soulium container. Opening it up revealed the Gem of Serenity safe and sound.
KIANA was nowhere to be found.
"Kiana, did you happen to see where our new friend has gotten off too?"
"Huh? You mean KIANA? No, I haven't seen her since I woke up." Kiana answered before suddenly gaining a shocked expression. "*gasp* Could it be?! Fu Hua, are you trying to go after my look alike since I'm spoken for already? How shameful!"
Fu Hua ignored her again and looked around at the city.
"Kiana, for now you try and ascertain our surroundings, make sure the city is safe." She spoke as she began walking away from Kiana.
It was best that Kiana not listen in to her upcoming call.
"Glad to see you're awake, old friend. I was getting worried." Her glasses spoke.
Of course, it wasn't actually her glasses talking. Rather, Fu Hua was hearing the voice of the Schicksal Overseer, Otto Apocalypse.
"What's the situation, Otto?" She asked curtly.
"As you have already seen, the Gem is secure and K-423 is alive and well. Sirin's personality has been put back to slumber. Now if I may, a question of my own?"
Fu Hua sighed. He had told her nothing she didn't already know and then asked his own question in return? How very Otto of him.
"Out with it." She replied.
"How much do you remember about the fight with Sirin?" Otto asked.
"What are you-? Oh." She answered her own question as she asked it, her memories coming back to her.
Or rather, her lack of memories.
She remembered fighting Sirin, but she couldn't recall any details about the fight itself, nor how Sirin had been dealt with.
Her memories had been tampered with.
"It appears your new friend exploited the fact that you had used up all your feathers, and where you would normally have been immune to its effects, here you were left vulnerable." Otto explained.
Her 'new friend'? Had KIANA somehow done this?
"Luckily for you, the power of Sentience does not affect electronics, so the camera in your glasses managed to capture just about everything." As he spoke, her glasses began playing a recording of the battle against Sirin.
The first thing Fu Hua noticed was KIANA seemingly healing herself from the vapors of Serenity. Otto spoke up. "I assume your attention was more focused on fending off the vapors, but your new friend somehow managed to heal herself from the all corroding Mist. It could be all manner of abilities but I believe her next few showings shine a bit more light."
Next was when they were surrounded by the Vortex of Serenity. Fu Hua had managed to disperse it from a technique she developed to deal with the Divine Key Abyss Flower, but she didn't know how KIANA managed it.
Otto spoke again. "Unlike you, your friend here doesn't seem to be in a stance, meaning she managed to disperse the vapors without lifting a finger. As though the very Wind blew it all away…"
At his curious wording, Fu Hua realized what he was implying.
"You don't really think that KIANA's a Herrscher, do you?" She asked, skeptical.
"Of course, this alone is no proof at all. There are a great many Valkyries in our ranks that utilize the winds. In fact, there's this talented A-Rank in New Zealand who is in tune enough to host the Gem of Desire-"
"Back to the point, Otto." She cut him off. He really liked to hear himself talk, didn't he?
"You're no fun, old friend. But if you insist." The video on her glasses fast forwarded to a point where the glasses were knocked off of Fu Hua in Sirin's assault.
"The video cut out some time after this point, and by the time it returned, Sirin had been subdued and the Gem was secured. I'm sure your own memories of what transpired then will return once you regain some of your feathers, but for now, let's look to the aftermath."
The video now displayed KIANA front and center, with Fu Hua herself assumedly standing opposite to her.
However, Fu Hua in the video suddenly collapsed, with a familiar red feather appearing in front of her. Fu Hua recognized that feather in an instant.
"That's-!"
"Fenghuang Down. Or at least the power of Sentience. She used it after you got too confrontational with her over whatever she did when the video cut out. How fortunate that she had no idea it was being recorded."
The KIANA in the video spoke about how she had been glad to meet Fu Hua and Kiana. Then, the KIANA in the video apologized. Fu Hua assumed it was for putting her to sleep, but the apology felt… different than that, somehow.
It felt like she was apologizing for something much deeper.
"So, she's a Herrscher? Or at least has the powers of a Herrscher?" Fu Hua asked, once the video ended.
"That is our best guess at the moment. As far as the video showed, your new friend seemed to use the powers of Death, Wind, and Sentience. I can only assume as to what happened when the video cut out, but it was likely the power of either Corruption or Binding. Those glasses are too tough to cut out from being knocked off."
"But if she's a Herrscher, then which one is she? No Herrscher can use multiple authorities as far as we know. Aside from Sirin, she was a unique case." Fu Hua asked. If Herrschers from now on had multiple authorities then it meant something was very wrong.
"Actually, while our information at the moment is limited, I believe I have a guess." Otto pointed out. "In the Previous Era, there existed a Herrscher that was a thousand in one. Across all of them, each individual had powers that imitated the Herrschers that came before, albeit to a lesser degree." Fu Hua remembered the Herrscher in question. The Herrscher of Dominance.
Of course, her own memories of back then were far and few, but the database records from back then told the tale of the 10th Herrscher. A Herrscher that was individually weaker than any other, each one only able to use a pale mimicry of another authority. Their true strength came in their numbers.
Otto continued. "But what if in the Current Era, this Herrscher manifested differently? What if instead of having weakened iterations of other Herrscher authorities spread out across 1000 people, it was all centered in one individual?" Fu Hua shot up. It was an oddly plausible idea, and terrifying if true. Otto held a pause to build up suspense.
"I suspect that your new friend KIANA may in fact be the Herrscher of Dominance!"
"Siegfried got back to us with his report from the events in Singapore." Einstein's voice came from the computer, with her face on the screen. "At least, what classifies as a report when he's involved. It's actually just a mess of scribbles that vaguely resemble a proper report."
"Yes, Kiana Kaslana and Fu Hua returned earlier today, though they are both silent on what happened. I suspect they've been told it's confidential." Welt said. "What did Siegfried have to say?"
"Well, he didn't stick around for long. Once he handed over the Soulium box he immediately left the city, hoping to get out before Schicksal could lock it down." Einstein answered. "Though it seems he ran into our friend KIANA while he was there."
"Did he now? That girl is appearing more and more where big events take place, as though disaster is drawn to her or something…" Welt muttered.
First she was near the 4th Key's wreckage, then St. Freya during Anti-Entropy's invasion, and now Singapore as Cocolia attempted to cause an Eruption.
"We don't know why she was there or why she seemed to know what was going on, but Siegfried sent her off with Fu Hua to help rescue Kiana and the Gem." Einstein continued.
"And yet here at St. Freya, only Fu Hua and Kiana Kaslana arrived, so KIANA likely parted ways after the matter was settled." Welt realized.
"Yeah, she seems to do that a lot. She'll probably turn up at the next crisis too." Einstein joked, though Welt couldn't help but think that the chances were more likely than she thought.
"Send Siegfried's report over when you get a chance. For now, how has the investigation into the 4th Key been going?" Welt asked.
"After we got back to America, Tesla and I tried to determine the direction the culprit came from, using the way the Key was destroyed along with the time it was destroyed. From what we gathered, there's only really one possible location." Einstein explained.
"That's good, isn't it? If we just look into where the culprit came from, then we can determine who's responsible, if anyone." Welt was curious at what seemed to be hesitance from her. "Even if it comes from outer space, we dealt with something similar a decade ago." If this happened to be the Sky People returning so soon, then they'd be prepared.
"That's the thing, it did come from space, just not deep space like that Vanguard Stone 10 years ago." Einstein clarified. "Rather, it came from the Moon."
Ah, her hesitance made sense now. The Moon had a few bad memories for Welt.
After all, it was where he died.
"I see. Any insights as to what the culprit actually is?" During the Second Eruption, Sirin had launched rocks at the Earth with tremendous force, killing millions with just a few of those moon rocks of hers.
This culprit had been launched on its own with no others, but if it was a repeat of the events back in the Second Eruption, it was best to deal with it quickly.
"Unfortunately, no. As things stand, there's not much we can do to find that out except examine the ocean floor for anything that might be out of place. Of course, that would only work if this were a typical asteroid, which given that it destroyed a Divine Key, I'll say that's unlikely." Einstein evaluated.
Welt sighed, they had managed to uncover an important clue, yet were still no closer to finding out what destroyed the 4th Key.
That was two mysteries that had hit dead ends, both the 4th Key and KIANA.
The 4th Key and KIANA…
"Einstein, you said a while back that KIANA was in Homu Land the day the Key was destroyed, right?"
Einstein seemed to understand what he was getting at.
"That's right. No other records of her seem to exist prior to those pictures at Homu Land. With her unconnected to Schicksal, that makes her a viable third party that could be involved with the 4th Key's destruction." Einstein explained. "It's simply far too much of a coincidence for her to be there on that very day."
"If she had no records of even existing prior to that day, then I believe we may have been under some wrong impressions that hindered the investigation." Welt spoke up.
An idea had appeared in his mind, one that could explain some matters. "We believed that she was in some way connected or responsible for the 4th Key's destruction, yes. But what if she was the meteor in question?"
At that, Einstein's eyes widened.
"But if we go off of that, then…" She began to speak.
"Then it would mean she came from the Moon." Welt finished.
"How would that even be possible?" Einstein asked.
Welt hesitated. It seemed far fetched, but there was one possibility that existed.
"Einstein, do you remember Sirin's Seraphim Princes?" He asked.
Einstein paused for a moment before recalling what he was talking about.
"You mean the Pseudo-Herrschers Sirin created back in the Second Eruption? We suspect that they were created by combining the Gems Sirin had with the power of Reason she stole from you." She then gave Welt a curious look.
"I'm surprised you remember them, since while devastating in their own right, they were a rather small footnote in the Second Eruption." She thought to herself for a moment before adding. "Plus, you were dead during that time."
"I was able to keep watch from within the Herrscher core, but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that Sirin never displayed the power to create them until after she had gotten the Gems.
Now Einstein realized what he was getting at.
"After she went to the Moon. You don't think that KIANA is some leftover Seraphim Prince from back then, do you? Staying on the Moon for 15 years after Sirin's death?" She asked.
"No, I don't think she's one of Sirin's Seraphim Princes, but I do believe she may have been born in a similar manner." Welt explained. "It was on the Moon where Sirin got the power to create Pseudo-Herrschers, and it was on the Moon where the culprit responsible for the 4th Key came from. The same culprit we believe to be connected to KIANA, who seems to have never existed on Earth beforehand."
"Wait, but hang on. As I said, they were likely made with the power of Reason. Your power. And if you don't remember, you didn't make KIANA." Einstein pointed out.
Welt figured she would bring that up. However, he knew that Reason was not necessary.
"There's already a precedent for Pseudo-Herrschers that doesn't require the power of Reason. While most of Sirin's Seraphim Princes were made with my power, there was one exception. The dragon Benares, granted human form before Sirin ever stole my Core."
He had personally met the dragon girl when he went to the Moon. "She only ever got that form on the Moon. A Honkai Beast that somehow managed to gain human form."
"So, do you think that KIANA is also a Honkai Beast? One that somehow appeared on the Moon and became human?" Einstein asked.
"I don't know exactly. We're still missing a lot of information, but at the very least, it's looking more and more likely…" He sighed. He still had no idea why she seemed so familiar to him, but as it stood, this was their best guess.
"That KIANA is in some way a Pseudo-Herrscher."
The phone was ringing. She picked it up.
"Heliopolis Life Sciences, this is Dr. Hypatia speaking, how may I help you?" She greeted with faux cheer.
"How goes the search for the Final Herrscher?" The phone asked. She slammed her fist into the table.
"God dammit, Gray Serpent! Follow the damn protocol! This is information that absolutely can't get leaked!" Jackal yelled.
"I take it not well, then?" He answered simply. She sighed before calming herself down. There was just no reasoning with this guy.
"We're not all dead, so it's technically going great. The Herrscher of Finality is awake, but has yet to descend. I have no idea why."
"New Atra is perfectly unharmed, and it doesn't appear that the Herrscher is hiding away on the Moon. Wherever it is, it's likely on Earth already." Gray Serpent gave his account of the situation.
"The most we do know is that nobody has seen a giant humanoid floating around, so at least the secret's still up." Given how large the statue was, any appearance like that would be all over the news. "Unfortunately, this ultimately works against us, as it means the Herrscher has likely taken on a different form."
"Hmm, tragically, the statue was already rather frayed, so we don't even know much about what it would look like at human size past a long haired female." Gray Serpent added.
"No, even that's not clear. If the Herrscher has already changed its size, then who's to say it hasn't changed its other features too? It could look completely different from how the statue looked." Jackal corrected him.
"Yes, then perhaps we should consult the records of the Previous Era? If there is any clue to be found, it would be in the past. I can have Raven check the Elysian Realm and-" He paused, and took a moment to speak again. "Do I hear cats on your end?"
"Yes, you do. I'm utilizing some of the cats of London for one of my plans. We can't handle pressure from Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and the Herrscher of Finality, so I'm working to remove some potential thorns before they sting us. If all goes well, Schicksal will lose one of their precious S-Rank Valkyries, maybe more if I'm lucky."
"And you're using cats to accomplish such a feat?" Gray Serpent seemed skeptical.
"Of course, cats were once considered to be akin to gods by man. I am simply helping them fulfill their legacy." Jackal stated casually, as if it were perfectly reasonable.
"... Should I take that to mean you wish to change your name from Jackal to Caracal, or some other cat?" Gray Serpent laughed as he asked.
"Gray Serpent, has anyone ever told you you're not funny?" She deadpanned. He had dropped the cryptic speech since they last talked, but seemed to pick up something arguably worse.
"Unfortunately, there is not much of an audience on the Moon, so nobody can boo me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the funniest man on this rock." Jackal couldn't tell whether she should feel anger or pity. Gray Serpent thankfully got back on track. "As I was saying, I can send Raven over to-"
"Unfortunately for you, Raven is here in London with me. Her Seven Thunders of Retribution should be more than enough to take out a Valkyrie."
"Then what's the point of the cats if you have a Divine Key?" Gray Serpent seemed baffled. Jackal found that she liked having him on the backfoot for once.
"The cats ought to serve as a distraction, providing Raven with an opening."
"Ha! Some legacy for gods you were talking about, a distraction! Fine, then I'll have another Gray Serpent check the Elysian Realm instead. Hopefully he'll be able to find something out. I'll try and see if the Soulium left on the Moon might have any clues." Gray Serpent decided.
"Have fun with that, try not to die." Jackal responded sarcastically.
"Jackal, it seems you don't understand." Gray Serpent's voice was deathly serious now. "As things stand, I am currently the safest thing alive right now. All of you on the Earth are the ones in grave danger. We were on a deadline before, but now that deadline is staring us in the face, counting down the last moments of humanity."
Jackal more than understood what was at risk here, but Gray Serpent kept talking.
"The Herrscher of Finality has awoken, and is biding its time to destroy the world."
"ACHOO!"
KIANA rubbed her nose. The winter cold had begun to fade in recent months, but in its place was something she found she hated even more.
Pollen.
She sighed as she gazed up into the night sky. It had been a while since she left Singapore, but she wasn't moving at as fast of a pace as she had before. Dr. Magi's serum had only recently begun to wear off. She didn't want to push herself until she could be sure she was fit for flight again.
Not to mention her last parting left her in a bad mood. Encountering one of Elysia's friends was probably the last thing she wanted to do anytime soon, given their justified hatred of her.
But Fu Hua didn't recognize her, and she still managed to mess that up.
She pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat.
Despite her gloomy mood, she couldn't help the small smile that creeped onto her face.
"Some of your friends are still alive in this new era, even thousands of years later." KIANA muttered to herself.
"I think you'd be happy to know that, Elysia."