Honkai of Fate
Chapter 21: New Year, New Missions.
Weeks had passed since Kiana's birthday celebration and the new year came in faster than the usual for the Kaslana couple, but maybe that was because their household has gotten a lot more lively than ever since Shirou's return and Kiana's joyful attitude. It is now January 15, 2008, and Cecilia is on patrol duty since it was her turn to guard the nearby village while Siegfried stays at their home, watching over the kids. The Former Valkyrie had a brown bag over her shoulder and a white lance held in her right hand.
"Nghh… Ah~… No Honkai Beasts spotted so far, that's good to know." The Former Valkyrie started walking forward. "I'm glad that Einstein agreed to my request to provide me a weapon from AE." She raised the white lance that was held in her right hand. "Plasma Lance, was it called? A lance developed by using Plasma Technology is something that I thought that AE will use to create their weapons, just didn't expected to wield one though." With that out of the way, she ran forwards.
With every step she takes, the snow below her left her footprints. The ground was safe. It's different for the trees that surrounds her whenever she goes though…
*WHOOSH!*
Cecilia's steps were soft and calm, but the speed that she's running is outstanding to the point that the snow and leaves of the trees that she ran by were being swept by the wind because of her fast run. "No sight of any Honkai Beasts so far. Maybe today's going to be a safe day for the village." She thought to herself, never being bothered about the tiny damages she was doing to the trees. "Can't get too excited about that though. "Calm before the storm" as they do say."
After a few minutes of running, she decided to sit down on the snowy ground in one of the open areas that she managed to come across. "And… there!" She snapped a twig in two before she placed it over the small fire that she created. "It's best to keep the body warm after all." Cecilia then opened her bag and grabbed a bento box with a note on top, she then smiled when she saw the note.
"Mama, big bro taught me a bit about cooking so that I can survive! Although it was a bit hard for me when I started, big bro was patient towards me and taught me how to make a simple dish! I hope you like it, I'm planning to make this my specialty!"
Cecilia let out a sigh of content and let a small smile creep on her face. "*SIGH* My baby doll is learning something new every single day." She then opened the bento box and saw the neatly placed meal of ham and mayo sandwich, scrambled eggs beside the small onigiri balls, and small lettuce and tomato slices. "My, my, it seems like Shirou managed to teach Kiana how to pack a lunch as well."
Taking a separate box that has her utensils out of her back, she opened it, grabbing her spoon, before digging in on the meal. "Mm… Baby doll did quite well, this is delicious." She praised the meal, knowing that if Kiana heard her, the little girl would be overjoyed. "And if she's learning this from Shirou, then I can't wait to see how well she'll improve!"
Cecilia let out a few small hums here and there, while she takes her time to savor her meal.
*CRACK!*
The munching of her meal promptly stopped when she heard a small branch crack. Placing the bento beside where she sat, she quickly stood up and pointed her lance to where the sound came from. "Who goes there?!" She shouted, to which she got an answer.
*ROOOOOOOOAAAAARRRGGGHHH!*
A loud roar of a Honkai Beast erupted, which also alarmed the other Honkai Beast from different areas that now started to appear. "Yup, shouldn't have jinxed it. Well no matter…" Cecilia got into a stance with her left foot forward. "Time to clean you up!" She then pushed her leg forward and rushed towards the first Honkai Beast that she saw.
Cecilia thrusted her lance forward as the beast swung its massive arm downwards.
*CLANG!*
Their attacks connected but Cecilia cocked her arm backwards before swiftly thrusting her lance one more time to stab the beast on its chest and eliminating it completely. "First one down. 24 more to go." Instead of rushing towards her next target, she instead leaped high while letting gravity make her fall into an arc right down to another Honkai Beast. "That makes two. Seems like I haven't gotten that rusty from being outside of battle for a long time."
She stood up from kneeling on the ground before she raised her lance in front of her. "Alright, I'll deal with you all quickly. That way, I'll be able to return home a lot earlier!" Cecilia then ran to the next Honkai Beast that she locked her sights on before killing it instantly, she continued to do this until the rest of the other remaining Honkai Beasts was slain by her.
At the Kaslana Cabin…
"I'm back!" Cecilia shouted as she opened the door and entered the house. "Phew~. It was a good exercise, in all honesty. I'm glad that I wasn't rusty when it comes to combat. It's been so long since I've been in a proper battlefield after all." She took her shoes off and stretched her arms up.
"Mama!" Kiana excitedly came and ran towards her mama's embrace after hearing Cecilia's voice with a smile on her face. "Welcome back! Did you enjoy the food that I made?"
"Mhm! It was delicious, dear! Keep up the good work!" Cecilia praised which made her daughter smile even more. "Now, where's Papa, Sirin, and Shirou at?"
"They're at the living room, watching a show."
With Kiana's answer, Cecilia carried her daughter in her hands as she walked towards the living room. Once she was there, she saw "Sirin", Siegfried, and Shirou sitting in different places as they watched the show. Shirou was on the floor, Siegfried was on the couch, while "Sirin" was on the small sofa.
"ROAR WITH ME ARAHATO!" The character from the TV shouted. It turns out that they were all watching an episode of Arahato from one the CDs that Siegfried managed to buy.
"Isn't this show a bit violent for the kids, dear?" Cecilia asked.
Siegfried turned to Cecilia. "Oh, honey! You're finally back! And don't worry, Arahato may have fights in the show, but it isn't THAT violent." The room became silent for a while before Siegfried talked. "Okay, maaaybe it's a bit violent. But at least it doesn't have any gore."
"ZIGGY! You can't say that while in front of the kids!" Cecilia scolded.
"Gore? What's that?" Kiana asked innocently.
"You don't need to know that, dear." Cecilia said while patting Kiana's head. Her eyes then went to Shirou. "Shirou, dear… You don't know about gore, right?" She asked cautiously.
Shirou was a silent for a few seconds, which made Cecilia on the edge before he finally spoke. "I do actually."
*CRACK!*
For some reason, Cecilia felt like she just cracked like ice. "I've failed as a mother…" She muttered with disappointment in her voice, she was disappointed in herself.
"You're not a failure of a mother, dear." Siegfried comforted his wife as he stood from the couch and hugged her tightly. "We both know that Shirou has seen more… extremely extraordinary things during the core of his life. Knowing gore is just something that you might come to understand."
"…Yeah. You may be right on that, Ziggy." Cecilia took a few breaths, inhaling and exhaling for a while before she finally calmed herself. "Alright! I've calmed down now. Seeing as it's already afternoon and that I've just returned, I'll take a few moments to rest before I start making dinner for all of us. Sounds good?"
She got a nod from each of them before Shirou added. "I'll help out too."
"Of course, sweetie! You're always free to help, Mama!" Cecilia said with a smile on her face. "Now why don't we sit down, Ziggy? I've been wondering why you got so into Arahato ever since you were a kid, other than Arahato itself being a ninja."
Siegfried nodded his head before removing his tight hug on his wife. "Trust me, dear, you're going to love this show! I promise you, it's awesome!" He then sat back on the couch with just enough space for Cecilia to sit. Cecilia then followed as she sat down right next to him.
As they continue to watch through the episodes of Arahato, Shirou had a thought in his head. "For some reason, this show is giving me vibes of a similar show I once saw in my own world." An image of a red mecha that looks similar to Arahato popped into his head. "If my old man didn't told me to take a few days of rest after accidentally hurting myself in one of our trainings, I wouldn't have known about that show."
"You did kind of gotten into it at a later date, Shirou." Ddraig said in his head. "But now that I see this show, I agree that it's pretty similar."
"Right?" Shirou asked to Ddraig. "If I was born in this world and saw that version in my world, I would've thought that it was an inspired show. But in this world, it didn't existed; Arahato took its place instead." He turned his gaze back to the TV as he kept watching with interest.
A few hours later…
Night time came for the Kaslana Family, Shirou and Cecilia made dinner together and after the whole family ate, the kids went to bed earlier than the two couple. Siegfried and Cecilia right now are in the kitchen with a cup of water in their hands respectively.
*GULP!*
"Ah! You and Shirou made another amazing meal as always, Cecilia! It's like we're always eating at a five-star restaurant because of you two!" Siegfried praised with a grin on his face.
"Oh, dear! You're exaggerating." Cecilia replied before taking a small sip from her own cup. "If anything, I learned a few ways to make food thanks to Shirou. He was more knowledgeable about cooking than I initially thought him to be."
"Well I won't deny that our son is quite skilled, in fighting as well…" The man muttered the last one but Cecilia still heard it due to the almost empty kitchen, which made their voices let out a small echo.
"Ziggy…" Cecilia gave Siegfried a small hug to comfort him. "It's alright now. The Second Honkai War has ended. We have more time for ourselves now too after we both left Schicksal." She kissed her husband on the cheek. "It's not good to live in the past, so let's always face the present and prepare for the future. Our family's future." She then gave the man a comforting smile and he smiled as well.
"Yeah… Yeah, you're right, dear." The man kissed his wife on the cheek as well. "Thanks for comforting this old retired man, Cecilia." He joked, which got a small giggle from Cecilia herself.
"Anytime, dear." Cecilia then grabbed Siegfried's cup before placing both their cups beside the kitchen sink and started to wash it. "You'll be on patrol duty tomorrow, so you can—."
*DING!*
Cecilia's phone sounded a notification as she was talking. "Ziggy, can you check who messaged me?" Siegfried did as she asked and grabbed her phone in her back pocket before putting the password in and checking her messages.
"It's Einstein." He said.
"What did she say?" She asked.
Siegfried then read the message. "She's got a mission for you. She said that…" He read the message more thoroughly. "She wants you to go to Iraq, saying that they've detected a sudden Honkai Energy Spike in the place where the City of Uruk was found."
"The first mission after the New Year and Einstein already wants me to go to a well-known place?" Cecilia asked as she placed the two cups inside the bottom cabinet. "If that's what she wants me to do, this mission must be very important then."
"It actual is. Here, take a look." Siegfried handed Cecilia's phone to her and the Former Valkyrie read more of the message.
"Good evening, Lady Cecilia, it's Einstein. I do deeply apologize for suddenly sending you this message considering the time. I'll make this as brief as possible. We've detected a sudden Honkai Spike in Iraq where the City of Uruk was discovered, we want you to go there to not only take down any potential Emperor-Class Honkai Beast but to also uncover any few ancient relics that you may find. We've theorized that this sudden Honkai Spike may be the cause of a massive discovery considering that this place is one of the first cities in world. We request that you head to our base tomorrow morning."
"Seems like it really is going to be something massive." Cecilia commented.
"And if Einstein is considering possible ancient relics and Emperor-Class Honkai Beasts, it's more than enough for you to accept." Siegfried said as he leaned on the kitchen counter. "And from what I can get from the message, it seems that AE is already expecting to uncover some relics. Possibly ones that can uncover the untold truths of the past, perhaps?"
"It would seem like it, Ziggy." The wife placed her phone back inside her back pocket. "Seems like spending a few times visiting AE and chatting with Mr. Welt has managed to make you even smarter." She teased Siegfried.
"Hey now, that hurts my feelings." Siegfried let out a nervous laugh. "I'll admit that I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed back then, but I tried."
"It's alright, dear." Cecilia hugged him. "I understand that you always try your best. Now, come on…" She stopped hugging him as she started to walk out of the kitchen. "Let's go to bed already."
Siegfried followed right behind Cecilia and the both of them entered their bedroom before tucking themselves into their bed to get some sleep.
The next day, January 16, 2008; Anti-Entropy Base…
*ZING!*
The sliding metal door of AE opened as both Einstein and Cecilia entered. "Thank you for coming as early as possible, Lady Cecilia. We greatly appreciate it."
"There's no need for thanks, Einstein." Cecilia commented with a small smile. "I'm just glad that I could help in any way possible."
"And we appreciate your efforts. Now please, walk with me for a while. We'll be heading to our Sovereign's office." Both of them continued to walk side by side until they managed to reach Welt's office. Einstein then tapped the code for the door.
[ACCESS GRANTED!]
The voice that came from the door said as it opened and revealed Welt inside and on his chair, sipping a cup of coffee. "It's good to see you once more, Lady Cecilia."
"No need for the formalities, Welt. We're all friends here." Cecilia took a seat in front of his table.
"Indeed…" Welt took another sip of his coffee before placing a folder on top of his table. "I assume that Einstein had given you the gist of everything that we wanted you to do?" He asked to her.
Cecilia nodded her head as her voice turned serious. "Yes. Einstein had informed me through the message that she sent me last night. AE wants me to go to Iraq, correct?"
"That is correct, Cecilia." Welt answered before nodding his head to Einstein. The scientist then nodded her head before she opened a hologram in between them.
"Let me explain once more." Einstein began. "As I've messaged you last night, Lady Cecilia, we want you to go to Iraq where the City of Uruk was discovered. We highly guest that the sudden massive Honkai Spike that we detected in our radars are the cause of an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast suddenly awakening in the area, so we want you to head there as quickly as possible."
"Not only that, we want you to search in the ruins of the First City." Welt added as he fixed his glasses. "This one is a request from me. For I think that this sudden Honkai Spike might uncover some secrets of the past that we may have never discovered. "History tends to be wrong from time to time", after all. Just like what Otto does to benefit Schicksal, some history tend to benefit others who wrote it."
Cecilia opened the folder on the table as he took a look at it before looking at the hologram map in front of her. "What's in it going to be for me?" She asked as she stared at the Sovereing. "This mission could be dangerous than what we may think, so I'm just being careful here."
"Of course you are, Cecilia." Welt then started to talk. "After the mission is over and you've returned, we here in AE will provide you a new weapon that would suit you perfectly." Cecilia was a bit taken back at that sentence, but Welt continued. "I won't deny your expertise in wielder the Plasma Lance that we've provided you, but I assume that it isn't something that you're quite used to wield, no?" He asked.
"I won't deny that I've been so used to wielding the Abyss Flower for so long that any normal lance feels a bit different from me, but nonetheless I can still wield them properly." Cecilia answered. "But… I won't deny that I do miss using my old weapon."
"Then can we take that as a "yes" for your answer, Lady Cecilia?" Einstein asked with expectancy, along with Welt.
Cecilia took a few seconds before she nodded her head. "Yes. I'll do it."
"Very well then." Welt took a sip of his coffee before he stood up. "We'll provide you a private jet for your transportation and you'll depart at exactly noon today. I suggest that you prepare yourself as quickly as possible, Cecilia."
The Former Valkyrie nodded her head before she stood up as well and left Welt's office.
"Have you thought of what weapon you'll give to her, Welt?" Einstein asked as she turned her head to Welt. "We don't have a lot of lance-type weapons here in AE and we certainly don't have a weapon that is equivalent to Abyss Flower."
Welt fixed his glasses as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. "To that, you don't have to worry way too much, Einstein. I've already got it covered. I know just who to call."
Later at noon. Remnant City of Uruk, Iraq…
*WHIIIRRR!*
The wings of the helicopter that Cecilia boarded kept whirring in the air as the door opened. "You're clear to land, Lady Cecilia!" The driver of the helicopter shouted as the lights inside turned green.
"Thanks for the ride!" Cecilia thanked the driver before she leaped out of the helicopter, skydiving from up high in the sky.
*WHOOSH!*
Her fall became faster and faster as she continued to dive straight down. When the parachute light on her left shoulder turned green, she pulled the string which made the parachute open completely.
Cecilia soon landed on the designated landing zone and took her parachute off. "I'm here, Einstein. Landed safely." She said through the earpiece on her right ear. "Where's the basecamp at?"
"Head North, Lady Cecilia." Einstein answered. "One of our members, the Head of ME Corp is in the basecamp. Considering that we've mostly covered the basis of this operation, he'll only explain a few things that you need to hear. Once you've listened to him, head straight to the remains of the city and collect any ancient relics or defeat any Emperor-Class Honkai Beast."
"Got it! See you soon, Einstein." Cecilia then clicked her earpiece as the call ended. "Head North, right? Let's not waste any more time…" She then ran North with her Plasma Lance strapped behind her back.
After a few minutes of running, Cecilia arrived at the AE Basecamp that Einstein mentioned, and right exactly in front of her is the man that the scientist had mentioned. "Excuse me, are you perhaps the Head of ME Corp that Einstein mentioned?" She asked.
The man with dark purple hair and violet eyes turned to Cecilia's direction as he nodded his head. "Indeed, Lady Cecilia. That would be me. My name is Raiden Ryoma, or Ryoma Raiden if you aren't familiar with the traditional Japanese way of introduction. I believe I've met your husband before, Siegfried Kaslana, correct? Has he mentioned me?"
Cecilia thoughts wandered for a while before it clicked. "Oh yes! Ziggy told me about a man that he saw when he was with Welt last time in America! You must be the one that he meant."
Although a bit irked at the fact that Siegfried didn't remember him quite much, he didn't wanted to show it. "Unreliable as always." He thought to himself before dismissing the thought. "Please follow me inside, Lady Cecilia." Ryoma said as he entered the main tent of the basecamp.
Cecilia soon followed and was welcomed with the sight of a map on a large table in the middle of the tent. "That's quite a large map, Raiden-san." She commented as she scanned the whole map. "Are the ones marked with red are the areas where the potential threat are?" Cecilia asked and Ryoma nodded his head.
"Yes, Lady Cecilia. The places marked with red on the map are the places where we've detected large amount of Honkai Waves. We've marked them on the map for you." Ryoma said as she tried to analyze Cecilia. "Quite perceptive, she is. But I'm assuming that marks gave it away." He thought in his head, slightly impressed. "I guess that's why she was an S-Rank Valkyrie before."
Cecilia kept looking at the map below her, analyzing the whole areas and pathways, she then noticed one part of the map. "This part of the map…" She pointed at a huge red cross on the lower right of the map. "Why is it marked with a cross instead of the other circles?"
Ryoma leaned in closer on the table as he explained. "This place is where we need you to go. The other circles that we've marked on the map already have some of our units deployed, we're trying to finish this mission as quickly as possible. This red cross is where we've detected the largest Honkai Energy Wave."
"Meaning this place is where the Honkai Spike was detected." Cecilia guessed and Ryoma nodded his head.
"That is correct. This place is where an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast is highly located, we've postponed on sending any of our troops to mobilize for an attack as we waited for your arrival." Ryoma continued. "This place is also where a possible ancient relic could be located as well."
Cecilia digested the words properly before nodding her head. "Alright, Raiden-san! I'll head there now!"
"We appreciate it, Lady Cecilia. I'll go ahead and mobilize our troops. While I do that, take this tablet with you. It contains the map around that massive river." Ryoma gave the white tablet to Cecilia just as he left the main tent with Cecilia following right behind him.
The Former Valkyrie soon headed straight South-East, where the red cross was located on the map that she just saw. Ryoma mobilized a few AE Mechas and ordered them all to follow Cecilia's lead and head South-East.
South-East of the City of Uruk…
*KRRKK!*
Cecilia's left foot dragged forward on the dry land as she came to a stop from her run and took a moment to look at her surroundings. "The river is so huge…" Indeed the river was very huge. Most of the terrain were still dry with sand, but there were small patches of grass from the lands near the water.
"Lady Cecilia, can you hear me?" Ryoma's voice sounded from Cecilia's earpiece.
Cecilia placed a finger on her earpiece and answered. "Loud and clear, Raiden-san! I'm at the designated area now. Looking at it, nothing seems to be around."
"We can never be too cautious when it comes to the Honkai. I suggest that you start your search while the rest of our units continue to approach you."
"Roger that!" Cecilia ended the call there and started walking near the massive river. She started walking along the shore of the water as she opened the tablet that Ryoma gave her. "Okay, let's see here. According to Einstein and Raiden-san, the massive Honkai Spike was detected in this specific river. The only problem is…" Her eyes went back to the massive river and gazed around it. "Where's the Honkai Beast?"
She swiped through the tablet and stared at the map of the river. "There's not much that's been recorded here. But that was to be expected, I guess. Raiden-san did say that they haven't conducted the investigation yet."
*SHEEN!*
Just as Cecilia was about to swipe at her tablet, she saw something shine at the corner of her eyes. She turned her head around and saw a palm-size oval-shaped emerald that reflected the light of the sun stuck on the ground at the river's shore. "A mineral? An emerald at that…"
She approached the shore and picked up the emerald. "What's an emerald like this doing stuck on the shore of this massive river?" She wiped the few dirt off the emerald and admired it as she let out a small smile. "It's really beautiful… Oh! And there's gold engravings over it as well! This looks more like an ornament now with these patterns."
"The person who had this must've been a pretty lucky person. Having something like this is surely one to never be let go." Cecilia turned the emerald around and her eyes widened a little when she saw a name carved on the back of the emerald. "Kingu…? As in a king? Is that the name of the owner?"
*RUMBLE!*
"Woah! Why's the ground shaking all of a sudden?!" The ground was indeed shaking violently, as if something had triggered the switch.
*SHEEN!*
The emerald in Cecilia's hand suddenly erupted a bright light that surrounded the whole entire area, making her close her eyes from the brightness. A huge pillar of green light soared into the sky as the ground kept on shaking.
As the light died down and the ground stopped shaking, Cecilia opened her eyes and saw that the emerald was no longer in her hand. "Where did it—?"
"Lady Cecilia, can you hear me?! Are you alright?!" Ryoma's voice suddenly shouted through the earpiece. "What happened at your location? The ground shook violently and all of a sudden a green pillar of light suddenly burst high into the sky!"
"I'm fine, Raiden-san. Thank you for worrying." Cecilia adjusted herself and wiped her clothes. "As to what happened, I don't know myself."
"You don't know? Then what was the last thing that you were doing and the last thing that you saw?" Ryoma asked.
"All I did was grab an emerald that seemed like an ornament at the shore of the river and when I turned it backwards, I saw a name and read it out loud."
"An emerald ornament? A name?" Ryoma took a moment to think before he spoke again. "You must've accidentally triggered something when you said the name written on the emerald. What was the name engraved into the emerald?"
"It was "Kingu"… The name engraved into the emerald was "Kingu", like the word king." Cecilia answered.
Ryoma was silent for a while before he spoke once more. "I'll try to contact Professor Einstein and Professor Tesla about this. Stay vigilant, Lady Cecilia. Our troops are approaching near as well. In case of an attack, do not hesitate to strike back." With that, Ryoma ended the call right there.
"Roger that, Raiden-san…" Cecilia muttered to herself as she gazed back at the massive river. "*SIGH* Seems like this mission isn't really going to be that easy. Hm?" She saw the tablet that she was holding suddenly lit a red light over and over again. Cecilia opened the tablet and saw a warning on the screen. "Oh no…"
[WARNING: MASSIVE HONKAI ENERGY DETECTED!]
At the main Anti-Entropy Base…
Tesla was currently in one of AE's control rooms, tapping her fingers on the keyboard while sat on a comfortable chair. "Patricia's report of her latest mission is done. Although, I would really wish if that girl could file in her report on the designated time." She sighed as she complained. "Alright, next up is the current undergoing mission in Iraq—."
*RIIING!*
As if something read her mind, a call sounded. Tesla answered it immediately. "Ryoma, report." She immediately ordered.
"Apologies in advance, Professor Tesla, for my report may not suffice right now." Ryoma said through the call.
"Doesn't matter as of now. What's important is that you report what has been happening there in your location. I know Patricia is with you in a different place marked on the map that I gave you, but what I need is a report about how Lady Cecilia has done so far."
"Understood, then I'll begin." Ryoma took a deep breath before speaking. "As of now, Lady Cecilia confirmed to me something. She found an emerald ornament at the shore of the river that she's currently at and that when she said a name that was engraved behind it the ground suddenly shook and a bright green pillar of light sudden erupted and soared into the sky."
Tesla was a bit taken aback at this report. "This seems to be something major then…" She muttered before she continued. "From what you've told me, it seems like that the name engraved that Lady Cecilia said must've been a trigger of some sorts. Any new reports from her about what happened next?" She asked.
"Unfortunately, I haven't received any new reports from Lady Cecilia as of now. I've ordered her to stay vigilant in case anything comes up and I'm quite certain that the troops that I've sent out to her location has already arrived."
"We can never be too cautious about the Honkai, after all." Tesla muttered.
"Hm? Wait, what?!" At Ryoma's location, his voice was one of shock as he saw something in one of the monitors. "This can't be happening?! Why now?!"
"Ryoma, what's happening?!" Tesla asked. "Your voice is telling me that you're in distressed about something—!" Just as she spoke, a huge red dot appeared in one of the monitors. "What—?"
*DING!*
Another red dot appeared before more and more appeared, the next mark that appeared was one that shocked her the most. A mark of an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast. "This can't be… It's a Honkai Horde! And it's being led by an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast!" Another mark of the same mark that she saw earlier appeared. "There's… two?!"
When she turned to talk to Ryoma again in one of the monitors, she can hear steps of multiple mechas running. "All units, head to Lady Cecilia's location! The current situation needs her to gain as much assistance as possible in this battle! Engage on the target once on site!"
"Ryoma, assist Lady Cecilia as much as possible! I'll try to examine what type of Emperor-Class we're dealing with!" Tesla ordered.
"Understood, Professor Tesla! Ryoma out!" The call ended their as he too soon mobilized more troops in his location.
At Schicksal, Overseer Sanctum…
"Lord Otto, are satellites have detected massive Honkai Energy Waves at Iraq where the remnants of the City of Uruk was found." Amber informed Otto, who was sitting on his throne-like chair. "Should we engage, my lord?"
"Hmm…" Otto was clearly thinking about it with that grin on his face. "And from what I've been observing so far, Anti-Entropy has already arrived there far earlier than us. Sending in one of our Valkyrie Units to assist them in defeating these two Emperor-Class Honkai Beasts can benefit us one way or another." He said as he started to think. "But who to send? It's clear that these two Honkai Beasts aren't any of the Emperor-Class Honkai Beast that we've faced before."
"Perhaps we should send in Madam Theresa?" As if reading his mind, Amber asked Otto. "From what we've gathered and seen through one of our satellites, Lady Cecilia seems to be there. With Madam Theresa, they would be able to finish the battle a lot easier."
"Ah. I see that you've seemed to have read my mind, Amber." Otto complimented his assistant. "Indeed, sending in Theresa there would greatly achieve a much faster time of clearing these Honkai Beasts, I could also order my dear granddaughter to fetch us some parts from these new Emperor-Class for ours to study."
"Your compliments towards my ideas are unneeded, my lord, but it's greatly appreciated." Amber said with a bow. "So shall we send in Madam Theresa?"
Otto took a few moments to think again before he nodded his head. "Yes. Send in Theresa to head to Iraq, and tell her that I ordered her to collect a few samples if she can." Amber bowed her head once more before leaving the room and Otto was now left with his thoughts. "Cecilia, it's been a long time since I've seen you or have ever heard your name… I'm curious as to how strong you've become without the powers of the Abyss Flower." His face showed another devilish grin. "I hope that you haven't gotten rusty and disappoint me, Cecilia."
Just then, the door to his office opened once more and revealed a girl with strawberry blonde hair. "Lord Otto! I've returned from the training that you've given me!"
"Ah! Bianka, it's great to see you once more!" Otto said as he turned to the small girl. "May I ask what made you decide to visit me?"
"The training that you've given me didn't even made me broke a sweat. If I were to become I want to train even harder! Please give me a more serious training regime, Lord Otto!" Bianka and her hot headed and impatient personality was one Otto found quite amusing.
"Her personality is clearly something that she's gotten from Siegfried, but it's one that will be trained and cooled down soon." Otto turned back the monitor screen and started tapping on his keyboard.
Bianka turned her head upwards and saw the live video of Cecilia in Iraq. "Who's that lady? She looks beautiful." She then turned to Otto with a judging gaze. "Lord Otto, don't tell me you're using our satellites to spy on unsuspecting females."
"Gugh—!" That was like a stab in Otto's pride as a man. "Clearly, she really is Siegfried's daughter with that mouth…" He thought before he sighed and let out a small smile at Bianka. "Now, now, Bianka. Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't spying. If you're truly curious about this lady in the video right here, you must've heard about the Tale of the White Flower, no?"
"The tale about a lady who once wielded the Abyss Flower? You've told me that one to many times that I've memorized it…" Bianka then clicked the pieces together. "You're telling me that she's the girl from the story?!" She asked loudly with shock and admiration.
"Ahaha! Yes, the lady you're seeing here is none other than Cecilia Schariac. The lady who once wielded the Abyss Flower, and a Former S-Rank Valkyrie of ours." Otto took a seat on his throne and gestured to Bianka. "Now why don't you take a moment of rest while I revise your training regime?" To that question, Bianka did as he told him.
With Theresa…
It's been about 2 hours since Theresa got informed by Amber to head to Iraq and right now, she's on a small airship in the passenger's seat. "I can't believe that grandpa even asked me to gather a few samples from this unknown Emperor-Class Honkai Beast as well!" She complained in her head. "But… I guess if I can meet Cecilia once more in so long, it doesn't seem that bad. This time, I'm going to ask her and I won't let her leave until I get an answer!"
The airship pilot then talked. "Madam Theresa! We're nearing our destination, please be ready to drop off!"
"Roger that!" Theresa stood up and the door opened, making her feel the air outside and stare at the sight of the land below her. "We're pretty high up in the sky." She let out a small smile. "If Shirou were to see this, I wonder how he would react…" She thought in her mind.
Back with Cecilia…
Cecilia's not been doing so well since the sudden event happened earlier. Honkai Beasts suddenly appearing out of nowhere and now more just kept on appearing and appearing. "There's just no end to them!" Using her Plasma Lance, she struck one Honkai Beast in the stomach.
*BOOM!*
*THUD!*
She wasn't fighting by herself though, AE's mechas were also helping her out by shooting out missiles and punching on the Honkai Beasts extremely hard. But it was clear that with this amount of Honkai Beasts surrounding their area, sooner or later they'll tire out.
"We have to find a way to kill all these Honkai in one go. But how?" Cecilia thought to herself as she ran towards another Honkai Beast and stabbed it through the gut.
*RUMBLE!*
"W-Woah! The ground started to shake once more, making her nearly lose her balance. "The ground's shaking again? Please don't tell me…"
*CRACK!*
*SCREEEEEECCHH!*
A loud screech suddenly erupted and massive worm-like Honkai Beast came out of the ground. But it didn't stop there…
*CRACK!*
*ROOOAARRGGHH!*
Another massive Honkai Beast came out of the ground, but this one looked more like a dinosaur.
"Is this the Emperor-Class Honkai Beast that Einstein mentioned? And there's two of them!" Cecilia ducked down as the dinosaur-like Emperor-Class slashed its claws at her. "I have to get away from them!" She punched on the dinosaur Emperor-Class on the face before kicking it on its chest.
"Lady Cecilia, can you hear me?!" A voice in Cecilia's earpiece sounded.
"Professor Tesla?" The Former Valkyrie asked just before kicking down a Honkai Beast and stabbing it through the chest. "What is it? I'm kind of busy here!"
"I know that already! But I'm here to tell you that a Schicksal Airship is approaching fast! Seems like they noticed what's happening as well and decided to send help." Tesla informed her.
"A Schicksal Airship?" Cecilia looked up and saw the airship that Tesla had mentioned. "I see the airship, what do you want me to do?"
"Let whoever is inside the airship help out. You're going to need more help you can get."
"Roger that, Professor Tesla!" Cecilia was about to continue fighting, but Tesla wasn't finished.
"And make sure to bring in samples as well! These Emperor-Class Honkai Beasts are ones that haven't been recorded in any databases of Anti-Entropy yet!" With her request, Tesla ended the call.
Cecilia kept the request in mind as she continued back to fighting against the new Emperor-Classes. "Let's hope that I haven't gotten rusty with fighting against strong enemies like these!" Those were her thoughts as she ran straight towards the Worm Emperor-Class.
*SWOOSH!*
*BOOM!*
As she ran towards her target, some AE Mechs were helping her out by shooting their missiles at the Worm Emperor-Class. "Thank you, AE Support!" Cecilia then stabbed into the Worm Emperor-Class and activated the plasma inside her lance, making her through the other side of the Beast. "Did that do it?"
When Cecilia turned around to see the damage she dealt to the new Emperor-Class Honkai Beast, she saw that the beast was still moving around despite the hole on its left side. "Seems like I underestimated it a bit—. Woah!" She ducked down as the Dinosaur Emperor-Class tried to secretly swipe her head off. "That was a close one!" Cecilia then twisted her body and did a roundhouse kick right into the Honkai Beast's face.
"I'm trapped between these two Emperor-Class Honkai Beasts that are solely targeting me, leaving the other AE troops alone to fend off the lower class Honkai Beasts. What to do...?" Cecilia kept trying to think of a plan while dodging the Dinosaur Emperor-Class while trying to deal as much damage as possible to the Worm Emperor-Class.
*SHINK!*
*SCREEECH!*
The Worm-like Emperor-Class Honkai Beast let out another screech as it felt the pain that Cecilia's Plasma Lance inflicted.
*BOOM!*
A missile hit the Dinosaur-like Emperor-Class Honkai Beast on the stomach, making it roll onto the ground, but that doesn't stop it from getting up again.
"Think of something, Cecilia!" She said in her mind. "The more time you waste, the shorter it is for your allies to die!" Cecilia looked at the dinosaur before turning to the massive worm. "One is massive and slow while the other is small and agile. One is stuck into the ground while the other isn't and can move freely on land…"
*SHINK!*
"—?!" Just then, golden chains started descending from the sky, most of them wrapping around the massive Worm-like Emperor Class, but these chains weren't your normal golden chains. "Wait, these chains… It can't be—!"
"CECILIAAAAA!" When Cecilia heard that recognizable voice, she turned her head upwards and saw Theresa descending from the sky with the Oath of Judah right below her feet as if it were a hover board.
"Theresa?!" Cecilia was surprised by the sight of her old friend. "I knew Professor Tesla said that she spotted a Schicksal Airship and to let whoever Schicksal was sending to help, but I didn't expected for Schicksal to send in Theresa!" As she was lost in her thoughts, the Dinosaur Emperor-Class tried to strike at the unsuspecting Cecilia.
*SHINK!*
But it was stopped when Theresa threw one of Judah's Spears at the Beast's leg before the Chains of Judah wrapped around its whole body. "Don't dare try to hurt Cecilia when I haven't seen her in years!"
*SWOOSH!*
Theresa descended faster and once she was close to the ground—.
*WHAM!*
—She used the Oath of Judah to whack the Dinosaur Emperor-Class aside like it was nothing more than dirt, which made the Honkai Beast tumbling and rolling onto the ground before it finally regained its balance again.
"Theresa!" Cecilia called out to the little nun.
"Cecilia!" Theresa herself called out to the Former Valkyrie before she rushed towards Cecilia and gave her a tight hug. "Where have you been all this time?! You literally went no contact after the 2nd Honkai War Incident happened! You made me worry!"
Staring at Theresa, Cecilia hugged the nun like a small child before she patted her head. "There, there, Theresa. I'm sorry that I made you worry. No need to cry now."
"I'm not going to cry!" Theresa shouted at Cecilia and the Former Valkyrie giggled.
"Sorry, sorry~. You just looked like a small child who missed their mother so much, I couldn't help but tease." Cecilia apologized before ducking his head down from a claw strike from the Dinosaur Emperor-Class. "Oh right, nearly forgot about these two."
*ROOOOAAARRGGGHH!*
Theresa stopped hugging Cecilia as she placed Judah on the ground. "Do your thing, Judah! Spread out!" And spread out, the Judah did. The middle section of the Divine Cross opened which then led to multiple golden spears and golden chains come out, all were heading towards the two Emperor-Class Honkai Beast in different directions.
The Massive Worm sunk back down into the ground, which led the ground to shake violently while the Dinosaur started to run, trying to dodge and divert the chains and spears to different places.
"That dinosaur is fast." Theresa commented. "And that worm-like Beast sunk back into the ground!"
"I'll take care of the Worm Beast, Theresa. Take care of that dinosaur for me!"
"Got it! Go!" Theresa grabbed her Oath of Judah, slinging it behind her back as she grasped one of Judah's Golden Spear in her right hand and ran towards the Dinosaur Emperor-Class Honkai Beast.
Cecilia watched as Theresa ran towards her target, she then took a deep breath as she eyed the massive hole of her target. "Alright, Cecilia… Let's do this." Without hesitation, she dived down into the whole. Each meter she falls, the tunnel became darker and darker, but even though it was dark, the distinct white from her target was easy to spot. "Got you! Take this!" She then threw her Plasma Lance—.
*SCREEEEEEECCHH!*
—Just as the lance landed, the Worm Beast let out a loud screeching squirm. Cecilia then landed on the Worm's body and gripped her lance's handle. "Geez, this thing screech like a chalk scraping on chalkboard." She complained as she rode the Worm Emperor-Class Honkai Beast to where it wants to go. "Let's just hope that I can kill this Beast before it manages to attack anymore innocent civilians."
With Theresa and her fight…
*SHING!*
*SWOOSH!*
Theresa swung her spear as the Dinosaur swung its claws at her. Although she can pin this Emperor-Class down with her Oath of Judah, the damn Honkai Beast was extremely fast and agile, making it hard for the nun to tie it down.
"I managed to catch it off-guard when I first threw one of Judah's spear at this thing, but now it seems like its noticed how Judah needs to be wrapped around its body to be pinned down completely!" Theresa analyzed in her mind as she commanded one of Judah's Chains to pin the Honkai Beast, but it was just dodged once more. "Damn this thing's fast! I've got to find a way to catch it off-guard once more!"
*ROOAARRGGH!*
The Emperor-Class swung its claws at Theresa once more but it was completely blocked by the Oath of Judah when the nun used it as a shield. "Heh. The only time that I'm ever proud to be small is when I use Judah as a shield. My size is truly perfect to be completely blocked by this bad boy's size." Theresa muttered with a small grin. "Have at thee, you foul Beast!"
Theresa ran towards the Dinosaur once more—. "Take this!" Before throwing another one of Judah's Spears that was connected to one of its chains.
Although the Emperor-Class wasn't expecting the throw, it still managed to dodge to the side quickly enough. "Tch! I managed to catch it off-guard for a bit, but that wasn't enough!" Theresa complained before stepping on top of Judah and used it as a hover board, circling around the Emperor-Class Honkai Beast.
The Emperor-Class itself tried to chase after Theresa, but the nun was throwing multiple of Judah's Spears that was attached to its chains over and over again, making the Honkai Beast dodge from side to side as it tried its best not to get trapped. But it doesn't know that Theresa already devised a plan…
"Although this Honkai Beast is agile, fast, and has a bit of intelligence from what I can observe…" Theresa halted to a stop before pinning her Oath of Judah onto the ground and opened it. "This Emperor-Class is still nothing more than a Beast who only thinks to hunt! Now, Judah!"
At her command, the Oath of Judah suddenly tightened all its chains on the spears that Theresa had thrown in earlier before all of them retracted. Since Judah's Spears were thrown by Theresa in a circle around the Dinosaur Emperor-Class, it all headed towards the Honkai Beast's direction before the Beast got entangled by the chains with the spears themselves becoming pinned to the ground once more.
"Gotcha! You're not escaping this time! HAIYAH!" Theresa threw the spear in her heads, aiming to strike the Beast on the head.
*ROOAARR!*
Although most of its limbs were rendered motionless, its head was still able to move. The Emperor-Class opened its mouth before energy started charging and then shot into a massive Honkai Energy Beam.
"What the—?! Judah, cover me!" Theresa hid behind her Oath of Judah as the Honkai Energy Beam blasted through. The beam soon died out, with Theresa safe but not unscathed. "Damn… That attack really surprised me for a bit. Good thing only some parts of my clothes are torn, but this is going to be expensive to repair!" Theresa shook her head, making the fright of the sewing cost go away.
Theresa decided to take a small glance at the Beast by leaning her head to the left, taking a small peak from behind the Oath of Judah. "—Whoa!" But surprise, surprise, she barely managed to dodge a small beam that came towards her. "This Beast clearly isn't going to give up… Alright then! If that's how you want to play it, then time to shut that mouth!"
The Dinosaur Honkai Beast started to charge another Honkai Energy Beam in its mouth with its target clear.
*BOOM!*
"What was that?!" Theresa shouted out of shock that a sudden explosion suddenly erupted. She took a glance from behind the Oath of Judah again and was surprised at the sight.
*RATATATATA!*
*BOOM!*
The Emperor-Class was still pinned and couldn't move thanks to the Chains of Judah, but bullets and missiles kept coming in hot, hitting and exploding at the large body of the Emperor-Class, but the Beast was only slightly affected due to its tough skin.
"Don't let up!" A voice familiar to Theresa shouted, the nun turned her head and saw her light-grey haired friend commanding an army of Anti-Entropy Mechs. "This Beast is bound to the ground! Its mouth can shoot beams, but it can't charge them or shoot them if it can't focus! Keep firing!"
"PAT!" Theresa shouted loudly. Patricia turned her head to Theresa and let out a massive girn.
"Yo, Theresa! Good to see you again!" Patricia replied as Theresa ran towards her location and hugged her tightly, which nearly made Patricia fall. "Whoa there! You that excited to see me again?"
"Oh shut! You and Cecilia have a lot to explain to me once we finish these Beasts!" Theresa argued as she let go of Patricia but her smile wasn't gone. The nun then gently punched the AE Agent's arm. "You promised me a long time ago that you'll treat me, you better keep your promise now!"
"Hahaha! I'm surprised that you still remembered that!" Patricia patted Theresa on the head before nodding her head. "Alright, then once we've wrapped this up, I'll treat you to a fancy restaurant. Sounds good?"
"Hmph! Alteast you know how to treat me." Theresa pouted before getting serious once more and holding onto her Oath of Judah. "Alright, enough fooling around! This Beast is still bound but we still have another Emperor-Class being dealt by Cecilia, we can't stall for too long if we want to help her."
*RUMBLE!*
"Not again!"
Just as Theresa and Patricia were about to charge in, the ground shook once more.
*CRACK!*
*BOOM!*
Another huge and massive hole suddenly cracked open in the ground and the Worm-like Emperor-Class came out of it, with Cecilia holding on to her lance with her feet on the worm's body as she clung to Beast's body. "Theresa! I need your help! Tie this Beast down!" Cecilia shouted loudly for everyone to hear.
"Got it!"
Commanding the Chains of Judah, it wrapped its chains all over the Worm Emperor-Class's body. Although not everything was wrapped since some of its length is still deep into the ground, the Honkai Beast was more than tightly wrapped to the point that it stayed still and couldn't move.
"All units, fire!" Patricia ordered her mechs as her right cyborg arm opened and charged her own Honkai Energy reserves before firing it. "Bombard these Beasts to the ground! No matter how tough they are, they're still mortal! Aim for the whole that Lady Cecilia has inflicted on the Worm!"
The AE Agent's orders were answered as each and every one of the Anti-Entropy Mechas shot their missiles.
"Theresa, with me!" Cecilia shouted as she unhooked her lance and started to descend down. "Find some sort of "heart" inside their bodies! Those are their weak spots!"
"Understood, Cecilia! Pat, lend me some of your men. I'll take care of this Dinosaur." Theresa didn't waited for her friend to answer because she knew that the AE Agent would agree anyways. The nun ran towards the Dinosaur Emperor-Class that was still pinned down with Judah's Chains.
Patricia signaled with her left hand to the other mechs to follow Theresa and they did so, the loud thumps of their metal feet kept making the ground slightly shake.
As Cecilia descended down, she used her Plasma Lance to scrape the sides of the Worm Emperor-Class, causing the Honkai Beast to screech in pain. "I don't think my ears are ever going to get used to this thing's screeching." She complained as she got to where she injured the Beast earlier.
"Time for you to die!" Plasma energy started to appear in cracks of lighting at the tip of Cecilia's lance before she thrust her right arm forward and releasing the condensed energy from inside the whole.
*SCREEEEEECCHH!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
The Worm Emperor-Class Honkai Beast let out a massive screech as the condensed energy kept flowing through its whole entire body while the Anti-Entropy Mechs kept shooting their missiles at the beast non-stop.
The Dinosaur Beast that Theresa was dealing with was more in the same boat as the Worm Beast, it was struggling with the hits and explosions that it was receiving from the Anti-Entropy Mechs.
*CRACK!*
To the point that its stomach cracked opened and revealed a small orb. "Is that the "heart" that Cecilia mentioned?" Theresa only had one way to confirm her thoughts. "Take this!" She then threw one of Judah's Spears in a straight line.
*THINGK!*
*CRACK!*
Her throw was shot and struck true right in the middle of the small orb's round shape, making it crack open as a bright pink light shined brightly, blinding Theresa and the other mechas of Anti-Entropy, causing them all to cover their eyes. "Is it… over…?" Theresa slowly opened her eyes and what was left of the Dinosaur was nothing more than an empty white husk with the pink color of the Honkai gone.
"We did it! It's finally— Uwah!"
*SHEEN!*
Just then, another beam of light shot through the sky and struck where Cecilia was fighting the Worm Beast. "Cecilia!" Theresa rushed to the Former Valkyrie's location but when she got there, Cecilia was standing a few ten meters away from where a now massive hole was in.
"Oh, hey, Theresa!" Cecilia exclaimed with a smile on her face as she waved at the nun. "It's been taken care of, so no need to worry."
Theresa was a confused. "Wha— Huh— How did you— Huh?!" The nun was extremely confused.
"Ah… about that." Cecilia was about to answer but a hologram appeared in between them.
"If you're confused, I did it. I shot a laser with one of our satellites from space." Tesla informed as she chimed in. "Lady Cecilia here could have taken care of it, yes, but it would take way longer than it should have. I took the easier route and fired off one of our laser beams."
"Like what Professor Tesla said." Cecilia added while pointing her thumb to the hologram. "I could have taken care of it, but it would take way longer than it should have. And Professor Tesla here was already charging one of AE's satellites to begin with."
"Had I known that you could still inflict that much damage, I wouldn't have charged it to begin with." Tesla argued while crossing her arms. "But whatever, it's already over anyways."
"Yes it is." Patricia said as she approached. "And all that's left of these horrid beasts are their lifeless bodies. Should be easy enough to gather a few scraps of their body parts or whatever to use as samples."
"Right! Samples!" Theresa remembered. She turned to Tesla. "Hey, Tesla, is it alright if I gather a few samples from these Honkai Beast's as well?"
"Considering that they aren't in any of the databases of both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal, I don't see any reason to outright refuse. But that would have to be approved by our Sovereign first and foremost."
"Ah… Right…" Theresa scratched the back of her head with a single sweat drop.
"I'll ask our Sovereign right away. Oh, and before I end this call; Cecilia, Patricia, just know that Mophead is heading over there. Just head to the basecamp and wait for her. She said that she'll be the one to examine the samples that you've gathered, despite knowing that we could've done that here instead." Tesla said in a voice of annoyance before sighing. "Well, time's up. Get back here safely soon." Tesla ended the call there.
When Tesla ended the call, all the girls were silent before Patricia talked first. "So… How about we go back to the main basecamp first? Professor Tesla said that Professor Einstein is already on her way here, might as well stay there and wait for her. Maybe even have a chat. It has been a long while since we've last talked with you, Theresa."
There really wasn't much option to choose, so Theresa nodded her head. "Alright. I'll follow Anti-Entropy rules for now, but you two better be ready! I have a lot of questions for you girls to answer!"
Patricia laughed. "Hahahaha! Alright! Alright! After all, Madam Theresa is so strict and cruel~. Isn't that how you act while being the Principal at St. Freya High?" Theresa was a bit annoyed at that comment but the AE Agent didn't stop. "And don't you dare try to deny it. I've heard that you're a really strict principal, but that strictness comes with care."
Theresa sighed before blushing slightly. "You really do know how to get Intel, do you, Pat?" The nun shook her head. "Alright, fine! I'll try to stay calm while I question you two. There, you happy now? That is what you've been wanting me to say, right Pat?"
"Heehee~. Thank you so much for your kindness, my dear principal." Patricia said in a teasing voice while she did a bow, one that made Theresa feel irritated as she felt that her friend was mocking her.
Cecilia giggled at their little interaction. "It has been a while, hasn't it?" She then shook her head as Theresa and Patricia started to walk directly towards where the main basecamp was located. Cecilia followed the two of them, only to stop as she saw something shine in the corner of her left eye.
Without saying anything to the two girls, Cecilia turned her head to where she saw the shine and her eyes widen at the familiar gem. "That's the emerald ornament that I discovered at the river shore before…" She then slowly walked towards the emerald before kneeling down and grabbing it with her right hand before smiling.
"I'm glad that I managed to find this thing again. You really gave me a lot of trouble, little emerald. I'll have you become inspected by Professor Einstein once she reaches this place." Cecilia placed the emerald ornament in her pocket before she walked back to the direction where Theresa and Patricia headed.
It was only a few seconds before Cecilia managed to catch up to her two friends as all of them continued their walk towards the standing basecamp in the distant.
(Author's Notes: I tried my best to try and make a dialogue for young Bianka since it was said in the wiki that she was a hot headed and impatient child back then. Also, this chapter isn't in any of HI3 main story or manga, I think? Definitely not in the game story. Anyways, so to clear out a few chapters that I planned to create in the future, I'll probably give this fanfiction a few small arc stories to widen their history. This chapter specifically is about Cecilia finding the emerald ornament, so in the next chapter/chapters I'll make an original history, one that can inform you viewers about a few things to clear such as this— Ddraig's and Albion's history, Mikaela's history and etc. just to name a few. But the names are pretty familiar, so you guys probably already know who owns this emerald ornament.)