This had to be some sort of joke. Him becoming a part of their squad when he just tried to kill them ? Bianka was about to loudly shout her disapproval but Ragna was faster.
"Why the sudden change of heart ? You looked ready to slaughter us all just now."
"That was before you made contact with your allies. For a reason I can guess, you didn't report me to your organization but now they will know. Not only that, I can tell from the current situation that it has quite the reach and influence. In that case, becoming a part of this organization as your subordinate is a safer bet." Lux banished that fleeting reminiscence from his head. He had to think clearly.
His explanation might sound rational for a second, but it had several flaws. "...I don't understand. Even if this is true, why do you want to become my subordinate ? And what makes you think I'd accept ?"
Lux's eyes narrowed pensively. "Because I think you're a decent person. It's pretty easy to see, to be honest. And because you need my help."
Himeko, having recovered from being flung into the tree, then spoke up. "Do you think we can't deal with an Eruption of this size ?" Was he looking down on them because he had been about to wipe them out ?
"I don't think that. You girls are not weak. But with me, you can save more people. You already know that I can summon and control Imaginary Constructs, right ? While that depends on the type, I can summon up to fifteen units I can precisely control. That immediate addition to your forces would help, no ? As for why I think your Captain is a decent person...let's call it a gut feeling."
The gears of Ragna's mind began to rotate at a high speed. To trust the boy before them was hazardous and that was lightly putting it. On the other hand, his help would save far more people : the Honkai Outbreak had been too quick, no squads beside them were ready and close. Teamwork would be rough, but he seemed to be able to fight alone, judging by what she saw in Siberia and right now. Anyhow, she only had less than three minutes to make her choice before the Honkai Beasts and his points seemed valid. She just had to check on one thing before that.
"I need you to answer a few questions before I make my decision about your proposition."
"Go ahead. I'm not sure if this will bring you any piece of mind, but I won't lie for now."
He was right, this brought no peace to her mind whatsoever. Geez.
"Does the world you arrived to disappoint you ?"
"...What ?" For the first time, he looked completely taken by surprise. That obviously was not the kind of question he expected.
"I'm the one asking the questions here. Answer."
"...I don't understand. I didn't go to a different world. Siberia is way too close for that."
"Then, what were your expectations in coming here ?"
"Only to find a better place than Siberia, no matter how slight. A place where I could fall asleep a little more at ease. That's all, really."
...So, it was like that in the end. Ragna felt like she was equally disappointed and satisfied that his answers had been as close as to what she expected.
Heaving a sigh, she made her decision.
A fresh trail of purple blood splashed the outskirts of the town as Himeko bisected the Honkai Beasts trying to pincer her. They had shown a bit of brain, but that ultimately didn't make much difference for the red-haired Valkyrie. The Archangels that simultaneously tried to attack from the right and the left were introduced to the wide slash from Himeko's greatsword.
After the little skirmish at the orphanage, they had rushed to meet the Honkai Beasts so the civilians would have time for evacuation. The squad was relatively new since this was one of the first times Bianka was on a mission, but having been taught by Ragna and with Rita watching over her, they were far from slowing down the squad. As for the little interloper...Well, he was managing pretty well.
Just as an Imaginary Construct threw itself on the shield of a Knight-type Honkai Beast, an energy shell burrowed itself through the unguarded skull of the monster. Lux lowered his arm, examining the situation of the first line of defense.
To counter the numerous Honkai Beasts, two lines were created on the outskirts of the town. The first line was composed of Lux and his Imaginary Constructs. The fact that they obeyed him, packed quite a punch, and had no care for themselves whatsoever made them ideal to counter the raw numbers of enemies. Lux was providing support by shooting at opportune moments created by his orders, or dashing in to finish off Honkai Beasts. The Honkai Beasts who managed to break through due to sheer numbers were then slain by the Valkyries, making it so none of them could cross the last line of defense.
Of course, Himeko still hadn't swept under the rug everything that happened between them. This was simply not the time for personal feelings : lives were at stake. Still, she had to admit his appearance was completely misleading : looking at him now, it was hard to believe he had been living for a time in an orphanage along normal other kids. She had done some research on what exactly an Imaginary Construct after the fight was -rather, she tried to. Imaginary Constructs were existences that came from Imaginary Space. That was pretty much all the info Shicksal had about them. With so little to go on, Himeko was trying her best to gather intel by watching them fight, but she had only been able to reaffirm what she saw last time : those monsters were dangerous and they had a Core that would revive them unless it was destroyed. And that's all.
'But even if I try to get more about him, it leads to nowhere.' Himeko had suspected that Lux might be some sort of test subject that belonged to either Anti-Entropy or Shicksal, but she was clearly wrong. When they spoke at the orphanage and even when he faced off against them in Siberia, his actions revealed that he knew nothing of Valkyries or Shicksal. Chances are, he knew nothing about Anti-Entropy too. Was Siberia his whole world, then ? But there's no way anyone in there got the resources and safe environment necessary for a research that could produce Lux. Frustrated, she hammered her fist through the head of a Knight-type as she racked her brains trying to piece together this illogical puzzle.
As for Bianka, she was quite glad there were Honkai Beasts to fight. It meant there was something to vent her frustration, shame and rage . What happened at the orphanage had been humiliating : she had given in to her petty rage and indignation and left herself wide open. She underestimated an opponent based on their appearance, even though Ragna and Himeko both showed caution and bewilderment as they faced him. He had probably seen through her in a second, didn't he ? That was why he immediately targeted and used her to execute his plan. The worst part of everything was the fact that they had been saved because he had mysteriously stopped attacking. Not because one of them managed to break through that dire situation. Just recalling this was enough to make her blood boil. And as if this wasn't enough, he was now performing better than her in a fightValkyrieswere supposed to take on alone. Not whatever the hellhewas.
So yes, Bianka was quite glad there were Honkai Beasts to fight.
'Their numbers are dwindling. The Honkai Energy in the air is dropping too. Actually, it's dropping a bit too fast, isn't it ? This bothers me, but I should regroup with them for now. Fast.' Lux left the cleanup to the Imaginary Constructs under his orders and jumped down from the roof of the shop he was using as a sniping post. It was kinda funny to see them tense up when he ran back to make his report, but he made sure to conceal his amusement behind his poker face. He needed to at least look good during his 'trial period'.
"I'm having two Imaginary Constructs scout a few kilometers ahead, but none of them are seeing any Honkai Beasts. Judging from the level of Honkai Energy in the air, new ones probably won't appear."
"...You can feel that ?" Without specific tools, they couldn't judge the density of Honkai Energy in the air, only that it was there. Another to add to his already long list of abnormalities.
"You get weirder by the second." Ignoring the taunt coming from the blonde brat, Lux answered Ragna. "Yes. It's closer to an instinctive sensation, so I don't recommend trusting too much. But I've got a question about something my scouts reported to me."
Something that his scouts reported ? This didn't sound good..."What is it ?"
"I'll be direct. Does your organization have enemies ? Because this Honkai Outbreak was artificially created."
The group made their way to a clearing situated a few kilometers away from the town. There, an object which had nothing to do here was being examined by the scouts Lux sent.
It was Himeko who voiced her disbelief first. "An Honkai-powered engine ? This is what provoked the Outbreak !?"
"Most likely. Usually, the Honkai would have directly manifested in the town. But someone made the engine go berserk and put it here. As if this wasn't enough, they sure look to be in complete control of the situation, huh ?"
"What do you mean ?"
"I'm not sure you can feel it, but the Honkai levels here are very low, even though we are at the epicenter of the Outbreak. That can mean only one thing : whoever did this took away the Honkai Energy after the Honkai Beasts appeared and launched an attack on the town." That was beginning to sound really fishy and annoying to Lux. Just what was their aim ?
Everyone fell silent. "But...why ? Why would anyone do this !?"
"I have no idea, Bianka. But this situation is probably what they wanted. Though I have no idea why..." Flabbergasted that he remembered her name, Bianka missed the timing to snap at him. She could only stew in silence as Rita hid her smile behind her hand.
"Still, your help was valuable this time. Thanks to you, this incident ended with no casualties and almost no damage...what's with your face ?"
"It's just...I'm not very used to that." Leaving his words unfinished, Lux then turned towards the captain of the squad as if to flee from Himeko's words. Ragna still had her eyes glued to the ruined engine, racking her brains to figure out the mastermind's intent. An action befitting of a captain, he supposed. He was about to ask her verdict on his 'trial period' when the squad's hands flew to their earpieces. 'Are they giving their reports ? I'll just wait then.' He turned down his augmented senses as to not spy on them. He would give them this much courtesy, at least.
"Yes, it's me...Yes, we've already dealt with the Outbreak, but...About that...What ?...And it is from...I see." Lux averted his eyes but could still hear her. 'She seems...shaken.' Something in the conversation took her by surprise, it was obvious. The reports of the other members of the squad sounded normal but they kept throwing curious glances at Ragna. So this was unusual. Like the whole damn day.
Then, she said only one word. "Roger." Lux looked at her, waiting. Ragna locked eyes with him.
"Lux, sorry but your demand has been rejected by the Overseer." Overseer. Now that sounded like a big shot's position.
"I see. This Overseer of yours, I guess he calls the shots back at Shicksal ?"
"Yes, he...Wait, how do you know the name of- ?"
"Himeko shouted it in the middle of the fight, something about showing the mettle of Shicksal Valkyries to those beasts or whatever." Ragna threw a less-than-happy glance at the sheepish A-rank Valkyrie.
"To think someone like that got involved...I had an inkling before, but this squad really is composed of the most...unique people I've seen."
"You're the last person I want to hear that from. And I feel like you had something else in mind rather than 'unique'."
"Who knows ? Maybe it's your imagination." For the first time since they met, Lux was wearing a smile that came naturally to his face. His behavior and apparent age finally seemed to match up a bit, creating a relaxing sight. This led Ragna to think of why he didn't look the slightest bit dejected.
"You...Did you throw this demand knowing it wouldn't be accepted in the end ?"
"Well, yes and no. I knew it surely wouldn't just be accepted like this, but I was also fine with becoming your subordinate, you know. I mean, I've never seen child soldiers like Bianka and Rita so happy before." She was so full of life and energy, it was obvious she had been well treated. While not nearly as active as her, Rita had also been visibly treated in a similar way. Ragna was wearing a dejected expression that perplexed him. He had thought she would have approved of that decision, though...Was it because he was a guy and not a girl ? How complicated.
"I'm not a child !" impulsively shouted Bianka.
"Sure, you're just a brat. My bad, I was wrong."
"You- !"
"Please do not tease her too much, Lux." Said Rita as she worked to hold back the brat from jumping at him. As expected of a brat, she had a short fuse.
There was another objective that he managed to fulfill : getting his hands on some valuable intel, such as how Valkyries fought, the existence of an anti-Honkai organization...Ragna also didn't deny when he asked if her organization had enemies : it probably meant at least one other organization like this existed. He sure had learned a lot. Staying at the orphanage now was not a good plan though. Lux preferred disappearing for a while, which meant he would have to keep up appearances and find a 'clean' way to leave the orphanage. In other words, more work for him. 'It's fine. I'm just not fit for a place like this anyway.' His brief time at the orphanage made him realize he ought to find another way to live.
After biding their farewells, Ragna and her group started to walk towards the transport that would take them back to the nearest Shicksal base. Bianka and Rita were walking ahead of the two adults, talking about the recent mission.
"What a crazy day. I'm in dire need of a good bed and a few beers. How about you, Captain ?"
"I feel the same. Though maybe I'll save the booze for later. I want my head in working condition."
"Does it bother you this much that the Overseer refused his proposal ?" Himeko had seen right through her. Her drunkard subordinate could be particularly shrewd at times.
"We all know how much of a snake he is. I find it hard to think he wouldn't try to obtain someone as special as Lux." Ragna threw a guilty look at Bianka as both Valkyries fell silent. Himeko hated this : if she could not deny the guilt present in Ragna's eyes, she at least wanted to alleviate it. But she was powerless on that front too. Himeko closed the distance behind the two of them, walking shoulder to shoulder with Ragna, manifesting her support for her mentor in silence. Ragna threw a grateful smile Himeko's way.
The procession soon reached the transport. However,...
The four were startled as the rest of the Assault Squad who hadn't gone with Ragna and Himeko practically burst out of the transport, worry and relief etched onto their faces.
"Captain ! Himeko !"
"You're okay, thank goodness !"
"How bad was the Impact ? Are Bianka and Rita okay too ?"
And so on. Their behavior was as if the four never sent any reports of their situation, which bewildered them.
"Everyone, just calm down a little. Why are you so worked up ? We made sure to properly report to HQ, no ?" Ragna was beginning to feel like she was dreaming. Just what was happening today ?
"Huh ? But we received nothing from you four back at the base."
"What ?" That impossible answer made the four girls gawk. Something was amiss. They received orders from HQ after having reported. If that was not Shicksal, then who did it ?
Plunged into utter confusion, the transport traveled back to Shicksal HQ in order to shed light on this mystery.
A reawakening after only half a year was good enough. Things could have been better, but the current situation was by no means bad. Sirin had more or less attained her objective : freedom and a proper vessel. Well, proper was a bit of an exaggeration : Kiana was simply too small for now to properly serve as the Void Core's host. Sirin's plan would have to wait.
Patience. Not her strong , it was not because she was too young, too immature or anything like that.
...It was not, got it ?
Anyway, so Siegfried decided to have Anti-Entropy, more precisely those two doctors and Welt, that traitor, take care of Kiana. After giving her his lie to pacify her heart, he departed from his daughter's side.
...Kiana's tears the night he left made Sirin wish she would not have looked into the Core's records. Those emotions of loss and loneliness were far too familiar for her taste.
He evidently feared his presence would be the trigger for her reawakening, which was not that far off. Sirin figured she would just have to wait while patching up the wounds the Void Core suffered in the Second Honkai Impact but it was without taking into account just how devoid Kiana was of common sense, brains, and survival instinct. Sirin just couldn't understand. No, in fact, she could, since she had access to Kiana's head, but seeing what was going inside made her feel like she was going mad.
She went AWOL. Of all the damn things to do in a situation like this...
And as if this wasn't enough, she only took the bare minimum with her : the clothes she had on her back, some money, and a phone the doctors gave her when she first arrived. In fact, scratch that, this was below the bare minimum here. Sirin just had to end up stuck with the only person stupid enough to run away from home with such crappy preparations. And on top of this, she was supposed to be part of her ? Just what did she even do to deserve this ?
Oh, right. Quite a lot, actually.
Sirin knew they had to keep track of her whereabouts in some way. No way they would let her skip out of their surveillance like this. In the first place, her little adventure was about to end since the money she took was almost completely spent.
Kiana was curled up alone on a field flower at night. She was feeling depressed and devoid of energy after going this far and ending up here. Once the heat and excitement were gone, she realized she had no real destination in mind. She had just been running away after all. Her father suddenly leaving her side had contributed to her agitation, but the new home, new faces and...her mother who was apparently not dead but in a coma had just been too much. Kiana, stifled like never before, had impulsively run away from there and wandered left and right with what meager money she had. Now she felt even worse. What would the friends of her father think ? It was plain obvious Welt, Einstein and Tesla weren't bad people, but even they would be hurt and upset by her behavior, right ? First her outburst when she woke up, and now this...
This might be a Kiana wallowed in self-derision, Sirin glimpsed at an opportunity. If she took control of the body now, it would look like Kiana had fled on her own without Sirin doing anything. It would be far less suspicious than taking control of her body years later and making her vanish all of a sudden. With some luck, she could wait a few years after having run away to get a mature and strong vessel for the return of the Herrscher of the Void ! Yes, this would sure-
I want to go back home.
Ah.
I...I want to go back and apologize. I don't...want to be alone...!
Sirin's soul began to shake. A strong emotion permeated the entirety of the Herrscher girl.
Jealousy.
She still had a place to go back to, didn't she ? She still had the chance to get back into a warm home, didn't she ?! She, she-!
The field flower and Kiana vanished as Sirin retreated deep into the Core. There, her mindscape gave birth to a different yet similar field flower. The last flower field she saw before the end, one she had decided to greet alone.
Her tears didn't stop. Neither did her rampaging feelings. Kiana's thoughts had pierced straight to her, revealing the one thing she had tried he best to ignore. Now that her lie was exposed, the chaos wouldn't stop. She didn't want to feel like this, she didn't want to miss anyone anymore, she didn't want to hope for something better!
Sorrow, jealousy, grief...So much of what she thought she had discarded came rushing back. At the end of the day, she was still way too young and inexperienced to control this. So, her only choice was to shut herself away. It was cowardly and weak, but that was all she could do. The thought of withstanding this assault of herself upon herself any longer was unbearable. Hiding her face behind her hands, she ordered the Core to fall into ano-
"Umm, are you okay ?"
...Huh ?
"...Are you hurt anywhere ? Whoa, your eyes are so red, you cried a lot..."
She couldn't answer. Her head had more or less gone blank. In front of the collapsed Sirin, there was a certain silver-haired girl that shouldn't be here. This was absurd. Yet, this was no hallucination or mirage. For a moment, Sirin feared she might have gone mad but the girl in front of her, or rather the other consciousness inside of this space, was very much real.
Without a shred of doubt, Kiana was in the Void Core. Countless questions filled Sirin's mind as Kiana crouched down, putting her worried blue eyes face to face with Sirin's amber eyes. In the end, she gave voice to her most pressing concern.
"W-Why are you h-here ?" Her voice pathetically shook, still reeling from the shock of Kiana's arrival. She instantly regretted opening her job, Sirin. What a great and intimidating first just wasn't her day.
At those words, Kiana's face scrunched into a frown. It wasn't that she felt annoyed at the question, or that it surprised her. No, it was because...
"I...heard you crying, I think. As for how I came here, I dunno...In fact, could you tell me what kind of place this is ?" Flashing an awkward grin, Kiana made the purple-haired girl's mind blank out for the second time that day.
Sirin had the very bad feeling that this wasn't gonna be the last time she would.
Author's note :
It took a long time to get this chapter out because I kept rewriting bits and pieces of it. Fed up with myself, I decided to stop nitpicking at my work so here it is. A lot is happening here, with some developments that may seem out of character sometimes, but everything will make a bit more sense later, don't worry. :)
Sirin meets Kiana ! It was hard to decide how these two were supposed to meet, but I settled on having both of them feel down for the big moment. That felt the most appropriate.
As always, leave a kudos if you like the story, feedback is appreciated and I'll see you later !
PS : I'm beginning an original story so go check it out on AO3 ! The first true chapter will be out soon !