Legend:

Sword – narration

"Sword" – person speaking

'Sword' – person's thoughts

"Sword" – person broadcasting

*"Sword"* – recording

"Sword" – person's past speech

'Sword' – person's past thoughts

"Sword" – person's past broadcasting

Chapter 1: Reawakening I

Some months later:

*"Experiment Log, October 20, 1999: Subject HM-03-1204 has a minor genetic mutation, turning out to be male with red hair, gold eyes and incorporated with genes of both Judgement-classed Honkai beasts 'Albion' and 'D'draig'."*

"Ah… my head… Where am I…?"

A red-haired boy with gold eyes awoke on a small cot, surrounded by cold metal walls in a small cell. Sitting up and moving to the edge of the lumpy mattress, he felt as if he had just awakened from a very long dream.

"This is new… Guess that long-haired blonde man finally got tired of me after running so many tests."

*"Artificially aged up to about 12 years old, he has gained consciousness, displays excellent movement ability and possesses rather abnormal behaviour compared to other clones of the same line, including seemingly high situational awareness and exceptional combat instincts for his age. When tested with remote mechs, the subject tends to use his agility to dodge bullets and rockets, more often than not destroying the robots by redirecting their own ammunition against them."*

The boy thought back to his earliest clear memory: Waking up floating in a tank of liquid with a breathing mask strapped to his face, being observed by the blonde man through the tank's glass walls. Enduring excruciating pain, feeling his body growing at an abnormal rate to his current appearance, all while being constantly watched by that man. The boy was then released from the tank, only to be abruptly thrown into combat.

'I tried to refuse to fight at first, but when a rocket fired by a robot narrowly missed me and blew up something behind me, I was left with no choice. I had no weapon on me then, nothing but just a pair of shorts, but I managed to defeat the mechs around the training room by tricking them to fire on each other. But I was then put to sleep by a gas released into the room after the last robot blew up.'

*"Subject HM-03-1204 refused to fight directly against the ranged mechs for his first trial, and he paid for that mistake with some grazed bullet marks and small missile shrapnel. However, all subjects of experimental clone Models HM-01, 02 & 03 have displayed increased physical resistance as an attribute from the genes of the dragons 'Albion' & 'D'draig', so the shrapnel either left small papercuts on the boy's skin or bounced off entirely. To prevent a repeat of this, his next test was against close-combat mechs instead."*

The boy did not know how long he had been unconscious then, but when he next awoke on a hospital bed he had been healed of some close calls with bullets. Within an hour, the boy had been put back into the training room and told to fight robots again, only this time his enemies specialized in close combat.

'I thought I would die, but my body… moved on its own. I still can't explain it, but somehow I dodged the plasma blades of those mechs and lived to come up with a plan. It felt like I was dreaming, using knowledge I didn't remember, baiting one robot to charge into the others by leaping out of its way at the last moment, then smashing the last with broken metal I could grab from other robot bodies.'

It was absurd to think that he was naturally created with a gift for combat, but the boy wasn't sure if that was because of vague memories of fighting he somehow possessed or something the man had experimented on him with. That pain he suffered in the beginning had to have a reason, right?

*"Against his first Honkai beast, he managed to use broken pieces of mech parts scattered around the training hall as clubs and a dagger, effectively killing the creature, surprising me with his ingenuity. However, against both the close combat mechs and Honkai Chariot-class, the boy displayed unexpected acts of recklessness I have not seen in any clone I have ever created, be it in the past for the A1, A2 or A3 model series in 1972 that created Theresa and my assistant Amber, or any of the current HM model series as well. It was as if he was acting with no care for his own life."*

'I woke up healed again, and was sent to fight mechs again, this time a mix of both ranged and close-combat units. Actually it was easier to fight the mechs this time around, as I just let the ranged bullets and rockets destroy the close-combat units, then smashed the remaining robots with more metal parts once they ran out of ammunition. What I didn't expect was for that man to see that I was unhurt this time around, and for him to release the first Honkai beast I ever encountered into the training room.'

The 12-year-old had been shocked and wary of the new enemy, as is everyone when they face the unknown. All the boy had was metal that broke on the body of the monster when he tried to hit it, and the beast smashing the robot debris in its path with a single swing of its arms. He had been on the verge of panic, body frozen in fear, when yet again the boy had used instincts he hadn't known he possessed.

'I didn't think at the time, only act, grabbing something sharp off the ground at random, desperately dodging its blows, and stabbing the monster until it died. It was only after it stopped moving that I realized what I had done and passed out from exhaustion.'

*"What puzzles me most, however…was his behaviour when he was given a simple, mass-produced blade forged at another Schicksal lab and used by former Valkyries. With absolutely no prior training, the boy managed not only to not cut himself with the sword but was actually wielding it in a perfect sword stance taught to new recruits. Further observation of the subject is recommended to understand how this is possible."*

When he awakened again, the boy was not in the same hospital bed, but back in the tank he remembered; apparently his condition after defeating the Honkai beast was bad enough to need additional healing. The 12-year-old was quickly released and brought back to the training room, only this time a sword had been left on the floor.

'The instant I saw it, I experienced something I thought impossible, although now that I think about it, that statement is inaccurate: many things I've experienced since I first opened my eyes In that tank have been impossible, yet I went through them anyway…When my eyes saw it, I experienced how the sword was forged… when I gripped the hilt, I knew that it was mass produced in a forge, used by people called Schicksal Valkyries, used to kill monsters known as Honkai beasts. This sword had been used as a training sword since it was given on the day a Valkyrie was recruited by that man, and used in training to fight the Honkai until the previous owner graduated as an A-rank Valkyrie. In my mind, I could see all the movements the previous Valkyrie owner used: every cut, slash, slice, block, parry, thrust, stab and so on. Then the voice of that man called out to me from a loudspeaker in the room and told me to use the weapon, before more doors opened in the walls and 12 Honkai beasts of varying sizes came out, before the doors closed behind them again. I picked up the sword, holding it by the hilt as if I had trained to swing it a thousand times… when in fact I had never even seen a hint of it in the training room until today.'

*"On a side note, I cannot help but think he also has the ability to detect the Honkai beasts sent to test him by his nose… I have observed him taking a deep breath and having his guard up when one is nearby, even when it is not in sight and hearing. How curious. Is this another example of his situational awareness, or is it something from the experiment that gave him this ability? Again, further observation of Subject HM-03-1204 is needed, but the boy does not find his own behaviour abnormal, although perhaps that is a result of lack of exposure to other children."*

As the boy faced the 12 monsters, he told a deep breath to calm himself, only to notice something he had dismissed the previous time he had fought: he could detect an unnatural scent from the things in front of him, a feeling of disgust and unease, the danger causing the 12-year-old to tense up for the coming battle. A small Honkai beast rushed at him, sharp wings gleaming in the light, but with a thought, the boy sidestepped it and slashed the monster in half; one down, eleven more to go.

'With each use of the sword in my hands, it felt easier to swing. With each attack, the memories of the training Valkyrie recruits became my own. In 5 minutes, I had gone from being an average swordsman swinging wildly to the level of a graduating Schicksal A-class Valkyrie. However, as I dispatched the last Honkai beast in sight with a beheading, I realised I only saw 11 corpses. My nostrils flared; I ducked into a roll, spun and swung behind me; the last small Honkai beast that floated soundlessly above the ground and had snuck up on me while invisible to my eyes collapsed to the floor, dead. I stood, breathing heavily, realising I had only survived by detecting the scent of the monster behind me somehow. That was when I smelled the sleeping gas the man released into the training room again.'

*"However, should the subject encounter another human in combat, he will defeat his opponent soundly but refuse to end their life."*

When the 12-year-old next awoke on the familiar hospital bed, the sword was gone, but the boy could still recall everything about it: the steel it was made of, its structure, its weight, as if he was still holding the blade in his hands, gripping the worn leather hilt, but this information was put aside as the robot that had come to take him to the training room for the past tests approached again. This time, however, the boy was not alone as he entered the training room. Instead, the boy was faced… with another person, a red-haired human with gold eyes. The only difference between the other in front of him and the boy himself:

'When I entered, I was not expecting to see a female version of me… with the same hair, eyes and skin tone… but the girl wasn't as tall, and her hair was tied in a side ponytail. However, the look on her face, her movements, even her gold eyes… they were empty. As if what was before me was not human, but merely a doll. When I called out, trying to get her attention, to ask what she was doing here… there was no response, merely staring at me with dull eyes devoid of life.'

The boy was about to approach the girl, when the loudspeaker nearby crackled, causing him to pause. When the crackling subsided, a familiar man's voice rang out throughout the room.

"Subject HM-03-1204, you have done well to make it this far. You have destroyed all remote mechs set to test you, used unusual methods compared to your fellow clones to slay the captive Honkai beasts here, and was somehow able to dodge an invisible attack coming from behind. No other clone has developed as you have, and your strength is uniquely fascinating to me: you are now possibly the strongest experimental subject of the HM-03 clone series. However, before you awakened, there was another strongest subject: HM-02-1015, also called Gudako. She was able to defeat my mechs and Honkai beasts as well, along with other clones in duels such as this one, but suffered major injuries in her last fight, similar to the same test you just experienced previously, thus needing to be put in a healing coma since her last test until now. Unlike you, she was not able to avoid nearly being cut in half by the invisible Seraph-class Honkai beast, the only one of its kind ever recorded in this era, resulting in moderate brain damage that unfortunately affected her emotions and ability to recognise other things. But now, she stands in front of you, and your final test is this: One must defeat the other in battle to prove who is the strongest among both of you. Should either of you triumph, the winner will have the option to have no more combat tests, but the loser will have to continue fighting my mechs and even more powerful Honkai Beasts. HM-03-1204, your attempted refusal to fight in your first trial was noted, but I will not allow you to do so again here in this final test. Do not hesitate. Now, you will begin: HM-02-1015 'Gudako', attack the boy in front of you, and do not stop at any cost to kill him!"

'What? HM-03-1204… Did that man just call me that…? I don't like it… Did he say I am a clone? Like the girl in front of me? And I have to defeat her? With the memories of the A-class sword Valkyrie's spars with others, I think I am actually more confident in winning against her compared to against Honkai beasts… but why did that man tell Gudako to attack me with killing intent? Something's not right… But regardless, I have to defeat her… if I want to live and get answers!'

'Gudako had been approaching fast, and I didn't know what her abilities were, but with both the battle experience of my vague dream memories and the sword Valkyrie's training, I was able to dodge around her blows while I tried to think of a way to bring her down. The simpler solution of trying to knock her out didn't seem to work, as while I was able to counter her attacks she was able to shrug off blows to the head and a precise neck chop. Apparently clones like us had higher physical resistance for that not to work. In the end, I waited for Gudako to give me an opening in her movements, then grabbed both her arms and pulled her towards me, headbutting her in the nose with all my strength. It gave her a bloody nose and still only stunned her, but I took that moment of weakness and rained a combo of punches and kicks to every part of her body that I could reach, especially targeting her joints. By the end Gudako had become so beaten that she could only twitch around while lying on the floor. I was also exhausted from having to hit her so many times to disable her, so I stumbled backward and sat down in the middle of the room, away from the vents that that man had used to release sleeping gas the last two times.

"…An interesting solution to subdue her, HM-03-1204. I would say that you are the winner of this combat duel, and it would be a pity to lose HM-02-1015, but I cannot declare you the winner and give you the chance to exempt yourself from any future combat tests if your opponent still breathes. Kill her, now. Refuse, and I will send in Honkai beasts to dispose of disobedient test subjects. I have no use for them in my experiments, you understand."

'Something deep within me rebelled at killing Gudako, despite having her as an enemy after my life not even a minute ago. I refused to kill another person, unless absolutely necessary, and the threat of my own life ending was not a reason to sacrifice another: this I somehow knew, in perhaps the depths of my soul. But I did not doubt that more Honkai beasts would be released by this man should I disobey him again. My mind frantically raced for a solution, until finally I settled… on a gamble.'

'I have let you hesitate for long enough, HM-03-1204. Kill, or in ten seconds I will release—"

"No, you will not, Otto Apocalypse. You yourself said, that I was possibly the strongest clone compared to my other 'siblings', and that my strength is unique to me. Should you let me be killed, your efforts in putting me through all those combat trial would go to waste, even that special invisible Honkai beast that I had killed. You need me alive, to see the source of my mysterious strength, to see if it can be replicated in other clones like myself. You also said it would be a pity to lose Gudako, so I will say to you now: I refuse to kill my fellow clones. And should you release Honkai beasts anyway?"

'I stood up, acting refreshed, settling into a combat stance taught to Schicksal Valkyries Otto had personally recruited and interacted with as they trained. That was how I learned of the Schicksal Overseer, through the sword he had lent me, and I would use it to call his bluff.'

"What makes you think I am incapable of taking care of them myself, right here, right now?"

"…How did you know who…? Never mind. HM-03-1204, you are a bold one, aren't you? No other clone of your generation – no, not just yours – even when I had still been working with the DNA of Kallen no clone of hers had ever spoke to me like this. How refreshing, to think you would have this level of individuality so soon… Perhaps I will relent for once, and spare both you and Gudako. However, I am now somewhat at a loss as to what to do with you: as you said, I do not know what makes you so strong compared to other clones of your model, and you are not the first male clone of random genetic mutation… those males were not any stronger than their female counterparts. Yet you are still unique, and more observation of you is sorely needed, but I must return to my place at Schicksal HQ and cannot stay here in Babylon Labs. You also have no reason to come with me to become a new Valkyrie recruit, so that option is eliminated. For now, however, I need you unconscious again. Do not think that just because you are further from the vents, that I have no means to subdue you."

Before the boy could ask what he meant, there was a smell of ozone, electricity lighting up the metal floor panel he was on. With no time to react, the 12-year-old was shocked into unconsciousness.

*"I cannot help but see history repeating as if with Theresa again… HM-03-1204 is a prodigy like her, although I will not be adopting this one this time around; the shared details of hair and appearance to his human DNA origin could raise too many questions should he be seen by others, especially when Murata Ryusuke is still working as a scientist for Schicksal. He unfortunately has not currently displayed any MANTIS-like abilities such as super-strength or regeneration, but has extremely high Honkai resistance compared to the original human subject 'Murata Himeko'. His cells have been observed to have delayed aging instead of having stopped completely, meaning that Theresa will be jealous of him should they ever meet. Another reason not to reveal him to the world, I suppose."*

"That was the last thing I remember… Now where am I? Otto mentioned the training room was part of a facility called Babylon Labs, so am I still in it?" the redhead mumbled to himself.

Before he could dwell on this matter further, a new voice was heard outside his new cell door. "Alright, you brats, time to get up, or you'll get no breakfast today, you hear me? Get yourselves to the mess hall now, where we'll do the same as usual and announce which of you is going to do more tests today. Now get going!"

Having heard this statement, the 12-year-old cautiously opened the door of the cell he woke up in, curious to see what he would find outside. What he saw shocked him, as his eyes witnessed other children his age begin to file out of the adjacent rooms and begin to head in a direction, presumably a mess hall, and these children all had unique features different from him, meaning they weren't all clones like the boy had learned he was.

"What… are other children doing here? Don't tell me… that voice I heard mentioned that they were conducting 'tests' as well? Could these others be going through the same tests I did, and I just hadn't seen them until now?"

Suddenly, the boy caught sight of two girls also about his age holding on to each other close by, one with brown hair and blue eyes clinging to… a girl with purple hair, a colour that for some reason… the boy felt was familiar.

"Wait, who is that? Why does she feel like someone I should know? I thought my vague dreams only gave me battle experience I needed for the Overseer's combat tests… why do they give me a sense of familiarity towards people I've never seen before? I need more answers, so maybe I should go to this mess hall as well."

The boy would not know it, but this small decision would cause changes to the world itself, rewriting the fate of people he would later meet, like a ripple in calm water growing to become a massive wave: but would this destroy all its path… or sweep away evil in its wake?

Only time would tell.

*"Experiment conclusion: the recreation of the process of MANTIS creation, known in the stolen World Serpent files as Meta-Morph ICHOR, was partially successful, with further observation needed. The other subjects of the experiment line have either perished, either in combat or by other means, or uncontrollably transformed into Honkai beasts with draconic features that I have had to put down. One such incident killed Subject HM-02-1015 'Gudako' during another duel against a HM-01 model test subject, as the other clone transformed too quickly for me to stop the test in time, which is regrettable. I have preserved Gudako's corpse in Babylon Labs for further analysis and refinement of the cloning process in the future. As such, I. Otto Apocalypse, declare the Experiment series Model HM-03 will be put on hiatus until further developments, and the only surviving subject HM-03-1204 will be placed with the other experimental subjects of Babylon Labs. A name has not yet been given to the boy, so I will leave it to the other scientists and researchers before returning to Schicksal HQ. End Experiment Log."*