Chapter 3: Investigation, Conflict VII

Inside the Honkai Chrysalis…

Bubbles floated around the white-haired Valkyrie as Theresa sank through the depths of the chrysalis. The deeper she went, images, voices and visions began appearing around her.

"Your parents are dead, killed by a disease known as the…"

After some time, Theresa landed upright on another waterlogged floor, this time tinted blood red… and her wide blue eyes witnessed more past memories of the Second Herrscher.

"HONKAI…"

A faceless red silhouette stood in the distance, past versions of Sirin, Bella and other children from their village clustered around 'it'. "Have no fear. Schicksal takes care of orphans like you."

Someone's hands held up an injector, a pinkish-purple substance… Theresa noticed in alarm that it was clearly Honkai energy. "You are special because you have natural resistance against the Honkai itself. We need to take a few tests… to help humanity survive."

"No! Stop!" Theresa cried out futilely, only able to watch on as the vision showed the injector was inserted into the past Sirin's arm. Then… the plunger pressed down.

"IT BURNS! The pain… it hurts so much… it's killing me! Please make it stop! I beg of you!" A tortured scream was heard.

"This test subject is as useless as the others. Dispose of it once it dies from the side effects." A cold, unfeeling voice came, the faceless figure of Schicksal finally showing itself… to be a bloody, heartless monster.

"My insides… they feel like they're burning…! Just make it stop! Please!" But no help ever came, not for Sirin, or Bella, or for her other village friends…

Meanwhile, unseen by Theresa, a red-haired boy stood in a far-off corner… lamenting his own inability to protect his friend until it was too late. His gold eyes looked on as Sirin's memories continued to play, showing the tragic past that he had never wanted to ask about before.

"Avrora… Agata… Bella, let's sing the song that we used to sing together…" Sirin stood in front of a snow pile, not even a marker to show where the corpses of two test subjects had been disposed of… before she started to sing in Russian…

But even that moment of mourning was interrupted. "Hey! It's time to leave! We have more tests scheduled for you!" Past Sirin stood alone, powerless to stay with her friends, not even able to sing one last time for them… a tear leaked out of her orange eye. "You hear me, girl? I don't want to waste any more time with these 'pieces of garbage'. Now turn around and head back to the lab!"

Unable to tolerate standing by anymore, Theresa recklessly rushed forward to the lonely girl in front of her… and to some surprise the Valkyrie was able to physically interact with the figure of Past Sirin. The white-haired lady hugged the purple-haired girl from behind, her arms wrapping around the experiment survivor's waist. "I'm so sorry…" cried Theresa, her own tears welling in the corners of her eyes after witnessing all the pain Sirin had gone through.

"Hah… They didn't even let me sing to my friends… only Bella was ever able to have a proper grave, the others were only tossed into holes and left to rot… I cannot forgive them for what they did to us…" Blue energy flared up around the figure of Sirin that Theresa was holding, and the 'Past Sirin' that Theresa was holding close faded away. The Schicksal Valkyrie looked up above her, where the other voice had come from… "Do you hear that? Their souls cry out for Vengeance!" The appearance of the real, current Sirin revealed herself, wearing a new, vibrant purple dress with some pink highlight lines detailed on it. "I'll make sure… I kill every living being that bears the mark of Schicksal!"

At this statement, the onlooking Void Queen's Knight was about to intercede, but Sirin continued speaking, stopping him in place. "Every lying adult must die… but you need not fear me… Theresa, right? We're both young little girls. And… I can smell the Honkai on you… just like my retainer Shirou. That could make us sisters… of a sort, does it not? Join me… and let us make the world burn."

Unfortunately for Sirin… the two other individuals in the spatial dimension of the chrysalis disagreed with her last statement. Before Shirou could voice his own objections, however, Theresa spoke up first. " I… am really sorry for what they did… what Grampa—I mean, the Overseer and the researchers did, Sirin, both to you… and your friends. I see now… that your awakening into the Second Herrscher was inevitable… as the consequences of those inhumane tests and the loss of your last friend from before Schicksal took you… But I cannot join you. I cannot allow the Honkai to kill all Humanity… so I beg you, please stop your quest for revenge, Vengeance, here."

Theresa reached to Sirin, miniature Judah still attached to the back of her right hand. "Please… stop… or I'll be forced to stop you here and now." Still off in the distance, Shirou was extremely conflicted, his own memories both from dreams and reality clashing… even his soul screaming either to save or protect.

"Hmph, I thought telling you my story would turn you to my side. You leave me no choice, girl." Sirin, still floating midair above everyone, had her left hand to her chin in a thinking pose. Without another word, she snapped the fingers on her right hand. A barrier appeared to block off the distant retainer from interfering, while more blue arms appeared from nowhere and dragged Theresa out of the Chrysalis space. "You need to simmer off at a cool place and think this through. We'll talk again after I take care of the others in your search party. Oh, and before I forget, I'll be keeping this." One blue hand plucked the mini Judah away from Theresa's hand, currently still too small for Shirou to view properly, especially when he was still at a distance away. "This annoying cross is safer in my hands." As Theresa disappeared and the barrier vanished, the Void Queen finally turned her attention to her retainer. "Now that we're alone at last… is there something you need, Shirou?"

Lake Baikal, Southern Siberia

With a splash, the blue arms threw Theresa out of the Chrysalis dimension and into the lake water, the Valkyrie immediately sinking again. "Eh… I'm in real water right now… I'm back in the real world…" Putting her hands to her mouth in order to conserve air, Theresa began thinking to herself. 'She has my Oath of Judah! I can't lose that!'

Suddenly, Theresa recalled something. 'Wait… Dr Einstein said Judah can use Honkai energy to track things down… maybe I can use it to track myself as well? Judah just needs to sense me, right? I'll try calling out to it… I hope this works!'

Back inside the Honkai Chrysalis space:

"Sirin, I need answers. Ever since we buried Bella, you've changed, become more… distant… from others, even the other kids back at the lab. Why?" As Shirou slowly approached her, Sirin poked at the tiny golden cross she had claimed, not even turning to look at him. "Ha, of course I've changed, Shirou! I'm strong now! Not like the rest of those weaklings, they hid while the researchers took Bella for the last time. Even you weren't strong enough to stop them, even though that Overseer put you through whatever combat trials. But I'm different now! My God has granted me their power, chosen me to ascend as its Void Queen! Now I can have my Vengeance against all my enemies! Not any stupid Valkyries, not that evil Overseer, not the whole of Schicksal itself! I can crush anyone who stands in my way, ahahaha!"

"Is the God you keep referring to… really the Honkai?" With clenched fists, Shirou asked the true question he needed the answer to.

"Hmph… So what if those two males outside told you something? You have already sworn to serve me, Shirou… Just listen to me, and forget those two lying adults—"

"Then how did Bella truly die?" her retainer's new question interrupted her. "What they mentioned… purple lines spreading across her body and face, loss of the senses like touch causing numbness… then death… It's exactly as they said! If Honkai killed Bella, how can you even consider it your God?!" Shirou yelled. "And you've changed, Sirin, more than you realize! When we stood at her grave, you stated you wanted Justice for Bella from Schicksal and its Overseer, and I agreed to help you. But now… you claim you are going to have Vengeance instead?! Kill everyone at the Schicksal HQ? What will you do when you succeed? Will you stop killing… Or will the Honkai command you to continue killing the whole of Humanity?!"

Before Sirin, now shaking furiously at Shirou's words, could even begin to respond… The stolen Oath of Judah activated. Expanding back to its original size, new chain probes with bladed tips shot out, piercing through the walls of the Chrysalis space dimension. "What?! What is it trying to do?" Sirin exclaimed.

Lake Baikal, Southern Siberia (again)

Warping into the real world, in the same place where the blue arms had pushed out Theresa, the chains of Judah shot towards their owner in the water below . "It worked! Judah, you came for me!" Knowing her impromptu plan worked gave Theresa a proud smile on her face. She grabbed hold of one chain end tightly, preparing to face Sirin once more. "Thank you! It's time for us to head back!" Links rattling, the chains reversed directions and retracted.

Honkai Chrysalis space (yet again):

With more splashing sounds, the bladed chain tips shot back into the Chrysalis space, and Theresa was pulled back inside with them. "I'm back! You can't get rid of me, Sirin! I should have told you… that Judah and I are bound as one!" Landing on the watery floor again, Theresa prepared for battle against the Second Herrscher. "Give up, girl! I don't want to hurt you!"

"How can you turn against me even after listening to my story?!" Sirin furiously screamed, her previous emotions caused by Shirou's questioning now directed at Theresa instead. "If you won't join me… then I'll kill you in the blink of an eye!" As she declared so, the Second Herrscher summoned a void/subspace lance, aiming at the Valkyrie.

"Block the lance, Judah!" ordered Theresa, the golden cross weapon manifesting at full size in front of its owner, intending to act as a shield wall, its bladed chains swirling around it to prepare for a counterattack.

However… before the battle could fully commence… the two opponents had forgotten about the third individual in their midst… and Sirin in particular had set aside the memory of Shirou telling her about his 'special ability' when it came to weapons and blades… which included the bladed chain tips of the 11th Divine Key: Oath of Judah; fashioned in the Previous Era, over 50,000 years ago.

There was a loud scream of pain.