When the sun came up the next morning, Mei was already prepping for the day; her anxiety over Bronya's condition both kept her up late and woke her up early. She had already requested the day off work from Theresa; it went without question that her mind would be too distracted to teach effectively. And as much as she hated the thought, she could only continue waiting not only for Bronya to wake up, but for visiting hours to start too.
'And all this started when he appeared…' A stray doubt crossed her mind before she silenced it. As unbelievable as it sounded, Ritsuka was likely only here in response to someone plotting in the shadows. If anything, his appearance was for the best, making the schemer step out prematurely. It was just bad luck that Bronya was the one to take the full brunt of a surprise first encounter. 'But that is just as worrying.' If their enemy truly had been plotting for some time and they had been forced to act earlier than they had planned, Mei didn't want to think about what might have happened had they been given more time to accrue power. Still, the mystery of how Bronya could have been defeated so decisively in such a short time continued to stew in the back of her mind.
Ritsuka was the key to all this—that much was certain—but they had no idea what the lock was. They couldn't even begin to theorise what Bronya's attacker was after. 'Except that they're scared of Ritsuka.' Perhaps they always planned to take her, Bronya, and the others out, but it was only with his arrival that they spurred into action.
'Someone capable of manipulating Honkai Beasts and swiftly defeating a Herrscher…' Plus all of what Theresa and Tesla discussed about the Second Divine Key—and all they got is an empty list. 'Theresa…' She should check up on her; the principal must be under an unenviable amount of stress with everything going on. Mei had planned to help her the previous day before the news came in. That should help her pass the time until she could check on Bronya.
'Please, wake up soon… so that this nightmare can end…'
When Ritsuka woke up, he was again met by the annoyed and worried faces of the others. "Tell Avenger the next time he keeps us out in a time like this, we're forcing our way in," Kama bluntly warned with a glare straight into Ritsuka's eyes.
"What she said!" Senti nodded with an equally vicious look in her eyes.
"You know it's bad when those two are agreeing on something," Xu Fu remarked as she sat back at her desk.
"Master, are we right in assuming Fou knocked you out under Merlin's orders? If so, for what reason?" Xiang Yu asked from his corner of the room
Well, no point in hiding anything so he answered how Su requested an audience only for him to decline to help them contact Chaldea. "Su wanted to see if I could "hold onto my ideals" to the very end." That gave him an uneasy feeling but Ritsuka knew he'd prove that strange man right; he had never wavered before and had no plans on doing so now. 'But why would this be different?' Maybe Su just did not know enough about his previous missions…
"Wait, Su? That Su?" Senti's reaction reminded Ritsuka that they didn't get around to telling her or the others about Su's role in leading the Merlin "siblings" here. However, that was less important now compared to what they just discussed.
"Fu Hua, can you tell them?" Ritsuka turned to the now-awake martial arts master, who had an equally reserved face as his.
"…It's only speculation, but Elysia thinks that the one who's after Ritsuka and attacked Bronya… is the Herrscher of Binding," Fu Hua revealed after a moment of hesitation. "I want to say it had to be something else, but we can't just dismiss it as easily as I'd like. Unless we have concrete evidence to deny it, we have to keep our minds—"
"…Binding? You can't be serious? That damned man stole Binding's Authority, didn't he?" Senti was clearly trying her best to keep her cool but it was just as obvious that she was disturbed by the thought.
"Wait, back up a second—" interrupted Paisen with a perplexed look. "You mean the guy who killed this universe's version of him? I thought you'd have gotten revenge on him already."
"It was a girl, but yes to both. We defeated the Previous Era's Herrscher of Binding long ago."
"And now she's back from the dead and gunning for another Fujimaru Ritsuka. What did either of you do to earn a grudge like that?" Paison was giving an air of apathy regarding the situation but Ritsuka knew even she was worried underneath that mask.
"No, no. It can't be the same one," Senti continued to deny the possibility. "There's no way it could be the same one. Kevin—"
"That's why Elysia wanted to know what happened to this Era's Binding."
"Before the true Herrscher could manifest, its Authority was stolen by a man named Otto Apocalypse," Fu Hua explained to the others in Ritsuka's living room. "He entered the Imaginary Tree and claimed it for himself. We believed that should have been enough to consider the Herrscher of Binding of this Era defeated but…"
"But what about Binding's Core?" asked Elysia before also asking about the Oath of Judah.
"The Core's status is completely unknown," sighed Fu Hua. "As for the Divine Key, it's under protection with several others."
"So then... it is likely Binding."
"It's too early to say for certain. There shouldn't be any new Herrschers anymore after…" Fu Hua trailed off, clearly hesitant in entertaining the idea.
"…I hate to dredge up painful memories but…" Ritsuka began to say, intending to enquire about the disaster named after the being that caused it. Elysia realised what he was going to ask and answered before he could finish talking.
"The Tragedy of Binding was—is—one of the most devastating disasters to befall humanity. No, to be more accurate, it was what inflicted the most despair in humanity following it. The Herrschers who came before Binding also brought tragedy unlike any other but with Binding…"
"It was the earthquake with the worst aftershocks," Fu Hua analogised. "After all, the fighting force that humanity pinned their hope on was reduced to 13 soldiers and 70% of humanity's survivors by that point were killed. The belief that the Honkai had a will of its own was born after the Tragedy with how perfectly Binding counteracted us."
"It's impossible to put into words how terrible the Tragedy was properly," Elysia sighed before looking back at Ritsuka. "RITSUKA was among the many determined to be MIA following the disaster, so I can't even begin to imagine why this new Binding—if they really are one—would be after you."
That had always been the question so far but Ritsuka was more interested in the other part of what Elysia mentioned. "MIA only?"
"Yes, we never recovered a body, but that was the same for many MANTIS soldiers," the pink-haired woman nodded with a sigh. "And trust me when I say we looked. When Hua woke up after the battle, she spent days combing through the battlefield to find RITSUKA."
"I did? No, that doesn't matter…" Fu Hua muttered before shaking her head. "Why are you asking?"
"…No reason."
"Binding…" Senti muttered again in shock. The others who knew little of the Herrscher of Binding and the devastation she caused in the Previous Era were naturally less blinded by emotion.
"Are there any records regarding the Herrscher of Binding?" Xiang Yu inquired. "If I have data on their capabilities, I can analyse and determine the probability our enemy holds the same power."
"Schicksal should have them." And even if it's just a theory, it was better to let Theresa and the others know that it could be a new version of one of the most dangerous Herrschers humanity had faced. If they were wrong, then it was a big sigh of relief for all of them, but if Elysia is correct— '…Let's worry about that later.' Fu Hua shook her head before glancing at Senti. Asking if she was okay was a moot question so Fu Hua could only give some blunt advice. "I wish we're all wrong on this but in case we're not—"
"Pfft! What are you telling me for, old timer? I'm still not convinced that it's actually Binding, but you know I'm always up for a fight, no matter who it might be." Her bravado was undoubtedly a front, something Ritsuka and Fu Hua agreed with a shared glance. However, now was not the right time to argue about it nor was there any use if it was only a theory.
And if everything they've heard about the Herrscher of Binding, Ritsuka hoped it would just be that—a theory...
When they reached Theresa's residence, it was a mild surprise to see Mei also there. After sharing why all of them were here (and waiting a couple of minutes for Theresa to open the door), they let themselves in to wake up the still-snoozing principal.
"Couldn't we have gotten something to eat first?" Paisen whined in Ritsuka's head as they waited for Mei to come down with Theresa. Ritsuka mentally retorted that she didn't need to eat as a Servant only for her to reply, "So? I still want to eat; you should too."
"What she is trying to say is don't go collapsing because you were too lost in this mystery to put some food in your stomach, Master," Xiang Yu translated for her.
"After this. If it's as bad as we think it could be, it can wait," Ritsuka whispered his reply, only to catch the other two's attention anyway. "Don't worry, they're just asking when we'll get around to breakfast." Judging from the faces they were making, they knew Ritsuka was not telling them everything but fortunately (for him), it was then that Mei and a sluggish Theresa came down to join them.
"Morning…" the groggy principal greeted them with a yawn. "If I knew you all were coming over, I'd have gotten up earlier to heat up last night's leftovers." Ritsuka was pretty sure everyone licked their plates clean the previous night but he understood she was just trying to be considerate. "So what's this important news you have for me?" She asked, glancing between the three of them. "…Isn't it a bit too soon for something like that?"
"What?" "Huh?"
"…Never mind," Theresa pouted at their confusion before shaking her head. "So? What is it?"
Senti answered first, pointing at the others with her thumb, "These suckers think that the one after Ritsuka is a Herrscher."
"…What?" Now it was both Theresa's and Mei's turn to be confused. The latter's expression quickly morphed to one of contemplation as the former further added, "That's a bold claim to make. Shouldn't it be impossible for one to emerge now?"
"That's one of the reasons we doubt it's actually a Herrscher, but Elysia brought up the possibility and—"
"It's Binding, isn't it?" Mei's interruption naturally was surprising, especially as she was right on the money. While it was easy to come to that conclusion as it was the only Herrscher unaccounted for, it was clear from her deep look of contemplation that she knew something else. She was naturally asked about it but the purple-haired swordmaster initially stayed silent, internally deciding if she should reveal what they missed. After a few seconds— "Back when I was in the Elysian Realm, Mobius told me about a vision Aponia once saw. One about Fire Moth's RITSUKA and the Herrscher of Binding."
"A vision? That's the first I'm hearing anything about this." Senti audibly grumbled at the revelation but a notable hint of anxiety was present in her voice.
"Aponia was another Flamechaser, right?" Ritsuka asked Fu Hua, who nodded.
"She was also a clairvoyant and foresaw the fates of many," she added solemnly before turning back towards Mei. "What was special about this vision?" If Senti was telling the truth and she was never told about it, that was concerning; if she was the closest one to RITSUKA, Fu Hua had to wonder why a vision about him was kept from her.
"Mobius told me Aponia saw the Herrscher of Binding killing the Previous Era's RITSUKA in a specific way—one that didn't come to pass," Mei further revealed. "She didn't say what that specific way was, but with how she danced around the topic, it was… strange, especially in hindsight."
Elysia mentioned they never found a body—and by extension, how RITSUKA met his end. "How could the Herrscher have killed him if it wasn't from the Tragedy?" His innocent question made the already awkward air grow even more so as the others shared worried glances. "...Am I missing something?"
Fu Hua opened her mouth to answer but again, Senti was quick to shoot down the idea. "Really? That guy? You can't be serious," she looked to be on the verge of breaking down in laughter but how genuine that was unclear. "I'd sooner believe this dingus throwing hands with that Solomon guy or somehow stealing Kiana away from Mei… No offence."
"Uh…" Ritsuka didn't know how to break it to Senti that the first "impossible" scenario actually happened but Mei was rolling her eyes.
"Very funny, Senti." Mei's tone said otherwise but she got the other Herrscher's point, even if she also saw that Senti was incredibly defensive of the possibility—whatever that possibility actually was. "It's only a speculation; it's not like there's a way for us to find out what Aponia saw."
"A stupid speculation," mumbled Senti.
'Not the right time to ask then,' Ritsuka concluded. He'd have to take Fu Hua aside to find out what important detail he was missing. "That's the only working theory we have now. We thought you should know in case we are actually dealing with that specific Herrscher," he told Theresa and Mei, the former sighing in clear vexation at the idea.
"It's... worrying to say the least. I've done some research on the Herrscher of Binding before in preparation for it to emerge and now that I think about it, what happened to Bronya would line up," the short-statured principal replied with a contemplative tone. "According to my grandfather's notes, Binding had the ability to severely weaken any sort of energy-based phenomenon in her vicinity, like electrical, bio-electrical, and especially Honkai energy. If a Herrscher were to face Binding, it's likely they'd be found in the conditions Bronya was found in."
Bronya's damaged communicator, her apparently not having been able to use her full abilities, and her weakened physical condition lined up with that explanation. Yet, no matter how similar it might sound, there was still one important question that needed answering: how could it be Binding? "Elysia mentioned something about a Core being needed for a Herrscher?" Fu Hua had somewhat explained the concept earlier but he wanted to get a clearer picture.
"Yes, Herrscher Cores are what grants them their abilities. I'd say that the logic is no Core, no Herrscher… but someone found a way around that," Theresa answered, reminding Ritsuka what Fu Hua had told Elysia—that there was one Otto Apocalypse who took Binding's Authority. Now was not the right time to inquire about that though. "In any case, the Cores of the Previous Era were used to craft the Divine Keys so that non-Herrschers could use their powers. For example, the Divine Key made from Binding's Core could also weaken Honkai energy."
"And the Oath of Judah has been under lock and key too, as with most of the surviving Divine Keys."
So it couldn't be that either. "I'll relay this to Welt and the others. As you've said, it's best we're all aware of the possibility, however impossible it may sound." Theresa nodded before letting out a sigh. "Now then, I think it's about time we get something to ea—"
Ring ring! Ring ring!
"...Give me a moment." Ritsuka was pretty sure he saw Theresa's eye twitching before she answered her phone. "Theresa here. What is it, Doctor? …She is?! We'll be there as soon as possible!" What the news was was obvious from the way she was beaming; before Theresa even ended the call, Mei had already vanished and left a trail of dust in her wake. "M-Mei! That girl, I swear…" sighed Theresa but she couldn't hide the grin on her face. "Come on, let's head to the clinic. Bronya's already awake."
Time to find out what really happened yesterday. With all hopes, Bronya could disprove their theory…
A/N: Chapter is admittedly a bit shorter but it's still longer than the old average. I wanted to keep the sections with Bronya (including the fight flashback which was meant to come out a couple chapters ago now) in its own chapter. Aside from that, not much else to say aside from what was already in the chapter.
With that said, see you all next time!