Chapter 7 - Relaxing Sounds of Thunder
St. Freya Medical Bay - Honkai Impact 3rd World - July 2016 - Two Days after the end of the previous chapter
(Fuchou's P.O.V)
Truth be told, when I woke up after dealing with the Herrscher of the Void Two Days ago, I did not expect to feel like I ran a fucking marathon twice over. Kiana wasn't much different herself, although I think it's worse for her since she isn't used to having Honkai energy flowing through you 24/7 like I am…
As such, the two of us ended up joining Major Himeko in the same medical ward, both for efficiency's sake and also to Isolate any potential lingering Honkai energy from the three of us. They probably figured that I managed to deal with the energy surging from Kiana somehow, so that might be another reason as to why I am stuck with the two in the same room…
Of course, I suspected that the room may be bugged by a certain blonde Overseer, so I decided to quickly deal with that as much as I could so that the three of us can have our damn privacy. Plus I would rather deal with potentially getting in trouble for damaging Schicksal Hardware than potentially risk Kiana accidentally saying something about my true origins, so there is that at least…
Speaking of Kiana though, I turn to look over the slumbering white-haired young woman, who's been taking full advantage of her time here in the medical bay to finally get some sleep without being plagued by constant nightmares.
I did look her over yesterday while she was sleeping and made sure that the Herrscher of the Void isn't gonna pull a fast one anytime soon, mostly because I rather not have her try to torment my Kiana ever again!
The moment that thought truly sinks into my head, I find myself jolting up in my temporary bed, blushing as I stare over at Kiana who's sleeping peacefully. God fucking damnit the words of the fucking Herrscher of the Void earlier are making me seriously question what exactly I think about Kiana right now…
Kiana as a lover, now that's something I didn't really think about until that bitch brought it up, a wry smile on my face as I watch Kiana slumbering peacefully. I mean, who can love a fuck-up like me, someone could do nothing to prevent her friends from her own timeline from getting slaughtered by that bastard Kevin…
I sigh deeply as I think back on what was said back in the dream world by….the manifestations of my friends I suppose…either way, I don't know if I can really keep the promises I made to them in my current state, I mean even with my new powers I still needed to get saved by my friends against the Herrscher of the Void in the end.
I sigh as I get out of the medical bay bed, knowing that I should be ok to leave for classes tomorrow, so I intend on trying to get at least a small bit of training in while I can. Despite wearing nothing but a medical gown and of course my tempest jewel bracer, I quietly walk to the middle of the spacious room before taking a deep breath and calling upon my Ki…
Almost immediately I feel the flowing warmth of my own Ki form into a Ki ball within my hand, frowning as I stare at it, while its current form is enough to cause a sizeable blast upon contact with a physical surface, I want to see if I can't try and use Ki to replicate that bitch's abilities to some degree…
The first thing I attempt is to try and change the shape of the Ki ball into a similar-sized cube, taking time to get the image of what I desire in my head as I carefully try to manipulate the Ki Ball into more of a Ki cube.
It's a real struggle to manipulate the shape of the Ki ball into a less spherical shape, eventually forcing me to give up the Idea for the moment as I rather not risk detonating the damn thing by accident due to my experimentation/training.
Although I do have another reason to stop messing about with my Ki….
"Major Himeko, isn't it rather rude to be spying on people, especially when they're essentially naked under their current state of dress…" I say with an annoyed look, turning to the redhead as she gives me a flat look, contemplating what to say to me for the first time since the three of us were essentially forced to rest in this room together…
"What exactly did you do to me back then…?" Himeko finally chooses to ask, making me grimace as I can tell that by pure luck or accident, not sure which at the moment, I had ended up awakening Himeko to the same power of Ki that I now possess during the moment I had purged her all that Honkai energy overflowing into her body from Kiana…
"Hmmm….let's just say, you've got the same power as I do now booze-a-lot~!" I say with a mischievous smirk, the flat and haggard look from Himeko now looking more Flatly annoyed instead as she soon responds by saying…
"First of all, don't call me that…..second of all, are you saying that I'm now some sort of Herrscher?!" The moment she says that I wince violently as memories of HIMEKO as the Herrscher of flame slams into my mind, the woman dying encased in Ice…
I shake my head to rid myself of the memories from the forefront of my mind before I take a moment to calm down, Major Himeko notices my rather strong reaction to the Idea of Himeko becoming a Herrscher before I decide to come down hard on the possibility of THIS Himeko becoming That as I say…
"Fuck no, I would never turn you of all people into a Herrscher, no what you have is a power that in time all of humanity can potentially benefit from…" Major Himeko's eyes widened as she looks down at herself, then at Kiana before turning to me, unsure what to even say to what I just told her right now…
Deciding to see if I can't get Himeko to at least see what she can do now, I walk on over and sit down on the edge of her bed as I hold out a hand for her to take, the redheaded major looking at me as if unsure whether or not to take it before she slowly accepts it.
"Now then, I had been hoping to teach my sister this shit first, but It would make me a total asshole if I simply let you walk around without any real Idea on what you can do now…" I say before I begin to guide her on how to properly control Ki, spending an hour or two of the morning struggling to try and teach Himeko how to simply create a Ki blast of all things…
Eventually, Himeko does actually manage to create a small ball of Ki, her eyes widening in amazement as she just….stares….at the ball of Ki, the fact she can do something like this now clicking in her head before she slowly turns to me…
"You ain't pulling my leg or something are you Kiddo, this is something that I am creating myself..?" Himeko asks me with a slight hint of wonder in her voice, while I am tempted to fuck with her head and say that I am just pranking her, I decide not to and simply nod my head before saying…
"I can teach you a ton more things, but I have one condition…." I say with a smirk, Himeko deadpanning before she sighs and motions for me to get on with it, making me chuckle as I soon end up saying…
"See this bracer I got on my left wrist, the same one that my sister and Raiden-San as on her wrist…..you gotta wear one of these yourself~" Himeko raises a single eyebrow at the seemingly easy-to-do condition, soon enough the redhead finds herself asking…
"That's it then, no attempts to get out of class, no attempts to try and get special advantages over me…just put on a single piece of jewelry and I get you to teach me more about this...Ki stuff you call it…?" I simply nod, although if I told her that it would bind her to me and all, I doubt she'd be all that willing to go along with it.
I am most definitely going to be dealing with a pissed-off redhead by the time the binding process is done, but I'm willing to deal with that in a few days' time, I mean I have several days to prepare for Himeko's wrath at the very least…
Himeko just gives me a look that indicates she's wary of any hidden bullshit before she sighs and nods, ultimately choosing that simply putting on a fancy bracer will be more than worth it if she can pull even half the stuff she's seen me do back in Sapphire city.
"Alright fine, if all I have to do is wear a bracer like you, then sort me out with one then…" Major Himeko says, making me do a mental fist pump of triumph although I am going to need to figure out a plan on teaching both my sister and Himeko at the same time, something I'll actually have to talk to my sister about…
I smile and nod my head toward's Himeko, but before we can really dig further into this discussion, the two of us hear a certain Kaslana starting to wake up. Kiana groans as she slowly wakes up after a long and peaceful slumber, turning my attention entirely toward the white-haired young woman as head over to her…
"You ok Kiana….?" I ask Kiana, her blue eyes still trying to adjust to the waking world around her before those same eyes lock onto me specifically, nodding her head with a gentle smile once she registers the question as she soon says…
"I'm alright Fuchou…" Kiana says before her head turns to look at the clock in the room, her eyes widening in mortification as she realizes that she slept for almost the entire morning, eventually she chuckles and turns her attention towards Himeko, her smile becoming more brittle as she soon asks…
"You doing ok Major Himeko…?" Kiana's concern over the state of her superior due to how Himeko was struck with a dangerous amount due to the Herrscher of the Void within her palpable to everyone in the room, with Himeko giving Kiana a wry smile and nodding before she says…
"Don't worry Kiddo, despite how I tend to drink a lot, I am made of some very stern stuff!" Himeko's confident smirk does a fair bit to dispel Kiana's worries, although it's clear that Kiana isn't 100% certain about Himeko's claims.
"So….since we're supposed to be officially leaving the medical bay due to the fact one of us has shown adverse symptoms to what happened before…wanna help me play a practical joke on the principal…?" I ask, a mischievous smirk on my face, Kiana looking aghast at the Idea for a brief moment before she gets one of her own, with the responsible adult in the room also sharing an identical smirk before she asks…
"What did you have in mind…?" I chuckle as I lay out my plan, Kiana's eyes widening as she recognizes part of what I plan to do from what I was able to do in the dream world, with the three of us very quickly grabbing any paper as well as any pens or paper we can find before we begin to scheme our surprise for Theresa Apocalypse~
St. Freya Academy, Principal's Office - One Hour later
(General P.O.V)
Theresa hums to herself as she returns to her office after having lunch in the staff room, smiling as she reaches for the door and opens it, however, her optimism for the day turns to utter shock as her mind struggles to comprehend what she's seeing.
First of all, the neatly stacked pile of paperwork is utterly ransacked and all over the floor, all the careful sorting she had done this morning completely undone. As she walks into her office, her gaze locks firmly onto the windows that have a ton of formerly blank paper plastered over them with just one word filling the blank pieces of paper in a large font…
Shorty~!
What's worse is the majority of the papers seem to all be placed onto the windows just barely out of reach for her to easily take down on her own, but it's when she gets closer to her desk that she hears an oddly familiar song playing from her desk at a low volume…
It's only when she gets close does she begin to visibly twitch in annoyance as she knows exactly what the song is, as it's a very popular troll song from the early 2000s if she recalls. The moment she looks at the holograph screen, she's dumbfounded at the fact Youtube of all things is up…
And it is playing Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up on repeat…
"When I find out who decided to break into my office, there will be so, SO MANY detentions for them that they'll be wishing that they chose someone else to prank…." Theresa vows as she knows that none of the staff had the time to even do something like this, not to mention she can eliminate the possibility of intruders due to the fact that none of the security systems or their failsafe systems were set off…
This means whoever is responsible for this prank, is most definitely someone who's spent time here at the Academy, someone that Theresa will be highly motivated to find. But right now she has work to do, the papers on the floor need sorting again…
At least she'll have plenty of time to ponder what she'll have the culprit be doing during those detentions….
St. Freya Dormitory - Two Hours Later
(General P.O.V)
It's rather silent in the squad dorm without Himeko, Kiana, or Fuchou in to instigate conversation, with Fu Hua busy doing her daily meditations and Bronya busy with her games, it leaves Mei with not all that much to do due to half the squad technically being out of action.
Nothing other than worry over the state of the three in the medical bay that is, with Mei sighing as she contemplates the events of what happened two days ago. Even though she wasn't present in the hallway when Fuchou dragged Major Himeko from the room Kiana was in, she could most definitely hear the screams of pain and agony that Himeko felt even as Fuchou did something to her that dealt with the corrupting energies of the Honkai.
That day, she felt immense fear and helplessness as she watched Fuchou march into Kiana's room and deal with whatever was going on with her, all while Mei herself was entirely helpless as someone she cared so deeply about was potentially in grave danger…
The last two days she's been going over the events of that day in her head over and over, trying to figure out if there was anything she could have done but every time she came up short. It didn't help that she occasionally heard the voice of her Herrscher self during those two days, berating her for her lack of resolve…
While she's told no one yet, Mei has been constantly hearing her Herrscher self's voice ever since Fuchou came into the picture, although she was oddly silent when Fuchou gave her the bracer she is currently wearing.
Mei could tell that it was doing something to her, but she couldn't exactly tell what, but it was clearly not doing her any real harm so she put it out of her mind due to her focus being entirely on what happened on the day following her getting the bracer.
"Hmph, even now you've yet to grow a spine…" Mei's Herrscher Personality states in her head, making the Ravenette wince as she once again can hear the disapproval of her Herrscher self being made known.
"Why do you keep tormenting me, even now…?" Mei asks her Herrscher self, finally choosing to actually converse with her for the first time in a long time, which catches the attention of her Herrscher self as she soon responds by saying…
"Because even now, you refuse to accept reality…" Mei winces at the words of her Herrscher Self, knowing what her Herrscher self is actually saying in the end, that she shouldn't keep rejecting her Herrscher abilities as she's seen for herself how a Herrscher can declare for humanity despite their origin.
"I just…don't want to be a Herrscher, I don't…..I just don't want to be a monster in Kiana-chan's eyes…" Mei ultimately says, admitting that her fear and rejection of anything about her Herrscher self or powers is less about what anyone else may think of her…
In the end, Mei's greatest fear is ultimately being seen as a monster by the one who basically saved her life, the one person who accepted her despite what happened in the past regarding her father and all…
Perhaps if she had actually tried to take control of her Herrscher powers before now, she could have done what Fuchou did instead. Although she could also make it worse, the thought of which just makes Mei feel all the more conflicted.
She soon hears her Herrscher self sigh, sounding exasperated as she can hear Mei's self-deprecating thoughts, she's heard them for the last few days at this point and she's finally had enough…
"...So what happens when your precious Kiana-chan doesn't have the luxury of Fuchou's presence to help her next time then, are you just going to allow it to happen all over again…?" Mei's Herrscher self says, Mei grimaces as she struggles to give an answer. It is then that Mei's eyes are drawn to the bracer, recalling that the bracer should be finished with whatever effects it has on her soon, Mei recalls her conversation with Fuchou just the day before that incident as she decides to make a bold move while simultaneously trusting Fuchou's words regarding the power of the bracer…
"No…I won't let Kiana-chan suffer again, even if it means I have to accept you as a part of me…" Mei firmly says, shocking her Herrscher self with her determined and resolute words, before long Mei gets the feeling that her Herrscher self actually approves of this change of heart as Mei soon hears a surprising response from her Herrscher self…
"So you FINALLY decide to push past your fear the moment Kiana's safety comes into the equation….hmph very well, It is well past time that you take up the mantle that is rightfully yours…" Mei's Herrscher self says before Mei grips her head, gritting her teeth as she feels power flowing through her body, dangerous levels of Honkai energy coursing through her veins…
In any other circumstance, this would have been enough to set off the bomb attached to Mei's heart and kill her instantly, however, it just so happens that just before the merger of both parts of Mei began, the capture of one Raiden Mei had been completed with said bomb being automatically removed and remotely disarmed by whatever powers that govern the Company that granted Fuchou her second chance in the first place…
As purple lightning begins to surge all around Mei, her head feels like it's about to explode as she struggles to endure the pain that her decision is causing her, her body feels like it's being both empowered and being burned from the inside as she can do little but endure the pain.
The purple lightning grows more intense as it arcs around her dangerously, licking the air like a viper's tongue as she continues to grip her head in intense pain. Briefly, she contemplates letting the power just destroy her from the inside due to all the pain she feels when she is once more reminded about the incident two days ago, where for the briefest moment, she thinks of what Kiana had to endure during a similar event…
The thought emboldens Mei as she powers through the pain, slowly but surely bringing the surge of intense power under her control, despite the pain being so intense that she didn't even have time to let out a scream of agony…
Eventually, the lightning begins to die down, the pain dying down along with it as she begins to breathe heavily from the strain. Her body feels so hot and her mind feels like it was put through a process akin to reforging, her thoughts entirely her own as she can no longer hear or feel the presence of the Herrscher Self anymore…
However, it's not that the Herrscher Personality disappeared, but rather Mei and her Herrscher Self have become one and the same. Mei feels a sense of confidence and willpower that she rarely had herself before now, the union of two halves granting Mei a strange sort of clarity that she didn't have before.
"So….this is what it feels like, to not fear yourself…to not live every moment worrying you could become a monster or die by a bomb you yourself requested put inside of you…" Mei says, her voice calm despite the sheer pain she went through…
She can feel it, the power of thunder that dwells within her, it is not as strong as it could be due to how long she has been rejecting it and how weak she is herself right now. But Mei knows someone who would be more than willing to help her master her new power, to grow stronger, and perhaps truly take on the mantle that is the Herrscher of Thunder for herself…
For within the depths of her heart, now lie two people she considers the most important to her. The first is of course Kiana Kaslana, who saved her and captured her heart the first time, as for the other who has claimed a spot within her heart…
It is surprising even to her, but she feels a strange sort of connection to Fuchou now, a sense of warmth that before was reserved only for Kiana alone. But in her mind, it makes sense for it was Fuchou whose presence and bracer ultimately allowed her to push past her fears, it was Fuchou who saved Kiana two days ago…
She recalls how tomorrow, both Kiana and Fuchou both will be able to rejoin the squad with a full bill of health, prompting her to think about welcoming them back with something cooked especially for those two.
As she begins to ponder on what to cook for the two, she realizes that she's yet to figure out what is Fuchou's favorite food, so Mei decides she'll talk to Fu Hua later to try and find out. As for Kiana, she already knows exactly what she'll be making for her…
Mei's lips shift into a serene smile as she thinks of the two who are so close to her heart, a sense of resolve filling her like never before to grow stronger as she lets out a soft, relaxed sigh as she calms herself…
And before long, for the first time since the merging process began, Mei's eyes opened to reveal not the grey eyes that she had this morning….
But instead a pair of gently glowing purple eyes…
Author's Notes
Butterflies, so many butterflies from the presence of a certain grey-haired Herrscher at this point in time!
Right, plot point discussion time!
Medical Bay Scene
A lot of this is to better detail the aftermath of the last chapter as well as to show that Himeko now has access to Ki by pure accident on Fuchou's part. As such, it falls on our favorite ball of mischief and vengeance to her attention towards Himeko in order to teach her how to harness this power…
As for the Prank on Theresa, let's just say Fuchou took full advantage of an ability she used last chapter to completely bypass the possibility of being seen outside of the medical bay…
Mei's simultaneous fusion and capture
There is a fair bit to unpack here, so let's start from the top
As detailed in this scene, Kiana wasn't the only one who was dealing with a Herrscher-related inner self, although hers was far less interested in taking over due to the bomb placed on Mei's heart.
However, Mei's Herrscher Personality and Mei herself both have one thing in common, their connection to Kiana. As a result, for much of the time that Mei was waiting for the Tempest Jewel bracer to do whatever it was supposed to do, Mei's own helplessness when it came to the Incident last chapter resulted in Mei finally choosing to do something she never thought she would for Kiana's sake…
Willingly accept her Herrscher self and all that it entails…
The moment that resolve was met, was enough to Goad the Herrscher personality into merging into Mei proper, empowering her from her T5 self to become more T6. While she has yet to obtain the form and full strength of what she was capable of before, she already knows exactly who she can turn to for aid in growing stronger…
As for the bomb that should have gone off due to the merging process, it just so happened that the capture finalized just as the merger began, meaning due to the effects of Body Tune-up, bye bye heart bomb~!
I won't lie, this will have ramifications for both the immediate future as well as the far-off future as well.
No Team Bonding Scene
I ultimately had to push this to one side in favor of dedicating more time to properly flesh out Mei's capture scene to the fullest, however, I do very much intend to have them do some bonding next chapter…
Now then, Next Time on Sentient Wrath: Squad Reunited, Fuchou begins training her new pupils and Fun at the beach!
See you all next month~!