Chapter 1: A Night in Arc City

Honkai. An existence as old as humanity itself, if not older. An enigmatic, hostile force that seeks to eradicate all of human civilization.

Schicksal. An organization not quite as old yet has defended humanity from the Honkai for over five centuries. A valiant faction that has pushed humanity to new heights.

Valkyries. The warriors of Schicksal that wield the power of Honkai in the form of Stigmata. It is these righteous warriors who have fought ever so bravely against the Honkai, carrying a legacy dating back all the way to the formation of Schicksal. However… their fight is not always so brave.

Like anyone, even Valkyries may stray from the path of righteousness, using their great power for selfish gain or worse. So it is the case for one such Valkyrie, hidden away in the slums of Arc City. And it is here…

Where our story begins.

Filthy. That was the first word that came to Izanagi's mind as he stepped into the dimly lit lower half of Arc City. It brought him no small amount of guilt for that to be his first thought, and yet… he wasn't entirely wrong, either. All manner of filth littered almost every step of the way, with discarded needles, dirty cardboard, and what he thought might be… feces. The smell that hit his nose confirmed this thought as his hand shot up reflexively to block out the smell.

But what unnerved him most were the people. There were many who simply… laid there in the darkness of the slums. Some stared out into nothing, so lifeless they'd be mistaken for dead if not for their stomachs lifting and falling with their breaths. The others, however…

in the corner of his eye, Nagi could feel his skin crawling as if they were watching his every movement. He feared to turn his head in any direction, afraid that eye contact may bring unwanted attention.

He hated the feeling, truly and utterly.

What the hell is wrong with you, Nagi… The young man thought, scolding himself. They're just people. Don't be afraid of them because of your own dumb assumptions… He shook his head to clear his thoughts, before turning up to his taller companion.

Rita Rosseweise. A Valkyrie and maid all in one, and his one companion for this mission. A beautiful and refined lady who would leave most men drooling at her feet: the kind of lady who carried about her an elegant mysteriousness that the average person could never hope to match. But, more importantly for Izanagi, she was his evaluator.

Even so, in this unfamiliar territory, her presence brought him some degree of comfort, no matter how small it may be. If he was being honest, he'd have never set foot down here if she wasn't right by his side. As he looked at her, he noticed she seemed wholly unbothered by the condition of the slums, not even batting an eye as she brazenly scanned the various faces. Nagi had to admit, he was envious of her confidence. Come on, idiot, focus. He shook his head, and set his gaze forward… while of course, avoiding eye contact. After all, it was better to not risk it.

"Itsuki-sama. Do you remember why we're here?" Rita asked, her voice smooth like honey as she glanced down at the far shorter young man. He flinched at the sound of her voice, like a rabbit ready to flee at any moment.

"Uh… Um…" He swallowed nervously. In truth, he had hardly spoken a word to the maid since they had met. Now that she was actually speaking to him, he felt a sense of guilt… and an equal amount of anxiety. "I…" He paused as Rita looked down at him, taking a second to smack his cheeks and clear his head once more. "Y-Yeah. We're finding a rogue Valkyrie. R-Right? Karen. I think. You… yeah. Karen."

"Are you nervous?"

"N-No..."

"..." Rita stared for a moment longer as her lips curved into a playful smirk. Seeing this, Nagi let out a sigh.

"N-Nervous… more like… terrified. I'm terrified," he confessed, earning a laugh from the maid.

"Fufu. Don't worry. If the reports about you are true… well, at the very least, you will not be in any danger. Physically, at least." She gave him a wink as she finished, earning a concerned look from Izanagi.

"P-Physically…?" Rita simply smiled at the young man, which did little to help his confidence. Making a great first impression here, Nagi… He thought, wanting to smack himself a second time.

"But you are correct." Her voice pulled him from his thoughts once more. "Karen Bohr, an A-Rank Valkyrie charged with both desertion and murder. Specifically, the murder of an entire squad of B-Rank Valkyries." He felt a chill run up his spine. "Bohr-sama has managed to evade capture for about three months now. This is the first opportunity we have had to subdue her since her original desertion."

"...S-So why am I here…?"

"It is odd, no?" Rita replied with another wink. "But in truth, it is because I was assigned both your evaluation and the task to subdue Bohr. I simply decided to take care of two birds with one stone."

Are you kidding me!? Nagi wanted to shout in her face. "O-Oh… O-Ok…" is what came out instead. The maid simply smiled in response—much to his chagrin—before raising a finger up to her lips.

"You should not have much reason to worry, Itsuki-sama. After all, you already have some experience under your belt, no?"

"H-Hardly..." He averted his eyes as a sudden sharp pain struck his chest. This earned a curious look from the maid, but she did not press.

"...Izanagi. You do not need to concern yourself about my safety. I assure you, I will be fine. And, for that matter, I will ensure your own safety even in the worst-case scenario."

"Mm… T-Thank you."

The two continued in silence for a time, navigating their way through the seemingly much more crowded slums. Nagi felt a small sense of relief at the busier sections; far preferred to the unsettling eyes of those poor souls out front. Small-time merchants—though perhaps merchant was a strong word—could be seen calling out various miscellaneous wares to the bustling flow of people, many of whom seemed to be minding their own business more than anything. And, the thing that Nagi was most thankful for… it was at least moderately cleaner here than on the outskirts. Still, Nagi found himself hovering mere centimeters away from Rita as they went, far from comfortable.

"Um… Rita."

"Yes, Itsuki-sama?"

Back to sama… He noted. "So… What are we doing…? Are we just… I dunno, going straight to her?" She smirked at that as if it were an amusing joke.

"We are heading to a meeting with our informant. Once we have spoken with them, we shall continue from there."

"R-Right. That makes sense." Nagi nodded his head, more to reassure himself than anything.

"This way." Rita grabbed him gently by the arm and tugged him around a corner to the left. Despite her seemingly dainty build, the strength in her pull hid a level of strength he hadn't expected. At that moment, Nagi decided, he would do his best not to anger the maid… lest his much more frail physical form be put to the test. They continued forward a short while longer, going under a rickety archway into a narrower alleyway… though as luck would have it, the place was still filled with the same colorful variety of folks. "Itsuki-sama. We have arrived." She spoke as they stopped at a particularly sketchy-looking building.

"Here…? Really…?"

"Informants come in many forms. Many of them choose locations such as this due to their… inconspicuous nature, if you will. Not all information they deal in is legal, after all."

"Still…"

"Fret not, Itsuki-sama. We will not be here for long. I will handle the conversation; for the time being, please ensure our privacy."

"Eh? Wait, hang on—" But Rita had stepped forward into the building, leaving Nagi alone. His face paled as a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him. He slowly turned to face the stream of people just behind him. Hundreds of faces. None familiar. All alone. His eyes darted rapidly from face to face. His heart began pounding in his chest, faster and faster, beating like a drum. Before he knew it, he was breathing hard. His throat was raspy. Sweat began to drip down his brow, sweat that felt cold as ice. How long has it been? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Time began to dilute and shift. He lost count. Lost track. He—

"Itsuki-Sama?" Rita's voice pulled him from his stupor with a start, his eyes locking with hers. "Are you alright?" Nagi's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, averting his eyes momentarily as he cleared his throat.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, uh… D-Don't mind me. Nervous. Haha…ha…" Rita pursed her lips but said nothing more. "So… how'd it go?"

"It took some persuasion, but I have her location. However…" Her expression changed almost imperceptibly, and yet notable enough for Nagi to feel a sudden chill in the air. "For caution's sake, Itsuki-sama, I will remind you. Bohr-sama is both an A-Rank Valkyrie and a murderer. While our task is to apprehend her and bring her back to Schicksal HQ for trial, she has no such limitations. Do not be afraid to prioritize your own life should she attempt lethal force. Do you understand?"

"...Yes, ma'am," Nagi muttered, his expression grim. His eyes fell downwards, but Rita paid it no mind, satisfied with his answer.

"Now, let us move. I would not put it past our informant to let her know we are coming."

Nearly an hour passed as the two continued making their way through the slums, their target on the complete opposite end of the undercity. Nagi struggled to keep his nerves under control as they neared their destination. Rita, on the other hand, was the picture of serenity and grace, all but dancing through the crowd as Nagi struggled to keep up. He had to admit, he was envious of that skill. Nonetheless, he patted himself on the back for managing to keep up.

In time, they arrived at the location the informant had provided. A small hovel in a less densely populated area… though that wasn't saying much, considering it was still fairly packed. Nagi's heart was pounding in his chest; he was not at all prepared for this. He continually glanced at Rita, as if trying to signal to her in some form of morse code, yet the maid made no reply, her eyes set on the hovel.

"Izanagi." She spoke, her strict tone spooking the young man for the second time that evening.

"Y-Yes!"

"Do you remember how she looked?"

"...Vaguely."

"Hm." The maid produced a small device, containing a picture of a young brunette. Contrary to her reputation, she looked to be rather amicable with a friendly smile on her face, a stark contrast to the two large firearms holstered on her left and right. "Pay attention to her build, she will be hiding her face. I want you to remain outside and watch the perimeter; inform me via earpiece if you spot her." Nagi slowly nodded his head, anxiety building in his chest once more, yet Rita seemed satisfied with his response. "...I will try and make it quick, Itsuki-sama."

"...R-Right."

The maid turned and made her way towards the hovel, leaving Izanagi on his own as she stepped through the curtain doors.

It wasn't long until Nagi found himself struggling with another anxiety attack, desperately trying to keep himself focused. His eyes were running back and forth rapidly, trying to scan every face that walked by while trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. Before he realized it, he found himself picking at his nails as a form of distraction, chipping them down bit by bit.

She sure is taking her time… Nagi thought to himself, nervously turning back to the hovel as his heart pounded in his chest, checking the perimeter just as he was instructed—

Time felt like it slowed to a crawl. By what appeared to be luck, pure and simple, Nagi saw them. A figure dressed in dark clothing from head to toe slipped around the back of the hovel. He stared at them as they went, frozen in place as his anxious mind put two and two together. It wouldn't be long before they slipped out of sight altogether.

Stop standing there, dumbass! A small voice in the back of Nagi's mind roared, pulling him from his stupor. He stumbled forward, his hand shooting to his ear as he shifted around, keeping the suspicious figure in his line of sight at all times, not daring to let her escape his view for even a split second. However, his earpiece only gave him static in return. It clicked almost instantly. They coordinated this…

He needed to let Rita know. An idea formed in his mind at rapid speed, his body acting on it before he even commanded it too. His arm lifted up, his hand directed towards the hovel… and began to glow with a faint, yet pleasant pink light. His fingertips swirled with a warm, tingly sensation, a small orb of light forming just in front of them. In a matter of seconds, it grew to the size of a soccer ball.

Mana... Or at least, that's what he had taken to calling it.

"Release…" He muttered. As the word left his mouth, the pink ball of light shot forward like a bullet, tearing through the air and past the curtain door out of his sight. Within, he could hear a shocked cry of confusion, but that was all the time he could spare. He could only hope it was enough for Rita to understand. His eyes still locked onto the suspicious figure, right as they were about to disappear from sight… he swallowed his nerves, swallowed his fear, and began to sprint.

Nagi found that, when not following Rita, his short size helped in navigating the crowds. The target, Karen, was up ahead, pushing her way through the crowd and moving at an increasing rate. He was certain she was beginning to catch on; her movements were growing more complicated, harder to follow. But he never let her leave his sight, no matter how difficult it became. He refused to fail.

He refused to let her go. And at that moment… she glanced back. Their eyes met.

And the chase was on. The target broke into a sprint, shoving her way through the crowd without relenting as Nagi pursued. The shifting, upset crowd was far more difficult to navigate; the only reason he could manage at all with his lack of experience was due to his short stature. But still, he continued his dogged chase, a grim determination to not let her go. It was a strange feeling he could not explain. A pain in his chest that told him he could not let her escape… as if something terrible would happen if he did. He grimaced through the struggle and pursued all the harder. Through narrow passes and crowded streets, they ran, the distance between them growing wider as the Valkyrie's superior physical ability carried her forward.

At this rate, it didn't matter what he felt. She was going to get away. It was time to take it a step further.

"Tch! Damn it!" The same warm sensation from before spread through his legs, so intense this time it was more akin to burning heat than just warmth. He kicked off the ground and launched into the air, high above the crowd—higher than he had intended—before landing on a nearby roof. His legs continued to burn, filled to the brim with mana, as he began to sprint across rooftops with speed beyond his normal limits. He continued his pursuit from up above, keeping pace now as the Valkyrie split off to the side, away from the crowds.

For the first time since the chase had begun, he lost her. But he wasn't dissuaded; from above, he could see the alley only went one way. It was time for the confrontation.

He came to a stop right before the drop into the alley. With a split-second decision, Izanagi lifted his hand skywards. "Release!" Now the warm feeling was replaced with an intense heat as an orb the size of a basketball formed in his hand, so hot it made Izanagi wince. It launched into the air just like before, high up into the sky… and exploded, with a loud boom and with a bright flash of light. It wasn't ideal… but now Rita knew where to go. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Nagi hopped down into the alley.

"Shit…!" He spat as he hit the ground hard, a sharp pain shooting up his leg. Something sprained, or worse, broken… But it didn't matter, as the feeling lasted only a second before fading away under a wave of mana. He took a moment to let the pain fade from memory, before looking down the alley. The Valkyrie was nowhere to be seen. He glanced behind to make sure he hadn't landed in front of her, before continuing with a determined look.

He went in silence, the faint sound of his footsteps and the distant, confused murmurs of the crowd serving as the only ambiance within the darkness of the alley. One more… Nagi thought, lifting his hand up and conjuring another orb and letting it hover slowly down the alley. Its pink hue illuminated the dirty walls and trash-covered concrete below…

And at the end, the collapsed figure of the Valkyrie. His eyes widened.

"Hey, are you alright—" He started, before shutting up. Idiot… He scolded himself, closing the distance step by step. Only a few feet remained between him and the target. Did he wait for Rita? Or should he attempt to arrest her himself? He had some handcuffs from Schicksal from before they had arrived, but… Nagi shook his head.

For right now, what mattered was seeing what was wrong. He could hear strange, quiet noises coming from her. It sounded like she was about to vomit. Upon closer look, Nagi realized she was trembling.

"G-Get… away… from me…" She murmured, stopping him in his tracks. He could only barely make out the words, her voice little more than a faint whisper. She looked at him in silence, her face hidden behind a thick scarf and a white mask.

"...I'm sorry. I can't do that." He replied. His eyes softened as he looked at her. She hardly looked to be some dangerous criminal in this state. He continued, his soft voice baring a slight tinge of regret. "You… you've killed people. People who trusted you. I can't let you go."

"N-No…" The Valkyrie coughed, pushing herself up into a sitting position. With that little effort, she was left panting, struggling to continue speaking as she laid back against the alley wall. "You don't… get it…" Her voice raised in volume for a faint moment, before quieting again. Nagi stared at her with a grim curiosity. "I don't… want…" She was cut off by a coughing fit, her words lost as she covered her mouth. Curiosity turned to concern as he kneeled down, hesitantly reaching towards her. She smacked his hand away with a sudden burst of energy, before lurching forward and repressing the urge to retch.

"G-Go… before…" Her words trailed off to a mumble, her head falling down into a slouch. His face turned a pale white, his skin turning cold.

"Hey… H-Hey! K-Karen, right!? D-Don't die, I'll…" His panicked cries filled the alley as he desperately searched for something nearby that could help, that he could use to help her. But in the bleak darkness of the slum alleyway, there was little more than trash to be found. He grimaced and took hold of both her shoulders. "This isn't a place to die in, Karen-san!" She reacted ever so faintly to his touch. Nagi felt a spark of hope. Desperately clinging onto that little spark, he closed his eyes and summoned up as much mana as his body could handle before channeling it into Karen. Slowly, she lifted her head.

"...Who… are you…?" Her gentle, brown eyes could be seen through her mask, locking eyes with Nagi's own.

"...Izanagi. Izanagi Itsuki. Please don't die on me, Karen. I don't know what Schicksal has planned for you… but this isn't… you shouldn't have to die in a place like this."

"..." Karen fell silent, but not once did she look away as the stream of mana continued to flow into her. "...Thank… you…" Her hand slowly reached up to her mask. "But…" Nagi watched in dead silence as she pulled off her mask.

His heart nearly froze.

Pink lines crawled up her cheeks, her eyes shifting colors between red and brown. Her face was pale and drained of blood, her eyes distant, as if she were looking through him more than anything.

The telling signs of Honkai corruption.

"Please… leave… before…" Her words were interrupted by another set of coughs, spittle mixed with blood spattering against Nagi's cheek. Tears began to flow from her eyes. "...I… shouldn't have ran… should have… let her kill me… Please… go… please…" Her words trailed off as the light left her eyes.

"...Karen? Karen… Karen! Stay with me! Come on… Please… Please don't die like this…!" He cried, his desperate words falling upon deaf ears. "Karen…!" Tears began to stream from his eyes as the flow of mana halted. His heart felt like it was about to rip in two. He grit his teeth, clutching her shoulders tight as his head fell low. He hadn't known her. He had no idea what she was like. Or, if she even deserved his sympathy.

And yet, tears began to trickle down his face.

There he sat for a time, his tears falling from his cheeks and splattering upon the cold, hard, concrete. His pathetic sobs drowned out all sound, his ears deaf to the world around him. He had no idea how long he sat there. It could have been seconds or minutes, but the flow of time did not register.

And then, he felt Karen move. His eyes shot wide open, his head rising up to see.

Her eyes were no longer brown, but a striking, ominous red, her skin, pale as snow. Her hand moved… and Nagi realized his mistake.

A gunshot rang from the alley, as Karen was no more.

His head ached with terrible pain like his skull had been smashed in with a hammer. His vision was pitch black, giving rise to fear that he had been blinded. His memory felt hazy, like everything had been pulled out, mixed up, and shoved back into his brain. Words and images flashed through his mind with no consistency or relation to each other. But with each second that passed, everything began to function again. His eyes, his mind, his body. First to return was his vision, his eyes opening to see he was sprawled out on the ground of the random alley. He blinked, once, twice, reaffirming the working condition of his eyes.

What came next was hearing… and with it, the unmistakable sound of a gunshot startling him awake. One shot was followed by a second, piercing his eardrums in quick succession. Though they left his ears ringing, it helped to jumpstart his recovery. He found that he could now move his head to a limited degree. With a painful effort, he rolled his head onto its side to try and look at the source of the gunfire. Two figures dueled right there in the alley, a maid wielding a wicked scythe and a heavily covered gunner wielding two hand cannons. It was then that he remembered what had happened. Rita, the alley, Karen, the Honkai corruption…

Karen was gone. Died right in front of him. Nagi knew that now. The girl fighting Rita there was no girl at all, but a thing. A zombie, puppeteering Karen's body in the name of Honkai. It would be an insult to call it Karen. Not to mention… that thing had just shot him in the head.

That would explain why his body was so sluggish, out of his control. After all… losing your head wasn't something easily recovered from. He desperately wanted to help, but as it was, it was out of his capabilities. For now, as his body repaired itself, all he could do was watch.

He had to admit that Rita was an incredible fighter. No matter how many shots the zombie fired, Rita easily avoided them all and deflected the rest, completely unhindered in the narrow space. However, for a shell of her former self, the Karen-zombie was still remarkably talented, displaying a level of strategy typically unseen in their type. She relentlessly abused the narrow space, making sure Rita couldn't put her long scythe to full effect with the walls closed in on her. What would normally be a one-sided slaughter was forced into a standstill.

But amidst the deadly dance, Rita's eyes met Nagi's. Not a word was spoken between the two… but Nagi understood her intently with shocking clarity. At that moment, Nagi felt his fingers again, and his arm soon after. It was enough. He lifted his still weak arm, trembling as it was, and conjured his mana one final time. It was as if the stars aligned. For a moment, his arm stopped trembling. Rita was out of his line of fire. The zombie came to a stop, perfectly before Nagi. There was only one thing left for him to do, as a pink orb formed at his fingertips one final time

"...Release…"

It burst forward like a bullet from a gun. The ball of mana struck true, tearing into the zombie's chest with ease, leaving a hole the size of a baseball as it faded out the other side. The walking corpse remained standing for a moment or two longer as if trying to defy its fate… but it was not to be, collapsing to the ground in a pile of limbs.

It was a victory. And yet, he felt his stomach twist into knots as the sound of flesh meeting concrete filled his ears. Soon, silence prevailed over the darkness of the alley. Nagi's eyes were locked onto the fallen Valkyrie's corpse. He should have no reason to care… he didn't know her. He never would have. And yet… why did it bring him so much pain?

A delicate hand grasped his shoulder, gentle yet tight. Nagi tore his eyes off Karen's fallen body and turned to face Rita, who was now kneeling at his side. Her eyes were soft, filled with a gentle, understanding light. Without a word, she caressed his cheek, tenderly lifting his head.

"...Are you alright, Itsuki-sama?" Rita asked, her voice soft as a cloud. "I will admit, I feared the worst. It is one thing to hear about your abilities… but another to see them in action."

"...Y-Yeah… I'm… I'm alright…" The young man forced out between breaths. "I'm… alright…" Yet he did not sound convinced as his eyes fell to the ground. She was already gone, Nagi… You're not the one who killed her. She was already gone…

Rita kneeled down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "...It would have happened with or without us. She knew her fate when she chose to become a Valkyrie. Do not blame yourself, Itsuki-sama."

"...I know… I know, but…" He gritted his teeth and turned up to her as tears began to fall from his eyes once more. "But… Why? Why did… Why did it have to be like this?"

"...That is a question I cannot answer, Itsuki-sama." She stood to her feet and offered him her hand. "But lingering and dwelling on what is done will not change anything. I will send a team to retrieve her body. Our mission is complete."

"..." Nagi was silent for a time. His eyes drifted away from the maid and to the fallen form of Karen. Just like that… just… leave her here? Rita remained silent as he debated with his thoughts and fought his inner turmoil. In time, he finally spoke again. "...Can we… at least bring her somewhere… better than here?"

"...Of course."

Nagi nodded, and at last, took her hand. Though his expression was still solemn, there was a quiet resolution within his eyes.

Rita decided she liked that look. And so went by another night in Arc City. So fell a former Valkyrie, snuffed out in the endless war against Honkai.

But in her place, a new flame was kindled, burning brighter than ever before.