Beyond the Bounds

by The Deserter Angel

Despite their best efforts, they have failed. Their lifeboat plans were a temporary solution. They could have done more, but they couldn't. No, they didn't want to do it, if that meant to go deeper with their curiosity, where the lines they have drew blurred. It didn't matter. That's why they preserved through time, dust and blood. They will put a solution to mankind's bane.

6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Honkai Impact doesn't belong to me. Blah, yadda, you know the drill.

Thanks for the reviews.

I will be honest, I didn't have for a goal to make the chapter this large. The first sketches were about 6 k words. As you know, I write from 6 to even 8 K words per chapter, not more. I was thinking about splitting the chapter in two, but the idea didn't sit well with me. My apologies if the whole thing is a bit overwhelming.

Sorry about the occasional grammar mistakes or strange use of words. English isn't my native language, yet I will try to make my best when writing.

Enjoy!

---

The wind fluttered softly trough her Miko robes as she watched from a rooftop with great attention to the new and different buildings and places the city offered.

Yae Sakura was in deep thought. Thinking about a much-known concept to her for a long time.

Loneliness.

When her little sister was still alive, it didn't matter if her father and the other residents of her village ignored and showed disdain towards her, whenever they weren't worried about new matters to the village or the news from the will of the gods; at least she had someone with whom she felt companionship and love.

Then, Rin, her little sister, was sacrificed offered to the gods, so the village could survive.

Her little sunshine was crushed, right before her eyes. It was only her sister's wish for her to become into a good Miko that prevented her to use her blade against her father the village's leader and to take her life.

Days, months and years passed monotonously to her while carrying out her duties to preserve and protect the village. Despite that, no matter her sister's last will, she couldn't stomp the growing loathe and despair towards the village and to herself.

Then, she appeared in the river, wearing strange robes, wounded and grasping tightly a black box.

At first, she was an unknown traveler, a girl trying to run away from something terrible. A deep regret. Sakura knew that look very well. After all, more than once she had seen it when she took baths on the river and while preparing herself to perform her duties as a Miko, all for the well-being of the village.

The stranger slowly became a familiar face, a name. Then, slowly, the vines from a known face reached her. A friendship that gave her stability. No longer would she have to face the dangers that lurked the village. There was someone that looked at her not as a Miko or the Cursed Witch of the village, but as a trustworthy friend.

And with time, that vine of friendship blossomed into a beautiful love. That love gave her the wanting to see another day with her loved one.

For an instant, her duties, the expectations of the villagers, the cold treatment from her father, Rin's last will and the darkness inside her heart were not so heavy anymore. She felt like breathing for the first time in a long while. The hugs and kisses given by her lover were like holy drops that slowly cured her broken heart.

She dared to feel something that she thought was lost since Rin.

Yae Sakura dared to hope.

She had hoped her life and love with Kallen continued forever.

But to hope, it's to call for despair.

If only that accursed box was lost forever in that river…

"Don't blame me for the actions of Kallen Kaslana and those fool villagers," its voice was like a whisper, and yet, there were so much hate and ire on it. "Instead, you should be thanking me for making possible your meet with her."

"Go away, fiend," Sakura whispered harshly. Nothing good would come with speaking with the fiend that cursed her.

"You know is true, Sakura." Sakura used all her training as a Miko to not lash at it. "If Kallen Kaslana wasn't hurt and didn't appear bleeding out in that river, you would be dead, like the rest of those pathetic villagers!"

"Deep breaths." She thought. The only sign that the fiend got under her skin was she clenching her fists.

A black mist manifested at her side, taking the form of a large fox. Its eyes, teeth, claws and the mist at the end of its tails, they were red like blood.

The demoniac beast that Kallen carried inside the black box all those years ago.

"Silent as usual, huh?" The fiend fumed when Sakura didn't turn to see at it. "I wonder if she didn't scream as they executed her. Those humans, her fellow companions, could be brutish when someone became a traitor." It said with a casual voice like it was speaking about the weather. The fiend knew that Sakura had pride as a patient person, given her formation as a Miko, but even she had limits. It cost the fiend to not laugh when she turned her face to it. It knew which buttons to press. There was anger boiling inside her eyes. It took great pleasure seeing Sakura struggling to regain her posture. The demonic fox felt a pull coming from Sakura. It wasn't physical, but it knew right away that it was coming from her.

"Be. Quiet. Fiend." Her voice was cold. Sakura moved her eyes from the cursed fox to calm herself. She watched how the sun rays slowly appeared over the horizon. There was a big park some squares ahead. Around it, many stores displayed in their cabinets flashy clothes and different brands of snacks.

"I may stay silent, but with that pure conscious of yours, you would go slowly insane," then, it added. "We had seen it before, didn't we?" It smirked remembering what happened at the village before its defeat at Kallen's hands.

"It was you who caused the village destruction, demon," she responded sharply, not taking her eyes off from the city.

The fiend chuckled. "Delude yourself all you want, but in the end, you will-!" the demonic fox suddenly stopped. Sakura didn't turn to look at it again, but she couldn't help but lift barely a brow at its abnormal interruption on its words, but she wasn't going to waste this opportunity to enjoy the pacific silence.

She drank the sight of the many building of different colors and sizes. The billboards and giant screens that played a commercial about the new trending in clothes and sports. There were many things she didn't understand, but it was a much better sight compared to the total darkness inside the cursed black box.

At the distance, there was a big explosion on a rooftop. Sakura made a silent prayer in silence for the unfortunate souls on that rooftop and to the wandering aimlessly zombies on the streets. The fox kept silent. From the corner of her vision, she saw that it was staring in the direction where the explosion happened. Its posture was tense, like an animal watching out for danger. After many minutes, Sakura decided to move on and see if perhaps there was someone still alive in the city that may require assistance.

She may no longer be the Miko from the Yae Village, but that didn't stop her from trying to protect innocents. "Like her."

She was about to jump off the rooftop. She didn't mind if the fiend wasn't going to jump with her, wherever she went, the fiend followed her.

"Sakura," she was about to ignore its words, but there was something new on its tone. "Whatever you do, under no circumstance do not go in that direction." It motioned with its snout to the explosion on the rooftop in the distant building. It was agitated. "Don't go there. Whatever it is," Sakura dared to think that it looked shaken. "It is unnatural." It finished as it disappeared at her side. For a moment, Sakura wondered what could have made the insufferable demonic fox anxious, but she shuddered off. After all, they recently came out to the physical world. Maybe the fiend was adjusting to its new senses?

Sakura looked towards where the explosion took place. The rooftop was on fire. Nothing that called for her attention or the fiend's worry.

She didn't spend more time on the rooftop. She jumped down, towards the street filled with zombies.

There may be people in need of her assistance, and maybe use this time to make herself familiar with this new world.

If she had stayed a few more seconds, she would have seen a figure moving through the tops of the buildings at great speed.

---

"The train is two hundred meters ahead," Bronya reported.

"Why the hell did you leave it away?" Kiana complained while running. Not far behind, Mei and Adam followed them.

"Practical. In case the hostiles try to get on the train, making the transport a mortal trap when needed." Bronya explained.

Despite the long-distance that Bronya left the train, Mei and Adam agreed with her. The train would be safe from unwanted guests, given the lonesome underground tracks and the long distance between each station. Although it could be a problem if you were carrying heavy equipment or if someone were injured and were pursued by the hordes of undead. Fortunately, the four run-away girls and one guy were in good condition to run and levitate, in Bronya's case.

Bronya speeded down once the train was in their reach. Project Bunny transformed its left canon-arm into a long spear. It adjusted to come at a medium length. When she reached the train, she and Project Bunny took a caution position.

"What are you doing?" Kiana looked puzzled at Bronya's action. Adam and Mei just reached them.

"The Bronya prepares in the case of hostiles inside the train." She explained dryly. Adam nodded in agreement.

"The Bronya prompts Adam and Idiotka to check the immediate side doors." Her voice sounded more like an order.

"Stop calling me an idiot! I am, Kiana! And why I should do what you say?" Kiana grumbled.

"Ignoring the idiot part, she is right, Kiana," Adam began to explain. "She could kill whatever would have gotten inside with her spear while we can keep them in the middle and set them directly in Bronya's attack line."

"Dah," Bronya nodded to Adam for his understanding of her order.

"Let's do it," Adam said as Kiana prepared her guns. "Mei, you and Kiana take the right side. I will take the left."

"Are you sure?" Mei asked. He nodded. "What about… your condition?" She asked.

"I will be fine if I just use the minimum, like this," he then raised his right hand and transformed it into a blade at the same length of his hand There was whiteness on his wrist. Mei was not convinced but didn't pressure him. She was still wrapping her head about the fact of a young man with transformation powers inside an undead city.

"Little steps, I guess?" She thought. Kiana and she went to the left door side of the train. Adam did the same on the right. Project Bunny put its right arm on the front door. "Move into action at the count of three," Bronya said. She didn't wait for their response.

"One…" Mei prepared to open the door and Kiana aimed her guns at the door. She aimed up, to avoid shooting Adam by mistake.

"Two…" Adam put his left hand on the door handle while he set his hand-blade back and tensed the arm, ready to deliver a quick attack.

"Three!" They opened the doors at the same time harshly. Kiana, Mei, and Adam moved their eyes over the inside of the train.

It was empty.

"Clear!"

"Nothing!"

Project Bunny lowered the spear. Project Bunny disappeared, although Bronya kept floating. Once inside, the three locked the doors and moved towards the middle section of the train.

"The Bronya is sure that the middle section of the train was properly locked, but suggests to keep your guard in case of a surprise," she informed. Adam took the front, followed by Kiana, who kept her guns ready. Fortunately to them, Bronya's words remained true. There weren't any zombies inside the train. Once they reached the middle section, they locked the door behind them and breathed a sigh of relief. They put down their weapons. They noted that there was a backpack, blankets, a package of bottles filled with water and a mountain of snacks on a row of sits. On the other row of sits, there were wrappers of snacks and empty bottles.

Seeing the snacks, Kiana wasn't able to hold her happiness at the sight of food.

"Food!" Kiana chirped. She was going to throw herself towards the pile of sweets when suddenly, a robotic arm materialized and held her from reaching the snacks. "Hey! What gives?" She complained as she turned to Bronya, who sported the origin of the partial arm over her right shoulder. Bronya pushed Kiana aside. She made an angry look. Adam and Mei just watched.

"This is Bronya's food, idiotka," she stated. The arm disappeared, but Bronya stood in front of the snacks. "If you really want some, subject Kiana just has to ask."

"Wow! Really?" Kiana asked incredulously. The other two were surprised, although they had the feeling it was just the calm before the whiplash.

"Yes. You just have to beg on your knees and swear loyalty towards the Bronya for the rest of your life," Bronya explained in her even tone. While she wasn't making an arrogant tone or face, Adam was sure that she was making a smug face inside her.

"What?!" Kiana fumed. "Like hell, I am going to do that!"

"Then, starve as subjects Mei and Adam eat with the Bronya these delicious snacks," she said with a sharp tone. She looked at Mei and Adam and gestured with her hand towards the snacks. Kiana was about to protest until her stomach growled in discontent. She fell to her knees while making a whimper expression. "Please, serve yourselves," insisted while ignoring the crestfallen Kiana at her side. "Wow, she is a sadist," Adam thought surprised at the contrast between her words and stoic expression.

Reluctantly, Mei walked towards the snacks. She looked at the whimper expression on Kiana's face, then she turned to look at Bronya who looked back.

"Is there a problem, subject Mei?" Bronya asked while tilting lightly her head to the side. "Ano, Bronya-chan?" Mei looked awkward for the moment. "Yes, subject Mei?" Bronya asked again. "Could you please give Kiana-chan some food? She is just hungry and tired of…all that is happening in the city," Mei pleaded in favor of Kiana. The silver-haired girl nodded quickly.

Bronya pondered for a moment before answering. "The Bronya is not sure about this course of action," Kiana stopped moving, looking more fallen than before. "The idiotka would gain more energetic with food and more annoying to the Bronya," she explained. "I will make sure that Kiana-chan doesn't bother you, Bronya-chan," assured Mei.

"If it helps," Adam chimed in. "Kiana is right now on her knees. I don't think the begging will do, but please, give her some food and we will make sure that she is tame for the rest of the travel. Promise," Adam said. Bronya pondered for another moment, looking between Kiana and the pair, before accepting the proposal. "Alright." Kiana's eyes sparked as she heard this. "The Bronya will accept your deal. Please fulfill your part as well." Kiana's saviors nodded. Bronya span and moved towards the cockpit. "The Bronya will begin the automatic pilot and come back. You may start to eat," then she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Mei and Adam sighed in relief. "It could have gotten ugly," Mei commented. Adam agreed with her. "Yes." He looked towards the snacks. "Well, at least someone is happier than us," the two saw as Kiana, still on her knees, ate the snacks like a hungry wolf. She tore wrappers to the side as she ate the snacks in two bites. Feeling their stares, Kiana stopped eating and looked towards her saviors from starving.

"Thuunk ya guuys!" she thanked with her mouth full.

"Kiana-chan, please swallow and don't speak with your mouth full!" Mei reprimanded. Kiana obeyed and swallowed everything with a big gulp the food. "Sorry, Mei-senpai!" Kiana apologized, don't being sorry for her behavior. Mei just sighed in return and took a bag of chips and sat in a free sit. Adam did the same and took a bottle of water. Kiana was about to tear trough the food again but Mei got in the way.

"Kiana-chan, remember, this is for everyone. Don't eat everything and chew more calmly."

"Alright," she said a little miffed but obeyed Mei.

After the long way towards the train station, the three finally found a moment to relax and recover strength from the ordeal they have been going through these last long hours. While the three were eating in silence, it was not the case inside Adam's head.

"{This is a trap. It is better if you are on your own,}" the sinister voice barked.

"If we are on our own, that means we won't have a way to get the hell out of this city as soon as possible," then Adam added. "One, it could take another day or two to leave the city. Two, while the three of us are decent to fight, it is just a matter of time and luck before we run into a Honkai Beast above our level. Hell, it could appear an Emperor Class at the worst time!" Adam exclaimed.

"{But not for you,}" it responded. "{You know that you can tear apart an Emperor Class if you really wanted.}" Adam fell silent. Adam just heard its voice, but he was pretty sure that the bastard was smirking with his silence. "{Yet, you have to play the hero guy and help these brats to survive this forsaken city,}" it clicked its tongue in distaste.

"I am helping Kiana because I owe it to Siegfried; two, although Mei is the vessel of the Third Herrscher, she is just an innocent dragged in this shitty war against the Honkai; and last, shut the fuck up!" Adam screamed mentally. Despite this, the voice was not done. "{Oh, how noble of you, trying to save the vessel of the Herrscher,}" it released a dry chuckle. "{If I am not wrong, some hours ago you were serious about killing her. It was only to Kiana's intervention that stopped you from eliminating her.}"

"That was before Mei proved she was still fighting against the Will of the Honkai!" He argued. "Kiana and I are lucky we managed to-," the voice chimed. "{If you are going to be a hypocrite, be one to the girls, but not to me and yourself, Adam,}" it sounded exasperated. "{Your first instinct was to kill her. Let's be honest, you hold yourself back because the words Mei uttered trigger some memories in this stinkhole that is your head.}". Adam went silent. He didn't want to give the bastard the satisfaction, but in a way it was right. He held back, partially, because the desperate words that Mei pronounced made him remember a fragment from his blurred past.

"N-no. Don't take m-my memories. I need them!" The words made him feel the despair and yearn in them. He got a glimpse of a powerful storm happening around him, and the connection he felt towards some of his known memories…a

"{Perhaps, there are already a pair of breasts already pulling you around or there are two?}" It gibed. "{You were always bitching the old man habits were getting in the jobs, brat. Maybe you really need a good 'hand' once you get out of this place.}" It gibed.

Its implications were not lost to him. Adam gritted his teeth. "That is not true, you mother-!"

"Adam-kun, are you alright?" He turned to the origin's voice. It was Mei. She recoiled once his eyes settled on her. He noted that Bronya was back, eating a chocolate bar while sitting next to Mei on one of the sits. Kiana was still on the floor, eating at a normal pace a big bag of chips. When he looked at Mei, the other girls stopped eating and looked towards him.

"Subject Adam, why are you glaring at subject Mei?" Bronya asked. She wasn't the only one. "Hey, Adam! Why are glaring at Mei-senpai like that?!" Different from Bronya, whose tone was even, Kiana was miffed at the way he looked towards Mei.

"I am what?" He blinked a couple of times before recognizing the familiar cold on his face. "{You lost control. You allowed it to get under your skin,}" the childish voice reprimanded him, sounding serious. A rare occurrence. Adam wasn't sure what nagged him more; that the dark voice pissed him off or the righteous one was right. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The familiar cold disappeared softly. "{Apologize to her. She didn't deserve your killing glare just because you couldn't control your temper,} it demanded. He hated to admit it, but it could be really serious and mature when his temper exploded, especially towards women or children. In a way, it reminded him of his sister Celeste.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized looking towards Mei. She looked nervous before nodding. "I-it's alright, Adam-kun," she accepted the apology thought she stuttered a bit. "Subject Mei, should I take measures against subject Adam?" Bronya asked. To emphasize her point, she got up from her seat and Project Bunny materialized behind her. Unconsciously, Adam's posture tensed.

"N-no!" Mei negated as she quickly got up from her seat, getting between Adam and Bronya. "It's a misunderstanding! I'm sure that Adam did not mean it," she turned to him, looking for his confirmation. "Y-yeah," he said a little awkward, raising his hands to placate Bronya. "I wasn't angry at her or anything, just - he sighed- just remembering something nasty. That's all." He explained.

Despite the (lame) explanation, Bronya did not take her eyes off from Adam neither Project Bunny disappeared. "The Bronya detects a slight difference in subject Adam's voice," she frowned. "You are lying." This raised alarms in Adam's head. "We just met and she already has measured my response?!" He moved his eyes to Project Bunny. "That robot is quite convenient." The ambient suddenly got tense. Inwardly Adam was wondering if the constant tense moments he was going through were karma or bad luck since he came to Nagazora City.

To his surprise, Kiana came to his rescue. "Does it have something to do with your powers?" She asked. Despite Kiana's mistake in the subject, in a way she was right. Adam didn't waste the opportunity. "Yes. The backlash from my powers sometimes made me remember what happened the first time I used them," he responded with a casual but firm tone. His breath relaxed along with his posture. He didn't want to tick off Bronya's lie detector.

"Calm down dwarf. He just remembered something bad, that's all," she continued eating the chips as nothing happened. Bronya threw her a glare before relenting, surprisingly. Project Bunny disappeared again. "Understand," she turned to Adam. "Subject Adam, please try to control your emotional output in the future," she turned to Mei and gave a short bow and went back to her sit, eating again her chocolate bar, as nothing happened mere moments ago.

The tense atmosphere dispersed instantly like it never happened. Adam and Mei blinked a couple of times before turning to look at each other. They kept the stare for a few seconds before they started to chuckle softly. "Are we the odd ones?" both thought at the same time while chuckling. While these two were snickering, they were being watched by Bronya and Kiana. "Are subjects Mei and Adam a couple?" Bronya inquired, tilting lightly her head to the side. The two immediately stopped chuckling. Kiana started to choke with her chips, hitting her chest to swallow them; Mei gained an atomic blush while stuttering to respond, and Adam just stared in disbelief at Bronya.

"WHAT?!" the older girls asked in disbelief. Adam was a bit surprised at the rise of volume in their voices. "B-Bronya-chan, why do you ask that?!" Mei questioned as she tried to compose herself. "By the knowledge recollected by the Bronya, the way subjects Mei and Adam interact between each other give the impression the two of you are a couple," explained Bronya. "Do we look like it?" Adam questioned raising a brow. Bronya looked at him. "I mean, sure, we get along pretty well despite the shi- messy situation we find ourselves in," Adam corrected what he thought about the situation they found themselves in. He didn't want the voice nagging him now that it was a little serious after his discussion with the dark voice.

"Then, did the Bronya make a miscalculation?" She moved her eyes back to Mei. "Y-Yes Bronya-chan," Mei cleared after composing herself. "To be precise, the three of us met a couple of days ago."

"And what a way we met," Adam thought sarcastically. He tried to not snort at the memory of the Herrscher's bitchy attitude. "Yeah, we are just survivors who get along pretty well," he added. "Understood," Bronya acknowledged and gave back her full attention to the chocolate bar she was previously eating. Mei looked at him shyly and turned away a bit. Adam wasn't offended at this. "Guess girls are a bit sensitive to this kind of thing, eh?" Adam shrugged and went back to eat. A semi-comfortable silence settled on the train. Adam thanked for it. He opened his bottle of water and started to drink it. Although the misunderstanding was cleared, there was still one person who had a doubt.

"So, seeing Mei-senpai half-naked was like a one-night-stand, Adam?"

The two persons in question choked.

---

After a long and uncomfortable ride on the train, the three prepared their gear as the train was getting near the last station of the line. Mei and Kiana sported gun holsters and short bags from their hips, courtesy from Bronya. She told Adam he will be carrying other times like water bottles, ammo, a med-kit she had in her possession and as much food as possible inside a big back-pack. It weighted a lot but Adam managed to carry it without much trouble.

"Say, Mei, are we close to getting out of the city?" Adam asked, trying to fake that the last twenty minutes inside the train did not happen. "Unfortunately no, Adam-kun," like him she tried to play it cool. Adam inwardly cursed. "Another day inside this hole," he thought in exasperation.

"Oh!" Kiana raised her voice. "I know this place." She sported puffy cheeks, courtesy from a very embarrassed Mei pulling them. "I work, well, I used to work around here," she said while rubbing her hurt cheeks.

"Then you could be our guide this time Kiana," he looked to Mei. "If it is not a problem with you?" Mei shook her head. "I have a general idea, but I did not use to walk around here," she looked at Kiana. "Kiana-chan, would you mind leading us this time?" She asked politely while giving a small smile. Kiana's cheeks reddened a bit, although it wasn't noticeable for her swollen cheeks. She nodded. "No problem, Mei-senpai!" Kiana answered chirpily. Mei's smile got larger.

"Subject Adam, you seem to be used to these kinds of scenarios," Bronya commented. "Have subject Adam ever been in a Honkai outbreak?" She asked. Adam turned to see her. "What brought this up, Bronya?" He tried to not let the comments from the dark voice to get him, but now he started to worry. "The timing and how she welcomed us with almost open arms to her transport and food. Not to mention the strange robot with her." Her look was on him, expecting him to answer her.

"I have been traveling around the world for some time," his voice was calm while he explained. The train started to slow down as an electronic voice announced that this was the last station. "I have my share of encounters with the Honkai during that time," he explained. "What about you Bronya? It's strange to see a girl with a big robot looming over her and don't flinch at the sight of a Honkai beast," he asked back. Adam knew that Kiana had a bit of knowledge and combat against the Honkai given who her father was and Mei was dragged to this new world. But Bronya was a mystery. She could have passed as a cute normal girl in the crowd if it wasn't for the big robot and how she reacted towards the zombies and beasts from the Honkai.

"The Bronya comes from Siberia, Russia," she disclosed. Her tone was even but he caught the sharpness way she said it. She was uncomfortable. Adam flinched a bit. He had seen first-hand what the Siberian Tundra offered to the majority of children born after the Second Impact. "Sorry," he meant it. "Shit!" He cursed.

"There is no need to apologize," she moved her eyes to the door. "The Bronya has moved out from there and had been planning to start anew." She touched her blue earrings. Trying to change the topic he asked about them. "They are beautiful, Bronya. Who gave them to you?" he asked.

"My mamushka gave them to me, as a parting gift," the yearning and melancholy in her tone made Adam curse again. "Damn it, Adam! Why don't you just ask her if she was a child soldier already, idiot?!" The other girls watched the exchange in silence. Mei felt bad for Bronya, she knew first-hand how feels to not have a mother around. Her mother had died while she was still a little girl, but the few memories Mei had about her, she treasured them with all her heart. Kiana tried to bury the known oppressive feeling inside her heart by smiling and imagining how Mei's cook may taste. "There is nothing good going there," she thought.

The train stopped and the door opened. There were no zombies to welcome them. They sighed in relief.

"As we did previously, Kiana you lead. Mei and Bronya will cover your sides while I stay in the back," he ordered. He knew that the planning wasn't good at all. Bronya's robot, Project Bunny, looked more suited to be on the rearguard and offer support, but he wasn't planning on putting a child on the group's back. He could be pragmatic, even cold when the situation called for it; but he wasn't heartless to leave a child die in front of his eyes and he wasn't going to take risks despite Bronya has proven she has survived this long on her own.

"Are you sure about carrying the back-pack Adam? It looks really heavy," Kiana asked. He nodded "It's no problem. Remember that I have a boost of my own and I can kill the zombies using my sword," He took Omen with his right hand. Mei made sure that her shotgun was loaded and ready to fire; Kiana did the same with her guns and Bronya summoned Project Bunny, who sported its large lance on its left arm.

"Let's go girls!"

---

The game center was too quiet for his taste. There were the occasional sounds of game overs and promotional cut scenes coming from the different consoles scattered in the game center, but strangely there was no noise of teenagers nagging about losing against a boss or the complaints about running out of money.

Well, at least it was silent to let him had his full concentration in this stupid claw machine game. He absolutely wanted to win the limited edition figure of Ninja Arahato! It didn't matter if he was going to spend thousands in coins, Arahato would be his!

"Dear, are you actually going to spend thousands in coins for this game?" Her voice made him freeze. He released the joystick. His right hand fell lifeless while his left stayed on the console.

He… he stood there, not moving. He didn't dare to move.

"Are you ignoring me, dear?" she asked, her voice sounded sad. He almost moved on reflex at hearing her sad voice, but he managed to control himself in the last second.

"Don't look," he chided to himself. "Don't. Look." His breath started to accelerate as he felt her warm and delicate fingers touching his left hand. There was a soft fragrance of flowers wafting around her. He lowered his head, looking directly at the machine's timer, seeing that he only had ten seconds left. He did not care when the sound of 'game over' came.

"Siegfried, I believe it's time to go home, don't you think?" She asked nicely as she hugged him. It cost him a monumental effort to no lose himself in the warmness her hug gave and drunk in the flower fragrance. "Our baby girl must be missing us. Come on, dear," She ended the hug and spanned on her feet while still holding his left hand. Siegfried released his hand from hers.

"Is everything alright, dear?"

"DON'T LOOK."

"Siegfried, a-are you m-mad at me?" She stuttered.

DO NOT. LOOK!

"S-Siegfried…" they were no longer on that game center where they spend a great time many years ago. It was snowing. They were in a tundra wasteland. Snow as far as the eye can see.

"Dear…I am so cold…" her voice was a whisper. "Can you… can you hug me…?" There was smoke rising in the distance. He heard powerful whistles coming from above them.

"Siegfried…" there was a powerful explosion that slowly enveloped the cold lifeless tundra in a furious fire.

DO NOT LOOK!

From the left corner of his eyes, he saw the destructive fire coming slowly on their way. From his right corner, there was a long and beautiful silver hair fluttering.

"Siegfried, why did you leave our Kiana alone?"

DO NOT-!

He looked to his right, only to see he was holding a severed arm with his right and bluish-mutated hand.

And the fire reached him and then…

There was nothing left…

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Siegfried woke up shrieking. He shot up and almost fell in the calm and night cold ocean, but he managed to catch his foot on the last second. He was breathing heavily. There was a folding canvas chair tossed to the back and a semi-full can of beer, its contents spilled on the floor. Siegfried fell to his knees as he kept his forehead leaning against the boat railing. "I-it was a nightmare man. Just a fucking and horrible nightmare," he sneezed a bit. "Get a hold of yourself," he screeched to himself as he continued breathing heavily.

"-time to go home, dear," Siegfried shook his head vigorously. "No. Don't go there, Siegfried," he whispered harshly. He tried to distract himself by hearing the movement of the water. He kept his head glued to the railing. He stayed in this position for almost ten minutes before his cellphone started to ring. Reluctantly he got up and answered the call.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright, Siegfried?" Hestia asked concerned. "Y-yeah!" He cursed at his stutter. "Yeah, I am fine," he cleaned with the sleeve of his coat the salty water on his cheeks. Stupid Ocean!

"I detected a sudden change in your… –never mind- the package I told you about will arrive in a few minutes." She started to explain.

"Pay attention. Once it arrives, quickly, get closer to it. There is going to be a long lid with a yellow triangle on its top. Take away the tape. Inside, there would be a lot of small rectangles glowing in orange. You are going to press gently the rectangle on the third column and eighth row. It will pop out and show a small data drive. Carefully took it out. When you are done, you will press the rectangle on the tenth column and five-row. It will show you a holographic screen. Insert the following numbers: 15-78-55-46-21. The keyword for confirmation is MIRAGE.

You will have thirty seconds before the package terminates itself. Get away from it at maximum speed. Don't forget to activate the anti-scan-disruption field on the boat. The option is on your navigation screen," Hestia finished explaining. Siegfried blinked a couple of times, trying to process what Hestia explained a little too quickly for him.

"Hestia, would you mind ex-"

"This is serious, Siegfried. All the work that we have done until this moment could be destroyed before the end of the week if you don't get the package quickly," Hestia did not let him finish. "Take this fucking seriously. I will repeat only once," she said harshly. Siegfried obeyed and listened carefully to Hestia's instructions. Inwardly Siegfried was worried. There had been rare occasions where Hestia sounded serious, and this one sounded more than just serious. "She sounds dead-worried, almost panicking," Siegfried thought.

"Did you get it this time?"

"Yeah," Siegfried nodded although she couldn't see him. "And what I am expecting, a big and long crate transported by an airplane, throwing it in the middle of nowhere?" He asked sarcastically. Hestia chuckled. "Oh! No. Nothing of that." Siegfried heard a powerful whistle as a large and round object fell from the sky in flames. It fell on the distance, creating a thundering sound as it hit the mass of water. Siegfried held tightly to the leaning as the boat rocked strongly. He almost crushed his phone unconsciously.

"It's just a war satellite, Siegfried, that's all," Hestia explained like it was normal. For his part, Siegfried's mouth was hanging open. "Come on, Siegfried. Time to work~!" Hestia finished the call. It took five seconds for Siegfried to snap of it and drive the boat towards the satellite.

"Holy shit! Do we have a war satellite?!"

---

Adam cursed in silence at seeing a big damn horde of zombies, with the occasional Honkai beast moving through the streets towards a gas station, or what was left of it. To the record, it was his idea to set the place on fire. He trusted the explosion would attract the zombies, cleaning the streets and making easier to move on them. The girls were not much convinced with his idea. Mei didn't feel right to set the place on fire, also scared for the big explosion it would happen.

Kiana thought the idea was silly but found it amazing when the whole place exploded. Mei made sure that she didn't voice her astonishment by putting a hand on the silver-haired girl's mouth. Kiana's face became a little red, but Adam attributed it to a trick of the light. Bronya at first refused the idea when he suggested it. The reason was a big pack of comics from the Homu series in offer. Adam almost voiced the absurd reason to not blow the place but decided to keep it to himself. He had seen first-hand what a drunk and hungry Siegfried could do and other quirk experiences with other people he had met on his journey. Her reason was the most normal he ever heard.

He suggested taking the merchandise but Bronya negated. According to her, Homu was sacred and it would be atrocious to steal its merchandise. Fortunately, Adam had a couple of bills that miraculously paid the exact amount for the pack of comics. The group left the soon-to-blow-up station behind with Bronya humming a song while carrying the comics, Mei making a short pray for forgiveness and Kiana munching a candy as Adam made a long path of gasoline before throwing a ball of paper set on fire, courtesy from Project Bunny, from a long distance. Instantly, the four moved to one of the loneliest streets. They kept the close encounters at minimum, opting to run and hide. Hiding was no longer an option as the number of zombies started to increase.

"Move!" Kiana screamed as she and Mei shoot to some zombies on their way. "Since you are already dead, move!" Screamed Kiana as Adam cut off the head of a zombie trying to catch him from behind. They kept moving until a big Chariot came tearing apart a building on their way. Debris flew around as it made way towards them. Instantly, Kiana and Mei shot at it, hoping to at least stall it. It did little to no damage as it lunged at them with its front legs. The girls jumped back and avoided its smashing.

"Tch!" Kiana clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Adam, we have a problem here!"

"I am a bit busy!" He screamed back as he cut a zombie diagonally and blow the head of one using his free hand. He noted that Bronya was no longer with them. "Kiana! Where the hell is Bronya?!" He asked worried for the little girl.

"I don't know!" She screamed back as she and Mei jumped to the side, avoiding again the attack from the Chariot. Adam cursed. He was about to call out his claws when he heard a voice coming from above the chariot.

"Deploying, Project Bunny," she pronounced as she fell, parallel to the building. The futuristic robot materialized and pointed its spear towards the Chariot. The impact was strong enough to rise a cloud of dust and push some cars around them as Bronya killed the beast. Adam killed the last zombie on their tale before moving towards the girls.

"Total enemy elimination," Bronya pronounced as Project Bunny disappeared. Bronya put her hand inside her coat and took out a doll of Homu. Adam wasn't sure where she kept that well hidden. Bronya inspected the doll and patted a stain of dust from it. "Mission complete," she stated. Mei got closer to Bronya and gave her a gentle pat on her shoulder.

"Right on time Bronya! Thank you!" Mei congratulated her. Bronya gave a soft hum in response.

"What the hell? You can just show up from nowhere with your robot?!" Kiana complained putting her hands on her hips. "You almost killed me stupid brat!" Bronya and Mei glanced at her. "Ending the protection routine for subject Kiana. Now the subject is deemed expendable."

"Oh! You little-!" Mei held Kiana. Bronya saw it as a challenge. "The Bronya has 99.99% possibilities of winning." Kiana bristled. "Grrr! And I have 100% chances of beating you!"

Adam felt relief at seeing Bronya safe. "{Remember she is dangerous, Adam,}" it said before falling silent. Adam ignored it.

"Hey, Bronya! Tell us when you are going to do something like that again," the girls moved their eyes to Adam. "You got me worried for a second there." He saw what little of the Chariot remained. "Still, good work. You saved them, Bronya," he congratulated her.

"Dah." She responded. "You are just useful because of the big robot!" Kiana kept complaining. Adam sighed in resignation as the two kept insulting each other. He saw Mei walking to the Honkai remains.

"Why these things keep appearing?" She questioned. "With the… with her sleeping, I thought that the beasts would stop appearing." She bit her lip in anxiety. "How much time do we have left before these zombies and beasts overwhelm us," she didn't hear Adam's steps until he was next to her. "Are you okay?" He asked. Mei jumped a bit at his sudden appearance. She turned to see him. "Sorry, I was in deep thought," she looked back to the carcass. "I was wondering why these beasts keep coming. They are difficult to kill." Adam nodded at her. "With the Herrscher contained, the residual energy keeps moving on freely in the city, making appear more of these beasts," he understood her preoccupation. "I don't want to jinx it, but we had been lucky that we hadn't met with an Emperor Class," he wished that was not going to happen.

Meir raised a brow. "They are that hard?" Adam nodded. "Powerful but not at the same level as a Herrscher." He responded. "That's why I am so eager to leave this place as soon as possible."

"I see…"

Bronya glanced at the pair while Kiana kept rambling. She noted the cut on Mei's left arm. "Subject Mei is injured." Kiana stopped speaking and moved her eyes towards Mei. She saw the cut too.

"Ah! Mei-senpai. The tiny girl is right," she pointed to the cut. Mei raised the arm in question and saw the injury. "Oh! I am fine! It's just a little scratch," she waved off the injury. "Let me see it." Kiana walked towards Mei, grabbing gently her arm. Mei was surprised at the action. Kiana inspected quickly the injury and in fact, it was just a scratch. "It's nothing, but I better take care of it," and to Mei's rising surprise, Kiana brought closer her arm and tried to wipe clean the injury with her tongue. Mei was about to squeal until Adam stopped Kiana from licking the cut by holding softly her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Kiana." She pouted. "Don't be mean, Adam! I was just trying to help!" Kiana fumed as she crossed her arms. Adam made a deadpanned expression. "Do you know that thousands of germs live on our mouths, Kiana?" He asked rhetorically. "One of them could enter on Mei's bloodstream and give her an infection," he put the back-pack on the ground and opened it. He quickly searched for the med-kit. He found it and brought it out. He took out the need material to clean and patch the cut. Mei insisted that she was fine, but Adam was not having any of it.

"Don't worry Adam! It's just a scratch!" She insisted. He shook his head. He grabbed her arm firmly but gently. "It would be really bad if you get sick for something silly like this," he explained. The girls stared at him as he worked quickly and silently. Mei flinched a bit as the alcohol touched the cut. In a minute he was done.

"There," he said as he saved the materials. He put back the med-kit in its place. "It would heal in no time," he put the back-pack on his back. He noted that the girls kept staring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… that was gentle from you, Adam. A bit forceful, but still, thank you," Mei blushed a bit as she stared at the bandage. Adam felt uncomfortable at her honest gratitude. He knew that she was grateful for his action, although he didn't just patch her out of concern. "I don't know how Kiana's body would react if the blood of a Herrscher's vessel entered in her. You need to be a little more cautious, Kiana," he thought darkly. "You are welcome, Mei." He smiled back. It looked real, although Bronya narrowed her eyes. The others didn't see her. He looked towards Kiana, who had a dejected look and sat on the ground.

"I troubled Mei-senpai…" she muttered while hugging her legs close to her chest. Mei chuckled nervously, Bronya shrugged and Adam sighed.

---

The group kept walking for almost three hours. Seeing that the sun was close to setting, the group decided to call it a day. Thanks to the scan of Bronya, the group found a deserted building. They blocked the main entrance and the stairs to the upper levels with whatever furniture available. They chose one of the big apartments to sleep in. They were glad the water and electricity were still running.

"Man, I am beaten!" Exclaimed Kiana as she sat comfortably on the long couch in the living room. The whole place was big. Three bedrooms, a large kitchen separated from the main room with a service bar, a spacious terrace and a big bathroom that even had a Jacuzzi!

"The Bronya finds it a waste of space," Bronya commented as she sat next to Kiana. "Of course you will have to spoil it, midget," Kiana buffed at Bronya's observation.

"The Bronya finds more saddening the fact Idiotka belongs to the human species."

"Midget, say what?!" Mei sighed at seeing the two girls clashing. She was seated on one of the chairs of the table that was in the living room. She moved her head towards the terrace, where she saw Adam smoking. She frowned a bit at that. She didn't like the smell the cigars left and she knew how bad they were for the health. She didn't voice her displeasure when Adam said that he was going to smoke outside. She left him had it, after all, it has been a long day, for all of them.

Grow!

Mei moved her head quickly towards the noise origin. Kiana was standing, looming over Bronya, who kept a poker face. On the contrary, Kiana had a big blush on her face. She sat quietly and looked down.

"Kiana-chan, are you-?"

Adam entered hurriedly with Omen in hand. "I heard a growl, I think you missed some hidden beast, Bronya." Kiana covered her face with both hands. Mei felt a bit bad for her.

"Negative, subject Adam," then Bronya pointed towards the embarrassed Kiana. "The Idiotka stomach noises are so high that they can be mistaken by a Honkai beast."

"Ahh…" Adam looked awkwardly at Kiana. "Well… crap" He scratched his neck as he saved Omen. Mei decided to save the situation before it could become more embarrassing. She clapped her hands to get their attention. "How about we take a bath before I make dinner?" The three looked at her surprised.

"Sure, Mei? It has been a very long day." Adam asked for courtesy. He admitted he was hungry but he was not going to pressure her. "Celeste would have torn my ear off if I didn't ask first." He thought, remembering her sister's education about 'how to be polite towards girls'.

"Finally! Real food!" Kiana chirped, forgetting her previous embarrassment. "Subject Kiana has been eating snacks all the way here though," Bronya added but Kiana ignored her.

"Well, I think there are a washing machine and a dryer in the changing room." He pointed. He cringed a bit at the sight of his clothes. They were stained with a lot of blood and other fluids from the zombies. Adam wasn't surprised at this, after all, he was the one who got closer to the zombies when he was fighting. The girls had few stains compared to him. At least their clothes were savable, his not.

The girls started to move towards the bath, but Mei noted that Bronya wasn't moving from her place. Mei raised a brow. "Bronya-chan, are you coming?"

"Nyet," she shook her head. "The Bronya is almost in perfect condition," she explained. Mei wasn't convinced at all. She looked at Bronya's clothes and while true to her stamen, there were few blood stains on them. Mei didn't think it was hygienic to keep wearing clothes stained on blood. "Come on Bronya chan, I would help you clean your back," Mei offered. "Would you help me too, Mei-senpai?" Kiana asked, excited. Mei didn't find a problem with it. She nodded.

"The Bronya thanks subject Mei for her offer, but the Bronya is alright," Bronya negated her offer. Adam decided to help Mei in convincing Bronya. "Hey Bronya, I can watch over while you three relax for a moment. You deserve it." Bronya pondered before shaking her head. "I am alright, the Bronya doesn't smell so bad." Adam found odd her insistence to not bath with them. He tried to convince her too. He would hate to smell the constant stench of corpse next to him the following day and it was unhygienic to have contaminated blood on your body.

"Bronya, I have been drenched in zombie blood before, and believe me when I say you will stink the same if not worse than a corpse," she shook her head again. Mei looked worried for her. "Are you sure?" Bronya nodded. "If Bronya doesn't want it then it means more time for me with Mei-senpai. Yay!" Kiana grinned as she jumped towards the bath. Before she entered, she turned and gazed at Adam. "No peeking!" She yelled before closing the door. Adam sighed annoyed and glanced at Bronya.

"{Try to say something else, you know how terrible stinks the blood of zombie is.}" The voice mentioned.

"I know, but it will look creepy if I keep trying to convince a young girl to take a bath," he answered back.

"{Then, how about using something against her,}" Adam was about to ignore the other voice until it said its suggestion. "{Tell her that she owes you a favor for those dumb comics you paid for. Politeness is a good way to force someone to do what you want.}" Quickly, the other voice added. "{Or maybe, say that Mei only worries about her and doesn't want her to catch an infection.}" "{And use her help from the train to make her bath with the other girls.}"

Adam pondered for a moment before reaching another question.

"Why are you helping me with this again?"

"{Because it's unhealthy to have zombie blood on your clothes and I am here to help you.}"

"{Because it will stink tomorrow and I like to imagine what will happen inside the bath. Also, I am here to help you}."

Adam rolled his eyes. "You two are an annoyance and fuck! I bet Bronya is just twelve or thirteen years old!" The voice sassed, "{but you didn't make an exception for the other two!}"

He ignored off the voices and came back to reality. "Well, if you say so Bronya," Mei was kneeling in front of Bronya. Mei reluctantly accepted her decision. Seeing the window of opportunity was about to close, Adam applied the voices suggestion.

"Hey Bronya, maybe Mei and I are pushing too much for you to take a bath," he began. "Aside from how unhealthy is to have blood on you, Mei and I just want to pay you back for all your generosity with the train, the food and for killing the Chariots. I know that in Russia, generosity has to be paid back. Isn't it?" Adam finished.

Mei nodded. "Adam-kun is right. Bronya has been too gentle with us. I would feel bad if I do not at least pay you back for your generosity, Bronya-chan." The dark-silver-haired girl looked a bit conflicted, pondering her options and a bit mad at Adam for using her generosity against her in a smooth way.

"Subject Adam categorized as manipulative. The Bronya will have to watch him out," she concluded. She looked at the warm and soft expression of Mei, making hard to say her no. Reluctantly, Bronya accepted. "The Bronya accepts subject Mei's offer." Mei smiled and take her by the hand. Mei guided happily Bronya towards the bathroom. Before they disappeared, Bronya threw him a glare. He just waved his hand casually. "Have a nice bath!" He smiled as the door closed.

---

"Ahhh~" Kiana closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure as her body submerged in the hot water of the Jacuzzi. The whole bath-room was clouded in steam due to the hot water, but it wasn't a problem for the girls to move. She started to doze off while Mei finished cleaning herself. Once she was done rinsing her hair, she turned to Bronya to help her. She didn't ask why Bronya entered with her armor on her legs. She attributed it as childish behavior.

"Sorry for the delay," she smiled feeling embarrassed. "I needed to clean off all the blood on my hair from all the blood and dust." Mei dragged one of the short benches inside the bath-room. "Shall we start?" Mei asked gently. Bronya kept staring at the bench for a moment before she nodded timidly. Bronya moved almost mechanically. "Maybe she is just embarrassed," thought Mei. She damped Bronya's hair and applied some shampoo on it. Bronya was silent as Mei washed her hair softly.

"Alright Bronya-chan, now I am going to start with your back." Bronya just nodded. Mei raised the handheld shower. "Tell me if the water is too hot, okay?" Bronya nodded again. Mei dampened her back. Bronya shuddered a bit. Mei stopped. "Was it too hot?" She was worried. "No. The Bronya was a bit surprised at the temperature, that's all." Bronya assured her. "You can continue."

Thinking that maybe the water was too hot, Mei turned a bit cold. She started to apply the liquid soap on Bronya's back and washed it gently. As her hands moved to her lower back, Mei noted Bronya was tensing her body. When her hand touched her right side near her waist, Bronya released a soft moan. Mei smiled. "See Bronya-chan, you needed to take a -" Mei word's died on her mouth as the steam cleared a bit and she found what she exactly she touched.

It was a big and angry scar on Bronya's back. It wasn't the only one. The majority lower of her back was covered in small scars. They appeared to be made by cuts. Some were faded. Mei was sure the larger one was made by a bullet given its size and the marks at the edges. The revelation that a young and cute girl like Bronya had such marks on her body prevented her from gasping.

"H-How in the world she got these scars!?" Then, she remembered what Adam told her about the Impacts and what Bronya said to him when they were about to leave the train. She caught when he flinched after he was told where she came from. She knew from her textbooks and the news that the Siberian Region became a conflict zone after the entire region was bombarded by the sudden fall from 'meteorites'. There were many coverages about refugees, warlords and child soldiers.

"W-was Bronya-chan… a child soldier?" She bit her lips in distress. "So this is why she didn't want to enter with us."

"Subject Mei, is everything all right?" Bronya turned her head. It took Mei a great effort to hide her worry with a smile and continue washing her back. "No Bronya-chan, I was just thinking that you have very pretty skin." Bronya kept her gaze for a moment before looking forward again. "The Bronya's accepts the compliments." Mei finished rubbing her back and rinsed with great care Bronya´s back.

"She said that she was going to start anew," Mei saddened for her. "And whose fault was that?" Mei flinched when she heard for a moment her inward companion. Before she understood what she was doing, she hugged tightly Bronya. The little girl flinched, surprised at the older girl's sudden action. "Subject Mei?" She asked. Mei didn't respond. She just kept there, hugging her.

"Subject…?"

"Hey Bronya-chan, tell me, did you have relatives living in the city?" Mei whispered in her ear. Bronya noted her voice was tense. "No. The Bronya was in this city thanks to a friend from Mamushka's," She answered. "Mother… was all the Bronya had before coming here…" Bronya spoke in a low volume.

"If you don't have anyone, would you mind coming to live with me?" Mei asked softly as Bronya's eyes went wide. "I know that loneliness is hard Bronya. And I-" "Crushed your opportunity before you even began…" "-will feel better knowing that you are safe."

"Mostly, you will try to atone by adopting the brat like a pet?" Mei trembled when she heard her voice again.

Noting her distress, Bronya put her hands on Mei's. "The Bronya…" she opened her mouth to say something, but Mei's words stopped her brain to formulate the words. "The Bronya's emotional centers… are overloading…"

"The Bronya-!"

"Mei-senpai! You promised to clean my back!"

"Kiana-chan, don't run inside the bath!"

"KYAAHH!"

SPLASH!

---

While the girls bathed, Adam made a quick tour inside the rooms to search for some clothes that may fit him. He found them and left them on a chair in the living room. He waited outside in the terrace sitting on the floor, smoking his cigarettes while time passed. He left the crystal door ajar to hear in the case the zombies breached the main entrance to the building. He heard some cries and Mei scolding Kiana about something. He didn't want to think about what was happening inside. It couldn't be good for his mental health.

"{Pussy.}"

"Fuck off."

It took around an hour for the girls to be done. Adam didn't have a problem with it. The day had been long and tiring, so taking a long bath to wash off your worries was good in his book. The bathroom's door opened and a vapor cloud left the place. The girls emerged from the bath wearing their clothes dry and clean from zombie fluids. Adam tried to ignore how their clothes stick to their bodies due to the steam from the bath.

"{Seriously? You are having a free show, and instead, you try to be a gentleman!"}

"{Cousin Katherine would have pocked our eyes out.}

"{Can't object to it. She threatened us whenever her voluptuous friends visited home.}

Adam threw the cigar off the terrace as he got up. He entered and closed the door behind him. "You three look better. Was the bath good?" He noted that Kiana had a big bump on her head. "It was a nice cleaning until Idiotka ruined it," answered Bronya. She glared at Kiana. "Want me to drown you in the Jacuzzi, brat?!" Kiana challenged. "Enough! If you don't behave, none of you will have dinner," Mei interrupted before the two fought again. That made the trick. The girls closed their mouths though they kept their glares on each other.

"Well, if you don't mind, I am going to take a quick shower before dinner." He informed. "Okay, Adam-kun. Dinner will be ready soon." Adam nodded as he walked to the chair where he left the clothes and moved towards the bathroom. Adam was so centered on getting clean quickly that he didn't close the door completely. He left his coat and harnesses with his weapons hanging from a perch in the changing room. His bloody clothes were thrown in the trash bin. Adam was tempted to use the Jacuzzi, but he was really hungry and he wouldn't fully relax knowing that he was deep inside of a zombie city.

It took Adam around twenty minutes to clean himself. He was glad, it has been almost two days since he took a shower. Adam wondered if the girls noted the smell and didn't comment about it. He winced a bit when the hot water touched his left hand, the one hurt by Omen. The hole was already healed. It closed when he was unconscious, but it was still a bit sensitive. Adam saw the Jacuzzi was still full. He guessed the girls left it thinking that he would take a dip in it. He emptied it and thanked them mentally for the gesture. He went back to the changing room and started to dry his body. Turning his back to the door, Adam was drying his head when he heard someone knocking on the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yes?" He stopped moving the towel. "It's Kiana. Mei-senpai says if you want something specific for dinner?" Kiana asked behind the door. Her voice sounded clearer despite the door was in the way. He pondered the question. "If it isn't much trouble, a great portion of meat will be good," he responded as he resumed drying his hair. "Fine. I will tell her." Adam kept drying his hair until he shuddered when he felt a cold blow of air hitting his back. "Did I leave the door opened?" He turned his head, and in fact, he left it open. He saw the door was open, giving almost a full view of the changing room. He was glad that Kiana didn't see him in all his naked glory. "That would have made dinner incredibly awkward." He went to the door and closed it fully. Five minutes later, Adam came out, sporting a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt. He kept his old boots and his black jacket.

"Are you done Adam-kun?" Mei asked. She and the rest of the girls were already seated on the table. There were plates already served with dinner. His mouth began to salivate by smelling the delight he was going to have for dinner. He took a seat and looked at his plate. It was Orange Chicken with sesame seeds on top. The other girls shared the same meal as him, although his plate had a bit of more chicken in it.

"Sorry if it is so simple," Mei apologized. "There weren't many ingredients in the fridge, so this is everything I could do for now." She gave a short bow.

"Don't worry Mei-senpai! It smells delicious."

"The Bronya doesn't find a problem with it."

"It smells good and it's better than eating nothing."

Mei was relieved that the three didn't have a problem with the food. She sat between Kiana and Adam. "Ittadakimasu!" She joined her hands as she said this. Kiana imitated her. Bronya and Adam followed the display, though they made it clumsily. As soon as they put a piece of chicken in their mouths, the three stopped simultaneously. They stayed like that for many seconds. It worried Mei. "I-is it not to your taste?" She asked nervously. She didn't imagine their following reaction.

"It is glorious!" Kiana cried happily as she started to chew and put more pieces of chicken in her mouth. Bronya's widened. "The Bronya is trying to process this majestic feeling." She stated. She chewed at a slower pace than Kiana, trying to savor deeply the delicious food. "Mei…" She turned to Adam and was surprised at his expression. He was… he was crying tears of joy! He kept eating, not minding the tears. Mei was astonished for their reactions.

"The Bronya is setting subject Mei's security routine at top priority," Bronya stated with a grave face. Adam was the same.

"Mei, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you get out of this city alive as long as I can eat your cooking again!" And Kiana…

"Mei-senpai, marry me!"

After making sure that things didn't get out of control, the group enjoyed their dinner in relative silence.

"The Bronya thanks subject Mei for this delicious meal." Bronya gave a short bow in gratitude for the food. She looked in disgust at Kiana, who cleaned the plate clean with her tongue and fingers. "Kiana-chan, those are terrible manners on the table." Mei scolded her. To her credit, Kiana had the decency to blush and apologize. "S-sorry. It's just… it was delicious Mei-senpai. Thank you very much!" Kiana congratulated her. She wasn't the only one. "You have no idea how good this is Mei. Thank you, I really mean it," Adam nodded at her. Mei couldn't help but blush with how honest their congratulations and appreciation from her companions sounded.

"Y-You are welcome." She stuttered. The others smiled at her reaction, even Bronya, albeit it was a small twitch on her lips. They finished their dinner with a warm cup of tea.

"Now that we have an opportunity to speak in peace, I would like to know a little more about you," Mei spoke putting her cup of tea down. The others, mainly Adam and Bronya raised a brow. "If you are okay with it, of course!" Mei raised her arms in a placating gesture. The former two pondered for a bit. Despite Bronya had a moment with Mei inside the bath, she didn't trust them completely, but she thought that maybe reveling the basics will be okay. Adam followed this similar thought, but he was going to avoid saying too much, specifically as he how he knew about the two organizations who were fighting against the Honkai.

Kiana was the first. She got up while putting her hands on her waist. "Well, you already know my name. I am Kiana Kaslana, fifteen years old. I am a Valkyrie in training and I still learning the gun-taka from my clan. I have been moving around the world searching for my dad to give him a piece of my mind after he left me years ago." She glared shortly to Adam while the girls widened their eyes at the last part. "I transferred to Chiba Academy many months ago after I received a new track about him. My likes are training, eat delicious food, read comics and now, spend time with Mei-senpai." Such senpai in question blushed at the declaration. "I hate do exams and everything that has to do with school. I dream of becoming a powerful warrior to protect the innocents and follow the oath from my clan!" Kiana finished. She sat back.

Mei was next. She raised and cleared her throat. "Hello, my name is Mei Raiden. I am sixteen years old. I have been studying at Chiba Academy for the last two years. I am a practitioner of my clan's sword style. I enjoy rainy days and to play the piano." She smiled nostalgically at the last part. "My main hobby is cooking and I have mastered more than one hundred recipes." The others widened their eyes at the revelation. "I dislike lies and I dream of cleaning my family's name and free my father from prison, who was imprisoned unfairly!" She said with a great conviction. The others nodded at it.

Bronya levitated from her seat. Project Bunny appeared behind her. "Bronya Zaychik, fourteen years old. This is Project Bunny." It waved shortly its hand. "The Bronya came from Siberia. The Bronya was meant to start anew in this city, -Adam caught Mei flinched a bit-, but due to the unexpected circumstances, the Bronya is now fighting with subjects Mei, Adam and the idiotka against the Honkai hostiles. I will be in your care" Bronya finished giving a short bow before sitting back. Project Bunny disappeared. Kiana growled but didn't yell back at her.

"What a short introduction…" the rest thought. The girls moved their eyes to the only male in the group.

Adam took the last of his tea. He got up and waved his hand lazily. "Well, hello everyone. I am Adam Alighieri, eighteen years old. I have been on the road since I was fourteen," Adam recited his 'official' background. "I have been moving from place to place since then. You may call me a 'free agent'. Don't worry, I am not a mercenary, I am more of an errand boy than anything," he chuckled. "I like reading comics, listen to electronic and rock music and have a good fight." He smiled at the last part. "I was on my way to Soukai City to meet someone that may help me to get stronger and control much better my powers. My dreams for the future are to survive and defeat the Honkai, and fulfill my family's last wish." He smiled nostalgically remembering it.

"{Was it a good idea to tell them about it?}"

"{It could be used against you in the future.}"

Adam ignored them and decided to change the topic. "And if you are wondering about my powers…" He raised his hand. The tendrils manifested over it and changed his arm for a claw, for a whipt with sharp edges, and finally into a long blade. The girls saw his already pale face turning whiter and bulging red veins on his face. His eyes turned red and the sclera in black. "I got them two years ago. They give me many boosts although they turn my face horrible and the recoil is terrible when I overuse them." He explained as he deactivated them, coming back to look like a normal human. He noted that they kept staring at him.

He sighed. "I ruined the mood with the transformation, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically. The girls nodded. "Sorry about it." He apologized. He knew that people didn't use to see him like this except for Siegfried and Hestia.

Mei decided to move on. "All in all, everyone had good and noble goals to fulfill." She commented. "Thank you for sharing them and I hope we can fulfill them." She welcomed them. The others expressed their thanks and started to clean the table.

---

After (the most delicious) dinner, (in their opinion) and sharing moment; the four decided to go to sleep to start earlier the next day. They agreed to take turns to watch over. His sister indoctrination made Adam to volunteer for the first watch. Mei declined his offer and said that she will take the first watch, she argued that he looked still tired from using his powers. In a way, he couldn't argue against that. A night of sleep and the assurance that he won't have to sleep on edge, it will make Adam recover faster. "And perhaps use my whips to move faster around." The turns were; Mei, Kiana, Adam and then Bronya. He tried to negotiate with Bronya that he will take the last watch. She said no and claimed that the early morning was colder. The three said 'goodnight' and went to sleep on the bedrooms as Mei, the first person to watch, took sit on the couch with a steaming cup of coffee.

It wasn't until some hours later that Adam felt a jerk on his shoulder.

"Mmmh? Alright alright Siegfried, I'm getting up," yawned Adam as he got up. Then, the jerk changed for a punch. "What the fuck, old man?! I am awake," he shot up from the bed and glared to Siegfried, or rather, her daughter. Then he remembered where he was. "Kiana? What was that for?!" he whispered angrily, he didn't want to wake up the others unnecessarily. "Living room. Now." She said with a sharp tone as she left the room. He was surprised at her behavior. "What was that for?" He asked to himself. He equipped his stuff and moved to the living room. He saw her sitting on the couch.

He took a seat next to her. On the table were a couple of cups full of coffee and napkins. He guessed one of them were form him. He took a sip and hummed content. "Delicious," he commented. "It isn't too strong and had a slight chocolate flavor," he instantly knew who made such a delicious drink. "Ahem," Kiana called his attention. "Right." He put down his cup. "So…" He began. "What was that punch for?" he asked.

"You were slow to wake up. And you made me mad when you said the old man's name." Kiana responded while taking a sip from her cup. He didn't understand what she meant until he remembered what she told him when they were fighting the Herrscher. Adam sighed. He hoped she would forget about her demand until they were out of the city, and remember about it when he was already away.

"Shoot."

"How and when you met the old-man and why did he stick with you?" She asked. Adam noted that he last part she said it bothered. Adam looked towards the ceiling, pondering what and how much he would tell her.

"{Tell her the truth, but avoid saying what you two have been doing all this time,}" it suggested before falling silent. Adam thanked that the other didn't come out and made things difficult.

"Well, to begin, I met your old-man a year and a half ago when I was in Cape Town, South Africa," he began. "I was in a work trying to capture some pirates that had a chest with precious cargo. I was supposed to have a partner, but the damn guy didn't show up. Anyway, I was on the boat knocking them unconscious. Everything was going fine until some idiot decided to use a grenade while all of us were on the boat." He grumped at the memory. "After the explosion, I swam to the coast. I am pissed off that my paycheck went to trash after that stunt. I am raising from the wet sand and then appear an old-man holding a cone of ice-cream to my face.

'Hey, sorry to let you down kid, –Adam imitated badly Siegfried's voice- but there was this old lady that needed a helping hand to lift a heavy piece of furniture on the street.' The man presented himself as my absent partner for the job. 'Would you forgive me?' he asked."

"What did you do?"

"Simple. I smeared the thing on his eyes and punch him on the balls!" He tried to not laugh loudly while remembering Siegfried's funny face as he was bending on the sand, groaning in pain. "Hahaha!" Kiana tried to maintain a serious face but she couldn't and ended up laughing at low volume. He didn't blame her. Adam decided to continue.

"Well after hitting your dad on the jewels, I learned that my… tutor, Hestia, asked him to watch over me while she sorted some stuff out. At first, I was against it. He was an idiot and lazy ass most of the time. And his cooking, sweet merciful death, I can't look at gelatin the same way after one of his cooking attempts," he shuddered, remembering the abomination. He took a sip of his coffee to refresh his throat.

"There were times when I tried to sneak away, but he always found me or made sure that I couldn't leave." He chuckled. "After some time and near-death situations, well, your old-man is someone who you can count on when shit hits and needs to be done; only when he isn't screwing around or ogling at some breasts." He explained. To his surprise, Kiana chuckled, but it wasn't a funny one. It was dry, devoid of any humor.

"I wish I could say the same, Adam." She lowered her head. The cup on her hands protested as she gripped it tightly. "He… living with him was odd," she began. "I don't remember a thing since I had nine, not even my name. He… dad was nice, but, he wasn't the best father, you know. He gave me everything I wanted. Toys, comics, hell, even useless things for a little girl. I would just have to say 'I want this…' and the following days I will have it in the house, but…" She bit her lips and lowered her head more.

"That didn't make me happy. He didn't let me leave the house, he didn't smile or said my name, he spoke the minimum; hell he didn't even celebrate my birthday. I would found him on some corner in the house, passed out drunk while mumbling two names. My mother's and mine," she stopped and took a sip of coffee. Adam knew she was using it to continue without letting the memories drag her down.

She continued. "When he came back from his fights with the Honkai, dad was a mess and I would have to help him parch his injuries. One day, I asked him, 'why do you keep fighting despite you are terrible injured?' I won't ever forget that moment. He…dad chuckled! It was the first time I saw him do that!" Kiana released a little smile. "He answered me, 'I am a Kaslana. My blood boils when I see people attacked by the Honkai.' The passion and the security in his eyes… they hit me deeply. I wanted to become a powerful warrior, just like him. I wanted to become a true Kaslana." Kiana took the rest of her coffee in one sitting. She kept the empty cup in her hands.

"After that day, dad started to teach me the gun-kata techniques from the Kaslana Clan, but he never took me to a fight for two years." While Kiana explained, Adam kept silent, listening attentively to her tale, but thinking about what she was revealing to him.

"What the hell Siegfried? You were an asshole to your daughter and why did you even teach her your gun-taka if you weren't going to let her fight?" He was truly surprised by his coach's behavior.

"On my eleven birthday, dad came back and collapsed on the bed, he was heavily injured. While I watched over him, a message came with an alert about a Honkai beast detected in the zone. Thinking back, what I did was pretty stupid. I took dad's guns and left the house while saying to myself, 'I won't let them hurt my daddy again!'" Kiana frowned.

"But things didn't go my way. I thought that I could take down the Honkai beast with my gun-taka." She tightened her grip, the cup started to present cracks. "When it was about to deal the last blow, dad appeared and saved me while screaming; 'what are you trying to do to my baby-doll?!' When the fight was over, I thought he will be really mad at me." Then, Kiana smiled nostalgically.

"He told me that we were going to celebrate my birthday. He got me a huge cake and tons of gifts. But to me, the best gift was when he gave me my name, Kiana." Her smile got bigger.

"Everything was going great. Dad… he started to act like one. He was really bad at it, but he kept trying his best. He kept training me, we played and laughed together, even I started to visit the little village near our house," her smile died down. The cracked cup was left on the table. "I don't know that happened, but one day I woke up and dad was gone. There was only a cellphone with instructions to live on my own." Kiana said with bitterness. Adam didn't blame her, what Siegfried did was a really shit move. "Since then, I have been trying to track him during these last four years, moving from place to place, only to get nothing." Kiana looked at him. Adam wasn't surprised at her expression at all.

She was biting her lower lip, to the point of drawing blood; her eyes were moistened, but there were not tears falling, she didn't allow it; Adam glimpsed how her knuckles were white from all the force she was clenching her hands.

"And then, you appear and told me that you have been with the damn old-man for more than a year, while I have been following false leads all this fucking time!" Kiana managed to catch her voice in the last second, but it didn't minimize her true display of anger and frustration.

"T-tell me, Adam," she stuttered. "Did he just… did he just dumped me?" Her voice began to break as she spoke. Adam didn't like it one bit. "I know that I can be quite the brat and my cooking is bad, but, did dad leave me behind because…because I was an annoyance?" She sniffed. "Did daddy ever loved me?" She lowered her head as the first tears started to fell. Adam looked away as she cried silently, giving her some sort of privacy.

"{You should say something to make her feel better,}" it suggested. "{Physical contact tends to help. A hug may work," surprisingly, the dark voice didn't start with innuendos.

Despite the suggestions, Adam didn't do any of them. He just sat there, with a neutral expression while looking at the table as Kiana cried out. She kept crying for long minutes before she started to get a hold of herself.

"Sorry," she sniffed. "I… this wasn't how I imagined things were going to be." She was going to grab some napkins to clean herself, but Adam beat her to it and offered some. "Thanks." Adam just nodded. Once done, Kiana left the used papers next to her. "I will throw them later."

"Forget what I said. I will find the old-man myself and beat him into a bloody pulp until he explains himself." She cleared her throat. "Sorry for waking you," she apologized. She intended to get up and drink more of Mei's coffee, but a firm hand on her left arm stopped her. "Wait a moment, Kiana. Let me talk now." Kiana didn't want to be near anyone right now. She tried to move, but his grip was strong. "Please stay, there is something you need to know." He pleaded. She doubted for a moment before releasing a resigned sigh. "Okay."

Adam was about to grab a cigarette but changed of opinion before he touched the pack in his jacket. "Siegfried seriously owes me a ton after this." He thought while he kept silent. Kiana started to get impatient at Adam's silence. "Are you planning on saying something already?" she asked him. Adam pondered before he inhaled air and spoke.r

"I don't know all the story, but of what few Siegfried told me about and what I learned about the Second Impact, well, the aftermath wasn't cheers and parades. The Siberian region went to hell, believe me, I have been there and Bronya's behavior doesn't surprise me at all, maybe it is a form of coping with her past," Adam cleared his throat. "What I am trying to say is, the fight against the Second Herrscher was brutal. Do you think we have it bad? I read some reports and the old-man told me first-hand how chaotic the epicenter of all the fight was. Hordes after hordes of Honkai beasts besieging the battleground. Many of his companions fell one by one during the fight. Among them was the strongest Valkyrie from Schicksal."

When they were at their last stand, Siegfried told me that with her help, they managed to put an end to the fight and defeat the Herrscher. They fight was won, yeah, but it not only cost Schicksal its strongest Valkyrie, but Siegfried lost his wife as well, Cecilia Shariack, your mother." Kiana's eyes widened with the revelation. "M-Mom was a Valkyrie?"

"When he spoke about the past, there is a strange light in his eyes. I would describe it as happiness for the old days when everything used to make sense," he rubbed his face. Talking about things like this made Adam remember things he tried to keep buried. "As far as I know, despite all the flirting he does with women, he had never taken someone to bed since I met him. When he is drunk, he stills says your mom's and your name. I will not try to defend him because by how he left you, in my opinion, he deserves a beating on the balls, but I think the reason he left without you was that things started to get dangerous."

Kiana gritted her teeth as anger started to take over. "So he left me behind because I was weak?" Her tone was bitter. He didn't answer. "You can't be serious?" She grumbled as she clenched her hands more and more. "So he rather had me running on my own than staying with me because it's too dangerous?!" She cried out. Adam looked her straight in the eye His voice was grave. "I don't know if he ever told you but, did you know that he has a bounty on his head?" He asked. "And not a bounty of some thousands, oh no, I am talking about six zeroes, Kiana." She was astonished. He never told her anything about this!

"Was that why we lived deep in the forest?" She wondered.

"The details are scarce, but Siegfried was a mess after your mother's death and he pissed off the wrong people. The kind of people with a lot of power in their hands," Adam rubbed his temple as he looked to the ceiling. "When I said death-near situations I am not joking, Kiana. Siegfried and I had had close encounters with mercenaries and assassins while traveling." He grimaced. "You know how strong he is and believe me when I said there have been many times where he almost bled to death" Kiana gaped with horror. Adam felt almost bad for lying about this, but to be honest, Kiana was an innocent and good girl, she wouldn't last long if she got in the underworld affairs and the backstabbing people. Like hell, he was going to let her walk straight into that world.

"I am surprised that she hasn't gotten in really bad affairs since she has been searching for Siegfried."

He leaned on the couch "I am not a parent, but I rather have my kid safe and unknown for bounty hunters who will do whatever it takes to kill me."

"So that's why you have so many scars on your back?" Adam was sure his neck almost broke at how abruptly he moved his head towards her. "I saw them when you were changing," she rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "Sorry." She apologized. Adam felt a bit self-conscious about the scars and didn't feel comfortable when they were brought up. Not because he was ashamed of them, rather, he didn't have good memories of how he obtained them. While they weren't made when he traveled with Siegfried, Adam used this as a way to make it clear to her how serious the situation was. Adam exhaled. "I already got some before meeting him, but I got more with him as time passed." Of course, this was also a lie, but Kiana didn't need to know that. He fell silent, allowing Kiana to process all that she just learned.

"Then, was dad only protecting me?" She asked. "I think so." He said. In his opinion, Siegfried's way was shit, but efficient, given that Kiana was still breathing and have not been kidnapped until now "Then…why…why he was so cold towards me?" She whispered the last question, but Adam heard it. He closed his eyes and visualized a tall tree in a meadow, a blue sky with few clouds in it. Covered by the shadow the three provided, there were four people in a picnic, laughing and smiling.

"When you lost something you held dear with all your heart, it's like your universe collapses in front of you and you couldn't do a thing to stop it from happening." He opened his eyes and straightened his back. "I can understand him regarding that. You are not yourself, being a fucking asshole and it may take a literal punch on the face to put yourself together and try to move on." He cleaned a little trash in his left eye.

"{You revealed too much information, idiot! We told you to help her, not to put her in danger!"}

"{A hug would have done the work, but no, Adam had to empathize to comfort the old man's little girl!}

Both voices complained and they were right. Adam just revealed, as far as he knew, why Siegfried had abandoned her.

"Kiana," he called her. She looked at him and flinched at the sight. His eyes transformed along with his face. His expression was grave and there was a cold light inside his red-dark orbs. "Promise me, Kiana, that no matter what and no matter who, you will not tell anyone about what we just discussed and stop searching for him. If these people get a glimpse of the relationship you have with him, they will do whatever to bring him out." He raised his hand, offering it to a handshake. "Promise me, as a Kaslana Oath that you will not say a word about this until Siegfried makes sure that you are truly safe."

Kiana looked at his hand and back to his eyes. She was searching for excuses to not stop looking for the old man, but after what Adam told her, she started to reconsider her options. "And those many scars on his back…" She released a frustrated sigh. "So many years wasted…" She thought.

She took his hand. "Fine. It's taking me a lot to say yes to this Adam." He nodded. He was about to release her hand until she gripped it.

"Kiana?"

"If you ever meet my old-man again, promise me that you will tell him that he better prepare himself because I am going to kick his ass until its flat as an iron board!" Adam laughed. "Hahaha! Count on me, Kiana." He offered a smile as his face went back to normal. The two got up from the couch. "So… are you fine?" He asked. Kiana closed her eyes for a moment as she inhaled deeply. "To be honest, it still sucks that the old-man left me but, as you said, he did it because he was worried for me. Though it doesn't mean I have forgiven him. He still owes me a good explanation." Kiana crossed her arms over her chest. He nodded. "I helped you, Siegfried, you owe me big time." He thought.

"I will tell him your message. Promise." He stretched his limbs. "Ah! Well, if you don't mind, I am going back to sleep for a moment before it's my turn." He started to walk towards his room. "Adam?" She called him. He stopped and turned around, and to his surprise, Kiana gave him a huge. Adam went still. "Thank you. For being honest with me." She tightened it a bit and then released him. She looked to the side, there was a small blush on her cheeks. "Well… you are welcome," he turned quickly, so Kiana wouldn't see his uncomfortable face as he walked to his room.

"I am starting to feel like an asshole for lying and instead receive smiles and hugs from girls." Adam regretted.

"{Celeste and Katherine would be kicking your ass if they learned you lied to a pair of girls.}"

"{Yeah, but I think Katherine would punch you and then congratulate you for stopping a girl from getting mixed on the kind of affairs we are in.}"

"{You have a twisted way to solve problems and help people.}" It sighed. "{At least you are regretting it, right}"

"They will skin me in the afterlife if I don't."

Adam was about to enter his room, but a sudden chill stopped him on his tracks.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The whole place started to tremble, waking the other girls up. Mei and Bronya left their rooms rapidly.

"Guys!" Mei called for them. "Are you-?"

"EVERYONE OUT!"

Adam screamed before the whole building was cut in two by a gigantic sword.

---

"You are joking."

"I wish I am, Himeko," said the other person at the other end of the line. Their voice sounded childish. "Our scientists checked it out three times and grandpa just made it official."

"Still, why do I have to take care of this," Murata Himeko, Major and Commander of 5th Valkyrie Squad Platoon, remarked listlessly. "You could drop some of the S class Valkyries. You know, the maid or Durandal?"

"Because as your boss and the cutest on the world, I say so!" the young person on the other side raised her voice a little. "Himeko, the other commanders from the other branches want to launch Fission Missiles at short scale to take out the Third Herrscher. I won't allow it!"

Himeko shifted her weight off her left hip onto her right. Her red and black themed cocktail dress moved along with her. "And what's the problem with it?" She asked. While the Second Impact on Siberia and Russia left a deep scar on the people and history, it was the better option than having the Herrscher wipe out humanity.

"Don't get me wrong Teri, I know that what happened in Siberia it's personal to you, but I don't see why I should go to an already dead city." She saw in the distance a blond-haired young man, who moments before was trying to flirt with her in a 'cool gentleman' attitude, asking for a couple of drinks at the bar. She hated these formal parties. "A couple of drinks, a gentleman or playboy attitude and they think that they would get lucky." She huffed.

Teri or rather, Theresa Apocalypse, commander of the Far East branch of Schicksal was quiet. Himeko knew that Theresa was anxious and perhaps angry. Himeko knew how much Theresa avoided talking about the Second Impact.

"I am sorry, Teri," Himeko apologized. "I know that Siberia it's too personal for you. I-"

"No, Himeko," Theresa interrupted. "It's alright. I know that you didn't mean any harm." Theresa sighed. She sounded tired and anxious. "I am calling you, not just because you are the closest Valkyrie in the area, but because…" Theresa went quiet again. Himeko heard Theresa inhaled deeply. She only did that when something was troubling her, not the usual tantrums when she was made fun of her height or childish taste when it came to entertainment.

"Teri?" She lowered her left arm below her breasts as she moved closer her cellphone to her ear.

"Because there is someone really important that is still fighting her way out of the Impact Zone." She whispered. "I made a promise long ago, Himeko. And I will be damned by ghosts before I broke it!" Theresa raised her voice again, this time with a burning conviction in it.

Himeko chuckled shortly. Theresa will always be childish and scared about ghosts despite the situation she can be in.

"Well, at least you called me before I was taken out of this 'super funny party' out of the blue," Himeko faked sadness at the knowledge that she was leaving the event.

"Thank you, Himeko. I will pay you back."

"Really? Then, don't make me come to this shitty parties ever again. I rather watch you fuming while making paperwork."

"If you say, bimbo," Theresa clicked her tongue. "Why grandpa doesn't let me go in these kinds of parties?" She asked herself aloud. No matter how much she asked, the Overseer of Schicksal never allowed her to attend the parties with the investors. She didn't know that it was a den of snakes and sharks.

"Because you are plain as a table," Himeko added mentally. "And it will pretty fuck up is someone tried to score the night with you."

"Mhm! You are just jealous the people will rather enjoy the night with me instead of an old bimbo like you!" Theresa threw back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Teri" Himeko commented. "I will call you once I reach the Herrscher." Then she added. "By the way, when I am going to be picked up?" Himeko asked. Before Theresa could answer, people around started to panic when a futuristic battleship descend from the night sky. The blond-haired young man that carried two glasses and coming on her way fell on his bottom, breaking the glasses and spilling its contents.

"Never mind," Himeko sighed as she hung up the call.

"Well, at least I got out."

---

"Thank you a lot, Himeko," Theresa breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned her back on the wall, wrinkling the veil of her nun costume. She was a couple of hallways from the conference room with the other commanders from the different branches of Schicksal.

"And thanks to you too," she added. Since yesterday, the fear was palpable in the conference room and it got worse as the news of the Herrscher's birth was confirmed and the damage it did. Theresa knew that what happened in Siberia left a deep scar on their minds. When the use of Fission Missiles was proposed, she was the only one who was against it. Many voiced their opinions and deployment of S class Valkyries, but none didn't discard the Fission Missiles.

"Siberia must not be repeated," she bitterly thought. She knew that the aftermath of the Missiles made life harsher for the survivors of the Second Impact.

"Madam Theresa," she turned to her left. A black-haired young woman was wearing a business suit and a visor at the end of the hallway. "The other commanders are waiting for you." Her voice was even.

Theresa straightened. "I am on my way," she said. The young woman nodded and moved towards the conference room. When Theresa was sure that the woman was away, she unlocked her cellphone and opened the e-mail application. She opened an e-mail that came hours before the conference with the other commanders. It alarmed her, not only because this person knew that the Schicksal commanders were discussing the issue about the Herrscher, but about something that she swore to protect years ago.

From: ****/

To: TeriTheCutestInTheEntireWorld!

Theme: Promise

Her child is inside the Impact Zone, Theresa. You know who I am talking about.

She has back up and is fighting her way out.

Make sure the commanders don't do something stupid.

She will be safe as long as you keep those missiles out of the way. She can get out alive.

I will contact you again.

This message is untraceable but it is better if you delete it to keep her safe in case your grandpa tries something.

Theresa looked the message one last time before deleting it.

She didn't know who wrote to her when the disaster in Nagazora began, but whoever was, they knew about Cecilia's child and her actual whereabouts, something that Siegfried didn't tell her whenever he contacted her.

"I don't' know who you are," she began. "I am grateful. Really. Because I can keep my promise to her." She clenched her fist. A fire emerged in her eyes as she walked towards the conference room. Preparing herself to shot down the insistence to use the damn missiles and gain time for Himeko and her god-daughter.

"Cecilia," she was in front of the door. "I will keep her safe, no matter what. I swear it."

The door slid open and she entered, ready to face paranoid people with great power at their hands.

---

So… did you like it? I hope you did.

To make it clear, if there were some doubts at the chat between Adam and Kiana.

Adam doesn't know at all why Siegfried did leave Kiana behind, but he knows that if she keeps tracking him, sooner or later, Kiana could get involved in the dangerous affairs of her father. In further chapters, I will put some of these encounters the two had with the bounty hunters Otto set on Siegfried.

Yep. Adam had second intentions on some of his actions. As you have seen, his actions are on the behalf of the girls.

Leave reviews and comments!

And watch out for COVID-19.

The people in my country are taking the problem lightly, although it doesn't mean everyone is the same. I am getting bored of staying at home all day and burning my hands for washing them continuously.

People wash your hands!

See ya!